Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 27

Daria Whitember of Tersia.

As a 5-year veteran explorer, she was currently wandering around the first floor’s crystal cave, her younger sister, still quite naive, by her side.

“Erwen, you used a spirit again.”

“Ah, sis, it’s just that it’s too hard with just a dagger…”

“I told you, even without a bow, even in situations where you can’t use spirits, you need to be able to protect yourself.”

“No, I understand that, but…”

“Enough. If you keep moving around and practicing, you’ll get better.”

Tersia led Erwen around the first floor, giving her rigorous practical training. It was all for her younger sister, and her sister was aware of that.

However, it was clear that Erwen was getting more and more tired as time went on.

“Ah, the old man said it’s better to specialize in what you’re best at…”

“…What?”

“Trust your team and do your best. That, that’s the basics of an explorer… he said.”

Tersia, who had been listening blankly, was speechless because it was such a textbook answer. How wonderful would it be if the world worked so righteously?

“Erwen, companions are just companions. Don’t place too much value on them.”

Tersia had been on many teams, from the 6th-floor exploration team she had been a part of until recently, to hunting teams that targeted specific monsters for profit, and running teams that aimed for portal opening achievements. She had gone through so much with various people. Among them were several things she didn’t want to tell Erwen.

Companions are not to be trusted, unless they are blood-related family.

“Okay…”

Erwen didn’t argue any further at Tersia’s stern expression.

Time passed, and it was the fourth day. Having circled the first floor clockwise, Erwen had improved to the point where she could defeat all monsters with just a dagger. In the process, her level naturally increased as well.

“Hey, sis? We’ve been promoted, so can’t we just go to the second floor now? The old man must be making a ton of money on the second floor by now…”

Tersia smiled as if she found it cute. What’s the big deal about catching a few more monsters on the second floor?

“Erwen, a rift will open soon.”

Rift. A place that even mid-level adventurers with several years of experience might never get to enter if they’re unlucky.

Erwen tilted her head.

“How do you know that, sis?”

“The last time a rift opened on the first floor was eight months ago.”

Tersia kindly explained each point as if she were dealing with a young child, the statistical reason why a rift was bound to open within the next three days, since today was the fourth day.

“I see… the old man didn’t tell me that.”

Well, of course, he wouldn’t. Erwen kept singing praises of the old man, but in the end, she was still a beginner. By now, she’d probably be going up the floors without a plan, making mistakes, and doing things that were the epitome of inefficiency from an experienced person’s point of view.

“Erwen, don’t be impatient and trust your sister. In just a year, there will be a huge gap between that barbarian and you.”

Sometimes, the slow path is the fastest path.

“Okay… then I can help him then!”

“Yes, you can.”

Tersia nodded as if she was proud of her. It was not even certain if that barbarian would still be alive by then, and even if he was, wouldn’t it be okay to stop him then? At least, she wanted her sister to remain pure.

That’s what she was thinking when it happened.

Thump thump thump thump!

The labyrinth began to shake as if an earthquake had struck, a phenomenon that occurs when a rift opens.

“Erwen!”

Tersia grabbed Erwen’s hand and ran at full speed through the passage. And soon, she found a portal that was shaking uneasily. It was a rift. Probably, thousands of similar portals had appeared all over the first floor by now. Now, every minute and every second was a crucial race against time.

Whoosh!

Tersia and Erwen threw themselves into the portal, but at that moment…

Whoosh-

The portal disappeared.

Thud.

Tersia, who had landed on the bare ground after crossing the empty space, clicked her tongue as if she was disappointed.

“…We were a step too late.”

If they hadn’t tried to enter at the same time, and if she had quickly put her sister in first, they might have succeeded in entering. But…

“…There will be another chance.”

It couldn’t be helped. After all, what if her sister entered the rift alone and ended up dying?

“Erwen, let’s go to the second floor.”

Again, sometimes the slow path is the fastest path.

***

Equivalent exchange. I really like this phrase, but unfortunately, the world doesn’t operate by this law. Just look at the time I met that psychopath. I barely managed to survive, but I didn’t gain anything. ‘No, rather, I was kicked out of the land of the dead and just wasted a lot of time.’

But this time is different. This time, I made a choice. Therefore, there will definitely be a price to pay. Well, maybe.

Thump.

Looking at the other two men and women who were matched as teammates, I tensed up. The man who landed with a heavy thud had no particular features, but… the woman was different.

Thud.

The woman landed softly as if defying the effects of gravity. At this sight, even the talkative dwarf was speechless and couldn’t hide his surprise. I was the same.

“I never thought I’d see a mage here.”

Mage. A profession that is treated well wherever they go, the undisputed strongest job in [Dungeon and Stone].

“Bjorn, is a mage such a great being? The librarian at the library was also a mage!”

At Ainar’s question, the female mage frowned as if she was displeased. Before I could be disliked, I quickly opened my mouth.

“The librarian is a 9th-grade mage.”

“Is it different?”

It’s different. A lot different. If they are the upper-level workers who work in guilds, public institutions, or workshops, this woman can be called a real mage. The fact that she entered the labyrinth is proof of that. Mages are important resources in Lapdonia, so they cannot enter the labyrinth unless they prove their skills.

“I see!”

“Yes, that’s right. You have a wide range of knowledge for a barbarian.”

When I explained it clearly at her eye level, the female mage calmly joined the conversation. There was a satisfied smile on her lips, and I felt like I knew what kind of personality she had.

