Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 275 Whirlpool (1)

Confusion and surprise.

Despite those emotions, my mind analyzed the information conveyed through my vision.

'A drake.'

Drakes don't appear on this island.

Then how was this possible?

The answer lay in our previous conversation.

[Carmilla and Belverson. It must be those two bastards.]

The two looters who had betrayed Amelia for the treasure. Carmilla, the woman, was said to summon a drake.

Okay, so we know who they are.

The flames spewing from the drake's mouth confirmed their hostility.

Therefore, there was only one thing I had to do.

"Battle stations!!"

I shouted, gripping my mace tightly.

My companions, used to similar situations, reacted immediately.

"Everyone, gather here!"

Raven hurriedly cast a spell, not even having time to put the test tube away.

"Alerbes Wiar!"

The 7th-grade support spell 'Magic Barrier'.

The most commonly used defensive spell among mages. But the translucent barrier that appeared in the air had a blue frost covering it.

'She even added a frost attribute in that short amount of time?'

Her casting speed had really improved since she became an explorer.

Whooosh!

The drake's flames hit the magic barrier and spread out like raindrops on an umbrella.

We had bought some time.

'Erwen is incapacitated. Ersina is out of divine power, and Raven doesn't have much mana left. Even I'm running low on MP.'

I quickly assessed our situation during that brief moment.

It wasn't good.

Most of us were exhausted from the battle with the Guano Sea Serpent.

'This won't be easy.'

I was thinking that when...

Kaboom!

The flames suddenly stopped, and the drake slammed into the magic barrier.

A full-body tackle.

The most basic skill of a tamer.

Crackle!

The 7th-grade defensive spell couldn't withstand the drake's charge, amplified by its momentum.

「Avman Urikfrit has cast [Dangerous Substance].」

The moment they appeared beyond the shattered barrier, Avman shot an explosive arrow at the drake's forehead.

But...

Kaboom!

The drake curled up, protecting itself with its wings, and took minimal damage.

Well, I didn't expect it to die from one hit anyway.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

I activated [Gigantification] and charged towards the drake, which was hovering in midair after blocking the arrow.

Thud.

The distance between us closed quickly.

"Carmilla, I'll take care of the barbarian."

The man riding on the drake's back jumped down and thrust his sword at me.

A white aura surrounded the blade.

It wasn't the same as the knights' Aura, but...

'Damn, that's going to hurt.'

My instincts as a tank told me.

It would be dangerous to just ignore it and charge.

Therefore, I raised my shield and blocked the sword.

Kwaaang!

A heavy impact reverberated through my shield.

'Good thing I blocked that.'

My charge was stopped by a single sword.

I even saw a scratch on my shield.

If I had taken it head-on, I would have been seriously injured.

"A 5th-grade explorer, you said?"

What the hell is this guy talking about?

I only had one thing to say to him.

"Die."

I swung my mace without hesitation, and he backflipped off my shield, landing on the ground.

He thinks he's a flying squirrel?

Thud.

I landed and immediately dashed towards him.

The drake spat out another burst of flames.

But I wasn't worried.

I wasn't alone.

"We'll take care of that!"

Raven's defensive magic blocked the flames, and Avman shot another arrow, keeping the drake occupied.

Therefore...

Thud.

I dashed again...

Whooosh!

And swung my mace.

[Swing].

"..."

He tried to block it at first, but he sensed something and retreated, withdrawing his sword.

Damn, he has good instincts.

'If he had blocked that, I would have smashed him to pieces.'

I was clicking my tongue in disappointment when I heard Avman shout from behind.

"Yandel, I'll take care of him!"

"Alright, I'll leave him to you."

And so, the battle lines were drawn.

Carmilla, the summoner, was being attacked by Raven, Avman, Partslan, and Hans J.

"Woohoo! Leave the monsters to me!"

Ainar, oblivious to the situation, was busy dealing with the trash mobs.

And I...

"Why are you running away after attacking me?"

...was facing the swordsman, Belverson. Well, I had one thing to tell them before the real fight began.

"Raven, activate the Voice Control spell!"

I closed the distance between us and told Raven to use the team voice magic.

Ah, with one condition.

"Only for us? Why...?"

"Just do it."

"Okay, now only we can hear each other."

Okay, good.

After confirming that the team voice was working, I quickly relayed my instructions. The others seemed confused, but...

"I don't know why you're saying this, but I understand. I'll do as you said."

I wasn't worried that they wouldn't follow my orders.

In other words, now we just had to do our jobs.

Thud.

I dashed again, closing the distance between us.

The woman riding the drake had tried to help her companion a few times, but Raven and Hans J blocked her, and now she was fighting them.

"Damn it, I'll get you for this!"

From now on, it was a one-on-one match.

But it wasn't as easy as when I dealt with the archer.

There were several reasons.

First, he wasn't a squishy ranged attacker, and he was much stronger than the archer.

