Surviving The Game as a Barbarian (Novel) Chapter 298, 299, 300

   

C298, 299, 300

Chapter 298: Evil Spirit (2)

I felt strange.

It wasn’t sympathy or regret for smashing her head with my mace.

It was an unsettling feeling.

“You don’t look well.”

“…….”

“Did you know her?”

I shook my head at Amelia’s question.

And I asked her something I was curious about.

“What happens to those kids when they grow up?”

“They become explorers.”

“There’s no other option? They could work at the Lord’s Castle.”

“Impossible. They’re here because they made a promise.”

“Promise?”

“To do whatever he tells them to in exchange for being raised.”

I was dumbfounded.

“You’re saying that using them for chores and as bait for looting is considered ‘raising’ them?”

“Children who survive hell grow up strong.”

I suddenly remembered what the chieftain had said to me.

[You know, don’t you? Only those who survive become strong warriors.]

It was a similar context.

An environment where you had to be strong to survive.

The Lord intentionally put the children in that environment.

“But the mortality rate decreases as they get older and stop being used as bait. And the treatment they receive from their assigned team also improves.”

Amelia continued.

She said that if they survived for about three years as bait, they would be acknowledged for their talent and start receiving combat training.

And if an unclaimed essence dropped during a hunt, they could even absorb it…

“They become usable assets as soon as they become adults.”

“What if they want to quit after becoming adults?”

“That won’t happen. They’re brainwashed from a young age. By the time they become adults, they’re completely loyal to the Lord.”

“But what if they come to their senses and quit?”

Amelia frowned and then answered,

“They’ll be re-educated. To be loyal again.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry too much. No child would join the Lord without knowing that.”

The conversation ended there.

But I continued thinking about it.

What kind of life did the player who possessed ‘Zencia Nayfrin’ have to live?

Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad.

They didn’t kill evil spirits in Noark.

‘…But they wouldn’t let her go free.’

From the Lord’s perspective, an evil spirit had possessed the body of a valuable asset he had raised for years, feeding her essences.

He would have made the evil spirit, whoever it was, live as ‘Zencia’.

Even if it meant ‘re-educating’ her.

‘Anyway, she would have had to start looting as soon as she arrived, whether she was exposed or not. Then maybe the fact that she treated everyone like NPCs was also a defense mechanism…’

Wait, why am I even curious about this?

‘Stop thinking about it.’

I stopped thinking.

It didn’t matter what kind of environment that player had to survive in.

She tried to kill me.

Yeah, so…

‘I just did what I had to do.’

That was all there was to it.

Phew, I feel better now.

“Come on, Amelia. Let’s go. We have work to do.”

“You… why are your emotions so unstable?”

“Because I’m a barbarian!”

I dismissed my unsettling feelings and continued using my secret technique, ‘Those who come are not good’, to lure looters.

And after a few more days…

“Oh, another subspace ring.”

…I was casually organizing the equipment we had looted from another team when…

Rumble.

…the ground suddenly shook as if there was an earthquake.

Honestly, I was quite flustered.

Damn it, I didn’t even consider this possibility.

Rumble!

A rift had opened on the 3rd floor.
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A rift opening on the floor you’re currently on.

Although it was sudden, it wasn’t something to be surprised or amazed by.

It was something that could happen at any time during exploration.

But the problem was…

‘Why now?’

We didn’t enter the labyrinth for normal exploration.

And besides, there weren’t any essences I could absorb in the 3rd-floor rift.

No, in the first place, I couldn’t even absorb essences unless I removed the Corpse Golem essence since all my slots were full.

You’re saying there are Numbered Items and rift stones?

I couldn’t take them back to the future anyway.

Well, I could sell them and use the money to live here…

‘Let’s stop getting ahead of ourselves and confirm first.’

I quickly made a decision.

Opening a rift and being able to enter it were two different things.

“Amelia, where is it?”

A Guide could sense the location of a rift when it opened.

Then where did it open?

If it was hours away, we wouldn’t be able to enter it, no matter what we did.

So there wouldn’t even be a need to—

“Five minutes north.”

