Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 557

The formation was set, with each class standing in their carefully chosen positions.

Some melee fighters were interspersed among the ranged attackers, and there were even strike teams composed entirely of knights on the flanks.

It wasn’t a disorganized formation where ranged units were only in the rear and melee units only in the front.

Everyone took their positions to ensure maximum stability in various situations and to act strategically.

I was no exception.

Clench.

The position I was standing in was directly in front of the stone gate.

And, for the record, there were no allies around me.

And that meant.

“……”

From now on, I had to hold out against that monster all by myself.

Of course, it’s not like I had any complaints.

I agreed that this was the best approach.

[Grrr…]

The beast from the story, which had emerged from the stone gate, let out a low growl and looked down at me as if it were assessing me.

Well, it might be strange for it to see just one person standing there with a shield.

‘Looking down on me, huh.’

Is it because it’s the first Rank 1 [A monster classification indicating its power level] I’m facing?

I tensed up without realizing it, and my joints tightened.

However, the more powerful the enemy, the more the fighting spirit of a Barbarian rises.

Clench.

I put strength into the hand holding the shield and looked up at the beast.

It was twice as big as me in my [Giant Form] [A skill that increases the user’s size].

Considering it was a four-legged beast, it was actually several times bigger.

But, with that huge body, red fur that looked like it came from a myth, three tails with eyeballs, and the dark red mist it was emitting, it had an otherworldly atmosphere.

But so what?

“What, have you never seen a Barbarian before?”

The beast tilted its head slightly, like a dog that had heard a human speak.

It was the perfect time to start the battle.

“Behell—raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

So, I shouted a battle cry and used [Swing] with all my might.

Thud-!

I hit it on the snout with full power, but sadly, the beast didn’t even flinch, as if it were just ticklish.

However, did the first strike judgment apply correctly?

“……!”

It was impossible to follow it accurately with the naked eye.

When I came to my senses, the beast’s huge maw was clamping down on my shield as if it were going to chew it up.

Despite my surprise, I laughed.

Normally, a shield would have become a piece of scrap metal the moment it entered that mouth, but my shield was different.

‘That’s indestructible, you little shit.’

Rank 1 monster or whatever, it couldn’t break through the indestructible option attached to the single-digit numbers [Referring to the shield’s stats].

The problem was that I was also lacking in strength.

‘Huh? What the hell…!’

The beast then bit down on the shield and lifted me up, shaking its head like crazy.

I felt like I was going to get motion sickness, but letting go of the shield here would be insane, so I held on to the shield as hard as I could and endured.

Fortunately, support fire came soon after.

「Gahwin Besilus has cast Rank 1 attack magic [Opening of the World].」

The chief mage of the exploration team had drawn the mana out of dozens of mages to complete the Rank 1 attack magic.

——————!

A flash of light burst out, and when I came to my senses, I was rolling around on the ground.

I quickly got up and checked the center, and I saw the beast, which had taken a lot of damage.

[Groooooooo—!!]

It must have been hit on its hind leg, as all the fur on that side was burned, and it was even limping.

However, I was completely fine.

Of course, it was a Rank 1 magic that had exploded right next to me, but….

I didn’t turn into raw meat like in the Crimson Fortress [A previous battle location].

「This damage was inflicted by an ally in a bond.」

「The Light of Trust protects the character from this damage.」

I had already cast a bond magic with Grandpa.

That’s why the number given to ‘Trust’ is 12.

Not taking damage from allies’ attacks is a huge benefit in this world.

‘They need to gather mana and chant again, so the next bombardment will be in about 3 minutes.’

Therefore, everyone has a lot to do from now on.

Three minutes is not a short time when facing a Rank 1 monster.

「Kashan has cast [Three-Eyed Gaze].」

The three tails it possessed spread out, and the eyeballs at the ends of the tails opened wide.

And….

Fwoom! Fwoom! Fwoom-!

It fired beams like railguns from a movie.

‘The left tail is magic damage with a curse, the right tail is physical damage with defense reduction, and the center is mixed damage with token monster summons.’

I recalled the effects of each tail and blocked the beams as hard as I could.

「Defense successful.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage.」

「Defense successful.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage.」

「Defense successful.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage…」

Originally, it was a skill that attacked indiscriminately, but because my threat level was high, they all headed towards me.

But….

「The character loses balance.」

While I was blocking well, my foot suddenly slipped, and my posture collapsed.

And taking advantage of that gap, a beam hit my body.

Fortunately, I wasn’t seriously injured, but….

「All damage taken by the character is increased by 10%.」

This… was the defense reduction tail, right?

I can’t let the stacks accumulate too much.

‘Damn luck.’

A mistake I would never have made normally.

But I didn’t blame myself.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a mistake, but the effect of a skill the beast had.

[Ominous Prophecy], which fixed my luck at -200.

When fighting within this aura, these kinds of things happen countless times.

Just like this.

「Evasion failed.」

A blow I thought I had dodged hit my body.

