Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 593

RPG 1

We never really discussed whether we should call the boss rooms we entered through the Guardian statues “rifts,” and strictly speaking, they weren’t.

I remember the mages mentioning that they couldn’t detect any of the usual traces you’d expect from a real rift portal on those entrances.

So I just left it at that.

After all, beyond the portal, unlike a typical rift, there was nothing but a lone boss room.

But this time…

‘It’s a real rift…’

Beyond the stone gate, which was unlocked after destroying all the Guardian Statues, was a genuine rift portal.

‘Well… the Basement Floor 1 is still a floor, after all.’

It wasn’t unusual for a floor to have its own unique rift.

Sure, the village chief had warned me not to get my hopes up too much, saying he’d never seen a rift here in all his years…

‘But there’s no way it wouldn’t exist.’

I never doubted the rift’s existence.

Not all rifts spawn randomly, some only open in specific locations.

The Basement Floor 1 must be such a case.

“Be careful! If you get sucked in, there’s no turning back!”

“Any results from the wavelength measurements yet?”

As the mages gathered near the portal to collect various data, I stepped back to organise my thoughts.

To be honest, I was curious if rifts from the sixth floor and above would be waiting for us.

But my cautious speculations turned out to be completely wrong.

‘No, maybe it’s too early to say for sure.’

Maybe passing through this portal would randomly take us to one of the rifts on the sixth floor or higher.

“…Though that feels unlikely.”

My gamer’s instinct told me otherwise.

There’s a high chance that what lies beyond that portal is a rift unique to Basement Floor 1.

“Hoo…”

Rather than feeling curious or excited, I felt worried.

Because this isn’t a game.

There’s no such thing as a retry.

We have to succeed on our first attempt through a completely unknown rift—where even the guardians, monsters, or terrain are all unknown.

“…Jandel?”

“Ah… Emily.”

Amelia noticed my grim expression and gave me a worried look, but she only handed me a canteen of cold water without saying anything.

After some time had passed like that.

A high-level meeting was held, during which the mages shared the results of their investigation.

Leaving out the minor details, there were two major takeaways.

1. “There are no signs of mana density dropping near the rift portal. It seems very unlikely that it will disappear naturally over time.”

→ We had plenty of time to prepare before entering. No need to rush in with a hastily assembled team.

2. “Our research team believes this rift can accommodate a maximum of five people.”
→ This one was surprising. How did they even figure that out? In the game, there was no such mechanic.

When I asked for details, the answer was disappointingly simple.

“Well… there were wall paintings on the interior of the stone gate. After extensive discussion, we concluded they symbolize the maximum capacity.”

So it wasn’t based on magic, just speculation.

“Of course… given the subjective nature of our interpretation, we acknowledge the possibility of error and humbly request your understanding.”

“What the hell is this mage even saying?”

“…Pardon?”

Oops. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

The atmosphere grew awkward, but I didn’t bother explaining.

Barbarians don’t apologize for slip-ups.

Besides, if you boil it down, they were just saying, “We could be wrong, so we’re covering our asses.”

“Then let’s pause the meeting here. I have something to discuss with the Baron. Everyone else, please leave.”

After I silently signaled him, the village chief dismissed everyone and he asked,

“What do you want to do?”

Just as he had during the statue investigation, he was leaving the decision entirely to me.

“Given the mages’ reasoning, I’ll assemble a team of five. And as a precaution, I’ll prepare backup teams too.”

“Wise. Let me know once you’ve finalized the lineup.”

“Actually, I have a question.”

I cut him off, and the chief stared at me with those unreadable, eerie eyes. They always gave me the creeps.

“Go ahead.”

After a brief internal debate, I decided to be blunt.

“Would you consider joining us in the rift?”

“Why?”

I hesitated but then laid out my reasoning.

“Well… even if you die, it’s not a big loss, right?”

Perfect scout material.

***
Your first friend, your first love, your first heartbreak…

The first of anything is always special and lingers in the memory.

And I was no different.

My first rift.

Although I had entered rifts like it was nothing while playing Dungeon & Stone, I still remember my first rift clear.

The Blood Tinted Castle, the Ice Cave, the White Sanctuary…

I had entered into these rifts blindly.

 

No matter how carefully I strategized, 99% of the time, I’d end up staring at the Game Over screen, after losing a character I had painstakingly raised:

Hammer Dwarf, Sniper Elf, Voodoo Beastman…

All of those digital fragments of mine were lost because of my lack of knowledge.

Looking back, I don’t feel regret, but those experiences ingrained one truth in me:

Getting wiped out on your first rift attempt is inevitable.

Unless you’re blatantly over-leveled, of course.

But…

‘Given the first underground floor’s difficulty, we’re definitely not over-leveled.’

That’s why recruiting the village chief was crucial.

Having someone like Jerome Saint-Reid—a top-tier powerhouse—as disposable was a game-changer.

“Besides, you benefit too if you die, don’t you?” I asked

“…I wouldn’t say it’s a benefit exactly.”

I tried to brush off the awkwardness with a sheepish smile, but I couldn’t disagree his reply.

Was he rejecting me after all?

Just when I was about to give up—

“I’ll go.”

“…What?”

“If you do me a favor.”

“Name it.”

His request was simpler than I expected

And the intent behind it was obvious.

“Hold onto a few items and return them to the city later.”

“…You want me to deliver Karui’s Heart. Since the [Heretic Altar] prevents you from taking it out.”

“Exactly.”

That’s one of the key features of the [Heretic Altar].

You must periodically register your equipment there to have it carried over upon resurrection.

“Hmm…”

“It’s not a bad deal for you, is it?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just curious why you’d trust me with it.”

