Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 88

Baron Martoin(4)

The baron’s request was simple.

In two months’ time, a certain count was throwing a big banquet.

I just needed to accompany him and attend the event.

“That’s all?”

“Well, it would be great if you could also do some tricks for the audience, like bending steel with your bare hands, things like that”.

Essentially, he wanted to use me as a trophy to stand out at the party…

“Can you do it?”

What, do you think barbarians can’t handle such tasks?

“That should be no problem.”

“Then that’s settled.”

The reward for this task was 1 million stones and the lifting of Dwalki’s Labyrinth ban.

Hmm, is this how nobles are?

Wasting that much money just to show off.

‘Well, I’ll just pick up the crumbs.’

Even without Dwalki’s issue, the deal was worth it.

Earning 1 million stones just for a day of pleasing company?

Remembering the smelly sewer job was only 150,000 stones.

“Hmm, fine. I’ll take care of your friend’s problem right away. Consider it a gesture of my goodwill towards you.”

The Baron even showed the generosity to take care of Dwalki’s problem first.

I wondered what he would do if I didn’t keep my end of the bargain..

‘I suppose that’s what nobility is all about: not having to worry about things like that’

It’s a reminder of the long road ahead.

I’ve built a degree of strength.

Gained some modest fame.

But…

‘It’s time to start planning that side too.’

I need power.

As in the game.

And as it has been since I woke up here.

Because events that threaten my life don’t just occur in the Labyrinth.
***

The next morning.

We gathered again at the agreed place.

To see if Dwalki had been given permission to enter the Labyrinth.

“How did it go? Did the Baron keep his promise?”

“Checked this morning, and there’s no issue.”

“But why do you look so pale?”

“Haha, just feeling a bit off…”

Feeling off my foot.

Was he so shocked that the Baron, his half-brother, not only didn’t recognize him but hardly remembered him?

As of yesterday, Dwalki’s mind was completely out of whack.

Trying to hide it, but…

“Sigh…”

Dwalki was often lost in thought, sighing as if the world were ending.

Hopefully, he’d snap out of it before the labyrinth reopened.

“Oh, and here’s your reward, as promised.”

“Reward?”

“For accompanying me to negotiate with the Baron.”

Hikurod brought out the 300,000 stones he had offered as payment.

I had decided not to take it.

“That’s fine. Why exchange such things among us?”

“I didn’t go there expecting a reward. Besides, negotiating with the Baron was for the team.”

With the two of them waving their hands and refusing to take the money. It wouldn’t have felt right for me to accept it alone…

‘Not having 300,000 stones now won’t cause any problems anyway.’

It seemed better to consider this as a debt for now.

As we continued to venture into the labyrinth, there would undoubtedly be times when we’d need to give and take, and make concessions to each other.

“Anyway, thanks. It mustn’t have been easy to swallow your pride as a warrior.”

Well, to be honest…

Such words only make me feel awkward.

1 million stones is too large an amount to worry about pride.

“I’ll never forget this, and I’ll pay you back.”

“No, why should you repay it? Bjorn, I will be the one to return this debt tenfold.”

“Anyone is fine, just take care of it.”

“Haha, Bjorn is getting shy!”

What are they talking about? I was being serious.
***
There are 8 days left until the labyrinth opens.

During this time, my tasks were simple.

Aside from helping Misha with her training and visiting the library to read hidden books, the significant events were…

“The paper was made 150 years ago.”

I discovered the production year of [[Chronicles of the Rift II]].

It was made of standard paper commonly used at the time.

‘Hmm, what happened 150 years ago?’

The start of the game.

The death of the first king.

And the creation of this book.

All these points seemed to converge precisely 150 years ago.

‘It can’t be a coincidence.’

These events must be somehow related.

That’s all I’ve uncovered so far…

But it gave me enough drive to move forward.

‘I need to delve deeper into the history from 150 years ago.’

Who brought the players here?

What was their purpose, and what is Auril Gavis up to? Gathering more clues might eventually unveil these secrets.

Then there was the second matter.

“Oh, oh… setting that up…? I mean, I’m not against it, but it’s a bit sudden…”

We have opened a joint account at the Alminous Bank.

In the event of our deaths, we have also named each other as beneficiaries.

Part of the money we earn will go into this account for joint use.

“In that sense, let’s deposit the 2 million stones we earned this time into the account.”

“Eh? All of it?”

“We don’t need it right now, do we?”

“Uh… you’re not planning to use it secretly for something strange, are you?”

“What do you take me for?”

We ended up depositing 2 million stones each into the account and kept the remaining 900,000 stones in cash.

There’s no immediate need for it, and…

Now that the days of barely making ends meet are over, it’s time to start saving.

Oh, and there was also this incident.

“You are… Jandel’s son, Bjorn?!”

While walking, I unexpectedly ran into a fellow barbarian from my batch.

His name was Karak, the third son of Paran.

We just exchanged updates and parted ways.

He had become an 8th-floor explorer, working as a tank in a team made up of humans on the second floor.

“What about the others? Most of them are dead. Besides you, Aynar, and me, there aren’t many left. You know how tough it is.”

His attitude had changed a lot, now that he was working with humans.

He used to be much more simple-minded.