「Critical hit.」

「Damage taken by the character is greatly increased.」

My arm was numb, and an attack that should have ended there dislocated my joint.

And in the midst of that.

「Kashan has cast [Life Steal].」

Semitransparent red threads were pulled from the bodies of all the exploration team members in the library and connected to the beast.

It was the only recovery skill the beast had.

Since there were over 200 people in the area, the beast’s injuries healed quickly, but the countermeasures had already been learned, so it didn’t become a big problem.

Coincidentally, 80% of our melee fighters were knights.

“Cut the threads!”

“Aura! Use aura!”

As soon as the threads connected, the knights who had been placed in various locations cut the threads, stopping the beast’s recovery skill.

The threads, which usually needed to be hit more than six times to be removed, were cut in an instant by the aura, which had 90% physical resistance and magic resistance ignore effects.

‘Okay, so the recovery skill is cut off.’

Since there was a cooldown, there was about 2 minutes left until the next recovery skill.

“Charge!!”

As soon as the commander’s order was given, dozens of knights drew their swords and rushed towards the beast.

But was it because we had been together for over a week?

The anxiety that they might turn into enemies at any moment was still there, but even so, I couldn’t help but wish.

“Nia Lapdonia…!”

I hoped that many of them would survive.

***

Swoosh, thud-! Kwaaaaaang-!

Kashan’s hide was being shredded in real time by the knights’ aura, which was reliable in terms of damage, and the ranged attackers, who had high firepower as they were selected as exploration team members.

It was a strategy that would never be possible in a normal situation.

From Rank 1 monsters onwards, the required threat level increased dramatically.

‘When the threat level is 500 or higher, all monsters will prioritize attacking the wearer.’

If it weren’t for ‘Aegis’s Barrier,’ which had this effect, the knights would have been chewed up by the beast’s teeth and claws every moment.

‘Still, the firepower is good, so they probably could have caught it without me.’

Ah, of course, after about 100 people died.

How many soldiers did I save thanks to just one person?

I hope the commander recognizes my contribution—.

「Kashan has cast [Flames of the End].」

At that moment, red shadows began to appear on the ground.

It was the second most dangerous thing we had identified while preparing for this battle.

“Evacuate now!!”

The vice-commander, who was in charge of the operator role, shouted at the top of his lungs.

Kwaaaaaaaaang-!

Pillars of fire rose from the areas where the shadows had appeared for about 1 second.

It was an area-of-effect skill that was practically instantaneous.

‘That’s in the direction of Raven….’

In a moment of panic, I turned my head to check, and I saw Raven being dragged out by Ainar by the scruff of his neck among the mages who were running away in a panic.

‘Phew… he’s safe.’

However, it was too early to be completely relieved.

[Flames of the End] was a skill with follow-up attacks.

“Mages, deploy barriers!”

As the vice-commander’s order continued, the mages who had been assigned to each task activated protective barriers.

Unlike the first hit, the follow-up attacks had much lower damage, so it was possible to block them with barriers, but….

Shwaaaaaaaaaa-!

Barriers were quickly formed around the areas where the pillars of fire had risen.

And….

Thudududududu-

The rear troops hurriedly entered the barriers to avoid the falling fire rain.

However, sadly, there were those who failed to evacuate.

“Ah, no…!”

“……Aaaaaaack!”

A mage and an archer whose mission was to help him evacuate. The two of them were swept away by the fire rain and melted away.

And the knight who saw his comrade’s death gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Elton Pasier of Squad 2, Quilken Battleon of Squad 3, two casualties!”

A soldier’s judgment that the battle situation report was the priority in any situation.

‘I need to focus too.’

In fact, all skills of a Rank 1 monster should be considered instant kills.

Even the beams fired from [Three-Eyed Gaze] would kill a damage dealer in one shot if they were hit instead of me.

If I do my job well, people won’t die.

Yes, so….

“Behell—raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

I activated [Wild Outburst] and raised my threat level once more, then stuck close to the beast.

And how much time had passed?

“The chant is complete!”

“All strike teams, fall back!”

As the magic was completed, the knights around me all retreated at once.

And so, once again.

———————!

The Rank 1 magic that was fired hit the beast’s body accurately.

But was it a more critical location this time?

「Kashan has cast [Flames of the End].」

As the beast used an area-of-effect skill once more.

「Kashan has cast [Death Sentence].」

The beast unleashed a new skill.

It was the one we had judged to be the most dangerous when we ran the simulation in advance.

***

[Death Sentence].

It might sound like an instant kill skill, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t an instant kill.

It was just that its effect was similar.

「The damage dealt next is greatly increased in proportion to the luck stat.」

Damage amplification based on the luck stat.

‘The damage amplification of [Death Sentence] is 200% per 10 luck.’

It was a performance worthy of a Rank 1 essence.

However, the problem here was Kashan’s base luck stat. After a long period of research, Kashan’s luck stat was about 500.

That meant….

‘10,000%.’

If you got hit, you could consider yourself dead.

