Surviving The Game as a Barbarian (Novel) Chapter 169, 170, 171

  

C169, 170, 171

Chapter 169: Burning (1)

The other world beyond the mirror.

It's a kind of hidden field, like Larkaze's Labyrinth.

The difficulty level is quite high right after entering.

Because monsters start pouring out from the beginning.

"Bjorn! They're coming again!!"

As soon as we finish one battle, another wave of monsters approaches.

The scale is on a completely different level from before.

Eight Flame Wolves, 7th-grade beast-type monsters.

Five Salamanders, 6th-grade nature-type monsters.

And three Redwoods, 5th-grade plant-type monsters.

"Raven, how's the magic coming along?!"

A blue light emanates from Raven's wand as soon as I shout.

"Narua Brigianu Tun!"

The 5th-grade AoE freezing spell, [Ice Rain].

It's the one called Blizzard in the game.

Kwoom!

A gray cloud forms in the sky and showers down sharply pointed icicles.

Kwaaang!!

More than half of the monsters are instantly crippled by a single spell.

Of course, the 5th-grade monsters are fine even against this AoE spell.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

The combo of [Wild Release] and [Gigantification].

Thanks to the increased threat level, the monsters gather around me without me having to do anything.

It's the reason why tanks are as important as mages in this place.

[Gaaaaak!]

I focus solely on defense, blocking the Redwood's vine whip attacks with my shield.

It's the Barbarian Turtle Mode.

Although I could probably take down one of them with [Swing]...

It's better to conserve Soul Power.

My threat level will decrease when [Gigantification] ends.

"Take care of the Salamanders first!"

While I'm dealing with the three Redwoods, the mage prepares her magic for the next wave.

So it's time for the other damage dealers to shine.

Kwaaang!

Ainar and Misha start taking down the monsters in earnest, with the bear-like man's ranged support.

It takes about 3 minutes to clear the trash mobs.

'Having two melee damage dealers makes clearing trash mobs fast.'

Afterwards, the five of us join forces and defeat the 5th-grade monsters.

But there's no time to rest.

"...They're coming again."

Another wave of monsters approaches, attracted by the sound of the previous battle.

We repeat this process over and over again, and after about ten more battles...

"Mr. Yandel, I'm almost out of mana."

Raven's mana, which she used to spam AoE spells, has dropped to less than one-third.

Of course, it's not a big problem.

The early waves are almost over.

"Don't use attack magic and just support us."

"Okay!"

Afterwards, Raven uses her remaining mana to cast curses on the enemies or buff the team.

Around that time, my [Gigantification] also ends.

It seems like the bear-like man, who was spamming explosive arrows, is also almost out of Soul Power.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

As the three of us start to struggle, the importance of Ainar and Misha, the melee damage dealer duo, increases.

As expected, melee damage dealers are the best for sustained DPS.

"This is the kind of battle I wanted!!!"

Ainar's excitement reaches its peak as she fights against the endless waves of enemies.

As expected of a barbarian, a race known for its fighting spirit, her excitement actually helps.

'Was she always this good at fighting?'

Although she seems to be swinging her greatsword clumsily, she dodges everything she needs to dodge.

Her swordsmanship is like she's on stimulants.

'Well, she did say she trained in swordsmanship there...'

Her combat sense itself seems to be superior to Misha's.

Anyway, I change our formation as the battle nears its end.

"Avman, send him over here!"

Iron Bear Iradun, who's been acting as a sub-tank for our team.

Or Woongie for short.

[Woong-!]

We reinforce the front line by adding Woongie, who was protecting the ranged damage dealers in the back.

Because it seems like everyone is really at their limit.

The mage's mana is completely depleted, so even support has stopped.

Kwagic! Kwagic! Whoosh!

Mace, swords, and giant crossbow arrows.

I haven't been pushed this far in a long time, and we're taking down the remaining monsters with just normal attacks, without any skills.

"I think this is the end..."

The battle ends as I smash a burning skull with my mace.

Hundreds of magic stones are scattered across the floor.

"But, weren't magic stones originally this dark?"

"It's a characteristic of this space. The density is about twice as high."

