Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Barbarian Hero (4)

Barbarian Hero (4)

[Prey]

Those afflicted with this status effect enter an incapacitated state.

Think of it as a kind of curse.

However, the difference is…

‘That Riakis’s aggro is fixed on the [Prey], right?’

In other words, we need to create some distance before he wakes up.

That’s the only way to increase our chances of survival, even if it’s just a little.

Just as I’m preparing to leave quickly…

McGrane asks Misha bluntly,

“You’re not abandoning her?”

“Of course not.”

What a stupid question.

I chuckle as if it’s not even worth listening to, and McGrane nods as if he approves.

“Valuing your companions is also an important virtue for explorers. Are you really sure you don’t want to join the clan?

“Yes.”

“Even if we help protect that woman together?”

“…Still no.”

“Hmm, that’s unfortunate. If you were the one designated as [Prey], you wouldn’t have a choice.”

That’s true.

I don’t think Misha could carry me on her back and run away for 15 minutes alone. She would have chosen to survive, even if it meant taking the risk of joining the clan.

But is this what explorers are like?

It’s fucking psychopathic to say that to someone’s face.

“Anyway, the deal ends here. We’ll be on our way, so let’s meet in the city if we get the chance.”

“If we can return alive.”

“Well, I’m sure you can. I have a feeling.”

Phew, I wish they would stop jinxing it…

I listened because I thought they might offer some helpful suggestions, but it was a waste of time in the end—

“I hope your journey goes smoothly. What are you all waiting for! Let’s get started!”

As McGrane shouts at the clan members, lights start erupting from everywhere as if they’ve been waiting.

「Daniel Carmine has cast [Blessing of Wind].」

「Character’s movement speed is greatly increased.」

「Tarotes Pian has cast [Navigation].」

「Character’s Soul Power regenerates faster.」

「Aaron Diflane has cast [Flame of Regeneration].」

「Character’s physical regeneration is greatly increased…….」

「…….」

「…….」

Is this what they call loyalty?

Their MP must be almost depleted after escaping from that place, but they’re showing this kind of kindness…

Although they firmly refused to help Misha, it’s only right to express gratitude in this situation.

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, just don’t die. If you guys die, that thing will come for us.”

McGrane, who has spoken words that are truly befitting of an efficiency freak, then starts preparing to leave with the clan members.

Well, it’s easy for me, I just have to carry her and secure the backpack so it doesn’t fall off, but it’s different for them.

“Then we’ll be on our way first.”

“Alright. We’ll go in the opposite direction once you leave.”

You’re really rational until the very end, mister.

Since there’s nothing more to be upset about, I smirk, carry Misha on my back, and start running in one direction.

[Grooooowl—!]

Soon, I hear the bastard’s roar from afar.

___________________________________

I’m being chased.

Hanging on the barbarian’s back like a sack of potatoes.

We’re running away from a scary monster called the Lord of Chaos Riakis or whatever.

“Huuuk, huuk, huuk…”

My body is hot.

Not a metaphor, but literally.

The heat he’s emitting as he runs can be felt on my skin, like pouring oil on a bonfire.

[Grooooowl—!]

I can’t turn around to check, my body is stiff.

But I can hear it.

That chilling roar is getting closer and closer.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

So I call out his name.

There’s no response, as if he didn’t hear me.

So I call out a little louder.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel!”

“Speak.”

“That’s enough.”

I know too.

That monster is chasing me, not Bjorn.

That’s why everyone looked at me like that.

Even my own family, connected by blood.

Because my existence itself is a burden.

“What do you mean?”

He asks.

As if he doesn’t understand, as if he’s annoyed by the unnecessary question.

So I speak as cheerfully as possible, like I always do.

“This is enough. You’ll die too at this rate. We’re not that close, are we?”

There’s no response.

So I shout a little louder.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have died a long time ago! And be, besides, you fulfilled my lifelong wish at the end!”

The response comes with a slight delay.

“That’s funny.”

“…What?”

“You have no intention of dying, so why are you saying things you don’t mean?”

His voice is somehow cynical.

I feel like I’ve made a mistake, so I make an excuse.

