Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 617

Homunculus (4)

“Wh-where is this…?”

“Kaislan, are you awake?”

He still seemed spaced out, staring blankly into space. It wasn’t until I gave him a light slap on the cheek that he finally snapped out of it.

“Aaah…!”

Yeah, this always works best.

“Jandel…! I’m glad you’re safe!”

Honestly, it was kind of touching how relieved he was to see me the moment he came to his senses.

But still…

“I told you, it’s ‘Commander.'”

“Heh heh, Commander. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Can you stand?”

I helped Kaislan to his feet, and we exchanged all the information we had gathered so far. Then, I asked if he had anything new to add.

“…I’m not sure. Unlike Lady Raven, I don’t remember anything.”

“Do you usually black out after drinking?”

“…Not really. I’m not much of a drinker to begin with.”

“Hmm. So the memory loss varies from person to person.”

“Or it might be due to distance. When everything happened, Sir Kaislan was near the temple with the main camp, but I was far away.”

“That could be the reason.”

For now, it’s all just hypotheses; we need more data.

With that in mind, we continued waiting in front of the conveyor belt like gatekeepers, waking up each ally who passed by. Thanks to that, we learned something new.

“Hmm… So you vaguely remember something? But you were near the temple at the time, weren’t you?”

It turned out that memory clarity wasn’t related to distance. Rather, it seemed to depend on personal differences.

After all, some people clearly remember their dreams, while others don’t.

I’m the type who doesn’t remember.

According to my allies, I grind my teeth and talk in my sleep, but I never remember any of it when I wake up.

“…You mean that prison we were in?”

“That… I don’t really remember. I’m sorry.”

Unfortunately, even those with hazy memories couldn’t recall where they had been imprisoned.

So…

“With this many, you’ll be safe even without me.”

After rescuing over ten people, we had a decent-sized group and I announced my plan to go exploring on my own.

“Commander, wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit longer and move together?”

Kaislan expressed his concern, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

I wasn’t showing it, but I was burning with impatience.

“Didn’t you say the search team captain who was taken first is likely still alive?”

“It’s just a possibility,” I interrupted. “I don’t want to sit here hoping things will work out if I just wait.”

“…My apologies for speaking out of turn.”

“No need. Take care of things while I’m gone.”

I patted Kaislan’s shoulder with a smile, and he returned it with a salute and a small grin.

“Understood, sir.”

It must be the soldier in him; even though it was a casual salute, it felt genuine.

“Raven.”

“Yes, Commander?”

“If more people wake up, try to scout the area as much as you can. But only if it’s safe.”

“Pfft, I get it. I know what you mean.”

“I’m saying it out loud just in case. Your safety comes first. Got it?”

“Yes. Now go.”

Good. I’ve said my piece; they won’t take any unnecessary risks.

After exchanging a glance with the always reliable Kaislan, I left the cursed factory.

***

Every minute, every second was precious.

But, remembering the proverb “haste makes waste,” I didn’t rush.

“The factory is on the lowest level, and there are four staircases leading down here.”

However, the staircases weren’t the only way down.

There were hundreds of conveyor belts that started from who knows where and all of them converged into this underground factory.

I considered following the convyor belts in reverse to trace them back but…

‘Nope. Not gonna work.’

After seeing a single conveyor belt split into dozens of branches, I abandoned that idea. Searching the entire building would be far more efficient.

So, starting from the factory, I mapped the entire structure.

But…

‘Nothing.’

Even after completing 100% of the map, I couldn’t find the room my allies were imprisoned in.

Still, I didn’t lose hope.

It had to exist somewhere.

The only explanation was a hidden room that didn’t appear on the map. And such a room wouldn’t be found through simple methods.

‘Should I try entering the conveyor belt and backtracking one by one now?’

The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

A room deliberately hidden like this wouldn’t be found that easily.

Therefore, there was only one thing left to do.

“Hamsik, can’t you remember anything?”

[…I’ll tell you if I do.]

A hidden piece.

Just like how I discovered that strange metal card under the stair tile thanks to Hamsiki’s memory.

If I continued my detailed search, something would eventually turn up.

‘There must be a use for this card somewhere.’

As I combed through the building again, inspecting every detail…

Tap, tap.

“Finally found you, Jandel.”

I flinched in surprise, I hadn’t sensed anyone nearby.

“…Amelia?”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Emily, no matter where we are?

At her calm words, all the strength drained from my body in an instant.

“Haaah…”

She’s safe.

***

“What happened? Are you hurt? Are you okay? Did you also turn into one of those mana stones?”

“Calm down. I’ll explain everything.”

“R-right.”

I took a breath and listened as Amelia recounted what happened.

“Unlike the others, I regained consciousness midway through.

