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– STORY –

I couldn’t even clear the 2D version, now to clear the game

in reality?

Maybe I’ll have to live here for the rest of my life.

Well, even that won’t be easy.

– A player found himself in the game, Dungeon and Stone,

as a savage barbarian.

To keep his secret, he must become the mask – must make

himself be seen as more savage, more fearless than any
others – a paragon of his race in the eyes of the whole
world.

Back on earth, in the empty darkened room, the quiet

computer again began to whir. Text began to appear on the
black screen.

「Synchronization complete. 」

– GENRE –

Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy

I’ve liked games since I was young.

The reason is simple.

Since I was always in the hospital when I was a kid, there was naturally nothing to do
but play games, and as time passed, games became a part of my life.

But if you do anything for a long time, you will get bored and tired.

“Oh, shit… what’s this AI thinking? Why are you giving a Heal there?”

After some time, no matter which game I played, it wasn’t as enjoyable as before.

It wasn’t a matter of genre – be it AOS, RPG, or FPS. It was all the same.

All the games that came out every year were like garbage. The story and worldview
adhered to the norm, and the system lacked depth.

I wanted a game with something a little more special.

Then I discovered [Dungeon and Stone].

Tadadat. Click, click.

The genre was single player RPG.

It was an overseas indie game.

There was no Korean language support, and it used 2D pixel graphics, which had
already become rare.

To be honest, it was far from my usual fare.

Still, it was free, so I installed the game to give it a try, and soon I fell in love with it.

“Wow, I almost got killed like a newbie.”

It was a unique game in many ways.

When your character died, you had to start again from scratch.

NPC companions were essential for making progress, and the degree of freedom was
also extremely high for a vertical scroller type game.

The skill system and worldview were also attractive, and the story was interesting
even though I had to read it in English.

Crucially, I could feel something unknown but special in this game.

Tada-dat, tick-tap.

I, who at the time had just started as a service worker assigned to the subway, began
to delve into [Dungeon and Stone] in earnest.

It wasn’t easy.

Combat in this game was not simply done with HP/MP.

Even with full HP, if there is one misjudgement, the character that has been
painstakingly nurtured for three months can disappear.

“…Let’s go.”

I couldn’t even get to the mid-game for over two years, so I gave up my pride and
searched for a strategy guide.

I couldn’t find any on the Korean portals, so I had to translate and read them from
foreign sites, but even that didn’t mean much.

There were not many users abroad either, so there were few related articles with no
useful information.

Rather than those who played it for a month or two and called it ruined game, I, who
had been seriously exploring this game for two years, had a much better
understanding.

So I stopped looking for a strategy.

“Three times up, four times to the left, once down, twice to the left, six times to the
top, four times to the right. Finally, avoid the trap… okay.”

Wasn’t this the only game I finally found while searching for one I could actually
enjoy? After a while, I decided to just keep trying on my own.

And…

“Whoa.”

So, we have reached this point.

「Gates of the Abyss」

Now my character is standing in front of the portal connected to the final boss room.

Of course, seeing the ending will be after coming here several more times in the
future. It’s not a game where you can get the boss with just one try.

Even so, I can feel how nervous I am right now from my stiff fingertips.

“The final boss…”

It may be nothing to some people.

However, for me, it took 9 years to get here.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that we were together all through my

twenties.

Even when the call for service workers got cancelled, as well as the day when I went
back to school after a long time to apply for reinstatement, and the day I received a
letter of acceptance to the job I wanted after graduation.

I have always played [Dungeon and Stone].

「Do you want to enter? 」

As you approach the portal by manipulating the character, a question appears asking
if you want to enter.

Of course, I click YES.

However, maybe since this is the final boss room, a different message is displayed
once more.

「You may not be able to come back.」

「Are you sure you want to enter?」

It’s unnecessary from a player’s point of view.

If you don’t want to enter, why would you come all the way here?

「Yes / No」

As I click Yes, the screen goes to the loading window.

Looking at the darkened monitor, I raise my concentration.

How many patterns does this guy have? What characteristics? Of course, there must
also be an instakill move or two. Well, let’s put aside the thought of succeeding on
the first try and gather as much information as possible. Maybe I’ll even have to
completely redo the character build and skill combos.

My brain, stimulated with excitement and anticipation, is filled with only the
thoughts about the final boss.

So, it was too late for me to notice.

「You have reached the abyss.」

「Tutorial complete. 」

Tutorial complete?
No, before that, how come these are Korean Hangul characters? Wasn’t [Dungeon
and Stone] only supported in English?

「Transmission begins.」

Just as I felt a sense of incongruity, a bright light burst out.

The light was so intense that there’s no possibility of it originating from the monitor.

“Damn, damn it! My eyes!”

In an instant, everything turned white.

Ringing in the ears, and an unknown heat bursting from the skin. My thoughts
quickly faded as if I had been injected with a fast-acting anaesthetic.

I was usually confident in my ability to cope with crises, but at this moment, I had no
idea what was going on.

Flash –!

I lost consciousness as the light grew stronger.

And when I opened my eyes again –

I was a barbarian in the game.

Close your eyes.

And ask yourself.

If this is the beginning of a very, very brutal game, what am I supposed to do now?

‘First, you understand the situation and get all the information you can.’

After that, I managed to come back to myself a little.

Recalling the first task I set for myself, I slowly opened my eyes and checked my
surroundings again.

Unfortunately, nothing had changed from before.

“…”

The fact was that I was in an open space, surrounded by a woods.

Also, it weren’t some LED streetlights that illuminated the dark surroundings, but
flickering torches.

The most striking fact of all, was that there were muscular savages everywhere I
looked…

“Congratulations! Young warriors!”

Fuck, I wasn’t seeing things.

I didn’t know what they’re doing in the middle of the night, but their expressions
were pretty reverent.

Was that guy in the middle like a tribal chief?

Well, that didn’t matter.

“As of today, you will leave the sacred sanctuary and be reborn as true warriors!”

I closed my eyes, letting out the presumed chief’s words through one ear and out the
other.

I was no doctor, but if I were to self-diagnose, right now I had blackout symptoms.

With no idea why I was here.

“Now come out one by one, and choose a weapon that suits you!”

So, let’s reason things out.

What was I doing just before this?

As soon as I tried to recall to check if I had any brain problems, the memory
immediately came to mind.

I’d been playing a game.

The final boss room was imminent, and I’d activated the portal while suppressing my
excitement. Then, suddenly, some messages saying that the tutorial has been
completed or that the transmission has begun appeared, and a bright light burst out.
And…

Now that I’d come to my senses –

Somehow, it became even more confusing than before.

“Come out, Karak, third son of Farun!”

First, I decided to check the condition of my body.

I didn’t feel any pain, but I still needed to check carefully.

With that thought in mind, I bowed my head – and stiffened.

…What was all this?

“Two-handed axe! Great!”

The hands I looked down on were embarrassingly gigantic. And surprisingly, they
moved according to my will.

While I was at it, I checked the rest of me, and it was a spectacle.

Not only was there no shirt, but tattoos of all types were drawn all over the solid
upper body muscles.

…Yes, they all looked the same size, adjusted to the same level for this giant body.

Once I cleared up the situation –

No, really, there was nothing to clear up.

For some reason, I had become a barbarian savage without realizing it.

“O Karak, third son of Farun! This makes you a warrior!”

Kidnappings, hidden cameras, psychological experiments, etc.

I immediately erased all such possibilities from my mind. It would’ve been foolish to
twist the circuit of hope and try to forcibly fit the evidence even though the situation
had already shown me the key.

It was more productive to admit the truth and move on.

What was happening to me right now was something that science or modern
knowledge couldn’t explain.

Other than this large body, there was plenty of other evidence, too.

“Next!”

First of all, the language that these savages spoke was not Korean, English, or
Spanish.

A language I’d never encountered in any media in my entire life.

The problem was that I could understand it as naturally as my mother tongue.

It was as if knowledge had been engraved into my head.

“Come out, Ainar, second daughter of Penelin!”

Second, I was feeling used to this situation.

I wonder how that could be, but it really was the case.

At first, everything was unfamiliar, but after I came to my senses, I started feeling a
strange sense of deja vu.

“You chose a sword! It is a good choice for you who are smart!”

That the young barbarians choose their weapons, one after another.

That’s all they had in common, but…

This was reminiscent of the intro of [Dungeon and Stone].

To be precise, when ‘Barbarian’ was selected from among the several races, the game
started this way.

But was that really a coincidence?

The game I was playing when the mysterious light swallowed me was [Dungeon and
Stone], and even the main character I was playing was a ‘Barbarian’?

“O Ainar, second daughter of Penelin! Now you have become a warrior. May the
blessings of ‘Rafdonia’ be with you!”

‘You crazy… ’

I decided to quit trying to clear up my remaining suspicions.

Rafdonia.

The tribal chief just mentioned this one proper noun, which made everything else
meaningless.
I now knew where this place was.

This world was the game I’d been playing for nearly a decade.

“This is, Dungeon and Stone?”

Uh, was somebody talking? What did they mean by those words?

As I glanced at the barbarian sitting next to me, I was stunned. He looked really
different from the other savages nearby.

“What, what is this, why am I here…”

His breath was rough, and his eyes were full of confusion.

He even knew about [Dungeon and Stone]. Maybe he was in the same situation as
me?

I felt the need to check it out, but unfortunately, I didn’t even get the chance to try.

“Who just opened his mouth!”

The voice was so loud that my eardrums tingled, and my head felt dazed for a
moment.

Of course, it wasn’t for long.

I didn’t know how soon I came to, but seeing the tribal chief looking down at me
made me wake up pretty quickly.

“Was it you?”

I shook my head as soon as the question was asked, and as if it came naturally, I
looked at the savage sitting next to me.

An act so quick and smooth that I could only admire my own self-poise.

In response, the chieftain moved his gaze to the barbarian sitting next to me, instead
of questioning me further.
I’m sorry, but you’re the one responsible. Why did you have to go and open your
mouth?

“Was it you?”

“Yes?”

“I asked if it was you who just mumbled.”

It was only now that I felt it, but the tribe chief’s face wore an unusual expression.
Just looking at him, the problem didn’t seem as simple as somebody talking
inadvertently…

“Oh, you mean Dungeon and Stone? Yes… Why?”

This guy didn’t seem to have noticed the atmosphere yet.

“It was you…”

A brief ripple of sadness flashed through the eyes of the tribe chief.

Feeling a sense of doom for some unknown reason, I unconsciously moved a bit to
the side.

Then the guy tilted his head and asked,

“Is this like an event? Oh, maybe because I noticed too soon –”

What happened then, I couldn’t even follow with my own eyes.

Something flashed, followed by a blunt sound.

Sssk –

That’s all there was to it.

That fleeting moment passed, and the head that fell with a dull sound rolled over and
over on the ground.

A sight so brutal that it seemed unrealistic.

The eyes relayed the information they had just seen to the brain.

“…”

A man’s neck was cut off in front of my eyes. White bones and severed muscles were
visible through the gap on the neck. Something white splattered on my face, along
with red blood and muddy flesh. What was this? Fat?

Well, I didn’t really know.

But it wasn’t as shocking as I’d have expected.

As if I was watching a movie or an anime, there was no feeling of nausea and no

mental pressure, as if it was all a dream.

Pssssssssss!

As I watched the blood spurt out of the severed neck, only one question remained in
my head.

Why the hell did the chief kill him?

“An evil spirit resided in the soul of Oreum, son of Kadua. Young warriors, erase from
your memory all the words this evil spirit has just uttered!”

The moment I heard the chief’s words, the information naturally compiled in my
head.

Information 1, I am an evil spirit.

Information 2, if this is found out, I will die.

Information 3, this fate could have become mine.

When I came to that conclusion, chills rose in my spine, which was still intact even
when my compatriot’s head had been cut off.

“Vulcan! Hurry up and report this to the temple, and take the corpse!”

“What about the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“I will proceed!”

There was a lot of blood, but the ritual continued.

It seemed that this kind of thing was common here, and no one blinked an eye
wherever I looked. This was also true of the young warriors sitting around.

But maybe it was because I’d played so many torturous games?

No one told me, but I could clearly see what I had to do now.

 Please finish your coming-of-age ceremony safely without anyone finding out
that you are an evil spirit.

If it were a friendly game, a message like this would appear.

With the updated task in mind, I forcibly stopped myself from shaking. And taking
my cue from the attitudes of the others, I composed my facial expression.

No one should feel any sense of incongruity while looking at me.

To them, if found out, I would be nothing but an ‘evil spirit’ who had possessed the
true owner of this body.

“Next!”

But what followed after the accident made my heart sink.

“Kennick’s fourth son, Serum, come out!”

I didn’t know my name.

This was a serious matter, with life or death at stake.

If your name was called, and yet you stood still, you’d definitely look suspicious.

“Next!”

Of course, you could go ahead and say you’d heard it wrong.

Obviously, that was a much more likely explanation.

But if you were asked something more to make sure, that’d be a different story
altogether. Just if. What if the chieftain asked a question because he was suspicious?

I won’t be able to answer anything.

“Next!”

Did these fervid emotions stimulate the hormones in my brain?

Positive thoughts began to come to mind.

A weak thought, ‘If you are called at the end, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know your
name, right?’

“Next!”

I felt sorry for myself.

Was I going to depend on luck?

When I’d never been lucky my whole life? One could tell just by looking at how I was
brought to this place while playing the game.

For an unlucky bastard like me to get through this crisis, I needed a much more
plausible plan.

“Next!”

That’s why I kept looking around.

With my chin steadily facing the front, I looked at the expressions, movements, and
habits of the others with my eyes.

As I was doing this, a way came to my mind.

“Next!”

Of course, this method was not 100% guaranteed.

However, my time was short, so I made the final decision.

That this was the most likely way for me to survive.

“Next!”

“Next!”

“Next!”

The calling continued.

I counted about two seconds to myself each time.

And when I had repeated it eight times –

“Come out, Bjorn, son of Yandel!”

Finally, the long-awaited moment has arrived.

Even after the two seconds had passed since the name was called, no one stirred
their feet.

Recognizing this fact, I stepped forward. And proudly, with my shoulders squared, I
walked towards the tribe chief.

Step.

It wasn’t that I was unafraid.

Even at this moment, as I stepped forward, I wasn’t sure that it was my name.

Step.

If my judgment was wrong, this insane tribe chief would call me out at once, saying it
was suspicious.

And perhaps ask, who is your mother?

I would not be able to answer.

However.

Step.

I didn’t hesitate.

Even as my heart pounded in my chest, I steadied my breath and continued to step

forward.

For a simple reason.

Because I thought this was the most probable.

“Young warrior, choose your weapon!”

In the end, my choice was right.

There was no doubt in the eyes of the chieftain looking at me.

A gentle gaze, same as when dealing with other young warriors.

I held my breath, suppressing the strange excitement bubbling inside me.

I lived.

Less than ten minutes have passed since I opened my eyes.

But I have accepted the reality I am facing now as it is.

It may seem strange to some, but…

Denying reality is for idiots.

This is not a dream.

‘Bjorn Yandel.’

From now on, I must live by this name.

No, not just the name, I have to completely become this savage barbarian.

I don’t know for how long.

Is it even possible to return home, and if it is, what do I need to do…?

Because I don’t know anything yet.

Well, I wonder if it’d be possible to go back once the game’s clear conditions are met.

It’s still too early to determine this.

I honestly wish that wouldn’t be the requirement.

No, I haven’t even cleared the 2D version yet, how do I clear it in real life?

Maybe I’ll have to live here for the rest of my life.

“…”

In that sense, weapon selection was important.

I thought that dragging things out might raise suspicion, but I still carefully
examined each weapon one by one.

One-handed sword, two-handed greatsword, mace, iron club, spear, harpoon, two-
handed axe, flail, great hammer, etc.

There were no bows or staffs at all.

These savage bastards didn’t even care about jobs that had it easy[1] like healers,
wizards, or archers.

Although, considering their racial characteristics, it was natural.

“Bjorn son of Yandel! Come on, choose your weapon!”

As the selection time grew longer, the tribe chief began to urge me.

I finally organized my thoughts.

Barbarians have no natural talent for magic, but have strong physical abilities.

For that reason, when raising a barbarian character, I always played with melee
weapons and put them in the vanguard.

Out of curiosity, I’d also tried to raise a barbarcher, but it didn’t work.

Their true value was always shown in close combat.

And among them…

‘This.’

After a lot of deliberation, I finally chose my weapon.

“Hmm.”

The chieftain, who gave admiration and praise after every choice, showed a strange
reaction for the first time.

The sentiment was fully understandable.

“Bjorn son of Yandel! This makes you a warrior!”

Because I’d chosen a ‘weapon’ that no one else had picked.

At that time, in a dark room with the lights dimmed.

「Synchronization complete. 」

「Character information and logs have been recorded and sent to the manager. 」

The CPU fan that had been quiet started to spin, and the light from the monitor again
illuminated the empty room.

However, the machine did not boot normally.

Beep beep, beep, beep –

Text entered in line with the beeping sounds on the DOS screen over a black
background.

「You have successfully completed the coming-of-age ceremony.」

「You have installed new equipment.」

「Total item level rises by +12… 」

As if someone was typing in real time even at this moment, only those sounds
reverberated quietly in the unoccupied room.

Endlessly, continuously.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 1

Body: 25 / Mind: 35 / Ability: 1

Item Level: 24 (New +24)

Combat Index: 67 (New +6)

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 날로 먹는 (lit. eating raw) means taking it easy, getting a free ride etc. Comes
from the expression that eating things raw and uncooked requires no effort.
‘Barbarian’.

When I first played as this race, whose name literally translates to ‘savage brute’, the
weapon I chose was the greatsword.

Right, because it’s cool.

As a man, there is a certain romance in wielding a two-handed weapon, and reaping

lives by spinning like a dervish while holding your sword in the middle of an enemy
camp.

‘The problem was that he died too easily.’

Feeling fascinated by the barbarian character, I started researching. How could I

properly raise a barbarian to keep it alive?

But even after many attempts, the barbarian still died too easily. No matter how
much I tried to increase his survivability, he would always go berserk in a fight.

There was no stability, because each battle was like walking a tightrope.

Then, at some point, I began to doubt myself.

‘Should I just use him as a tank?’

Barbarians have the highest vitality among the selectable races, and their average
strength is also high, so they can even wear Adamantium equipment.

Although not as good as a dwarf with its cheaty special ability, a barbarian has the
basic skills of a tank.

Well, to tell the truth, I didn’t really want to play as a barbarian tank, but…
All the research I’d done by then would go to waste otherwise, so I decided to give it
a try.

And after a few trials and errors, I was able to make a nurturing strategy.

‘Isn’t this a scam?’

Without any regrets, I threw away the dwarf that was my original tank.

So what if your fights weren’t as exciting?

I’d always valued efficiency, and I was a human being who could throw away his
preferred playstyle if it helped him win.

Just like the decision I was making now.

Step.

When I returned to my seat after choosing my ‘weapon’, I could feel the other
barbarians staring at me.

What, your first time seeing a barbaegis (barbarian shielder)[1]?

As a proud barbarian, I came back to my seat with a dignified, unflinching look.

There was no need to act this time.

“Next!”

I had no regrets about my decision.

There were three reasons.

First, among the starting weapons, the shield is the most expensive when resold.

Two, there is a strong possibility that even if I hold a bladed weapon right now, I will
not be able to use it properly.

Third, the barbaegis is my ultimate pursuit.

Today I made the most rational decision I could make.

“With this you have become a warrior!”

After choosing my weapon and returning to my seat, there was some free time.

While the coming-of-age ceremony continued for the rest, I decided to speculate on
the cause behind the situation. In fact, I should have guessed it earlier, but…

Well, what would you do?

When I thought about it, I was at a loss.

「You have reached the abyss.」

Let’s summarize now.

I reached the final boss room.

Most likely, that was the trigger.

‘Wait a minute, then what about the guy who died just now? Does that mean he also
reached the final boss room?’

…Maybe so.

There were a lot of people in the world, and some of them might have been as weird
as me. Let’s skip this part for now.

「Tutorial complete. 」

I interpreted this message like this –

I’ve told you everything I need to tell you, so use this knowledge to survive.

I don’t know who he is, but that’s one vicious bastard.

If you really wanted me to survive, you should have included a setting about whether
I was an ‘evil spirit’ or not.
As soon as I arrived, my head was almost blown away. You son of a bitch.

“Whew…”

Was it because I entered the body of a barbarian? Unusually for me, I was having
trouble controlling my emotions.

So I stopped my ruminations at this point.

If I get excited for nothing, I might start making mistakes, and in the first place,
stressing out thinking about the past is not my habit.

What has happened has happened, and there is no changing the past.

It’s more productive to think about how to get through this crisis.

So…

Okay, let’s just think about that for now.

‘How to survive.’

The coming-of-age ceremony was over.

And now I was walking in the woods.

The chieftain in the front and the young barbarians in the back.

Everyone seemed to be having fun as if they were going on a picnic.

But I couldn’t join in that simple-minded laughter.

Because I knew their final destination.

“Stop!”

The place we arrived after passing through the thick forest was about 30m in front of
a fairly-sized wall.
“Open the gates!”

The gates opened with the crude rattling sounds of a mechanism.

Slow enough to make you yawn.

But the young barbarians watched in wonder as if they had forgotten to breathe. In
that strange silence, a gray city finally appeared beyond the gates.

“Rafdonia…”

Perhaps just during this moment, my eyes were not much different than them.

Roads in good condition, and stone structures.

And visible through them, a spire towering high in the sky.

I’d never dreamed that the day would come when I would actually see the place
illustrated on the game loading window.

Shit.

“Warriors!”

When the door opened, the chief turned around and shouted.

Before he let us go, I wondered if he wanted to say something nice…

“Leave! Your destiny awaits!”

The barbarians did not need boring speeches.

“Whooooo!”

The barbarians, who had just reached adulthood, ran into the city shouting. I didn’t
like it, but I too screamed and followed after them.

There may be people who are sleeping soundly in the dimly lit buildings, but who
cares about them?
I am a barbarian!

Claaaaang–!

The gates closed behind us with a groan.

Of course, none of these savages cared about that.

The over-excited primitives ran for a long time before finally calming down and
slowing their pace, and only then was I able to calmly continue my thoughts.

Right now, I have conflicting emotions.

“…”

Of course, there’s fear of the upcoming situation.

But also a kind of anticipation, since I’ve become a part of the world in the game I
enjoyed the most.

It’s a little funny.

It hasn’t been long since I decided to only think about how to survive, but so quickly
these kinds of feelings have started to bloom within me.

…I don’t think I’m normal, either.

But that’s still nothing compared to these barbarian bastards.

“Stop!”

The leader of the barbarian group who’d been running at the forefront stopped his
steps, turned around and shouted proudly –

“I must have lost my way!”

The savages shouted back at that shocking confession.

“Farun’s third son, Karak, has led us astray!”

“He has no qualification to be our leader!”

“You have to take responsibility!”

Fuck. You guys who were so happy to be followers have the guts to say that?

Is this the true face of the barbarian society? So dirty.

“Stop. I get it. I admit that I am not worthy of the leader’s position, and will step
aside.”

Karak, Fanun’s second son or something, bowed his head deeply and returned to the
group.

Next, it was a female barbarian who was appointed as the leader of the next
generation.

“Penelin’s second daughter, Ainar!”

“Wise Ainar who will lead us on the right path!”

The female barbarian started leading the group with a happy face at those words of
laudative anticipation.

However, it didn’t take long for her to follow the previous leader’s footsteps.

“…I must have lost my way.”

Surprisingly, the two of them even said the exact same words.

“It can’t be! We must get to the labyrinth within the set time!”

“Ainar has no qualification to be our leader!”

“Right!”

Confused, the savages began to seriously discuss who they would nominate as the
third leader.

“I think the second son of Tetran would be good.”

“No, I do not think so. Rather…”

Were these bastards completely brainless?

Did they still not realize that no matter who took the lead, they weren’t going to be
able to reach their destination this way?

Maybe even my turn would come.

“…”

I quietly fell back and approached the second leader.

A little less than two meters tall, the giant woman stood slightly away from the group
with a discouraged expression on her face.

“Bjorn son of Yandel? Have you come to blame me too?”

No way.

To me, they all looked equally to blame.

As I shook my head, the female barbarian tilted her head.

“Then why? I don’t need consolation.”

“No. I’ve come to show you how to find your way.”

“…Really? How?”

I pointed to a place.

“You just have to follow them.”

“Can I just follow them?”

She looked like she couldn’t believe it.

Patiently and logically, I explained step by step.

A city at midnight. All the buildings along the road have the lights turned off.
However, even at night time, there are quite a few people walking on the street.

They are all dressed in armour, not everyday clothes.

Where could they possibly be going?

“Surely. Now that I see it, I agree. I will give it a try.”

The female barbarian returned to the group and shouted, ‘I found a way!’, and the
barbarians also stopped trying to choose the third leader and began to cheer.

“It’s Ainar after all!”

“The wise female warrior!”

Anyway, the group started moving again.

Were we going the right way? As time went on, more and more armed people were
around us.

At some point, I started to see a bunch of lights spreading out in all directions from
afar.

If you’ve come this far, at least you won’t lose your way anymore.

“It’s the labyrinth! I see the labyrinth!”

“The Dimension of Sacred Battles!”

I continued my interrupted thoughts again.

One of my biggest concerns right now is whether entering the labyrinth is the
correct decision.

“I feel it! The labyrinth is calling my soul!”

The savages lost in the crucible of excitement won’t notice if I sneaked out of the
pack.
Then I won’t have to enter the labyrinth.

I won’t have to fight and bleed against the monsters.

However, even though I knew what lay ahead better than anyone else, I still hadn’t
been able to decide.

‘Because I know that running away isn’t the solution.’

[Dungeon and Stone] has a tax system.

From the age of 20, all city dwellers are required to pay taxes, and failure to pay
taxes is punishable by death.

Hearing this alone makes one wonder what genre of manga is this, but if you look at
the worldview, the reason becomes clear to some extent.

I didn’t think it was something to worry about right now.

“Ainar! Let’s speed up!”

“Wooooooooo!”

Anyway, I had to make money.

Of course, entering the labyrinth to fight monsters wasn’t necessarily the only
method.

Even if you work at a tavern, you won’t have any problems making both ends meet.

…Unless you’re a barbarian.

Barbarians were the only ones given a weapon at the start of the game.

For a very simple reason.

[Barbarian? I’m sorry. I just got a guy.]

[Aren’t you going to leave? There’s nothing I can do for a barbarian! You’re just going
to break something again!]
Barbarians can’t do normal work.

Due to the game settings, there was no way for them to earn a living other than
fighting monsters in the labyrinth.

Well, I wasn’t sure how that would translate to reality.

I might be able to find a job easier than I thought.

But it was one thing to believe that, another to break away from the group with just
that bit of hope.

“Ten minutes left till it closes. Come on in!”

The labyrinth opened once every month in the game.

In other words, if I couldn’t enter this time, I had to stay in this city for a month.

But what if I couldn’t find a job?

What if no one hired me because I was a barbarian?

Well, the future was bleak.

Even if the food the chief had provided lasted me for a week, I’d have to live by
picking up trash from the roadside afterwards.

Maybe I’d starve to death before the next opening.

One thing was certain, even if I managed to somehow endure, my body would be
completely different from what it was now.

“I will be the first to go in!”

“No! I come first!”

Hunger, cold, sleeping in unsanitary conditions.

I knew better than anyone how devastating these things were to the human body.
So, if I was going in anyway, it was only reasonable to enter now when I was in peak
condition.

‘The problem is that there’s mortal danger.’

It was a time of crisis.

“Bjorn son of Yandel!”

Someone grabbed my shoulder.

When I checked, it was that barbarian woman.

Obviously, her name was…

“Ainar, third daughter of Penelin.”

“I’m the second daughter.”

Anyway, so what do you need with me?

“All the other warriors have already entered the labyrinth. The only ones who
haven’t entered yet are you and me.”

“Ah.”

Somehow the place had become quiet.

When I checked, there were not many people left in the square, let alone other
barbarians. Ainar, as the second generation leader, seemed to come to take care of
me since I was still here.

“You must hurry. We’re late, so we don’t have much time.”

At that, I raised my head and looked straight ahead.

The portal, which previously emitted intense light even from afar, had noticeably
decreased in size.

“5 minutes left until closing!”

Just then, the guide informed me of the remaining time once more.

It’s 5 minutes, so it’s tighter than I thought.

I’m going to have to make a decision soon…

“Go in first. I will follow you right away.”

“I get it.”

Ainar nodded and headed towards the portal, which deepened my troubles.

So, what should I do now?

As an extremely efficient person, I prefer to do things quickly, but it is not easy to

make a decision this time around.

Unlike games, my real life depends on it.

“Bjorn son of Yandel!”

I involuntarily took a step backwards.

Ainar, who had been walking away, had suddenly turned around.

“Thank you for that.”

“…There’s nothing to be thankful for.”

“And there is one thing I want to ask you.”

Anything other than my mother’s name, please.

As I nodded, Ainar asked with a 100% sincere voice.

“How can I be wise like you? I’ve never seen a barbarian as smart as you in my life. I
want to be like you too.”

That’s a really difficult question to answer. How to become smart? To be honest, I

wonder if it would be quicker to just be reborn…
No, why am I thinking about this?

Just give a rough answer and send her away.

“You always have to think and act.”

“Hmm, that’s right!”

I just said something without giving it much thought, but Ainar pondered my words
with a serious expression.

And she said something a little odd.

“Thank you for your advice. If I come back alive from the labyrinth, I will repay you.”

If you come back alive?

It sounds too strange coming out of a barbarian’s mouth.

So, I ended up putting an unnecessary question in my mouth too.

“…Are you afraid of dying?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Of course, I’m afraid to die. Perhaps all the other warriors are as
well. I wouldn’t say it out loud, though.”

Was that so?

To be honest, her words didn’t make sense to me.

The barbarians in the game had no knowledge of fear.

Actually, things didn’t look much different now either.

While I was silent, Ainar added some more words of explanation.

“We were born warriors. If you don’t fight, you die.”

Her tone was clumsy and stiff, but somehow, I could fully understand what she was
trying to say.
“Right.”

Like me, they just didn’t have a choice.

Because they were born as barbarians.

If you don’t catch and kill the monsters in the labyrinth, you won’t be able to survive
in this city.

That is why they learned how to overcome their fears and move forward from an
early age.

Yes, it was just that.

What made them look like savage barbarians.

“See you alive. Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

Ainar soon entered the portal.

“One minute left until closing!”

Now there was nothing holding me back.

Only my own choice.

Like the phrase that’d popped up while entering the final boss room, there were two
options here.

「Yes / No」

That thought cleared up my mind, which had somehow become jumbled with
complicated thoughts.

Whenever I was playing games, I always played with an emphasis on efficiency for
the sake of a goal.

Before acting, I considered the possibilities first, and I always moved with the next
step in mind.
Even if there is an immediate benefit, if the final result is a net loss, say ‘No’.

Otherwise, choose ‘Yes’.

So, there was never any ‘choice’ to speak of.

“The gate will be closed soon! Back off!”

I ran forward.

Deep down, fear was boiling over, same as when the chieftain had called my name.

Needless to say, I’d never even gotten into a common fistfight, having been sickly for
most of my life.

And my opponents would be monsters, on top of that?

I was so terrified that my body felt like it was slowly turning to stone.

“It’s dangerous!”

However, that didn’t mean I had no chance whatsoever.

Right now, I was in the body of a barbarian, with strength that went beyond common
sense.

I had my knowledge, gained from nurturing characters in the game thousands of

times.

And above all else, I had a grand goal – to survive.

So, I had no choice but to do this.

Even though I knew better than anyone the horrors and grotesqueness hiding
behind this choice.

Still, this was the most rational choice –

「You entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor. 」

– That was what I thought.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] Honestly, in last chapter we managed to work out the portmanteau barbarcher,
somehow, but how do you translate a 방패바바 (Shield + Barba)? We went with
Barba(rian) + Aegis. Suggestions welcome.
As far as [Dungeon and Stone] is concerned, I am an expert.

What kind of monsters come from where, what habits they have, and what their
weaknesses are, I know by heart.

Based on this, I made my final decision.

If you combine a barbarian’s physique and my knowledge, it’s enough to survive in

this labyrinth.

At least, at the time, I genuinely believed so.

“Haaa…”

As soon as I entered the labyrinth, my vision went dark.

Not some kind of a metaphor or analogy, literally, I couldn’t see anything. It was so
bad I probably wouldn’t even have noticed if someone covered my eyes with a
blindfold.

Yes, there wouldn’t have been much of a difference.

“Fuck.”

I felt like I’d been ambushed out of nowhere.

All the barbarians had been just carrying the one weapon, so I didn’t even have any
doubts about this from the start.

There shouldn’t have been any need for torches on the first floor.

Because the crystals on the wall act as a light source.

Of course, there’s a dark zone on the first floor too, but except for the outermost area
that leads to the second floor—

‘Oh, did I fall there now?’

I quickly hypothesized.

When entering the labyrinth, the starting position is set at random.

Of course, just because it’s random doesn’t mean you’ll be thrown into a place like
this. Even if you happen to start at the outskirts, there should still always be a
shining crystal nearby.

However, this was not the world of the game seen through the monitor.

What if all of those things had been ‘conveniences’ the game devs had given to the
player?

In reality, what if an unlucky bastard got trapped in the dark zone as his starting
point?

If so, could my current situation be explained?

No, it had to be that.

If the entire first floor was like this, I wouldn’t have the confidence to survive a single
day.

“Hooo…”

Still, I calmed down a bit after organizing my thoughts.

Fortunately, my eyes had adapted to the darkness, so my vision was much better
than before. Although, I could still only the vague outlines of objects.

Well, the situation wasn’t dire enough to contemplate committing suicide by biting
off my tongue, anyway.

Let’s go ahead and check things out first.

Since I was finally alone.

“Status window, equipment window, character information, status, inventory. Check

journal… damn.”

Nothing worked.

Well, I didn’t expect it to, anyway.

“Let’s go.”

One hand holding the shield and the other touching the wall, I moved forward.

Barely faster than crawling.

Well, wasn’t that obvious?

Even if it was slower than crawling, I simply couldn’t increase my speed any further.

It was dangerous here…

“Aaaaaaah!”

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from my ankle.

It was the first time in my life that I’d felt this kind of pain, making my nerves go
crazy. But I quickly figured out the cause.

What the hell was wrong?

Even without a battle log, the answer becme obvious very quickly.

「The character stepped on a goblin trap. 」

Fuck, I’d stepped on a trap.

What was the flaw in my strategy?

There was no need to think too hard.

The shield gave me psychological stability, true.

But in return, it obscured much of my field of view.

If I’d buckled my shield to my belt and focused on observing the terrain, I might’ve
noticed the trap.

What was the use of a shield if you couldn’t see anything, anyway?

I had to focus on practicality, rather than peace of mind.

Shit.

“Fuck it… hooo…”

My hair was about turn white from the pain.

I wanted so very much to scream, right now.

But I persevered desperately.

I didn’t know if screaming might make me feel better.

But I knew for sure that it’d make the situation worse.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart was pounding like crazy.

“Huuk, huuk, huuk…”

I pressed my lips together and forced myself to breathe slowly.

What I needed to remember right now was not how badly hurt I was.

There is only one type of monster on the first floor that uses traps.

Goblin.
And there was definitely one lurking nearby.

“…”

I reflexively raised the shield to cover my head.

Then held my breath, focussing on my hearing.

There was no sound. It was so quiet as if time itself had stopped.

…Wasn’t there one?

I didn’t know for certain.

Maybe. Maybe they’d just left their position for a while, or something like that. Even
goblins had to shit sometime.

‘Fuck, I can’t think that way.’

I crumpled up that creeping thread of hope like a ball and threw it out of my head.

There were two reasons.

First, there was a difference between thinking positively and being an optimistic
idiot.

Second, what I needed right now was a negative mindset.

“…”

If you can’t be sure, just assume the worst.

The goblin heard my scream.

It was hiding in the dark, waiting quietly for me to lose my strength.

That’s why I didn’t hear any sound.

Because, in the game –

If there was a trap, there had to be a goblin.

“Whew…”

I slowly exhaled the breath I’d been holding.

Anyway, it was all very quiet, so as long as you didn’t get sloppy, you’d definitely
notice others approaching.

First, let’s do what I have to do.

“…Huuup!”

Crouch down, pull open the trap with both hands and pull your feet out. Then, after
tearing off the hem of the trousers, take off your shoe and apply strong pressure to
the wounded area.

I decided to throw away the damaged shoe.

In fact, it was tough to even call it a shoe anymore.

Because what I’d been wearing were closer to sandals.

Damn barbarian bastards.

If I’d started off with even just some simple leather boots on, they wouldn’t have
needed to be thrown away after a single half-assed trap like this…

‘What the fuck am I thinking?’

I found myself thinking unreasonable thoughts, and my heart went cold.

Let’s not mourn the past anymore.

No matter how much you curse, the situation you’re facing will not change.

In the end, it was my fault for not checking the terrain properly.

So stop whining, and check your body first.

‘Huh, this is really bad.’

I couldn’t feel my right foot anymore.

There was a dull heat, but even that was getting faint.

“I know you’re hiding, so come out.”

I whispered quietly.

Still, there was no sign of life in the darkness.

So I slowly inched forward.

Step. Step.

One leg was sore, but the pain was not as great as I would expect. Probably because
the trap had been soaked in some paralytic poison…

I didn’t know if I should call this a good thing.

“Come out, you bastard.”

I didn’t hesitate to provoke the enemy, and kept moving forward.

Because time wasn’t on my side.

If you have to fight, the sooner you get to it, the better.

Injuries were one thing, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility that he was waiting for
reinforcements.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Of course, these might all just be my delusions, and there might be no goblins here in
reality.

Then I’d be a fool who stepped on a trap by himself and followed that up with a full-
fledged stand-up routine.
But so what?

Even so, I wanted to survive.

“Then how about you just stay there? I will go.”

Speed up.

It was merely a little bit faster than crawling, but right now it felt like running a
marathon at full sprint.

One step, then another.

As I was walking, my right foot started to throb.

“Sssspp, haa, haa…”

Two possibilities.

