Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 178

Rifts.

Instant dungeons that exist within each floor, like the Crimson Citadel and the Glacier Cave.

The main features of rifts are twofold:

First, the drop rate of essence increases exponentially.

Second, special monsters called guardians provide unique rewards that can’t be found in the regular areas.

‘Abman, where’s the rift?’ I asked.

Bear Uncle closed his eyes for a moment, as if focusing his senses, then opened them.

‘Over there. Doesn’t seem too far.’

Okay, I thought, so that’s where it is.

I grinned.

The odds of successfully entering have increased.

Thanks to the Wisdom Stairway appearing five times on the first day, we’ve already reached stage 27.

[23:45]

It’s still not even the end of the seventh day.

It’s safe to say there are very few competitors.

The rift on the 4th floor only appears above stage 25.

And it just happened to appear nearby?

‘Mr. Yandel, you’re going to check it out, right?’

‘Of course.’

Rifts are the highlight of the labyrinth.

It’s an opportunity no explorer should ever pass up.

We, who had just woken up, quickly packed up the campsite with unanimous agreement.

And we stood in front of the door in the direction Abman pointed.

Whoosh-!

After waiting a few minutes, the patterns engraved on the stone door lit up. This meant the four-hour waiting time was over, and the door could now be opened.

‘Ugh, I don’t like this…’

‘I just hope it’s not the illusion type.’

Misha and Bear Uncle, who had experience with this trial, groaned in unison. Raven and Ainar, on the other hand, looked confused.

‘I’d rather it be the illusion type. I heard it doesn’t affect people with strong mental fortitude much.’

‘Hahaha! Then I’ll be fine too!!’

Come to think of it, this is the first time for these two.

I also became a little curious.

A mage armed with reason and logic, and a barbarian warrior who knows no fear.

How will these two react?

If I knew that, I might be able to tell if my case is unusual or not.

「You have chosen the Stairway of Endurance.」

A corridor about 100 meters long stretched before us.

The moment I stepped inside, my companions disappeared, and a new scene appeared.

The pediatric ward where I spent most of my childhood.

The sky beyond the window was clear, and the face of the child lying on the bed was also bright.

‘It’s an illusion type.’

As I took a step towards the child, the surroundings changed.

Beyond the window, the sun was beginning to set.

A young college student had brought a chair and was sitting in front of the bed.

He was someone I once trusted and followed more than my parents.

‘Ha, is it starting with this again?’

I chuckled and took another step.

Then, the conversation between the child and the college student began.

The child, who was playing a game together, asked if they could play a little longer, but the college student refused.

Maybe it could have ended there.

However, the child was young.

When he kept being stubborn, the college student’s expression hardened. He stood up as if something had exploded and hurled abusive words.

Words that hurt more than any hospital treatment back then.

Thud.

I took another step, letting it flow through one ear.

I’m an adult now.

I don’t get hurt even if I hear the same words.

I don’t even blame myself, thinking that something bad must have happened to that guy that day.

It was something that could happen in life.

It could be someone’s fault, but it might not be anyone’s fault.

That’s all.

Thud.

The inside of the car right before the accident.

The apartment burning red.

The amusement park where I was left alone.

My studio apartment that I got after becoming a working adult.

Thud.

Every time I took a step, the surroundings changed, and the people who appeared also changed.

Thud.

Mom, Dad, Uncle, and my ex-girlfriend.

At each place, a new person appeared and threw words that left deep scars on me.

But, so what?

‘It’s still easy.’

These are scenes that I can vividly picture in my head, even without the illusion showing them to me.

It’s not new to me now.

There’s a tolerance to pain, after all.

‘What is this?’

After walking for a while, people who hadn’t appeared before started to appear.

[Ah! Bjorn, you’re here!]

[Haha, why are you so late!]

Misha and Dwarki, with their arms crossed and happy smiles. When they were welcoming me, their expressions twisted grotesquely as I took another step.

[If only you weren’t here, everyone could be happy.]

[Are you happy to have survived instead of me?]

It’s a pattern often seen in cartoons and movies.

Hey, isn’t there anything more original?

‘Yeah, it’s not my fault. Take it up with God.’

