Chapter 61 – Rules of Survival (Part 4)

 

On the evening of the 7th day—that is, about 80 hours after we separated from the group in that damn forest—I was still there, wandering through the woods, indifferently watching the hallucinations get worse with each fucking day.

This change occurred at the beginning of Day 2: We didn't talk until it became necessary. Not because we were on bad terms, we just didn't have the energy to do it anymore.

Oh, there was another event. I used a rope to tie Misha and me in a knot, similar to weaving fish with a rope. It was a know-how that I had acquired naturally by living in the Witchwood for so long. That way, even if one person lagged behind or fell to the ground, we could rely on the rope to find each other.

"Bjorn... slower, go a little slower...

"Good.

I slowed down.

This morning, Misha's condition deteriorated sharply. It wasn't due to illness or serious injury, just that her fatigue had finally reached a breaking point.

*Dragging, dragging*

I slowed my pace for her, but I still felt like I was being pulled around the waist. She couldn't follow me so fast. After a moment's thought, I stopped walking.

"Get in."

"Huh?"

"You'll feel better when you get some rest.

"But-...

Misha interrupted her words and looked at me. To be honest, it was funny. Judging by appearances alone, I was in a much worse condition than she was.

I bet she'd never seen such an uncouth barbarian.

My undergarments were torn, with gaping holes here and there, and even my iron gear was rusted. All these were side effects of Misha's awakening. The Corpse Golem's passive skill was activated after removing the Frost Spirit Ring. Wounds sustained in battles with monsters were a daily occurrence, and my current condition was the result of my acidic blood.

I'll only go broke on repairs.

I smiled bitterly. The lithinum breastplate and shield were made of 2nd class material and were in good condition, but the former shine and pure white beauty had long been lost.

But Mike didn't seem to understand that smile. She opened her mouth worriedly.

"I'm fine. You'd better rest. I'll carry you!

Thank you for the suggestion, but... Do you think it's really possible?

"Just come here."

Rejecting further arguments, I grabbed Mike by the waist and lifted her. I felt lethargic from her light body. She didn't even have the strength to resist.

"I'll wake you up if there's any trouble, so rest for a while until then."

"But-...

"Hush.

— ... Thank you.

Misha climbed onto my shoulders and finally gave up, but could not fall asleep immediately. She spoke to me in a thin voice.

"Bjorn?"

"What is it?"

"Do you know anything?"

"What?"

"Mm, it smells good..."

What smells good? At least finish your words.

I was wondering what she was going to say, but... I was sure she was just talking in her sleep. It is impossible that a body covered in blood and dirt, which has not been washed for several days, smells good.

Soon I heard the sound of slow breathing, which made me laugh.

I'm telling you, you guys don't know how good you are. No matter how many hallucinations come to your mind, if you're really tired, you can fall asleep anywhere. This is how the human body works. It must be able to survive in any conditions.

I continued to walk through the forest with Misha on my shoulder. I was tempted to put her on the ground and rest myself for a while, but I couldn't do it.

[It's been 84 hours since you entered the Witchwood. Field Effect - The Witchwood has been buffed. [Witch's Eye] status anomaly has been raised to level 5].

The [Witch's Eye] field debuff was the true reason why the Witchwood was only recognized as a zone that could be passed through. The effect was simple. If you stayed in one place for a certain amount of time, the rank 7 monster Karnivaro would appear, and this time would gradually decrease as the level increased. On the 1st day, it began at 1 o'clock, and now... about 10 minutes.

This meant that at the moment we could not afford not to move.

The problem was that there were two of us. Even if Carnivaro appeared, we didn't have an ally to stop him, and at the moment, once he appeared, we were practically dead meat, since it took at least 15 minutes to kill this monster, even if we had stamina. Theoretically, another bastard could appear before the first one died.

*Dragging, dragging*

That's why I kept going. I wanted to faint from exhaustion, but I had to go. Otherwise, everything could be very bad.

Still, since they haven't appeared yet, does that mean I can stop worrying about them now?

Distraction is the best thing to do while you're tired. Having finished one thought, I moved on to another topic. Today is 4 days since we got lost in the Witchwood. If that Eliza had the means to find us, she would have done it by now. It seemed that now we could be more calm.

This saved us from the biggest problem.