Damn it, it’s right next to us.

It should have opened here from the beginning.

The last time we were on the 5th floor, it opened in a completely different area.

“What are you waiting for! Let’s go!”

Amelia asked as I was about to run.

“You’re going in?”

What the hell.

Of course, we are.

You have to enter a rift if you can.

Essences, items, whatever.

It had experience points that you could only obtain in rifts…

‘Wait a minute.’

“Amelia, have you ever been to the 3rd-floor rift?”

“Once, a long time ago.”

Right, so you’ve already gotten all the experience points.

No wonder she wasn’t enthusiastic.

“I haven’t! So let’s go!”

“…….”

“We’ve practically succeeded in impressing the Lord! Nothing will change even if we miss out on a few loot!”

“But what if something happens if we go to the rift…?”

“I won’t cause any trouble! And we’re companions! Just help me out this once! I’ll just get the achievement points and come out!”

“…Fine, follow me.”

Amelia sighed and then started guiding me.

She probably didn’t change her mind because of the word ‘companion’.

She probably judged that it was better to endure a few days of annoyance than to ruin her relationship with her ‘collaborator’.

After all, she was a rational woman.

‘She’s surprisingly compatible with barbarians.’

Amelia, who wasn’t emotional, was susceptible to a barbarian’s mindless ‘Do it for me’ tactic. It was more rational for her to just give in.

Tadat.

Anyway, we soon reached the portal.

“Yandel, think about it one more time…”

Think about what?

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”

I jumped into the portal without hesitation.

And…

Flash!

…we were in a white temple when I opened my eyes.
______________________

A high ceiling.

White marble pillars.

And a hundred statues lined up along the walls.

‘We must be the first ones here since there’s no one else.’

I slowly looked around after confirming that there were no other explorers.

It wasn’t to figure out where we were, but out of pure curiosity.

After all, there was only one rift on the 3rd floor.

The Hundred Colors Temple.

Not white, but a temple with a hundred colors.

For reference, it was a place you had to visit at least once during your playthrough.

The experience points were incredible.

“Yandel, do you know about this place?”

“To some extent.”

“Then there’s no need for me to explain.”

The Hundred Colors Temple had three characteristics.

1. Elite monsters that didn’t appear in normal fields, like the Corpse Golem, swarmed the place.

You could get first-time kill experience points no matter what you killed…

2. Unlike ordinary rifts, you had to compete with other explorers instead of cooperating.

Only one team could enter the boss room.

And if they failed, the opportunity would pass to another team.

Ah, but that didn’t mean Amelia and I had to compete with other teams.

3. Five portals opened on the floor when a rift was generated, and those who entered through the same portal became a team.

This was the most annoying part in the game.

It was only natural.

What would you do if you found a rift while exploring as a 5-person team, but two people had already entered?

Two of your companions would be left behind.

Like this team of explorers who just entered.

“…Huh?”

“Damn it, there were already people here.”

The portal, which had been floating in the air, closed after spewing out three explorers.

It seemed like they had left their teammates outside…

“This is bad! Lemud and Hans didn’t get in!!”

Oh, nice.

“…Calm down! They might be separated from us, but Lemud and Hans can handle the 3rd floor even if they’re alone!”

A human swordsman, after calming his panicked companions, approached us.

“Greetings. You two came together?”

“That’s right.”

The man smiled kindly despite Amelia’s curt answer.

“Haha, we’ll be spending some time together. It’s fate that we met, so let’s introduce ourselves first. I’m Kalton Drek.”

“Emily.”

“Bjorn.”

Kalton then cautiously asked me,

“Bjorn, are you a barbarian?”

It was a natural question.

I was wearing a full set of plate armor.

My entire body was covered in metal, so he couldn’t even see if I had any tattoos.

Therefore…

“What does that have to do with anything?”

…I asked back defiantly. Kalton quickly apologized.

“I apologize. I was just curious, but I guess that was rude.”

It seemed like he thought I was just a large human.

Well, it’s usually the narrow-minded people who are sensitive to trivial questions.

“Kalton, come here for a moment.”

