Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 274 Defense (4)

After I came to my senses, I apologized first.

"Mage, I'm sorry about earlier."

Hans J, who had almost died from being choked by me, frowned but accepted my apology.

He knew.

That if there was a conflict within our group, his life would also be in danger.

"...Since you apologized, I won't mention it again."

After the mage accepted my apology, Partslan stepped in to mediate.

"Bjorn Yandel, I don't blame you. I understand how you feel. To be honest, Aulock made a mistake."

"Partslan, what mistake did I make? I just said what needed to be said."

Partslan surprisingly defended me.

Well, he almost died because of those guys.

He probably didn't want to cause trouble by criticizing me, since he considered Hans J my loot.

"Ahem, let's end this here."

"Yes, I agree."

I gritted my teeth, still annoyed, and the conversation ended.

It was a good thing.

If we continued talking, it might have happened again.

"So what are we going to do now?"

Partslan, who had switched back to informal language, asked me about our next plan. I didn't nitpick since I knew I was in the wrong.

"Like I said, we'll rest until the barrier is deactivated."

"And then?"

"We'll find a better location and defend there. Like Raven said."

"I see. Alright."

After our rough plan was decided, everyone lay down on the ground to recover their stamina.

And after some time...

"The divine protection will soon end."

"Alright. Good work. Everyone get up."

After [Declaration of Evil's End] was deactivated, we searched the area for a defensible location.

We found a flat area with a cliff at the back. We only had to defend three sides.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"

We defended against the monsters there.

Contrary to my worries, it wasn't that dangerous yet. I had expected a higher difficulty since the event started at the highest level...

"Bertia Sebnu Helheyburns!"

But the mage's performance was incredible.

Well, to be precise, it was Hans J's performance.

Mages are strong in AoE battles. And Raven was also doing her part as a mage.

However...

「Hans Aulock has cast the 4th-grade attack spell [Chain Lightning].」

Hans J was on another level.

Crackle, crackle. Boom!

Every time he cast a spell, monsters, even 5th-grade ones, were killed or knocked unconscious.

At least fifteen at a time.

'...He finished casting Chain Lightning in 15 seconds? What the hell is this guy?'

I was bewildered by his high-level magic, and I asked Partslan, who was fighting next to me, about him.

"Ah, didn't you know? Aulock is a 4th-grade mage from the Benocturn School."

The Benocturn School, which focused on elemental magic research.

A 4th-grade mage who was a top-tier player even within that school.

'No wonder his equipment looked expensive.'

I was a bit worried that he might cause trouble later, but I decided to think about it later.

Yeah, what can he do if he's angry?

I'm a noble too.

At least my status isn't lower than his.

"Ersina, cast the barrier."

"Yes."

Anyway, Hans J's performance was impressive, but the MVP of this defense event was the priestess.

「Lyrine Ersina has cast [Declaration of Evil's End].」

If she wasn't here, we wouldn't even have time to rest.

"Phew, mister. Come over here. I've laid out a sleeping bag for you."

"Thank you."

We fought the monsters, and when we started to get tired, we immediately cast the barrier and recovered our stamina and MP.

And after we were ready, we deactivated the barrier and resumed hunting.

We repeated this for about four hours.

「The second Wrath of the Sea has begun.」

The second wave had started.

______________________

Rain started falling, and soon it turned into a downpour.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

It was like a monsoon season.

"...Rain?"

My companions were confused by the weather change, something we had never experienced in the labyrinth. But Partslan's team, who had explored the 6th floor for a long time, was different.

"Why is it raining now...?"

They weren't surprised by the rain itself.

But...

"This is going to be troublesome."

They frowned and sighed.

They all knew.

How difficult it was to fight in the rain in the labyrinth.

First, the rain reduced visibility.

And the raindrops falling on our eyelids made it hard to focus.

Also, the temperature dropped, so we could get hypothermia if we were exposed to the rain for too long...

And it was easier to drop our weapons with wet hands.

There wasn't a single positive aspect.

"This is going to be a pain..."

Everyone sighed and complained about their bad luck, but I was different.

I knew it wasn't just bad luck.

'It will be here in about 30 minutes.'

The rain meant that the second wave had started.

And the mid-boss would soon appear.

It always targeted the largest group first.

"Everyone stay close and fight!"

I gave the order and then got used to the changed environment while fighting the monsters until the mid-boss arrived.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

It was my first time experiencing rain in the labyrinth.

'It's even more annoying than I thought.'

The ground was slippery, and the mud made it hard to walk. And the water-type monsters were even more energetic in the rain.

Thwack!

I gripped my mace even tighter, worried about dropping it.

And after some time...

"Hey, Yandel! Over there! Over there!"

