Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Great Magical Forest (2)

Great Magical Forest (2)

The moment the red essence floated up…

…the gazes of the explorers across from us, who were ready to go back and rest, sharpened.

It was like looking in a mirror.

Our expressions probably weren’t much different.

“…….”

A heavy silence fell.

As expected of explorers, quick-witted in these situations, the silence didn’t last long.

“An essence dropped from the monster we killed?”

“Um, Mr. Nelbo…”

“Mage, stay quiet. I’ll handle this.”

Right, so this guy is the leader.

It seemed like he’s already decided on his position in this situation.

To claim ownership of the essence.

Smirk.

Honestly, I didn’t even expect anything else.

They were the bastards who interrupted our battle just because they were impatient to rest.

I muttered briefly,

“Battle stations.”

It was more directed towards them than my companions.

A declaration of my intention to make them bleed if they tried to pull something.

“Mr, Mr. Yandel…”

Raven’s voice was filled with concern.

It was a similar situation to the mage on the other side, who was trying to say something to the hammer warrior.

It seemed like mages were generally averse to this kind of thing.

Maybe it’s because they all grew up sheltered?

“Don’t panic. It’s just like five more humanoid monsters appeared.”

I summarized the situation with a single sentence.

Did they finally realize that I’m the leader?

The hammer warrior fixed his gaze on me and said something meaningful.

“You’re… that guy from before…?”

“Do you know me?”

Instead of answering, the hammer warrior pushed up the visor of his helmet.

But the problem was that I still didn’t recognize him.

There’s no way I wouldn’t remember those ridiculously thick eyebrows.

“……?”

The hammer warrior, frustrated by my clueless look, took off his helmet entirely.

Flash!

A shiny bald head illuminated by the light orb spell floating in the air.

Only then did I remember.

“…Baldy!”

It was the guy I met when I went to negotiate with the Regional Manager. He tried to capture me and farm achievement points.

I can’t believe he was disguising himself with a helmet.

“Pfft!”

For some reason, the other team members all burst into laughter.

His bald head turned red with shame.

“…Do you want to die, barbarian?”

Baldy put his helmet back on and said,

“You should watch your mouth from now on. The Regional Manager won’t be there to protect you.”

What the hell is he talking about?

If he knew about my relationship with that Regional Manager bastard, he would never say that.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

“You should get lost before you lose that head of yours too.”

“So you want to try me?”

As I took a step forward, Baldy also took a step forward.

The distance closed, with the essence between us.

The air became heavy, and a chill that even the heat of the canyon couldn’t dispel filled the air.

Creak.

The archer from Baldy’s team nocked an arrow…

Clank.

…and I heard the sound of the bear-like man loading his crossbow behind me.

A silence so deep that we could hear each other’s breathing.

“…….”

It was like a tightly stretched thread.

The moment it snapped, a bloodbath would begin.

Both Baldy and I knew this.

But…

“Baldy, I’ll give you the magic stone if you back down now.”

“You barbarians are bad at math. We killed the monster. Naturally, the magic stone and the essence are all ours.”

No one backed down.

Two teams of high-ranking explorers who reached the 5th floor, the top 30%.

Even though they knew that if even one member died in the process of obtaining the essence, it would be a bigger loss.

Clench.

We gripped our weapons and closed the distance even further.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

‘That bald bastard is so greedy.’

According to custom, we had the ownership rights.

He was probably planning to follow that custom at first.

He would have readily given up a single magic stone.

He only joined the battle because he wanted to rest quickly.

The problem was that an essence dropped.

‘…Is there really no other choice but to fight?’

I started to mentally prepare for the worst.

The current situation was similar to a game of chicken.

The one who backs down first loses.

If everyone wants to be the winner, the only outcome is destruction.

“Baldy, last warning.”

Although I don’t usually like to talk so much, I tried to converse one more time.

“Geez, I’m so scared I’m about to piss myself.”

The answer was rejection.

With this, I’ve made up my mind.

If he wants it, I’ll show him the end.

You can’t survive in this ruthless world of explorers without that much resolve.

‘If it’s come to this, I’ll have to absorb the essence myself.’

I originally planned to store the Ifrit essence in a test tube and sell it. It’s not a very suitable essence for me, Misha, or Ainar.

But…

Thud.

…essences are always helpful if you absorb them.

It’s better for me to absorb it than to give it to that bastard.

The cost of removing essences isn’t that high yet, so I can just use it until I get my money’s worth and then discard it.

