Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 409, 410, 411
C409, 410, 411
Chapter 409: Dilemma (6)
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Luring the Dragonslayer and his men out of their base was easy.
There’s a saying that the most dangerous enemy is the one inside your own ranks.
We had ‘Enlightened’, the Noark explorer who had been converted by Jun, send a false message to the Dragonslayer, and he took the bait immediately.
[…You’re saying there’s a group of thirty explorers from the royal faction?]
«Yes! They must have crossed Ice Rock!»
[You said you were following them, right? Stay put. I’ll be there soon.]
«Yes, sir!»
He fell for it again.
He was a naive one, in a way.
Back in Lalkas’s Maze, if he hadn’t given up on ‘Tempered Desire’ and given me time to recover, he wouldn’t have lost his sword.
«Alright, let’s move.»
After luring the Dragonslayer away, we headed south, towards the Dragon’s Lair.
We didn’t have to worry about running into them.
We had Enlightened.
[What’s your current location?]
«We’re in the western region of the Dragon’s Lair.»
[Still heading west. Are you going to Ironfalls?]
«It seems like they are, sir!»
[Alright. We’re heading that way too. Let me know if they change direction.]
«Yes, sir!»
By the time the Dragonslayer reached Ironfalls, we would be at his base.
Even if he received the message and turned back immediately, we would be long gone.
«Enemies ahead.»
«Halt. We’ll wait for them to pass.»
After two days of forced marches and minimal combat, we arrived at a vast plain.
Our vision was limited by the darkness…
But that wasn’t important.
«Finally, the Gray Plains.»
The Gray Plains.
The central region of the Dark Continent, located between the Dragon’s Mountain Range and the Dragon’s Lair.
And…
The location of Noark’s base.
«It’s surprisingly deserted. I expected more activity around their base.»
«It means the main force is doing a good job distracting them.»
Our mission was a diversionary tactic.
The royal forces had entered the Dark Continent through the Ghostly Canyon and were engaging Noark’s main force near the Dragon’s Mountain Range.
Our role was to strike from behind while they were distracted.
«We’ll slow down from here and move stealthily.»
«I’ll have the scouts spread out. We need to detect them early.»
«Alright, I’ll leave the details to you.»
We moved cautiously through the Gray Plains, but couldn’t avoid all combat.
The labyrinth was full of monsters.
Even if we avoided the explorers, we couldn’t avoid the monsters.
「Void Ant defeated. EXP +4.」
「Dark Crystal defeated. EXP +6.」
「Minum defeated. EXP +5.」
「Hell Ghoul defeated. EXP +4.」
「Zambet defeated…」
「…」
Monsters emerged from cracks in the barren ground.
There were even 3rd-grade monsters among them.
«Vol-Herchan!»
It was the monster I needed for my final build.
But the battle was easy.
«What are you all waiting for? Spread out!»
«Warriors, focus on defense! The mages will finish them off!»
We had fought three 3rd-grade monsters at once in Ice Rock.
And we were well-fed.
Boom!
The Vol-Herchan, known for its high defense, put up a good fight… but it eventually fell and turned to light.
「Vol-Herchan defeated. EXP +7.」
It didn’t drop an essence, but I wasn’t disappointed.
I already had one.
‘It’s ironic.’
I never imagined I would get the essence before killing it for the first time.
The order of things was different in reality.
‘The snowball effect from absorbing the Ogre essence in the early game?’
That thought crossed my mind, but the true starting point was the Corpse Golem essence.
If I hadn’t absorbed it, I wouldn’t have been able to kill Vampire Duke Cambormier.
«Schuitz, the scouts found their base.»
We had been marching for about a day through the Gray Plains when we finally received a report.
A giant tower, guarded by about a hundred explorers.
It was definitely their base.
But there was one problem.
«…They’re outnumbered.»
«It seems the Dragonslayer took more troops with him than we expected.»
«I see… We’ll gather information first.»
«I’ll send out the scouts again.»
«What about the others?»
«Tell them to rest and prepare for battle.»
«What about Purge Evil?»
«Don’t activate it. They might detect us. We can’t risk losing everything for a minor advantage. If we encounter monsters, eliminate them quietly.»
«Yes, sir.»
I sent the scouts, who had stealth skills, to gather information. The rest of us hid in a crevice and rested.
I needed a break too.
«You look tired.»
Amelia approached me and handed me a piece of jerky.
We had plenty of food now.
Crunch, crunch.
I munched on the jerky, and Amelia said something ominous.
«Schuitz, this is going too smoothly.»
«Damn it…»
She had to say that, didn’t she?
I had been trying not to jinx it…
«…?»
«I wasn’t talking to you. What’s wrong? Did you find something suspicious?»
«Not really, but…»
Amelia trailed off.
It didn’t seem like she had any concrete evidence.