“I’m not saying things I don’t mean, I really—!”

“You’re just scared of being abandoned, aren’t you?”

I feel like he’s hit the nail on the head.

Is that why?

My voice gets even louder.

“Why don’t you understand! I just don’t want to be a burden anymore!”

“So that feeling is more important than your life?”

“…….”

I’m speechless at his words.

Why is this barbarian so good with words?

I don’t know, but he says with a hint of annoyance,

“Stop beating around the bush and just ask me to save you if you want to live. Then you’ll at least have a chance of survival.”

Simple words, like a barbarian.

But I think I understand what he’s trying to say.

Since we got lost in the Witch’s Forest, he has shown me how to think and act to survive.

‘I must have looked pathetic to him…’

He always said it.

If you want to live, do what you need to do.

Then what do I need to do right now?

Well, I’m sure it’s not giving up and lamenting to someone who’s trying to help me just because I was abandoned by my family.

“Bjorn.”

I call out to him again.

I’m starting to understand.

What I should have done.

“If you save me, I’ll follow you and help you for the rest of my life.”

If I was really afraid of being abandoned…

I should have at least tried something to prevent it.

However…

“That’s something I’ve heard before.”

His answer makes me realize my mistake, and my mind goes blank.

Uh, then what should I say?

The time for contemplation is short.

“I’ll give you all the money I earned from this expedition if I survive! How about that!”

He chuckles and answers,

“That’s more like it.”

_________________________________

“I’m, glad you like it…”

I hear a sigh of relief from behind my back.

I let out a sigh of a different kind and accelerate my run.

Phew, it seems like her mental state is taken care of.

She won’t bother me any further, right?

‘The problem starts now…’

I quickly glance behind me.

I see hundreds of Chaos Spirits chasing after me.

Of course, these guys aren’t a big problem.

Although they have the characteristic of relentlessly pursuing once they aggro onto you, their movement speed is slow.

Unlike that bastard.

[Grooooowl—!]

We started with at least 3 kilometers of distance, but he’s already this close.

At this rate, he’ll catch up within 5 minutes.

Of course, assuming our current speed is maintained.

「The duration of [Blessing of Wind] has ended.」

「The duration of [Navigation] has ended.」

「The duration of [Berserker] has ende…….」

「…….」

That’s the biggest problem I’m facing.

The various buffs cast by the Dzarwi Clan are starting to expire one by one.

The vitality that filled my body is gradually fading.

My footsteps are noticeably slower now.

‘It’s probably 3 minutes at most in this state.’

I consider the variables and revise my plan.

Of course, nothing much has changed.

In the end, there’s only one thing I can do right now.

Run with all my might.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter-.

As expected, it starts raining after about 2 minutes.

It’s a sign that the bastard is right behind us.

In fact, the number of Chaos Spirits blocking our path has also increased significantly.

However, I don’t bother looking back.

I just accept that the time has come and take out the thing I’ve been saving.

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

「Character’s size increases, and threat level and physical stats increase proportionally.」

My muscles and bones grow in an instant.

My arms and legs also lengthen proportionally.

And my overall combat index must have increased with the rise in physical stats.

But what’s important here is the increase in movement speed.

Thud! Thud!

Although each step creates a heavy vibration, my stride itself is much wider than before.

However, unfortunately, I can’t maintain this state for long.

It’s because my Soul Power, or MP, was completely depleted when we escaped from [Crack of Evil].

‘In this state, it’s probably 2 or 3 minutes at most.’

I use all my knowledge as a veteran player to estimate the remaining time.

It’s a good thing I received the [Navigation] buff that increases Soul Power regeneration speed, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain it for even a minute.

“Misha, what’s the time?”

I mutter briefly, and Misha, who had been holding the watch in her hand beforehand, answers hurriedly.

“Uh, 56 minutes!”

“Precisely.”

“196 seconds left!”

Right, so there’s a little over 3 minutes left.

Until this damn labyrinth closes.

“If you’re bored, just keep track of the time and count down.”

“Ah, alright! One hundred ninety, one hundred eighty-nine…”

While Misha counts down, acting as a timer, I enter the final sprint.

