Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 349

350. The Dark Continent (1)

The probability of [Probabilistic Retaliation] triggering is around 10%.

For reference, this doesn’t increase just because you have [Transcendence]. The 1.5x performance increase applies to reflected damage, but still…

Even so.

「The character has been hit by [Asura Kick].」

The passive activated just when I was seriously wondering if I had been scammed into eating some weird essence.

So, it was around the time I had been hit almost 100 times.

「The luck imbued in the character blocks the damage.」

[Probabilistic Retaliation] activated, and a transparent barrier sprouted at the point of impact, as if protecting me.

And…

「Powerful Luck.」

「Reflects 150% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

A skeleton summoned right next to me perfectly mimicked the kicking stance and landed an [Asura Kick] on Amelia.

It let out a hearty shout despite not having vocal cords.

[Gyaachaaat-!!]

Oh, is that the sound that plays when a critical success is triggered?

Wait a minute, wouldn’t this cause a lot of damage?

That thought made me rush forward, but it was already too late.

Thwack!

Amelia, startled by the sudden skill activation, failed to dodge the incoming blow and took it on her shoulder.

Whoosh.

The skeleton turned into a cluster of light and disappeared immediately after landing a single hit.

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay!”

I rushed over in surprise, but Amelia pushed me away, taking her hand off her shoulder.

“…Don’t make a fuss. I was just a little surprised.”

Surprised, my foot.

Her shoulder is completely wrecked.

“Erwen, bring a splint and bandages.”

“Ah, yes…!”

Because of [Fountain of Immortality], potions are useless for Amelia, so I manually set the bone, applied a splint, and then wrapped it with bandages.

“I told you to dodge if you could use your abilities.”

“…”

“If you can’t dodge, at least hit softly.”

“…I did hit softly.”

What is she talking about, hitting softly?

Even a ‘critical success’ is only 100% of the original damage.

‘Ah… it’s 150% because of Transcendence.’

For reference, the original base reflected damage is only 10%.

Even with [Transcendence], it’s only 15%.

Since the skeleton is summoned to attack, it’s possible to evade, so the skill value isn’t that high.

“Anyway, Amelia, you should rest for now.”

“Yes! Now I can help you, mister! I can dodge well. I can block too!”

“…Sure.”

When Erwen summoned the spirits again, Amelia went to the sofa and sat down, looking somewhat dejected.

And…

「The character has taken fire damage.」

「The character has taken fire damage.」

「The character has taken fire damage…」

「…」

This time, the skill activated after only 10 tries.

「The luck imbued in the character blocks the damage.」

「Normal Luck.」

「Reflects 15% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

A small, cute skeleton that shoots flames was summoned next to me again.

Since it wasn’t a critical success, there was no unique sound.

However.

Boom!

Erwen dodged the flame to the side, and the flame hit the wall, scattering everywhere.

And…

“Oh, fire.”

“E, Erwen! Water spirit!!”

“Ah, y-yes!!”

That day, we almost lost the house we had put up as collateral.

***

After the near-fire incident, we went out into the yard at night to test the skill.

And we obtained meaningful statistics.

‘It seems like there aren’t any major errors in the probability, but…’

Unlike the first case, which succeeded after a whopping 100 tries, the skill activated on average about 15 times after that.

The problem is that statistics are just statistics.

There were frequent cases where it would work normally and then suddenly stop activating, and in those cases, I really had to get hit for a long time before it would trigger.

The highest record was 198 times, I think?

‘Does this even make sense…?’

Even if the probability is 1%, these numbers are hard to accept.

Moreover, even if I stacked it up like that, it didn’t trigger a critical success.

‘Well, it feels like it triggers a bit more often, though.’

Anyway, after finishing the experiments with both the passive and active skills, the three of us spent our days planning our explorations.

The number one goal of our plan was money.

That’s because we took out a 6-month short-term loan to cover our budget shortfall. The interest rate is high, and if we don’t pay back the money within the deadline, the house will go to the bank.

