Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

No. 7, Mirayel's Verdant Spear.

A best-in-slot weapon for Spear Barbarians, it was a well-balanced weapon that combined offense and defense.

I had started researching Spear Barbarians because of this weapon's high survivability.

'But in the end, it was just a glorified Berserker.'

Not that Berserkers were bad.

They were quite powerful if you had a dedicated tank on your team, and they could even serve as off-tanks in emergencies.

But…

"Hmm…"

It still felt a little underwhelming.

"What?"

"We're leaving soon!"

"Ah… O-Okay!"

They all seemed curious about who would get the spear, but I decided to postpone the decision until after we left the island.

It wasn't something to be decided lightly.

"Set sail!"

The ship, carrying our entire team, set off, cutting through the silver waves.

And after a while…

"Mister! Look!"

The giant from the center of the shrinking island stood up and roared at us.

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa—!]

…Why did it always do that when we were leaving?

______________________

I continued my contemplation as we sailed towards the library island.

Who should I give the spear to?

'…We made eye contact again.'

I glanced around, and my eyes met with a man from the Hex Clan.

He was a spearman.

The only one among us who used a spear. He hadn't said anything, but I could see the hopeful glint in his eyes.

Therefore…

I quickly looked away.

He shouldn't be coveting it.

This weapon belonged to Clan Anabada.

That had already been decided. So my only concern was who to give it to within the clan.

'Erwen and Bersil are out of the question.'

Amelia and Misha too.

Misha was already a dual-wielding frost swordsman, and Amelia's Aura wasn't compatible with spears.

And Auyen wasn't a combatant.

The only remaining candidate was Ainar…

"Huh? Do you want some?"

Ainar, noticing my gaze, smiled and offered me a piece of jerky.

I took it and continued thinking as I chewed.

'…She's the only one who can maximize the spear's potential, isn't she?'

[Natural Regeneration increases proportionally to battle duration.]

[All healing effects tripled.]

Those two options synergized well with the 'Slayer' engraving's 'Battle Learning' and 'Devour.'

She also had [Wings of Greed] and [Curl Up], which further amplified her Natural Regeneration.

If she combined all those skills, she would become a monster with an insane healing rate.

That was the build I had used for my Spear Barbarian.

But the problem was…

'…She would have to give up some of her skills.'

The 4th-grade skill [Repeated Slash], for example.

She could still use it with a spear, but she wouldn't get the penetration damage bonus.

[Wild Control], which converted conditional activation effects to 'Cutting Power,' would also become useless.

'And if she didn't use [Repeated Slash], [Explosive Scars] would become meaningless, and that would render [Bear Oil] and [Lingering Heat] useless…'

In other words, she would have to completely revamp her build.

But…

'…Her essences are all 4th-grade or lower, except for the Hippermachant…'

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

'Should I just have her change her entire build?'

[Dungeon and Stone] was a game about character building.

Creating the perfect end-game build was important, but planning the progression path was even more crucial.

If you didn't have backup essences and alternative equipment for each stage of the game, it would be impossible to reach the end-game.

It was important to gradually increase the value of your skills while maintaining the character's core concept.

I had made [Repeated Slash] Ainar's core skill for that reason.

It was a 4th-grade skill we had obtained early in the game.

I had planned to build her essence set around it and then replace it with a higher-grade skill later.

But…

'…It's not a bad idea.'

I had already reached a high level.

Erwen had absorbed a Floor Lord essence and become incredibly powerful. Misha had also grown significantly stronger while exploring with Lee Baekho.

And Amelia had always been strong.

Honestly, we wouldn't be significantly weaker even without Ainar.

We could carry her.

'And it's not like she would become useless with a spear…'

It was a single Numbered Item.

A best-in-slot weapon with no replacements.

Its effects were powerful enough to compensate for the loss of a few skills.

Especially if those skills were 4th-grade or lower.

1200% penetration damage.

Triple spear damage.

Super Penetration.

Those three options alone would increase her single-target DPS, and the regeneration buffs would significantly increase her survivability.

So the question was…

'…Will she accept it?'

I decided to ask her.

There was nothing to lose.

"Ainar."

I approached her casually and said,

"Have you ever considered using a spear?"

"…A spear?"

She stopped chewing her jerky and looked at me with a strange expression.

Damn, it wasn't going to work?

Barbarians disliked spears. They considered them cowardly weapons—

"Oh! If it's that spear, then yes! Give it to me!"

…Huh?

What?

"Just to be clear, you'll be using a spear for the rest of your life. And you'll have to change your essences too."

"Even… Master Semura's essence…?"

Master Semura's essence was [Repeated Slash].

The skill her mentor had passed down to her before dying.

"Yes, even that one."

"I see…"

A nostalgic look appeared in her eyes.

But her answer was quick.

"You can take your time and think about—"

"I'll do it. I'll switch to a spear."

"…What?"

She made the decision in less than a minute? Even though it meant changing her entire build?

'Is this… a true barbarian…?'

I couldn't even comprehend her thought process.

But it seemed like she had her reasons.

"Why are you so surprised? You were the one who recommended most of my current essences, weren't you?"

"Uh… yeah…"

"And thanks to you, I've gained unimaginable fame and strength. And I was able to protect my comrades with that strength."

She looked at me intently and said softly,

"So I trust you."

"……."

"You wouldn't do anything to harm me, would you?"

I see.

She hadn't made the decision lightly. She had simply trusted me without question.

