Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 141 Awakening (4)

Awakening (4)

Awakening (4)

Hector Ludwig.

A respected high priest of the Leathlas Church, but a tragic old man who was kidnapped by the Dragonslayer in his later years and forcibly became a follower of the evil god.

“May the star that rises at twilight guide them…”

He stops as he habitually makes the sign of the cross.

It’s because of the evil god’s voice echoing in his head.

[Hypocrite, do you still harbor futile hope?]

He knows without having to be told.

No matter what excuses he makes, all of this is the result of his choices.

‘If, that day…’

…he hadn’t succumbed to evil.

If he had stood by his convictions and shouldered all the sacrifices like the heroes in legends…

…that man wouldn’t have reached this place.

Countless people wouldn’t have disappeared into despair, and the explorers he met today would have also finished their expedition without incident and returned to the city.

But…

Clench.

Ludwig clenches his wrinkled fist.

It’s a meaningless assumption and regret.

Even if he went back to that day, he would definitely make the same choice.

And as if to prove it…

Whoosh!

…he’s still standing in front of the shimmering portal.

To follow the Dragonslayer’s single order.

To be precise, to protect his precious grandson, whom he can’t even bear to look at.

He’s guarding this place in case they try to escape here.

While thinking inwardly…

‘I hope they don’t come here.’

…that’s his only hope.

It’s a meager hope, a mere fragment.

But even this, the evil god is not satisfied with.

[Mature further.]

His will, worn down by prolonged despair, has been chipped away, and now he’s even lost the will to solve problems.

Like a slave rejoicing that he was only whipped once today, he’s resigned to this miserable reality.

He chose the lesser evil and consoles himself that it was the best he could do.

He deliberately ignores the fact that he has the means to end all of this.

But as if it’s still not enough, the evil god speaks.

[Hypocrite, watch. This is the despair and pain caused by you.]

A single voice that echoes as if engraved in his mind.

Soon, a scene appears beyond his tightly closed eyelids.

A barbarian and his companions are fighting against a great evil.

In a situation where there’s no chance of winning, no matter who looks at it.

[Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!]

Unlike himself, who submitted to fate…

“So, you’re not running away.”

He laughs mockingly as he looks at me.

I force the corners of my lips up, not wanting to lose the battle of nerves.

Geez, it’s not like he’s going to let us go if we run away.

The situation is simple.

[Survive using the mage until the Soul Exhaustion status effect ends.]

If it were a kind game, a message like this would have appeared.

The duration of Soul Exhaustion is about 20 minutes.

I have to endure until then.

Ah, for reference, running away is impossible.

Because there’s nothing easier to bite than prey that shows its back.

“Protect Dwarkey!!”

I shout with all my might.

Tadat!

As if he’s not going to give me any time, he kicks off the ground.

His figure accelerates in an instant.

He’s holding Viper’s Fang, which he took from Misha.

Tsk, even if he was going to steal something, why that?

I suppress my frustration and focus on his every move until the very end.

Kwaaang!

I block the sword with my mace and make a judgment.

My feet slide back.

It means I’m being overpowered in terms of strength, which I was most confident in.

Whoosh!

The sword swings again, drawing a smooth curve.

I hurriedly retreat, but it’s not enough to keep up with his movements.

It means he also has the upper hand in agility.

Slash.

Acidic blood splatters from the open wound.

As expected, even [Iron Hide] doesn’t work.

I thought there might be a chance since he doesn’t seem to be able to use the Akro longsword, but well, it’s a skill whose effectiveness increases with higher physical resistance.

Whoosh!

I dismiss my complaints and swing my mace.

Slash.

It doesn’t even reach him, and I just get another wound.

But I swing my mace again.

To buy time for my companions by taking hits.

That’s my role.

“Dwarkey, when’s the magic coming?!”

“It’s ready. But, you two are too close—”

“Just shoot it!”

The Ice Spear I’ve been waiting for is finally shot.

As expected, he quickly retreats.

He must have judged that it would be disadvantageous to get hit along with me.

How kind of him.

Tadat.

I also retreat quickly, getting out of the Ice Spear’s radius.

However, without even taking a breath, I reach behind me and take out my shield from the backpack.

I can’t even use [Gigantification] anyway.

Unless it’s the Akro longsword, having a shield is much more helpful in battle.

Although I want to put on the breastplate too…

‘He won’t give me the time.’

I try to let go of any lingering thoughts about things I can’t have.

