Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 241

Coming into the Golden Treasury, I could see it clearly.

Why the other races couldn’t use their strength in front of the royal family.

Should I say I could feel the royal family’s power?

The precious Tier 3 essences filled half of the vast treasury.

And it wasn’t just one of each.

‘There are seven or eight of the easy-to-obtain and rarely used essences.’

Most of them even had extras.

Even essences that could only be obtained within rifts, which were difficult to acquire, were stocked in every color.

‘Crazy, they even have the essence of Nivarok?’

It was the essence of a rare monster that only appeared in rifts.

It wasn’t an option that a barbarian warrior would use, but…

Even just considering the difficulty of obtaining it, it was probably better than a Tier 2 essence.

‘How did they collect all of this?’

The more I looked around, the more I couldn’t help but think that. If a royal family lasted for thousands of years, was it possible to accumulate such an absurd amount of wealth?

‘When I played the game, I thought I could choose whatever I wanted because it was a game.’

I even threw away the slight worry that the royal family might fall to Noah Arc.

How could I even think of losing after seeing this?

Thousands of Tier 3 essences.

I didn’t know what their current power was, but it meant that the royal family could create an army of insane power if they wanted to.

‘If you feed five Tier 3 essences to a knight who can use aura…’

Just thinking about it made me dizzy.

And it wasn’t just Tier 3 essences.

There would also be Tier 2 essences in the higher-level treasury.

‘…Maybe even Tier 1 essences.’

What was even more frightening was that essences weren’t the end of it.

There were also Number Items [Items with special numerical properties].

‘Since there are triple numbers in the Golden Treasury, there must be double numbers and single numbers above…’

Although their priority was lower than essences, they were the easiest way to upgrade your stats when your growth reached its limit.

‘…It’s not that there’s nothing I want, but it’s nothing compared to essences.’

Well, should I take a look around?

Since I had time, I wandered around the Golden Treasury, admiring the items with interest.

Well, since I already knew all the options, my interest quickly faded…

“Um, touching is a little…”

“What does it matter if I touch them? They’re not going to wear out!”

Every time I touched the equipment, the mage who had come in as a guard and guide turned pale, which was quite amusing.

‘Okay, that’s enough looking around.’

It was time to make a decision.

So, I did a final check.

I had already decided which essence to take, but you never know.

Okay, then first, this one.

‘Bellarios.’

A dragon of the Eastern type.

A monster that resembled an Imugi [A Korean mythical serpent], it was essentially an upgraded version of the Manticore.

Its base stats were focused on magic resistance.

And it had a unique passive, [Cycle of Circulation], that allowed you to accumulate stats.

‘Well, even if I get the passive now, it’s almost impossible to accumulate stats.’

[Cycle of Circulation] only took effect when you reached a level where you could hunt monsters of Tier 3 or higher.

But the reason it became a core essence was because of its active skill.

[Scales of Greed].

When using this skill, scales temporarily grew on the skin, and ‘magic resistance’ increased in proportion to magic resistance.

For reference, if your magic resistance exceeded 1,500, you would gain magic immunity, and from that point on, mages would become like worms that you could just step on and kill.

It would become possible to enter Barbarian Dragon Mode.

But…

‘Originally, it’s not an essence that I should be taking right now.’

In fact, if it weren’t for the Ruin Scholar, its priority wouldn’t have been this high.

For exploration, the ‘Manticore’ was enough.

Even if I had to take it someday, the speed of growth would change depending on which one I took first.

Anyway, then, the second option.

‘Vol-Herchan.’

A huge monster whose entire body was covered in shells.

Just by looking at its appearance, you could tell that it had skills specialized in defense. The passive would synergize with [Iron Skin], and the active would create a body that could withstand even ‘aura’ [A type of energy used by warriors].

In short, it was an essence for dealing with aura.

It was an essence for a setting that I didn’t have yet.

If I had this, I wouldn’t have had my arm cut off by the Noah Arc explorer who used aura.

