Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 353

Dark Continent (4)

“Rihen! Here’s some water!”

“Ah, thanks.”

While the explorers, including myself, refreshed ourselves with water or alcohol and took a brief rest, the royal personnel made their rounds inside the hull, conducting a personnel check.

And then…

“Once we disembark, the ship will be immediately desummoned, so make sure to gather all your belongings without leaving anything behind!”

After the inspection was over, we followed military orders, boarding small boats one by one to move towards the shore.

At the shore, the troops who had already disembarked were standing in orderly rows and columns.

Though by modern standards of matching left foot to left foot, it was rather disorganized.

“Thankfully, it seems like they weren’t waiting for us here.”

“It seems like the Noark forces are being careful to avoid direct conflict with the main force too.”

“True, it’d be harder for us to lose with this many troops.”

Anyway, as we waited under strict orders, the front troops soon began their march.

Of course, we didn’t follow.

That’s because we were on the third-class ship today.

Our ship, officially designated as 3-21, was tasked with escorting the 3rd Mage Corps.

Unfortunately, the primary mission of this 3rd Mage Corps is to secure the retreat path,

In simpler terms, after the main forces depart, our job is to establish a base here and defend it for the duration of this war.

“Alright, let’s set up camp!”

As soon as the remaining ships of the 3 Corps disembarked, the time had come to properly establish our base.

The explorers pitched the tents they were supplied with, while the mages busied themselves drawing various magic circles.

Time passed.

Whoosh—!

Thanks to magic, the deafening sound of the nearby waterfall subsided, and the thick mist that had been obstructing our view dissipated.

“Phew, now it feels livable.”

“Please take a break while you can! Tent assignments and mission details will be announced soon!”

As the base camp was nearly completed, the tents where we would be staying were also assigned.

It was a six-person tent located on the eastern side of the camp, near the lake.

Though we were now under military command, they didn’t separate the three of us,  following the practice of keeping teammates together…

“Haha, let’s introduce ourselves. We’ll be working together from now on.”

Three people we’d never seen before were added to our group.

Not only would we be sharing a tent, but we’d also have to patrol and stand guard together later on…

‘Since there are only three of us, this is how it worked out.’

Whether in a clan or team, the standard unit is now six people due to the updated binding magic.

But with just three of us, the system matched us with others automatically.

‘Although, it doesn’t seem entirely random.’

I glanced at the man who was leading the conversation with a friendly smile.

He was dressed in a dashing uniform, with a sword hanging at his waist, but the emblem on his chest indicated that he was a mage of the magical corps.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Alex Hale, the deputy officer of the 3rd Mage Corps.”

“Deputy officer?”

As I muttered under my breath, Amelia whispered into my ear.

“It means he’s the assistant to the vice-commander.”

Oh, so he’s Raven’s right-hand man?

The reason he’s been sent here is obvious.

He’s here to monitor us… no, specifically to keep an eye on Erwin.

“The six people assigned to this tent will henceforth be part of Squad 3-17, and I will be the squad leader—”

“Squad leader? Who decided that?”

Erwin, not bothering to hide her displeasure, questioned him. A crack appeared in the man’s smile.

“Haha… I understand if there’s some discontent about that. But it’s a directive from above—”

“You’re trying to act calm, but I can see you’re pretty nervous.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Why? Does something about me make you uncomfortable?”

The man flinched for a moment at Erwn’s question, but then forced a smile and shook his head.

“…Of course not. If anything, I find it reassuring to have you here.”

It was obvious he was just being polite.

If he truly felt that way, he wouldn’t have been avoiding Erwin’s gaze.

“That’s enough.”

Knowing that the man was simply following orders, I stepped in to diffuse the situation.

“But we’re more than capable on our own…”

“Having more people is never a bad thing.”

“But still, a military officer as the leader… that’s a bit much.”

“It’s not that unusual for someone from the military to lead a squad. Why are you so against it?”

“…Fine, I’ll drop it.”

Erwin, sensing my disapproval, grudgingly shut her mouth.

But perhaps her reaction had left an impression.

For the first time, the man’s gaze turned towards me.

“And you are…?”

Rihen Schuiz

“Ah, yes… I’ve heard of you. It’s an honor to meet you. And this must be Miss Emily Raines beside you?”

“That’s right.”

After exchanging greetings with me, the man introduced the other two who had been standing silently nearby, watching the situation unfold.

“These two were aboard the 3rd-class ship that sank during the journey. Fortunately, they were rescued, but unfortunately, not all their comrades made it.”

I knew it—there was a reason they were pulled from another team.

As we shifted our gaze toward the two newcomers, they nervously introduced themselves.

“It is an honor to meet you, Blood Spirit Queen. Ah, and of course, your companions as well. I am Raikion Elt, a rank 5 explorer.”

He left a decent first impression.

He seemed polite enough, and considering he’d stayed silent until the introductions, he appeared to have some awareness.

And With rank 5, he should be competent.