In short, it means a double event is active.

It takes Raven several minutes to collect them all, even with her remaining mana.

Ah, and an essence also dropped.

"I saw that! It dropped from where that guy with all the heads was standing!"

"Headhunter, huh."

It's a 7th-grade fire-type undead monster.

So we just discard it.

Although it would be useful if I absorbed it...

...there's no reason to absorb it when we're already hunting 5th-grade monsters on a daily basis.

"Hmm, discard it...?"

Ainar looks at me with a longing gaze, like a child who dropped her candy, at my decision.

Geez, it doesn't work like that.

No.

"It's not a good essence for you. So endure it, even if you're disappointed."

"...Alright!"

If she absorbs anything she finds, she'll just have to remove it later, and it'll cost more money.

But could it be that she feels bad about discarding the loot?

"But can't we store it in a test tube and sell it?"

Ainar suggests a new idea as if shouting 'Eureka!'.

Our mage takes care of it.

"No. It's not even worth the cost of the test tube for anything below 6th-grade. And in the first place, I heard you can only take one item out of here."

"Huh? Only one? What do you mean?"

"I don't know the reason either. But I heard that you need to use the 'Distortion' spell on any item you obtain here to take it out, and you can only do it once."

It's a field characteristic that I would have had to explain if Raven didn't know.

"We have to choose carefully what to take out. Not just the essence... I've heard stories about people obtaining very valuable items here."

"Valuable items..."

I've already decided on what to take out.

But I'm quite curious.

Does anyone know about that item?

I ask in detail, but Raven draws a line, saying that's all she knows.

"It's difficult to find information about this kind of thing in books. In the first place, I only heard about it through word of mouth."

Well, from the 5th floor onwards, it's classified as high-level information.

Even trivial achievements are treated as intellectual property and aren't shared easily.

There are even clans that prohibit their members from even mentioning their activities within the labyrinth.

It's no wonder Raven was so obsessed with the Compendium of Rifts.

"Everyone, rest for now. I'll keep watch."

We take a break after the intense battle.

And I check the current situation.

"Raven, how long will it take for your mana to fully recover?"

"12 hours if I meditate or sleep. Otherwise, it will take more than a day."

"I see."

That's why I said melee damage dealers are better than mages on the 5th floor. Mages take a long time to recover their mana.

"From now on, you should conserve your mana as much as possible."

"Are you planning to continue exploring?"

"It's not a place we can easily enter again, right? We should explore as much as possible. We might even find that valuable item you mentioned."

"That's true. We don't know when we'll be able to come back here..."

So that matter is settled.

We resume exploration after 15 minutes of resting.

It's a forced march, but no one complains.

They've already seen the magic stones and essence that were pouring out.

"I can finally hold my head high in front of my wife."

The bear-like man is beaming.

He's a family man, after all.

"Avman, do you sense any portals?"

"I can faintly sense one far away in that direction."

It's a field where the compass doesn't work.

We use the Guide's ability to determine the direction.

"...Why did you ask if you're going in the opposite direction?"

Because that's where I'm going.

Of course, I can't say that.

"Portals are likely to be exits. We should go in the opposite direction to find something."

It's a plausible excuse I came up with.

But it's not wrong, so I quickly get Raven's support.

"Ah! Right! I read that there's an exit portal inside the mirror."

Phew, this is why you need a somewhat intelligent character on the team.

"Alright, let's go."

It's around 7:00 PM on Day 22.

The day is almost over, and we have about a week left.

We need to hurry if we want to get our money's worth.
__________________

Mirror of Fire.

This field has a unique characteristic.

It takes a day for monsters to respawn.

Thanks to that, the places where we already hunted become temporary safe zones.

It's a blessing in disguise.

If monsters were constantly swarming in groups of hundreds, we wouldn't even be able to sleep properly.

「Killed Hell Guard. EXP +4」

「Killed Gremlin. EXP +2」

「Killed Doom Warrior. EXP +5」

「Killed Chaos Worm. EXP +2」

「Killed Doomfire Fairy…….」

We defeat various monsters that we couldn't hunt before because of the clans controlling the field and leave the wasteland, our starting point, after three days.

