Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 583

Original (1)

A one-person rift opens when you touch a statue.

Regarding this phenomenon, the exploration team’s officers, mages, and all explorers unanimously agreed on one thing.

All statues.

Or, it’s highly likely that activating a certain number of statues will open the firmly closed stone door, allowing passage to the next stage.

Of course, I agreed with that opinion as well.

So, after clearing the Green Mine, I spent a considerable amount of time conducting various experiments.

Reopening a rift that had already been cleared.

Checking if someone who had already cleared it could re-enter the same rift.

Observing when the opened portal disappeared, and so on.

I paused the main objective for a while and continued my research.

It was definitely not wasted time.

Isn’t that how most games are? To excel, you need to have a thorough understanding of activation conditions, enemy character traits, and skill interactions.

‘Okay, I’m starting to get it.’

As the research progressed, a lot of information was gathered.

For example, the portal closes after 10 minutes if no one enters, or you can’t open a portal while someone is entering.

If I were to summarize only the important points, there were five main things.

1. Statues activate at least seven times.

The reason I say ‘at least seven times’ is because there were only seven samples.

Already, a total of seven people, including myself, have cleared the Green Mine, but the statues are still generating portals every time they are touched…

‘I guess I can just assume there’s no limit to the number of times.’

Moving on to the next point.

2. Guardians always drop essences.

However, they don’t drop anything other than essences.

As evidence, in seven attempts, rift stones and Numbers items were never dropped.

Well, since probability is involved, more samples are needed to be certain.

Anyway.

3. When a rift is cleared, a red light illuminates one of the engraved parts on the closed stone door.

Ah, it seems this can’t be duplicated.

The light only appeared once when I cleared it for the first time. In other words, to light up all the remaining lights, I need to clear all those statues.

4. Activating the highest difficulty, 5th-floor guardian statues, opens two portals.

This information was confirmed after learning that there is no limit to the number of times a statue can be activated and that the opened portals close after 10 minutes.

The 5th-floor rift has two portals.

In other words, two people can enter.

On the other hand, it means that all floors below the 4th are for one person only, so you have to clear them alone.

Anyway, lastly…

5. Even if you enter the portal with a lot of buffs, they all disappear once you enter.

Since this trick is blocked, only those with the required stats can clear the rifts.

For me, this was quite a daunting task.

[Dungeon & Stone] wasn’t a game where you could become invincible just by leveling up and getting good essences.

I pride myself on being among the world’s strongest, but even so, there are enemies that are difficult due to their compatibility.

‘…Still, since two people can enter, maybe it’s possible somehow?’

Although the field is designed with one-person rifts, there was no entry restriction to enter this stone chamber.

Thanks to that, we were able to bring in over hundreds of people.

And since each of them is an elite, we just need to pick the explorer with the best compatibility and send them in.

‘Let’s… start once.’

It was time to start the full-scale attack.

***

Unlike normal rifts, where the boss room appears after walking a short distance from the entrance, it didn’t take long to complete the initial part of the attack.

Blatter, the cursed knight of the Crimson Fortress.

Tarunbas, the tyrant of the Glacier Cave.

Ildium, the iron man of the Steel Tomb.

All of them were raided in an instant, and all three dropped essences.

Well, it’s not like I need to consume them now.

Still, it wasn’t a complete loss.

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

After defeating them a few times, I became certain that guardian bonuses are also given here.

However…

‘It’s a shame.’

You can’t re-enter a rift once you’ve cleared it.

Even if someone else opens a portal for you, you just pass through the portal and come out the other side.

‘If that wasn’t the case, I could have farmed experience.’

It’s a bit disappointing, but I decided to think positively. After all, even if I exclude the ones I can’t defeat here, the experience from the rest is still significant.

Maybe this is more helpful to me than some mediocre essences.

‘There are still quite a few guardians I haven’t defeated.’

Combining that with the first-time kill experience, I could theoretically gain up to 200 experience points from this attack alone.

However, perhaps other explorers had similar thoughts.

Just as I was about to move on to the 2nd-floor guardians, someone approached me.

“Excuse me… may I try a challenge as well?”

“Your name is…”

“Miles Humbreyke, sir Baron.”

Ah, that’s right.

He’s an explorer who was recruited into the exploration team, not a knight, so I remember him.

