Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 377

The three ships stopped about 400 meters apart. It seemed they were wary of Erwen’s arrow attacks.

“Erwen, can you intercept at this distance?” I asked.

“Yes, but at this range, most of them will react,” Erwen replied.

Well, they did have a mage over there, after all. They’d have enough time to react before the arrow reached—

Boom!

The magic cannon on the front of their flagship roared, firing a magic sphere.

Tsk, I thought they’d at least offer a surrender before starting. It seemed they’d decided that talking could wait until after they’d won the battle. Or… maybe they planned to sink us and then just collect the drowned corpses later.

Whoosh!

The magic cannonball flew towards our ship in a near-straight parabola.

“Schuitz!” Amelia urgently called out my alias, but it was Erwen who responded.

“Mister, I can handle this.” Before I could ask how, Erwen shot an arrow from his bow.

Clang!

The arrow, imbued with the power of the wind spirit, collided with the magic cannonball over the sea and exploded.

“Erwen, how many can you block?” I asked.

“I think I can handle about four or five at once,” he replied.

Wow, really? At this rate, we wouldn’t even need a large-scale magic defense formation.

“Well done, Erwen. Keep blocking the cannonballs like that,” I said.

“Yes!” Erwen, pleased with the recognition of his abilities, waited for more cannonballs to come, but unfortunately, the barrage stopped after the first shot, and there was a brief lull.

“It seems the other side is quite flustered,” Amelia said. I had a similar thought.

However, the other side would soon decide what to do.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three ships simultaneously fired their magic cannons and began to close the distance. Erwen intercepted them without a moment’s rest, but some still got through.

Clang!

The ship shook violently as a cannonball exploded in the lower hull.

Tsk, guess it’s time to get started. The distance seems just right now.

“Erwen, spiritize,” I ordered. As soon as I gave the order, Erwen used the skill without question. But still, I should ask this, right?

“What element?” I asked.

“Water,” he replied.

After I told him the element, Erwen carefully took my hand. Okay, the link is complete.

「The water spirit inhabits the character’s body.」

「Water-type damage taken is reduced by half.」

「Electric-type damage taken is increased by 4 times.」

「Melee weapon power is reduced by 50%.」

「Blessing of the Spring bonus.」

「Healing and regeneration effects received are doubled.」

「Soul power regeneration speed increases…」

「…」

Come to think of it, is this the first time I’m using Elemental Barbarian (Water) in a real battle? I lowered my head to check the changes. There wasn’t much of a visible change. Just that my skin became a bit more moist and shiny.

“Emily, I’m going,” I said.

“Where to…?” she asked.

Where else? The best defense is always an offense. Well, maybe I should say this before I go?

“Ah, and one last thing. If it seems like it’ll be hard to protect the ship, just abandon it and jump down,” I said.

“What do you—” I didn’t have time for a detailed explanation.

And then…

Tap.

I stepped onto the ship’s railing and threw myself into the choppy sea. Not in a diving position. I didn’t need to in my current state.

「Blessing of the Spring bonus.」

A one-line bonus with no explanation. This bonus allows the character to breathe underwater without any issues and walk on water. Just like this.

Tap.

My body stood upright on the undulating surface of the sea, defying gravity. It’s called…

“Wooooooooh!!” Barbarian Jet Ski (Leap) Mode.

Tap tap tap.

As soon as I landed on the water, I shouted and ran forward. Boom! Boom! Boom! Seeing the barbarian running on the water, the enemies were momentarily flustered, but they soon aimed their magic cannons at me instead of the ship.

Bang! Clang! Clang clang!

I protected my vitals with my shield, but the power of the magic cannons firing indiscriminately was not to be ignored. They were, after all, ‘magic’ cannonballs. Physical resistance wouldn’t reduce the damage. My joints ached with every hit. But…

“Erwen, there’s no need to block the cannonballs,” I said.

[Huh? What do you mean…?] Erwen couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because he saw the skeleton rising behind me with a clattering sound.

「The character has activated [Risk].」

「The power inherent in the skill is unlocked by the authority of the Transcendent.」

「The damage immunity effect from [Probabilistic Retaliation] disappears, and the activation probability is fixed at 100%.」

Magic cannonballs use magic as a resource. So, in simple terms…

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

「…」

It meant that for every hit I took, I could reliably return one hit. Boom! Boom! Boom! As soon as I was hit by a magic cannon, skeletons appeared like afterimages and fired back. However, their attacks did not hit the ship.

Whoosh!

A magic barrier spread out around the ship. The barrier easily blocked the magic cannonballs, which had their power reduced by 30%. The enemies continued their barrage without any hesitation. Then, at one moment.

「Powerful Luck.」

「Reflects 300% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

Oh, a critical success. [Gyaaaah-!!] The unique, exhilarating sound of the judgment rang out as a skeleton lit the fuse of a massive magic cannonball. Boom! The magic cannonball, which was several times larger than usual, easily shattered the barrier surrounding the ship. And…

“What kind of monster is that…!” one of them shouted.

