Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

[Priest of the Storm].

This skill has three main effects.

1. Temporary Invincibility.

Until the skill gauge is fully charged, the caster becomes immune to damage.

In a way, it's a high-value skill.

Even though the caster can't move while it's active, it's still an invincibility skill. It was possible to pull off some amazing plays with it in the game.

2. Increased Defense Stats.

Once the casting is complete, the caster gains a massive amount of defense stats. Combined with the temporary invincibility, it's practically the ultimate survival skill.

But that's not all.

An AoE attack that's unleashed around the caster until the [Priest of the Storm] mode ends.

It's not just a survival skill, the damage is incredibly high.

Like the saying, the best defense is a good offense.

"It's coming."

I crouched down, pulling my shield down to cover my face, and the storm barrier around the monster started to expand, engulfing the entire sanctuary.

「100%.」

The effect that signified the skill was fully charged.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A fierce wind swept over me.

It wasn't as blinding as the [Eye of the Storm].

But...

「Character is taking damage.」

「Character is taking damage.」

「Character is taking damage...」

「...」

Like blades hidden in the wind, white, dagger-shaped shadows slammed into my armor and body.

This was why I had sent my companions away.

I couldn't block this kind of AoE attack with my shield.

Clank, clank, clank! Kaboom!

Arms, back, shoulders, waist, thighs, calves.

I couldn't even pinpoint where the pain was coming from, as impacts hit me from all directions.

It felt like dozens of people were throwing snowballs filled with stones at me.

'Well, that's about right.'

After all, my Physical Resistance and Magic Resistance were high.

I barely took any damage from this kind of continuous tick damage, not a single powerful blow.

Then what about Amelia?

Her Physical Resistance wasn't as high as mine...

'What the... she's dodging them?'

Amazingly, she was dodging every single attack.

Wow, what kind of Agility stat and reflexes did she have to be able to do that?

'I told her she could come if she could do it, and she really could.'

Ah, of course, I wasn't jealous.

Why would I be?

"You seem busy."

Amelia didn't answer my question.

Was she telling me to focus on the fight instead of talking?

[Groooooooooar!!]

The shell lizard with its severed arm roared menacingly and charged towards me.

'Threat level' was working.

If it were a human who used that skill, they would have targeted Amelia first.

Kwaaang!

I blocked its massive body with my shield, and my body was pushed back.

But that kind of large movement always creates an opening.

Thud!

Amelia stabbed its back with her dagger.

Its defense stats had increased significantly, so the dagger didn't go as deep as before.

And...

'It's not even flinching anymore.'

The monster didn't even hesitate for a moment after being stabbed and swung its arm at me.

Whooosh!

Like the saying, the best defense is a good offense.

Its defense stats had increased, which meant its attack power had also increased.

Since it could use its time for defense on offense now.

Tadat.

I quickly dodged to the side and created distance.

It would have normally used [Dragon Vein] or [Eye of the Storm] at this point.

But there was no need to worry about follow-up attacks this time.

This world is a cruel place where you have to give up something to gain something.

[Priest of the Storm] also has a penalty.

[Groooar!]

Yeah, roar all you want.

'You can't use skills now, can you?'

Skill Seal.

In this phase, Stormgush could only use physical attacks and that AoE attack.

The duration in the game was about 10 minutes.

'If we can't kill it within that time, we run.'

We would have to retreat without looking back, even if it meant giving up on everything.

As soon as it could use skills again, the raid would fail.

Not only would it start using its other annoying skills, but its injuries would also start to heal.

Amelia's damage alone wouldn't be enough to keep up with its regeneration.

Therefore...

「Character has cast [Swing].」

I used my skills without holding back on MP.

I couldn't even distract it with normal attacks.

"Amelia!"

Whether we could kill it or not depended entirely on how well our main damage dealer performed.

"...Tsk."

Amelia clicked her tongue and swung her dagger again. Her expression clearly showed that she wanted to just stall for time.

