Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 737

I often have imaginations, even in normal times. Most of the time, I imagine the worst-case scenarios, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have ordinary imaginations. There’s no need to give an example; it was like that just this time.

“……Ugh, uh……”

This guy, writhing on the floor like someone having a seizure.

I suddenly became curious about his story and had such an imagination. What if I were to feel sympathy after hearing his story, or if there was another reason why I had to save this guy? Several scenarios flashed through my mind in an instant. Even though his abilities are useful, I could somehow put restrictions on him and use him like a slave. Then, he could completely turn over a new leaf and gradually gain our trust. ‘…What is this, it’s totally like Auyuen?’ A pirate from the raiders suddenly came to mind, but anyway. I even imagined a scene where the mercy I showed today would save me like a butterfly effect at a very important moment, but as a result, it was a meaningless imagination.

[…Of, of course! No one has ever asked for my, my real name before!]

Unexpectedly, this guy had a cute(?) side. [Because they tried to rape me in the labyrinth.] There was a somewhat sympathetic story in the process of his fall. […Isn’t it too much to live honestly in this world? Ah! Of course, it may not apply to strong people like you. Hehe.] Even if the hypothesis that he was so broken was to protect his own mind was correct. So what?

“…Uh, uh… Ah?”

You didn’t do it after all. To the people who lost their precious ones because of your chuunibyou [a Japanese term for someone who acts like a delusional teenager].

“Apologize.”

If you had only done that, I might have reconsidered a little. [Well, if there is one, it would be to die coolly, right?] Since you’re saying such things, I could be sure without having any other thoughts.

“…Don’t do that, just die like trash. That’s the most sincere apology.”

With those words, I watched him die, his head more than half crushed, in a shabby, naked state.

“Ugh, uh……”

The groaning sound, like phlegm, gradually faded, and the blood that gushed out with each cough also slowly decreased in frequency. Of course, it wasn’t because his body was getting better. It was the opposite, if anything.

“……”

Soon, the trembling of his body subsided, and his gaze turned to the empty air. But is he seeing something?

“Uh… Ah……”

He barely moved his lips, which didn’t move well, and said something. I listened carefully, wondering what he was saying, and I could roughly understand the meaning. His pronunciation was so slurred that I wasn’t sure.

“Um… Ma……”

It’s strangely the same for everyone at the end.

“Mom… Ma……”

Of course, that didn’t make me feel sympathy. Just like Hans A, who tried to kill me, had a family. Squeeze. I can’t live in this world if I get weak-hearted because of this.

“Hoo……”

I slowly raised my head and looked at the sky. [Ggrrrrrrrrrr……] The three moons, formed by corpses, writhing. As I was thinking that if there was a hell, it would be there, the ground began to shake greatly. Thud thud thud-! I lowered my head and looked towards the horizon, and I could see the green world collapsing from afar. The meaning of this was very simple. 「A character possessing a symbol has died.」 Yeah, he’s dead. No wonder I haven’t heard any sound since a while ago.

“……”

It was the same as when I killed the Dragonslayer last time. I was so indifferent that it felt strange to me. I didn’t feel any strong emotions, nor did I feel any sense of accomplishment. But it wasn’t like a sense of emptiness arose either. Then, what kind of feeling is this? Instead of worrying about it, I drew a line in my head. Corpse Collector, Abet Necrapeto. Another name was erased from the kill list, but there were still plenty of names on the list. ‘I still have a long way to go.’ Well, if I take care of them one by one, it will work out somehow.

