Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 459
C459: Raid(4)
As soon as I lifted the hammer, I pulled Dagger Boy by linking [Transcendence] and [Eye of the Storm].
Swiish!
It was effective, as his scrawny, anchovy-like body was yanked in without resistance.
“…!”
I stretched my hand and firmly gripped his fragile neck.
Right then, Amelia called out to me.
“Jandel.”
Her voice was thick with worry.
If she actually thought I was going to kill him for real, that’s a bit disappointing.
I’m not going to crush his skull just for something like this.
I’m not a barbarian.
Crunch.
This was merely a performance.
One with a bit of emotion in it.
“Mister, they’re almost here.”
Sure enough, the moment I grabbed this guy by the neck, explorers appeared from the distance, and it took them only a moment to reach me.
“…What are you doing?! Baron Yandel!”
They already knew my name.]
Not that surprising, really.
They’d probably been overhearing our conversation with something like a message stone.
“Guh…!”
I tightened my grip, and the dagger boy struggled even harder.
“Release him immediately!”
“And why should I?”
“No matter if you’re a noble, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed! Trying to harm an innocent explorer for no reason—do you really think this will be tolerated?”
His words were nonsensical.
First off, someone who summons a Floor Lord without permission has no right to preach to me.
Second…
“Why’s he innocent?”
I spoke clearly so all could hear.
“This man is a traitor. He dared to threaten and insult a noble of Raphdonia without a shred of fear!”
“W-What twisted logic is that? When did he ever—”
“What was that? Are you insulting me too now?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”
While we were talking, the dagger boy kept thrashing around.
“Guh, mmph… argh…!”
He’s got some endurance, I’ll give him that.
At this point, he might have drawn his dagger and swung at me.
‘He knows it’ll only make things worse.’
“H-How about letting him go first? Clearly there’s some misunderstanding, and if we talk things out—”
Since it didn’t seem like he would attack me any further, I threw him towards his companions.
“Vice captain, are you alright?”
Ah… so he was the vice captain.
He had been promoted after James Kala was dismissed.
‘No wonder he lasted till the end.’
I don’t think he’s going to attack me if I push him further, so I throw him towards his companions.
“Vice captain, are you alright?”
Ah… so he is the new vice captain.
He must’ve been promoted after James Carla was dismissed.
…No wonder he held out till the end.
I can respect his sense of responsibility for his clan, but that doesn’t mean I like him or the Gearfang Clan any better.
“So, tell me, then. What part of this was a misunderstanding?”
The man who’d been telling me to let go started to speak, but the dagger-boy held up a hand to stop him and stood up.
Then…
“I sincerely apologize for disturbing Baron Jandel’s mood. Please, we beg for your forgiveness.”
He offered an apology without a hint of excuse.
“It was clearly my mistake to have mentioned Count Alminas.”
He was shockingly quick on the uptake.
It was as if he knew exactly how to step around every land mine I’d laid down.
“If punishment is due, I will gladly accept it once we return to the city.”
In that case, going on about it any further would be awkward for me.
He neither cursed nor directly threatened me, and technically ; it was all said indirectly.
I didn’t have enough grounds to request an official sentence from ‘Mozlan.’
And once we’re back in the city, Count Alminas’s influence could come into play.
By that point, I could be the one looked down upon for trying to intimidate him over something trivial.
So…
“Then do you still feel the same way you did before?”
I held off on accepting his apology, asking again.
After all, I wasn’t looking for an apology or punishment in the first place.
“I, too, as an explorer, wish to ‘contribute’ so we can resolve this incident as quickly as possible.”
“…I see.”
“Do you still intend to block me?”
The dagger boy seemed to pause, organizing his thoughts, then he spoke.
“Forgive my impertinence, but what do you plan to do once the incident is resolved?”
Basically, he was asking about the distribution of the loot.
“Aren’t we all explorers here? We’ll roll dice fairly, of course.”
“…Is that so?”
Dagger Boy sighed and cleared his throat before answering.
“If that’s the case, we will withdraw.”
“…What?”
“There’s a saying, ‘A mismatched team is scarier than an enemy’. And we can’t really stop Baron Jandel from joining in, can we? If we fought that wicked monster by your side, we’d wind up tripping over each other’s feet, and the losses could be huge.”
“So, you’re just pulling out?”
“Yes. If it’s Baron Jandel, the so-called ‘Hero,’ we’re confident you can handle it without us.”
Well, look at this guy.
“We will fulfill our duty by aiding other lower-tier explorers who remain on the third floor.”
Which basically means, rather than having someone else come in and mess things up, they’d rather flip the table themselves.
‘He’s protecting his position quite fiercely.’
The problem is, I can’t stop them.
If today’s events become known, I might be blamed for their withdrawal, leading to further damage.
‘No, they’ll definitely turn it into a propaganda campaign.’
“What will you do?”
In the end, I had only one choice.
