Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 207

We’re moving slowly, cautiously scanning our surroundings. This change in our approach happened a few minutes ago. We stopped rushing towards the second floor and started prioritizing safety. It was an unavoidable choice. The fog that obscures our vision has filled the entire cave.

“…I’ve heard of this. It’s dark magic. They say dark mages used it in subjugation battles before.”

My heart beats low.

Thump-!

Even though Raven is using wind magic to clear the fog, the visibility is only about 5 meters in radius. It’s hard to react to danger in this kind of environment. This place where I stand isn’t just a game made of HP and MP [Hit Points and Magic Points, common game stats]. A single mistake can lead to death. A world without a ‘retry’ button.

Thump-!

I need to stay sharp. To return alive without losing anyone.

“Yandel…”

In the past, we were too weak to protect ourselves. That’s why we had to lose comrades. It was a crisis we couldn’t overcome otherwise. So, what about this time?

‘Yeah, we’re much stronger than before…’

I engrave positive thoughts in my mind to prevent my body from stiffening with tension. That’s when it happened.

“Yandel!”

“Don’t shout.”

“Then answer at once.”

“So, what do you want to say?”

Raven, riding Ainar, asked cautiously.

“Is going to the second floor the right choice?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The royal knights have entered in huge numbers, and there must be many large clans too. Wouldn’t it be safer to join them?”

It’s not an entirely unreasonable point. No, if we were near the starting point, I would have chosen that option too. But, in the current situation, I’m not so sure… It doesn’t seem like a good option. There’s also one thing to correct.

“Raven, more than half of the large clans didn’t enter the labyrinth.”

I heard it from the fox mask at the Round Table [a meeting or council]. Large clans, dissatisfied with the royal family, started a large-scale boycott. Well, some who noticed that the royal family had put those clans on a kill list seem to have backed out… But, that number wouldn’t be that big.

“…Of all times.”

No, it’s because it’s a time like this that they’re making a move.

“Abman, which way?”

“That way.”

I kept looking for the path, checking the portal’s location with Bear Uncle. This is another change that happened after the fog covered the cave. The compass stopped working.

“…Will things get better if we just find the portal?”

“The second floor won’t be safe either. But we just need to get to the fourth floor.”

The Sky Tower is an independent stratum [a level or layer]. Once we get there, we should be able to return to the city safely, even in this chaos. That’s the best option for us right now—

“No. I mean, won’t there be any defenses around the portal?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if I were a tactician on Noahrc’s side, I would have looked for ways to eliminate the means to get to the second floor first.”

That’s… True. But, what are we supposed to do about it? We have to try anyway. Thanks to the dimensional instability, we’re already in the outermost area, aren’t we?

“If it becomes impossible to go to the second floor… what will you do then?”

Raven keeps asking me questions, unlike usual. Seeing this, I realize he’s also anxious. Well, he’d need someone to rely on. He probably doesn’t have much experience in this kind of situation.

“Then, we’ll join the people from the city, like you said. There’s no other way anyway.”

I tried to speak calmly. I don’t know if this is really the best way, but at least one of us has to be like this.

“If you understand, let’s keep moving.”

“Yes…”

That’s when we were moving as fast as possible towards the second floor.

“Finally, we meet people. Do you happen to know what’s going on?”

We encountered explorers. A team of explorers consisting of three humans and two beastmen. Their equipment level is similar to or higher than ours. Well, since they’ve come this far at this time, they can’t be low-level explorers. If we join them, our combat power will increase significantly. But, there’s something to check first.

“First, identification tags.”

Are they really trustworthy?

***

“It’s real.”

“Then would it be fake?”

As soon as we met, we confirmed that we were from the city by checking the identification tags on each other’s wrists. And we naturally started talking. Normally, we would have gone our separate ways after confirming the identification tags, but… It’s clearly an emergency situation now.

“Do you know anything?”

“Not much. Except that Noahrc is up to something.”

“Noahrc… So it was them.”

I narrowed my eyes, watching the other side’s leader nod at my words.

