Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

There were six of them, the perverts peeping on our raid from afar. They were spread out along the passage leading to the monument…

‘…Alright, it’s starting.’

From now on, there was only one objective.

Find proof that they were trying to sabotage us. And if possible, prove that they were working for Count Alminus.

Swaaaaaaaaaa.

As soon as Erwen reported that they were moving, a white smoke filled the cave.

「Character is within the area of effect of [Veil of Betrayal].」

The aura of the third phase.

The effects were simple.

「Continuously decreases character’s Ability Power.」

「Continuously decreases character’s Physical stats.」

「The decrease is amplified by 50%.」

「Dreadfear’s Rage increases proportionally to the decrease.」

In addition to the enhanced bonuses from the previous phase, a few new lines were added.

「Character enters Stealth mode.」

All characters within the aura entered Stealth mode and couldn’t see each other.

「All communication is blocked.」

Communication was impossible.

And…

「Damage against non-monster targets is increased by 5 times, ignoring all Resistance stats.」

There was a huge risk of friendly fire.

[Kyiyeeeeeek!]

This aura alone made normal team play impossible in the 3rd phase.

How could you raid when you couldn’t even see your teammates?

If you accidentally hit an ally with an attack skill, it would be a disaster.

Therefore…

The 3rd phase strategy was simple.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”

I roared, even though no one could hear me, and charged towards Dreadfear.

Only we couldn’t see each other. Dreadfear wasn’t affected by the Stealth effect.

Kwaaang!

The tanks would hold aggro in their designated positions, and the priests would spam AoE heals until the aura dissipated.

That was the standard strategy.

Well, we didn’t have any priests, and I was the only tank.

‘But that’s the advantage of a Shield Barbarian.’

I could solo tank.

And there was an unexpected benefit to solo tanking.

「Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror, has cast [Shell Game].」

「Character is teleported to a random location.」

Even if he used his Shell Game, I could just run back and hold aggro again.

It minimized the chances of the tanks making a mistake…

‘Are the others doing okay…?’

I trusted my teammates, but I was also wary of the saboteurs.

What would they do in the 3rd phase?

They would definitely try to take advantage of the chaos and attack us while we were blinded.

And I was the most likely target, since my position was always fixed.

‘But I haven’t heard anything yet… so they must be doing okay?’

I couldn’t be complacent.

I would see the outcome soon enough.

So I focused on Dreadfear.

Kwaaang!

Solo tanking was possible in theory, but it wasn’t easy.

He was still a Floor Lord.

And a growth-type one at that.

「Character’s Mental Power decrease has reached its maximum.」

「Status effect [Terror] applied.」

The first debuff activated.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

My heart pounded in my chest.

A chilling fear crept up my spine, and stress overwhelmed me.

But my Mental Power was high enough to prevent me from losing control and running away.

‘Is Erwen okay…?’

I was a little worried, but I had to focus on myself first.

The second debuff was the real problem.

「Character’s Ability Power decrease has reached its maximum.」

「Status effect [Lethargy] applied.」

Lethargy, one of the thousands of status effects in the game.

It prevented MP regeneration and interrupted active skills.

Even those that were already active.

「[Gigantification] deactivated.」

「[Iron Fortress] deactivated.」

And the interrupted skills had cooldowns, making it a very troublesome status effect.

The third debuff was just as bad.

「Character’s Physical stats decrease has reached its maximum.」

「Status effect [Exhaustion] applied.」

All Physical stats were reduced by 30%.

Stamina was fixed at its minimum value, and all actions consumed MP instead of stamina.

Kwaaang!

The debuffs were stacking, making the fight more and more difficult.

Screech.

Damn it, I couldn't match his strength anymore.

And the worst was yet to come.

「Dreadfear’s Rage has reached its maximum.」

Dreadfear's Rage gauge, which he had been steadily filling since the 1st phase…

「Dreadfear’s damage is doubled.」

…had finally reached its maximum.

His attacks, which had been barely manageable, were now terrifying.

But I could still endure.

The [Terror] debuff hadn't completely incapacitated me, and I could reactivate my skills after their cooldowns ended.

And I could recover my MP.

「Character has cast [Soul Dive].」

「Soul Power is regenerated proportionally to the amount consumed.」

Yes, I could solo tank.

[Kyiyeeeeeek!]

Dreadfear shrieked in frustration as I continued to hold aggro.

And then…

Ttak.

I heard a sound behind me.

It was a faint sound, something I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been constantly scanning my surroundings.

My body reacted before my mind could process the information.

Thud.

I turned around.

And at that moment…

Puk-!

A sharp pain shot through my back.

It was a minor injury.

But my experience as a tank told me...

'At least it didn't hit any vital organs.'

It was barely a scratch.

But that didn't mean I would let them get away with it.

Whoosh!

I swung my hammer blindly.

I couldn't hear any sounds because of the aura.

But…

Thud-!

I felt a satisfying impact.