Anyway, the fairy called Kalton over as soon as we introduced ourselves.

And…

‘I can’t hear them.’

…they whispered to each other.

It seemed like they were discussing something…

“He says we’re suspicious.”

“Huh?”

“I can hear them from this distance. Unless they’re using magic.”

“…I see.”

So she has good hearing.

I didn’t know that.

I should be careful not to whisper in front of her.

“So what are they saying? They look serious.”

I then eavesdropped on their conversation through Amelia.

‘They’re just casually introducing themselves. And they’re exploring the 3rd floor as a two-person team on Day 13, and one of them is even wearing a mask. They might be looters.’

The fairy pointed out the suspicious aspects, and Kalton said,

‘But there’s nothing we can do. We can’t just attack them. Let’s just keep an eye on them and see what kind of people they are.’

Did their discussion end there?

“Ah! I apologize! My friend is worried about his companions who were left behind.”

Kalton laughed heartily and approached us.

And he gave the other two a chance to introduce themselves.

“Well, then this friend here, who’s from the fairy tribe…”

“I’ll do it. Aimburn Berta Garcia. As you can see, I’m an archer.”

Aimburn briefly introduced himself, only revealing his name and weapon. It seemed like he didn’t want to give us any more information.

Anyway, the barbarian warrior was next.

“Hahaha! Nice to meet you all!”

The warrior, who hadn’t even been included in the whispered discussion, approached us with a bright smile.

And he introduced himself without any hesitation.

“I’m Yandel, the third son of Jarku!”

“…………What?”

My mind went blank.

If I heard correctly…

“Ah, is it difficult for humans? Just call me Yandel Jarku!”

…he was my biological father.


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Chapter 299: Evil Spirit (3)

Barbarians have a very straightforward naming system.

If a child is a son, they use their father’s name as their last name, and if they’re a daughter, they use their mother’s name.

Therefore, there are no family names within the tribe, and all barbarians consider each other as family.

Well, that wasn’t important right now.

‘Yandel Jarku.’

The probability of it being a coincidence was very low.

After all, how many ‘Yandels, third son of Jarku’, could there be?

It was practically confirmed that he was my biological father.

But…

“Hahaha! How long are you going to leave my hand hanging?!”

…right, let’s get a grip first.

My father? So what?

I could be surprised and flustered, but I shouldn’t be this dazed.

It’s not like I’m the real Bjorn Yandel.

“Ah, I was lost in thought.”

I shook his hand and stepped back.

The introductions were over.

Kalton laughed awkwardly and got to the point.

The first thing explorers from different factions should do when they meet in a rift.

“Haha, that’s enough introductions. We’ll be exploring together, so let’s discuss how we’ll distribute the loot.”

Amelia grabbed my wrist and pulled me aside as soon as loot distribution was mentioned.

“Let’s discuss this with our companion for a moment.”

Huh? Discuss?

I tilted my head but followed her.

And I quietly asked her when we were alone,

“Why do we have to discuss this? We already decided on the loot distribution.”

“It’s not about the loot.”

“Then what is it?”

Amelia asked cautiously,

“Are you okay…?”

Now I understood why she pulled me aside.

She probably knew why I had frozen.

“I’m fine. I was a bit surprised, but I won’t cause any trouble.”

“I’m not worried about you causing trouble…”

Huh? Then what is she worried about?

Amelia trailed off as I stared at her.

“Never mind, it’s none of my business if you’re fine. Let’s go back. We’ll stick to the loot distribution we decided on earlier.”

We returned to the center and started discussing the loot distribution, and it ended quickly without any conflict.

After all, we weren’t here to absorb essences.

“…Are you really okay with just taking the magic stones?”

We decided to take all the magic stones, Numbered Items, and rift stones, and give them all the essences.

“Not just the magic stones, but the Numbered Items and rift stones too.”

“But we’re not even sure if we can defeat the Guardian.”

“That’s our problem, don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm, if you say so.”

Kalton seemed bewildered by the favorable conditions, but he didn’t say anything more.

That settled the loot issue.

“…Yandel, come here!”

Damn it, this is so awkward.

