Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 276

“Ah, no… !”The man’s last words were cut short. Amelia didn’t even bother listening, stomping her foot down, crushing his head like a dropped watermelon. Crack. It felt a bit anticlimactic. After such a fierce struggle, to end like this. “Barbarian.” Soon, Amelia’s attention shifted to me. “You’re badly hurt.” What is she talking about? “Well, you’re the one who lost an arm.” “I was short on time.” Why is she talking about time here? Is this even a normal conversation? That question popped into my head. “I can’t believe he had this too.” Amelia, searching the man’s corpse, pulled a severed arm from her subspace [a personal storage dimension]. What? Why is that in there? I frowned without realizing it, but Amelia calmly brought the arm to the severed part. ‘No, that won’t…’ “It’ll take another day for the nerves to return to normal.” ‘…It’s attaching?’ She just held it there for about 10 seconds, and the arm stuck on as if it were glued. Seeing that the proportions are perfect, it seems to be her own arm. ‘Come to think of it, she said she couldn’t drink potions.’ I recalled a conversation I had with Amelia before. […You didn’t drink a potion?] [It’s my constitution.] A brief conversation we had in the sewers back then. ‘So, she did eat that essence.’ [The Source of Immortality]. A passive skill that prevents the user from receiving any healing effects, including potions, but greatly increases natural regeneration. It also has the characteristic of automatically recovering from injuries such as physical defects over time—a pretty cost-effective skill. “B, Bjorn! Are you okay! Why are you hurt like this again… !” Ah, right. This isn’t the time for this. I belatedly came to my senses and pushed myself up from the ground. I’m dying to know what happened to Misha, but… That can wait. “I’m fine. Just help me up.” “Okay, I got you! Come here!” I walked to where my companions were, supported by her. Everyone was gathered in one place. “Misha, I’m so glad you’re safe. Yandel was really worried…” “Ah, I’m sorry I’m late. Something came up. But who is that person lying in the middle…” Misha soon recognized the face of the fallen man and had a fit. “A, Abman?! Is he, is he dead… ?” “…” Raven didn’t answer. He just looked at the ground with a bitter expression. When I took my hand off his shoulder, Misha quickly went to check Bear Uncle’s breathing. “He’s not… breathing…” Misha looked at me with startled eyes, then quickly moved her hand to Bear Uncle’s heart. And… “I can’t feel a pulse either… Th, then he’s really…” She couldn’t finish her sentence and lowered her head. At that sight. “…Yes.” Raven pressed his lips together, looking like he was about to cry, and said briefly. It was a comedy. ‘What do you mean, yes?’ Ugh, I’m going to die first at this rate. “Why are you killing a perfectly alive person on your own?” I dragged my battered body over to Bear Uncle. And I turned his wrist so that the bracelet on his thick wrist was clearly visible. No. 7611 ‘Necromancer’s Deception’. An item that puts the wearer into a state of suspended animation when they suffer damage that would lead to death, granting them damage immunity for a certain period. “Fortunately, it seems to have worked well.” Only one of the gems on the bracelet was still glowing. But did Raven not know about this item? “Huh? What are you talking about…” I didn’t have the energy to give a long answer, so I just opened a potion and poured it on Bear Uncle’s body. Sizzle. The slightly dried blood began to bubble and create bubbles. It was proof that Bear Uncle was still alive. Potions don’t react to those who have reached the end of their lives. “Ercina, what are you doing? Hurry up and heal him.” “Ah, ah… Yes! I will!” With the potion and the priest’s healing, Bear Uncle’s wounds began to heal quickly. Whew, he should be fine now. Thank goodness. I’m glad I got here before the item’s effect wore off. I somehow managed to stay awake, even though I felt like I was about to collapse. If it weren’t for me, they would have all thought he was dead and just cried next to him, right? “Mister, you come here too. You need to be healed quickly…” Erwen approached me and said something. But perhaps it was because the tension had completely left me after confirming Bear Uncle’s survival? “Ah.” Right, I need to be healed too. “Huh?” Just as I was about to move my body, the ground began to tilt. Thud-! That was my last memory of the day. *** When I opened my eyes, it was dark around me. Dense trees, a small night sky revealed between the dark blue leaves. Tap, tap, tick! The sound of a campfire could be heard. For some reason, I felt a sense of comfort and wanted to stay like this a little longer. But… ‘First, I need to assess the situation.’ I pushed myself up, forcing my upper body up from the ground. From my shoulders to my waist to my calves, every part of my body ached. A sensation that was slightly different from pain, thanks to my pain tolerance. “Hoo.” I took a long breath. But did that small sound wake her up? From the sleeping bag next to me, an elf peeked out, rubbing her eyes. “…Mister! You’re awake!” It’s Erwen. “Are you feeling okay?” “…For now.” I answered, looking around. Seeing that there were several sleeping bags around, it seemed like everyone was asleep. ‘Looks like we’re camping.’ Looking around, I could see monsters blocked by a semi-transparent barrier. The effect of [Declaration of Extermination]. Ah, of course, there was a watchman. “You’ve finally come to your senses.” Amelia Rainweils. I still don’t know if she’s a bad or good connection, but she’s a woman I’ve met by chance several times. “…What happened?” “You lost consciousness and about a day has passed. That’s all.” Well, I don’t think I asked how long it’s been. “I meant, tell me everything, why you were with Misha, why you were betrayed by your companions, and any other information I need to know.” “I see.” Amelia nodded and answered, after I explained it in a way that even a three-year-old could understand. “Ask your companion about that.” Huh, how prickly. “Erwen, tell me.” I shifted the subject of the inquiry to Erwen, and I was able to hear the general story. “Um, I don’t know where to start… I’ll start from when you collapsed.” When I lost consciousness, my companions were in a panic. That’s because I wasn’t being healed. Bear Uncle was in an unhealable state due to Drake’s skill, but I was poisoned by that swordsman’s blade, so it was difficult to get rid of it easily. [I, if this keeps up, he’ll surely die.] [What? Can’t you use magic!] [Detoxification magic is versatile, but it’s not very specialized, so it’s impossible.] [Th, then what about divine power?] [It’s a potent poison that it’s a miracle he’s been moving this much. In my current state, my divine power is not enough to remove this poison.] [Bjorn is not a warrior who will die in a place like this!! Save him!!] Detoxification using magic was difficult. Even the priest was out of divine power, so healing was impossible. That’s when Amelia stepped in. [Use this. It’s probably an antidote.] Amelia found an antidote among the items in the swordsman’s bag and gave it to us, which neutralized the poison. “Fortunately, the medicine worked well, and then when we gave him a potion, his wounds started to heal.” That was the end of my health problems for now. However, what followed was not without confusion. Monsters were still swarming from all directions, and everyone’s physical condition was at its worst. On top of that, they had to take care of me and Bear Uncle, who had fainted, so the difficulty was much higher. “But thanks to that person over there… we were able to hold out until the priest could use [Declaration of Extermination] again.” “And that’s now.” “Huh? No. This is the third time we’ve rested like this.” Erwen said that when they first cast the barrier, the atmosphere was as fierce as when they were fighting monsters. It was all because of Partsran and Amelia. [We had to join forces just now, but that woman is a plunderer from Noark. We can’t trust her. She was the one who attacked us in the first place.] [E, eh?! She’s from No, Noark… ?!!] [You mean you didn’t even know that and were traveling with her? You’ve been lucky in many ways.] Partsran didn’t hide his hostility towards Amelia, and Amelia was the same. She didn’t show hostility first, but… [You’re a talkative one. If you want to fight, then come at me.] She didn’t avoid the hostility and poured water on the seeds of division. That’s when a murderous aura filled the barrier. [St, stop it! I didn’t know this woman was from Noark… But she’s not a bad person!] Misha defended Amelia. [What are you going to do next if this person disappears? Partsran, think rationally. This person was also betrayed by her companions, right? In a situation where there are only two of them left, they won’t attack us. If they were going to, they would have done it already.] Raven also tried to mediate the fight with a rational judgment. Of course, the parties involved didn’t listen. [Does that mean we should forget our grudges because the situation has changed? That woman not only harmed the Drows [a dark elf race], but also sent pursuers after us. We would have died back then if we hadn’t dealt with it properly.] [That’s a shame. If you had died back then, I wouldn’t have to listen to your whining.] [What? You plunderer… !] Partsran pulled out a second sword he had as a backup, and Amelia also pulled out a dagger and confronted him. But… [Yes. You’ve thought well, Partsran.] Partsran didn’t swing his sword in the end. They weren’t that close, but he wasn’t stupid enough to do that. [I’ll keep watching you, so don’t even think about doing anything strange.] After that, an uncomfortable rest continued. After the barrier ended, they fought the monsters again, and when the cooldown of [Declaration of Extermination] was over, they rested. Bear Uncle woke up during the second rest. [Haha… Today’s events are a secret from my wife. She’ll definitely make me quit my explorer job.] Bear Uncle, who was worried about the aftermath as soon as he woke up, quickly regained his strength and joined the front lines. And… “From then on, the monsters that suddenly appeared changed.” While I was unconscious, the third wave began. The mid-boss that appeared was a 4th-grade monster. There were several close calls, such as the priest being knocked out by the boss, but Amelia played the main dealer role well and won. “The essence?” “It didn’t drop.” Whew, figures. Is the last boss the only one left now? I hope it drops the essence. ‘No, more than that, should I worry about whether we can catch it first?’ Suddenly, I had a lot of thoughts, but I put them all aside and listened to Erwen’s story. However, it wasn’t as eventful as I thought. It was a long story, but in the end, it was all about fighting, resting, and Partsran and Amelia having a war of nerves. “Anyway, that’s how we got to now.” “Yes, have all your questions been answered?” To some extent. “Thank you. You must be tired, so you should rest too.” “…No. I’ll stay by your side.” Well, I don’t think it’s necessary, but… It would be funny if I said anything here. “But mister, um… Is it okay not to wake up the sister?” “Misha? It’s fine. I know she’s alive and well, so why wake her up? Let her sleep.” In the first place, just looking at the fact that not a single person has woken up while we’ve been talking like this. They must be exhausted from the hard battles. We can talk later. So, now it’s time to hear the other side of the story. “It’s been a while, Amelia.” I completely got out of the sleeping bag and sat in front of the campfire. And I thanked her. “Earlier… no, yesterday, thank you for helping me.” “It’s unlike a barbarian to be so long-winded. If you have any questions, just ask.” No, even barbarians do this much… Well, whatever. It’s always welcome to get straight to the point. “What happened with Misha?” “Didn’t you hear it from that fairy?” “I thought it would be better to hear it from you.” “…Tsk.” Amelia clicked her tongue as if she was annoyed, but surprisingly, she told me what had happened without saying much. She was betrayed by Carmilla and Belverson. So, she ran away, met Misha, and received help. By the way, I was very surprised at this part. “What? A [Declaration of Extermination] scroll? She had something that precious?” Divine scrolls are no longer made because the method of making them disappeared a long time ago. Of course, they are treasures that are worth whatever you ask for. Where did she get something like that… ‘…Ah, she must have plundered it.’ “Ahem, sorry for interrupting. Then, continue.” “Your eyes look unpleasant for some reason.” “It’s just your imagination, your imagination.” Anyway, thanks to using the [Declaration of Extermination] scroll, Amelia and Misha were able to safely endure the monster wave. After that, their bodies recovered to some extent, and they were able to move. “But I still don’t understand, how did you two get here through so many monsters?” “…There is an essence that prevents monsters from attacking first.” Ah, so she ate that essence? But why did she eat that? Even if she’s a scout, it would be a problem that could be solved by taking a priest with her… ‘Ah, there are no priests in Noark.’ And come to think of it, she was a plunderer. That essence would have been very useful when she was wandering alone in the labyrinth. “So, is that all you’re curious about?” “No, a few more.” “Go ahead.” “Do you know the cause of why this island became like this?” Who activated the event on this island? When I asked this indirectly, Amelia gave me the answer. “Carmilla and Belverson, those two touched Gabrielrius’s arrangement. When I escaped alive, they thought they had to trap me and get rid of me here.” Well, so that’s what happened. Maybe there was a player among those two. Gabrielrius’s arrangement means a hidden piece. But it seems that there are very few players who know about the hidden piece on this island. “Did you hear that directly from interrogating that summoner woman?” “Yes.” “What did you do with that woman?” “I don’t forgive traitors.” That means she killed her. ‘Ugh, why did you kill her when you even captured her?’ I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of regret. That’s because that woman was an explorer who handled rare flying summons. If I had used her, it would have been possible to escape this island right away. ‘What can I do about what’s already happened?’ Instead of blaming Amelia and worsening the relationship, I turned my attention to other things. “Anyway, did you find the item you were looking for?” “…” Amelia pursed her lips. She seemed to be wondering whether to tell me or not. I said in a subtle voice. “Come on, what are you hiding between us now?” “Hmm, between us?” “Even though I’m your savior.” “What are you talking about… ?” “Do you think Misha would have saved you if I didn’t know you?” “…” Amelia didn’t object, as she seemed to think so too. She just clicked her tongue and answered my question. “I recovered the item. Unlike what they said, it was right there in the subspace.” “I knew it, I thought so too. There’s no way those guys would leave their treasures away from their bodies.” “Then, are the questions over now?” No, not at all. “Just one more.” I asked one last question. “What exactly is that item? From what I’ve heard, it has a power strong enough to change history—.” “Stop.” Amelia cut me off sharply. And she frowned. Well, was this a sensitive issue? “I, if you don’t want to, don’t answer. I was just curious!” Looking at Amelia’s fiercely hardened lips, I hurriedly made excuses, implying that I didn’t mean to cross the line. But was I misunderstanding something? “Monster.” Amelia looked at the air and said something a little out of the blue. …Monster? Whoosh-! No sooner had I tilted my head than a strong wind blew from all directions, shaking the tree branches. Only then did I understand what she meant. Whew, I wanted to rest a little longer. “There’s a monster of at least 3rd grade or higher nearby. Wake up your companions quickly.” Right, the last wave has begun.