«Don’t worry. It’s not going too smoothly. We just prepared well.»
«Prepared well?»
«We went through hell in Ice Rock, didn’t we? And we even had a traitor among us.»
«That’s… true. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.»
She apologized, but it was too late.
I was already worried.
‘A hundred…’
We could probably handle it.
The scouts said there weren’t many notable explorers among them.
‘And they’re not expecting an attack from behind.’
Noark’s main force was busy preventing the royal forces from crossing the Dragon’s Mountain Range.
They had left a reserve force at the base, led by the Dragonslayer…
‘But he’s out on a mission.’
It was the perfect opportunity.
‘And there’s no Hans around.’
The only variable was the information the scouts might bring.
«Schuitz, the scouts are back.»
«What did they find?»
«No one within a 5-kilometer radius.»
There were no unexpected variables.
I had been worried it might be a trap…
But I shook off my anxiety.
«Tell the scouts they did a good job. Let them rest. Well, it won’t be for long.»
«…Are we attacking?»
«Yes. It’s time to get ready.»
It was time to end this long expedition.
_______________________
I stood in the darkness of the barren plain.
I couldn’t see it, but I could sense it.
Noark’s base, hidden in the darkness.
«…»
I waited patiently, my body tense with anticipation.
The expedition force was ready to attack.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
We heard a deafening roar coming from the darkness.
Any experienced explorer would recognize it.
The footsteps of a large monster.
«M-monsters!»
«Everyone out!»
The silence was shattered.
I could imagine their expressions.
«What the hell?! How many are there?!»
Panic.
«Damn it, this is bad luck! Get your weapons ready!»
Frustration.
«Why are they all coming this way?»
And confusion.
One of them figured it out.
«It’s an ambush! Someone’s luring them here!»
Noark explorers were known for their resourcefulness.
He was quick to catch on.
«What?!»
«An ambush…?»
«Damn it! Could it be them? The ones Regal Vagos mentioned?»
«Call for backup! Now!»
It was too late.
«Kaislan.»
I called his name, and he raised the royal flag.
«Fire!»
The mages, archers, and ability users unleashed their attacks.
Kaboom!
The enemy formation was shattered.
The monsters, sensing the weakness, charged through the gap.
«Damn it! Where are they?!»
«Aaaaargh!»
«Block them!»
They tried to regroup, but we didn’t give them a chance.
«Kaislan, again!»
We bombarded them with ranged attacks, and they finally located us.
But…
«There they are!»
«They’re over there!»
It was too late.
Kaboom!
Boom!
Whiiiiiish!
We continued our barrage.
Buzz!
My message stone vibrated.
I knew who it was.
He was the only one who had been contacting me.
Click.
I answered the call.
[Where the hell are you?!]
He roared.
He must have received my last report, about our location.
[I’m at the spot you mentioned, but there’s no one there! And I’m receiving reports of a battle near the Sky Eye!]
Sky Eye was the name of the mana wave emitter.
‘So they’ve already attacked it.’
I understood why the royal family was so obsessed with destroying it. It had caused them significant losses.
[Are you ignoring me?! Answer me! Where are you?!]
I decided to be honest.
«Your backyard.»
A little psychological warfare never hurt.
I waited for his reaction, but he was silent.
Then he spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.
[…Who are you?]
What the…?
«You’ll find out if you come here.»
[…This was your plan all along.]
«Of course. It’s obvious, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m busy, so I’ll see you later. Enjoy the view while you’re there.»
[You won’t die peacefully. I’ll make sure of that.]
He threatened me, but I ignored him.
He had already used that line before.
«Yeah, good luck with that.»
[What? You think this is a joke? You think I won’t—]
I ended the call.
It was time for the next chapter.
Akuraba reported.
«Schuitz, we’ve cleared most of the monsters!»
The enemy had finished dealing with the monsters.
It was our cue.
«Charge formation!»
«Warriors, forward…!»
We stormed the battlefield, our veteran warriors leading the charge.
«Charge!»
«Wipe them out!»
The enemy tried to block us with a shield wall… but it was futile.
«Ugh!»
Our warriors broke through their lines, and we poured into their formation.
They were overwhelmed.
«They’re heading for the Sky Eye!»
«Stop them!»
They realized our target and tried to stop us, but it was too late.
«Kaislan, again!»
We bombarded them with ranged attacks while our warriors held them off.
«Halt!»
We reached the Sky Eye.
We formed a defensive circle around it, protecting it from the enemy’s desperate attacks.
But…
«Schuitz! Over here!»
«Hurry! We have a problem!»
Akuraba called for me.
What? A problem?
«Gregson, take over.»
«Yes, sir!»
I left my position and rushed to the back.
Akuraba was standing awkwardly in front of the Sky Eye.
