Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

[Scales of Greed]

If one has sufficient anti-magic power, this high-level active skill even grants ‘magic immunity’ status.

But there’s more to it.

“Bellarios increases physical resistance proportionally to the amount of magic damage reduced.”

This skill doesn’t stop at blocking magic—it also raises physical resistance.

In other words, it possesses universal scales that grow tougher the more magic it takes...

Truly, a very greedy set of scales.

However, unfortunately, today it met the wrong opponent.

‘Greed alone can’t overwhelm an explorer.’

There’s even a saying: the ‘greed’ in ‘explorer’ is the same as the ‘greed’ in ‘greed’ itself.

Ah, I just made that up.

And with that spirit...

“Beheeeel—raaaaaaa!!!”

I unleashed the greed dwelling inside and charged forward.

Essence, essence, essence, essence.

Essence, no matter what!

Looking in the mirror, it feels like a madman with clear eyes is staring back.

It had been a long time since my body was this fired up in front of a monster.

But how could I hold back?

My only weakness—magic damage—had caused me so many troubles before.

That one skill would solve all those problems.

Yeah, so...

‘First, this guy.’

The goat-headed blacksmith blocking my way.

I brought my hammer down on Helsmith’s head.

Kraaaang!

The hammer hit, causing his jaw to twist slightly, but as a sturdy grade 3 monster, he barely flinched.

No, he immediately counterattacked.

“Helsmith casts [Hammering].”

“Flames born of the earth awaken.”

The ground cracked open as flames surged upward.

When our chief used this skill, it was a near-ultimate buff with a limited duration, but for this guy, it was basically always active.

Skills gained from essences usually have weaker performance.

“All fire skill damage greatly increased.”

“Physical stats greatly increased proportional to fire sensitivity.”

“Continuously burns the surroundings.”

His body shimmered with bright red and blue flames, but the continuous damage was bearable.

After all, explorers rely on gear.

Oh, that’s a real saying.

“Fire Orb activated.”

“All fire-based persistent damage within 15m radius reduced by 50%.”

The ‘Fire Orb’ activation greatly reduced damage taken.

This applied to the nearby melee fighters as well.

“Versil Gowland casts grade 8 enchantment [Cold-Blood].”

“Character’s fire resistance greatly increased.”

With the addition of the ‘Cold-Blood’ spell, continuous damage dropped to near negligible levels.

Therefore...

“Attack!”

Amelia summoned her aura, and Misha swung her cold-emanating longsword.

Also...

“Ainard Phnell casts [Trident].”

Ainard showed off his newly gained skill in actual combat for the first time.

Whoosh—!

A piercing sound like arrows shot as the spear thrust forward.

Two translucent spears appeared on either side.

Due to the effect of [Trident], these spears were meant to impale two enemies near the target.

However...

‘It’s a grade 3 essence after all; that’d be a bit disappointing.’

Though [Trident] is an area skill, it actually shines more in single-target attacks.

Like this.

“No enemies near the attack target.”

“All attacks hit the target.”

The three spears pierced Helsmith.

Of course, unlike [Repeated Slash], these spears did not overlap on the same spot, so no extra skill triggers occurred.

Still, that didn’t mean it was weak.

Piercing damage increased by 1,200%.

Just this line alone allows damage output comparable to combinations of grade 4 or lower essences.

Plunk!

The three deeply embedded spears were pulled out.

From the holes left, red blood gushed out.

But only briefly.

“Helsmith casts [Patching].”

The wounded area heated red like molten lava, then a silver layer sealed it like a dental filling.

Helsmith quickly healed and roared, casting another main skill.

“Helsmith casts [Hellfire].”

[Hellfire].

A well-performing attack skill, popular enough in the past to have dedicated builds.

Boom! Bang! Kraaaang! Kraang!

Like a volcanic eruption.

The lava pouch on his back burst, splashing bright red liquid everywhere with explosions.

Then...

“Bellarios casts [Disaster].”

Bellarios joined the battlefield, marking the start of the full raid.

[Disaster] is a very unique skill.

Especially so because it applies a field effect.

“Field Effect - Typhoon activated.”

This applies a random field effect within range.

Swaaaaaaah!

