Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 483: Pilgrim (1)

When encountering an unexpected situation, the first thing to do is ‘wait’.

Not to act rashly in panic, but to calmly assess the situation first.

This choice helps avoid the worst-case scenario.

Of course, depending on the outcome, there might be better choices, but at least…

It prevents irreversible mistakes.

So…

“Phew…”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

And when I feel like I’ve regained my composure…

Slowly…

I open my eyes and gather visual information.

“…….”

I’m at the entrance of a cave.

At the cave entrance, where light is seeping in, countless soldiers are blocked by a transparent barrier, shouting something.

“——— ——, ————!!”

Like a muted TV, I can’t hear them, but their expressions are a mix of urgency and anger.

But the real problem is…

‘Damn it.’

I can’t see my companions.

And it’s not just my companions.

‘What is this?’

My equipment is also gone.

The Demon Crusher, the expensive shield I bought, the Royal Guard Sigil, and all the other Numbered Items I was wearing…

Everything has vanished.

And instead…

I’m wearing ragged, worn-out clothes.

And I’m clutching a bone awl, a crude weapon made from monster bones.

That’s when I realize.

The real problem is…

‘…Is this for real?’

My body feels heavy.

“——, — ———— —!”

Even though all my heavy equipment is gone…

I feel sluggish and weak, as if I’m carrying a heavy burden.

I don’t question it. I just record the information.

「All character stats are fixed at 15.」

Information 1: My stats have been reduced.

To the level of an ordinary person, not an explorer.

My powerful body, capable of lifting a carriage, is gone.

And…

「All character essences are sealed.」

Information 2: My skills are sealed.

Ogre, Vol-Herchan, Bion…

All my skills, including the high-grade essences that made me a powerhouse, are deactivated.

‘…And my subspace pocket won’t open.’

The subspace pocket I obtained from the Rose Knights is also unusable.

“Haa…”

I feel a wave of dizziness, but I force myself to calm down.

New information is being updated.

“Uh… get out… by the imperial law… judgment…”

The transparent barrier that had been blocking the sound starts to weaken, and I can hear the soldiers’ shouts.

‘Imperial…?’

Their attire looks familiar.

Like the Imperial soldiers I saw in the Doppelganger Forest.

Anyway, to summarize…

“For the Empire…!”

Information 3: They’re Imperial soldiers.

“Captain, the barrier is weakening!”

Information 4: The barrier at the entrance is weakening.

“Prepare yourselves! It’s time to judge the wicked pilgrim!”

Information 5: I’m a pilgrim.

A traitor to humanity who sided with the Witch during the Witch’s War.

“…….”

As the information is processed and organized in my mind, I reach a conclusion.

‘I’ll die if I’m caught.’

I have to run.

______________________

In a five-man or fewer raid,

Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror, drags the characters to a new field when he reaches his 4th phase.

The Bottomless Pit of Solitude.

A sealed room shrouded in darkness.

The players have to fight him in that environment, and he uses much stronger skills than in a normal raid.

His body grows larger, no longer restricted by the cave.

Token monsters swarm the area.

Dangerous AoE attacks and unavoidable skills.

But I wasn't worried about the raid itself.

All his skills had clear countermeasures…

And there was an escape route that could only be used right before the labyrinth closed.

It was a safety net.

But…

‘…An unexpected event.’

This kind of situation was common in [Dungeon and Stone].

The game was filled with hidden pieces.

‘A hidden piece.’

That must be the reason for this situation.

Information 6: A hidden piece I’m unaware of has been activated.

I quicken my pace.

Thud, thud.

Sweat drips down my face, forming beads that roll down my cheeks and soak my clothes.

Drip—

My body is weak and frail, slightly better than Lee Hansu in the hospital.

“Where is he?! Where did he go?!”

The Imperial soldiers are chasing me.

But I don’t despair.

I have faith.

There are no impossible hidden pieces in [Dungeon and Stone].

And as proof…

“He’s moving as if he can see through the darkness.”

“It must be one of the powers he gained from the wicked Witch.”

The soldiers seem to find the cave dark.

But it’s bright enough for me, thanks to the glowing crystals.

Information 7: Pilgrims have certain advantages.

Not just increased vision range, but also…

“Gurgle, gurgle!”

…the monsters in the cave.

They don’t attack me.

In fact, they seem to be protecting me from the soldiers.

Slash!

Well, they’re just buying me time.

If it weren’t for them, I would have been captured by now.

“Grrrr—!”

…This feels strange.

I never thought I would be saved by goblins.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Thud, thud.

Of course, my tracking skills also played a significant role in my escape.

And that brings me to the next question.

‘What happened to the others…?’

I organized my thoughts as I ran.

The most likely scenario was that they were also separated and started alone, just like me.

This place was similar to the Crystal Cave.

Except for the entrance.

‘…If this follows the same pattern, there should be entrances in all four directions.’

The basis for my theory was my starting location.

The area beyond the barrier where the soldiers were gathered was a dense forest.

Like the Goblin Forest.

“He’s this way!”

Damn it, I thought I could rest for a moment.

Thud, thud.

I quickly got up and continued running, my mind racing. I couldn’t keep running forever.

Survival was a series of decisions.

