Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 163

My sleep-addled brain cooled down rapidly. It’s a similar principle to how a cooling fan starts up first when you’re about to do some heavy work that could cause overheating. ‘A rat, huh…’ My heart beat low as my thoughts accelerated. The Tower of the Sky is an independent stratum [a distinct level or layer]. Once the portal’s color changes, no one can follow through. There wasn’t any item or hidden piece I knew of that could bypass that. Which means, ‘He came in before the portal’s color changed.’ From the start, that guy entered with us. Of course, we also waited for a bit, just in case, to make sure no one was following us, and before we set off, we used detection magic to prepare for any stealth abilities, but… ‘If it’s a stealth skill of rank 2 or higher, it’s possible to go undetected. It can’t be detected with most magic.’ Of course, this was just assuming the worst-case scenario. The chances of this guy being a big shot with a rank 2 essence are low. After all, he was caught by the detection magic, wasn’t he? It’s more likely that he used an item or skill to avoid detection magic only during the initial entry. ‘The fact that he’s been just watching and following us so far is proof that he’s not confident in his combat ability.’ Okay, suddenly, courage began to surge. Raven also seems calm as she’s briefing the situation, so she doesn’t seem that scared. Alright, then how should we solve this problem? [I don’t think he’ll hurt me right away. So, please think carefully about how to solve this and act. My life is in your hands, Mr. Yandel—] The answer came quickly. “Behel—laaaaaaa!” I shouted the name of my ancestor god and quickly got up. And immediately ran towards where Raven was. [Crazy!!] Raven was shocked and yelled directly into my head, but… This is the best option. If I try to be clever and she gets taken hostage, then things will really get complicated. Besides, she doesn’t know we’ve noticed, right? People tend to have difficulty making normal judgments when they’re too surprised. “Raven! Are you okay!! You appeared in my dream!!” I shouted some appropriate lines as I ran. ‘Huh? Was I not discovered?’ I wanted him to think that, even for a moment. I opened up a hope circuit [a mental process of focusing on a positive outcome]. Of course, I couldn’t be sure what decision he would make in that instant, but… “Eek!” Until I reached Raven, he didn’t release his stealth. Thankfully. “What’s going on!!! Is it an enemy!!!” “……What, I was sleeping soundly.” The trio woke up with a start, startled by the commotion in the middle of the night. The second effect I had hoped for when I shouted the name of my ancestor god. This made it possible to prepare even if the rat tried to ambush or take another companion hostage. But did they hear my shout accurately even in their sleep? Misha, who made eye contact with me, lowered her head. Like someone who had been shot in the heart with an arrow. “Appearing in a dream… So, the two of you were like that…? I, I didn’t, know. Yeah… I didn’t know that, and I… Nyaha, haha, hah….” What’s with her again? I cut to the chase and just shouted. “Prepare for battle! There’s a rat in here!” Like true explorers, the words ‘prepare for battle’ were absolute. Almost reflexively, the trio drew their weapons and formed a tight formation, guarding their surroundings. I quickly moved around them. “Bjorn, a rat? Do rats come out on the 4th floor?” “…It means another explorer is hiding besides us.” “O-oh, is that so? I was really surprised thinking it was a rat!” …Shouldn’t you be surprised that it’s not a rat? There are many things I want to say, but I held back. That’s not what I need to do right now. “Raven, where is he?” “Uh, he’s gone. He’s not being detected by the detection magic.” Right, so it’s detection nullification mode again. I don’t know if it’s an item or a skill. But if it’s an activated ability rather than a passive one, there must be a duration. “Keep using it. Until he appears.” I sent Raven, who was in my arms, behind me and gave the order again. “He has a stealth ability, so concentrate. He’ll have to reveal himself when he attacks.” My teammates, who seemed to have grasped the situation, were now guarding their surroundings with serious faces. In that state, silence continued for a few minutes. “……” The guy still hadn’t shown himself. But he wouldn’t just be camping out forever. He just needed time to organize his thoughts. Not that he’d come up with any answers. “Mr. Yandel…” “Don’t be impatient. Time is on our side.” A stone chamber with all four doors firmly closed. There’s no way to escape. If there was a Stairway of Fate [a special staircase that can alter the environment], we could create a variable, but there isn’t one. “Just come out. I’ll kill you without pain.” It was then, as I was muttering while looking at the empty space. “He’s been detected!” “Where is he?” “Near that door!” Right, so he was there. “Can you cancel it?” “It’s possible since the target has been identified.” “How long will it take?” Raven didn’t answer. She just extended the wand she was holding forward. 