Come to think of it, there were quite a few explorers like him in the exploration team…

“In the case of the 1st-floor rifts, I haven’t yet achieved any feats against the guardians except for the Crimson Fortress. If you would allow me—.”

“Get permission from the Count, not me.”

“The Count said it’s fine as long as you, sir Baron, allow it.”

It seems the village chief is trying to play the figurehead role here as well.

“Hmm…”

What should I do?

If I send him in and he dies, it would only reduce our forces.

As I was pondering, he spoke earnestly.

“I understand your concerns, sir Baron. You must be worried about me trying to enter a place where there’s no reason to go anymore.”

“…”

“But please don’t worry. Even if they are guardians, I am not so weak that I would lose to a 7th-grade monster.”

“I have a condition before I allow it.”

“A condition… you mean?”

Looking at the explorer with a serious expression, I chuckled.

“Why are you so tense? Before you go in, go to the mages and learn about the guardians thoroughly. That’s my condition.”

“…Yes? Ah, I understand! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Perhaps he was expecting a different request, the explorer left with an expression of gratitude at my words.

However, I didn’t know.

Why judges hate precedents so much.

“Um… sir Baron?”

“Could I also try a challenge…”

Starting with him, others who were watching cautiously also approached me.

‘Sigh… I allowed him, so I can’t refuse these guys either…’

It was too bothersome to answer each one, so I ended up delegating it to Raven.

“Whether you can challenge or not, go ask that… Arua Raven over there. If Raven allows it, I’ll allow it too.”

“Huh? Why am I suddenly involved?”

“Aren’t you the most knowledgeable about the rifts?”

“Don’t lie. You’re just being lazy, do you think I wouldn’t know—.”

Sigh, that’s why you can’t trust quick-witted people.

I quickly cut her off and said firmly.

“It’s not that I’m being lazy.”

“…?”

“It’s because I trust you.”

It wasn’t actually a lie.

There are many mages I could assign the task to, but no one is as meticulous as her.

Besides, she’s weak to this kind of praise.

“Haa…”

Raven sighed but nodded as if she couldn’t help it.

“…I’ll only send those who can definitely come back alive, only those people. Okay?”

Yeah, I knew she would.

Even though I passed on a bothersome task, seeing the responsibility in her eyes, I don’t have to worry about this part anymore.

It was at that moment.

“Yandel.”

Amelia calls out to me.

Well, is she going to say she’ll check if she’s qualified to challenge next to Raven?

Timing-wise, that seemed likely.

However…

“Um… can I try a challenge too…?”

Amelia’s question, looking unusually hesitant, was very different from what I expected.

“What…?”

“Ahem, ahem… if we get credit for defeating guardians, isn’t it a shame to miss this opportunity? Actually, I think not only me but all the other members should go in at least once.”

Under my gaze, Amelia coughed awkwardly but stated her opinion logically.

It was hard to ignore her point.

‘Hmm… it’s certainly more reasonable that way, isn’t it?’

My contemplation didn’t last long.

“Alright. Do it that way. But only up to the 3rd floor.”

“Understood. Then I’ll prepare. If we’re going to send in Ainar Fnellin, we need to prepare thoroughly beforehand.”

“I’ll leave that part to you.”

It would be a lie to say I’m not worried about them entering the rift alone without me, but I can’t always look after them like baby birds.

So, let’s just trust them.

Amelia, Ainar, Erwen, and Misha.

All four of them will be able to handle up to the 3rd floor without any problems.

‘I ended up taking a long break.’

While watching the explorers receiving special lectures on rift guardians from Raven, I scanned the statues I hadn’t yet attacked.

Eight 2nd-floor rift guardians.

On the 3rd floor, there’s one Knight of the Apocalypse from the White Temple.

‘Two on the 4th floor…’

On the 5th floor, including the unique rifts, there are a total of twelve.

And…

‘Including Cambormier, there are 14 unidentified guardians.’

Adding the four 1st-floor guardians, that makes a total of forty-one.

‘I’ve already defeated four of them…’

That means I have to defeat 37 more guardians.

‘…Let’s start with the easy ones.’

But there’s no time limit here, right?

Like having to defeat them all within a few days…

***

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

「Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3」

「Guardian Kill…」

***

When I finished defeating all eight 2nd-floor guardians and came outside, the surroundings were quite chaotic.