“If only they had given up their old ways and learned more about that place, Fewer of them might have died…”

Hearing him express such bitterness towards his race’s ways, it was hard to believe he was the same barbarian warrior.

It was quite sad to listen to.

He must have gone through a lot to change so drastically.

‘Not all barbarians are the same, after all.’

It was a new realization for me.

Barbarians, too, can grow mentally.

They may still be weak in the intellectual areas, like literacy and numbers, but surviving in changed environments brings wisdom.

‘Maybe some of the more experienced seniors have even developed personalities almost like humans—’

“Bjorn, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing.”

Misha’s voice brought me back from my thoughts.

Fair enough, I was lost in thought while she had cooked and brought food for me.

“By the way, Bjorn… have you grown taller?”

“What?”

“It could just be me, but stand here, let me see!”

Reluctantly, I stood up to have my height checked. Misha used her hand to measure from the top of her head to my chest and nodded.

“See, you’ve grown a bit! About this much?”

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

I found it hard to believe.

The idea of growing taller here was one thing, but noticing such a small change seemed implausible.

“Hmm, I have a good eye for this kind of thing. Trust me, it’s accurate.”

“…Well, if you say so.”

Rather than argue, I just nodded.

Maybe I had grown.

I had been eating a lot of meat dishes lately.

‘…If it’s true that I’ve grown, should I eat even more meat?’

If it really works, it might be worth it.

Being naturally taller than average is one of the reasons I, a barbarian and not a dwarf, was chosen as the tank. The [Gigantification] mechanism multiplies your basic height.

‘I think it was exactly 1.771 times.’

Now I had another reason to eat more meat.

“…Don’t just focus on meat, eat a balanced diet!”

“…”

“Sigh!”

After I finished eating, I checked my backpack to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Let’s go, everyone must be waiting.”

As we headed to the meeting place, I noticed my companions in different attire than usual.

The dwarf, usually in a shirt, was now in chainmail.

Dwalki stood there with a long two-handed staff.

“Hey, Rotmiller! Why don’t you have a weapon?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve put it in my [Treasure Vault]. It’s more convenient to summon it when needed than to carry it around.”

“Oh, I see.”

Rotmiller’s [Treasure Vault] skill, a feature of the Mimic class, usually just replaced physical storage, but it seemed especially handy for him, handling multiple weapons like crossbows, shields, and swords.

“Could everyone gather around? I’m about to cast [Bonding].”

Soon, Dwalki murmured an incantation, and a green light spread, seeping into each of our bodies.

It was like forming a party.

This spell was necessary for entering the labyrinth together at the same location.

‘I remember Aynar used to wait from dawn at the guild for this…’

Having a mage in the team really makes a difference – no need to line up at the guild from early morning…

And it saves a lot financially.

A party of five average 6.5-grade adventurers would have had to pay 100,000 stones as a fee for [Bonding].

“Let’s move.”

As we walked towards the Dimensional Plaza, the number of adventurers in the streets gradually increased.

A sight seen only on the last night of each month.

Everyone usually returns in a wretched state.

“Stop! We seem to have lost our way.”

“That can’t be! We must reach the labyrinth within the set time!”

Coincidentally, we encountered a group of barbarians.

Young warriors, fresh from their coming-of-age ceremony, full of excitement and anticipation for their first labyrinth journey.

“…Follow us”

After getting permission from my group, I decided to help them.

Not out of a sense of duty to my race, but…

Somehow, it just felt like the right thing to do.

“Really? Thank you. May I know your name… What! Bjorn, son of Jandel?!! You’re that little Balkan!!! I admire you!!”

Their exaggerated reaction was one thing, but as we walked towards the Dimensional Plaza, I gave them various pieces of advice.

I warned them that the hearts of barbarians were traded at high prices, so they should be especially wary of other explorers, particularly humans.

I suggested they find companions of different races for night watches.

I advised them to be cautious of traps and to travel on well-lit paths, among other things.

I shared with them the kind of knowledge I wish I had known when I first entered the labyrinth.

“By doing this, can I become a famous warrior like you?”

Well, I couldn’t be sure about that.

But…

“Yes.”

“Wow! Then I will definitely follow your advice!”

It seemed better to give them clear instructions; they needed that kind of certainty.

As they headed towards the portal, committing my advice to heart, the dwarf commented quietly.

“You’re quite kind to your race, aren’t you?”

“I just did what I could. It’s harsh to learn only through experience.”

“True, true. Haha!”

With that last bit of small talk, we headed to the center of the portal.

Whoosh!

A dizzying array of multicolored lights engulfed us.

And suddenly, the past unfolded like a panorama.

‘Is this my fourth time already…?’

The first time I entered, I fought off countless bastards and reached the second floor.

The second time?

Driven by the need to become stronger, I entered a rift. But it turned out to be a mutant rift

The third was even worse.

We formed a team, but got stranded midway.

Last time, the layer lord went berserk, and I barely made it back alive.

So…

I hope for no incidents this time.

But who am I kidding?

I braced myself.

‘What kind of trouble will come up this time?’

There’s always something.

With that mindset…

「You have entered the first floor, Crystal Caves.」
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「TIP: Your character’s essence capacity has reached its limit. Hunt new monsters and level up to increase it!」

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