Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 81

Descending the stairs. Even with the torch and the light orb magic activated, the darkness was endless. It felt like wandering in an abyss.

“I’ll pick up the pace a bit,” Rotmiller said.

Following Rotmiller’s lead, we increased our speed down the stairs.

How much time had passed since then?

“Huh…”

“To think there’d be such a vast space in the sewer’s basement.”

“Hah! A construction of this scale couldn’t have been done by humans alone. I don’t know why it was made, but it must have been our ancestors who built it.”

Finally, stepping onto the last stair, a wide-open space appeared. The ceiling was over six meters high, giving the space an unbelievable sense of openness for a basement.

“For now, there’s only one visible path,” Rotmiller said, scanning the surroundings and pointing to one spot. Looking closer, there was a passage behind a weathered, unidentified stone statue.

“That woman’s scent also leads this way. If my guess is right, we might meet her soon.”

Okay, so that’s how it is.

“I’ll take the lead from now on.”

Since it was a straight path, I changed our formation. I took the lead, with Rotmiller following behind to help with navigation. The dwarf was sent to the rear to prepare for any possible surprise attacks.

“Dwarki, stick close to me.”

“Y-yes, I will.”

Misha’s role was to protect the mage in the center and actively support either the rear or the front.

“Then, let’s go.”

We walked straight through the passage and soon came to a fork in the road. I didn’t know the way, but it wasn’t a problem. Our journey was with the keen-nosed Rotmiller.

“She definitely went that way.”

We chose the left path where the scent was coming from. But, what’s this now?

“…Another fork in the road.”

Another fork appeared. This time, there were five options.

“Rotmiller?”

“Ah, it’s a bit ambiguous. It seems she wandered around, as her scent is coming from all the paths.”

“Does that mean we can’t follow her anymore?”

“It’s not that. Let’s go this way. The lingering scent is the strongest here, so it seems to be the path she took most recently.”

“I see.”

Navigation and searching weren’t my areas of expertise, so I obediently followed the expert’s instructions. However…

‘What is this place?’

Soon, another fork in the road appeared. I was starting to get a sense of the structure of this space. I didn’t know why this space was designed in this way, but… This place was a maze.

“Hicurod, do you know what this place is? You’re a dwarf, aren’t you?”

“Ha, hah! It’s narrow-minded to assume that all dwarves are experts in architecture. So… Dwarki, what do you think? Aren’t you a mage?”

“Do you think mages are all sages who have awakened to the truth? I have no idea why the ancients would intentionally create such a space underground.”

Questions spread among the group. I nipped it in the bud before it became more troublesome.

“Stop the chatter. Whatever this place is, we just need to catch that bitch and go back.”

“That’s true, but…”

“If you’re really curious, ask the administration office. That’ll be more accurate than our guesses.”

At my words, the three who were chatting shut their mouths. Sigh, why do I, a barbarian, have to play the role of the disciplinarian? I guess I can only rely on Rotmiller. He’s the only one who always silently does his job.

“Bjorn, stop.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The scent suddenly became much stronger. This isn’t just a lingering scent, it’s probably…”

Rotmiller trailed off, sniffing once more, and his eyes changed.

“It’s clear. She’s coming this way from the other side.”

Rotmiller pointed to the second fork on the left. To think she’d come to us on her own. It was a bit sudden, but I checked the important things first.

“How much time?”

“I can’t be sure because I don’t know her speed.”

“Even if it’s just a guess, tell me.”

“…About two minutes, I’d say.”

“Did she find us first?”

“I don’t think so. This is just a guess, but… I have a feeling she’s lost.”

Hmm, that’s a plausible guess. I made a plan, instead of the dwarf who was just staring at our conversation with wide eyes.

“Everyone, prepare to fight. Hide and ambush her when she comes.”

First, we hid in the side path. Rotmiller prepared his crossbow, and Dwarki began casting magic, preparing for the ambush. No sooner had we finished this process—

Thud, thud. Footsteps echoed from afar. The sound grew closer. But… Thud. The sound stopped at a certain point.

‘What happened?’

I was about to tap Rotmiller’s shoulder and ask with my eyes when— Tap tap tap-! Hurried footsteps echoed through the passage.

“Bjorn!” Misha whispered, and I closed my eyes. It was confusing because the sound echoed so much, but I could tell by focusing on my hearing. She wasn’t running towards us…

“She’s running away.”

“It seems she noticed we were hiding,” Rotmiller said urgently. I agreed. Why else would she suddenly turn around and run after walking normally?

“What are we going to do?”

“Do you feel uneasy?”

“I’m not sure.”

Okay, so that’s how it is.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leading the way? We need to catch her before she runs further away.”

In the Witch’s Forest, we were the ones being chased, but… “We have to catch and kill her before she runs further away.” Now the roles have reversed.

***

Karui. A being called an evil god or a dark god. He is as capricious as he is rational. Blind faith is always rewarded.

[I offer this blood, flesh, and soul, please show me the way…!]