It seemed like they were welcoming me back, saying I did a good job, but…

“What’s the record? What’s the record?”

“3 minutes and 27 seconds!”

Some people were checking the time as soon as they saw me from afar and writing something diligently in their notebooks.

Come to think of it, they were doing that earlier too.

“What are they writing?”

“…Uh, we were just recording the time it took for you, sir Baron, to defeat the guardians.”

For some reason, that answer made me feel unpleasant.

It felt like I was a racehorse in a racetrack.

“Are you guys betting on me or something?”

When I asked with a serious face, the mage started waving his hands in panic.

“N-no way! Absolutely not. It’s just… just out of curiosity… We were recording everyone’s times, not just yours, sir Baron.”

Hmm, if that’s the case, I can’t really get angry.

“Th-the data is important, you see…”

A mage who doesn’t keep records is not a mage.

Knowing well how strong a mage’s recording instinct is, I didn’t press the issue and let it go.

‘Misha and Erwen are attacking… and Amelia is in class, I guess.’

While I was sitting down to rest and organize my thoughts, a portal opened, and the explorer who had challenged the Glacier Cave returned.

And…

“How long did it take?”

As soon as he returned, he immediately asked someone.

“1 minute and 24 seconds.”

The mage who was recording answered in a businesslike tone, and the explorer asked again.

With a strangely agitated look.

“Then what’s the ranking?”

“3rd place.”

After hearing the answer, the explorer looked around with a disappointed expression and whispered something to the mage.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear it…

“He’s asking how long it took Bjorn Yandel.”

When I came to my senses, Amelia was next to me.

I clearly saw her attending Raven’s lecture just a moment ago…

Did she come out after seeing me?

Well, it’s not important.

“Ahem, ahem, I see. Understood. Thank you for telling me.”

The explorer, who had heard something whispered from the mage, moved to Raven’s lecture room with a proud face, as if he had never been disappointed.

“Do you want to know what the mage answered?”

“No, not really.”

“3 minutes and 27 seconds, he said.”

“…If you were going to tell me anyway, why did you ask?”

It was a bit absurd, but I didn’t feel any self-loathing from that record.

I can’t have a good record anyway.

From the start, I was always casually walking through the passages, analyzing if anything had changed while defeating them.

‘Well… even if I had done my best, I don’t think I would have been faster than them.’

It seems they were competing with each other, and I, who was just caught in the middle, just felt wronged.

What’s so great about defeating them faster than a tank?

It’s just pathetic—.

“For your information, I was 47 seconds.”

“…Huh?”

“…And I’m also in 1st place.”

“Ah…”

Is it because I’m blinded by love?

Now that I look at it, it doesn’t seem pathetic, but a bit cute…

“…Are you leaving already?”

“I’ve rested enough.”

As I stood in front of a new guardian statue after a short break, Amelia tilted her head.

“Not the Knight of the Apocalypse?”

I was standing in front of the vampire guardian Cambormier statue.

There was a simple reason.

“It’s time to see what the unidentified guardians are like.”

“I see…”

Amelia just nodded and didn’t say anything else.

She also knows.

That a vampire wouldn’t pose any threat to me.

“Still, be careful. Okay?”

“Understood. Then I’ll be back.”

I stepped into the portal, seeing Amelia off.

A floating sensation continued for a moment, and as soon as I realized the movement was over.

Tap.

I ran forward.

I can check the terrain while running.

Brick walls reminiscent of a medieval castle.

Candlesticks lit along the walls.

Old bloodstains on the floor.

The place where I opened my eyes was similar to, yet different from, the Demon Worship Room in the final chapter of the Crimson Fortress.

It wasn’t a ‘ㅁ’ structure, but just a straight line.

Tadadadad.

I sprinted through the corridor towards the boss room directly in front of me.

I’m only human, so I couldn’t help it.

I don’t want to be obsessed with records, but…

I didn’t want to be someone’s source of comfort in that way. Therefore, if there was nothing special, I was planning to defeat the guardian as quickly as possible this time.

However…

Kwaaaang-!

Seeing the vampire who rose up at the sound of the door being kicked open, I had no choice but to withdraw my plan.

“How peculiar, truly peculiar…”

The vampire was looking at me with sleepy eyes.

“…Have you and I perhaps met before?”