「Arua Raven has cast the 8th-grade support magic [Expose].」 The gem embedded in the tip of the wand glowed. And then… Swish-! A blue cluster of light stuck to something transparent, forming a human shape. When the cluster of light disappeared. The figure of the guy who was in stealth was finally revealed. “He’s dressed just like a rat.” A masked man wearing a tight-fitting dark suit. “Behel—laaaaaaa!” “……!” The moment our eyes met, I kicked off the ground and dashed forward. Thud. As if having made up his mind, the guy flung open the door and went up the stairs. “Bjorn! He’s escaping!” “Don’t panic, and gather our things first.” Rather than chasing him right away, I gathered the scattered luggage first. Because if there are no people left, the door will close. Then we can’t go back down to get our things. Well, there’s also the simple option of leaving one person here, but… ‘Why bother?’ There’s no reason to rush. The place he opened and went up was none other than the Stairway of Courage. No monsters appear until we all go up. In other words, he’s already a rat in a trap. “I’ve got everything.” “Then let’s go quickly.” I stuffed everything, including the sleeping bags, into my backpack and chased after him. The stone door slammed shut with a bang as everyone entered. I blocked the front with my shield and went up the stairs in the lead. ‘Looking at his eyes, it doesn’t seem like he just ran upstairs without thinking…’ I was a little nervous. What is he aiming for? Since I couldn’t think of anything, I was even more cautious as I went up. Soon, the stairs ended. Beyond the open door, the next empty stage was visible. No, it’s a bit much to say it’s empty? ‘Tsk, I didn’t expect this…’ A stone chamber about 40 pyeong [approximately 1,440 square feet] in size. In the center, a corpse was melting down. *** Clang! The door closed as the entire group entered the stone chamber. And a group of monsters was summoned. “Can’t they be detected by detection magic?” “No.” “Assume that the guy might be hiding nearby and fight.” We maintained our defensive formation and took care of the monsters. The time it took was about 6 minutes. When the battle ended, everyone’s gaze naturally turned to one place. “Bjorn, that corpse…” Misha trailed off. I knew what she was trying to say, so it was fine. Whether it was real. I called for an expert. “Raven.” “It’s not fake. I can feel the remnants of magic.” “Simply.” “It means it’s a corpse that just died.” “Maybe—” “It can’t be someone else’s corpse. The faint magic wave matches perfectly.” …Right, that’s what it is. ‘Damn it.’ The guy committed suicide. Before we could even exchange a single word. That fact made me feel uneasy. In novels, there’s that thing, right? A member of a secret organization taking poison before being captured. ‘I didn’t even think about it because this is the first time this has happened.’ I’ve met a lot of bastards so far, but they all wanted to live until the end. This is the first time someone has run away and committed suicide so quickly. We didn’t even have a proper fight. “…I should check it out first.” I slowly approached and took off the mask. However, I couldn’t figure out the gender or race. Because all the facial muscles had melted and were flowing down. It’s not even a faceless ghost. “Mr. Yandel, do you want to take off his clothes too?” Following the mage’s instructions, I took off the corpse’s clothes. Then an even more gruesome sight was revealed. “As expected, his whole body has melted. It’s not acidic or anything. The clothes are fine…” Raven approached without hesitation and poked the corpse here and there with a metal rod, checking it. “The bones are still intact. The hair is fine too. It seems to be a component that only breaks down proteins…” Watching her examine the corpse without batting an eye, I couldn’t help but ask. “Are you okay?” “Huh? What do you mean?” “You threw up when you saw the corpse golem back then—” “Agh! That’s because the smell of rot suddenly wafted up during the incantation. I’ve seen much more disgusting things while experimenting, so this is nothing?” “…I see.” I think she has a different personality than her appearance. Even the 10-year veteran explorer, Bear Uncle, turned his head away. “…Yandel, are you sure he’s dead?” “It seems like it for now.” “Then I’ll go rest over there. Cheese is my favorite