Episode 25 The Plunderer (2)
Running in the darkness.
I opened the compass every now and then to check the direction, and ran like crazy with all my might.
“Grrrr!”
Various monsters such as ghouls and skeletons blocked the way, but they were all slow moving so it wasn’t a problem.
But I guess that goes for the pursuer too.
Tadadadada!
Has it been about 5 minutes?
I guess I’m slowly finishing up my psychopath year rooting.
That’s the only fortunate part.
If we hadn’t been dressed like beginners, we would have given up on rooting that year and gone straight into pursuit.
If you think about it differently, it could be evidence that they had the means and confidence to pursue even if given time.
Still, I think I managed to buy a little bit of time.
“Bjorn, isn’t that the sign?”
Finally, good news continues.
The Land of the Dead is dotted with collapsed stone buildings.
I marked it every time I passed by.
So that you can find the 1st floor portal later.
“This way!”
Although they were active in the vicinity, their discovery was made sooner than expected.
Maybe luck is on your side—
“What kind of guy is this!”
Damn, I wasn’t supposed to plant a flag.
Einar and my feet stopped at the same time.
It was because I happened to encounter another group of explorers.
No, in a way, is it a good thing?
To explorers, plunder is nothing short of public enemy number one.
If you explain your circumstances and offer reasonable compensation, you may be able to get help.
“Barbarian?”
The group of explorers who had been aiming their weapons at us as we appeared from the darkness tilted their heads.
The number is four.
The race is all human, and their equipment appears to be at least twice as good as ours.
It’s hard to believe, but humans probably have no choice.
“I’m being chased by marauders. I need help.”
“How can you guarantee that you are not plunderers?”
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“I swear on my warrior’s honor that everything I say is true.”
Unlike the Fairy’s Promise, the Warrior’s Oath has no binding force…
Surprisingly, this oath works everywhere.
The one who seemed to be the leader of the four thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“If we catch the looters, we’ll take all the reward. Do you agree?”
“Of course.”
“good night.”
At Ppakkap’s gesture, the other explorers also lowered their weapons.
Obviously, if I wasn’t a barbarian, it would have taken me more time to let my guard down.
“Come here first. We’ll talk about the details later.”
As we approached them, a yellow-haired man of about 160 cm in height used his power.
“It’s a gnome’s ability. If it’s on the ground, it can merge with surrounding objects within a 3m radius.”
In simple terms, this means that the Goblin Archer’s stealth ability is applied within a range.
However, it has the disadvantage of not being able to move.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“does not exist.”
“You were lucky.”
The punk looked at me and said.
That is certainly true.
A group of explorers I met by chance had someone with ranged stealth abilities? With this, it would be possible to avoid combat altogether—
“Two Barbarians rolled in, you know.”
Shit, I was just talking to myself.
Somehow, it seemed like things were going well.
Of course, that’s impossible.
***
“The character has entered the [Suppression] state.”
***
“Hoo hoo hoo.”
The eyes of the explorers, including Ppakkaki, are filled with greed.
One of them had already searched through my backpack and opened up my magic stone pouch.
“You’ve earned a lot in just two days.”
I want to hit the butt with my mace right now, but my body won’t move.
And this is the same for Ainard too.
“Why, are you surprised that your body suddenly stopped moving?”
There is no need to look any further, it is the power of Jeongsu.
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I can already guess what kind of integer it is.
There are many similar abilities, but there is only one that these guys, explorers of similar level as us, would have.
‘Is this the [suppression] of the Stone Golem…?
That’s for sure.
Now I’m hit by the active skill of the 8th grade monster Stone Golem.
The easiest way to escape would be to take damage, even if it’s just 1… … .
If these kids had any sense, they would be careful.
“Hey buddy, it’s no use staring at him like that. It’s not an ability that can be solved that way.”
It’s the worst situation, to the point where even the word “shit” doesn’t quite describe it.
What the hell, I did all that shit to survive and this is how I’m going to die?
“Look at those fierce eyes? Can’t you grasp the situation yet?”
“Okay, Lamode. Let’s end it here. It’ll be a hassle if the looters they met come.”
“Tch, what a pity. I finally caught a woman, but she’s a barbarian.”
