Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 523

On the 6th floor, there’s a place called the ‘Windless Zone’.

There’s no wind, and the currents are almost nonexistent, making a magic-powered propulsion device essential to pass through it.

This propulsion device isn’t just useful in the Windless Zone; it’s also handy in other areas. After all, there are quite a few situations where you need acceleration while sailing.

Like right now.

Whirrrrr-!!

The moment we poured the accumulated magic stones into the propulsion device, the motor attached to the bottom of the ship activated, and a roar erupted.

And at the same time.

Swooooshhhhh-!

Spraying out a torrent of water that could never be created by normal sailing, the bow of the ship surged forward.

“Fold the sails!”

When we folded the fully spread sails, the speed increased even more. When the propulsion device is on, the sails often become a hindrance.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh!!”

“Everyone, grab onto something!”

On the deck, which was shaking violently in proportion to the speed, everyone lowered their stance, gripping the sails or railings tightly to avoid being thrown off.

And how much time passed?

“Mister, I can’t see those guys anymore!”

The heads of the giant bastards, which were gradually moving away, had disappeared from view. At first, they seemed to be following us diligently, but it seems they gave up when they realized they couldn’t catch up.

‘Did we shake them off…?’

Of course, we’ve only taken a breather; it’s still too early to relax.

“Captain, what about the propulsion device?”

“Keep it on. We might still be in their territory. Let’s get out of here as fast as possible.”

“Yes.”

In this silver sea, the monsters that appear vary by sea area.

On the route from the rocky island to the library island, there were Macguries, and on the way to the human island, there were Tentacoolans. [Tentacoolans are likely a reference to Tentacool, a jellyfish-like Pokémon.]

Judging by that pattern, it’s highly likely that this sea area we’re in now is the territory of the Hipramant.

‘It’s a floor where you can’t let your guard down at all.’

Sometimes a level 7 appears, and sometimes a level 4.

Of course, up to this point, it’s understandable.

But, seven monsters estimated to be level 2?

In fact, at this point, it’s practically a sea of death.

‘Come to think of it, even level 1 monsters are floating around on the sea….’

I wonder if I came down to the first basement floor too hastily, but I quickly brushed away such regrets.

From the start, my explorations have always been like this.

Since it’s a place full of unknowns and dangers, if I can just return alive, there will be a great reward.

Heck, just selling the essences I’ve obtained so far would be a lot of money.

‘…Let’s prioritize finding a way back. We can always go back, upgrade our equipment, and then come down again.’

“Auyen, where are we approximately now?”

“We suddenly increased our speed, so I can’t say exactly. However, according to my calculations… it’s highly likely we’re near our destination.”

Near our destination?

Then, we covered a 6-hour distance in 2 hours?

While I was impressed by the performance of the propulsion device, I was also worried.

The poor cost-effectiveness of this device is quite famous.

“How many magic stones did we use?”

“More than 90% of what you gave me has been consumed.”

In short, it means we burned a quarter of the magic stones we acquired during this exploration in just 2 hours.

‘If converted to money, that’s about 20 million stones….’

The thought of the specific number made my stomach ache, but I felt a little better thinking that I bought my life with 20 million stones.

I can always mine more magic stones in the future.

“Then, I need to recalculate the route… would it be okay if I focused a bit?”

“Ah, sorry for interrupting.”

After that, Auyen took out some navigation tools that I had seen her use a few times, fiddled with them, and steered the ship. And indeed, she soon discovered an island.

And Müll Armin, who was watching the scene from the side, let out a gasp of admiration.

“That person… you said her name was Auyen Lockrove?”

“Yes?”

“She’s incredibly skilled. It’s a mystery why someone like her isn’t known in the city.”

Müll said that, repeatedly praising me for having a good navigator as a companion, but it didn’t seem like he was just saying it.

“…What makes you say that?”

“We don’t have a separate navigator in our exploration team. I’m also taking on that role. That’s why I can tell. Finding the way properly after increasing speed like that in a place without sun or stars is really difficult.”

“Ah… is that so…?”

“Yes. The navigation chart you drew so far is also incredibly detailed. If I get the chance, I’d even like to learn from her.”

I awkwardly smiled at the sincere praise.

I didn’t know what to say.

“People gather around heroes, it seems the old saying is true.”

“Ahem….”

I just happened to bring her along because I thought it was a waste to kill her after catching her as a looter….

***

Finally, we arrived at our destination.

However, instead of docking the ship right away, we circled the island once to observe it. And we docked the ship on the southern coast, not the cliff-filled north.

“What do you think, Müll? Did we find the right place?”

“Yes. For now, it matches all the characteristics they mentioned.”

The island seemed to be about ten times the size of the human island.

The most striking feature was the giant trees that were visible as soon as we landed on the coast.

“I felt it when I saw it from the ship, but….”

“They’re incredibly huge.”

“Whoa… my neck hurts just looking up!”

Each of the trees that grew casually was more enormous than any tree I had seen in the labyrinth. If you were to compare them to apartments, they would be almost 10 stories high….

“Um….”

Just as we were preparing to move after surveying the surrounding terrain, someone approached me.

It was a mage from the Armin exploration team.

“Um… well….”

“If you have something to say, say it quickly.”

“Would it be okay if I took some of the trees? I’ve never seen trees like this anywhere….”

The mage asked, his eyes shining brightly, while seeming somewhat intimidated by me.