Either the effect of the paralyzing poison had expired, or the pain has become severe
enough that the poison was no longer enough to suppress it.

Come to think of it, neither one was a bad outcome for me.

If the effect was over, that was fine.

If I could feel the pain, that was because the nerves were undamaged.

‘No, why am I being so positive about this?’

Well, I didn’t really want to think about it.

I didn’t have the brainpower to spare.

“…Your mother is a fucking goblin.”

Words poured out without any brain-to-mouth filter.

Was it because I’d shed so much blood?

My brain felt parched, as if it’d been dried and pickled in alcohol.

“Your father is also a fucking goblin.”

Of course, I kept spitting out words as soon as they came to mind, but my feet did not
stop.

“So you are one too, you fucking goblin.”

Then, there was a sound for the first time.

It was obviously a small sound, but it was very loud to my ears that’d been perked up
in concentration.

Squelch–

Finally, he showed his presence for the first time.

“What, couldn’t stand your parents being cursed?”

Of course, I knew that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t even a curse in the first place…

The sound came from behind.

It would be more accurate to say that he was forced to make his move since I was
getting farther and farther away.

I accelerated further.

The sound of his footsteps also accelerated behind me.

Squelch– squelch– squelch– squelch–

His footsteps sounded unusual.

Every step he took, there was the sound of something sticky pressing and sticking to
a smooth surface.
Even though I knew goblins were less than 1m tall as per the setting, I felt a pressure
as if a huge monster was chasing me.

To shake off my fear, I kept talking to him.

I was a barbarian, in the end.

If I could just get him into close combat range, there was no way I’d lose to a goblin.

“Don’t just follow me, come have a go. You fucker.”

For that reason, I continued to taunt him, but he just kept following me while
maintaining a certain distance.

He didn’t seem interested in hiding himself anymore.

“Gruck, gruck…!”

It sounded close to a bestial howl, but I could feel it somehow.

“Grurururuck! Gruck!”

He was giggling, now. He was genuinely delighted to see his prey bleeding out and
slowly dying. He was hoping I’d hear the sound and be terrified.

…Smart bastard.

Okay, change of plans.

I stopped walking. Then I stumbled and fell to the floor.

Crack!

My forehead, which hit a rock, felt like it was going to split open, but I made no
sound.

From now on, it was a battle of patience.

If he thought I was down for the count and approached me first, it’d be my win.
If I really went down before that happened, it’d be my loss.

“Gruck?”

I decided to believe in the toughness of this body that’d managed to walk about
300m with one foot hurt and insensate.

His footsteps sounded closer and closer.

Slow enough to make you yawn.

Despite the fact that his prey had fallen down as he’d expected, he was still
suspicious.

‘Fucking crazy, why is this goblin so cautious?’

Swear words came to mind out of nowhere.

Goblins were the weakest mobs in the game. They used poison and installed traps,
but apart from that, their combat power was poor.

But what about the goblin you actually encountered in reality?

Squelch–

He wasn’t an opponent who could be taken lightly by any metric. I realized why the
village NPCs talked about the goblins’ cleverness so much.

They were several times more intelligent than those barbarian bastards.

Squelch–

The goblin stopped at a distance somewhere between 5m and 10m.

Why?

I was curious.

A dull shock transmitted from the shoulder.

Thump. Clatter.

What. Now this scumbag was pelting me with stones.

‘…You aren’t gonna throw them until I’m just a bloody mess, right?’

“Grurururuck! Gruck!”

Unlike what I feared, the goblin instead spat out a howl of joy.

When I didn’t react to the stone at all, he thought I was dead.

Squelch– squelch– squelch– squelch–

He came over to me quickly.

I could feel his excitement from the beats of his footsteps, which were almost
skipping.

I calmed my own excitement and counted our distance through the sound. And when
I decided that he was close enough –

“Fuck you!”

I jumped up and stretched out my hands towards him.

I’d judged that reaching out with my hands would be faster and have a longer
effective range compared to picking up the shield and hitting him with it.

However, I soon had a gut feeling that the plan had gone awry.

Again, there were two reasons.

First of all, I was still about a step away from him.

And second, his movements were much more agile than expected.

“Gruck!”

The guy leaned back from the waist and stepped backwards.
I couldn’t see him, but it felt like that.

I instinctively realized that I’d missed my chance.

Damn it, what now? I shook my head and prepared for the next plan.

But at that moment, my body moved by instinct.

“…?”

It was truly a strange feeling.

It was still dark before my eyes.

But I intuitively knew where the goblin was going.

By the time I consciously realized it, my hand was already on track and moving
towards him.

“Gruck?!”

I felt him being caught by my fingertips.

Wrist, ankle, neck – it didn’t matter.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

I screamed and slammed him to the floor. Crunch! There was the sound of something
breaking. But I couldn’t feel relieved, so I immediately climbed on top of him.

“Gr, gruck!”

Now things had changed.

“Now I’m up, and you’re down. You piece of shit!”

I slugged him in the face like a madman.

There were times when I missed and hit the floor in my excitement, but this
barbarian body was much stronger than I had imagined.
Instead of hurting my fists, the stone floor cracked and broke.

“…”

Soon, his movements ceased.

And…

Swaaaaaaaa–!

Dust scattered.

Dust that shined unusually.

I stopped my fists.

At some point, the goblin corpse lying on the floor had crumbled and started
scattering into the air.

Really, this was nonsense.

“Haah, fuck, this same thing again?”

Please, I wish I could choose one or the other.

Was this actually a game, or just a similar reality?

I kept getting confused about which beat to go with.

「You have defeated a goblin. EXP +1」

Soon, the goblin’s body disappeared without a trace.

Feeling frustrated for some unknown reason, I picked up a small stone that’d fallen
on the spot.

「You have acquired a grade 9 mana stone. 」

It wasn’t strong, but there was a faint light shining from it.
It was a mana stone, the currency in [Dungeon and Stone].

How much was this worth? A memory soon came to mind.

“A piece of bread.”

The average value of the mana stones spat out by goblins in the game.

Some laughter leaked out.

“Kahahahaha…”

Was this the only thing I got from that fucking bastard?

All those complicated emotions became clearer as I calmed down.

Close to that feeling where you end up laughing after crying a lot.

“Kaha, kahahaha.”

There’s a labyrinth, and there’re monsters.

A dead monster will disappear, leaving a drop item.

And in that city out there, all the various races live together.

Obviously, this is that kind of world.

But…

There will be no more confusion.

Looking back, I was a pretty funny guy.

Although I always thought of life as boring, I never once considered suicide.

That feeling of boredom was just an emotion in the end, and to me, life was more
precious than anything else.

In many ways, I simply found things not worth the candle.

That thought still persists.

That’s why…

Crawling in the dark on three legs.

I know what you’re thinking, but I’m actually being quite literal.

Currently, I am crawling on the floor with three legs, shuffling my completely

shredded right foot.

If someone sees me now, I’m sure they’ll think of an abandoned dog with a broken
leg.

How do I know that?

‘Because that’s what I’m thinking right now.’

This sweetness came at the price of giving up my human dignity.

First of all, it doesn’t hurt because you don’t have to use your injured foot, and you
can move faster than before.
Second of all, there is no way you’ll step on another trap.

In return, my elbows and knees hurt, but just this much…

Is within the limits of what I can bear. I can endure.

What can’t you do to survive?

I can even gobble up dog shit with a smile if that’s what it’d take.

Well… if I take a bit of time to prepare my heart, it will definitely be possible.

‘But what happened to that uncle?’

‘Uncle’ is just a word I assigned arbitrarily.

I don’t know the person’s gender, age, or name.

I’m just guessing by his way of speaking.

The image in my mind is that of a thiryish white guy with glasses, for some reason.

Or not.

「 [Bleeding] continues. 」

Anyway, what happened to that person who woke up in the body of Kadua’s son
Oreum? Did he die? Or, did he wake up again in his original body?

It’s a question I’ve been holding on to since I opened my eyes.

Even if I intentionally try not to think about it, the worse things get, the more I think
of him.

「 [Bleeding] continues. 」

It’s a bit clearer now, the reason why humans believe in religion.

The reality is that it is too difficult to be alone.

When despair strikes, you need a place to turn your thoughts to. Just like I am doing
right now.

「 [Bleeding] continues. 」

「 [Bleeding] continues. 」

「Warning: The character’s health is below 5%. If not treated promptly, the
character might die. 」

After that, I kept crawling while thinking about this and that.

It’s faint, but I can feel the surroundings getting brighter.

This is a positive situation in many ways.

At least you’re going in the right direction, and my hypothesis that the whole of the
first floor couldn’t be this dark is correct.

Let’s just go somewhere bright.

Because there will be people there. Give them this mana stone and ask for help. Then
somehow…

‘That’s some funny shit, you hare-brained idiot.’

As I was whispering words of encouragement to myself and grasping at imaginary

carrots, my other self appeared.

‘You idiot asshole, think practically. You’re asking them to help you in exchange for a
loaf of bread. Who knows if they’ll just take the shield and the mana stone, and kill
you.’

Is this guy me?

This is one smart bastard.

‘What would you do if you met another goblin bastard before finding a human in the
first place? Is that skull just for show or is there a brain inside? Huh?’
I can’t tolerate any more insults.

‘Well, then, what else am I going to do? I still have to continue. At least I’ll be able to
see the path ahead. Even if a goblin did pop out, wouldn’t it be better than fighting
here in the dark?’

‘…True enough.’

My other self agrees, and my head is quiet again.

I kept crawling.

“Kahahahahaha…”

I’m going crazy.

No, I may have already gone crazy.

After all, I shed so much blood, right?

Since before, my consciousness kept dividing into two, then merging back again, and
my thoughts have been slowing down.

Like some kind of a feedback loop.

A bit more of this, and I’m sure I’ll never be able to open my eyes again.

“Kahahahahaha…”

I laughed out loud.

I really didn’t have the energy to spare, but I still laughed.

At some point, the surroundings had become brighter.

In the distance, at the end of the passage, I could see a crystal shining brightly.

On top of that, I saw the figure of a man standing in front with a torch.

I didn’t mistake a goblin for a human.

Indubitably, it was a human form.

“He… lp…”

I wanted to shout something, but my voice wasn’t working.

I crawled desperately, blinking my eyes hard.

What is this?

The human form came closer, as if teleporting.

Surprised by that fact, I blinked again.

「 [Bleeding] continues. 」

He was closer this time.

About five or six people were standing in my front.

Was I seeing things? I closed my eyes again and opened them.

「 Achievement complete 」

「 Condition: Health drops to 2% or less. 」

「 Reward: Mind permanently increases by +1. 」

Then I saw a blond man with his knees bent.

We were nose to nose as our eyes met, but he broke our gaze after only a curious
look and observed the surroundings without asking anything.

Rather than listening to another, he was making a judgment based on his own
experience and intuition.

As a veteran, he quickly came to a conclusion.

“You’re a rookie.”
Fuck, if you understand then help me, you bastard.

As you can see, I’m a fucking barbarian with just a shield, and all I have is a goblin
mana stone to exchange for help with this shredded leg.

I’ll give you all of this if you want. So…

“Amazing. How did a newbie manage to get here faster than us?”

I quickly opened my mouth to answer. But what came out was a sound similar to a
cough or a spit.

“Grrreu…”

No, to be honest, it sounded more like a goblin, but…

It was enough to let them know that I was in a situation where I couldn’t answer.

Soon, the blond asked a colleague.

“Priest Ersina. Could you please treat this kid?”

Priest? Are you saying there’s a priest in your party?

I stared at the side with the fervent eyes of a man seeing a miracle. And indeed, there
was a priestess in a white robe.

The priestess, who made eye contact with me, spoke bluntly through her beautiful
lips –

“I will decline.”

Eh? What?

“I see. All right then.”

What all right? Why are you agreeing?

This is horrible. Fuck, I don’t know why I’m being treated like this even after I finally
reached here.
And during such a moment when the tantrums in my heart were swelling up –

“Parthran, may I have a potion?”

“Isn’t that for when you can’t use your divine power?”

“You have a lot of them anyway. I will pay for it separately after we exit.”

“Sheesh.”

A man with a sword at his waist clicked his tongue and pulled out a potion from his
bag, throwing it.

My heart sank seeing my sole lifeline being treated so casually.

Clink.

Fortunately, the blond caught the potion properly.

“It’s not as good as divine power, so this will hurt a bit.”

The blond opened the stopper and sprinkled half the bottle’s contents on my wound,
and poured the other half directly into my mouth.

Quickly, I felt an unbearable wave of pain.

Was this the sensation of all the pain unconsciously accumulated in the body
breaking out at once?

「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (medium) effect. 」

It felt as if my whole body was melting.

This was the reason why potions could not be used mid-battle in the game.

I thought it was just something prohibited by the system, but it turned out that it
reflected the ground reality very well.

Shit.
“Heuk, heuk, heuk, heuk…”

How many minutes had passed?

The pain gradually subsided, and I began to feel better.

“Now, can you tell me, barbarian? How did a rookie like you get here before us? If
you know a new passage, I want to buy the information.”

Indeed, was that his purpose?

I didn’t feel bad. Rather, it was reassuring to think that he treated me well because he
had a purpose.

There is nothing more sinister than good intentions without any concrete cause
behind them.

Still, I felt a little bit sorry for him.

I didn’t know any secret passages.

“…I was here as soon as I entered the labyrinth.”

I honestly told them my circumstances.

The blond tilted his head and then nodded with an understanding expression.

“Surely… I’ve read it in a book. Occasionally, there are cases of dimensional

instability.”

My heart was pounding heavily.

I asked as if I might have misheard.

“You’re seeing this for the first time…?”

I couldn’t believe it at all.

Hey, there’s a priest in the party, and there’s even a wizard. It means that they are
decent enough, at least in the middle class.
But for the first time?

“Yeah, in the book, it’s a case that might happen once a century. That somebody falls
in the outermost zone like this.”

Oh, I see. It’s something that might happen once a century at the most. And that’s
what I experienced when I first entered the labyrinth.

Now I see why the other barbarians didn’t carry any torches.

Who would worry about being struck by lightning just because it’s raining?

“Looking at it, this seems like an unprecedented experience, but it must have been a
disaster to go through such a rare event.”

The blond looked at me with a sad gaze.

“It wasn’t the information I wanted, but it was interesting nonetheless. Let’s just go
and forget about the value of the potion.”

Although his tone was a bit unfortunate, he seemed to be basically a good guy.

“Oh, and remember to take the shield over there.”

I looked where the blond was pointing and saw a shield that had fallen to the floor.
The distance was about 20m. I thought I’d tied it properly at my waist, but it seemed
to have fallen off.

“Then let’s go.”

They passed me by without even letting me say thank you.

In the labyrinth, time is money, so it wasn’t hard to understand.

No, it was close to a miracle just to have spent so much time for me in the first place.

I stared at the place they left for a moment, then quickly ran and picked up the shield
fallen on the floor.

It was definitely great to have survived…

Still, something felt odd.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 1

Body: 25 / Mind: 36 (New +1) / Abilities: 1

Item Level: 24

Combat Index: 68 (New +1)

“He was lucky, that barbarian.”

“Well, isn’t it a bit much to call that luck? Going through something like that your first
time…”

As the blond answered with a vague smile, the swordsman snorted.

“Even without that, things would have been the same for someone who stepped on a
goblin trap. He was lucky to meet us in the first place.”

“He was lucky to meet Drusz, not you. You didn’t even want to use the potion, did
you?”

When the female archer, who had been listening quietly till now, intervened, the
swordsman shrugged.

“Yeah, because you’ll find these guys all over the place. They don’t survive long
anyway. Our priest must have thought the same, right?”

The priestess smiled bitterly and did not answer, and instead, the female archer
spoke angrily.

“Lady Ersina would have treated him if it weren’t for the temple’s rules. No, without
the potion, she might have just broken the rules. Do you think that everyone is like
you?”

“Well, I don’t know about that. I see a lot of people who’re very different inside and
outside.”

“…Parthran, you need to be more like Drusz, even if just a little bit.”

“For example, being considerate before asking about the secret passage?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that barbarians don’t like the help of others. Maybe that’s why he was
so considerate upfront.”

“…Hey, don’t you think you’re talking me up too much?”

As the topic turned to him, the blond smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

But he also did not deny the accusation.

“Ah, if you want to take the shortcut, you have to change directions here.”

“Really, it’s nice to have a guide in the party.”

“Lady Ersina! Usually, the guides only know the direction to the portal. It’s just that
Drusz is great. He’s memorized all the landmarks on the first floor.”

The swordsman shook his head, looking at the female archer.

“But where the hell does this trail of blood end? Haven’t we already walked quite a
bit?”

“Yeah. I guess you’re wrong about that guy just being lucky. What kind of mental
strength do you need to keep crawling for a distance like this?”

“Huh, what big deal is that… Yeah, it should be around here.”

The party, that had been following the bloodstains till now, turned to a shortcut in
the middle. And after about 15 minutes, they reached their destination.

“Looks like we were the first to arrive on this route. There’s a benefit to hurrying.
Let’s get moving.”
When the blond placed his hand on the monolith placed in front of the dead end, an
intense beam of light burst out and took the shape of a sphere.

It was a portal leading to the second floor.

“Wait.”

As everyone was about to throw themselves into the portal, the female archer
stopped the party.

“Isn’t that what the barbarian must’ve been wearing earlier?”

“What?”

The party, looking at the direction the female archer was pointing, was momentarily
speechless.

In the half-darkness under the light emitted by the portal, a blood-stained trap and a
damaged sandal could be seen placed in a pile.

“…That should be it.”

The wizard made an interested expression, then created a new sphere of light and
moved it over the passage.

Whoooooosh –!

The bloodstains that started from the trap continued along the curved passageway.

No matter how much you move the sphere of light, you can’t even fathom its end
from this place.

There was a moment of silence.

“…Hey, Drusz. How far is it from here to where we met him before?”

“…If there are no shortcuts, likely about 15 km.”

“Heh heh heh, that body is like a monster. To keep crawling such a long distance
alone in this darkness.”
The wizard just laughed, as if in surprise.

However, the swordsman next to him could not do that.

“…This is crazy.”

He felt it was a matter of the mind, not the body. He thought.

‘…How many hours must he have crawled in that situation? When you’re not even
sure you’ll be able to meet someone and get help?’

He didn’t know.

But what is certain is, that barbarian was still crawling when they discovered him.
He continued to move his arms and legs, almost unconsciously.

And then?

Unable to speak properly, he’d held out his hand.

He had been holding a small mana stone in his hand.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now I think I know what that action meant.

‘I’m going to give you this, so help me.’

Other than that, I have nothing to offer in return.

So, while the barbarian crawled that long distance, he had kept holding the mana
stone tightly in his hand. So that if he met someone by any chance, he could show it
to them right away.

Soon, the man came to a decision.

“…I must take back what I said earlier.”

Just lucky?

Just another rookie who’ll die early?

How could that be?

He knew from long experience.

“Drusz, what was that barbarian’s name earlier?”

That kind of madman won’t die so easily.

No matter how hard or hopeless his circumstances may be.

Because he will never see death as an escape from his torment.

[Dungeon and Stone] is an unusual game.

Although fellow NPCs are essential to making progress in the game, you should
never trust them.

Especially if it’s a newcomer you’ve just met.

I’m walking through a cave.

Wobble.

My gait is unbalanced, because I just have the one shoe.

Nevertheless, I feel happy.

This discomfort I feel now is not something I could have felt when I’d been crawling
on three legs.

I have regained my human dignity.

Who knows how long that’ll last.

“Hoo…”

Advance, using the shield to reasonably protect your upper body.

No need to keep your eyes peeled and survey every inch of the floor.

Because there is light here.

The light emitted by the crystals embedded in the walls and the ceiling brightens the
surroundings.

Compared to crawling through the darkness as you bleed out, it’s like a wonderous
dream.

To tell the truth, being able to see ahead feels like a blessing from God.

A benediction, to help me exterminate these wicked goblin bastards.

“Waaaargh!”

“Gruck?!”

Surprised by my cry, a goblin jumps out from where he’d taken cover behind a rock.

As I’d already roughly grasped his hiding place, I used my skill as if I’d been waiting
for this moment.

“Smash! You son of a bitch! “

Smash is a skill with decent attack power that doesn’t consume MP.

FYI, I created it just now.

Bump–!

The goblin collided with my shield mid-leap and fell to the ground. I rapidly closed
the distance and stomped my foot on his ribs.

“Ga, gruck?!”

Don’t try those pitiful eyes on me.

I know how crafty and evil you bastards are.

“Ga, gruck!”

Oh, you’re different?

Then you should complain to your friend who’s gone ahead. Because that bastard
made me like this.

Crunch –!

I slam the shield’s edge down on goblin’s face, as hard as I can.

This one is different from smash, which only hits an enemy in front by swinging or
pushing the shield.

This one is called… shield ultimate.

Likewise, created just now.

Swaaaaaaaa–!

Soon, the goblin, who died cleanly, dissolved into motes of light.

Signifying that evil had diminished, and the world had become a little more
beautiful.

I picked up the mana stone that dropped as a reward, and roughly stuffed it into my
pocket.

This one was the tenth since I entered the labyrinth.

“Hooo, these fucking bastards.”

After barely surviving a life-and-death ordeal, I kept encountering goblins.

I was nervous at first, but I soon realized.

At places that boasted the safety of light, the goblins weren’t a threat to me at all.

They weren’t as smart as I had thought.

If you have trouble believing that, just look at that randomly installed trap over
there.

‘Couldn’t you at least dig up some soil to cover it? Do you have a brain or not? If you
just leave it openly on the road, who the hell is going to step on it?’
The goblin traps were so crude that they could be noticed even from afar. Even if you
tried to pass by one without triggering it, most times the goblins would just jump out
and attack you first.

Probably what happened with that bastard following me grinning like a pervert, only
happened because I actually stepped on a trap like an idiot…

Gradually, after grasping their habits, the battles became easier.

First of all, their main weapon was a short dagger, and their physical strength was
only at the level of a child in the upper grades of an elementary school.

In contrast, I was now a muscular barbarian with a physique that towered above
them at around 2m. In an all-out fight, a goblin could be subdued in about 3 seconds.

As a result, the only thing I had to be careful of was a surprise attack, but they even
helpfully pointed out the ambush locations via those shoddy traps…

‘Hah, being a Goblin Slayer[1] isn’t bad either, right?’

I immediately slapped myself hard on the cheek.

Slap –!

I got so caught up in the act that it actually hurt.

…What had I been thinking just now?

This is obviously a sign of madness.

If not for that, there would be no way I could giggle while thinking such pathetic
thoughts.

Don’t be proud of killing a few measly goblins.

It hasn’t even been two hours since you recovered from the verge of death, and none
of your new problems have been solved.

“Man, I’m hungry…”

First, the problem of food.

The shield wasn’t the only thing I shed as I crawled through that darkness.

About five days’ worth of food was lost due to a hole in the food bag the chieftain
gave me.

Of course, I couldn’t wander back into the dark to find it.

This was not the fairy-tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Crunch, crunch.

I took out a piece of bread from my pocket and ate it.

The bread was hard and dry for better preservation, but as I wet it gently with saliva,
I could feel the sweetness of carbohydrates on my tongue.

Why was it so delicious?

As if my eating habits had changed after possessing this barbarian’s body.

The piece of bread the size of my palm disappeared in a few bites.

I sighed, feeling a strange taste of regretful bitterness in my mouth.

Thirst.

This was the second problem.

…Fuck, where am I supposed to get any water?

「You killed a goblin.」

「You killed a goblin.」

「You killed a goblin.」

「You killed a goblin.」

「Warning: You are dehydrated. Please find a source of drinking water… 」

[Dungeon & Stone] had a satiety system.

Of course, it activated only inside the labyrinth, and there was no need to carry extra
drinking water because a meal was enough to fill you up.

But this was not the game.

To be honest, it was closer to another world that was just very similar to the game I
knew.

‘The game was hardcore already, but now that this is a reality, the difficulty has
become crazy.’

I wasn’t too worried, though.

It’s true that water is a more important resource than food, but even so, the tribe
chief hadn’t provided us any water.

Obviously, it should be possible to find enough for self-sufficiency within the

labyrinth.

It didn’t take long to actually find it.

“Smash!”

After hours of slaying goblins while wandering around in a cave as complicated as an

ant maze.

Chasing after the sound of dripping water, I found a small pond.

An adventurer was already squatting there, drinking. Excluding the party earlier, this
was actually my first meeting somebody in the labyrinth…

“…”
There was no conversation.

He saw me coming from afar and left without a word, and I didn’t even bother to
approach and talk to him.

All the other adventurers I saw afterwards were the same, too. As soon as anybody
saw me, they ran away.

As in the game, there seemed to be an unwritten rule among the adventurers to

avoid coming into contact with each other.

Well, maybe they just didn’t want to get involved with a barbarian so completely
drenched in blood.

Anyway, while catching goblins, I just kept eating bread when I was hungry and
drinking water when I was thirsty, and time flew by.

“One, two, three, four, five, six…”

I counted my loot so far, and it was a total of forty-four mana stones.

With a straightforward conversion rate, it was forty-four pieces of bread.

Thinking back on the time I had been teetering on the brink of death, it was truly a
thrilling journey so far. But nothing is free in this world.

In return, I received a bone deep exhaustion.

This was my third problem.

‘I’m getting sleepy… ’

Since you were born as a living creature, you must periodically sleep.

Even a high-spec barbarian like me is no different.

So, how do you sleep in a labyrinth teeming with monsters?

There are two ways.

First. Entrust your life to the heavens and just take a nap.

Second. Find a teammate so you can protect each other.

I had already decided which option I would choose.

Entrusting your life to the heavens? In my experience, the heavens weren’t very
dependable. At least, in my case, they really weren’t.

‘Let’s find a colleague.’

Of course, that didn’t mean establishing a party formally.

Everyone was in the same tiring situation right now, so I planned to find somebody
suitable and form a temporary cooperative relationship.

In fact, even in the game, most of the nights when my character got tired passed like
that.

Thump, thump.

After making my decision, I wandered through the labyrinth focusing on movement

rather than battle. It was just that, unlike before, I could now see groups of people
everywhere.

Thump, thump.

Groups of adventurers in twos or threes were resting, taking turns amongst each
other to keep watch.

Based on the appearance and demeanour, I found the courage to initiate contact with
a few groups, but all of them ended up in refusal.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve got all the people we need.”

So they said, but they frowned and covered their noses at my approach every time,
so the reason was quite clear.

…Motherfuckers.
Just how clean do you think you guys are?

While I was venting inside my mind, someone spoke to me.

“Hey.”

He was a human uncle who looked to be in his thirties.

About 180 cm tall.

He gave off a pretty nice and warm-hearted impression, but in his hand was a
hammer covered in goblin blood.

The uncle smiled and asked me.

“Are you looking for a night friend?”

What the fuck is this bastard saying?

As I instinctively took a step back, the uncle tilted his head.

“Wasn’t that what you were looking for? I thought I could trust my back to you and
rest comfortably because you were a barbarian, but unfortunately not, huh.”

Say that earlier, mister…

It seemed that ‘night friend’ was a slang for the temporary cooperative relationship I
was talking about.

The in-game notation was ‘Night Companion’.

I interpreted it as a comrade at night, but actually hearing it here, it sounded quite

perverted.

“…No. I am looking for a night friend.”

“Is that so? I’m lucky. Then will you come with me?”

“I will.”
So, we became friends for one night.

“My name is Hans.”

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“Then can I call you Bjorn?”

The man seemed to have a lot of experience, since he naturally finished the initial
introductions and led the conversation from there.

“Three night friends are the best, but looking for another now seems like a waste of
stamina. Bjorn, what do you think?”

To put it simply, it sounds like you’re talking about sleeping together.

Just what exactly are you thinking about? I don’t know if it’s because of the snarky
tone, but I feel attacked, I tell you.

“Good.”

“Great. If someone asks you to join us, then we should discuss with each other and
decide whether to accept or not.”

After a brief discussion, we decided to spend the first night together.

However, the problem was…

“Then let’s decide the order by playing rock-paper-scissors.”

Rock, paper, scissors seemed to be the rule of thumb here as well.

Fuck, I’m not good at this…

Then, as expected, I was the one out of luck.

“Hmm, for some reason I won.”

Screw you.
“Then, I will ask you again. If a goblin or another adventurer approaches, wake me
up first. Do you understand?”

“…I get it.”

“Come on then, take this.”

The man lent me a watch with the numbers 0 to 23 on the dial, and was kind enough
to teach me how to use it.

“When the short hour hand comes here, you can wake me up.”

Perhaps this was how the people here perceived the barbarians.

“You can’t break it. It’s expensive.”

“…I get it.”

Well, he was just being strict.

Soon, the uncle took out a blanket, covered himself with it, and lay down on the floor
with the backpack as a pillow. And very soon, he fell asleep.

Is it time yet? That looks so comfortable.

Would you please lend me those if I ask you when it’s my turn?

“Hooo…”

By the way, it was terribly boring.

The goblin bastards were nowhere to be seen, and there were no other adventurers
trying to pass through the passage either. Was it because everyone was finding a
night friend to take a break?

As the silence continued, I kept getting sleepy.

Still, time passed quickly as I was leaning against the wall and thinking about the
future.
“Hans, get up.”

“…Did anything happen?”

“No.”

“Right. Thanks for your hard work. Then give me back the watch and go rest. I’ll
wake you up in two hours.”

Without even giving me time to ask for a loan, the uncle packed the blanket in his
backpack and stood up.

Tsk.

I erased my regrets and leaned against the wall at my back.

And pretended to nod off.

Naturally –

No matter how kind and intelligent this man seemed, and even if he had no intention
of harming me –

How can I trust a bastard I’ve met for the first time?
I’m snoring right now.

The very image of a mighty savage, all conked out after an arduous day.

Zzzzzz!

…Um, is this a bit over the top?

I’m a little worried, but I hear laughter.

“…Really, they’re a strange race.”

I guess it went well.

I guess my racial advantage outstripped my acting skills.

The perception of barbarians as simple and stupid is quite helpful.

That’s why I stuck to my role as a barbarian, even disregarding the problem of evil
spirits.

As the proverb goes, hide your dagger behind your smile[1].

As if hiding a dagger within your laughter, use the preconceived notion of your
innocence as a weapon to slit the other’s stomach.

…That sounded a bit like middle school syndrome[2].

In the end, to summarize, it means that it’s better to keep your true thoughts close to
your chest.

Just like now.

Zzzzzz!

Nodding off sideways, scratching my stomach as if asleep. All for the sake of realism.

Even so, I’m listening intently, paying full attention to the uncle’s movements.

If you show this much of a gap, if the other party does have some kind of scheme, he
should take action soon.

Or you can just try to sleep for real.

To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep like this.

“Bjorn, time to change shift.”

Ah, um… Really, I didn’t even get a wink of sleep.

“Don’t relax your guard too much just because the goblins haven’t appeared till now.
They are wicked and sly.”

Maybe because he has his doubts, uncle exhorts me to stand up straight during my
watch, and lies down comfortably on the floor like the last time.

And in less than five minutes, he falls asleep again.

Disappointment creeps in.

He just went to sleep. What the hell have I been doing for two hours?

Shit.

Is it because I’ve met him for the first time today?

Even though I decided he was reliable, I couldn’t sleep at all.

If I had known this would happen, it would have been better to sleep alone while
watching out for the goblins.

That way, I could have slept at least a little.

“Hoo…”

I’m bone-tired, dead on my feet.

And I feel even more drowsy because uncle is sleeping next to me.

Still, it’s my turn to keep watch, so I diligently concentrate my mind on chasing away
the siren song of the Sandman. But suddenly, a voice breaks through my focus.

“Bjorn, get up.”

“…I didn’t sleep.”

“Say that after you wipe the drool around your mouth.”

When I rub it with the back of my hand, it really came away moist.

“So if you sleep standing up, your nose doesn’t get stuffy.”

Looks like I really did nod off.

Even if just for a short while, with only ten minutes left of my shift.

…My heart is pounding.

However, there is something that needs to be done before I can indulge in self-blame.

So I apologize frankly.

“I’m sorry.”

Not just pretending to be a barbarian, I am being serious.

Being night friends is relationship based on trade. But although he provided me a

safe environment during the night, I couldn’t return the favour.

It’s natural to apologize in that case.

Even I don’t want to become the kind of person I hate the most.
“…Fortunately, there weren’t any problems while I slept, so it’s no big deal.”

“Thank you. You can sleep more if you want. I will keep watch one more time.”

“No, I can’t do that. It’s your turn, go to sleep. Give me the watch back.”

He could have blamed me, but he forgives me instead with a friendly smile.

So without further ado, I go back to my seat and squat down.

Again, sleep eludes me.

All adventurers, including uncle, are so exceptionally respectful. Is it normal to trust

someone you see for the first time with your life?

Aren’t their guts a bit too great?

Whichever way you slice it, to me this all looks like a bunch of bullshit.

Because of that, I kept snoring, just like the last time.

Zzzzzzzz!

I couldn’t help it.

I’m sorry, uncle, but somehow, you’ve started to look more and more suspicious.

Zzzzzzzz!

That far too good impression of yours reminds me of a scammer.

Uncle who mentioned that there was no need to get another member.

Who didn’t even bother to say anything about the smell.

That’s already pretty good.

Just now, you didn’t blame me for sleeping on my shift.

You even refused my offered price of letting you sleep one more time.
Of course, maybe I’m just a crazy bastard, and in fact, this guy is just that kind.

But to me, kind bastards are the most suspicious.

‘It was these bastards who stabbed me in the back every time.’

If it was the old me, now would have been the right time to be vigilant.

Don’t make the same mistake twice.

If you have even the barest modicum of intelligence, that is.

Zzzzzzzz!

Wouldn’t it be better to just quit this and break up at this point?

As I was thinking that, I kept snoring.

How long had it been?

Click.

A small, but foreign sound.

Backpack buckle? Waist belt? Or the heels?

There was no way to sense where exactly the sound had come from.

However, although my head understood that, the body of a barbarian interpreted it

with instinct.

Dangerous.

Is this the killing intent they talk about in martial arts?

Goosebumps broke out on my skin.

I opened my eyes at once.

“You woke up.”

Still, the old man was smiling happily.

With his two-handed hammer bathed in goblin blood and flesh, lifted high above his
head.

This fucker…

Avoid!

The body that had been raised from birth as a warrior reacted far faster than my
rational judgment.

I was already rolling to the side before my brain had given the command.

Crash–!

As something smashed with a loud noise just in front of my nose, I was using the
recoil to quickly rise up and fix my posture.

“Eh!”

Uncle, whose surprise attack failed, had a bewildered expression on his face.

Rather than asking why, I dashed forward.

“W-, wait!”

Are you trying to make an excuse or something? You didn’t mean to? Were you
playing a prank? In that case, it was indeed a little, no, really funny.

Fuck, how fucking stupid are those barbarian bastards, really?

Puff–!

The ‘smash’ with the shield accurately hit his chin.

However, humans were different from goblins, with a much stronger physique.

The man staggered, but did not fall.

Then one more time.

Puff–!

Smash.

“Kaaaha!”

The hammer in his hands fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

His nose was already red and swollen with blood.

…Oh, are you in pain?

Most probably, but I don’t care.

Because right now I want to be a bastard who doesn’t care about that kind of thing.

So, once again—

“S-, stop! Wait, I can explain…!”

“Smash.”

The man, after getting repeatedly slugged in the face with a shield, finally fell to his
knees.

In terms of the game, he was incapable of further combat.

In other words, it was now possible to hold a conversation.

“Uncle.”

“Please, I was wrong! Save me!”

Have you decided to ask for forgiveness already?

You’ve got a quick judgement, but maybe not a wise one.

Because the conversation I want right now is not about forgiveness.

“Why?”

“I, I got greedy for mana stones… I was just going to knock you out and steal them.
Believe me!”

Believe you? Yeah, that won’t wash with me.

If I had such an overflowing love for humanity, I would’ve had a few more friends.

“Shield! I was going to take that shield too!”

As I slowly raised the shield, the uncle quickly added something.

This is the main reason why I don’t believe in humans.

Everyone lies so easily.

Just compounding to their tangled web of lies, without bothering to do it properly.

“Why the shield?”

“…Because the barbarians have good quality arms. I was thinking of selling it once I
got back to the city.”

Obviously, most of the weapons that barbarians receive during the tutorial are
comparatively expensive.

Because the weight of steel in them is significantly higher than average.

Just looking at my shield, one could tell it was made of pure steel.

But even so, killing somebody just to get this?

Well, when I think about it, it’s not completely incomprehensible.

But…

“Bullshit.”

The man was still hiding something.

“Be honest. Why?”

Just like when I was dealing with the fallen goblin, I crushed the man’s chest with my
foot.

“Ugh!”

Deep fear was engraved in his eyes.

But maybe because this bastard had tried to kill me?

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel anything in particular.

The same way you know not to look into the eyes of a cow when slaughtering it…

It’s okay to just ignore it, or something like that.

As I was thinking about ending the conversation at this point, uncle called out again.

“Hea-, heart!”

“Heart?”

It was an unexpected word.

When I looked at him with eyes that demanded an explanation, uncle continued his
words with a resigned expression.

“…A barbarian’s heart sells for a high price.”

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure, but they say it’s an ingredient for some new magic
potion!”

“I see.”

Now I understood the motive.

I was just a goblin to this man.

Difficult to catch, but once you catch one, you can get a huge reward.

“Why did you act now instead of when I first slept?”

“…I have to sleep too.”

Oh, I see.

If possible, it’s better to both sleep and earn money.

I thought uncle was cautious, but it was just a bug from seeking extreme efficiency.

“I’ve told you everything, so please forgive me…”

“Forgive?”

To be honest, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Forgive me?

The guy who had just been about to pull out my heart and sell it as an ingredient was
now saying something like that?

If I’d reacted just a little late, I wouldn’t have even gotten a chance to beg for my life.

“Please…”

Well, everybody wants to live. I should’ve known it was going to be like this. At least
he had good attitude.

However.

“Uncle, it is right that you should pay the price.”

The bastards I hate the most are the ones who do whatever they like and then dodge
the responsibility afterwards.

Therefore…

“I will give you everything I have! Even if I don’t have that much right now, if I can
just go back to the city…”

I can’t believe you.