Now, shouting the battle cry that’s stuck in my mouth.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

As if the ancestor god is pushing my back, my body moves forward rapidly.

“One hundred seventy, one hundred sixty-nine…”

The closer the second hand gets, the more raindrops fall.

And the number of enemies blocking my path also increases.

Therefore, what I have to do also changes.

Until now, I just charged forward, focusing on running regardless of whether they followed or not…

But now I have to clear a path as well.

“It’s going to sting a bit.”

Could it be that she didn’t hear me because she was concentrating?

Or maybe she thought it was more important to do her part, no matter what?

It’s probably the latter.

Misha doesn’t answer and just focuses on counting down.

「Chaos Spirit has been destroyed.」

「The location is eroded.」

A Chaos Spirit hit by my mace, which has been coated with holy water, explodes and splatters mucus.

Although it must have touched her skin, Misha continues to focus on counting down.

As if that’s the only thing she can do.

“One, one hundred sixty-five!”

Therefore, I also do my part to the best of my ability.

I smash the Chaos Spirits that are swarming in like a tidal wave, sometimes even leaping over their heads with my massive body.

[Grooooowl—!]

I put all my effort into creating distance between us and that bastard.

Is that why?

“One hundred twenty, one hundred nineteen, one hundred eighteen…”

My right arm, which has been covered in slime, starts to tingle.

Damn, is it ‘Paralysis’?

I make a quick judgment and switch the positions of my shield and mace.

“Ni, ninety!!”

Suddenly, I feel a hot flame from behind.

It’s obvious what it is without even looking.

‘Breath attack.’

Fortunately, there’s no significant damage.

No, in fact, since it landed behind me, many of the Chaos Spirits that were aggroed onto me must have been blown away.

But it’s too early to rejoice.

The fact that he used his breath attack means that I’ve entered his attack range.

“Seventy-five…”

1 minute and 15 seconds left.

Following the breath attack, I’m hit by a direct attack for the first time.

Kwaaang!

His giant front paw slams down on the spot where I was.

My barbarian combat senses kick in, and I manage to dodge to the side just in time, but…

“Seventy-four…”

When I look ahead, I see the bastard blocking my path.

A massive body with a diameter of 30 meters.

Even the Orc Hero’s ‘Fighting Spirit’ is useless against that giant form that saps your will to fight just by looking at it.

Well, Fighting Spirit is only meaningful when there’s at least a chance of fighting back.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

My heart is beating like crazy.

It’s understandable.

Veteran knowledge or whatever, there’s no way to guarantee survival against that guy in my current state.

Misha also seems to have instinctively sensed this, as she stops counting down.

“Bjo, Bjorn… that’s enough.”

Phew, here we go again.

I thought she had graduated from whining.

[Grooooowl—!]

I immediately turn around and run away as the bastard roars right in my face.

It’s still noisy behind me.

“Can’t you hear me! Just leave me and run away—!”

I mutter firmly,

“Stop it.”

Say something that makes sense.

“I’m not going to leave you to die.”

Run away and abandon her now?

Then who’s going to pay for the Frost Spirit Ring I invested in?

“Why, why… why are you going so far for me…?”

I answer briefly as I jump over a group of Chaos Spirits.

“We already made a promise, didn’t we?”

A comrade oath.

A promise to help each other.

It’s a huge loss if I can’t use her enough to make the ring’s price worth it.

“Promise? You’re going to die with me just because of a promise?!”

Misha shouts as if she can’t understand…

“Who said anything about dying?”

I’m going to survive.

Like a true efficiency freak, I’ll take every reward I can get…

…and return to the city outside this labyrinth.

Of course, it’ll be a hell of a lot of work, but…

It’s nothing special.

In the first place, I’ve never gotten what I wanted without taking risks—

Kwaaang!

A giant front paw slams down from above.

I try to dodge, but I’m a bit late.

“Bjo, Bjorn! Your arm…!”

My arm holding the mace is torn off.

Not just injured by the claws, but literally ripped off.

However, what I need to worry about right now is something else.

