Barbarian Hero (3)
I’m running with all my might.
Leading the way with my truly monstrous body that’s about 5 meters in diameter.
Thud! Thud!
Every time my feet touch the ground, it makes a sound like a large monster’s footsteps.
“Don’t fall behind and follow closely!”
Behind me are 23 clan members and Misha, and behind them are about 40 3rd-floor explorers who weren’t swayed by Jack Reacher’s instigation.
The reason they joined us is simple.
[If you hand over all your equipment, we’ll take you with us.]
McGrane is a rationalist who wants to recoup even the slightest loss……and he judged that the more sacrifices, the better.
「Character has cast [Sacrificial Engraving].」
「Character’s physical stats temporarily increase based on the number of sacrifices within a 100-meter radius.」
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
Power surges through my body.
And along with that power, an unbearable urge to destroy takes over my entire being.
‘This must be because of Fighting Spirit.’
Still, it’s a relief.
That I don’t have to suppress this urge.
“Kyaaaaak—!”
Miniature versions of Riakis’s clones fly towards us from the front.
Although they’re still over 2 meters tall even though they’re miniatures…
They’re still small fry.
Whoosh!
I swing my mace without mercy.
Since my body has become so large, it feels like I’m swinging a spoon instead of a mace.
Well, I guess the ones getting hit would think differently.
Thwack-!
One of the clones that got hit in the solar plexus turns to dust and disappears.
If it were the old me, I would have had to hit it a few more times for it to die.
I’m realizing just how much my physical stats have increased.
However, the problem is…
Kwaaang-!
Every time I smash one of them, an explosion occurs.
Not where the clone died, but right where I’m standing.
「Riakis’s Hatred is triggered.」
「Character takes significant chaos-attribute damage.」
This is why the presence of a main tank is crucial in the [Crack of Evil] pattern. These self-destructing clones deal guaranteed damage to whoever killed them.
In other words, no matter how high your damage output is, whether you’re a renowned swordsman or a famous archer, it’s useless here.
Kwaaang-!
It’s a level of damage that would have instantly killed a fragile mage.
My whole body is tingling.
Even with Pain Resistance, it’s this bad, so if it weren’t for that, I would be groaning every time one of them explodes.
Sizzle!
The black liquid that’s splattered all over my body melts away with smoke.
The parts that are in bad condition have already lost their muscle and exposed the bones beneath.
However, there’s no problem.
I’m a barbarian of darkness who has inherited the legacy of the vampire.
「Due to the passive skill [Source of Darkness], the character will not die until the heart is destroyed.」
I just need to protect my heart somehow.
Well, even that seems like a matter of time in my current state…
Clang!
Even as I’m smashing the clones to dust and clearing the path, glass bottles keep flying towards me.
And the priests who are hurriedly following behind are also pouring out heals as much as they can.
“That was dangerous! Don’t kill too many at once!”
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
“If you can hear me, answer me!”
No, that’s not easy.
In [Gigantification] state, the threat level, or the probability of drawing monsters’ aggro, increases according to your size.
And for barbarians, who are already large, the increase is insane.
It’s practically like being in permanent taunt mode.
The reason the explorers following behind are able to move so comfortably is all thanks to this.
They’re all swarming towards me.
“Hey!! Can’t you hear—”
“I hear you.”
Still, I adjust my pace as McGrane advised, and Misha’s brother and the other melee warrior, who are right behind me, detonate the clones.
However…
“Priest! What is the priest doing! He, heal us!”
Catching just two or three of them and acting like that is not very reliable.
I don’t like how the priest’s heals are being spread out either.
And most importantly, if I adjust my pace, I can’t maximize the effect of the passive skill.
「Character’s health is below 50%.」
「All resistance and defense stats are increased due to the passive skill [Hero’s Path].」
The Orc Hero’s passive skill, [Hero’s Path].
This skill, which activates when your health is below half, increases all types of defense stats.
And based on my research…
‘The maximum effect is applied when it’s below 20%.’
In the first place, the reason I needed the Orc Hero essence was because of this.
