Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 278 Whirlpool (4)

The hidden piece on Parune Island, 'Wrath of the Sea'.

The difficulty of this event, triggered by destroying the 'offering' in the center of the island with less than 20 people present, is determined by the number of participants.

5-9 people: Increased number of normal monsters.

10-14 people: An additional fourth wave and a final boss appear.

15-19 people: Some of the final boss's penalties are removed.

'I didn't expect to be raiding a 3rd-grade monster in this unprepared state.'

I couldn't help but sigh.

My original target was the third wave's boss.

The fourth wave wouldn't even start if we had six people.

I wanted to farm magic stones and essences from the trash mobs, and maybe even get a 4th-grade essence for Misha or Erwen.

But nothing went according to plan.

'Why is my life always like this?'

Not only did the event start at the highest difficulty, but our numbers had dwindled to ten for the final wave.

And the Elprott essence, my original goal, didn't even drop.

Well, if the final boss dropped an essence, that would be a minor issue...

'But we probably won't be able to defeat him.'

Survival was our priority now, not loot.

That's what 3rd-grade monsters are in this game.

Even seasoned 6th-floor explorers would have a hard time defeating it with ten people who had never even fought together before.

'Well, we have no choice but to try.'

I got up.

"The divine power will soon be depleted."

The priestess spoke up.

"How much time is left?"

"Ten minutes."

Ten minutes...

I nodded and looked around.

Partslan and Amelia were talking in the distance.

"A 3rd-grade monster? Are you sure?"

"Whether you believe it or not, it's true."

"You're talking like you saw it yourself? [Danger Detection] isn't that accurate. It conveys information through senses, so it's often exaggerated or minimized—"

It was a pointless conversation.

I ignored them and approached one person.

"Bjorn..."

Misha Kaltstein.

My companion who had been with me the longest in the labyrinth...

'I can't call her my lover anymore.'

I smiled bitterly and spoke.

"Are you okay?"

"Shouldn't you be the one asking that...?"

"I'm fine. A bit stiff, but that's probably because I slept for so long."

I talked to Misha for a while.

It wasn't about sharing my secret plans.

I hadn't had a proper conversation with her yet.

We reunited after I passed out, and then the last wave started, so there was no time.

"I was worried."

"I'm sorry... I couldn't leave her behind. She seemed to know you..."

"You should have just told her you wouldn't worry me next time."

"Okay, I won't."

Okay, then that's settled.

What should we talk about now?

"Anyway, I'm glad everyone is okay. I was really worried. I had a bad feeling..."

"A bad feeling?"

"...Never mind. I guess I was just anxious because I was alone without you guys."

Well, that's how humans are.

Negative thoughts are always more vivid.

"...Are we just going to sit here?"

Why not?

The priestess is just sitting there praying.

And Avman is writing a letter.

Did he almost die and come back to life?

As soon as he heard about the 3rd-grade monster, he started thinking about things he hadn't said to his wife.

"Avman! What are you doing?! You can tell her about the baby's name in person!"

"Just tell me what you think. What's a good name for a girl? You're... ahem, a woman, right?"

What the hell? He's writing a letter about the baby's name?

Damn it, stop giving me anxiety.

"...This feels like that time."

"Ah, when we were trapped on the 1st floor?"

"Yeah. It was like this back then."

Like that time?

This is nothing compared to back then.

Raven even left a will, just in case we couldn't return.

Ah, it was mostly about her assets.

"By the way, Bjorn, you're the same."

"You mean I didn't leave a will?"

"Yeah."

I chuckled.

I don't have anyone to leave a will to. And even if I did, I wouldn't want to reveal my identity if I died.

It would be a better memory for them.

"But Misha, you didn't leave a will either."

"Well, that's true, but..."

Misha trailed off.

She seemed to want to say something to me, so I cut her off.

"Let's not talk about depressing things. We all survived back then, didn't we? We'll be fine this time too."

"...Yeah. I trust you."

We then talked about everyday things.

And after some time...

"Barbarian."

Amelia called me.

"It's time."

Peaceful moments always pass by quickly.

"Haha, a 3rd-grade monster! I'm excited!"

Ainar was holding her sword, which she had been sharpening during our break.

"Ainar! Are you really excited right now? We might all die!"

Raven scolded her.

"Alright, alright, stop fighting. Here, take this."

Avman handed out letters to his companions.

"May the light shine upon our path."

The priestess finished her long prayer and stood up.

"Misha."

"Yeah."

I sent Misha back to her spot and stood at the front of the formation, gripping my mace and shield.

The barrier that had been protecting us shattered.

「[Declaration of Evil's End] is deactivated.」

Time to roll the dice.

___________________

[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaak!]

