Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 404: Dilemma (1)

Chapter 404: Dilemma (1)

The yellow light from the Traffic Light Ring meant only one thing.

Something bad was going to happen, but if we overcame it, it would lead to a positive outcome.

'Could there be another traitor?'

That was my first thought.

Pike Neldain hadn't mentioned any accomplices during the interrogation, but there could be another spy from a different faction.

Maybe we would encounter a negative event if we didn't catch him, and a positive one if we did.

'...Or maybe the ring isn't reacting to a traitor.'

I was the leader, responsible for the lives of thirty people, so I had to consider the worst-case scenario... but I couldn't dwell on it.

Nothing was certain yet.

?Character has entered a special area.?

?Field Effect - Eye of the Glacier applied.?

The day after the execution, we packed up camp and entered a deep chasm that seemed to lead to the Earth's core.

It was a giant cylindrical field.

We descended a spiral path along the outer wall, like a staircase carved into the ice.

It was the final gateway to the 8th floor, and the difficulty was significant.

The monsters themselves weren't much stronger than the ones we had encountered before...

But the field effects were brutal.

?Status Effect [Whisper of Immortality] applied.?

The vicious curse that resurrected you as an undead upon death, forcing you to attack your former companions.

?Status Effect [Opportunity Denied] applied.?

The 'countdown', also known as the golden time, was removed.

And...

?All healing and regeneration effects are reversed.?

This was the worst part.

'...Reversed regeneration? What am I supposed to do?'

Any wounds we received wouldn't heal.

They would fester and worsen.

And the faster your natural regeneration, the faster the decay.

It was a tank's graveyard.

'How many shield barbarians have I lost here...'

I didn't even want to think about it.

It must have been hundreds.

Until I finally figured out the solution.

"This place is even creepier than before."

"Erwen, stop chatting and focus on your surroundings. The monsters will be here soon. I told you—"

"To be careful not to get hurt? Hehe, I know."

"..."

The passage was narrow, so the expedition force was divided into teams, following each other like a train.

Ranged attackers were crucial in this area.

Almost 90% of the monsters here could fly.

"Gargoyles...!"

Not the 'Gargoyle Statue', the 8th-grade monster we encountered in the Crimson Fortress, but real gargoyles.

"Death Knights!"

Death Knights riding gargoyles, wielding spears.

[Keeeheeheeheehee!]

Banshee Queens screeching and casting debuffs from the air, along with various spectral undead monsters.

It was a nightmare for melee attackers, but they were all intercepted and turned into light before they could reach us.

?James Kala has cast [Piercing Light].?

?Titana Akuraba has used [No. 1911 Paveler's Broken Pocket Watch].?

?Cooldown for all skills is removed for 5 minutes.?

?Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Elemental Fusion].?

Archers, ability users, mages...

The expedition force had a lot of ranged attackers, and with four paladins, we had more than enough firepower.

?Niaro Cambel has cast [Healing Wave].?

?Benjamin Orman has cast [Emergency Regeneration]...?

?...?

Divine spells dealt 1.5 times damage to undead.

Not all the monsters were undead, but it wasn't a big deal.

We could still kill them.

?All healing and regeneration effects are reversed.?

We couldn't heal our allies anyway, so the paladins were basically ranged attackers in this area.

?Gargoyle defeated. EXP +6?

?Ghost Horse defeated. EXP +4?

?White Wyvern defeated. EXP +6?

?Blue Flame Bird defeated...?

?...?

Monsters melted away under the barrage of high-level healing and AoE divine spells.

The melee attackers focused on defense, blocking the monsters that tried to climb the walls.

And...

"Combat over!"

"10-minute break, then we move again!"

We cleared each wave of monsters and quickly descended further into the chasm.

After several hours and countless battles, we finally reached the first checkpoint.

The narrow path ended,

And a wide ledge jutted out from the cliff.

And...

"This is insane. We have to fight them without getting hurt?"

Hundreds of monsters were swarming the ledge.

It couldn't be helped, this was the spawning area for the Eye of the Glacier.

"Stop complaining. You had your rest, now it's our turn to work."

The ranged attackers had done their part in the narrow passage.

Now it was time for the melee attackers to shine.

"Get into formation!"

"Focus! Unless you want to spend the next week with a rotting arm!"

We formed a single line, with the warriors at the front, their shields forming a wall.

And...

"Let's go!"

We pushed forward, clearing a path through the horde.

And then the chaos began.

The warriors held the line, risking their lives, while the ranged attackers unleashed their firepower from behind.

Our overwhelming strength made the battle relatively easy.

But even so...

"Damn it, my arm...! Aaaaaargh!!"

There were casualties.

__________________

Four explorers were injured.

Three of them had minor injuries, just scratches and bruises. They wouldn't die.

We would reach the 8th floor in six days.

Even if their wounds festered, they could endure until we reached a safe zone where they could be healed.

The problem was the other one.

"A-am I... going to die...?"

Rick Jugsta.

He was a melee attacker on James Kala's team, filling the vacancy left by Pike Neldain.

He was clutching his mangled thigh, his bone protruding from the wound.

