Surviving the Game as a Barbarian - Chapter 802: First-Class (4)

Accidents during raids.

Honestly, it’s nothing new.

No matter how long you’ve been playing this game, how much experience you’ve accumulated—

No, because you’ve been playing it for so long, you can’t help but know the truth.

Accidents are unavoidable by nature.

From the start, Dungeon & Stone was designed that way.

When you fight, things go wrong. And when things go wrong, someone on your team dies.

And yet, you keep swapping out comrades, pushing forward toward the Abyss Gate.

That was the direction this game always pointed toward.

Just like now.

“Sniktura has cast [Seed of Destruction].”

[Seed of Destruction].

A basic attack skill ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) from Sniktura that lands an unavoidable strike on random enemies within range.

Only, it may be a ‘basic attack’—but from a Grade One monster, even that is on a different level.

Especially if the target isn’t a tank.

“…Huh?”

It starts with a startled voice from the rear.

BOOOOM—!

Then a split-second later, the explosion erupts.

‘Who was it?’

I don’t know, but I don’t turn around.

Right now, preventing the next accident takes priority. I raise my shield and charge at Sniktura.

And then—

‘…It slipped slightly out of center.’

Realizing Sniktura had drifted just outside the central formation, I hold it in place again, repositioning it squarely.

Only after taking those emergency measures do I finally hear who got hit.

“Leader, it was Lady Tersia!”

That panicked voice belongs to Riris Marone, overflowing with urgency.

‘Tersia…?’

For a moment, my heart clenches—but only for a moment.

…She said ‘Lady.’

Riris Marone doesn’t call Elwen “Lady Tersia.”

She calls her “Miss Tersia.”

Besides, [Elementalization] hasn’t been disrupted yet.

Which means the teammate hit by the accident is—

‘Beleg Shusia di Tersia.’

Elwen’s maternal uncle. A new recruit who joined our clan seeking the Resurrection Stone.

“I gave him a potion, but he’s not looking good!”

Everyone here has been exploring for years. I don’t even have to ask before the status report continues.

Just from a glance, things look grim.

But still—

“If we don’t use divine power, he’s going to die!”

Using Sven Parab’s divine power—the only healer we have—for rear-line healing?

Honestly, even that feels risky.

If his healing leaks away from the front lines, the pressure up front will grow. And the greater that pressure, the higher the odds of another unexpected death.

If one more accident happens, we could be wiped out.

Even under the Yacharul rule, this is a Grade One monster.

If this raid fails, we all die.

Which means there are now three choices.

Take the risk and save Beleg.

Ignore him and push the raid to success.

Or give up everything and turn back.

“Beleg Shusia di Tersia’s HP has reached 0%.”

“Countdown begins.”

I have to decide—fast.

To me, the only thing worse than the wrong decision is a late one.

Every moment has a golden window.

And if you miss that moment, all blame falls on the one in charge.

Choice.

Once again, the moment to choose has arrived.

“Abandon Sniktura. Full retreat.”

I made the call without hesitation.

Of course I did.

I want that Essence—but it’s not like today is my last chance. There’s no guarantee the drop will even appear just because we kill it—

SSSSSSSSS—

Just as I made my final decision.

A sound of gas hissing out—and the entrance we came through seals shut.

[Are you seriously going to sit back and watch the world end just to save one man?]

…You lunatic bastard.

[Kill that serpent. Survivors of the fallen Empire, do it—for the world, and for yourselves.]

And now we’re down to two choices.

***

Having the retreat route cut off—

That had never happened before.

Not once in the entire game.

The Arta Secret Base was the kind of dungeon where, if things went wrong, retreat was always an option.

So what the hell is this?

“No good! Even a Grade Five spell couldn’t scratch it. With this thickness, it’ll take at least a Grade One spell to break through physically!”

The exit was sealed.

[Open the door while I’m being nice about it, you mechanical freak.]

[…I cannot allow the end of the world.]

[I don’t care what you think. We’re not killing that bastard. Open the damn door!]

[If that creature isn’t slain, everything ends.]

[…]

Even this half-threatening negotiation fails.

My rage is boiling over, but I face reality coolly.

Our three options have collapsed into two.

Risk everyone’s lives to save Beleg.

Or abandon him to increase the raid’s success rate.

[Here’s your chance to understand sacrifice. Imperial people, shine bright even at the end.]

I’d love to smash that speaker into dust, but that changes nothing.

The situation is already upon us, and there are only two paths left.

I must choose.

And so—

“Cancel the retreat. Everyone back to position!”

Truthfully, I already know what the right choice is.

With things as they are, leaving Beleg to die and completing the raid successfully is the correct—

“Ah…”

But then, I suddenly realized.

Maybe that was the condition for the exit to shut.

Retreating, even when the fight was winnable.

That would explain why I’ve never encountered this situation before.

Because in any other case like this, I would’ve always chosen to withdraw.

Abandon one person and keep playing.

Yeah. If I were just playing a game.

BOOOM—!

As I block Sniktura’s tail with my shield, a conversation I had with Beleg resurfaces in my mind.