“You’re stupid. Isn’t it better because you’re a Barbarian? How much would you get if you just took out your heart and sold it?”
The ugly desires that are fully exposed are felt through the skin and throughout the body.
Soon, the savage pulled out a sharp blade.
“Kill him in one shot. It’ll be a hassle.”
“Tsk, don’t worry.”
WHEEK!
Murderous intent flies in on the wind.
The direction the target is aimed at is none other than the neck.
‘… The neck?’
Even when death was imminent, my brain synthesized the information given and came up with a solution.
Of course, there was no way to know if it would actually work.
However, it would be much more productive than looking back on your life and ruminating on your regrets.
Phew!
Soon a sharp blade digs into my neck.
At the same time, a tingling sensation occurs and the stiff body relaxes.
I immediately threw my head back.
Just like a boxer twists his face to deflect the force of a punch.
Time passes slowly.
“…uh?”
You can see the expression on Ppakkaki’s face.
The hand that had been holding the dagger was empty.
Only then do I feel a foreign object in my throat.
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‘Oh, it’s already half-pecked.’
The moment you realize something, your brain makes a quick conclusion.
Not bad.
Since there is less bleeding, I will hold out a little longer.
Tsutsui.
I force myself to keep my balance by putting strength into my legs that are about to give out.
And then he swings the mace he was holding.
Towards the shiny, tight-fitting crown of the head.
Kwajik-!
A bald man with half a sunken face falls down.
At about 0.5x speed.
“Darban!!”
There are also many bewildered faces here and there.
Why the fuck, didn’t you know that guy with a knife in his throat would fight back?
“You, me… … .”
Actually, I didn’t know either.
I knew this would happen.
“Oh, uh… … .”
I keep getting a lump in my throat and something is rising.
All the strength drains from my body and the light spreads dimly.
Are you shocked?
I feel tingling from the tip of my toes to the tip of my head.
Lack of oxygen and blood.
Clang!
His hands gave out and the mace and shield he was holding fell to the floor.
I want to collapse and rest right now, but… … .
There’s still more to do.
I’m not making this fuss just to take one more kid.
Tsutsui.
I take a step forward and raise my staggering body.
And then he pulled out the knife stuck in his neck.
Throw it at Ainar, who is about four steps away.
Phew!
Oh, I didn’t know that would stick.
“Ugh!”
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Sorry, but my body is moving now.
Crunch!
As the dagger struck his forearm, Einar swung his greatsword, slicing the waist of an archer at close range in two.
And then, as if in a linked movement, he spun around once more and jumped up to strike the other guy in the head.
The iron helmet he was wearing was useless.
Kwajik-!
Blood flows out from between the helmets that have turned into pieces of scrap metal.
“This, this is crazy… … !”
The blonde haired girl who was standing far away saw this and ran away without looking back.
Quick situational awareness, like a goblin.
“Bjorn!”
Ainar, who had finished cleaning up the surroundings, came running urgently to me as I knelt down.
Okay, then I guess I can leave the rest to you—
“Bjorrrrrr… …!”
Ainar hugs me and calls my name sadly.
…it’s like dealing with a deceased person.
Feeling somewhat ominous, I forced my eyes open and spoke.
“Pho, kerchuck.”
“I understand! I will definitely get revenge!”
No, revenge is done.
“Achievement Achievement”
Condition: Vitality drops below 0.1%.
Reward: Sanity score is permanently increased by +3.
I opened my mouth desperately.
“Po, Sean… … .”
Fuck, save me.
***
“Bjorn Jandel”
Level: 2
Physical: 66 / Mental: 40 (New +3) Abilities: 11
Item Level: 218
Overall Combat Index: 171.5 (New +3)
***
Cheeeeeeek!
The hole in my throat begins to close, and the pain comes with it.
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But I’m happy.
Because it felt so vivid that life was being breathed into the dead body.
“Khuhhhh.”
A searing pain awakens the dulled mind.
… you survived.
I really thought we were crossing the Jordan River this time.
It’s fortunate that I didn’t spend 1.4 million stones on anything else and just got the immortal seal.
If it weren’t for that, I would have died a long time ago.
“Einar.”
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“Get your gear, your gear first… … .”
