Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 582

Opening the Door (3)

Where should we head next?

I threw the question back at him, but he only repeated that I should do as I please.

‘I really can’t figure out what he’s thinking.’

In the end, I sighed and chose a destination myself. The chief said he would announce it as the next destination at the upcoming leadership meeting.

He seemed determined not to get involved in the expedition, sticking strictly to his role as a figurehead.

“So how did the research go?”

Before parting ways with the village chief, I brought up the research again.

The same research that started over ten days ago on the possibility that the mages might be able to forcibly activate the dimensional monument.

“Hmph, didn’t I say it failed?”

“You’ve been holding onto it that long. I thought maybe there was a result.”

“Result, huh…”

Trailing off, the chief said something ambiguous.

“To be honest, there was something.”

“…There was?”

“I gained certainity that I can escape this place using the [Heretic Altar]”

There were no detailed explanations, but his words were likely true. No, in fact, the reason he had given the mages over ten days to research was probably for that purpose.

I asked bluntly.

“So, when do you plan to return to the city?”

In my opinion, the real reason the village chief was still lingering in the labyrinth was ‘uncertainty.’

After all, Basement floor 1 was a very strange floor.

For example, when the expedition first descended here, they tried to open a dimensional gate, but it wouldn’t open.

This caused quite a stir.

Could this place be considered a regular field within the labyrinth?

There were endless debates among mages and explorers, and in the end, the consensus leaned toward ‘yes.’

The decisive evidence was the Stone of Honor.

[The great warrior of the Barbarian tribe, Bjorn Jandel, and his comrades were the first to discover the Basement floor 1.]

Though it was a strange place in many ways, this single inscription left no doubt that it was within the labyrinth.

Nonetheless, Why the dimensional gate wouldn’t open remained a mystery.

But it’s not like this is the only special space in the labyrinth where dimensional gates don’t work.

“Now that you’re certain, why don’t you just return?”

I pressed him, but the village chief shook his head firmly.

“The preparations aren’t complete yet. I’m not confident I can return immediately without arousing suspicion.”

Well, that made sense.

If I were in the village chief’s position, I would have stayed in that body for a while longer to gather information about Jerome Saintred too.

“You seem eager for me to leave quickly?” he said

“Hah, what made it obvious?”

“Why’s that? Aren’t we on the same boat here?”

Don’t play dumb. You know exactly why

“Same boat? You haven’t told me anything about how to activate that portal stone yet.” I grumbled.

“Ah… I suppose it’s natural for you not to trust me.”

The village chief nodded as if he understood and lightly tapped my forearm like a superior.

“Don’t be so anxious. I will definitely leave this place, and when the time comes, I’ll tell you everything.”

It was almost funny.

Does this bastard even realize?

That every time he says something cryptic like that, it just makes me more uneasy?

…Should I just kill him first?

The thought flashed across my mind, but I decided to wait a little longer.

Just as I turned to leave—

“Ah, by the way, did you use that item I gave you this morning? The [Misplaced Trust].”

“……Ah, I forgot to return it—.”

“No need to return it. It seems more necessary for you than for me.”

Just curse me outright.

His mocking tone irritated me, but I made sure to take the Misplaced Trust with me as I left.

***

Instead, Versil Gowland was waiting for me.

“You’re back?”

“Now that I think about it, you said you had something to tell me.”

Though I already had a good idea of what it was, I pretended not to know and took a seat. After setting up a sound-blocking spell, we began talking in earnest.

“There’s a rumor that the Evil Spirits’ gathering has disbanded.”

Versil delivered the most crucial information upfront, disguising it under the label of ‘rumor.’

I was slightly dumbfounded.

“A rumor, you say?”

“Yes. Well… it’s not like there aren’t any evil spirits among us.”

No, I mean, where did you hear that rumor from?

Most people would have asked, but I just nodded like I didn’t care.

Perhaps because I never usually questioned the source of information, Versil seemed somewhat careless when dealing with me.

I hope she shouldn’t act this way in other places.

As a leader, that was a bit concerning.

In any case, after we discussed the “rumor,” the conversation naturally shifted to Misha.

“But about this morning…what was that about?”

“You mean Misha?”

