Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 422

The Elder Lich’s active skill, [Soul Extraction].

The effect of this skill is simple.

If it were a skill obtained from an essence, or a skill cast by an Elder Lich encountered in a normal field:

「The character is [Stunned].」

That’s all, just a stun.

For reference, this isn’t an area-of-effect skill; it only applies to a designated target and can be countered through mental fortitude, magic resistance, or various other skills.

However…

「The character has been exposed to [Chill of Hatred].」

「All types of status ailments cast by the Glacier Mage Cariadea have additional effects.」

Thanks to this damn fog, it doesn’t just end with a simple stun; a unique situation unfolds.

Just like this.

「The Glacier Mage Cariadea is guiding the extracted soul to the Punishment Chamber.」

Flash-!

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a crystal cave.

And a man bathed in a soft, purple light.

“Hey there.”

He asks, holding a goblin blood-splattered hammer.

“Are you perhaps looking for a night companion?”

His race is human.

His age is estimated to be in his early thirties.

He’s a little over 180cm tall and has a kind and gentle face.

‘…His feet were rather large for his height.’

Come to think of it, that’s what his face looked like.

I thought it had become blurry in my memory, but seeing it now, it comes back clearly.

The man then smiles and reveals his name.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Hans.”

Commonly known as Hans A.

The starting point of all Hanses, and a figure I’m grateful to for teaching me the mindset I should have to live in this world.

He was the one who gave me gifts like a hammer, compass, canteen, and shoes when I first saw them, evolving me from a savage into a civilized person.

“But why did you kill me?”

He asks, instantly making a devilish expression.

Blood is flowing from his bloodshot eyes.

But, so what?

“Well, you probably died because you did something worth dying for, right?”

“You could have forgiven me.”

“Forgiveness, huh…”

“I had a daughter and a wife.”

Yeah, that…

“I know.”

How could I not know?

I saw a family portrait in the bag I took from you back then.

A young girl around three years old and a wife who looked a few years younger than you.

But…

“When you saw that, did you… regret killing me?”

I answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“No.”

That’s the honest truth, without a single lie.

Why would I regret it?

“If I went back to that time, I’d kill you the same way.”

“……”

“Besides, you weren’t my first target for plunder, were you? Did those people not have families?”

Even if that wasn’t the case.

Where in this world is there an orphan without a story?

“Don’t worry. It’s not a problem to live without a mom and dad. Your wife and daughter will be the same.”

I’m the source of that.

So you can trust me.

Crack-!

There’s no point in talking any further, so I immediately rush in and lightly tap his head with the Demon Crusher, smashing it to pieces.

But, what is this?

“…You’ve changed. You weren’t like that back then.”

Hans A, with only his jaw remaining, opens his mouth with difficulty and continues the conversation in a calm tone.

“…Huh?”

What is this? It’s scary.

Was there something like this in the [Soul Extraction] pattern?

Wasn’t it just a section where the characters I’ve killed so far come out and attack me?

A production I haven’t seen in the game.

“But what do you mean by ‘changed’?”

Curious about what he meant, I ask back, and he chuckles.

“You were trembling so much when you killed me back then.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Now you don’t feel anything, do you?”

“Ah!”

“You’ll probably be like that in the future too. Even if you kill parents who were precious to someone, kill daughters and sons, and destroy a family. You’ll accept it all. Just because the target was your enemy.”

He’s really laying down the curses.

I wonder if I should have engaged in conversation, but at least I’ve learned one thing for sure.

“Don’t you know it too?”

This guy reads my mind.

“You’re becoming a monster.”

So he’s accurately piercing the deepest part of me.

“Of course, until now, you could deceive yourself because the target was the enemy. That you’re not a monster yet.”

Crack-!

I hit his jaw with the hammer, but his voice didn’t stop.

[But.]

“Ha, you’re persistent, aren’t you?”

[If it’s not an enemy.]

[If it’s someone who has done nothing wrong that you have to kill to survive.]

[No, if it’s a comrade you wanted to protect more than anyone else.]

[Then how would it be?]

I didn’t answer.

Because I know it’s meaningless.