Elisa Behenk. The reason she survived in the Witch’s Forest was all thanks to that characteristic of the god. After offering the three explorers she met by chance in the cabin, she received advice that resting time would increase if she burned the corpses, and a new power called [Undeadification]. Using that power, she was not attacked first by monsters, and she was immune to the regional effects of the Witch’s Forest. That’s why—

[Oh! That woman…!]

[What are you doing! Run away!]

When she accidentally found the dwarf party in the forest, she was able to chase them to the end. After all, it was just an ordinary forest without the regional effects. Unfortunately, the chase ended in failure. When they went up to the fourth floor, she hurriedly followed, but the portal color changed by a hair’s breadth, and they moved to another space. The monsters that were all over the portal? She endured for ten days using [Undeadification]. And then she returned to the city.

[Priest Behenk, where are you going with all those bags?]

She immediately packed only the necessary things and ran away. She had seen many times what happens to the apostate priests. Now, for her, the city was a more dangerous place than a labyrinth. But, even when the sky falls, there is a way to live? There was also the advice of the capricious evil god. The sewer, full of filth and wretched escapees. He said that a city hidden beneath it would accept her.

[Hey! This is my spot! Get out of here?]

Following the guidance of the evil god, it was not difficult to find the ‘door’ hidden in the sewer. The vagrant who had settled there first was not a big problem either. However… [Offer a sacrifice.] The capricious evil god did not tell her how to open the ‘door’. So, she wandered around the sewer and gathered dozens of sacrifices. In return, she found out how to open the door and went underground. But… ‘What is this place!’ The path was too complicated. She wandered in the dark for hours. The capricious evil god didn’t seem to have any intention of showing her the way until she offered a sacrifice. In the meantime… ‘…?’ Just in case, [Call of the Evil God], which she had set up with the remaining life force of the sacrifices, was activated. From then on, she had a strange feeling of unease. It could be a pursuer sent from the temple. She carefully looked around and wandered through the maze. Then it was. [Kihhihihihihi!!] The evil god suddenly laughed. Feeling ominous, she stopped walking. Usually, when that happened, danger and hardship were waiting in the path she was about to take. ‘Could it be a pursuer?’ She stopped for a moment and focused on her hearing. In the silence, she could faintly hear breathing. It was beyond the path she was about to take. As soon as she noticed this, she ran in the opposite direction. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, she soon heard the sound of someone following behind. However… “What are you doing? Why aren’t you leading the way? We need to catch her before she runs further away.” Short, clipped, and somehow familiar voices. “Bjorn! Be careful! That evil bitch might have set up something!” Soon, she recognized who they were. Bjorn Yandel. The thoughtless barbarian who had hit her with a mace first, even though she had revealed she was a priest, and his companions. ‘They’re not from the temple…?’ Realizing their identities, she slowed down without realizing it. She didn’t know how they had followed her here, but… ‘It’s better this way.’ She stopped walking. Last time, she had to retreat and run away from them, but that was because she had used a lot of power to revive. 「Elisa Behenk has summoned [Gate of the Netherworld].」 If they were both in perfect condition, she wouldn’t lose.