In that respect, what was the difference between this guy and a goblin?

I couldn’t ever be friends with a goblin, but at least with this guy there had been a
chance.

Only that was different, and therefore he was worse.

Of course, this is just an emotional opinion, and I don’t make choices based on my
emotions.

It doesn’t always happen, but at least I try.

“I will probably meet countless people like you in the future. They’ll all say the same
thing. Then should I forgive them each time?”

Forgiveness is a very scary word.

A decision you make with a gentle heart often comes back like a dagger to stab you
in the back.

I know that fact better than anyone.

So this time, too, I have no choice.

A mistake in this primordial world would not only scar my heart, but even threaten
my life.

“I’m sorry, uncle. I don’t think I can do it. Because I’ve been stabbed in the back far
too many times.”

“Oh, no! Absolutely not! I’m different!”

Come to think of it, the goblin said the same thing.

Well, I was just arbitrarily interpreting whatever I’d seen in his eyes, but anyway.
Then, what do you do next?

Kkkkk.

Raise the shield high with both your hands.

However, unlike the last time, it pauses for a moment.

Of course, that hesitation doesn’t last long.

As if some unknown force is pulling your arm down –

“Oh, no, please!”

I lowered the shield with all my might.

Crunch. After the sound of cracking bones, came a sullen silence.

「 Achievement complete 」

「 Condition: First kill. 」

「 Reward: Permanently increases Mind by +1. 」

I did not turn away from what I had done, and instead accepted it.

About a day had passed since I entered this game world.

I killed someone.

And what I received in return were a large hammer, shoulder pauldrons, leather
boots, a compass, a knife, a pocket watch, a water bottle, a backpack, a blanket, some
herbs and bandages, a potion, six days’ worth of food, and 32 rank 9 mana stones.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 笑裏藏刀 (Chinese, lit. hide a knife behind a smile) is one of the thirty-six
stratagems.
[2] 중2병 – don’t lie, we know you know what chuunibyou is.
I’m walking through a cave.

This time, there’s no wobbling.

「The character is wearing leather boots.」

「Total item level rises by +5.」

The boots almost fit. Thanks to that, I learned one more thing. Uncle’s feet were too
big for his height. Anyway, they’re pretty sturdy, so stepping on a trap won’t hurt as
badly as it did the last time.

「The character has equipped a two-handed hammer.」

「Total item level rises by +30.」

This hammer is made of solid iron and is about 1m long. Uncle needed both hands,
but I can swing it one-handed.

「The character is wearing shoulder guards.」

「Total item level rises by +13.」

Steel pauldrons. I tied the laces a little loose and they fit just right. If I take off my
jacket and put on just the pauldrons, I look like some ancient gladiator.

「The character is wearing a backpack.」

「Inventory expands.」

Now I no longer need to store the blood-stained mana stones alongside the bread,
and moving around is much less cumbersome.
Chomp.

I take out some jerky and chew it.

I don’t have much of it, but it tastes better than bread.

I cut the rest with a knife and store it away so as to not get my drool all over it.

On this second day, I have graduated from my primitive lifestyle.

When you’re thirsty, just drink some water from the water bottle.

If you want to know the direction, just take out your compass, and if you want to
know the time, just take out your pocket watch.

There’s even a bottle of potion to help you cope with any possible injury in an
emergency.

Isn’t it a little ironic?

That after killing a person, I became able to live a little more like one.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 1

Body: 25 / Mind: 37 (New +1) / Ability: 1

Item Level: 72 (New +48)

Combat Index: 81 (New +13)

Smash was a good technique to use with a shield, but a proper weapon boasted a
different level of power.

Puff–!
A goblin turned into motes of light and disappeared with just a single blow of my
hammer.

Had I known this would happen, I would’ve just picked a weapon at the start. After
all, wouldn’t it have been fine if I just saved up money and bought the shield later?

Well, I didn’t know at the time that I could fight so well.

Was it because I transmigrated into the body of a barbarian?

When I fought, I felt like my body didn’t belong to me. It was easy to get used to it,
but looking at this body that always exceeded expectations, I still couldn’t help but
exclaim my amazement now and then.

“I’m feeling drowsy.”

Yawning, I picked up the two magic stones from the ground around me and put them
in my bag.

This was the change that occurred on the second day.

The goblins started coming in twos.

Perhaps tomorrow, it would increase to three, and the same would continue until the
labyrinth closed on the seventh day. Because that’s how it was in the game.

In that sense, it wasn’t particularly bad yet.

My combat power increased sharply with the new weapon, and thanks to the various
consumables, my life instead became a little safer.

Things were going pretty smoothly.

‘Except for the fact that I keep closing my eyes.’

From yesterday until now, I kept constantly moving and fighting the goblins. But I’d
only gotten around ten minutes’ worth of sleep, and one time I even fell asleep while
standing up.

I really wanted to sleep.

I didn’t even want any luxuries like a blanket or a pillow. I just wanted to squat down
and take a nap, even if it was on the bare stone floor.

Really, if things carried on like this –

“Oh, fuck!”

In my half-asleep state, I tripped over a stone.

Thankfully, things didn’t go as unluckily as was my usual. I would’ve been in real

trouble had it been a trap.

“Let’s just get some sleep right here…”

Coming to a decision, I immediately leaned against the wall, with my shield and my
hammer still in my hands.

Even though I didn’t have any night friends by my side…

Rather, this felt safer. If you’re going to be ambushed anyway, goblins are better for
that.

You’re more likely to live if you get stabbed with the little carving knives[1] they carry
around.

Unlike your head being pulped with a hammer while lying down.

Squelch–

Motherfucker.

I woke up to the sound of footsteps that had already become familiar.

Even when there had been no hide nor hair of them when I’d stood vigilant for no
less than four hours. Now that I was sleeping alone, one showed up right away.

I could see why uncle told me not to drop my guard.

…Stubborn bastards.
I immediately ran over and shoved the hammer into the goblin’s head.

Puff–!

“Ga, gruck!”

A total of two shits had been creeping up on me, but the other guy immediately
bolted once he saw his friend being smashed.

Yes, go, go.

I don’t even have the energy to follow you.

“Hey, you bastards…”

When I checked the time, less than ten minutes had passed.

In the end, I had no choice but to go back to the cave and keep hunting goblins.

Whenever I felt too tired and couldn’t take it any longer, I leaned against the wall and
got a few winks of sleep.

There were a few occasions while I dozed off that made me almost faint with
surprise, but it was only twice that I felt like I had one foot in the grave.

Once, when I felt a presence and opened my eyes, some bastard adventurer was
quietly closing in on me.

When our eyes met, he gave an indifferent smile, then stepped back and
disappeared.

…Even just thinking about it again, I got goosebumps.

In terms of surprise alone, the second occasion didn’t lose either.

Especially since it was an ongoing process.

「The character was attacked by a goblin while sleeping.」

For the first time, I woke up to actual pain, not a premonition of a presence.
A goblin appeared in front of me. Once I killed it with one swing of my hammer, the
other bastard hightailed it.

“G, ggh!!”

I immediately identified the root cause behind the pain.

But, oh my God, there was a carving knife stuck between my collarbones.

…Shit, my left arm wasn’t moving well for some reason.

But after all, I was glad it ended with just pain.

Had I been a little shorter, or if that goblin could jump a little better, this knife
would’ve been lodged in my neck.

Creak.

I clenched my teeth as I pulled the knife out.

Then, taking out the potion from my bag, I placed a few drops on the wound. By the
time I closed the stopper and put the bottle back in the bag, the blood was bubbling
and the wound was regenerating quickly.

Chiiiiiiiik.

Was the bastard who made the potion a psychopath or something?

Somehow, it hurt more than the stabbing itself.

“Ouch, hehehehe…”

After about five minutes, the pain went away.

Although the pain had woken me up abruptly, after the rush faded, my eyelids felt
heavier than ever.

So much that my vision blurred if I stopped concentrating even for a single moment.

It was time to make the decision I’d been putting off.

Although my body was that of a barbarian and sensitive to killing intent, there was a
limit to it. Didn’t I just wake up after being stabbed with a carving knife?

‘I need to take a break.’

I checked the time, and it had been about fourteen hours since I’d parted with uncle.

Perhaps the adventurers active on the first floor were also wandering around by
now, again looking for night friends.

“Hey barbarian, are you looking for a night friend?”

This time when I roamed the area, it was the adventurers who took the initiative to
speak to me first.

Also, very passionately.

“Hmm, you look pretty tired, don’t you? Will you come?”

“You can always trust a barbarian. If you join, we’ll have three people, so how about
getting together?”

It was like being an in-demand whore.

Was it because this was the second day and everyone was looking the same?

Bastards who sniffed at my smell were nowhere to be seen. Or maybe the smell
hadn’t been the problem in the first place?

Come to think of it, yesterday I’d been wobbling on my feet a bit, and drenched in
about seven litres of blood.

“Oh? That’s unfortunate.”

Numerous love calls flooded in, but I refused them all and kept walking through the
passage.

Haa, was there no strong barbarian anywhere nearby?

In fact, my best choice would be to find a fellow countryman to make night friends
with. The problem was that, until the second day, I wasn’t able to smell even the
faintest whiff of another barbarian.

“You are looking for your own people? Hmm, wouldn’t it be difficult?”

“Difficult? Why is that?”

“Even a barbarian who just finished his coming-of-age ceremony would go upstairs
within two or three months. I don’t rightly know, but there must be less than a
hundred on the first floor.”

As I kept exploring, it looked like barbarians were a rarity on the first floor. Seriously,
it’d be strange to mess around on the first floor if you have a body like this.

99% of the adventurers I met on the first floor were humans.

“Why don’t you join us instead?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“I see. I pray that Rafdonia will be with you on your journey.”

“Thank you.”

This man looked pretty trustworthy, but I ended our chat and moved on.

Since I found out that how expensive of a barbarian’s heart was, I couldn’t help but
suspect every one of the adventurers.

Click.

I took out the compass.

I’d been moving south ever since I got it, but I still wasn’t out of the Goblin Zone.

I could feel just how big the first floor was.

‘…Should I give up looking for my own people?’

My worries didn’t last long.

I decided to stop looking for needles in a desert, and made a more realistic plan.

I’d look for a night friend even if they weren’t of my own people.

But not humans.

I’d search for the demihumans who were less than 1% of the population.

A fairy who valued promises, or a dwarf with as arrogant a personality as a

barbarian would be the best…

It didn’t matter much as long as it was a non-human race.

Unlike humans, these races had longer lifespans.

Given enough time, they had the potential to climb all the way to the top, so they
would be less likely to get blinded by short-term gains and hurt a fellow adventurer.

Having made that decision, I kept wandering around the cave for about an hour.

And…

「You encountered an injured fairy stranger. 」

I finally found one of the demihuman races that I’d been looking for.

The moment our eyes meet, the air grows heavy with a strangely suffocating silence.

“…”

The pointy-eared fairy sitting with her back against the wall just stares at me
without saying a single word.

Were you also sleeping alone without a night friend?

Her catlike glowing amber eyes show embarrassment, but also a keen vigilance.

Just looking at her makes me want to pass by and disappear, but…

Seuk.

As our silent confrontation stretches out, the fairy finally gets up from where she’d
been sitting with a nervous face.

But her posture is unnatural.

Upon closer examination, there’s a wound on her stomach.

“You’re hurt.”

It’s not deep, but it’s a long cut.

Not something that could be caused by the little carving knives carried by the
goblins.

I quickly come to a conclusion.

“Was it a human?”

The fairy doesn’t answer.

She’s afraid.

Yeah, I can see where she’s coming from. I’d be scared too if some random stranger
much bigger than me passed by while I was injured.

Isn’t she even a woman, on top of that?

Her body is tiny too. Maybe around 160cm?

Anyway, this isn’t a bad situation –

“Please spare me.”

Yes?

“Please, just once, uncle barbarian. I have a little sister in the city that I need to take
care of.”
I did wonder how this plot was going to develop.

The fairy kneels down to her knees without any regrets.

At some point, even moisture had formed in her eyes.

“I beg you.”

What the hell, where did your spirit as a fairy go?

To be honest, I’d thought she would be the cool beauty type.

Because most of the fairies in the game had that kind of tone and personality.

Hooo, if I’d known she’d be this kind of a character, I would’ve approached the
situation completely differently.

Let’s clear up the misunderstanding before things get worse.

“I have no intention of killing you.”

Make eye contact and speak with a clear pronunciation.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, so given some time to calm down, she’ll know
that I’m being sincere –

“…Must you do this, uncle barbarian?”

– Yup, that’s not gonna happen.[2]

I’m having an identity crisis right now.

Isn’t this a highschool drama, with a savage delinquent bullying the girls in front of
the school? With me being the savage, obviously.

“Just once, please, let me go just this once.”

As my silence stretches, the fairy takes a step back. The fear in her eyes deepens as
she opens up her front collar.
It’s not funny.

What kind of life do these barbarian bastards lead? What’s their usual image like,
that she’s doing this shit?

“Hooo…”

I can’t help but sigh.

What do I do?

Would this misunderstanding be cleared up if I showed her that I’m not that kind of
trash, with actions rather than words?

…That seems feasible.

“Start treatment first. We can talk later.”

I step back, take the herbs and bandages from my bag and throw them at her.

“This is a lychee leaf…?”

I see, so this is a lychee leaf.

In the future, I can use it with peace of mind.

I was worried that it might be poisonous, so I couldn’t use it even though I got
injured earlier.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 조각칼 (lit. carving knife) usually means engraving knife used in sculpture.
However, it is also a term used in archelogy to mean a prehistoric tool for carving
flint.

[2] 개뿔 (lit. silver horn), means something that’ll never happen, bullshit.
“…Why are you giving me this?”

“Do I need a reason to help you?”

I feel like a thorn is stabbing the insides of my mouth, trying to spout rubbish I don’t
even want to say, but I can’t help it.

Because this works better for her type.

I want to be friends with this fairy tonight.

It makes me sound like garbage for some reason, but it’s not a bad deal for her either.

Injuries, lack of sleep, and gorgeous looks.

Just looking at her situation, she has it several times worse than me.

She did that shit just now because she knows that.

To be honest, that tenacious obsession with her own survival surprised me.

“Like I said, treat yourself first. We can talk later.”

“But…”

“I’m going to stand guard.”

As I turn my back dismissively, I soon hear a sound.

The sound of herbs being chewed before applying them over her wounds.

“…It’s all done.”

Already? She’s surprisingly good with her hands.

Turning around, I see a tightly wrapped bandage from between the gaps of her torn
clothes. The vigilance in her eyes when she looks at me seems to have lessened a bit,
for some reason.

Let’s start with the standard introductions and slowly close the distance between us.

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“…Erwen.”

“I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood. But nothing will happen to you.”

“Yes? Ah, yes…”

She makes a brave face, but the fear is still there in her eyes.

I thought that if I did this much, this misunderstanding would soon be solved, but
what the hell is wrong now?

In the end, I can only ask bluntly.

“Why are you so afraid of me?”

“…Barbarians and fairies are enemies, aren’t they?”

“Enemies?”

“Sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that… I don’t want to fight you.”

She gets so worked up at my question that she starts begging again.

No, I just asked because I was really curious…

Are fairies and barbarians, enemies? That’s a story I’m hearing for the first time.
They obviously got along pretty well in the game.

How did this happen?

I just look at her with a piercing stare, and the information I wanted readily flows
out.

“…Th-, the war that ended ten years ago? I, I personally don’t have any lingering
hatred! I really don’t.”

Ten years ago…

I don’t know what happened, but listening to her talk, it seems more like a
belligerent relationship rather than outright hostility.

Well, then, was she afraid because she grew up hearing bad things about my race
from a young age?

The situation is pretty bad.

What do I do? Do I have to look for somebody else?

Not to mention, the herbs and bandages I already gave her are on the pricey side…

Alright, let’s try this first.

“It’s the same for me, no lingering hatred.”

“That’s right!”

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking, Erwen. Would you like to be friends with me tonight?”

“…Night friend?”

“I’m tired now. The same must go for you, too. So why don’t we cooperate for today,
since there are no lingering feelings between us?”

“Ummm…”

Her eyes suddenly light up.

To be honest, I wonder if she spoke truly just now.

Without rushing, Erwen contemplates for a while with a deep frown, then offers a
condition instead.

“Barbarians value a warrior’s honour. Can you swear on it? That you won’t hurt me
first?”

“I swear.”

“Mm, of course, I promise you in the name of my clan. I would never harm you first.”

It’s equivalent to a pinky swear In Korean culture[1].

Of course, I can do this all day.

But there is one issue that needs to be addressed first.

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Not ‘uncle’.”

Our Bjorn is only twenty years old, you know.

The contract had been concluded.

Maybe it was even a bit ground-breaking in terms of local culture.

Thanks to that, I found out the fairy maiden’s real name in the process.

Erwen Fornacci di Tersia.

She was twenty years old, same as me.

Hoo, I’m glad I’m not the real Bjorn. I’m sure the real Bjorn would think so too. Even
if I…

I won’t say it.

“Then how do we decide how to take turns?”

“I’ll sleep first. That should make you feel safer.”

“It’s not like that, but if you want to, I can’t help it…”

In a word, it was an unvoiced complaint.

“So it’s good with you?”

“Yes.”

Heh, I’m glad. I would’ve fallen into despair if it’d been rock-paper-scissors again.

My eyes had been fluttering closed since some time ago. Please, I just wanted to get
some sleep. Why was getting a good night’s sleep so hard?

“Oh, yeah, but! How do I know the time?”

Tsk, is this why rookies had it so difficult?

I took the watch out of my backpack and gave it to Erwen.

“It’s expensive, so don’t break it.”

“Yes…”

Seeing her receive it reverently like an ancestral relic gave me some peace of mind.

“I’ll be careful with it. Good night.”

I lied down on my backpack, covered myself with a blanket, just like uncle had done.

And…

Zzzzzzzzz!

I let sleep claim my consciousness.

“Uncle!”

…It’s Bjorn, I tell you.

“Uncle, wake up. Time’s up.”

I forced my eyes open and got up. I couldn’t believe it.

Had it been two hours already?

“Come on, give the watch here.”

I looked at the time, and two hours had indeed passed.

Come to think of it, it seemed that I hadn’t even snored properly. Just in case, I tried
to do that that for ten minutes…

Wow, was this the synergy between a backpack and a blanket?

It was terrifying enough.

Obviously, if uncle had lent them to me, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid his
surprise.

I would have slept very comfortably, forgetting the outside world.

Is this karma?

…Considering the circumstances, let’s lend them to her too.

“Cover yourself with this and sleep. And use this as a pillow if you want.”

“Yes? But…”

She was shy, but her lips curved at the corners.

I decided to pretend that I hadn’t seen anything.

“Well, then I’ll use them properly, thank you…”

Without any further urging on my part, Erwen crawled into the blanket and curled
up like a cat. And soon after, there was the sound of regular breathing.

Hey, are you sleeping so well in front of an outsider?

She seemed tired. She might’ve had as hard a day as mine.

“Hoo…”

I rested my back against the wall and opened the watch.

[22: 50]

It felt like five days had passed, but there was still more than an hour left before the
second day ended.

I wanted to go back to the city soon. Actually, it was funny to say that I was going
back, but… If I managed to go back, I’d definitely sleep for a few days.

‘…Seeing that I can think like this, this body is really worth it.’

I closed the watch and put it back in, immersed deeply in my thoughts. It’d been a
while since I last had a peaceful time, but I kept thinking about this and that.

What happened to me in reality?

Had my disappearance been discovered? Surely it would be. Somebody should come.
Although the company wouldn’t take a few days’ absence seriously.

“Kkh.”

It wasn’t that this was the first time I was considering this issue.

It just made me more and more sad.

If you keep thinking that there’s nothing good about going back, your will itself
would shatter.

It was better just not to think about it, in many ways.

No matter if it was only deceiving myself, I was pretty good at self-hypnosis.

“…”

I deliberately twisted my flow of thought.

Alright, let’s recap what happened over the past two days. After the coming-of-age
ceremony, I entered the labyrinth, fought the goblins, fought uncle…

Shall I praise myself for doing well so far?

I clung to life really hard. Since there was no one to praise me for that, why not do it
myself?

Snap –

I decided to leave the self-congratulations until I got back to the city, and when I
opened the watch, time had run out.

“Erwen, wake up.”

“Just five more minutes…”

What’s so good about just five minutes, hurry and get up.

“Ugh…”

Erwen rubbed her eyes and stood up as she shook off the wretched barbarian’s hand
from her shoulder.

Hey, this looks dangerous.

I could see why she hated me.

“Don’t even think about falling asleep just because nothing has happened so far.”

“Yes…”

I was a little nervous, but once again I went back to bed.

Maybe because I’d lent her the blanket and the backpack, a trace of warmth
remained in them.

It was ironic.

How long had it been since I’d last felt the warmth of someone other than myself?
How unfamiliar.
Maybe more than everything else I’d gone through in the past two days.

Zzzzzzzzzz!

This time, I had quite a bit of energy, so I diligently started snoring. To be honest, it
was more to make sure she didn’t sleep and did her job properly.

…I didn’t feel like sleeping.

I opened my eyes and glanced at Erwen, then let go of my worries and closed my
eyes once more.

And, how long had it been after that?

Creak.

I felt a sense of urgency and sat up hurriedly.

“Hey!”

For some reason, I was holding Erwen’s white wrist.

It looked like she had been stretching it out towards me…

“What are you doing?”

“You looked like you were having a bad nightmare, because you kept sweating…”

Looking at the handkerchief in her hand, it didn’t seem like an excuse.

Well, if it had been a weapon in the first place, I would have hit her with a shield
without asking why.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

After grasping the situation, I relaxed my hands.

Erwen stroked the place I’d caught with a painful expression.

There were already red marks on her wrist.

I didn’t even apologize. Because they would’ve been empty words anyway.

“How much time has passed?”

“…Ten minutes left till shift change.”

“Right. So let me take the shift now.”

“But…”

“If I sleep again now, I’ll just be more tired.”

At my words, Erwen lay down with an apologetic expression. And tossed and turned
a little.

“Uncle.”

“Any problems?”

“No. I have a question.”

“Ask.”

Erwen hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…Who is your uncle?”

What? Are you making a pun?

“Because you keep muttering, telling him you’re sorry, in your dreams… Oh, my
apologies. Am I speaking out of turn? You don’t have to answer. I’ll just sleep.”

Before I could respond, Erwen pulled up the blanket over her head.

It seemed that this young lady was slowly starting to become curious when she
realized that I was not that scary.

“Lay off.”

I thought while doing a few simple stretches.

I couldn’t really remember anything, but it looked like I had a real nightmare…

Suddenly, I felt a little curious.

Who the hell was the man I was asking for forgiveness?

Two candidates came to mind.

An unknown uncle who was decapitated at the coming-of-age ceremony, and Uncle
Hans, who taught me how to be human.

…But when I thought about it, it was strange for it to be either. I didn’t recall doing
anything to them worth apologizing for.

Soon I came to a conclusion.

It must’ve been some meaningless dog dream that I had.

[04:30]

Day 3 had started. And about 10 minutes left before I had to wake up Erwen.

I felt worried as I watched Erwen sleep with a blanket crunched between her legs.

What concerned me was the prospect of a second date[2].

That is, whether or not to propose a team-up.

Of course, there was a downside to having a companion, that you would have to
share the loot.

No matter how many goblins appeared on the third day, it was clear that Erwen
joining would reduce my eventual income.

It had nothing to do with her strength. Well, since she was a fairy, it would usually be
cost-effective, but…

Should I say that I’m already overpowered?

Even without Erwen, I could easily dispatch three or four goblins by my lonesome.

It wasn’t arrogance, I really judged that way after experiencing several battles with
this body.

And I had to collect as many mana stones as possible, to prepare for my future living
expenses in the city as well as the subsequent taxes.

“Hoo…”

Safety, or more mana stones?

While I was pondering about the most rational choice –

Step.

I could hear adventurers’ footsteps from the passage on the left.

It’d happened several times during the night, so I wasn’t particularly nervous. Most
of the time, they’d take a look at us once and just pass by.

But…

Step –

This pair of adventurers, let’s call them Ricky and Buster[3], took one look at us and
stopped walking.

And whispered to each other.

“Isn’t that the fairy?”

“Looks right. The shape of the bow matches.”

Of the two men who came to a conclusion while whispering between themselves,
Buster asked me as the representative.

“Barbarian, what is your relationship with the fairy?”

“As you can see, we are night friends.”

“Even barbarians and fairies can be night friends, I’ve seen something strange today.
So how long do you two have left?”

“I have no answer for you.”

Buster didn’t ask any further.

He just smiled and left with Ricky beside him.

“Right. Let’s go.”

“Huh? Ah, um…”

Soon, their presence disappeared from the surroundings.

But I wasn’t reassured.

What the hell were these bastards doing? It felt as ominous as when the chieftain
had shouted in front of me.

I slowly moved to the side and tapped Erwen, who was still sleeping, on the shoulder.

“Ugh…”

Hey, are you still sleeping in this situation?

Wake the hell up.

Because somehow, it feels like we’re fucked.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] Or rather, that is the western equivalent. Not translating the full Korean gesture
here because not very relevant.

[2] 애프터 신청 (lit. after sales application), requesting the next date after the first
meeting or blind date.
[3] 퉁퉁 (Tong Tong) and 비실 (Bi Sil) are Doreamon characters, fat and thin
respectively.
Strictly speaking, the word ‘we’ should not be used here.

Because the Ricky and Buster pair were interested in Erwen, not me.

Tug, tug, I nudge Erwen again with my foot.

“Ugh…”

What do you mean, ugh? Wake the hell up. I know you aren’t asleep. I saw you cover
your face with the blanket when I glanced at you right after hearing their words.

“Hey!”

It’s a waste of time to keep up this charade, so I just grab her by the shoulders and
force her to get up.

“Why were you pretending to be asleep?”

“That, that’s…”

Erwen mumbles her words and avoids my gaze.

Considering the fact that I have to get the relevant information as quickly as possible
and make a decision, it’s a pretty rude attitude.

Hwig.

When I grab her by the chin and force her to look at me, Erwen finally, reluctantly,
starts to talk.

“Because you’ll leave when I wake up…”

Indeed, was that the reason?

I did so swear. If there’s a conflict with other adventurers while standing guard for
the night, you have to fight together. But unfortunately, this happened on the last
turn within the promised timeframe.

Well, I don’t actually care about my honour, but…

She doesn’t know that.

So she tried to hold on to me somehow.

Because the moment she opens her eyes, the promise that bound us as night friends
would be over.

“Hoo.”

I take a deep breath.

If a grown man like Uncle Hans had done something like this, I really would have
been angry…

But since she’s only twenty years old, some pity blooms at a corner of my heart.

Of course, that’s that and this is this. I still have to make a decision.

“Was it those two?”

“No.”

“Then why were you hiding yourself?”

“…There was a pattern engraved on their clothes. Same as the human man who tried
to hurt me. They must have been in the same group.”

A group… Fuck, are things getting more problematic?

I’m starting to consider whether it would actually be better to just say goodbye to
this fairy girl and go our separate ways from here.

“Let’s talk while we move.”

“Are you going to help me?”

“I’ll listen to your story, at least.”

First of all, we have to get out of here. And I have to grasp the rest of the situation on
the way. We start moving, setting almost a running pace.

“Tell me everything that’s happened so far.”

As if reading the atmosphere, Erwen briefly recites only the important information
without saying anything extra.

“The first night, my night friend who I’d just met attacked me while I was sleeping. I
found out later that he was an executive from a group mainly active on the first floor.”

For reference, the group is called ‘Crystal Union’.

“I managed to escape, but after that, people from that organization started attacking
me whenever they saw me. I was injured in the process.”

I pause for a moment.

“Wait, how did they know about you?”

“They used message stones.”

What is that? There was nothing like that in the game.

“A little more detail.”

“It’s a magic tool that allows you to talk remotely with other message stones that
have been configured to resonate with it in advance. I heard that the reach is about
300m.”

“I see.”

It’s a kind of a walkie-talkie. If the frequency is set in advance, you can communicate
up to 300m away.

Gradually, I understand the situation we’re in.

With such magic tools and sufficient manpower, disseminating information would be
easy in a closed environment like this.

However, the problem is…

“Why are they chasing after you?”

Erwen did nothing wrong.

Why would they spend so much effort going after the victim?

“Is it to keep your mouth shut?”

“…I don’t think it’s that.”

“Is there anything else?”

“That’s…”

Erwen, who’d been calmly answering my questions so far, once again hesitates to
speak. I really can’t help her if she keeps up with this attitude.

While I was considering dumping her –

“I swung my knife at that man when I first ran away. Where I hit him, it wasn’t a good
place, really…”

“…By a bad place you mean?”

I feel cold for some reason.

The cool wind keeps brushing my groin.

“That, um, that, there…?”

Really.

“Ummm, anyway, I heard from the people who were chasing me afterwards, it was
totally cut off and couldn’t even be re-attached with a potion… I guess that’s why…”
That’s why it’s worth chasing after her with full power.

“I, I, I’m sorry…”

There’s nothing to apologize for.

Wasn’t that guy the perpetrator? You reap what you sow. The problem is that there
are far too many people in every world who can’t understand such simple logic.

“Uncle, I think somebody’s behind us.”

“Where?”

“Don’t look back.”

I’ve been concentrating on my hearing, but I still can’t hear anything.

“On the path… I think about 150m away.”

It’s strange that she can feel a presence at that distance, but it doesn’t seem like a lie.
There’s no reason for her to do that.

Is this the innate perception of a fairy?

The image I had of her changed all of a sudden.

“I need to speed up, are you alright with that?”

“Yes. I can handle it.”

Even though the white bandage covering her wound is stained red, Erwen doesn’t
spit out even a single sound of pain.

She has good guts.

Well, my thoughts got complicated again.

“How far is the tracker?”

“…Still about 150m.”

Even if you increase the speed, you can’t spread out the distance.

Things aren’t going well.

By now, the stalker must be announcing our location to his comrades with a message
stone, or something.

Have to get rid of him.

If their target had been me, I would have certainly judged so.

But I’m still running.

After you kill him, you can’t step out of this quagmire anymore.

So check things out first, before you dip your feet.

“U-, uncle…?”

How much risk do I have to take, and how much reward can I get in return?

I need more detailed information.

“Erwen.”

“Yes, yes?”

“What are you good at?”

“I am confident in cleaning and laundry. Oh, I’m not very good at cooking, but…”

What is she talking about now?

“In battle.”

“…Bow, bow! Oh, and spirits too!”

Just a standard fairy archer.

“Which attributes?”
“…Fire.”

Well, that’s the most valuable one.

Thanks to that, I can slowly draw the picture in my mind.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“No… But, I can.”

That’s something you have to do, to know.

“Right.”

I ask her the final question.

“Erwen, would you like to join me? The duration is until you get out of the labyrinth,
and the loot distribution is 9 for me and 1 for you.”

“I will, I will!”

This is enough to give me a reason.

“– I promise in the name of my clan.”

“I also swear on the honour of a warrior.”

We again went through a ceremony as a token of trust like before, and evolved our
relationship from night friends to temporary colleagues.

Of course, running like crazy all the while.

“Distance?”

“About 100m!”

Even at the maximum speed we could reach, the distance was getting smaller.
I made up my mind.

“Change place to the outskirts.”

“Yes!”

We turned around and entered the dark passage.

Less and less crystals shined on the walls and the ceilings as we progressed, and
before long a deep darkness fell to greet us.

My thoughts were a bit complicated.

After all, I never expected to come back here on my own two feet.

“Erwen, summon the spirit.”

A flame the size of a watermelon floated on the palm of her hand, illuminating the
surroundings. Watching the floor for traps, I quickly made my way through the
darkness.

And…

“Unsummon. Now.”

We hid in the dark.

“When are you going to give the sign?”

“You’ll hear it soon.”

“Right.”

I kept my composure as much as I could and focused on my hearing.

The best outcome would be for the chaser to miss us and pass us by.

Then there would be no need to kill them, and I too would be able to step away from
this quagmire later.
Step, step, step –.

Before long, the tracker’s footsteps reached my ears.

However, contrary to expectations, he stopped without passing us by.

Just in front of the crossroads we’d passed last.

Step.

Shit…

Apparently, he had some way to track us down. Be it smell, sound, or something

magical.

Thump, thump.

He turned and walked slowly, stopping at a distance of about 30 meters from us.

The border where light died and the abyssal darkness began.

“…”

He craned his neck, peering into the dark.

We watched, holding our breaths.

“There you are.”

The man who had sniffed a few times in the quiet stillness murmured to himself.

Then, he pulled something out of his pocket.

It was the first time I had seen it in my life, but I intuitively recognized the identity of
the object.

Message stone.

As soon as I saw it, I signalled Erwen with a short murmur.

Erwen, who had kept her bow drawn and the arrow aimed all this while.

“Shoot.”

Thunk –.

Before I could even finish my words, the arrow pierced the man’s forehead.

Thump.

Even after the man fell to the floor, dead, I did not approach immediately.

“…”

Erwen, who was sitting right next to me, could not hide from me how she was
trembling.

“Well done. Hesitating would have been dangerous.”

It wasn’t just some fake compliment, but the truth.

Hadn’t I also paused before slamming the shield down on Uncle Hans? Erwen hadn’t
even had that little leisure.

Even if I didn’t tell her out loud, she’d known it in her heart.

That you should never hesitate.

“Yes…”

“You, take a break.”

My ability to comfort another ended at this point, and I left the darkness to search
the corpse.

Perhaps he’d left his backpack to another colleague in order to move quickly, but the
pursuer looked a bit poor.

‘To feel regret about such a thing… I’ve really assimilated into this world.’
Removing all the equipment from the tracker’s corpse, from head to toe, I organized
the acquired items one by one.

A belt, a leather top and bottom, two daggers, a fairly heavy mana stone pouch, a
bottle of potion kept in another pouch tied to the belt, and even a message stone.

“Good. Come here.”

After classifying the loot roughly, I called Erwen.

She removed the bandages and applied the potion to her wound.

The wound began to heal with a squelch.

“Kkkh…”

It would’ve been okay to make some noise, but Erwen clenched her teeth and
endured the pain in silence.

She had a tough side to her, too. No, was she just mentally dissociating from the pain?

I hoped it was the former. I wasn’t confident about counselling somebody else.

“Did you black out?”

“Yes. Just for a moment.”

“Then change into this.”

After the treatment finished in a few minutes, I held out the leather top and bottom I
had just obtained.

I judged them to be much more practical than the loose-fitting cloth robes she was
wearing now.

“I’ll wear them right away.”

Did she believe that following my every instruction would give her a higher chance
of survival? It must’ve been awkward, but Erwen immediately grabbed the clothes
and disappeared into the darkness to change.
“That’s not all. Come and let me take a look.”

I trimmed the hems protruding at the arms and the legs.

“Wear this too. It should look a little better.”

It was still a little baggy overall, but it looked like a comfortable fit with the belt on.

However, because of the change in outfit, her atmosphere had also completely
changed.

Previously, she looked like a fairy girl who’d gone on an outing, but now she looked
like a full-fledged female warrior.

Even her face exuded that feeling.

“…It feels very strange.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“I see, is that so…?”

“Yes, you will.”

I shoved the rest of the items into my backpack and dragged the naked corpse into
the dark.

Then I took the message stone in my hand.

“How do you read messages?”

“Wait. Let me do it.”

Erwen looked at the message stone and clicked something.

[…Serdin, who was chasing the fairy bitch and the barbarian, lost contact. All those
who hear this, gather in the Goblin Zone.]

Things were progressing just as I’d expected them to.

[The two of them may have split up by now. If you see a barbarian using a one-
handed hammer and a shield, don’t prematurely approach and wait for support.]

My description has been circulated.

It’s not too detailed, but that doesn’t mean much.

I don’t think there are any barbarians other than me who use shields.

“Uncle…”

Erwen looks up at me with anxious eyes.

Knowing what’s in her mind, I give her a bright smile.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you.”

I’ve already decided to help Erwen.

The reason is simple.

I’ve always loved helping people in trouble.

If it benefits me, that is.

“Like I said before, I’ll have nine shares and you’ll have one. Understand?”

“Of course. I will definitely repay this grace.”

Grace…

“Yes, please do.”

There’s no reason to refuse. Although I’m not expecting too much.

“Yes, definitely…”

As Erwen clenches her fists with determined eyes, I tighten my bootlaces and
prepare to move.

“Then what should we do now?”

“We’ll move through the outskirts. Summon your spirit again. We’ll talk about the
rest as we go.”

“Yes.”

As we walk through the darkness using a fist-sized flame as a lamp, I start checking a
few more things.

“For exactly how long can the spirit be summoned?”

“If it just lights up the surroundings, it can last for 10 hours.”

“How long will it take to recover?”

“I’ll need to rest for two hours.”

“Right.”

Things are a lot better than I thought.

If all goes according to plan, we will escape their pursuit without much risk.

Then I will see returns on the risk I took this time.

“Uncle.”

While I was busy thinking for a while, Erwen speaks to me.

“May I ask where we are going now?”

Oh, I forgot to tell her that.

“The second floor.”

“Yes…?”

Don’t look at me like that. You heard correctly.

“We’re going to the second floor.”

“You and I, just the two of us?”

“Yeah, just us two.”

In fact, rather than this being our only option, it’s something I’ve been considering
for some time. On the first floor, even if the two of us team up, the net income will
only decrease, but…

The second floor is a different story.

“Excuse me… um, uncle? The second floor is completely different from the first floor.
You know that, right…?”

“I know.”

On the first floor, three or four enemies appear at a time, but on the second that
number can increase to ten. Uncommon variants, and even higher-grade monsters,
start appearing.

“But, if we only stay near the entrance, we should be fine. Because you and I match
quite well.”

“Really, uncle and me?”

I don’t know what’s so surprising, but a melee tank and a ranged dealer make up a
good combination.

That’s why I’d considered going upstairs with Erwen earlier. In that case, even if you
split the mana stones in half, your income will increase significantly.

But since there was no way to get past the darkness, I’d discarded this idea.
“Ah, no matter how much I think about it, it looks like jumping into the orcs’ den to
avoid goblins…”

Well, looking at her reaction now, I think she would have made a sharp rejection
even if I’d offered earlier…

But the situation right now is completely different from before.

