Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 32

Monsters are broadly classified into four categories:

1. Variants.

This refers to cases where the species is the same, like Goblin Archers and Swordsmen, but their class is different.

2. Superior Species.

The Death Fiend we encountered in the Land of the Dead falls into this category.

For reference, this is a relative classification. If a monster’s grade is even one level higher than the average grade of the floor, it’s considered a superior species.

3. Rare Species.

Monsters that are only found in specific rifts, like the Corpse Golem, or those extremely difficult to encounter in the general field, like Mimics, fall into this category.

4. Superior Variants.

This refers to named monsters with their own unique memories and individual names.

The biggest characteristic is that they possess the ‘power of essence’.

In short, they are much stronger and more difficult to deal with.

For example, what would happen if an ‘Ogre,’ known for its thick hide, possessed the regeneration ability of a ‘Troll’?

A terrifying monster would be born.

That’s why…

***

I’m running with all my might.

“What the hell is that thing! Why is a vampire here of all places…”

“Stop whining and run, Dwarf.”

Escaping from the boss room entrance,

“Haa, haa, I can’t run anymore…”

“Excuse me, Raven.”

Passing through the water pipes along the path we came,

“We can’t leave this place unless we catch that thing anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to fight?”

“We need to get to a place with sunlight, at least.”

“Sunlight? You mean that crimson sky?”

“It’s still better than here.”

Even after entering the maze-like underground prison.

“Turn left here!”

We continue to sprint at full speed.

After all, this place is practically his home turf.

We need to get outside somehow.

That’s the only way we have a chance of surviving.

“A s-superior variant appearing as a guardian… it’s unprecedented.”

Well, it’s not exactly unprecedented.

Even in the ‘White Temple’ on the 3rd floor, a superior variant appears as a guardian. From the 8th floor, which is classified as deep, all rifts are practically like that.

Well, if we’re only talking about the 1st floor, it’s not wrong to say it’s unprecedented.

Even I, a 9-year veteran with 10,000 cumulative plays, have never encountered the ‘Vampire Duke’.

I only learned of its existence after seeing a recording posted by a player on the community site.

“Ah, right! How did you know earlier, Bjorn? You told us to close the door!”

Does that damn thirst for knowledge have to manifest even in this situation?

“I’ll say it again, run instead of asking questions.”

“But I’m not the one running, am I?”

Yeah, you wouldn’t be.

But I am, you know?

“…I just had a feeling.”

I cut off the conversation with a vague answer before it got more annoying.

But if I were to answer honestly in my mind…

The reason I could sense the anomaly was because of the color of the doorknob.

In the recording that user posted, the only difference from the usual Crimson Citadel was that.

Even after trying hundreds of times under the same conditions as that user, the vampire didn’t appear. So, I wondered if there was a special condition and rewatched the recording, finally finding that small change.

If I hadn’t been so excited by the string of luck, could I have noticed it before opening the door?

Well, it doesn’t seem like the time to think about that now.

“You are rude guests.”

As we reached the second floor of the underground prison, he revealed himself.

Swoooosh-!

He was chasing us in the form of black mist, not as a person.

It’s not a typical vampire ability, but one of the dozens of black magic spells he might possess, ‘Soul Form’.

That’s why I hate monsters that use magic.

Their utility is insane.

“Raven!”

I immediately called out to our mage.

I wanted to ask if she knew any sun magic, one of the vampire’s weaknesses.

But was it unnecessary meddling?

“Everyone, close your eyes!”

The mage girl had already finished casting.

“Ahessenbert Tu!”

‘Radiant Burst’.

It’s usually used as a support spell with a wide-area blind effect.

Even with my eyes closed, I could clearly feel the intense flash of light.

Beeeep-.

Ignoring the ringing in my ears, I opened my eyes and saw that the black smoke that was chasing us had disappeared.

Thank goodness.

We managed to prevent him from using the core combo of ‘Soul Form’, ‘Materialize’.

It’s safe to say we bought at least 3 minutes.