I flinch every time I hear that name.

“Huh? I was going to talk to them more…”

“You can do that later. Your axe blade seemed dull, so sharpen it with the whetstone.”

“Huh? It seems fine… Alright!”

Anyway, Yandel Jarku was called over by his companions as soon as the loot conversation ended, and we didn’t approach them.

An awkward silence fell as we kept our distance.

“What are they talking about?”

“They’re guessing why we’re not absorbing essences.”

“Guessing?”

I thought it was a bit much, but it was understandable from their perspective.

After all, the fact that we weren’t absorbing essences could be interpreted as us being strong enough that we didn’t need the 3rd-floor rift essences.

They must be uneasy because they didn’t know what kind of people we were…

“Bjorn, what kind of person is your father?”

…when Amelia suddenly asked me a question.

I chuckled at her obvious intention.

My father?

“Are you curious about my father?”

“A little.”

“Then I’m sorry. I don’t know much about him either. I just know that he died in the labyrinth when I was very young.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Even the original owner of this body didn’t know much about his father.

It was a common occurrence in barbarian society.

After all, 99% of the tribe members made a living by exploring the labyrinth.

The mortality rate was naturally high.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore.”

Amelia didn’t pry further and leaned against the wall, chewing on jerky, as I spoke firmly.

After some time…

Rumble.

…the stone door, which hadn’t budged no matter how hard we pushed, started to open.

“It seems like the portals on the other side are all closed.”

It was time to start exploring the rift.
____________________

The Hundred Colors Temple was a competitive rift.

Only one team could enter the boss room, and it was decided on a first-come, first-served basis.

We had a good start.

The 5-person entry deadline ended quickly, so we were able to take care of the loot distribution beforehand…

“Alright, then let’s go. Ah, but who’s going first?”

Geez, they’re going to waste time arguing about the formation?

“I’ll go first.”

“Ah! Then I’ll be next to—”

“Yandel!”

“……?”

“Come here. Monsters can also appear from behind.”

“Ah, okay!”

The battle formation was naturally formed as I took the lead.

Jarku was at the back, and the other three were in the center.

Of course, the formation didn’t really matter to us.

This was just a 3rd-floor rift.

And the difficulty was based on 5 people.

‘Let’s clear this quickly and get out of here before something troublesome happens.’

I entered the room beyond the door with that thought, and another stone chamber with the same structure as the previous one appeared.

It was about the same size, but there was only one statue.

And…

Swaaaaaaaaaa.

…a blue jewel in the statue’s hand emitted light that spread throughout the room like fog.

‘It’s a boss type from the beginning.’

I cleared my throat and stepped into the fog after confirming the room’s characteristic from the color.

Kalton panicked and warned me,

“H, hey! We don’t even know what’s going to appear…”

Hmm, right, they don’t know much about this place.

I had a hunch, but…

It seemed like they had only heard a little about the Hundred Colors Temple.

Thud.

A giant shadow appeared from the fog.

It was bipedal and almost 5 meters tall.

Blue Armored Giant Soldier.

It was a mid-boss type enemy that 3rd or 4th-floor explorers usually had to fight in a 5-person team.

But it was just a 3rd-floor rift monster.

Its experience level was only 6th-grade…

‘And its combat power is lower than a 5th-grade monster.’

It wasn’t even comparable to a 5th-grade monster like a troll.

Therefore…

“Be—”

Ah, I shouldn’t do that.

“Ugaaaaaaaaaa!!”

I let out a primal scream and charged forward.

“Wait! We have to fight together…!”

I ignored Kalton’s words. It would be more convenient for everyone if I just showed my true strength instead of hiding it.

‘Gigantification.’

I first matched its size…

‘Leap.’

…and then closed the distance.

And…

‘Swing.’

I swung my mace with all my might.

Kwagic!

The giant soldier’s neck, clad in blue armor, bent at a grotesque angle.

“Wh, what kind of strength…!”

I heard the newbies’ compliments from behind, but I felt a bit bitter.

Is this the sorrow of a tank?

I couldn’t even kill it in one hit with my current Strength.