“What other way is there? All those guys are on the first floor, you know.”

Erwen now has a motivation to escape to the second floor, and that also gave me the
opportunity to raise my loot ratio to 9:1.

Of course, that doesn’t mean this was a decision made entirely without any
emotional basis.

[Those who catch that fairy bitch first will be given an additional 10,000 stones and
the first chance to enjoy.]

I detest these guys.

No, what I feel about them is closer to hatred than mere dislike.

But by making these guys eat shit, I can get a much bigger reward compared to the
miniscule risk, and even the self-satisfaction of doing a good deed?

Isn’t this the epitome of efficiency?

“I will give you a chance to choose. What will you do?”

“I will go…”

Erwen nods with an expression of biting the bullet on her face. It seems that the last
communication from the message stone played a decisive role…

Nice timing.

“Then let’s keep moving.”

“…But do you know the way to the second floor?”

“I don’t know exactly.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t worry, though. If you keep moving north, you’re bound to come across it
someday.”

Not a vain hope, but in reality.

If you follow the darkness in any one direction, you’ll find a portal somehow. Because
this darkness is like a passageway pointing upstairs.

It’s a maze-like structure, so you’ll have to get lost.

It’s worth the price.

“There’s a goblin trap!”

As we keep walking, we come upon a trap.

It took much longer than I’d thought. Originally, we should’ve seen one much earlier.

…Maybe there are fewer goblins where there’s no light? Like in the game?

If that’s the case, then I’m feeling a bit choked.

How lucky am I, that I fell into the dark zone from the start and met a goblin right
away?

“I’ll deal with it! You rest!”

Maybe taking this as an opportunity to enhance her appeal, Erwen walks out in
front.

“I’m telling you just in case, but don’t use spirits.”

“…Of, of course!”

Looking much too bewildered for it to be a natural response, Erwen approaches the
trap.
And…

“Gruck!”

The moment the goblin pops out, she fires the arrow she had kept drawn, from a
very close range.

Thunk–!

Oh, that’s kind of like Legolas.

Her skill’s much better than expected. Body movements are also very agile.

“How is it?”

Erwen, who killed the goblin in one shot, looks at me with a happy face.

“Would you have used a spirit, normally?”

“Yes…”

“Well done. Seeing you shoot, you really are a fairy.”

Erwen looks both embarrassed and happy. Does it feel good to be recognized? To be
honest, I was being a bit sarcastic. Looking at our time together so far, it was a bit of
a backhanded compliment.

I’m not doubting her skill. Just her character.

“But we will fight many more battles in the future. It would be best to conserve
arrows as much as possible.”

“Oh, but I can just pick it up and use it again? There’s no need to be picky.”

Erwen bends over and retrieves the magic stone and the arrow before coming back.
The arrow looks to be in good shape, with no discernible damage.

“…Right.”

Well, now I feel awkward.

In the game, arrows were consumable items that disappeared with every shot fired.
To compensate, one could carry bundles of a thousand.

“See here!”

Erwen holds out her small hand.

“Take it! When you have nine, I can have one, right? I’ll work hard in the future! Then
I can earn a little too, right? I’ve promised to buy something for my sister when I
return!”

Uh, ah, um…

“Yeah, work hard…”

What? Are you trying to be sarcastic?

While we moved rapidly north in the dark, intermittently catching goblins here and
there, the message stone, which had been quiet for a while, transmitted a voice
again.

[Additional information relayed. Hatch Young, who was attacked by the fairy, has
raised her bounty to 20,000 stones. Alive or dead.]

It meant that they were within 300m of us.

Perhaps instinctively, Erwen quietly huddled closer to me.

“Relax. They won’t look for us too hard.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

In fact, I was almost certain.

I felt it as I overheard the conversations from the message stone. If I had to describe
them as a group, they were like a loose gang of thugs.
There was no sense of cohesion.

Presumably, the group served as a convenient community to exchange information

with each other at best. First of all, the first floor was a place where more than five
people could not party together.

[I’m planning to go to hunt blade wolves, is there anyone who will move with me? No
relaying necessary.]

[I’m tired, so I’m looking for someone to rest with. Come to the pond next to the big
rock. No forwarding required.]

In fact, we could hear these communications everywhere as we moved. These people

didn’t really care about some bounty being posted.

Even so, I did not relax.

Not because things were going awry, but because things were going too smoothly.

Shit…

At this point in my life, something bad happening was par for the course, but things
being quiet just made me more anxious.

“Uncle!”

What?

“There, it’s a ghoul!”

Can’t you see? As she tilted her head, Erwen moved the flame forward.

…She really had great eyesight.

The form of a ghoul finally entered my vision.

Rotten skin, empty eyelids, long sharp nails reminiscent of claws, and scuttling on
four legs despite having a humanoid body shape.

It was the same as the illustration I’d seen on the game loading screen.
However, there was one problem…

‘What, why are ghouls here?’

On the first floor, different monsters appeared based on if it was the east, west,
north, or south. And the ghouls appeared in the western area.

Did we somehow come to the border while wandering around?

Well, that might’ve been the case. We’d started north, but there had been some dead
ends in the way which had forced us to turn around.

I’d have to think about this later.

“…Will I fight alone again this time?”

Erwin, who’d been full of motivation while fighting goblins, showed her dislike for
the first time.

Was it scary because it was her first time meeting this monster?

She, too, had a unique side.

“I’ll take the lead. You just focus on the ones in the back.”

“Yes!”

Having shared a rough strategy, I slowly stepped forward.

There was a total of three ghouls blocking the passage, all of them sitting on the floor
like dogs.

Step.

Even when I got pretty close, they didn’t even stir.

Well, in the game, you had to enter a certain range to get the first hit, but was this
still the same as the game?

Step.
As I carefully took one more step, the three ghouls rushed me at the same time.

“Grurururuck!”

The sound they made was similar to the goblins.

Was it because both were rank nine monsters? Really, they had no uniqueness.

“Hoooaaaaah!”

Rather than retreating, I stepped closer and smashed the head of the ghoul in the
lead with my hammer.

Let’s call it ‘hammer smash’.

Crunch–!

The moment one ghoul was crushed, an arrow came from behind and hit another
ghoul.

Thunk!

She seemed to really like the spot midway between the eyebrows.

Then, after knocking back the last of the rushing ghouls with my shield, the battle
ended with a final ‘hammer smash’.

「You have defeated a ghoul. EXP +1」

The battle thus ended in an instant, but I took a brief moment to recover.

In terms of combat power, ghouls were superior to goblins.

They had a lot more power, and were faster overall.

Well, goblins had their traps, but…

You’d have to be a real idiot to fall for those.

…Assuming, of course, that there was light around.

“Still, they are better than goblins.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Because it takes time to catch goblins.”

As long as you didn’t get overwhelmed in all-out battle, hunting ghouls seemed to be
much more efficient than goblins.

Because they set at least one trap, and didn’t run around nearby.

It was also a huge advantage that they didn’t attack unless you approached.

“Next time, it would be more efficient to start by killing one first with an arrow.”

“Yes. I’d be happy to do that.”

After sharing a brief battle plan for the future, I collected the mana stones fallen on
the floor and pocketed them.

“I, uncle…?”

“What’s up?”

“I, that’s, now it’s my turn to have one…”

“Oh, that’s right.”

We continued down the passage.

My prediction of us being near the border was correct.

For a while, the ghouls and the goblins alternated, but as we continued northward, it
was all goblins again.

How long had it been?

[22:47].
When the third day was coming to an end –

After a break of about four hours, we were heading north again when we found
something.

A dark red line drawn on the floor.

“Uh, bloodstains? I don’t think it’s a goblin’s, whose is it?”

…Somehow, I felt like I knew the owner.

So I kept following, and there were pieces of bread fallen on the floor too.
Continuously, at regular intervals.

So, I continued to follow the bloodstains. With confidence.

“Hey, it seems you haven’t said anything since a while ago…”

Ten minutes.

“Are you mad at me by any chance?”

Thirty minutes.

“Yes? Uncle?”

Two hours.

“…”

At the end of that long red trail, I finally found the sandal abandoned on the ground.

Swearwords came out of nowhere.

“I…”

“Fuck, are you kidding me?”

“Ah, I was wrong! I don’t know why though!”

There was a portal so close that it’d hit me on the nose if I fell down.
I’d expected the portal to some extent.

It was only natural.

The fact that I met those top adventurers, the blond and his party, was proof that
there was a second-floor portal in the direction I’d come from.

That’s why I followed the trail of blood with confidence as soon as I found it.

But I hadn’t expected this.

For there to be a portal less than 10m away from its starting point.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Memories of those past days, of me crawling in the dark on three legs, unfolded like a
panorama.

How lucky was I?

Only a few steps in the opposite direction would have activated the portal and
secured some light.

Had I done that, I could have seen that damn trap and avoided it!

“Uncle, please tell me. Just don’t make such a scary face. Whatever I did wrong, I’ll fix
it…”

What was she even talking about?

Oh, it was because of me.

It’s annoying to explain, so let’s just avoid the issue.

“Never mind. It just reminded me of the past.”

“Ah…”

Erwen looked relieved, her expression soon changed to one of pity. I couldn’t believe
it.

Bloodstains, slices of bread, a sandal, and my facial expression.

Did she infer what I’d experienced on the first day from those alone? This girl?

“He must have gone to a good place. For sure.”

It couldn’t be. I was right.

“Yes… Thank you.”

From what she was saying, it seemed like she misunderstood that I was
remembering a colleague I’d lost some time ago…

I didn’t feel the need to correct her.

The story was too long to explain in detail.

Most of all, if I told somebody, it felt like my simmering anger would again boil over.

So let’s just bury this story forever.

“Are you ready to go upstairs?”

“Honestly, it’s still scary, but somehow I don’t feel like I’m going to die if I’m with
you.”

If one looked closely, she had a strange habit of using long sentences. Just say ‘yes’.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes…”

The moment I entered the portal with Erwen, my vision was dyed pure white.
It was like when light first flashed on a monitor.

Flash –!

[00:57]

It’d only been four days since I entered the labyrinth for the first time.

「You have entered the Goblin Forest on the second floor. 」

I reached the second floor.

If anyone asks how I’m feeling right now, this is how I’ll answer.

Like I’m struggling inside the mouth of a giant frog! And then, like I’m being spat out.

“Kyaaa!”

My body hangs airborne, then it bounces off something.

I didn’t scream out loud like Erwen, but looking at the results, she fared better than
me.

Thud –!

While I fall on my ass with a blunt sound of impact, Erwen quickly regains balance
and lands on her feet.

“Wow, that was surprising. Even my big sis never said anything about this.”

I’m feeling it all over again, but she’s really physically fit.

Her agility is something that a barbarian can’t even dream of.

“Uncle, is this the second floor?”

“Yeah.”
“Um, I’ve never heard of this forest though. Are you sure?”

“Perhaps the story you heard was referring to another second floor.”

“Another second floor?”

Do fairies not share labyrinth information properly? Why don’t you know about this?

“There are four portals on the first floor; in the east, west, north and south, and each
one connects to different places.”

“Ah, I guess that’s it!”

…She just forgot.

Seeing me look at her like she’s pathetic, Erwen anxiously speaks up.

“Oh, the third floor! She said that no matter which route you take, everything would
be connected again from the third floor. Right?”

She wants to show off her knowledge, it seems.

When I roughly nod my head, Erwen smiles with satisfaction.

Slowly, I’m getting a feel of how to handle her.

“So, what do we do now?”

“Wait. I’m thinking.”

First, I carefully check the surrounding terrain.

It’s necessary to confirm which parts are different from the game and which remain
the same.

For example, the fact that I just flew about 3m while jumping through the portal.

Things that couldn’t be seen from the other side of a monitor.

“Hmm.”
I go over the surroundings one more time.

There’s the portal at the back that you can go down to the first floor at any time, and
there are no living creatures in the empty area around us, with a radius of about
50m.

Well, I don’t know what it’s like between the trees in the distance.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Just stay still.”

The second floor map is a forest.

The surroundings are as dark as night, but thanks to the lights scattered like the
Milky Way in the sky, visibility is secured to a certain extent.

About as bright as an alleyway at night, without any street lights.

However, as time passes, it will become day, but this place would not get any
brighter.

Because this place is inside the labyrinth.

That’s not actually the sky over our heads, it’s just a high ceiling. Well, there indeed
are some levels where the real sky and sun exist.

“Let’s start moving slowly.”

“Yes? Where are we going?”

“We’ll explore the neighbourhood around this place.”

That’s the plan I’d roughly laid out since the first floor.

However, there are a few things that need to be confirmed as to whether this will
actually work.

So from the first opportunity –

Clang –!

Erwen startles when I swing my hammer at the first tree on the periphery of the
vacant area.

“What, what are you doing?”

“I’m checking to see if it’s possible to knock down a tree.”

“Why are you checking that?”

“I was thinking of building a barrier around the portal.”

“Um, I see.”

Erwen nods her head in agreement.

It’s quite annoying to have to answer questions one by one.

“Anyway, this plan is abandoned.”

Erwen doesn’t even ask why this time.

She has eyes, too.

Even after hitting it with all my might, all I managed was to slightly damage the tree
bark.

Is this tree made of rocks?

“Then, what’s next?”

“We’ll search this area as planned. And from now on, you take the lead.”

“…Me?”

I don’t want to field more questions.

“You have to go ahead and look for traps. Pay attention to concealing your presence
as much as possible, and be on the lookout for enemies. These two are your tasks.”
“…We’re dividing our roles, then. Alright.”

Surprisingly, Erwen graciously accepts the role assigned to her.

But why do you look sad?

Is it because I’ve already said everything needed to convince you?

“Still, being in a forest sure feels nostalgic. Even though I know it’s filled with
monsters.”

Erwen walks down the forest path, spouting words that I can’t relate to in the
slightest.

“Oh, I don’t see any traps, but just in case, please only follow my footsteps.”

What? Eh? She said something reassuring all of a sudden.

In fact, the way you’re striding forward so freely, you sure don’t look afraid of
stepping into a trap.

Before long, Erwen murmurs quietly.

“There’s a trap.”

I can’t see it.

“Look over there, you’ll see something hidden under the leaves.”

No matter how many times you tell me, I don’t see it.

Giving me a look that says, ‘Why can’t you even do this?’, Erwen throws a stone.

Chiiiiiiing –!

There really was.

How could you even find that in this darkness?

Even though I already knew about the fairies’ detection ability, when I see it with my
own two eyes, it’s simply amazing.

There’s a reason you can walk so freely.

“How about it?”

“You’re good at throwing stones.”

“…Is that all?”

“What else do you need?”

Erwen’s shoulders, which had been raised up, droops again.

This is the perfect time to give some carrots.

Subtly, so that it’s not too obvious.

“I’d been waiting for somebody who could find traps from the beginning. You are
already a full-fledged adventurer. Don’t make a fuss about being taken for granted.”

“Ummm…”

She pretends not to, but the slight twitching of her shoulders is clearly visible from
behind.

Thanks to you, I’ve now completely gotten the hang of it.

I’ll just handle her this way in the future.

“Are you saying that I’m now doing my part? As a full-fledged adventurer?”

“Yeah.”

Well, your part is 1 to my 9, though.

Anyway, it seems that this variation of ‘lone warrior’, which our chieftain was so fond
of, works better than I thought.

“But it’s strange. No matter how much I strain my hearing, it doesn’t seem like there
are any goblins.”

That’s natural.

The second floor is different from the first. Goblins are not always nearby just
because there is a trap. It’s more convenient to view the traps on the second floor
simply as a topographical characteristic.

Because you find them everywhere you go.

“Now stop chatting, and focus.”

“Yes.”

This isn’t the place to relax, so we again start seriously exploring the neighbourhood.

The place where we currently are was called ‘Goblin Forest’ in the game.

Its characteristic, other than the traps, is that the goblins here basically move in
groups of ten.

Occasionally, mutants such as goblin swordsmen or goblin archers also appear.

Of course, when you go to the outskirts, the number of variants increases, and even
higher-grade monsters appear…

That’s something we don’t have to worry too much about, since we’re only going to
cover the area near the entrance portal.

“There’s nothing nearby.”

We finish our patrol in a radius of about 200m around the portal.

There were countless traps along the way, but no goblins.

“What should we do?”

“First, get rids of all the traps in this area, and then gradually increase the range.”

We gradually expand our territory by removing the traps with stones from afar.
If there is any danger, you have to run to the first floor.

It’ll be troublesome if you step on a trap while running.

When the radius expanded to more than 500m –

“Uncle.”

Erwen stops her footsteps and whispers.

I also hold my breath.

“It’s a group of goblins.”

“How many?”

“I don’t know. Definitely more than ten…”

“Distance?”

“About 50m. I guess they haven’t noticed us yet. What should we do?”

What kind of nonsense is she talking about?

“Fight.”

Erwen doesn’t talk back at my words. It must be a little scary, but she knows it too.

That we have no choice but to fight.

If you don’t like fighting, you shouldn’t have entered the labyrinth.

“How much closer can you get without being detected?”

“I think I could go up to 30m if it’s just me alone. More than that is too much. Goblins
have a more sensitive sense of smell than I thought.”

“Right.”

After a brief deliberation, I decide to go ahead with the plan I’d mentioned earlier.
Erwen starts slowly creeping through the bushes towards the group of goblins.

Is that what a fairy is?

It’s still amazing every time I see it. There’s not even the slightest sound of rustling
coming from the bushes.

“…”

Soon after, Erwen stops.

When she looks back at where I stand, I give her a nod. Turning back, she draws an
arrow on the bowstring and shoots.

Hwooooooosh.

Did she hit?

I have no idea.

It’s so far away that I couldn’t even hear the arrow striking.

I hope she hit the middle of the forehead properly this time.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

As the first arrow is fired, I start running straight towards Erwen.

“Gruck!!!”

“Grurururuck!!!”

Even as the goblins rush in all excited, Erwen calmly prepares her second shot.

Hwooooooosh!

I feel this every time, but that’s some crazy rate of fire.

I couldn’t feel these aspects at all while playing the game.

Thump –!

One of the goblins falls down while running.

He was hit at the neck, not the forehead.

Well, even for a fairy, hitting a moving creature accurately from a distance must be
hard.

“Erwen, step back.”

“Yes!”

Erwen retreats without hesitation, disappearing from my view.

Now all I can see is the goblins rushing in front of me.

A group three times the size of the ones we met on the first floor.

Even if they’re just goblins, at this level, it might be a little daunting…

Surprisingly, there’s no fear at all.

No, rather.

Pound –!

The warrior’s heart possessed by this body is throbbing aggressively, and the heat is
crawling up to my head.

“Gruck, gruck!!”

“Grurururuck!!!”

As their menacing howls ring out, I return my own warcry.

“Spaaaaaartaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa –!!!”

Fuck it all.
A total of nine goblins are now attacking me.

Eight regular goblins, with one goblin swordsman mixed among them.

As for the swordsman, he’s only holding a scimitar about 60 cm tall, but…

Compared to the others’ carving knives, it can really be called a magnificent sword.

“Grurururuck!”

I hit the goblin rushing at the forefront in the temple with my hammer.

Bang –!

One hit, one kill. The goblin dissolves into motes of light and disappears before it can
even fall to the ground.

It’s too early to be happy, though.

I’ve only killed one.

“Grurururuck!!!”

Scared of attacking on their lonesome, two goblins co-ordinate their attacks from
both my sides.

Each one with a carving knife in hand.

I dash to the right and push one back with my shield, which lets me pivot and
hammer the other.

Thud –!
This is the second.

But I don’t have the time to even catch my breath.

Because someone has already reached my rear, and jumps in from behind.

The goblin swordsman.

“Kyaahaahaa!”

It makes a screeching hiss like a snake.

I immediately hit the floor with a roll.

Whiz –!

A blade passes above me with a sharp sound.

The goblins, seeing me rolling on the ground, rush in.

This is why the second floor is several times more dangerous than the first.

It’s impossible to deal with four normal goblins from this position, no matter how
superior you are physically.

I have no choice but to suffer a few injuries –

Had I been alone, that is.

Hwooooooosh!

Another arrow, shot from the bushes, pierces a goblin’s forehead.

Seems Erwen’s gotten back to sniping.

Thud!

I quickly bounce back up from where I’d been rolling on the floor. With shield in
hand, I rush into the middle of the enemy lines.
It’s natural for a warrior to draw aggro, isn’t it?

“You little fuckers! All of you, come on!”

Blocking with the shield, swinging the hammer, dodging, kicking with my feet, head-
butting, etc.

While I run rampant in the middle of the goblin formation, teetering on the edge of
the seething madness within my barbarian blood, Erwen, who’s re-established her
position, fires arrows like crazy.

Hwooooooosh! Hwooooooosh! Hwooooooosh!

The arrows, fired every 2 to 3 seconds, are a great distraction for the goblins.

“Gr, gruck!!”

Maybe because she’s in a bit of a hurry, but not every arrow hit a critical point…

Hwooooooosh!

Shoulders, arms, stomach, chest, thighs, etc. It always hit somewhere.

Some of the arrows were even infused with spirits, and the arrowheads burst into
flame on impact.

So as to not lose to her, I keep smashing the goblin bastards’ heads with my hammer
one by one, keeping my distance because I’m wary of the arrows.

Bang! Thud!

It takes little time for the number of goblins to be reduced to two, and they begin to
run away.

I handle the one jumping like crazy, and Erwen puts an arrow on the back of the
head of the other.

「You have defeated a goblin swordsman. EXP +1」

Seeing the battle was over, Erwen, who’d been hiding in the bushes, appears and
approaches me.

“Uncle, are you injured?”

“Fine. How about you?”

“Me too.”

“Good. Then let’s collect the mana stones.”

After that, we split into two and walk around picking up the arrows and the mana
stones.

I did defeat the goblin swordsman in the melee, but getting his scimitar is
impossible.

Because all their clothes and weapons have disappeared into motes of light, same as
the first floor.

“Here’s six in total.”

We manage to harvest a total of eleven mana stones, including the two that Erwen
killed first from ambush.

Considering the fact that I made only forty-four by walking around all day on the first
day, I am more than satisfied.

This battle took less than two minutes, in contrast.

“Come on, take them.”

“Two? thank you!”

I take nine, and Erwen gets two.

Although they’re all 9th grade, the swordsman has a bit more weight than the
general goblins, so I took that into consideration while distributing the loot.

“Can we just keep doing this?”

“Yeah. Was there anything that made you feel uncomfortable or dangerous during
this battle?”

“No, there really wasn’t.”

After that, it’s time to review the battle and find possible improvements in the
fighting tactics.

We haven’t been able to find anything to fix right now, but that’s just proof that we’re
still immature.

As the number of battles increases and experience accumulates, our tactics will
naturally get better and more refined.

“Okay, then let’s finish up here and move on.”

“Yes!”

I check the time one last time.

[01: 31]

How much income can I earn by the end of the fourth day, I wonder?

We circled around the portal, slowly expanding the radius.

And after increasing the radius by more than 3km, we actually started encountering
a group of goblins about once every 5 minutes.

And naturally, I met a goblin archer.

“Kikikiki!”

The goblin archer, who had a slightly more distinctive sound than ‘gruck’, was
definitely a menacing opponent.

It wielded a small shortbow that resembled a harp, and unlike the other goblins, the
arrowheads were poisoned.
It even knew how to use stealth magic.

But…

「You have defeated a goblin archer. EXP +1」

As long as I concentrated, this barbarian body could react to flying arrows, and it was
possible to dodge them or block with a shield.

Well, I did still have to be careful.

“There’s one more goblin archer! Take it out first!”

“Yes!”

No matter how much of a barbarian you are, an arrow to the head is still an instakill.

When I got back to the city, I’d have to buy a helmet first.

“Let’s rest for a while.”

“Haa! At last!”

After finishing one more battle, we moved to the empty area near the portal for some
rest.

“You can sleep first if you want.”

“Really?”

She really didn’t stand on courtesy.

As I smiled and nodded my head, she sat down on the bare floor and glanced at me
like a tired puppy.

“What about, the backpack and blanket?”

“…Here you go.”

I put down the heavier bag and took out a blanket.

And less than a minute later, I could hear snoring.

Sssss, sssss –.

Compared to the traditional barbarian style, it sounded infinitely small and gentle…

She really was tired.

Up until now, she always slept without making a sound.

Well, maybe it was because she was now feeling psychologically safer.

[18:20]

We hunted around the Goblin Forest for about 15 hours.

We had to fight more than ten enemies each time, but the more we got used to it, the
less dangerous it got, and the faster we went.

As a result, the income was rising at a rate that would’ve been unimaginable on the
first floor.

But there were some moments of tension.

“Haa…”

As our patrol radius expanded, we started to meet other adventurers.

So far, we’d met others a total of eleven times.

They were all groups of three or more, and sometimes there were teams consisting
of different races.

Each time, we passed each other by from a distance, as was customary, but it was
exhausting every time.

I was more afraid of those adventurer bastards than the goblins.

And now, there was a reason to be especially vigilant.

“The problem is that she’s too pretty.”

I looked at Erwen and sighed.

Despite being a homeless wanderer for several days, she still had shiny silver hair,
amber eyes that seemed to pull you in, and facial features that met all criteria to be
called beautiful.

As a woman, she was lucky…

But as an adventurer, well, who knows.

Among the groups of adventurers we encountered, there were some bastards who
licked their lips as soon as they saw Erwen.

Let’s hope nothing worrisome happens…

“…Am I that pretty?”

What the fuck, weren’t you just snoring?

“Go to sleep.”

“Yes.”

As if she’d been talking in her sleep, Erwen roughly answered and immediately
started snoring again.

Zzzzzz, zzzzzz.

Really, who are you?

The fairies I knew hadn’t been like this.

Day 4, Day 5, Day 6…

After entering the Goblin Forest, time flew by quickly, and the 7th day is now about to
start soon.
The day has finally come to leave the labyrinth.

“When I get back, I’ll sleep first…”

“I feel you.”

There is only one way to leave the labyrinth and return to the city.

Wait for the floor to close.

At the set time, the labyrinth spits out the adventurers on the floor back to the city.

168 hours for the first floor, 240 hours for the second floor, and so on.

The higher the floor, the longer you can be active in the labyrinth.

However, we plan to go down to the first floor and leave for the city just before the
end of the 7th day.

“Today, we won’t go as far as yesterday, and only move in the vicinity.”

“Yes!”

There are several reasons to leave early.

When the first floor is closed, the portal also disappears.

Meaning there’s no way to retreat if an unexpected situation occurs.

The food, too, is running a bit low.

There’s also the option of buying food in exchange for mana stones from the
adventurers you meet occasionally, but…

‘There’s no need to overdo it.’

Above all, we only have no more than 10 intact arrows left.

No matter how sturdy the arrow may be, this is inevitable because it’s a consumable
item.
Had these been the wooden arrows from Earth, they wouldn’t have even lasted
beyond one use.

It really feels like a different world.

[22:27]

Checking the time, we pause our hunt.

“Just in case, let’s go back.”

“Yes!”

Currently, we are at a point about 4km away from the portal.

It should take 40 minutes to reach it at most.

Of course, we can take some more time, but…

It would be better to go early than to be late and not be able to go down.

Before we part, I have something to share with her as well.

“Be careful. Another trap has been set.”

We’re going back the way we came, but at some point, a trap has been planted in the
forest again.

This means that the goblins have respawned.

Well, just because they’ve respawned doesn’t mean they’ll suddenly appear out of
thin air like in the game.

You often see what look like rabbit holes inside the forest, and goblins always crawl
out of those.

So one time I tried waiting in front of one, and had Erwen start a fire, but there was
no response.

I couldn’t even check the bottom of the hole because the whole thing collapsed
instantly after breaking the ground.

Step.

Erwen, walking in the front, stops suddenly.

“A group of goblins about 70m away at 1 o’clock. There are eight regulars, two
swordsmen and two archers.”

She’s now so used to giving a perfect briefing that I don’t need to ask anything.

“Are we going to fight?”

“Fight.”

Long conversations are not necessary.

At my nod, Erwen takes the lead as usual and clears her way through the bushes.

Then she stops me with a hand gesture, moves about 10 meters further by himself,
takes position, and draws an arrow.

Hwooooooosh!

The arrow flies.

Thunk!

It’s probably the goblin archer who she hit.

Because I’d told her to make them her top priority if possible.

“Uncle!”

“Alright, you go back.”

Erwen shoots one more arrow at the goblins rushing in, and falls back.

Passing the baton to me, a process that’s become so familiar by now.

I rush forward, smashing the swordsman mixed among the regular goblins with my
hammer.

Thud –!

It’s a good feel, so no need to hit twice.

“Waaaaaaaaargh!”

As I roar from the centre of their formation, the goblins falter.

Yeah, you better be scared, you bastards.

Bang –!

The moment the goblins pause, I dash to explode the head of the other swordsman.

“Grurururururuck!!”

I’ve been fighting them over and over again, and I’ve become a master of dogfights
like this.

Erwen’s the same.

Hwooooooosh! Thunk!

The arrows start to fly in earnest, she must’ve already taken her position.

There’d been times in the past when our targets overlapped, or I almost got hit by an
arrow when our movements we counter to each other, but such mistakes have
gradually disappeared.

I’ve started to be able to roughly predict which enemies Erwen would prioritize, and
aim where in which circumstances.

I don’t think this is normal, either.

Puff –!

After less than a minute.

The battle ends when I hit the back of the head of the last goblin trying to escape.

I’d heard that there were two goblin archers, but no arrows flew at me during battle.

Looks like the first two surprise shots had taken them out.

“Well done, Erwen.”

“Heh heh.”

“But if you’ve already got all the archers, tell me. It’s annoying to keep worrying
about it.”

“I’m not sure if the last one was right.”

Well, that makes sense.

Inaccurate information can be really dangerous.

She really has grown up, now.

I’m somehow feeling a bit happy.

“Hurry up, take what you need, and go.”

“Yes!”

Afterwards, while I’m busy collecting the mana stones, Erwen calls me urgently.

“Uncle! There’s something strange!”

Looking around, I see a ball of light the size of a fist floating in the air.

I know what it is.

It’s the first time I’ve actually seen it…

“…Essence. It’s definitely from the goblin archer.”

To be honest, I was blown away as soon as I saw it.

How lucky do you have to be to get this?

“I, me, is this essence? This, this, this?”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Uh, uh, uh, what should I do?”

As one can tell just by looking at her reaction, essences are more valuable than
treasures to an adventurer.

Essences are the cornerstones of the skill system of [Dungeon & Stone].

“Hey, will you become a goblin if you eat this?”

“No way. You’ll only get a fraction of the abilities that goblins possess.”

For example, the guy who’d tracked us down by smell on the first floor. He might’ve
absorbed the essence of the ‘blade wolf’.

“What should I do…?”

How many times are you going to ask the same question?

Although the ratio is 9:1, she seems to be greedy for this.

“Do you want it?”

“No, it’s not like that, but… What if…”

There’s no particular reason not to give it to her, but is it an illusion that she
somehow seems to be getting more impudent day by day?

I answer her, smiling.

“If you promise me one thing, I will give you the essence.”

‘Goblin Archer Essence’ is not very attractive to me as a barbarian.

It might be of some help right now, but the total number of essences one can absorb
is fixed.

If you want to remove it later, you’ll have to spend a ton of money.

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

See those wide round eyes, a smile leaks out.

It’s strange to even think about it.

Essence drops with a very low chance when hunting monsters. By the way, did the
essence of a goblin archer drop rather than that of a normal goblin?

It’s lucky enough to be called beginner’s luck.

Is my bad luck finally turning around?

“At first, I was going to tell you after we went down to the first floor, but I’ll just tell
you now. Erwen –”

“Hey, you! What are you doing now?”

Damn my luck.

As I’m about to get Erwen to promise me one thing, a cry is heard from afar.

“Don’t move!”

A party of four human adventurers.

They spot us from afar and quickly close the distance with firm expressions on their
faces.

To be honest, I’d expected this.

“Oh, uncle?”

This is the correct process.

Did I get lucky? No way. I’ve been different from others since I was young.

For me, luck has always been something you have to seize for yourself, not
something that drops down from the sky.

“Erwen, prepare to fight.”

Just like this.

The moment Erwen draws an arrow with a nervous expression on her face –

I push her forward.

“Eh?”

Erwen, who was suddenly pushed from the back, has to take a step forward to keep
her balance. And in the process, her body comes into contact with the essence orb
floating in the air.

Swaaaaaaaa –!

The essence effuses light, enveloping her form.

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

Those bastards were aiming for the essence, after all.

“Stop moving! I told you not to move!”

Soon, a group of four adventurers arrive and halt about 10 meters away from us.

But so what?

The essence has already been eaten.

I take a step forward, my face undaunted.

“Why should I listen to you?”

“That essence was ours!”

I can roughly picture the following situation if Erwen hadn’t taken the essence.
I might have been forced to give it up.

We captured it by ourselves with Erwen’s arrows, so I thought things would

somehow work out as long as we just take it.

“If you want to fight, go ahead. I’ll deal with you anyway.”

Four versus two.

Although we are the numerically inferior party, I respond with a strong tone.

The smaller the dog, the louder it barks.

In order to avoid fighting as much as possible.

Humans are also like beasts in that respect, and if they look down on you, they won’t
hesitate to bite you.

“…”

The redhead, who seems to be the group’s representative, silently grits his teeth.

Come on, think like a leader.

If the essence still remained untouched, it might be a different story.

But now that the owner has already been decided, there’s nothing to gain from
fighting with us.

So, it’s wiser to just give up and go back –

“…We demand compensation.”

What’s this, whining?

You guys must’ve regretted a lot when the essence appeared and then disappeared in
front of your eyes.

But that’s no reason for me to consider your demand.

“We took the essence we got by ourselves, so what kind of compensation are you
talking about?”

“Is there any evidence? It was us who just hunted that goblin.”

‘Do you have any proof?’ There’s no point asking such a old-fashioned question.

I mean naturally, there can be no such thing.

There are no CCTVs in the labyrinth.

In the end, words spoken by the one with power become the truth.

“Like I said, if you want to fight, go ahead. We won’t flinch either.”

I respond stubbornly, instead of any attempt to talk things out.

If you’re going to fight, go ahead; if you’re going to try and talk us into something,
fuck off.

I don’t even give them any time to think.

“I’ll count down from three. If you can’t decide in time, we’ll consider you enemies.”

“Ah, uncle…?”

Why can’t you understand the atmosphere?

Be still. Can’t you see how scared they are, now that I’m going strong?

“Three.

“Two.”

“We will leave.”

He makes his choice before I reach one.

Seriously, even if it were me on the other side, if a tattooed barbarian this large was
the one counting, I’d make the same decision.
Had it been me, I would’ve hidden the resentment burning in my heart, and would
try and take revenge later…

They might not know any better either.

Soon they disappear from view.

“Did they leave?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“We’ll speed up till we reach the portal. Take the lead.”

At my instruction, Erwen starts clearing the way ahead at a breakneck pace.

I have a faint feeling.

Although we passed the encounter without bloodshed, it’s not over yet.

“Any sign of those guys?”

“I don’t feel any. Oh, there’s a group of goblins at 3 o’clock, what should we do?”

“Ignore them.”

“Yeah.”

Originally, I was planning to leisurely hunt some goblins on our way back, but there’s
been a change of plans.

To leave the second floor as quickly as possible.

And if possible, go down to the first floor and get as far away from the portal as
possible.

Hearing my plan, Erwen tilts her head.

“Will they follow us to the first floor?”

“It’s not about following. We just have the same destination.”

“What do you mean?”

It’s a simple guess.

They were a party of four.

And four is a pretty good number to be active on the second floor. But why were they
moving towards the entrance rather than away?

The intention is clear.

“They, too, were probably planning to go down to the ground floor on the 7th day
and return to the city. That’s why we met here at this time.”

“Ah…”

To put it simply, these guys came here to scout out the second floor, just like us.

So, even with double our number, they were scared of us and ran away.

Maybe it’s not a proper party, just a loose group of adventurers that happened to
meet on the first floor and improvised.

“I see…”

Erwen quietly nods at my explanation. I don’t know if she understood correctly.

“You’re amazing after all!”

…So you didn’t?

“I’ll just follow your instructions from now on!”

Well, maybe that would actually be better.

Because people who try and clumsily work their brains are more prone to accidents.

“Uncle, it’s a goblin!”

“Leave it.”
“But it looks like it’s already found us, you know? It’s running our way right now!”

“What?”

As soon as I listen to the situation, I feel a sense of incongruity.

From the 4th day until now, there hasn’t been even a single goblin who noticed us
first.

That’s how excellent Erwen’s senses are.

No matter how different these are from back then, even if we’re moving at a running
pace now, this can’t be a mere coincidence.

Hasn’t she even absorbed an essence now?

“Try detouring in the opposite direction.”

“Yes!”

At my instructions, Erwen turns.

And that moment –

Hwoooooosh!

An arrow is fired from the same direction she turned to.

As soon as I sense it, I grab Erwen by the neck and pull her back.

“Khk!”

Erwen groans because of how much pressure I put on her airway…

It’s still better to just get choked for a little while.

Rather than being pierced in the neck.

Thunk!
As soon as I hug Erwen and cover my upper body with the shield, the arrow bounces
off it.

Even such a glancing blow has so heavy an impact.

Is it that bastard with the crossbow we met earlier?

“I, I… could’ve, avoided it…”

Erwen squeaks some words out.

I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time to listen right now.

“Was there…”

“Just run.”

We start running again, diagonally, with Erwen in the lead.

“Uncle, you don’t need to pull me like that, even if there’s another arrow…”

“Be quiet. I’m thinking.”

Erwen’s voice tapers off as she bites her lips tightly.

I continue my thoughts while we run, still being vigilant about our surroundings.

I don’t know how they managed it, but they lured out the goblins. And now they’ve
set up an ambush from the opposite direction, trying to gobble us up.

If I run away like this, will I be able to get to the portal safely?

‘No way.’

Looking at the possibilities, I judge the chance of success to be extremely low.

They have a crossbow in front of us.

The goblins are continuing their pursuit behind us.

You’d have to be lucky all the way to reach there alive…

Well, I’m not a guy with that kind of luck, to say the least.

“I’m going to have to fight.”

It’s time to catch a few breaths.