I continued to walk silently, not averting my gaze from them.

[Bjorn, son of the great warrior Yandel!]

[Give me back my friend’s body!!]

In addition to Ainar, who appeared next, the connections I had made as Bjorn Yandel appeared one after another, saying strange things to me.

They were all things I didn’t remember.

But, they weren’t unfamiliar.

Because they were thoughts I had once had.

‘Yeah, it still doesn’t work.’

I kept moving forward without stopping.

I didn’t cover my ears or close my eyes.

「You have completed the trial.」

Soon, the illusion ended.

I, who was at the door, had already reached the end of the corridor and was standing in front of the stairs.

It was the same for the other companions.

‘B, Bjorn…!’

‘If you cry again, I’m really leaving you behind.’

‘Heeing.’

I turned my gaze away from the sobbing Misha and checked the others.

Bear Uncle had an indifferent expression.

He had a displeased look, but that was all.

Ainar was surprisingly fine too.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Ah, uh… it was just a bit of an unpleasant experience.’

Come to think of it, barbarians are all mentally strong.

They were a race that learned how to fight and win before they learned how to run away.

Then, what about the mage?

‘……’

Raven, whom I checked last, was staring blankly into the air with a dazed expression. I could feel his body trembling like an aspen from afar.

What on earth did he see?

I was curious, but I didn’t bother to ask.

He didn’t seem like he would answer anyway.

‘It’s all over now.’

‘Ah… yes. That’s right…’

Raven came to his senses when I approached and tapped him on the shoulder.

Cold sweat was beading on his forehead.

‘I’m going to rest upstairs for a while, so hang in there a little longer.’

‘Yes…’

I gathered my companions and went up the stairs.

And we took a break for about 10 minutes.

Actually, I didn’t choose the Stairway of Endurance often in the game for this reason.

Because it drastically reduced stamina.

I never thought that was the reason.

‘Abman, where do we go from here?’

‘That way.’

After the break, we resumed our exploration.

The priority was the rift for now.

The next thing we chose was the Stairway of Wisdom, and we cleared the maze in two hours.

The next stage that came out after that.

‘It’s a portal!!’

In the empty stone chamber, a rift was open.

For reference, the color of the fiercely fluctuating portal was green.

‘The Doppelganger Forest, huh…’

Following the Crimson Citadel and the Glacier Cave, it was the name of the third rift I would explore.

***

「The character has entered the 4th floor rift.」

***

There are two types of rifts on the 4th floor.

The Golden Ruins where money pours out, and the Doppelganger Forest.

‘…It’s not the Golden Ruins.’

I tried to shake off my disappointment and called the mage.

‘Raven.’

‘Rieayt.’

As a light orb floated in the air, the new environment surrounding us came into view.

We were trapped inside a huge iron cage.

The outside visible beyond the bars was covered in the darkness of the labyrinth and could not be seen.

‘Bjorn! What’s going on!!’

Um, do I have to explain?

While I was pondering, Raven opened his mouth.

‘Don’t be surprised. It’ll open on its own when the time comes.’

‘Huh? What do you mean! Tell me more!’

‘It’s because the number of entrants hasn’t been filled yet. Up to three teams can enter here.’

It’s different from the 1st floor rift.

The Doppelganger Forest can accommodate up to 15 people through a total of three portals. If the previous one was cooperation between individuals, this one is cooperation between teams.

‘Was this also written in that book?’

‘Yes. You’re lucky. I don’t know much about the Golden Ruins either.’

Well, since he saw the Rift Compendium, I can tell him to take care of the hidden piece himself.

No, should I just leave all the strategy to him?

The thought was brief.

‘Good. Then you give the orders this time. I’ll follow everything.’

‘You want me to take the leader role?’

‘Isn’t there a saying that you should follow the mage’s words in a place like this?’

‘Hehe, okay. Leave it to me this time.’

After a little praise, Raven declared that he would take on all the troublesome tasks, puffing out his chest.

He’s such an easy-to-handle personality.

‘If a problem arises later, I’ll step in then.’

I need to be careful, as Rotmiller advised me to hide my specialness as much as possible in the new team.