Damn it, how embarrassing.

I should have just left it to the damage dealer.

“Emily!”

I called the damage dealer, and I felt a presence behind me.

And…

Thud.

…a dagger imbued with Aura pierced the giant soldier’s heart.

Kwagic!

The giant soldier disappeared into particles of light, and the fog cleared.

The battle was over in 3 seconds.

“A, Aura…”

“Why are they on the 3rd floor…?”

The 20-year-ago newbies started to murmur.

It seemed like they finally realized.

“What are you waiting for? Follow me!”

“Ah, o, okay…!”

…that they were on an express bus.
_____________________

The Hundred Colors Temple had a stage-based structure.

You cleared one room, and then the next room would open. And the team that cleared it the fastest would get to enter the boss room.

Kwagic!

Amelia and I continued clearing the rooms at an incredible speed, showing our true strength, after clearing the first room in 3 seconds.

But it wasn’t always over in a few seconds like the first stage.

There were also waves of enemies.

“Ugaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Monsters would swarm the room for a set amount of time, or monsters that used traps or mental abilities would appear.

The difficulty of the stages increased as we progressed.

It was a characteristic of the Hundred Colors Temple.

It would inflict a status effect on you every time you cleared a stage, or give a permanent buff to the monsters in the next stage.

That’s why people usually didn’t rush like this.

“Wait! I’ve heard about that symbol before. There’s something hidden here that can lift the curse on us…”

As Kalton suggested, the standard strategy was to activate the hidden elements in each room.

After all, there were hints everywhere.

And at intersections, you could choose the room that could lift the curse based on the symbols.

But…

“It’s fine, I’m not in the mood.”

“Not in the mood? What the hell does that even—”

“You talk too much. Just follow me.”

“…….”

We skipped everything that took time.

I judged that the increased difficulty wouldn’t be a problem.

That’s when, as we were blazing through the rift…

“Emily, why isn’t this door opening?”

“It’s a characteristic of the Golden Room. I don’t know why, but it takes about three hours for it to open.”

“Oh, I see.”

We finally gathered and rested in the middle of the rift.

“We’re resting here?”

I asked, implying that it would be more comfortable to keep our distance like before, and Kalton laughed awkwardly.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.”

Hmm, that’s true.

But I didn’t expect him to be so honest.

Kalton apologized as I chuckled.

“I apologize. I was suspicious of you at first. I thought you might betray us.”

“But not anymore?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“If you had any ill intentions, we would have been dead by now. It’s not like you can’t clear this rift without us.”

Kalton, who gave a logical reason, then added,

“And most importantly, you don’t seem like the type to do that.”

“Intuition?”

“That’s right. Not mine, but his.”

Kalton’s gaze was on the barbarian warrior who was munching on jerky.

Now that I see it, his side profile does look a bit like mine.

“Rest.”

I got up after my brief conversation with Kalton and approached Jarku.

“Oh, what brings you here? Ah, do you want some?”

Jarku smiled innocently and offered me jerky as soon as I approached him.

I took it and put it in my mouth.

For reference, I didn’t have to take off my helmet. I had it made so that I could open and close my mouth.

“Isn’t that uncomfortable? I wouldn’t be able to endure it for a day.”

“You get used to it.”

“Haha! You mean that human adaptability everyone talks about!”

Jarku laughed heartily and then lay down on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow. And he asked an unexpected question.

“Bjorn, do you have any children?”

“…No.”

“Really? I do.”

“What’s his name?”

“Bjorn. Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

Right, so you really are the father of this body.

I felt a strange tightness in my chest as I received the most definite proof.

“What do you think? It’s a good name, right?”

“…I think so.”

Jarku then talked for a while. It was mostly about his son, and I just listened quietly.

That’s when…

Thump.

…I couldn’t look him in the eye anymore.

So I looked away.

Amelia was watching me with a pitiful gaze.

And I realized the emotion that was filling my heart.

“Huhu, he’ll definitely become a great warrior. The child who inherited my and her blood—”

“Stop!”

“Huh?”

“I, I’ll be going now…”

It was guilt.