Because the source of this voice was my own inner self.

[You’ve already become a monster.]

To survive.

The doubt and anxiety I’ve hidden in the corner of my heart and have thoroughly ignored.

[No different from the monsters you’ve killed.]

“……”

[You’re already one of the people here.]

With those words, Hans A disappeared into light.

***

My uncle was a clear piece of trash.

A gambling addict with no decent job.

When he won money, he would give me a fair amount of pocket money, but when he lost money, he would resort to violence and use me as a target for his anger.

But, as they say, even a stone on the side of a mountain has something to teach you.

My uncle was like that too.

No matter how I think about it, it wasn’t something you should say to an 8-year-old child whose father had passed away less than a year ago, but…

If you have to roll the dice anyway.

Don’t play on a board made by someone else, but roll the dice on a board you made yourself?

That advice, deeply engraved in my mind, has been of considerable help in living in this world.

That’s why…

Step, step.

I’m walking through the crystal cave.

It’s not a real space.

A virtual space I was dragged into after being stunned by [Soul Extraction].

‘I didn’t expect the background to be a crystal cave.’

For reference, the background was always different in the game.

Rock desert on the 2nd floor, the Sky Tower on the 4th floor, the Great Sea on the 6th floor, and sometimes I would wake up in a palace or something like that, not a labyrinth.

Then, what exactly are the conditions for selecting the background?

‘Maybe it’s the most memorable space.’

It’s a reasonable guess.

It’s where I almost died stepping on a trap, where I met Erwen, and where I killed a person for the first time.

The hardships I went through when the Abyss Lord Berzak was summoned are something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

‘Still, my HP and MP are fully restored after entering the Punishment Chamber, so it’s bearable. Well, I guess it’s the same for those bastards too.’

I was checking my current condition when it happened.

Thud.

I quickly turned around at the sound of someone behind me, and I saw the familiar faces of the trio.

A mustached man with a shield.

A tall, blonde lancer.

And…

“Kee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!!!”

A woman in priest’s robes, laughing with half her head crushed.

Known as, (Former) Elisa Half-Head Mode.

“Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Unlike Hans A, they immediately attacked me without even trying to talk.

And…

Crack, crack, crack-!

I turned them all into light particles within 10 seconds.

I mean, what’s my level now, and how many essences have I eaten?

Moreover, the enemies I meet here have a penalty of about half their original power, so they’re practically no different from goblins now.

Especially in that they die with one tap.

“Hoo… So how many are left now?”

I counted the number of enemies I killed again after waking up in the crystal cave, but for some reason, I don’t know.

I can’t remember how many pieces of bread I’ve eaten, can I?

Because I’ve been living as an explorer and killing people like it’s a daily meal, I can’t even count how many people I’ve killed exactly.

‘…I think I used to remember it.’

Hans A’s words feel even heavier.

In fact, I didn’t even remember his face until I met him again here.

To be precise, I had completely forgotten about him.

“Elisa. She’s so memorable that I definitely remember her…”

What was the name of that lancer?

Taser Gun? Dyson? Something like that…

As I was trying to recall the names of the trio I had just defeated, I suddenly flinched.

Because the name of the mustached man came to mind.

“Hans Argo.”

For reference, the Hans code I gave him was C.

“Damn it.”

It just occurred to me, does that mean I have to meet all the Hanses I’ve killed from now on?

My spine tingles.

This is like, not a Hans hell, is it?

‘How many Hanses have I killed so far?’

Fortunately, when I looked back one by one, I hadn’t actually killed that many.

I didn’t get the final blow that many times, should I say?

Hans E, whom I met in the sewer while chasing Elisa, was used as a meat shield when the trap was activated.

Erwen was the one who killed the mage Hans J who betrayed us on Parune Island, and the rest were all just brief encounters.

Except for one.

“M-my, n-name, is, H-Hans, Chrisen… I-is.”

Hans G, the evil spirit summoner I executed in the Doppelganger Forest.

Wow, he’s showing up right away.

Is this like, ‘get the first hit over with’?

“Why, d-did, you… k-kill, me? W-we, are, f-fellow, p-players…”

Hans G, who appeared in the side path with his soulmate fairy archer, was somehow speaking strangely.

