Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Dragon Speech: Soul Silence.

A cheat-like skill that burns away all MP within range, leading to Soul Exhaustion.

However, it has a weakness.

As I heard from the Dragonkin elder, it can only burn away up to 40% of your maximum MP.

'That's probably why he was saving it until now.'

We had received healing from the priests after escaping the Eye of the Glacier, but MP recovery is a different story.

My MP was already over half depleted, and I had used a considerable amount fighting these guys, using [Gigantification] and spamming [Swing].

That's why I provoked him.

[I'm curious, when will that moment come? The moment when death can't save me?]

[...Crack.]

He was running out of MP.

Of course, I had [Soul Dive], but it has a cooldown. Once I used it, there would be no way to counter another Dragon Speech.

That's why I urged him to use it quickly.

And the result...

"Cough! Hack! Cough...!"

The Dragonslayer was incapacitated.

Hmm, he did struggle whenever he used Dragon Speech in Lalkas's Maze...

But I didn't expect him to be this weakened.

An unexpected gain.

「Character has cast [Soul Dive].」

「Soul Power is regenerated proportionally to the amount consumed.」

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

On the other hand, I had recovered my depleted MP and was ready to fight again.

"H-how...?"

That dumbfounded expression is a bonus.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

I feel the energy of my ancestor god coursing through my veins.

「Manua Repeles has cast [Iron Fist].」

The bald guy's Iron Fist attack followed, but I just smiled and took the hit.

Hmm, they weren't affected by Soul Silence.

'Well, they would have formed a Bond beforehand if they were planning to use Dragon Speech.'

The Noark frontliners, including the bald guy, weren't affected by Soul Silence.

It seems like the backline was outside the range.

'Thankfully, our team was also outside the range.'

That's why I had sent the frontline back.

It was a secondary measure to block the raid party, but the main reason was to prevent them from being hit by Soul Silence.

'He probably thought he could end it all by taking me down. He must have calculated that the others would be in danger if I was incapacitated.'

That thought made me laugh.

It was ridiculous.

[...You always forced me to sacrifice.]

This is what he calls sacrifice?

If he was really willing to sacrifice, he should have gone all out.

But he was still holding back.

'Good thing he did.'

「Character has cast [Eye of the Storm].」

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

I activated my grab skill and pulled the Dragonslayer towards me.

A strong wind swept through the passage, dragging him closer.

Crack!

I swung my hammer, shattering his left shoulder.

"Aaaaargh...!"

'Damn, I aimed for his head. He dodged.'

Well, there's always next time.

I blocked the bald guy, who was rushing to save the Dragonslayer.

No, it wasn't just him.

「Mike Roymers has cast [Ground Breaker].」

「Reduces damage received by allies within range by half, and takes the remaining damage instead.」

A mace warrior, close to a tank.

「Leah Andes has cast [Wave of Fire].」

「Temporarily increases all fire damage dealt, and gains additional effects when closer to the target.」

A rare close-range ability user.

These three were well-coordinated, working together to overwhelm me.

They must have practiced together often.

Now that the Dragonslayer was down, they were even more aggressive.

「Cale Elbad Jeneger has cast [Earth Spike].」

Ranged attacks from the backline were a bonus.

Their attacks pierced my defenses, tearing through my flesh and shattering my bones.

But...

「Royta Mamender has cast [Greater Heal].」

「Benjamin Orman has cast [Greater Heal].」

I was covered in buffs and received intensive healing from the priests.

「Kelver's Iron has cast the 4th-grade black magic [Mark of Evil].」

「Reduces all regeneration effects on the target.」

The black mage persistently cast curse magic, but it was useless.

「Benjamin Orman has cast [Moonlight Purification].」

「Removes all negative effects on the target.」

Cleansing was easier than cursing.

"Focus on defense!"

We maintained our defensive formation.

This wasn't a raid, it was a siege.

'They can't escape anyway.'

They were trapped.

The monsters were swarming behind them, and the boss monster was climbing up from below.

They would be overwhelmed if they retreated to the 7th floor.

They wouldn't even last a day with their limited food supply.

"Damn it, where did this monster come from...!"

The mace warrior, who had challenged me to a strength contest, was dumbfounded.

"He's pushing us back even with three of us attacking him!"

Ah, they were hoping to break through with just three people?

They were overconfident.

"Repeles! We have to retreat!"

The mace warrior pleaded with the bald guy, but he didn't listen.

"Where can we go?!"

"We have to break through! We can't stay here!"

He knew.

If they retreated, it was game over.

"We just have to kill this one guy!"

"The rest are nothing!"

Their only hope was to break through our defenses.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

But I wasn't going to let them.

_____________________________________

The battle continued.

And the tide, once turned, didn't shift back.

"...We can't hold on any longer!"

The raid party, who had tried to bypass me and attack the main force, retreated, rejoining their allies.

"What about Cullen?"

"Can't you see? He's dead!"

They had fought back to back, but one of them had fallen, and they couldn't hold on any longer.

'Good, that leaves 11...'

The enemy's numbers had dwindled.

On the other hand, we had no casualties.

The priests were focused on healing me, so even the injured members were mostly lightly wounded.

But...

'This is where it gets tricky.'

I doubled down on my vigilance.

They had realized it too.

