Surviving The Game as a Barbarian (Novel) Chapter 373, 374, 375

   

C373, 374, 375

Chapter 373: Treasure Hunter (1)

Three days after the community closed.

As I was spending my days looking for a ship to use on the 6th floor and a navigator to sail it, I received good news from Amelia.

“Schuitz, you don’t have to worry about the guild anymore.”

“Don’t worry?”

“I found a suitable target and took care of it.”

“…What?”

I asked for details, and it was a typical Amelia-style solution.

She had found a guild executive who had committed embezzlement and tax evasion.

And she had used that information to blackmail him into erasing all guild records related to ‘Lihen Schuitz’.

“It would have been safer to modify the records instead of erasing them, but that was too difficult.”

“Is there a chance that the erased records will cause a problem?”

“Not usually. It’s more common than you think for administrative records to be lost or damaged.”

Hmm, I see…

Amelia added that she hadn’t erased everything, and that the record of Lihen Schuitz being a 5th-grade explorer remained.

In other words, my 5th-grade identity was safe.

“You don’t seem convinced.”

“It’s just that… it’s a bit suspicious for my records to suddenly disappear, even if it’s a common occurrence.”

“It’s still better than leaving your old records behind, isn’t it?”

Well, she was right.

Even if I couldn’t erase all traces, at least I wouldn’t be giving them physical evidence.

“Good work… no, thank you, Amelia.”

“…It’s only natural for a capable person to do their job.”

“Because it’s efficient?”

Amelia nodded and then changed the subject.

“So how’s your side of things going? Did you read the documents I gave you?”

Ah, the list of ships.

It was a document that neatly summarized the specs and prices of the ships on the market.

“Tell me if you didn’t like any of them, I’ll have to find more.”

“No, there’s no need for that. There was a suitable one, as long as the actual ship matches the description in the document.”

Amelia asked me why I chose that ship, and I explained excitedly.

“It’s the most expensive one, but it’s actually a bargain considering its performance.”

“Hmm.”

“And it can sail to the 7th floor in its current state, as long as we avoid special areas. And we can just upgrade it later to sail through those areas, so we won’t need to buy a new ship.”

“I see.”

Amelia’s response was lukewarm.

I wondered why she even asked if she wasn’t interested…

“Well, I’m sure you’re right. You’re the expert when it comes to this.”

I stuttered at her words.

“Uh… i-is that so?”

“We’re already on the same boat. And you’re the captain.”

It was a bit embarrassing.

But I also had another thought.

Was she trying to boost my confidence?

Well, I had been stuck at home lately, relying on them for everything.

Maybe it was her way of being considerate—

“Then I’ll be going now that the ship is decided. I should be able to make an offer before the exchange closes if I hurry.”

I wanted to ask if she really said that because of me, but Amelia had already put on her coat and left.

Well, it wasn’t important.

‘Anyway, that takes care of the ship…’

I could have gotten a better ship if I had more money, but I wasn’t disappointed.

The one I chose was good enough.

‘The problem is the navigator…’

People are always more troublesome than things.

____________________

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock as I was reading the books I borrowed from the library, lying in bed.

Hmm, is it dinner time already?

“Come in.”

The door opened as soon as I gave permission.

As expected, it was Erwen.

Amelia was probably negotiating with the seller.

“What is it?”

I put down my book and asked, and Erwen answered in a slightly dissatisfied tone.

“We have a visitor.”

“Visitor?”

I tilted my head, and a woman appeared at the door.

Flowing platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

“It’s me.”

It was Raven.

Unlike the last time I saw her, she wasn’t wearing her Magic Corps uniform, but casual clothes, and her hair was down.

Damn, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“Can I come in?”

“Ah, uh…”

Raven sat down before I could even answer, and Erwen followed her, taking a seat far away from her.

“Why are you here?”

“I can’t come?”

No, I wasn’t saying you couldn’t… I was just asking why…

Well, whatever.

She wouldn’t bother us, judging by how far away she was sitting.

“It’s been a while, Raven.”

“Yes. How have you been?”

