Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 351

Dark Continent (2)

The scorching sunlight and the heated grains of sand.

In this place where the cool yet somewhat damp breeze carries the salty scent of the sea.

The Island of Beginnings, Laimia.

However, the vast ocean, stretching along the horizon, was nowhere to be seen.

[You have entered the 6th Floor: The Great Ocean]

As soon as I crossed the portal, the first thing that caught my eye was the enormous sailing ships, each over a hundred meters long, lined up along the coastline.

The ships were so large and numerous that the wide ocean seemed narrow.

“Alright, if you’ve come through, move aside quickly! Others need to come through too!”

Without even having time to look around, we were ushered away from the portal by an explorer wearing the symbol of the Explorer’s Guild.

His tone was so casual that I asked Erwin about him, and she said he wasn’t an official guild employee.

Perhaps they were explorers hired by the guild?

The royal family had requested assistance from the guild for managing explorers, but since there weren’t enough personnel, they outsourced the task.

‘Well, I guess it’s hard for a regular employee to make it to the sixth layer.’

Anyway, since the war had been ongoing for over a year, the established procedures flowed smoothly, as if it were second nature.

“Come this way! First, we’ll help you register for the war and assign you to a unit!”

After waiting in the long line along the eastern coastline, we finally presented our identification and completed our enlistment.  By the way, there was a bit of commotion here.

Because Erwin was too famous.

“Erwen Fornacci di Tersia… uh… um, Blood Spirit Queen…?”

“Is there a problem?”

“N-No, not at all! I apologize for the disturbance!”

Even though it was strange for someone like Erwin to be registering alone, the clerk seemed uncomfortable even talking to her and hurriedly completed the process.

“Explorer Amelia Raines, Rank 5. You have previous participation records. Registration completed.”

After Erwin, it was Amelia’s turn, and her registration was done in a mere second.

A name created two years ago, age 22.

She started as a rank 9 explorer and slowly raised her rank, paying taxes and perfectly completing her fake identity.

Unless someone who knew Amelia’s real face showed up, she could pass without a hitch.

Unlike me, who attracted a few curious looks.

“Explorer Rihen Schuiz, Rank 5. No prior combat record. Could you remove your helmet, please?”

The identity Amelia had prepared for me, ‘Rihen Schuiz,’ was of an explorer who had been active five years ago. Thankfully, the broker had kept up with the taxes, so there were no issues on paper…

“Hmm.”

Perhaps because I looked younger than the age of 29?

I felt like an underage kid trying to buy cigarettes.

Still, thanks to the light brown hair dye matching the color on my ID, I managed to get through. My eye color had already been set to match.

“Is there an issue?”

“No, I just wish you luck on your return.”

“Thanks.”

Even though I had to briefly remove my helmet, the registration process concluded without any problems.

Just like Amelia said, there were so many cases of explorers returning from retirement for the war that I wasn’t too suspicious.

There were even two such cases among the Seven Pillars.

After completing the registration, we moved to the bulletin board next to us.

The board had brief descriptions of the ships currently waiting and the personnel on board, and choosing which ship to board was quite important in war.

“There’s no need to worry about what to ride. Since it’s your first time, you can’t board anything other than a third-class ship.”

“Third-class ship?”

“It’s a ship mainly boarded by explorers who haven’t made any significant achievements yet or don’t belong to large clans with significant power. Because of that, their combat power is relatively low, so they are mainly positioned in the rear to take on support roles.”

Haha, so newbies have to start from the bottom, huh?

Well, it would be troublesome to have a newbie tagging along in a dangerous battlefield, dragging everyone down.

“Then let’s board that one.”

We chose the third-class ship that had the fewest people onboard, thinking it would give us the best chance at securing a decent cabin.

“Luckily, we managed to get a three-person room.”

“Is it hard to get a three-person room?”

“It’s not that rare, but it’s definitely the most popular.”

I could figure out the reason without needing to ask.

‘Ah, the bonding magic must’ve been updated while I was gone.’

These days, a standard team consists of six people.

So, a three-person room is the most popular since it perfectly divides into two teams.

“Since we set sail tomorrow, let’s take it easy and rest for now.”

“Yeah, sounds good! So, what should we talk about?”

“…I said, rest.”

“Yes, I know. I’m resting.”

“…”

I shot a pleading look at Amelia, but she had already finished unpacking and was lying in bed, pretending to be asleep.

Tch, pretending to sleep, huh.

“Well, should we talk about the war then…?”

“Sure! Do you have any questions?”

“I heard that the people on the third-class ships are usually given support roles at the rear. What kind of missions do they handle?”

“Well… I’m not sure, since I’m always at the front. But I think they handle tasks like securing retreat routes or providing escort.”

I wasn’t too tired, so I kept chatting with Erwin, listening to various bits of information.

Then, after some time had passed—

Knock knock.

Suddenly, we had a visitor.

It was someone we all knew well.

“…I heard you were on the same ship, so I came to say hi. It’s been a while, Tersia.”

I never thought we’d meet again so soon.

***

“Phew…”

A blonde woman standing in front of the closed cabin adjusted the collar of her uniform.

Then she let out a deep sigh.

‘Why did this woman suddenly act out like this?’

Blood Spirit Queen, Erwen Fornacci di Tercia.

That was the reason Raven was standing in front of this cabin now.

Because for some reason, that woman, a member of the Seven Pillars, boarded a third-class ship instead of a first-class ship.

‘…Seriously, they always make me handle the troublesome tasks.’

Originally, the Third Magic Corps she belonged to was also scheduled to board a third-class ship, as escort forces are essential for their mage-based power.

But that ship was definitely not this ship.

