Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 411

Enemies surged from all directions.

The expedition team formed a defensive line to block them.

“Kill…!!”

“Hold them back!!”

It felt like playing a tower defense game.

Except, this was far from a game.

In a typical defense game, you’d face hordes of enemies with only melee attacks.

But not here.

Whizzzz-!

A rain of arrows descended upon us.

“Revival Essender!” [Likely a dark magic spell]

Dark magic.

KWAH-AH-AH-AHNG-!

And various elemental skills, lightning, ice, and fire, exploded around us.

Usually, mages would intercept such ranged attacks.

However, our mages were currently focused on completing the mass teleportation spell, using all their remaining mana.

In the end, there was only one option.

To shield the fragile bodies behind us from these ranged attacks.

「The character has been hit by [Soaking Chill].」

We just had to endure it.

「The next ice damage taken is doubled, and ice resistance temporarily decreases based on the damage taken.」

「Electric damage exceeding magic resistance and lightning resistance.」

「The character is in a ‘Paralysis (Medium)’ state.」

「The character has been hit by [Piercing Light]…」

「…」

The strain on my body quickly mounted.

But even so, I used my enlarged body as a shield, creating a wall in front.

Crunch.

I clenched my teeth, as if I might bite my tongue.

KWAH-AH-AH-AHNG-!

I took the brunt of the attacks with my body.

It wasn’t just me; all the front-liners were doing the same.

「Benjamin Orman has cast [Purification Moon].」

「All of the character’s status ailments are removed.」

「Nialo Campbell has cast [Blessing of Light].」

「All healing effects received by the character are increased…」

「…」

The priests’ support continued, but it wasn’t enough. They had only earned the right to borrow the power of the gods in exchange for their faith.

Resurrecting the dead was the domain of the gods.

“…Might!!”

There were no screams in our deaths.

“E-Everyone, fall back!!”

Might Million, a warrior from the 2nd team, who was positioned to my left.

Thwack-!!

A sharp, black thorn flew in a straight line, piercing his shield and his heart… no, his upper body.

“No way…!!!”

A perfect death, instant and absolute.

As if to confirm his death, the holy lights that had been embracing his body quickly scattered.

A truly cursed reason.

Shwaaaaaaa-

Because the dead cannot be the target of skills.

“M-Might…!”

The archer, who was on the same team as the dead warrior, rushed forward, trying to pull out the black thorn stuck in his corpse.

A reckless and foolish act.

It wouldn’t come out even if he tried, and even if it did, he wouldn’t come back to life.

‘…Were they friends?’

Well, that’s not the important thing.

“Emily, I’ll be right back.”

“…What?”

I unilaterally informed her, then moved slightly to the side and grabbed the archer by the back of the neck.

And…

“Don’t do anything foolish and stay back there.”

I threw the archer towards the rear where Akuraba was.

Thud-!

A thudding sound and an angry shout came from behind.

“…W-What are you doing! M-Might…!!”

“Might is dead. He died to save you all.”

“…!!”

Might Million.

He clearly saw the black thorn flying towards him.

He could have dodged it.

No, with his physical condition, he definitely could have dodged it.

But he chose to block it.

[E-Everyone, fall back!!]

Protecting his comrades.

That was his role.

Of course, he didn’t know it would turn out like this.

He might have thought he could endure it at least once.

Well, it would have been difficult to recognize it with just one look in this chaotic battle situation. That the black thorn was a skill belonging to the upper tier of 2nd-grade essences [Essences are likely magical or spiritual power sources].

‘…Maybe he blocked it even knowing that.’

Even so, the truth is unknowable.

Probably forever.

“So stay back. I’ll take over this place from now on.”

“…”

“Emily! Join the 2nd team!”

The 2nd team’s only warrior was dead, so I filled the void.

It was as if I was taking on the space that two teams should have been covering, but…

Instead of being annoyed, I felt relieved.

‘It’s a good thing my body is big.’

I even thought about using [Transcendence] to make my body even bigger, but I stopped myself.

We can’t just keep getting hit, can we?

「The character has cast [Risk Burden].」

「Damage taken and reflected damage from [Probabilistic Retaliation] are doubled.」

I tried taking a hit, and it seemed like I could endure it even if the damage was doubled.

「Due to the power of the Transcendent, the ability inherent in the skill is unlocked.」

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

As soon as I activated [Transcendence], skeletons rose from behind me with a clattering sound.

And…

[Guaaaachaaaat-!]

They returned the various skills that I had taken with my body.

“W-What is that!”

“Gacha Bone! It’s the essence of Gacha Bone!”

“What? But that skill wasn’t supposed to explode like that…!!”

