Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

The berserk pattern lasted for about 10 minutes.

After that, Riakis would instantly recover, nullifying all our efforts.

But 10 minutes was a reasonable amount of time.

At least, in the world of [Dungeon and Stone], where unreasonable situations were the norm.

「Purification rate: 3%.」

We just had to land one more hit within 10 minutes.

Then the boss fight would be over, without any additional patterns or phases. I was trying to be patient and cautious, focusing on safety as we finished the job.

But...

Zwoong!

Had his eyes been upgraded?

It felt like he had dodged it intentionally...

[...]

Damn it, just die already.

We're running out of time.

「Purification rate: 7%.」

I was getting more and more anxious as the battle dragged on.

And it seemed like I wasn't the only one.

"Erwen! Why did you shoot there?!"

"If you're so unhappy, do something about it!"

"...Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"

Ainar, who usually blamed the ranged attackers out of habit, leaped into the air, landing on Riakis's shoulder. She swung her greatsword down on his neck.

Slash!

It didn't cut deep.

So Ainar got greedy.

Whoosh!

She swung her sword again, trying to land another hit.

But it didn't connect.

"...Urgh!!"

Riakis's tail wrapped around Ainar's waist, lifting her into the air.

Thankfully, Amelia was nearby and quickly cut her free with her daggers.

"Ugh... Th-Thanks—"

"Calm down, Barbarian. At least during battle."

"S-Sorry!"

"Apologize to her later. She's the one who's contributed the most after Yandel."

"...Erwen! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have yelled at you!"

"...I don't care."

It was a heartwarming scene.

Amelia scolding Ainar, Ainar apologizing to Erwen, and Erwen accepting her apology.

It was what a leader wanted to see.

But why were they doing this during the battle?

We were running out of time.

"Focus on attacking!"

I shouted, slightly annoyed, and they finally stopped talking and focused on the fight.

Kaboom!

Riakis swung his claw at me.

I dodged, stepping back to absorb the impact.

'We can still do this.'

I tried to calm myself down.

「Purification rate: 9%.」

We were still in good shape.

The damage dealers' MP was almost depleted after 30 minutes of nonstop attacks... but that was all.

This kind of boss fight became much easier once you could hold aggro.

[Grooooaaaaaaaaar!]

Riakis roared again.

His purification rate must have reached 10%...

But that wasn't important right now.

The Sawtooth Clan was approaching.

"Erwen, how long until your next attack is ready?"

"About 75 seconds!"

Damn, this was our last chance.

"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"

I roared and charged at Riakis, getting closer.

In this kind of boss fight, you had to use [Wild Release] periodically to maintain aggro.

Screech!

I could block his attacks and step back...

[Purification rate: 15%]

...but the damage dealers couldn't.

If he landed a clean hit with his claw, even Ainar, with her high defense, wouldn't last long.

That's how strong the Floor Lord's basic attacks were.

That was why I had planned to just dodge and run in his 3rd phase.

I couldn't tank his attacks without a priest or a mage unless it was his 4th phase, when all his attacks were physical.

"Mister!"

Huh? Was Erwen's attack ready?

It hadn't been 62 seconds yet...

"It's ready!"

Her shout was brief, but I understood what she meant.

'Damn it.'

It hadn't even been three minutes since we first detected them.

How fast were they?

Erwen gave me the information I needed.

"Right side!"

I looked to my right and saw a group of dozens of explorers rapidly approaching.

Therefore...

Kaboom!

I dropped my shield and hammer.

"...?"

Amelia looked at me, startled, and then her eyes widened as I charged at Riakis.

Yes, this was a rare sight.

Thud.

I leaped into the air, wrapping my arms around the giant monster's neck.

And...

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"

I used my momentum to climb onto his back, wrapping my legs around his torso.

Squeeze.

I squeezed his neck with all my might.

The Giant Barbarian Chokehold.

It was similar to when I wrestled the troll on the 4th floor... but there were two key differences.

First, both the attacker and the defender were much larger now.

And secondly...

'He's too strong...'

I couldn't hold him down completely.

[Groooo—!!]

He easily broke free from my grip.

"Bjorn!!"

He stood up on his hind legs, like a bear, and grabbed my arms.

'72 seconds.'

A battle of strength.

'73 seconds.'

I tried my best to hold on, but it was futile.

Crack.

My Laithium armor, already damaged, crumpled like a tin can, and my grip loosened.

'74 seconds.'

But what could I do?

"You're too late, you bastard."

75 seconds.

Erwen's attack was finally ready.

And Riakis was wide open, trying to get me off his back.

'76 seconds...'

Wait, why wasn't she shooting?

I looked back, and Erwen was frozen, her bow drawn.

Phew, at least she hadn't miscalculated the time.

"Shoot—!!!"

I shouted, and then a flash of light erupted.

Zwoong!

So this is what it looked like from this angle.

It really was like a thunderbolt—

Kwaaang!

The explosion was deafening, and I was thrown to the ground.