I didn't know why they couldn't find us, but if I can guess, they must have faced an unexpected problem. It's like I'm stuck here with Misha. Life was shitty because you never know what's going to happen or when.

Anyway, how long did I walk to avoid these monsters? Hmm, it must have been at least an hour.

"Oppa, why did you leave me alone?"

I raised my head from the familiar hallucination.

"You have fulfilled her lifelong wish... If you seduce her even a little, she will be completely yours.

A girl in a white blouse and a suit skirt appeared by the tree and looked at me with her characteristic haughty look and stern tone. It was my ex-girlfriend.

"Is it because you're afraid of being abandoned again?"

Oh...

Until now, it was obvious that these were hallucinations, but this one was different. It seemed to me that if she came up to me, I would feel the heat emanating from her body.

"Oh, you're cunning.

What now? Since this hallucination had come out of my head, her behavior was exactly the same as hers. Does this mean that all the hallucinations I heard were actually based on my subconscious?

"That's the problem with you. You should always know everything.

Fear of ignorance was an instinct of all living beings.

"But you're going too far. Considering you don't say anything about yourself," she said.

It was the same with you.

"Excuse me?" What don't you know about me? You know every corner of my body, even better than me, remember?

My eyes involuntarily shifted to the flirtatious voice. A new event occurred with visual hallucinations. A white blouse and a short suit skirt... Everything was as before, but black stockings now adorned her long legs. Previously, they were flesh-colored.

"Your taste is the same.

Damn, was I really that kind of person?

"Get rid of that beastman and come to me." You need to be with me. Others won't even understand, right?

It's true?

Without realizing it, my legs moved forward. That was the moment.

"Make me happy..."

The face of my ex-girlfriend, smiling embarrassedly with her arms wide open, as if to hug me all, was bizarrely distorted. Not metaphorically, but in reality.

*Blow!*

Her facial muscles were crushed by the blow. For some reason, Misha, who was supposed to be sitting on my shoulder, smashed my ex-girlfriend's face with her fist. And repeatedly, as befits a clever heroine.

*Шмяк! Шмяк! Шмяк!*

What was that? Was it also a hallucination?

I watched the scene unfold as if in a dream.

"Kiaaa!" A scream that sounded like nails hitting a plank brought me to my senses.

At some point, Misha, who had beaten my ex-girlfriend to a pulp, came back and shook me by the waist.

"You're fine!" Bjorn!

"Oh, yes...

"I've got rid of the Dryad, so wake up!"

A what? Dryad? An 8th rank monster that used [Charm] and was very rare in the Witch Forest? No wonder the hallucination was so real.

[You killed the Dryad. EXP +2. [Charm] status anomaly removed].

I suddenly realized what had happened. It was not the field effect that hit me, but the skill.

"Thank you... If it weren't for you, it would be a disaster.

"Hmph, that's not-...

But at that moment, Mike tensed up and pointed somewhere.

"Oh?" B-Bjorn? I think that the catastrophe has already happened...

Checking where it was pointing, I involuntarily nodded.

— ... It looks like it.

Had it been 10 minutes since I had been in the state of [Charm]? Near a bush not far away, a rank 7 monster Karnivaro was slowly walking towards us with a murderous intent in his eyes.

"I... Kill... you...

Carnivaro was classified as a humanoid undead and possessed a fairly high level of intelligence. The problem, however, was that he only used this intelligence to kill people.

"Blood... flesh... Let... To me...

Carnivaro aimed a crossbow at us. His protruding fangs glistened with saliva. I don't know about Misha, but I, being a barbarian, probably looked quite appetizing.

Although, having little fat in my body, it would probably be difficult for me to chew.

"Misha, stand behind me.

"Good!"

Sending Misha to the rear, I blocked the passage with a shield. Now that we met, it was impossible to escape. Carnivaro pursued his prey to the end. Basically, his fighting style was similar to that of a hunter.

[Carnivaro casts [Mana Mine]].

He set up invisible traps nearby. As soon as we approached it, a strong explosion was heard. Therefore, it was difficult to hastily close the distance.

[Carnivaro cast [Chasing Arrow]].

The arrows flew with a force incomparable to that of the Goblin Archer, and with a high degree of accuracy correction. Therefore, it was better to block than to dodge.

*Klang!*

I received an arrow shot directly at me and jumped to the side. Last time, I blocked arrows while Misha threw stones to blow up mines.

