Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 537

Garphas’s Necklace.

A Numbers item [A unique item with a specific number designation, often of high value or power] I obtained as a prize, along with the moniker ‘Knight Crusher,’ at my first noble family’s banquet.

However, it was something I had acquired so early on that I hadn’t even dared to use it until now, several years later.

To use this necklace, one needs solid financial backing.

‘But seeing how many mana stones I’m making now…’

I judged that I could gather the target amount within a month or two.

Besides, when I think about it, there isn’t anything on the first floor that can boost my stats more reliably than this right now.

In some ways, it could lead to more explosive growth than using essences.

‘So, for the time being, the important thing is mana stones…’

The mana stones that must be piling up all over Village Chief Island even at this moment flashed before my eyes. If I could collect them all after the rainy season ends, I could drastically shorten the time… but.

That would be too dangerous, right?

‘……Wait a minute.’

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Wyatt Hext, come here for a moment.”

“…Did you call for me?”

“It’s nothing much, I just have a few questions. You said you arrived at Giant Island during the rainy season, right?”

“Yes, it was the first day the rainy season started.”

“I remember that too. Anyway, at that time, Giant Island was also full of monsters?”

“…Is that so?”

Hext, with a look that suggested he didn’t understand the intention behind the question, recounted his experience of witnessing ‘monsters that leave corpses’ and ‘normal monsters’ fiercely tearing each other apart.

I listened to this carefully and then said,

“Isn’t that strange?”

“Yes…?”

“If the monsters were fighting each other like that, the island should have been full of mana stones, shouldn’t it?”

When we arrived at Giant Island, we only saw the corpses of monsters, and no mana stones could be found.

When I pointed this out, Hext also looked like he had realized something.

“Come to think of it, you’re right. I didn’t think about it at the time… but like the island where the village was, that island should have had mana stones left behind.”

“When was the first time you came out after entering that cave?”

“It was about ten days after the rainy season ended. At that time, I didn’t even know when the rainy season would end.”

“I see.”

The question grows bigger.

Where did all those mana stones go?

No, in the first place, with this system, the sea should also be full of mana stones.

Crack-!

Even at this moment, monsters are falling into the sea and disappearing into light.

Over that long period, mana stones should have piled up in the sea, forming mountains.

But……

‘There wasn’t anything special under the sea back then.’

Hmm, should I just go into the sea and check it out now?

I suddenly had that thought, but before putting it into action, I first sought advice from the mages.

“Indeed… that’s a part I’ve also been very curious about.”

“Let’s go down to the sea right now and check it out!”

“But, there are all sorts of monsters down there…”

“Is that important now? We might be able to discover the hidden laws of this world, you know?”

“Wait a minute! There’s a way to check without having to go into the water!”

“……Huh?”

The mages, who were so excited they looked like they were about to jump into the sea, all stopped at Bersil’s words.

“Let’s check with the mana stones we have.”

With that, Bersil took out one of the mana stones she had, tied it with a string, and lowered it below the ship. Then, she used all sorts of magic to observe the changes in the mana stone.

Thanks to that, we were able to find out one piece of information.

I don’t know why we’re only finding this out now, but.

“……It’s gone?”

“It just disappears.”

Mana stones that enter the sea disappear.

***

After the experiment, numerous hypotheses and questions were raised.

“Is the silver color of the sea also due to the absorption of mana stones?”

“Well, there’s not enough evidence to confirm the correlation between the two yet.”

“Yes. If it absorbed mana stones, magic power should be detected in the seawater, but this seawater doesn’t have any.”

“Hmm… but if mana stones only dissolve in seawater, what about the ones on land?”

Originally, I used to enjoy these intellectual discussions.

But, have I lost my immunity from living as a barbarian?

“Um… what do you think about what we just talked about, Baron?”

“Ugh… my head……”

For some reason, the more I listened to the conversation, the more my headache grew, so I made an excuse that I wasn’t feeling well and left the scene.

Well, the mages will take care of the research on their own.

After that, I ran away from the mages and spent time chatting with my companions.

How much time had passed like that?

Crack-!

As we entered the 7th day of the rainy season, the number of monsters falling from the sky noticeably decreased.