During that, I come to the conclusion.

“Erwen, use your ability.”

“Ability?”

“I mean, use the power of the essence.”

The essences dropped by monsters contain their special abilities.

For example,

[Goblin Archer]

 Agility +2, Flexibility +4, Vision +6, Sense of Smell +2, Perception +2, Cognitive
Interference +6, Accuracy +8, Poison Resistance +4, Obsession +7.

 (P) Poison Arrow – Poison damage when using a bow-type weapon.

 (A) Thief Step – Gain stealth.

This is the information that was displayed in the game.

Increases stats, and gives one passive and one active ability.

This information should also apply in this world.

There have been some variables so far, such as evil spirits, starting points, etc., but at
least in these aspects the world has always been consistent with how things were in
the game.

“Well, I don’t know how to use it…”

I smile as I look at Erwen, who is looking bewildered at the sudden and
unreasonable demand.

“It’s alright.”

“What’s alright?”

“I mean you are already stealthed.”

As Erwen keeps running, her body turns hazy.

Although, the effect is weak enough for her to be seen even from afar…

“Stop.”

When she stops walking, the stealth effect becomes stronger.

This is why characters moved slowly in the game. As time passes while she stands
still, the effect goes beyond translucence and she becomes almost transparent.

Although there is a clear sense of incongruity at the borders, it won’t be noticeable

except at close range.

In this dark forest, even less so.

“Wow…”

Erwen exclaims as she looks over her own body.

She’s surprised, but so am I.

Although I think my reasons are slightly different from hers.

There’re no trigger words or anything like that, it seems to be a mechanism that

activates skills according to just your will.

Anyway, let’s study this in more detail later.

“Erwen. Take this.”

“Yes?’

I hand the backpack to Erwen.

And give her rapid-fire instructions.

“Hide here, and when I give you the signal, shoot the crossbowman first. Never act
before then. Understand?”

“What do you mean…”

“There’s no time. I know you understand.”

I quickly finish what I have to say and immediately start running.

“Wait, signal! What’s the signal –!”

A muffled shout comes from behind, but it’s much too risky now to go back.

Step.

I halt after moving about 30m away from the original position.

At first, I didn’t even want to leave so far.

If I’d stepped on a trap while running like this, I’d have been in big trouble.

“Gruck gruck!”

As I turn back, I hear the goblins coming from the front left.

And those sons of bitches…

I still don’t know where they are.

They haven’t made a single appearance since blocking our first step.

But I’m not worrying too much.

Because it’s obvious what those bastards are trying to do.

“Gruck, gruck!”

If they had been fighting the goblins, they’d have showed up first.

They must have lured the goblins towards us intentionally.

Returning to the present, I watch the goblins swarming towards me.

“Gruruck!!”

There are two swordsmen among the ten goblins.

It’s lucky that they don’t have any archers –

Twang!

…There you go.

I run towards the horde of goblins as an arrow strikes my shield.

Of course, I can’t run freely like I used to.

Because not only the goblin archer, but a human crossbowman also has me in his
sights.

Twang!

After a period of about 10 seconds, another arrow flies in.

It’s the goblin archer this time too.

Twang!

After blocking the arrow with my shield, I smash the head of a goblin swordsman
wielding a scimitar.

In return, I get a stab in the leg from another goblin’s carving knife…

Thwack.
Can’t be helped.

You have to take this kind of risk.

Once the number of goblins starts decreasing, they’ll feel impatient and show up too.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

While beating the goblins up thoroughly as befits this barbarian body that I’ve
possessed, I gradually take more and more injuries.

Forearms, thighs, flanks, etc.

Individually, they’re not serious injuries, but it’s different when all of them pile up
together.

Thwack!

The poison is beginning to affect me, because I can feel a tingling sensation
spreading outward from the wounds.

But risking it all like this has allowed me to kill a total of 7 goblins already.

Hwooooooosh!

Arrows fly in.

Two at the same time.

Hwooooooosh!

They come from different directions.

One would be the goblin archer, and the other would be the crossbowman.

It’s difficult to block both.

I choose to protect my flank from the crossbow bolt with my shield.

Bang!
The sound the bolt makes is different from the goblin archer’s arrows.

Is this the power of a crossbow?

While I’m thinking that, hwooooooosh! A goblin arrow pierces my left elbow.

“Shit.”

It hurts.

Did it hit the bone? Not only is it painful, but I can’t even move the wounded arm any
longer.

Fuck, I tried to stop the hit with my shoulder guard, but it’s harder to do that than I
thought.

Thud.

I throw away the hammer in my right hand without any regrets.

I switch the shield from my paralyzed left hand to my right. If I have to choose
between the hammer and the shield, the shield is always better.

In the current situation, even more so.

Puff! Puff! Thud!

With the shield in one hand, I take care of the last three goblins, and clear up the
surroundings for the moment.

The goblin archer also seems to have scarpered, and the arrows have stopped.

I got injured while winning the first round, but have I at least pulled through?

I shout.

“Come out! You motherfucker!”

I never thought I’d say this to a human, not a goblin.

But really, are the two any different?

Hwiiiiiiiiiish!

Nobody comes out at my call, but projectiles keep being shot from afar.

It’s the human crossbowman.

As expected, I have no problem blocking.

But…

Bang!

Fuck, what is this?

On every direct hit, the crossbow bolt pierces the iron plate and reveals its tip on the
other side.

One mistake, and will this hand also be done for?

As I cover my upper body with the shield and peer over the edge into the forest, a
voice reveals itself before long.

“Barbarian.”

Three people show up in total.

A redhead, presumably the leader.

A samurai, with a single-edged sword similar to a Japanese katana.

And a beanpole with a sword-and-board.

The crossbowman is still in hiding.

“It really was you.”

“Yes, it was us.”

How did you lure the goblins? I don’t ask any questions like that.

Because that would only weaken my position.

“Come on, then.”

“Is it because you’re a barbarian? You’re still full of energy even after dealing with so
many goblins by yourself. Where’s that fairy bitch?”

He’s running his mouth a lot, but after all, this is the purpose.

“I think you’ve handed her your backpack, too. It’s better to speak plainly if you want
us to be gentle.”

As soon as I hear those words, I can’t help but burst out laughing.

If you tell me, I’ll let you gently depart. What kind of an idiot pushover[1] do you take
me for?

“Crazy.”

The leader frowns at my sarcastic chuckle[2].

His face looks fed up.

Apparently, I look too much like a standard barbarian.

“There’ll be time enough for questions once we capture you.”

The leader exchanges glances with his colleagues, and together they all slowly close
the distance.

Capture…

It’s a nice word to hear.

Just killing me won’t give them much profit, that’s true.

There must be several reasons why they dared make a surprise attack.
The magic stones we’ve gathered for 7 days. The equipment we’re wearing. Erwen’s
beauty. To relieve their burning fires of envy, seeing how they had to watch us get
something fortuitous right in front of their noses.

I’m feeling it all over again.

“Everyone, don’t be anxious, just think of it as hunting a large monster.”

Seriously, there are too many munchkins in this world only chasing after maximum
efficiency[3].

Well, I guess the same might happen to me too in the future.

Sssk.

I slowly raise my hand.

I force my left hand, which hasn’t been moving properly since an arrow with
paralyzing poison got stuck in the elbow, to the top of my head.

And…

“What are you doing?”

I raise the middle finger high.

Hwiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

So that anyone who has lived in this world can see it as a unique sign.

Thunk–! Soon, a faint sound echoes through the forest.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 호구 (hogu) – a very popular slang term meaning an idiot who lets others use
him for their own benefit, a pushover.

[2] 실실 쪼개는 (lit. splitting yarn) means to laugh in a pretty rude/negative way.
[3] 효율충 (lit. efficiency insect) – being translated as munchkin, a player in role
playing games (trpgs, for example) who tries to optimize everything for maximum
efficiency. Please note that munchkin here is being used in the EN RPG parlance,
Korean fantasy mostly uses the word munchkin to indicate a character being OP.
“Percy? Percy!”

The leader hastily called out someone’s name.

Of course, there was no answer.

Because I’d instructed Erwen to shoot the crossbowman first.

“What the hell did you do?”

The leader then asked me.

But even so, did he already anticipate my response? Because he was being wary of
his rear area, not of me.

This was a very big mistake.

I hate bastards who ask questions with already fixed answers.

A lot, too.

‘Smash!’

The moment the leader’s gaze turned to the bushes at his back.

Without hesitation, I dashed forward and swung my shield.

Whoooosh!

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the taste of impact.

Did you avoid it? if it were a goblin, it would have disappeared into the light of the
world without fail.
“Illys! Now!”

At the leader’s call, the samurai dashed towards me, slashing horizontally with a
restrained posture.

Clang!

Sparks bounced off from the shield with a metallic sound.

What crazy shock is this? I almost dropped my shield.

But despite being surprised, I ran towards the three instead.

To distract their attention, and to give Erwen a more surefire opportunity.

But…

Whoosh!

Another ‘smash’ missed.

Was it because they were adventurers on the second floor?

While trying to deal with them, I found the short reach of the shield to be
particularly annoying for the first time.

But the more I thought so, the more I narrowed our distance and swung my shield
more aggressively.

Then, I heard the sound I’d been waiting for.

Hwiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

At last, Erwen’s support fire had begun.

However, the arrows didn’t hit the forehead, neck, legs or arms. Because the bastard
with swords-and-shield blocked them with his shield.

“I will stop the arrows! Don’t worry and handle the barbarian!”
Somehow, he alone didn’t fight.

Did you decide to focus just on the arrows?

Again, humans are too picky compared to goblins.

Bang!

As I was receiving the samurai’s strike with my shield, the leader sharply swung his
sword at my left arm.

Slash–!

Fortunately, I managed to react in time, so it didn’t cut deep enough.

I did get cut, but it didn’t mean much because the arm was already damaged, and it
didn’t even hurt too much because of all the paralytic poison.

“Hey, what a monster…”

The leader muttered at the sight of me not even blinking at the cut on my arm.

Fuck, man, I have an excuse. Not cool.

Spitting out some swearwords, I pushed with the shield and forcefully deflected the
samurai’s strike.

Then came another support fire.

Hwiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

Maybe she just changed the shooting position, because it came from a completely
different direction than before. Even as far away as she was, it wouldn’t have been
easy.

Thud!

The beanpole once again blocked the arrow with a shield.

Are you some kind of outfielder? All you do is dive in with your body and block
incoming fire.

Just when I was getting irritated over the battle situation that showed no sign of
progress –

Crackle!

The shield that was looking like a hedgehog, riddled with arrows, began to burn
quickly.

“Shit!”

The beanpole couldn’t stand the heat and threw the shield away.

Sorry, but our archer is a spirit archer.

That’s why you should’ve used a full metal shield like me, you bastard!

Hwiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!

Since the annoying shield had disappeared, Erwen also fired another arrow without
hesitation.

“Aaaaah!”

She hit the beanpole’s shoulder this time.

And then, he lost even the sword he’d been holding and became a useless bastard.

“Illys! I’ll take care of the fairy bitch!”

Only then did the leader grasp the situation, entrust me to the samurai and run to
the bushes.

It was already too late for me to catch up.

Shit…

It seemed that I had no choice but to trust Erwen.

“Just stop and give up, barbarian.”

The samurai stepped back, and spoke with a dignified voice.

Really, fucking humans were always like this.

What fucking bullshit is that? You’re clearly trying to buy time until your leader
comes back.

Thud!

As I dashed forward and used ‘smash’, the samurai’s face wrinkled.

“You afraid, all alone?”

“He isn’t alone!”

I asked the samurai a question, but the beanpole was the one who answered, trying
to stand up.

In his left hand was the one-handed sword he’d dropped earlier.

However…

Swish!

Was it because he was right-handed? He wasn’t any good with it.

Your shield technique was also a wild mess, what’s wrong with you?

Slam!

Taking a step back, I neatly evaded the beanpole’s attack, and knocked him down
from a distance with a kick.

The beanpole made an enraged squeal[1].

“Aaaaah!”

Uh, I didn’t know it would break like that.

The beanpole fell to the floor, clutching his neck with both hands.

I even wanted to use this opportunity to finish off the battle, but unfortunately my
plan had to be cancelled thanks to the samurai.

Thud!

I couldn’t get used to this heaviness behind the impact no matter how many times I
blocked it.

Why was he hanging out with these bastards?

Was there some story behind it?

I didn’t know, but it was the biggest mistake this bastard ever made in his life.

Whoosh!

As I used ‘smash’, the samurai dodged with a familiar distance.

Immediately, I dropped my shield and reached out my hand, dashing once more.

Let’s call it… ‘grab while pretending to smash’.

Now I was too lazy to even name it. It wasn’t fun anymore.

“Uh-huh!”

The samurai, who got caught by the nape of his neck, looked perplexed.

“I guess you didn’t expect this?”

I pulled the samurai towards me with full force.

And, instead of moving my left arm, I used my mouth to bite his neck –

Tear–!

– And ripped it out.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

The samurai couldn’t even scream.

He took a step backwards, covering his neck with both hands, which was pouring
blood like a fountain, his eyes blank…

He crumpled to the floor.

“Uncle!”

Did you handle that side on your own, too?

As soon as the battle was over, Erwen appeared from the bushes.

“Uncle… huh?”

I spat out the chunk of meat on the floor, and wiped my mouth with my arm.

Fuck, that was fucking filthy.

The difficult battle was over.

No, was I the only one who felt that way?

Fortunately, Erwen was looking no worse than when we’d last parted, as if the battle
was over before the enemies even got close.

On the other hand, I was looking completely shredded.

“Uncle! Drink this right now.”

Finally relaxed, I knelt on the floor, and Erwen held out a potion towards me.

Gulp, gulp, gulp…

I carefully emptied a bottle of potion as if I was drinking a herbal tonic.

Although it looked like poison, Erwen explained that it was better to drink it because
there was no single deep wound.

Anyway, was it because I emptied the whole bottle?

The feeling was completely different from usual.

“Lay off…”

Something was boiling inside me.

I felt pain as if small chestnuts were bouncing around my blood vessels, and my skin
was so hot that I felt like I was going crazy.

This went on for over ten minutes.

“…Uncle, be strong.”

Erwen wiped the sweat off my body bit by bit with the old handkerchief.

Was it because of the poison? Or was I just that dirty?

I didn’t know, but the white handkerchief turned completely black.

…I’d have to buy a new one later.

“Finished. It’s okay now, it’s okay.”

Having grown a little bit leaner, I struggled to get up from the floor.

Looking down, I could see scabs covering the cuts and stabs, large and small.

If I grabbed another bottle of potion, these would disappear too, but I decided not to.

“This is going to scar…”

So what? I am a barbarian!

“Water.”
“Yes yes! Here you go.”

At one word, Erwen quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a water
bottle.

It sure felt like being the boss.

Gulp, gulp, as I drank the whole bottle, my stamina began to slowly recover.

Was the water this good?

The veins that had bulged all over my body began to sink down.

“Take out my watch.”

With Erwen’s help, I checked the time.

And stiffened up.

[23:20]

Damn, you don’t even give me any time to rest.

There were only forty minutes left until the seventh day ended.

If you can’t get down to the first floor by then, you’ll have to live for three more days
in this damn place.

“Erwen, take off the clothes.”

“Yes yes?”

No, their clothes, not yours.

I didn’t have the energy to talk, so when I pointed at the corpses, Erwen loosened her
grip on her front collar.

“No, leave the clothes alone. We don’t have time, so just pack the gear, magic bag, and
backpack.”
“Yes yes!”

Knowing that there was no time, Erwen moved quickly.

“Oh, I’ll go search that redhead and the crossbow guy too!”

Yes, be careful not to step on traps.

While Erwen was away, I took the equipment off the samurai and the beanpole.

Throw away the chest protector, the katan used by the samurai, and the wooden
shield that has turned into charcoal…

After the equipment classification was over, I made a rough estimate, selected only
those that looked expensive and packed them up.

And just as I was putting them in my backpack, Erwen arrived.

“Eww…”

It seemed a bit too heavy for her to carry two backpacks.

But sorry, I can’t help you. Because I have three.

I checked the time once more.

[23:35].

Only twenty-five minutes left.

“Let’s run.”

“Are you alright? You look tired…”

“Never mind that.”

Erwen was full of concern, but seeing my expression, she nodded and started
scouting.

So the marathon started.

“I’ll follow you somehow, so speed up as much as you can and scout the way.”

“Yes.”

I put Erwen in front first, and then I kept running while adjusting the pace.

My body felt strangely heavy because of all the mental fatigue.

No, was it just because of all these backpacks?

…Still, I can’t leave these behind. I did all that hard work, so there should be a
reward. Isn’t that what you’d call a just world?

“Whew, whoo, whoo…”

How long had it been?

Suddenly, a portal appeared in the distance.

Erwen, who arrived first, was waiting for me in front of it.

Her expression, an interplay of joy and regret, was like a shoujo manga protagonist.

Fuck, this was a kind of atmosphere that made me feel like I’d be left behind.

Feeling a bit anxious, I pulled out all the stops and spurred my steps.

And…

“Go in, first!”

“Eh, I, okay!”

Since this was reality rather than a manga, I boldly omitted the emotional embrace
and entered the portal.

Flash–!

The burst of brilliance was the same as usual.

But somehow, I felt the light embrace me.

The feeling of returning to the first floor was not much different from when I’d
entered the second floor.

That same feeling of rolling inside something’s stomach.

“Hey!”

Unfortunately, even the result coincided.

No, was this worse?

Thud–!

While I was almost jerked around by the head and thrown to the ground, Erwen
landed fine this time as well.

…How the hell was this possible?

When I was thrown on the second floor, I still floated in the sky and drew a parabola,
but this time it was like somebody was pitching a fastball. Me being the ball,
obviously.

Damn, my bones hurt.

“This is fun!”

Yeah, it would be.

I too think it would be funny if there was a guy like me next to me.

“Haaa…”

I got up, relaxing my aching body, and dusted off the dirt.

And checked the time.

[23:58].

I was really close to being home safe.

I didn’t want to say I was lucky.

Then there would be too many things to blame the heavens for.

If things go well, it’s because of me, if things don’t go well, that too is because of me.

Living like that is best for your mental health.

“You worked hard, uncle.”

“Yeah, you worked hard too.”

We looked at each other for a moment and said goodbye.

Wait, I feel like I forgot something…

“Loot distribution!”

“Oh right! Essence!”

Erwen and I both shouted as if we’d remembered at the same time.

“Essence?”

“Yes! You told me to promise you something!”

Oh right, there was that.

Now I remembered what I had forgotten.

But there was no time for a long talk.

I quickly checked my watch again.

[23:59].
I looked at the second hand and there were about 15 seconds left.

I quickly closed the watch and raised my head to look at Erwen.

So, that, that… What was the name?

I think it was something black…

“Black Whale! Let’s meet at the Black Whale Tavern!”

“Yes!”

Erwen nodded at my urgent cry.

Now, I thought I’d be able to rest assured –

「The labyrinth is closed.」

「The character is moving to Rafdonia.」

Oh, fuck, I didn’t tell her what time.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 목에 핏대를 세우며 (lit. blood around the neck), be very angry or excited.
The light covering my eyes gave way to something softer, and my vision returned.

I looked up at the sky, a bit vacantly.

It’d been a long time since I’d last seen something so bright.

Well, it was still a gloomy gray sky.

“You gonna go home, Derek?”

“No way, I finally came out after a month. I’m going straight to the tavern after
washing up.”

“I’m baaaaaaaaack!”

“All adventurers below the seventh rank, please come this way!”

The surroundings couldn’t simply be described as noisy.

It was only natural, since all the adventurers who’d entered the labyrinth were
gathered in one place…

Really, I had no idea there were so many adventurers in this city.

It was like watching soccer fans cheering at Gwanghwamun Plaza during a World
Cup.

Click, click.

I set my watch to 12 o’clock.

Even if you spend a month inside the labyrinth, only one day passes in the city. No
matter how many days you pass there, you come out at noon the next day.
‘When I was playing the game, I thought it was just a quirk of the setting to improve
the player’s quality of life… ’

In this way, even after visiting the labyrinth, you can continue your quests in the city
without interruption.

So I’d thought it was for the convenience of the users.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel!”

Who is it? It’s a familiar voice…

As I turned my head towards sound, I saw a barbarian of similar size as me.

I remembered him quite clearly, as he was the first leader.

“Karak, the second son of Bloodnun.”

“The third son of Farun.”

What? So, is Ainar second?

Anyway, it was easy for the tall barbarians to find each other in this crowd.

“Serum, fourth son of Kennick! You came back alive too!”

“I’m glad you look well, Karak, third son of Farun!”

I was really just standing still, but the barbarians started flocking to my place.

“Hahahahaha! The blade wolves were no big deal! Not a single one could handle
more than one shot of my axe!”

“That’s only natural if it was your valiant axe, Parman, son of Nerun!”

What kind of reunion was this? It was crazy lively.

They greeted each other by calling out those long names without a break, and
praised each other’s valour.
These guys were weirdly amazing.

Your brains are filled with holes, so how come you managed to memorize those long
names?

“Bjorn! What are you doing standing around! We’re going to exchange the magic
stones now, don’t you want to go together?”

I cleared my throat once and answered as loudly as I could.

“Oh, I will go!”

“You look pretty tired!! There’s no power in your voice!!”

“Yes!”

I’d thought I was putting up a good front as a barbarian, but now my confidence was
disappearing.

The natives were really a different breed.

“There it is!”

“The place that proves the bravery of a warrior!”

Moving along with the barbarians, I was naturally able to follow the procedure as an
adventurer.

It wasn’t a big deal; it was just the process of exchanging mana stones for money at
the checkpoint.

“It’s 24,476 stones.”

“It’s 28,420 stones.”

“It’s 41,498 stones.”

It was like some kind of checkout counter at a supermarket.

Especially when it came to speed.

The officials sitting at the table were really quick at their jobs.

They put the pouches of mana stones somewhere like checking for barcode, and
when a number appeared, they took out money like machines.

While I looked at the whole scene with a bit of curiousity, the savages around me, not
knowing that they were embarrassing themselves, kept chatting with each other in
loud voices.

“Oooh! To earn more than 40,000 stones, that’s amazing!”

“Karak, third son of Farun, is a warrior among warriors!

Man, was it because I’d been living with a fairy for the past few days?

I couldn’t get used to it at all.

By the way, I needed to find Erwen as well…

How come I could only find these guys, not the one I was actually looking for?

Well, I did in fact just stand still.

“Bjorn son of Yandel! Now it’s your turn!”

As I was sighing to myself, it was finally my turn.

I walked over to the table and put my pouches in front of the seemingly soulless
official.

“Are all three pouches magic stones?”

The other two belonged to the beanpole and the samurai.

But now they were all mine.

Since about forty minutes ago.

“Yes.”
As I nodded, the official placed the pouches on a scale or something.

And told me the exact amount.

“182,413 stones.”

A slice of bread was worth about twenty stones, so did I earn over 9,000 breads in
seven days?

It felt like just yesterday when I’d been feeling sad about catching a goblin and
earning only a slice of bread.

…Somehow, I was feeling a bit choked up.

“It’s 180,000 stones! Bjorn, son of Yandel, has earned 180,000 stones!”

“This is the best record ever! Bjorn, son of Yandel, is the greatest warrior of all time!”

These bastards didn’t even give me the time to get emotional.

I quickly grabbed the money from the official and passed through the checkpoint.

But as soon as I came out into the crowd, everybody could finally see my appearance
properly, and the savages who’d come out before me began to tremble.

“Not just stones! He’s even got a hammer!”

“No, he’s even wearing shoes! I’m so jealous!”

“Three pouches!”

“Look at that watch! Does he even know how to read a watch?”

“How can that be? Is Bjorn son of Yandel a wizard?”

Well, I don’t understand your reaction either.

Do you feel that reading is no different than magic?

I am the first barbarian who went into the labyrinth naked and evolved into a
civilized man!

Fuck, I’m heating up because this praise is too freaking much for me to handle.

Whoo, calm down, Bjorn.

I…

“I am the best warrior!!”

“Wooooooohooooooo!!!”

At the same time –

As I shouted, the barbarians also descended into a frenzy of enthusiasm. Then they
picked me up and started tossing me into the air.

But to my surprise, I was feeling better than I’d expected.

Well, everything had gone well, after all.

“You can’t make too much noise here.”

“I’m sorry! I apologize!”

“So, don’t raise your voices…”

“I get it!!”

Finally, the madness subsided only after one of the officials came and said
something.

Then I regained my composure and sat on the floor like the barbarians around me,
waiting for the remaining barbarians to finish passing through the checkpoints.

That was then –

“…”

I sensed a certain gaze, and turned my head to see a fairy staring at me through the
crowd of adventurers.

Erwen.

Since when have you been watching? Hopefully after I finished getting tossed into
the air…

“…”

Whether she knew how I felt or not, when our eyes met, Erwen smiled as if she was
happy.

However, because she was talking to the beautiful fairy standing next to her, she
quickly took her eyes off me.

Curious, I listened in to the conversation, and it was quite refreshing.

Should I say that it felt too unrealistic to be chatting quietly and happily with your
sibling?

“Sister! Now I think I know how to deal with some spirits! Maybe that’s why
Grandma Greentherin insisted that I make friends with them in the first place?”

“Oh, really? They say that the fire spirit has a rather quick temper, so you should be
able to hear his voice soon.”

Well, so she’s that type of person.

I only have a barbarian girl next to me.

So jealous…

As I looked at Erwen with a longing for what I didn’t have, our eyes met again.

I wanted to tell her the time, so I mouthed a word out.

‘Tonight.’

Erwen tilted her head, then smiled and answered in the same way.
‘Yes!’

First of all, it was clear that this secret conversation felt quite interesting to Erwen.

But, I didn’t know if she understood what I was saying.

Did she actually say ‘yes’ in the first place?

Once I get out of the checkpoint, I should try and talk to her properly.

The moment I thought this to myself –

“Why are you looking over there like that, do you know anyone?”

“Oh, no! Sister! Could it be!”

At the question of the fairy next to her, Erwen waved her hands.

Then, finding a gap in the conversation, she glanced at me and mouthed a word
again.

‘Sorry!’

I thought I got it right this time.

Afterwards, I could understand her gesture of secretly pointing at the fairy sister and
shaking her head.

It must have been because of this elder sister.

Well, I didn’t think it was a common situation.

“Bjorn son of Yandel! Where are you looking at like that! Do you know a fairy?”

“Impossible!”

“Naturally! There’s no way that the greatest warrior of all time like you would ever
know one of those vile idiots!”

I wanted to shut this bastard’s mouth, but I couldn’t.

At that loud voice, the fairies around us looked at me with piercing eyes.

Among them was Erwen.

She looked at me with bitter eyes and nodded her head as if understanding.

“Haah…”

As I was looking at those sad eyes, I suddenly came upon a realization.

What the hell was I doing?

It’s not like we were Romeo and Juliet.

“Let’s go!”

Soon after, the barbarians finished trickling out of the checkpoints and started to
move out.

It seemed impossible to talk to Erwen who was surrounded by fairies no matter how
long I waited, so I followed them too.

Tiringly, there was another crowd in front of us.

“Dad! Aren’t you hurt? I missed you!”

“Brother! Here we are!”

Well, yes, there’d been something like this in the game.

Put simply, the people here were families or friends of the adventurers.

“Let’s go! I will open a path!”

“Ooooooooh!”

I followed the barbarians through the crowd that bubbled with joy, excitement,
despair, sorrow, and affection.

Looking at their faces one by one.

I felt weird.

“Limarion! My husband, where is my husband? It can’t be…”

“Sorry. He asked me to pass this on to you.”

“No… No. No… aaaaah!”

I’d played [Dungeon & Stone] countless times.

But it was my first time seeing those expressions everywhere, that could’ve never
been seen through the 2D graphics from beyond the monitor.

I had a reason for moving with the barbarians.

Because, like the previous checkpoint, there were still more procedures for
beginners to go through in this city.

However, my expectations went unexpectedly wrong.

“Time for some alcohol! Let’s have a drink!”

“Wooooohoooooo!”

As soon as they came out of the labyrinth, the barbarians headed to the tavern.

Are you kidding me?

“I’m going to get out of here.”

“Why is that! Bjorn, son of Yandel, the best warrior!”

Even a modifier got attached to this already long name.

Telling myself to be patient, I got out of my seat, giving an excuse that I had no choice
because I had a place to go.

“May fortune be with you! Bjorn, son of Yandel, the best warrior!”
I was feeling it again and again, but all my predictions based on common sense didn’t
seem to work.

“Huh, it’s finally quiet.”

Being with these savages for a while was already driving me crazy. Did Erwen feel
the same way while she’d been with me?

Next time, I’d have to pay more attention to my acting.

Thump, thump.

After breaking up with them, I aimlessly wandered around the city.

I did have a destination, but for now, I felt like I wanted to walk wherever my
footsteps led me.

Peaceful.

The first time I’d seen this city, it was midnight, but now it was daytime, and the
streets were full of people.

Surprisingly, that gave me a sense of security.

“…”

There were no monsters here.

No one to hurt me.

Even if you fall asleep on the road, you’ll be able to safely wake up. No, maybe
someone will even give you a helping hand.

There were laws, rules, and leeway here.

Of course, it was still a distant world, and unlike how it looked on the surface, I knew
that almost everything, including their ideas, culture, and social systems, would be
barbaric compared to the 21st century.

But it was still so peaceful.

At least compared to the seven days I’d spent inside the labyrinth.

“…”

I wanted to immerse myself even more in that sense of stability, so I kept walking.

Maybe it was because the adventurers had just poured out of the labyrinth, but my
blood-soaked appearance didn’t really stand out.

No one spared me a strange glance.

But as I kept walking down the street, I felt like having a bath.

So I entered the first inn I saw, got a room, and washed myself.

It was a little strange.

More blood than dirt came out as I kept washing.

“…”

After rinsing hard for about an hour, I now felt that the clothes I was wearing were
too filthy.

Damn, I’d have to go buy some clothes and come back to wash these.

I was feeling sleepy, but I still went out to the street and found a clothing store.

But how come?

No one looked at me strangely, but I was somehow feeling embarrassed.

I took off my top, and wore just the trousers that were stained with dirt and blood…

And now I felt like a savage again.

Why?

“Welcome!”
As soon as I entered the store, a kindly-looking assistant approached me.

Although I was a barbarian looking like a beggar, she had a bright smile.

I’d never seen such a professional shop assistant even in Seoul…

“Do you want some clothes? If you would like to make a custom order, please visit
the building next door… Oh, you’re looking for something to wear right now? I’m not
sure if there’s anything the right size, but I’ll take a look.”

With her help, I was able to buy a pair of tight-fitting shirts and black trousers.

The price came to a total of 2,500 stones.

No idea if I got ripped off or not.

I’d never bought and tried on clothes without any function in the game.

“Come back next time!”

Now that I was feeling more like a person, I returned to the inn.

I’d thought this the first time I saw the officials exchanging magic stones, and I felt it
again while talking to the shop assistant just now. This city exuded a strangely
modern atmosphere.

Rafdonia.

Most of the buildings were made of stone, with multiple stories.

No, it was hard to find a building with three stories or less on the street, and when
I’d been washing, it was with water coming out of a faucet.

Life in this city might be more comfortable than I’d have thought.

“…”

Returning to the inn, I soon dropped down on the bed.

Recalling the events of the past seven days one by one, I realized that I was also a
human being not much different from Uncle Hans.

When I first fell here, my only goal was to survive.

But what about now?

In the end, I spat out the words that I’d wanted to say countless times but endured.

“I want to go home.”

I want to go back.

Even if no one welcomes me there.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

I closed them again, and told myself.

‘Get up and get to it.’

As I recalled all the various homework I had to do in this city, my drowsiness started
to subside.

Alright, showtime.

First, I checked the time.

[21: 18].

I’d come out of the labyrinth around noon, so leaving out the other odds and ends,
I’d slept for around four hours.

But was it because I finally slept on a bed?

It felt incredibly refreshing compared to the last time I’d taken a nap on the ground.

My stomach growled.

I still had some leftover bread that I’d eaten in the labyrinth, but I decided to go out
for a bite.

In a world where money was no different from life…

It felt like an acceptable degree of luxury.

“…”
Even after washing my body so hard during the day, I still felt smelly somehow, so I
had another quick rinse before leaving the inn.

Trudge, trudge.

As I walked the night streets that were much quieter compared to the daytime, I was
feeling a bit stifled.

Not psychologically, but physically.

The beige shirt that I was wearing was medieval-style, with an open chest, laced
sleeves and neck.

Instead of buttons, there was a cross string like a shoelace on the deep V-neck…

It was tight even with the neck opened as wide as it could go.

I could see why barbarians went topless. Because they couldn’t get any clothes the
right size. What a pitiful race.

‘…But where should I go?’

Right now, my priority was to go meet Erwen at the agreed meeting place.

The problem was that, I didn’t know where the Black Whale Tavern was.

I was sure it was south of the Dimensional Plaza with the labyrinth portal, but the
city had been compressed in size by tens of thousands of times in the game, so that
wasn’t very helpful.

So I ended up asking for help from some passers-by.

“Black Whale Tavern? Was there anything like that?”

“This is my first time hearing about it.”

Most responded that they’d never heard of it, until a middle-aged man with gray hair.

“The Black Whale Tavern? I haven’t heard that name in quite a while. You look young,
how do you know about it? It must’ve been a decade since it was gone.”
Thank you for saying I look young, but the rest of it isn’t very pleasing.

“…You mean, it’s gone now?”

“Yeah, it was a store that had been running for several generations, but it changed
hands after the owner fell into gambling debts. And the name changed, too.”

My hypothesis ever since the labyrinth gained more credence.

Had the game been set in the past compared to the current era, after all?

If so, issues like the ‘evil spirits’ or the relationship between the barbarians and the
fairies could also be explained.

It looked like I’d have to go visit the library first once the sun rose.

“Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”

“Heh heh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a barbarian as polite as you.”

I broke up with the native uncle after that, and kept wandering the night streets.
Although the name had changed, but it seemed that the pub itself was still in
business, so I thought I’d give it a try.

I hoped that Erwen, too, would come to meet me.

‘Pydenpus.’

Reaching my destination, I couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

I could read the pronunciation, but I didn’t know the meaning. Was it in something
like an ancient language from this world?

I thought it was necessary to actively study the language which my brain somehow
had naturally understood.

“Hah ha ha ha ha!”

“If you’re going to fight, go out and fight, you bastards!”

The inside of the tavern was exactly how I had imagined it to be.

Drunk people, adventurers, music, messes, tobacco smoke, even the occasional
demihuman.

As I was scanning that place standing at the entrance, I saw a flash of familiar silver
from a back aisle corner. As well as a pair of slightly protruding, pointy ears.

A form I was only too happy to find.

Step.

One of the fucking drunk bastards bumped my shoulder as he staggered towards the
aisle.

Well, that alone wouldn’t have been a problem…

“Fairy girls, you look bored by yourselves. Do you want to accompany this brother
for a drink?”

He went to Erwen’s place and threw out some cliche lines.

Well, actually, thinking about it, it was no big deal.

But…

“Is it because this pub’s in the gutters? It’s only got whiny rat bitches like you.”

Er, Erwen…?

Did you transform or something?

“…What? R-, rat?”

The fucking idiot could only make a bewildered face at that sharp sting of sarcasm.

I probably wouldn’t have done much better in his place either.

“Go away. Unless you’re looking to get a hole in your forehead.”

Judging by the fact that she especially liked the forehead, I probably didn’t mistake
the person…

What the hell?

I had to go and check this out.

But before that, I’d like to get rid of that guy first.

“What, what are you doing!”

As I approached and grabbed his shoulder, the arrogant uncle quickly turned his
head…

“Uh, uhh.”

And closed his eyes right away.

“Didn’t you hear her telling you to fuck off?”

“…I heard.”

“Then why are you still here?”

Instead of answering, the uncle carefully skirted around me and went back to his
seat, this time without a single stagger.

And then –

“Oh, uncle!”

I heard the tone I’d already been familiar with.

But I wasn’t surprised.

Because from the beginning, I’d never really thought that Erwen had some kind of
split personality.

…It’s the truth.

Hey, didn’t that guy also say ‘fairy girls’ just now?

“Are you that barbarian?”

Because it was a corner table, it was hidden from view by a pillar, but there were a
total of two people sitting there.

“Yeah, that barbarian is probably me. But who are you?”

“Her older sister.”

She really had a sister.

Somehow, she looked exactly the same from the side profile.

“Is ‘her older sister’, your name?”

“…Don’t be an idiot. You can call me Tersia.”

Erwen’s last name was Tersia, too.

Apparently, she didn’t want to tell me her name.

“I see. Tersia, can I sit down now?”

“As you please.”

I sat down without hesitation.

And observed Tersia.

First of all, they didn’t look like twins.

She looked about three to four years older, and when viewed from the front, their
facial features were quite different.

The eyes especially seemed to hold a ferocious atmosphere.

Or, maybe it wasn’t just the eyes?

“Barbarian.”

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“Whatever you say. Anyway, why the hell did you bring this little girl to this pub?”

“S-, Sister…?”

“You stay still.”

Erwen felt the mood and tried to intervene, but was blocked.

Hmm, things were getting pretty funny.

Leaving aside why Erwen brought her sister along, I didn’t think she disliked me just
because I was a barbarian.

I could feel that intuitively.

I’d have to figure it out later.

“Tersia, for what purpose did you want to see me?”

“Erwen stayed out all night last night. When I asked, she said she was waiting for
someone at the tavern all night. I wondered what kind of guy it was stringing my
sister along.”

Wait, I don’t understand?

“What do you mean? Last night?”

“Trying to wash your hands of it?”

Looking at her face, it didn’t look like she was joking.

“…Erwen, how many hours have passed since you came out of the labyrinth?”

“Ah, um… Thirty hours or so!”

Crazy. I slept for over a day, not just four hours.

No wonder it felt so damn nice.

“I apologize. I didn’t even know that the day had passed since I was sleeping.”

At my polite apology, Tersia gave me a look of surprise.

I was feeling somewhat pitiful.

She didn’t even raise a stink over the fact that I’d slept for over a day and missed it.

“I never thought a barbarian would be punctual, anyway.”

I had nothing to say.

