Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 485: Pilgrim (3)

Crack! Crack! Crack!

I carved a path through the Imperial soldiers, advancing through the passage. The closer I got to the central area, the more soldiers there were, but the battles became easier.

I had Bersil for healing, and my stats were continuously increasing.

Crack!

At this point, my stats were probably comparable to when I was exploring the 3rd floor…

「Character has entered the Pilgrim’s Altar.」

A purple fog swirled around the central area as Bersil and I arrived.

“Be careful. Anything could happen from now on.”

“Yes.”

I tightened my grip on my shield and mace, my senses heightened.

Step, step.

After a few steps into the fog…

The chamber where we had been raiding Dreadfear appeared.

I quickly assessed the terrain.

“…….”

The chamber was empty.

And in place of the monument, a large statue, over four meters tall, stood in the center.

“Yandel, that’s…”

“The Witch’s Altar, probably.”

It seemed like we had come to the right place.

After confirming that there was no one else around, I approached the statue and examined it carefully.

“Bersil, do you recognize this?”

“No, I don’t. The Witch in the books didn’t look like this…”

“Well, they had to portray her as an evil being in the books.”

“Right… I guess so… Then is this really what she looked like?”

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed likely.

The statue looked exactly like the girl I had briefly encountered after defeating Riakis.

“She looks… so young…”

Bersil reached out to touch the statue, as if in a trance.

“Stop. Something might happen if you touch it.”

“Ah, okay!”

Bersil flinched and withdrew her hand.

Then she asked cautiously,

“…What are we going to do now?”

“We need to investigate further.”

I examined the statue without touching it.

There was an inscription on the pedestal, but I couldn’t decipher it.

“Ancient languages aren’t my specialty…”

Damn it, Raven could read ancient languages.

Were pureblood mages inherently more knowledgeable than players?

“That’s a shame. It might have given us some clues—”

I was about to say that when…

“One star, one sun, one moon.”

A voice echoed from behind us.

“On this land we look upon, all are equal.”

I turned around and saw a middle-aged man in knight’s armor.

“I will look up to you.”

Damn, he looked strong.

Was he the boss?

I hoped he wasn’t an Aura user.

“Isn’t it disgusting? To think that filthy monsters are equal to us.”

I hid Bersil behind me and raised my shield, and the knight chuckled.

“Ah, I suppose it’s different for you. If you had any true convictions, you wouldn’t have betrayed humanity.”

He made a strange sign of the cross, unlike any I had seen before.

“I, Argarsil Dreadfear, swear. By the Imperial Sword that protects this world, I will eliminate all pilgrims.”

He drew his sword, its blade gleaming with a white aura.

Whoosh!

‘…Holy shit.’

Was this even balanced?

______________________

The moment I saw the aura, my heart sank.

'There's no way I can win this in a normal fight.'

There was no doubt about that.

Even with my boosted stats, I couldn't stand against a knight who could use Aura.

He would bisect me before I could even get close.

But...

'...That's why I have to find it.'

Instead of despairing, I started thinking.

How could I defeat him?

'There has to be a way.'

[Dungeon and Stone] was a cruel game, but it wasn't unfair.

If they had given me an opponent like this with my stats and skills sealed, there had to be a way to defeat him.

'Think.'

I calmly analyzed the situation.

Argarsil Dreadfear.

He was definitely the boss.

Then how could I defeat him?

'Leveling up isn't the answer.'

It would take too long to grind my stats by killing Imperial soldiers.

After reaching a certain level, I had to kill ten soldiers to gain a single stat point.

And even if I hunted for days, I wouldn't be able to reach his level.

'Then... the altar?'

I glanced at the Witch's statue.

Maybe activating the altar would trigger an event that would help me defeat him.

'But how do I activate it?'

I took a step back and approached the statue.

And...

Thud.

I reached out and touched it.

"..."

Nothing happened.

There must be a condition.

'It's an altar... so I have to offer something?'

As I was thinking that...

"Bring the captured pilgrims."

The knight suddenly spoke.

And a voice answered from the fog,

"Yes, Centurion."

It was a disciplined response.

A group of soldiers emerged from the fog, surrounding two captured women.

"...Mister!"

"B-Bjorn...! D-Did you come to save us...?"

So they had been captured.

I had thought Erwen would be able to avoid detection...

I was relieved that they were still alive, and I quickly analyzed the situation.

'...This seems to be part of the scenario.'

Erwen and Ainar had been captured, but they were still alive and had reached the altar.

Was it a coincidence?

It seemed like reuniting at the altar was part of the event.

"...!"

"Ugh!"

The knight kicked Erwen and Ainar, sending them flying towards us. Bersil quickly untied them.