We don't have time for that now.

We had to kill this monster within 10 minutes. Otherwise, another one will appear, and the process will be repeated over and over again until we die. Now there was only one option.

"Misha, climb on my back.

"What are you talking about?" "Misha was collecting stones that she could throw. She tilted her head, but I didn't have time to explain.

"It looks like we're going to have to work hard this time. So hurry up and do what I say.

When I spoke decisively, Mike climbed on my back. I immediately rushed forward, shielding my head and upper body.

*Boom!*

The mines scattered nearby exploded with every step, but I continued to run.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Misha shouted at me, but to be honest, it wasn't particularly strange for me. Since I woke up in the body of a barbarian, I have been able to overcome most crises with my body. It was the same, the only option I could choose in this shitty situation.

*Boom!*

Pain broke through my Pain Resistance. Every time there was an explosion, I felt my legs being torn apart in real time.

[Carnivaro summoned the Hound].

Meanwhile, the wild dogs that had been summoned rushed at me. Arms, shoulders, hips, legs: They dug their teeth everywhere and jerked their jaws sharply from side to side.

*Boom!*

But I didn't stop going. I kept walking, defending myself from the flying arrows and pushing the Hounds away using [Flesh Blast]. At that moment, the tenth mine exploded, and my body suddenly swayed.

*Boom!*

I tried to stretch my other leg to find my balance, but I soon realized that it was pointless.

How damn disgusting.

The limb under my foot could no longer be called a leg. It was more like a crushed piece of meat.

Well, since we've come this far, I'm sure she'll figure it out.

As soon as I realized that it was impossible to go any further, I threw Misha far ahead.

"Take care of them."

There were no words in response. However, Mike's movement as she jumped into the air was the answer.

*Blow!*

Misha, who was doing several deft somersaults while floating in the air, plunged the spear into Karnivaro's shoulder instead of into the head, a mistake due to insufficient mastery of the weapon.

*Blow!*

However, Mike corrected her mistake by turning her body with the spear as an axis, then pulled out the dagger she wore on her belt and plunged it into the monster's forehead. It took her no more than 5 minutes. In any case, we have overcome another crisis. Satisfied with this fact, I collapsed.

[Warning: A part of your body has been damaged, and failure to provide timely assistance may result in permanent injury].

***

After the battle was over, Mike hurriedly ran up to me. She shouted,

"Bjorn!" What were you thinking?!

She looked angry, but at the same time, it seemed that she was about to cry.

I answered briefly:

— It was the best option.

There was no other choice.

And from that moment on, Misha had to stop scolding me and not worry about me.

"If that explanation is enough, could you give me a potion now?"

Mike's eyes went out when I lay down on the ground with my legs tucked in and indifferently gave the order. However, my request, apparently, still got into her head, and she poured me a potion with trembling hands.

*Chhhhhhh!*

It was an advanced potion worth 200,000 stones per bottle.

As expensive as it was, it was a necessary consumable that could even restore amputated limbs. But Mike still looked worried.

"Such an injury cannot be completely healed with a potion...

Well, I wasn't sure about that.

[Your ability to regenerate increases significantly with the effect of [Eternal Life]].

With [Imprint of Immortality], a Vampiric essence with a high natural regeneration rate, and an active skill [Eternal Life] - in game terms - my natural regeneration stat would easily exceed 150 by now. Even if it wasn't an advanced potion, with enough time, it was possible to recover from the injury associated with the amputation of a limb. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have done such a crazy thing.

"Wh-what?!" It can't be that it heals so quickly...

Mike was amazed to see how the wounds quickly regenerate under the influence of the potion. As far as she knew, I only had the essence of the Corpse Golem.

In less than a minute, the shattered leg was restored. Unfortunately, I was barefoot.

Did you have to take off your shoes before you ran? These boots and potion would have sold for at least 150,000 stones.

It was too much of a loss to call it a rank 7 monster investment, but there was no point in regretting it now. I opened my backpack, put on the leather boots I was wearing originally, and slowly stood up.

So, it seems my toes feel normal again.

"Bjorn, who the hell are you?!" You don't even hurt from the potion!

"It's the spirit of a barbarian.

It was true. Ainar didn't moan as she took the potion either. Although I held on exclusively to the Resistance of Pain. Well, the results are the same, right?