Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

We abandoned the hope of being rescued.

We discarded our food, and our equipment as well.

Even after running like that, we had to watch helplessly as our comrade died.

Survival was all about that.

Giving up, and giving up again.

Deceiving yourself that it was the most rational choice in an unreasonable situation.

That's why we burned everything we had, using it as fuel to move forward.

But…

“…Enemies! New enemies have appeared!”

What else do we have to give up now?

Damn it, I already know the answer.

“Jun, I’ll leave this place to you for a while.”

I hurriedly handed over the baton and headed to the rear.

As soon as I turned around, I saw the enemy’s ranged unit rushing towards us from the back.

The main force was following behind them.

“Mister…!”

“Erwen!”

“About fifteen of them! They’re not knights, but they use Aura! Gerold is holding them off alone!”

Bentis Gerold.

The ability user from the 3rd Team.

The man with a sunny disposition and an overly optimistic outlook, whom everyone teased but loved.

“Thank you for letting me know. Quickly join the main force with Akuraba.”

“…Be careful!”

When I reached the rear, he was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The blood steamed as it made contact with the frigid air.

‘So… another one is dead.’

If it weren’t for him, more people would have been injured, even killed.

Thump—

My heart clenched, but this cruel reality didn’t give me time to grieve.

Swoosh.

I looked up.

Fifteen enemies were standing over Gerold’s body.

I was reminded of a conversation I had with the leader of Orculus in Noark.

[A human woman.]

[A red aura in the shape of a dagger.]

[All hallmarks of the Rose Knight Order.]

The Rose Knight Order.

The royal family’s special forces unit, specializing in assassination, infiltration, and covert operations.

So, we finally meet.

Drip, drip, drip, drip—

A woman holding a blood-stained dagger stares at me.

She reminds me of Amelia when we first met.

Her eyes are devoid of emotion.

And…

“Viscount Bjorn Yandel, I presume.”

Her voice is flat and emotionless.

“According to our intel, he has at least 2nd-grade sword defense. His combat power is two levels higher than ours, so proceed with caution.”

As soon as her briefing ended, they assumed combat stances.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

I wasn’t afraid of those who threatened to kill me without even knowing who I was.

But these were different.

They were professionals, trained for a single purpose: to kill.

Thump!

My heart pounded, sensing the upcoming battle.

But…

Clench—

So what?

“Did the Marquis send you?”

I asked, my body tense with anticipation.

But they didn’t answer.

“…..”

Geez, those eyes are scary.

They don’t talk to their targets?

My faint hope of reasoning with them vanished.

But I had to know at least one thing.

“How did you know we were coming?”

“…..”

“Answer me. I can’t figure this out. Don’t you feel sorry for us?”

The woman stared at me, her expression unchanged, and then spoke in a monotone.

“…We were ordered to wait here just in case. Even the Intelligence Department thought it was unlikely that you would actually come this far.”

“Unlikely…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

They had deployed a force this strong to prevent an unlikely scenario?

It felt like I was surrounded by walls, closing in on me.

“…The negotiation has failed.”

The woman spoke, breaking the silence.

“Failed?”

“Those who are broken don’t have that look in their eyes.”

What? She was hoping I would give up?

I whined.

“That’s strange. I’m pretty desperate right now.”

“Then are you going to die here?”

“No, I’ll fight until the end.”

“I see... There are people like you. Those who don’t seek death as an escape...”

Her expression changed for the first time.

It was subtle, but she seemed to feel a bit sorry for me.

Maybe I was wrong.

But even if I was right, it wouldn’t change anything.

“It seems like we’re done talking.”

I said.

“…..”

She didn’t answer.

We both knew.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

There was no need for further conversation.

______________________

Vol-Herchan, the Aura Resistance essence.

It had allowed me to become a knight’s worst nightmare, but it didn't make me invincible.

There's no such thing as invincibility in [Dungeon and Stone].

Slash, slash, stab!

Her daggers pierced my flesh, leaving behind countless minor wounds.

The priests had already run out of divine power, so I couldn't rely on healing.

And...

「Character has been poisoned by Royal Compound Poison.」

「Character's Physical stats are above 700.」

「Poison Resistance is above 100.」

「Poison effect is reduced by 70%.」

The poison on her daggers made the wounds tingle, the sensation spreading throughout my body.

It even had an anti-regeneration effect, preventing my wounds from healing.

The injuries kept accumulating.

Whoosh!

I swung my hammer, but it missed.

She dodged all my attacks, moving like a phantom.

She would climb the walls, perform somersaults in midair, and change direction abruptly, defying the laws of physics.

And whenever I showed the slightest opening, she would attack, her daggers slicing through my flesh.

The wounds weren't deep, but...

Slash, slash!

My movements became sluggish, and the number of injuries increased.

If the terrain was wider and all fifteen of them were attacking me at once, I would have been shredded to pieces by now.

"...Ugh!"

I stumbled, losing my balance.

She seized the opportunity and aimed for my neck.

'Now!'

I activated my trap card.

I stomped on the ground and swung my hammer upwards.

But...

'Damn it, just take the hit!'

She dodged again.

It's like fighting a machine, not a human.

This game is bullshit.

