Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 52

After my shocking confession about not having a mother.

“Uh, uhh…”

“S-so, that’s how it was…?”

A strange silence fell, and bewildered gazes turned towards me.

I quickly elaborated.

“My mother passed away giving birth to me. And my father never returned from the labyrinth when I was young. So, even though I’m an adult, I can’t meet them even if I wanted to!”

For the record, what I just said was 100% true, as I heard it from Ainar.

“Oh, dear…”

“You must have suffered a lot at a young age.”

Perhaps it was because it was a confession from the youngest member of the team, a barbarian who had just completed his coming-of-age ceremony?

Their gazes towards me began to soften with pity.

“Bjorn, you don’t have to pretend to be okay in front of us.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your circumstances, and I was talking about family…”

“Bjorn, I can’t be your parents, but if you want—”

What is this guy even saying?

I decided to ignore the dwarf’s last words.

“It’s fine.”

Somehow, I seemed to have become the most pitiful one here in an instant… but what can I do? It’s not true, so I don’t need to care.

It’s not like I really don’t have a mom.

More than anything, unlike these guys, I’m a munchkin barbarian on an elite path, having been promoted to a 7th-grade explorer in three months.

The most important thing is always the essence, the essence.

‘Hmm, but if I think about it that way, aren’t I actually the most pitiful one?’

Suddenly, I thought that might be the case.

I was dragged into this game world against my will and have had to face death several times.

Damn it, why is my life so pathetic?

“Bjorn, you don’t look good! Are you perhaps missing your mom?”

“Yeah, something like that…”

“If you miss your family, you can call me big sister—”

Cutting off the cat-eared girl who was about to go into the third verse, I got to the point.

“Anyway, what are we going to do now?”

We can’t hunt at the orc settlement, our first destination, because of those bastards.

Of course, they said the outskirts were okay, but if we hunt there at this pace and then divide it among five people, how much would be left?

“I think it would be better to go to the Witch’s Forest for now.”

The dwarf, acting as the leader, suggested an idea.

The Witch’s Forest refers to the huge forest surrounding the portal connected to the 4th floor.

Monsters of the 7th and 8th grades mainly appear there, and some are spirit-type monsters with physical immunity.

“Of course, it’s not a good match for us, who have many melee fighters, but it shouldn’t be too bad since we have a mage.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t it be better to just go up to the 4th floor then?”

Rotmiller, who had been listening, offered a new opinion.

I also thought this was a better option than the dwarf’s idea.

For most explorers, the Witch’s Forest is seen as a place they have to pass through, and its advantages as a main hunting ground are minimal.

‘And there aren’t any essences that I can eat that come out of there.’

The problem, however, was that the dwarf didn’t seem to like this option at all.

“The 4th floor… I think it’s still too early.”

I know what the dwarf is worried about.

On the 3rd floor, 7th and 8th grade monsters mainly appear. And it’s the same on the 4th floor.

However, there is a crucial difference between the two.

“As I’ve repeatedly said during meetings, I’ve seen many teams get wiped out after going up too easily. There was even a time when my team almost did.”

The presence or absence of 6th-grade monsters.

From the 4th floor, 6th-grade monsters appear, albeit with a low probability.

In terms of encounter frequency, it’s about once every three days if you wander around all day long…

This ultimately means that when operating on the 4th floor, you will inevitably encounter a 6th-grade monster.

‘Whether or not we have the skills to overcome that one encounter. That’s the tricky part.’

In fact, when I played the game, there were many times when I barely made it to the 4th floor and got into trouble.

So, the dwarf’s words make sense.

“I think it’s not too late to decide to go to the 4th floor after we’ve worked together for at least a few more days.”

Regardless of the deep emotional exchange or increased bond that resulted from this incident.

We are a team that was formed for the first time.

It’s only been three days since we entered the labyrinth, and we’re not yet familiar with each other.

“Moreover, as you know, Dwarki is a newbie this time, and Bjorn, this is your first time on the 3rd floor.”

To summarize, the dwarf’s argument is that it’s okay to go to the 4th floor, but we shouldn’t be too hasty.

“Hmm, then why don’t we just go to another area on the 3rd floor? I think the Green Tail Marsh would be okay…”

Misha, who had been listening to the argument with a headache, offered a new opinion.

And she was immediately rejected by Rotmiller.

“If we had moved along that route from the beginning, it would be one thing, but if we go to the Green Tail Marsh now, it will take at least six days.”

The labyrinth closes at the end of the 7th day on the 1st floor, the 10th day on the 2nd floor, and the 15th day on the 3rd floor.

But now, to invest more than 7 days in travel? It’s the 3rd day now, so even if we leave right away, we’ll only have 5 days to hunt there.

“In that case, it would be a better choice to return to Iron Rock Hill.”

“R-really? I’ve always just followed along, so I don’t know much…”

Misha scratched her cheek awkwardly, smiling at Rotmiller’s expert-like words.

Tsk, I kept listening to the conversation just in case, but nothing much came out of it.

I guess it’s time for me to step in and organize things.

“Are we going to keep talking while standing here? That’s enough, everyone gather around. Let’s decide what to do by majority vote.”

“Majority vote?”

“Why? Rotmiller, do you prefer rock-paper-scissors?”

“No, that’s a bit…”

Rotmiller made a disgusted face at my question. I was actually joking, saying that there was no better way than this… but.

Is it because I’m a barbarian?

Unfortunately, no one seemed to realize that it was a joke.

“I agree with the idea of deciding by majority vote.”

