Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 608

According to the exploration team leader, the wind gusts about 200 meters above were so severe that levitation magic was useless for ascending any higher.

They even tried using illumination magic to brighten the view, but the fierce winds scattered the magic power before it could travel far.

However, during a brief flare of illumination magic, one of the team members claimed to have seen something.

‘There was definitely something looking down at me from the darkness.’

The team member couldn’t properly describe the appearance, shape, or size of the thing. However, they were strongly convinced they had seen something.

‘The wind was so strong it was hard to see clearly. We have to consider the possibility he was mistaken…’

The exploration team leader seemed skeptical, but I felt differently.

Of course, I didn’t completely believe it either….

‘Then we should check it out again.’

‘Again… you mean…?’

‘Yes, go up again, and this time use the illumination magic properly. Then we’ll see something for sure.’

‘…The members are very tired. Can we rest today and continue the investigation tomorrow?’

From tomorrow….

It would be a lie to say I didn’t want to save even a little time, but I am a Barbarian Commander who has inherited the spirit of a magnanimous person.

‘Of course.’

When I coolly gave permission, the exploration team leader’s face, which looked like it was about to collapse, began to regain its color.

‘…He wasn’t deliberately draining his color with magic because he wanted to rest, was he?’

Such a suspicion suddenly arose, but believing in one’s subordinates with a broad mind is also one of a commander’s prerogatives.

In the end, the exploration began the next day after the entire team had rested sufficiently.

And….

‘I saw it too…! Something was looking down at me!’

Another similar eyewitness account came from within the team, and this time, its shape was faintly captured on the video recording device.

Well, the opinions of those who checked the recording were divided.

‘It’s hard to tell properly because it’s so dark.’

‘Could it be something caused by the refraction of the light orb magic…?’

‘I have a different opinion. Do you see this here? If you think of this side as the eye, and this as the nose… the outline becomes clear…’

‘Eek! It’s true! It’s a human shape!’

‘…Creepy.’

It feels like we’re not a group of experts gathered to explore a new stratum [a layer of rock or earth], but rather members of a paranormal club exploring an abandoned house.

‘…The recording is ambiguous.’

I also checked the video, but it was too unclear to draw any conclusions.

However….

‘Still, there’s another eyewitness account.’

Not one, but two.

This is very significant when creating statistics.

At this point, there’s credibility to the claim that there’s something up there, right?

Something is hidden in that storm.

Even if it’s not the ‘person’ they claim.

‘Hmm…’

My worries deepen.

Because what I have to do from now on has become clear.

‘How do I get up there?’

A way to break through the storm and reach the unidentified thing.

From now on, I have to prepare that method.

‘Exploration Team Leader, from now on, use your own judgment to investigate that place. I’ll give you the authority, so you can mobilize others.’

First, I activated the automatic investigation mode for the exploration team.

And I told them to try everything they could think of, even if it was nonsense, but to be sure to let me know the results.

‘I don’t think that old man will investigate with a creative method just because I said that.’

Still, he’ll probably bring back something.

After that, I said I was going to sort out my thoughts for a while and returned to the cabin.

[Is something not going well?]

‘Ah, do you want to hear about it?’

I sat Hamsik down, who was lying on the bed reading a book, and shared the current situation as if I was talking to myself.

I had some hope, but unfortunately, Hamsik only had a listening function and no advice function.

[Well, I guess you’re worried.]

‘Is that all?’

[Then what? What do you want me to do?]

Maybe it’s because he reads books often, but he feels a lot more prickly these days.

He used to be much more docile.

‘Is he going through puberty?’

Hamsik turned his attention away from me again and started reading a book, and I lay on the bed and sorted out my thoughts.

How can I break through the obstacles and go up?

A way to move over a hundred people through the storm to hundreds of meters above did not come to mind easily.

But rather because of that.

‘It doesn’t seem like we’ll go up by using magic or something like that. Hmm… then do we have to meet some conditions to trigger an event?’

A guess derived from a thoroughly gamer’s perspective.

However, considering that this is the world of [Dungeon & Stone], this perspective is helpful in many ways.

‘An event…’

In fact, there is a hypothesis that came to mind first.

The moment the rainy season ended.

The rainbow-colored pillar that emitted a strong light that could be seen from anywhere on the first basement floor.

That pillar of light lasted for about 5 minutes and then disappeared.

Of course, at that time, I thought it was simply acting as a landmark.

But….

‘What happens if I’m here at that time? Does a new event trigger?’

It’s a pretty plausible hypothesis.

Because the condition itself was quite difficult to fulfill.

‘The closest island is 4 weeks away.’

The stone gate island, where the guardian statues were lined up, has sunk under the sea, so the closest one is the library island.

Using the magic engineering propulsion device can greatly reduce travel time, but it doesn’t really matter.

No matter what I do, the rainy season will end before I arrive.

‘In short, if I want to be here when the pillar of light is created, there’s no other way but to withstand the rainy season head-on…’

Assuming that all my hypotheses are correct, thinking in reverse, it’s also significant that the rainbow island is isolated like a remote island.

Well, if not, then so be it.

‘Let’s keep investigating until then, and if there’s still no way, let’s try it once.’

That’s how it was decided for now.

***

One day, two days, three days, four days….

The time spent on the ship anchored in the calm zone passed quickly.

It would have been a very busy time for some, but for others, it was a peaceful time to the point of being boring.

‘…We, we found it! Exploration Team Leader!’

‘Really!’