Is he stuttering here too because that’s the most memorable scene?

Well, the shock back then was significant.

“I didn’t betray you either! It’s just that that guy revealed that I was an evil spirit—!”

So what, who cares.

Crack, crack-!

Before the conversation could continue, I dash in and smash his head.

The way of a savage who lives a much easier life.

After that, as I wandered around the cave, the people I had killed in my life attacked me in recreated forms that reconstructed their memories.

“Now you know! Why I had to become a plunderer! I had no choice in that damn place!”

Jensia Neiprin, the player I killed in the glacier cave.

Back then, I didn’t know.

No, to be precise, I didn’t even think about it.

That there would be players starting in Noark.

“I said it was a mistake, but just because of that! Die! Dieeeeee!!”

The three religious fanatics who attacked Team Banpoon after being manipulated by Elisa’s tongue, and who I killed in the cabin after we met again.

Killing these guys, I truly realized.

That the more I shed the skin of a modern person, the more I can live like a human being here.

Crack, crack, crack-!

In addition, many plunderers I met in the labyrinth appeared, scattering their grudges.

The guys I met in the early stages mostly had their heads blown off in one hit, but the guys in the later stages were different.

Whoosh-!

The lighthouse keeper of Orculys.

Whoosh-!

A knight I met in the past era of Noark.

“As a result, I was trying to help you!”

Pyke Neldain, who was executed for treason during the expedition.

One by one wasn’t scary, but it became burdensome as those guys kept attacking in groups.

It’s like the weight of sin.

“Did I… kill this many…?”

At least hundreds.

That’s the number of lives I directly took.

But…

“Yeah, it’s better this way.”

If I, who has lived a decent life, am like this, how much worse would the Rose Knights or the Noark guys be?

I continue to move forward, using the misfortune of others as my driving force.

Step, step.

Into the dark cave where no destination exists.

Endlessly.

***

「Last enemy defeated.」

「The character’s [Stun] status is removed.」

「The Glacier Mage punishes in place of the vengeful spirits who failed to achieve their purpose.」

「Random penalties are applied until the labyrinth closes.」

***

When I opened my eyes, I was being dragged.

With both legs grabbed by someone, my back was rubbing against the cold, sharp ground.

“Ugh… This guy isn’t even wearing armor, why is he so heavy!”

Sven Parav’s voice.

Right, you were the one dragging me.

‘Judging by the fact that it’s not the Glacier’s Eye, I guess I’ve succeeded at least halfway…’

I looked around while being dragged.

Bizarre phenomena that I couldn’t see before were happening.

“Ughhhhh…!!”

“Haa…, haa…, haa…”

The priests and mages were struggling to carry the stunned physical-type explorers on their backs.

I first checked the clock on my waist.

‘About 15 minutes…’

That was the time I was stunned after the second phase started.

“Parav, let go now.”

“Huh? You’re awake?”

“Yeah.”

I couldn’t be a burden any longer, so I quickly regained my senses and got up. And I instructed Sven Parav to carry someone else.

“Priest Orman! You’ve worked hard. I’ll carry that person behind you from now on. Please help the other person over there. It’ll be a little easier if two of you carry them.”

“Hoo… I’m sorry. Sir Parav, you must be tired too.”

“Haha, this is nothing.”

I got up and, with my vision secured, quickly scanned the surroundings to assess the situation.

‘Two priests, three mages, two psychics, one melee, two paladins, one archer.’

There are a total of twelve of us who have woken up from the stunned state, including me.

Even if each person takes care of one person, there are still people left over, but the situation is so dire that some warriors are carrying two or three people.

The reason is very simple.

It’s not for nothing that I considered the [Soul Extraction] pattern a gamble.

‘Erwen and Amelia are still not here…’

First, I took the two slumped figures and put one on each shoulder. Then, I approached Jun, who was being carried by Puta Recovern.

“Jun.”

“…Ah, you’re awake.”

Jun, who was being carried by Puta Recovern, raised his head as I approached.

He said, as if embarrassed.