James Kala stood next to him, his face pale with worry.

"Don't be ridiculous! You'll be fine!"

They were old friends.

"Schuitz! We have to turn back!"

"Why?"

"Why? What do you mean? He won't survive until we reach the 8th floor!"

His desperate plea made me chuckle.

Would he have reacted this way if it were someone else?

I doubted it.

He would have been more rational, like Akuraba.

"We spent the entire day descending. It will take two days to go back up and down again."

Two days wasted to save one person.

Well, that wasn't a problem in itself.

But...

"Kala, we only have enough food for five more days. Even now, we'll have to starve for the last day."

As Kaislan said, it wasn't just time we were sacrificing.

It was lives.

They could endure one day without food, but not three.

"And it's all thanks to the traitor on your team."

Is he really a paladin?

He's surprisingly good at sarcasm.

"Enough about the traitor. Just answer me this. Did you really think this expedition would be without casualties?"

James Kala remained silent.

Kaislan continued, his voice cold and sharp.

"And what are you going to do if there are more injuries? Are we going to turn back every time?"

James Kala couldn't answer.

He just gritted his teeth in frustration.

Reality was harsh.

"How about we send him to God's embrace? I can help if you find it difficult."

Jun's suggestion was practically euthanasia.

James Kala, his body trembling, looked at me and asked,

"Schuitz... do you agree...?"

I didn't answer.

"Kaislan is right."

It was always like this in extreme situations.

There would be a time when you had to make a choice and sacrifice something.

But...

"I understand. I'll do it."

What?

"It's not time for that yet."

I couldn't let a precious teammate die.

Well, he could die during the expedition...

But not here.

"...Yes?"

James Kala looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, and I shrugged.

"We're not going back, and we're not abandoning him here."

The team leaders all looked at me with the same expression.

'What is he talking about?'

They couldn't understand.

"We're going down."

It was time to use the exploit.

__________________

The 'Eye of the Glacier' was my least favorite field.

At least until I discovered the exploit.

?All healing and regeneration effects are reversed.?

A week-long journey with this insane penalty.

It meant only one thing in this game.

There had to be a way to overcome it.

I experimented countless times and finally found the solution.

It was surprisingly simple.

"Distortion magic... you're talking about that?"

"Yes. From now on, we'll use distortion magic on all the monsters we encounter."

"The mages are already exhausted from maintaining the 'Preservation' spell. Why are you adding to their burden?"

Because 'Distortion' was the key to this exploit.

Monsters affected by Distortion didn't drop magic stones or essences, but there was a chance for their bodies to be preserved upon death.

Wyvern leather.

Adamantium.

Troll blood, the main ingredient for potions.

These were just a few examples of the valuable byproducts obtained through Distortion.

And...

'All the monsters in the Eye of the Glacier also appear on other floors.'

That's why it took me so long to figure out the solution.

'Use Distortion to obtain byproducts in a place where we can't even use our subspace pockets?'

It seemed incredibly inefficient.

We could hunt those monsters much more easily on other floors.

Well, this damn game always had a hidden solution for seemingly illogical actions.

"...I can't believe there's a way to heal injuries with this."

I briefly explained the exploit, and everyone was amazed.

No one questioned it.

"The Marquis's information network is impressive. Or maybe it's the royal family's hidden power. To know about this 'arrangement' that even a seasoned explorer like me is unaware of."

They thought the exploit came from another source, just like when I used the Barbarian Detective Mode to catch the traitor and they assumed there was another strategist on my team.

'Maybe it's better if they misunderstand...'

Yes, it's better this way.

There's no benefit to showing off.

Humility is a virtue.

"That's enough for today. We'll set up camp here and depart again tomorrow morning."

We decided to stay on the ledge for the night, believing that James Kala's friend could endure for another two days.

And the next morning, we resumed our journey.

?Liard Ashid has cast the 6th-grade space-time magic [Greater Distortion].?

?Mckelly Leyaders has cast the 6th-grade space-time magic [Greater Distortion].?

?Bersil Gowland has cast the 6th-grade space-time magic [Greater Distortion]...?

We spammed [Greater Distortion], which had a 1.5 times higher success rate than regular Distortion, and by afternoon, we were lucky enough to obtain a preserved corpse.

"Schuitz! Is this what you were talking about?"

James Kala rushed over and found a bead inside the corpse.

I quickly fed it to the injured explorer before it melted.

?Rick Jugsta has consumed the 'Frozen Trace of Life'.?

Okay, one person revived.

"Um... what are we going to do with the rest?"

We decided to abandon the other byproducts.

They were valuable, but we couldn't carry any more weight.

It was better to just leave them behind—

Rumble.

My stomach growled.

'...It's meat, even if it's a bit rotten.'

It seemed like a good idea, so I ran over to Amelia and shared my plan.

"Emily! I found a way to solve our food problem!"

"What are you talking about now...?"

"This time, it's not a joke! It's real!"

"Ha, just tell me."

"...So..."

I explained my food supply plan to Amelia.

And...

Slap—!

She slapped me on the back.

'...Was that really that bad of an idea?'

Damn it, I thought it was a good idea.