Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 162

Exploration 1

The day after the negotiation with the district head, the entire team gathered for a second meeting.

After wrapping up the thirty-one discussions that were left unfinished last time, we all set about planning an exploration.

“Hmm, going down to the 5th floor will require a lot of preparations.”

“Can I leave that part to you? Just bring me the receipts, and I’ll handle it with the shared funds.”

“Sure. I was planning to visit Commelby anyway.”

Incidentally, the team name was also decided during this meeting.

I thought “Team Bjorn” would suffice, but…….

There was another person besides Aynar who had a romantic notion about team names.

“Um… I’ve been thinking about a name. What about ‘Narak’?”

“Narak?”

“It means ‘those who walk in darkness’ in ancient language. Isn’t it pretty cool?”

I honestly wasn’t sure if it was cool.

Those who walk in darkness…

“You also… have quite unique tastes.”

“……Are you making fun of me now?”

Anyway, I was about to choose the party’s name based on Raven’s claim that her suggestion was a lot better than the nonsensical name ’Bjorn’,

“Oh, no!! I decided on a team name too!”

Aynar, who had been dozing off, urgently joined the conversation.

“Huh? Oh, do you have something good?”

“Our team name will be ‘Apple Pie’!”

“Apple Pie…? Like the dessert?”

Raven asked with a half-baffled expression, and Aynar replied without hesitation.

‘Because it’s her favorite thing!’ or something?

“That’s ridiculous…”

“What’s ridiculous about it!!”

Raven sighed at Aynar’s insistence. She suggested we put it to a vote, confident we wouldn’t actually support such a name.

However…

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter to me. You guys decide.”

Mr. Bear abstained.

Unexpectedly, Misha cast a vote in favor.

“Nyang, I think Apple Pie is not bad… It’s sweet and tasty, isn’t it?”

Raven couldn’t contain herself

“Really! Hey, what about you, Mr. Jandel? Surely, you’re not considering using that ridiculous name?”

Honestly, I was conflicted.

If I sided with Raven, it would end up a tie, 2:2. Part of me wanted to just agree with Aynar to quickly wrap up this issue, but…

As the team leader, showing favoritism could hurt the mage’s feelings.

I had no choice but to offer a compromise.

“Let’s just combine the name to ‘Apple Narak’.”

“……”

“Or, maybe Narak Pie sounds better?”

“……I’ll go with the first one.”

“And Aynar, what about you?”

“I like that too! It sounds good to me!”

Thus, the official team name ‘Apple Narak’ was decided, concluding the second meeting.

Afterwards, peaceful days continued.

Reading in the library, or the entire team gathering every morning for practice..

Oh, and there was also the day when Hikurod came to visit.

[Ha ha ha! Long time no see. Aynar! Miss Raven!]

It was on the day the team gathered for the third practice session.

It seemed he had heard about us from Misha and became interested enough to pay us a visit…

We chatted about how things were going and then parted ways.

He told me that he’s already hired out the work to convert the shop into a smithy, and was busy scouting for a blacksmith.

[Oh, your wife runs a tavern? I’ll have to stop by sometime.]

[Yes, do come by and try the honey wine. My wife brews it herself; it’s a specialty of our place.]

Both being fans of alcohol, he surprisingly hit it off well with Mr. Bear.

Hmm, I wonder if they’ll become the new best friends?

Anyway, such peaceful times continued until the day arrived.

“We should start getting ready.”

Today was the day the labyrinth opened.

***

“Bjorn, are you all set?”

“Ah, just a moment.”

I was fully equipped for the first time in a while and slung the backpack I had packed the day before over my shoulder.

Creak.

As I opened the door and stepped out, Misha and Aynar were waiting.

“Did you forget anything?”

“No!!”

Aynar responded loudly to my question.

Misha sighed deeply beside her.

“Nyang, There won’t be any. Everything important is in my backpack anyway.”

“That’s good to know.”

Lately, I’ve been feeling particularly grateful for having them around. Things would have been much more tiring on my own.

“Nyang, Bjorn. There’s something in the mailbox?”

“Huh?”

Just as we were about to leave, Misha pointed at the mailbox near the door.

Opening it, I found a letter inside.

‘The sender is… Nile Urbans?’

A letter from the district head.

How long had it been sitting there?

I quickly tore it open and read through.

Well, “read” might be overstating it for a single sentence.

[I will not ask for compensation.]

I could sense the district head’s pride in that statement, but…

It felt like a gesture of reconciliation.

If he had wanted to engage in any sort of power struggle, he would have sent a fine or a bill along with it.