Besides, their situation seemed pretty unfortunate…

“I’ll do my best not to be a burden! I’m Hans Kaiser.”

“…What?”

Without thinking, I blurted out a reaction, prompting the man to kindly repeat his name.

Is this some kind of joke?

***

I thought for a moment.

What happened the last time I saw someone named Hans?

It came to me quickly.

The Hans I met on Farune Island was a traitor.

And then…

‘After meeting him, I got sucked into the past.’

I spent half a year there, and when I returned, two and a half years had passed in the present.

Not only that, my comrades had scattered, and I had somehow ended being labeled as an evil spirit.

“Haha…”

I chuckled hollowly as Hans K tilted his head in confusion.

“Um… is something wrong?”

There was no need to engage further.

It would only bring bad luck.

“Erwin.”

“Yes?”

“Earlier, you said we were enough on our own, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

I see.

“Sigh…”

I seriously considered it.

One word from me, and Erwin would tear this group apart without hesitation, screaming all the way.

But…

‘If I do that, Raven’s bound to hear about it.’

That’s the problem.

Raven knows about my deep-seated hatred of Hans. If she hears the details, she might start growing suspicious of me.

‘Wait… as long as it doesn’t look like I kicked them out because of the name Hans, it should be fine, right?’

Now that I think about it, that’s true.

Alright, I’ve made my decision.

“They’re garbage.”

“…What?”

“I meant that people like them would just drag us down.”

As cold words of contempt spilled from my lips, their faces stiffened.

They probably never expected me, not Erwin, to say something like that.

“Haha… what do you mean? Didn’t you just say earlier that having more people was a good thing?”

Ah, that.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

Hans is a serious matter.

I immediately demanded that either they leave or we be removed from this group.

The man looked troubled, but…

“Unbelievable. Hiding behind someone’s skirts, you think you’re something special?”

“Forget it. We’ll leave. There’s no reason for us to stay and be insulted. But make sure to tell the military that the problem wasn’t with us.”

Apparently, I had hit their pride enough, because they voluntarily announced their withdrawal and stormed out of the tent.

Whew, that’s one problem solved—

“Should I follow them and finish them off?”

“No need. Don’t even engage.”

“Alright!”

As we were talking, I noticed Alex, Raven’s right-hand man, glaring at me with hatred.

Ah, Right. He must have heard Raven’s misunderstanding of me.

At first, I must have seemed decent, but now he probably thinks I’m just some arrogant fool relying on others’ power.

“So, what will you do now? The group that was supposed to have six people now has only four.”

“…I’ll report to the Vice commander and update you on how we’ll proceed.”

“Alright, then.”

Once Alex left to deliver his report, Elwin cautiously asked me a question.

“Why did you react that way earlier?”

“That guy’s name was Hans, wasn’t it?”

“…Why does that matter?”

Ah, I guess she doesn’t know about my Hans-related issues?

Hmm, now that I think about it, I’ve never told her.

Just as I was about to explain, Amelia giggled and answered in my place.

“Didn’t know about this little quirk of his, huh?”

“…So you do?”

“Of course.”

Amelia shrugged and gave a brief explanation of my ‘Hans curse.’

She knew because of a certain incident where she had mockingly called me Hans.

But Erwin, who had been unaware, seemed upset.

“Hans…”

The name rolled off her tongue with a murderous undertone as she clenched her fist in determination.

“Come to think of it, the traitor on Farune Island was also Hans Aulock. I’m sorry. I’ll never forget it again.”

“Uh… sure.”

I hoped she wouldn’t start putting arrows through the foreheads of every Hans we met, but I decided not to worry too much about it.

After all, a Hans is a Hans.

I’m sure they’re guilty of something.

‘The real problem is that I’ve already encountered a Hans…’

Although we managed to kick HansK out of the squad quickly, we were in the same room with him for too long.

And considering we’re in the middle of the 7th-floor battlefield…

“Mister, your hands are trembling…”

Ah, this is driving me crazy.

***

What on earth is about to go wrong?

Just as I was trembling with anxiety, unable to rest properly—

“Your situation has been resolved.”

Alex returned to inform us of how our group’s issue would be handled.

Nothing had changed much.

We would remain a group of four, and Alex would still be the leader.

However…

“From now on, we won’t be tasked with external patrols or guard duties. Instead, we’ll be assigned to VIP protection.”

Our mission was changed to guarding the vice-commander of the 3rd Mage Division, Raven.

Of course, I had no issue with this.

With Commander Kyle currently away assisting a special unit of the 1st Division, Raven was effectively the most important figure in our unit.

Most likely, calling it “protection” was just an excuse for her to keep an eye on us and prevent us from causing trouble.

Yes, everything would have been fine.

If only I hadn’t heard the sound of magical cannons booming in the distance.

KABOOM!

And if only the alarm magic hadn’t started blaring throughout the camp.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

“An ambush! We’re under attack!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

It all happened less than two hours after encountering Hans K.