By now, he would have woken up in that worship room from before.

But, as the saying goes, good news always comes with bad news?

“Bjorn! The mage has been hit!”

“What?”

Looking at Ainar’s words, I saw that Raven, who the carrier was holding, had fainted. Blood was flowing from her mouth, as if she had suffered internal injuries.

…What? Did that bastard use some kind of magic?

He shouldn’t be able to use attack magic in ‘Soul Form’ state?

‘Could it be the power of essence?’

Maybe that’s it.

In that recording, they were wiped out before they could do anything, so it was impossible to confirm what monster’s essence the Vampire Duke had additionally.

Various possibilities swirled in my head, but I decided to worry about it later.

“What are you doing! Run!”

“The mage who knows the way has fainted!”

“Don’t worry. I know the way.”

“…How do you know that?”

Looking at the dwarf, who was full of questions, I answered briefly.

“I memorized it.”

“Just from coming here once…?”

Actually, it’s been hundreds of times.

I’ve been in and out of here like crazy because I wanted to meet the Vampire Duke. I just didn’t expect to see his face here instead of on the monitor.

“Follow me.”

I forbade any further questions and ran ahead.

What if the mage thinks I’m a weird barbarian when she wakes up later?

Who cares?

Surviving is the priority.

“You really memorized the way…”

The dwarf exclaimed as we reached the first floor without stopping.

“Is it true that you guys had your coming-of-age ceremony last month?”

“Of course! I told you! Bjorn is a great warrior!”

“A great warrior… you might really become one someday.”

Compliments make even whales dance, but I’m not a whale. I wish they would run harder instead of that.

I think about 2 minutes have passed now.

Tada-da-dat.

Left, right, straight, straight, right, left, straight, straight.

As I drew a map in my head and ran without stopping, the exit finally came into view.

Has it been about 3 minutes now?

Before going up the stairs, I checked behind me one last time.

“Hoo, hoo…”

Everyone was breathing heavily, but they all had good basic stamina, so no one was left behind.

The problem is that I can see the pitch-black smoke following behind them.

Swoooosh-!

Should I have just thrown away all the backpacks?

Then we could have gained a little more distance.

It’s no use regretting it now.

Let’s focus on what we can do now.

Tada-da-dat!

I accelerated my pace.

But did he use ‘Materialize’?

Saga-ga-gak.

I could hear something being assembled from behind.

Now it’s all or nothing.

I sprinted up two or three steps at a time in a final burst.

And…

“We’re out!”

We finally made it to the surface.

Without a single casualty.

“I was, worried, but, it, seems, he’s, not, following…”

The dwarf muttered, panting.

However, he still didn’t seem relieved, his gaze fixed on the stairs leading underground.

Well, if he has eyes, he would know.

That we only bought a little more time.

Still, none of the problems have been solved.

“…How long do you think it will take?”

At the dwarf’s question, I shrugged, looking at the mountain ridge across the fortress wall.

Well, I don’t know the exact time, but…

“It’s obvious that there isn’t much time left.”

It’s clear that time is not on our side.

Soon, that crimson sky will turn completely black.

So, we need to prepare before that.

***

“What exactly is the mage’s condition?”

“She took a potion, so she’ll come to her senses soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“…She definitely will.”

That’s your wishful thinking, you little shit.

Sigh, so this guy doesn’t know what hit her either?

I said firmly.

“This time, you have to do your part too.”

“But…”

But what?

“Do you want us all to die here?”

Sometimes the most direct expression is the most effective.

If we all die, he can’t protect the mage alone.

“…What should I do?”

If you ask that, nothing really changes.

I just wanted to remind you of your resolve before the battle started.

“Protect the mage. Even if it costs you your life.”

“…Of course.”

His voice became quite trustworthy.

Then, this guy is done for now.

Is there only one preparation left?

“Let’s move to the outer wall. It’ll be a little better for us if there are obstacles.”

I led the group to the outer wall with a flimsy excuse.