“Yes. The information that Karlstein might be a traitor—it’s still valid. I just thought… maybe you’re getting too close.”

Versil voiced her concerns gently.

But because of that, I responded all the more firmly.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I confirmed something that proves it wasn’t betrayal.”

“…Really? Then why didn’t you tell me—?”

“It wasn’t a big deal. And after hearing her side, it wasn’t even meant to harm us.”

“I understand you want to believe Karlstein, but how can you trust her?”

I knew she’d ask that.

“I used Misplaced Trust. Heard the whole story, and confirmed she’s not hiding anything.”

At that, Versil clammed up. If she kept pressing after that, it’d just be nitpicking.

Of course, she looked curious about what exactly had happened, but I had no intention of sharing that part.

“Anyway, there’s no issue with Misha now. You don’t need to keep an eye on her—just treat her like a normal teammate.”

“…Alright. I will.”

Okay, topic closed.

I then asked Versil to gather all of Squad 4. Once everyone was assembled, I informed them we’d be leaving the island today and told them to get ready.

“Ah… so we’re starting exploration again?”

“Then I guess the monument research failed…”

“Sigh… my family will be worried.”

Some were disappointed that they couldn’t return home immediately, but the overall mood wasn’t too bad.

“I was starting to get bored anyway, so this works out.”

“There are still plenty of places we haven’t explored.”

After all, they were all explorers at heart.

****

Whoooosh—

Four ships cut through the silver waves.

Anabada’s ship—infinitely smaller and precious to me was positioned at the very rear.

Sitting at the bow, I stared blankly at the warships ahead.

‘How much more money do I need to earn to afford a ship like that…?’

Honestly, if I sold my Aegis’ Barrier and Milayel’s Spear, I could afford one.

But then I’d be broke again.

There’s no point in buying one unless I’m rich enough to afford it with spare funds.

“Mr. Jandel! What are you doing up there?!”

Just as I was leisurely organizing my thoughts at the bow, an angry voice called out from behind.

It was Raven, the vice-captain of the 3rd Magic Corps.

“It’s dangerous! Get down here now!”

Her voice sounded angry, so I quickly climbed back onto the deck. Raven, whose eyes barely reached my chest, looked up at me like I was a child.

Man, it’s kind of funny when she stares up at me like that.

“What’s that look for?”

“…Nothing.”

I stretched and glanced around the deck, spotting other familiar faces:

Meland Kaislan, Sven Parav, and a few knights I’d taken note of during the Library Island operation.

From now on, they were all members of Temporary Squad 4.

Before leaving, I’d asked the village chief about the rearrangement, and he’d readily agreed.

“By the way, Raven, I have a question.”

“…What is it?”

“What happened during the stone research in the village? You were part of that, right? What happened?”

Since we had time during the voyage, I asked about something I’d been curious about. Raven explained with great passion, using all kinds of technical terms.

‘And the result?’

No idea what she’s talking about.

Dimensional severance, spatial coordinates… There’s no way a modern man wearing barbarian skin could understand that.

As I I just sat there, letting the words go in one ear and out the other, Raven, sensing my confusion, changed the subject.

“Hmmm, I guess I made that too difficult……. But, Mr Jandel, can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Where are we heading now? I figured you’d know.”

“Ah, right. You weren’t at the last leadership meeting.”

“All the mages were excluded. We had to rush to organize the research data.”

“We’re going here.”

“Our destination is here.”

I unfolded the map looted from Hamsiki’s House and pointed at the location.

An uncharted island about a week’s journey from Library Island. Unlike Rainbow Island, it was relatively close, so we decided to start our exploration there.

When I asked the village chief if he knew anything about this island, he replied:

[It’s a rather mysterious island. Quite Strange too.]

[Strange how?]

[You’ll understand when you see it. I’ll explain the rest when we arrive.]

I didn’t yet know what made it strange, but his words made it feel mysterious.

“Hmm… I wonder what it’s like. I hope there’s a clue to uncovering this floor’s secrets…”

Maybe it was because it was an unexplored island.

Raven didn’t press further. And that was the end of that conversation.

Time passed endlessly after that.

Then—

“Captain! The leadship has stopped!”