Confusion arose as the attacks that our allies had launched were returned.

‘Should I have turned it on sooner?’

Is the best defense really an offense?

I had braced myself to be hit even harder and turned on [Risk Burden], but the attacks decreased.

Thanks to that, it was easier to fill the void alone.

Okay, now all that’s left is for the teleport to be completed…

“…Get out of the way, trash!”

At that moment, a man emerged from among the enemy forces who had been hesitant to approach, leading a group.

His disgusting appearance made me want to throw up again.

“It’s Regal Bagos!”

“The Dragonslayer…!!”

He had come.

***

KWAH-AH-AH-AHNG-!

Explosions erupted.

My comrades’ urgent shouts.

Screams and splattering blood.

Silence fell on the battlefield, which had been filled with all sorts of noise.

The surroundings were still noisy, but at least that’s how I felt.

Perhaps he felt the same way.

“…”

“…”

A standoff where we stared at each other without a word.

‘Did he recognize me?’

Just as I had that thought, he opened his mouth.

“I told you back then.”

“…”

“That even death wouldn’t save you.”

Yes, he recognized me.

Somehow, he seemed to have regained his memories safely.

Perhaps because the Gacha Bone essence was exposed, he didn’t seem to care much about his smaller stature.

Okay, then shall we exchange greetings after a long time?

“That’s an expensive-looking sword.”

I lowered my gaze and stared at the sword hanging from his waist.

“Did you come to give it to me again?”

The reaction was immediate.

“You…!!”

His fingertips trembled.

But what to do?

There’s still more to be angry about.

“How much longer until the magic is complete?”

“…One minute!”

That answer, which was heard by everyone because voice control was disabled.

“So they say, what are you going to—”

“One minute is enough.”

At that moment, he dashed towards me, kicking off the ground.

「Regal Bagos has cast [Superior Acceleration].」

「Regal Bagos has cast [Afterimage].」

His skill combination temporarily boosted his agility.

However, it was different from before.

Back then, we had met in the Larcaz Labyrinth.

‘He’s much faster.’

That must have been the output he was capable of with his base stats.

But there was no problem.

KWAH-AH-AH-AHNG-!

Because I wasn’t the same as before either.

“…!”

His eyes narrowed as the sword and shield collided.

It was obvious what he was thinking.

“Did you think I’d be full of holes like back then? This isn’t that labyrinth?”

He didn’t answer and swung his sword again.

「Regal Bagos has cast [Holy Blade].」

A white light flickered along the blade.

But this time, it was the same.

Koo-oong-!

I can handle aura now, so would that be any different?

“How is it that you’re still the same?”

It’s a relief.

I was going to test the waters for a bit, wondering what would happen if he had gotten stronger in the past two years.

“You…!!”

I blocked his sword strikes for a while, then pushed him away like a fly with my shield.

Because my strength stat is higher now.

And overwhelmingly so.

“…Ugh!”

The Dragonslayer, caught off guard by the unexpected resistance, staggered backward.

Then, someone shouted from behind.

“Only 10 seconds left!”

It meant that the magic was about to be completed.

“I’ve seen all I need to see, so get lost.”

“…”

“You’re weaker than me now.”

He didn’t say anything, perhaps because he was shocked by what I had said.

I wondered if he was dazed, but that wasn’t it.

Just in case, I swung my hammer down, and he quickly dodged it.

KWAH-AH-AH-AHNG-!

I clicked my tongue as I looked at the hammer embedded in the ground.

If it weren’t for the increasing number of enemies, I could have ended this bad relationship here.

“Schuitz! Come here quickly!”

At the same time as Amelia’s voice was heard from behind, a magic circle began to glow on the floor.

The teleportation magic had been completed.

I, along with the warriors at the front line, hurriedly moved to the center.

“Do you think I’ll let you go…!!”

What are you talking about? What are you going to do if you don’t let us go?

We’re the ones who are really disappointed.

“Youuuu…!!”

The guy who was about to rush at me, stopped after hearing his subordinate’s advice.

Tsk, if he had come a little closer, I would have teleported him with us and ganged up on him.

Shwaaaaaaa-!

The magic circle glowed even more brilliantly as I arrived, the last one.

“See you next time. Take care of your head until then.”

Soon, the multicolored light flickered.

***

Flicker-!

The light that had filled my vision disappeared, and my sight returned.

The first thing I saw were the huge, lifeless trees.

An environment almost identical to where we had been a moment ago.

That was only natural.

It was impossible to skip across the field with a single mass teleport.

“…There’s no one here.”

The western part of Deadwood, one of the central fields of the Dark Continent.

However, there were no signs of people nearby.