“It’s simple, but it’s the most reliable method.”

“I’m fine with anything!”

Anyway, it was decided that we would decide our future course of action by majority vote.

And the first to cast a vote was me.

“I think it would be good to go up to the 4th floor.”

I judged that doing this first would help sway public opinion a little more.

“…Suddenly, the 4th floor feels dangerous. It feels like we’re deciding too hastily.”

“Oh, did Kalstein say that too?”

“……”

Regardless of their reactions, we quickly came to a conclusion as we stated our opinions one by one.

“Hoo, if all of you have the same opinion, there’s no point in being stubborn.”

We’re going to the 4th floor now.

***

There was a reason why I pushed for this decision despite the dwarf’s concerns.

Of course, this decision was by majority vote, but…

It doesn’t really matter.

If I had judged that entering the 4th floor was too early, I would have made them stay on the 3rd floor, even if it meant crushing their self-esteem.

“Huh? Suddenly, it feels a little colder…”

“Hmm, already? We still have a long way to go before we reach the Witch’s Forest…”

“No, it’s a different feeling, I can’t really explain it.”

Under Rotmiller’s guidance, we endlessly wandered through the darkness towards our destination.

The dwarf still had a troubled expression.

‘He wasn’t like this in the Crimson Fortress, but he’s become overly cautious lately.’

Is it because he’s the team leader for the first time, and he met and chose each team member himself? It seems like a strange sense of responsibility is always with him.

He’s just a stand-in team leader, he doesn’t need to be like that…

‘Well, maybe it’s because he doesn’t know I have vampire essence?’

The dwarf doesn’t know my exact specs.

That’s why he would be a little more anxious about going straight to the 4th floor.

He also doesn’t realize how good his Numbers item, the ‘Guardian’s Wrist Guards,’ is.

“Hikurod, when we enter the Witch’s Forest, don’t hesitate to use ‘that’.”

At my advice, the dwarf seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then nodded with a determined look.

“I’ll do as you say.”

The No.3112 Guardian’s Wrist Guards are a high-end piece of equipment worth a whopping 50 million stones.

And as they say, seeing is believing.

The dwarf had asked me not to tell the other team members that he had such a valuable item.

‘But if you can’t use it when you need to, it’s meaningless.’

It’s not like I’m the owner anyway.

We were just having a melodrama about relying on each other, weren’t we?

“What’s ‘that’? What is it? Why are you two talking about things only you know!”

“You’ll know when the time comes.”

I roughly ignored Misha’s curiosity and did a final check.

‘If the tank line’s specs are this good, it should be enough for a 6th-grade monster. The problem is the dealer line…’

There was a bit of a lack in terms of specs, but after hunting together briefly in the orc settlement, I gained some confidence.

As long as the front line is solid, there shouldn’t be any major danger with this team, even against a 6th-grade monster.

‘As long as they don’t suddenly start trolling from behind and die first.’

There were so many NPCs like that when I played the game.

They wouldn’t do that, would they…?

‘Damn it, I’m suddenly getting anxious again?’

Unlike me, who was belatedly worried, Misha had a slightly excited face.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the 4th floor, so I’m a little excited!”

I heard that it was her first time returning to the 4th floor since her team was disbanded a year ago…

But is it because she’s a feline? It sounds like she’s purring every time she exhales.

“It’s time to look for a place to camp.”

As we continued to move along the outskirts of the orc settlement, it was time to rest.

“Rotmiller, everyone seems to have plenty of stamina, how about moving a little further?”

“If we want to find a better place than this, we’ll have to go for another three hours.”

“Hmm, I understand then.”

For reference, the time at this point was around 9 PM, which was almost the same as the camping time on the 1st and 2nd days.

Honestly, I was very impressed.

‘Is this what a skilled scout is like?’

Rotmiller must have been thinking about camping points based on the route and adjusting the moving speed accordingly.

Even though the labyrinth has no day or night, it’s good to rest at regular times.

“Rotmiller, what’s the schedule for tomorrow?”

“We should be able to reach the Witch’s Forest by noon tomorrow.”

Okay, then we’ll probably enter the 4th floor the day after tomorrow.

When I ask, he answers without any hesitation, like a human navigation system.

“Bjorn, you’re the last watch, right? You’ll have to suffer quite a bit after entering the forest tomorrow, so get some rest today.”

“I will.”

The first watch today is the dwarf, and the last watch is me.

The Witch’s Forest is the most difficult place for melee fighters, so it ended up that way regardless of the order.

Well, I’ll probably wake up once or twice while sleeping anyway.

***

“Bjorn.”

I opened my eyes at the whispering voice.

Rotmiller’s face was visible under the flickering torchlight.

So, Rotmiller was the one right before my turn…

“…Is it my turn now?”

“Not yet.”

“But why…”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and froze.

Dwarki, the dwarf, and even Misha. All the team members except me were already awake.

And they were armed.

I asked briefly.

“Is it a monster?”

“Both.”

Monsters and explorers…

Just as I was about to ask how far away they were, a desperate cry came from the darkness in the distance.

“Damn it! They followed us all the way here…”

“Run!”

Judging from the situation, they seemed to be explorers being chased by monsters…

Rotmiller closed his eyes and sniffed, then muttered briefly.

“Now I’m sure.”

“What do you mean?”

When he frowns like this, it usually means something has happened, so I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

And as expected.

“The ones coming towards us now, they’re definitely the same ones we saw when we arrived at Iron Rock Hill.”

This situation is getting interesting again.