“Everyone, abandon the Merina and escape!” another yelled.

“Hurry over here!” a third cried.

One of the ships began to sink immediately. ‘Damn it.’ I didn’t expect it to sink right away with just one hit. How much loss is this going to be—

Flash!

Then, a light burst out, and the ship, with everyone evacuated, was reverse-summoned into subspace. Well, I guess I can just repair it later.

“Sink the ship first!” Then, as if they were going to deal with the sure thing first, they turned their magic cannons and fired at the ship where only Amelia remained. ‘Tsk, I figured they’d do that.’ Erwen did his best to block them, but he couldn’t stop our ship from sinking. He was too busy dodging magic himself.

[Mister, it’s magic!] Erwen exclaimed.

“Hide behind me, just in case!” I hid Erwen, who was following me closely while linked. While [Spiritized], he had physical immunity, but he would take much more damage from magic. If [Spiritization] were to be canceled here, the only future would be sinking into the sea…

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

「…」

I ran forward, taking all the magic cannonballs, spells, and various ranged skills with my body. Thanks to the activated [Risk], counterattacks followed every hit, but the enemy still didn’t stop their attacks.

“Paltan is dead!” one of them shouted.

“We have to stop him before he gets here!” another yelled.

“More! Pour it all in!” a third cried.

“He’s dying too! Just a little more!” a fourth shouted.

Both sides were giving it their all. Of course, they probably thought they had the advantage. Even if I reached their ship, I would be battered and exhausted. They must have thought they could overwhelm me with numbers and capture me when I was injured and tired. How foolish—

Whoosh!

Then, a flash of light pierced through my body like lightning.

「The character has been hit by ‘Lightning Spear’.」

The impact was so intense that I lost my senses for a moment. I staggered but managed to keep my balance and avoid falling. However, my condition was already the worst. Not only was I injured, but the current that flowed through my body seemed to have completely cooked my insides… ‘Damn lightning magic.’ Was it because I had Elemental Barbarian (Water) and [Risk] activated? The damage, which was eight times higher, was enough to bring me to the brink of death. Well, it seemed to be the same for the other side, though.

[Gyaaaah-!!] Just in time, another critical success judgment rang out.

「Powerful Luck.」

「Reflects 300% of the damage taken back to the enemy.」

The skeleton threw a massive lightning spear that seemed like it came straight out of mythology. And…

————!

It flew at the speed of light and smashed the second ship next to the flagship. ‘That… can’t be repaired.’ For the record, I didn’t hear any loud noises. It was because my hearing was temporarily paralyzed. Beeeep! A ringing sound that seemed to pierce my brain. Then, my legs gave out, and I sank into the sea. Well, it was half-intentional.

「The energy of the sea permeates the character’s body.」

「Due to the passive skill [Origin], natural regeneration is greatly increased.」

I told you. I can never lose in the sea.

***

Stormgush’s passive skill [Origin]. Combined with the doubled healing and regeneration effect from [Spiritization], my body began to regenerate as quickly as if I had used a potion. Whoosh! The dislocated bones snapped back into place, and the burned, pierced, and crushed flesh grew anew. Unlike potions, there was no pain, so I could perceive the process of my body recovering in real-time. Soon, my hearing returned.

[Mister, are you okay?] Erwen asked. In spirit form, you can talk underwater, huh? But I can’t talk, though. I pointed upwards with my index finger, shrugged my shoulders, and tilted my head.

[Are you asking what’s happening up there?] Erwen asked. Right. I nodded, and Erwen quickly gave me a briefing.

[For now, the attacks have stopped. It seems they think they’ve taken you out.] he said.

Right, they’re happily planting flags. [Ah, I can faintly hear them talking… it seems the mage is about to use a detection spell.] Well, then they’ll soon find out I’m alive. I should give them a surprise before that. I gestured for him to lift me up, and Erwen summoned a water spirit to push me up.

Splash!

And so, I returned to the surface of the sea.

“…It, it’s him!” one of them shouted. I grinned like a water ghost rising from hell, and they screamed in terror.

“His injuries are all healed…!” another cried.

“What kind of monster is that…” a third said.

Most of them just gaped in shock, but the leader was different. A leader is such a being. Someone who must make the most rational decisions in any situation.

“Captain!” one of them called out.

“…Turn the bow!” the captain ordered. Soon, the last remaining flagship quickly changed direction. The reason they didn’t heal when they were surrounded by seawater was because of this. If I were to recover and come at them like a zombie, they would have cut their losses and tried to escape. Even if I could walk on water, it was impossible to catch up to a ship like that on two legs. But…

Tap.

At this distance, I think I can barely reach it. As I started running in earnest, they shouted urgently.

“He’s coming!” one of them yelled.

“Faster! Faster!” another cried.

There wasn’t even any suppressing fire now. Since they knew I was recovering anyway. They must have decided that it would be a bigger problem if they got hit by a reflection and had trouble turning the bow.