「Character has cast [Soul Dive].」

「Soul Power is regenerated proportionally to the amount consumed.」

I activated [Soul Dive], which was off cooldown, and replenished my MP.

And at that moment...

"We're here to help!"

Reinforcements arrived.

Raviyen and Amelia, who had been holding off the Noark explorers.

"What about the front lines?"

"They're holding them off at the boundary line."

So they're recovering.

They're waiting for us to weaken before attacking.

'Damn it, we're caught in the middle...'

I raised my shield, protecting my upper body.

Clang!

The dagger bounced off harmlessly.

But I don't feel the usual pain in my legs.

She would have attacked my lower body by now.

Why?

I realized the reason as I looked at the Rose Knights, who were keeping their distance.

'Ah, it's because of them.'

They were too busy watching Amelia and Raviyen to focus on me.

Right, melee attackers should fight melee attackers.

'Whew, at least I have some breathing room now.'

I shouted towards Akuraba, who was in the backline.

I was a tank, and also the expedition leader.

I had to do both.

"Akuraba, tell them to hold their position! Focus on recovering! We'll need their full strength soon!"

It pained me to give the Noark explorers time to recover...

But we didn't have a choice.

'What?'

But then I noticed something strange.

The Rose Knights didn't react to my shout. They weren't ignoring me, they looked like they couldn't hear me.

"Emily, is the voice control magic active?"

"Ah, the mages must have activated it."

"...The mages?"

What is she talking about?

Raviyen parried a dagger that was aiming for my shoulder and explained.

"They used levitation magic to escape when the attack started."

"Escape? There were enemies above us too?"

"Yes. Royta Mamender, the priest, was killed."

"I see..."

It seems like the bad news never ends.

So there were more enemies than we thought, and we even lost a priest...

'Nineteen left...'

The expedition had started with thirty members, and now we were down to nineteen.

Even if we survived, less than half of us would return.

Clench—

I felt a surge of anger.

We had given up so much.

We had abandoned our dreams of a bright future.

We had fought and bled for this miserable existence.

But why did the misfortune never end?

I wanted to scream and curse the heavens.

But...

"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"

I took a deep breath, calming myself down.

We couldn't afford to be consumed by anger.

At least not me.

"...Akuraba!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Don't worry about helping us. Focus on recovering. We'll need your full strength soon."

We only had one chance.

_______________________

"That's insane!"

"We'll all die if we follow his orders!"

No one objected anymore.

"...Alright, we'll do as you say."

Akuraba immediately followed my orders, and so did the other members.

Had I earned their trust?

I felt a sense of pride.

My efforts weren't in vain.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

The Rose Knights' attacks intensified as the support from the backline was cut off.

"Yandel is fighting over ten enemies alone! We have to help him!"

And then the Noark explorers, who had been recovering, joined the fight.

And we did one thing.

"Hold the line!!"

We endured.

The priests were out of divine power, and the ranged attackers were silent.

We were surrounded, but...

"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"

...we held our ground.

Noark and the Rose Knights were engaged in a silent standoff.

They were waiting for us to die.

'They think we're all going to die, and then they'll fight each other?'

Well, it's a good thing they're underestimating us.

It gave us an opportunity.

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!

The ground shook, as if an earthquake had struck.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A white fog rose from the chasm, enveloping the area.

「Character has been exposed to [Frozen Faith].」

「The Bonding spell has been deactivated.」

Kariadaea, the Glacier Witch.

She had finally arrived.

"Damn it! Break through!"

The Noark explorers shouted in panic.

"...Eliminate them quickly."

The Rose Knights were also surprised, although they were much calmer.

I chuckled.

'I'm the only one who took the boss monster's arrival time into account.'

That's why they were so relaxed.

[Kyaaaaa!]

Thousands of skeletons emerged from the fog, their arms flailing.

And at the center of it all, the Elder Lich, Kariadaea, glared at us with her crimson eyes.

"Yandel! We're ready!"

The 'big thing' I had requested from the ranged attackers was ready.

So...

"Fire."

It was time to gamble.

「James Kala has cast [Piercing Light].」

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Elemental Fusion].」

「Titana Akuraba has used [No. 1911 Paveler's Broken Pocket Watch].」

「Bersil Gowland has cast the 3rd-grade attack magic [Flame of Retribution].」

「Mckelly Leyaders has cast the 3rd-grade attack magic [Judgment].」

「Liard Ashid has cast the 3rd-grade attack magic [Mana Beam]...」

Not just the ranged attackers, but anyone who had a ranged skill.

They unleashed everything they had.

Not at Noark.

Not at the Rose Knights.

Kaboom!

But at the Elder Lich.

「The Glacier Witch, Kariadaea's first Soul Vessel has been destroyed.」

We had enough firepower.

[Kyaaaaa!]

The Banshees shrieked in pain as they were pulled out of the fog.

And then...

Crack, crack, crack, crack!

The Elder Lich, her bones reassembled, looked at us and raised her hand.

「The Glacier Witch, Kariadaea has cast [Soul Extraction].」

[Soul Extraction].

The pattern she used in her second phase.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Phew..."

That was all I could do.

We had rolled the dice.

「All characters within range are stunned.」

I could only hope for the best.

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