Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 612

Mystery 5

Beyond the river that flowed east of the temple, a group of humans had been discovered.

Everyone assumed they were likely humanoid monsters, but still.

“We attempted to make contact, but they quickly hid, so we failed to establish communication.”

“I see…”

There had been no progress in exploration for nearly two weeks.

“Commander, may I hear your thoughts on our next course of action?”

“Thoughts, huh?”

I chuckled and replied to the vice-commander.

“I was thinking of exploring beyond the river soon anyway, so this works out. Prepare for an expedition.”

“By expedition, you mean…?”

“We’ll leave the main force behind. Taking too many people would only be a hassle.”

I figured there was no need to bring the entire main force across until we understood what was beyond the river.

“Ah, and I’ll be going this time, so don’t bother trying to stop me.”

“Understood… Then I’ll prepare a suitable team based on your instructions.”

Naturally, all the members of the search team who were agile and highly aware of their surroundings were chosen.

Aslo, Aynar was included as a combatant.

“Pheneline… should probably stay behind.”

Scout leader Amelia didn’t seem to trust Ainar, but I had no choice.

Just having her around was helpful.

Since you never knew what kind of new monster might appear, I wanted to boost the essence drop rate by using “Beginner’s Luck.”

“Vice-Commander.”

“Yes. I’ll take good care of the main force, so don’t worry.”

“I trust you.”

It wasn’t just courtesy, I genuinely trusted him.

The vice-commander would handle things smoothly in my absence.

“Scout Captain, pick up the pace.” As soon as we set out, we moved swiftly, almost like we were speedrunning.

We had already confirmed that there was nothing particularly dangerous in this vicinity… And if we didn’t move quickly, it would take forever just to reach the river’s mouth.

“Stop! We’ll camp here for the night and resume at dawn!”

 

After traveling all day, we set up camp at night to rest.

“Great work today, Baron!”

“Hey now! I told you, it’s Commander, not Baron! Don’t you see me smile every time you call me that?”

“Oops, my bad, Commander! Well, I’m exhausted, so I’ll turn in first!”

Given the long journey, everyone’s faces were familiar by now, but it still felt a little distant.

Only three members of Clan Anabada had joined this expedition: Misha, Amelia, and Aynar.

“Bjorn. Can I ask you something… if that’s okay?”

While patrolling the campsite, my secretary handed me a late-night snack and cautiously spoke up.

“Go ahead.”

“That kid… why did you leave her behind?”

“You mean Erwin?”

“Yeah.”

Misha nodded and continued in a soft voice.

“From what I’ve seen, there’s no reason to leave her behind. That’s why it felt a little odd.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Erwin had sharp senses ideal for reconnaissance and was top-tier in combat strength.

But…

“She said she didn’t want to come.”

If she wanted to stay with the main force, there wasn’t much I could do.

It was unlike her, but given everything she’d been through lately, I figured she needed rest.

“Ah… I see.”

Misha was clearly surprised by my answer.

“Well then… see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, get some rest.”

After sending her off, I munched on my snack and gathered my thoughts.

Then I heard some noise nearby.

Looking over, I saw Amelia lecturing the scouts in a secluded spot.

I couldn’t make out the details, but…

“Yes, Captain! We’ll keep that in mind!”

The crisp salute and loud response reached my ears clearly.

‘When did she instill such discipline in them?’

She is really capable.

Despite being unfamiliar in many ways, she never half-assed anything.

“Done already? Sounded like you were scolding them.”

“Scolding? I was just reminding them about maintaining formation during today’s march.”

“Oh, really?” I thought that was what scolding meant, but there was no point arguing, so I let it go.

“By the way, are you going to keep wearing that eyepatch?”

As I asked, she flinched slightly.

“…Only during missions.”

“Really? Wouldn’t it be better to wear it constantly to get used to it?”

The eye patch increased visual accuracy and didn’t consume any resources, so there was no reason not to wear it constantly.

In fact, to reduce sensory discrepancies, it was better to keep it active.

“…”

“I’ve noticed you only wear it in combat but take it off otherwise. Is there a reason?” I asked the question out of pure curiosity.

Amelia let out a deep sigh, then responded in a bitter tone.

“Well… don’t you think it looks weird? A woman like me, wearing an eyepatch…”

An unexpected answer.

But somehow, it felt very “Amelia.”

She seemed tough, but she actually cared quite a bit about appearances and what others thought.

Then she quickly changed the subject.

“…By the way, why didn’t you bring that little guy?”

“Oh, you mean Erwin?”

Amelia tilted her head.

“No, not her. That… cute little one…”

Ah, Hamshiki.

***

After about three days of traveling, we finally reached the river’s mouth.

But after arriving, I started wondering if calling it a “river” was even appropriate.

“It really is pitch black, just like they said…”

It reminded me of an oil spill.

You wouldn’t want to drink it, or even touch it.