‘Amelia, that woman also used aura…’

Since the clown said he would send assassins, the priority of this essence had increased a bit. To be honest, among the assassins I knew, that woman was the scariest.

‘And it seems like I’ll be fighting people more often in the future.’

Ah, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless against monsters.

Being able to deal with ‘aura’ was just an additional benefit.

Above all, its strength stat was also very high, so it had the best balance of offense and defense among the candidates.

Then, finally…

‘Bayon.’

Among the Tier 3 monsters, where large beasts roamed, it was the only one classified as small.

It was also one of the few ‘humanoid’ monsters…

And at the same time, it was an ‘undead’. That is, an immortal.

In the game’s lore, they were ancient heroes who had been resurrected after death, and that was why they had very unique settings.

They fought using essences like explorers.

For reference, the combination of essences was different for each individual, but there was one thing they all had in common.

That was the ability of the essence they spat out.

[Transcendence].

What was unique was that if you took its essence, you would only get this one skill.

The passive and active were the same.

Ah, as a base stat, it had the ultra-rare stat, soul power, which had the advantage of reducing MP worries.

‘So, what should I choose…’

I would have to take any of the essences someday.

The only question was which one to take first.

After thinking it over one last time, I made my decision.

‘Yeah, if I can only take one, it has to be this one.’

I was looking forward to the day of the peerage conferment.

***

“Hmm, this essence, you say.”

The mage who had been following me the whole time made a strange expression when I chose the essence.

“It’s a good essence. Then, I will report that to the Prime Minister.”

“Ah, could you also throw in a Number Item? It looks like they’re just gathering dust—”

“That is not possible.”

He was so serious.

It was half a joke.

After another body search, I returned to the reception room where I had been earlier, and my companions were already there.

“It took a long time, probably because it was the Golden Treasury.”

Bear Uncle greeted me with a smile on his face.

“What essence did you choose?”

“Um, I just went with the one you told me about. It doesn’t look bad, and it’s a secret technique, right?”

Secret technique.

In short, it meant a guaranteed combination of essences.

Like the essences that heroes or great explorers who had left their names in history had.

Of course, such people were well-known, but most of them had combinations of higher-level essences, so it was difficult for explorers who had not reached a certain level to apply them.

However, minor honey combinations were publicly known.

For example, the dwarf knew how to reset the cooldown of Number Items using [Emergency Restoration].

It must have been one of the secret techniques circulating among the dwarves.

“When we get back, I need to book the training grounds.”

Bear Uncle, who had chosen the essence I recommended, was eager to leave the palace and try out his new skill.

Well, I guess everyone felt the same way.

“Bjorn, let’s go back! The power of a warrior is taking over my body! I need to unleash it quickly!”

Unlike me, the three of them had obtained Tier 5 essences, and I was a little envious of that.

Sigh, I have to wait until the day of the peerage conferment.

“Ugh, be patient. Erwen hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Why can’t that elf just come alone!”

“Hey, what did I say I would do if you talked like that?”

“S-Sorry. Just please, not the carrot soup…”

Misha scolded Ainar and defended Erwen.

As expected, it was reassuring to have an older sister supporting you.

After waiting for a while, Erwen also finished choosing her essence and returned.

“You’re late. Was there a problem?”

“No. I chose the one you told me to. But after taking it, I couldn’t adjust for a while, so I took a little break…”

Well, I guess that would happen.

Most of the higher-level essences caused a big change in the body as soon as you took them.

“S-Sorry. Did you wait long?”

“No need to apologize, it’s fine as long as there were no problems. Okay, let’s go back.”

After that, we took the carriage prepared by the royal family and returned to the 7th District, which now felt like home.

And we went straight to the training grounds.

The only place in the city where the use of abilities was allowed.

“Then, I’ll go first.”

Bear Uncle summoned Iron Bear Iradun.

And he placed a pig he had bought at the entrance of the training grounds on the target stand.

