Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 459: Raid (4)

As soon as I raised my hammer, I activated [Transcendence] and [Eye of the Storm], pulling the dagger user towards me.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The ambush was successful. His frail body was helplessly dragged towards me.

"......!"

I reached out and grabbed his neck.

At that moment, Amelia called out to me.

"Yandel."

Her voice was filled with worry.

If she thought I was actually going to kill him, I was a little offended.

I'm not a real barbarian.

Squeeze.

This was just a performance.

A slightly... emotional one.

"Mister, they're almost here."

As expected, as soon as I grabbed his neck, the other explorers appeared in the distance. It didn't take long for them to reach us.

"...What is the meaning of this, Baron Yandel?!"

They already knew my name.

It wasn't surprising.

They must have been listening to our conversation through a message stone or something.

"Cough...!"

I tightened my grip, and the dagger user struggled even more.

"Release him this instant!"

"Why should I?"

"Even if you're a noble, there are lines you cannot cross! How dare you threaten an innocent explorer without any reason?! Do you think this will be tolerated?!"

His words were absurd.

First of all, they were the ones who had summoned the Floor Lord without permission.

And secondly...

"Who said he was innocent?"

I spoke clearly, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"He's a traitor. He dared to threaten and insult a noble of Lafdonia!"

"W-What?! That's ridiculous! He would never—"

"What? Are you insulting me too?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant..."

The dagger user struggled even more as our conversation continued.

"Cough... Urgh...!"

He was quite persistent.

He should have drawn his dagger and stabbed me by now.

'He knows that would only make things worse.'

"L-Let's talk this over. There must be some misunderstanding. We can resolve this peacefully if we just—"

I didn't think he would attack me, even if I provoked him further.

So I threw him back to his comrades.

"V-Vice-Captain! Are you alright?"

Huh... he was the vice-captain?

The one who replaced James Kala.

'No wonder he was so persistent...'

His loyalty to the clan was admirable, but that didn't make me like him or the Sawtooth Clan any more.

"Alright, explain yourselves. What was the misunderstanding?"

I asked the explorer who had been shouting at me, but the dagger user intervened, covering his mouth.

And...

"We sincerely apologize for disturbing Baron Yandel. Please forgive us."

He apologized without any excuses.

"Mentioning Count Alminus was a grave mistake on our part."

He was a sharp one.

He knew exactly how to avoid the traps I had laid.

"If you wish to punish us, we will accept any judgment you deem fit upon our return to the city."

That made it difficult for me to continue.

He hadn't insulted me directly, and his threats were veiled.

I couldn't demand his execution from 'Mozelan' with just this.

'And Count Alminus's influence will be much stronger in the city.'

I might even be accused of abusing my power if I pushed this further.

Therefore...

"So you're still going to do it?"

I decided to postpone the judgment and asked again.

After all, what I wanted wasn't an apology or punishment.

"I'm also an explorer, and I want to help resolve this situation as quickly as possible."

"...I see."

"So are you still planning to stop me?"

The dagger user thought for a moment and then answered.

"If I may be so bold, what are your plans once this situation is resolved?"

He was asking about the loot distribution.

"We're all explorers, aren't we? We'll roll the dice and decide fairly."

"...As expected."

The dagger user sighed and then spoke.

"Then we'll withdraw."

"...What?"

"There's a saying that a teammate who doesn't work well with you is more dangerous than an enemy. And besides, we can't stop you, can we, Baron Yandel? If we fight alongside you, we'll only hinder your progress and cause more casualties."

"So you're just going to give up?"

"Yes. We trust you, the hero known as Baron Yandel."

Huh, this punk...

"We'll fulfill our duty by helping the other lower-level explorers on the 3rd floor."

He was basically saying he would rather flip the table than share the loot.

'He's really determined to protect his share...'

Unfortunately, I couldn't stop him.

If this got out, I would be accused of abusing my power and driving them away.

'They'll definitely spin the story that way.'

"What are your orders?"

I had no choice.

"I'll leave Riakis to you."

