Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

The Ninth Floor of the Labyrinth — the Graveyard.

It's the final gate before the Tenth Floor, where the Abyss Gate exists.

A monster that appears only there showed up.

Of course, it's an entity we had hunted before in the basement's first-floor library, and defeating it was not particularly difficult, but...

"Brakiaistel has been defeated."

The appearance of this monster implies a lot.

'So... this place isn't actually inside the labyrinth.'

The location where we are now is not within the labyrinth.

The royal family had sealed off the labyrinth itself, and clear differences from the labyrinth could be found everywhere—differences obvious enough that we didn't recognize it at first.

That said, calling it simply 'outside the city walls' still felt off in many ways.

Anyway...

'I should have guessed when I saw the craters...'

Everything is confusing, but one thing is certain.

Though there may be some differences from the labyrinth, this place is a replica modeled after the Ninth Floor 'Graveyard.'

And perhaps because everyone realized this...

"..."

"..."

A strange silence immediately wrapped around our party the moment the battle ended.

"Huh? Why do you all suddenly look like that?"

Only Lek Aures was unaware of the current situation.

He could be considered in a similar position to Ainard on our team...

'Why do warriors always end up in this kind of position?'

I briefly wondered but knew it wasn't the time to think deeply.

How long did that silence last with only Aures tilting his head?

Shwaaaaaa-!

A torrential downpour.

"This is..."

Ibaekho murmured quietly while gazing at the fallen Brakiaistel.

"This might actually be dangerous...?"

His words summed up better than anything the predicament we currently faced.

The Ninth Floor is not a place to enter unprepared.

Just then...

Shwaaaa—

Like stage lights turning on, a red glow poured down from above, covering a radius of about 50 meters.

It was a famous field effect of the Ninth Floor Graveyard.

"Huh...? What's this...?"

Aures stood dazed as if he'd met someone familiar on the road.

"If you know it, why are you standing still? Move away!!"

The moment I shouted urgently, everyone snapped out of it and moved beyond the area.

Of course, those with slower speed took extra care of the mage and priest.

Being mobile and being agile aren't the same.

Mages need casting to move quickly, and Jaina, Karui's priest, needed to summon a mount...

Clench.

In emergencies like this, there's no time for that.

Tap-tap.

Only GM, caught off guard by the sudden situation, barely escaped the area.

Kwaaaang!

A meteor of red light crashed into the ground where we had been standing, exploding violently.

And then...

Huuuuu—!!

The blast wind was strong enough to easily push aside a grown man's body, kicking up dust.

Thanks to the pouring rain, visibility quickly recovered, but...

"Is everyone alright?"

Wow, my whole body is covered in goosebumps.

"...From now on, we have to stay alert all the time."

As the dust settled and we looked at the crater created at the impact site, my legs suddenly felt weak.

No wonder — this is how it went in the game.

'Instant death.'

That meteor carries an instant death effect.

If you get hit within a 5-meter radius at the center, no matter how you've built your character, the game-over screen pops up immediately.

Even at the edges, it still deals fixed damage...

Which doesn't matter much anyway.

Most tanks would die in one hit from this.

"Phew..."

Seeing my stunned comrades, I empathized briefly, then shouted loudly.

If a meteor fell, the aftermath would probably be the same as the game.

"Everyone, get a hold of yourselves!"

As I shouted to rouse everyone's spirits—

Flash!

A bolt of lightning struck straight into the center of the crater.

And then...

'So it's this guy too.'

A white bud-like form appeared instantly where the lightning hit, quickly growing and taking shape.

A bipedal humanoid monster, with two arms and a neck standing upright along its spine.

Of course, that classification is nominal; it's far from human.

No human is made of light like electricity flowing through the whole body...

Zzzzzzt!

The problem starts with its size.

There's no such thing as a human that big.

Unless it's a barbarian with [Giant Form].

"Gigazerros...!"

As usual, GM began explaining upon seeing the monster, but this time the tone was different.

"It's an incredibly agile monster using powerful electric attacks, unlike how it looks!"

Unlike before, GM quickly finished explaining in rapid-fire.

But that meant one important detail was missing.

"It's a Grade 2 monster, so be careful!"

Gigazerros, a Grade 2 monster, also only appears in the Graveyard and ranks near the top for single combat power among Grade 2 monsters.

I usually called it the 'Thunder Giant.'

Because no matter how you look at it, that name fits Gigazerros better.

"Gigazerros used [Thunder Strike]."

It drew its shield and rushed forward, electricity exploding off its body like a thunder giant.

Zzzzzzt!

Guarding was useless.

Area skills «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» like this can't be blocked by Aegis' barrier.

You just have to take it...

"Character used [Scales of Greed]."

Blue scales sprouted on my already [Giant Form]-enhanced body.

The 'Dragon Mode' gained through the 'Bellarios' essence.

'Ouch, that tingles.'

Electricity emitted from the Thunder Giant shocked my muscles into spasms...

"Character is now [Paralyzed]."

That was the damage taken.

"Paralysis is removed."

Thanks to my anti-magic setup, paralysis was gone in less than two seconds.

But when I glanced behind...

'Ibaekho still hasn't recovered?'

You still haven't perfected your CC-defense mechanisms?

'No wonder you haven't reached the Tenth Floor yet.'

Smiling knowing Ibaekho's weakness, I dashed forward with renewed vigor.

And then...

"Character has entered the area of [Short Circuit Zone]."