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Chapter 300: Evil Spirit (4)

The memory of the first day suddenly came to mind.

[An ‘evil spirit’ has possessed the soul of Orm, son of Kadua.]

The chieftain had beheaded the nameless player next to me with his terrifying axe, and that was when my days of survival began.

Of course, I didn’t know back then.

That the whole world was my enemy, and I had to be wary of everyone I met.

[I thought they were NPCs. I wouldn’t have done it if I knew.]

Just like Zencia, who considered everyone as NPCs.

I couldn’t understand their hatred.

But…

Clench.

…I could now accept it.

[It was you…]

The pity in the chieftain’s eyes as he looked at ‘Orm, son of Kadua’ was sadness.

[Isn’t it disgusting? To pretend to be human when you’re an evil spirit.]

The anger the citizens expressed when they executed the evil spirit was fear.

It was only natural.

For an evil spirit to suddenly possess the body of a loved one and turn them into a completely different being…

Could there be anything more horrifying?

It’s natural for them to hate us.

Even I would feel suffocated if Misha, Raven, the bear-like man, Erwen, or Ainar was possessed by an evil spirit.

“Bjorn, it’s time.”

“…It’s already that time? Okay.”

I slowly got up from my seat in the corner.

I still felt like a rock was weighing down on my heart.

But…

‘What’s the point of being sentimental now? Nothing will change.’

Emotions are just emotions.

Right, so…

Crack.

Let’s just finish what I have to do and get out of here.
______________________

Rumble.

The stone door, which hadn’t budged, finally opened, and we continued exploring the rift.

White Armored Guardian, Green Armored Scout, Silver Thread Prophet, and so on.

A new type of monster appeared in each room, and my experience points kept increasing.

And essences also dropped occasionally.

But could it be that I hadn’t memorized all the hundred or so essences obtainable in the Hundred Colors Temple?

“Do you know what ability this essence has?”

Kalton and his two companions asked for our advice whenever an essence dropped, and Amelia surprisingly answered kindly.

“It’s the Blue-White Palace Judge’s essence. It has a high Strength stat for an archery or projectile-related essence.”

“Hmm, I see. Aimburn, what are you going to do?”

“Strength… I wanted to increase my bow’s draw weight, so this is good. I also like the ability. I think I can use it well. I’ll take it.”

Aimburn took one this time.

And Kalton and Jarku had each taken one earlier.

They had already absorbed three 6th-grade essences just by following us, but I wasn’t jealous.

I didn’t need them in the first place…

“Haha! Thank you! This is so easy thanks to you guys!”

“…You’re welcome.”

…and they wouldn’t be enough to repay me anyway.

After all, it wouldn’t change the fact that he would die in the labyrinth someday.

“By the way, it seems like this is the last one.”

We reached the boss room after clearing the rift for a while.

The jewel in the statue’s hand wasn’t glowing, so we must have been the fastest.

“But how do we open the door?”

“Move aside.”

Amelia smashed the statue.

It wasn’t a sudden outburst, but one of the fastest ways to progress.

The door would open with an angry voice.

‘Who did she come here with to know this?’

I was suddenly curious about Amelia’s past as the stone door started to open.

[This is the resting place of noble sacrifices.]

[Intruders will pay for their sins with blood.]

What the hell, you’re just a 5th-grade monster.

It was an intro I had seen countless times in the game, so I just listened while munching on jerky.

“Ca, can we go in?”

“He, he just spoke! Is, is he not a monster?”

Kalton and his two companions looked nervous.

Well, it was understandable.

The Guardian of the Hundred Colors Temple was a ‘High-Grade Variant’ with a random essence on top of its 5th-grade level.

‘High-Grade Variants’ rarely appeared below the 3rd floor, so they probably hadn’t experienced a monster talking.

“Bjorn, how long are you going to stand there?”

“Ah, I was just thinking.”

To be precise, I was suddenly reminded of the ‘Crimson Fortress’.

The Vampire I met back then was also a 5th-grade ‘High-Grade Variant’.

And I met him when I didn’t even have a single essence.