And……

[23:59]

From 23:50 onwards, the number of monsters falling reached a level where not a single one was falling.

‘Hmm… is there about a 10-minute error in the clock?’

I suddenly had that thought, but I decided to proceed with the barrier release as planned. If a monster were to fall on the deck, the ship would be damaged.

It’s always good to be sure.

Ticking, ticking.

The second hand moves.

And as I focused on the movement of that second hand, I felt that the surroundings had become quiet.

Looking around, I saw that not only me but everyone was taking out their watches and looking at them.

Like right before the New Year.

Ticking, ticking.

Just as no one can stop the passage of time, the time that everyone had been waiting for arrived.

[00:00]

The end of the dreaded rainy season.

“It’s 12 o’clock!”

“So, is it really over?”

The explorers gathered on the deck began to murmur, and I quickly gave new instructions.

“Remove the barrier!”

Soon, when the mages even released the barrier that had been spread like an umbrella over the ship, a sense of openness was felt.

How should I put it, it felt like my vision was finally clearing?

It was because the barrier was covered in blood from the monsters that had been slamming their heads into it and dying throughout the voyage……

“Ah, Mister!”

As I was heading towards the bow to enjoy the breeze, Erwen, who had climbed onto the lookout, called out to me in a hurried voice.

“Over there! Look over there!”

What is it?

I raised my head and looked at the lookout, and I saw Erwen pointing at one place.

Swoosh.

Naturally, I moved my head in the direction her finger was pointing, and I froze.

No, not just me, but all the explorers who heard the story and checked that place were the same.

Beyond the vast silver horizon.

“……A rainbow?”

A rainbow was there.

As if to bless the day after the rainy season ended.

***

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

The colorful lights that make you feel good just by looking at them.

Perhaps because I was seeing it from the ship covered in monster blood, the colorful hues felt even more contrasting.

But I couldn’t just stand there and stare blankly.

We are explorers, after all.

Whether it’s a rainbow or a hellish landscape that doesn’t exist in the present world.

If we see something suspicious, we go there first and see if there’s anything that can make us money.

“Auyen! Record the direction of the rainbow properly!”

“Yes? Ah… yes!”

First, I checked the point where the rainbow originated.

That’s because the timing was suspicious.

‘An anomaly that can only be discovered when you’re out at sea when the rainy season ends.’

Could this really just be a natural phenomenon?

Moreover, the rainbow we are seeing now is different in shape from the usual ones. While a typical rainbow forms a parabola or a curve……

Swooshhhhh-!

That one is shaped like a cylinder, rising straight up.

Like an effect in a game that tells you something is hidden.

“From the current location, it’s 21 degrees. Based on the rocky island, it’s 34 degrees! The distance… I don’t know yet!”

Auyen, who had regained his senses, said something in technical terms, but the only thing I could understand was one thing.

At least he did a good job of checking the direction.

‘But the distance is unknown…’

I’m a little worried.

Should I turn the ship’s bow towards the rainbow right now, or should I head towards my original destination?

I was continuing to ponder that thought when.

“Huh? The rainbow is disappearing!”

The rainbow that was far away gradually faded and eventually became invisible to the naked eye.

And the time it took was about 5 minutes.

‘It can only be observed for 5 minutes after the rainy season ends…’

I think I’ve found something real here?

Even with that thought, I didn’t turn the ship’s bow in the end.

“Huh? Bjorn? Aren’t you going to leave to find the rainbow?”

Iinar seemed to question my decision, but it was actually a natural decision as a leader.

We haven’t even properly explored Giant Island, Tree Island, or the library yet.

Upgrading our stats comes first.

I’ve noted the direction, so we can start sailing anytime.

“Auyen, what’s the remaining distance to Giant Island?”

“We’ll arrive in about three hours!”

We maintained our course for about three hours.

Finally, when we arrived at Giant Island, the first thing we did was gape in astonishment.

Ha, I knew I should have just come here.

“……Mana stones.”

Thousands of mana stones were scattered all over the coast.

***

The reason for revisiting Giant Island is simple.

It’s the only place among the other islands where a portal obelisk was found.