It was a shame that we couldn't join the raid... but we had to prioritize slaying the boss.

We couldn't leave him to roam the floor.

"Then we'll be taking our leave."

Before they left, I gave them a warning.

"But remember this."

"...?"

"If you fail, you'll be held responsible. You were the ones who refused my help."

His reply came after a moment of silence.

"...We understand."

He didn't sound sincere at all.

_______________________

We left the thornreed field.

There was no point in staying and watching.

「The Chaos Lord, Riakis, draws upon the power of the source.」

If Riakis used his ultimate skill, it would only cause more trouble.

We couldn't risk being targeted as his 'prey'.

'And if they fail, they'll try to blame us.'

It was better to leave them to their own devices.

"Bjorn! Where are we going?"

"Somewhere with people."

"...Huh?"

"It seems like this raid will take a while."

Amelia seemed curious, so I explained.

"Hmm, why do you think so?"

"First, the timing."

"The timing?"

"Yes, if they were confident in their abilities, they would have summoned him earlier. They wouldn't wait until the 13th day."

They were slaying the Floor Lord without permission.

The best strategy was to summon him, slay him quickly, and then escape before the floor closed.

But they had waited until the last minute?

It meant they were expecting a long battle.

"...What's the second reason?"

"They had a Purification Torch on their belts."

"The Purification Torch... you mean the 8,000-series Numbered Item?"

It was No. 8645, to be precise.

If all the raid members had it, they could skip Riakis's 2nd phase.

"But why is that a problem?"

"Because it forces you to fight a long battle. It makes the raid easier overall, but it's not ideal if you want to slay him quickly."

I had talked too much, so I quickly added,

"...That's what I read in a book."

"Oooooh! Amazing!"

Thankfully, Ainar didn't notice anything strange. She was used to me spouting random knowledge.

"Ahem... Anyway! It seems like this might take a while, so we should focus on rescuing the other explorers. Is everyone okay with that?"

"Of course!"

"Yes, it's true that even if they manage to hold off Riakis, there will be casualties if this drags on. I agree."

"I don't mind, since we can't go up anyway... But why are you asking us? You've already made up your mind."

"It's procedure! Procedure!"

Okay, so everyone agreed.

"...I-I agree too!"

We started exploring the 3rd floor, and everywhere we went, explorers recognized me and asked for help.

Some of them were strong enough to handle the Chaos Spirits on their own...

But that didn't matter.

"Hey, it's Baron Yandel!"

"The Giant, Bjorn Yandel...!"

"We're saved!"

They were all terrified of Riakis.

"Th-Thank you for saving us...!"

"Ooooooh! It's the Chieftain!!! The Chieftain has come to save us!!"

We spent about eight hours rescuing explorers, and soon we had over a hundred people gathered in one place.

I decided to set up a base camp.

We couldn't keep moving with this many people.

"Warriors, can you help me out?"

"Of course!!! Just tell us what to do!!"

We didn't have enough people to guard the entire perimeter, so I asked the barbarian warriors to help with security.

And then something unexpected happened.

"Baron! We want to help too! Give us something to do!"

"Me too! I want to help!"

The other explorers volunteered to help, and soon we had a fully functional defense system.

'...This is making my job too easy.'

As long as Riakis didn't come this way, we could defend the base with the current manpower.

So I sent Erwen and Amelia on a mission.

"Erwen, Amelia. Can you do me a favor?"

"Yes! Just trust me!"

"...I always end up doing the dirty work when I'm with you."

Their mission was simple.

To search the area and bring back any stranded or isolated explorers.

"Bjorn, what about me? What can I do?!"

Ainar, unfortunately, couldn't navigate the labyrinth on her own, so I put her in charge of base security.

And...

「Character's Fame has increased by +1.」

「Character's Fame has increased by +1.」

「Character's Fame has increased by +1...」

「...」

「...」

The 13th day, the 14th day...

Time flew by.

The day of the labyrinth closure had arrived.

_______________________

"Mister, I'm back!"

I woke up to Erwen's amber eyes.

"Good work. How many did you bring this time?"