No matter what color the essence is, the passive is the same.
“Alright, both of you go to the back.”
“What? I can still—”
Geez, where does a damage dealer get off trying to imitate the role of a noble tank?
“Something might appear from behind.”
I then coax the two damage dealers to the back with kind words.
McGrane, who was watching from behind, doesn’t say anything this time either.
He just shouts,
“There’s only 10 minutes left. The final stretch is important, so please give it your all.”
Yeah, just keep cheering from back there.
_______________________________________
5th-grade explorer, Tailon Kaltstein.
As he retreats from the front lines, a middle-aged man speaks to him.
“Oh, you’re here now?”
“Yes, Lord Hernesion.”
Tailon nods, and the face of Anton Hernesion, the mage of his regular 7th team, brightens up.
“Right, the vice-leader made the right decision. We need to be on guard here too, in case something appears from behind. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, of course…”
Tailon swallows his bitter emotions and answers weakly.
And as if to avoid conversation, he averts his gaze.
At the end of his gaze is a barbarian.
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
Countless monsters swarm from the darkness.
And the barbarian, who looks even more monstrous than the monsters, swings his mace while shouting.
Kwaaang!
He hears the sound of an explosion, the umpteenth time, and Tailon bites his lip.
Crack-
He feels disgusted with himself for nodding in agreement when the vice-leader said he made the right decision, asking if something might appear from behind.
‘Damn it.’
The truth is simple.
In the first place, it wasn’t even the vice-leader who told him to retreat. It was that barbarian.
The barbarian who was a member of his half-breed sister’s team, the team with that half-assed mage who couldn’t even say anything when told to get lost in the encampment…
The barbarian he had thought of as just another warrior.
[Something might appear from behind.]
He couldn’t refute those words spoken without even looking back.
No, he didn’t.
Although it was a short time, he thought it was something a human shouldn’t do.
Kwaaang!
Every time he swings his weapon, excruciating pain comes back.
It’s impossible to avoid, no matter how agile his body is.
The problem is that this fact makes his body sluggish.
His hands stiffen and won’t move, even though he needs to keep swinging his weapon.
It’s truly pathetic.
“Hey, don’t mind it too much. Anyone could do it if they didn’t feel pain.”
Did his expression give him away?
The man next to him says as if to console him.
One of the only two warriors left who retreated from the front lines with him.
“I’ve heard that essences with Pain Resistance generally have low ratings, but if this kind of tactic is possible, it needs to be reevaluated.”
He keeps his mouth shut even at the man’s consolation.
Because he initially thought the same way.
That drinking potions like that is only possible with Pain Resistance, and besides, his role is different from that barbarian’s.
Although they’re both warriors who fight on the front lines…
His role is to find an opening and deliver a fatal blow to the enemy’s neck, not to tank with his body and buy time.
Kwaaang!
So it’s a natural result.
There’s no need to feel self-deprecating.
Yes, that’s what he thought.
But…
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”
The more he watches that large back, the more questions he has.
‘How can he not hesitate in that state…?’
Flesh explodes and melts like water.
The beasts that lunge at him tear into the exposed bones with their teeth.
But even in the midst of that, the barbarian swings his weapon with perfect accuracy, without a moment’s hesitation.
Unlike himself, whose body had stiffened.
He’s continuously doing what needs to be done.
‘But is this something anyone can do?’
No way.
In the first place, even with Pain Resistance, I heard that you don’t completely lose the ability to feel pain…
And even if that weren’t the case…
“They say no one can match barbarians in valor, and it seems to be true.”
“It’s like he doesn’t know what death is.”
Having potions, a priest, and a vampire’s essence doesn’t make you invincible.
As a famous explorer once said…
There’s no such thing as an immortal being in the labyrinth.
And that includes that barbarian.
‘There’s no point in denying it any longer.’
Ironically, acknowledging it makes him feel lighter.
To silently do what needs to be done in a life-or-death situation…
How many people are unable to do even that simple thing?
Just look at the changed reactions around him.
