Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 489: Pilgrim (7)
Regret washed over me.
‘I shouldn’t have done the Floor Lord raid…’
If I had just accepted the compensation based on contribution… or if I hadn’t touched the Chaos Lord…
Or if…
‘I hadn’t played that game.’
If I hadn’t come here…
‘None of this would have happened.’
Clench. I balled my fists so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
But there was something I had to do before wallowing in regret.
Or rather…
‘It’s not time for regrets yet.’
After realizing how the stat boosts worked, a new possibility had emerged.
Therefore…
Swoosh.
I looked down the corpse-filled passage.
Step, step.
He was slowly approaching.
“This is convenient. I was wondering how to find you.”
The moment he appeared…
I charged at him, roaring.
Dash!
It was a speed I had never experienced before, even with my Strength and Resistance-focused build.
It felt like I had teleported.
And…
Thud!
I didn’t need a weapon anymore.
My body itself was a weapon.
Harder than any metal.
Thud!
I punched him in the face.
Whoosh!
He retaliated with his Aura-enhanced sword, but his movements seemed sluggish to me.
Swoosh.
I dodged his attack and closed the distance, landing a series of punches.
It felt like I was using a cheat code.
I didn’t have any skills, but my base stats were much higher than when I was using [Gigantification] at full power.
‘I don’t think I would even be injured by his Aura attacks now…’
But there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.
I kept my distance and continued my one-sided assault.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
It didn’t take long.
Maybe ten hits in total?
He collapsed to the ground, unable to fight back.
Thud! Thud!
He was in a much worse state than when we had cornered him before.
But he didn’t regenerate.
It seemed like my theory was correct.
‘There’s a chance that his regeneration skill has a limited number of uses…’
But if he was a boss monster that could only be killed when he was alone…
‘Maybe…’
It wasn’t too late.
I punched him one more time.
Crack!
His head caved in like a watermelon.
And at the same time…
「Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror, has been slain. EXP +100」
「Floor Lord Kill Bonus. EXP +15」
I felt a surge of experience points as his body dissolved into particles of light.
‘…Is it… over?’
Was it all for nothing?
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As I stood there, frozen in place…
「You have passed the trial perfectly.」
「The Nameless Pilgrim accepts defeat.」
…the cave started to collapse.
「Fragments of distorted memories begin to converge.」
I was surprised, but I just watched.
There was nothing I could do. Running away wouldn’t change anything.
Rumble!
The cave walls crumbled, the ceiling cracked, and even the forest outside began to distort.
Everything was collapsing, like a dying monster.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The world shattered into a kaleidoscope of colors.
And then…
Darkness.
It wasn’t just darkness, but a void where nothing existed.
Whoosh!
I heard the sound of a fire igniting, and the darkness receded.
“…….”
I was in a cave.
Dozens of torches flickered on the walls, illuminating a stone altar with a book on top.
‘What’s this now?’
I approached the altar and opened the book.
It was written in ancient language, but I could read it without any problems.
[If I had to depict terror, I would paint his face on a blank canvas. Centurion Dreadfear. The one who taught me the true meaning of fear…]
As I focused on the words, the letters blurred, and a strange sensation washed over me.
[I met him at the moment of my greatest triumph.]
Memories flooded my mind.
______________________
I wasn’t afraid of death.
I would die a glorious death.
That’s what I had always told myself.
But reality was different.
“I, Dreadfear, promise you this. Those who prove their loyalty by slaying a fellow pilgrim will be absolved of all their sins.”
He had made a cunning offer to us, who had failed our mission.
Of course, none of us believed him.
We closed our eyes, ready to accept our fate. A noble silence filled the cave.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
But my heart pounded in my chest, yearning for life.
Was this really the end?
I didn’t want to die.
But betraying my comrades…
“Believe me.”
It was strange.
Why did those words sound so… true?
“…….”
I opened my eyes.
The woman I had journeyed with was also looking around nervously.
“…….”
Our eyes met, and I knew instinctively.
Thump!
She was about to give in.
I didn’t have any proof, but I was sure of it. We had been through so much together.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My mind raced.
I couldn’t breathe, and my vision blurred.
Smirk.
She smiled at me awkwardly.
I felt a surge of unease.
The seed of doubt had been planted, and it was growing, fueled by fear.
[…If I have to kill someone… it should be her…]
I heard her thoughts.
It wasn’t just a hallucination.
We hadn’t gotten along. We had even argued during our last drinking session.
And this was the Earth Mother’s sanctuary.
A revelation… it had to be a divine revelation.
The Earth Mother had revealed her wicked thoughts to me.
I was convinced that she was planning to betray us, to sacrifice me.
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
When I came to, I was holding a dagger.