“Unfortunately, I can’t use one of my legs.”

A random penalty that is applied when you are released from the stunned state. This penalty is completely random, and if you’re lucky, it’s just a minor inconvenience, but in severe cases, it can cripple a character like now.

Perhaps those who are conscious but still being carried are all in this situation.

“Yandel, are you alright?”

“For now… nothing seems to have changed.”

“I’m glad you’re safe. Really.”

“When did you wake up? I’d like to get a situation report.”

“I was the fifth.”

“Faster than expected?”

Jun smiled bitterly at my thoughtless mutter.

“I haven’t killed many priests of Karui directly while working as an Inquisitor. Most of them were ordinary people without power. Thanks to that, it was easier to deal with them there.”

“I see…”

He didn’t seem to be looking for words of comfort, so I quickly moved on to the main topic.

“I’d like to hear what happened while I was stunned.”

“The first to wake up were Priest Orman and Priest Periton Eriabosti. They really… are people who don’t get a single drop of dirty blood on their hands.”

Well, you never know.

How many chances would a priest have to get the final blow, given their job?

‘Even when we fought in the Glacier’s Eye, the final blow was always dealt by someone else.’

“However, since the two of them couldn’t move all of us, we waited, and started moving when enough people woke up to make it possible.”

“How long ago was that?”

“11 minutes.”

“Were there any others awake at that time?”

“Before we left, no one from the Noark or Rose Knights side had woken up, but I don’t know what it’s like now.”

Right, that’s what it is…

“Yandel, you were right. Just in case, I tried attacking, but the ice surrounding us was so hard that it didn’t budge.”

I wasn’t particularly disappointed by the follow-up report.

Because as soon as you are hit by [Soul Extraction], the character is trapped in ice and becomes invincible throughout the second phase.

Cariadea doesn’t attack at that time either.

The boss fight resumes 30 minutes after [Soul Extraction] is cast.

Those who don’t return by then die.

The same goes for those who die inside.

‘Erwen is one thing, but Amelia… I wonder if she’s okay?’

I’m very worried, but I have no choice but to trust them.

I put aside the problems that I can’t do anything about right now and focused on the conversation.

“But… how did you know that?”

Then, Paladin Jun cautiously expressed his question.

The subject was omitted, but I could tell what he was asking without having to ask again.

‘I guess that’s what he’s asking.’

Only the enemies have invincibility while trapped in ice pillars due to [Soul Extraction].

None of our expedition members were frozen.

That’s why those who woke up first could carry the stunned ones and move right away.

“The fact that you can resist such phenomena with the Flame of Life is information that even I, a former follower of the Tovera Church, did not know.”

“Is that so?”

“How did you know that? And that method you used to summon that evil lich…”

The answer to that question is very simple.

If you catch that lich about a hundred times, you’ll naturally find out. At first, I thought it was a bug, but after experiencing it myself, I realized that there’s no such thing in [Dungeon & Stone].

I was sure it would be the same this time.

But…

‘This kind of thing always gets in the way.’

I can’t say that fact, so I just made something up.

It’s a bit funny to say that I heard it from the Marquis when it’s clear that he’s been abandoned.

“I heard it from the tribal chief.”

Yeah, if I say that, what can he do?

“The barbarian tribal chief… you mean?”

“Yeah, he said he experienced something like that while telling old stories.”

Jun’s reaction to the excuse was ambiguous.

No, to be precise, it was more like an expression that I couldn’t read at all.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Okay, how are the others?”

“Ah… I’ll tell you now.”

Perhaps because it was an urgent situation, Jun stopped questioning and started his report. According to his report, there were a total of three people who had suffered major penalties.

Jun, who became a cripple.

James Kala, the archer who went blind.

Old man Didi, whose right hand turned gray and hardened like stone.

I don’t know what kind of penalties the stunned members will wake up with, but that’s how it is for now.

Then…

‘What about me?’

What kind of penalty has been applied to me?

As I walked and checked things, I soon had no choice but to grit my teeth.

Crunch…

Out of all those penalties, why did I get this one?

「The character’s active skills are restricted.」

Is this the curse of the Hanses I met in the cave?