“The vice-leader’s foresight is truly amazing. I didn’t expect that man to perform so well in that role.”
“Does anyone know that guy’s name? Someone like that should be somewhat well-known…”
“What happened with the vice-leader earlier? If someone like that joins the clan, it would be very reassuring…”
Even if they don’t know the details like Pain Resistance, they can’t help but feel it as they watch.
That this barbarian saved them.
“Just thinking about what kind of situation we would be in without him is horrifying.”
“Misha, was it? What exactly is that girl?”
“Uh, uh, I don’t know…”
Someone asks about his half-breed sister, but unfortunately, they can’t get a proper answer.
However, listening to the mumbling of the mage Hernesion next to him, he thinks to himself…
“If Balkan, who was called the hero of the barbarian tribe, were to come back to life, he would probably look like that…”
There’s no need to wonder about that barbarian’s name yet.
“It’s over! I can see the end!!”
“Speed up!”
Everyone will know soon enough.
___________________________________
「Field effect [Crack of Evil] disappears.」
___________________________________
The moment we escape from the darkness…
Whoosh!
A loud roar like a storm erupts.
And at the same time, a crimson beam shoots from the ceiling towards the center of darkness.
Kwaaang—!!
It’s a sight as if the apocalypse is upon us.
McGrane mutters as he watches this,
“That was close.”
“I agree.”
Beyond the darkness that has disappeared like mist, there’s nothing left.
All that remains in the place where the Orc Encampment used to be are traces of destroyed land.
My mind, heated from the excitement of battle, cools down.
If we had been even a little late in escaping…
‘I would have died on the spot, regardless of [Source of Darkness] or whatever.’
Actually, saying it was close is an understatement.
My Soul Power, or MP, was completely depleted as we were entering the final stretch, and since the explorers who went the other way all seemed to have died, the clones started swarming in like a tidal wave.
It’s a miracle that we escaped in time.
But it’s not over yet.
‘No, the real prayers should start now.’
I quickly check the number of survivors.
Exactly 30 people.
It’s because a large number of the explorers who followed us after handing over their equipment as payment died.
‘In other words, the probability is 1 in 30. No, with Misha, it’s 1 in 15…’
It’s low, but it’s a probability that’s hard to be relieved about.
I don’t let my guard down and observe the changes in the others.
That’s when…
“Bjo, Bjorn…?”
I hear Misha’s voice from next to me.
Her voice sounds somewhat flustered.
“So, somehow, my body won’t move…”
I turn my head to look at Misha, and I see her frozen stiff.
「Misha Kaltstein has been designated as [Prey].」
「Misha Kaltstein enters an incapacitated state.」
Damn it, is this for real?
McGrane lets out an exclamation that I can’t quite understand.
“That’s surprising. I didn’t expect that to come from your side.”
“Wh, why is everyone looking at me like that…?”
There’s no time for a long-winded explanation.
I ask, just in case,
While looking directly into Misha’s brother’s eyes.
“Do you have any intention of taking her with you?”
“Th, that’s…”
“That would be difficult. We’re in a situation where we can’t afford any more casualties.”
McGrane draws a firm line, speaking for Misha’s brother, who is having difficulty answering.
However, I ask again,
“Do you feel the same way? Regardless of your relationship, she’s still your sister, are you just going to leave her to die?”
“Bjo, Bjorn… I’m fine, so please…”
You’re fine my ass.
Your life is on the line.
“So what’s your answer?”
When I ask again firmly, he glances at McGrane and answers briefly,
“To me… this side is more important than family.”
Bullshit, that’s because you don’t consider her family.
He’s an asshole until the very end.
“We’ve wasted precious time.”
I mutter and pick up Misha, who has turned into a log, slinging her over my shoulder and securing her with a cloth.
And I quickly check the time.
[23:45]
About 15 minutes left until the labyrinth closes.
It’s a time that can be considered short or long, depending on how you look at it.
「Lord of Chaos Riakis awakens.」
It seems like it’s going to be the longest 15 minutes of my life.
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