Strong winds blew, and a gray vortex swirled around.

Thanks to this, visibility was greatly reduced, but that was just a side effect.

“All skill activation rates reduced to 50%.”

Skills used inside the typhoon have a 50% chance to be canceled midway.

‘What a pain. Starting off with a typhoon.’

Still, it was a relief this wasn’t the Dragon Mountains.

That place had its own field effects which were even more burdensome.

“Take out Helsmith first!”

When the order came down, ranged dealers began casting their prepared skills.

A long-cast joint spell was unleashed, and various abilities were shot at precise angles, avoiding the melee fighters.

And then.

“Bellarios casts [Dragon Orb].”

“All characters within radius have resource consumption increased 12-fold.”

A yellow light emitting a holy aura burst forth in the harsh typhoon.

Yeah, I’d been wondering when it would be used.

‘Skill activation triggers when resources consumed reach a certain amount, right?’

[Dragon Orb] was as unique as [Disaster].

It multiplies resource consumption by twelve, returning the consumed amount as MP—a ridiculously strong skill.

Of course, that’s only on the surface; the skill has a fatal flaw.

“Helsmith casts [Patching].”

“Resource consumption increased 12-fold due to [Dragon Orb].”

“Skill failed due to field effect - Typhoon.”

“[Dragon Orb] steals consumed resources.”

Like [Disaster], [Dragon Orb] applies to both enemies and allies.

Because of its unique mechanics, there was even a build focused on this skill.

A solo carry character that fed on allies’ resources via [Dragon Orb] while dealing insane damage.

Well, that was more of a fun experiment since it was a weaker version of Elwen.

Anyway.

“Don’t stop!”

Ignoring the typhoon and resource consumption increase, all damage was poured onto Helsmith.

And the result.

“Field Effect - Earthquake applied.”

“All movement-related effects sealed.”

Bellarios used [Disaster] once more with recovered MP, but the goal was achieved.

“Helsmith defeated. EXP +7”

He died miserably, having lost MP to allies and being unable to cast skills.

Swaaaaaaah!

His body turned into a flurry of light and dispersed, but the reward was only one.

Thunk.

A grade 3 magic stone.

‘I was expecting more for the first kill...’

The essence I hoped for did not drop.

A little disappointing, but I wasn’t too fixated.

The main course was yet to come...

‘Good thing.’

If beginner’s luck had triggered now, it would have made me uneasy.

After all, gachas require sacrifices.

“Only that guy’s left now!”

“You know the plan, mages! Use only support spells! No offensive magic!”

After Helsmith’s defeat, all focus turned to Bellarios.

The mages shifted from dealers to supporters, while ranged fighters kept attacking the flying monster with skills.

And...

“He’s coming!”

At the one moment Bellarios descended, melee fighters swung their weapons.

“Bellarios casts [Wave Swimming].”

“Bellarios casts [Death Breath].”

“Bellarios casts [Shatter]...”

The longer the fight dragged on, the more battered his scales became.

“Bellarios casts [Disaster].”

“Field Effect - Drought applied.”

“All beneficial effects removed; all negative effects strengthened.”

By the time he used his third [Disaster],

Fweeiiik—!

Elwen’s arrow struck his brow from afar, ending the battle.

About ten minutes total?

While mentally calculating, my eyes stayed fixed on Bellarios’ light cluster vanishing.

“Bellarios defeated. EXP +7”

His corpse disappeared, turning into magic stones that scattered on the ground.

Thunk.

No explorer showed any interest in a single magic stone.

“No.9999 Beginner’s Luck triggered.”

An essence appeared.

But the problem was...

‘...It’s yellow.’

It wasn’t [Scales of Greed].

The active skill of the yellow essence was [Shatter].

A ranged attack by default, but its power greatly increases when used up close; an unavoidable instant skill.

“Ah... that’s a shame. Yellow, so it’s not what you wanted, right?”

“Phew... then what happens to that essence? I think many would want it...”

While everyone focused on the essence, Amelia approached, brushing blood off her dagger.

“Yandel, are you okay? You seemed pretty hurt.”

“Ah, I’m fine. My gear’s barely damaged.”

“...”