But is that why?

“Mister, I’m okay… you don’t have to push yourself…”

Erwen seemed to have given up on the idea of getting the house back from the moment we put it up as collateral for the loan.

She probably thought it would be difficult to raise all the money in 6 months.

However…

“I told you, I’ll try as much as I can.”

I’m a person with a conscience too.

Since Erwen likes this house, it’s right for me to try to protect it as much as possible.

“But to raise that much money in a short period… there’s no other option but war.”

“Reinwales is right. None of us have a ship. That means we can’t go to the 6th floor and will have to stay on the 5th floor at most…”

“There’s no need to look at it that way. I think it’s better for me to participate in the war too. It’ll be noticeable, but if I don’t use [Giantification], no one will recognize me from my current appearance.”

Without much discussion, we decided to participate in the war.

That’s because if we join the royal army, we can take a large sailing ship and move to the 7th floor in one go.

‘With the three of us, even the 7th floor monsters won’t be a big problem.’

Moreover, all three of us are strong in one-on-one combat, so we can play a big role in the war and earn bounties.

No, is the bounty even the issue?

The enemies will be at least mid-level explorers, so if we strip them of all their equipment and sell it, the profit will be enormous.

Not only that…

‘If we do well, we might even be able to reach level 7 by catching 7th floor monsters.’

It’s possible to fill the experience points that could only be filled by conquering more than 60% of the 6th floor more easily.

And…

‘If I reach level 7, I can eat the Underground Island essence.’

After that, depending on the situation, I can erase the Gacha Bone essence and move on to conquering Bellarios.

‘If I reach level 8 and eat one more essence, then I’ll have to erase Storm Gush. The essence to eat at level 9 will be easier to get after farming the floor lords.’

As I organized my future growth direction, I felt a strange sense of emotion.

At this point, it definitely feels like the mid-game is over.

I’ve already come this far.

While I was lost in thought, Amelia asked Erwen.

“But, Teresia, are you okay? I thought you were originally working with the Elven Executive Department.”

“Oh, that’s right. Are you okay?”

“That’s fine. I took a vacation a while ago.”

“Vacation?”

“Yes. I won’t be entering the labyrinth for a while, and even if I do, I’ll be moving separately. So, you don’t have to worry about this issue.”

“…If that’s the case.”

After that, I listened to Erwen and Amelia as they told me how the war had been progressing, and we made plans.

And that time of preparation flowed endlessly…

「The character has equipped an Adamantium Large Combat Shield.」

「The overall item level increases by +1,750.」

「The character has equipped a Steel Breastplate.」

「The overall item level increases by +150.」

「The character has equipped Steel Greaves.」

「The overall item level increases by +75.」

「The character has equipped War Boots.」

「The overall item level is…」

The day to enter the labyrinth had finally dawned.

「Entered the 1st Floor Crystal Cave.」

***

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 6

Physical: 1,230.39 / Mental: 443.3 / Ability: 1,706.25

Item Level: 8,305 (New +2,020)

Overall Combat Index: 5,456.19 (New +505)

Acquired Essences: Orc Hero – Rank 5 / Ogre – Rank 3 / Bayon – Rank 3 / Storm Gush – Rank 3 / Bol-Helchan – Rank 3 / Gacha Bone – Rank 6

***

A crystal cave with a faint purple glow.

As soon as I opened my eyes, Amelia took the lead and started looking for the path.

“Then come this way.”

“Wait a minute, if it’s about finding the path, I’m better at it—”

“Amelia is the guide.”

“…That woman is?”

Erwen, who had received high-level training from her sister to the point of being a professional guide, didn’t insist any further at the word ‘guide’.

She seemed a bit prideful, though.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand that feeling.

I also have a navigation function, but I don’t feel disappointed or anything if I can’t use it.

‘It’s much easier to just follow, so why bother?’

Well, it’s still a bit amazing.

