Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 668

The situation we’re in right now is very simple.

Thump-!

We got the location of the dimensional stone from Rex Aures’s acquaintance (or so we thought) outside the castle walls.

After finding the dimensional stone, we casually stepped through the portal, thinking we’d just take a quick look and come back if things seemed off.

And then….

“To put it simply, that bastard tried to screw us over, didn’t he?”

Daylan, Rex Aures’s so-called acquaintance, vanished the moment we crossed the portal.

The dimensional stone, which we need to return to our original location, is nowhere to be found.

In other words, our way back is blocked….

“His name is Daylan? Was it really Daylan?”

There isn’t much information about Daylan.

We’re not even sure if ‘Daylan’ is his real name. All we know is that he’s from Noark and has a ‘very, very common name’….

Clench.

Unknowingly, my grip tightens.

I don’t know yet if his name is really ‘that’.

But if it really is ‘that’….

‘L, could it be….’

It would be ‘that’ person I’m meeting after a very long time.

Thump-!

I need to be on my guard from now on.

Only then can we safely overcome this crisis.

Therefore, in that sense….

“He definitely couldn’t have gotten far yet—”

“Stop right there.”

I stop Lee Baek-ho, who looks like he’s about to rush off to find the vanished guy.

“……?”

Lee Baek-ho looks puzzled as I speak in a low, commanding voice.

But I can’t help it if I seem too serious.

Thump-!

I’m genuinely starting to feel that this situation is dangerous.

“Don’t move rashly. First, we need to figure out where this place is.”

This is my principle when playing [Dungeon & Stone].

In a strange place that you’ve entered for the first time, you must be wary of everything.

Well, even after being so careful, it’s common to fail on the first try.

Anyway.

“Havelion, Briat. First, check if there are any monsters or traps around.”

First, I instruct the GM [Game Master] and the archer to scan the surroundings magically and physically.

“There aren’t any.”

“There’s nothing detected yet.”

Okay, I see….

Tap. Tap.

I approach the wall and tap the outer wall of the cave with my hand, and only a dull sound echoes faintly.

‘It doesn’t seem like there’s any empty space beyond….’

Swoosh.

I carefully lift my foot from the ground and take a step forward.

‘Mud.’

As if there had been a landslide on a rainy day, the cave floor is covered with muddy sludge.

There doesn’t seem to be any special effects like movement speed reduction.

But the problem is….

“We need to get out of here first.”

“…Right? If we just follow the path, we’ll find something out—”

“The entire cave could flood.”

“Huh?”

Looking at Lee Baek-ho, who is tilting his head, I pointed to the walls and ceiling of the cave.

“Look. There are still traces of water having been full.”

“Oh, there really are such traces!”

“But saying it’ll flood right now seems like a bit of an exaggeration… We can just get out before that happens, right?”

Why is this guy so optimistic?

“Do you know how long this cave is? What if it takes three days and nights to find the exit? What if it turns into a maze-like structure in the middle and we have to wander around for a long time?”

“…So, shouldn’t we move quickly?”

Well… that’s right.

But before that, let’s do this first.

“Let’s rearrange our formation first.”

“Formation…?”

“It’s dangerous to move separately in this kind of situation. In a place like this where both sides are blocked, just having a good formation is more than half the battle.”

Until now, we moved together, but I and the GM didn’t quite mesh with Lee Baek-ho’s team and felt like we were on the outside.

But from now on, that can’t happen.

“Havelion, Ruin Genesis, Jaina. From now on, the three of you will move in the safest center.”

First, I place the core personnel in the center.

“Rex Aures. You follow from behind. There might be enemies appearing from behind.”

“Haha, I will! Leave the rear to me!”

The sub-tanker is placed in the rear.

Because in a narrow passage-type map like this, you have to be most careful of the rear.

Besides, I can cover the front by myself anyway.

“Lee Baek-ho, you follow right behind me, and Briat, your position is right behind him. If a battle breaks out, you can go further back, but before that, you need to scout, so stay as close to the front as possible. Got it?”