Ah, but this boss was much stronger than that Vampire.

We were cursed, and this boss had various buffs stacked on it.

‘I wonder what essence it has.’

The stone door closed behind us with a thud as we entered.

“A forest…?”

Unlike the previous rooms, which were made of marble, this room had grass and trees with fruits growing on them.

But it wasn’t the outside world.

It was a large dome-shaped room with an artificial garden.

There were five doors on the circular outer wall, including the one we came through.

If we failed, one of those doors would open, and another team would get to challenge the boss.

Well, that wouldn’t happen.

“You guys stay back.”

“But we’re supposed to be the guardians… are you two okay…?”

“I’ll call you if I need you.”

“…Alright.”

Okay, then that’s settled.

I left the passengers on the bus and headed towards a hut in the center of the forest with Amelia.

Did our presence trigger something?

Kaboom!

A knight in gray armor, riding a horse, fell from the sky and blocked our path.

It was the Knight of Doom.

Although it was riding a horse, it wasn’t a large type. It had a normal human physique, about 180 centimeters tall.

It was much smaller than the giant soldier we encountered earlier.

But it wasn’t an enemy to be underestimated.

In most games, the smaller enemies are more dangerous in the later stages.

Whoosh.

The knight swung his weapon, something between a spear and a greatsword, in the air.

“Greedy dogs of the Empire. I shall punish you today.”

Geez, he’s still spouting nonsense.

“Emily, do you know what he’s talking about?”

“I don’t know either.”

Right, so that’s how it is.

Thud.

I took a step forward, activating [Gigantification] to match his size.

And at that moment…

Neigh!

…the 7th-grade beast-type monster the Knight of Doom was riding, the Spirit Horse, charged towards us.

Well, the Spirit Horse was just a trash mob that I could kill with one [Swing]…

‘But its stats are boosted here.’

The Spirit Horse shared the Knight of Doom’s stats in the boss room.

In other words, it wasn’t a monster I could kill in one or two hits.

Ah, and I couldn’t even use [Swing] right now.

We had been cursed on our way here, and [Swing] was sealed.

But it was a minor problem.

Why would I even bother dealing damage when we have a much more efficient damage dealer?

Kaboom!

I blocked the knight’s spear with my shield.

It was a heavy blow.

Now I understand why cavalry was so powerful in the Middle Ages.

There weren’t any superhumans who could use [Gigantification] back then.

“You can endure.”

I shouted, standing my ground.

“Emily…!”

Ah, she’s already gone.

Slash!

A blue Aura flashed, and the horse’s head was severed before I could even finish my sentence.

And that was it.

‘Aura really is OP.’

The Spirit Horse collapsed and disappeared into particles of light.

Thud!

It was time for Phase 2.
_________________________

The Knight of Doom had three phases.

Phase 1, where he rode the Spirit Horse summoned with the [Servant] skill.

And Phase 2, the ground battle after the Spirit Horse was unsummoned.

For reference, the Knight of Doom started using random 5th-grade or lower essence skills from Phase 2 onwards…

‘…Why isn’t he using any skills?’

I waited, but he didn’t use any essence skills.

So we just continued the boss fight normally, and then Amelia stabbed him in the neck, triggering Phase 3.

“Immortality is will, and a promise.”

The Knight of Doom was resurrected, boasting.

It was the effect of the passive skill [Chivalry].

A high-risk skill that destroyed all your equipment and recovered HP proportionally to the time you had been wearing them when you received a fatal blow.

‘I thought it was a strange skill at first.’

The Knight of Doom became weaker from Phase 3 onwards since he didn’t have any equipment.

But it was the same for ordinary players.

If you had similar specs, you would be injured and out of MP by Phase 2.

Well, for us…

“I can’t lose.”

What the…

The Knight of Doom suddenly grew in size.

I was a bit dumbfounded.

‘Don’t tell me, it’s [Gigantification].’

Damn, I didn’t expect him to have the Orc Hero essence as a ‘High-Grade Variant’ characteristic.

‘No wonder he wasn’t using any other skills.’