It’s a team of only three people, and all three of them have the ability to find the path.

Is this what they call a small elite force?

Tada-da-dat.

Anyway, since I just had to follow, I kept looking around while running. The atmosphere of the labyrinth, which I entered for the first time after returning, was very different from what I had expected.

I expected to see knights with noble family crests on their chests and explorers from clans here and there, but…

“There are far more low-level explorers than I thought.”

I also see explorers who clearly smell like newbies everywhere.

They generally have bright expressions.

Since they are inside the labyrinth, they are tense, but no one is trembling or afraid.

“That’s because the royal family has implemented many policies for low-level explorers. It seems like… a lot of high-level explorers died that day…”

After listening more closely, I found out why there were more people on the 1st floor than when I was a newbie.

Royal policies were one thing, but the fact that most of the large clans had been dismantled was a big factor.

After a complete reshuffle, it had turned into a land of opportunity where you just had to plant your flag, so to speak?

A prime example was the 5th floor.

“No one is controlling the 5th floor…?”

“There might be some, but it’s not as bad as it used to be.”

In the case of the Great Demon Realm, it was common for clans to occupy and monopolize the fields where monsters appeared, but nowadays, it’s almost non-existent.

Is it better to participate in the war instead?

It seems that the trend has become more pronounced because the participation fee is generous, and the royal family gives out the desired essences as rewards for achievements.

“We’re a step late.”

We arrived very early, but unfortunately, the 1st floor portal had already been opened by another explorer.

So, is this another failure for the official time attack?

「Entered the 2nd Floor Beast Lair.」

Since we failed the time attack on the 1st floor, there was no way we would succeed on the 2nd floor, so we moved with a bit of leisure after reaching the 2nd floor.

Our schedule is relaxed anyway.

‘The deadline is the 25th day.’

The way the royal family recruits troops is very simple.

Arrive at the starting island of Lymia by the 25th day.

It’s a tight deadline for a team that’s just starting out on the 6th floor, but it’s a different story for us, who can pass through the 6th floor with ease.

‘Since there’s no mage, the speed doesn’t slow down.’

In the past, we would have taken a break by now, but no one is suggesting we stop.

And as a result.

‘We’re already on the 3rd floor…?’

We arrived at the 3rd floor by the end of the first day.

Even though we didn’t run as much on the 2nd floor as we did on the 1st floor.

“Mister, are you tired? Drink this.”

Surprisingly, these two seem to have energy to spare even after running like this, so it seemed possible to move even faster if they wanted to.

Well, they are agility-based characters, right?

“Erwen, I told you not to call me mister in the labyrinth?”

“Ah, right. I’ll be careful…”

Erwen, after hearing my warning, smiled shyly and nodded, and we started preparing for camp.

There was no need for a night watch.

Since we were at the entrance of the 3rd floor anyway…

“It’s convenient to just set up my clone, so sleep comfortably.”

Thanks to Amelia’s [Self-Replication], there was no need to waste a person.

“Wow, Amelia. It’s really convenient to have you around.”

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s nothing much.”

Huh, how prickly.

Even if it’s a clone, you’re still the one working hard, so I was just saying it as a thank you.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s nothing much.”

“Huh?”

“W, well, I can do something similar too…?”

Erwen said that and immediately summoned a spirit.

Unlike before, summoning spirits while sleeping wasn’t difficult, and the consumption of natural energy wasn’t burdensome either.

“And if I use a dark spirit, I can make it difficult for monsters or other people to see. How is it? Aren’t I much better? Right?”

“Y, yes… you’re better.”

I wanted to avoid comparing my companions, but I nodded involuntarily due to a strange sense of pressure.

But was this the answer she wanted?

“Then, please… please do it for me too.”

“…Huh? Do what?”

“That. What you said to that woman earlier…”

Erwen then twisted her body.

“T, that it’s convenient to have me around… Y, yes… that I’m the best… T, that there’s no one but me…”

No, I never said anything like that.