Perhaps it was because all the troops in this area had been mobilized to capture us.

“Priests, heal the wounded quickly. We’ll depart as soon as the healing is done.”

We had overcome one hurdle, but there was no time to rest, so after a brief period of preparation, we immediately began marching.

Not towards the south where our allies were, but towards the north.

Forcing our tired bodies, we confirmed the story we didn’t want to hear.

“…What are the casualties?”

“There are a total of three deaths.”

Yes, besides the guy next to me, two more had been hit.

In that short amount of time.

“So, who are the dead?”

Then, Kaislan reported the exact casualties with a bitter voice.

“Might Million, Fiona Amos, and Nialo Campbell.”

One warrior from the 2nd team.

One priest from the 4th team.

And even a mage from the 3rd team…

“A mage was hit…?”

“It seems they were hit by a stray attack after the Dragonslayer and his subordinates joined in at the end. The magic circle was almost complete, so there was no problem with the magic itself.”

Damn it, useless Dragonslayer bastard.

Crunch.

The expedition team, which had started with thirty members, had been reduced to 25 in no time.

The 3rd team had suffered the most damage.

Following the traitor Pike Neldain, the mage had also died in this battle, reducing their numbers to four.

“The 2nd team is also in a precarious situation. Million, that friend was the team’s only warrior.”

Akuraba’s team, which had focused on firepower, was also unstable.

Since there was a summoner, they could temporarily use three trolls as front-liners, but the summoner herself was closer to a glass cannon.

“We need to adjust the formation.”

“It seems so. There won’t be anyone who will insist on sticking to their ways even in this situation.”

During the journey, each team had been acting at a certain distance from each other.

Unless it was a Sky Eye strike or a special situation like just now, that was considered more efficient.

However, that was no longer possible.

We needed to become a true expedition team, not just a coalition of several teams.

“If you allow me, I would like to reorganize the formation by dividing it into roles first…”

“I’m fine with it. My team members will understand as well. I’ll leave the formation to you, so discuss it with the other team leaders and decide.”

“Understood. Then I’ll do it.”

His first impression wasn’t great, but Kaislan was a very useful person.

Soon after my instructions, he organized each team into a single force.

He gathered the job classes with lower physical abilities in the center and placed archers, swordsmen, and rogues around them.

Their role in battle was to escort.

During travel, they would carry those who were weak or slow.

“Ha, I’m already exhausted…”

“S-Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It can’t be helped. Just make sure to heal me well if I get hurt later.”

Surprisingly, the reactions of those who were treated as mounts were not bad.

They knew it themselves.

That they had to try to maintain this group in order to survive.

“Mister… be careful. If you need my help, shout loudly.”

“You be careful too. Don’t do anything dangerous.”

Anyway, because of that, our team had no choice but to split up.

Because I was a warrior in the guardian position.

Of course, I had to be at the front line.

“You’re all very close.”

As we reorganized the formation and resumed our journey, Lavien, who was behind me, spoke.

Well, now that I think about it, I do have something to say to her.

“Thank you.”

“…Huh?”

“For holding your position when the Dragonslayer appeared.”

Lavien is strong.

Depending on the situation, she could be considered a step above Amelia or Erwen in normal circumstances.

If she had acted rashly at that time, there would have been casualties, or even deaths, in our team.

“…I’m not such a fool that I can’t distinguish between public and private matters.”

“That’s a relief then.”

“…”

After that, there was nothing else to talk about, so the conversation ended there.

And how much more time had passed?

“Let’s take a break!”

Before our stamina reached its limit, we took a break at an appropriate time.

“Ugh! Finally!”

As soon as the march stopped, all the members collapsed to the ground, exhausted, but one man was different.

“Excuse me…”

A man with dark circles under his eyes cautiously approached me and spoke.

“Sven Parav.”

In other words, the Goblin Mask.

He’s also quite strange.

When you see him fight, he doesn’t seem to have that much power, but he strangely never gets hurt.

“What brings you here? Not resting?”

At my question, he said to me in a somewhat anxious voice.

“W-Well, actually…”

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. I need to rest too.”

I spoke with a bit of annoyance without realizing it, and he closed his eyes tightly and said to me.

“C-Can’t we… keep moving without resting?”

“Not rest…?”

It sounded like nonsense, but I changed my attitude, thinking that he wouldn’t just say that.

“Is there a reason why you’re saying that?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

“It’s not?”

“W-Why, I feel uneasy for some reason… Ever since I heard the word ‘rest,’ I can’t breathe properly. M-My heart feels like someone is poking it with a needle.”

…What is this guy?

He’s making me feel uneasy for no reason.