“What’s the time?”

“Le, leave me. No, you’ll definitely die too…”

Her voice trembles as if she’s in a state of panic.

I run forward with all my might and shout,

“Misha Kaltstein! Tell me the time!”

“…60 seconds! 60 seconds left!!”

Right, so I just need to hold out for 1 minute.

‘So much for taking it easy.’

I then stop running.

And I turn around and look at that giant bastard.

My instincts are still telling me to run away immediately.

But I’ve made a judgment.

That running away is impossible now that he’s this close.

“Yo, you made the right decision. If I die, then that guy will…”

Even if we run, we’re still within his attack range.

Just look at what happened a moment ago.

If I hadn’t turned around and run away, I could have dodged without losing my arm.

That’s why I charge forward.

“Kyaak! Wh, what are you doing?!”

“If you have time to whine, count down.”

I ignore Misha’s complaints…

…and hope that the ancestor god’s blessing will be with my fate, even if it’s just a little.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I run towards the giant bastard, not in the opposite direction.

And at that moment…

“Fi, fifty-five…”

Misha starts counting down again, as if she’s had a change of heart.

And that giant bastard opens his hideous mouth and spews flames.

It’s the moment my judgment is proven correct.

“Fifty-four…”

If I had followed my instincts and run away…

Then the only future that awaited me would have been becoming a roast pig along with Misha.

But I didn’t run away.

That’s why…

“Fi, fifty-three!!!”

…I was able to slide between his legs just in time and escape from the radius of his attack.

“Fifty-two!!!”

He stomps his hind leg, which is his center of gravity, without even giving me time to get up from my slide.

Thud-!

I roll to the side and dodge.

But immediately after, he steps back and tries to scratch me with his front paw.

“Fi, fi, fi, fifty…”

I duck and dodge.

Because I carefully observed what the Dzarwi Clan was doing and memorized his attack patterns.

“Forty-nine.”

Stomp.

I jump to the side like a grasshopper and dodge.

“Thirty.”

Scratch.

I either lie flat on the ground like a bug or roll between his legs to dodge.

“Twenty-six…”

I jump with all my might to avoid the tail that swings at me.

I’m replicating exactly what the warriors of the Dzarwi Clan did against him for hours.

In fact, besides the breath attack and the Dark Orbs, these three are all the physical attacks he has.

Well, he’ll reveal new patterns after he finishes off the [Prey]…

“Twenty.”

…but there’s no way.

[Grooooowl—!]

The bastard lets out a loud roar.

He seems angry, as his attacks become even more ferocious.

“Seventeen.”

As if he wants to try an unpredictable attack, he swings his tail again in succession.

“Sixteen.”

I jump over it like I’m skipping rope.

But maybe my jump wasn’t high enough…

Thwack!

My ankle hits his tail, and my balance is thrown off.

“Fifteen… Kyaak!”

My body spins in the air as I fall.

I somehow manage to roll on the ground and get up quickly, but my left ankle is completely shattered.

In the meantime, he slams his front paw down.

“…….”

I roll to the side once more.

And I sense it.

I was a step too late.

If I’m lucky, I might die—

Kwaaang!

Damn it, what the hell?

Surprisingly, my ominous premonition was wrong for once.

「Character’s Soul Power is insufficient.」

「[Gigantification] ends.」

My body shrinks in half, just in time.

I turn my head to the side and see a giant footprint right next to me.

If the timing had been even slightly off, my head would have been a smashed watermelon, splattered all over that spot.

Tadat.

I feel a sense of dread and quickly get up.

I feel pain from my shattered left ankle, but I can just ignore it.

‘It’s been 10 seconds.’

Instead of Misha, who seems to have fainted after hitting her head on the tail and falling, I count down in my head.

‘9.’

The situation is not good.

‘8.’

Somehow, these Chaos Spirit bastards have gathered and are closing in on me.

And my body has become sluggish because my ankle is fucked up.

Therefore—

‘7.’

…I climb onto the front paw that he slammed down.

‘6.’

However, since the bastard will definitely try to shake me off…

‘5.’

…I grab onto his hide with my remaining arm and my strong barbarian teeth.