That if this continued, they might all die here.

"...To think we would have to risk our lives in a place like this."

Humans are calculating creatures.

That's why, when faced with a life-or-death situation, they choose to give up.

Everything except survival.

'That's the most dangerous state to encounter in an enemy.'

It's like a boss monster's 'berserk' pattern.

Fighting with their lives on the line.

「Character's Soul Power is depleted.」

「[Gigantification] has been deactivated.」

My MP ran out, and my body shrank.

"Yandel, go back and rest for a moment."

Amelia immediately took my place on the right.

"Yes, we'll hold the line here."

Raviyen on the left.

"We'll take over your position."

Jun and Kaislan stepped forward from behind.

Okay, Kaislan might be a bit unreliable, but Jun should be able to hold the main tank position.

I decided to trust my comrades and retreated to the second line. I would be ready to jump back in if anything unexpected happened.

"That monster has retreated!"

"Now's our chance!"

The Noark explorers, seeing me retreat, charged forward with renewed vigor.

But their enthusiasm was short-lived.

「Jun Arsene has cast [Divine Release].」

Jun, with his buffs activated, was a monster tank himself.

And...

Kaislan, Raviyen, Amelia.

Whooosh!

If you get hit by them, you die.

"...Ugh!"

"Watch out!"

The best defense is a good offense.

Sharp counterattacks pierced through their gaps, preventing them from pushing forward aggressively.

And...

"Repeles, Ricky Aimond is down!"

Another point for us.

Our ranged attackers had finally won the DPS race, taking down one of their ranged damage dealers.

「Status Effect [Whisper of Immortality] activated.」

Unlike our fallen comrade, the enemy was resurrected as an undead due to the field effect.

"Push him back! Throw him off the cliff—"

"Aaaaaargh!"

The enemy ability user, now a Lich, indiscriminately cast spells at his former allies before being subdued and thrown off the cliff.

It was a shame we couldn't get another kill, but...

'Two black mages, one ability user, one Karui priest... That's all that's left of their ranged attackers.'

The fierce battle continued.

Kaislan was severely injured and retreated, but another tank immediately took his place.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Sven Parab.

His anxious breathing was a bit unsettling, but he was a paladin.

He was our only main tank besides Jun and me.

Ah, there was also a change in the melee DPS line.

"Emily, come back!"

"..."

Amelia's MP was depleted, so she retreated, and Rick Jugsta, a warrior from the 3rd Team, took her place.

We utilized our numerical advantage in the narrow passage, pushing the enemy back.

But...

"Ugh!"

We couldn't avoid all casualties.

"Rick!"

A sharp rock spear pierced through his chest.

It was the same skill that had instantly killed Mite Million, the tank from the 2nd Team.

Rick Jugsta, who had replaced him, was also dead.

The field effect didn't activate this time, but...

"N-no! Rick...!"

James Kala, who was in the backline, rushed forward and embraced his friend's body.

I coldly spoke.

"...Kala, return to your position."

Now wasn't the time for mourning.

Thankfully, James Kala understood.

"Yes..."

He picked up his friend's body and retreated to the backline.

I couldn't say anything.

I just turned my gaze back to the battlefield.

Slash!

Another point for us.

"M-Mike is...!"

The mace warrior was down.

Raviyen had landed the killing blow, but she was injured in the process.

She wouldn't die, thanks to the priests, but it would take time for her to recover.

「Status Effect [Whisper of Immortality] activated.」

The fallen enemy was resurrected as an undead.

"Push him back! We have to push him back!"

But this time, they were smarter.

They retreated, pushing the undead towards us.

'Damn it...'

We had to work harder to take down the resurrected enemy.

'10 left... No, the Dragonslayer is incapacitated, so 9...'

Their numbers were steadily decreasing.

Our victory was drawing closer.

Their resources were also running low, just like our ranged attackers.

"C-curse magic! Hurry and cast a curse!"

The black mage's curse, which had been suppressing their regeneration, was dispelled. Their bodies began to rot.

The black mage, who had been focusing on countering the priests, had finally run out of mana.

'Good, this is it.'

I saw that Jun's buffs had worn off, and his tanking ability had decreased.

I retreated from the frontline and stepped forward.

"...Damn it, he's recovered already!"

My MP wasn't fully replenished yet, but it was enough to maintain [Gigantification].

[Soul Dive]'s cooldown would be over soon too.

'And most importantly, there's no need to deal damage anymore.'

It was like a dam breaking.

All I had to do was block the path and let the field effect take care of the rest.

"Push forward! Push forward, I said!"

They desperately tried to push their frontline beyond the field boundary, but I held my ground.

"The priests are running out of divine power!"

The priests' healing, which had been our lifeline, was gone.

But it didn't matter anymore.

They were exhausted too.

Their arms and legs were rotting, and their attacks were weakening.

I gritted my teeth and held my shield firm.

"Ugh...!"

I could feel their desperation.

They knew this was their last chance.

Thump!

My heart pounded.

But it wasn't excitement for the upcoming victory, but a premonition of danger.

"Aaaaargh!"

Suddenly, a scream came from behind us.

It shouldn't have happened.

"Y-Yandel!!"

Kaislan shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

"...Enemies! We have enemies behind us!"

A variable had appeared.

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