A giant lizard appeared from the front.

[Groooooooooar!]

Guano Sea Serpent.

A 4th-grade monster with four legs, brown moss-covered scales, and a fat tail.

Its most notable characteristic was [Stench].

「Character has been exposed to [Stench].」

「All continuous damage effects are doubled, and the character is immune to 'Purification' while exposed to [Stench].」

The passive skill that made it a core essence for curse shaman builds.

"Ugh! Ugh..."

As expected of the monster we called the 'Shit Lizard', everyone started gagging the moment it appeared.

'What the hell is that smell...'

Even a barbarian with a strong stomach felt dizzy from the intense [Stench].

I held my breath and focused.

It was a 4th-grade monster like the Siren Queen, but the situation was different.

'...I just have to be careful not to make any mistakes.'

Monsters were swarming around us.

And unlike the Queen, who needed summons to be effective, this guy was strong on his own.

And we had to split our forces.

I quickly divided the group into two.

"Partslan, Ainar, you two focus on that side!"

The two melee attackers were assigned to the left and right flanks to deal with the trash mobs.

Just in case, I also told Hans J and Avman to focus on clearing trash mobs instead of the boss.

And the rest...

"Get behind me!"

It was a kind of raid strategy.

Our goal was to kill the boss while the trash mob team held them off.

[Groooooooooar!]

The boss, who had been watching from afar, charged towards us, its horned head leading the way. I blocked its head with my shield, and the battle began.

The fight itself was smooth.

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Plague of the Sea].」

Erwen and Raven intercepted the suicide bomber spirits.

Boom!

Well, I was afflicted with a status effect from the blood splattered by the exploding spirits...

「Character has been infected with [Scurvy].」

「All healing effects are halved, and the character takes continuous poison damage.」

But it was nothing the priestess' healing couldn't handle.

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Origin of the Deep Sea].」

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Submerge].」

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Rain Dance]...」

「...」

Its other patterns were similar.

Some were countered by magic, some by divine power.

And some...

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"

...by the barbarian's brute force.

We endured the patterns and continued the fight.

Of course, it wasn't easy, even though there weren't any major incidents.

"Hey, Yandel! You have to dodge that!"

The Guano Sea Serpent was known for its high HP. The battle dragged on, and there were a few close calls.

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has taken damage exceeding the allowed amount.」

「[Spirit Transformation] is deactivated.」

Erwen was even knocked unconscious from taking too much damage. And the priestess, who had been using half-powered heals, ran out of divine power.

But it didn't matter now.

We had succeeded in killing it.

「Guano Sea Serpent defeated. EXP +6.」

Hans J, who had joined the boss team, unleashed his Chain Lightning.

The boss's massive body finally collapsed and disappeared into particles of light.

And...

"We, we defeated it...? Huh?"

Everyone tilted their heads.

"What, what?! Hey, Yandel!"

"An essence!!"

An essence had dropped.

_______________________

4th-grade monsters were rare even on the 6th floor.

We had to sail far out to sea to encounter them, and they were so few in number that it was impossible to hunt dozens a day like 5th-grade monsters.

In other words, it was difficult to obtain their essences.

"It's been a while since I've seen a 4th-grade essence."

Partslan, who had explored the 6th floor for a long time, looked excited.

He was acting like it was his essence, even though it wasn't.

'Damn it, of all things...'

I sighed, trying to hide my disappointment.

There wasn't anyone on our team who could use this essence, but it was still valuable.

It would sell for a fortune.

"Raven, put the essence in a test tube."

"Ah, yes!"

Raven quickly took out a test tube from her subspace pocket.

And as she was about to store the essence...

"Wait, shouldn't we ask if anyone wants it first?"

Partslan stopped her.

I was surprised.

There were only a priestess and a mage on his team. Even if they bid, it would just be Partslan...

"You're not thinking that we don't have a share, are you?"

Ah, that's what he wanted to say.

Yeah, a swordsman wouldn't want this essence.

"Don't worry. We'll sell it and split it equally."

"Hmm, if you say so."

He stepped back after I said what he wanted to hear.

That settled the distribution issue.

"So, can I put it in now?"

Raven asked for confirmation, holding the test tube, and everyone nodded.

That's when...

"By the way, the rain has stopped."

"This is a strange coincidence. Maybe the rain was related to the Guano Sea Serpent."

Partslan and Hans J were talking, and I looked up at the sky.

The rain had stopped after the Guano Sea Serpent was defeated.

That wasn't a problem...

"Wait... what's that? It seems to be getting closer..."

A black flying object was falling from the sky, spewing flames.

"A, a drake!!"

Damn it.

I cursed inwardly and shouted.

"Battle stations!!"

The wolves had arrived.