The progress is much slower than I expected.

'The map is huge, and there are too many monsters.'

Whenever a battle breaks out, nearby monsters gather after hearing the sound.

Of course, it's better than the very beginning, when they swarmed from all directions.

We only have to worry about the enemies in front, and we can retreat if necessary.

However, our stamina and MP are depleting as the forced march continues, slowing down our hunting speed.

There were even a few times when we were almost in danger.

In the end, we have to rest periodically.

'Still, the speed at which we're earning magic stones is insane.'

It's not called the Burning Zone for nothing.

Large-scale battles using magic.

And the double magic stone event.

Coming here, I finally feel like we're making money from magic stones. Until now, all the big profits were from equipment looted from marauders.

'As expected, hunting is all about mob farming.'

The morning of Day 26.

We finish camping and enter a new field.

Whoosh!

The Burning Forest.

It's a field where the trees are engulfed in black flames and burn 365 days a year, just like its name suggests.

However, the fire damage is negligible.

Thanks to the fact that the trees are spaced out and we have [Cold Blood], which increases fire resistance.

For reference, there are three reasons why I chose this place.

First, the battle difficulty is the lowest.

"Hmm, it's not that bad."

"Yeah, I was a bit worried, but this seems easier than the previous place. There aren't even any 5th-grade monsters."

Although there are many monsters, they're all 6th or 7th grade.

Of course, being easy means the rewards are low.

But the Ash Gray Mountains and the Lava Lake, which appear if you go in other directions, are still a bit too difficult for us to clear.

And there's nothing to gain from the Altar of the Dead, where the portal is.

In that sense...

Second, we need to obtain this to make things easier in the future.

It's a hidden item in the center of the Burning Forest.

If we have this, we can clear the other fields when we come back here, and we can even enter that island on the 6th floor.

"Don't let your guard down too much. We don't know what might appear."

Although I give a warning out of habit, I also increase our speed as soon as we enter the forest.

We spent more time than expected, so it's a close call whether we'll be able to arrive on time.

"The trees are all burned here."

"Let's rest here for today."

We, who have been fighting and traveling all day, spread out our sleeping bags at a camping spot as the sun sets.

And the next morning...

'It finally appeared.'

We encounter a monster.

"Arrua! What's its name?"

"Uh, that is... I don't know either."

A monster whose name and rank even Raven, who's been reading books all her life, doesn't know.

A monster that only exists in the Burning Forest.

A rare monster that even the clan that controls the 5th floor field connected to this forest only encounters once a year.

[Groooooowl—!!]

The 5th-grade rare species, Veritas.

It was the third reason I chose the Burning Forest.

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

This guy guarantees an essence drop.

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

Chapter 170: Burning (2)

A giant mirror emitting a red light.

About thirty explorers are gathered beneath it.

The blue wolf emblem on their chests signifies that they belong to the same clan.

"Shift change!"

One of the teams stationed in front of the mirror switches places with the team that just finished resting at a man's shout.

And they start mechanically hunting the monsters that appear through the mirror.

It's a sight that any 5th-floor explorer would have seen at least once.

"...Let's go somewhere else."

The explorers who happened to arrive here turn away dejectedly after seeing them.

It's already familiar.

The entire 5th floor is like this.

"Halt! From this point onwards, it's the territory of our Nebiswolf Clan, so please go somewhere else."

Ordinary teams can't even object.

It's because most of the large clans on the 5th floor are skilled enough to operate on the 6th floor.

For reference, there's only one reason why those skilled explorers are camping out on the 5th floor.

It's because the 6th floor is monopolized by even larger clans.

And this is much more profitable.

"Vice-leader, what's the total amount we've acquired today?"

They hunt in 24-hour shifts and gather magic stones, driving out anyone who complains with force.

"A Doomfire Fairy essence dropped. Anyone want to buy it?"

When a 5th-grade essence drops, they store it in a test tube and sell it in the city, and anything below that is sold to nearby explorers at a cheap price.

Explorers who want experience points?

They even accept them as customers and maximize their profits.

