Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 611

Mystery 4

Our ship was stranded in the middle of the jungle.

First, I had everyone disembark before releasing the summon. The ship had tilted quite a bit, so it was getting dangerous to stay there…

Even if that hadn’t been the case, we still needed to get off quickly.

After all, you can’t sail a ship through a jungle.

“A monster…?”

“What? A monster?!”

Hamsiki had no choice but to reveal himself, and the scene quickly descended into chaos.

This was something we had to go through anyway.

During the rainy season, when I had to switch ships, I had hidden him inside my armor to move him, but I couldn’t keep him concealed forever.

“Wh-what kind of monster is that…?!”
“For a monster… it’s kinda cute?”
“I’ve never seen a species like this before.”

Unlike the horrified reactions I’d seen in the library, the expedition members were all looking at Hamsiki’s true form with curiosity.

“……So this is what it really looks like.” Amelia, who had been scouting ahead, returned to the boat and stood beside me with a sparkle in her eyes.

“…Can I touch it?”

“Ask him yourself… No, let’s sort out the situation first.”

I quickly intervened and ordered everyone to lower their weapons aimed at Hamsiki.

“This creature is the one we encountered in the library. It’s not hostile to us.”

“D-does that mean it’s not a monster?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I believe it’s a being that will help us escape the first basement floor.”

“Ah, so that’s why we stopped at Library Island back then.”

“So, when are you going to lower your weapons? Do I need to repeat my order?”

“Ah! S-sorry!”

In the military, orders were absolute.

At my command, the soldiers kept their distance and maintained wary glances, but no one acted out of line.

[…What’s happening right now? I can’t understand what they’re saying, but the way they’re looking at me seems a little different than usual.]

“Ah, about that. It seems like everyone here can see your true form properly.”

[…What? But they’re still wary of me…]

“Well, obviously. Even if it’s your real form, you’re still a stranger to them.”

[Ah… R-right, I guess…?]

Hamsiki seemed oddly flustered, as if he hadn’t considered something so obvious.

Perhaps because he had nothing to rely on, he clung tightly to me, gripping my sleeve.

“Don’t just stand there, come here.” I grabbed Hamsiki and placed him on my shoulder.

At first, he squirmed in surprise, but he quickly balanced himself and curled up. I think he found a comfortable spot to sit on.

At first, he squirmed in surprise, but he quickly balanced himself and curled up. I think he found a comfortable spot.

‘Feels like I’m raising a pet.’

Anyway, the Hamsiki issue was settled for now.

“Search Team Captain.” I spoke quietly and Amelia finally turned her gaze away from Hamsiki.

“What were the scouting results?”

“There’s nothing in the immediate vicinity. No sign of the flying object you mentioned either. The mages in the scouting party didn’t detect anything unusual.”

“I see.”

Good. That meant there was no immediate danger nearby.

Tap. Tap.

After a brief moment of thought, I ordered the Vice Commander to set up camp. Exploration is important, but rest and reorganization are much more urgent at the moment.

Since every member was a professional, the campsite was set up quickly.

But…

“Before resting, everyone gather for a moment.”

I summoned the weary troops together.

Though their faces were clearly tired, none of them complained. In a world where deaths were all too common, they already knew what was about to happen.

What was about to happen.

“Vice Commander, I leave the rest to you.”

As I handed over the baton, he gracefully recited the names, ranks, and reasons for the deaths of our fallen comrades.

Then—

“Archbishop Altbehemon, if you please.”

One of the priests prayed for their souls, and a mage handed over cremated remains to the fallen’s closest companions. Just like that, the funeral ceremony came to an end.

“Anyone not on guard duty, get some rest now! This might be your last proper rest! And don’t forget your shift times!”

Even without the Vice Commander’s orders, the exhausted soldiers quickly retreated to their assigned sleeping quarters.

Of course, there were exceptions.

“Armin.”

Myul Armin, leader of the Armin Exploration Team.

Although his guard duty was scheduled much later, he was standing silently in front of the cremation site.

“What about Hext?”

“…He went straight to sleep, it seems.”

“Well… He must be tired. But what about you?”

“…I should get some rest too.”Despite his words, it didn’t seem like he’d be returning to his tent anytime soon.

Unlike the Hex Clan, which had a corporate feel despite being a mid-sized group, the Armin Exploration Team had been together for a long time.

“Alright, go ahead. Get some rest.”

“Yes.”

Afterward, I patrolled the camp.

Amelia, Erwin, Misha, Goblin, Versil… All were already fast asleep from exhaustion, and I made my way to my tent.

My personal, located at the center of the camp.

The vice commander pleaded that if I only stayed with only my closest associates in Squad 4, members of other squads might feel uneasy. That’s why I was assigned to sleep separately.

‘They even set up a cot for me.’

I smirked and laid Hamsiki down on the small cot.

“Sleep well.”

A single blanket was enough for a barbarian.
***

After a full day of rest with rotating guard shifts, we resumed our expedition the next day.

Of course, with over a hundred members, we couldn’t just move blindly.

“Investigation Team Captain.”

“Yes?”

“…You know what to do?”

“…Yes. I’ll return shortly.”

I sent the Investigation Team Captain, also a highly skilled mage, along with the Search Team Captain to conduct reconnaissance. And based on their findings, we held a meeting with the leaders.

I sent the Investigation Team Captain, who was also a highly skilled mage, together with the Search Team Captain to carry out a reconna mission. And after reviewing the information they gathered, we held a meeting with the leaders to discuss the results.

“We expanded the search radius but found no signs of monsters.”

“And that temple in the distance? Did you check it?”

“Yes. We couldn’t investigate the inside, but no monsters were spotted nearby.”