Actually, it would be best to leave them all here and go alone quickly, but…

If he were to pop out while I was doing that, it would be game over.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go check the surroundings.”

“Scattering is not a good choice!”

The dwarf shouted something, but I pretended not to hear and ran towards the fountain I had noticed earlier.

To acquire that item I had to pass by earlier because I didn’t want to stand out.

Clang! Crrrush.

A fountain filled only with dry gravel.

I smashed the statue in the middle and rummaged through the fragments, taking out a small box.

「The character has acquired [Tears of the Goddess].」

Upon checking, the contents matched the game…

And other good news followed.

“This is…”

As I returned after stowing the supplies in the boot’s slot, Raven regained consciousness.

“Vampire! What happened to the vampire?”

“We managed to escape somehow. But he’ll appear after the sun sets.”

“I see.”

She frowned, as if she was still in pain.

Now it’s my turn to ask.

“What exactly hit you?”

Raven took a sip of the potion that the carrier handed her like water, and then answered in a half-dying voice.

“Ugh, it’s too early to be sure… Augh, judging by the symptoms, ugh… it’s highly likely to be ‘Pain Sharing’.”

‘Pain Sharing’, huh?

If that’s true, then that’s a relief.

The ‘Nightfly’ with that skill had low base stats even among 8th-grade monsters.

If the essence he had was 6th grade, no, even 7th grade, the difficulty would have been much higher.

“Ah… the backlash came just as I was about to deploy the spell again…”

Raven clutched her collar with a painful expression.

Seeing that, I felt quite sorry for her.

It seems like it will take time for her to get back to her role.

“How long will it take to recover?”

“Ugh, full recovery is impossible. The circuits are completely twisted.”

“Give me a number, even roughly.”

“20 minutes? That should be enough to recover to the point where I can use 7th-grade attack spells up to 5 times.”

Five firestorm-level magic spells.

This is really bad.

“Do you know any other sun magic?”

“Do you know that asking a mage about their spells is extremely rude?”

Of course, I know that in the world setting.

But right now, I’m a barbarian who spits out informal language to everyone except the king, the epitome of rudeness.

When I responded with a ‘so what?’ look, Raven sighed and answered.

“I can use Black Sun.”

“Black Sun, huh…”

Its basic form is similar to a fireball, but it’s a 6th-grade attack spell that uses the sun attribute instead of fire.

I might actually be able to make this work?

“Can you use the ‘Attribute Enhancement’ spell with Black Sun?”

“…If I gather more mana for about 10 minutes.”

“Then that’s good. I’ll try to hold out until then. So don’t try to help and save your mana.”

“Yes, I will… wait, but why is Yandel taking the lead?”

Is it because she’s a mage? She’s quick on the uptake.

The dwarf just followed along as soon as I took the lead.

“Then who else is there to do it?”

She glanced at the carrier, Ainar, and the dwarf in order, then nodded as if she understood.

“That’s, certainly… yeah, that’s right.”

“Hahaha! Sorry! What can I do, I was born this way?”

The dwarf scratched the back of his thick neck, looking embarrassed. And seeing this, Ainar jumped into the conversation, thinking it was his chance.

“Are you admitting that a barbarian is better than a dwarf!”

“That’s not it! It’s just that this friend here is special, as the barbarian girl said. I could feel that, even for a moment.”

“Special…?”

“I’m quite confident in my ability to read people.”

Raven looked curious about what had happened while she was unconscious, but unfortunately, we can’t waste precious time on that.

“Murad, how many essences do you have?”

“Four.”

“What kind?”

I asked as briefly and concisely as possible, trying to grasp the dwarf’s strength.

There were no key cards among the essences he had that could turn the tide of the battle, but…

Still, a strategy is forming in my head to some extent.

The only regret is that there wasn’t enough time to share that strategy with my teammates.

Swoooosh.

A cool breeze brushed past, and the shadows covering the ground grew thicker.

30 minutes left until the preparations are complete.

「It is night.」

There is no turning back now.

We just have to hold out somehow.