“I will leave Riakis to you.”
It’s regrettable that I couldn’t get involved, but it is what it is.
Best to defeat the boss as quickly as possible.
Who knows how many will die if we don’t?
“That settles it then.”
Watching the Dagger-boy eagerly return to his team, I left him with one last word of advice.
“But remember this.”
“…?”
“If you fail, you’ll be responsible. It was you who adamantly refused my help.”
His response came after a brief pause.
“…We will keep that in mind.”
Yeah, right, like he’s listening.
***
After the layer lord incident was resolved, I left the reed fields without a second thought.
What’s the point in watching?
‘Chaos Lord Riakis draws upon the power of the origin.’
If Riakis ends up devouring all the orbs and unleashing its instant kill move, it’ll only create hassle.
It’s not hard to escape from the instant kill area, but someone might be marked as ‘prey’.
‘And if that happens, they could pass the blame to us.’
Yeah, washing my hands of it is the right move.
“Bjorn! So where are we heading now?” Aynar asked
“Anywhere with people.”
“…Huh?”
“From the look of things, this raid is going to drag on for a while.”
As I said that, Amelia joined the conversation with interest.
“Hmm, what makes you think that?”
“First, it’s the date.”
“Date?”
“Yeah. If they had enough power to finish it quickly, they wouldn’t have summoned it this early—before even the 13th day.”
It’s a matter of unauthorized extermination.
Best to summon, quickly defeat, and flee before the labyrinth closes.
But they’re taking plenty of time.
That suggests they’re planning for a prolonged fight.
“…And the second reason?”
“There was a Torch of Purification on his belt.”
“You mean the Torch of Purification…. An item numbered in the 8000s.”
Specifically, it’s No.8645, but anyway.
If every member of their raid group has one, they can breeze through Riakis’s second phase for free.
“But why is that a problem?”
“Because if you use that item, a long-term battle becomes inevitable. It lowers the overall difficulty, sure, but if your goal is to finish the fight as quickly as possible, that’s the one item you absolutely shouldn’t use…”
I felt like I’d explained too much, so I hurriedly added,
“…Or so I read in a book.”
“Ooooh! That’s amazing!”
Fortunately, Aynar didn’t seem to notice anything strange. She’s so used to moments like this, she doesn’t really question them anymore.
“Ahem… In any case, it might stay this way all the way until the labyrinth closes. So I was saying, let’s rescue as many people as we can in the meantime. Everyone okay with that?”
“Of course!”
“Definitely… Even if the floor lord is being handled by them, if this state drags on, some won’t be able to hold out. I’m okay with it.”
“We can’t go back upstairs anyway, so I don’t mind… But why ask us when you’ve already decided?”
“It’s just a formality!”
Okay, so we’re all in agreement.
“…I agree too!”
As we started to move around, every explorer we met recognized me and asked for help.
There were plenty of capable folks who could handle the chaos spirits on their own during the remaining days…
But they also asked for help anyway.
“Hey, that’s Baron Jndel!”
“Bjorn Jandel, the Giant…!”
“He—He’s alive!”
“We’re saved!”
Well, they all believed Riakis was roaming the third floor.
Must’ve been terrifying for them.
“Thank you so much for taking us in…!”
“Ohhh! It’s the chief!!! The chief’s come to save us!!”
In about eight hours of walking around non-stop, we’d gathered more than a hundred people.
So, I decided to set up a base somewhere suitable.
Moving around with that many people just wasn’t practical…
“Warriors, can you help me?”
“Absolutely!!! Just give us the order!!”
However, there weren’t enough people to cover the entire base, so I assigned the barbarian warriors to perimeter duty.
But how did this happen?
“Lord, we want to help too! Is there nothing we can do?”
“I want to help too!”
Other adventurers also volunteered, and in no time, a rotational defense system was in place.
‘…It seems we don’t have much to do.’
Unless Riakis shows up, the current forces here are more than enough for defense. Deciding that, I sent Erwin and Amelia out on a mission.
“Erwin, Emily. Can I count on you two?”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
“…Somehow I always end up doing these troublesome tasks whenever I’m with you.”Amelia sighed inwardly
Their mission was simple.
To roam outside the base and bring any stragglers or isolated explorers to this safe place.
“Bjorn! What about me? What should I do?”
Unfortunately, Aynar—who doesn’t have the skill to find her way back alone—ended up appointed chief of security for the shelter.
And then…
[Character’s fame stat increases by +1.]
[Character’s fame stat increases by +1.]
[Character’s fame stat increases by +1…]
‘……’
‘……’
Day 13, Day 14…
Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, the closure day arrived.
***
“Mister, I’m back!”
When I opened my eyes after a short nap, I first saw Erwen’s amber eyes.
“Good work. How many did you bring back this time?”
“Thirty-one. I scouted pretty far, but there really aren’t many people left in the area.”