“They’ve raised a signal—we’ve reached the destination.”

After a week-long journey, I finally understood why the chief had called it a strange Island.

“…That’s supposed to be an island?”

No trees. No soil.

Actually, there was no ground for such things to be on.

Whoooosh—!

Only a massive monolith rose out of the shimmering silver sea.

Splash!

***

After anchoring the ship near the island, I boarded the leadship to speak with the village chief privately.

“We’re here now, so start explaining. What is that monolith in the middle of the ocean?”

The moment I stepped inside, I activated [Misplaced Trust] and asked.
The village chief looked at me as if I were being ridiculous.

“Why? Didn’t you say it yourself? That I need it more than you.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Whatever. Just answer me. We don’t have time to waste.”

This time, I wasn’t going to let him brush it off.

Perhaps sensing my resolve, the village chief readily answered.

“That’s not a stone pillar—it’s a door.”

“A door…?”

“If you touch it, the door will open, allowing passage into an unknown space.”

“What’s inside?”

The village chief paused before answering.

“I don’t know.”

Not the answer I’d hoped for.

“…You don’t know?”

“That’s right. My previous body couldn’t even open it, let alone enter.”

“Then how do you know it’s a door?”

“I ran experiments. Unlike you, there were times when survivors happened to drift into this place. I used them. And before you ask, I couldn’t enter it myself—so I don’t know what’s inside.”

“…”

“The one who went inside never returned alive.”

A chilling statement.

But I pushed aside the ominous feeling and focused on confirming the facts.

“What do you mean by survivors?”

“Didn’t I mention before that humans occasionally drift here? Some of them survived.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Then why didn’t you take their bodies and leave?”

In response, the village chief pulled out a black stone from his pocket.

“Back then, I hadn’t gathered enough sacrifices to satisfy this stone. Truthfully, it’s only recently that I’ve collected the required amount. As you know… quite a few people arrived this time.”

He was referring to the Silver Lion Clan members who had gone missing in the village and were later found dead in the basement.

His gaze, devoid of any regard for human life, felt particularly annoying today, but I kept my composure and listened.

“The explorer who went inside was as strong as you. But even he never returned. That’s all I can tell you. I’m not even sure how many people can enter.”

“…….”

“Even so, do you still intend to explore inside as planned?”

His tone felt like a test. But regardless, my answer was already decided.

“Of course I’ll explore it.”

I had resolved to uncover every last secret of this floor.

Before turning off the Misplaced Trust, I asked a few more questions.

But the chief kept quiet, so I had no choice but to settle for what I’d gotten and return to my ship.

Next, I selected who would enter first, how many would go, and in what order, then relayed the plan to the village chief.

“I’ll arrange the personnel as you suggested. But… are you sure about this?”

“Sure about what?”

“Won’t you be the first to enter? A dangerous place with who-knows-what lurking inside.”

“That’s exactly why I’m going in first.”

“Hmm?”

The village chief merely gave me a curious look without saying anything. After finishing preparations, we boarded small boats and approached the massive stone door.

Whoooosh—

The stone door, already opened by the advance survey team, revealed a swirling, radiant maze inside.

A portal.

Any explorer could recognize it at a glance.

But I’d never seen one this massive before, so I stared in fascination when—

Jandel, maybe you should reconsider.”

Amelia, who was in the same boat, spoke to me.

“It’s one thing for us to go in, but you entering first feels too reckless.”

“What are you talking about? You’re the weak one here.”

Anyone who knew me would understand—barbarians don’t listen to those weaker than themselves.

So,—

“I’ll go in first. Wait one minute before following, just in case.”

After exchanging looks with each comrade, I stepped to the edge of the boat and prepared to leap.

What’s waiting inside?

I was nervous and scared too.

But I trusted my experience.

Dungeon & Stone is an unforgiving game, but it almost never throws monsters or traps immediately after stepping through a portal.

Yeah, so—

Thud.

I leapt into the portal.

Whoooosh—!

My body was engulfed in swirling lights.

That weightless, floating sensation.

Thump.

When I opened my eyes again—there was only darkness.

But I didn’t need to pull out a torch.

No reason to turn on Barbarian Candle Mode just yet.

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