“Yes. I understand what you mean.”

Okay… then the basic arrangement is done. Let’s slowly move forward—.

“Baron?”

No sooner had the personnel arrangement been completed than Lee Baek-ho approached me as if he had something to say.

“Still, my team has a lot more members, so shouldn’t I be the one giving orders….”

Ah, so that’s what he was unhappy about.

“Besides, this is the first time you’ve come outside the castle walls, right? It would be better in many ways to just follow my lead as we always have—”

Well, then do it well on your own.

Do you think I want to grab the steering wheel?

“Lee Baek-ho, the situation is different from then.”

This isn’t just outside the castle walls.

If it were, I would have followed Lee Baek-ho’s judgment, who has more information, as I have always done.

But….

“What’s different?”

This time, there’s a very crucial difference.

“This is your first time here too, isn’t it.”

A place where the entire group has entered for the first time.

Moreover, my instincts are telling me that this place is very dangerous.

And you want me to leave the steering wheel to him?

“We don’t have any information about this place, and we don’t know what variables might occur because of that. And in a place like this, every moment’s judgment is very important.”

“……So?”

“In times like this, leave it to the right person.”

I expressed it vaguely, but it ultimately meant that I could make a more correct judgment than him.

Of course, Lee Baek-ho didn’t seem convinced.

“The right person… you say? You, Baron?”

Lee Baek-ho stares at me with a dumbfounded look.

I didn’t avoid his gaze either.

“Why, does it not seem like it?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like it.”

Looking at Lee Baek-ho, who answers immediately without a moment’s hesitation, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Frankly speaking, I couldn’t understand why Lee Baek-ho was acting so cocky.

Because it’s clear to anyone, isn’t it?

I, who went through all sorts of hardships, organized data every night, and researched the field, opening the gate of the abyss in the original mode.

And Lee Baek-ho, a former soldier who wouldn’t have even crossed over to this world if it weren’t for the cheat panel.

Which one of us is the right person.

Step.

I took a step towards Lee Baek-ho and calmly stated.

“I’ll ask you one last time, Lee Baek-ho.”

“…….”

“Do you really think you’re the right person?”

Surprisingly, this time, he didn’t answer immediately like before.

Because he himself is feeling guilty.

That there is a clear difference between me and him to confidently answer.

“…….”

As I just stared at him, waiting for Lee Baek-ho to answer, Lee Baek-ho eventually shrugged his shoulders, avoiding my gaze.

“…Okay. Let’s see what you can do. You’re the most famous explorer in Lapdonia, so let’s see your skills this time.”

Well, you should have done that from the start.

***

After the ranking… or rather, the very peaceful opinion adjustment was over. As we began to move in earnest, I could hear whispering from behind.

“What is Baron Yandel… ? Lee Baek-ho was pushed back by his momentum….”

“I was surprised too… I didn’t think Lee Baek-ho would ever back down….”

The GM quietly answers Aures’s words as if whispering.

But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t reach Lee Baek-ho’s ears.

“Huh! What do you think I am, a snake? When did I ever back down? I was just curious about how confident he was!”

“……Ahahaha.”

“Baek-ho! I didn’t say anything!”

As Lee Baek-ho gets annoyed, the two shut their mouths as if nothing had happened.

That sight is funny, but I gave them a warning anyway.

“Be quiet. Even if nothing’s happening right now, there’s no guarantee it’ll stay that way.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Why are these people, who are supposed to be top-tier explorers, so jumpy?

It would be so nice if they were all like Amelia.

I’m sure they would be at peak efficiency no matter what they did.

“I can feel a slight breeze. Fortunately, it seems like the exit is nearby.”

After walking for about 20 minutes, the archer Briat said that, and indeed, an exit appeared not long after.

“It’s dark….”

It wasn’t like the outside of the cave provided any better visibility.

The outside was as dark as a labyrinth.