Not out of resignation…

…but to focus everything on what’s more important.

Discard what needs to be discarded, and take only what’s necessary.

In that sense, there’s one piece of information that I need to check first.

“What happened to Misha?”

“It seems like she broke a rib and punctured an internal organ. She’ll be fine soon, I gave her a potion.”

Right, so I have to fight 1:4 until then.

It’s a cold comfort, but it’s a good thing that the one who’s down isn’t Dwarkey. If it were Dwarkey, we wouldn’t even have a chance—

“Watch out!”

He charges towards me again.

He’s not going to give me time to rest.

It’s a positive factor, at least.

‘Right, you’re in a hurry too.’

I was expecting it, but now I’m certain.

He’s not under any short-term status effect.

He’s charging at me as if every second is precious.

Clang!

He’s pushing himself to finish the fight before Soul Exhaustion ends. In other words, if we can just hold out for 20 minutes, we’ll have a chance.

But…

‘Damn it, 20 minutes?’

Time is not on our side.

He might not know this, but we only have four potions left.

‘Excluding the top-grade ones, one medium-grade and one high-grade.’

At this rate, they’ll all be used up in a few minutes.

Therefore…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I shout with all my might and push my shield forward.

And I quickly dash and swing my mace.

I judged that I couldn’t endure for 20 minutes just by playing defensively.

Of course, only for the first few minutes.

Tadat.

I chase after him as soon as he creates distance.

And I focus on offense rather than defense.

Whether Rotmiller’s arrow support arrives or not.

Whether Dwarkey shoots a spell or not.

“…Are you trying to die together?”

I swing my mace relentlessly, clinging to him as if I’m trying to drag him down with me.

It’s Barbarian Leech Mode.

Ironically, this tactic actually reduces the damage I take, and it prevents him from even thinking of approaching Dwarkey.

As if to prove that the best defense is a good offense.

“Tsk.”

He stops stabbing me with his sword and twists his body to dodge the Ice Spear. Unfortunately, he’s now in the path of the crossbow bolt that was shot.

Thump!

It’s a monumental first hit.

Although it didn’t go in deep because of his Physical Resistance, it’s his thigh, so his mobility must be slightly hindered.

But did he realize something?

‘So much for freeloading.’

The look in his eyes changes.

Therefore, I quickly retreat.

Someone who has learned to give up on something to gain something else is dangerous in any field.

“You persistent bastards…!”

A thick killing intent emanates from his swinging sword.

It’s as if he’s released his shackles.

His sword, which was limiting its attack range for defense, now draws a free trajectory with a single purpose.

Well, the biggest change is something else.

Whoosh!

He doesn’t even flinch as the arrow grazes his shoulder and continues to push me back.

And as a result…

Thump!

…his blade pierces deep into my abdomen after a few exchanges.

It’s an injury that could be fatal if left untreated since my natural regeneration is gone.

「Body regenerates due to [Moderate Healing] effect.」

Another potion is used at Rotmiller’s judgment.

Now we only have one high-grade and two top-grade potions left.

And to make matters worse…

Tadat.

…I failed to restrain him.

He steps on my swinging mace and jumps over me as if performing acrobatics.

‘Damn it.’

I quickly turn around and reach out, but it’s too late.

He pushes off the ground once more and instantly closes the distance towards the backline.

“Get back!”

The dwarf blocks Dwarkey, but it’s meaningless.

How could he possibly block that monster head-on?

Especially when his core skill, [Counterweight], is unavailable.

Kwaaang!

The dwarf is sent flying like a soccer ball from a single kick, even with his shield.

Rotmiller throws away his crossbow and swings his sword.

Of course, there’s no way it would work.

Thump!

He easily deflects Rotmiller’s sword and stabs him in the abdomen with his green blade.

But just as he’s about to pull out the sword…

“This is our item.”

Rotmiller grabs his hand and stops him.

Whoosh!

Fortunately, an Ice Spear is shot just in time, and he lets go of the sword and retreats.

Thud.

Rotmiller, losing his support, collapses to the ground. But the sword that was embedded in his abdomen is gone.

It’s the Mimic’s skill, [Treasure Vault], which doesn’t consume Soul Power.

So that he can’t use it.

So that he can be of at least some help to this team.

‘If we just give him a potion in time, we can save him.’

I maintain my composure despite my companion’s injury.

But not everyone can do that.

“You, you did that to Rotmiller…!!”

