Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 537: Rainbow (4)

The City of Light, Kalheum, one of the eighth floor’s cracks.

And there, the Rift Guardian who appears in the final boss room.

The Heavenly Spear Bearer, Mirayel.

I don’t know why this guy showed up in a normal field.

But to summarize about him:

The biggest feature is that, despite being a monster, he uses Numbers items.

And...

“The drop rate for the Verdant Spear is less than 3%.”

He drops other Numbers items too, but among single Numbers, the ‘Verdant Spear’ drops with the highest chance.

I remember farming him a lot when raising a spear barbarian since the Verdant Spear is the graduation weapon for spear users in most cases.

Separately, the essence itself was also very good.

“But anyway, putting aside why he’s here for now.”

As I said before, if we can kill him, the rewards will be great.

Essences dropping would be huge, and weapon drops would be too.

However, the problem is our current condition.

“We can’t kill him.”

I quickly made that judgment.

He’s not impossible for our power to handle.

But the situation is really bad.

“First, the priest basically can’t do her job anymore...”

The main dealer, Elwen, is also groaning.

Not just that.

Fortunately, no one’s died yet, but everyone is already quite exhausted...

[Cough! Bark! Bark!]

[GROOOOAAAR!]

Monsters still swarm around us.

Realistically, survival is more important than rewards now.

“Yandel, what are we going to do?”

Amelia said in a grim voice.

There was no need to decide.

“We rush toward the coast from now on.”

“The coast...? Ah, you mean to escape—”

“I mean we rush toward the coast.”

“...”

There was no other choice for us.

But...

“Before that, we have to do what we have to do.”

Even if we run, we must decide quickly first.

Because we can’t just leave behind Grade 2 essences on the ground.

“Putting them in test tubes is impossible.”

It’s greedy, but too risky to even try.

It takes quite some time to put essences in test tubes.

And during that time, accidents are very likely.

So in the end, we have to put them inside someone’s body before running...

“But who do we feed them to?”

I pondered but quickly made a decision.

Then...

Kwaaang-!

Mirayel dashed, and I blocked his thrusting spear with my shield while shouting.

“Muul Armin!”

The leader of the Armin Expedition, Muul Armin.

A peculiar explorer who is both a clan leader and a necromancer specialized in curses.

Honestly, it stung a bit to hand over such a valuable thing to this stranger...

“Take the Inmyeonjo essence.”

No matter how I think about it, he’s the perfect choice.

He seems to have leveled up recently and gained an essence slot.

“...What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Hurry! There’s no time!”

The guy who looked dazed finally snapped out of it and ran forward, while Amelia protected him to get safely to the essence.

“Are you really sure? I’m not even the baron’s companion...”

What the hell is he saying?

I’m already busy enough with this spear bastard.

“It doesn’t matter, hurry!”

“Yes, sir!”

After urging him, Muul Armin absorbed the essence with a reach of his hand.

Okay, now we’ve got everything we can...

Glancing sideways to confirm the essence absorption finished, I pushed Mirayel away with all my strength to create distance.

Then quickly gave new orders.

“What are you waiting for? Form up in travel formation!”

“...”

“From now, full power dash toward the coast!”

“...Yes...?”

Why do they all seem so slow to understand?

“We’re running!”

“Ah, yes...! Everyone form travel formation! From now on, full power retreat!”

Tch, the barbarian baron’s dignity is all gone.

“Hoo, hoo...”

I exhaled hot breath as I ran forward.

Of course, this time I wasn’t in the lead but at the very back of the main force.

Because when something’s chasing you, the rear is the most dangerous.

[You shall not escape, mortal.]

That line, always spoken before battles in-game, was uttered properly in real life too.

The problem was it repeated the same phrase like a parrot.

‘Ugh, how many times is that now?’

I tried talking to it a few times while running away experimentally, but never got a proper answer. Honestly, I’m not even sure it’s truly intelligent anymore.

‘The chief’s village monsters definitely seemed intelligent though.’

I realized again that the chief’s village was unusual.

Because most monsters felt like this.

Even Cambormier the Vampire Duke of the Blood Fortress.

And the Doom Knights from the White Temple also spoke but couldn’t communicate—

“The Heavenly Spear Bearer Mirayel cast [Return].”