“Isn’t it still nighttime? We’ll see something when the sun rises later.”

Lee Baek-ho seemed to take it lightly, but I felt differently.

“…It doesn’t seem like it’s just dark because it’s night.”

“Huh?”

“Look. The light isn’t spreading far, is it? Like a labyrinth.”

“Oh… now that you mention it, it does seem like that?”

Lee Baek-ho, who seemed to have finally realized the strangeness of the darkness, frowns.

“Oh… but then does that mean there’s a possibility that this is a labyrinth?”

“Well… we’ll have to find out.”

“Okay. I’ll trust you, Baron. You said you’d take care of everything, right?”

……Is he a grade schooler?

He came to this world much earlier than me, so his actual mental age should be higher than mine.

“Yeah, I’ll take care of it, so be quiet.”

I put my index finger to my lips, and Lee Baek-ho shuts his mouth with a displeased expression.

Of course, whether he does or not, I focused on my work.

Because we just passed through one field and came to a new one, right?

Of course, I have to start by searching the surroundings.

“Water… I don’t see any.”

Contrary to my expectation that there would be a river or lake near the cave, no matter how much I searched the surroundings, nothing was found.

Then, for what reason does water fill the cave?

It didn’t seem like the water would collect there just because it rained….

‘There must be some other reason….’

While pondering the reason, I continued to search.

I made a rough map by circling around the cave entrance, and I also marked the coordinates of the cave entrance so that I could find it anytime, anywhere.

And how much time had passed?

“Havelion, what time is it now?”

“9:18. It’s already past the time the sun should have risen.”

“Yeah, I see….”

Even though a lot of time has passed, there’s no sign of the surroundings getting brighter.

Therefore….

“The possibility that this isn’t ‘outside the castle walls’ has increased.”

“Does that mean this place is… inside a labyrinth?”

“Well, there’s a possibility.”

No one called my words an exaggeration or delusion.

Because, in fact, Auriel Gavis had a history of opening a portal connected to a labyrinth using a dimensional stone outside the castle walls—.

“Baron, take a look at this!”

At that moment, the archer Briat called me.

When I quickly approached, an artificial structure that was not visible from where I was standing came into view.

“…A monument?”

Of course, the monument that Briat found was a completely different type from the dimensional stone.

Should I say it was a large structure similar in shape to the ‘monument’ in the first-floor crystal cave?

“Havelion, can you read it?”

“No, these are characters I’m seeing for the first time.”

The monument was engraved with characters that looked like hieroglyphs, which even I, who had the ability to interpret ancient languages, could not read.

“Start investigating it. It might be a structure with some magical elements.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After entrusting the investigation of the monument to the GM and the old man, I checked the map I was making one more time.

Except for the fact that huge craters were found everywhere, there was nothing particularly distinctive about the forest.

‘It might be more efficient to decide on a direction and move straight in one direction….’

As I was thinking about the next plan and waiting for the monument research to finish.

Flash-!

In an instant, it felt like the whole world was shining white.

Kwakwakwakwaaaang!!

A huge thunder sound, as if the sky was collapsing, covered the world.

And….

Swaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!!!

Thick raindrops began to pour down.

Well, if you only look at this, you might think it’s just an extremely harsh field with bad weather….

[Kieeeeeeeek-!!]

Coincidentally, at the same time as the abnormal weather began, a monster appeared.

“Over there! Monsters are running this way…!”

The first monster we encountered after crossing over here.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a new type of monster that I was seeing for the first time.

Well, I don’t know if I can call it fortunate.

“Brachiaistello! It’s a 5th-grade beast-type monster that uses psychokinesis and water-attribute abilities!”

The GM, who had jumped up, shouts as if briefing after seeing the monster.

There was nothing wrong with the GM’s explanation.

But unfortunately, the most important thing was missing.

Brachiaistello.

This guy is just a mere 5th-grade mob, but….

“Star Tomb….”

It only appears on the 9th floor.