Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 273

After regaining my senses, I started by apologizing.

“Mage, I’m sorry about earlier.”

Hans J, who had been nearly choked to death by a teammate during a battle, gave me a displeased look but accepted the apology.

He knew it himself.

That if there was infighting in this group, his own life would be in danger.

“…Since you’ve apologized, I won’t mention this matter again.”

As the mage accepted my apology, Partsran stepped in to help smooth things over.

“Bjorn Yandel, I won’t blame you. I can understand your feelings. To be honest, Sir Aulock made a slip of the tongue earlier.”

“Partsran, what slip of the tongue are you talking about? I only said what needed to be said.”

“…However, the way you said it wasn’t good.”

Partsran surprisingly took my side.

Well, what barbarian wouldn’t be pissed off when someone tells a person who’s desperately looking for their companion that they’re probably dead anyway, so let’s just give up?

“Ahem, let’s end this conversation here.”

“Yes, that would be for the best.”

I suddenly got annoyed again and unconsciously ground my teeth, which ended the conversation.

No matter how I thought about it, it was for the best.

If we had talked any longer, the situation from earlier might have repeated itself.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

Partsran, who had been using formal speech, had switched back to his old way of speaking, but since I was also at fault earlier, I didn’t nitpick.

“As I said before, we’ll rest until the barrier ends.”

“And after that?”

“We’ll find a better spot and hold out there. Just like Raven said.”

“I see. Understood.”

With a rough plan for the future set, everyone laid their weary bodies on the ground to replenish their stamina.

How much time had passed?

“The blessing of the gods will end soon.”

“Understood. Good work, everyone. Get up.”

As time passed and [Declaration of Evil] was lifted, we searched the nearby area as planned and found a spot that was relatively suitable for defense.

A flat area with a cliff behind it, meaning we only had to defend the remaining three sides.

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!”

We held off the monsters there.

Contrary to my worries, there was nothing too dangerous yet. Since the event started at the highest difficulty, I had prepared for even more difficult situations, but…

“Bertia Sevnu Helheavens!”

The mage’s performance was outstanding.

Well, to be precise, it should be called Hans J’s performance?

Mages are originally powerful in large-scale battles. And Raven was doing his part as a mage.

However…

「Hans Aulock has cast the 4th-grade attack magic [Chain Lightning].」

It was nothing compared to Hans J’s performance.

Chichichichik. Pow-!

Every time the magic was cast, the so-called 5th-grade monsters would die or fall unconscious.

And that was at least a dozen at a time.

‘…He finished casting Chain Lightning in 15 seconds? What is he?’

I was momentarily suspicious of the high-level magic that was exploding everywhere, but when I asked Partsran, who was fighting alongside me, I heard something surprising.

“Oh, didn’t you know? Aulock is a 4th-grade mage from the Benokton School.”

The Benokton School, which focuses on the study of elemental magic.

A 4th-grade mage who is quite prominent even there.

‘No wonder his equipment looked expensive.’

Realizing that he was a more skilled mage than I had expected, I worried that it might cause trouble later, but I decided to think about that later.

Yeah, what’s he going to do if he gets pissed off?

I’m also a noble.

I won’t be inferior in terms of status anywhere.

“Ercina, put up a barrier.”

“Yes.”

Anyway, Hans J’s performance was great, but if I had to pick the MVP of this defense event, it would be the priest.

「Lylin Ercina has cast [Declaration of Evil].」

Without this, we wouldn’t have had time to rest.

“Hoo, Uncle. Come here. I’ve laid out a sleeping bag here.”

“Thanks.”

We would fight the monsters, and when we started to get tired, we would immediately put up a barrier and replenish our stamina and MP.

And when we were somewhat ready, we would lift the barrier and resume hunting.

It was after repeating this for about four more hours.

「The second Sea’s Wrath has begun.」

The second wave had begun.

***

Thud, thud.

Raindrops fell from the sky, soon turning into a heavy downpour.

Swishhhhh-!

A refreshing downpour, like during the rainy season.

“…Rain?”

My companions were bewildered by the weather change, something they had never experienced in the labyrinth, only in the city. Of course, Partsran’s team, who had been active on the 6th floor for a long time, was different.

“Why does it have to rain at a time like this…”

They weren’t surprised by the rain itself.

But…

“It’s going to get difficult.”

They clicked their tongues and frowned.

Everyone knew.

How troublesome it was for it to rain in the labyrinth.

The rain itself narrowed the field of vision.

Meanwhile, the rainwater flowed down their eyelids, making it difficult to concentrate.

Also, since it was cold, prolonged exposure to the rain could lead to hypothermia…

And it was easy to drop weapons with wet hands.

There wasn’t a single thing that could be considered a positive.

“This is going to be a pain…”

Everyone sighed, saying that they had no luck with this strange coincidence, but I was different.

For a simple reason.

Because I knew it was separate from luck.

‘It’ll be here in about 30 minutes.’

The rain was a sign that the second wave had begun.

The mid-boss would appear soon.

It was that guy’s characteristic to target the side with the most people first.

“Everyone, don’t go too far and stick together!”

After giving the order, I fought the monsters and adapted to the changed environment until the mid-boss arrived.

Swishhhhh-!

It was also my first time experiencing rain in the labyrinth.

‘It’s much more annoying than I expected.’

The floor was slippery, and in some places, the mud was clumped together, causing the ground to sink. Even that alone was distracting, and on top of that, the water-attribute monsters, soaked in the rain, were swinging their claws energetically, like fish in water.