Damn, I was thinking.

Whiiish-!

The threatening sound of a pierce came from behind, and I turned, raising my shield to cover my upper body.

Kwaaaaang-!

Ugh, that damn spear.

I could feel my shield breaking a little each time I blocked in real time.

Since it’s a single Numbers weapon with skills applied, it’s just torture.

“Well, at least it only uses one skill, so it’s not too bad.”

For reference, this happens because Mirayel has the ‘Guardian’ trait.

Rift Guardians have fixed patterns.

They repeat the same actions unless you cross certain checkpoints, like losing HP or activating nearby devices.

“If it was just a regular ‘Titanus,’ it wouldn’t even be able to escape like this.”

Still, that doesn’t mean he’s an easy opponent.

The skill he uses in the first phase is not something to underestimate.

“The Heavenly Spear Bearer Mirayel cast [Return].”

[Return].

A very simple throwing skill with no evade check and increased damage.

But it has a very annoying property.

“The Heavenly Spear Bearer Mirayel retrieved the Verdant Spear.”

No matter the distance after throwing, after a certain time the weapon returns to the thrower’s hand.

And...

“Until the battle ends, [Return]’s power slightly increases.”

It’s kind of a stacking skill.

The more this pattern repeats, the stronger it gets.

Because of that...

Kwaaaaaaang-!

Holes were piercing the shield that had blocked the chief’s sword too.

Hah, it’s hard to repair the shield here.

I sighed looking at the battered shield, then quickly checked the situation ahead.

Though I was at the very back, thanks to [Giant Form] I had a vantage point looking down and could easily watch the front.

“Surprisingly, things are going well.”

I didn’t want the formation to collapse or the path-breaking to fail just because I dropped out of the lead.

No, I actually expected this kind of scene.

Yet why did I feel a bit empty?

“Whatever... I’ll just do my part.”

Whether anyone notices or not, it’s a warrior’s duty to silently do their job.

After following behind the main force, taking charge of marking Mirayel’s spear attacks, how much time passed?

“The sea!”

Among the dense giant trees, a cliff appeared, and when I jumped down, the coast I saw when first arriving at this island appeared—

“The Heavenly Spear Bearer Mirayel cast [Return].”

Ah, seriously, doesn’t he ever get tired?

As soon as the spear that pierced my shield disappeared in a flash of light, another flew in.

Thunk-!

But for some reason, this time pain surged from my shoulder.

I thought I blocked it on time with my shield...

“Ah.”

The holes in the shield allowed it to pass through.

“Bjorn!”

“Yandel! Are you okay?”

Misha and Amelia, who were at the front, rushed to me in surprise.

Also, Versil hastily took out a potion to replace the priest who was out of holy power.

But I rejected all their concerns.

“Later. First, we get the ship afloat.”

“Ah...”

Since there was still quite some time before the spear returned, I rushed through the crowd to the coast.

“Uh...”

“Uh huh...”

“Is that... okay?”

The explorers busy breaking through the path looked shocked when they saw me.

Well, it’s strange not to be shocked with a giant barbarian running around with a spear that big stuck in his shoulder.

Shuaaaaah-!

Quickly summoning the ship, I grabbed explorers with my hands while in [Giant Form] and placed them on deck.

After everyone boarded, I returned to original size, got on the ship, and poured magic stones into the magitech propulsion device, setting off.

Just as we started to breathe a little easier with the ship quickly moving away from the island—

“The Heavenly Spear Bearer Mirayel cast [Return].”

Once more, a spear flew and pierced my abdomen.

“Hey, Yandel...!”

“Baron!!”

Ugh, damn...

Clutching my aching belly and bending over, I glared at the figure standing on the coast.

Yeah, I clearly remembered his face...

“See you next time.”

Barbarians never forget their enemies.

Swaaaaaaah-!

The ship sailed through silver waves.

With this many people on board, the deck was cramped, but no one complained.

After all, there was somewhere to sit and rest.

Everyone relaxed contentedly with the current situation. Of course, some explorers had dark shadows on their faces.

“One death...”

During the island escape, one warrior of the Hext clan died.

Phew... it’s always the warrior who dies in moments like this.

As a fellow warrior, I can’t help but feel bitter whenever I hear such news.