"I'll cast the Bonding spell, so don't participate in the battle and just stay back."

That's when, as they're enjoying the fruits of the labyrinth and hunting repeatedly...

"Leader! It's a Veritas!"

"What?"

The man who was commanding the clan from the back hurriedly gets up and approaches the mirror.

A monster is visible beyond it.

[Groooooowl—!!]

Two horns protruding from its forehead.

A muscular body over 3 meters tall.

Black wings covering its upper body and four arms. It's the demon-type monster, Veritas.

"We're lucky today."

The corners of the man's mouth curl up into a wide smile.

It's a monster he's encountering for the first time in a year.

'How much did we sell it for last time?'

Although it's a 5th-grade monster, he remembers it selling for a high price at the Magic Tower because of its rarity.

And the amount of magic stones they acquired during this expedition is below their quota, so this one alone will more than make up for the loss.

"Everyone, get into formation!"

The man takes out his weapon for the first time in a while and stands at the front. And he waits for Veritas to completely emerge from the mirror.

"It's coming out!"

A giant foot slowly steps out from beyond the gate.

The clan members' eyes are filled with anticipation.

No one is worried about the battle.

The mages have already completed their highest-level spells.

It's just a rare monster, a 5th-grade in the end, so the battle will be over as soon as it appears.

Right, that should have been the case...

[Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!]

A human battle cry is heard from beyond the mirror.

And at the same time, the monster that was about to step outside turns around and pulls its foot back.

"...What the hell are those guys?!"

He couldn't understand the situation at all.
____________________

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

Veritas turns its head as soon as I unleash [Wild Release] with all my might.

And the mirror that was beneath its feet disappears.

Fortunately, it seems like the aggro worked well.

‘Phew, I almost missed it.’

The monsters in the other world enter the labyrinth through those mirrors.

In other words, if we were even a little late, we wouldn’t be the ones fighting this guy.

[Groooooowl—!!]

The bastard charges towards me as soon as I raise my shield.

Kwaaang!

Its strength feels weaker than the troll’s.

It’s the number one monster that doesn’t live up to its appearance.

It looks like a level 3 monster…

“Mr. Yandel, are you okay?”

“I can handle it, don’t worry about me!”

“Everyone except for Mr. Yandel, please retreat. We need to figure out what its abilities are first!”

It’s an enemy we’re encountering for the first time, and we don’t know anything about it.

Raven is flustered and gives her first order.

Geez, there’s no need to be that careful.

‘…It would be strange if I acted like I knew something here.’

I’m confident that I can hold him off indefinitely in a 1:1 situation, so I decide to just watch without saying anything.

Honestly, I’m also a bit curious.

What kind of judgment will our mage make without any information?

“Marde Guarjur.”

The first spell Raven uses is ‘Mana Measurement’.

It’s the same one used when exchanging magic stones for money at the checkpoint.

“Fortunately, it’s only around 5th-grade level!”

The monster’s threat level has been measured.

But that’s all we know so far.

We have to deduce the rest through actual combat.

Kwaaang!

An explosion occurs as the bastard’s fist and my shield collide.

[Mark of Explosion].

“There were no signs of mana movement. I think it’s an inherent ability…”

She got the passive part right.

Then what’s the activation condition?

Kwaaang! Bang! Kwaang!

Raven carefully observes the battle from afar while explosions occur one after another beyond my shield.

And she reaches a conclusion.

“Same spot! The explosion occurs when you hit the same spot!”

…Correct.

I didn’t expect her to figure it out this quickly.

“So how long are you going to just watch?”

“Uh… he seems to be doing fine on his own, but wouldn’t it be better to observe a bit more? Miss Kaltstein or Miss Ainar might get seriously injured.”

Hmm, so I’m not going to get seriously injured?

I feel a sense of pride and offense as a tank.

“I’ll throw you a potion if it gets dangerous!”

“High-grade?”

“Yes, high-grade!”

Then it’s fine.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but based on my experience, high-grade potions have the least pain.

Even with Pain Resistance, it still hurts.

“Oh, it even uses its feathers as arrows? Judging by the fact that there’s no mana movement, it seems like it’s just an individual characteristic!”