So, after absorbing the essence…

‘Let’s fight in a way where we push them off the cliff. We won’t be able to retrieve their equipment, but winning is the priority right now.’

Alright, I’ve more or less organized my thoughts.

Now it’s time to put it into action.

Just as I’m subtly moving my feet and gauging the angle…

“Everyone, stop it!”

“Right. Mr. Yandel, put down your weapon.”

The mages from both sides suddenly stepped in, and the situation took a new turn.

“Mage? I told you to stay quiet.”

“Mr. Nelbo, please stop talking like that. It doesn’t make you look cool.”

“…….”

“Answer me.”

“…….”

“If you keep acting like this, I won’t enter the labyrinth with you next time.”

“…I’ll stop.”

Baldy immediately backed down at the mage’s single sentence. No wonder that high-and-mighty mage was just staying quiet.

She was just playing along with the situation.

I didn’t hide my disgust.

‘A bald guy with a superiority complex…’

I don’t even want to talk to him anymore.

Anyway, the tension eased after Baldy lowered his weapon and retreated.

“That pattern on your robe, it’s the Artemion school, right?”

“Yes. You’re from the Wharton school, as expected?”

“Huhu, that’s right.”

I know the Wharton school.

It’s a fairly large school…

…and it’s even more memorable because of its unique focus on water magic.

“I’m Ephrain Vello.”

“I’m Arrua Raven.”

The mages exchange names first.

And unlike the explorers who were ready to fight, they have a brief introductory conversation.

“How is the Artemion Master doing? I saw him at an academic conference a year ago…”

“Well, my master is the same as always. What about the Wharton Master? Still working on that research?”

“Haha, of course. It’s our lifelong dream.”

It’s a conversation that feels like they’re saying, ‘We’re not strangers!’

It’s like watching high society.

They’re probably saying that we shouldn’t make things complicated since we’re all acquainted one way or another.

“So what are we going to do now?”

Raven then brings up the main topic.

“You’re asking for the essence of the monster we were hunting, you know it’s an unreasonable claim, right?”

“Hmm, I don’t think it’s completely unreasonable. Customs are just customs. We were clearly involved. The committee is likely to acknowledge it as a personal dispute between explorers.”

Unlike us, who were about to fight like beasts, the mages are trying to resolve the issue through conversation.

“Although customs are just customs, it’s hard to have a good impression of someone who breaks them. But to go to the committee over just one essence, as expected, it would be more rational for you to give up.”

“That is…”

The mage from the other side trails off.

It means our mage won the argument.

“Yes, that’s right. So I’m giving up. Honestly, I didn’t like this from the beginning.”

So this is how it can be resolved.

‘As expected, I’m destined to be a barbarian.’

I lower the mace I was holding.

Although it wasn’t today, the day will surely come when I’ll need to use it.

The labyrinth is that kind of place.

_____________________

“Mr, Mr. Vello?”

“Are you going to keep whining?”

“Th, there’s a way of doing things in this industry…”

Although Baldy looks at the mage as if asking him to reconsider, the mage’s authority is firm.

“Then I misjudged you, Mr. Nelbo. This isn’t about protecting our rights, it’s just greed.”

“…….”

“I think I’ve shown you enough respect as a leader. But what’s the difference between you and marauders at this point?”

Baldy groans, unable to say anything at the mage’s valid point.

I’m not particularly satisfied.

I was curious about how it would feel to smash that shiny head.

“Mr. Yandel, what are we going to do with the essence?”

While Baldy is being scolded by the mage, we discuss what to do with the essence.

“Ahem!”

Ainar looks at me with a ‘look at me’ expression, but my decision is the same as before.

“We’ll store it in a test tube and sell it in the city.”

“That’s good. Clean and simple.”

I’ll give Ainar a better essence later.

‘In the first place, we don’t even have the money to absorb an essence right now.’

Usually, when a team member absorbs an essence, they pay about half the market price. Well, I guess I could put my and Misha’s share on credit…

…but it’s uncertain whether the bear-like man or Raven would agree to that.

“Ainar, cheer up. We can buy tens of thousands of cotton candies if we sell this. Okay?”

“Te, tens of thousands?!”

Ainar staggers at the overwhelming number and then regains her energy.

It seems like she also thinks it’s a decent deal.

‘…Although she’ll have to pay back the money I lent her first.’

Anyway, Raven stores the Ifrit essence in a test tube after the discussion about its disposal is over, and we make way for them to pass.