The woman’s eyes widened as she saw me.
“Y-You… you were thinking… about killing me… weren’t you…?”
“N-No! I wasn’t!”
“D-Don’t lie! I can hear your thoughts…!”
I stabbed her.
My comrades shouted at me, but I couldn’t stop.
If I hadn’t done it, she would have done it to me.
“Haha! Hahaha!”
Centurion Dreadfear.
He laughed, looking at me with a delighted expression.
“Well done. Who’s next?”
I asked, my body trembling,
“J-Just one… you said… if I killed just one…”
“I won’t kill you. But… are you sure? If you put down the dagger, I’ll let them go too.”
My mind went blank.
I had been tricked.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My heart pounded in my chest. My comrades shouted at me, urging me to resist.
To regain my senses and die with honor.
But I couldn’t hear them.
I kept seeing ominous visions of the future.
It had started as a delusion, but it had quickly become my reality.
Clench.
I couldn’t let go of the dagger.
Puk-!
When I came to, all my comrades were dead. I asked him if I could live now, and he said yes.
He told me to leave.
He would spare my life.
I ran, not daring to look back. I ran for hours, until I reached the entrance of the cave.
And then I realized what I had done.
“N-No… I… I’m not…”
A new fear consumed me.
And there was only one way to escape it.
Puk-!
I stabbed myself with the same dagger I had used to kill my comrades.
As my consciousness faded, I saw the Centurion’s face in the distance.
“I knew it from the moment I saw you. You would be a valuable asset.”
He looked at me with a serious expression and then called for a mage. The mage sprinkled a strange liquid on my dying body.
Sizzle!
A searing pain shot through me, as if my soul was being torn apart.
And then a warm energy embraced me. But it couldn’t heal my shattered soul.
“It’s done.”
I shed my human form and was reborn as a new being.
A being with infinite power and authority, but devoid of emotions and desires.
An empty shell.
“…This is unusual. He still seems to have some semblance of sanity.”
“That’s impossible.”
The mage’s words made him approach me cautiously.
“Tell me. What is your name?”
I answered,
“Dreadfear.”
“…What? That’s my name—”
Crunch.
I felt no fear anymore.
______________________
「Character has received a fragment of the Nameless Pilgrim’s memory.」
「Can now freely read and write ancient language.」
______________________
A fragmented memory, like a dream.
But the emotions and sensations were vivid.
Whoosh!
The book, having reached its final page, burst into flames and turned to ashes.
I felt a presence and turned around.
He was standing about ten steps away, staring at me.
“Dreadfear.”
Or should I call him the Nameless Pilgrim?
He had absorbed the Centurion and taken his name.
‘…What the hell is going on?’
I was confused.
The raid was over.
I had clearly felt the surge of experience points.
Then who was this guy?
“I have a question.”
He spoke, his voice echoing through the cave.
“Why… weren’t you afraid?”
I understood his question.
I knew how he had been born.
He must be curious.
We hadn't been driven by fear or hallucinations.
We had the [Prophet of Misfortune], who could see the future.
And we had the ability to read each other's emotions.
And that wasn't all.
The Centurion had used a skill to make us believe his words, and he had regenerated his HP when we were about to defeat him.
But...
"Because none of us are as weak as you."
I answered bluntly, and he nodded silently.
"I see..."
It was a strange experience, having a conversation with a boss monster.
But there was something I had to confirm.
"Now tell me."
A possibility that had emerged after everyone else had died.
"They're all still alive, aren't they?"
"Before I answer that, I have a question. Why do you think so?"
"Because this raid is designed to be cleared solo."
It was too strange.
I had been playing [Dungeon and Stone] for almost ten years, and I had never encountered a boss that was impossible to defeat with a full party.
And Dreadfear's concept itself was a clue.
Fear, hatred... but his title was 'Lord of Terror'. He was testing our faith.
"...That's surprising."
He looked at me with a strange expression.
"You understand the laws of this world."
Laws?
It was just big data based on experience.
"Anyway, what's the answer?"
He finally answered.
"It depends on your choice."
It wasn't the answer I had expected, but it sent shivers down my spine.
So they weren't really dead.
"...What do you mean by 'choice'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
He extended his hand, and two stone doors appeared.
「The Nameless Pilgrim offers you a choice.」
He had given me two options.
"If you go through that door, you will regain everything you have lost here. As if awakening from a long nightmare."
"And if I go through the other door?"
"Everything will become reality. But you will gain something even greater than what you have lost."
Damn it, he was still playing his role.
I looked at him and asked,
"What if I just crush your head?"
It was a question any player would ask.
He stared at me for a moment and then answered.
"You will gain even more."
"..."
"That is also a rule of this world."
I see.
I made my decision.