"Thirty-one. We searched far and wide, but there's no one left in the area."

"I see. Get some rest."

"Okay."

"...You're going to rest?"

"Isn't being next to you considered resting?"

"...."

Amelia didn't respond.

I checked the time.

[04:01]

About 18 hours until the labyrinth closed.

The lower-level explorers, who had been terrified, were starting to relax.

They felt safe, knowing that there were over a thousand explorers gathered in one place.

But I was getting more and more anxious.

'They're still raiding...'

The Chaos Lord was still a problem.

I had expected a long battle, but I didn't think it would take this long.

'The Chaos Spirits disappeared a few hours ago, so they must have finished the 2nd phase...'

Then how was the raid going?

I hoped they were doing well, despite my dislike for them.

If they failed, and Riakis entered his 3rd phase, it would be a disaster.

"Phew..."

I couldn't help but worry.

I patrolled the shelter, checking for any problems.

There were none.

Well, the Chaos Spirits had stopped spawning, so it was to be expected.

"...."

After finishing my patrol, we had a team meal.

It was 6:30 AM.

Kaboom!

We were eating when the ground shook.

"Bjorn, what was that...?"

[Grooooaaaaaaaaar!]

Damn it.

"I-It's the Floor Lord..."

"He's here..."

"I-I heard that hundreds of people died last time..."

Fear and chaos spread through the shelter.

I stood up, took a deep breath, and shouted,

"Everyone, be quiet!!"

"...."

It worked.

I activated [Gigantification] so they could see me from afar.

Hundreds of eyes were on me.

I quickly asked Erwen,

"Is he coming this way?"

"...No."

That was a relief.

"...."

I looked around and called out to the first mage I saw.

"Lewis Siyur!"

It was the mage we had met at the Orc Encampment.

"...Y-Yes? Why me...?"

"You're in charge now."

"...W-What?! Me?!"

He seemed like a competent mage, based on our brief conversation after the Orc Lord incident.

"Lead these people to safety. As far away as possible."

"B-But what about you, Baron?!"

It was an obvious question.

"I'm going to stop him."

"W-What?! B-But Tersia said he wasn't coming this way..."

"So you're just going to let him roam free?"

The lower-level explorers in the shelter weren't the only ones in danger.

There were many more scattered throughout the 3rd floor.

If Riakis entered his 3rd phase and started roaming the floor, it would be a disaster.

"Baron..."

"Speak."

"You're... you're just like the rumors..."

What?

"I'll take that as a compliment."

I grabbed my hammer and headed towards the direction Erwen had indicated. My teammates followed me.

Thud, thud.

We ran, our steps heavy with urgency.

The lower-level explorers parted like the Red Sea, making way for us.

And...

"May the blessings of Lafdonia be with you..."

...they bowed their heads in respect.

"Lewis! What are you doing?! Hurry up and lead them away!"

I shouted to the mage I had put in charge, but he didn't answer.

He just bowed his head.

"...."

I felt a strange sense of awkwardness and increased my pace.

Amelia chuckled.

"You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

I thought about it for a moment.

Why should I be embarrassed?

There aren't many high-level explorers who would go this far to protect lower-level explorers.

Especially not a noble.

'They should be grateful. It's not like I'm asking for anything in return.'

That thought made me feel better.

Thud, thud.

We left the shelter and started running.

I regretted my decision.

'I should have insisted on joining the raid.'

I could have held off Riakis in his 1st phase by myself.

Even if I was targeted as his 'prey', I could have outrun him until the floor closed.

But the 3rd phase was a different story.

'Well, at least it's not as bad as Ice Rock.'

There was a silver lining.

'Is he in his 3rd phase, or 4th phase?'

If it was his 3rd phase, we wouldn't be able to do anything but run.

'I hope it's his 4th phase.'

If they had failed the raid, and Riakis was in his final phase...

[Grooooaaaaaaaaar!]

I saw Riakis in the distance and stopped running.

And I smiled.

'He looks skinny.'

This was doable.

"Get ready."

"...You're going to fight him?"

I couldn't just let him escape.