Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Monarch (2)

Monarch (2)

“No! Take me too…!”

“…I’m sorry.”

The battle ended as soon as an explorer closed his eyes and entered the Dimensional Gate.

The reason was simple.

Although knights were still blocking the explorers in various passages…

“Surrender.”

“Yes? But our Dimensional Gate spell isn’t ready ye—”

“Ca, Captain, what do you me—! Aaaak!!”

The explorers charged towards the knight and trampled him, punching him mercilessly as soon as he lowered his sword.

“Tell me! What did you mean just now! The last Dimensional Gate?!”

The knight just endured all the violence.

And he answered their questions even as his teeth were knocked out and his eyes were bloodshot.

“It means what I said.”

“You, you bastard! You knew we were going to be abandoned, and you still…!”

“Someone has to stay behind. Your anger is justified. So please, unleash it on me. My body still has that much value.”

“I’ll kill you!!”

“For… Lafdonia…!”

Some knights surrendered, and some fought back with their swords until the end.

But the result was the same.

The explorers overwhelmed them with their numbers, and they mercilessly unleashed their despair and anger.

Of course, the explorers knew.

That these knights were also in the same situation, and that they would be valuable allies.

But they needed someone to vent their emotions on.

That’s when, as similar scenes were unfolding throughout the center…

“Aak! What the hell! Don’t push—!”

…a barbarian appeared from one of the passages, easily pushing aside the crowd.

And…

“Hey, knight.”

…he spoke, grabbing the wrist of an explorer who was beating up a knight.

“Killing him.”

“Le, let go of me?!”

“Troublesome.”

“What! You abandoned us, and you’re saying you’re on his side—!”

The barbarian’s fist slammed into the explorer’s face as he protested vehemently.

Thwack!

The explorer’s body collapsed limply.

“I said… it’s… troublesome.”

The barbarian spoke, catching his breath.

And a brief silence fell.

“…….”

No one else dared to attack the knight.

At least not in that area.

__________________

The situation in the center wasn’t much different from what I expected.

Except for one thing.

‘I didn’t expect there to be this many knights left.’

It was a pleasant miscalculation.

Although they wouldn’t be under my command…

…they were still valuable assets.

Just by existing and walking around in this cave, they would be good bait for me.

“Mr. Yandel!”

My companions appeared a moment later, following the path I had created.

“Ah, you’re here. Can you take care of this?”

“Yes?”

“Just make sure they don’t die.”

I left the half-dead knights to my companions and headed towards the center of the cavern.

“Aak! St, stop…!”

Screams echoed from all sides with every step I took.

Most of them were from knights.

Right, you guys are also human.

You feel pain when you’re beaten up.

“…Damn iiiit!!!”

Anger welled up inside me.

And I also saw people who were sitting blankly, lost in despair, having retreated from the violence.

Those who had lost even the will to be angry.

“We’re all going to die.”

“Cecilia… I’m sorry…”

Those who had accepted their deaths.

There were even some among them who were wearing emblems of large clans. Some were in teams, and some were alone or in pairs.

Well, even large clans couldn’t save everyone.

Even knights were abandoned.

They must have prioritized their members.

Because tickets were limited.

“Stop it…! Even so, nothing will change! They’re in the same situation as us!”

Sometimes I heard voices trying to quell the anger.

They were divided into two categories.

Those who appealed to emotions and morality, raising their voices to protect humanity.

And…

“Are you all crazy! This will just get us all killed!”

…those who hadn’t given up hope.

Those who tried to stop the violence rationally, pushing aside their anger.

I would probably belong to the latter category.

And they were the ones who would be most helpful to me in the current situation.

Thud.

I finally stopped.

There was a monument in front of me that I had seen countless times.

The last Archmage.

The only structure in the labyrinth, built to commemorate the achievements of Diflun Groundel Gavrilius.

[In commemoration of his great first step]

There’s a hidden piece in this monument.

It’s the one that allows you to open the 1st-floor rift.

But we can’t escape the war by entering the rift.

We don’t have any 8th-grade magic stones…

And even if we did, it would be useless.

The last time the rift opened was a month ago.

We didn’t go because we thought it would be more profitable to explore the 5th floor, and it opened naturally.

Well, there’s nothing I can do by regretting it.

“Ahem.”

I clear my throat.

But I’m not worried.

If there’s one thing that barbarians are good at, besides their physical abilities, it’s their loud voices.

“Stoooooooooop———!!!!!”

I shout with all my might in [Gigantification] state.

It’s loud enough to reach everyone’s ears even in this chaotic situation.

Everyone stops and looks at me.

Of course, it doesn’t last long.

The explorers look at me with a ‘What the hell is that?’ expression and then lose interest.

‘Right, this much isn’t enough.’

Honestly, I didn’t expect much.

That kind of thing only happens in cartoons.

“I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel, Little Balkan!!”

I continue shouting, even if they ignore me.

Barbarian rule number one:

If your voice doesn’t reach them, it’s because you weren’t loud enough.

Therefore…

“If there are any of my tribe who know me, repeat after me!!!”

I ask for support.

I’m not the only barbarian here.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, Little Balkan!”

“Great warrior!”

“It’s the next chieftain’s order!! We have to follow him!”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

The barbarians scattered throughout the cave let out battle cries as if they’ve been waiting, starting with Karon and Ainar.

They had been watching me since I started shouting.

They probably thought they had to help since I’m their tribesman, even if they didn’t know what I was trying to do.

“I repeat—! Everyone, stop—!!”

“Stop!”

“Stop!”

“Stop!”

The crowd stops again and focuses their attention on me as the chorus follows.