The normal attacks of a Rank 1 monster were so powerful that even top-tier knights would die after being hit once or twice.

Even I, who had raised my physical resistance a lot, would have my bones broken if I didn’t block it with my shield.

Of course, if I could properly ‘guard’ with my shield, I could block it without taking any damage, but….

「Defense successful.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage.」

The problem was that it all depended on luck.

‘Phew…….’

Fortunately, I successfully blocked the first [Death Sentence].

But was it because I knew there was no guarantee that I would do so next time?

Thump-thump-thump-thump-!

My heart was pounding, and my legs suddenly gave way.

I forced strength into my legs and calculated the number of times I had left.

‘Three to four times.’

If we could take it down quickly, three times.

If it was a little late, four times.

The number of [Death Sentence] I had to endure in the future.

‘Can I block them all properly?’

Thinking that, I chuckled.

Whether I could block them or not was not important.

Even if I couldn’t block them, I would endure.

Even if my arms and legs were torn off and my insides were burst, I would not fall and fight back.

Then wouldn’t all the problems be solved?

「Kashan has cast [Life Steal].」

And so, the large-scale battle that I was experiencing for the first time continued.

Everyone did their best in their respective positions, but….

「Kashan has cast [Flames of the End].」

Even so, pillars of fire rose, and reports about the fallen continued, and I took comfort in the fact that my comrades’ names were not among those reports.

「Gahwin Besilus has cast Rank 1 attack magic [Opening of the World].」

The magic that had been completed for the third time hit the beast’s head.

As expected of a Rank 1 monster, it still moved fine and persistently glared at me.

「Defense successful.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage.」

And so, I luckily blocked the second [Death Sentence].

「Kashan has cast [Fate Shift].」

The beast cast a skill it used when its health was below 50%.

Fwoom-! Fwoom! Fwoom-!

Even in the midst of this, the beams from its tails still flew towards me, and they occasionally hit my body when I failed to defend.

The amount of damage I was taking increased, and the curse was stacking.

「Plague Wolves charge towards the most densely populated area.」

Token-type monsters were summoned.

In the midst of that, [Flames of the End] exploded in my location.

Since the beast was charging, evasion was impossible.

「The character’s health is below 20%.」

「Due to the passive skill [Path of the Hero], all resistance and tolerance stats are increased.」

It felt like my whole body was melting, but it didn’t actually melt.

My flesh was scorched and torn off, and I couldn’t breathe properly because my organs were cooked, but thanks to my magic resistance, I avoided instant death.

And if that was the case, I wouldn’t fall.

Shwaaaaaaaaaa-!

I received a priest’s heal, grabbed my shield, and moved forward.

And at that moment.

「Kashan has cast [Death Sentence].」

The third [Death Sentence] was cast at a perfect timing.

“……”

For some reason, I felt like time was slowing down, and my mind was accelerating.

Only one question filled my head.

‘In this state.’

Could I really survive if I got hit by that?

After asking myself and answering, the answer was too simple.

I couldn’t survive.

It was an obvious cause and effect, just like 1 plus 1 equals 2.

As soon as I realized this, my vision turned white.

But time never stopped.

「Defense successful.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage.」

The beast’s forepaw, which had been swung, slammed down on the shield.

I really did block it properly without any unexpected accidents like suddenly falling over, but….

“……”

I couldn’t believe it.

Did I really, really survive?

“Keheok…!”

Oxygen was supplied through my open mouth.

It seemed like I had forgotten to breathe without realizing it.

When I took a big breath, it felt like my lungs, which hadn’t fully recovered, were burning.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

Of course, even in the midst of that, my heart was beating like crazy.

And at that moment.

「Erwen Fornach Di Tersia summons [Dark Spirit King Dicloe].」

The familiar dark orbs began to be fired like crazy.

We had finally reached the timing for a concentrated bombardment using all of the exploration team’s remaining power, but….

‘Yeah, at this rate, we can catch it before the fourth one—.’

A variable is called a variable because it always comes at an unexpected moment.

“Huh…?”

In an instant, my leg that was reaching forward slipped as if it had stepped on something slippery, and I slid forward.

「The character trips and falls.」

When I came to my senses, there was only one thing in front of me.

Not the high ceiling of the library, but the beast’s maw that had been eyeing me.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of the beast chewing on my head whole.

The sound of its huge teeth scraping against my skull.

As I heard that sound, I thought.

‘It might be unexpected.’

My senses were clear, but I didn’t feel any pain.

「Severe damage has been inflicted on the character’s brain.」

「The character is stunned.」

That was my last memory.

***

「Erwen Fornach Di Tersia has cast [Concentrated Fire].」

「Kashan has been defeated. EXP +9.」

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: Defeat the first Rank 1 monster.

Reward: Soul Power stat permanently increases by +10.

「The highest contributor is granted access to the records.」

「The hidden First Record Archive has been revealed.」

「The character is recovering.」

「The character is recovering.」

「The character is recovering.」

「The character is recoverin…」

「…….」