Anyway, Raven’s voice becomes lighter, as if she’s judged that it’s not a particularly dangerous enemy at our level.

“Mr. Yandel, can you hit it with your mace? There might be something that activates when it’s hit…”

It seems like she’s enjoying analyzing a monster she’s seeing for the first time. It’s the first time I’ve seen our mage so excited, so I follow her instructions.

Kwagic!

I smash one of its four arms with [Swing], and the joint bends at an unnatural angle.

The wings unfold immediately.

“It’s an ability!”

It’s one of Veritas’s three active skills.

[Wings of Greed].

Swaaa!

The surrounding air is sucked in like a whirlpool in a drain.

After about 3 seconds of inhalation, the wings fold with a snap, and the broken arms are all healed.

“It’s a regeneration ability!”

She immediately casts the ‘Deterioration’ spell, as if she doesn’t want to just watch and do nothing.

‘Phew, I hope this one drops…’

Although its true value lies in its passive, it’s better to get a useful active skill if we’re going to absorb it.

「Veritas has cast [Legion of Hatred].」

「Veritas has cast [Doom Ray].」

Summoning demons or shooting beams isn’t really my style.

Whoosh!

I easily dodge the ‘Doom Ray’, which has a 3-second casting time, and then cast [Gigantification].

Because I finally have permission.

“I think we’ve confirmed all its abilities!”

“Uh, then can I go fight now?”

The long-awaited moment of execution.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

While Ainar grabs her greatsword and smashes the summoned demons, the bear-like man and Raven take aim with their ultimate moves.

「Avman Urikfrit has cast [Dangerous Substance].」

「Arrua Raven has cast the 5th-grade attack spell [Lightning Spear].」

It’s our team’s strongest damage-dealing combo, which even the troll, the embodiment of survivability, couldn’t withstand.

Kwaaang!

A giant explosion occurs, and Veritas’s body turns into a mass of light.

「Killed Veritas. EXP +5」

White particles of light scatter along with black smoke.

Raven uses wind magic to clear the smoke, as if curious about the result.

And then a white essence is revealed.

“It, it’s an essence!!”

[Wings of Greed], the one I was hoping for, dropped.

It’s just a 33.3% chance…

‘To think it actually dropped on the first try.’

I’m suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.
_________________

A 5th-grade monster essence dropped.

Therefore, there are two choices.

Either we store it in a test tube and sell it, or one of the team members pays for it and absorbs it.

“What are you going to do?”

“I think Ainar should have this.”

“Eek? Me?!”

I completely ignore Ainar's fuss.

Although she’s the one involved…

…I’m a man who will become the Barbarian Lord someday.

In short, I can represent all barbarians.

“Hmm… you haven’t even properly checked what kind of essence it is?”

We confirmed the skills through battle.

But you can only know what skills the essence contains after absorbing it. And besides, the base stats attached to the essence are also as important as the skills.

“Considering that, I’d like you to give me a discount.”

“How much?”

“16 million stones.”

Ainar is shocked at my offer.

“16 million stones?!”

“Ainar, please be quiet. Okay? Bjorn is talking.”

“Ah, alright!”

Although the conversation is briefly interrupted, Raven continues with a serious expression, without even chuckling.

“If we split it four ways, I’ll only get 4 million stones.”

Hmm, as expected, it didn’t work.

That’s why I said 16 million.

“The price seems too low. It’s a rare monster that even I didn’t know about, right? And most importantly, if we store it in a test tube and sell it, 40% is mine.”

“…I’ll let you research it instead.”

“Are, are you selling me to a mage?!”

“Hmm, just like Mr. Yandel did before?”

She looks quite tempted.

As expected, research is more important than money for mages.

I seize the opportunity and reveal the cards I prepared one after another.

“And besides, if you store it in a test tube and use the Distortion spell, you can’t use it again.”

In other words, I’m saying that she might regret using the Distortion spell on this if we find a treasure later.

Raven nods, as if she’s also greedy.

“Although we only have a few days left… indeed, we can’t rule out that possibility.”

Alright, it seems like she’s convinced.