I had successfully escaped, so it was time for the next decision.

What should I do now?

‘Regroup.’

That was the most obvious choice.

There were many events that separated party members. And most of them required regrouping to proceed.

Considering our separate starting locations, it was highly likely that this situation followed the same pattern.

‘But… we might all die before we can regroup…’

Erwen would probably be fine.

She had tracking skills.

The problem was Ainar, who had no sense of direction, and Bersil, who was a mage and nothing else.

‘…I’ll worry about that later.’

I stopped thinking about it.

It wasn't something I could do right now.

I didn't even know how to find them in this vast cave.

There was a more important question.

'What's the clear condition?'

If this was part of Dreadfear's 4th phase, what was the objective?

To kill all the Imperial soldiers?

To reach the monument in the center of the cave?

Or maybe I had to escape the cave?

I had cleared over a hundred rifts and countless hidden pieces, but I couldn't figure this one out.

I didn't have enough information.

'There must be a clue...'

I made my decision.

I had to be more proactive.

Therefore...

Thud.

I stopped running and hid behind a glowing crystal.

It wasn't the best hiding spot, but the soldiers seemed to find the crystals blinding.

It was the perfect place for an ambush.

"..."

I waited.

Step, step.

Three soldiers entered the passage, carrying torches.

'Three...'

It was a manageable number, even in my weakened state.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

My heart pounded in my chest.

Should I attack?

Or should I wait?

I hesitated for a split second.

'...Three is doable.'

I made my decision.

I didn't know how long it would take for a smaller group to appear.

And the Imperial soldiers weren't that strong.

They were probably around the level of 2nd-floor explorers, judging by their performance against the goblins.

Which meant they were just ordinary people who would die if stabbed.

Clench.

I tightened my grip on the bone awl, hidden in the shadows cast by the crystal.

And...

Step.

As the three soldiers passed by my hiding spot...

I silently approached the last one and stabbed him in the neck.

Puk-!

"...Gah!"

The sound echoed through the passage.

Before I could even retrieve my weapon, the other two soldiers turned around.

"...You!"

Their eyes widened in surprise.

I pushed the dead soldier's body towards them and pulled out my awl.

And before they could react...

Puk-!

I stabbed again.

"...Ugh!"

I had aimed for his neck, but the awl only pierced his collarbone.

He was wearing leather armor, and the awl was stuck.

Therefore...

'I'll have to give up on the weapon.'

I let go of the awl and charged at him.

I didn't need a weapon to kill.

Swoosh.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, pinning his arms behind his back.

I twisted his neck, exposing his throat.

Crack.

And then I bit down with all my might.

If you tore out the jugular vein, they would die instantly.

"T-Trojan!"

Okay, two down.

It was a one-on-one fight now.

He might have better stats and equipment...

But battles weren't just about stats.

"Come at me, you little shit."

My experience in real combat was different from his.

"...Y-You!"

He thrust his spear forward, his movements stiff with tension.

I dodged and grabbed the shaft of his spear, pulling him off balance.

And that was the end of the fight.

Crack, crack, crack!

I jumped on his back, grabbed his head, and slammed it against the ground repeatedly.

He stopped moving.

"...Ptoo."

I spat out the blood and flesh that had filled my mouth and stood up.

It had been a while since I had last fought like this.

I felt more mentally exhausted than when I fought 3rd-grade monsters.

"Haa... Haa..."

My vision was blurry, even though I wasn't injured.

It must have been the adrenaline.

But I didn't have time to rest.

'I need to loot the bodies.'

There was always loot after a hard-fought battle.

___________________

The Imperial soldiers' equipment was standardized.

A leather vest, and a cloth with the Imperial emblem on top.

'It's a bit tight, even though I took the biggest one.'

But the weapons were better.

I could use them even if they didn't fit perfectly. And there were three different types:

A mace and shield.

A spear.

And a two-handed hammer.

My choice was obvious.

'Mace and shield, of course.'

The two-handed hammer was tempting, but I couldn't use it with one hand in my current state.

'I'll keep the bone awl too, just in case...'

I looted their belongings, taking food, water, and other necessities.

I hid the bodies behind the crystals and left the area.

Step, step.

The boots made walking much easier.

This was the power of civilization.

I felt a sense of accomplishment, having upgraded from a bone awl to a proper set of Imperial soldier equipment.

'Now that I have equipment, I can capture someone alive and interrogate them.'

I started looking for my next target.

'Four...'

It was one more than before.

But it didn't matter.

Whoosh.

I lit a torch, even though I didn't need it, and approached them.

The Imperial soldier set had a hidden effect.

"Hey! I'm lost. Can you help me?"

If you were wearing the full set, the Imperial soldiers wouldn't attack you first—

'...Huh?'

That's how it was supposed to work...

"Alert!"

But they raised their weapons as soon as they saw me.

How did they know?

I didn't understand, but I made a mental note of it.

"A pilgrim! It's a pilgrim...!"

Information 8: Imperial soldiers can identify pilgrims.

And...

Slash! Slash! Slash!

「Character has slain five Imperial soldiers.」

「All stats increased by +1.」

Information 9: Killing Imperial soldiers makes you stronger.

'Okay, I'm starting to get the hang of this.'

I finally understood the situation.