Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 54

With delicate features and a voluptuous figure, and a voice as sweet as honey, Elisa was the kind of woman most men would find instantly appealing. At least, until a second ago.

“E-Elisa, ma’am!” Hans C’s eyes widened. The woman, with her slender frame of about 160cm, collapsed to the floor. Thud. A sunken temple. Eyes bulging out too far. Crimson blood gushing out like a water pistol from where her ear should have been. The beautiful Elisa was no more.

“You guys, what the hell did you do…?” Hans C, witnessing her gruesome state, cried out in shock.

“Why! Why did you hurt Elisa, ma’am! What did we do…?”

Well, we haven’t done anything yet. So, I replied briefly.

“Ah, my apologies. It was a mistake.” The mace was heavy, and my hand slipped. Really. So…

“Why don’t you come closer for a moment? Let’s talk about compensation for the mistake.”

“Y-you crazy bastard!”

I guess it’s not working. Well, he probably has a brain too. Realizing his fate, Hans C fell into a panic.

“Oh, no… we’re all going to die…”

“Good that you know.”

I didn’t deny it any further. However…

“B-because of you crazy bastards…”

I smiled briefly at the terrified Hans C, but then I felt an indescribable sense of incongruity. Looking closely, I realized the source of the incongruity was his gaze.

‘Why is he looking somewhere else, not at us, while being scared?’

I naturally followed Hans C’s gaze. At the end of it was (former) Elisa. A tragic woman who had lost her beauty in life and become a cold corpse. But did she somehow sense my gaze?

“Gigg, gigit, gigigigit…”

Elisa, who should have returned to the embrace of the gods, began to convulse, making grotesque noises. Her limbs, bending dynamically as if she had touched an electric wire, resembled the jerky dance of zombies in movies.

‘What the hell is this?’

I couldn’t understand it at all. When I smashed her head, I clearly felt the unique sensation of a one-shot kill. But why is she alive and wriggling? And making such creepy noises?

“Gigit, gigigig, kigit!”

“B-Bjorn? What’s going on?”

Don’t ask me, you dwarf. I’m scared as hell too. I’ve woken up in this body and messed up a lot of people, but I swear to my ancestors, I’ve never seen a corpse dance like that. But…

Clack.

This habit of clenching my jaw when I’m nervous is proof that my body belongs to a brave barbarian.

“…I’ll take care of it.”

“Take care of it?”

Instead of answering, I dashed forward and slammed the mace down. The target was Elisa’s face. Thwack-! The skull, much softer than a Death Fiend’s, caved in once more, and the dwarf fainted.

“T-to desecrate a corpse, even if they are raiders—!”

It’s not right? So what?

“I was too scared, I couldn’t help it.”

“What? That’s not something a person who’s scared would do—”

I cut him off and answered. I don’t know why I have to repeat this to so many people.

“The best defense is a good offense.”

Yeah, that’s right. I’m scared, so I’ll smash it to pieces. To protect myself, I’ll mercilessly destroy the enemy. That’s the barbarian way.

‘Ah, I see now.’

That’s why Ainar was afraid of the banshee. You can’t smash spirit-type monsters. You need magic damage, not physical damage. I gained a new understanding and checked on (former) Elisa again. And I clicked my tongue bitterly.

“Damn it, she’s still dancing…”

Even with her face completely caved in, Elisa continued to bend her joints, showing a creepy sight. I guess I need magic damage?

“Dwarki! Use magic!”

“But…”

But what? There’s no need to be nice to these guys. You have to speak firmly for them to listen.

“Use it now!”

At my shout, Dwarki began to chant a magic spell. And at that moment.

“I, I can’t die!” Hans C turned and started to run away. It was a futile effort. Before he could even take a few steps, a crossbow bolt fired by Rotmuller struck Hans C in the back. Thwack! Hans C collapsed miserably, still facing away. Watching his tragic end, I muttered briefly.

“Idiot.”

If he hadn’t been given armor, he could have easily withstood a single arrow. As expected, if you’re not smart, your body suffers. I then shifted my gaze to the last one remaining, the lancer Tayson, and asked.

“Aren’t you going to run away?”

“There’s no point anyway.”

