Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 617

The space at the end of the roughly 3-meter passage resembled a control room.

Rectangular glass panels filled the walls, displaying real-time views of various locations within the building.

Also…

‘There are so many controls.’

The sheer number of buttons and levers made it look like an airplane cockpit.

“Yandel.”

I turned to Amelia’s voice and saw a screen showing the room where our exploration team was trapped.

‘No wonder we couldn’t find them.’

The room had no doors. Instead, dozens of rails went in and out, suggesting that the only way to move was via these rails.

‘I think I understand how to reach that room now.’

To get there, you’d have to use the correct rails in the right order.

It was like a mini-game, a puzzle to solve.

‘…There was something similar on the 10th floor too.’

Thinking about it, it was a truly malicious design.

It required multiple attempts, and failure meant the annihilation of the entire party.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if it were on the 3rd or 4th floor, but having such a thing on the 10th floor felt excessive.

“It seems they’ve returned safely.”

“Huh?”

“I’m talking about the ones who were dragged out before me. I thought there was a high chance they had turned into magic stones in the underground space. But now I see they’ve all returned safely.”

“Ah!”

I looked closer at the screen and saw that all the members we thought were missing, including Amelia, were safe in the room.

“So, what do we do now?”

I paused to consider Amelia’s question.

So many buttons and levers.

If we used them correctly, we might be able to free our companions…

“First, don’t touch anything. Just stay still.”

It was too risky to press anything without knowing what it did. A button that released poison gas could wipe us all out.

“Do you… think I’m like you?”

“I just said it as a precaution. Just in case. Now, let’s try pressing that one over there first.”

“…Didn’t you just say not to press anything?”

“But we have to press something to figure things out, right?”

After that, Amelia and I began to investigate the control room, learning about its functions.

We started by pressing the buttons furthest from the screen showing our companions’ room. This revealed that the buttons below the screen controlled what the screen displayed.

Once we understood this, we became bolder, pressing various buttons and levers. Soon, we figured out the purpose of most of them.

‘If I press the red button, the rail stops; the green button restarts it; and the left lever moves the rail in reverse…’

The right lever switched the screen, allowing us to control that area. Each button and lever had different uses.

However, three buttons and levers in the center of the room remained a mystery.

‘What are those?’

They weren’t below the screen, and they looked ominous.

If I guessed correctly, they probably affected the entire building…

“If we want to reach that room, the fastest way would be to let one person turn into a magic stone and follow them.”

I chuckled at Amelia’s suggestion.

Hey, do you think I don’t know that?

“Absolutely not. There doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger to life, but we don’t know what side effects there might be.”

“Then, I guess we have no choice but to wait.”

It wasn’t a bad choice.

It meant waiting anxiously for each person to come out, but it could save everyone eventually.

That is, if the current situation remained stable.

“Or we could search directly.”

“Search directly?”

“Yeah.”

When I checked the underground factory earlier, there were already more than twenty people gathered.

If we stopped all the rails and had everyone search directly, it might be faster.

“Besides, we need to find that room to search it. We don’t know what might be hidden there.”

“I guess… we came here to explore, after all.”

“Yeah, we haven’t found out anything yet.”

Escaping this temple is easy.

We could just go back the way we came.

But what was our purpose here?

To escape the tiresome basement and return to the city. But we haven’t even found a way to leave Rainbow Island.

“When you put it that way, it makes sense.”

Since we agreed, there was no need to hesitate.

Amelia and I pressed the buttons to stop all the rails in the building.

Then, we went down to the basement, joined the others, and explained our findings and plans.

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

Under Amelia’s command, we steadily mapped the intricate rail system, which was like an ant nest.

“Everyone, take a copy of the map! It’s updated as of yesterday!”

“I’ve checked this side, but it just leads back to this path. I’ll check the other side today.”

Everyone worked together, moving towards a single goal.

I watched this scene through the control room screen on the top floor.

I came to check after hearing a report that a moving rail had been discovered during the exploration…

‘What? I’m sure I turned it off back then?’

It wasn’t hard to find the problematic rail and stop it again.

However, the problem was…

Zzzzt, zzzzt-

Just as I was about to go down, all the screens suddenly went black.

And…

[Would you like to talk for a moment?]

A strange voice echoed from beyond.

***

An ancient language, suggesting a conversation.

Along with this, a rainbow-colored light rose from the center screen.

[Don’t worry. I have no intention of harming you.]

The light mass stretched like a rubber ball, expanding and contracting with each word.

It wasn’t like an AI.

How should I react to this unknown entity trying to communicate through the screen?

[Marx, it’s been a while. I’m relieved to see you’re doing well.]