‘It’s about as wide as the Han River…’

Honestly, We had discovered this river quite some time ago.

The reason we hadn’t crossed it to explore further was simple.

We wanted to investigate the river itself before expanding our search area.

‘According to the reports it’s incredibly deep.’

Despite its width, the river’s depth was abnormally high, making it time-consuming to confirm that there was nothing beneath it.

They had also examined the black water.

“It’s supposedly safe to touch, but just in case, everyone should avoid contact.”

We cautiously launched the small boat we had prepared.

Originally, boats would sink in this water, but thanks to the mages’ spells, ours stayed afloat.

And after some time…

‘Thankfully, nothing went wrong.’

No incidents occurred while crossing.

But the real problem came after.

THUD—!

The moment we stepped ashore, a heavy vibration spread through the forest and shook the ground.

A sound any seasoned explorer would recognize, the footsteps of a large monster.

“Battle positions.”

We kept a path to the boat open just in case and got into combat formation.

BOOM—!

The footsteps grew louder until finally, the monster emerged from the forest.

BOOM—!

It was slightly bigger than an ogre.

Unlike typical shell-type monsters, it had sleek metallic skin and hoses surrounding its neck.

And…

Glint—!

Eyes glowing red like infrared sensors.

“A Mechanized Giant.”

“A Level 3 monster that appears in the Pantellion Ruins.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t a new type.

Though it was rare, I’d fought one before at the Library Island.

‘Shouldn’t be too hard with just one…’

Still, caution was necessary.

This one might have unique abilities.

Or it might have reinforcements.

“Expand your field of vision and stay alert!”

So, instead of going all-out, we fought while preparing for unexpected developments.

Even though it was a top-tier Level 3 monster, it wasn’t difficult. After all, I had massively leveled up on Basement Floor 1.

“Bethel—RAAAAH!!”

Aegis Barrier.

After consuming Bellarios Essence, my mana resistance increased, which took care of my biggest weakness.

〈The Mechanized Giant has activated [Mana Beam].〉

〈The Mechanized Giant has activated [Support Request].〉

〈The Mechanized Giant has activated [Reactor]…

No matter what it did, I blocked it effortlessly and held it in place. The scouts maintained defensive positions to protect the damage dealers.

Thanks to that, the DPS could go all-out, and we gradually wore it down.

「Mechanical Giant has been defeated.」

Its sparking metal body turned into light and vanished.

And then…

“An essence…!”

It dropped an essence.

Huh. Last time, with Beginner’s Luck active, it didn’t drop anything.

Even though it was a valuable Level 3 essence, I didn’t feel overly excited.

After all, How many Level 3 Essences did I get from this floor alone?

I’d lost count.

Once these hit the market, the price of Level 3 essences would likely drop significantly.

Their current high price was mostly due to the aftermath of the last dimensional collapse.

“Store the essence in a testube”

As I gave the order, Raven, one of the members of this special group, approached and collected the essence.

It wasn’t as thrilling as when I got the Aegis Barrier, but it was still fascinating.

“It’s crazy how we got something this rare just like that.”

The Mechanical Giant essence was quite good.

Even aside from base stats and active skills, the passive skill [Mechanize] was pretty valuable.

It allowed for MP recovery by consuming magic stones. The efficiency was terrible, burning through money like water, but…

‘Still, the high-end potential is insane.’

If you had the cash, it was basically infinite MP.

“By the way, there’s no sign of that human group.”

“We’ll need to conduct a proper search of the area.”

After the battle, we began mapping the area and expanding our exploration.

But we still couldn’t find the group of humans from earlier.

‘Even monsters haven’t appeared since we took down the Mechanized Giant…’

Come on, anything’s fine, just appear already—

“Jandel! Come here! The scouts found footprints!”

“What?”

Hearing Raven’s words, I immediately headed to the outskirts of the formation where the search party was.

“You’re here.”

Amelia, who had been crouching to examine the ground, looked up at me.

“So, the footprints?”

“Here.”

Clear human footprints were pressed into the ground.

“Just one person, not a group.”

“Where are they headed?”

“We’ll know if we follow. Judging by the traces, they’re recent.”

“Then let’s move.”

Amelia took the lead, tracking the footprints while the rest of us followed cautiously.

And then…

“They’ve stopped.”

After several hundred meters, the trail ended in an empty field.

“Did they notice us following and erase their tracks?”

Amelia didn’t answer.

Instead, she scanned the area with sharp eyes and muttered coldly:

“…It was a lure.”

Damn it.

“We’re surrounded?”

“Most likely.”

Even an expert like Amelia seemed unsure.

But the answer soon made itself clear.

“So we are surrounded after all.”

The moment we got into formation, human-like figures came out from the forest, completely unclothed. As I took in their forms, I let out a long exhale.

‘The reports mentioned they were human.’

They were not human.

Some had pointed ears, others were squat and bulky, and some had animal ears on their head.

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