«What’s wrong?»
«I-I’ve tried everything, but I can’t contact the main force!»
This is bad.
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Chapter 410: Dilemma (7)
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Once, twice, three times, four times.
With each attempt to contact the main force, a sense of dread washed over me.
But there was nothing else I could do.
«Try again.»
«Yes, sir…»
We could only keep trying.
But no matter how many times we tried, we couldn’t reach them.
‘…What’s going on?’
Our original plan was simple.
1. Infiltrate and attack Noark’s base.
2. Contact the main force at the Dragon’s Mountain Range using the Sky Eye.
3. Destroy the target and escape, rendezvousing with the main force.
The main force would create a breach in the enemy lines and meet us at the rendezvous point. They would then escort us back to safety.
But…
«It’s not working.»
We couldn’t contact the main force.
‘Did they abandon us?’
That thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
Would they really abandon a force this large?
It didn’t make sense.
Something must have happened to them.
And even if they had abandoned us, there was only one thing I could do.
Survive.
«Leader! How long do we have to hold out?!»
«Priest Cambel says he’s at his limit!»
Time was running out.
We had to make a decision.
What was the best course of action for our survival?
I made my decision.
It might not be the best choice…
But it was the only one I could think of.
«Akuraba.»
«Yes, sir.»
«Remove the communication coordinates.»
We had been trying to contact the main force at their designated frequency.
But…
«Sir? That means our messages will be broadcast across the entire continent…»
«That’s what I want.»
There was no point in leaving unanswered calls.
«…I understand.»
Akuraba hesitated, but eventually agreed.
And…
«It’s done. I’ve set the bandwidth to maximum.»
She handed me the message stone.
Click.
I pressed the button.
I was a bit nervous.
This was like broadcasting on a radio.
Anyone with a message stone, friend or foe, would hear our message.
But…
«Listen up.»
[Listen up.]
The message echoed from every active message stone in the vicinity.
It was the main force’s fault.
They weren’t answering our calls.
What else could I do?
«The Sky Eye is destroyed.»
[The Sky Eye is destroyed.]
I had to force them to listen.
_______________________
A barren plain, shrouded in a gloomy haze.
And…
«…»
The shattered remains of the Sky Eye.
Swoosh.
A man removed his robe, revealing his disfigured face.
His skin was scarred and blistered, as if it had been burned by acid.
«…What happened here?»
The man’s gaze swept across the area, and those who met his eyes quickly looked away.
«You.»
He grabbed the nearest explorer by the throat.
«G-g-guh! P-please spare me! Regal Vagos, sir!»
«If you want to live, tell me what happened.»
«I-I’ll tell you everything! Everything!»
The explorer’s desperate plea made Regal Vagos loosen his grip.
He had to hear his story before punishing him.
[I repeat, the Sky Eye is destroyed.]
[We’re heading to the rendezvous point.]
The message stone went silent.
He had rushed back with his troops after receiving the message, but he still didn’t know what had happened.
So…
«So you’re telling me… they attacked, destroyed the Sky Eye, and escaped with mass teleportation, and you just stood there and watched?»
He felt a surge of anger.
«Th-they… they outnumbered us… Regal Vagos, sir… you took most of our troops…»
«Are you blaming me?»
«N-no, sir! I-I just meant… they ambushed us with monsters…! W-we were overwhelmed…!»
«…Useless fool.»
Regal Vagos tightened his grip, and the terrified explorer blurted out a name.
«T-Titana Akuraba!»
«Titana Akuraba…?»
He knew that name.
She was one of the most famous explorers of his generation.
«That old woman was there…?»
«N-not just her! J-James Kala, the Golden Mage! K-Kaislan! There were too many famous explorers! Please have mercy…!»
The explorer begged for his life, his voice trembling, and a man approached them.
«Vagos, calm down. They did their best.»
Cale Elbad Jeneger.
He was Regal Vagos’s advisor.
When they received the news about the royal expedition infiltrating through Ice Rock, he had advised caution and suggested they defend their base.
That’s why…
Regal Vagos felt a pang of regret, but also a surge of defiance.
«Cale, stay out of this. I’m just disciplining them.»
«Then why him? Everyone is responsible for failing to protect the base. It’s unfair.»
«Then I’ll punish them all.»
The other explorers flinched, and Cale sighed, playing his trump card.
«…The Captain won’t be happy.»
The leader of Orculus.
The Traitor, Ricardo Liuhen Praha.
«You bastard…!»
Regal Vagos grabbed Cale’s collar, but that was all.
He couldn’t ignore that name.
«The Captain will be back soon. He’ll want to know what happened. We should wait for his orders.»
«…Tsk.»
Regal Vagos calmed down.
He had already disobeyed the Captain’s orders by leaving the base.
He didn’t want to cause any more trouble.