“I’m doing okay. But is it okay for you to be here?”

“Don’t worry, I came here discreetly.”

“Ah, is that why you’re dressed like that and have your hair down?”

“…Why else would I be?”

Damn it, why is she so prickly?

I was just asking, did something happen?

‘I should be careful with my words today.’

As I was thinking that, Raven spoke first.

“Books.”

“…?”

“You’re reading. Did you buy them?”

“No, it seems like they allow rentals now.”

“Ah… I heard about that. They allow people with verified identities to borrow books now, right?”

“Officially, yes. But in reality, you have to pay a deposit unless you’re a noble or a high-ranking official.”

“Mister didn’t have to.”

Erwen suddenly interjected, but Raven just nodded.

“Well, that makes sense, considering your status.”

“So why did you come all the way here in disguise? Did something happen?”

Raven finally got to the point before the topic could go astray.

“Yandel… I mean, sorry, it’s hard to break the habit.”

“It’s fine.”

“Anyway, I came here to tell you something.”

Right, so she wasn’t just here to see me.

I had a hunch, considering how long the introduction was.

“Tell me.”

I lowered my voice, sensing it was something serious.

“The royal family has started an unofficial investigation on Schuitz.”

“Unofficial investigation?”

“It’s a common practice when new faces appear. They can’t officially investigate without a reason, it would seem like they’re targeting explorers.”

Hmm, like spying on civilians?

It’s a dictatorship, why are they even concerned about that?

“Anyway, so?”

“They also investigated me, so I told them what I could. The things that couldn’t be hidden, like the abilities he showed us back then.”

“So they don’t suspect his identity, even though it’s an unofficial investigation.”

“No, you would have been arrested by now if they did. Even unofficial investigations can be handled gently or harshly.”

The rumors about the royal family secretly training a special forces unit weren’t just rumors.

The Rose Knight Order or whatever was a prime example.

“So what about you? You omitted information from your report.”

“I’m fine. I made an excuse, saying I was delayed because the 3rd Corps Commander position was vacant. And I said I had already reported to Captain Febrosk, my direct superior.”

“But won’t they find out you’re lying?”

“It’s not a lie. I really did report to the Captain as soon as I returned to the city. Well, I embellished the story a bit.”

“I see…”

I felt both reassured and guilty.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Raven.”

“…Didn’t we already talk about that? I’m just repaying a debt.”

“I’ll definitely repay this debt.”

“Yes, you should. Otherwise, I’ll be at a loss.”

The atmosphere, which could have easily turned heavy, softened a bit as Raven joked.

It was time to move on.

“Raven, have you heard about the integration proposal?”

“Integration proposal? What’s that?”

“It’s a proposal to accept evil spirits as citizens instead of treating them as enemies. It was proposed 150 years ago, but it was rejected for various reasons.”

“Ah, I remember learning about that. But why?”

“I heard it was brought up at the royal council meeting.”

Raven was surprised when I explained why I brought it up.

“This is the first time I’m hearing about it. You were practically stuck at home, how did you… Ah, it was the 15th a few days ago!”

Raven’s ability to quickly grasp the situation was one of her strengths.

I didn’t answer and just continued,

“Can you look into it? Who brought it up at the meeting, and…”

“And…?”

“…if there’s really no chance that the royal family will accept it.”

Maybe this was the key.

_____________________

The days after Raven’s visit were busy.

Well, not for me, who was stuck at home, but for Amelia.

We had bought the ship I chose after using almost all our money, but we couldn’t find a navigator.

There was a serious shortage of navigators.

Everyone was heading to the Dark Continent on warships, so I thought there would be plenty of them available…

“It was too difficult to find one in a month…”

“Be specific. It’s difficult to find someone who meets your standards.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Honestly, it wasn’t like there were no navigators at all.

The problem was that they were all mediocre.

Navigation skills were crucial for reaching the Submerged Island, our destination.

“You have to either lower your standards or give up. Skilled navigators are quickly snatched up by other teams, and they won’t join a team like ours that’s only offering a short-term contract.”