But they wouldn’t just leave like this.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

Baldy stops in front of me and asks.

What? Is he telling me to be careful at night?

He continues as if telling me not to misunderstand when I glance down at him.

“No, I mean… this is also a kind of fate, wouldn’t it be nice to at least know each other’s names?”

Fate my ass.

But I tell him my name.

“I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“Bjorn, son of Yandel?”

Baldy tilts his head as if he’s heard the name before.

He also reveals his name.

“Meltson Nelbo.”

Right, so he wasn’t Hans Nelbo.

I’m a bit relieved.

“Then go now.”

I end the conversation since it would be awkward to shake hands and make up now.

Baldy walks away with a bitter smile.

Starting with him, his companions also pass by us one by one.

Shield warrior, swordsman, mage, archer.

“…….”

The archer stops and looks at me as he’s passing by.

The reason is simple.

I glared at him.

[Ah, I’m tired as hell, should we just kill it?]

If it weren’t for this bastard, we wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble from the start.

In a way, he’s even more annoying than Baldy—

“Hans! What are you doing? Come on!”

The archer avoids my gaze and then hurries away.

I freeze like a statue.

“…….”

…There was a Hans.

____________________

Day 21 dawns.

It's already been four days since we entered the 5th floor.

During that time, we continuously descended the paths and hunted monsters.

And Ainar also reached level 4 in the process.

'...So she reached level 4 after entering the labyrinth three times?'

It's an even faster growth rate than mine.

I wish someone would carry me too.

Anyway, although there were a few difficult situations while fighting monsters, the expedition itself went smoothly.

I was worried that something might happen because of Hans, but...

'Maybe it just ended with the essence dropping...'

A hopeful observation.

But when I think about it carefully, it's plausible.

Although we managed to avoid it, we almost had a 5:5 all-out brawl.

In other words, there's a good chance that the Hans effect just ended with the essence drop...

No, what am I even thinking?

'Those damn bastards.'

I didn't believe in jinxes.

Really, not until I met Hans.

"Mr. Yandel, can't you stop doing that now?"

That's when, as I'm updating the map...

...Raven speaks to me cautiously.

"Stop what?"

"...I know you're working hard, but you won't be able to find your way back even if you look at that."

It's a mage-like statement that values results over effort.

"......"

I can't refute her.

Because I'm not confident that I can actually find my way back using this.

The paths in the Great Magical Forest are that complicated.

It's not just that there are many forks in the road, but there are even places where the path is cut off and we have to use ropes to cross.

But...

"I'll get better if I keep doing it. I'll be better next time we come here."

I'm the navigator of Team Apple Nark.

Although I wanted to be a barbarian warrior, the harsh reality led me down this path.

Therefore, I need to practice this too.

Even Rotmiller probably wasn't this good from the beginning.

"Uh, well, you have a point... But isn't it tiring?"

"Well, it's annoying, but there are also fun parts."

It's not just an excuse, it's the truth.

Since this can also be considered a spec, it feels like I'm growing.

There's a saying, 'prepare for the unexpected', right?

If I ever get stranded again like in the Witch's Forest, this skill I'm honing now will be helpful.

'And most importantly, if I become the navigator, it will be more natural for me to lead the team to where I want to go.'

"So we're just going to keep going down today?"

"There's no other choice, is there?"

Orc settlement, Witch's Forest, Steel Rock Hill, and so on.

Just like how the 3rd floor is composed of various fields, the 5th floor also has named fields.

Wide, disc-shaped terrains, like the starting point, appear among these maze-like, narrow paths.

There are even places where you enter through caves on cliffs.

We've found three such fields so far.

Well, all three of them were already occupied.

'It seems like there are far more clans controlling hunting grounds than in the game.'

It's very annoying as someone who just entered the 5th floor. It's not that we don't have the ability to defeat the monsters, but our growth is being hindered because of other people.

'Damn realistic game.'

To hunt monsters that only appear in certain fields, we have to pay the clans who have already claimed those spots.

For reference, even if you pay, it's just a one-time hunt for experience points. As expected, was it too much to expect a game to accurately portray human nature?

The ladder-pulling is several times worse than in the game.

But...

Do they think I can't climb up just because they're pulling the ladder up?

I've mastered all sorts of exploits and hidden elements after playing the same game for 10 years. Especially the 5th floor, where I was stuck for over a year, so I know this place like the back of my hand.

'...We've come down this far, so it should be about time for it to appear...'

There are plenty of ways to become stronger.

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