“I can’t do it with my own hands. Misha, can you do it?”

“Me? Ugh… Okay.”

After that, Misha used her sword to wound Woong, and the preparations were complete.

「Abman Urikprit has cast [Hungry Claws].」

The arrow began to glow red.

Bear Uncle placed it on the bowstring and aimed at the pig’s thigh.

Thwack-!

The pig screamed as if its throat was being cut. However, it didn’t take long for its energy to diminish.

Thud.

Even though it wasn’t hit in a vital spot, the pig soon collapsed and stopped moving.

There was no blood flowing out.

That was because the embedded arrow was absorbing the blood.

Whoosh-!

Even at this moment, the arrow embedded in the pig was extracting its life force and transferring it to Bear Uncle.

And this was where the synergy of the combination came in.

「Abman Urikprit’s life force is currently at its maximum.」

「Transfers the remaining life force to the soul-linked target.」

The absorbed life force passed through Bear Uncle and was transferred back to Woong.

“Woong?”

Woong, whose injuries had completely healed.

“I was doubtful, but the soul count really did recover.”

“The book said that when you’re injured, you’re the priority, so keep that in mind.”

He said that, but since Bear Uncle, who was ranged, was unlikely to get hurt, it was safe to say that the tank line had become more solid.

Well, that wasn’t the only advantage.

About three minutes after the arrow was embedded, the pig’s corpse had withered like a mummy.

‘If the sustained damage is this good, it’s not bad.’

Moreover, Bear Uncle also had [Hook Arrow], so the embedded arrow wouldn’t come out easily.

It meant that once it was embedded, the sustained damage and life steal would continue to stack.

‘Later, if I get [Altruism], we can heal not only Iron Bear but also ourselves with that.’

Of course, that was just how it could be built up, and there were no plans to turn Bear Uncle into a healer.

Why would I waste such a precious essence slot?

It was best to leave healing to a professional healer.

‘I should start looking for a priest soon…’

Anyway, next up was Ainar.

「Ainar Pnelin has cast [Wild Control].」

Since there was no essence to use as a graduation essence for Tier 5, I chose one that was effective right away and could be used for the longest time.

「All conditional activation effects of the next attack are converted to cutting power.」

[Explosive Scar], which caused an explosion when hitting the same spot, and [Life Absorption], which simply increased regeneration when hitting.

When [Wild Control] was used, both of these effects were converted to cutting power.

Like this.

Swoosh-!

Even though it was an Adamantium greatsword, the steel bar was cut in half without any resistance.

“Can I try it with another sword?”

“There’s no reason why not. Go ahead.”

Unlike the pig, the steel bars were free.

They were things that could be restored with magic.

“Then…”

Ainar was doubtful, so he tested it again with a cheap iron sword that was in the training grounds.

The result was the same.

Swoosh-

The steel bar was cut in one strike.

‘Good, this increases the options.’

When facing multiple enemies, he would apply explosion and life steal, and when facing a single powerful enemy, he would increase cutting power.

In short, he was no longer just a one-trick pony barbarian.

“Then, is it my turn?”

After that, Misha also tested her new essence, and then it was Erwen’s turn.

Both of them showed better-than-expected synergy and looked satisfied.

‘…Barbarian is so sad.’

Why am I the only one who still doesn’t have a new essence?

***

Two days later, I visited the palace again.

To be honest, I wasn’t as nervous as I was the first time.

How many times has it been this month?

Of course, there were some differences from the previous visits.

“You’re so tall, could you please bend down a little?”

Even the formal attire that Kyle had gifted me wasn’t enough, and the servants were fussing over me, dressing me up and decorating me.

Also, my companions weren’t around.

That was because I was the only one invited today.

It was said that it was a long-standing tradition of the royal family that no matter how distinguished a person was, they could not participate in the peerage conferment unless they were a noble.

‘It’s already noisy over there.’