"I'm sorry..."

"Th-Thank you!"

Erwen apologized, and Ainar thanked Bersil.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

Unlike Bersil, they both had weapons and armor.

Erwen had a dagger, and Ainar had a greatsword.

'They didn't even confiscate their weapons...'

"What's the meaning of this?"

The knight smirked.

"I just wanted to see something."

"See what?"

"How strong your convictions are. You, who betrayed the Empire and the world."

He looked at us and said,

"Kill each other. Before the Witch you serve."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Did he think he was some kind of demon lord?

"I, Dreadfear, promise you this. Those who prove their loyalty by slaying a fellow pilgrim will be absolved of all their sins."

What a twisted boss fight.

______________________

Dozens of soldiers surrounded us.

And Dreadfear, his sword drawn, stood before them, his eyes filled with arrogance.

"..."

"..."

A moment of silence.

None of my companions were tempted by his offer.

Except for me.

"How can we trust you?"

"B-Bjorn?"

Ainar looked at me, dumbfounded.

But I couldn't help it.

I needed more time to think.

"How can you trust me...?"

Dreadfear chuckled, amused by my question.

"Believe me."

It wasn't a persuasive argument, nor did he provide any evidence.

But it was enough.

「Centurion Dreadfear has cast [Persuasion].」

「Target's Trust greatly increases.」

So his offer wasn't a lie.

"Those who abandon the Witch will be spared."

So that was how we could survive.

It was a troublesome situation.

I wasn't worried about my teammates betraying me.

They wouldn't do that, even if they could survive.

But...

'If he's giving us an easy way out, it means the normal strategy is incredibly difficult...'

What was it?

How could we all survive without sacrificing each other?

"If you're having trouble deciding, I'll make it easier for you."

He took a step forward.

And...

「Centurion Dreadfear has cast [Ownership Revocation].」

「Character is immobilized.」

My body froze as soon as our eyes met.

I couldn't move, no matter how hard I tried.

'...He's not meant to be fought directly.'

I had suspected it when I saw his Aura, but this was ridiculous.

Step, step.

He approached us and stabbed me in the stomach with his sword.

Puk-!

It wasn't a deep wound.

It would heal with a potion, but the bleeding would be a problem if left untreated.

"Ugh!"

He then stabbed the other three as well.

So that was what he meant by 'making it easier'.

"It's your choice now."

"..."

"A painful death, or survival. I'm curious to see how strong your convictions are."

He seemed confident that one of us would betray the others.

It was understandable.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

When faced with death, people's minds raced.

I had seen it countless times.

'Ainar and Erwen are trustworthy... but...'

What about Bersil?

She was a player, and we hadn't known each other for long.

Could I really trust her?

'...No.'

I gritted my teeth and dismissed the thought.

It was exactly what he wanted.

I wouldn't have even considered it if I hadn't been in this situation.

'...Think.'

I closed my eyes.

I couldn't move anyway.

To clear [Dungeon and Stone], you had to understand the developer's intentions.

'He's forcing us to betray each other after we've reunited.'

That seemed to be the fixed scenario.

The boss was too strong to be defeated in a normal fight, so the solution had to be something else.

And in these kinds of missions, the outcome usually depended on the player's choices.

'What happens if no one betrays the others?'

Do we all die?

Or does the Witch appear and activate the altar?

"..."

I didn't know.

I couldn't be sure.

That's why 99% of first tries ended in failure.

"Five minutes have passed."

"..."

"You've had enough time to think. I'll give you each a chance."

My body regained its mobility.

I was the first.

Clang.

He threw a dagger at my feet.

"Pick it up."

"..."

"It's coated in your favorite goblin poison. It will be a painless death."

That bastard.

"..."

I glared at him, and he smirked and nodded.

"I wish you were all like her."

My body froze again.

Step, step.

He walked over to Erwen.

And...

"Pick it up."

He said the same thing, and Erwen remained silent.

"..."

A tense silence followed.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

My heart pounded in my chest.

Humans were strange creatures.

Even though I trusted Erwen completely, a part of me couldn't help but doubt her.

"Just one. Stab one of them, and you'll be spared."

I flinched.

Maybe she would choose to stab Bersil...

"...Get lost."

"What a vulgar woman."

Thankfully, Erwen's turn also passed without incident.

"Pick it up."

It was Ainar's turn.

"Behel—! Ugh!"

As soon as she regained control of her body, Ainar charged at him, roaring... but she tripped and fell to the ground.

And then it was Bersil's turn.

"It's your turn."

Bersil crawled towards the dagger and picked it up with both hands.

She looked at him, her body trembling, and asked,

"Just one...?"

"..."

"Just... one person...?"

Damn it.