His eyes and tone were as if he had already given up on everything. However, my warrior’s blood sensed a strange incongruity in his voice, just like with Hans C. It was at that moment.

Whoosh-!

Suddenly, a black glow emanated from Hans C’s body. Honestly, I was so scared that I quickly hid behind Dwarki, but nothing else happened. The light disappeared after about 5 seconds, and then I unfolded my crouched body and checked in front of me.

“What the hell?”

I don’t know what kind of bizarre combination this is, but Hans C’s body, which had emitted the light, had transformed into something like a mummy. His body was withered and emaciated, having lost all moisture and vitality. Naturally, the group’s gaze turned to Rotmuller, who had fired the crossbow.

“Rotmuller, what the hell did you do…?”

“I, I didn’t do anything! Really!”

I know, old man. This is probably related to (former) Elisa too. After all, Tayson over there hasn’t done anything yet, but he’s already turned into that. The mage Dwarki urgently offered his opinion.

“The life force drawn from those two has been absorbed into that woman’s body!”

Well, I guess that’s the feeling. I’ve played so many games that I have a rough idea of what type it is. I also had a hunch.

“Gigg, gigit, gigigigit…”

Elisa then got up from her spot, doing her jerky dance. Her face was still half-crushed. In that state, Elisa’s mouth opened.

“H-how, did, you, know?”

“What.”

“T-that, we, are, the, enemy.”

“Ah, that.”

I tried to act calm, even though I was scared shitless.

“Bastards all have a rotten smell, you see.”

Was it a satisfactory answer? I guess so. Seeing Half-Head Elisa laugh so heartily like this.

“Kee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!!!”

Damn it, why can’t my life ever just go smoothly?

“…”

The current situation was similar to the corpse golem battle. Everyone in the group was frozen stiff at the sight of the surreal scene, so I shouted, just like before, to wake up my stunned teammates.

“Everyone, snap out of it!!”

We’re all going to die if we’re not careful.

***

I’ve been playing [Dungeon & Stone] for 10 years. It wasn’t a popular game, but I was still proud to say that I knew everything about it. And it wasn’t actually wrong.

“Kee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!!!”

“H-how is this possible? How can a dead person…?”

A corpse has resurrected. But according to my knowledge, this wouldn’t be a miracle performed by Leatlas, the god of exploration. Whatever those who serve him do, Leatlas is a god of good alignment. I briefly stated the conclusion I had deduced.

“A priest of Karui.” A priest of the dark god Karui. A kind of hidden class that can only be chosen when starting as a human and changing to a priest. They have the advantage of being able to use both divine power and dark magic, but the penalty is just as great.

“A priest of Karui!”

“Was that woman a follower of an evil god!”

When changing to a priest of Karui, you are dragged to the execution ground the moment your class is revealed. Therefore, you have to create a team by making evil-aligned NPCs [Non-Player Characters] your subordinates, and you also need to periodically offer living sacrifices to maintain your job.

‘That’s why they’re raiding. It’s safest to get sacrifices from the labyrinth [a maze-like structure].’

This solved most of the cause and effect. But one question still remained. Why did it have to be us? Why have they been so persistent in targeting us? However, there’s no time to dwell on such things.

“Because, of, you, I, lost, valuable, subordinates.”

Has she digested all the life force she absorbed from Hans C and Tayson? Elisa, who had regained some of her original appearance, said, looking at me. Her vocabulary seems to have improved compared to before, probably because her crushed brain has recovered. In other words, her intelligence has returned. But…

‘What the hell is this crazy bitch talking about?’

Is it true that intelligence and personality are separate? I replied briefly.

“To blame others in this situation, you must not have been properly educated.”

Hans and Tayson died young and tragically because of this woman. If she had just accepted her fate with her head smashed, this wouldn’t have happened. I then made up my mind.

“I will avenge Hans and Tayson.”

And I’ll take all the equipment and valuables they had. Well, it won’t be easy. Has my life ever been easy?

***

「Elisa Behenk has cast [Call of Death].」

“L-look over there!” The dwarf pointed to one spot in alarm. There, Hans C and Tayson, who had become mummies, were slowly rising to their feet. I wasn’t surprised, as I had played as a priest of Karui a few times.