The place I was currently in was the Hall of Glory, where I had been once before. I could hear the sound of instruments from the inner hall.

It seemed that the banquet had already begun.

Perhaps our entrance would be the climax of the banquet.

“Oh my, you look much better in that outfit.”

While I was waiting, dressed up, Count Perdehilt came to see me.

With his youngest daughter, as usual.

“A-Arabella Perdehilt, at your service.”

The young lady still couldn’t make eye contact with me, probably because she was still scared of me.

The count didn’t seem to have any intention of bothering me with talk of a political marriage even on a day like this, and he just chatted and left.

Well, to be precise, should I call it a warning?

“There are a total of three people receiving peerages today, including you. One is a baron, and one is a marquis.”

I had heard this before.

To be precise, for them, it would be more accurate to say succession rather than conferment.

“The baron is not a big deal, but the prospective marquis of the Cudo family is known to be ill-tempered and highly competitive.”

“In other words, he’s immature.”

“…That’s an accurate description. So be careful. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime day, and he might think that you’ve stolen the spotlight from him. Ah, even if he provokes you, try to bear with it. You’re one of us now, so you can’t just act as you please.”

“I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

“Good, that’s enough. Then, I’ll leave you alone. See you later.”

After that, the count really did leave coolly with his daughter. It seemed that his only purpose was to build a friendship with me.

‘Politics…’

For some reason, I laughed as I remembered what had happened in the Doppelganger Forest. Would a barbarian-style politics work in noble society?

While I was having such silly delusions, the day soon turned to night.

‘Wow, did I really spend more than ten hours in this small waiting room?’

After that, I went out to the passage with the red carpet, and there were two men who had arrived earlier.

Men who were dressed up for the day of the peerage conferment.

‘That small one must be the baron…’

I stared at the man who was quite large for a human. Just by looking at his sharp eyes, it seemed that he was the marquis.

“Nice to meet you. I heard you’ll be receiving the title of viscount this time? Congratulations. It’s a blessing for the royal family that a hero like you is becoming one of us.”

The prospective baron greeted me with various empty compliments, but the prospective marquis didn’t even do that.

“…”

He just glanced at me and snorted, as if he didn’t want to even talk to a barbarian from a commoner background like me.

‘Well, it’s easier for me if he’s like that.’

I wasn’t interested either.

I had no intention of wasting my time doing politics.

All I wanted was a Tier 3 essence and the convenient title of a noble.

“The main characters of today are entering!”

Soon, cheerful music rang out, and the door opened.

‘Come to think of it, this is the second time I’ve walked through here this month.’

Without any particular tension, I naturally walked along the carpet. The prospective marquis was in the middle, I was on the left, and the prospective baron was on the right.

Thump, thump.

As we walked forward, receiving the cheers of the nobles, we stopped in front of the throne.

The Prime Minister was standing on the empty throne.

The Prime Minister looked at us and said something for the ceremony, and we took a bow, bending only one knee in a simplified manner.

It was at that moment.

‘Huh?’

As I was about to crouch down, the prospective marquis leaned towards me.

What was it?

Did he lose his balance?

At first, I thought that and tried to grab him, but soon I realized that it wasn’t that.

Malice.

I unconsciously caught a dark emotion in his movement.

It was truly absurd.

Not only was he trying to push me and make me roll on the floor as if it was a mistake, in a place where the Prime Minister, the second most powerful person in the royal family, and countless nobles were watching.

‘…Is he crazy?’

The best defense is offense.

Without realizing it, my body tensed up, and at the same time, his body and mine collided.

Thud-!

The result of the laws of physics was already determined.

“Aaaack!!”

The prospective marquis, who had been thrown forward with a heavy sound, rolled once on the carpet.

His stiff suit was all crumpled, as a bonus.

“…”

The music stopped for a moment, and silence fell at the sight of his disgusting behavior.

Suddenly, the count’s advice came to mind.

“…”

Ah, right.

He told me to bear with it.