Surviving the Game as a Barbarian
Chapter 534: Rainbow (1)

I was sprinting down the main street from the Elder’s house to the village entrance.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With [Gigantification] active, every step I took created a loud thud, like a construction site, but I didn’t care.

It wasn’t bedtime yet…

[F-Fire…!]

[Get some water!]

…and they were all busy putting out the fire I had started.

No one would complain about a barbarian’s footsteps.

Ah, were they not ‘people’?

As I was pondering the same question I had asked myself countless times…

“…Are you sure about this?”

Bersil, riding on Ainar’s shoulders like a mage’s traditional mount, voiced her concern.

“What do you mean?”

I didn't understand, so she looked back. The fire I had started at the Elder’s house was spreading, smoke engulfing the entire village.

“There are many non-combatants among the villagers…”

She was surprisingly soft-hearted.

She still considered those fish-headed monsters ‘people’.

“So?”

I replied dismissively, and she closed her mouth.

And then…

“Um…”

Misha spoke up.

“Why… did you do that…? It’s not like you, Bjorn…”

Not like me…

It was the second time I had heard that today.

“Right! I’m curious too! What did you see down there?”

Ainar, her curiosity piqued by Misha’s question, also asked. So her Fighting Spirit had decreased, but her curiosity as a barbarian remained?

‘Human corpses.’

That was all I had seen.

The Elder had shown me the corpses and explained how he had obtained them, hoping to clear up my misunderstanding.

So far, so good.

But…

[I’ll overlook your companion’s trespass and your… overreaction. We’ll just let bygones be bygones. What do you say?]

He had offered to forgive Amelia’s intrusion and my attack on Nui.

It was strange.

Just like Hans A, my first one-night stand.

[…Since there were no problems while you were asleep, I won’t say anything.]

Anyway, I had learned my lesson.

If a stranger was being nice to you, it meant they wanted something from you.

And I had learned another lesson from experience.

[Why?! Why did you kill Elisa?! What did we ever do to you…?!]

Elisa, the priestess of Karui.

I had realized something as I smashed her head in.

If you suspected someone, it was always best to hit them first.

But I didn’t feel the need to explain myself.

I could have tried to persuade them with logic, but…

“Tell us. What did you see down there?”

I said,

“It’s nothing.”

Just like I had told the Elder.

One sentence was enough.

“I just felt like it.”

It was a baseless statement.

Misha muttered softly,

“Intuition…”

Intuition.

A calculated decision based on the vast amount of data accumulated in your subconscious through experience.

“Intuition!”

Ainar nodded, as if she understood.

“Oh, then it can’t be helped!”

“Mister’s intuition is always right. It’s saved our lives countless times.”

Erwen chuckled in agreement, and Bersil added,

“There must be a reason… I also felt uneasy about the Elder.”

Wyte Hex and Mul Armin, who had been eavesdropping, also spoke up.

Well, they hadn’t known me for long…

“I’m glad you said that.”

“Baron Yandel’s instincts are legendary.”

…but they seemed to trust my reputation.

And most explorers prioritized results over process…

And they were superstitious.

“They were all acting strange.”

“I feel relieved now. I couldn’t sleep because I was so worried.”

“And besides, you said you had a feeling. It might be a divine revelation. It would be worse to ignore it!”

“Ah… I know. Something bad always happens when I ignore my intuition.”

So they had all felt uneasy.

I hadn’t expected this reaction.

“Let’s go!”

“Burn those monsters! Burn them all!”

Their morale had increased.

My single, baseless statement had erased all their doubts. They seemed to believe that this was the right choice.

Well, I wasn’t so sure myself.

“…They’re amusing.”

I muttered unconsciously.

And Amelia, who had overheard me, said,

“You’re the amusing one, Yandel. You convinced everyone with a single sentence.”

Huh?

That voice…

“You’ve always been like that. You have a way of making people believe that whatever you do is the right thing…”

“Amelia?”

I turned around, and Amelia, who had been unconscious, was staring at me, her eyes open. She was being carried by Auyen.

“If you’re awake, say so. When did you wake up?”

“Just now.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

She jumped off Auyen’s back and started running.

“I think I understand the situation. We’re escaping this village, right?”

“Yes.”

“Haa… you caused all this trouble while I was asleep. Explain. What happened?”

I gave her a brief summary.

“The Elder showed me the basement, and I suspected something, so I hit him and ran away. And then I set the village on fire. He’s probably chasing us right now.”

It contained all the necessary information.

Amelia was speechless for a moment and then sighed.

“…That’s so like you.”

I chuckled.

It was the first time someone had said that to me today.

