Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 365

Responsibility (3)

The “Ghost Valley,” the entry barrier to the seventh floor of the Dark Continent.

Once you pass through here, you reach the lake where we’re currently stationed, and beyond that, the area splits into three fields.

The first is the Aribeona River Delta.

This route follows the river, which leads to a lake where waterfalls cascade down. Following this route is the quickest way to reach the heart of the Dark Continent, the Dragon Mountains…

“This is where Velarios appears.”

It’s also the place where I can collect the essence responsible for anti-magic in the final stage of my character development.

Well, since we’re just a patrol, we won’t be heading that far this time.

Anyway.

The second field is the Great Forest, a vast jungle spreading widely to the east of the river delta.

It’s so large that it’s divided into several sub-fields, but that’s the official name.

And then…

Third, the Pantheon Ruins, located west of the delta.

Approximately thirty people make up the 4th Patrol Unit, to which I belong, and it’s our destination.

“All troops, forward!”

Upon arriving at the entrance of the ruins, which are practically a wasteland, the patrol unit reorganized their formation and officially entered the field.

Of course, the patrol’s primary purpose was active defense in case of unexpected ambushes, so we didn’t go deep into the ruins.

However…

“Vanguard, forward!”

“Shield wall up!”

From the start, this place is swarming with monsters.

[Grrrrr…]

Starting with modified beasts with steel bodies like golems.

Thud! Thud!

Giant magitech golems.

Whiiiir—!

Mechanical flying monsters that hover like drones.

Monsters that had been lying dormant in the ruins detected our intrusion and began to pour out.

However, none of the monsters managed to break through the Shield wall to reach us.

Boom!

The monsters were blocked by a massive wall of people.

I never thought I’d see someone’s back from this angle.

‘So, this is what the others usually see.’

Caught in a strange feeling, I smashed the monsters flanking out from the sides as soon as the attack orders were given.

「Your character has used [Swing].」

「You have defeated a Gigawolf. EXP +4.」

Even though it’s the 7th floor, the monsters at the entrance of the Pantelion Ruins weren’t of high average level, so none of them could withstand a single proper strike.

Perhaps because they were mechanically modified, the tactile sensation was unique.

Clang, crack, crunch!

Well, all I had to do was swing the hammer, so it was incredibly convenient.

“Vanguard, move aside!”

At the commander’s shout, the shielded tanks moved in perfect coordination, opening a path through the center.

Monsters then poured out directly from front, but…

“Riona Er Eppura!”

By then, the rear was already prepared with a combined spell.

Zing!

A beam-like light shot out from the center of our formation, piercing through a dozen or so large monsters.

With that, the battle quickly ended as the remaining monsters were swiftly dealt with.

‘..Hunting is a lot easier in a raid team like this. With priests, the vanguard is stable too.”

Although the monsters weren’t high-level, there were more than a hundred of them, and it hadn’t even taken us ten minutes to clean up.

Well, we have over thirty people on our side, so that’s natural.

Even if we defeated a hundred, dividing the loot among the number of people means the gains from this battle wouldn’t be that great.

“No essence dropped, so we’ll collect the mana stones and resume movement!”

Soon, the patrol continued to hunt… or rather, patrol the ruins’ entrance repeatedly.

And…

‘Wow, I’ve gained over 100 EXP today.’

We defeated over twenty new monsters during this patrol.

Although the appearing monsters were of low level, there were many unique entities that inhabit only this field.

“Well then, everyone, good work.”

After about ten hours of patrolling, we handed over the post to the next shift and returned to the base.

And we each received a voucher from the administrative officer.

Apparently, this token was proof of our share of the loot from the hunt. We can submit it to the Merit Office when we return to the city for payment0…

“Hey, you.”

As I turned to leave after receiving my token, a man casually approached me.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“…Who are you?”

I didn’t remember having any friends like this, and the man was a complete stranger—

“What’s with the ‘never seen you before’ reaction? I was right next to you during the fight.”

Was he?