There’s no way it will work.

Kwaaang!

He slams onto the ground again, and my body is thrown back by the recoil.

Surprisingly, he catches me in mid-air with his other foot.

Swoosh!

The bastard snorts with satisfaction, as if he’s finally succeeded in the hunt.

His open maw rapidly approaches.

If he bites down with those vicious teeth, my Laetium armor or whatever will be gone in one bite.

But…

“You’re too late, bastard.”

This is a world where there’s a labyrinth, there are monsters, and dead monsters drop items and disappear, isn’t it?

「The labyrinth is closed.」

My vision blurs.

Darkness swarms in an instant.

I look at the bastard faintly visible in the center of the darkness and think to myself…

‘Lord of Chaos Riakis.’

He was definitely a bastard as shitty as the force he displayed in the game.

Even though we didn’t even reach the second phase, there was nothing I could do in my current state except get chased and beaten up.

But…

If the day comes when I see him again—

[Grooooowl—!!!!!]

—it will be different.

_______________________________________

「Character is being transported to Lafdonia.」

_______________________________________

When I open my eyes, I see light.

Although the weather is gloomy, it’s still a brilliant light that’s incomparable to the labyrinth.

‘I’m alive…’

Misha, who had closed her eyes for a moment as if enjoying the warmth of the light, sits up abruptly.

‘Bjorn! What happened to Bjorn?’

She comes to her senses and looks around the Dimensional Plaza, and she feels a different atmosphere than usual.

“Priest! Call a priest!!”

“Ho, hold on! We’re back in the city!!”

There are injured people everywhere.

Their cries for help.

“What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know, even when I asked the guild staff, they were too busy to answer.”

Those who don’t know about the situation murmur and grow more curious.

Well, that’s natural.

Although it’s common for explorers to survive miraculously when the labyrinth closes, it’s rare for this many injured people to appear at once.

“Did you hear? It seems like a Floor Master appeared on the 3rd floor.”

“What? A Floor Master?”

“…Then those people must all be explorers who were on the 3rd floor.”

Misha slowly takes a step forward, her body heavy with a headache.

“Hey! You seem to have come from the 3rd floor too, just sit here and rest—”

A male explorer approaches, but Misha doesn’t answer and pushes him away as she walks.

“Get out of my way.”

Resting? Receiving treatment?

That’s all fine, but there’s something she needs to do first.

So she continues walking, searching the crowded Dimensional Plaza.

That’s when…

“That guy is going to die soon.”

“Even for a barbarian, he won’t make it in that state…”

Barbarian.

Misha heads towards the voice as if possessed by that word she heard nearby.

She pushes through the crowd of onlookers and heads towards the center, and just as they said, there’s a barbarian there.

“Bjorn…”

Misha slowly approaches him.

One arm is torn off, his left ankle is bent at an unnatural angle…

…and his entire body is covered in black slime.

She can guess what happened after she fainted without even seeing it.

He must have fought desperately.

To survive, as he always has.

“Don’t get too close! A priest is coming, so it’s better to just leave him—”

She thinks she understands why everyone is just watching from afar.

Misha doesn’t answer and approaches him, quietly placing her ear against his chest.

Although her cheek stings from the slime…

…Misha lets out a sigh of relief involuntarily.

Heave- heave-.

He’s breathing rhythmically like a baby in deep sleep.

“Haa, he was just sleeping. You scared me…”

Her arms and legs lose strength.

But Misha gathers her strength and wipes the slime off his body one by one with her hands.

So that he can rest a little more comfortably.

“A priest is coming, so don’t worry and rest.”

Once she wipes the slime off his face, she can finally see Bjorn’s expression properly.

He looks very peaceful.

As if he has finished everything he needed to do.

Suddenly, a mage’s words come to mind.

[If Balkan, who was called the hero of the barbarian tribe, were to come back to life, he would probably look like that…]

It was something the mage who was admiring Bjorn as he cleared the path said.

Of course, Misha doesn’t know who Balkan is.

But…

“I think I understand what that mage meant.”

If there is a hero, he would definitely look like this.