But…
«The Blood Spirit Marquis’s man? Lihen Schuitz?»
«Y-yes! I’m sure! He was the expedition leader! I heard them call him Schuitz! And… he used [Gigantification]!»
Regal Vagos flinched as he investigated the one who had tricked him.
[Gigantification]…
He felt a strange sense of familiarity.
«Cale!»
«Yes, sir?»
«Bring me the message stone.»
Cale obeyed without hesitation.
Regal Vagos snatched the stone from him.
And…
Click.
He played the recording.
[Your backyard.]
[You’ll find out if you come here.]
[Yeah, good luck with that.]
The familiar voice that made his blood boil.
He replayed the recording over and over.
Click, click, click.
And then he chuckled.
«…No wonder it sounded familiar.»
He finally remembered.
[I repeat, the Sky Eye is destroyed.]
[We’re heading to the rendezvous point.]
The enemy he had forgotten for over three years, thanks to Amelia Rainwales’ betrayal.
The thief who had stolen his precious sword.
He thought he was dead.
«So you’re alive.»
The royal family must have known.
Or they wouldn’t have appointed him as the expedition leader.
«Bjorn Yandel.»
He muttered the name, his voice filled with anger.
«Cale! Gather the troops! We’re going after them!»
«But the Captain isn’t back yet—»
«I’ll take responsibility.»
It was time for a rematch.
_______________________
Deadwood.
A field located in the western region of the Dragon’s Mountain Range.
It was firmly under Noark’s control, and the royal forces had never breached its defenses.
And…
Our rendezvous point.
«…»
We waited in silence.
We believed that the main force would come for us.
«…»
We hid among the branches of giant, withered trees, our hearts filled with anxiety.
It had been three days.
«They should have arrived yesterday if they left immediately after receiving our message.»
«Why… why aren’t they coming?!»
«Kaislan, keep your voice down! We can’t use the voice control magic anymore.»
We had been encouraging each other, hoping for a swift rescue… but the mood was starting to turn sour.
It was understandable.
That morning, we had our first casualty.
‘Philip Aintropy.’
He was an explorer on Melend Kaislan’s team.
A navigator.
He had specialized in navigation skills like [Current Control], [Weight Reduction], and [Over Supply].
He had died during a battle that morning.
We had enough mana to maintain the stealth magic… but the mages were exhausted.
The spell had momentarily deactivated.
Noark explorers, who were searching the area, had spotted us.
We had been forced to fight, and Philip had been killed instantly. His skull had been crushed.
And now…
«Schuitz, this place isn’t safe anymore.»
The team members were panicking.
They knew that Noark would eventually realize that one of their members was missing.
They would intensify their search.
We had already noticed an increase in enemy patrols.
«We have to make a decision.»
«Wait, what do you mean? A decision?»
«We can’t stay here forever. If the rescue team isn’t coming, we have to leave.»
«…What?! Are you saying the royal family abandoned us?!»
«I didn’t say that. But… they’re not responding to our messages… If something happened to them, we have to adapt.»
«That makes sense, but I disagree. We’re exhausted. How far can we go in this state? We’ll be wiped out if they find us.»
«So you’re saying we should just wait here? For how long? The mages’ mana will run out in two days! We’ll be wiped out then!»
The team was divided.
‘Damn it…’
I sighed inwardly.
I already knew.
We had to make a choice.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
We had three options.
First, stay here and wait.
The best-case scenario was a swift rescue.
But the worst-case scenario…
‘We’ll die here.’
Second, break through to the royal faction’s territory.
Deadwood was less important than the Dragon’s Mountain Range, so the enemy defenses would be weaker.
That’s why we had chosen it as the rendezvous point.
It wasn’t a completely impossible plan.
But…
‘We’re outnumbered.’
Even if 10% of us survived, it would be a miracle.
And the worst-case scenario would be the same as the first option.
‘Should we go somewhere else?’
The third option was a waiting game.
Just like their base was empty while the main force was at the front lines… there might be a safe haven somewhere else in the Dark Continent.
‘We destroyed the Sky Eye, so they won’t know our exact location.’
But it was the riskiest option.
We would be exposed to countless variables for a longer period of time.
Even if everything went perfectly, there would be casualties.
‘We’re all dead if it goes wrong, no matter what we choose.’
I couldn’t help but laugh.
If we were all going to die anyway…
Shouldn’t we choose the option with the best chance of a good outcome?
The royal family was responsible for this.
They should take responsibility.
«…What?! No! We can’t just give up! The main force will come for us…!»
I ignored Kaislan’s protest and spoke.
Even if I wasn’t sure about the choice.
«Get ready. We’re leaving.»
«You’re not waiting for the main force?»
«Yes. We’ve waited long enough.»
I looked at Kaislan and smiled.
«Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility.»
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