“Really? Then I’ll just give up.”

“That easily…?”

“What can I do? The labyrinth opens in two days. I’ll just find one next month.”

“So you’re removing the Submerged Island from our exploration plan?”

“No, we’ll just try it ourselves. I don’t know if it will work, but there’s nothing else to do on the lower floors anyway.”

I hadn’t been able to gain much experience on the lower floors of the 6th floor, so it wouldn’t be a big loss even if we couldn’t reach the Submerged Island.

But could it be that she was annoyed by my words?

“…You’re not wrong, but it’s frustrating. I wouldn’t have wasted my time running around if you had told me sooner.”

“I… apologize.”

I apologized to Amelia and then called Erwen to the room to discuss our next exploration plan.

But it didn’t take long.

I had already prepared a Plan B in case we couldn’t find a navigator.

“You’re entering a rift…?”

“Not for long, just briefly. It’s not like the world will end if we arrive on the 6th floor a few days late. We’re not joining the expedition force this time. And you two haven’t absorbed much rift experience, have you?”

“Well, you can’t just enter a rift whenever you want…”

That’s true.

That’s why I couldn’t easily share my rift opening method with my previous teams.

‘It’s definitely convenient to be open about being an evil spirit in this aspect.’

“Anyway, I think that’s enough about the plan.”

We each spent some time preparing, and then two days passed—

「Entered the 1st-floor Crystal Cave.」

…and it was time to enter the labyrinth.

“Mister, why are you smiling?”

“Just… I’m excited. Let’s go to the 2nd floor.”

It’s been a while since I felt like I was going on an adventure.

-------------------------------

Chapter 374: Treasure Hunter (2)

Thirteen hours after entering the labyrinth.

We were still in the Crystal Cave on the 1st floor.

There was one reason why we were still here, even though we had cleared the 1st floor in a few hours with just the three of us last time.

The beginning of our exploration plan was here.

“Hmm, I didn’t know you could open a rift like this.”

“Hehe, you really know everything, mister!”

There were four types of rifts on the 1st floor: the Crimson Fortress, the Glacier Cave, and so on. And these rifts could be intentionally opened by players.

The reason it took us so long was because we had to go to the 2nd floor and kill an 8th-grade monster to obtain the necessary item.

‘Everyone who’s going to go up should be gone by now…’

I took out the 8th-grade magic stone from my subspace pocket and looked around.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’

An empty space with a single tombstone, about 30 meters in radius.

This was where the remaining explorers had gathered after the army and the large clans escaped through the dimensional gate.

Well, it was much larger back then because the mages had expanded it.

“Is everyone ready?”

The two of them nodded, and I placed the magic stone in front of the tombstone, like an offering.

And at that moment…

Rumble!

The entire 1st floor shook, the tombstone at its epicenter.

A green portal opened.

「Character has entered a 1st-floor rift.」

Let’s go.

____________________

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A cave appeared, illuminated by the light of the portal.

There were railroad tracks on the ground, and wooden debris was scattered everywhere.

It was a bit creepier than in the game.

[Green Mine]

One of the four types of rifts on the 1st floor.

The progression was simple.

You started at a point where the ceiling had collapsed, followed the railroad tracks, wandered through the mine, and killed the Guardian at the end.

“What are you guys waiting for? Let’s go.”

I hurriedly led the two of them deeper into the mine.

More people would be coming soon.

It was best to avoid them.

Amelia and I weren’t that famous, but Erwen was a celebrity in this city. Even low-level explorers might recognize her.

Tadat.

We left the area illuminated by the portal, and Erwen summoned the darkness spirit to hide us. And then, as expected, more people entered the rift.

“Whoa!”

The first one was a man with low-level equipment.

“What, what the…? Am I the first one?”

He looked around, bewildered, and then a smile spread across his face as he realized that he had entered a rift.

And then…

“Whoa!”

…the second person stumbled out of the portal and fell to the ground.

He was also a man.

“Hehe, nice to meet you!”

Okay, they’re both men, so nothing should happen.