Thinking back now, maybe he was…

In these situations, it’s best to feign ignorance and change the subject.

“Ah, so what’s your business?”

When I asked why he approached, the man, acting as if he were my superior, patted my shoulder.

“I saw earlier—you fight really well?”

Ah, so he’s here for some friendly bonding?

Thinking so, I responded modestly.

“You have low standards if you think that was impressive.”

“What?”

For some reason, the man frowned.

But that wasn’t my concern.

So, I casually brushed his hand off my shoulder.

Smack.

I’d been feeling a bit irritated anyway.

If you want to befriend me, at least look me in the eyes properly.

“So, what’s your real business?”

When I asked again, his fake smile disappeared.

And then…

“I thought I’d give you some advice.”

He said something unexpected.

“…Advice?”

“From what I saw, you’ve just been blindly building strength. If you keep consuming essence like that, you’ll eventually face a big danger.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a dagger and cut a wound on his own arm.

“See this? No matter how hard I press, it doesn’t cut deeply. A true explorer focuses not just on strength but on balance, like me—”

“Ah, so you’re just an idiot.”

“…?”

“Oh, sorry. I meant to think that to myself.”

Even though I apologized like a man, the guy glared at me with a sour expression.

He looks like he’d die if I just flicked him.

Showing off his measly physical resistance stats in front of me?

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“So, what’s your name?”

Still, just in case, I decided to ask for his name.

“Melliver Eltein.”

What, he wasn’t Hans?

‘Oh, well. I’ll see you around.’

“Mister, what are you doing there?”

“As you can see, my party has arrived now.”

I roughly erased the name I just heard from my memory and left the spot.

****

So his name was Melliver…

Or was it?

I can’t remember well, but unfortunately, I never saw that guy again.

I continued to take on patrol duties afterward, but since I joined a different patrol unit each time…

The reason for doing so was simple.

Each patrol unit patrolled only one field permanently.

Well, from the command’s standpoint, it was a reasonable measure.

If one patrol unit is responsible for one area, they’ll become familiar with the terrain, and naturally, their teamwork will improve.

Normally, it would be impossible to change units like this every time.

Unless you have connections in the military high command.

[“Raven, I heard the 11th Patrol Unit is going deeper this time…”]

[“Got it. I’ll write you a recommendation letter.”]

[“Thanks.”]

Thanks to Raven helping me from behind, I could accumulate experience by visiting not only the Pantelion Ruins, our first patrol site, but also the Aribeona River Mouth and the Great Forest.

Of course, I only explored the outer areas, so there were plenty of monsters I hadn’t encountered yet.

But each time I switched patrol teams, my experience continued to build up.

And so time passed endlessly, until now.

「Your character has leveled up.」

「Soul Power increased by +30.」

「Your character’s level has increased.」

「Soul Power has increased by +30.」

「Maximum absorbable essences have increased by +1.」

I finally reached rank 7, and my essence slots expanded by one.

Meaning I can add a new synergy to the current combination.

“Since the money problem is almost solved, there’s no need to participate in the next one. Maybe I should grind for essences in the next exploration.”

Ah, in that case, I need to get a ship first?

Lost in various thoughts, I suddenly realized that it was quite quiet around me.

“Raven.”

“What?”

“Where are Erwin and Emily?”

“That woman said she was going to rest in the barracks, and Erwin… I’m not sure. She left shortly after that.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“So, is that all your questions?”

Saying that, Raven had already taken her eyes off me and was reading through documents.

Geez, at least give me time to respond.

“Come to think of it… seems like it’s just the two of us.”

Not wanting to disturb her work, I stepped back without saying more, and this time felt strangely unfamiliar.

After all, since reuniting, there had always been someone else, like Amelia or Elwen, around whenever I saw Raven.

‘This is a good chance to ask what I’ve been curious about.’

“Hey, Raven.”

“What now?”

“That thing you mentioned… what exactly was ‘that incident’?”

When I asked carefully, Raven’s hand, which had been moving her pen, froze for a moment.