Well, mages are always like this.

It felt quite unfamiliar, perhaps because I had only been with Bersil, who was a player, recently.

“Perhaps we might find a very valuable material. And if that happens, it would be a great benefit to the Baron as well….”

“It would take a long time with trees that size.”

“…We only need to take a little bit.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

I took the opportunity to have Ainar help collect samples of the trees.

Unlike Bersil, these guys are genuine mages, so I figured they might discover something during the exploration.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

The mage, who had collected about a normal log’s worth of material, including bark, was delighted as if he had received a treasure, bowing repeatedly.

And he went back to the other mages, beaming and chattering about something.

“You really got it!”

“I wish it were night already. So I could research it.”

“Hehehe… Don’t forget, everyone. All research done here will be credited to us as co-authors.”

Are they that happy about it?

Anyway, after taking care of the mages’ welfare to some extent, we reorganized our formation and entered the island’s interior.

And, thinking about what might come out, we continued our exploration as cautiously as possible.

How much time had passed?

“Yandel, something is running towards us.”

It was the first time we felt the presence of a monster since entering the island 30 minutes ago, and everyone was on high alert, switching to combat readiness.

But….

“……?”

The moment the monster revealed itself, we were all dumbfounded.

Its small stature didn’t even reach my calves in [Giantification] state.

Green skin and a gaping mouth.

And a carving knife clutched tightly in its fern-like hands.

[Grrrk?!]

“……A goblin?”

I never thought goblins would appear here.

While feeling like the tension was draining from my slightly tense body, I tried to regain my senses and shouted to everyone.

“Don’t let your guard down! It might be a creature with the ability to change its appearance—.”

[The goblin has cast [Trap Creation].]

“…Huh?”

The goblin that appeared openly created a trap in front of us and tossed it down.

And….

“…….”

[…….]

A strange silence continued in the face-off.

“That guy….”

“Is it waiting for us to step on it?”

I regained my focus.

“Everyone, don’t let your guard down… Goblins aren’t this unintelligent. There’s definitely a possibility that they’re different from the goblins we know—.”

At that moment, an arrow flew and struck the goblin’s head.

And….

Swooooshhhhh-!

At that moment, an instant death judgment appeared, and the goblin’s body scattered into light.

“…….”

“……?”

……What, was it really just a normal goblin?

What have I been doing all this time?

Just as a sense of self-loathing was rising from the depths of my heart.

[Grrrk!!]

[Grrrk!! Grrrk! Kkirrrk!!]

The goblins, having witnessed the death of their comrade, began to howl in extreme excitement.

And at the same time.

Whoooosh-!

The small goblin’s body swelled up.

“…Huh?”

Now it was big enough to reach my calves.

And it seemed to have gained some muscle….

[The goblin has cast [Giantification].]

……What is this?

***

It wasn’t difficult to defeat all the goblins.

Just because they grew 1.5 times bigger doesn’t mean they could escape the value of being a goblin.

The battle itself was more than easy.

However, the shock left by this one battle was quite significant.

“What we just saw….”

“Could it be….”

Without even the mind to collect the magic stones left by the goblins, everyone started looking at me. Since I have [Giantification], they probably thought my eyes would be the most accurate.

“……I can’t be sure of anything yet.”

“I-is that so?”

When I spoke decisively, everyone awkwardly held back their words.

Except for one person, Amelia.

“Whether you’re sure or not isn’t important. Everyone’s just curious about your opinion. In your opinion, did it look like [Giantification]?”

“……Yes.”

“That’s strange. It’s unlikely that so many of them are all superior variants.”

Certainly, the goblins we met this time were very much outside the realm of common sense.

After all, they’re not even new types of monsters.

‘But to use the skills of other individuals….’

Is this a unique characteristic of the goblins we just saw?

Or is it the same for the others?

That question was soon resolved through the continued exploration.

[The troll has cast [Giantification].]

[The werewolf has cast [Giantification].]

[The iron golem has cast [Giantification]….]

[…….]

All the monsters we encountered along the way showed the characteristic of using [Giantification] as a plus to their basic abilities.

I couldn’t tell exactly what the principle was.

But….

‘The island.’

There must be something special about this island.

The monsters we met on other islands weren’t like this.

‘Is it like a field effect unique to this island?’

That’s the first guess that comes to mind, but I’m not sure enough to be certain.

Therefore, this time, I decided to get help from a mage.

“How are the essences?”

“All the wavelength values and patterns match the existing essences.”

“You mean it’s no different from the essence of the goblins we met on the first floor?”

“Yes… at least in terms of values. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll gain [Giantification] by eating this essence. If you want… it’s possible to select a volunteer to test it, but….”

“It’s okay. It’s not that important to go that far.”

After that, we continued our exploration again.

The goals of the exploration were two.

The first was to obtain information about the new island.

And the second was to find and rescue the explorers trapped on this island.

In the case of the former, it was still vague, but fortunately, in the case of the latter, we were able to get a clue earlier than expected.

“Footprints. Human footprints, not monster ones.”

Footprints of someone we found during the exploration.

According to an investigation by one of the Armin exploration team members, they were shoes made by a fine goods store in Lapdonia….

“He used to work for the royal investigation department, so you can trust him.”

“He was a friend with a colorful history. So, can you tell when these traces were made?”

“It seems like… about five hours ago.”