I turned around, dismissing my worries, and…

“They won’t be able to hear us from here. Let’s run.”

“Okay!”

…we started our exploration, running through the mine.

The first monster we encountered was, as expected, a goblin.

But it was different from the ones we had seen on the 1st and 2nd floors.

[Growl!]

Its height was similar to ordinary goblins, but its build was different.

It had a broad back and well-defined muscles.

And it was wearing a miner’s helmet and carrying a pickaxe.

“Goblin Miner.”

It was 8th-grade.

A monster that only gave experience points in 1st-floor rifts.

[Kyaaa!]

The macho goblin charged towards us, swinging its pickaxe, as if it didn’t even care that it was outnumbered.

It was a powerful attack, much stronger than an ordinary goblin’s.

But…

“That’s disgusting…”

…would that work?

Any one of us could easily clear a 1st-floor rift.

Thud!

Erwen didn’t even bother with an arrow. She used the wind spirit to pierce its forehead.

「Goblin Miner defeated. EXP +2」

One shot, one kill.

It was a natural result for explorers of our level… but I was impressed by the way she summoned the wind spirit and shot it with a flick of her finger.

‘Is that… finger flicking?’

I used to be obsessed with martial arts novels.

Damn, why don’t I have a cool ability like that?

“Schuitz, is there a problem?”

“Yes, you’re staring at me…”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

I dismissed my thoughts and moved on.

Hmm, if I were to compare my current state to martial arts, I would be like a master of external martial arts who had reached the state of invulnerability.

Tadat, tadat.

Anyway, I took the lead and navigated. Well, it was just a straight path for now…

“Why did you stop?”

“The tracks are broken here. This must be it.”

I was observing the ground as I walked, and I stopped as soon as I saw a damaged section of the railroad.

And…

Kwaaang!

…I smashed the surrounding walls with my hammer.

Amelia was startled, thinking I was trying to bury us alive, but it was a pointless worry.

Rift fields don’t break that easily.

And if they did, there was usually something hidden there.

Like this.

Crack!

The wall crumbled like a pile of Styrofoam boxes.

A narrow passage was revealed.

It was just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Damn, I wouldn’t have been able to enter if I hadn’t shrunk my body—

Thud.

Ugh, my shoulders are still getting stuck.

I turned sideways and crab-walked through the passage.

And…

“That’s 3 million stones right there.”

…I found a chest hidden in the small space at the end of the passage, and I took out a green jewel.

I repeated the process and returned to the main path.

“I didn’t know there was something like this in the mine.”

“But mister… can we even take it outside without a mage?”

“It’s fine. These kinds of items don’t need distortion magic.”

The 1st-floor Crimson Fortress was a good example.

Only junk items like bricks and decorations needed ‘distortion’ magic.

Valuable items like the ‘Necronomicon’ were classified as items, so you could just take them out of the portal…

Ah, she wasn’t there back then.

“Then let’s go. We got everything here.”

Anyway, that was the only hidden piece in the first chapter, so I focused on moving, and we soon reached a cliff.

A bridge, two-thirds of which had collapsed, along with the railroad tracks.

The standard strategy was to take a detour through a side passage…

‘I could have just skipped this if I had [Leap].’

It was a shame I didn’t have a movement skill anymore.

You could skip this section with any mid-level or higher movement skill.

‘There are only Goblin Miners on the other side anyway.’

We entered the side passage, even though there weren’t any hidden pieces there, and smashed all the Goblin Miners we encountered, then exited through the other side.

It took about 30 minutes.

“This is too easy for a 1st-floor rift.”

“It’s definitely different from what I expected…”

Erwen seemed dissatisfied with the lack of challenge, but it couldn’t be helped. We were 7th-floor explorers in a 1st-floor rift.

Ordinary RPG games wouldn’t even give you experience points for this.

Wait, but isn’t it even more evil to visit low-level hunting grounds for experience points…?

“Don’t be disappointed. We’ll be out of here soon.”

I sped up, sensing their boredom.

We passed through the passage beyond the bridge and killed all the monsters that appeared in the second chapter.

