Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 131

The portal shimmered like the aurora borealis of the North Sea.

A heavy silence hung in the air before it.

Misha and the dwarf were both glancing around, unable to say a word. It was that unfamiliar.

The expression Rotmüller wore was something else.

*Click.*

Like someone ‘gnashing their teeth,’ Rotmüller’s tightly closed lips trembled.

It felt like I was seeing a side of him I’d never seen before.

That thing he had hidden deep inside, driven by self-control and a steadfast desire for improvement.

An inferiority complex.

“…It’s not too late now,” Rotmüller said, breaking the silence.

“Three teams have already passed. Even the leading team is only about 30 minutes ahead. If we hurry, we might be able to overtake them on the second floor.”

At first glance, it sounded logical.

However, if you looked at it closely, it was full of contradictions.

And the problem was that everyone awkwardly nodded, even though they knew this.

“Ah, ah! That would be great. I, I also came this early, so it’s a bit of a shame to just give up.”

“Ha, ha, ha! Y-yes, I guess I’m not the only one who feels that way?”

“…I, I also agree.”

Such nice guys.

It’s obvious what they’re thinking, even if they try to sugarcoat it.

Rather than openly voicing their displeasure, they’d rather go along with the absurdity and suffer.

“Bjorn… what about you?”

All eyes turned to me, who had yet to give my opinion.

Ha, this is so annoying.

Why do I always have to play this role?

I sighed inwardly but spoke without hesitation.

“Do you all have a problem with your heads?”

We were already 30 minutes behind on the first floor.

That meant the gap would widen on the second floor.

Moreover, aren’t we all almost out of stamina just from getting here?

“Are you really going to overtake those who passed by first in this state? Do you really think that’s possible?”

The trio pursed their lips and avoided my gaze.

So, I turned my back on them and stared at Rotmüller.

“Brown Rotmüller, enough with the nonsense.”

“…”

“I’ll go along with you on the first floor anytime. But the second floor is too much for us. Don’t even think about putting the team in danger because of your stubbornness.”

Rotmüller pursed his lips as if he was resentful, and I didn’t say anything more, just stared at him.

It was a little later that I heard his reply.

“I’m sorry. I think I lost my mind for a moment. Please forget what I just said.”

“I already forgot.”

When Rotmüller apologized and I coolly brushed it off, the trio breathed a sigh of relief.

They seemed to think the situation had been resolved without a fight, which was fortunate…

‘This has become a headache.’

The problem is that nothing is over yet.

***

Scout.

A position that exists to reduce travel time within the labyrinth, where time reduction is crucial.

Their combat power is less than other classes, but…

Their betrayal is always fatal.

Because they are the only position that can cooperate with external forces.

‘The regional manager must know that, so he tried to win over Rotmüller first.’

Scouts oversee the journey within the labyrinth.

In other words, they could easily lead us to traps prepared by the regional manager while pretending to guide us.

‘…Should I have just rested this round?’

Brown Rotmüller.

The reason I decided to trust him was because I knew his usual demeanor.

A stubborn personality that could be seen as rigid.

His diligence in shunning luck and embracing effort.

I thought that such a person wouldn’t fall for any tricks the regional manager might pull.

But what was Rotmüller like today?

He was so different that he seemed like a different person.

‘It’s probably because of that bastard, the regional manager.’

Of course, I still think the possibility of betrayal is low.

This guy isn’t stupid, and if he really intended to do that, he would have acted as usual.

However, it was necessary to be cautious, assuming the worst.

‘…Let’s just watch for now.’

Amidst such unease, the exploration resumed.

However, contrary to my worries, Rotmüller led the group, showing only his usual rational side.

[You have entered the Rocky Desert on the 2nd floor.]

He accurately found the way in the desert where the compass was useless, and on the morning of the second day, he found the portal to the third floor.

[You have entered the Pilgrim’s Path on the 3rd floor.]

There wasn’t much different on the third floor, where we arrived earlier than ever.

We went straight to the Witch’s Forest, engaging in minimal combat, and rested at 10 PM for our biological rhythms.

The same was true at midnight when the third day began.

“Ha, ha, ha! I don’t know why I didn’t watch this and just slept all this time!”

“It’s probably because you didn’t have anyone to share it with.”

“Dwarki, you were being so cheesy just now.”

We woke up for a while and watched the third floor turn silver together.

Should we call it a tradition of Team Half-Pint?

It wasn’t something anyone suggested first, but it was something we had always done like an unspoken promise since the first exploration.