If I act up like before, Raven or Bear Uncle will definitely sense something is wrong.

‘Then, I’ll tell you what to be careful about from now on. First of all, most of the monsters you’ll meet here will be doppelgangers…’

After that, Raven’s briefing continued.

Everyone listened intently except for Ainar.

I knew everything, but I listened carefully, thinking that there might be something to correct or something I didn’t know.

How much time had passed?

‘…That should be enough.’

‘What? I haven’t even talked about the herbs that come out of here yet…’

‘Can’t we do that as we go? Resting is the priority for now.’

We had gone through the trial of endurance, and we hadn’t slept properly because the rift had opened.

We need to conserve our stamina for the main event.

Drrrrrrr-!

Ainar started snoring as if he had been waiting for it, and Misha and Bear Uncle also sat with their backs against the bars.

And Raven was…

‘It’s kind of amazing. Getting a mirror on the first exploration, and a rift on the second…’

For some reason, he came next to me and was chattering away.

It seems like he hasn’t calmed down from the excitement of entering the rift.

‘When I see things like this, I think I’m really lucky. I went into the Crimson Citadel last time, too, right?’

Oh, does it work like that?

‘Yeah, you’re right.’

‘…You’re teasing me right now.’

‘I wouldn’t do that.’

‘Lower your lips and say that?’

He’s unnecessarily quick-witted.

‘Okay, I’m going to rest too, so you should rest too.’

I ended the conversation at this point and closed my eyes.

Time passed, and it was morning of the 8th day.

[07:11]

In other words, it was about five hours after entering the rift.

Clang-!

The firmly closed bars went up.

It meant that the entry quota was full.

‘Okay, let’s go.’

The full-scale exploration began with me going out of the cage first.

‘Rieayt.’

Raven increased the light orb magic to three to secure visibility. Then, the shape of the cave hidden in the darkness was revealed.

Ainar tilted his head at this.

‘Huh? Didn’t you say it was a forest?’

‘I think I explained it earlier.’

‘Ah, sorry. I didn’t hear anything.’

An excessively honest answer.

Raven couldn’t even get angry.

‘…The forest appears after this cave ends. That is, after all the entered teams have joined in one place.’

‘I see!’

‘……’

Raven just clenched his fist and trembled.

For some reason, I felt empathy for that sight…

But, I’m in normal barbarian mode right now, where I just have to follow orders.

Yeah, there should be days like this sometimes.

‘What kind of life have you been living, Mr. Yandel?’

‘…Let’s get going.’

‘Ah, right. Let’s go quickly. We don’t have time.’

Following Raven’s instructions, we moved along the path at a slightly faster pace.

The reason for hurrying is simple.

The first chapter of the Doppelganger Forest is the Shadow Cave.

It’s a format where you start from different locations and meet other teams in the center.

‘We need to get to the center as quickly as possible. That way, we can get the rewards from the other routes. If we’re late, it’ll be the opposite.’

In the end, we’ll end up catching the final boss together, but until then, it’s like a competition.

Who will take more and leave?

It’s up to us.

‘There’s something ahead!’

While running along the straight passage, Bear Uncle sensed a presence and stopped the group.

After waiting for a moment, a person appeared from the darkness.

Thud.

Brown hair grown haphazardly.

Unkempt beard.

A muscular body over 2m tall, wearing a lightinium breastplate [a type of armor].

And a giant shield and mace.

‘It’s Bjorn!!!’

Ainar looked back and forth at the two of me, then fell into confusion.

At that sight, Raven couldn’t hold back and shouted.

‘I told you it was a doppelganger!!!’

‘D, doppelganger?!’

‘Ah, really! That’s enough, prepare for battle!!’

I think this is the first time he’s shouted like this.

Is there really no one who can win against a barbarian with words?

I was chuckling at that thought when it happened.

‘Behel—raaaaaaaa!!!’

The doppelganger dared to call out the name of the ancestral god.

At the same time, his body swelled up like a balloon.

I needed to be a little tense.

「The doppelganger has cast [Giantification].」

「The doppelganger has cast [Wild Outburst].」

I’m pretty strong, you know.