Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 299

Evil Spirit (3)

The Barbarians have a very cool way of naming their children.

If the child is a boy, the father’s name is used as the surname, and if the child is a girl, the mother’s name is used as the surname.

As such, there are no family names within the tribe, and all Barbarians consider each other family.

Not that it matters now.

‘Jandel Jarku.’

The possibility of it being someone with the same name is very low.

After all, how many ‘Jandel, third son of Jarku,’ could there be?

It’s essentially correct to consider my biological father.

However…

“Hahaha! How long are you going to leave me hanging here?”

Right, first, let’s get a grip.

Biological father? So what?

I might be surprised and bewildered, but there’s no reason to lose my composure.

I’m not really Bjorn Jandel.

“Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment.”

I shook his hand and then stepped back.

That concluded the introductions.

Carlton awkwardly smiled and got to the main point.

When explorers from different groups meet in a rift, the first thing they need to discuss is how to handle the loot.

“Haha, introductions are enough. Since we’ll be working together from now on, let’s discuss how to dispose of the loot.”

As soon as the loot distribution was mentioned, Amelia grabbed my wrist and pulled me aside.

“Let’s discuss it with the team first.”

Huh? Discuss?

Though puzzled, I followed her without resistance.

Once alone, I asked quietly.

“Why did you suddenly say we need to discuss? We already decided on the loot distribution earlier, didn’t we?”

“It’s not about the loot.”

“Then what is it?”

Amelia cautiously asked.

“Are you okay with this…?”

Only then did I understand why she pulled me aside.

Of course, she wouldn’t be unaware of why I had stiffened up.

“I’m fine. I was a bit surprised, but I won’t cause the kind of trouble you’re worried about.”

“It’s not that I’m worried about you causing trouble…”

Huh? Then what is it?

As I looked at her intently, Amelia trailed off.

“Never mind, if you’re okay, then it’s none of my business. Let’s go back. We’ll stick to the previously decided loot distribution.”

Pretending our discussion was over, we returned to the group and dealt with the loot distribution swiftly and without any major issues.

After all, we weren’t here for the essence.

“Is it really okay to take only the magic stones…?”

We decided to give all the essence to the other side and take everything else ourselves.

“Not just the magic stones but also the numbered items and rift stones.”

“But we’re not sure if we can take down the guardian, are we?”

“That’s our concern, not yours.”

“Hmm, if you say so.”

Carlton seemed bewildered by the overly favorable terms but didn’t say more.

With that, the loot issue was settled.

“…Jandel, come here!”

Ugh, I really can’t get used to that.

Every time my name is called, I flinch.

“Huh? I was going to talk more with them…”

“That can wait. Last time I checked, your axe blade was dull, sharpen it with a whetstone.”

“Huh? It seems fine… Okay!”

Anyway, as soon as the loot conversation was over, Jandel Jarku was called away by his colleague, and we didn’t approach him further.

We kept our distance and time passed awkwardly.

“What are they talking about over there?” I asked.

“They’re guessing why we’re not taking the essence.”

“Guessing?”

Though it seemed like they were overthinking, it was understandable from their perspective.

Not taking the essence could mean that we’re strong enough not to need the essence from the third-floor rift.

Not knowing who we were, they would naturally feel uneasy…

“Bjorn, what are your parents like?”

Amelia suddenly asked out of the blue.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious intention.

Parents, huh?

“Are you curious about my biological father?”

“A little.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know much either. All I know is that he died in the labyrinth when I was very young.”

This wasn’t a made-up story. Even the original owner of this body didn’t know much about his father.

It was common in Barbarian society.

This race survived 99% through labyrinth exploration.

Naturally, the mortality rate was high.

“Let’s drop this topic.”

When I firmly said that, Amelia didn’t press further and leaned against the wall, chewing on jerky.

I don’t know how much time passed like that.

Rumble.

The tightly closed door in front of us began to open.

“It seems the portals on the other side have closed as well.”

It was time to start exploring the rift.

***

The White Temple is a competitive rift.

Only one team can enter the boss room, and it’s determined on a first-come-first-serve basis.

In that sense, we had a good start.

Since the five-person entry limit ended quickly, we were able to take care of things like loot distribution ahead of time…….

“Alright, let’s go. But who will go first?”

Come on, if you’re going to fuss about formation, you should’ve done it earlier.

“I’ll go first.”

“Ah! Then I’ll stand next to—”

“Jandel!”

“…?”

“Come here. Monsters might come from behind as well.”

“Ah, got it!”

When I took the lead, the battle formation naturally formed.

Jarku at the back, the rest in the center.

Of course, formations didn’t matter much to us.

This is a third-floor rift.

That too, for a five-person team difficulty level.

‘Let’s clear this quickly before any trouble arises.’

With that thought, we stepped through the door and entered a stone chamber similar to the previous temple.

The size was similar, but there was only one statue.

And…

Swoosh.

A blue light flowed from the jewel in the statue’s hand, spreading like mist throughout the room.

‘It’s a boss type from the start.’

After identifying the characteristics of this room through its color, I stretched my neck and stepped into the mist of light.

Carlton, flustered, warned from behind.

“Hey, you don’t know what might come out…”

Hmm, so these guys don’t know much about this place.