[You have entered the Sky Tower on the 4th floor.]

Anyway, the exploration continued without any major issues, and we reached the 4th floor on the evening of the 7th day.

I also relaxed my guard.

That meant I no longer needed to be suspicious and wary of Rotmüller.

‘I guess it was just my paranoia.’

The 4th floor is an independent floor.

Once you enter, after about 5 minutes, it becomes a space that no other explorer can enter.

I was cautious of anyone entering during the entire battle, but no explorers entered until we cleared the first floor.

“Bjorn! What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Let’s go up quickly.”

So, I completely shook off my worries and focused on the exploration.

Well, not completely, I guess?

That’s just my personality, so I can’t help it.

I believe that 100% doesn’t exist in this world. And if it’s during an exploration where anything can happen, there’s no need to say more.

[You have chosen the Stairway of Wisdom.]

[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]

[You have chosen the Stairway of Wisdom.]

Anyway, after entering the 4th floor, we focused on ascending the floors by alternating between the Stairway of Wisdom and the Stairway of Courage.

Well, there was also a ridiculous situation where all the stairs were the Stairway of Patience…

[You have chosen the Stairway of Patience.]

It was surprisingly easy to get through.

It was an illusion-based trial, but it was bearable.

No matter who appeared and what they said, I just ignored it.

To be honest, it was more annoying after the trial ended.

“Waaaaaah, Bjorn…!!”

“Stop crying. It’s all over, isn’t it?”

“If even you abandon me, I’ll really be all alone!!”

I don’t know what she saw or heard, but Misha was wailing as soon as we passed the floor.

The dwarf was kneeling on the floor in despair.

“I’m worse than the scrap metal I made…”

For reference, Dwarki was staring blankly into the air like a madman, and Rotmüller was silently clenching his fists…

They both looked like they were angry about something.

‘…That’s, kind of concerning.’

While they were regaining their senses, I checked the box in the center of the floor.

A reward that can only be obtained when choosing the Trial of Patience.

If you’re lucky, you can get a Numbers item or a random essence of grade 6 or lower here…

But of course, that’s not going to happen.

As expected, there were only about a dozen grade 7 magic stones.

“If you’re all rested, let’s start moving again.”

After taking nearly 30 minutes to recover their mental state, the exploration resumed.

And after that, there were no incidents.

We kept defeating monsters and ascending the floors, and by the 12th day of exploration, we reached the 100th floor.

“It seems like this is the first time we’ve come this far.”

From the 100th floor, the difficulty of the trials is fixed at the highest level, and grade 6 monsters appear more frequently.

However, there was nothing particularly dangerous here either.

It was thanks to the fact that our two main damage dealers had grown a lot during that time.

[Riol Worb Dwarki has cast the grade 7 attack magic [Frost Storm].]

[Misha Kalstein has cast [Ice Shatter].]

Dwarki, who had learned not only support magic but also a grade 7 wide-area frost spell with the money he had diligently saved.

Combined with Misha, there was no trouble against most grade 6 monsters.

With two tanks and damage support, the stability had increased significantly.

Well… if a troll-like grade 5 monster pops out like last time, it’ll be a different story.

‘Still, we’ve prepared various things with the team’s funds, so the situation will be much better than last time.’

Actually, it’s funny to worry about a grade 5 monster on the 4th floor.

It’s not like we met Hans on the way, right?

‘Rotmüller seems to have completely regained his senses now too.’

Unlike the uneasy early days, this exploration continued smoothly.

And the 19th day began.

***

[06:32]

I checked the time and looked around.

All four of them were sleeping comfortably in their respective spots.

‘Since I’m the only one awake, it feels like I’m on night watch for the first time in a while.’

I buried myself back in my sleeping bag and closed my eyes, but thanks to my increased energy, I couldn’t fall asleep easily.

Or is it just because there are only 4 days left until the labyrinth closes?

‘I feel a bit sentimental.’

I’ve noticed it over the past few days, but our teamwork has improved considerably.

Should I say that we’re finally starting to click?

Even if I don’t give orders, everyone does their best, and we’ve started to communicate to some extent through our eyes and gestures.

In any case, we’re gradually growing into a proper team.

‘It’s changed unbelievably compared to the beginning.’

The change is especially clear with Dwarki.

He hardly shows any signs of being a beginner now, and his combat sense is improving day by day.

However…

While feeling a strange sense of emotion about this fact, I also feel a little regretful. It’s because I know that there aren’t many days left to be with them.