“I see. Get some rest.”
“Sure.”
“……I thought you said you were resting.”
“Resting means being right next to you, mister.”
“….”
With nothing else to say, I checked the time.
04:0104 : 0104:01
About 18 hours remain until the labyrinth closes.
The low-level explorers, who had been shaken with fear, were finally starting to relax.
After all, with a thousand explorers gathered and creating a shelter, depending on one another, they felt secure.
Meanwhile, I was growing increasingly anxious.
‘That raid’s still going…’
The reason for my unease: the Floor Lord.
I expected a long battle, but I never imagined it wouldn’t be resolved by now.
‘Judging by the fact that the Chaos Spirit disappeared hours ago, the longest lasting second phase must be over…’
So what happened to the raid?
As annoying as they are, I hope things have gone smoothly for them.
If they failed, and Riakis is wandering around in its third phase, that’s gonna be a catastrophe.
“Hoo…”
What the heck really happened?
Feeling restless, I took a walk around the shelter to clear my head and check that everything was all right.
No real issues.
Well, no more Chaos Spirits were appearing, so that was expected.
“……”
After completing the patrol, for the first time in a long while, the entire team gathered for a meal.
And the time was 6:30 AM.
Kooom-!
The vibration from the ground made us freeze mid-meal.
“Bjorn, was that…”
[Grooooooar-!]
Damn it.
“The, the floor lord…”
“It’s here…”
“The last time, in just one day, over a hundred people died…”
Fear and confusion spread through the crowd in an instant.
I jumped to my feet, took a deep breath, and shouted as loud as I could.
“Everybody shut up!!”
“….”
Whew, that’s better.
Using [Gigantification] to make myself easily visible from afar, I could feel the stares of hundreds waiting for me to speak.
I quickly gathered more information.
“Erwin, is it heading this way?”
“…No.”
Well, that’s one piece of good news.
“….”
Glancing around, I first locked eyes with a certain man and called his name.
“Louis Siyur!”
He was a mage I’d met at the orc settlement.
“…Yes? M-Me? Why me…?”
“From now on, you’re in charge here.”
“Y-Yes?! Wh—What?!”
I had a chance to speak to him after the whole affair, when the Floor Lord was first summoned, and he struck me as quite competent.
“So lead these people and run as far as you can.”
“But, Baron, what about you…?!”
Why is he even asking?
“I’m going to stop it.”
“B-But Miss Tercia said it’s not coming this way…”
“So, we just let it go?”
Not everyone on the third floor is gathered here. There are at least several times this number scattered around. If that thing—already past its certain second phase—starts roaming around for real, there’ll be countless casualties.
“Baron, you…”
“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”
“You really are… exactly like the rumors said…”
Whatever.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Grabbing my hammer, I headed in the direction Erwin mentioned, and my companions quickly followed behind.
Thud, thud.
Given the situation, our steps were urgent.
As we moved forward, the low-level explorers in our path stepped aside to give us path.
And then…
“May Rafdonia’s blessing go with you…”
They quietly bowed their heads to us.
Geez, it’s like I’m marching off to die or something.
“Louis! What are you doing? Hurry up and take them away!”
I called out to the mage I’d left in charge, but he didn’t respond,
He just bowed from a distance.
“……”
Feeling somewhat awkward, I increased my pace.
Amelia taunted me, asking if I was embarrassed.
Now that I thought about it, something about this was off.
Why did I feel burdened by that simple gesture?
Surely no upper-floor explorer would go this far to help the low-floor ones—
Especially one who is a titled noble.
‘Yeah, this is worth a bow of respect. It’s not like it costs anything.’
That thought put my mind at ease.
Thud, thud.
Once we made it outside the shelter, we broke into a run.
And, honestly, I felt a flicker of regret.
‘If I’d known it would come to this, maybe I should’ve forced my way into that raid back then.’
Because if it was the Floor Lord in its first phase, I could at least manage to hold it off alone somehow.
Worst case, if I got tagged as its “prey,” I’d just marathon it out until the labyrinth closed—I’m confident enough that I wouldn’t die.
But once it hits the third phase, that’s an entirely different story.
‘I thought this raid would be more relaxed for once…’
Of course, it’s not a desperate situation like it was in Icerock.
There are some positives here.
‘Which phase is it? Third, or fourth?’
If it’s at the third phase, there’s no real way to fight it; all we can do is run around like a pack of moving meat shields.
‘I hope it’s at the fourth.’
Because if the raid group pushed it all the way to the final phase before failing—
Gwooooooo—!!!Gwooooooo—!!!Gwooooooo—!!!
Just then, Riakis came into view in the distance, and I stopped in my tracks.
A grin spread across my face.
‘Its belly looks really shrunken.’
Alright, if that’s the case, maybe we can make this work.
“Everyone, get ready.”
“…You said we were just going to block, are you planning to fight?”
How could I resist landing the final blow?