「Hobgoblin Miner defeated. EXP +3」

「Mineral Slime defeated. EXP +2」

「Copper Golem defeated. EXP +3」

Those were the new monsters we encountered in the second chapter.

Ah, and the mid-boss.

「Goblin Bomber defeated. EXP +4」

No essence again.

Well, we didn’t have a test tube or a mage anyway.

‘The second chapter was focused on combat, so it was over quickly.’

I briefly searched the area for hidden pieces after clearing the mid-boss in about ten minutes.

It was hidden among the minerals near the mid-boss room.

[Gob Quartz]

Oh, there were three of them.

“Let’s split these.”

I tried to give them the Gob Quartz, but Amelia and Erwen frowned.

“Eat… that?”

“It smells strange. And it feels sticky…”

“It’s a potion. It increases your Poison Resistance.”

“If you say so.”

Amelia, who must have a strong stomach from being born in Noark, swallowed the Gob Quartz first, and Erwen followed suit, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Does it really taste that bad?”

“…It doesn’t taste like anything.”

“It has a unique texture.”

“Oh, really?”

A unique texture? What’s so special about that?

I guess I don’t have to brace myself.

Crunch!

I bit down on the Gob Quartz, and it did have a strange texture.

The outside was soft, but the inside felt like I was biting on a stone.

It wasn’t that unusual for barbarians, who usually ate bones.

「Character has consumed Gob Quartz.」

「Poison Resistance permanently increased by +3.」

「This effect does not stack.」

Anyway, the rest of the rift was similar.

We smashed all the monsters we encountered and continued forward. And we only stopped to search for hidden pieces.

We descended a spiral staircase at the edge of a cliff, and the third chapter ended.

And…

“This is the last one.”

…we arrived at the deepest part of the mine and stood in front of a collapsed tunnel.

The standard strategy was to open the path using the explosives hidden throughout the mine…

But high-level players have their own tricks.

Kaboom, kaboom!

I smashed the foundation of the tunnel with my Demon Crusher, and it collapsed, creating a passage. We entered the passage.

「The Green King awakens from his slumber.」

A vast chamber, about 50 meters in radius.

Green slime was wriggling and roaring in the center.

[Squeeee!]

It was the ‘Green Mine’s’ Guardian, the King Slime.

____________________

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the rift…

Two men were trembling in the darkness, illuminated by a single torch.

“…Are you sure… we have to go alone?”

“There’s no other choice. The portal is closed.”

“I heard you’re supposed to explore rifts in a group of five… What the hell is going on…?”

The archer sighed at the axe warrior’s words.

He didn’t know either.

Why was the portal closed when only two people had entered?

Of course, he initially thought it was a temporary error.

But three hours had passed since the portal closed.

He couldn’t deny reality forever.

“Whatever, let’s just go. We have to start moving if we want to clear this rift with just the two of us.”

“…Alright.”

The axe warrior, who was timid despite his size, took the lead, and the archer followed him, providing support.

‘This damn buggy game.’

The archer considered himself lucky.

Well, he did find this game by chance and ended up here…

But other than that, his life had always been easy, even after waking up in this unfamiliar world.

His first exploration was a good example.

He was lucky enough to absorb an essence from the start, and he earned his starting capital by looting a dead explorer and a looter during his second exploration.

He was able to steadily grow thanks to that.

But…

‘I was hoping to explore a 1st-floor rift for the third time, and this happens.’

He grumbled inwardly, but he quickly focused.

He had to survive.

“…Wait.”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Something’s strange. We should be seeing Goblin Miners around here…”

“You seem to know a lot about rifts.”

“Just a little. I like to study.”

He lied.

He was an experienced player who had played the original version.

Although he couldn’t get past the early stages and quit, and then cleared it later after finding out about the cheat version…

…he was still familiar with the beginning.

After all, you had to read ‘Elfnunna’s’ guide for newbies countless times if you wanted to play the original version properly.

“…Let’s keep going. I don’t know why we haven’t seen any goblins yet.”