“Anyway, it’s your turn. What happened to you?”

“I was captured and interrogated after entering the basement. That’s all.”

Hmm, I see…

There wasn’t any additional information.

Well, it wouldn’t have changed much anyway.

“Mister, we’re here!”

The problem started now.

This village, like Noark, was built underground. The only way to reach the island was through the exit…

“What do we do now?”

…but the entrance was blocked by a stone wall.

Only the Elder could open and close it.

Well, officially.

“Move.”

I approached the wall with my hammer, and Bersil, the mage, asked,

“Will that… work?”

Damn it, mages were so bookish.

“You’ll see.”

I swung my hammer with all my might.

「Character has cast [Swing].」

Kwaaang!

The impact created a cloud of dust.

But the wall was intact.

“…….”

“…It’s not working.”

Well, that was embarrassing.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yes.”

There was no such thing as an indestructible object.

Whether it was magic, skills, or brute force…

Everything could be broken.

And if it couldn’t be broken, it just meant you weren’t strong enough.

So, Plan B.

“Erwen!”

Hit it harder.

______________________

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia summons [Dicloe, the Dark Spirit King].」

______________________

Kaboom!

Hundreds of dark orbs slammed into the wall.

But it still held.

So even that wasn’t enough?

‘[Swing] wouldn’t have worked…’

The orbs chipped away at the stone, but the wall regenerated quickly.

It seemed like we needed a single, powerful attack, not sustained damage…

“Erwen.”

I didn’t need to give her a lengthy explanation.

I called her name again, and a bright light started gathering at her arrowhead.

‘[Focused Fire] is the best for single-target damage.’

The only drawback was the long casting time.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

The light intensified with each passing second.

And after a while…

“Yandel.”

“I know.”

I didn’t need her to tell me.

Something was approaching from the direction of the burning village.

It had started as a small dot, but it quickly grew larger, taking on a distinct shape.

‘…He’s not letting us go easily…’

Well, he was later than I had expected, so I wouldn’t complain.

“Battle stations!”

I shouted and charged forward.

I braced myself, my weight on my shield.

And then…

Kwaaang!

Something slammed into my shield.

Whoosh!

Smoke and debris filled the air, as if a bomb had exploded.

And then our ranged attackers unleashed their attacks.

Curses, wind spears, fireballs, arrows, energy blasts…

But none of them hit their target.

Swaaaa—

They disintegrated into light before reaching him. It was similar to Orculus’s leader’s [Silence Edict], but there was a clear difference.

We had been able to use our skills when we fought him earlier.

So…

‘…If it’s not the Tranquility Essence…’

There was only one other skill with a similar effect.

‘Tol-Lafupa.’

[Cosmic Protection], a 1st-grade skill of the 1st-grade monster, Tol-Lafupa.

It nullified all projectile attacks.

And since it was a passive skill, I didn't know which of the Tol-Lafupa's active skills the Elder possessed.

‘…He has a 1st-grade essence…’

I felt a sense of dread, but I ordered the ranged attackers to cease their attacks.

There was no point in wasting MP.

‘…It’ll drain his MP too, though…’

But this wasn’t a battle of attrition. We couldn’t afford to waste time and mana.

Especially not when we had to escape this island.

“You’re late, Elder.”

I decided to talk to him.

It would buy us some time.

“Someone has to clean up your mess.”

Oh, so he was willing to talk.

But he wasn’t planning to give us much time.

“Where are you going in such a hurry? It’s raining outside.”

“It’s too stuffy inside.”

I chuckled, and he said, his voice firm,

“Stop this, for your own good.”

“For my own good?”

“It’s not too late. If you stop now, I’ll forgive you for everything that happened today.”

It was a tempting offer.

But to me, it was just confirmation.

‘I was worried that I might have made the wrong choice…’

But I hadn't.

He was offering to forgive me for attacking him and setting the village on fire?

He wasn’t sane.

If I hadn't decided to escape today, something bad would have definitely happened.

Therefore…

“Can I think about it?”

I pretended to be considering his offer, stalling for time.

But the Elder seemed to have learned his lesson.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Uh…

“…A little?”

“…I’ll give you three seconds to decide.”

“Three is too short. Make it four.”

He ignored me and started counting.

“…Three.”

Well, I had bought us a few seconds.

It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

“Two.”

As he was about to say ‘one’…

Ttadat.

I charged forward.

Erwen still needed time to charge her skill.

And if we were going to fight anyway…

“······!”

…I would observe him.

With the eyes of a veteran gamer who had spent nine years mastering every build in [Dungeon and Stone].

I would see how strong his carefully crafted character was.

And…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

…what his weaknesses were.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!