'Tsk, these rich kids.'

I don't understand.

We have to fight for 10 minutes anyway, why not just go all out?

If we kill it, we get a jackpot...

'Ah, she wouldn't get anything even if it dropped an essence.'

I finally understood why Amelia wasn't enthusiastic.

She had already filled all her essence slots.

Even if she got a mage to store it in a test tube, it would be difficult for us to sell it and split the profits.

She's from Noark.

She would want to never see us again after today.

"If we kill this, I won't claim ownership of Belverson's equipment!"

I decided to give her a new incentive.

But...

"...You were planning to claim ownership?"

Amelia said something naive.

No, you were going to keep it all for yourself?

After just coming in at the end and landing the final blow?

"...Carmilla's is yours, and Belverson's is mine. That was the agreement, wasn't it?"

Hmm, I did hear about that agreement.

But that was between you guys, not me.

"I don't know about that!"

I shouted while dodging Stormgush's claws, and Amelia quietly muttered.

"...I see."

I think I know what she meant this time.

She probably saw through my barbarian-style logic.

Thanks to that, her eyes sparkled with a bit more enthusiasm.

A very desirable situation for an employer.

Kaboom!

The battle continued.

We were already drinking victory soju and splitting the loot in our minds...

But realistically, the odds were still 50/50.

Would we be able to kill it within the time limit?

Or would we fail and have to run away, accepting all the losses and pain we had suffered?

The outcome is still unclear.

I just had to do my best and hope for the best.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

Sweat and blood flowed down my skin.

But there was no time to rest.

The more I harassed the monster, the easier it would be for Amelia to deal damage.

Thud!

Stormgush's claws slammed into my shoulder.

Clank.

The shoulder armor, which had already been cracked, shattered and fell to the ground.

'Damn it, the repair costs...'

My hands trembled, but I tried to think positively.

It was already broken beyond repair anyway.

The cost wouldn't be that much different...

"Amelia!"

Stormgush ignored me, who had been knocked back, and swung its tail at Amelia.

Tadat.

Fortunately, she jumped up and dodged.

But...

Thud!

A dagger hidden in the storm pierced Amelia's body.

It was a familiar attack.

But this time, it was different.

"Ugh."

The location was bad.

It wasn't her arm or shoulder, but her thigh.

Blood gushed from the wound, staining her white pants red.

But the real problem was something else.

Tadat.

Amelia's mobility was limited.

'Damn it.'

As I had feared, Amelia couldn't move as freely as before after being injured.

And that meant our DPS had decreased.

'We can't kill it at this rate.'

My mind was racing.

Should we change our strategy?

Should we just focus on surviving and run away?

No, but then what about my repair costs?

Who's going to compensate us for all the pain we've suffered?

'...Let's try a little longer.'

I quickly made a decision and dismissed my negative thoughts.

We were in a bad state, but the monster was also cornered.

Its HP was almost depleted...

[Human.]

That's when the monster spoke for the first time.

With bloodshot eyes.

[Humaaaaaaaaaaan—!!!]

It roared.

I flinched at its strange aura.

'That line... No, wait, was this monster even capable of speech?'

I couldn't remember anything like that.

Was this a new feature added in the real world?

Whatever.

I'll think about it later.

「Character has deactivated [Gigantification].」

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

I quickly switched to normal Gigantification mode.

I couldn't use [Transcendence] while in Transcendence Gigantification mode.

「Character has cast [Transcendence].」

It was a close call.

I had to make up for that difference with this.

「The next skill used is enhanced.」

Of course, I didn't have many skills.

Then what should I use?

'Leap.'

This was out of the question.

It was useful against squishy ranged attackers, but it wouldn't even scratch the monster's HP.

'Swing.'

This was also useless.

Even with [Transcendence], the range would just increase, not the damage.

An essence that never existed in my build.

But I had obtained it by chance, and ironically, it had been a huge help throughout my journey.

「Character has cast [Flesh Explosion].」

Yeah, this might work.