It just so happened that she was reassigned to this ship by orders from above.

‘We’re not particularly close anymore. We weren’t that close before either.’

Because they were once members of the same clan, the higher-ups assigned her to this ship, but she wasn’t confident.

How could she control that crazy woman?

Who knows what trouble she might cause.

‘Still, since I’ve been ordered, I have no choice but to talk to her and try to figure out what she’s up to…’

She sighed and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

The door opened about ten seconds after she knocked.

Creak.

The rusty hinges creaked in the sea breeze, and the previously closed cabin came into view.

As per the information, there were three people in total.

‘Fifth-grade explorer Rihen Schuiz, and Emily Raines.’

One was wearing a helmet even inside the cabin, and another had her eyes and ears covered by a black veil that came down to her nose.

This made Raven even more curious.

Who on earth were these two to be moving together with a woman like the Blood Spirit Queen?

“Stop staring at the Mister and state your business.”

Her cold, almost hostile tone snapped Raven out of her observations, and she turned her gaze to Erwin.

She forced a polite smile.

“…I heard we were on the same ship, so I wanted to say hello. It’s been a while, Tersia.”

“Yeah. If you’re done, can you leave now?”

Tsk, when will she ever fix that attitude?

Raven clicked her tongue internally but didn’t show it outwardly. She had too many questions to leave just yet.

For example…

“Did you just call him ‘Mister’ earlier?”

Why did she refer to that man as “Mister”?

Wasn’t that nickname reserved for only one person?

Unfortunately, Erwin didn’t respond.

She just stared at Raven with a look that seemed to ask, What does it matter to you?

However, there was a slight hint of unease in her eyes.

Like she had just shown something she didn’t want to reveal.

“Hmm.”

Raven shifted her gaze from Erwin to the man.

Though his face was hidden by the helmet, there was something strangely familiar about him.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what, but…

Despite having no obvious commonalities, something about him reminded her of someone.

“Could it be…?”

Raven’s mouth dropped open.

And she looked back and forth between Erwin and the man.

***

The longer the silence lasted, and the longer Raven’s gaze lingered on me, the more anxious I felt.

‘No way… Did she figure it out already?’

If so, what’s going to happen now?

Will I be able to convince her that I’m not an evil spirit?

If she doesn’t believe me, she’ll definitely inform the royal family…

“…”

I glanced sideways at Erwin, and she was also looking at me.

Her expression seemed to say, What do we do now, Mister?

I almost laughed at the absurdity.

 

Wait, why are you looking at me when this is your fault—

 

“Could it be…?”

At that moment, Raven’s mouth opened, ending the uncomfortable silence.

“I didn’t think you’d be broken this badly.”

…Huh?

What is she talking about?

Both Erwin and I were confused, and Raven continued in a somewhat sad voice.

“Ms. Tercia, no, Erwin… Seeking someone to replace him isn’t right.”

“Ah…?”

“There’s no such thing, you know. You just have to overcome it, even though it’s hard.”

“Uh…?”

Only then did I understand the situation.

Raven had misunderstood.

She thought Erwin missed me so much that she found a similar man and was role-playing while covering his face.

“And you.”

Raven, in her neat-fit uniform, suddenly turned and glared at me.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“…?”

“Don’t even think about taking advantage of Erwin. No matter what, I won’t allow it. I’ll be keeping an eye on you, and if you cross the line, even once…”

Her voice trailed off menacingly, and I couldn’t help but try to explain.

“Wait! I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but I have no intention of—”

“Your voice…”

“Voice?”

When I tilted my head at her incomprehensible words, Raven stiffened and avoided my gaze.

“Your voice… is similar.”

It was as if she now understood why Erwin was acting that way.

“So that’s why…”

Muttering in a bitter voice, Raven looked at Erwin and said.

“But you can’t do this. He wouldn’t want this either, would he?”

Her sincerity was palpable, and her tone was almost pleading rather than advising.

But it wouldn’t work on Erwin.

Because she was completely misunderstanding the situation.

“W-what gives you the right to interfere? You don’t know anything!”

Then Erwin regained her composure and went on the defensive.

Ah, in other words, she attacked.

“Get out now, and don’t ever come back!”

Erwin forcibly pushed Raven out and slammed the door shut.

***

Time passed quickly after Raven’s visit.

When the day of departure arrived, the fleet of warships along the coastline unfurled their sails, and the identity of our ship was revealed.

“We’re to escort the Mage Battalion?”

The explorers aboard this ship were to join the 3rd Mage Battalion in battle as soon as we reached the 7th Floor.

Oh, and by the way, while en route, we had drills on the deck to familiarize ourselves with formations and tactics for the battlefield.

‘So that’s why each ship forms its own unit. There’s enough time to train while sailing.’

The voyage to the 7th Floor was expected to take about 15 days.

Aside from the drills, most of the time was free, and I spent nearly all of it on the deck.

For a simple reason.

It turns out, Barbarians don’t do well on the sea.

“Uweeeek!”

Even with such a large ship, my seasickness was so bad that I couldn’t stay in the cabin.

Spending so much time on deck also led to frequent encounters with Raven.

Very frequent encounters.

Somehow, she always appeared when Erwin wasn’t around.

“…Even your seasickness is the same. It’s annoying.”

“…Uweeek.”

“Why are you covering your face like that? Did Erwin tell you to?”

“Uweeek…”

“Well, I guess your face doesn’t resemble him much.”

“…”

“You’ve got a decent face. Why hide it? Don’t you have any pride?”

“…”

“You better not try anything funny. I won’t let you get away with it.”

Ugh, I feel like I’m dying here.

Why does she keep pestering me?