Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 731

Clown (1)

A last stand.

It’s a metaphor for fighting with your back to the wall, a position where you can’t retreat, to achieve something.

And I really like this saying.

Isn’t it obvious?

It’s a saying that holds a certain truth.

People give their all when they’re desperate.

Also, beyond the mental aspect, if there’s water behind you, you don’t have to worry about what’s behind you and can focus all your attention on the enemy in front of you.

There’s a practical side to it.

Just like right now.

Crack-!

In front of me are enemies to defeat.

Whoosh-!

Behind me, the city is ablaze.

Thanks to that, enemies won’t appear from behind, but we’re also blocked from retreating.

But that doesn’t really matter.

I never had any intention of running away in the first place.

Crack-!

In a way, that’s how Lee Han-soo has always lived.

He always had to fight in dead ends with no escape.

Because there were no other options.

‘Pediatric ward.’

He fought against the disease with all his might.

‘Amusement park.’

He fought against the pain of being abandoned.

‘My room.’

After that, he continued an endless fight against loneliness with no victor.

[We were born as warriors. If we don’t fight, we die.]

A life similar to a barbarian in some ways.

However, when you look at reality, there’s a crucial difference between me and them.

[You still haven’t fixed that habit of running away.]

If there were no options, I fought.

And that also means I always ran away.

In reality, if there were options, I always chose to run away.

Crack-!

I hated fighting.

Because I know better than anyone how hard it is.

More than anything, there wasn’t much I wanted to gain by fighting that hard.

Crack-!

Unlike now.

“Raveeeeen!!”

As soon as I shouted his name, my companion, who followed my foolish plan, cast a spell.

「Arua Raven has cast the 4th-grade attack magic [Water Cannon].」

「Arua Raven has cast the 6th-grade support magic [Property Conversion]…….」

The city’s flames spread even more fiercely.

Whoooosh-!

Astalotta, who follows behind me, scatters fierce aura with every sword strike, proving why she’s the king’s guard.

“…Mo, monster!”

“Damn it, where did such a monster come from!”

An overwhelming battle that makes the difference in numbers meaningless.

It was inevitable.

Because even if you only level up your character as a corpse collector, you’re called a one-man army in this world.

‘And this guy, the king’s closest aide, must be incredibly skilled.’

I’m the same.

Now that my shield barbarian build is somewhat complete, I don’t think I’ll be inferior to anyone, no matter who I face.

‘The formation is good too.’

More than anything, it’s good that I don’t have to protect the rear.

Thump-! Thump-!

As I charge into the enemy lines like a tank, making the ground tremble, Astalotta follows behind and grinds them all up like a mixer.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

“Don’t get too excited. Seeing as there are only soldier-level enemies, the real ones must be behind them.”

Geez, you’re ruining the mood with your advice.

If I were the king, you wouldn’t dare say a word.

‘…Well, he’s not wrong.’

These guys are just buying time; the real fight hasn’t even started yet.

The corpse collector, the blood knight, and the other Orculist members.

None of them have shown their faces yet.

So, that means…….

Crackling-!

I need to move more during this opportunity.

It’ll be much harder to break through once their preparations are complete.

Tatatat-!

I pick up the pace a bit more.

Crack-! Crack-!

The sound of impacts echoes more as my arms and legs move faster. However, at some point, the enemy forces started to retreat.

“Fall back!”

“Distance! Just keep your distance!”

The forces retreat as we advance.

Ah, of course, they said that, but in reality, it was no different from running away with their backs turned.

Because we were running at full speed too.

“A, aaaaack!!”

Crack-!

“S, save me—!”

Slash-!

How long did we chase after them, smashing the heads of the stragglers?

‘So, now that we’re about halfway through…….’

If I do what I’ve done so far just one more time, I can enter the 7th district, which is like my hometown. Ah, but then does that mean I’ve already burned more than half of the 8th district?

“A, a… no—!”

Crack-!

As I set the whole street on fire and played a deadly game of tag, I suddenly felt like I had become a villain, but I didn’t feel any particular remorse.

This is a world where those who see the enemy as ‘people’ don’t survive long.

Zzzing-!

It seems like my free ride ends here.

Flash-!

A powerful wave of magic, emitting a fierce flash that covers the surroundings in an instant, shoots in a straight line from far away.

「Defense successful.」

「The Aegis Barrier absorbs all damage.」

Fortunately, it was smaller than my shield, so I managed to guard it.

However, that doesn’t mean I can relax.

The fact that they’ve deployed elite forces means they’re ready to stop me.

‘Now, I should also…….’

Get ready to face them with all my strength.

「The character has activated [Iron Fortress].」

「The character has activated [Scales of Greed].」

As soon as I activated both the knight-crushing mode and the mage-crushing mode, a group of about twenty people started to appear in front of me.

Since this is a game where you need good equipment, there was naturally no uniformity in their outfits. However, their unique appearances somehow gave off a sense of elite force.

Well, it’s not like I was nervous or anything.

“This is the end.”

A very familiar face appeared among those who seemed to be elites. As soon as I saw that face, I felt like the group’s quality dropped significantly.