The super-giant we saw at the end is still on my mind, but I judged that there are more secrets to be uncovered by exploring this place.

But……

Thump-!

Secrets hidden on the island or whatever, the moment I saw the mana stones spread out on the coast, my heart started pounding.

Of course, the density of mana stones was lower compared to Village Chief Island.

However, Giant Island is several times larger than Village Chief Island.

But what if we could collect all the mana stones that have fallen on this entire island?

“This is insane……”

Maybe that alone would be enough to reach the target amount. So, we quickly got off the ship and literally picked up and scooped up the unclaimed mana stones.

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

That’s because it was right after the rainy season ended, and there were monsters everywhere……

‘They’re all tricky ones, probably because they survived the rainy season.’

At least 4th grade.

On top of that, new species with bizarre essence combinations appeared, making the battle difficulty extremely high.

But, we are also growing.

A prime example is Müll Armin.

「Müll Armin has cast [Hypersensitive Skin].」

「The damage taken by the target is increased by 30%.」

「Müll Armin has cast [Eternal Weakness].」

「The target’s physical stats are reduced by 30%, and all curse effects are increased by 1.5 times.」

This guy’s class is a curse-specialized necromancer.

His active skills are also curse-based, and his summons are also specialized in that area.

「Müll Armin has summoned [Soul Bugs].」

Summons that do almost no damage but suck MP [Mana Points] every time they hit.

「Müll Armin has summoned [Corrosive Hounds].」

Summons that reduce a certain amount of resistance every time they bite an enemy.

「Müll Armin has summoned [Vengeful Spirit Suicide Bombers].」

Summons that fly and self-destruct, inflicting all sorts of curses, and so on.

The reason I fed him the essence of the human-faced bird was also for that reason.

His passive skill, [Mother Bird], is for necromancers.

「The summons within the radius have been unsummoned.」

「80% of the consumed soul power is returned.」

「The cooldown of the summon skill is reduced by 80%.」

An essence that you must take when following the necromancer tree.

With this one essence, it’s safe to say that Müll Armin has become at least five times stronger than before.

That’s the kind of performance a 2nd grade core essence has.

「Müll Armin has summoned [Vengeful Spirit Suicide Bombers].」

「Müll Armin has summoned [Vengeful Spirit Suicide Bombers].」

「Müll Armin has summoned [Vengeful Spirit Suicide Bombers].」

「Müll Armin has summoned [Vengeful Spirit Suicide Bombers]……」

Suicide bombers that are summoned like crazy using the returned MP and reduced cooldown.

Boom-!

The damage itself was minimal since there was no damage setting, but as the explosions continued, curses were stacked non-stop.

‘Having a well-grown debuffer makes hunting so much easier.’

Moreover, Müll Armin was a perfect fit for the current situation.

His class shined more when fighting one strong enemy than when fighting multiple weak enemies.

“Good work, Müll.”

“Good work… that’s not something you should say.”

Hmm, he seems to be having a harder time dealing with me these days.

He always uses honorifics like ‘Baron’.

‘Is he drawing a line in advance, saying he’s taken care of everything? Is he afraid I’ll ask him to repay me?’

If that’s the case, I think I’d be a little sad, but it might just be my imagination, so I decided to watch him a little more.

And more time passed in that state.

One day, two days, three days……

The days were so busy, running around the entire island, collecting mana stones, and fighting monsters.

[00:00]

On the third day after the rainy season ended.

Bad news came to us, who were excitedly picking up mana stones.

“The mana stones… are disappearing.”

The unclaimed mana stones that had fallen all over the island began to decompose one by one.

As if food buried in the ground was rotting away.

“It’s amazing… it’s certain that the magic power has decomposed… but we can’t find any trace of where it disappeared to.”

Whatever the reason, it was truly unfortunate for us, but fortunately, there was also good news.

“Bersil, how many mana stones have we collected so far?”

“Well? Based on the exchange rate at the checkpoint… I think it’s about 1 billion stones?”

It was enough ammunition to do a necklace gacha [A term referring to a lottery or gambling system, often used in games, where players spend currency for a chance to win a random item].