Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 131

Episode 131 Team Play(1)

Ten days have passed since my visit to the Karlsteins.

On the first day, I was worried that Misha might have told everything to her father…

[What? Are you crazy! You Barbarian! How can you say such things, Nyah!!]

[Then what did you go and do?]

[That…! You don’t need to know, Nyah!!]

It was an unnecessary worry.

I don’t know why she kept it a secret, but I could definitely feel that she didn’t tell anything to her father.

I decided to focus on the immediate issues at hand.

There are, after all, two ticking time bombs within the team.

[Dwalki, let’s talk.]

The day after returning from the Karlstein family, I immediately met with Dwalki.

And while drinking, I spoke indirectly.

[What? Is it true? Miss Misha likes chubby men?]

[Yes, she definitely said that last time.]

[“Th-that so. Thank you for telling me. I, I almost made a mistake in haste.”]

As a side note, after that conversation, Dwalki ordered a bunch of snacks and stuffed himself until his belly bulged.

With that, one problem was resolved.

‘He won’t confess until he gains a bit of weight.’

It’s safe to say I’ve bought at least a month or two.

Given Dwalki’s personality, he won’t muster the courage unless he’s gained a significant amount of weight.

By the time he has, Misha and I will have left the team.

‘I feel like I’m being too much of a scumbag…’

But it can’t be helped.

If his mental state was stronger, it might be different, but what if he confesses to Misha and gets rejected?

He wouldn’t be able to focus in the labyrinth.

It could pose a risk to the team.

‘But why am I so sure she would reject him?’

Suddenly, that question came to mind, but I didn’t think deeply about it. The data accumulated in the subconscious sometimes makes the most accurate predictions.

Anyway, next was Rotmiller.

[Be careful. My father must have done something to that Rotmiller guy.]

Julian Urbans, the daughter of the District Chief.

If Rotmiller had contacted the District Manager as per Julian’s words, it’s likely they had a malicious conversation.

The District Manager and I could be considered to have a bad relationship.

Why he’s starting to make moves now, after several months, is a bit puzzling.

‘Anyway, I mustn’t show any suspicion.’

In Rotmiller’s case, unlike with Dwalki, I approached the issue cautiously over time.

This guy is scary.

I haven’t seen him angry yet…

No, that’s why he’s even scarier.

Typically, this type of person, once crossed, sees things through to the end.

[“Then, let’s make the closest place from the starting point our destination on the first floor.”]

[“Haha, marriage, what a strange question. I do not plan to start a family until I can truly take responsibility for another person.”]

[You sit in the back, you’ll be bumping into people in the hallway with your size].

I continued to observe Rottmiller in regular meetings and at simple social gatherings.

There was no significant change in his behavior.

As usual, he was quiet, serious, and considerate of others in most situations.

‘Ah, this is really a headache.’

Even after hearing Julian’s warning, I couldn’t easily imagine Rotmiller stabbing me in the back.

Actually, I felt guilty for suspecting him.

After all, we’ve shared ups and downs for months.

Being swayed by a word from an outsider and not trusting him?

‘Talk about a contradiction.’

The more I thought about it, the more ironic the situation seemed.

But the more I thought about it, the more I believed it was right to clarify things thoroughly.

What exactly had Rotmiller discussed with the District Head at the Explorer’s Guild that day?

“If he had just told me that story, I would have been able to drop my suspicions without hesitation.”

Rottmiller hadn’t mentioned anything about it.

So, today, I called him out for a conversation.

There wasn’t much time left.

The labyrinth would open tomorrow.

Therefore, after downing a glass of liquor in one go, I went straight to the point.

“Rottmiller. What was the reason for your visit to the Explorer’s Guild last time?”

Rottmiller looked slightly surprised by my direct question.

But perhaps he had something on his mind as well?

So, there was something going on after all.

“I know someone at the guild.”

I said briefly, then demanded an answer to my first question.

Rottmiller sighed before responding.

“I went there and the District Head of the 7th District was in the room. He asked me to betray you for a reward.”

“And then?”

“I said I would pretend I hadn’t heard anything and left. How about that, are you satisfied with the answer?”

Though he tried to hide it, Rottmiller seemed quite upset by my question.

But I braced myself and asked again.

“Then why didn’t you tell me about it until now?”

“Didn’t I say? I decided to act as if I hadn’t heard it. Plus, I thought bringing it up would only make things awkward between us.”

“I see. Thanks for telling me.”

With that, the conversation came to an end.

Whatever Rottmiller’s true intentions, I decided it wasn’t wise to press him further.

‘It won’t change anything anyway.

We couldn’t enter the labyrinth without a scout.

Consider finding someone new?

That option had its risks too.

Without going through the guild, finding a skilled scout would be difficult.

In other words, it was the perfect opportunity for the District Head to plant someone troublesome in our team.

Also, it was doubtful whether dwarf or Dwalki would agree to it.

‘More importantly, it doesn’t seem like Rottmiller’s was lying’.

I made my final decision.

“Sorry for bothering you at night. Rest up, and I’ll see you tomorrow at the meeting place.”

Nothing would change.

Rottmiller would be part of this exploration as well.

The next afternoon, with about 7 hours left until the labyrinth opened.

“Mister, then I’ll come to see you after I return! You must come back healthy!”

“Yes, you do your best too.”

Erwin, who had been cracking jokes at my lodging since forming a bond magic with her sister in the morning, left.

TL/N -Erwin received a bonding spell with her sister Daria for labyrinth exploration

And just then, Misha arrived.