“It’s fully turned…!” one of them shouted.

“Magic stones! Pour in the magic stones!” another yelled. Finally, the ship, with its bow completely turned, began to move quickly as if it had a motor. At that moment, the distance between me and the ship was about 15 meters. ‘Damn it.’ I focused on running, using every ounce of strength I had. Because if these bastards got away like this, the losses would be enormous. ‘They destroyed our ship and now they’re trying to run?’ No way. Even if I’m going down, they’re giving me the ship!

“Uwaaaaaaaah!!” I shouted and pushed off with my feet, and the distance began to close. It seemed to take some time to build up speed.

“We’re going to get caught!” one of them yelled.

“More! Pour in more magic stones!!” another cried. As the distance gradually closed, fear appeared on the faces of the guys on the stern of the ship. They looked like they were being chased by a monster. Whoosh! In the meantime, Erwen shot an arrow, knocking one of the guys in front of the railing into the sea. He avoided the vitals, so it wasn’t an instant kill.

“S, save me…!” the guy screamed as he splashed around. However, they didn’t even try to save their fallen comrade. I was too busy running to pay attention either.

Tap.

I passed by him and stretched my leg out with all my might. 9m, 8m, 7m, 6m, 5m… The distance was closing little by little. But that was it. The ship, which had gradually started to accelerate, had already surpassed my running speed. 5m, 6m, 7m, 8m… As the distance that had been closing started to widen again, relief appeared in the eyes of the guys on the stern who were looking at me. ‘Damn it.’ It’s a shame that I don’t have a movement skill. Originally, shield barbarians get a movement skill at level 8, but I was lucky enough to eat a manticore essence before that. If I hadn’t deleted [Leap], I would have been on the ship a long time ago! ‘Is this really how it ends?’ I slowed down, feeling resigned. Of course, I didn’t really think I had missed them.

“Erwen, shoot our ship. It’s okay to destroy it to some extent,” I said.

[…Our ship?] Erwen asked.

“Skip the minor details, and hurry,” I said again. As I spoke again, Erwen shot an arrow at the stern of the ship, and…

Clang!

It exploded. “…That’s going to cost a lot to repair,” I muttered. It was the location of the flagship’s magic propulsion device.

***

After the magic propulsion device was destroyed, it was smooth sailing. The distance that had been widening quickly closed again, and I was able to successfully board the deck. And…

“Kill him!!” one of them shouted. Of course, they didn’t surrender as soon as they saw me. And so, the battle began. As a clan that operated on the 6th floor, they were not easy opponents. But… ‘If they’re not easy, what are they going to do about it?’ In fact, the result was already decided. Erwen, in [Spiritized] state, circled around me, taking them out one by one. I protected Erwen. And if my body accumulated too much damage…

Splash!

I would dive once and come back up. After repeating this about three times, they lost their will to fight and dropped their weapons, surrendering. They went from fifteen to seven, so more than half of them died?

“Tsk tsk, they don’t know the value of their lives. They just throw them around, don’t they?” I said.

“We’re sorry. P, please spare us…” one of them pleaded.

What are you talking about? You’re already dead. Crack! At the same time as the surrender, the captain slammed his head into the ground, and I brought my hammer down on it. Then, after tying up the remaining guys, I took control of the ship.

“Who’s the navigator?” I asked.

“I, I am!” one of them replied.

Whew, so the navigator was alive. “Hey, you’re the mage, right?” I asked.

“…” he didn’t answer.

“Just nodding? Can’t you answer?” I asked.

“Y, yes. I, I’m the mage…” he stammered.

The one remaining mage from the battle was also separated. “Looking at your tattoo, you’re the guy who was piloting the other ship, right?” I asked.

“Y, yes, I am,” he replied.

The guy who owned the other two ships besides the flagship was also separated. And…

“The remaining two of you…” I said.

“…” they didn’t answer.

“Just go,” I said.

“Huh? Where, where on the ship…” one of them asked.

Where else? Crack, crack! The remaining two were useless, so I dealt with them immediately. After quickly sorting out the personnel, I went to the stern to check the condition of the ship. The magic propulsion device was in ruins. “Damn it,” I muttered. I was genuinely furious. “You guys, you messed up my ship this badly…”

“…W, we’re sorry,” one of them said.

“If it was a problem that could be solved with an apology, why would there be laws?” I said.

“…” Everyone bowed their heads and mourned at my muttering. Sigh, what’s the point of getting angry at them— Splash splash. Then, I heard splashing sounds from below the ship. ‘Huh? What is it…?’ To resolve my question, I leaned over the railing and looked down. And…

“Ah,” I said. I saw Amelia. Did she really swim all the way here?

“…A castaway!” I said that and threw a rope, and when Amelia grabbed it, I pulled her up onto the ship. And…

“Schuitz, you’re really…” she started.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Just take one hit,” she finished. Then, a fist landed on my solar plexus.