Surviving the Game as a Barbarian
Chapter 523: Giant Island (2)

Two ships cut through the shimmering silver waves.

Swaaaaaaaaaa.

Our ship led the way, followed by the Armin Exploration Team's vessel.

After much deliberation, we had chosen our destination.

The island where a member of the Hex Clan had posted a plea for help on the community forums.

The reason for choosing this island was simple.

‘Free labor. Why not?’

This was completely different from the Armin Exploration Team situation.

The trapped explorers’ top priority was survival. They would be willing to do anything to return to the city.

‘And we have to explore that island eventually, anyway…’

The first basement floor was a strange place.

The library, the giant tree island… the difficulty kept increasing.

‘We were already encountering 4th-grade monsters on the tree island.’

And we hadn't even reached the halfway point. There might even be 1st-grade monsters further up.

Therefore, we needed more manpower.

We had to clear the end-game content of each island to find clues about escaping this floor.

“Auyen, how long until we reach our destination?”

“About nine hours, Clan Master. Assuming the route they gave us is accurate.”

“I see.”

I spent the remaining time thinking about team composition and formations. Now that we had more members, we needed a new strategy.

Three hours later…

“Mister! The exploration team’s ship! It’s… it’s sinking!”

We had a problem.

______________________

The situation was sudden, but explorers were used to unexpected events.

“Erwen! Report!”

“Something’s pulling their ship down from below!”

“A monster?”

“I don’t know! It looks like a giant hand…”

Erwen looked down from the crow’s nest and shouted,

“It’s huge!”

“Like the giant we saw on the island?”

“Yes!”

What? Was it really that monster?

It was ironic.

We hadn’t been able to find it after the rainy season… and now it had appeared in the middle of the sea?

“Clan Master! It’ll take some time to turn the ship around!”

“Just hurry. And Erwen! Can you provide support?”

“I’ll try!”

Erwen drew her bow.

And…

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Focused Fire].」

The energy at the arrowhead intensified.

But she couldn’t fully charge it.

“Uh…?”

“The ship! It’s flying…!!”

The exploration team’s ship, half-submerged, was lifted into the air.

A giant hand emerged from the water, holding the ship.

It was a surreal sight, but I could guess what was going to happen next.

‘Is it going to… throw the ship…?’

I wasn't sure.

But Erwen, who had witnessed the same scene, released her arrow.

Fwoosh!

The arrow, trailing a jet-like stream of light, flew towards the giant hand.

Kwaaang!

The arrow struck one of the wrists, piercing the flesh.

And…

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!!]

A monstrous roar echoed from beneath the surface.

It was so loud that we could feel the vibrations through the hull of our ship.

The giant hand released the ship.

The exploration team’s ship tilted precariously and then crashed back into the water.

But thankfully…

It didn't sink.

It seemed like they had invested in a sturdy ship.

‘We’ve bought them some time…’

But it wasn’t over yet.

I didn't think the monster would just retreat after being hit by a single arrow.

It would definitely attack again.

“Emily! It’s time to dive!”

“Understood! I’ll prepare everything! Hurry!”

We had planned for this scenario, so there was no need for a lengthy discussion.

I jumped off the deck.

And…

「Character has cast [Transcendence].」

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

I activated [Transcendence] and [Gigantification] just before hitting the water.

Kwaaang!

The impact created a large splash, as if a cannonball had been dropped into the sea.

That's how you dive.

“…….”

I sank rapidly.

Darkness enveloped me, as if I had entered the deep sea.

But it didn’t last long.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

Dozens of glowing orbs, summoned by Bersil, descended into the water, illuminating the area.

It was still dark, but…

‘At least I can see.’

The sea on this floor was different from the normal sea.

It was silver, not blue.

And it wasn’t even water, technically.

My Elemental Barbarian (Water) mode didn’t work here.

It was some kind of liquid with similar properties to water.

「Bersil Gowland has cast the 7th-grade magic [Oxygen Tank].」

Thankfully, the standard diving magic worked here.

Well, it would have been strange if it didn't.

Unlike Erwen’s ‘Underwater Breathing’, this spell focused on providing oxygen.

In the game, you could even use it to counter poison-based attacks—

Thump!

My feet touched the ground.

I had guessed that the water wasn’t that deep, based on the giant’s reach, but it was still shallower than I expected.

Ttadat.

I ran towards the giant figure in the distance.

Hippermachant.

It looked the same as before.

Two arms, two legs.

A long neck and a head on top.

The overall proportions were similar to a human’s…

But its skin was covered in maggots and boils.

And it didn’t have any facial features. Just a giant mouth filled with sharp teeth.

‘So that’s what its head looks like.’

It had been too dark to see clearly before.

‘It’s only up to my thighs, even with Transcendence and Gigantification.’

Was it also using [Gigantification]?

Even so…

Riakis, the Chaos Lord, had walked on all fours, so I hadn’t been able to properly grasp its size. But seeing this giant walking on two legs… it felt surreal.

But…

‘Is it surprised to see a barbarian?’

It seemed to be the case.

It was just standing there, staring at me.