He had said:

[…I need the Resurrection Stone. To survive.]

With those dead fish eyes, looking like he had no real attachment to life.

No, maybe like he preferred it that way.

‘Maybe…’

The thought flashes through my mind.

Maybe abandoning him here is better for both of us—

BOOM—!

Another blow slams my shield, jolting me back to focus.

‘…Enough rationalizing.’

Back then, I’d thought this:

That I wanted to fix this bastard’s broken way of thinking.

That’s why I’d even allowed him into the clan.

So, then…

“Parab! Use all your divine power on Beleg!”

“But—”

“I’ll handle the front line somehow. Just save Beleg, no matter what.”

Even as I said that to my team with conviction, I still wasn’t sure if it was the right choice.

If this leads to someone else getting seriously hurt—or killed—I’m sure I’ll regret it later.

But that’s a future problem.

What I need to do right now isn’t worry about what might happen.

Once I’ve made a decision, I need to follow it through.

Like the steadfast barbarian warrior I am.

“Beheeeell—RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

I roar and charge in with full force.

Closing the distance means doubling the pressure I feel.

‘All the better.’

Because that means the others will feel less.

BOOOOOM—!

Maybe sensing me as a serious threat now, the creature’s movements grow even wilder.

It lashes its tail.

Smashes its massive head at me.

Opens its maw wide like it’s trying to swallow me whole.

TATAT—!

I dodge with sharper focus than ever. I angle my shield to deflect the worst of the impact, but I can’t avoid everything.

BOOM—!

Whenever a hit lands square, my body flies back helplessly—and each time, the frontline comrades around me swarm in to hold the beast.

In a short time, injuries pile up.

CRUNCH—

Me, I only have shattered ribs and busted kneecaps.

But the other frontliners—without poison resistance bonuses—are in far worse shape.

Flesh melting. Skin turning black, not just the face, but everywhere.

And yet, despite all that effort—

“Beleg Shusia di Tersia’s HP has recovered above 1%.”

“Countdown terminated.”

Beleg, lying behind us, shows no real signs of improvement.

The reason is simple.

“Beleg Shusia di Tersia is suffering from Poison (Extreme).”

“HP has dropped to 0%.”

“Countdown begins.”

His HP refills, then immediately drops again. It’s pointless.

But that doesn’t mean it’s meaningless.

At the very least, he’s still alive for now.

As long as we pour divine power into him, the poison will eventually be neutralized.

‘The real question is whether we can last until then…’

I scan the frontliners.

From the looks of it, they’re in even worse shape than Beleg, who’s just coughing up black blood.

‘At this rate, everyone’s in danger.’

Even if we manage to save Beleg, it won’t be strange if someone else dies.

No—at this rate, I’m not even sure we’ll win the raid.

[It’s not too late to reconsider, Imperial.]

Maybe that voice has a point. Maybe it’s time to change our thinking.

You can’t always have everything.

At the worst moments, you need focus and sacrifice.

Yeah. So…

‘All or nothing.’

If I’m going to gamble, I’ll go all-in.

“Forget Sniktura! Anyone with breathing room, destroy every machine around us!”

Time to roll the dice.

***

Unfortunately, Arta—the ancient device that only understands the ancient language—doesn’t comprehend my order.

Ah, but that’s fine.

You don’t always need words to communicate with intelligent beings.

CRASH—!

BOOM—!

Zzzzt, crackle, snap—!

As soon as the team starts smashing the surrounding machinery, the voice finally panics.

[What are you doing?!]

[Stop! Have you gone insane?!]

[Call off your subordinates—now!]

I had only one thing to say in return.

[Then you should’ve opened the door when I told you to, dumbass.]

[Do you want the world to end?! You selfish Imperial! It’s not too la—]

[That’s my line. It’s not too late—open the door, you mechanical freak.]

Of course, the door didn’t open.

It must’ve decided my actions were just a bluff. That we wouldn’t actually go this far.

Guess the ancients don’t know barbarians very well.

BEEP BEEP—! BEEP BEEP—!

Suddenly, with more machines breaking, the emergency sirens begin to wail again.

SSSSSSSSSS—

The power cuts out, lights go dark, and a moment later, the emergency lights flicker on in red.

And then—

CRACKLE—!

I don’t know who triggered what, but—

[The mana core has been damaged.]

[Emergency stabilization module is disengaged.]

As that announcement rings out—

A violent wind begins to spiral out from the massive hole at the center of the lab.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!

A whirlwind strong enough to suck up everything.

“C-Commander, are you sure about this?!”

“We’re past that point—keep breaking things!”

Not satisfied yet, I ordered them to smash more.

BEEEEEP—!

Then, at some point, the enemy voice and the sirens go silent.

And then—

[The divine weapon seal has been lifted.]

[The energy of the earth surges forth.]

The wind stops pulling inward—and now it erupts outward from the hole.

“Field Effect – Core of the Earth activated.”

“The root of the land grants all powers.”

“All character resources are fixed at 100%.”

The Yacharul rule has done its job.

“Character has cast [Giant Form].”

Now—it’s time for a full-gear battle.