***

「The character moves to Lapdonia.」

***

When I opened my eyes after returning from the underworld, the first thing I saw was fire. Whirr-! Left, right, front, back. Flames were everywhere, and every time I breathed, hot, acrid smoke swirled through my nose and lungs. 「Activated the Orb of Fire.」 「All fire-type continuous damage derived within a 15m radius is reduced by 50%.」 Whew, it feels like I can live a little now that I’ve turned this on. ‘The enemies are……’ I quickly scanned the surroundings after turning on the Orb of Fire, but there were no signs of people or energy. ‘There aren’t any.’ Well, is it natural since everything is on fire? It was better than being surrounded by enemies as soon as I came out. The problem was that I didn’t know where my companions were either. ‘…What happened?’ I needed to quickly grasp the situation. Because until I entered the underworld, we were fighting the Noark forces. ‘I was inside for only about 2 hours……’ But as soon as I came out, the streets were covered in fire, and no one else was visible. However, one thing was certain. It’s not the worst situation. If Noark had won, they would have been waiting in this place, forming an encirclement. Holding Astarotta and Raven’s heads like trophies. ‘If I interpret this the other way around, it means that there is a high possibility that the two of them are safe.’ Yeah, so…… Whirr-! Whew, let’s get out of here first. All sides were on fire, and the black smoke was even obstructing my vision, but it wasn’t too difficult to check the direction. I’m not just a barbarian, I’m an elite barbarian who received guidance training from Rotmiller. ‘It’s that way.’ After confirming the direction, I ran through the flames without hesitation, even using [Giantification]. But what was going on? 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes…… No matter how much I ran, there was no sign of the outside of the fire. ‘……How far has the fire spread?’ I didn’t know, but the only thing I could do was to run towards the 7th District, which was also my hometown. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes…… However, as time passed, even this superhuman body was quickly approaching its limit. Whirr-! The hot flames themselves were fine. I had the Orb of Fire, and my physical stats were so high that there was no significant damage other than a slight burn on my skin. However, the smoke was the problem. ‘Damn it.’ Just like how more people die from suffocation than from burning in a fire. I felt like I was going to die because I couldn’t breathe properly. Well, I managed to get this far by holding my breath with my superhuman lung capacity…… Thump-! Thump-! I’m going to die for real trying to run at full speed while holding my breath. Beep beep beep-! As if to signify that the limit was approaching, I suddenly heard a ringing in my ears. A loud ringing that drowned out the heavy footsteps I heard with each step and the sound of the flames burning. Beep beep beep-! At the same time, my vision blurred, and each minute and second felt so long. Also, my head was dizzy as if I had motion sickness…… ‘……Damn it, am I going to die like this?’ Just like the saying that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. The body, pushed to its limit, kept bringing up negative thoughts, and it was trying to refuse to move as if it would be easier to just give up. But…… ‘…Don’t be ridiculous.’ How have I survived until now? Not from being beheaded by a sword, nor from being eaten by a monster. Am I going to die simply because of a lack of oxygen? Beep beep beep-! I can’t do that, even if it’s just out of resentment. Whack-! I slap my head to wake up my fading mind. And…… Thump-! Thump-! I keep moving my legs forward. Thump-! Thump-! I don’t know how much time has passed. My sense of time became vague, and I couldn’t even think about whether I was running straight ahead, when suddenly. Swoosh. My legs gave out, and my body leaned forward. And…… Thump-! My body, which had lost its balance and leaned forward, collided with something hard, and I woke up completely.

“A… Wall?”

It’s a wall. I don’t know how much time has passed to get here.

“A… Wall……”

As soon as I realized what I had collided with, I felt an amazing surge of energy in my body. There was no time to look for the gate. Barbarians are a race that is more specialized in making paths than finding them. I grabbed the gaps in the hot bricks and climbed the wall like a cockroach. And when I finally reached the top of the wall. ‘…I’m alive.’ My body, recognizing survival, slumped down. Of course, it was still difficult to breathe on the wall. But to a person wandering in the desert, even a drop of water feels like the elixir of life.

“Haa… Haa… Haa……”

Even though I kept coughing because of the acrid smoke, I tried my best to breathe, and after some time, my body recovered to some extent. ‘…I barely survived. Really.’ Only then did I get up from the wall and look around. Since the wall was built high enough to see the entire city on a clear day, I could clearly feel how much the city was burning.

“It’s no joke……”

Now that I see it, the entire 8th District was burning and emitting a huge amount of smoke, and……

“…The fire has spread to the 7th District.”

The 7th District was in a similar situation. Looking from above, more than a third of the 7th District was also covered in flames.

“Damn it.”

I suddenly felt a pang in my heart as I thought of the money I had invested, but I quickly cleared my head. Money can be earned anytime. In an emergency, you must keep the priorities in mind. The top priority now is to somehow finish this war safely, without thinking about ‘money’ or ‘aftermath’. ‘Whew… So what do I do now?’ After safely overcoming an unexpected near-death experience, realistic problems began to bother me again. Astarotta and Raven, who disappeared. The clan members who are hiding in the Barbarian Sanctuary. Amelia and Auyuen, whose last news was a radio message that they were being chased in the 4th District…… ‘I’m worried about Raven, but……’ Still, I decided that the first destination would be the Sanctuary. It’s not efficient to wander around the sea of fire like a vast ocean. It would be more reasonable to go to the Sanctuary and join the clan members and search together. ‘Since Astarotta is there, I don’t have to worry too much……’ Now that I’ve made a decision, there’s no time to hesitate. I quickly ran down the wall. It was more efficient and easier to move along the wall than to jump into the burning city. Thump-! Thump-! I was running along the wall towards the Sanctuary when it happened.

“……?”

I stopped in my tracks, feeling tense. A figure appeared through the black smoke that was obstructing my vision. No, to be precise……

“…You’ve come.”

He was waiting for me. ‘A black wolf mask……’ A design that perfectly matched the one that Lee Baekho’s former colleague, ‘Bryatt,’ had. Thanks to that, I could recognize his identity at once. Hirkumuta. An ‘ancient’ group formed by followers of the last great sage, Diplun Groundel Gavrilius. The wolf mask, presumed to be a member of that group, shrugged his shoulders at me.

“It’s been a while, Bjorn Yandel.”

“……?”

“Ah, should I call you Lion King? Hahaha!”

I quietly sighed. ‘Ha, in the midst of having so much to worry about.’ Who is this bastard again?