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

“What incident?”

She was pretending not to understand.

“You know, the one you mentioned in front of the cell. You said something happened after entering the Mage Tower… that ‘incident.’”

“…I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not important.”

“…Really? Well, if you say so.”

As barbaric as I might act most of the time, I didn’t plan to be rude during moments like these, so I quickly let my curiosity go.

And then…

“Well, how’s your mother? Is she doing okay?”

I decided to switch topics and make small talk instead.
It might be a bit sensitive, but it wasn’t entirely unrelated to me.

“Do you… know something?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at her strange reaction, and Raven quickly brushed it off.

“It’s nothing. But… why are you asking about my mother? It doesn’t seem like something you’d be curious about.”

Heh, I knew she’d try to draw a line like that.

“Why wouldn’t I be curious? I was the one who convinced her to send you to the Mage Tower.”

At my casual remark, Raven flinched.

“…What, what did you say?”

“Not sure if you remember, but you came to the library crying after getting hit by your mother. You were bawling and begged me to help—”

“That… never happened!!”

“Huh? You said you barely remember those days?”

“Still, I have enough faith to know I’d never do something like that.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, so cut the jokes and just tell me. Were you serious about convincing my mother?”

“Yeah.”

I proceeded to tell her the full story of what had happened back then.

Back at the cell, I hadn’t had the time to explain everything in detail.

But now, I wanted to.

It wasn’t just about clearing things up—it was also to know how much of an impact my actions had on her life.

Because who knows?

There might come a day when I’ll need to use the ‘Fragment of Record’ again.

‘Ah, I should probably leave out that part, though.’

Even as I told the story, I deliberately left out certain parts of the conversation with her mother.

The reason was simple.

[That child will eventually abandon me.]

[One day, she’ll become someone great and look down on me. Then she’ll leave for her 0own world, just like that person did… because she’s his blood.]

[Doesn’t something seem wrong? Why is that child’s life so easy? I’ve never met anyone who helped me for such reasons. But… why is that child…]

How could I possibly bring up such dark memories?

Especially in front of her.

“The stuff that happened between us at the library doesn’t matter anymore. So, hurry up and tell me. What exactly did you talk about with my mother?”

“There wasn’t much. I persuaded her to send you to the Mage Tower, saying I’d cover all the expenses, but she refused.”

“She… refused?”

“Technically, she refused the money. Apparently, the Mage Tower had already sent someone to scout you a few days before. You were drawing attention by going around zapping people with magic at such a young age.”

“I see… So that’s why my mother suddenly changed her mind…”

“Ahem, it’s a bit awkward to say, but in that sense, you could consider me your benefactor…”

I subtly hinted at it, but Raven remained silent, choosing to ignore me.

“…”

Well, that was awkward.

“So… how’s your mother doing now? Are you two getting along?”

When I changed the subject, Raven answered coldly.

“We can’t get along even if we wanted to.”

“…What?”

“She’s already gone.”

Her words hit me like a punch.

“Oh… I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t think there were any health problems or…”

I was so flustered that I stammered, trying to patch things up, but there was no undoing what had been said.

“It wasn’t a health issue. It wasn’t an accident either. And it certainly wasn’t because her time ran out.”

“…Then?”

“She hanged herself. Took her own life.”

“…”

“It was about a month after I’d joined the Mage Tower. I was sent home for a week to complete an assignment from my mentor…”

Raven spoke as if she were reading from an old journal tucked away in a dusty corner.

“There was a rotten smell coming from the bedroom. That was my last memory of my mother.”

“…”

“Don’t make that face. I’ve already moved on. People die all the time—it’s not that shocking.”

Though Raven tried to comfort me, seeing how lost I was, I couldn’t say anything in return.

Her words only made something else crystal clear in my mind.

[Isn’t it strange? I’ve worked my entire life, and all I have is this filthy room.]

And after we talked, as if all her strength had drained from her body…

[What was the point of my life?]

I could still see her staggering figure as she walked into the alleyway.