But he decided to move on since waiting wouldn’t change anything.

And…

“Oh, there’s a passage over there!”

He noticed a hole in the wall where the railroad tracks were broken.

“…Someone was here before us.”

“…What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Someone had already entered the rift.

And there were three of them.

‘Then… they must have killed all the monsters.’

He felt a wave of relief, his legs almost giving out.

And then he realized it was an opportunity.

‘Judging by the lack of battle scars, they must be strong enough to just cut through everything.’

They wouldn’t be interested in the 1st-floor rift essences.

And essences only lasted for about 30 minutes after dropping.

If he followed them, he might be able to find some abandoned essences.

And maybe even some hidden pieces.

“Let’s go. Don’t worry about the monsters.”

“…What do you mean?”

“There probably aren’t any monsters ahead. I can go first if you don’t believe me.”

The archer then started running through the dark tunnel.

But…

‘They took the Gob Quartz.’

There was nothing left in the second or third chapters. The bastards who entered first were so thorough that he couldn’t even find anything they had missed.

‘I didn’t even know about that… it’s broken, so there must have been something hidden inside.’

Anyway, he finally reached the boss room after running for a while.

It took about 40 minutes.

If the Guardian essence had dropped, and they hadn’t absorbed it…

‘…it might still be here.’

He entered the boss room with the axe warrior.

And…

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

…they saw an essence floating in the air.

Greed flickered in their eyes.

But there was a difference.

“An… essence…!”

“Indeed.”

“Do, don’t tell me that’s the Guardian’s essence—”

The axe warrior, who was in the lead, seemed more surprised than greedy, but the archer behind him was the opposite.

Whoosh!

He drew an arrow and stabbed the axe warrior in the shoulder.

“Aaaaargh!”

The axe warrior screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Of course, he tried to fight back, but it was futile.

Clank.

His axe slipped from his grasp.

“It’s useless. I coated the arrowhead with paralyzing poison.”

“…Wh, why?! I, I’ll give you the essence! So please!”

The warrior begged for his life, sensing his defeat.

But the archer’s eyes were cold.

“Why are you so afraid of dying, NPC?”

“N-NPC…? What do you mean? No, wait, please spare me! I have a daughter—”

“Dragoons are Protoss.”

The archer chuckled and pulled out the arrow.

And…

“Hans Eliban.”

“……?”

“That’s my name. Ah, come to think of it, it’s not my real name either.”

“Do, don’t tell me…!”

“You finally figured it out. Sorry, I had to tell you this. Otherwise, I might hesitate.”

“N-no—!”

The warrior tried to shout, but he couldn’t finish his sentence.

The arrowhead pierced his throat.

“It’s no different from killing a goblin.”

The archer quickly got up and walked towards the essence floating in the air.

A sinister smile spread across his face.

“I’m lucky.”

He genuinely thought he was lucky.

「[Slime Essence] absorbed into character’s soul.」

…until he saw the skill he had just obtained.

------------------------------------

Chapter 375: Treasure Hunter (3)

The Guardian of the Green Mine, the King Slime.

It was a decent essence to have, at least until the mid-game.

Well, none of us would absorb it even if it dropped…

But it didn’t drop anyway.

「King Slime defeated. EXP +4」

「Guardian Kill Bonus: EXP +3」

I clicked my tongue, watching the King Slime disappear into particles of light.

“Wow, it really didn’t drop anything?”

I was hoping for at least a Numbered Item, but…

How can it not even drop a rift stone?

The individual drop rate should be 33.3%…

‘…Come to think of it, we didn’t get any essence drops on the way here either.’

That’s why I had a glimmer of hope.

That the Guardian might drop a decent Numbered Item.

“At least we got one essence.”

I chuckled at Amelia’s attempt to console me.

That’s not an essence, it’s trash.

Slime, a 9th-grade monster.

It decreased your physical stats like Bone Density, Physical Resistance, Strength, and Agility, and gave you a bunch of useless stats like Poison Resistance, Sixth Sense, and Digestion.

And the skill was mediocre.