It’s only natural for them to be curious when the same shout is repeated everywhere as if it’s an announcement, unlike when I was shouting alone until my throat was sore.

“Who are you to tell us to stop?!”

“We’re in this state because of these bastards, and you’re telling us to hold back?!”

But the negative gazes are still stronger.

Many of them are still enraged and beating up the knights.

Therefore, I continue shouting.

“I repeat—! Everyone, stop—!!”

Like a simple-minded barbarian.

Stubbornly repeating the same thing over and over again.

Until my demand is met.

That’s when, after shouting about ten times…

“I repeat—! Everyone, stop—!!”

“Someone shut that bastard up!!”

…the arrows of anger, which never seem to decrease no matter how much they’re vented, finally turn towards me.

“If you’re going to side with the royal family, you die too!!”

Some explorers even charge towards me.

“Protect the next chieftain!!”

The barbarian warriors charge forward to protect me.

But I stop them.

“Stop!!! We shouldn’t fight among ourselves!!!”

The naive barbarians stop at my shout. But the explorer who was charging towards me doesn’t.

Whoosh.

He swings his sword as if I’m his enemy.

Clang!

As expected, judging by his equipment, my body is unscathed.

No, how could an ordinary iron sword even scratch me?

“Uh, uh…”

I just took the hit with my body, maintaining my original posture, without even blocking.

The difference in skill is evident just from that.

Did he realize his mistake belatedly?

“…….”

The explorer, as if scared of me, steps back as his excitement subsides and his head cools down.

Geez, where does he think he’s going?

I grab his shoulder and pull him towards me.

And I ask,

“Do you want to live?”

“……?”

“I asked if you want to live!!! Why are you running away when you’re going to die anyway?!”

The explorer’s face turns pale as I shout at him.

“Tell me, do you want to live?!”

The explorer, cornered, shouts back at me,

“Wh, who would want to die?!”

It’s the line I’ve been waiting for.

Everyone is looking at us because of his sudden outburst.

I let go of his shoulder.

“Then run away. If you think you can survive that way.”

The explorer, having regained his freedom, doesn’t turn around and run away.

To be precise, he can’t.

His legs give out, and he collapses to the ground.

But does he still have some energy left?

He shouts, venting his frustration,

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!”

What else is there to do?

I’ve already said it countless times.

I turn my gaze away from him.

And I shout again, looking around,

“I repeat—! Everyone, stop—!!”

My life as a barbarian has taught me.

Stubbornness eventually becomes perseverance.

If you don’t give up first.

____________________

A brief silence falls.

It’s a miracle.

That barbarian just shouted. He didn’t use violence, he just kept shouting.

At first, he thought it was foolish.

He didn’t think this chaos would subside, no matter how many times he shouted.

So he had been staying away from the situation with his clan members, judging that everyone would regain their composure and come up with a plan after the knights were all dead.

But…

“Amazing.”

The one-sided violence against the knights had almost completely stopped.

The result of a single barbarian’s actions.

Then how was this possible?

He still didn’t know the exact reason.

But he could only guess.

Just like how they say words have power…

…maybe that barbarian’s words carried even greater power.

Just like how a single action can be more deeply engraved in your mind than a hundred words…

…maybe they started to have hope, even if it was just a sliver, because of that foolish persistence.

Smirk.

No, maybe they just regained their composure after watching him do something stupid over and over again.

You know how it is, right?

The atmosphere changes when someone says something silly in the middle of a serious conversation.

Of course, it’s just a guess.

He doesn’t know the real reason.

Maybe he’s just curious about what that barbarian is trying to say.

But one thing was clear.

That barbarian did something he couldn’t.

Little Balkan, a 5th-grade explorer.

Although his strength and the force he commanded were much weaker than his…

…he did it.

“Vice-leader.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’re not just watching anymore. If you see anyone attacking a knight nearby, stop them.”

The man gave an order to his vice-leader.

And he started walking.

“Leader, where are you going?”

“I’m going to hear what he has to say, why he’s doing that. Whether he’s just an idiot, or…”

“…?”

Although the vice-leader tilted her head, the man didn’t say anything more.

He found it amusing himself.

But…

“Everyone, stop it! He’s right! Stop for now! And let’s calmly think together!”

…just like he was doing right now…

…he saw people who had been watching from the sidelines raising their voices and stepping forward.

Thump!

His heart pounded for some reason.

The man looked at the monument.

“I repeat—! Everyone, stop—!!”

The barbarian was still shouting.

His tribesmen were chanting along.

“Everyone, stop!”

And now even those who weren’t related to him were shouting.

The man couldn’t help but think…

“From now on, anyone who causes trouble will be considered an enemy!”

…that everything that was happening right now…

…was like a scene from a legend he read as a child, a story about a hero.

_________________

One person approaches.

“I’m Melter Pend, the leader of the Nartel Clan. If you have a way to resolve this situation, I’d like to hear it.”

Then a woman.

“I’m Lacey Naret from the Heindel Church. I came to thank you for stopping this tragedy.”

The third one is a mage.

“I’m a military mage of Lafdonia. Ah, for reference, I stayed behind on my own, not because I was abandoned. I don’t like that commander bastard.”

More people gather after that.

Priests, mages, clan leaders, vice-leaders, team leaders, or individuals. Those who were abandoned or stayed behind voluntarily.

“Don’t you think you can stop shouting now? Everyone is waiting for you to speak.”

“Tell us. Do you really have a solution? You didn’t just say that to save the knights because you felt sorry for them, did you?!”

Is the barbarian ‘Just do it!’ tactic invincible?

I deactivated the mindless infinite loop mode after achieving my goal.

“It’s good to meet you all. I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

The conditions for conversation were finally met.