Misha, who was recovering while leaning against the wall, swings her sword at him, even though she can barely move.

Knowing that it won’t reach him.

For one purpose.

“You won’t get to Dwarkey… Keugh!”

Misha’s body is kicked away and crashes into the wall again. But instead of going straight for Dwarkey, he quickly moves towards the unconscious Misha.

His intentions are obvious.

He’s planning to finish her off and steal her remaining sword.

This damn thief bastard.

“I told you, it’s our item.”

He readily leaves Misha as I swing my mace at him like I’m swatting a fly.

And he chuckles.

“Barbarian, are you still trying to fight?”

What the hell is this idiot talking about? Of course, I am.

I charge towards him instead of answering.

Whoosh!

He easily dodges and retreats, saying,

“Don’t tell me you’re relying on that trash? He’s just a guy whose only skills are curses, Ice Spear, and Cold Burst.”

Of course, I am.

So what if they’re low-level attack spells?

If they hit his head, he’ll die.

I just need to buy time until then, somehow.

“Dwarkey!!”

I shout with all my might, thinking it’s about time for the magic to come.

But what is this?

‘Damn it.’

The magic doesn’t come.

_____________________

Liol Wobu Dwarkey, a mage recognized by the royal family.

It wasn’t a coincidence that he submitted an application to join a team with only two warriors.

He wanted to seem special.

So he chose the easiest place.

He thought a mage would seem more valuable if there were two warriors. However, it didn’t take long for his true nature to be revealed.

[Hahaha! My name is Liol Wobu Dwarkey, an 8th-grade mage officially recognized by the Lafdonia royal family—]

[I thought it was something, but you’re just trash.]

Trash.

A being who’s not even considered a mage by other mages.

[Hahaha! So our team is a gathering of misfits? That’s good then, we don’t have to feel inferior to each other anymore.]

Even so, they told him it was okay.

They said they understood because they were the same.

He felt saved.

He even thought that maybe his 25 years of life existed solely to meet them.

But…

[Don’t tell me you’re relying on that trash? He’s just a guy whose only skills are curses, Ice Spear, and Cold Burst?]

…in the end, his essence didn’t change.

The moment came for him to shine, but he couldn’t do anything properly.

No matter how much his mana increased…

…he was still a half-assed mage.

A half-assed mage who couldn’t even meet the expectations of his precious companions.

But on top of that…

[Get back!]

…he was protected by his best friend.

[This is our item.]

He couldn’t save his companion who was smiling with a sword embedded in his stomach.

[You won’t get to Dwarkey… Keugh!]

He couldn’t protect the woman he loved.

His mind went blank at that realization.

He couldn’t breathe from the overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

If he could, he wanted to run away from this cruel reality right now.

But…

“It seems like he’s already given up.”

…he can’t give up.

If he were alone, it might be different…

…but his precious companions are still fighting.

Alone, to protect everyone.

“Barbarian, you know too, don’t you? That it’s already over.”

Despite his taunts, he keeps swinging his mace, spitting the blood in his mouth at his face…

…fighting back until the very end.

[Your face has brightened up. Do you like your companions that much?]

He recalled a conversation from one day as he started chanting.

It was a conversation he had with the instructor of the Magic Tower training center after the troll battle.

[What? You want me to teach you a spell that can defeat a troll? Hmm, well… it’s not like it doesn’t exist.]

That day, Dwarkey paid a huge sum of money to the instructor and learned one spell.

No, to be precise, he learned a ‘spell combination’.

The instructor told him to never use it, even though he taught him…

‘Thought Acceleration.’

Perception improves dramatically, and time slows down.

‘Mana Amplification.’

The heart’s inherent mana is stimulated, temporarily increasing output.

‘Heart Acceleration.’

It forcibly increases the heart rate, spreading mana throughout the body, and it’s also infamous for its severe side effects. He combines these mental and sensory magic spells.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

His heart pounds as if it’s about to burst, circulating mana throughout his body. But his mind is clearer than ever, and his vision is sharp.

It feels like he can do anything.

[What’s the name? There’s no official name. It’s a combination that people know about through word of mouth. But if I had to give it a name…]

[Hmm, well, ‘sacrifice’ sounds a bit too strong.]

Dwarkey reaches out his hand.

And just from that…

[Right, ‘awakening’ seems appropriate.]

…dozens of arrows of light shoot out from the basic attack spell, Magic Missile.