When I asked bluntly, the chief gave a chuckle that had become slightly less awkward now.

“Hah, you’re the one who handed over the expedition commander’s body to some monster just to survive. Why wouldn’t I trust you?”

In other words: Break your promise, and I’ll make sure you suffer too.

“Just so you know, threatening me with mutual destruction only works this once.”

“How is this a threat? I never forced you to promise—just stated the consequences if you break it. Refuse if you want.”

…Well, logically, he had a point.

With no counterargument, I ended the conversation.

“Then I’ll go ahead and build the team assuming you’re in.”

“Do that. But… aren’t you leaving?”

“Why bother? I’ll have to come back and report to you anyway.”

“…Suit yourself.”

And so, I sat in my chair and began planning the rest of the team.

“Two down…”

The chief and me.

If the mages’ theory is right, that leaves three more spots.

Who should I choose?

“We’ll definitely need a mage and a priest.”

The utility of a mage and the stability of a priest—those are essentials for any situation.

So, the first choice was easy.

“Gahyun Versilius. He’ll be our mage.”

He was the lead mage from the first expedition team—someone I had clashed with before.

“Hmm… surprising.”

“What is?”

Gahyun Versilius, current head of a magic school, served as a battle mage for many years. Tons of expedition experience, and top-tier skill.

I heard he was the core caster in a Level 1 group magic spell recently.

“Honestly, I thought you’d pick that young mage lady.”

“Oh, Raven?”

“Yes.”

She was a contender too.

She knew a lot about the labyrinth, was capable, and probably had more passion for unknown rifts than the old man.

But…

“We’re not here to play around. If there’s a better mage, there’s no reason to pick someone else.”

The chief nodded.

“So, you cherish your comrades deeply.”

“…Did you even hear what I said?”

“You mean when you said it wouldn’t matter if I died?”

 

He’s getting more sly by the day.

“What about the other two?”

“One of them will be a priest.”

I briefly considered Holy Knight Sven Farav, but dropped that idea.

The chief and I already covered the frontline.

For healing and utility, a priest is way better.

Well, he does have that insane intuition ability…

Sensing danger is pointless if you can’t do anything about it.

“If you’re taking a priest, this one would be a good choice.”

“Who?”

“The High Priest of the Leatlas Church.”

From what I heard, it didn’t seem like a bad choice, so I finalized the priest’s spot with the High Priest the chief recommended.

And then, the last remaining spot—

‘We need a damage dealer.’

If the chief gets taken out during the expedition, the only damage dealer left would be the mage.

So, we needed to reinforce our damage-dealing line.

‘…No matter how much I think about it, there’s no better option.’

After much deliberation, I finally made my decision.

It’s a truly unfortunate turn of events, but—

The last spot will go to my comrade, Erwin Fornacci di Tersia.

There was no damage dealer in the entire expeditionary force who could replace her.

***
To prepare for the worst-case scenario, I even split the remaining members of the expedition into teams of five.

Then, I gathered the five members who would enter the rift first.

After all, we had to get to know each other.

‘Once we’re inside, we can’t swap members, so we’d better assess things properly here.’

Depending on how the interviews went, the final lineup could still change.

“I am Eden Hestia. Though I am lacking in many ways, I currently serve as the High Priest of the Leatlas Church.”

“Nice to meet you. This is our first time talking directly, isn’t it?”

“I’ve heard much about you from Sir Parab. I look forward to working with you inside.”

 

High Priest Eden Hestia made a better first impression than I’d expected. Having seen him scolding Parav, I’d assumed he’d be some stubborn old man, but—

“Though it’s embarrassing to admit, I don’t know much about labyrinths. I hope the Baron can guide me well.”

“I will. What divine spells can you use?”

“Haha, I should be able to cast any spell the Baron would know of—”

“Oh, then can you use Invocation of the Stars?”

“…The Baron seems quite knowledgeable about divine spells. Invocation of the Stars would be difficult.”

“Is that so? What a shame. How about Starburst?”

“Ah, that one I can do.”

With that, I started properly interviewing the members and decided that there was no need to replace the priest.

The High Priest was quite capable.

Next up was the mage.

“Gahyun, could you list all the spells you can use?”

Gahyun Versilius grumbled as if it were too much trouble, but at my next words, he sighed deeply and surrendered.

“If we fail, the hundred or so people following us could all die.”

“It’ll take too long, so I’ll only mention Level 3 spells and above.”

“What about below that?”

“I can handle all of them. As long as they’re not unique spells.”

Oh, that’s impressive.

Was it because the royal family handpicked only the best of the best?

His level was beyond what I’d imagined.

A dream team, huh?

‘With this, we might actually pull it off…’

After that, Erwin, the village chief, and I also introduced our abilities to ensure mutual understanding. Then, we spent time training on positioning and key points to watch for during the expedition.

The High Priest and Gahyun had almost no experience with small-scale expeditions so there was a lot to teach them

“Well, it’s not like we’re on a time limit.”

We stayed a few more days, cramming as much knowledge as possible into them, checking and rechecking for any teamwork issues.

At last, the day arrived when all our preparations were complete.

“Go in first, Jandel. If the portal doesn’t disappear, we’ll follow right after, so don’t worry. And Tersia.”

“…Yes?”

“If we can’t follow you in…”

“I know. I’ll take good care of mister, don’t worry.”

Who’s taking care of whom here?

I let out a faint chuckle and continued greeting the rest of the team when the village chief approached me.

Whooooom—!

No one knew what kind of deadly danger might be lurking beyond that mysterious portal.

“Finished with the introductions?”

It was about time to head in.

「The character has entered the 3rd Records Archive.」

「Field Effect – A role is being assigned.」

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