It was occasionally useful, but…

…it wasn’t worth the penalties, so it was considered one of the worst 9th-grade essences.

Ah, for reference, the essence dropped from one of the trash mobs that appeared while we were fighting the King Slime.

‘Damn it, I’d rather it not drop anything at all.’

Then at least I could hope for a jackpot next time.

“Mister, the portal is open! Are we leaving now?”

“Of course.”

I led my companions towards the portal.

There was no hesitation in my steps.

One Slime essence from a rift?

What a garbage room.

「Entered the 1st-floor Crystal Cave.」

Let’s get out of here.

I don’t want to get any more bad luck.

____________________

We didn’t waste any time after exiting the rift.

We headed straight for the upper floors since we were done with the lower floors, and we reached our target floor on Day 26.

「Entered the Great Ocean of the 6th floor.」

Starting Island Laimia.

It wasn’t crowded with explorers and soldiers like last time. And neither was the coastline filled with warships.

The expedition force had already departed for the Dark Continent on Day 25.

That’s why we deliberately arrived a day late.

“Let’s go to the coast.”

There was no reason to waste time on an empty island, so we headed straight for the coast.

And I took out the ship from my subspace pocket.

It looked completely different from the previous one, which didn’t have a sail and required us to row.

‘This is more like it.’

It was a ship similar in size and shape to the fishing boats you often see in Korea.

It had a large square sail in the center and a mana propulsion device at the rear, so we could increase the speed by adding magic stones.

In other words, it could even sail through windless zones as long as we had enough magic stones.

‘Well, I don’t think we’ll be going to a windless zone without a navigator…’

Amelia stood at the helm, gulping nervously, as we all boarded the ship.

But Erwen seemed uneasy.

“But… can she even sail this ship without a navigator…?”

“She said she had experience sailing a small boat, so she’ll be better than me, who only knows how to row. And she said she learned the basics while buying the ship.”

“Hmm…”

“Right, Amelia?”

“…Don’t talk to me. I’m thinking.”

“…….”

Damn it, this is making me nervous.

Amelia, who had been staring at the helm with a serious expression, as if running a simulation in her head, finally started giving orders.

“First… we have to row away from the island. We need wind to sail.”

“‘We need wind’…?”

“If you’re unhappy, you can—”

“No, I’m not. I’ll do as you say.”

“…….”

I decided to follow her orders instead of micromanaging her.

Of course, I wasn’t going to actually row.

What was the point of buying this expensive ship?

Swoosh!

The ship started moving forward as I inserted a magic stone into the mana propulsion device.

“…Ugh!”

Amelia seemed surprised by the speed, but she quickly regained her composure and turned the wheel.

And…

“N-now! The sail! Unfurl the sail!”

The ship caught the wind and started sailing as soon as the sail was unfurled.

Phew, so she can do it.

“What’s our heading?”

“East. Don’t worry.”

“I see…”

Amelia sighed in relief at my words.

But her hands were still tightly gripping the wheel.

It was a refreshing sight.

The woman who didn’t even flinch when killing people was this nervous about sailing a ship.

“I can see it.”

An island appeared on the horizon after about 15 minutes of sailing east.

It was the closest island to the starting point after Parune Island, where we had fought Stormgush.

Gurka Island.

There was no real reason to visit this island.

The monsters here were low-level, and they all appeared on the lower floors.

I had already gotten all the experience points I needed.

But…

‘We don’t have a navigator, so it can’t be helped.’

We couldn’t sail directly to our destination with our current navigation skills, so we had to island-hop.

Well, there was another reason.

“…Mister, are you okay?”

“…….”

Damn it, this seasickness.

It was a bit better than before, but my stomach was still churning.

“Schuitz, we can take a break if you’re not feeling well.”

“Please.”

We anchored the ship and took a break.

That was one of the good things about this barbarian body.

Even though the seasickness was severe, it only lasted for about 10 minutes.

“Alright, let’s set sail again.”

We resumed our voyage after recovering.

Our next destination was Anos, the second island on the eastern route.