As soon as [Declaration of Evil's End] was deactivated, the monsters waiting outside the barrier charged towards us. Raven immediately chanted the activation phrase for the magic circle she had prepared beforehand.

"Swaartum Ebehel!"

Military magic that was forbidden to ordinary mages because of its high lethality.

「Arrua Raven has cast the 4th-grade attack spell [Collapse].」

The magic circle glowed, and red targets appeared on the vital points of the hundred or so monsters charging towards us.

And about two seconds later...

Crackle!

They exploded from the inside out. A horde of 6th-grade monsters was wiped out by a single spell.

Of course, it wasn't without a cost.

"...I need to rest for a bit."

Raven had used most of her mana for that one spell.

Her role was to conserve mana and recover MP until the final boss arrived.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

So the rest was up to us.

[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaak!]

Even though the main force had been wiped out, monsters were still appearing from everywhere.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

I activated [Gigantification] and focused on tanking so that my companions could deal damage freely.

We had enough firepower to deal with trash mobs.

Whiiiiiish!

Thud!

Kaboom!

Our three ranged attackers, Erwen, Nebarche, and Avman, unleashed their attacks.

「Ainar Frenelin has defeated an enemy.」

「[Devour] is activated, and Soul Power is recovered.」

Ainar, the berserker, was in her element against weak enemies.

Partslan, the 4th-grade explorer, was also pulling his weight, and Misha was using her speed to take down enemies who tried to attack the backline.

And...

'She's really good.'

Amelia was the most impressive.

She had refused my position assignment, saying she would handle things herself...

Slash!

She was living up to her words.

Over ten monsters had already been killed by her dagger.

And if we counted the ones killed by her clone, it would be 1.5 times higher.

I was a bit concerned.

"Shouldn't you conserve your strength?"

I was worried about her mana.

Aura, the symbol of knights, consumed a lot of mana. If she used it too much, she might not be able to use it when we fought the boss.

But...

"I know my own limits. Stop giving me advice."

"...If you say so."

What could I say?

And she would probably know how to manage her mana.

She had much more experience than me.

'Let's just focus on my job.'

I focused on blocking the incoming monsters with my shield. I occasionally swung my mace, but only to push them back.

I had to conserve MP.

If I didn't use [Swing], it took about ten hits to kill them.

"The monsters are thinning out."

As we gathered magic stones, the number of monsters gradually decreased.

"Maybe the priestess' prayer worked!"

Everyone was relieved, but I was calm.

I knew those were just the leftovers from the third wave.

There were no trash mobs in the fourth wave.

Well, it made sense.

It would be impossible to defeat the 3rd-grade boss if there were also trash mobs swarming around.

"Let's finish them off!"

The good news boosted our morale.

And...

"It seems like there are no more left."

We finally cleared the trash mobs.

We quickly gathered the magic stones and reorganized our formation, then took a short break.

And about 10 minutes later...

"He's here."

No one asked where.

Amelia's words were enough.

Everyone looked in one direction.

Kaboom.

Heavy footsteps came from beyond the bushes.

Kaboom!

He was breaking through the trees.

[Groooooooooar!]

The 3rd-grade monster we were about to face for the first time.

The moment he appeared, Raven shouted, sharing the information she knew.

"...I, it's Stormgush!"

He was called the Ogre of the Sea.

_______________________

Stormgush.

A 3rd-grade aquatic monster nicknamed the Ogre of the Sea. To be more precise, it was closer to a crustacean.

But it didn't look like a lobster.

Its massive 5-meter body was covered in thick, hard shells, but its basic form was similar to a lizardman.

Kaboom!

Its long tail acted as a counterbalance.

A protruding snout.

It walked on two legs, and despite its incredible physique, it used a weapon.

Kaboom!

Everyone gulped as it fully revealed itself.

"That's a 3rd-grade monster...?"

A monster that even 7th-floor clans had to hunt with dozens of people.

I had fought many large monsters, but the ominous aura emanating from it was on another level.

Well, it was still nothing compared to a Floor Master.

I shouted.

"Battle stations!!"

What are you guys waiting for?

It's already within range.

[Grooooar!]

It charged towards us, holding a giant harpoon, moving with surprising agility for its size.

I immediately activated Gigantification (Transcendence) Mode.

Yeah, we have to at least match its size.

「Size increases proportionally to Strength.」

My body started to grow rapidly.

The monster's eyes changed slightly.

From seeing us as prey to seeing us as enemies.

Well, I was probably over 5 meters tall in this state. It must have been surprised to see a human at eye level.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

I used [Wild Release] to boost my stats and charged forward. I couldn't afford to lose the first exchange.

Kaboom!

Its trident slammed into my shield as soon as I took a few steps.

A heavy blow.

'I'm still weaker, even in this state.'