Given its competitive nature, I thought they might.

But it seems they only have vague information about the White Temple.

Boom.

At that moment, a huge shadow appeared beyond the mist.

It was bipedal, about 5 meters tall.

Blue Armored Golem.

Usually, explorers from the third or fourth floors would team up in groups of five to defeat this mid-boss type enemy.

However, it’s still a third-floor rift monster.

Its rank is only 6 in terms of experience…

Even in terms of experience, it’s only a Level 6 monster…

‘In terms of strength, it’s lower than Level 5.’

Therefore…

“Be—”

Oh, I can’t do that.

“Ugaaaaah!!”

I let out a primal roar and dashed forward.

“Wait! We need to fight together…”

Carlton said something from behind, but there was no need to listen. It was more convenient to reveal my strength openly.

‘Gigantification’

First, I matched my size with the opponent.

‘Leap.’

Leap forward to close the distance in an instant.

And…

‘Swing.’

With all my might, I swung.

Crack-!

With that basic combo, the neck of the blue-armored golem twisted unnaturally.

“Wh-what strength…!”

The newbies behind me were exclaiming, but I felt a bit disappointed.

Is this the fate of a tank?

Even with this strength, I can’t one-shot it.

It’s embarrassing.

Should’ve left it to the dealer.

“Emily!”

As I called for the dealer, I felt a presence from behind.

And…

Pook.

An aura-filled dagger pierced the golem’s core.

Crack-!

Soon, the golem disappeared into light, and the fog around us dissipated.

The battle ended in 3 seconds.

“Aura…”

“Why are there such people on the third floor…”

The newbies began to babble in awe.

They finally realized.

“What are you doing? Follow us quickly!”

“Ah, r-right…!”

That they had boarded an express bus.

***

The third-floor rift has a stage structure.

Clearing one room opens the next, and the team that finishes first gets the right to enter the boss room.

Crack-!

After clearing the first room in 3 seconds, Amelia and I used our full strength to clear the rooms at high speed.

However, like the first stage, there were hardly any that ended in a few seconds.

Just as there are boss types, there are also quantity types.

“Ugaaaaah!!”

As we progressed through rooms with various concepts, the stage difficulty gradually increased.

It was a characteristic of the White Temple.

Each cleared stage imposes status ailments on the characters or gives permanent buffs to the monsters in the next stage.

So usually, you don’t rush like this.

“Wait! That symbol reminds me of something. There’s supposed to be something here that can remove the curses on us…”

As Carlton advised, the standard strategy is to activate the hidden elements in each room.

The hints are usually laid out plainly in each room.

At crossroads, one would find the room with the symbol to lift the curse.

However…

“Enough. I don’t feel like it.”

“Not feel like it? What kind of absurd—”

“You talk too much. Just follow me.”

“…”

I skipped everything that took even a bit of time.

It was while we were madly pushing through the rift.

“Emily, why won’t this door open?”

“It’s a feature of the gold rooms. For some reason, they only open after about three hours.”

“Oh, really?”

Upon reaching the midpoint of the rift, we gathered in one place to rest.

“Are we resting here?”

I asked, meaning it might be more comfortable to stay far apart like before. Carlton awkwardly smiled.

“There’s no point in that anymore, is there?”

Well, that’s true, but I didn’t expect him to be so straightforward.

As I chuckled, Carlton apologized.

“I apologize. At first, I found you suspicious. I thought you might stab us in the back.”

“But not anymore?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“If you had ill intentions, we would have already been dead. And it’s not like the two of you couldn’t clear the rift without us three.”

Giving a logical reason, Carlton continued.

“Most importantly, you don’t seem like the type to do such a thing.”

“Is that your intuition?”

“Yes. Not mine, but that friend’s.”

At the end of Carlton’s gaze, a Barbarian warrior was sitting, gnawing on jerky.

Now that I look, he does resemble me a bit from the side.

“Rest well.”

After a brief conversation with Carlton, I got up and approached Jarku.

“Oh, what brings you here? Want some?”

As soon as I arrived, Jarku smiled innocently and offered me jerky.

I took it and put it in my mouth.

By the way, I didn’t need to take off my helmet. It was made so I could lift and lower the mouthpiece for situations like this.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable? I couldn’t stand it for a day.”

“You get used to it.”

“Haha! The adaptability of humans, as everyone says!”

Jarku laughed heartily, spread out his backpack, and lay on the ground. Then he asked an unexpected question.

“Bjorn, do you have any children?”

“…No.”

“Really? I do.”

“What’s their name?”

“Bjorn. My son Bjorn, named after me, Jandel.”

So, you really are this body’s biological father.

Seeing such undeniable evidence right in front of me made my chest tighten.

“How about it? It’s a pretty good name, right?”

“…I think so.”

Jarku continued talking one-sidedly for a long time, mostly about his child, and I listened silently.

It was then.

Thump—

Seeing him speak with an increasingly brighter tone, I found myself unable to meet his eyes.

So, I looked away.

That’s when I noticed Amelia watching me from a distance with a somewhat pained expression.

Thanks to that, I realized the emotion taking hold in my chest.

“Haha, he’ll surely become a great warrior. A child with my and her blood—”

“Stop!”

“Hmm?”

“Stop. I’m leaving now…”

It was guilt.