Now it’s the bear-like man’s turn.

“Mr. Urikfrit, what do you want to do? I’ll make up for the loss with research…”

“I don’t mind. I’ve already earned enough. And in the first place, we came here thanks to Bjorn finding that monster.”

“Hmm, that’s true… but are you really okay with it? I don’t even know how much it will sell for.”

“So I’m saying I don’t mind. It’s good for us if the barbarian lady becomes stronger.”

“Alright, then it’s settled.”

Now Ainar has to pay the bear-like man and Raven 4 million stones each when we return to the city.

It means I’m back to being broke, even though I earned a lot this time.

“Here, absorb it before it disappears.”

Still, Ainar absorbs the essence without any objections, as if she’s happy about the new essence.

「The essence of [Veritas] seeps into Ainar Frenelin’s soul.」

A black mass of light instantly seeps into her skin as soon as it makes contact.

Raven’s eyes sparkle with curiosity.

“So, how is it? What’s the most noticeable change?”

“Uh… I feel stronger…”

“Hmm, that’s ambiguous. We’ll have to research it in the city later. First, try using the abilities.”

“Ab, abilities?”

“Ah, it might be difficult to imagine.”

Raven gives her tips on how to use Soul Power, recalling the three abilities that Veritas used.

“It’s also good to say the lines out loud. That’s how we learn magic for the first time.”

“Uh, uh… I’ll try.”

Ainar starts trying out Veritas’s active skills one by one, following Raven’s instructions.

“Co, come out! Demons!!”

The summoning skill, [Legion of Hatred].

“Keeeugh!!”

The ranged attack skill, [Doom Ray].

And…

“Wings!!!”

[Wings of Greed].

Swoosh!

Wings of light unfold behind her and flap.

It’s Barbarian (Female) Valkyrie Mode.

“Have, have I become a Valkyrie?!”

Ainar exclaims with a delighted expression as she looks around, examining herself.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

It’s a good thing she likes it.

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

Chapter 171: Burning (3)

After it was revealed that [Wings of Greed] was the chosen skill…

…Raven started controlling Ainar like a puppet and testing its performance.

The most important thing first.

“I, I can’t fly…!!”

Flight using the wings is impossible.

And since the wings are made of light, they can’t be used for attack or defense, and she can’t even move them at will.

They just move according to her mood.

Flap, flap!

Oh, it seems like she’s not in a good mood.

But they have to consider balance, right?

It would be OP if she could fly with just this.

“…But they do look good on you.”

“Yeah, yeah, she looks really strong.”

“Really?!”

The wings start flapping again at the single compliment.

Flap!

Hmm, this clearly means she’s happy.

Well, even I think the wings look cool.

And the effect of absorbing the surrounding air every time she recovers is quite flashy.

“If I had known, it would have been fine for Mr. Yandel to have it too, don’t you think? Aren’t you disappointed?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have any health regeneration abilities now that the Vampire essence is gone.”

Ah, so that’s what she meant.

But it’s not a suitable essence for me.

First of all, the passive doesn’t suit a tank.

And besides, I can get a decent amount of regeneration just from stats, and there are much better essences out there.

‘And most importantly, it synergizes well with Ainar.’

The effect of [Mark of Explosion] is simple.

It explodes when you hit the same spot twice.

In the game, it was similar to a critical hit.

It had a slightly higher chance of activating against slow monsters or when you increased your accuracy.

But with [Double Slash], it’s a different story.

“Then let’s keep moving.”

Soon after resuming exploration, a group of monsters appears, and everyone can see Ainar’s growth with their own eyes.

Kwaaang!

An explosion occurs as soon as she uses [Double Slash].

The head of a 7th-grade monster explodes instantly and disappears into light.

It’s a power that even Raven is surprised by.

“…Don’t tell me you gave Miss Ainar the essence because you thought of this? Just because of my guess that it explodes when you hit the same spot?”

Hmm, it wasn’t a guess for me.

Of course, I can’t say that, so I just make an excuse.

“You’re the mage of our team. Of course, I trust your judgment.”