Ttadat.

I charged forward, the ground beneath my feet turning to mud.

And I swung my hammer at its Achilles’ heel.

Thud-!

Damn, it didn’t even flinch, even with [Swing].

It was tougher than I expected, but it didn’t matter.

I had its attention.

[Uwaaaaa—!!]

It had lost interest in the ship and was now focused on me.

It roared and slammed its hand down.

‘It’s fast!’

It would have been difficult to dodge even on land…

But underwater, with my movements slowed down, it was impossible.

I raised my shield.

Kwaaang!

The ground beneath me caved in, and I was buried up to my waist, but I didn’t take much damage. It just felt like my back was about to break.

‘Its strength is average, considering its size.’

Of course, that was based on 2nd-grade monster standards. It was comparable to the Ogre, a 3rd-grade monster known for its powerful physical attacks.

‘The problem is its skills…’

According to the Elder’s book, it had three abilities, including [Gigantification].

But…

‘There must be more…’

Most 3rd-grade monsters had five or six active skills.

And we hadn’t even identified its passive skill yet.

‘I wonder what its passive is…’

I hoped it was something useful for a Shield Barbarian—

「3rd-grade Space-Time magic [Target Designation] cast.」

Kwaaang!

It kicked me, sending me flying upwards.

It wasn’t that high, though.

I was like a sandbag.

Thump.

I landed gently.

And then I received support from above.

「Bersil Gowland has cast the 4th-grade Detection magic [Soul Outline].」

[Soul Outline].

A useful spell for underwater combat, especially on the 6th floor.

It allowed you to see the outlines of creatures hidden underwater.

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!]

The giant, its body glowing with various colors, was clearly visible.

As soon as the target was identified, a barrage of ranged attacks rained down from above.

「Charlotte Amblot has cast the 4th-grade Attack magic [Spiral Drill].」

「Mul Armin has cast [Eternal Weakness].」

「Garton Cultner has cast [Catapult]…」

「….」

Most of the skills were unfamiliar to me, so they must have been from the Armin Exploration Team…

‘Well, we’re lacking in ranged attackers.’

Only Erwen and Bersil could attack from a distance.

The rest of us were melee fighters.

It was something we had to improve.

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!]

The giant roared in pain as the attacks rained down on it.

I gulped nervously.

I hadn’t had a chance to practice with the Armin Exploration Team yet, and I hadn’t expected to be fighting underwater.

But…

‘I have to try.’

I steeled my resolve and prepared for battle…

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa—!!]

…when the giant, which towered over me…

…started running.

“……?”

I stared at it, dumbfounded.

Thump, thump, thump!

It was running away from me.

______________________

‘…It… ran away…?’

At first, I thought it was some kind of skill animation.

But it didn’t come back.

‘…What the…?’

I didn't understand.

With my current Threat level, even a 2nd-grade monster wouldn’t be able to break aggro.

Of course, some monsters, like goblins, would run away if their HP was low…

‘But I didn’t even attack it properly…’

What was its deal?

It was huge, but it was a coward?

Ever since I arrived on the first basement floor, I had encountered countless phenomena that defied my understanding of the labyrinth.

‘…Let’s go back up.’

I wrapped the exploration rope, a special item provided by the ship, around my body and tugged on it three times.

My teammates started pulling me up.

I reached the surface.

“Mister! Are you okay?!”

Erwen rushed towards me as I dried myself with the towel Amelia had given me.

“I’m fine. I’m not injured.”

“That was… a strange monster…”

“We’ll talk about it later. What about them? How are they doing?”

“Um… we didn’t have time to ask…”

Our ship wasn’t that far from theirs, so I just deactivated [Gigantification] and jumped over.

“B-Baron?! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine. You?”

“We’re all safe. But… our ship… it’s badly damaged. We won’t be able to sail until it’s repaired.”

“You can come with us.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

We took the Armin Exploration Team members on board and continued our voyage.

Our ship was classified as a medium-sized vessel, but it still felt cramped with twenty-seven people on board.

‘…What if we have even more members later…?’

We would need more ships.

As I was thinking that, Mul Armin approached me and bowed.

“Thank you, Baron. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we had been alone… I don’t even want to think about it.”

It seemed like the incident had changed his mind.

“Haha, don’t mention it. We’re comrades.”

I chuckled and thought to myself,

‘I could probably lower their share even further now…’

Hmm, but I would wait and see.

I would bring it up later—

“Mister!! G-Giants! There are giants coming this way!!”

“…Huh?”

I rushed to the deck after hearing Erwen’s shout from the crow’s nest. I didn’t even have to activate [Gigantification] to see them.

They were rapidly approaching, their giant, fish-like heads bobbing above the surface.

‘What the… are they Gyarados?’

I started counting.

One, two, three, four, five, six…

Seven.

And one of them was the one that had run away from me earlier. It was glowing with [Soul Outline].

‘Did it go get its friends?’

So it was a social creature.

I quickly collected myself and shouted,

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!]

“Auyen! Overload the engine with magic stones!”

We had to escape. Now.

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