“Do you not have a mage on your side?”

It’s well known that Noahrc has few regular mages.

“As you can see.”

However, the other side shrugged confidently.

“We’re a team aiming for contribution points. There’s no reason for us to have a mage.”

Damn, that makes sense too. Mages rarely participate in speedruns. They’re just a burden because they’re slow, and mages don’t get experience even if they do speedruns.

So, I started by introducing myself.

“I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

Just like I have the nickname ‘Little Vulcan,’ if they have any fame, I might have heard of their name.

“I’m Hansen Kelders.”

“Hansen?”

“Oh, do you know me? Maybe we’re acquaintances through someone—”

“I don’t think that’s likely.”

I shook my head. I just flinched because the name sounded ominous, but I’m hearing it for the first time. So, what should I do? While I was pondering, Hansen was whispering to his companions.

“Little Vulcan? Ah! That barbarian from the stratum lord battle!”

It seems like someone among them knew my nickname. Hansen’s gaze became a bit more friendly.

“So you’re a famous guy? How about we move together? It doesn’t seem like we’re in a situation to be exploring.”

Hansen’s side made the offer to join first.

“Can you give me some time?”

“A few minutes, if you can. It’s too unsettling to stay in one place.”

I asked for Hansen’s understanding and took some time to discuss with my companions. There’s also the saying ‘collective intelligence,’ isn’t there? I thought they might have found something unusual that I didn’t notice.

“I don’t know. It seems safer if we have more people… but, Bjorn, I think it’s best to do whatever you say.”

“Me too, same as Misha!”

First, the melee sisters expressed their intention to follow my choice completely. Bear Uncle was on the opposing side.

“Something’s strange. If they’re at that level, their names should be known, but I’ve never heard of them? Even if they’re not from the underground city, they could be raiders.”

This is a bit concerning. Among us, Bear Uncle has the widest network.

“Raven, what do you think?”

“T-there doesn’t seem to be anything strange. So, wouldn’t it be better to just join them? Their identification tags were fine too.”

Well, okay, that’s what you think. I was secretly relying on Raven the most, but I think I need to change my mind now. Is it because this is the first time for this kind of situation? He’s not thinking straight like usual.

“Don’t worry about the identification tags, just look at the people thoroughly.”

“Huh? What do you mean… Ah!”

Raven realized the true meaning of my words and opened his mouth. Now that the situation has come to this, it’s foolish to trust only the identification tags. There’s a possibility that they made fakes. There are two possibilities. Either they couldn’t make fakes and had to start this mess out of desperation. Or, they made fakes and boldly made their move, trusting them. I don’t know which one it is yet. That’s why I have to trust my gut and make a choice. Like when I played [Dungeon & Stone], where one death means game over.

“I, I don’t know. Just please make the decision, Yandel.”

Raven entrusted everything to me, as if he was confused. Why is he so mentally broken?

“Raven, get a grip. You were fine even when there was a hidden assassin next to you in the Sky Tower.”

“T-that’s different from now. Now, if I make a mistake, other people will get hurt.”

Ah, so that’s what it was. I learned something new about Raven. I never thought he’d be the type who can’t make decisions when he has more responsibility. It’s not something I can’t understand. Someone dies because of my decision. Overcoming that burden and making a decision is never easy. This isn’t a game. It’s not just about one of your characters dying and it’s over.

‘Damn it.’

In the end, the decision is in my hands. It’s not like it’s anything new.

‘This is a headache.’

I sighed and stared at Hansen’s group, who were standing at a distance. If there was a mage among them. Or if they were explorers whose names I had heard of, or a team from a famous clan. If that were the case, I would have trusted them a little more easily.

‘But it’s neither of those.’

Unfortunately, the time given was short.

“Have you made a decision?”

“Yes.”

Soon, I finished my contemplation.

“Sorry for making you wait, but I’ll refuse the offer you just made.”

My final decision was that there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

Surprisingly, Hansen nodded without showing any displeasure. It seemed like he already understood what I was thinking when I made this decision.