“I hate to say it, but it’s a miracle only one died.”

“Yeah, I guess so. What was the name of the dead?”

“Shellianne Emertown.”

As soon as I heard the name, her face came to mind.

Though I hadn’t talked much with her socially, she was a rare female warrior in this field, so she stood out.

She always had a loud cheerful smile.

“The body?”

“We recovered and brought it back.”

“Thank goodness...”

After that conversation, I gathered the explorers and said we should hold a funeral for the deceased.

Everyone was tired and worn out, but no one opposed.

Fwaaaarrrk-!

Of course, funerals held inside a labyrinth, especially on a ship, were simple.

We laid a fireproof cloth, burned the corpse, and put the ashes into an urn.

Kuuuung-! Crash! Crash!

Even while holding the funeral, monsters occasionally fell from the sky.

But the barriers set on the ship stopped them, so they fell into the sea.

Drip drip.

Like raindrops on a window, blood on the barrier formed droplets and ran down.

“Rest in peace.”

“Haha, don’t be too upset. We don’t know when we’ll follow.”

“Tsk, don’t you know your words can come true?”

Like explorers close to death, light jokes came even in the solemn atmosphere.

But no one reprimanded the jokes.

Everyone knew.

Everyone has their own way to endure.

“It’s ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) over. Rest now. And good work, everyone.”

After the funeral, everyone freely rested again.

Mages had to maintain the barriers so they couldn’t rest fully, but it was still better than when we cast barriers on the island.

As soon as the ship reached open sea, we dismantled the magitech propulsion device, modified it, and connected it to a mana circuit.

‘With enough magic stones and fewer monsters falling than expected, we should be able to hold out until the rainy season ends if nothing big happens...’

Could we finally breathe easy?

Leaning against the wall, my mind was complicated.

So I rummaged through the pocket dimension and pulled out a temporary shield.

Naturally, it was a Grade 3 shield, much worse than what I used before.

Back then, I had little funds and really didn’t think I’d need it.

‘But the day really came.’

Wearing a bitter smile, someone approached me.

“Baron.”

It was Muul, leader of the Armin Expedition.

“What is it? Not resting?”

“Sorry to bother you while you rest, but... I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

Though I gave permission, Muul hesitated for a while before speaking.

“Why...?”

“What do you mean?”

“The... Inmyeonjo essence. Why did you give it to me?”

Ah, so that’s why he came.

The answer is simple.

First, Ainard, Amelia, Elwen, and Misha weren’t even candidates.

They all had fixed essences to eat.

Versil, as a mage, couldn’t consume essences.

‘If I had to pick a candidate, it’d be Auyen...’ fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

But honestly, it’s not a good fit for Auyen.

He might contribute in battle by mimicking monsters’ skills using [Disguise], but that’s all.

He’d basically give up the core passive of the Inmyeonjo essence.

So ultimately, I chose Muul.

“You were the best suited to utilize that essence.”

“Is that... all?”

To be honest, no.

The Armin Expedition holds exploration shares.

We pre-paid for Grade 2 essences in advance, so they wouldn’t be able to raise objections later when we collect.

But...

‘No need to say that awkwardly.’

So I just shrugged.

“Yes, that’s all.”

“But! We are still members—”

“Members? We’re already comrades.”

“Co...rades...?”

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”

Muul Armin didn’t reply to my casual answer and silence fell.

“Baron...”

He tried to say something in a muffled voice but shook his head.

“No. I’ll leave now. Rest well.”

I couldn’t tell why, but he looked like he had made a big decision.

The sixth day since the rainy season began.

The voyage after escaping the island was calm.

We fought off monsters climbing onto the ship at all times, and monsters still fell from the sky intermittently.

But it wasn’t anything like the chaos we faced escaping the island.

Anyway, having this calm time gave me space to organize my thoughts and review plans...

“Alright, I’ve decided.”

I took out a pendant I had carefully kept in the pocket dimension, and Misha’s eyes sparkled.

“Uh, Bjorn? That’s...”

“...”

“Are you... planning to give it to me...?”

What is she saying?

If you want to desire, desire properly.

Seeing greed in her eyes, I hurriedly put the pendant back into the pocket dimension.

No.7777 Necklace of Garphas.

It’s time to try this now.