“Hello. I’m Arua Raven, a 6th-grade mage. This person here is a professional carrier I hired. What was your name again?”

“Tarzin, Ms. Raven.”

So, the two of them were a package deal. Anyway, it wasn’t too bad. Basically, there was a feeling that she was looking down on people, but among mages, this was pretty mild. There were many worse ones in the game.

“Would you all like to introduce yourselves as well?”

“Hikurod Murad. It’s a short journey, but please take care of me, Ms. Raven.”

“Mr. Murad, how many years of experience do you have?”

“I’m a 3-year veteran.”

A 3-year veteran explorer… No wonder his equipment looked so good.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

After briefly stating my name, I asked directly, “No matter how I look at it, there’s no reason for you to be active on the first floor, so how did you get into the rift?”

The explorers active on the first floor are mostly those who don’t have proper equipment. That’s why I expected that I would have to go through a lot of hardship to clear the rift. But a 3-year veteran dwarf and a 6th-grade mage? At this point, I couldn’t just be happy, and there were many suspicious parts that couldn’t be called a coincidence.

“I can’t explain the details, but I heard that a rift would open this cycle.”

“Me too.”

Indeed, is this a case of pulling the ladder up after climbing it? As if they had made a promise, Raven and the dwarf kept silent about the method. Of course, it didn’t matter much because now I had an idea of how they had deduced it.

“Ainar, the second daughter of Pnelin.”

As soon as everyone had introduced themselves, Raven took the lead in the conversation. “The loot will be divided among the number of people, excluding Mr. Tarzin here. Instead, can everyone follow my instructions?”

“I have no objections. It’s common sense to follow a mage’s words in the labyrinth.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

When the dwarf expressed his consent first, Raven’s gaze turned to the two of us. The time for deliberation was not long. As long as there was a mage on the team, there was no point in standing out. After all, it was the mages who were the first to recognize the existence of the ‘evil spirits’ and persuaded the royal family to declare them as targets for extermination.

Damn it… Now, clearing is no longer the issue.

“I also agree.”

Let’s just go half and half. Earlier, she was impressed that I had a wide range of knowledge for a barbarian, but I didn’t know when that gaze would turn into suspicion.

“I refuse.”

Huh? People’s gazes gathered at Ainar’s stubborn voice.

“I don’t know what’s so great about being a mage. I want Bjorn to lead us.”

No, I agreed, so why are you doing this? I wanted to shut her mouth right away, but that would make me look even more suspicious.

The mage cautiously asked, “Bjorn… are you referring to this barbarian?”

“That’s right. Bjorn is not an ordinary barbarian!”

“What do you mean by not an ordinary barbarian?”

“Bjorn is a wiser warrior than anyone else. He reads books at the library for six hours every day.”

“Hmm, he’s certainly a unique person.”

“He’s not unique, he’s great! I’ve never seen a barbarian as smart as Bjorn!”

Damn it… Please stop…

***

Everyone looked at me with strange eyes at Ainar’s praise, but it ended as a minor incident. They seemed to think it was just a barbarian’s tantrum, at least for now.

“Still, it’s a majority vote, so there’s nothing we can do about it. Hahaha!”

“What is a majority vote and why is there nothing we can do about it!”

“Uh…”

Sensing that the atmosphere was about to turn cold again, I calmed Ainar down, but for some reason, she looked displeased, huffing and puffing.

“But! Bjorn, you’re greater than that mage!”

Could it be that my earlier comment about ‘for a barbarian’ had offended her? I wasn’t sure, but I was glad I had made her ‘swear’ beforehand. Otherwise, she might have revealed everything, including the dimensional instability or the fact that I was the one who opened the rift.

“It’s a blessing to be respected by your wife. I’m jealous, barbarian! Hahaha!”

“Ah, wife! I’m not that!”

“Hahaha! You don’t have to be shy!”

“Eek! It’s not that I’m shy, it’s that!!”

Whatever the content, thanks to the talkative dwarf, Ainar’s aggro was drawn elsewhere. I also sighed in relief and looked at Raven’s expression. Contrary to my worries, she didn’t seem to be particularly interested in me.

“Hmm, a barrier that we can’t go outside of. Interesting. It’s like they’ve cut off the dimension, but how can we see the other side with our own eyes?”

Is it what you’d call a mage’s academic curiosity? She was muttering to herself while writing in her notebook, so she seemed curious about the principle of this barrier that prevents us from going outside the map… I just hoped that her interest wouldn’t turn to me until the moment we parted ways.

“Everyone, let’s stop and start moving soon? There are many things we need to investigate to get samples.”

“Start moving? We only know each other’s names…”

The dwarf tilted his head at Raven’s words, who was in charge of the command. I felt the same way. A team should know what abilities each other has and what they can do. Even in a hastily formed team, it’s basic to reveal the core essence before starting. However, Raven flatly stated that this was an unnecessary act.

“Is there really a need for that? The monsters that come out of the Crimson Fortress are all 7th grade or lower.”

A voice filled with absolute confidence. The dwarf also showed a slightly uncomfortable expression, but he didn’t say it out loud, not until she said one more thing.

“Ah, I didn’t mention this. I’ll take the loot from the guardian separately. There are parts I need to research separately.”

What kind of shameless person is this? Ha, no wonder she seemed normal for a mage. ‘Damn it.’ As expected, the situation is about to go to shit again.