While I was pondering, the unknown entity greeted someone.

“Marx?”

[Could it be… are you talking about me?]

As I tilted my head, Hamsik looked at the screen and asked cautiously.

[Ah, now that I think about it, you don’t know who you are or why you’re here? That was your wish, after all.]

[What are you talking about? Do you know me?]

[Of course.]

At the affirmative answer, Hamsik grabbed my hair tightly.

He seemed overwhelmed by the sudden situation.

Therefore, it was time for a friend to step in.

“I’m glad you’re happy, but how about introducing yourself first? Who are you?”

[The director of the research institute. If you need a name, call me that.]

“Research director is too long, let’s just call you Director.”

[As you wish.]

I tested his personality, but the reaction was weaker than I expected.

I don’t know who he is, but he really doesn’t seem to care about names.

“Then, Director, tell me now. If you appeared before us, there must be a reason.”

I asked about his purpose before finding out who he was. It was the most important thing when dealing with strangers.

What was his goal?

Unfortunately, the director gave a non-sequitur answer.

[Centurion, is that friend doing well?]

“……Centurion?”

[There are things I can know even if I’m stuck here. You met that friend not too long ago, didn’t you?]

Instinctively, I knew who the ‘Centurion’ was referring to.

The being I met in the mysterious space after defeating the Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror.

“……What are you guys?”

[A pitiful being who received both blessings and curses. Marx, that friend is the same.]

“So you’re not going to tell me.”

[Don’t be impatient. If it’s you, you will surely reach the truth someday.]

Somehow, his lines were similar to the Centurion.

The difference was that the Centurion doubted whether I could find out, while the director sounded confident.

[But I can give you a clue. It just so happens that Marx, that friend, is next to you.]

“A clue?”

[Before we start the story, let me ask you first. Marx, do you want to know your past? Let me tell you in advance, the reason you lost your memories is all because of your request.]

Hamsik’s body trembled at the director’s question.

But only for a moment.

[I want to know.]

At Hamsik’s answer, the light mass on the screen began to move.

[The place where you are now is a research institute called Pantelion. It was a secret underground facility secretly operated by the Empire in the past.]

He was talking about Hamsik, so why was he talking about the research institute?

It was a bit strange, but I listened without interrupting.

Hamsik also said he had been here before.

[The Empire established this research institute for one purpose: to create a biological weapon more loyal and powerful than any soldier.]

[To this end, numerous magicians, scholars, and alchemists gathered to explore and experiment with all the knowledge in the world. However, the research results were always insignificant.]

[The situation changed after the witch appeared in the world. A war of unprecedented scale broke out, and the Empire was also in a hurry.]

[All the talented people of the Empire gathered at the research institute, and more support than ever before was concentrated. And above all, the number of new test subjects increased.]

[Thousands of monsters, which could only be obtained little by little through agreements, came in every day. Among them were monsters created by the witch. Pantelion’s research made tremendous progress in a short period of time.]

As if opening closed eyes, the light mass on the screen surged greatly.

[One of the test subjects that gathered in that way was Marx, that was you.]

[I… was a test subject……?]

[Yes. You were captured by this research institute and underwent harsh experiments. Until the witch, who had been indebted to you in the past, led an army and attacked.]

[……So, I was released thanks to the witch?]

[No, you were not released. You lost your life in the process.]

[I died? But why am I here?]

[It means that your death was that meaningful to the witch. Enough to be deeply engraved in her mind and not be erased.]

[No, I don’t understand that! What does that have to do with me!]

At Hamsik’s cry, the director still answered in a mechanical voice.

[You were dying in the witch’s arms and said: If there is a land of dawn you speak of, I want to live there peacefully, reading books, with all my memories lost.]

That was the whole story of Hamsik that the director told.

The director continued.

[I am also a similar case to you. Although I made many mistakes during my human days… I finally got a chance to atone to the witch.]

His tone was still monotonous.

[But time changes everything.]

If it wasn’t my imagination, his voice seemed to have changed.

[Isn’t that the case with you? In the end, you couldn’t endure that long time and came out of that place.]

[I was just forced to because of this guy—.]

Before Hamsik could be taken over by him, I quickly intervened.

“Okay, so what the hell are you trying to say?”

Based on my experience, anyone who talked this much was never normal.

Besides, this guy was the one who appeared first.

Moreover, it was highly likely that he was the mastermind behind kidnapping my companions.

In any case, he was not to be trusted…

[I would like to offer you a deal.]

“A deal……? Tell me first.”

[I will help you leave this place.]

It seemed okay to at least hear what he had to say.