“It will take about three hours to get there, can you really do it?”

“…Don’t worry. Just keep sailing northeast.”

“Who said that?”

“…The book.”

Erwen, who had never experienced this kind of haphazard navigation, looked dubious.

But Amelia seemed to have a knack for sailing. An island appeared on the horizon after about three hours.

Amelia clenched her fist.

“We found it.”

“But why is it east of us, not in front?”

“…It’s within the margin of error.”

Damn right, it’s within the margin of error.

Amelia turned the ship, and we soon arrived at Anos Island.

Unlike Gurka Island, which we had skipped, we had business here.

There weren’t any hidden pieces or treasures, but we had to get the remaining experience points.

And it was also getting late, so we were planning to camp here for the night.

But before that…

“Ugh, bleeegh—!”

…I had to empty my stomach.

_____________________

「Ripple Monkey defeated. EXP +3」

「War Snake defeated. EXP +4」

「Nigel Fencer defeated. EXP +4」

「Belgaro defeated. EXP +5」

「Black Tree defeated… 」

「… 」

_____________________

Anos Island, where 99% of the island was covered in jungle, except for the coastline.

We set up camp on the beach and started exploring the next day.

We circled the entire island, killing monsters and gaining experience points, and then it was nighttime again, so we had to camp for another night.

‘Damn it, I thought we could clear it in half a day and move on to the next island.’

The reason for the delay was the last monster we hunted. We had to search for it until nightfall since it didn’t appear even after we circled the entire island.

“Mister, the stars are beautiful, don’t you—?”

Snore!

“He’s asleep…”

We set sail early the next morning and headed for the next island, and thankfully, we arrived safely.

And the process continued…

“This is the seventh island.”

“It’s called Pione Island, right?”

We arrived at the seventh island on the eastern route after ten days of sailing.

Honestly, it was a miracle.

We had made it this far without any problems, even though we had a navigator who only knew how to go forward, stop, and park.

‘I thought we might miss an island or something.’

Is sailing really that easy?

I had been observing Amelia as she sailed, learning the basics.

I was also getting used to the seasickness.

“Wow, it’s a beautiful island, just like they say.”

“Erwen, is this your first time here too?”

“Yes. We usually just passed by.”

“Well, it’s a waste of time if you’re unlucky.”

Pione, the seventh island on the eastern route.

It was often called Treasure Island among explorers.

The terrain was relatively flat compared to the other islands, which had mountains in the center, and it was small enough to circle in about three hours.

For reference, only one type of 4th-grade monster appeared on this island…

“Are we skipping this one too?”

“It’s getting late, so we’ll stay for one night.”

Erwen seemed happy with my answer.

There were practically no monsters on the island.

It would be like winning the lottery if we encountered one.

“Mister! Let’s explore the island! We have some time until nightfall!”

“…Alright.”

“It might be dangerous, so I’ll come with you.”

We put the ship away and explored the island, familiarizing ourselves with the terrain.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A refreshing sea breeze.

A vast field filled with colorful flowers.

“It’s not bad.”

Erwen smiled as I unconsciously expressed my admiration.

“Right?”

“Yes, it’s wide open, so we’ll easily notice if a looter approaches while we’re sleeping.”

“…Yes?”

Erwen tilted her head, confused, but it was an important point.

There was a reason why this island was called Treasure Island.

Even though most high-level explorers were participating in the war on the 7th floor, there was no way this island would be empty.

It was the only place, besides rifts, where you could obtain Numbered Items.

“That’s enough reconnaissance. Let’s set up camp over there. I found a good spot earlier.”

“Okay…”

We were all experienced explorers, so setting up camp didn’t take long. We had Amelia’s clone keep watch and then went to sleep.

And after some time…

“Schuitz, wake up.”

Amelia woke me up.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked around. Erwen was already awake and had drawn her bow.

There was only one possibility.

It was much more likely than encountering a monster on this island.

“How many?”

I asked for the necessary information, and Amelia answered curtly.

“Fifteen.”

“A clan.”

We had uninvited guests.

Trial

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

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