“Why is that kid coming out from here, Nyah?”

“She stopped by to say hello. Anyway, she said there’s nothing to do after receiving the bonding magic.”

“Hmm…”

“Anyway, you’ve come at the right time. Let’s go in and get some sleep.”

I set the timer on the recently purchased alarm clock and slept with Misha so that we would be in Peak Condition.

And how much time had passed?

“Bjorn, wake up.”

We had a simple meal and then grabbed our pre-packed bags to leave. It was a bit early, so no one else was at the meeting place yet.

“Hmm, are the two of them not here yet?”

As always, Rotmiller arrived on time.

“Yeah. Looks like Dwalki and Hikurod are running late.”

“…Not surprising.”

Those two were always either early or late, so we continued to wait.

It was then.

“Hey, Bjorn! Look over there, Nyah!”

Misha pointed, and I saw a group of young warriors who had just finished their coming-of-age ceremony moving in a group.

So, I quickly approached them.

After all, it would be disappointing not to meet them now.

“Are you lost? If so, you can just follow those who look like explorers over there.”

“Who are you to state the obvious?”

“…I am Bjorn, son of Jandel.”

“What! The Little Balkan! It’s an honor to meet you!”

After introducing myself, I asked.

“But what do you mean by stating the obvious? Are you not lost?”

“Of course not! We just need to follow the explorers as we were taught in the sanctuary, why would we be lost?”

“They taught that in the sanctuary? Not showing you some strange map and telling you to memorize it?”

“A map? We’ve never seen such a thing!”

I was dumbfounded by the young warrior’s response.

What could this mean?

Had their teaching method changed?

Well, it wasn’t bad for me.

It was a much more reasonable method than memorizing and following a map.

However…

“There’s still time left, so listen to my story before you go.”

“A story?”

“Yes, it will be helpful.”

I told them the same stories I had told previous generations.

But this was something else.

“Be wary of humans? Of course. Shouldn’t we protect our hearts?”

This group of baby barbarians was clearly different from before.

Every time I said something, they reacted as if to say, why state the obvious.

“Wow… Barbarians have evolved, Nyah.”

Misha also reacted this way, so it wasn’t just me feeling strange.

Why had this change occurred?

“Who in the sanctuary told you this?”

I asked, hoping for an answer, and I was stunned.

“The son of Tarson, Caron!”

Unknown to me.

A wind of change was blowing.

“Then we’ll be going now! Son of Jandel, Bjorn, it was an honor to meet you!”

I wanted to ask more, but the baby barbarians were eager to enter the labyrinth and left.

And as soon as they disappeared, the two we had been waiting for finally arrived 

“Ah, sorry for being late! Have you been waiting long?”

“Haha, forgive us! Dwalki here had an upset stomach, you see!”

“What, what, what kind of talk is that!”

“Oh, come on. What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s just us here.”

“Enough, let’s get going.”

Since the duo was a good 20 minutes late, we hurried towards the dimensional square.

The portal was already open.

“Alright then, let’s go!”

Having completed the bonding magic through Dwalki, we entered the labyrinth.

「You have entered the 1st floor crystal cave.」

The crystal cave shimmered with an ethereal light.

I had skipped it last month using a bug, so it had been quite a while since I saw this scene, but there was no time to leisurely take in the sights.

After all, we decided to try a speedrun this time.

At the request of Rotmiller.

[If you guys would allow it, I’d like to try it properly. It might be difficult to achieve a record, but I’m curious to see how much I can do]

Since he usually didn’t insist strongly on the exploration plans, the whole party unanimously agreed to it.

“Then let’s start immediately.”

With his eyes glued to the walls and ground, he immediately began to find his way around.

And then, he began to run as if he was sprinting.

‘This is actually quite fun when you try it.’

Rotmiller was leading the way at the front.

And right behind him, Misha was taking care of the mobs.

The formation focused solely on movement was refreshing, and as soon as we started running at full speed, we saw sights we hadn’t seen before.

“Wow, they are running over there too!”

Explorers running through the cave, searching for a portal just like us. It was hard to see them when we were moving at a leisurely pace.

‘I see why saving time on the 1st floor is hard.’

I realized something new.

The 1st floor cave had many sharp curves.

Making it hard to run at full speed.

Meaning, once a certain level is surpassed, the movement speed of all explorers becomes similar.

The ability of the scout becomes even more critical.

Or, perhaps, the stamina of the team members.

“Huff, huff…….”

Despite our stamina far exceeding that of an ordinary person, sprinting for hours made sweat pour down like rain.

Perhaps that’s why?

Conversations naturally ceased among the group.

“Hikurod, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

The dwarf’s agility and endurance seemed to be almost at its limit, but he didn’t spit out a weak sound.

Well, how could he, in front of someone like Rotmiller?

“This way.”

Whether he truly wanted to test his limits or not, Rotmiller continued to find the path without losing focus for hours on end.

One could call it passion.

Or, to some, it might seem like madness.

‘Was this man always this passionate?’

While I was amazed to see this side of him for the first time, I kept moving my feet.

And how much time had passed?

[06 : 12]

We arrived at the portal after a grueling 6 hours.

Unfortunately, the portal had already been opened by someone else.

“Wow, to think we could come this fast, Nyah.”

While Misha expressed his astonishment, the dwarf and I immediately looked at Rotmiller’s expression.

“Damn it! Why couldn’t I……!!”

It was the first time I had seen him wear such an expression.