“So, why did you tell Erwen to come here?”

Well, there was quite a long explanation and there were many reasons…

I just cut it short and drew a line.

“I have no obligation to tell you. If you’re curious, ask Erwen later.”

Literally translated, it meant don’t worry about it and lay off, but fortunately, Tersia
also understood my meaning. The corners of her lips twisted in a curve.

“How funny. A rookie who’s just entered the labyrinth doesn’t know his place.”

“What does being a rookie have to do with it? Erwen is an adventurer. Unless you
plan to take care of her for the rest of her life, you’d better drop that attitude.”

“How barbaric.”

“S-, Sister? Uncle…?”

While we were having a staredown, Erwen alone was fidgeting impatiently.

Soon, Tersia took something from her pocket and put it on the table.

“Here’s 350,000 stones.”

“…Why are you giving this to me?”

“Price of the essence that Erwen absorbed.”

Oh, so she was telling me to take the money and vamoose.

I was very familiar with this kind of development that was a staple of daytime soap
operas, so it just felt weird.

“Why don’t you take it? Or do you have other intentions?”

It’s not like that.

If she paid with good money, I too had no intention of asking Erwen for a ‘promise’ in
return for the essence.

However, I had to hear it straight from Erwen first.

“Do you have the same opinion?”

“That is…”

Erwen wiggled in place.

Was she that scared of her sister?

Originally, I was going to discuss it once we were done sharing and were alone, but
now that we were done, I decided to do it now.

“The promise I was going to ask you for was that you would help me until I got the
essence I wanted.”

“Eh, is that all?”

“Yes. If possible, I’d like to keep the team running even after that, but that’s separate.
No promise required. In future, we’ll divide the loot 5:5.”

In a nutshell, it meant having a two-person party.

How would Erwen respond?

She didn’t take long.

“Sorry.”

It was a rejection.

In place of Erwen, who was bowing her head, her sister explained the reason.

“Erwen will enter the labyrinth with me from now on.”

“From now on?”

“According to tradition, she had to go alone the first time, but I never intended to
leave her by herself.”

…I see.

Since the tutorial’s over, a chauffeur was here to carry[1] her for the rest of the game.

Fucking bloodlines.

“If you understand, take the pouch.”

I decided to cleanly give up on Erwen.

Although she was a good friend, there was no reason to forcefully stick with her.

But the calculation had to be done properly.

“350,000 stones is probably the half average price of an essence, right?”

“Of course. It’s loot you two earned together.”

From the standpoint as an old hand at this game, experienced enough to be called
‘rotten water’[2], I judged 700,000 stones to be a pretty decent amount.

But the ratio was wrong.

“Then this isn’t enough, there need to be 280,000 stones more. The promised
distribution ratio was 9:1.”
“Fine.”

Tersia pulled out another pouch from her pocket without a fuss.

Suspicious, I checked it, and it contained exactly 280,000 stones.

Motherfucker, was she just treating me like some pushover?

Obviously, if I hadn’t said anything, she wouldn’t have given anything other than the
350,000 stones.

Oh, you mean bitch…

I could see why barbarians hated fairies so much.

“If your business is over, will you please step away? I have something to discuss with
Erwen.”

“What exactly do you plan to discuss?”

Another fight was about to start, but Erwen intervened.

“Big Sis, thank you for taking care of me and coming all the way here, but I think you
can go now.”

“Erwen?”

“I have to say my farewells to uncle too… Yeah?”

“…I get it, you aren’t a child anymore.”

Taking a deep breath and saying something she didn’t even mean, Tersia finally
looked at me.

“Make an oath, barbarian. That you won’t sleep with Erwen. Then I will leave
immediately.”

Yes? Did I hear you wrong?

“Uh, Sister?!”
Well, I guess I heard right.

Don’t sleep with…

Does it mean that all types of skinship before that is allowed?

“I swear. On my honour as a warrior.”

“U-, uncle?”

“Done.”

Finally, Tersia got up from her seat.

And…

“Oh, I forgot. Thank you for saving Erwen, barbarian.”

Leaving a last sentence, she coolly left the tavern.

Jingling.

Hearing the bell hanging over the door, Erwen drooped over the table.

“Huh! What should I do! I’ve never been treated like this before… Could Big Sis be
angry?”

“She isn’t.”

“How do you know?”

Because she looked at you once before leaving and fucking snickered. You didn’t see
her.

…Wait a minute, if that’s the case, why did she ask me that shit?

Erwen scratched her head a few times before coming back to her senses.
“Oh right! Apologies. I appreciate the suggestion, but it’d already been decided long
ago that I’d go with my sister…”

“No apologies necessary.”

Even if it were me, a high-levelled fairy carrying me out of familial loyalty would’ve
been a dream come true, although I couldn’t imagine one of them willingly hanging
out with a fucking barbarian.

“Well, just take this first.”

Erwen took out a small pouch and placed it on the table.

“Exactly 63,000 stones.”

The price of the crossbow as well as the mana stones the leader had.

I didn’t know what the actual amount was, but I had no doubts.

Because it’d be meaningless.

Anyway, how much should I pay if I divide this by 9:1?

“Ah, I took care of my share, so you don’t have to pay anything back.”

Yeah, alright.

I mean, anything else at this point would be crazy.

“I left the backpacks the two of them had at my dorm for now. There are many
things, but… I think it would be good to see them for yourself tomorrow.”

“I agree.”

Because we’d already been together for a few days, she really knew what I was
curious about.

I didn’t have to say a single word, but the loot distribution agenda was settled in an
instant.
However, moving to the next agenda, Erwen spoke with a more cautious attitude.

“Then… How can I repay you?”

“Repay?”

“I told you. I will definitely repay your grace.”

Oh, she did mention that in the past.

“Grace…”

Erwen gulped nervously.

…I guess this was why her sister made me swear that oath at the end?

I wonder if she’s expecting something strange from me?

“Stop teasing me, out with it.”

Her eyesight had sharpened a lot.

She noticed right away that I was messing with her.

“I can’t think of anything right now. I want to order something first, anything you
want to eat?”

“I’m not hungry…”

“Then I’ll just order mine.”

As soon as I glanced at the menu hanging on the wall, Erwen spoke as if she’d just
remembered.

“Oh, then, drink! Let’s have a drink, please!”

“Drink?”

“Yes. I didn’t even drink a sip yesterday on purpose. I wanted to drink my first
returning wine with you! Ehehe.”
Erwen smiled brightly and looked at me with eyes that seemed to be fishing for
praise.

Returning…

Come to think of it, there was such a custom.

Well, it was a bit different from the feeling of drinking a can of beer after work.

For demihumans who grew up in their sanctuaries until they reached adulthood, the
‘week of first return’ had a greater meaning than one might think.

Um, but what should I say in this situation?

“…That’s nice.”

“This is when you say thank you!”

“Thank you?”

“Thank you! We’re friends who’ve lived together in the labyrinth, so of course we
should be together for the week of first return.”

What the hell did she want?

While I was pondering, Erwen scratched her cheek.

“Of course, for you, this isn’t your first return…”

“What do you mean? This is my week of first return, too.”

“Yes?!”

Why are you surprised?

“Didn’t I say that I was twenty, too?”

“…Wasn’t that a joke?”

So that’s why, no matter what I said, she just kept calling me uncle.
“This was my first time entering the labyrinth.”

“Is that so…”

Soon after, Erwen slowly peeked into my eyes, went to find the waiter and started
ordering on her own.

The food arrived about twenty minutes later.

“You’ve worked hard, uncle.”

She was just going to keep calling me uncle, looked like.

Fine. Do whatever you want. We won’t see each other again for a long time, anyway.

“…You worked hard, too.”

We drank, ate and continued to chat. In the labyrinth, we’d mostly talked when
absolutely necessary, so this was our first time having such a private conversation.

But things couldn’t go on like this forever.

“Uncle, are you wearing a shirt today?”

Yes, and you are wearing a skirt.

We’ve exhausted all other possible topics.

“Erwen, didn’t you say that you’d repay the grace?”

“Yes? Yes, what is it?”

“Then, try using the ability you used back then here and now.”

Erwen tilted her head.

Now whether this could really be called a reward…

It was an important issue for me.

What’s the difference between an essence inside the game and an essence in reality?

I needed to definitively confirm this in advance.

Maybe I’d need to revise my training methods.

“But why all of a sudden?”

“There’s something I want to check.”

“But, isn’t it illegal to use your abilities inside the city? You’d get caught right away.
By the guards.”

This was the reason why skills couldn’t be used inside the city while playing the
game.

So there was no way at all?

While I was thinking, Erwen offered a suggestion.

“How about going to a place where there are no people? Oh, my place isn’t an option.
Other races are prohibited from entering.”

The fairies seemed to have their own accommodations.

Hmm, what should I do anyway? Should I just take you to a dark alley?

As I was pondering, Erwen found the answer first.

“So, I mean… How about going to your room?”

Ah, I guess that works.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 버스 (lit. bus), ‘riding the bus’ is a gaming slang (League of Legends etc), similar
in meaning to a weak team being ‘carried’ by one expert member. See Namu Wiki.
[2] 고인물 (lit. stagnant water), part of the expression ‘stagnant water rots’. It’s
vanishingly unlikely for a KR webnovel reader to be unfamiliar with the term, but
here you go anyway.
After I returned to the inn, with a slightly tipsy Erwen in tow, I started observing her
body from up close.

Of course, the oath I’d sworn on my honour with her sister was never broken.

Although I did wonder how much such an oath meant to me as a warrior in the first
place.

“Erwen, loosen up a bit more.”

“Ehh, even if you say that…”

Currently, I was forcibly stretching Erwen.

“Ah! My shoulders! I think my shoulders are going to fall off!”

“Hmm.”

“I-, it’s not even supposed to bend this way in the first place! Really!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes! On the name of my clan!!”

As soon as I relaxed my grip, Erwen immediately flopped down on the bed.

‘Flexibility +4’ wasn’t that obvious from the outside.

Well, hadn’t the game been the same?

“Again, are you going to go again?”

“No. Rest for now.”

[Dungeon and Stone] was a brutal game.

Just look at the stats.

Body, mind, and ability.

There are three main stats, but if you click the [+] button next to one, thousands of
sub-stats come out.

For example, if the physical strength, a body sub-stat, increases, the weight that can
be carried, physical attack power, etc. are corrected accordingly.

Flexibility?

Even if only slightly, evasion rate and critical strike rate increase.

Vision?

Ranged weapon attack radius and the character’s visual range get larger.

Sense of smell becomes a factor to enhance any related ability, and accuracy rate is
literally the accuracy rate.

Therefore, even if the body stat is the same at 50, the character’s scope of action can
be completely different depending on the finer details.

“…”

Note that I found all this out on my own.

It was information that neither the game production company nor any foreign users
told me, so I had to repeatedly experiment numerous times and collect statistical
data.

Just because I wanted to clear this game.

Fuck, I could’ve never dreamed back then that this passion would one day come back
and bite me in the ass.
‘Hoo, I’m suddenly feeling pissed off again.’

Back again, I was an old hand in his ninth year, a true so-called rotten water.

However, there were some stats that even I never managed to find out the effects of.

A typical example would be the ‘obsession +7’ on the essence spat by the goblin
archer.

Except for the fact that obsession was a sub-stat of mind, everything else was a
mystery.

“Erwen.”

“Uncle, I get so anxious every time you sigh like that, can’t you just stop talking?”

“Has anything changed since you came out of the labyrinth? Like, something keeps
popping up in your mind. As if it’s hard to bear, something like that.”

“…I-, I’m not sure? There’s something, maybe?”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“Sweets…? Yes, sweets. Now that I think about it, as soon as I came out, I bought a lot
of sweets and wolfed it all down…”

“Did you usually hate sweets?”

“No, I liked them? Still, I think this was my first time eating that much in one day.”

“Right.”

Perhaps obsession just meant a desire to grow stronger.

So, there would have been no special function within the game.

Well, my thoughts were getting complicated.

Because this was a reality patch, and additional functions might have gotten tacked
on to the detailed stats.
Same went for flexibility.

As in the game, the more natural the body’s movements, the easier it would be to
dodge. In the appropriate situation, you can even pull off some outlandish
manoeuvre and inflict fatal damage on the enemy.

But is that all?

Greater flexibility can even make it easier to get into tight spaces, and better absorb
shock on landing.

That was not so in the game.

So, in the future, I’d have to re-examine my nurturing method by synthesizing those
aspects.

“Uncle, I’m sleepy now…”

Oh, did I let you rest too much?

Her eyes were already half closed.

I was going to check if there were any problems activating skills, cooldown timings,
and stuff like that…

“I see. Go to sleep.”

“Yes…”

I blew out the light.

And laid down next to Erwen.

Erwen didn’t find it strange, and neither did I.

In the labyrinth, we’d both seen what there was to see, so it’d be funny to balk now.

Zzzzzz!

Just like that, my eyes too fluttered closed, and I slept again.
I remembered her sister’s words not to sleep with her at the last moment, but…

Well, there wasn’t any point worrying about it.

She probably didn’t mean something like this anyway.

[07: 35].

I woke up fairly early in the morning.

I’d already slept for almost two days, so calling to too early now might’ve been a bit
silly.

“Uncle, water…”

Erwen just woke up, so we had a quick meal on the first floor after washing our
faces.

Then we headed to Erwen’s place.

Because the city was so big, it took more than an hour just to get there on foot.

“I’m glad it’s still in the same area!”

I feel you.

If it’d been on the other side, it’d have taken a long time even in a carriage.

For a so-called fortress town, Rafdonia was really absurdly large.

“You must stay quiet. You understand? Because big sis is the only one who knows I’m
working with you, uncle.”

“Got it.”

As I waited in an alley three blocks away from the hostel, Erwen trudged back laden
with two backpacks.
The backpacks of the leader and the crossbowman who’d attacked us just before the
end of the seventh day. The weapons that had been haphazardly shoved in were
sticking out.

“Let me.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Also, she had no idea about their specifications.

I guess everybody has to start somewhere.

“Weapons here, armours here, place tools and consumables separately.”

“Yes!”

Returning to the inn, we started checking and organizing the items in our backpacks.

It took about an hour, but maybe because of all the loot? It was quite enjoyable.

Erwen and I sat side by side on the bed, looking at the neatly arranged items on the
floor.

“Are you going to sell them all?”

“Except what’s necessary.”

“Then, can I keep the leather clothes and belt that you gave me?”

“Doesn’t matter. If you take them from your share.”

“Then please!”

After classifying what to sell and what not to sell, we went back to the city.

Except for tools such as watches and compasses, we decided to share expeditionary
items and consumables such as potions, but sell almost all of the collected
equipment.

It’s better to exchange money and buy something else than to use something that
doesn’t fit.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford to, now.

“Here it is!”

The place we arrived at was a weapon shop that Tersia had informed me of.

Items for sale included a Japanese katana, two longswords, a crossbow, a two-
handed hammer, two daggers, and three small knives.

“A total of 350,000 stones.”

I’d been a tad worried because it was introduced via an acquaintance, but I just sold
it all off because it gave better prices than any of the other stores I’d stopped by at
for comparison.

“Wow…”

As soon as we left the store, Erwen let out the admiring exclamation that she’d been
holding back.

I was feeling the same.

“Uncle, isn’t this a dream?”

Excluding the stolen mana stones, the money we earned from pure hunting for seven
days was only around 100,000 stones.

But to compare that with 350,000 stones?

Besides, the armours hadn’t even been sold yet.

…Now I could understand the look in those adventurer bastards’ eyes when they saw
us.

Equipment is money. A lot, too.

“Uncle, how much is my share then?”

Erwen’s eyes were shining with a longing for wealth.

“Just wait, we’ve still got a lot left to sell.”

The next destination was the armour shop, about a ten minute walk.

“Here are 180,000 stones.”

There were more items, but the total value was less than the weapons.

The purchase price was low because it was difficult to sell used armour, which was a
convincing enough reason.

Didn’t we decide to just sell everything because of the size problem, too?

“I will sell them for that price.”

“You sure have a refreshing personality, as expected of a barbarian. Please come

again the next time you encounter something like this. I’ll give you a good price
again.”

“I will.”

After that, I stopped by at a general store and sold several items that had been
judged unnecessary, and got a huge sum of 145,000 stones.

Well, it wasn’t all my money.

“Take it, 45,000 stones.”

“Uh? Isn’t that a little too much?”

With her leather clothes and belt, 20,000 stones were subtracted, and exactly 7,000
stones were added.

It wasn’t a freebie because she was pretty. It was her share of the mana stones from
the samurai and the beanpole, divided 9:1.

“I don’t know exactly how much they’d be worth, so I took the two you gave as a
guide.”
“Oh, I see! Thank you!”

Anyway, after selling off everything, I checked my total assets, which now amounted
to a whopping 1.4 million stones.

It was a bit, no, a lot weird.

I’d never had this much money in the first round, even in the game…

It was a good start.

“Then let’s break up.”

“Yes?”

Why do you look so surprised?

We’ve divvied up the money, so now it’s time to go our separate ways.

I have a lot of work to do, because my plans have now gone awry because of you.

“Well, we can go to the central square together.”

“Yes…”

Erwen’s words faded into silence.

As we walked along the road like that, we arrived at the central plaza, which was a
fork in the path.

“Huh? Why suddenly so many people?”

Unlike the last time I passed by, it was buzzing with activity.

Half the crowd were soldiers, and the other half were there to watch the criminals
chained to the pavement.

No, calling them criminals might be a little too much, right?

“Uh, uh! Ouch! Whoa!”

They were not violent criminals such as murderers, rapists, or arsonists.

The crime of these people who were trembling in fear, gags in their mouths, was ‘tax
evasion’.

In other words, because they had no money.

A young woman in her twenties, a man who was probably a father, an old man with
wrinkled hands signifying the harshest of lives – were all sentenced to death.

“Start the execution!”

When the tax collector shouted that, the soldiers shoved the man’s head under the
guillotine.

And…

Thwock–!

With a gentle sound, the man’s head was sheared off, and slipped into the wooden
barrel in front.

Some of the nearby crowd soaked the bread they’d brought with the dripping blood
and ate in a hurry.

“Hic!”

Erwen started hiccupping at the bloodshed that suddenly unfolded before her eyes.

“Damn, what is that! What are those people doing? Why would you dip bread in
human blood?”

“There’s a superstition that drinking the blood of someone executed by a tax

collector will bring you wealth.”

Erwen frowned as if she couldn’t make head or tail of it. For her, it seemed to be
more shocking than seeing a person’s head being cut off.

“Erwen, how much is the first year’s tax?”

“It’s 700,000 stones, but depends on your race.”

“Right.”

It’d been 600,000 stones in the game.

There were some errors, but it was roughly consistent.

“Still, you don’t have to worry. Because you’ve already earned that much.”

Yeah? Yes, that’s true, but…

It’s not something somebody with a bigshot sister should say.

Besides, I have no intention of saving this money for next year’s taxes in the first
place.

For a simple reason.

“Erwen, how much is the tax from the second year?”

“800,000 stones. And there’s a fee when you exchange money.”

Taxes continue to rise until a certain number of years are accumulated.

So now is the time to invest in yourself.

The first year, when fees are waived and taxes are relatively low, is the time for rapid
growth.

“Ah! S-, please spare me!”

“Gag him properly this time!”

“Next month! I can pay the bill next month – uh, uh! Aaaahk!”

Anyway, I’m glad.

Aren’t humans the most reliant on visual stimuli?

Thwock–!

Seeing it with my own two eyes makes me really feel it.

Returning to the original world?

Rather than such unrealistic goals, it’s necessary to set clear intermediate goals and
strive for them.

For example, assuming my life span is 90 years old.

When I said that I might have to spend the rest of my life here if I couldn’t find a way
back home –

‘How much money do you need?’

Well, I guess I’ll have to do some math.

A house with a kitchen, medical expenses for when you’re sick, and if you want to be
able to relax with three puppies after retiring at the age of fifty…

“Sixth floor.”

If you at least reach the sixth floor, the calculation shows that you can skimp and
save enough before you retire.

Yes, therefore –

“Yes? What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.”

Let’s focus on reaching the sixth floor first.

Whether it’s possible to go home or not –

Would be something to think about later.

「630,000 stones were transferred by grade 6 adventurer Daria Wittember di Tersia.
」

「You have sold equipment.」

「You have sold equipment.」

「Total item level drops by -43. 」

「You have sold equipment.」

「You have sold… 」

「… 」

「… 」

「TIP: The character’s current total holdings are 1,403,520 stones. Use this to
increase your character’s combat index!」
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Ah, yes… goodbye…”

After breaking up with Erwen, my next destination is nowhere other than the library.

The soothing smell of paper and ink.

A quiet atmosphere that makes you feel like you should hold even a cough in.

Seeing people busy picking up books without disturbing that quiet atmosphere, I
somehow feel like I’m the odd one out…

Rumble–!

To my surprise, there is another barbarian besides me in the library.

I reach out and poke them in the back.

“B-, Bjorn son of Yandel?!”

Really, it’s you.

Penelin’s second daughter, or is it third? Ainar.

“It’s good to see that you’re safe and sound.”

“You too!”

“…I think we should lower our voices.”

Ainar also feels the piercing gazes from the people all around us at her raised voice,
so she obeys.
“I’m sorry. I was surprised because I didn’t expect to see another of us here besides
me.”

Same goes for me, too.

“What’s going on, why the library?”

“You told me last time, that I should always think before I act. While I was in the
labyrinth this time, I thought that I needed more knowledge in order to think
properly.”

Well, that’s quite insightful.

How amazing.

If only you hadn’t fallen asleep holding the book open…

“Looks like something happened to you inside the labyrinth.”

“It wasn’t easy from start to finish. The fights weren’t a problem, but…”

Ainar continues with a bitter expression.

“It wasn’t just the monsters that I had to watch out for.”

She certainly is a bit different from the rest of the barbarians. They’ve been bragging
about how easily they beat the monsters.

They wouldn’t have called it hard out loud even if it killed them.

“So that’s why you decided to come and study here.”

“Yes. But again, this doesn’t seem like a good fit for me. Reading text is very difficult. I
should’ve studied harder when I was young.”

…Oh, so it’s that bad, huh?

“So, starting from today, I plan to visit the sanctuary and learn from the elders again.
Although, now that I’m an adult, I’ll have to pay for it.”
It’s a little surprising though.

That my rough advice could change one person so much.

Immediately, Ainar closes the book she’d opened and gets up from her seat.

“Are you going right now?”

“If you don’t do it when you think of it, you’ll forget it.”

I see.

The more I get to know them, the more I think they’re a sad and pitiful race.

“Then, I will go.”

Ainar, who starts heading towards the exit after that brief goodbye, suddenly turns
around as if she remembered something at the last moment.

“Ah! Come to think of it, I decided to repay you for your advice if I came back alive. If
you need any help, come to the Angry Rhino Inn. Whatever it is, I’ll help as much as I
can.”

“Alright.”

I just hope you don’t forget about this promise within the next day or two.

I think I’ll be calling for help soon.

After Ainar left, I wandered around the library for a while.

Hey, could a library spanning an entire building the size of the National Assembly be
a common sight?

Even in the game, the library only had a sign saying ‘under construction’ hanging at
the entrance, and couldn’t be entered.

Hmm, but how would you find a book amidst all this?
It’s not like the location would only be a few taps of keyboard away like in the
modern times…

Since I was in trouble, I decided to seek professional help.

“Khm.”

At my cough, the librarian dozing at the desk slowly woke up.

“What is it?”

“I’m looking for a book. Related to history…”

“Parstyev.”

Before I could even explain what kind of book I’d been looking for, the sleepy-looking
librarian muttered a word.

At the same time, a faint light entered my body.

What, was this magic?

“Now look around and you will find the book you are looking for. You can’t borrow
any, and make sure you put it back in its original place after reading.”

As the light faded, the librarian mechanically uttered some rote words and nodded
off again.

…Who the hell was this girl?

For some reason, waking her up again didn’t even cross my mind, so I just wandered
around the library as directed.

As a result, I started noticing books all around me that made me feel like I was being
drawn to them.

Slowly, I realized what kind of magic it was.

Demons. History. Labyrinths. Adventurers. Essences, and more.

As soon as the keywords I thought about changed, the books that attracted me also
changed.

‘What convenient magic.’

With this kind of magic, it was understandable why there was only one librarian. In
the first place, compared to the size of the library, the number of users was almost
negligible.

Among the books, I selected only the ones that attracted me the most, and started
opening them one by one.

[The Ruined World].

The first 700 pages in this book described the early history of the world setting.

It mostly matched with what I’d known from the game.

Millenia ago, the land became impossible to live on due to the curse of the witch, and
only the last stronghold, Rafdonia, escaped that disaster.

For the people who were starving to death due to the lack of resources, the royal
family excavated a passageway that connected to another dimension.

Until it became the labyrinth of today.

[Basic Understanding of Alchemy IV].

The second book described how the mana stones collected from monsters were
transformed into bread, water, and steel.

I didn’t understand any of the principles.

I just read the books at random and tried to stuff as much knowledge into my head
as I could.

Thanks to [Holy Wars III], I learned more about the reasons behind the relationship
between the fairies and the barbarians, and what evil spirits were.

People were aware that evil spirits were evil beings, who came from another
dimension, and could possess others’ bodies.

Um, that wasn’t wrong, considering.

[Demons of the Abyss].

Unfortunately, this book didn’t explain the root cause behind the appearance of the
evil spirits.

However, it did describe in detail the efforts of the Rafdonia royal family and the
temples who had marked the evil spirits for annihilation.

Speaking as an evil spirit myself, it was full of useful tips.

According to the contents of the book, as long as you don’t spit out some taboo
words, you’ll hardly ever be suspected of being an evil spirit.

For example, [Dungeon and Stone].

…I really needed to stop shouting ‘Sparta’.

[How Did Adventurers Evolve?].

[The Two Royalties of Rafdonia].

[About Heroes].

[Life at Camp Bifron].

I was able to collect the information I wanted after reading a lot of books.

[The Death of the King].

This book dealt with the death of Ravigion III, who had been called the First King, or
the Immortal King.

Although, the various suspicions surrounding it, or the changes that resulted from it,
didn’t matter much to me.

What I took note of was the timing.

Let’s see, the date…

“150 years ago…?”

My hypothesis was proved correct at that moment.

The date of the king’s death was about 150 years ago, as per the book.

In other words, it meant that the place where I was now was the future, 150 years
removed from the game’s standard timeline.

No matter which race you choose, the game starts the day after the death of Ravigion
III.

Shit.

I’d have to live in the library for the time being.

“Whew…”

I closed the book and rested my eyes for a while.

Although I only read the important parts, my eyes were about go blind after
skimming ten books in a row.

Even so, I decided to read the last two books I’d taken out.

Let’s try just a bit harder. Because you might miss out on some important
information.

[Dimensional Instability Observation Record].

Was this the book the blond, who’d saved me from crawling on three legs, had read?

It contained statistics and cases similar to mine.

Like the blond had said, falling into the outermost zone was something that only
happened once in a century…

“Bullshit.”
Speaking from experience, the actual number must’ve had been much, much more
than that.

It was just that most of the time, the victim would’ve died before letting anybody
know.

The rest of the content was just statistics, so I flipped through the pages and paused
at the last chapter.

The author’s reasoning was written at the end, that ‘entering at the moment the
portal is closing may have something to do with instability’.

If true…

So I only had myself to blame after all?

I was feeling pitiful, so I moved on to the next book.

[Ninth Grade Essence Compendium].

Finally, this book was the last.

It was an organized encyclopaedia that described the abilities of the essences

dropped by 9th-grade monsters, but unlike the in-game notation, there were no
exact numbers.

[Goblin]

 Endurance (low), Sense of Smell (low), Poison Resistance (low), Dexterity

(low), Vision (low).

 Imbue paralytic poison when wielding melee weapons.

 Create traps.

Looking at the other monsters, medium seemed to mean a stat of twenty-one or

higher…

There was no way to guess the standard value of the high grade.
According to the guide on the first page, it seemed that information above the eighth
grade had to be purchased from the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Haah…”

I closed the book and simply stretched my limbs.

The world outside the window had gotten dark.

It was almost time for the library to close, and there were almost no visitors left.

I put all the books I’d read back into their original places and returned to the inn.

And after a simple meal, I stretched out on the bed.

With this, I’d passed three days inside this city.

“So another twenty-seven days like this?…”

The labyrinth opens at midnight on the first of every month.

A month here lasts exactly thirty days, so it means that you have to enter the
labyrinth once every four weeks or thereabouts.

“…”

What can you do in the city with the rest of your time?

No, what should I do?

As I was organizing all sorts of information in my head, I quickly fell asleep.

When tomorrow comes, let’s start with getting a new colleague.

“Uncle! Uncle! Come on, get up!”

Almost at the break of the next day, Erwen was knocking at my door, as if blown in by
the morning breeze[1].
She sounded quite excited on top of that…

‘Why the hell did she come back?’

I hoped she wasn’t here to say she’d follow me instead of her sister.

To be honest, I thought I might never see her again.

“What’s going on?”

“Look at this! The contract was successful!”

As soon as the door opened, Erwen blurted out an endless stream of words.

“Contract? Oh, I guess you ate the ‘spirit stone’?”

Spirit stones are items that allow fairies to make contracts with spirits of different
attributes.

With the caveat that the user has to be lucky enough.

“Yes! Yesterday, after I left your place, I went and successfully signed a contract with
a new spirit!”

“You were lucky.”

Spirit stones cost about 150,000 stones in the game.

The success rate was only around 10%.

It must’ve been a gamble with almost all of her fortune on the line, but still, did she
succeed?

“Yes! My big sis bought about ten of them for me, and it worked!”

…Fuck, are you here to make fun of me?

As a barbarian who’d only inherited this body, I could only feel a sense of
deprivation.
When we first met, I’d thought she was a pitiful kid because she had a sibling to take
care of, but it was clear now that she was a top-class gold spoon by birth.

Perhaps her sister was the one who bought her that bow, too.

“By the way, it looks like you made a contract with the wind spirit.”

“Yes! I was quite lucky. Because fire and wind go well together!”

“Okay, then cancel the summon first.”

I took a deep breath and spoke.

I’d be lying if I said my stomach wasn’t hurting, but it was for a different reason than
envy.

“Yes? But I haven’t shown it to you properly yet…”

“Are you here to mess around?”

“Oh, ah! sorry!”

The raging winds instantly subsided.

Hoo, why do I have to bother with such a a fuss as soon as I wake up?

Erwen, who’d been so bubbly, began to look a bit down at my frown.

“Sh-, should I clean it up?”

I didn’t know why it was even a question.

Or did she mean to just stand and stare while I cleaned up her mess?

At my nod, Erwen quickly tidied up the room that had fallen into shambles.

Surprisingly, it took less than ten minutes.

She hadn’t been lying when she’d said that she was confident in cleaning and
laundry.
She moved really cleanly.

Just like some master of martial arts.

“Do you want something more?”

“…”

“I’ll clean up a bit more…”

“No. That’s enough.”

To be honest, I wondered if it was even possible to do any more.

The room was looking even cleaner than when I’d first rented it, for some reason.

Well done, let me give you a carrot.

After all, I have something to ask you later.

“By the way, I haven’t said it yet. Congratulations on contracting a new spirit.”

“Hehe, thank you!”

“Did you have breakfast yet?”

“Not yet.”

We went down to the first floor to have a meal and finish our conversation.

“What can you do with this wind spirit?”

“I think I might be able to slightly twist the trajectory of an arrow that’s already been
shot, or shoot it much faster!”

Compared to what I’d expected, the operations seemed fairly simple and one-
dimensional.

What about rotating arrowheads increase penetrative power, or silencing the sound
of the shot?
Then the combat power would be enhanced even more.

“Uh, I hadn’t thought of that… It seems like it might be possible?”

What the hell are you talking about?

I feel down for some reason.

“Anyway, that’s good. Once you’re done eating, let’s go back up.”

“Yes? why?”

“I have some stuff to do in the room.”

Erwen tilted her head.

As if she had no idea at all what I meant…

“You didn’t think that your debt was fully repaid last time, did you?”

“Yes yes? Wasn’t it?”

She really was naive.

Creak.

Locking the door so nobody could disturb us, I made Erwen sit on the bed.

“Come on, use your ability.”

Are there any difficulties in the skill’s usage, what’s the cooldown, what’re the
weaknesses of the stealth ability, etc.

There were a lot of things that I needed to check.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 아침 댓바람부터 (lit. with the morning breeze). Here breeze/wind means being
early or in a hurry, so the phrase just means really early in the morning. The literal
meaning of the phrase sounds beautiful, though, so we tweaked it a bit and tried to
fit it into the sentence.
“Good work. You may go.”

“Goodbye!”

Erwen promptly starts walking away without even stopping to say another word.

Looks like this past half-day spent studying her abilities has been quite hard on her…

“Then I’ll come back later!”

Are you still going to come back?

Oh boy, what are you even saying.

“You shouldn’t waste time coming back here.”

“Yeah?”

Why do you look so surprised?

This is natural.

It’s not like you’re my teammate.

“You’ll need some time to get used to your new ability. That’d be a better use of your
time till the next opening of the labyrinth.”

In fact, the same goes for me too.

Yesterday, I set a new goal for myself.

To become a middle-class adventurer and reach the sixth floor.

So I have a lot of work to do, going forward.

First of all, I need to use these 1.4 million stones for my own growth.

If possible, I’d also like to receive professional training on fighting. I still can’t fully
utilize this monstrous body of mine.

I should also acquire more common sense and knowledge by reading more books.
And also, wander around the city as much as possible to familiarize myself with the
local culture and the prices of goods.

In short, I don’t have the time to waste chattering with Erwen unless we have some
business.

“Really! I-, is that so?”

“Didn’t you have a younger sibling? Go find them and spend some time together.
You’ll have to go back to the labyrinth in three weeks.”

“Yes…”

Erwen nods with a sullen face.

Is it because I’m her first – teammate?

She seems to have some strange fantasies about me. To be honest, I can roughly
guess what kind.

But how can we make our original business relationship last?

“I plan to stay here for now, so if something goes wrong, don’t hesitate to come here.
I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Uh, really?”

“Aren’t we comrades?”

“Hehe, that’s true! Alright!”

Satisfied with the carrots I threw, Erwen leaves with a contented face.
Well, she’s still easy to handle.

In the end, I’ve decided to preserve my friendship with Erwen.

Because this, too, is a kind of bond.

Even without blood ties, you can develop a social relationship with someone with
time.

Maybe it’ll be helpful someday.

“…Am I being too self-serving?”

Well, so what?

I don’t have the luxury of choice[1].

After a quick shower, I’m out and again bound straight for the library. The same
lethargic[2] librarian repeats the spell she cast last time, and I spend about five or six
hours reading.

‘Isn’t there a place that sells something like soup?’

It’s a little late, but for lunch, I find a cheap looking restaurant and get a plate of
stuffed mulligun stew with a few slices of bread.

The price is 450 stones.

Looks like it’d be cheaper to eat at the inn.

“Here is Bjorn, son of Yandel, the greatest warrior!”

After eating, I visit the Angry Rhinoceros Inn where Ainar is staying.

Surprisingly, it’s crawling with barbarians.

“You want to stay here too? Well thought! This place only takes 300 stones a day!”

Wait, 300 stones?

Surprised by the unbelievable price, I observe in a bit more detail, and it does make
some sense.

As soon as I enter the room with five narrow beds, the thick smell of sweat several
days stale assaults my nose.

“Are five people sharing a room?”

“No! Ten warriors together!”

“…But there’re only five beds?”

“You can set a time and take turns sleeping!”

It’s not that it’s cheap, it’s just that several people are sharing the cost.

Seriously, these guys have earned 30,000 or 40,000 stones at most, so they probably
don’t have a choice.

“But why are you here?”

“I’m looking for Penelin’s third daughter, Ainar.”

“Penellin’s second daughter, Ainar, went out in the morning!”

So she’s the second daughter.

I’ll get it right next time.

Anyway, after waiting for about an hour, Ainar returns from outside.

“Bjorn son of Yandel? Did something happen?”

Because we’re both barbarians, I say it straight.

“I want to fight you.”

“You mean a spar?”

“Yes.”
Now I need training.

In the labyrinth, I accomplished more than any other barbarian, but I’m no match for
them in pure combat skills.

“It’s a bit weird.”

Ainar tilts her head.

I don’t think it’s because the request’s difficult…

“If that’s all, couldn’t you just go to the backyard instead of asking like this?”

Backyard?

Soon, Ainar leads me out through the back door of the inn.

About thirteen barbarians are gathered there, waving their fists and rolling on the
floor, shedding buckets of sweat.

And, well, maybe even blood.

“Ha ha ha ha! Your fist just now was pretty heavy!”

“Same goes for you!”

No wonder the outside’s been noisy all along.

This is just normal for these people.

The fairies chirp and chatter with their spirits, too.

Smiling bitterly at the barbarians viciously attacking each other as if they are sworn
enemies, Ainar asks me.

“Is there any reason why you’re only asking me?”

Actually, there isn’t.

I’d just thought that Ainar would grant my request. But now, if I say no, it would
seem strange.

“Because you’re the only one using a sword.”

“Do you want to learn how to fight a swordsman?”

“Right.”

“I see, so that’s why. I have to go study writing in the morning, so if you come here
during this time, I will treat you as much as you want.”

In other words, her schedule is free from 5pm.

I’ll have to visit every day from now on.

“Are we going to start today?”

“Of course.”

After waiting a while, Ainar comes back from her room with her sword in hand.

“Ainar and Bjorn are facing off!”

The other barbarians also stop fighting and start to watch.

I came here to learn, but I have no intention of losing in vain, so I too grab my shield
and sharpen my nerves.

However, the result…

“Then I will start!”

Owned[3].

Just three minutes to make me lose my shield?

She’s great in a fight.

Still, it’s a good experience for me in many ways.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, was not the greatest warrior of all time!!”

“Now Ainar is the greatest warrior ever!!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaarghh!!”

Now if only these bastards weren’t here.

How many more times did we fight since then?

Soon the sky had become dark.

“Are you going to do more? I also want to take a break.”

“No. Today’s duel will end here.”

The other barbarians had already left the empty yard.

After much deliberation, I made a decision.

“Ainar.”

“What is it?”