Now I understood why he didn’t use any skills in the previous phases. [Gigantification] couldn’t be used while wearing equipment.

But the stat increase was incredible.

“I can’t afford to lose…!”

The monster, now in [Gigantification] state, started charging at me like a madman.

Of course, it wouldn’t work.

What are you going to do even if you get bigger?

You’re still weaker than me in terms of stats and size.

Grab.

I grabbed his fist and then hugged him tightly, like a wrestler.

And…

Thud.

…Amelia finished him off with her dagger.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The Knight of Doom disintegrated into particles of light without even a last word.

It was a moment that always made me nervous.

I stared ahead without blinking.

‘Please, drop something.’

Contrary to my expectations, there was no essence floating in the air.

Thud.

There was no rift stone either.

But I saw a piece of equipment on the ground.

“A Numbered Item…”

I froze as I saw the hammer.

No, what the hell.

‘…Crazy, this dropped here?’

I was momentarily stunned, and then I quickly ran over and picked it up.

I didn’t know about the grip.

But I was certain after seeing its manly color and rough design.

No. 87 Kraul’s Demon Crusher.

A Double Numbered Item that was so expensive that you could only see it at the Sky Auction House in the Imperial City…

…and the weapon I had planned to use as my graduation weapon after absorbing the Ogre essence.

But it dropped from a 3rd-floor rift?

It was beyond a jackpot.

‘Damn it.’

If only this wasn’t twenty years ago.
______________________

Although I felt a bit disappointed as an efficiency freak, it was still a lucky break.

But my mind was racing as soon as I grabbed the hammer.

‘Damn it, how do I take this back? Should I bury it somewhere and hope it’s still there twenty years later?’

But what if someone took it?

Then I would be screwed.

Should I just sell it?

Yeah, I could just sell it and use the money to buy an expensive essence at the auction house before leaving.

That’s why I had been saving up equipment…

“Congratulations. It’s a shame that an essence didn’t drop, but that’s just our greed.”

Kalton and his companions approached me and congratulated me as I was lost in thought.

“I actually feel relieved! I’m glad you got something!”

Uh, it’s a bit much to call this ‘something’.

It’s better not to tell them.

It seemed like even Amelia didn’t realize it was a Double Numbered Item.

I decided to think about it later.

The portal had just opened.

Whoosh!

Kalton asked, looking at the portal that had appeared in front of the hut,

“Then what are you going to do?”

“We’ll leave later. We’re going to look around for a bit.”

To be precise, there were a few things I had to take with me.

But did they already know?

“You’re looking for Gavrilius’ Arrangement?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about those white fruits on the trees? They look strange.”

Ah, those…

It was a hidden piece, but it was more of a joke item.

How should I tell them not to eat it?

Amelia answered for me.

“They’re called ‘Hundred Fruits’. If you eat one, the stats of one of your essences will change randomly.”

Her explanation was brief, but accurate.

The ‘Hundred Fruit’ changed the properties of an essence.

The skill remained the same, but the base stats would change to random values within the essence’s grade.

It wasn’t something you would eat if you were sane.

There were thousands of detailed stats in this game.

There was a high chance that good stats like Strength and Agility would be replaced with useless or low-value stats like Greed and Obsession.

“So what are you going to do?”

“We’re leaving now. Our companions are probably waiting for us outside.”

“I see.”

After saying goodbye to Kalton, the fairy archer approached me.

“Thank you. We wouldn’t have been able to get here without you. It would have been much harder.”

“You were just lucky.”

“Lucky… well, it’s true that it’s rare to meet explorers like you in a rift. Please understand why we were wary at first. We’ve been through a lot recently.”

“What do you mean a lot?”

“It’s a bit hard to explain. It’s not like anyone made a mistake, but things just kept going wrong.”

Hmm, really?

I had a hunch.

I hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“You said you had a Hans on your team, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Get rid of him. Then your luck will improve.”

The fairy archer looked at me with a blank expression and then laughed awkwardly.

“Haha, you’re joking.”

Hmm, I was being 100% serious.

Trial

I like Korean novels (Murim, Dukes, Reincarnation, etc, etc, etc)

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