“The cautious ones are the ones who survive longer. I hope we can meet again later.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We’ll go to the second floor for now. I don’t know if it’ll be okay there either. But it’ll be better than here.”

“I see. If we have the chance, let’s meet in the city.”

“What are you doing? Let’s move.”

The short conversation ended, and Hansen’s group left first, disappearing into the fog. Did I make the right choice? Pfft. I forced a smile, as if to erase my doubts and anxieties. When did I ever make a choice knowing the outcome?

“Let’s get going too.”

We have no choice but to trust and move forward.

***

About five minutes after parting with Hansen’s group, we found five corpses. They weren’t from Hansen’s group that went ahead. Their equipment was all stolen, and they were naked, but there was no problem identifying them.

“They’re knights.”

“…Knights?”

“Yes. The tattoo on the back of their necks. It’s the crest of the Terhten barony.”

“To stamp the family crest, it’s like a brand.”

To be precise, it’s like they’re not people, but objects. Is that why? I feel bitter for no reason. It hits me harder that this is a world where even knights are treated as expendables.

“…Not all noble families are like this.”

I organized my thoughts, ignoring Raven who was reciting as if to defend them. The corpses of one knight and four soldiers. And the surroundings with no signs of battle. The meaning was one.

“There’s a monster-like guy.”

“Yes. Looking at the wounds, they were all finished in one blow. The scars are all the same, so it doesn’t seem like they attacked together either.”

A knight who uses aura is the strongest in one-on-one combat, and in this world where magic and abilities exist, they are the sword that protects the vested interests. But to die without being able to do anything. I realize once again that we’ve entered the eye of the storm. A knight who has held and swung a sword his whole life, and enjoyed immense authority, died like an extra. No, they’re probably still dying now. Like during the Noahrc subjugation battle in the underground a few months ago.

“What’s the time of death?”

“About 20 minutes ago.”

Okay, so they’re not very close. It was a positive clue, but it’s too early to be relieved. From now on, it wouldn’t be strange no matter what happens.

“Are those guys… really planning to start a war?”

Bear Uncle frowned and muttered. Seeing the knight’s corpse, he seemed to realize the current situation with his whole body. Well, we haven’t fought anyone yet. I said firmly.

“They’re not planning to start one, Abman.”

“…”

“It’s already a war.”

We’re lucky to be in the outermost area. So, we haven’t directly experienced the aftermath yet. Well, it’s only a matter of time.

“What are you going to do?”

At Raven’s question, I sighed. I don’t even know how many times this is since we came down to the first floor. We’re once again at a crossroads.

“There’s only the portal in this direction.”

“You don’t have to explain. You mean the guy who killed this knight went there.”

The only escape route I judged, the second floor portal. A monster is lurking there. But even if we turn back, the situation is just as bleak. The battle that started in the center will soon cover the entire first floor.

‘Damn it, we shouldn’t have come down to the first floor, beast den or whatever.’

I can’t help but regret it. I never thought that such a minor choice would throw me into this kind of messed-up situation. It’s as if this heartless world is testing me. Whatever choice you make is fine. But you’re responsible for all of it. Without realizing it, my gaze went to my companions.

“…”

Misha, Ainar, Raven, Bear Uncle. They were also looking at me. As if the choice was mine.

“…Let’s turn back.”

Soon, I made a decision. I don’t know who’s ahead. Maybe it’s a member of Orculius. There wouldn’t be many strong people like that even in Noahrc. That’s when I was about to turn back.

“Ha, are you really just going to turn back!”

A voice came from beyond the fog.

Thump.

Footsteps followed.

Whoosh!

Immediately, Raven sent a gust of wind to clear the fog. What appeared was a man. A man wearing only a simple black suit, without any equipment. He was wearing a skull mask on his face.

“What kind of barbarian is so shy? Huh?”

My body stiffened at that voice. It was a voice I was hearing for the first time. That much was clear. But.

“Pfft.”

It was somehow familiar.