Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 613

Green culture fluid filled the test tubes. Inside, dozens of Doppelrs, their bodies curled up, glared at me all at once. It wasn’t a coincidence. Some of them blinked, and when I took a step, their pupils followed my movement. ‘……They’re alive?’ From a modern person’s perspective, it was a grotesque sight that would make anyone shrink back involuntarily. But… ‘Why are you staring at me like that?’ Having overcome countless hardships in the body of a Barbarian, the sensibilities of a modern person were now hard to find in me. Of course, they weren’t completely gone… ‘Hey, have you never seen a Barbarian before?’ To put it precisely, wouldn’t it be similar to the truffle in truffle oil? After quickly scanning my surroundings, I moved forward. Thud, thud. As I passed through the hallway, their gazes continued to follow me, but it didn’t particularly bother me. In the first place, when it comes to grotesque things, there’s no one who can beat a corpse golem. Even then, this Barbarian body didn’t flinch and moved indifferently. Thump. As I walked briskly, the end of the hallway appeared. There was another room, and when I cautiously opened the door and stepped inside, a laboratory-like interior revealed itself. A huge test tube stood like a pillar in the center, filled only with green culture fluid… Swoosh. Turning my head to the side, I saw a bookshelf. The bookshelf, which filled one wall, was packed with thick, ancient books. ‘Is it a dud?’ Hoping to find a clue, I opened all the books from top to bottom, but there were no letters written in them. It was like a prop used for interior decoration. ‘Well, it’s not really surprising…’ In fact, these empty books were often found during dungeon explorations. That’s why books with content are sometimes sold at high prices in cities, like the ‘Necronomicon’ that comes out of the Crimson Fortress. ‘But… what is this?’ After losing interest in the bookshelf, I approached the center of the laboratory. In front of the huge test tube filled with culture fluid, there was a lever of unknown origin. A device that looked like it would display an interaction button the moment I approached it if it were a game. It goes without saying that it was hard to resist. Click, clunk! I pulled the lever with moderate force, and it moved smoothly until it clicked into place. And at the same time. Flash-! Light burst out from the test tube. It wasn’t a blinding flash that hurt the eyes. However, when the light subsided, something had been created in the culture fluid inside the test tube. ‘Doppelrs.’ The monsters that were trapped in the test tubes in the hallway. It was amazing that a Doppelr was created inside the test tube just by pulling a lever, but that was all there was to it. I guess that could happen in this world? Rather, my interest shifted elsewhere. ‘If the left lever is the creation key… what is the right one?’ Looking at the other lever, I reached out my hand. How could I resist this? Click, clunk! Like a Barbarian, I pulled the lever in one go. And… Flash-! The light that burst out from the test tube was the same as before. However, the result was completely the opposite. ‘It disappeared.’ At the same time as the light faded, the Doppelr disappeared without a trace from inside the test tube. ‘Is this a delete button?’ Well, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a button that sends it somewhere. Well, it’s not that important in the current situation. ‘…So, what is this place for?’ That was the biggest question I had after confirming the interaction effects of the two levers. A creation lever and a removal lever. I understand it all. But why is such a place hidden underground, and why was I able to enter this place? They wouldn’t have created this place just for me to come down here and play with levers alone… ‘Hmm.’ Come to think of it, there were these hidden pieces, not-so-hidden pieces, when playing [Dungeon & Stone]. Isn’t it the same in other online RPGs? Like when you find a notebook or a note on the road, and when you pick it up, it contains someone’s story. Sometimes, hidden quests start from those things, but in the end, the essence of those devices was to naturally reveal the game’s world. And if this is such a case… ‘To give a clue about the truth that the different races were artificially created?’ That’s about all I can think of for now. I had already guessed the secret of the different races before coming here, but that was because I was lucky. If it hadn’t been for the conversation I had with the vampire guy back then, I wouldn’t have reached that conclusion. ‘…Hmm, maybe this place really exists for that purpose?’ By the way, there was another reason why this hypothesis felt plausible. Most of the first basement floor had this kind of feeling? The more I explored, the more I felt it. A feeling that something invisible was leading me somewhere, as if trying to tell me something. ‘Anyway, it would be too disappointing if this is the end…’ I soon moved away from the levers and searched the entire room thoroughly. However, despite my efforts, I didn’t find anything significant, and now there was only one thing left to check in this room. ‘Haa…’ I sighed and glared at the giant test tube filled with green culture fluid. Even for a Barbarian, who is known for his boldness, this problem was bound to be a concern. Because the only thing left was that test tube. ‘If I break it… will something come out?’ If I were playing a game, I would have pressed the attack button right away. Even if it became irreversible, I could be satisfied with the information I gained and retry. In the first place, [Dungeon & Stone] was that kind of game. But… ‘It also means that it’s a game where you can’t know anything unless you try.’ I was worried, but it didn’t take long to make a decision. Ting-! I flicked a 100-stone coin, which I used in the city, with my thumb. If heads came up, I would flip the coin again. If tails came up, I would smash the test tube with a hammer without hesitation—. Roll, roll, roll. The coin stopped rolling on the floor, and the result came out. Tails. ‘Okay, then I don’t need to feel any guilt.’ As if I had been waiting for it, I swung my hammer and struck the test tube glass. I was worried that there might be an unbreakable option, but fortunately, the test tube shattered with a clanging sound, no different from ordinary glass. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-! The green liquid poured out through the broken glass. Since I didn’t know what it was, I was quite uneasy, so I climbed onto the desk to avoid getting wet. I did get some on me when I broke it with the hammer, but the areas that were touched didn’t sting or anything. Squelch. The liquids that had soaked the floor disappeared quickly, as if there was an invisible drain below, and only then did I get off the desk and approach the test tube. And… Smirk. I smiled as I saw a mysterious stone buried among the glass shards. ‘Yeah, I knew there would be something.’ Of course, I’ve been playing this game for years. The red light that was leaking out from the cracks, as if lava was flowing inside, was clearly not an ordinary object. Swoosh. So, I bent down and picked up the stone with my gloved hand. And… ‘…Huh?’ I lost consciousness. *** 「The character has acquired the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’.」 「The malignant genetic factors engraved in the character’s body are removed.」 *** When I opened my eyes, the first thought that came to mind was one thing. I’m hungry. I felt a stronger hunger than ever before, and this raised a question. ‘How much time has passed?’ There’s no way I’d get this hungry just from losing consciousness for a moment. I first placed my hands on the floor and got up. There were glass shards everywhere, but thanks to my high physical resistance, it didn’t sting. ‘……’ First of all, the surroundings were the same as before. The test tube was shattered, and the bookshelf on one wall was still a mess because I had pulled out the books. However, if I had to pick out the only change… ‘What, where did it go?’ No matter how hard I looked, the stone was nowhere to be seen. I clearly remember holding it when I lost consciousness. When I came to my senses, it had disappeared like a bubble. The first two possibilities that came to mind were: 1. Someone took the stone and ran away while I was unconscious. 2. It was a consumable item that was used immediately upon acquisition. I didn’t know which one was the truth, but I judged that the latter was more likely. It’s not like [Dungeon & Stone] doesn’t have these kinds of items or events. ‘The problem is that I have no way of knowing what the effect is……’ Is it an elixir, a curse, or a buff? As someone who can’t check the character log, I can’t know anything. It’s hard to find any changes in my body right now. ‘By the way, how much time has really passed?’ I put aside my thoughts about the stone for now and checked the time. The hour hand was about 7 hours past the last time I saw it, but it was too early to relax. The explorer’s high-end watch also shows how many days have passed. ‘…No wonder I was hungry.’ As soon as I realized that more than ten days had passed, I sighed. Ugh, I wonder how much my companions will nag me when I get back. Crunch, crunch. Since it had come to this, I slowly chewed on some jerky and filled my stomach first. Then, I got up from my spot, left the laboratory behind, and departed. Just like when I came here, as soon as I came out into the hallway, the Doppelrs trapped in the test tubes glared at me. If it was just a background with that concept, it wouldn’t be that annoying. But… ‘I should probably break these too, right?’ If an idea comes to mind, the Barbarian spirit is to execute it. I passed through the hallway, smashed the test tubes, and crushed the heads of the Doppelrs that were moving inside. However, other than feeling a little better, I didn’t gain any other significant results. ‘Ah, there was that too.’ When I came out of the hallway, another hole leading down caught my eye. Come to think of it, what could be down there? ‘Since I’m already late, let’s check that out before going back.’ Amelia would probably be very angry, but it would be the same even if I went back now. I immediately climbed down the ladder and searched below. The area below had a similar structure to when I first entered this bunker-like space. There was a straight passage, and at the end of it, there was a circular iron door. The only difference was that no matter how much I knocked, touched the door, or yelled, the door wouldn’t open. ‘…It seems like there’s a condition to open it. But, why did the first door open right away in the first place?’ I didn’t know, but there was nothing more to do here. With that judgment, I climbed back up the ladder and returned the way I came. It didn’t take long to reach the point where the dimensional isolation phenomenon was, which had prevented Amelia from following me. But… ‘…What is this?’ For some reason, there was no one in front of it. *** An ominous feeling. I never dismiss that feeling as superstition or a figment of my imagination. Isn’t there a saying that ominous premonitions never miss? In reality, ominous premonitions often come true. That feeling meant that I had already subconsciously noticed it. The incongruous parts of the information I had seen and heard. Thump, thump-! My heart was beating fast. Amelia or someone else should have been here. If I, a Barbarian, acted recklessly and disappeared, it was the usual reaction for my companions to worry and wait in that spot. But why is no one here now? Even if they had moved somewhere, it would have been reasonable to leave at least one person here. ‘I have to assume that something happened.’ In that sense, I quickly climbed up the ladder to the surface. However, there was no one to be seen on the surface, which was full of bushes. ‘Emily! Ainar! Raven! Misha……!!’ No matter how much I shouted, there was no reply. It was so quiet that I even wondered if I was the only one left in this world. No matter what the situation was, I needed to check the temple where the main force was first. As quickly as possible. Thud, thud, thud. With that thought, I ran like crazy, and about a day later, the river I had passed before appeared. It was the biggest obstacle in the way to the temple. Regardless of whether the river water was harmless to the body or not. 1. Barbarians cannot swim. 2. The boat that was subordinate to me was completely destroyed during the rainy season and could not float on the water. 3. The boat I left nearby was nowhere to be seen. Of course, it wasn’t a frustrating situation. It’s not that I can’t swim, but Barbarians were able to walk on the river. Just like this. Splash-! I jumped as far as I could and submerged, then waited until my body sank straight down and touched the bottom. And… Thump-! From the moment my feet touched the ground, I walked as fast as I could, trusting my lung capacity. ‘Haaahhh!’ Oh, I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t even see ahead, so I didn’t know if I was going the right way. ‘Cough, cough.’ After barely crossing the river, I ran towards the temple without even shaking off the dark water.