‘Let’s not get caught up in emotions and think rationally.’

The first regular team I made after falling into this strange world.

I had decided not to get attached to the people here as much as possible, but as a human, it wasn’t something I could control.

I’ll probably think about this team a lot later—

*Thud.*

Just as my thoughts reached that point, I suddenly felt a presence.

I glanced up and saw that it was Rotmüller.

“Did I wake you?”

“No, I woke up a little while ago.”

“That’s a relief then. I thought I had woken you up again.”

‘Again’…

Is it just my imagination that there’s a hidden meaning in his words?

Well, probably not.

Rotmüller is quite perceptive.

He must have been aware that I had been watching him all along, even if I pretended not to.

“Since you’re awake, how about we talk for a bit?”

“…Okay.”

I got out of my sleeping bag and leaned against the wall with Rotmüller.

And an awkward silence fell.

Ah, is this the first time we’ve talked alone since that day?

I felt like I was suffocating, so I took out some jerky from my pocket and chewed on it.

*Chomp, chomp, chomp.*

Yeah, it’s a little better with this sound.

Rotmüller, who had asked to talk, opened his mouth only after I had finished a piece of jerky.

“…I’m thinking of leaving the team after this exploration.”

“Leaving the team?”

It was sudden, but it wasn’t something I hadn’t expected at all.

I had considered this possibility.

“It’s because of me.”

Huh?

“What do you mean by that?”

“…Give me one of those too.”

I handed him a piece of jerky, and Rotmüller chewed on it as he continued to speak.

It was a bit of a long story.

“I can’t say that the regional manager’s offer had nothing to do with this decision. Wouldn’t I be tempted? He offered to create a scout position for me in a large clan.”

“Even though I knew it was a lie, my heart kept pounding. That’s when I first realized that it was time for me to leave this team.”

“Ah, but don’t take it too hard. It’s actually something I’m used to. The other races… no, those with talent easily rise to the top.”

“I’ve been on many teams for 8 years, and there have been many times when I was left behind because I couldn’t keep up with them. Sometimes I was kicked out, and sometimes I left on my own before things got worse.”

“That was how I, as an explorer, survived.”

“But this time, it wasn’t easy.”

“Why is that?”

I asked a question for the first time, and Rotmüller chuckled and replied.

“Because I care about you guys.”

“…?”

“Even though I knew it was time to leave, I didn’t want to admit it. So, I hid what happened with the regional manager and tried to come along on this exploration. I wanted this journey to continue, even if just a little longer. But…”

Rotmüller slowly swallowed the jerky he was chewing.

“Everything has to end someday.”

I was speechless at those words.

Rotmüller looked straight ahead, not saying anything, as if waiting for a response.

It was then.

The alarm went off, and my companions began to stir.

“It’s time for everyone to wake up. I’ll be going now, so you should get ready to leave too.”

Rotmüller left to pack up his sleeping bag.

I took out my watch from my pocket.

[08:00]

It was already time for the 19th day of our journey to begin.

***

Rotmüller was similar to me in many ways.

He tried not to get attached to others but felt affection, and yet he made a rational decision without being swayed by it.

However, the difference is…

‘I was only thinking of myself, and this guy was thinking of us.’

It’s not like I didn’t have any altruistic calculations.

I thought that if we went to the upper floors with them, the exploration game would only end after someone died.

So, I wanted to end it with my own hands before that happened.

“Bjorn!”

To be honest, my head is buzzing.

I never imagined that Rotmüller would be thinking like this.

How did I look in his eyes?

What was he thinking as he felt my wary gaze?

Just as endless questions swirled in my head.

“Bjorn! Where the heck is your mind wandering?”

Misha shook my shoulder, waking me from my thoughts.

“Stop dawdling and get your things together.”

“…Okay.”

I snapped out of it and joined in packing up the campsite.

And after we all gathered and had a simple meal, we went up the stairs.

‘I’ll tell them when we get back to the city. Since the two of us are leaving anyway, there’s no need to leave out the details…’

My head was a mess, but for now, I decided to focus only on the exploration.

There are still 4 days left, aren’t there?

We’ve become capable of easily defeating grade 6 monsters, but the Sky Tower is a place where the difficulty can increase drastically depending on the combination of monsters.

We can’t let our guard down until we return to the city—

[You have completed the trial.]

No, it wasn’t just me.

“…All three are the Stairway of Fate?”

“What should we do? Didn’t they say that place could be dangerous?”

Wow, it actually happened.