‘I did well to break it, then.’

When he asked what I wanted, demanding money was an option.

However, I didn’t mention anything about money and just smashed the door like a thug.

I wanted to imprint in his mind that making a mistake with me comes at a cost.

And that the cost couldn’t be settled with something like money.

‘So, I guess I don’t have to worry much about this anymore…’

I made it clear I had no intention of joining forces with his daughter, nor would I in the future. And I hinted that antagonizing me would lead to troublesome consequences.

Yet, if he were blinded by rage to cause trouble?

At least until the elections next year, it’s safe to say that won’t happen.

“What’s the letter about, Nyang?”

“Ah, it’s nothing to worry about.”

I tore the letter into pieces and threw it in the trash can as we left.

Then, we headed to our meeting place.

The central plaza of the 7th district.

As a common gathering spot, it was bustling with explorers waiting for their companions.

“You’re a minute late”

As soon as we arrived at the direction of the entrance, Raven greeted us with a smirk. 

However, it didn’t seem like she was upset about our tardiness. If anything, she appeared to be enjoying it.

“Pay up the fine. You promised, didn’t you?”

“Ah, right. The fine…”

Interestingly, the fine was one of the thirty-one topics she had raised during our second meeting.

So, how much was it again?

“One thousand stones per minute. So, with three of you, that makes three thousand stones.”

I readily opened my wallet and paid the fine for all three of us. If I hadn’t wasted time reading the letter, we wouldn’t have been late.

“But Raven, where’s your bag?”

As I handed over the fines, I realized that Raven wasn’t wearing anything on her back. Curious, I asked, and her response was intriguing.

“Oh, that?”

Raven smiled and tapped a ring on her finger twice.

A small portal opened in the air, glowing brightly.

“Extra-dimensional space…?”

“Yep. I thought I’d need it for my stay in the Labyrinth. I got rid of a bunch of stuff I didn’t need, and used the money to make a big purchase.”

So, extra-dimensional space was something you could just buy, if you were prepared to make the investment.

Raven proudly dropped the fine into her extra-dimensional space and closed the portal.

I felt a pang of deprivation.

Was this what feeling deprived was like?

She’d always complained about not having money…

I had genuinely thought she was just short on funds…

“Anyway, Abman is late, isn’t he?”

Trying to suppress my envy, the topic of conversation had already changed.

“Right. He wouldn’t just not show up, would he?”

“I’m not worried! Maybe he just got a bit lost on the way here!”

Raven laughed at Aynar’s suggestion as if it was absurd.

“Can a scout get lost? Really?”

“Well, it’s not impossible, right? I heard his ability is useless in the city.”

“But he lives around here, doesn’t he?”

“That’s… true. So, why is he late?”

“Maybe he’s got a stomach ache?!”

The trio began to chatter away about Mr. Bear’s tardiness.

I just kept quiet.

Mr. Bear’s lack of direction sense was something I planned to reveal once we were in the labyrinth.

Anyway, after a while, when the bustling square had quieted down and we began to worry for real, Mr. Bear finally arrived.

“Sorry for being late. Did you wait long?”

“First, pay the fine. You’re exactly 45 minutes late.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that…”

Mr. Bear, about to enter the labyrinth, was fined 45,000 stones even before we started.

“But why were you late?”

“It’s my first time coming at night. Somehow, the atmosphere felt unfamiliar.”

“What? What do you mean—”

“Let’s just go. We might be late if we dawdle.”

I quickly intervened to cut off the conversation and led the group toward the Dimensional Plaza, casting only the binding magic.

By the time we arrived, it was well past midnight, and the portal was slowly shrinking in size.

If we wait a bit longer, the timing for experience point duplication would come but…

‘Whether to tell them about this or not, I’ll decide after we finish this exploration.’

We pushed our way into the portal.

「You have entered the 1st Floor Crystal Caves.」

The now all-too-familiar scenery of the crystal caves greeted us.

As soon as we opened our eyes, Aynar’s shout echoed, striking our eardrums.

“Bethel—raaaaaaaaa!!”

“Ack! You scared me!”

Raven asked why she suddenly did that, to which Aynar replied

“Just felt like it!”

Ah, I understand that feeling.

I nodded as if to say I got where she was coming from.

After all, it was her first return in six months.

For a born barbarian like Aynar, the sentiment must have been quite different.

“Nyang, Looks like we really did gain another barbarian…”

Misha, who had been looking between me and Aynar, sighed heavily, while Mr Bear, surprisingly, just let it go.

“Still, it’s better than silence.”