「The inherent ability of the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」

I cast the skill and dashed forward.

It wasn't an instant-cast skill anymore.

「Explodes after 3 seconds...」

A 3-second delay.

But in return...

「Explosion damage is greatly increased.」

The damage increased significantly.

'Hmm, it was about 35 times stronger, right?'

I had calculated it a few times while researching [Transcendence], but I think my memory was correct. Even in [Dungeon and Stone], there weren't many skills that increased damage this much.

Ah, of course, the base damage itself was still low.

It was originally a skill for spraying [Acidic Fluid], not for dealing explosion damage. Even with a 35x multiplier, it wouldn't even scratch 3% of a 3rd-grade monster's HP.

Well, it was enough for now.

Tadat.

I dashed forward and grabbed the monster's neck with both arms.

The Barbarian Suicide Bomber Mode.

[Humaaaaaaaaaaan—!!!]

The monster roared, trying to shake me off.

Oh, you're even opening your mouth for me?

Swoosh.

I quickly shoved my hand into its mouth, letting go of the mace.

Crack!

The monster immediately bit down on my hand, trying to crush it with its thick teeth.

But it was wrong.

I'm a barbarian.

Not a human.

'Yeah, time's up.'

I counted down the time limit in my head, and then my hand exploded.

Although...

There were no flames, which usually accompanied an explosion.

Kwaaang!

Yeah, what else could this be but an explosion?

_____________________

The moment the explosion occurred, my body was thrown into the air.

It was that powerful of an explosion.

Kaboom!

My heavy body crashed to the ground, and I quickly looked up to check on the monster. I already had a hunch from the wind subsiding...

Swaaaaaaaaaa.

Stormgush's body was disintegrating into particles of light.

「Stormgush has been defeated. EXP +7」

Yeah, we killed it.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: First 3rd-grade monster kill.

Reward: Mental stat permanently increased by +1.

I've been living as a barbarian for so long that I felt a sense of mental satisfaction from winning the battle.

But sadly...

"...!!!"

That satisfaction didn't last long.

An indescribable pain engulfed my entire body.

The reason was clear.

「All defense stats are temporarily sealed.」

The side effect of Flesh Explosion (Transcendence).

Damn it, I didn't think about Pain Resistance disappearing.

'This, this...!'

I couldn't even scream from the pain, my mouth just opened and closed.

"Barbarian, are you okay?"

Amelia peeked at me through my blurry vision.

And...

"You're lucky."

She said something meaningful.

It didn't seem like she was just saying that because I had survived or because we had defeated the monster.

Ah, maybe...

"Es, es, sence..."

"Yeah, it dropped."

Really?

I looked up.

And I saw a navy blue essence floating in the air.

I must have missed it because my vision was blurry...

'...Hallelujah.'

I immediately crawled towards the essence.

My entire body was in pain?

So what?

Humans are greedy creatures, no matter the situation.

"...Shouldn't you get treated first?"

Treatment could wait.

It wasn't my first time losing an arm.

"Es, sence..."

"You're a funny one."

I ignored Amelia and crawled towards the essence.

「The essence of 'Stormgush' seeps into the character's soul.」

「Strength increased by +90.」

「Agility increased by +55.」

「Physical Resistance increased by +75.」

「Natural Regeneration increased by +50.」

「Lung Capacity increased by +40.」

「Lightning Resistance decreased by -30...」

「...」

A powerful force surged through my body.

I was savoring that pleasant feeling when...

"Then have a potion first."

Amelia opened her subspace bracelet.

That's when it happened.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A brilliant light emanated from the entrance of the subspace.

Even I, who knew nothing about magic, could tell it was strange.

This kind of thing didn't happen when you put a glowing object in your subspace.

Then what was it?

"..."

Amelia also seemed to feel something was off, as she hurriedly rummaged through her subspace.

And she took out an item.

"Why is this appearing now...?"

It was a stone emitting a white light.

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