Though I was barely injured fighting Milael, the grade 2 Rift Guardian, the fight with Bellarios did leave some wounds.

[Shatter] is unblockable by design.

It compresses the space around the target, dealing damage.

Swaaaaaaah—

Still, the injuries were minor, and a bit of healing made recovery quick.

“I’m glad you’re okay. So what about the essence?”

“Ah, that...”

Once my body normalized, I hurried to organize my thoughts.

‘Why [Shatter], of all things?’

As a single skill, it wasn’t bad.

Unblockable, instant, and unguardable.

Damage was decent, MP cost low, cooldown short.

But...

‘It’s hard to develop.’

With such strengths came a fatal flaw—hard to synergize with other skills.

No matter how you build, growth potential was low.

“I’ve decided.”

It didn’t take long to decide the essence’s owner.

“Auyen Rockrove.”

Our clan’s only non-combat personnel—the navigator.

“...Huh?”

“You get it.”

“...Huhhh?”

“What’s with the surprise?”

“B-But... this isn’t navigation-related essence...?”

Ah, that explained why no one objected when a grade 3 essence was discarded.

I smiled and patted his shoulder.

“No matter if you’re a navigator, you’re still part of the clan. You should have an essence to protect yourself.”

I had intended to give him something suitable anyway.

And if the essence’s performance was similar for anyone, even a non-combatant like Auyen could use it well.

‘His passive [Ring of Circulation] also boosts his base stats.’

Maybe he found it hard to believe.

“Uh, uhuh...”

Auyen blinked like a stunned person.

After a while...

“Thank... you. Thank you... really... really thank you...”

For some reason, the navigator began to cry.

[Auyen Rockrove’s soul absorbs [Bellarios’s Essence].]

What’s with him suddenly crying?

While I was taken aback, Amelia approached.

“Looks like all the hardships caught up with him. From what I heard, being a navigator meant a lot of neglect.”

...Really? I didn’t know.

“Giving you an essence to protect your body must’ve stirred a lot of feelings. Probably felt recognized for the first time.”

Hmm, even so, it didn’t quite hit home.

Just felt like he had a rough time.

At that point, I lost interest.

“Ahem...”

“Oh! Bjorn’s embarrassed!”

No, it’s not like that.

‘Why’s Amelia smiling so proudly?’

Not wanting misunderstandings, I quickly shouted to change the topic.

“Everyone, take your breaks!”

With the rest period given to all, I lay nearby to rest.

Soon, Elwen hurried over.

“Sir, please rest.”

“Okay. But?”

“I have a question.”

A question?

“Go ahead.”

“Why didn’t you let me join this fight? If I’d taken down one earlier, it would have been much easier.”

“Oh, that?”

She was right.

If Elwen had used her ultimate, two grade 3 monsters would’ve been defeated quickly.

She would’ve wiped Helsmith with her darkness orb and one-shot Bellarios with [Focused Shot].

But...

“There’s still plenty of time left.”

“Huh?”

After using an ultimate, Elwen cannot participate in battle for a while.

And the current time was 5 PM.

In other words, if the high-tier Elwen was out already, the number of monsters we could kill would decrease.

‘Okay, looks like everyone’s rested enough...’

I stood and ordered everyone to assemble, then formed ranks and summoned monsters.

After repeating grinding until 11 PM, we ended the day and prepared to camp.

The next morning.

“Chew thoroughly! I barely put any veggies in!”

Starting the new day by eating breakfast immediately after waking.

Okay, the food was delicious today.

“Supplies remain for 60 days for all 38 of us.”

No issues with supplies.

“We found some abnormal data in Phnell’s body. It might be a clue about Hiphramagent’s corporeal abilities.”

The investigation team had no progress as usual.

Everything was fine in the morning.

Except one thing.

“Yandel, can I talk to you for a moment?”

While wandering to aid digestion, Amelia called me over.

She hesitated before speaking.

“There are several people who saw the same thing. It’s hard to just dismiss it as an illusion.”

“What did they see?”

“Just to be clear, I checked—there’s nothing in the library.”

“No, I mean, what did they see?”

Carefully looking around, Amelia whispered.

“Some say ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) they saw ghosts at night.”

...Ghosts?