Beeeeeeeep!

My ears were ringing.

But I didn't care.

「The Chaos Lord, Riakis, has cast [Tainted Heart].」

I got up and looked at Riakis.

[—, ———————!!!]

His body was completely black, and he was roaring in pain... but I couldn't hear him.

「The Tainted Power is going berserk again.」

His body was pulsating, expanding and contracting like a water balloon filled with too much pressure.

Ainar and Amelia were watching him from a safe distance, their weapons ready.

They didn't have to be so cautious.

It was over.

「The Ancient Pilgrim rejects the Tainted Power.」

Riakis's unstable body suddenly expanded, as if it were about to explode.

And then...

Flash!

A blinding flash of crimson light erupted.

It was like a miniature nuclear explosion.

「The Ancient Pilgrim has perished.」

The light faded, and my vision returned.

Everything had changed.

"———, ———!!"

The labyrinth was no longer glowing red.

And...

「The Chaos Lord, Riakis, has been slain. EXP +100」

「Floor Lord Kill Bonus. EXP +15」

Riakis was gone, replaced by a cloud of shimmering particles.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: First Floor Lord Kill.

Reward: Soul Power permanently increased by +50.

The raid was over.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: Chaos Lord Riakis slain.

Reward: ???

I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

I had finally slain the monster that had forced us to run away in fear a few years ago.

But there was no time to celebrate.

The raid was over, which meant it was time to collect the loot.

Swaaaaaaaaaa.

I looked at the shimmering particles, hoping for the best.

What had dropped?

Thump!

My heart pounded with anticipation.

There were three possible rewards from a Floor Lord.

The 'Floor Treasure', a superior version of a Numbered Item.

The 'Floor Stone', which allowed you to open a rift on that floor.

And...

'Please, please, please, please... an essence!!'

The 'Floor Essence', which was more valuable than a 1st-grade essence in some ways.

'I'll take a Floor Treasure too, but... please, an essence!'

I waited, praying for good luck.

And then the light faded, revealing the item.

「No. 9999 Beginner's Luck activated.」

"...It's an essence!"

It was an essence.

Neither a Floor Treasure nor a Floor Stone had dropped.

But...

"An essence...!"

"It's an essence...!"

"...."

We were all speechless.

'Look at their faces...'

The Sawtooth Clan members, who had just arrived, looked devastated.

"———!! ———!!!"

They were shouting something at me...

But I couldn't hear them.

I had lost my hearing.

So...

'What should I do?'

I didn't have time to think.

I grabbed the essence and ran.

"Erwen!"

"—, —"

I couldn't understand her reply.

So...

"S-—, — me— ————? — than, A——, —!!"

I grabbed Erwen's waist and lifted her into the air.

"I'll explain later."

And then I threw her.

"...Kya!"

I heard a strange sound as my hearing returned, but I ignored it.

She was an experienced explorer.

'This brings back memories.'

I had done the same thing when I gave her the Goblin essence.

_______________________

「The Chaos Essence has seeped into Erwen Fornachi di Tersia's soul.」

_______________________

"Uh... Uh... Uh..."

Erwen, after absorbing the Chaos Essence, looked around in a daze.

"W-Why... Why did you give this to me...? Y-You should have taken it..."

So that's what she was trying to say.

Her heart was in the right place, but she didn't have to be so worried.

"I was going to give it to you eventually."

I had planned to give it to her after she formed contracts with all four spirits.

That's when the Chaos Essence truly shined.

Well, I didn't expect to give it to her this early.

"B-But... It's a Floor Lord essence..."

"Are you going to leave me after absorbing it, like you did with the Goblin essence?"

"No! Never! How could I?!"

Okay, that's all I needed to hear.

The Chaos Essence wasn't compatible with barbarians. Well, it would make you much stronger than most 3rd-grade essences...

But you could only absorb one Floor Lord essence.

'And you can't even remove it at the temple.'

I had a different Floor Lord in mind.

"Yandel."

It was time to focus on the present.

The Sawtooth Clan had arrived.

"Yandel, Baron! What have you done?!"

The dagger user, their leader, shouted as soon as he arrived.

"We told you to wait...!"

He wasn't even using honorifics anymore.

"I didn't hear you."

"That's impossible—!"

"Even if I had, I wouldn't have stopped."

I cut him off, and he glared at me.

Amelia quietly called my name.

"Yandel."

"I know."

The Sawtooth Clan members had surrounded us.

They were good at it.

It seemed like they had done this many times before.

But I wasn't intimidated.

"Malid Kevron, Vice-Captain of the Sawtooth Clan."

"...Yes, Baron."

"Do you even realize what you're doing?"

He boldly met my gaze and answered,

"What do you mean? We're just asking you a simple question. Why did you steal the Riakis we were raiding?"

"...."

"As you know, Baron, explorers don't show mercy to looters."

I had thought they would back down after seeing the essence...

"Even if it's not worth much."

...but they were furious.