“Uh… thank you…”

Raven shuts her mouth, unable to say anything. Meanwhile, Ainar is rampaging among the monsters, unable to contain her excitement.

“Behel—laaaaaaaa!!!!”

Explosions occur with every swing of her sword.

Kwaaang! Kwaang!

Thanks to the double stats (Strength and Agility) from Veritas’s essence, her movements are much smoother and more powerful than before.

Of course, she’s constantly getting injured since I’m not drawing aggro in the front…

“Wings!!!”

…but her injuries heal quickly as she casts [Life Absorption] and [Wings of Greed] together.

‘I guess her character concept is set.’

The Berserker Barbarian.

I watch Ainar’s battle, unable to hide my satisfaction.

I’m a bit envious too.

I also used to build my characters like that before I learned about the Shield Barbarian.

A refreshing battle is a man’s romance.

‘…It wouldn’t be bad to increase her Strength stat further and have her use dual greatswords.’

I briefly consider it.

A barbarian warrior wielding giant greatswords in both hands, spinning like a whirlwind and dominating the battlefield.

And with light wings as a skin on top of that?

Oh shit.

‘That’s badass.’

Maybe I can live vicariously through her.

“Bjo, Bjorn!”

“Alright, I’ll help.”

However, her character build isn’t complete enough to overcome the numerical disadvantage yet, so I also join the battle and finish it.

But was even that impressive?

“Wow, I can’t believe you can get that much stronger just from one essence…”

Misha looks a bit envious.

Well, she doesn’t have any essences above 5th grade yet.

It would be understandable for her to feel deprived, seeing Ainar who absorbed a 4th-grade essence on top of a 5th-grade one.

And she’s also a 0-year explorer like me.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get stronger too.”

“Uh-huh…”

Although Misha looks dejected, there’s nothing else I can say to her right now.

I’m planning to go after that essence after we’ve obtained everything we can from the Hellfire Canyon.

Will it take about six months?

And it will take years to obtain that sword, the core of the Freezing Dual Swordsman build.

‘Now that we’re on the 5th floor, there’s so much to do.’

We collect the magic stones and continue exploring.

A vast forest where the trees are burning, emanating a desolate beauty.

As we defeat monsters and move on, time flies by, and Day 30 finally dawns.

[08:10]

Only 16 hours left until the labyrinth closes.

‘We finally made it. It was a close call.’

A giant stele appears among the trees.

“Everyone, stop!”

“Uh, is it a trap?”

“I don’t know. But it’s possible.”

Raven is wary of the artificial structure as soon as she sees it.

It’s a commendable attitude, but…

‘It’s just a stele.’

In the game, this stele didn’t have any function.

For reference, there’s an identical stele in the fields in the other directions, and it acts as a kind of landmark.

It’s like a signpost that tells you this is the central area.

Well, there might be a hidden element that I didn’t discover…

‘But that’s unlikely.’

Even I tried everything, but nothing happened.

“Then what should we do?”

“First, get ready for battle. Something might be summoned when we enter its radius.”

“Alright.”

It wouldn’t look good if I ignored the mage’s opinion in this situation, so I follow her instructions.

Fortunately, Raven is cautious but not the type to waste time unnecessarily.

“I don’t sense any mana. But just in case, I’ll approach it slowly.”

She gradually closes the distance and stands in front of the stele.

Of course, no monster appears.

“Mr. Yandel, can you touch the stele?”

Right, this kind of thing is always my job, isn’t it?

I just touch it since I know it’s safe.

As expected, there’s no reaction from the stele.

“Can I stay here for a while and check a few things?”

“If you want to.”

I just tell her to go ahead, even at Raven’s request.

It’s the real-life version, after all, so we might be able to find clues that we couldn’t in the game.

30 minutes pass.

“Raven, let’s go.”

“Ah, no! An artificial structure in a forest like this? There must be a story behind it!”

It seems like she’s also fallen into the same trap as me.

How many months did I waste because of that thought?

“Ugh, I feel like I’m almost there…”

Almost there my ass.

“We don’t have much time. If you’re that curious, look for records about it after we get out.”

Raven reluctantly gives up and follows my lead as I draw a clear line. She’s the type who hates to inconvenience others.