food.” “Cheese?” “If I keep watching, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat cheese.” It was a reasonable reason, so I told him to go ahead, and Ainar and Misha left for similar reasons. “Ch, cheese? I don’t know what that is, but it sounds delicious.” “Bjorn? I don’t think I’ll be of much help if I stay here…” …Right, there’s no need for everyone to suffer. “You two go rest.” I focused on my conversation with Raven. “Did he take poison?” “Yes. I don’t know which alchemist made it, but it’s a very unique poison. As soon as you take it, the components of the drug are excreted through the sweat glands, causing the skin to melt.” “It’s a perfect poison for suicide.” “That’s right. Especially if you need to hide your identity.” The unease grew even more. What the hell was this guy? He doesn’t seem like a simple plunderer. Click. I took off the equipment the guy was wearing. First of all, it’s loot, and… I thought there might be a clue to deduce his identity. “There’s no ID tag.” “…That’s strange.” It’s not just strange. Without an ID tag, you can’t go out to the city and pass through the checkpoints. ‘Could it be that he’s a guy sent by the Dragon Slayer?’ If he’s from the underground city, it would explain why he doesn’t have an ID tag. Thinking that, I searched the guy’s expanded bag thoroughly. There weren’t many items that came out. Some exploration supplies and food. And… “Wow, this guy must be an expert. He has all sorts of things, like sleeping herbs, basilisk paralysis poison, and all sorts of things.” The rest were all consumables for personal combat, and some of them were rare enough for Raven to covet. ‘He was a guy who only thought about killing.’ I didn’t even get to talk to the masked man, but I felt a chill. A wicked plundering method that took advantage of the special nature of the 4th floor. If it weren’t for Raven, we could have been in real trouble. “But, what were you doing at that time?” “…I was just washing up briefly.” Ah, that’s right. “Why didn’t you do it when everyone was awake?” “…Hey, this is only my second time entering a labyrinth, okay? I’ve only known Mr. Urukphrit for less than a month.” Right, it’s a period of adjustment. I was so focused on her being so sharp that I didn’t think about it. Anyway, has she finally become aware of her appearance? Raven, who was wearing a thin, dress-like outfit, frowned and opened her subspace to take out clothes and put them on. “Tell me next time. I’ll set up a tent or something.” “It’s okay. I’m an explorer now, right? I don’t plan on making a fuss about such things.” “If that’s the case.” After that, I talked to Raven a few more times while examining the corpse, but there were no significant gains. So, after covering the pudding-like masked man with a cloth, we all gathered in one corner and went back to sleep. Ah, of course, we decided to take turns keeping watch, just in case. I was the first. “……” As I was reviewing what had happened today in the silence, I heard a groan. It was from Raven’s sleeping bag. Is she having a nightmare? Just as I was wondering if I should wake her up, Raven slowly opened her eyes. “…Mr. Yandel.” “Are you awake? Don’t worry and go back to sleep. I’m guarding this place.” “It’s not that, I have something I want to ask.” When I told her to go ahead, Raven hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “If I hadn’t used detection magic back then, what would have happened?” It was completely different from her usual confident tone. And I realized. No matter how calmly she acted and how well she composed herself afterward. There was no way she wouldn’t have been shocked. “Do you want an honest answer?” “Yes.” “If we were unlucky, we would have all died, or if we were lucky, one or two would have died and it would have ended.” There was a moment of silence. “Is… is exploring always like this?” I smiled bitterly and nodded. “Yeah.” Not knowing when or where you’ll meet a bastard. That your life could disappear any day. That’s what exploring was. But… “But don’t worry. It’s not like there are only difficult and terrible things every time.” I told her about what happened in Team Half-Pint in the past, though I didn’t know if it would be comforting. Dwarki, who was discouraged after meeting the plunderer for the first time. The beautiful scenery of the 3rd floor that Rotmiller showed for such a guy. “The seniors said it was a meaningless magic over-saturation phenomenon.” Raven chuckled and muttered briefly. I wondered if this was the sensibility of a traditional mage… “Still, I definitely want to see it next time.” “Okay, next time I’ll wake you up before 12 o’clock.” Soon, I heard a slightly more comfortable breathing sound from Raven’s sleeping bag. And so, the 8th day came to an end.