“Even you won’t be able to withstand this many people. Heh heh…….”

Geez, you were running away with your tail between your legs, even abandoning your comrades earlier.

Look at you, all puffed up now that you’ve made some friends.

“Abet Necraphaeto! Hey, you damn bastard!!”

Then, Lilan Vivian, who discovered him, shouted hysterically.

“He, heh heh… Vivian, it’s been a while? I’m glad you seem safe! I’ve come back to save you, so come over here—.”

“What are you talking about! You’re dead, you son of a bitch!!”

“Heh heh… Does that mean you’re betraying Orculist and joining them?”

“You’re the one who betrayed us first!”

“Why am I a traitor? As a result, you didn’t die or get hurt, and I came to save you with reinforcements.”

“…What? Yandel-nim!! No, Yandel oppa!! Please, let me kill that bastard! I’ll do whatever you tell me to from now on……!”

Vivian, who seemed to have completely lost it in anger, started making promises I didn’t even ask for.

Looking at her, the corpse collector clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk……. It seems it’s already too late. They say you shouldn’t try to take back a woman who’s gone to a barbarian…….”

“Aaaaaaaack!!”

Unfortunately, seeing her scream like that, it was clear that Vivian had completely lost the argument.

However, it’s not good for the black magic user, who I have to fight alongside right now, to be blinded by rage.

“Pathetic.”

So, I threw out a word as if casually intervening in the conversation.

“The jealousy of a small man.”

“………Huh?”

As expected, he got triggered as soon as I threw it out.

“W, what… what did you just say……?”

“I said the jealousy of a small man is pathetic.”

“…Wh, what are you talking about! Th, that was a fighting situation, so of course……!”

“I was talking about height though.”

When I cut him off and brought up height, he froze as if he didn’t expect that.

It’s like a groggy state in a game.

“Pathetic.”

“…….”

“Even the excuses.”

When I landed the final blow, he was unable to say anything, frozen in place as expected.

“Wow…….”

Even Vivian, who had been screaming in anger, was amazed by the overwhelming exchange and opened her mouth wide.

Seeing how his bones and flesh were stripped away in an instant, it seems her anger subsided and her excitement calmed down a bit…….

“The conversation ends here.”

A man who seemed to be the field commander of the enemy side stepped forward, pushing the corpse collector behind him.

Hmm, this is a face I’m seeing for the first time…….

“Bjorn Yandel, your heroic tales end here.”

“Huh?”

“But don’t worry. I will inherit the fame you’ve built.”

What, I thought he was a big shot based on his appearance.

His lines are completely extra-like.

Whoosh-!

I chuckled and threw a hand axe.

“Remember the name of the man who will kill you. My name is Nortia—!”

“Oh, but he still blocks this one.”

“……Ugh! Kill him!”

The man, whose words were cut off, gave an order, and the battle began.

***

I want to be special.

Does anyone exist who doesn’t have this desire?

No, there’s no way.

All humans desire to be special.

That was also true for a white child born in America.

The white child loved cartoons from a young age.

American-style cartoons full of clichés with heroes.

However, the characters the child loved the most were always the ‘villains’ who left a deep impression and then exited the story.

They seemed much more special than the heroes who just happened to gain power and spout empty words, the villains who did whatever they wanted and troubled those heroes.

The child admired the villains, but the wall of reality was high.

I am not special.

The child naturally acknowledged that truth as he grew up, the truth that ordinary people realize as they grow up.

The child became a man like that.

I am ordinary.

He thought that fact would never change no matter how hard he tried.

Until he downloaded a cheat version of a game he had given up on due to its extreme difficulty and cleared it.

「Starting transfer.」

Something that was only seen in comics, novels, and movies unfolded before the man.

The world of the game unfolded before his eyes.

‘Abet Necraphaeto.’

The man, who was ugly and fat, got a new name.

Here, the man was no longer ordinary.

The man had knowledge that the NPCs didn’t know, and a future where he could become even more special was waiting for him.

Even though he was a being called an ‘evil spirit’ and was ostracized.

The man even considered that part of what made him special.

In reality, the man was quite special.

The man had talent, and he quickly rose through the ranks among the ‘evil spirits’ and became stronger.

He gained fame and received envious gazes.

However, the more that happened, the more reckless the man became.

Like a villain in a cartoon who had to do everything he wanted.

[Why should you die? Because you’re weak!]

[Ah, and I also need a suitable corpse!]

The man didn’t care about the means or methods to become stronger, and eventually, he was caught up in this and was investigated, and during that process, it was revealed that he was an ‘evil spirit.’

One day, while he was just waiting for his death.

[There is no place for you to live in this city.]

He experienced a fateful encounter.

[Follow me, Abet Necraphaeto. I will create a world for you to live in.]

Orculist.

A crazy terrorist group that dared to establish an ideology to oppose the royal family in this city.

There was no reason not to take their hand.

Even if it wasn’t just because it was the only way to survive, the group itself looked cool in his eyes.

He followed the leader to the underground city…….

[C, corpse collector……!]

Not long after, he was able to gain a notoriety that surpassed his previous fame.

[Heh heh-!!]