Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 101 Rumors (3)

Rumors (3)

Darkness enveloped us as soon as we entered the labyrinth.

I quickly took out a torch to illuminate the surroundings and placed my hand on the stele right in front of me.

Phew, how long has it been?

Whoosh!

The untouched stele.

The multicolored light emanating from it.

And the feeling of getting something for nothing, a sensation unique to those who exploit the system.

「Opened a portal for the first time. EXP +2」

"Wh, what? Did we just open a portal?"

Well, she wouldn't know about this awesome bug.

I repeated the explanation I gave Ainar before.

"Dimensional instability phenomenon? This happens when you use that?"

Unlike Ainar, who gave up on understanding, Misha tried to grasp it.

Of course, there was no way it would work.

Even I can't explain the exact principle behind it.

I'm just using a 'phenomenon' that I happened to learn about.

"...I feel bad for Rotmiller."

"Huh?"

"If he finds out about this method... he'll be devastated. Just like I was when I made a contract with the Spirit Beast using that ring."

Ah, that's what she meant.

I was wondering what she meant by feeling bad out of the blue.

Indeed, Rotmiller will definitely feel a huge sense of loss if he learns about this exploit.

[Even if not now, if I work hard, the day will come when I can open a portal with my own hands. That's my dream as a scout.]

As he cautiously revealed his ambition at a gathering, he's serious about his job as a scout.

And it's not an empty dream either.

His pathfinding abilities are truly remarkable.

He's top-tier in the 1st floor, where he's been diligently working. If he could just shorten the time by about 2 hours, he might be able to achieve his dream.

It's definitely not an easy task, though.

"Then let's go up for now."

Anyway, enough chit-chat.

Misha and I stepped into the portal.

「Entered 2nd Floor Rock Desert.」

Sand crunches under my feet.

Hot air rises from below.

Stone ruins cast shadows in the pitch-black darkness, illuminated by the flickering torch.

"Rock Desert."

Tsk, why here of all places?

I led Misha and went back down to the 1st floor.

And we headed east, following the compass.

'We're on the opposite side, so we'll be walking for almost two days.'

If we had entered the labyrinth using the normal method, it would have been enough to walk for a day to reach any destination...

Well, there's always a trade-off, right?

And besides, although the experience points gained from opening a portal are only 2, they stack permanently.

If I can get it just by walking for one more day, it's a definite advantage.

"Ugh, I definitely feel the void now that Rotmiller isn't here."

"......"

We managed to escape the dark zone, the outermost area, after about three hours. Even though we were following the compass, we occasionally took wrong turns and ended up at dead ends.

"But isn't it nice to just walk together like this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"No, I mean... it's nice to have five people and be noisy, but this isn't bad either."

At first, I wasn't sure what she meant, but as I listened, I think I understood.

The dwarf and Dwarkey talk too much.

Honestly, there are times when it's funny, but most of the time, it's draining just to listen.

"Giggle!"

As we were walking through the dimly lit Crystal Cave after leaving the dark zone, monsters kept attacking us.

The monsters that appear in this western area are gnomes.

As expected of 9th-grade monsters, they died with a thud when hit.

"Geek……?!"

The clay dolls turn into mush and disappear with one swing of the mace. Catching them is not a problem, it's just annoying.

The gnome's active skill is [Assimilation].

It's a stealth skill, so they only become visible when you get within 3 meters of them.

'If Rotmiller were here, he would have taken care of them as soon as they appeared.'

Is it because I'm coming from a 5-person party?

I can understand the dwarf, but I kind of miss that man. He was always the type to silently do his job, like a know-it-all, you know?

Ah, and Dwarkey too.

If he were here, I wouldn't have to pick up the magic stones myself.

"Bjorn, someone is coming…!"

As I'm walking and thinking about various things, Misha taps my waist and whispers quietly.

As expected of a beastman with keen senses, she sensed someone before me.

"What are we going to do?"

What do you mean, what are we going to do?

They must have noticed us a long time ago.

Clank, clank.

Soon, a 5-person party appears from the front.

It's a regular party with a mage and a priest.

They reached this point in just 3 hours, so the level of their equipment is quite high.

'...At least 6th floor.'

I don't know what kind of essences they have.

But the 3rd and 4th-tier equipment they're wearing from head to toe is proof of their level.

Equipment is like an explorer's ID card.

However, is it the same for them?

"Hmm."

Doubt and wariness appear in their eyes as they pass by.

Well, that's natural.

They wouldn't have expected to meet a barbarian and a beastman wearing 2nd-tier equipment here, especially at this time.

'Phew, please just go past us.'

Fortunately, they pass us by without saying anything.

It's not because my earnest wish was granted…

…but rather because they didn't have the time.

"Mr. Revlon, let's increase our speed."

"Alright."

It's fortunate that they're speedrunning.

They must have thought that other competitors might have gone further ahead since we appeared here.

'Geez, you guys are already the fastest.'

Since we're backtracking from the portal, I know that they're at the very front.

Well, even if they get there, they'll just see a portal that's already open.

"Wow, those people really run everywhere."

Misha exclaims in admiration, as if it's her first time seeing explorers speedrunning.

Although it took less than 2 seconds from when they came into view to when they passed by, it seems like it was quite an impressive sight.