'…Could I do that?'

I suddenly felt a heavy burden on my shoulders.

"And besides…"

She looked away.

Or rather, she looked at the spear with a greedy glint in her eyes.

"…It's… so big…!"

"Ah…"

"It's like 1.5 times bigger than my greatsword!"

I was speechless.

Like a magpie attracted to shiny objects…

Barbarians loved big things.

"And it's so shiny!"

And shiny things were even better.

"And all the winged monsters seem to use spears!"

…So she had her reasons.

______________________

Ainar, now a Spear Barbarian, immediately started practicing with her new weapon.

She swung it through the air, thrust it forward, measured the distance…

She had been awkward at first, but she quickly adapted.

"Hehe, I'm getting the hang of it!"

"Getting the hang of it?"

"Don't you remember? We learned how to use all kinds of weapons when we were kids!"

"Ah, right… we did…"

Ugh, why was she bringing up the past?

I tried to change the subject, but she was already lost in nostalgia.

"Come to think of it, it's strange. Both my mother and my sister used spears."

Thankfully, it was a topic I could respond to. I hadn't heard about the spear, but I knew about her sister.

Ainar, the second daughter of Frenelin.

She had an older sister.

Or rather… she had had one.

"Huh? You had a sister?"

Erwen, who also had a sister, asked with interest, and Ainar shrugged.

"Ah, I haven't told you? She was four years older than me. She always teased me, saying she would become an explorer first and teach me everything…"

"…What?"

Erwen tilted her head at Ainar's nostalgic tone, but it was just a cultural difference.

"So… what about your sister? Is she famous?"

"She's dead. She died two years before my coming-of-age ceremony."

"Oh… I-I'm sorry…"

Erwen's face turned pale, and she apologized profusely, as if she had touched a sore spot.

But Ainar didn't seem to mind.

"Huh? Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"But… it must be a sad memory…"

"Sad memory? What do you mean? I only have good memories of her. Of course, it's a shame that I can't see her anymore… but whenever I think about her, I feel happy."

Erwen was speechless.

"How… how can you be so… positive? Whenever I think about my sister, my heart aches…"

Her voice was slightly accusatory, but Ainar didn't seem to notice.

She just tilted her head, puzzled.

"Why…? I don't understand…"

"…."

"It's better to smile than to be sad! I'm sure that's what my sister would have wanted!"

It was a typical barbarian response.

But Erwen couldn't say anything. She just stared at Ainar for a long time and then silently turned and climbed up to the crow's nest.

'Phew… I can finally breathe…'

I let out a sigh of relief, and Ainar looked at me strangely.

"…Did I do something wrong?"

"It's nothing. Just practice with your spear. We'll be fighting as soon as we reach the island."

"Oh! Okay!"

I left Ainar to her training and went to the helm.

I checked the estimated time of arrival with Auyen and then leaned against a pillar and took a nap.

'They can handle the small fry… and they'll wake me up if something stronger appears…'

After a while…

I woke up, took out my water bottle, and looked for Ainar. I was curious about their progress…

'Huh?'

Ainar had stopped training and was resting on the deck.

With Erwen.

'What's going on?'

As I was wondering, Amelia approached me.

"Leave them alone."

"…I wasn't planning to interrupt."

I was just curious about their conversation.

I listened intently, and they were having a normal conversation.

"Haha, you said you have a younger sister, right? Is she an explorer too?"

"No, not yet. She'll have her coming-of-age ceremony next year, and I'm a little worried."

"Worried? Just teach her everything you know."

"It's… not that easy."

"Huh? Ah, because you're trapped here?"

"No, it's not that… after my sister died… and Mister disappeared… we haven't been on good terms."

"Ah, you were too busy taking revenge. So it's your fault!"

I was shocked by Ainar's blunt assessment, but Erwen just nodded meekly.

"It's my fault… Yes, you're right."

"Haha, I knew it. Just apologize to her when you get back."

"But… it's too late. She hates me."

"Did she say that?"

"No, but—"

"Don't overthink it. Hate you? You're family. I'm sure she wants to go back to how things used to be."

"Really…?"

It was a strange sight, a fairy receiving life advice from a barbarian.

But it also made sense.

"Of course! Trust me!"

Now I understood how Ainar made friends so easily.

______________________

Day 76 of the expedition.

We finally arrived at the library island.

Our mission here was infinite farming.

'I need the Bellarios essence, and some essences for Ainar.'

We entered the building and descended the stairs.

And…

"Yandel, there's someone down there."

"Just one."

"They're curled up… looks like they're sleeping…"

"What are we going to do?"

Amelia and Erwen relayed the unexpected news.

Someone was here before us.

'Who is it?'

I had a suspect.

The clan that had entered the hidden area with the Armin Exploration Team.

Their name was…

"…Perhaps… the Einperial Clan…?"

Ah, right.

"But the number is strange. Just one. Where did everyone else go…?"

Mul frowned, lost in thought, but I wasn't that curious.

Or rather, I didn't have time to waste.

"It's faster to just ask them directly."

Speculation wouldn't be as accurate as hearing it from the horse's mouth.

We quickly descended the stairs.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Perhaps because of the loud noise, the unknown explorer was already awake when we arrived…

"Uh…! B-Baron?!"

…and he looked startled as he saw me.

Well, I was also surprised.

"…Matherkin Lillgrams."

It was the leader of the Silver Lion Clan, who had disappeared after leaving the human island.