Having spent a long time on his own, it seemed he didn’t mind the lively atmosphere.

Anyway, enough with the small talk.

“Abman, which way is closest?”

Mr. Bear pointed in a direction in response to my query.

I checked it against the compass and it was south.

In other words, our starting point this time was the Ghoul Territory.

‘Of course, we ended up on the opposite side again.’

“Since we are going to the Goblin Forest, this way should take us there. I’ll lead.”

Mr. Bear pocketed his compass and took the lead.

I wondered if it might be better just to use his initial instructions and guide the party myself…

‘Well, it will be good to know how bad he is.’

I needed to gauge the extent of Mr. Bear’s direction sense to see if it’s something that can be improved with effort or not.

If there’s no hope, I plan to use Mr. Bear as a living compass and navigate myself from now on.

I’ve learned a thing or two watching Rotmiller, after all.

“Alright.”

Naturally, heading south from the north meant we crossed the central part of the 1st floor.

The Dark Zone, where all four types of monsters appear.

Without even needing to take out a torch, Raven lit up the area with her light sphere magic.

Whoosh-!

Unlike the dreary red glow of the torches, the light was pure white and illuminated the surroundings.

It’s easy on the eyes, like being in a city.

But was there a concern?

“Nyang, It’s the 1st floor, wouldn’t it be better to conserve mana?”

“This much is fine. It charges pretty fast.”

“Ah, uhm… right, Nyang?”

“Yep. And don’t worry. Keeping this on won’t interfere with casting other spells.”

Misha clamped her mouth shut right away.

It seemed she was feeling the majesty of real mages, something Dwalki had dejectedly mentioned countless times.

“Faster recharge, that’s interesting. The mage I was with in the past wasn’t capable of that.”

Hearing Mr. Bear mutter, Raven stood a bit prouder.

“Hmm, I’m hesitant to boast, but I’m quite confident in my mana. It might be hard to find someone on par with me in my age group.”

“Oh? Is that so? Turns out you’re quite a capable mage.”

“That’s an overstatement. You, Mr. Urichfried, is a rank 5 explorer and a scout, after all.”

As they complimented each other, we continued through the cave until we came upon a cavern about 30 meters in diameter.

“Ah, this is where that rift…”

“Aynar.”

“…”

With a short call, Aynar clamped her mouth shut with her hands.

Her action made her look even more suspicious, but fortunately, everyone’s attention was drawn to the monument erected at the center of the cavern.

“I’ve only heard about it but seeing it for the first time.”

Raven, true to her nature as a mage, approached the monument with intellectual curiosity.

Misha, like a seasoned 5th-year explorer, also showed understanding.

“Is this it? The monument the Immortal King erected to commemorate the great mage who first discovered the labyrinth?”

“Yes. That’s the general belief.”

“Generally?”

“There’s a hypothesis circulating in academia that the labyrinth wasn’t discovered but created. Ah, to put it simply… the theory suggests that the great sage didn’t just observe another dimension’s coordinates to construct a portal but actually created this labyrinth dimension.”

Raven, ever the explainer, went on at length.

Aynar paid no mind, and Misha just absorbed it as interesting trivia.

However, I found it intriguing.

“What’s the basis for the mage to think that?”

“The monument?”

Raven immediately continued her explanation upon my interjection.

“The labyrinth has a constancy. Even if the terrain is destroyed, it returns to its original state the next time the portal opens. This has led to speculation that dimensional travel might involve not just space but also time coordinates…”

“Ugh, my head…”

Aynar appeared to be in pain from the barrage of complex terms.

Raven, slightly pouting, offered a condensed explanation.

“This monument is evidence that space-time magic was much more advanced during the era when the labyrinth was first discovered than it is now. Perhaps creating space, which is impossible now, might have been possible back then.”

Even the summary was a bit lengthy, but…

“I see.”

I got the gist of it.

Essentially, mages thousands of years ago were proficient in dimensional magic.

‘I should look into the great sage more.’

Maybe there’s another way back to Earth besides the ‘Abyssal Gate.’

“Are we done with the discussion?”

“Yes, let’s get moving.”

Mr. Bear, seemingly indifferent to such topics, urged us on from a distance, and we resumed our exploration.

And then…

“Hey, back at the monument!”

In about 15 minutes, we somehow ended up back where we started.

Even after closely observing the process, I couldn’t understand how Mr. Bear was finding his way; it was baffling.

“What happened, Urichfried?”

I immediately abandoned my plan to train Mr. Bear into a scout.

“Ah, a mistake. I thought it might be faster going this way…”

This was not something that could be fixed.

See You on Monday