Ainar, who’d been walking back towards the building while stretching her legs,
stopped.

“Are you planning on going alone into the labyrinth again next time?”

“I guess so. Because I don’t have enough money to build a team. However, this time, if
possible, I will try the second floor.”

Once again, I could feel how hardcore the barbarians were.

Compass and torch.

With these two things, you could advance to the second floor. But making money to
buy consumables on your first entry, and going straight to the next floor with that
money…

“Wouldn’t it be difficult on your own?”

“Is there a choice?”

No choice…

Perhaps this was why the lower floors were crowded with only humans.

The other races, whose taxes were several times higher, couldn’t even pay their first
yearly tax by working on the first and second floors.

Their motivation was clear at a glance.

Didn’t the guy who earn the most get just a bit more than 40,000 stones?

“If you’re lucky, you might even be able to meet other people on the first floor and
form a team.”

“Right.”

“So, what are you talking about?”

As our conversation seemed to be dragging, Ainar immediately returned to the the

main point.

Like a barbarian, I spoke straight and directly.

“Ainar, would you like to be my teammate?”

“Teammate?”

“I will bear the cost of setting up the team.”

I felt it after fighting her a few times today.

Ainar was strong.

Hearing what people around me were saying, it seemed that she was at the top
among our ranks.

Above all else, she was pretty smart.

“Thank you for asking, but why me?”

In the end, I needed a teammate.

It’d be hard to find a friend every night, and having a partner would also increase
your profits.

And Ainar not only had high combat power, but also the advantage of not having to
worry about betrayal due to the nature of her race.

Instead, our classes overlapped, but…

Since Erwen was gone, Ainar was the best option I could choose.

Of course, there was no need for vulgar words.

“I just want to.”

“Right.”

Ainar nodded and immediately made a decision.

“Good. Entering the labyrinth with you, a clever warrior, would any warrior’s dream.”

It was a much more positive response than I thought.

Could I be a bit more greedy here?

“However, there are conditions.”

“Yes?”

“Ratio. I’ll have eight in ten.”

“…?”
Ainar frowned at my words.

Could it be that she felt uncomfortable?

I continued the explanation.

“You don’t have to pay anything for forming the team. And I promise. At least this
ratio will make you much more money than if you went into the labyrinth alone.
Besides, I’ll pay for all the other consumables –”

“Stop, no need to explain.”

“…?”

“Even if you say something difficult, I won’t understand it anyway. So just do like you
said. I trust you.”

“…Right.”

I had no choice but to admit that I had underestimated the barbarian race.

“I am indebted. Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

Ainar walked over and slapped me hard on the back.

Calling it a debt was too heavy, but…

Well, I’d better get used to it quickly.

“I’ll do my best.”

I now had a reliable barbarian teammate.

Next morning.

I visited the sacred sanctuary with Ainar.

The sanctuary is a kind of communal nurturing facility.

Barbarians who leave for the city, if they have children, send them back here.
Because they have to be warriors until the day they die, they can’t afford to raise
children.

And those children, too, leave for the city once they become adults, and the cycle
continues.

This wasn’t something I had to worry about right now.

“Bjorn son of Yandel.”

Upon arrival, the chieftain came out to greet us.

Fuck, this was why I didn’t want to return for a while…

“It’s rare for a warrior who has left to come back to visit. Are you here to learn to
read too, like Penelin’s second daughter Ainar?”

Suppressing the pounding of my heart, I shook my head.

“It’s not that, chief. I came for a different reason.”

“A different reason…”

The chieftain looked at me with curious eyes.

Don’t be nervous.

Didn’t you learn the barbarian way of speaking from Ainar and prepare in advance?

Just don’t make a mistake.

“Tell me.”

I took a deep breath and said calmly.

“I want to get a spirit engraving.”

Different races have their own characteristics.

For example, fairies deal with elemental spirits, and dwarves with artifacts.

Barbarians have ‘spirit engraving’.

This growth method couldn’t be used in the early game due to the significant cost…

Luckily, I now had a huge amount of money, over 1 million stones.

So, after thinking over and over again, I made the decision.

It was still terrifying to stand in front of this fucking chieftain bastard…

“To be precise, the ‘undying’ imprint.”

But without a doubt –

This was the best way to spend my money.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 가릴 때가 아닌데 (lit. it’s not the time to choose), related to the proverb 찬밥
더운밥 가릴 때가 아니다 (lit. it’s not the time to choose between cold and hot rice),
meaning beggars can’t be choosers. See here.

[2] 귀차니즘 (lit. lazism), a neologism defined as lazy behaviour stemming from
finding everything in the world a nuisance. See Naver.

[3] 개발렸 (lit. develop) is a gaming slang, meaning completely defeated.

The chieftain’s eyes narrowed.

Shining with a savage cruelty.

“Where did you hear about spirit engraving? How could a young warrior know about
them?”

Naturally, I’d first learned about them in the game.

How could an old player like me, who was solidly in the ranks of rotten water, be
unaware of such basic information?

But I answered honestly.

“I read it in a book.”

There was nothing to fear, because I’d already confirmed that the information could
be easily found in the library.

“The book said that the spirit engravings were a great help in fighting the fairies
during the War of the Holy Relics –”

“Hahahahahahahaha!!”

The chieftain suddenly broke into manic laughter, cutting me off.

To be honest, it was really scary, but I didn’t let that stop me, since that laughter
seemed to contain a hint of joy.

“Did you read that in a book? Hilarious! And there’s Ainar too, to think we got a pair
of such quirky bastards this time!”

Fortunately, the chieftain seemed to be fond of young barbarians who liked learning.
“…If the book’s contents are true, I too want to get this secret magic.”

“Certainly, we have no reason to refuse a spirit engraving if a warrior demands it!

But, young warriors! There is just one problem!”

“Problem?”

“It costs a lot of money.”

What, don’t scare me like that.

Was that worth being so serious about?

Spirit engraving required a lot of expensive materials.

For higher-grade engravings, not just money, you’d also have to collect a lot of
reagents.

“Hahaha! It’s amazing that you’ve come this far after reading a book, but you don’t
seem to have understood everything!”

“If you need money, then you need money. How much?”

The chieftain looked at me as if he was looking at something cute.

“The cost of the undying imprint is, well, about 800,000 stones!”

I frowned.

Ugh, it was 150,000 stones more expensive than it’d been in the game.

I could still afford it, though.

“I can pay.”

“What?”

“Is that really true?”

The chieftain and Ainar exclaimed at the same time.

Before they could make too much of a fuss, I took out a pouch of 500,000 stones and
three of 100,000 stones from my pocket.

At this, doubt appeared in the chieftain’s eyes.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, where did you get so much money?”

It would’ve been a shame if he hadn’t asked.

I’d taken some trouble to prepare the screenplay in advance, after all.

I told them what’d happened with Erwen, with some adaptations.

Roughly speaking, the fairy I met on the first floor had to work for me like a slave, an
essence dropped by chance, and her sister paid the price with money…

“Hahahahahaha!! That’s great, it’s what those fools deserve!”

“To rob those wretched midgets, you’re the first! Bjorn son of Yandel!”

The barbarians were fonder of this story than expected.

Not only Ainar and the chieftain, even the elders who’d been standing far away came
by to laugh.

Wasn’t this a bit much?

“Hah ha ha ha! I don’t know how long it’s been since I last laughed like this!”

Soon, the chieftain took 600,000 stones from my hand.

Huh? I was sure he’d said 800,000 stones…

As I tilted my head, the chieftain clapped me on the shoulder.

“My gift for a young warrior who has shown such great qualities!”

My shoulder did feel dislocated, but the reward was sweet enough.

Fuck, with one sentence, 200,000 stones!

Our chieftain was gallant like only a barbarian could be.

My heart was full of sincere emotion.

“Whenever I see those idiot tribals again, I’ll make sure to fuck them and become a
greater warrior!!”

“I look forward to it! Young warrior, Bjorn son of Yandel!”

Was this what people meant by familiarity breeding fondness?

I was gradually beginning to like this barbarian race.

Spirit engraving is a kind of strengthening technique.

The principle is to obtain special powers by infusing the ‘spirit’ of the magical
material into the body.

It’s also the reason why barbarians are always covered in tattoos.

They probably get tattooed as infants while the soul is relatively pure, so that the
soul circuit can be seen even when they reach adulthood.

It’s definitely a setting like that.

“I will give you one more chance to think about it. If you choose this path, you cannot
receive the spirit engravings of other paths. Are you still sure?”

“Of course.”

I know all the paths.

So I won’t be changing my decision.

The high-grade imprints of the ‘undying path’ are the core of my nurturing method,
and even disregarding that, all the abilities of the undying path are pretty high-tier.

“It seems that the elder has also arrived, so I should go.”
“Alright.”

After Ainar leaves, the chieftain leads me to the shaman’s tent.

And the operation begins in earnest.

“Hmm, the circuit is pretty clean. Keep your heart pure, and this spirit will give you
great power in the future.”

The masked shaman utters some incomprehensible words and starts poking the
tattoos on my torso with a needle.

And…

“Uggghhhhh…”

“Young warrior, don’t hold back, you can scream. It’s the same for everyone.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

A searing pain, ten times worse than the potion had been, assaults my senses.

Damn, I thought this would just be like getting a tattoo.

Do I have to feel this pain every time I go up higher on the path?

“Okay, it’s over. I’m tired, so leave.”

By the time the shaman utters the words I’d been waiting for, the sky has already
become dark.

The chieftain who brought me here is nowhere to be seen.

“Thank you.”

“Kuku, this is the first time ever that a warrior has thanked a shaman.”

Yes? Did I do something wrong?

I don’t know, but let’s get out of here before anybody catches on.
「You have activated Undying Imprint Stage 1. Natural regeneration is greatly
increased. 」

「Body +20」

Mentally, I feel extremely tired, but my body feels strangely full of energy.

Is this the power of the spirit imprint?

It feels very strange. Like some unknown power is residing within my body.

I should check the details later.

“Open the door!”

After leaving the sanctuary and returning to the inn, I test my newly acquired
abilities a few times, then collapse on the bed and fall asleep.

Another day passed, and morning came.

I went back to the business district I’d visited along with Erwen the other day.

It was time is to invest all my remaining capital, less than 900,000 stones after the
chieftain’s passionate discount, in myself.

“You’re the one who came by last time. Are you here to sell again?”

“No, this time I came to buy.”

I needed a new weapon.

The hammer I’d gotten from uncle was sold together with the rest of the weapons
last time.

It wasn’t bad, but the handle was too long to use it one-handed, so it was a bit
uncomfortable.

“I want to see some one-handed blunts.”

“One-handed blunts…”

As a result of my battles with Ainar, I’d decided that they suited me better than
blades.

Bladed weapons required more proficiency.

Well, there’s nothing you can’t do if you practice, but…

In the first place, the weapon itself would only be for the early levels, so it wouldn’t
be efficient to train it. Once I got the ‘essence’ I was aiming for, I’d just focus on the
shield.

“Hmm.”

The shopkeeper looked me up and down, and brought me a few ‘one-handed blunts’
that didn’t look like they could be called that.

The lightest one seemed to be three times heavier than the two-handed hammer I’d
used.

Hey, do you call this a one-handed blunt weapon?

“These are all the one-handed blunts favoured by barbarians.”

Okay, it might’ve been fine for them, but I was dying here.

Although my shield, too, was a brutish slab of pure steel.

But even so…

“I want something a little more normal.”

“All right.”

There was no need to buy some crazy shit.

Although it was true that such a weapon would allow my destructive power to
multiply by several times…
But almost all the monsters on the first floor were already at the level of one-hit,
one-kill.

I wasn’t even going to fight any huge monsters, so carrying such a large weapon
around would just be cumbersome.

“How about these?”

Soon the merchant took out some new weapons.

Of course, these too were out of the norm, but they fit a barbarian’s body size just
right.

I chose a mace of moderately brutish size.

“How much is this?”

“250,000 stones.”

250,000?

I sold you six weapons last time only for 350,000 though?

Frowning, the shopkeeper added:

“The crafting level isn’t that high, but the steel content is, so it can’t be helped.”

Oh, that made sense.

I understood.

Although I wasn’t going to just let that pass unchallenged.

“Bring it down to 220,000 stones, and you’ve got yourself a buyer.”

When I tried to bargain, the merchant looked at me with curious eyes.

…Just how profligate a life did these barbarian bastards lead?

“Nobody will buy these anyway.”

“The barbarians often look for these, actually.”

Well, maybe that was true for the first ones he’d showed me.

But the barbarians I knew wouldn’t pick something this esoteric.

Above all, most barbarians preferred sharp bladed weapons like an axe rather than
blunts.

When I mentioned my reasoning, the trader agreed to the bargain distressingly

easily.

“Good. Then you can have it for 220,000 stones.”

…Should I have aimed for 200,000?

「Total item level rises by +85.」

Anyway, after that, I looked around and purchased two additional pieces of
equipment.

First of all, a half-armour.

「Total item level rises by +57.」

It was shaped similar to a bulletproof vest, made of sheet steel. The price was
360,000 stones, and it was a bargain because I managed to find one just the right
size.

I would’ve had to pay twice as much for a custom order.

Like the second piece I bought, a helmet.

“It’ll take three days. I’ll jot down your address and have someone deliver it to you.”

Helmets had to be custom-made because they had to fit snugly on the head.

By giving up on the design altogether, I was able to haggle the price down to
relatively cheap, 170,000 stones.
「Total item level rises by +47.」

As a result, about 50,000 stones remained.

…There wouldn’t be any meat dishes in my future, it seemed.

My daily routine has been set.

Wake up at 7am.

Have breakfast with Erwen.

“Wow, the stew even has potatoes today!”

“Tell me something, why do you come here for breakfast every day?”

“It’s delicious and cheap, isn’t it?”

Afterwards, I head straight to the library.

If I take it slow, I can make it right at the opening time, 8 o’clock.

“Parstyev.”

Receive the spell from the chronically tired lady librarian.

“Do your best.”

“…”

Of course, we haven’t even had a proper conversation yet.

Creak–!

After reading till 4pm, if possible, visit the restaurant you’d went to the first time, for
a simple meal.

Although the place is expensive and the food is bland.

But there’re a lot of adventurers, so it’s easy to eavesdrop on conversations.

“Is Ainar still out?”

“Yes! I’ll deal with you till she’s back!”

After a rough meal, go to the barbarian dormitory around 5 o’clock.

From the seventh day of training, I’ve started competing with the other barbarians.

Like them, I also take off my upper garments, swing my fists and strangle their necks,
and in a word, fight fiercely.

Although it’s far from the systematic fighting training I’d expected…

Fighting with the barbarians, with their finely honed instincts and razor-sharp
intuition, is indubitably a great help to me.

I am also a barbarian.

「Reflexes improve slightly with repeated training.」

「Flexibility improves slightly with repeated training.」

「Dynamic vision improves with repeated training… 」

「Body +1」

Now, I have a better sense of how to utilize this body of mine.

“Bjorn son of Yandel has won!!”

“The greatest warrior ever!!”

Even without the help of new equipment, I can occasionally win against Ainar.

She is certainly skilled, but the downside is that she has some fixed patterns.

I gave her some advice, but it seems like they’ve already become a habit, and she
can’t fix it easily.
“Tired! I am going to sleep!”

“Me too!”

“A wise warrior knows when to rest!”

At 9 pm, all the mock battles that seem no different than actual battles are over.

Then, I drag my body covered in sweat and dirt back to the inn.

By the time I wash up, Erwen comes again.

“Uncle! Wash up right away! The food will get cold!”

“I get it.”

Not every day, but five times a week, we meet once more in the evening to eat and
chat.

Most of the talk consists of nonsensical everyday stories about what Erwen did and
how she felt today.

“Isn’t it annoying to have to walk an hour every time?”

“No? The rice here is really cheap and delicious!”

It’s true, it’s pretty cheap and delicious.

But what does that have to do with you, with your tycoon elder sister?

“I really enjoyed the meal!”

By the time we finish eating, it’s around 11pm.

Time for Erwen to also return to her dormitory.

“Then, good night. Oh, and I can’t come tomorrow either.”

“You couldn’t have met me if you did. We should both be busy tomorrow.”
It’s time to end my daily routine that has been repeated up to this point.

After checking the time, I quickly go up to my room and flop straight down on the
bed.

A month has already passed.

And…

[23:41].

About 24 hours remain before the labyrinth opens again.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 1

Body: 46 (New +21) / Mind: 36 / Ability: 1

Item Level: 202 (New +185)

Combat Index: 133.5 (New +67.25)

Library, city adaptation, fighting training.

I skipped all the daily routines I’d been repeating for the past month.

Because they were not what the adventurers had to do on the day the labyrinth
opened.

[08:10].

As soon as I woke up, I skipped breakfast and hurried to where I was supposed to
meet Ainar.

Because I’d heard that you needed to wait at least a few hours to get your turn.

“Here! Bjorn son of Yandel!”

To my surprise, Ainar had arrived before me.

“…Since when have you been here?”

“Didn’t you say you would leave me behind if I were late? So I slept at the front
overnight! Come on! We’re first in line!”

“…”

Even though it was 30 minutes before opening time, there was already a long queue
in front of the entrance.

However, thanks to Ainar, we were able to enter the Adventurers’ Guild as soon as
the doors opened.

“What are you here for?”

“We’ve come to receive binding magic.”

“Is it a two-person team?”

“Yes.”

“Put your hands here together.”

As we followed the instructions, a faint light leaked from the crystal ball.

The colour was greenish.

“Two ninth ranked adventurers. That comes to 15,000 stones.”

15,000 stones…

If I hadn’t scrimped on living costs, it would’ve been a little tight.

I meekly paid from my pocket.

It was indeed tragic, but it was an unavoidable expense.

When entering the labyrinth, the starting point is random, but if you receive this
magic in advance, you can at least start from the same place.

“What is the adventurer rank based on?”

“It’s measured by the total amount of essence engraved on the soul.”

“Right. So, does the cost of forming a bond increase with rank?”

“Naturally.”

Haah, this didn’t match with the game.

“It’s done. Please note that this will only work for the next 24 hours.”

“Understood.”

It was a little past 9 o’clock when we finished our business and left the Adventurers’
Guild.

“Let’s go back to my inn for dinner. The food’s pretty good.”

“The inn? You mean your inn cooks meals for you?”

What kind of life had she been living?

When asked a question in return, Ainar replied with an easygoing tone that it wasn’t
a big deal.

“I usually buy the bread I’d eaten in the labyrinth.”

Ah, the one that cost 20 stones.

I’d tried it once in an attempt to save money on food, but had to give up after a while.

I didn’t know the exact principle, but what’d been quite edible inside the labyrinth
was hard as stone here outside.

‘That’s why they call it rock-bread… ’

But did she keep eating that for a full month?

My heart was full of sadness for some reason, so I ordered meat and stew, leading to
Ainar swearing an oath of allegiance on the spot.

“Bjorn! Even if you ask me to jump into a pit of fire, I won’t refuse! So don’t leave
me!”

After a tearful meal, we went up to my room and organized our backpacks.

“Be careful. If you forget something necessary, it’ll be troubling.”

“Don’t worry! Because there’s nothing I need to bring!”

Time passed surprisingly quickly as I checked my equipment and shoved in

exploring equipment and consumables into my backpack.

“Then let’s get some sleep now.”

“I’ve never seen such a soft bed. It looks like two people can lie down! It doesn’t even
smell!”

After finishing the maintenance so that we were ready to enter the labyrinth at any
moment, we lay down next to each other and slept.

It was pretty cramped with the two of us there, though.

With Erwen, there’d be space left for one more normal-sized person.

“Even if you can’t sleep, force yourself to close your eyes. You won’t be getting proper
sleep for a while –”

Erm, what was I worrying about again?

Rrrrrrrumble–!

Before I could even finish speaking, came the snoring sound in the native style of the
barbarians.

I just smiled and closed my eyes.

How long had it been since then?

[20:30].

We woke up a little early and had our last meal on the first floor.

A special, extravagant meal that cost 800 stones per head.

“Hey, what does this taste like?”

Ainar, who’d been fussing all through the meal, bit the baked cream pie that’d been
served as dessert and froze.

“Oh, is it some kind of magic? M-, my eyes keep tearing up.”

“Ah, that’s called ‘sweet’.”

” I think I’ll have to work hard from now on…”

It wasn’t intentional on my part, but more motivation was always good.

“So many.”

As we packed our bags and headed out into the night streets, there was a crowd of
people passing through instead of the usual quiet.

Most of them, like me, were armed and carried a large backpack.

Although not all of them were, and there were also barbarians with just a weapon on
them.

Looked like they’d just entered the city today after finishing the coming-of-age
ceremony…

“Stop! I must have lost my way.”

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

“Parthun has no qualification to be the leader!”

So this happened every month, huh.

Just how did they actually reach the labyrinth every time?

While I was seriously pondering the issue –

“Follow them and you will reach the labyrinth.”

Ainar approached them with advice.

The young warriors looked at her like you would a successful senior, and gave
profuse thanks.

“Thank you. I will definitely repay this favour one day!”

Watching the young barbarians moving away, Ainar wiped her nose.

“…Hooo, it reminds me of the past.”

Please don’t wave it off and pretend it’s a thing of the past.

I don’t think anything has actually changed between then and now.

“Everyone, back off!”

Thousands of people had already gathered in the Dimensional Plaza. As we found a

place to sit and settled in to wait for midnight, a light began to shine from the centre.

Although it was small at first, the halo quickly grew in shape and finally coalesced
into a sphere.

“Now you can enter!”

When the official shouted, the adventurers around us quickly throw themselves into
the portal.

I led Ainar out to the fringes to avoid the press of the crowd.

“Bjorn, aren’t we going in?”

“Wait.”

The number of adventurers gathered in the plaza dropped by dozens every second,
but the crowd was still as packed as ever.

Because other adventurers kept arriving.

About forty minutes after the portal opened, the once-crowded Dimensional Plaza
had become pretty quiet, with a line of seven to eight hundred people.

“…Shouldn’t we go in now?”

The portal, which had already devoured tens of thousands of adventurers, was
getting smaller in size.

But I kept waiting.

Ainar also raised her voice to check if I was paying attention.

“Bjorn, what are you waiting for?”

Well, it was too complex to explain…

I didn’t know if she’d understand or not.

Even so, I decided to give a brief explanation as there was quite a bit of time left.

“I plan to enter when the dimension is unstable. The book says it happens once in a
hundred years, but if you use this phenomenon –”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I’ll follow you.”

“…?”

“I feel like I won’t understand anyway!”

I did honestly think that would be the case.

It was annoying that she said that after being the one to ask in the first place, but…

To be fair, it might be quite convenient to be able to skip the explanation for each and
every action.

“The gate will close soon! Back off!”

Eventually, the portal’s light began to fade.

There were no adventurers left at this point.

Then I slowly walked towards the labyrinth with Ainar.

Seeing us like that, the official exclaimed.

“It’s dangerous to enter now!”

I pretended not to hear.

I didn’t know what they meant by dangerous.

Considering that there were even books with statistics, they had to be aware of the
phenomenon…

“B-, Bjorn! Those important-looking people are saying it’s dangerous! We have to get
out of here!”

Then why did they never consider using this?

One second, two seconds, three…

Well, what’s the point in a countdown?

My gut tells me this is enough.

“It’s now. Let’s go.”

“Kuhk!”

I push Ainar from behind and jump into the labyrinth.

Flash–!

A flash of light obscures my vision, and when it disappears, a deep darkness is there
to greet me.

It means that what I’d intended has worked.

“Ahead! I can’t see ahead! I should’ve listened to that important-looking fellow after
all! Bjorn is an idiot!”

“Ainar, calm down.”

Ainar regains some of her composure as I take out a torch from my backpack in a
hurry and light it up.

“Damn, how the hell did this happen?”

“Even if I tell you, you won’t understand.”

“That… That’s true!”

Having easily convinced Ainar, I slowly look around. And as I see the monument in
front of the dead-end wall, a strange feeling wells up inside me.

Really, the dimensional instability phenomenon is closely related to the starting

point of the portal.

The news is both happy, and sad.

This means that if I’d decided even a minute earlier the first time, I wouldn’t have
had to crawl on three legs with one leg in tatters!

Whoooooosh–!

As soon as I place my hand on the monolith, a halo bursts out and coalesces into a
sphere.

“What is this?”

“It’s a portal for going up to the second floor.”

In other words, we’ve skipped all the intermediate processes of finding the route
using the compass, fighting monsters as we meet them, and wandering in the dark.

At least a day or two has been saved.

“What?! The chieftain said it would take three days to find the portal! What kind of
magic did you use?”

Even if I tell you, you won’t understand.

「First portal opened. EXP +2」

「The character’s level has risen.」

「Soul Power +10」

「Maximum absorbable essences rises by +1.」

To regain my original status as an old expert, I have to make good use of the bugs.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 2 (New +1)

Body: 46 / Mind: 36 / Ability: 4 (New +3)

Item Level: 202

Combat Index: 136.5 (New +3)

「You have entered the Goblin Forest on the second floor. 」

Finding myself floating about 3m up in the air, I quickly regained my balance and
landed on my two feet.

Step!

Yeah, I’d practiced this.

While wrestling with the barbarians.

“Ugh!”

Watching Ainar fall and pound the ground with her buttocks, I could feel my own
growth anew.

I could now understand Erwen, who’d smirked at me, to some extent.

“Ugh, my ass is numb.”

It was pretty funny to watch.

Well, she was athletic, so she’d learn to land properly in no time.

“What is it? You look sad?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Leaning around, I took out my watch and set it to 0:05.

The plan had been to do it right away after opening my eyes, but I’d forgotten.

Still, I moved it forward by 5 minutes, so there shouldn’t be a problem.

“…Ainar, do you feel it too?”

“What do you mean?”

“It feels like my heart is pounding.”

Maybe I should describe it as a sensation of something denser than blood pouring

into my veins and filling me up from the inside?

It was like that from the moment I crossed the portal, and now I could feel it clearly.

What was this?

After I explained the symptoms, Ainar quickly made a diagnosis.

“Looks like your soul level has risen! Congratulations!”

Ah, so I’d leveled up.

[Dungeon and Stone] also has levels.

Soul power is based on level. In other words, as you level up, MP, the resource
required to use abilities, increases, and the total number of absorbable essences also
increases.

For example, at level one, I could only absorb one essence, but…

At level two, up to two would be possible.

Well, you’d have to come across two essence drops for that to count.
“It’s amazing. You haven’t even caught any monsters yet, but your soul still rose in
rank!”

“No wonder. Opening the portal for the first time must’ve been recognized as an
achievement.”

Achievement is a term that means a feat that gives you experience points.

“Um, what does ‘recognized as an achievement’ mean?”

Ah.

Well, once you reach a certain level, ‘speedruns’ are the easiest way to increase your
experience.

[Dungeon & Stone] is a game with a slightly unusual growth system.

You can only get experience points from the same monster once and only the first
time. Therefore, just like filling out a book of pictures, you have to defeat various
different monsters to get exp and level up.

Uh, wait, wasn’t this a bit dangerous?

“…Ainar, this is a secret between you and me. Do you understand?”

“Secret? What do you mean?”

“I was the first to open the portal. This has to be kept secret. If anyone asks, tell them
that it took us two days to get to the second floor.”

Opening the portal only gave 2 exp. In other words, it was equivalent to about two
rank nine monsters…

‘But unlike hunting monsters, achievements can be repeated to accumulate exp.’

Therefore, adventurers who’ve reached a certain level stake it all on speedruns.

Because whether you can hunt a monster or not is decided by various factors – if
you’re a good match-up against it in combat, its zone of activity, if you have a wizard
in your party or not, the nature of the god your cleric worships, etc.
So if you reach a limit, you can only persist with stubborn effort and keep trying to
grind down the wall blocking your way.

But what if you could bypass all of that from the start?

Only I knew this trick to do that, and it was my ticket to easy mode.

If this got spread around, it won’t end well for me.

“I swear on my honour as a warrior.”

Was my expression too serious?

The look in Ainar’s eyes changed, and she even made an oath although I hadn’t asked
her to. It did make me feel pretty relieved, but we still needed to move quickly.

“We have to run.”

Adventurers would start pouring in here in a few hours. And if they saw the two of
us here who looked like rookies, they’d start doubting.

How did two rookies manage to get here earlier than the veterans?

It was best to not be seen at all.

As always, I was more scared of adventurer bastards than the actual monsters.
I slot the torch into the groove carved onto my helmet.

And tie it tightly with a string.

Let’s call this, barbarian: candle mode.

…It looks a bit bizarre, but this is a very practical setup that’s popular among the
adventurers.

Ainar puts her hand into the crackling flames, and exclaims in wonder.

“Oh, amazing! There’s really no heat!”

Yes, this torch is also a magic tool.

It is only an arm span in length, so it doesn’t interfere with bodily movements, and
can burn for three days straight – a very useful item.

It’s an expeditionary item I got from the crossbow party.

The average price is, hmm, I guess about 10,000 stones?

…I suddenly miss Erwen.

“But where is this?”

The surroundings slowly come into view, and Ainar looks around before asking.

There’s a huge gap between what you actually see and the 2D pixel graphics of the
game, but it’s still easy to recognize.

The black earth squelching with every step.

Ruins of stone buildings scattered about.

And even the mournful cries echoing faintly from afar.

“The Land of the Dead.”

“Ah, that’s where the ghouls and deathfiends come from!”

She’s right, for once.

To elaborate, elder ghouls, skeletons, banshees and even mid-level bosses like
dullahans may appear.

“I’ll take point.”

The average combat power of the monsters is much higher in the Land of the Dead
compared to the Goblin Forest.

But if one asks which place is trickier, it should be the Goblin Forest.

It’s a lot darker here, but…

At least there are no traps.

This is much more comfortable for two barbarians working together.

“There’s a ghoul.”

Before long, we encounter some monsters.

They’re few in number, a mere three.

Of course, this number will increase by three times from the third day.

And that’s just one more reason for us to move quickly.

“Bjorn, I found a mana stone!”

“You don’t have to report every single thing, just take what you find. We can
distribute the loot later. Let’s speed up.”
Unlike the Goblin Forest, we speedily leave the entrance and continue heading north.

Then, we hear a scream nearby.

“Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

“B-, B-, Bjorn?!”

“It’s just a banshee howling. Ignore it. They rarely attack others first.”

“I see… But is it really fine to let it go? It might be dangerous.”

Well.

I don’t know about Erwen, who’s an elementalist.

But for us two with pure physical builds, no matter what we do, we can’t hunt a
banshee.

Even if I managed it somehow, it’d only become a bigger problem.

“If you attack a banshee pre-emptively, you’ll get cursed.”

“Curse?”

“It’s a curse called the ‘mark of grief’. Banshees will focus on you until you leave the
labyrinth.”

Unless you’re prepared to weather their attentions for ten whole days, it’s best to not
touch the banshees at all.

If experience is the goal, the common practice is to just hunt one or two on the last
day.

“You are a truly wise warrior. I’m lucky to be following you.”

Thank you for your praise.

I don’t want to expose it, but I understand well enough that you’re more afraid of this
kind of thing than I thought.
But that’s that and this is this.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Crack!

Please stop clinging to me every time there’s a sound.

Not only is it burdensome…

But the arm that you’re clutching feels like it’s about to break.

“Let, let go… It’s just skeletons.”

A group of skeletons appear, bones rattling.

Ten in number.

Even on the first day, there are quite a few monsters that come in higher numbers.

Well, even if we catch them all, only three to four mana stones would drop.

“Khm! I’ll get rid of them!”

Maybe because she’s ashamed of having been so afraid of the banshee’s howls, Ainar
jumps ahead first.

Tch, I click my tongue quietly.

“Ainar! Look between the ribs, you’ll see the nucleus. To hunt a skeleton with a blade,
you have to aim for…”

Crunch–!

“Huh? You say something?”

“…No, no. Don’t worry about it, just keep fighting.”

Crunch–! Crunch! Crunch!

Who cares about weakpoints anymore?

Every time Ainar swings her enormous greatsword, a skeleton gets mercilessly
smashed to pieces.

Never to get back up again.

「You killed an elder ghoul. EXP +1」

「You killed a skeleton. EXP +1」

「You killed a skeleton warrior. EXP +1」

「You killed a skeleton archer. EXP +1」

After that, we continued our northward journey for about eight more hours.

And naturally, we encountered various new monsters.

An elder ghoul, twice as large as a normal ghoul.

Skeleton warriors and archers, classified as mutants.

It was hard to make a final conclusion because we hadn’t met any mage types yet,
but the difficulty level hadn’t been much to speak of so far.

It was the first day, so the enemies were small in number, and my combat power had
also risen significantly compared to the last time.

Puff–!

Just consider my equipment.

I could only use uncle’s two-handed hammer with a short grip due to its centre of
gravity.
But now my mace, about 70cm in length, made it possible to strike from a distance.

Much safer, and much more powerful.

More than anything…

Claaang–!

I now also had armour.

Because it was just a vest made of sheet metal, my forearms were bare, but that still
meant I had a significantly smaller area to defend with my shield.

As a result, I could adopt a much more drastic fighting style.

As if my shackles had been lifted.

“Bjorn, be careful! We’ve got some skeleton archers!”

My T-shaped steel helmet exposed only the eyes, the nose and the mouth; and
protected the most important vital area, my head.

Of course, a direct hit with something like a crossbow would still be dangerous, but
deflecting the arrows shot from some shabby bows was no problem at all.

And I had another barbarian, with combat power similar to mine, by my side.

“Behel-raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

We cried out together the name of the ancestor of the barbarians, and continued the
one-sided battle that was nothing more than a massacre.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Crunch–!

No matter what kind of monsters appeared, ten seconds was enough for us to
destroy an entire group.

Was that why?

Every battle left me with a refreshed feeling that I’d never tasted while with Erwen.
Ohh, was this the true taste of a barbarian?

“Bjorn, you’re injured.”

Hm?

Hearing Ainar mention it, I checked, and there indeed was a slight scratch on my
forearm.

But…

“Don’t worry. It’ll get better soon.”

There was no need to apply any herbs, let alone a potion.

“Ooh! It’s already healing! Is this the effect of the spirit imprint?”

The efficacy of the first stage imprint of the undying pathway is that your natural
regeneration increases significantly.

Of course, it was nothing compared to a potion…

I’d checked the other day, and a 0.5cm deep gash took about a minute to heal to some
extent.

However, this alone was a sea change in the stability of my playstyle. My stamina
now recovered faster, and total stamina had also increased tremendously.

“Let’s slow down a bit and get ready. Looks like we’re almost there.”

Calming Ainar down, I lowered our speed of movement.

Suddenly, the terrain changed.

The floor turned hard instead of soggy, and flat ground gave way to hills.

The banshees’ howls got louder and louder.

“Kiyhihihihihihihi!!”
“Kehehehe, uaaaaaghh!”

Of course, the biggest change was something different.

This was the starting point for the upper-ranked species.

In other words, eighth grade monsters might appear from here on out.

“…Bjorn, you really won’t attack first?”

Perhaps because she was afraid of the banshee’s cry, Ainar had been gritting her
teeth for a while.

Perhaps it was a barbarian habit to clench their jaws when they were afraid…

I couldn’t know for certain, though.

Because I’d never been that scared.

“Cooooooooo—!!”

As we kept moving, we heard a strange roar in the dark.

Huh, hearing it actually even made me shake.

“Ainar, prepare for battle.”

“B-, but didn’t you say that we shouldn’t attack the banshees first, Bjorn?”

Did she have a problem with her ears?

“That’s not a banshee.”

Deathfiend.

Among the many eighth grade monsters that’d made the game so unwelcoming for
newbies, it was undoubtedly the worst.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The distant sound of heavy footsteps grows louder and louder, and finally it appears
before us.

“…Are we going to fight?”

Ainar asks a question, but continues before I get the chance to answer.

“It looks fun.”

I don’t know what goes on inside her head.

She herself told me last time how she’s afraid of dying, so how can she smile with
such childlike joy?

Is she only scared of banshees or something?

Boom–!

Perhaps because he’s bothered by the torchlight, the deathfiend halts at the edge of
it.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not.”

Why are you answering? It’s not you I’m talking to.

I had it all planned in advance, but now that I see it in person, I’m getting
goosebumps.

The deathfiend is a humanoid undead monster.

Or perhaps, it’s closer to a chimera?

It’s over 3m tall, equipped with a sword and a shield on its arms.

Not actually holding them, though.

One hand stretches out into a long, curved blade in the shape of a crescent half-
moon, and the other arm fans out wide from the elbow onward in the shape of a
shield.

They’re called ‘protean sword and shield’.

“Cooooooooo–!!”

Fuck, don’t shout like that. It’s scary.

It’s not easy to shake off the fear seeping into my head.

“Keep calm and follow the plan, and you can win.”

“Of course, I trust you.”

Thank you, but again, it’s not you I’m talking to.

…Let’s calm down.

Although this is the first attempt, there should be no danger as long as I don’t let my
guard down.

If things take a turn for the worse, just scarper and don’t look back.

“As I said before, always aim for the head. Because anywhere else would be useless.
Understand?”

“I get it!”

No, that wasn’t a sign to attack immediately.

“Behel-raaaaaaaaaa!!”

Ainar runs out, her two-handed greatsword swinging.

It’s already too late to stop her.

Perhaps the roar helps her draw the aggro properly, because the enemy also rushes
forward with its sword and shield instead of staying at the edge of the torchlight.
“Cooooooooo–!!”

Claaaaang!

Ainar’s greatsword and the deathfiend’s protean blade collide with a clangorous
roar.

“Bjorn, be careful! This monster’s power is no joke!”

Wouldn’t that usually be obvious from just seeing it?

“Behel-raaaaaaaaaa!!”

I join the battle with my own roar.

My shield guarding the front like a wall, I pound at the flank of the enemy,
interrupting its attack on Ainar who’s just been knocked away.

But is it possible for mere flesh to be this tough?

It feels like I’m striking stone.

Creeeeeeeak.

Even as I apply force, it’s me who gets pushed back, shield and all.

There’s no reason to keep at it – apart from my injured pride, that is.

I lift my toes up high, my heels digging on the ground.

Then I slam my entire weight forward, with not a roar but a scream.

“Aaaaaaaahhh!”

Fuck! I feel like my muscles are about to be torn apart.