In short, she’s easy to handle.

“Alright, let’s go.”

We then search the area around the stele, just in case there's something nearby. After all, we can't go far in the remaining day anyway, so everyone agrees without complaint.

'Something should appear if we've searched this much...'

That's when, after about two hours of searching...

"Bjorn! Look over there!"

Misha shouted, pointing to one spot.

"...A house?"

In the middle of the forest, where everything is burning and monsters are rampant...

...there's a two-story brick house.

'Phew, we don't have to come back next time.'

It's the place I was looking for.
____________________

The charred wooden door opens weakly.

Creak.

Geez, that sound.

It bothers me, so I just rip it off and throw it on the ground.

"Um, could you please not destroy everything?"

"...Nagging."

"No, it's not nagging—"

"Alright, I'll be careful."

She's making a fuss over just one door.

"...It's kind of creepy."

The interior of the building is practically a ruin.

Although we confirmed that there are no monsters using magic, we carefully search inside in case there are traps.

But it doesn't take long.

The sofa, the walls, everything is burned down, leaving only the frame.

We quickly finish searching the 1st floor and go up to the 2nd floor.

And we find a book in a room that seems to have been a bedroom.

"Raven! It's a book you'll like!"

It's a relatively intact book, perhaps because it was inside a drawer.

Although the cover is completely charred, there are some pages inside that are still legible.

'...Was there something like this?'

It's an item I couldn't find in the game.

Raven's eyes sparkle as she receives the book from Ainar and carefully opens it.

"It's written in the ancient language."

"Can you read it?"

"Yes. This is my specialty. Anyway, it seems like a diary."

Raven then starts reading the contents of the book out loud, as if showing off her knowledge.

It's quite interesting.

[Day 192, the rescue team didn't come again today. There are only three of us left. Tarvian suggested building a house, and I agreed. The demon meat tasted awful again today.]

[Day 271, we finished building a decent house. The three of us drank the wine we saved. How long has it been since we laughed and talked like this? Damn it, if only Zephyros hadn't said those things while drunk, I would still be in a great mood.]

[What's the point of living when the world is ending?]

[There's still hope even if everything burns and disappears.]

[As proof, we're still alive.]

[Day 467, Tarvian is pregnant. Whose child is it? Neither Zephyros nor I asked. Ah, Tarvian. A woman who's both wise and pitiful. I crave alcohol today.]

[Day 672. No, is it 673? I don't know, but something terrible happened. The Orb of Fire is starting to lose its power. The outer walls are already getting scorched. The only one who can fix it is Tarvian, the mage. But even if she extends its duration by sacrificing her life, what's the point?]

[Day 711, Zephyros and I finally agreed for the first time in a long time.]

[We're dying today.]

[If the world wasn't destroyed by the Witch's hand, and if someone finds this place someday, please use the item in the basement to save the world.]

It's a diary where the writer's name doesn't even appear.

And there are only four intact pages.

But Raven is shocked as she reads the last sentence.

"Witch..."

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I thought it might be the case because it's written in the ancient language... The person who wrote this diary is from our dimension!"

"Huh?"

Misha looks at her as if saying, 'So what?'

But Raven doesn't have the mental capacity to explain kindly.

"What? Ah, is it because this is a different dimension? So the records from that time still remain? No, but then how did these people get here?"

Raven mutters to herself as if organizing her thoughts.

But it doesn't last long.

"Basement! Let's go to the basement first! If this is true, there must be something down there."

"Good idea."

We go back to the 1st floor and clear away the collapsed furniture, revealing a path leading to the basement.

It's quite dark, so I use the light orb spell.

Thud, thud.

We go down and find a small space, about 3 square meters in size.

It seems like it was used as a storage room for food and supplies...

...but there's a box that looks valuable at first glance.

"I'll open it."

"Ah, you want to?"

Right, the fact that I've been doing this kind of thing finally pays off.

'It must have seemed natural, right?'

I have that thought and open the box.

There's a single orb inside.

I reach out before Raven can say anything.

「Character registered as the user of the Orb of Fire.」

This is a bound item.

Trial

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

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