Clench-!

I swung my mace, putting in several times more force than usual, just in case I dropped it.

Time passed, and just when I was starting to get used to fighting in the rain.

“Hey, Yandel! Over there! Over there!”

A huge lizard appeared in front of us.

[Guooooooo-!!]

A Guano Sea Serpent.

A 4th-grade monster that walks on four legs, with scales covered in brown moss and a plump tail.

The most distinctive feature is its [Stench].

「The character has been exposed to [Stench].」

「All continuous damage effects are doubled, and you are immune to ‘Purification’ while exposed to [Stench].」

That passive skill that was also a core essence when I was raising a curse user.

“Ugh! Ugh…!”

As expected of a monster I usually called a dung lizard, everyone vomited the moment it arrived.

‘What kind of smell is this…’

A strong [Stench] that could even make a barbarian with a strong stomach feel dizzy.

I held my breath and focused my concentration.

It was a 4th-grade monster like the Siren Queen, but the situation was completely different from that time.

‘…Just be careful not to make a mistake along the way.’

The monsters filled the surroundings.

Unlike the Queen, who needed summoned mobs to exert her power, this guy was strong on his own.

And I had to distribute the personnel in the meantime.

I quickly divided the group into two.

“Partsran, Ainar, don’t worry about this side and hold your positions!”

First, the two melee dealers and frontliners were assigned to handle the mobs on the left and right.

Just in case, I ordered Hans J and Bear Uncle to focus on dealing with the mobs rather than the boss fight.

And the rest…

“Everyone, come behind me!”

A kind of raid team.

The goal was to defeat him while the mob team held out.

[Guooooooo-!!]

The guy, who had been sizing us up from afar, charged forward with his horned forehead, and the battle began as I blocked his head with my shield.

The battle itself was smooth.

「The Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Sea Plague].」

The self-destructing spirits, which were a summoning pattern, were cut off by Erwen and Raven’s interception.

Boom-!

Well, I did get a status ailment from the blood that scattered when the spirit exploded, but…

「The character has been infected with [Scurvy].」

「All recovery effects are halved, and you continuously take poison damage.」

I could just endure this with the priest’s healing.

「The Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Abyssal Origin].」

「The Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Sinking].」

「The Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Rain Dance]…」

「…」

The rest of this guy’s patterns weren’t much different.

Some were with magic, some with divine power.

And some…

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!!”

With the barbarian’s ignorant body.

We endured the patterns and continued the battle.

Of course, just because there were no major incidents didn’t mean the process was easy.

“Hey, Yandel! You have to dodge that!”

The Guano Sea Serpent was famous for having a large health pool. Naturally, the battle was bound to be long, and there were several close calls.

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has taken damage exceeding the allowed amount.」

「[Spirit Form] is canceled.」

Towards the end, Erwen took damage and became incapacitated, and the priest, who had to use half-strength heals throughout the battle, had completely run out of divine power.

Of course, it was no longer something to worry about.

Because we had succeeded in catching it.

「You have defeated the Guano Sea Serpent. EXP +6.」

At the end, Hans J joined the raid team and scattered electric magic. With that, the guy’s heavy body tilted and fell, and then scattered into light.

And…

“We, we did it… Huh?”

Everyone tilted their heads at the same time.

“Uh, uh?! Hey, Yandel!”

“It’s an essence!!”

An essence had dropped.

***

4th-grade monsters are rare even on the 6th floor.

They only appear if you take a boat far out, and even then, there are so few of them that it’s impossible to hunt dozens of them a day like 5th-grade monsters.

In short, it means that it’s difficult to obtain essences.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a 4th-grade essence.”

Partsran, who had been rolling around on the 6th floor, started to show a glint in his eyes.

Geez, it’s not even an essence he’s going to eat, why is he like that?

‘Hoo, why did it have to be this one…’

I clicked my tongue briefly and brushed away my disappointment.

There wasn’t anyone on our team who could use this essence, but it wasn’t a bad essence in terms of value.

If I sold it outside, it would be worth quite a bit of money.

“Raven, put the essence in a test tube.”

“Ah, yes!”

At my command, Raven moved quickly and took out a test tube from his subspace.

And as he was moving to put the essence in.

“Wait a minute, shouldn’t we ask if there’s anyone who wants to eat it first?”

Partsran stepped in and stopped Raven.

It was an unexpected situation for me.

They only had a priest and a mage. Even if they bid, it would only be Partsran…

“Just in case, you don’t think we don’t have a share, do you?”

Ah, so that’s what he wanted to say.

Yeah, there’s no way a swordsman would try to eat this essence.

“Don’t worry. I’m planning to sell the essence and divide it by the number of people.”

“Hmm, if that’s the case.”

When I said what he wanted to hear, he backed down without saying anything else.

That settled the distribution issue.

“Then, shall I put it in?”

Raven asked one more time, holding the test tube, and everyone nodded.

It was at that moment.

“By the way, the rain has stopped?”

“The situation is quite coincidental. Perhaps the rain was related to the Guano Sea Serpent.”

I absentmindedly looked up at the sky as Partsran and Hans J were talking, and I froze.

The rain had stopped when the Guano Sea Serpent was defeated.

There was nothing wrong with that so far, but…

“Wait… what is that? It feels like it’s getting closer…”

Through the clearing dark clouds, a black flying object was falling vertically, spewing flames.

“I, it’s a drake!!”

Damn it.

I cursed inwardly and shouted.

“Prepare for battle!!”

The jackal has come.