“What? How?”

“Who knows? Maybe one of my essences had resistance to this kind of attack.”

I knew Amelia better than she knew herself.

None of her essences provided mental resistance.

But if I had to pick the closest candidate…

“It was probably thanks to the Twin Hydra’s [Dual Control].”

Dual Control was a passive ability that split her consciousness in two.

In the game, when used with Self-Replication, it granted the clone better AI control and enhanced performance.

‘Maybe it had an effect I didn’t know about.

Dungeon & Stone often had obscure mechanics where some skills unexpectedly countered others.

Things you couldn’t predict just by reading descriptions, you have to experience them firsthand.

Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.

“Can I keep going?”

“Ah, right… go ahead.”

When Amelia regained consciousness, she was on a belt.

She was being transported somewhere, but she backtracked along the belt, escaped, and searched the building alone.

Naturally, she discovered the underground factory, where…

By then, I had already awakened Raven and Kaislan.

After getting the information from them, she immediately ran out of the factory to find me.

Another wave of relief washed over me, and my legs nearly gave out.

Leaning on her for support, I spoke,

“I’m so glad… that you’re safe.”

Amelia just looked up at me without replying, and I slowly let go of her shoulder.

Or tried to.

Tap.

Her hand gently covered mine.

It was a small, delicate hand yet rough and calloused.

Tap, tap.

She lightly patted the back of my hand, then firmly gripped it.

And then…

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds.

Time slowed, and I snapped back to my senses.

‘What… is this?’

Something about the atmosphere was off.

This was like… a romantic moment between a man and a woman.

After what happened with Misha, I had resolved to treat my comrades strictly as my comrades, so this atmosphere felt incredibly awkward for me.

So I quickly pulled my hand away.

‘Is she… not bothered at all?’

Amelia’s expression didn’t change. She just looked up at me—

Thunk!

—And punched me right in the gut.

“…What the heck?”

More confused than hurt, I looked at her, and she said coldly:

“I told you to wait.”

“…?”

“You said you’d take a quick look and then just ran off. This is your punishment.”

Ah…

She really can’t let things slide, huh?

“Ahem… Anyway! I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried you’d turned into a mana stone.”

When I changed the topic, Amelia seemed to realize that it wasn’t the right time to nag me, and she responded immediately.

“I heard about that mana stone thing. That place is quite interesting.”

“Yeah, no kidding. By the way, since you searched the building too, did you find anything?”

“I found three things.”

“Three?”

When I pressed her for details, Amelia smirked and continued:

“First, an exit. It felt different from a portal, but passing through it would take you outside the temple.”

“That’s probably the one I used to get in while searching for you all.” What’s the second?”

“The second was near the staircase. There was a small groove, and when I checked it, I found a hollow space inside the wall, just big enough to hide a small object. Unfortunately, it was empty.”

Ah, that.

But how did she even find it?

I only found it because Hamsiki tipped me off. Did she spot it just by being observant?

“What’s with that look? Do you know something?”

“Yeah, I found it earlier. Here, it was inside.”

“…You did?”

I pulled out the card I had found in the wall and showed it to Amelia, who seemed mildly surprised.

“I see… So this was supposed to be there.”

For some reason, Amelia seemed to have an epiphany the moment she saw the card.

“Wait, do you know what it’s for?”

“Not for certain yet.”

“Then what? Tell me.”

“It’s related to the third thing I found. I discovered a hidden door, but I couldn’t figure out how to open it.”

“You think this is the key?”

“If I’m right. There was a slot next to the hidden door, and this card would fit perfectly.”

“Hmm… I see.”

It was pointless to argue about whether or not it was a key.

We’d just go and test it.

“Where is it? Let’s go.”

“Top floor.”

Amelia led me to a large, empty hallway on the top floor.

I’d been there before while mapping the place, but I hadn’t found anything.

But now…

“Look at this gap in the wall. It’s different from the rest.”

Even with her explanation, I couldn’t tell.

What was unnatural about it?

“Hidden doors are often made this way. It’s rare to see gaps this clean.”

“Really?”

“More importantly, there’s a groove right here. That’s how I knew there was a door.”

Just as she said, there was a narrow slit in the wall that perfectly matched the card.

When I searched alone, I’d probably missed it entirely. Even if I had seen it, I would’ve dismissed it as nothing.

“So… should I insert it?”

Amelia gave a small nod.

After exchanging glances, I slid the card into the slot.

Clunk.

And then—

“What the… Nothing’s happeni—”

“Jandel, Step Back.”

After a short pause, the wall retracted to reveal a hidden hallway.

“…It really was there.”

Amelia and I exchanged another glance, then carefully stepped into the hallway.

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