The representative figure of those who spent a busy time was the exploration team members.

Under the commander’s orders, they were repeating the process of trying and failing bizarre experiments every day.

Ah, for reference, today’s experiment was launching a drone.

It was a pretty plausible plan to shoot an arrow with a video recording device attached, then find it by tracking its location and check the video….

‘Play it! Quickly!’

‘….’

‘Why are you just making that blank face—’

‘I… it doesn’t work. It seems… it was damaged by the impact of the fall.’

The face of the exploration team leader, who had invested as much as three days including pre-preparation for this plan, hardens.

‘The repair?’

‘It’s not just that the circuits are tangled, it’s completely broken. I think it’ll be difficult.’

‘….’

Sigh… I feel sorry for him just watching.

At this point, I want to tell him to just rest, but because he comes up with pretty good plans every time, I’m still just watching.

‘It’s not for nothing that he became the exploration team leader…’

The exploration team leader is someone who was appointed to the position by Gahwin’s recommendation, and he was more suited to the position than expected.

‘I was a little surprised when he said he would explore the sea at the same time.’

For reference, the exploration team leader was also conducting deep-sea exploration at the same time, and the most impressive thing was the plan to sink a video recording device with a weight attached.

The main point of the plan was to remove the weight attached with magic that had a timer set, and to form an air layer and return it….

The problem was the durability of the recording crystal.

Even if they put several layers of protection magic on it, it was crushed by the high water pressure when they pulled it up.

‘…Once I go back, I will definitely make a recording crystal that works in any environment and never breaks.’

Well, maybe this is how the development of all civilizations begins.

There’s also the saying that failure breeds success, right?

‘If there really is such a thing, exploration will be much easier.’

Ah, of course, it was easy even without it.

Since there were so many talented people around me who were treated as aces wherever they went, there was no need for me to step in.

I was a representative figure who was spending a boring time.

‘I’m bored, so let’s go on patrol.’

As I walked around the ships that were closely attached to each other, I could feel that there were significantly fewer people on the ships.

I know that there aren’t many guards needed because no sea monsters have appeared, but….

‘Even so. How can there be so few people?’

When I approached a crew member who was working on something on the deck and asked, the crew member gave an unexpected answer.

‘Everyone is hiding in their rooms. They don’t want to be seen by the exploration team leader if they come out.’

‘…?’

‘Didn’t the Baron give the exploration team leader authority? To use people from anywhere if needed.’

‘Ah…’

‘Sigh… I shouldn’t have come out of the cabin because I was feeling stuffy back then. Of all times, I ran into him…’

Seeing that there are actual victims like this, it seems that it’s not just a ghost story.

Feeling somewhat sorry, I quickly left the spot.

And when I went around all four ships and returned to our ship.

‘Bjornnnn!!’

‘Call me Commander—’

‘Please save me! I want to rest…!’

Iinar throws his spear on the floor and runs towards me.

‘Geez, how much is that spear worth?’

I almost had a fit at the sight of the Verdant Spear rolling on the floor, but first, I dodged Iinar’s tackle to the side and checked the deck.

‘Ugh!’

‘Tsk.’

Amelia is looking at Iinar, who performed a somersault, and clicking her tongue. It seems that she was lightly training with Amelia….

There was nothing particularly surprising about it.

‘Training again today?’

‘Because he doesn’t do anything on his own.’

Not only when we were staying on the village chief’s island, but also when we were sailing, Amelia made time to train Iinar.

‘It’s because of his fighting spirit, so understand him. When he returns to normal, he’ll do well on his own without being told.’

‘I will. But regardless of that, I plan to keep managing him until he returns. Are you going to stop me?’

‘Of course not. I’m leaving Iinar in your care.’

Rather, I’m grateful to Amelia.

Because she’s taking on the work that I should be doing.

‘She’s starting to get attached to the others, huh?’

It’s a good sight in many ways.

Especially in that she’s helping Iinar voluntarily, not because I told her to.

‘If you want to rest, swing your spear. If you touch me even once, training is over for the day.’

‘Be, Behel—la…!’

Soon, Iinar regained a little bit of motivation and began to swing his spear, and I watched the sparring from a distance before leaving.

***

About three days before the rainy season.

We held a meeting of the top brass after a long time.

And I declared one thing.

‘As of today, the investigation is over.’

‘Yes…?’

The exploration team leader, the old man, looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, unlike a mage.

Well, to be honest, I thought he would be happy.

‘…I’m sorry to disappoint you. I was given so much time, but I couldn’t find out anything—’

No, I didn’t mean to scold him.

It seemed like he had misunderstood, so I quickly continued my words.

‘I’m not disappointed at all. I think you did your best in everything you could do from the beginning. In fact, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have found out this much.’

A warm remark that was unlike a stoic Barbarian Commander.

I would never have done this much before, but I sincerely acknowledged the exploration team leader’s ability and effort.

And did that get conveyed through my eyes?

‘…Thank you.’

The exploration team leader bowed his head briefly as if responding to my respect, and then cautiously asked.

‘Then, is the reason for stopping the investigation because of the rainy season?’

‘Your guess is right and wrong.’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s true that we’re stopping the investigation because of the rainy season, but it’s not that we’re trying to move somewhere to avoid the rainy season. Rather, we need time to prepare, so we’re ending the investigation.’

Then I spoke, not to the exploration team leader, but to all the top brass.

‘We will spend the rainy season here.’

For this, thorough preparation was needed.