And most importantly...

「Character's Soul Power is insufficient.」

「[Gigantification] is deactivated.」

I had run out of MP from the previous battles, so I couldn't just crush him with skills.

Damn it, if I was in top condition, I would have already finished him off.

"You were good, but this is the end!"

As soon as [Gigantification] was deactivated, he closed the distance and swung his sword at me. He was skilled in PvP, perhaps because he was from Noark. He aimed for a spot that was difficult to block with my shield.

But...

'He doesn't know about [Iron Hide].'

The Ogre's passive skill [Iron Hide] doubled my Physical Resistance against slashing attacks.

Clang!

The sword pierced my arm, but it didn't go any deeper.

Now it was my turn.

Whooosh!

As soon as I felt the blade touch my skin, I swung my mace at his temple.

Thwack!

I heard a satisfying sound of flesh being crushed.

However...

"Ugh."

It wasn't his head that exploded, but his left arm, which he had raised to block the blow.

Well, I guess it's better to lose an arm than your head.

He was smart enough to make that judgment.

'Let's do it again.'

I swung my mace again, not giving him time to recover.

[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaak!]

But I had to retreat because a monster was charging at me from the side.

Damn it, this was my chance.

"...So it was the Ogre's essence."

He seemed to have figured out [Iron Hide]. He started using more thrusting attacks, only using slashing as a feint.

'A quick victory is impossible now.'

The battle became more difficult, and I started taking more damage.

And he had poisoned his blade. The wounds didn't heal, even after Raven threw me a potion.

But I dismissed my impatience.

'Let's recover MP first.'

Time for a change of plans.

I focused on defending and figuring out his essences.

And then I would finish him off.

I was holding out, waiting for the right moment, when...

"Hans Aulock!"

A woman's voice came from afar.

It was the woman riding the drake, who had been shooting various projectiles.

"Stop interfering and help us!"

I felt a sense of déjà vu.

This situation was similar to what happened in the Doppelganger Forest.

"Wh, wh, what are you talking about?!"

"Don't you know? I'm the one who told her about you."

The enemy was from 'Noark'.

"Everyone, don't listen! That wicked woman is trying to trick us!"

"Yeah? Then listen up! Hans Aulock murdered the daughter of Count Montrina twelve years ago and covered it up!"

The enemy revealed Hans' secret and tried to persuade him to betray us.

"What cunning words! Do you think we would believe that?!"

Even though his companions denied the betrayal, Hans had no choice but to make a decision.

But...

"Iherno Kar Berdei..."

The outcome was completely different from that day.

Thud.

Before Hans J could finish casting his spell, a dagger pierced his chest.

"Gahk..."

It was an incredibly fast reaction.

Thud.

As soon as Hans J collapsed, the woman who had tried to persuade him widened her eyes.

"Wh, how...?"

How?

I had told them beforehand.

If he tried anything funny, stab him.

____________________

It was Erwen who had stabbed Hans J in the back.

Well, she was injured and couldn't fight properly...

But killing a mage was easy.

Especially if she was prepared and standing right behind him.

"Y, you! Why did you kill him?!"

The priestess, who couldn't believe what had just happened, was shocked. She still seemed to think that Hans J was innocent.

"Why? He's a traitor."

"That's just a lie! We haven't even confirmed it yet...!"

"But he was casting a spell."

Erwen's blunt words made the priestess flinch.

"He might not have been aiming for us..."

She wasn't wrong.

We didn't know if Hans J's spell was really targeting us.

But humans are rational beings.

"What? You really think so?"

Hans J would have understood.

They might think it was a lie now, but they would have doubts later.

And they might even investigate, so...

The best way to silence them was to kill them all.

'Anyway, he really was the traitor.'

I didn't have any proof, so I thought he might be innocent...

Hans is truly a science.

"Bjorn Yandel! You have to say something!"

The priestess turned to me, but I only had one thing to say.

"Good job, Erwen."

"Thank you. I just did what you told me to do."

Yeah, but the important thing is that she did it well. Avman and Raven had also received my instructions, but they couldn't act as quickly as Erwen.

Because killing someone is irreversible.

No matter how prepared you are, there's a psychological barrier.

'Maybe she's the most reliable one in this situation...'

I raised my shield, thinking about Erwen's potential.

And a white blade pierced it.

Kwaaang!

Damn it, he's not giving me any time to think.

Well, he must be in a hurry after his secret weapon failed.

"Partslan! Partslan! Say something! That fairy killed Aulock!"

"Ersina, let's talk about that later. He might have really been trying to betray us."

Fortunately, Partslan wasn't as naive as the priestess. He seemed surprised at first, but he thought my actions were justified.

Yeah, that's right.

He was clearly trying to betray us.

'Okay, then we've safely overcome the betrayal pattern...'

We returned to our positions and resumed fighting.

"Yandel! Avman...!"

But then something happened.