***

The distance seemed to be closing, but then. Tap-! The sound of running that had been echoing in the darkness stopped. And a bizarre sound echoed from beyond the passage. [Kkyaaaaak—!] [Gekekekekekeke!!] Bizarre sounds approaching quickly. Soon, the sounds entered the torch’s radius, and dozens of four-legged monsters appeared. ‘[Gate of the Undead],’ I was impressed again. It was different from last time, when she hadn’t used her power to revive. 「Elisa Behenk has summoned [Shadow Guardians].」 Should I say the difference starts from the quantity? With the [Gate of the Undead] spewing out monsters for several minutes, and the Shadow Guardians being summoned recklessly, the momentum was like a tidal wave. However… “What are you doing? Why aren’t you going to smash them?” There’s no need to be intimidated. After all, nothing changes. “Hahaha! Barbarian! I was sad to leave you behind, but you came crawling into a death trap on your own! I won’t miss you this time!” Bullshit, miss me? That’s what I should be saying. “I’ll crush your head this time!” The battle began with each of us exchanging our resolutions. The situation was different from the last time, when we had to fight a long battle for dozens of minutes. Swish-! Shadow Guardians, who had a relatively high level of physical resistance? They were helplessly cut down every time Misha swung her twin swords like a madman. “…Was it this easy?” Well, now she has an ice attribute bonus. Besides, the curse that was annoying at the time no longer worked. 「Elisa Behenk casts [Lesser Corruption].」 「Elisa Behenk casts [Strength Reduction].」 「Riol Worb Dwarki casts 7th-grade support magic [Radiance].」 「All dark attribute effects on party members are removed.」 Was it because I hit the jackpot this time? I told him to learn curse removal, but he came back having learned [Radiance], a wide-area purification magic. “Heh heh, how is it?” “Impressive.” I threw a casual compliment at Dwarki, who was acting cocky. It seemed like he was still holding a grudge about what I had said last time. Anyway, I slowly joined the battle. Just setting up a shield wall and blocking the front would be enough for one person, but… It wasn’t efficient. “Behel—raaaaaaa!!” At the same time as shouting the name of my ancestral god. Vitality actually began to fill my body. 「The character has used [Wild Outburst].」 「The character’s threat level temporarily increases by 3 times, and the physical stats increase in proportion to that value.」 It was impossible to use the [Giantification] combo because the passage was narrow, but the effect was still sufficient. [Grrrrrr.] The summoned creatures, sensing the threat, began to rush towards me recklessly. ‘It’s like I’m playing a hack-and-slash game.’ As if to release the resentment of the past, I swung my sized-up mace like crazy. Thwack-! Thwack-! Thud! Physical resistance or whatever, the guardians were blown away every time I swung. The old days of fighting a few goblins suddenly came to mind, and a strange thrill arose. Yeah, this is why I play RPGs. Thud-! “Aaaah!!” While the aggro was drawn to me and the guardians were scattered, Rotmiller hit her with a crossbow arrow. Also, the dwarf made a path temporarily by using the ‘Electric Discharge’ combo. I rushed through the gap. “Bjorn, it’s dangerous to go alone—” “Behel—raaaaaaaaaa!!” Regardless of the summoned creatures blocking the passage, the distance was quickly closing. Finally, I could see Elisa’s expression properly. “T-this can’t be…” She had a look of disbelief. Why, didn’t she expect that she would be the one getting beaten up so one-sidedly? I shouted in advance. “Dwarki, now!” “Now…?” Dwarki asked back, as if in doubt, but… I’m an elite barbarian who doesn’t repeat past failures. “Hurry!” “A-alright!” While Misha and the dwarf, who had followed me to the side, were assisting, I continued to make a path. 30m, 20m, 10m… The distance was quickly closing. I leaped forward and slid towards Elisa. However, the moment I reached out to grab her. Elisa’s body turned translucent and began to float into the air. 「Elisa Behenk has cast [Spirit Form].」 It was [Spirit Form]. A high-level movement skill that gave physical immunity and allowed gliding. “You guys! I will never forget this humiliation—” Never forget what? It’s an overestimation if she thought we were still the same as back then, when we had to watch her escape helplessly. “Dwarki!” As soon as I shouted to the back. “It’s done!!” The magic that had been prepared in advance was completed and fired. This was a spell that Dwarki had learned from the magic tower for a whopping 1.3 million stones. 「Riol Worb Dwarki casts 8th-grade curse magic [Materialization].」 [Materialization]. When hit by this magic, the target’s physical immunity is removed. In other words, even a spirit-type monster can be beaten up by a bare-handed warrior. Of course, it’s useless if it misses, but… 「Riol Worb Dwarki casts 9th-grade support magic [Accuracy Boost].」 Our Dwarki is also slowly getting out of the phase of being a half-baked mage. “Ugh, ah! Kyaa!” At the same time as the [Spirit Form] was canceled. A sensation was transmitted to the tip of my outstretched hand. It was similar to when I had my first battle with the goblins. Whether it was her wrist, ankle, or neck, it didn’t matter. I just grabbed the part that was caught, whether it was her clothes or something else, and then— Wham-! I slammed her to the ground with all my might. And then I immediately climbed on top of her upper body. Elisa, who was convulsing and glaring at me, must have taken enough damage to be in a groggy state. “Ugh! Ugh, ah, uh, ugh…!” It seemed like she was cursing me, but… She still hasn’t fixed that pathetic way of speaking. Of course, I didn’t intend to let my guard down just because my opponent was a moron. This was the same woman who had the power to get up like a zombie, even with her head crushed. Swoosh. I immediately raised my mace. But just as I was about to strike with all my might. “W-wait a minute!” Dwarki hurriedly called out to me and stopped me. “Wouldn’t it be better to take her alive to get a bigger bounty?” Well, it was written that way on the wanted list, but I didn’t know he would care about that. …Did he get a taste of money? He’s really become an explorer now. “Indeed, it’s a waste to kill her.” I got up from Elisa’s body. And after having Dwarki use the [Paralysis Poison] spell. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! I hit Elisa’s arms and legs once each with my mace, without any personal feelings. Cleanly crushed bones and flesh. “…Did you have to go that far?” The dwarf frowned, but well… “She might escape.” My usual theory is that it’s better to have too much than too little in these situations. In that sense, I tied up the crippled Elisa tightly with a rope and carried her on my shoulder like a piece of luggage. “We’ve gotten so much stronger. I didn’t think we’d win this easily…” Misha muttered in an excited voice as she returned after finishing off the remaining summoned creatures. I agreed. It hadn’t even been three minutes since the start of the battle. I could feel our growth since we fought her relatively recently. However, there would be time to praise each other and exchange compliments later at the bar. “Rotmiller, lead the way.” I said, patting Rotmiller’s shoulder. We had achieved all our goals. It was time to leave this eerie underground space— ‘Huh?’ What is this now? Why isn’t he moving when someone called him? I called out to Rotmiller again. “…Rotmiller?” Again, there was no answer. Only then did I realize something was wrong and hurriedly checked the other companions. “Misha? Dwarki? Hicurod…?” No one answered. I wish they would say it was an invisible man game, even now, but… That wouldn’t be the case. “…” A suffocating silence surrounded me. I quietly muttered. “Shit…” Ha, I knew things were going too smoothly.