As soon as I had the energy to speak, I gave instructions to Ainar.
Then, with great difficulty, I managed to get up and downed the remaining bottle of potion.
Gulp gulp.
It’s all about money, but there’s nothing I can do.
Even though the wound on his neck seems to have healed somewhat, there’s no telling what’s going on inside.
There is no way to know what damage may have been done to the brain by what just happened.
So, it would be better to prepare thoroughly in advance.
“Keuhehe… … .”
In fact, it wasn’t long before a tingling sensation arose in the back of my head.
Judging from the intensity of the pain, it doesn’t seem to be serious, but if left untreated, it could have led to major problems.
“Is it okay if I check for a moment?”
“… What about the equipment?”
“I just took everything I saw.”
If that’s the case, then yes.
As I nodded, Einar lifted my chin and carefully examined the wound.
“It’ll leave a scar.”
It’s a little strange.
Come to think of it, Erwen said something similar.
Well, the feelings inside are completely different.
“Wow! You’re the only Barbarian with a scar across your neck!”
Does this look like a medal to him?
Well, even if you are a barbarian who lives by relying on your body, it wouldn’t be common for someone to survive with a hole in their neck.
“What should we do now?”
Ainar asks about future plans.
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So I also tightened my focus.
It was just before that I was tightrope walking on the borderline of life and death… … .
Nothing has been resolved yet.
“How much time has passed so far?”
“It’ll only take about 5 minutes at most.”
5 minutes… … .
In fact, meeting these guys made the situation worse.
I’m crazy.
No matter how urgent it is, you still try to borrow the help of other explorer cubs.
Anyway, let’s regret it later.
“Where did that guy run away to just now?”
“It’s over there.”
I led Ainar in the direction where the yellow-haired man had run away.
Even though the ground was muddy, there were no footprints, so proper tracking was impossible… … .
As expected.
“Here it is.”
Not too far away, I could spot a yellow head.
Well, how far can you go when it’s so dark around here?
The guy was lying on the ground unconscious, having hit his head on the debris of a building while running recklessly.
“Eek! Sa, save me!”
After taking away something that could be used as a weapon and roughly stomping on his back to wake him up, the blond hair fell flat on its stomach.
Compared to before, this is a very polite attitude.
Just now, he was clicking his tongue at the fact that the woman he finally caught was a barbarian.
“Oh, oh my!”
Ainar grabbed the bastard by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up lightly with one hand.
But perhaps because the blonde’s body is small, her feet cannot touch the ground.
“Ugh, ugh!”
When I see a person struggling with his neck choked, I don’t feel sympathy, but rather feel relieved.
Yeah, if you’re going to train, you should have trained properly.
Make sure to aim for the head, not the neck.
If that were the case, even if it was a potion or an immortal seal, the country would have been helpless.
“Ainar, let me go.”
Ainar let go of his hand, even though he questioned the instructions.
I approached the guy who had fallen down and whispered an order into his ear.
“Use your powers. If you want to live.”
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That’s the only reason I didn’t just cut that yellow rat’s balls off.
The gnome’s power this guy has.
Because I need it right now.
“Yes, I did!”
“How long can you keep it up?”
“30 minutes! No, I can last 40 minutes! So—!”
It’s a long story.
I wish you would just answer the questions I ask.
“Whoa!” he asked again, grabbing the bastard’s collar.
“How long will it take to write that much again?”
“You have to rest, rest for the amount of time you spent.”
“I see.”
I released the hand that was holding my collar.
And he pinned down his upper body with his feet so that he couldn’t even think of running away.
Just like you would normally deal with goblins.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just kill her? It seems like she’s given up on us anyway.”
I thought, what the heck is this? But I guess it could be seen that way from his perspective.
Although he ran away naked, it is unknown whether he was actually chased.
Even taking into account the rooting time, it’s definitely strange that it hasn’t even shown its nose yet.
“Give up… … .”
Certainly, that possibility exists.
Maybe for that psychopathic bitch, we were not worth chasing.
What would be the problem if I went back to the city to testify?
If the bare face we saw earlier was actually a magical disguise, then that would make sense.
but…….
Sigh.
There’s no way things could go that well.
The opponent is me.