‘Call of Death.’ The basic and core skill of the class. Originally, it only summons undead-type monsters, but by using corpses as a medium, you can control stronger minions. The eyes, devoid of reason, were proof.

“Grrr…”

Soon, Hans and Tayson, who had finished their transformation into undead, or ‘Hansons’ for short, rolled their eyes at us. And…

“Eliminate, the enemies, my minions!”

At Elisa’s command, they rushed towards us.

Clang-!

The ‘Hansons’ charge collided with the shield wall formed by me and the dwarf, and the battle began in earnest.

「Riol Worb Dwarki has cast 8th-grade attack magic [Ice Lance].」

「Misha Kalstein has cast [Enhance].」

「The effect of subsequent active skills increases in proportion to spirit power.」

「Misha Kalstein has cast [Poison Infusion].」

While we were getting beaten up in the front, Misha and Dwarki were diligently dealing damage, but there were no effective hits. Strength surpassing humans, and a high level of physical resistance that didn’t even scratch when hit with a mace. They were even granted resistance to poison and cold when they turned undead. It seemed like we were at a disadvantage.

Clang! Whoosh-!

Of course, Rotmuller, who had a lot of experience fighting undead, used firebombs without hesitation, but…

“You’re, wasting, your time!”

「Elisa Behenk has cast [Flames of the Dead].」

Black flames flickered in the air and began to absorb all the surrounding fires.

‘Damn it.’ The situation was getting complicated. Fire, which is the opposite of undead next to divine power, doesn’t work.

‘Is there no other way but to break the core?’

Undead don’t die even if their whole body is torn apart, as long as their core is intact. For reference, the skeleton’s core was hidden between its ribs, and the Death Fiend’s was its brain. Then what about these guys, who were reborn with the power of the dark god? The answer is simple.

“Misha, can you kill that woman?”

The core of summoned creatures is usually with the summoner. In other words, if we can kill Elisa, the ‘Hansons’ can find enlightenment and return to the embrace of the true god.

“Hmm…”

“You don’t have to kill her. Even if you just damage her, the situation will get much better.”

“I’ll try.” Misha nodded. And immediately, she stepped on my shoulder, leaped high, and flew towards Elisa. Agile and flexible movements that even a fairy would admire. However, she wasn’t facing an opponent who would just give in.

「Elisa Behenk has summoned [Shadow Guardians].」

Shadowy soldiers rose from the ground, blocking Elisa’s surroundings without any gaps. Even for Misha, it seemed difficult to break through them and take Elisa’s head in a short time. But…

‘There’s no reason why we can’t go for a long battle.’

It would be a different story if the Hansons had weapons in their hands. But since we had already confiscated them, the Hansons, who had turned undead, weren’t very threatening. In fact, the dwarf and I could stall for as long as we wanted. Having made my decision, I redistributed the personnel.

“Dwarki, Rotmuller, you two help Misha.”

“But…”

“It’s okay. We’ll manage somehow here.”

“Okay! Then I’ll leave it to you!”

As Dwarki and Rotmuller joined in, the tide of the battle slowly began to turn. Of course, the Shadow Guardians regenerated as soon as they were destroyed, and they still had enough power to cast various curses on us, but…

“It seems like she’s running out of power! Let’s go!”

At one point, the number of Shadow Guardians that had been constantly summoned began to decrease significantly. Even if you serve an evil god, the source of power has its limits. But could she not have anticipated this situation?

“These, damn, bastards…!”

Elisa, cornered, began to tremble in panic. However, she still had the reason to survive, so she gritted her teeth and quietly muttered.

“I, will, not, forget, this, humiliation…”

The number of Shadow Guardians, which had been reduced over about 20 minutes, was less than five. Realizing what she was trying to do, I shouted urgently.

“What? Damn it, no!”

We’re almost done, where are you going! Pushing away the Hansons who had been clinging to me throughout the battle, I dashed with all my might. But…

「Elisa Behenk has cast [Spirit Form].」

Elisa’s body turned translucent and floated into the air. And in that state, she glanced at us once.

“You, will, never, return, alive.”

She flew far away and disappeared into the darkness.

Whoosh-!

I sighed deeply, staring blankly in that direction like a dog chasing a chicken.

“Damn it…”

The boss monster we had almost caught had escaped. And with a grudge against us.