“Why couldn’t you check inside?”

“The entrance was blocked by some kind of magical barrier.”

“Some kind of magical barrier?”

It was hard to believe that a mage of his caliber would say something like that, but he answered confidently.

“I examined it, but I couldn’t determine its nature. It’s just my speculation, but it seems similar to the dimensional severance phenomena we find in rifts.”

“Dimensional severance… Ah, no need to explain. Any seasoned explorer knows what that means.”

It’s basically a “barrier.”

Like in the Witch’s Hut or the Bloodtinted Fortress—

You step into another world through a portal, but the area is completely sealed, and no force can break through.

“So, you’re saying we can’t force our way in?”

“Yes. It might even be area we’re not meant to enter—”

“No, I doubt that.”

“Huh…?”

“…Just a feeling.”

I brushed it off barbarian-style, but I had reason to be confident.

Or rather, statistics.

‘There have been places we couldn’t leave, but never one we couldn’t enter.’

So, it’s more likely we need to meet a condition to gain access.

“…Shall I continue with the report?”

“Ah, yes. Go on.”

The investigation team captain proceeded to describe everything he had seen and discovered while searching the surrounding area.

There were no insects in the jungle.

Plants typically found in the Dark Continent were growing there.

Several rusted metal fragments were found on the ground.

Though this information seemed trivial, it might prove useful, so I made sure to remember it all.

Once the report was concluded, I made my decision.

“Prepare to move out after the meeting.”

“To the temple?”

“Yes.”

Since that was the only interesting we found, I decided to check it out personally.

If there were no immediate dangers, we could expand our search from there.

‘The first priority is always making a map.’

Thus the expedition began.

 

More than a hundred expedition members crossed the jungle in formation, and soon reached the temple.

It was a complex of dozens of stone structures with a massive temple at its center.

“Hmm… Why does this feel familiar?”

“It does to me as well. Feels like I’ve seen this place before.”

“Have I ever been here?”

The members’ reactions confirmed it wasn’t just my imagination.

“…The Pantellion Ruins.”

“Huh?”

“Weren’t the ruins you saw there in a formation like this?”

“Oh! Now that you mention it, if those ruins were still standing, they’d probably look like this!”

If my assumption was correct, this place was the Pantellion Ruins from the seventh floor of the Dark Continent or rather, the original version of it.

“Then let’s check the temple first.”

We immediately headed toward the temple.

The staircase located at the centre wasn’t too high, and the entrance was about three stories high.

It looked like a gate that could open sideways or vertically.

“Investigation team captain, is there any other way inside?”

“No. The dimensional severance phenomenon isn’t limited to just the door, it seems to envelop the entire temple…”

“Understood. Then you and your team focus on investigating the temple. You don’t need to join the expedition.”

“Baron—no, Commander. Where will you be going?”

“Not now. First, I’ll broaden the search radius from here. A map would be helpful.”

Leaving the investigation to them, I focused on mapmaking.

I assigned members from each squad to expand the search area and prioritize cartography.

But even after a week of grueling search, the discoveries were minimal.

‘This place is enormous.’

Unlike the rifts, where dimensional severance was visible just beyond the central area, this place was enormous.

Unlike most rifts where the dimensional severance phenomena could be seen after deviating just a bit from the central area, this place was quite wide.

And—

A river.

To the far east of the temple, there was a river.

Assuming this was the Pantellion Ruins, its location suggested it might the Ariveona Estuary—

‘But it’s very different.’

The Ariveona Estuary I knew was nothing like this, so I was a bit confused.

‘I can decide later after crossing the river…’

The search and investigation teams had little success, but unexpectedly, the research team led by Raven discovered something.

“These metal fragments that we found in the forest are not ordinary metal.

“A new kind of metal?”

“Yes. I’m not even sure we should call it metal. Have you ever seen metal that rots instead of rusting?”

The sample she showed was blackened like rotting flesh and emitted a foul odor.

“You can see it’s shrunk as the decay progressed.”

“…Fascinating.”

At first, I just found it curious. But Raven’s next words changed my perspective.

“You know what this reminds me of?”

“What?”

“Alchemy. It was originally developed to create humans.”

I’d heard that.

Modern alchemy is just about harnessing mana stones to create resources.

“So?”

“I once studied it out of curiosity. And do you know why ancient alchemists failed to create humans? They couldn’t make flesh.”

“Flesh?”

“Yes—skin, muscle, tissue… Even if they gave it a soul, it couldn’t become human. At best, a sentient magic golem. You know the Meltai Statue story?”
“The one that defended the royal palace during the Iron Wall Rebellion?”

“Yes. Meltai is the prime example of a golem infused with a human soul. But soul-based golem creation is now illegal. No one dares to research it anymore.”

Huh, I didn’t know that.

“…So what’s your point?”

When I asked directly, Raven looked a bit sheepish, but then summarized in one sentence.

“I just thought… if this metal had existed back then, maybe it could’ve made those things possible.”

Although it left me feeling rather disgusted, the story lingered in my mind for some reason.

Perhaps we had discovered a new material that would prove invaluable in the future.

“Raven, keep researching. Think about how we can use it.”

“Yes.”

With that, my conversation with Raven came to an end, and as time went on, both the story and my interest in the new material gradually faded from my mind.

But then…

“Commander!”

After a few days had passed since the conversation.

I woke up to an emergency report and froze in shock.

“Humans!”

“……?”

“An unidentified group of humans has been spotted near the river estuary!”

Why was it that the conversation I’d had with Raven was the first thing to come to mind?

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com

Please join here, I need supporters to help me continue translating STGB and Lee Gwak