「The light of trust dispels the darkness of fear.」

「[Veil of Betrayal] temporarily deactivated.」

A bright light filled the cave.

"...Ugh."

It was time to check the catch.

___________________

The key to the 3rd phase was the tank and the healer.

If they could endure long enough, the [Veil of Betrayal] would dissipate, giving the damage dealers a chance to attack.

Like this.

「Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror, has cast [Protective Shell].」

As soon as the aura dissipated, Dreadfear retreated into a protective shell.

It was a groggy state, and the standard strategy was to unleash all your attacks during this time.

But…

“…..”

I turned around and assessed the situation.

Erwen, Amelia, Bersil, Ainar.

My teammates were all fine.

And…

‘Three… two each…’

Three mangled corpses in the three passages Erwen had been guarding.

And one captive and one corpse in the two passages Amelia had been guarding.

Damn, we were supposed to capture them alive.

‘…Erwen killed them all.’

Judging by the state of the bodies, she hadn’t even tried to capture them.

But I wouldn’t reprimand her now.

We didn’t have time.

And…

“…..”

She didn’t look well.

Her eyes were unfocused, as if she was in a trance.

‘…It must be the [Terror] debuff.’

But the others seemed fine.

“You’re the one who let him escape, Barbarian.”

Amelia glared at Ainar.

“…S-Sorry! I was trying to capture him alive…”

Ainar, who had been guarding one of the three passages leading to the monument, apologized.

But Amelia wasn’t going to let her off the hook.

“It’s so easy for you barbarians, isn’t it? Just apologize, and everything’s fine?”

Ainar was confused.

She was used to apologizing for everything.

I was also surprised.

I didn’t expect Amelia to be this angry.

“Your mistake could have gotten Yandel killed. Do you even—”

“Stop!”

I intervened and calmed Amelia down.

“She understands. Let it go.”

“…We’ll talk about this later.”

Amelia didn’t argue and backed down.

It was time to check the captives.

“Bersil, check on Erwen.”

“Y-Yes…!”

I sent Bersil to check on Erwen, and then I assessed the situation.

We had captured two saboteurs.

“…..”

The one Amelia had captured was completely restrained.

His eyes were covered with a blindfold, and his mouth was gagged.

I wondered what she had done to him.

And the second one…

“…Ugh.”

…was the one who had attacked me.

His face, covered by a mask, was stained with blood. He must have been hit by my hammer.

“…Uh… Uh…”

He looked at me, his eyes filled with fear, and started crawling backwards.

Where did he think he was going?

Step, step, step.

I approached him and hit him four times with my hammer.

He didn’t need his limbs to talk.

Crack, crack, crack, crack-!

Okay, Amelia would handle the interrogation...

I didn't need to crush his limbs.

"Amelia, take them and leave."

"...Are you really going to continue the raid?"

"I don't have a choice."

We couldn't escape from Dreadfear.

And the special condition wouldn't activate if the captives were within range.

This was the best option.

'Well... the chances of success are slim.'

Maybe 5%?

I had already received the fourth buff in the 2nd phase, and we hadn't even been able to properly attack him during the groggy state.

'It's practically a failed raid.'

But we had a backup plan.

If Amelia succeeded in the interrogation, it would be enough.

Therefore...

"Yandel, be careful."

"See you outside."

I sent Amelia away before the aura reactivated.

And then the light in the cave vanished.

「The darkness of fear consumes the light.」

「[Veil of Betrayal] reactivated.」

It was time to continue the raid.

___________________

A passage near the Great Sage Monument.

Whoosh.

Amelia placed a torch on a stand and began the interrogation.

She put on a pair of white gloves.

And arranged her tools.

She checked the captive's belongings, looking for anything that might be useful.

"..."

"..."

She used to hate this kind of work... but not today.

'It's a good thing.'

He was surprisingly soft.

And sometimes, you needed someone to do this kind of work.

"You... won't hear... anything..."

The man, his limbs crushed, muttered something, but she ignored him.

There was no reason to let him know she could understand him.

And...

'...He's terrified.'

She knew from experience.

The ones who talked the most were the ones who were the most scared.

"..."

The other captive hadn't made a sound since the interrogation began, but this one was screaming and struggling.

She didn't ask any questions.

She just continued the 'interrogation'.

And after a while...

"...T-Tell me..."

He finally spoke.

It was a sign that he was close to his breaking point.

Amelia began her questions.

Was he married?

Did he have any children?

What was the last meal he had eaten before entering the labyrinth?

He started answering her trivial questions, his defenses slowly crumbling.

It didn't hurt to talk.

Amelia gradually increased the intensity of her questions.

And then...

"What's your name?"

"Delbein..."

She flinched as she heard his answer.

"Hans Delbein..."

Hans?

'Wait a minute... Hans...'

It was the name that made him so agitated.

The name he had said was like a plague, something to be avoided at all costs.

She found his superstitious beliefs endearing.

But...

'...Is this okay?'

She felt a sense of unease.