"What are you looking at? We'll have to do that someday too."

"...We will?"

Misha tilts her head.

Well, it's understandable that she wouldn't be able to imagine it even if I said so.

It was just a while ago that she was treated as a half-breed by her family because she couldn't even make a contract with a Spirit Beast.

"Come to think of it, Bjorn, you seem to have big ambitions. Is it because you're a barbarian?"

"...Are you making fun of me?"

"Idiot, I meant it's cool!"

"Ahem."

…She's a bit too direct sometimes.

__________________________

Does she think she's a barbarian?

"Did you see the weapon that swordsman was wearing?"

"The Orichalcum sword?"

"Yeah, that one! It really was Orichalcum. I wonder how much it would cost to make a weapon with that..."

Misha continues talking about the party we encountered earlier.

It seems like she admires high-ranking explorers.

Well, it's a much more positive emotion than envy or arrogance, but...

You can't achieve anything just with admiration.

"Stop talking and move your feet."

"Hmph, you'd think I was standing still or something."

Anyway, as we continue walking east, the frequency of encountering explorers increases.

At first, it was mostly high-ranking explorers like the party we saw earlier, but as time goes on, their level gradually decreases.

I take out my watch.

[18:57]

19 hours have passed since the labyrinth opened.

That means we've been walking almost all day.

Thanks to that, we've finally reached the starting point, the central area of the 1st-floor Crystal Cave.

Therefore, we no longer have to worry about encountering high-ranking explorers and being suspected, but...

'Phew, I didn't think about this either.'

Now that we're here, it's noticeable in a different way.

"Did you see that? The size of that mace..."

"His backpack seems like an expandable backpack too."

Explorers look at us with envious eyes as we pass by.

Well, it would look strange.

We're clearly supposed to be hunting on higher floors, but we're right here in the central area of the 1st floor.

"Why are those guys still here..."

It's evening, the time when explorers start looking for night companions to rest.

They each mutter something as they pass by in groups of 3 or 4.

It's a strange feeling.

'I used to be like them.'

When I first entered the labyrinth...

I also looked for night companions to rest with.

The problem was that the first one I met was Hans A.

"Why are you suddenly laughing?"

"I just remembered something from before."

To be precise, I laughed because I remembered myself struggling to pretend to sleep next to Hans A even though I was exhausted.

I went through all sorts of hardships before meeting Erwen.

'Ah, I wonder how she's doing?'

She's a rich girl with her sister, so she's probably doing fine, but I'm suddenly curious.

After all, she was the first companion I met in this world.

Should I try to find her and meet up sometime?

As I'm walking and thinking that...

A man catches my eye.

He's not doing anything particularly noticeable, but...

'Geez, what a shitty look in his eyes.'

I don't like his gaze.

I can feel envy and greed glimmering in his unfriendly eyes as he looks at me.

However, I laugh again.

'I've really grown a lot.'

If it were the old me, I would have started assuming the worst and become anxious inwardly just from that look.

But I've changed a lot since then.

It's not that I've become soft, but rather...

Smirk.

There's no reason to be scared of a goblin now.

Well, I'm not saying this guy is a goblin.

But in terms of combat power, he wouldn't be much different.

Even I, who always assumes the worst-case scenario...

...can't imagine myself being stabbed to death by that shabby sword.

Hmm, right… that would definitely be the case, but…

‘Why do I feel increasingly shitty?’

I need to confirm something.

“You.”

I stop and look at him, and he flinches and stands up from his leaning position against the wall.

His eyes are filled with wariness, replacing the earlier unpleasant look.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“Uh, no…?”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“…Sorry.”

The man apologizes, and Misha nudges my waist with her fist.

“Bjorn! Why are you acting like this suddenly? What did he do wrong…”

Somehow, it feels like I saw this scene somewhere before. A delinquent picking a fight with a passerby, and his girlfriend trying to stop him.

No, but I'm telling you, this guy's eyes were particularly shitty.

“What’s your name?”

“Hanst Ivan.”

“Hanst? Not Hans?”

The man trembles at my question.

He must feel insulted that some random barbarian is suddenly making fun of his name.

But this is a really important point.

“Are you really Hanst? You’re not mistaken or anything?”

“I, I’m really Hanst…”

Hmm, then was it really just my imagination?

As I’m contemplating for a moment, the man adds in a nervous voice,

“I, I used to be Hans, but I changed it because it was too common.”

“…What?”

Damn it, no wonder I felt so shitty.

But since he even changed his name, I decide to let it go and continue on my way.

Ah, of course, I should at least give him some advice before that.

“Never go back to your original name. Keep living as Hanst. Got it?”

“Al, alright.”

Hanst nods vigorously.

That’s when…

Drrdrdrdrdr.

The cave starts shaking as if there’s an earthquake.

Misha looks at me, surprised by this sudden phenomenon.

“Bjorn?”

Her eyes seek an answer.

Of course, I know the answer.

There’s only one thing that causes this kind of phenomenon in the labyrinth.

“Run!”

A rift is about to open.

And before Day 1 has even passed.

‘Damn it.’

Although few people would know this…

…rifts usually need to reach at least Day 3 to be ‘naturally generated’.

That means…

‘Who the hell did it?’

…someone beat me to it.

Using the same method I was going to use.