The moment I approached the monster, white spheres suspended in the air discharged electricity, connecting to my body.

"Character's spirit power steadily decreases."

"Spirit power consumption causes fixed damage proportional to the amount consumed."

"All damage from Gigazerros is applied as electric damage."

"Character entered [Conductor] state."

"When taking electric damage, [Thunder Strike] is activated."

[Short Circuit Zone].

An aura-type passive skill that every electric melee character hopes for.

Zzzzzzt!

The Thunder Giant slammed its massive fist into me.

"Guard success."

"Aegis' barrier absorbs all damage."

I blocked and absorbed the impact, but...

Like droplets scattering, white particles fell around me, from which lightning struck.

Hm, 'struck' might not be the right word?

Tssszzz!

Just like light speed can't be tracked by the eye, when I came to, the white lightning from those particles had connected.

Though the damage wasn't huge...

"Character took electric damage."

"[Thunder Strike] activated."

Electricity exploded from my body, sending lightning bolts in all directions.

This time, the effect was amplified 300% more than before.

Zzzzzzt!

Fortunately, I had already put distance behind me, so the damage wasn't severe.

But...

'Looks like I can't expect melee support in this state...'

I quickly judged the situation and ignored the stinging sensation, grabbed the monster's body, and dashed forward, widening the gap with my teammates.

I felt my condition worsening in real time, but that didn't matter.

Everyone has their role.

If the tank's role is to take hits...

"Jaina Flyer summoned [Healing Leeches]."

The healer's job is healing.

Tap-tap.

Transparent leeches latched onto my body, continuously restoring HP and MP.

"Jaina Flyer cast [Curse of Regeneration]."

For some reason, this continuous healing skill is considered a 'curse.'

"Jaina Flyer summoned [Life Vessel]."

A structure like an altar appeared at the center of the battlefield, connecting everyone with red threads.

'Okay, tanking is solid enough now...'

The rest is up to the dealers.

"...Huh?"

...And then the incident happened.

What is the most important job inDungeon and Stone?

If someone asked me, I'd answer without hesitation:

The most important job is the tank.

That makes sense.

If the dealers lack skill, you just can't kill the monster.

But if the main tank's specs aren't enough, it usually ends in total annihilation.

Since I've always been the tank, I managed to keep my team safe through dangerous expeditions.

...Except for a few times.

Anyway.

I value tanks more highly than mages or priests.

But...

'Damn this new map.'

Outside the city walls, a kind of new field, and here, where we came through a mysterious dimensional stele, all my common sense was useless.

Because...

"...Huh?"

While tanking and dealers were steadily dealing damage—

The Thunder Giant suddenly acted abnormally.

It ignored me and charged toward the dealers behind...

Flash!

With a blink-type movement skill, it was impossible to stop it midway.

"Ugh! Ahhh...!"

Unfortunately, the first victim of this sudden action was GM.

GM quickly activated a mana shield upon seeing the monster appear right in front...

Crack!

The hastily formed mana shield of a Grade 2 monster was easily broken and a clean hit landed.

But the shield did help reduce the shock.

Otherwise, GM might have died in one blow.

"Damn it! Havelion! Are you alive?"

"Y-yes! Alive!"

"Then heal fast! If that bastard dies, we won't be able to fix the magic circle!!"

We hadn't even found a way to escape yet, so what good was a magic circle...

Under Ibaekho's shout, Jaina started focusing on healing GM.

And then...

"Behel—laaaaaa!!!"

Just as I was rushing to mark the monster again—

Flash!

The monster used its teleport skill and vanished before my eyes.

'What the hell...?'

That sudden behavior wasn't once but twice.

Denial was pointless now.

'Threat level doesn't work...?'

The 'Threat Level' raised by [Giant Form].

And the absolute aggro effect of 'Aegis' Barrier' triggered by that Threat Level.

The monster was ignoring both.

As if it wasn't judged a monster but a 'person.'

"Hold tight!"

"Kyah!"

Fortunately, the archer reacted to the second ambush and pulled the healer to safety.

Still, the situation was grim.

Zzzzzzt!

This wasn't a trivial monster—it's Grade 2.

If tanking fails, there will definitely be casualties...

'What do I do now?'

It was the first time in a long while I felt utterly helpless against a monster, and my mind became overwhelmed.

"...Damn it."

Ibaekho clicked his tongue at the Thunder Giant.

His tone wasn't just frustration—it sounded oddly regretful.

"I really didn't want to show this."

...What?

As if he knew a way out of this situation.

"Everyone, run as far away as possible."

Ibaekho murmured, extending his hand forward.

And then...

Zzzzt—

A dark sphere formed before his hand, spinning as it sucked in the surrounding air.

'Wait a minute.'

This looked familiar...

"Run! If you get caught, even the Baron won't be safe!"

Ibaekho shouted urgently and dashed off, with Aures following immediately.

I quickly pulled myself together and followed.

Seconds later...

"Charging is enough."

Ibaekho murmured briefly.

Kwaaang!

The dark sphere exploded, engulfing the area in a black flash.

"Gigazerros defeated +EXP 8"

Everything went pitch black as if blinded, but I had no doubt the fight with the Thunder Giant had ended.

I knew exactly what skill I had just seen.

"Star's Extinction..."

The active skill of Deadred, Lord of Darkness, with destructive power unmatched by any essence—undisputedly the strongest attack skill inDungeon and Stone.

'Crazy...'

He actually had that skill...?