I was pushed back, even though I had blocked the attack. It was something I hadn't experienced since obtaining the [Unification] engraving.

I had become much heavier since [Gigantification] started affecting my equipment.

"What are you waiting for? Attack!"

As I was pushed back, Ainar swung her Adamantium greatsword.

「Ainar Frenelin has cast [Wild Control].」

「All conditional activation effects of the next attack are converted to Sharpness.」

One of the many 'conversion' skills that changed conditional effects to Sharpness. Combined with the weight of her sword and her strength, it was a powerful blow.

But...

Clang!

Her sword only managed to scratch the shell, leaving a 1cm deep mark.

It wasn't because Ainar was weak, but because the monster was incredibly tough.

It was called the Ogre of the Sea for a reason.

Its Physical Resistance was insane.

Well, we had a dedicated damage dealer, so it didn't really matter.

"Wait, Billy."

Amelia jumped off my shoulder and landed on the monster's shoulder, stabbing it with her dagger.

Her dagger was imbued with Aura, which ignored 90% of Physical Resistance.

Thud!

The dagger sank deep into the flesh, up to the hilt, and then she pulled it out.

Pssssh!

Dark green fluid spurted from the wound.

But it wasn't a significant blow.

The monster wasn't weak enough to be affected by a wound like that, and...

It had incredible regeneration.

Whooosh!

It swiped at Amelia with its sharp claws. It was incredibly fast, at least twice as fast as me.

But it wasn't fast enough to catch a true agility character.

Thud.

Amelia dodged the attack with a backstep, and I immediately closed the distance to prevent it from attacking again.

I was still weaker in terms of strength, so I couldn't hold it off alone...

Crrrreeeak.

But I didn't have to.

"Get away from Bjorn, you shell lizard!"

My companions were there to distract it.

"Misha, Partslan! Help me!"

I quickly gave orders.

"Don't get too close, only attack when it's attacking me!"

The most important rule for melee attackers in a raid. After our frontline was established, the fight finally became manageable.

[Grooooar!]

I tanked its powerful attacks.

When I was pushed back, the melee attackers would distract it.

And I would close the distance again, drawing its aggro, while Amelia dealt damage.

We repeated this process.

"Its wounds are already healing. Raven, cast 'Worsen' first! And tell us everything you know about it!"

Raven cast support spells while briefing us about the monster.

"The ground! Get away from its feet when it stomps! It's about to use its [Eye of the Storm] ability..."

The information wasn't enough to call it a strategy.

But I hadn't told them anything about this monster.

I couldn't tell them how to fight it.

They didn't even know what kind of monster it was.

'Well, Raven knows, so I don't have to do anything.'

If Raven wasn't here, I would have had to do the briefing.

It was too risky to just let them figure it out on their own. One mistake could lead to a fatal injury in a fight against a monster like this.

For example...

「Stormgush has cast [Eye of the Storm].」

Like Raven just mentioned.

Kaboom.

It stomped on the ground, and a whirlpool appeared, sucking everything within a 5-meter radius into its center.

Whiiiiiish!

I could feel the powerful wind pressure even from a few steps away.

"Get back!"

Everyone retreated to avoid getting caught in the whirlpool.

But I did the opposite.

Thud.

I didn't retreat, I charged into the center.

"Bjorn? Where are you going?!"

[Eye of the Storm] is an aura-type skill.

The whirlpool wasn't fixed to that location, it followed the monster for 5 seconds.

In other words, if it charged towards us, someone would get caught.

Someone had to hold it off.

Whiiiiiish!

I entered the whirlpool, and the wind wrapped around me, but I wasn't pulled towards the monster.

「Character's total weight is over 1,000 kg.」

「Character is immune to the [Eye of the Storm] effect.」

Come on, this body isn't going to be blown away by a little wind.

Whiiiish!

The real problem was the trident that was thrust at me in the blinding wind.

Honestly, I didn't even see it.

But...

Kwaaang!

My hand moved on its own and blocked the attack.

I had become so used to fighting that my body reacted before my mind.

'Wow, I actually blocked that.'

Kwaaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

I blocked the trident three more times, relying on my instincts, and then the whirlpool subsided.

Okay, now I could retreat.

Thud.

I stepped back, and Raven's voice, which had been drowned out by the wind, finally reached my ears.

"Yandel, what the hell was that?! I just told you...!"

She was scolding me for not following her instructions.

But as a barbarian, I only had one thing to say. I couldn't say I forgot...

"Ah, sorry. I just felt like I had to do it."

Well, you should have told me beforehand.

That heavy objects wouldn't be pulled in, and that I should go in and hold it off.

Tsk, these local mages.

'Don't they even have that basic information in their books?'

I was appalled.