But there’s an indescribable sense of joy.

Looks like I… managed to resist.

And Ainar isn’t green enough to let this gap go.

Boom–!

Her greatsword lodges itself at the side of the deathfiend’s head with a heavy, dull
sound.

Not severing it, but literally ‘lodged in it’.

Crack!

She cut with such a heavy sword, and yet it only pierced about 1cm into the enemy’s
flesh.

The blunt sound was probably the blade striking the skull.

Even in the game, the deathfiend boasted a notorious level of defence.

Although, it was its regeneration rather than physical defence that drove the newbies
away from the game.

“Cooooooooo!”

“Take distance, now!”

Avoiding the frantic struggles of the deathfiend, I widen the gap between us.

Dark red blood is dripping from where the sword was pulled out, but the bleeding
stops in less than three seconds.

Due to its passive skill, ‘preservation of the flesh’.

“Ainar! Make a gap. It’s my turn to attack!”

Just as I quickly shout an order out and try to rush in –

Thump, thump, thump!

The earth suddenly begins to shake.

This is my first time seeing such an effect, but I understand at a glance.

An active skill possessed by deathfiends.

‘Call of the dead’.

“Keep away, there’re ghouls coming!”

As the shaking stops, ghouls dig their way out from beneath the ground.

Exactly ten in number.

“Get rid of these guys first!”

“Got it!”

While Ainar gets rid of the ghouls with her greatsword –

“Coooooooooooooooooooooo!”

I keep the deathfiend’s attention.

Although since I keep drawing aggro, the ghoul bastards keep attacking me instead,
their nails scratching me up until my skin looks like a tattered rag.

Of course, it’s no big deal.

I have regeneration, too.

Although not as good as the other guy.

“Bjorn! Now I’ll take on this guy!”

The ghouls are wiped out in about two minutes.

It’s kind of funny, to be honest.

To think you can survive the deathfiend’s summoning pattern by just beating them
up.
‘I never did this well even in the game.’

While Ainar takes over the baton and starts marking him one-on-one, I take my mace
out and move behind his back.

And smash him good on the back of his head.

Puff–!

The sound and the feel are pretty good.

A trickle of putrid blood leaks out from the wound.

I keep hitting.

Puff–! Puff–! Puff–!

With enough power to convert a goblin into motes of light in every shot.

But, fuck, why is it still like this?

Crack!

In reality, the skull is sturdy beyond imagination. Even as I keep hitting it, the flesh
keeps healing.

…What should I do now?

The attack power is lacking.

If I’d known this beforehand, I’d have bought the weapon the merchant had
recommended at the time.

Should I just give up and go hunt rank nine monsters instead?

Crack! Crack! Crack!

I continue attacking with my mace as I keep thinking, but it’s not enough to destroy
the brain.
Whoosh–!

In the end, I have no choice but to step back to avoid the protean blade that comes
swinging in.

But then –

“Coootttt!”

Suddenly, the deathfiend’s body loses its balance and tilts.

I can see Ainar digging her heels, grabbing one of the legs of this 3m tall bastard and
lifting it up.

It’s a common technique in the UFC.

Don’t they call this…

‘A single leg tackle?’

“Behel-raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

All those muscles swelling up and those veins bulging out, the scene really makes her
look like the monster…

The goal is clear, and even seems feasible.

So I immediately join in.

Puff–!

When I hit the ankle he still has on the ground as hard I can with my mace, the
massive body completely loses its balance and hovers in the air for an instant.

And…

Thud–!

Crashes down on the floor.

This is what you call, in technical terms, a takedown.

Although I’d never even thought that applying such a technique against a medium or
large class monster might be possible.

…Anything’s possible if you’re a barbarian.

“Cooooooooooooooo!”

The deathfiend flounders on the ground like a worm turned on its back.

For us, who were about to rush in again, it’s a startling sight.

“Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!”

Wait, it can’t right itself back up?

“Bjorn!”

“Yeah!”

We read each other’s thoughts in our eyes.

Ainar and I run to its fallen form and smash it with our weapons like crazy.

Like when you make mochi, putting the rice on a mortar and take turns hitting it
with a mallet, we also decide on an amicable turn-based arrangement.

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

Come to think of it, this reminds me of making rice cakes in that folk village I’d
visited during elementary school.

“So fun!”

Maybe because I remember the buddy I’d paired up with crying and asking for their
turn?

Seeing Ainar having fun somehow heals the wounds in my heart.

As if my spirit is sublimating.

「You killed a deathfiend. EXP +2」

We smile brightly, watching the deathfiend dissolve into motes of light.

Without any help from a wizard’s mighty spells, a priest’s divine power, or a fairy’s
elemental magic…

“Bjorn! Look at this! The mana stone is huge!”

We’ve succeeded in hunting an eighth ranked monster.

A ninth-grade mana stone is equivalent to a rock-bread.

Meaning, each one is valued at about twenty stones.

Then what about an eighth-grade mana stone?

Unfortunately, one deathfiend is worth only five goblins.

“What? You mean only a hundred stones?!”

“…Including the summoned ghouls, it can drop up to 300 stones.”

Of course, even considering that, there was no denying that the amount was low.

Because we’d just had to risk our lives.

“Bjorn… How much was that bread we ate at the inn?”

“…I remember it was about 300 stones.”

“Then… Still, it means you can taste that sweetness once every time you catch a
deathfiend!”

Apparently, the cream pie she’d eaten earlier had now established itself as the new
unit of currency for Ainar.

Of course, if you divided it 8:2, you’d only get 0.2 units of sweetness per hunt, but…

I decided to not mention that out loud.

“Bjorn! We don’t have the time to waste! Let’s keep hunting!”

Although she’d been disappointed for a bit at the paltry reward –

I smiled as I looked at Ainar who’d regained her enthusiasm.

In this respect, it wasn’t a bad choice to team up with a barbarian.

I’d liked Erwen, my former teammate, but her downside was that she was too
passive about everything.

My current colleague was much better when it came to motivation.

“Okay, let’s go!”

After that, we continued to hunt around the neighbourhood for deathfiends.

With one hunt taking more than 20 minutes, we should’ve been at a loss even at 300
stones, but…

Turned out, our first attempt had been an outlier.

“Coooooooooo!”

“Behel-raaaaaaaaah!”

Each time we met a deathfiend, we rushed at it together, crying out the name of our
ancestor.

Then we grabbed one leg each, lifted, and threw the creature to the floor.

Let’s call it, a double barbarian tackle.

Thud!

A fallen deathfiend was just easy prey.

As we kept making chitchat, it ineffectually tried to reach us with its arms, and
quickly dissolved into motes of light.

It took about three minutes each time.

The moment one fell to the floor, it’d feel a sense of crisis and summon ghouls, so it
was difficult to shorten it further.
“Oooh!”

As the hunts continued, our mana stone pouches got filled up quicker and quicker,
but we were not satisfied with the speed and accelerated even further.

Because hunting deathfiends would become impossible from the third day.

If I hadn’t reached the second floor faster than anyone else using the bug, I wouldn’t
have even dared to fight these guys.

Because they wouldn’t be travelling alone anymore.

No matter how much could be done with a party of two, facing a group of three or
four of them would be difficult to say the least.

[14:27].

I checked the time and decided to take a short break.

There’s a saying about rowing hard when the tide is high, but accidents always
happen when you are impatient.

“Bjorn, thirsty.”

“Drink sparingly. The corpse flowers will bloom only from tomorrow.”

“Corpse flowers?”

They’re the only means of replenishing moisture in the Land of the Dead. When the
time comes, flowers bloom on the vines covering the rubbles of stone buildings, and
you can open them to find water within.

Ainar became a bit unsettled at my explanation.

“Bjorn, isn’t that unsanitary?”

It surely was.

I’d heard that it was okay to drink, but I still felt bad.
However, this wasn’t an appropriate response from somebody who shared a room
with four other people and never washed.

“Then do you have any other way?”

“None! I will drink!”

After resting for about twenty minutes to replenish our stamina, we again resumed
our hunt.

And until we were on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion, we managed to hunt a
total of seventy deathfiends.

Meaning, we’d earned more than 20,000 stones in a single day.

‘Isn’t this better than hunting only rank nine monsters?’

But the essence I’d been hoping for never dropped.

Even the word ‘atrocious’ isn’t enough to describe how rare essence drops are.

So in the early game, tweaking your playstyle according to the essence drop you
actually get is the basics…

The results depend on your skill as the player.

In that sense, I’d been looking forward to this.

Deathfiend essence is one of the top items you can get in the early game.

‘The problem is that there’s no sign of it dropping.’

The active skill ‘call of the dead’ that summons the ghouls is frankly a bit esoteric,
but the passive skill ‘preservation of the flesh’ is good enough to make up for that.

Of course, eating the essence doesn’t mean you’ll regenerate as fast as those
bastards…
But it has a good synergy with the undying imprint, which also increases your
regeneration factor.

[02: 57].

I checked the time while listening to Ainar’s snores.

One day had passed, and the second day started.

From now on, we’d have to fight two deathfiends at once, but there was another
aspect that made me feel a bit more relaxed.

At least it won’t look weird when we ran into other adventurers.

Again, I feared our fellow adventurers the most.

“Ainar, get up.”

“…I, I didn’t eat it!”

“It’s your shift.”

Three hours each.

After resting for a total of six hours, we unceasingly kept hunting deathfiends the
second day as well.

“Coooooooo!”

Even though they came in pairs.

Even with twenty ghouls summoned by their active skills, it was still worth the
effort.

Because we’d learned all their tricks by hunting them again and again on the first
day.

Coo–!

I fearlessly charged in to smash one of them to the floor.

The other one was also knocked down at the same time.

Even the smallest hitch in the whole process meant the whole operation would be a
bust, but…

Whenever that happened, we simply ran away without looking back.

“Ainar, let’s bounce!”

“Yeah!”

The deathfends moved pretty lumberingly, and they by habit didn’t pursue if one
escaped their territory, so we hadn’t faced any danger thus far.

Swaaaaaa–!

Each battle took about ten minutes.

Although about three attempts out of ten resulted in failure, since we were hunting a
pair at a time, our profits were pretty similar to the first day.

Groups had been fairly rare at first.

However, as the afternoon passed, groups of three began to appear occasionally, and
the frequency of such encounters kept increasing with time.

“We’ll have to leave this place soon.”

“A wise warrior knows when to retreat.”

It was the end of the second day.

I left the deathfiends’ territory, leaving my regrets behind me. We returned to the
area with the soggy mud, and found a suitable campsite inside a pathway.

That was then –

“…!”

It was our first time encountering another group of adventurers.

It was a group of three humans, prowling in the dark, relying on a torch like us…

We saw each other only after we’d approached within 10m of each other.

“What’re you looking at? If you don’t have any business, go away.”

“Hmm, excuse me.”

Ainar spat out coldly, and the other group passed us by, disappearing back into the
darkness.

It was a little strange.

Step, step.

They were only about twenty steps or so away, and the sound of their footsteps was
still faintly audible.

But their torchlight was no longer visible.

I’d heard that most of the stairs in the labyrinth devour light, this must’ve been what
that meant.

The bright light of a torch became almost impossible to see with the naked eye even
from just 10m away…

While I was pondering over this phenomenon for a while –

“Bjorn, we have to move.”

Ainar spoke up with a note of stubbornness in her voice.

“They know where we are. The walls here are convenient, but it’d still be safer to
find a new campsite.”

That was certainly true.

I was indeed going to do that.

But, something here didn’t fit.

What the heck, as soon as she saw another group of adventurers, she growled at
them to fuck off…

What a sudden shift in character.

“Bjorn, humans can’t be trusted.”

“…I agree.”

I see, we had one more thing in common other than both of us being barbarians.

Our distrust in the race called ‘humans’.

Looked like something’d happened to her during her first time in the labyrinth.

I’d have to ask her later.

“Then let’s go.”

We packed our bags and moved on.

But finding another campsite with as good a location as before turned out to be
difficult. Perhaps a compromise was in order, with just one wall protecting our
backs?

While I was busy thinking –

“Stop it…”

I could hear a moan, coming from somewhere nearby.

“Kahk! Huuk!”

It was no banshee.

It wasn’t even a woman’s voice in the first place…

“…Wa-, wait!”

The words were clearly discernible.

“Live, please let me –”

Damn it.

Why couldn’t I have just sat down and slept anywhere?

“…”

As the screams stopped, silence reigned again.

Ainar whispered.

“It wasn’t a monster attack.”

I knew that. I, too, had working ears.

It’s unlikely for a person to beg for their life in front of a monster.

The situation was clear. Somebody killed somebody else.

Fuck, what kind of dogshit situation was this?

I wasn’t some kid detective.

Since I had no intention of getting involved, I just grabbed Ainar’s wrist and slowly
started backing away.

But did they sense our footsteps?

“Who’s there?”

It was a cold, subdued voice.

It sounded rough, but it was a woman’s.

We held our breaths and didn’t move, not giving any response.

But at that moment –

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish! Popopopop!
Something like a flare shot into the sky, softly illuminating an area about 50m in
radius.

As a result, I was also able to meet the eyes of the owner of the voice.

We were less than 15m apart.

…Erwen would’ve been able to notice her presence from afar and avoid her, had she
been here.

“Hmm, rookies, is it?”

The nameless woman looked at us and made a quick judgment.

I was doing the same.

A dagger dripping with blood.

Four scattered corpses.

“…Pillager.”

The woman asked calmly.

“First time seeing one?”

“So-so.”

My first time seeing somebody as professional as this chick, at least.

“I see.”

Although some witnesses to her murder scene had just popped up, the woman who
was meaningfully nodding her head still looked very calm.

Somehow, I could guess the reason.

Pillagers.
Those who professionally hunt their fellow adventurers, instead of monsters, are
called that.

They earn good money by looting equipment off adventurers, instead of farming
mana stones from monsters.

Of course, if you get caught, you should be sentenced to death the moment you get
back to the city…

Except there’s nothing like that.

Just like I’d killed six adventurers in self-defence, and yet wasn’t investigated at all.

There’s no way to know what happens inside the labyrinth from the outside.

Unless someone tells you otherwise.

“…You aren’t wearing a mask.”

This was the most absurd aspect of the current situation.

This psychopathic bitch was blatantly showing off her face.

A little over 170 cm tall, with a skinny figure.

Tattoos running from under the eyes to her shoulders, and the back of her right ear
cut in half.

With this much information, identification wouldn’t even be difficult.

In the modern age, it’d be possible to collect evidence from this place itself…

But this was a fantasy world.

There were ways to distinguish truth from falsehood even without physical evidence.

“…Were they your colleagues?”

“Well.”
The woman looked at the scattered corpses and shrugged.

“They might’ve thought so.”

That’s why her face was bare.

While asking questions that I could reasonably expect to be answered, I quickly

organized the information that could be seen with the naked eye.

There were four bodies in total.

Due to their equipment level and the fact that one looked to be a wizard, I could tell
that they were adventurers who were active on at least the fifth floor.

And there were no traces of traumatic injury on three of the corpses.

But since traces of vomiting up blood and gastric juice remained on their lips…

‘Were they all poisoned? The man who was dealt with at the end had some tolerance,
so he managed to endure for a little while?’

I hoped my guess was correct.

The situation would be even more bleak if she was a talent who could kill four mid-
level adventurers alone without receiving a single wound.

Slowly, bit by bit.

The woman squatted down and started skilfully removing the equipment from the
corpses.

And put them one by one in her bag.

It might’ve been a magic tool or something, because even the bulkier items fit in
without any problem.

Making me feel fear before envy could arrive.

Just having such a thing made the difference between us desperately clear.
“Barbarian.”

The woman called out to us.

I didn’t respond.

Ainar asked me quietly.

“We going to fight?”

She really was great.

Erwen would’ve become terrified by now.

No matter how big the gap might be, did a warrior’s pride lie in never giving up or
something?

I answered briefly.

“I’m thinking.”

To be honest, I wanted to avoid the option of fighting.

Our difference was obvious just from the equipment.

And, if her skills matched her equipment, well… Even 2:1, our odds weren’t anything
to write home about.

Whooooosh–!

As its life expired, the light in the sky winked out, bringing back the darkness.

I immediately made my decision.

“Run. Full speed.”

Pride won’t save your life.

We run through the darkness.

I flip open the compass to check the direction from time to time, and do my best to
run like crazy.

“Groooooooowl!”

Ghouls, skeletons and other such monsters keep blocking the way, but they’re too
slow to cause any problems.

But the same would be true for our pursuer.

Pit-a-pat pit-a-pat pit-a-pat! Go our footsteps.

Has it been about five minutes?

That psychopath bitch must’ve been slow to finish her looting.

That’s the lucky part.

If we hadn’t been dressed like rookies, that bitch would’ve given up on the loot and
came after us straight away.

But this also proves that she has the means and the confidence to catch us even with
such a long head start.

Still, at least that’s bought us a little bit of time.

“Bjorn, isn’t that the mark?”

Good news keeps coming.

Collapsed stone buildings are everywhere, here in the Land of the Dead.
Every time I’d passed one, I’d marked it.

So I could find my way back to the first floor portal later.

“This way!”

Although I already knew we were in the vicinity, we come upon it earlier than
expected.

Maybe I got lucky –

“Who are you!”

Damn, I didn’t mean to raise a flag.

Ainar and my feet halt at the same time.

Because we’ve encountered another group of adventurers.

No, in a way, isn’t this better?

Pillagers are natural enemies of adventurers.

If we explain the situation and offer appropriate compensation, we might even be

able to get their help.

“Barbarian?”

The group of adventurers who suddenly appeared in the dark, point their weapons
at us and tilt their heads.

They are four in number.

Everyone is human, and the equipment looks at least twice as good as ours.

Humans are hard to trust, but we probably have no choice here.

“We’re being chased by a pillager. We request help.”

“So you guarantee that you are not pillagers?”

“I swear on my honour as a warrior. Everything I say is true.”

Contrary to my promise with the fairy, this time I offer my warrior’s oath unasked…

Surprisingly, this oath works everywhere.

A bald-headed guy, who seems to be the leader among the four, thinks for a moment
before speaking.

“If we catch the pillager, we will take all the rewards. Do you agree?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

As the bald-pated guy beckons, the other adventurers lower their weapons.

Obviously, this wouldn’t have been as easy if I weren’t a barbarian.

“Come here at once. We’ll talk more later.”

As I approached them, the yellow-haired man, about 160cm tall, uses this ability.

“This is my power, power of the earth gnome[1]. It can help you assimilate with your
surroundings up to a radius of three meters.”

To put it simply, an AoE version of the goblin archer’s stealth ability.

In return, it has the disadvantage of not being able to move.

“Any injuries?”

“None.”

“How lucky.”

The bald-headed man looks at me as he says so.

He’s definitely right.

Did I accidentally stumble upon a bunch of adventurers who have an AoE stealth
ability? We can even avoid combat altogether –

“Two barbarians rolled in.”

Fuck you, so you were talking to yourself?!

Really, I thought things were finally working out.

No, maybe there isn’t any problem?

「The character has fallen into a state of [suppression].」

“Hoho.”

A flash of greed can be seen in the adventurers’ eyes, including the baldie.

One of them’s already rummaged through my backpack and opened the magic stone
pouch.

“You made a lot of money in just two days.”

I want to cave his ribs in with my mace right now, but my body doesn’t move.

And the same goes for Ainar.

“Were you surprised that your body suddenly stopped moving?”

It’s the power of an essence, of course.

I can already guess what kind of essence it is.

There are many similar abilities, but there’s only one that these guys, who are
adventurers on the same floor as us, can have.

‘A stone golem’s [suppression], is it… ‘

I’m sure.

I got hit by the active skill of the eighth-grade monster, stone golem.

The easiest way to break free is to take damage, even a trivial hit for 1 damage is
fine…

If these bastards aren’t completely brainless, they’d be careful about that.

“Hey, buddy, it’s no use glaring like that. It’s not like you can solve the ability that
way.”

This is the worst situation, that can’t even be described as disgusting.

Damn, I said I was going to live, but I’m just going to die like this?

“Look at how he’s glaring. Hey, you still don’t understand the situation you’re in?”

“It’s fine, Ramod. Just end it like this. That pillager they mentioned might come along
any moment, it’s bothering me.”

“Sheesh, this is too bad. We finally caught a woman, but she’s a barbarian.”

“You idiot, isn’t a barbarian better? How much would its heart sell for?”

Their ugly desires, now revealed in full, prickle my skin and chill my bones.

The bald man pulls out a sharp blade and lifts it.

“Kill them in one blow. Don’t bother me.”

“Tsk, don’t worry.”

Whiz!

Killing intent suffuses the wind.

Pointing towards my neck.

‘…Neck?’
Even when death is imminent, my brain synthesizes all sensory information and
suggests a way.

Of course, I don’t know if it really would work.

But it’d be much more productive than ruminating on my life and pondering over my
regrets.

Snikt!

The sharp blade cuts through my neck.

At the same time, a tingling sensation rises, and the stiffness that covered my body is
released.

I immediately tilt my head back.

Like a boxer turning his face and bleeding off the power of an incoming punch.

Time slows down to a crawl.

“…Huh?”

I can see the grumpy expression on his face.

The hand that’d been holding the dagger is now empty.

That’s when I feel a foreign object stuck in my throat.

‘Oh, it’s stuck halfway.’

The moment I realize it, my brain makes a brief conclusion.

It’s not bad.

As long as it doesn’t bleed as much, I can hold on a little longer.

Creak.

Balancing on one leg by forcing the other to loosen –

I swing the mace in my hand.

Towards that shiny, smooth, hairless crown.

Crunch–!

The bald man starts collapsing, his skull half caved in.

Slowly, at about 0.5x speed.

“Darvan!!”

There are so many confused faces all around.

What, you fuckers didn’t expect the guy with a knife stuck in his neck to hit back?

“Y-, -ou…”

Actually, I didn’t expect to either.

But this is how it is.

“Fu-, -cks…”

Something is seeping out of my throat all the while.

My body loses strength and the light blurs.

Is this shock?

A tingling sensation is spreading from head to toe.

Lack of oxygen and blood.

It hurts!

The mace and the shield I’ve been holding fall to the floor as if I can’t even grasp
them properly.

I want to collapse right away and rest…

But there’s still work to be done.

I’m not doing this shit just to take one more bastard down with me.

Creak!

Stomping on my feet, I raise up my staggering body.

Pulling out the knife directly from my neck –

I throw it at Ainar, who’s only about four steps away.

Snikt!

Uh, I didn’t know it would stick like that.

“Ouch!”

Sorry, but at least your body can move now.

Slash!

At the instant the dagger pierces her forearm, Ainar swings her greatsword and cuts
the nearby archer in two at the waist.

From there she flows into a pirouette, rotating once, then leaps and slam her weapon
down on the third guy’s head.

His steel helmet is completely useless.

Crunch–!

Blood trickles out from the cracks covering the mass of scrap metal that the helmet
has become.

“Hey, this crazy…!”

The blond, who’s standing the farthest, immediately leaps away and runs without
looking back.
He’s no slower than a goblin in assessing the situation.

“Bjorn!”

Ainar, who’s finished cleaning up the surroundings, comes running, kneeling down.

Huh, then I can leave the rest to you –

“Bjorn…!”

Ainar hugs me and shouts my name like a dirge.

…As if she’s talking about a dead man.

Feeling an ominous sensation, I forcefully open my drowsy eyes and try to talk.

“P-, cough!”

“I get it! I will definitely get payback for you!”

No, it’s not about payback.

「 Achievement complete 」

「 Condition: Health drops below 0.1%. 」

「 Reward: Mind permanently increases by +3. 」

I desperately force out the word.

“Potion…”

Fuck you, save me.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 2
Body: 46 / Mind: 39 (New +3) / Abilities: 4

Item Level: 202

Combat Index: 139.5 (New +3)

Screeeech!

The hole in my neck began to heal, accompanied by a wave of pain.

But I was still ecstatic.

Because I could feel so clearly the life being breathed into my almost-corpse.

“Heh heh heh.”

The burning pain awakened the mind that had dulled.

…I lived.

I really thought I was going to cross the Jordan River and step foot into the promised
land this time.

Thankfully, I didn’t use those 1.4 million stones for anything else and got the undying
imprint first.

If not for that, I wouldn’t be sitting here now.

“Ainar.”

“Did you wake up?”

“Gear, grab all the gear first…”

As soon as I had the energy to speak, I gave Ainar instructions.

After that, I somehow hauled myself up and splattered the rest of the potion all over
my neck.
Splosh.

It felt like splashing money, but it couldn’t be helped.

Even though the wound on my neck seemed to be getting better, who knew what
state the insides were in.

What kind of damage had it done to my brain?

So, it was better to take precautions in advance.

“Ouch…”

In fact, before long, a tingling sensation appeared in the back of my skull.

Considering the intensity of the pain, it didn’t seem serious, but it might’ve
developed into a major problem if left unattended.

“Can I check it for a moment?”

“…What about the equipment?”

“I’ve already grabbed everything.”

I see.

At my nod, Ainar lifted my chin and carefully inspected the wound.

“This is going to scar.”

It was a bit weird.

Erwen had said something pretty similar.

Well, the feelings behind the words were completely different, though.

“Great. You’ll be the only barbarian with a scar from a pierced neck!”

Did she consider this body art?

Seriously, no matter how much the barbarians’ way of life is to believe only in your
own body, even they don’t make a habit of surviving with a hole drilled into their
neck.

“Now what?”

Ainar asked about my future plans.

I was also nervous about this.

Even though I’d just finished walking a tightrope between life and death…

Nothing had actually been resolved.

“How long has it been?”

“At the longest, about five minutes.”

Five minutes…

On the contrary, meeting these bastards had made the situation worse.

I’d been crazy to consider it.

No matter how urgent the situation, to try and borrow the power of other
adventurer bastards?

Anyway, there’d be time to regret it later.

“Which way did he run?”

“Towards there.”

Leading Ainar, I moved in the direction the blond had escaped to.

Although because the floor was muddy, there were no footprints left, so it was
impossible to track him properly…

But, just as expected –

“Here you are.”

I found him not too far away.

It was so dark around here, how far could he run?

Perhaps while running, he’d banged his head on the rubble of a building, and fallen
to the ground unconscious.

“Hey! S-, spare me!”

After taking everything that could be used a weapon, I roughly stomped on his back
to wake him up, and he immediately started grovelling.

A very polite attitude compared to before.

When he’d been clicking his tongue earlier because the woman they’d caught was a
barbarian.

“Uuggghhhh!”

Ainar grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him up with one hand.

However, he was so short that his feet couldn’t touch the ground.

“Kaaaghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Seeing him struggling, being strangled, made me feel refreshed rather than
sympathetic.

Rather, I wanted to give him some unasked-for advice. You should have done it
properly.

Always aim at the head, not the neck.

If you do that, even a potion or an undying imprint won’t help.

“Ainar, release him.”

Despite looking like she was questioning my instructions inside, Ainar let go.
I approached the fallen man and growled my order in his ears.

“Use your power. If you want to live.”

That was the only reason why I hadn’t dealt with this yellow rat yet.

The power of the earth gnome that this guy had.

Because I needed it right now.

“Done, I used it!”

“How long can you keep it up?”

“Thirty minutes! No, I can last forty minutes! So –!”

He was a chatterbox.

I wished he could just answer my questions.

I asked again, his collar clenched in my hand.

“How long will it take to use it again?”

“I have to rest afterwards for as long as I keep it up.”

“Right.”

I released my grip on his neck.

And pressed my feet down on his torso to prevent him from escaping.

As was my usual way with the goblins.

“Isn’t it better to just kill him? I think she gave up on us anyway.”

I wondered what kind of bullshit she was spouting now, but it might’ve looked like
that from her point of view.

Although we managed to escape, it was unknown whether or not we were actually

pursued.

Even considering the time to track us down, it was definitely strange that we hadn’t
even seen her hide nor hair yet.

“Gave up…”

Certainly, the possibility existed.

Maybe that psychopath bitch thought rookies like us weren’t even worth chasing
after.

So what if we returned to the city and testified?

If that bare face we saw earlier was actually some magical disguise, that’d fit as an
explanation.

But…

Squelch.

Things couldn’t possibly go that well.

I mean, this was me we were talking about.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 노움 (lit. gnome), gnome – a fantasy species or a spirit of the earth. Translating as
earth gnome for the name of the power only.
“Ainar, whenever something happens, always consider the worst-case scenario first.”

Just see what happened only a little while ago.

Did we not burn with the light of hope when we accidentally encountered human
adventurers?

The world won’t turn some specific way just because you want it to.

“The reason we were able to run from that place was because she let us go. She
must’ve thought that she could catch us quickly if she wanted. So this is too early to
feel reassured.”

The words are getting too long for her.

Let’s summarize around the main point.

“By now, she must be –”

“She must be secretly watching from nearby.”

This motherfucking…

No, I was guessing you were in hot pursuit at the worst.

I see, so there’s another abyss underneath the abyss.

Or maybe the problem is with my own intelligence.

“Bjorn!”

As Ainar and I put down our backpacks and prepare to fight, the woman emerges
from the darkness.
Still unmasked.

“I’m sorry, barbarian.”

…What’s with this creepy bitch?

“Still, that last struggle was impressive.”

What about the power of the earth gnome or whatever? No, seems like she’s already
been observing us for quite a while…

It doesn’t make sense, logically.

“…Why did you show up now?”

It’d taken me a few minutes after drinking the potion to be able to move.

Yet, why didn’t she aim for that gap?

While I’m waiting for her to answer –

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

The yellow-haired man gets up from where he’d been thrown to the floor, and starts
running with all his might.

Me and Ainar react a beat late, because all our attention is on the psychopathic bitch.

But…

Thwock!

A thin needle-like projectile flows in a straight line and pierces the blond’s neck.

Might it be poisoned?

Despite such a minor trauma, the blond trembles like an aspen in the wind, and soon
falls down, limp.

And I realize –
This isn’t the time to be leisurely asking questions.

“Ainar!”

We don’t need many or complex words to communicate.

The moment I call her name –

Ainar pushes herself off the ground and leaps forward, as if she’d been waiting for
my signal.

I am the same.

If you can’t run away –

What can you do except fight?

Claang!

Yet the pillager easily ducks under the swing of Ainar’s greatsword. And with a
dagger, she blocks the mace that came swinging from the side in perfect
synchronicity.

Claaang!

This crazy…

Just how many essences have you eaten?

Of course, the dagger that she blocked the mace with is still intact.

When the woman starts exerting force, my body starts getting pushed back.

“Stop doing meaningless things, barbarian.”

Well.

That sounds like a very difficult request.

Even if it’s pointless –

“Behel-raaaaaaaaaa!”

I am a barbarian.

Of course, my mind has not yet escaped the fetters of modernity.

Claaang!

I feel afraid every day, there’s no sign of getting used to pain, and I still keep trying to
come up with a way to escape.

Nevertheless, if there’s one aspect where we are the same –

Claang!

If there is only one path left before me –

I choose to walk it and beyond it.

Without hesitation.

Claang!

As the mace collides with the dagger, I discard it and attempt a tackle.

She doesn’t budge, as expected.

You’re also just an adventurer, why are your physical abilities so high?

Sullen thoughts rise up out of nowhere.

But even if I can’t knock you to the ground, I can bite you and bog you down.

“Ainar! Now!”

Before the shout even leaves my throat, Ainar’s greatsword is already swinging in a
beautifully clean straight line.

For the first time, the pillager bitch, who’s been expressionless the entire time,
shows her emotions on her face.
“…!”

Upset, or annoyed?

Well, maybe it’s anger.

Thwock!

Pain erupts from my back.

Did she just stab my spine?

No, what about my armour?

Irrespective of my doubts, my strength drains away.

「The character has fallen into a state of [paralysis].」

I try to cling on to her somehow, but my body, which ran wild like a monster even
after being stabbed in the neck, doesn’t listen to me at all this time.

Thwock!

Then the same sound comes again.

With a clang!, Ainar’s greatsword falls to the floor.

I force my pupils up, and see the dagger deeply embedded in Ainar’s wrist.

Even now, I want to…

Ainar is in pain, but doesn’t stop.

“AaaAAAA!”

Having lost her weapon, she swings her left fist instead of the paralyzed right arm.

Seeing her fighting spirit, I feel like I’m realizing it all over again. Why are barbarians,
no different in appearance than a human a few sizes too large, treated as monsters
by everyone?
But this isn’t a good match-up.

Whoosh!

The woman escapes the fist with flexible movements, and not stopping there, grabs
Ainar’s wrist, twisting it…

Thud!

And throws her down on the floor.

Ainar immediately tries to bounce back up, but keeps slipping and falling.

Her arms, tendons showing, are trembling.

Seeing that, the woman sighs coldly.

“Give up. There’s nothing you can do once paralyzed by basilisk venom.”

It’s like a death sentence.

My head goes blank and my vision darkens.

Equipment, skills, experience…

There is a stark difference in every aspect.

Even when I run my brain ragged, I can’t think of any way to turn the situation
around.

And when the word “death” is so bleakly engraved in my mind –

“I wish you could’ve heard me out this quietly.”

The woman bends over, and loosens my stiff hands still grabbing her trousers.

And continues indifferently.

“Barbarian, swear that you won’t reveal to anyone what happened today. Then I will
spare you.”
…What?

After a brief silence.

The woman spoke again.

“I was thinking of making this offer from the beginning, but you ran away so quickly.
Because I’m indebted to a barbarian.”

I could instinctively feel that this was my only way to survive, but…

I couldn’t understand it.

Looking at me lifting my head up so desperately, the woman explained briefly.

“As far as possible, I don’t want to kill a barbarian with my own hands.”

With her own hands…

Was that why she just watched when I fell for that yellow-hair’s trick?

So she didn’t have to get her own hands dirty?

“Bjorn… the pillager’s words. Don’t, believe… She just wants to toy with us.”

But even if you say that, I don’t have a choice.

If I’m just being fooled and toyed with –

What difference does it make in the end?

I asked, spitting out the blood that’d filled up to the tip of my throat.

“If we turn down the offer, what…?”

“Naturally, I’ll kill you. Because that was what I promised.”

“A promise… who the hell with?”

“That’s not for you to know.”

Her tone was the same as before, but somehow it sounded a bit harsher.

“Choose. I’ll give you a little time –”

“As a warrior, I swear upon my honour.”

No time needed.

It’s not like there were any other options.

“…Really, you are a bit odd.”

The psychopath who levelled a strange gaze at me for a moment, sprayed something
on me.

Screeeech, a familiar pain.

No need to guess, It was a potion.

「You have taken a recovery potion (high).」

「The character’s state of paralysis is lifted.」

The stiff muscles loosened up, and strength gradually began to enter my body.

“What about you, barbarian girl?”

The woman looked away from me and asked.

Ainar gave her answer after a brief silence.

“…I refuse.”

“I see.”

The woman did not ask again.

She just nodded her head slightly.

However, I felt it more clearly within that action.

She didn’t take out her weapon, nor take any threatening action, but…

Now, this woman was going to kill Ainar.

And to prevent such a thing, there was only one thing I could do.

“…Ainar, make an oath.”

“Bjorn?”

“Didn’t you say you would follow me without question?”

“Even so, the oath of a warrior is…”

Fuck, how much do you have to protect your pride?

“Penelin’s second daughter, Ainar!!”

Ainar stiffened at my shout.

I lowered my voice, looked into her eyes, and spoke calmly.

“Trust me now. This is the right choice.”

After a brief and silent struggle, Ainar finally opened her mouth.

“…I understand. I will swear.”

“Good thinking.”

After that, Ainar made her oath, and the psychopathic bitch healed her by using up
another potion.

Was this carrot and stick?

The feeling of being forcibly compelled to make a choice was the same as always.

So damn disgusting. So, fucking, disgusting.

“…Which floor?”

As soon as the treatment was over, the woman turned around and was about to
leave, but I asked her before she could.

To this question that could be interpreted in infinitely different ways, the woman
tilted her head for a moment and gave a brief answer.

“Eighth.”

Not even the fifth floor.

No wonder, so that’s how strong an adventurer she was.

Even ten of me together probably wouldn’t have been a match for this bitch.

But even so…

Squelch.

As I watched the psychopath disappear like smoke in front of my very eyes, I made a
silent vow.

Next time, things will be different.

“Ainar, are you alright?”

“…I’m fine. I can get up by myself.”

Ainar pushed my hand away and stood up on her own.

I wondered if she was disappointed in me, but probably the person she was most
disappointed in was not me, but herself.

Because barbarians have an honest side.

“…”
Ainar, with a complicated gaze, decided to let the problem rest for a while, and first
checked up on my condition.

First, this…

Creak.

When the armour was taken off, one could see a hole the size of a dagger on the
back.

The edges of the hole were very clean.

…‘Aura’, maybe?

Motherfucker.

On merely the second floor, in so vast a place as the Land of the Dead, did we really
come across such a monster? Dogshit!

All I could think of was that I needed to get stronger. I couldn’t afford to waste a
single day.

Going home or whatever could come later, first I had to be able to protect myself in
this dogshit world.

“Bjorn, what are we going to do now?”

“…Let’s go down to the first floor.”

The Land of the Dead wasn’t bad as a hunting ground.

But I had no intention of staying here with that crazy bitch wandering around. What
if she changed her mind and came back?

“Is it… I get it.”

Ainar, who looked exhausted, followed my instructions without asking any

questions.

Mental care wasn’t my specialty, but…

After all, if somebody is feeling so down, you have to say something.

When they look like their world is crumbling around them.

“Follow me.”

Avoiding most of the avoidable battles, we moved along the markers.

About six hours passed since then.

We were finally able to return to the portal that led down to the first floor.

Thud–!

This time I landed fine, while Ainar rolled on the floor.

It was a very bad fall, too.

But she simply got up slowly, as if nothing had happened, without a single moan.

“…Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It hurts.”

“Then…”

“I’m no longer a warrior, so what is this pain worth?”

…The situation was much more serious than I’d thought.

Was it so disgraceful to swear an oath as if you were begging for your life?

Well, it had been so in the game.

“A-, Ainar…?”

“What is it?”

“The warrior who survives is the strongest. One defeat isn’t the end of it all, it simply
opens up the possibility of future victory!”
“It’s hard to understand if you use so complicated words.”

Although she intentionally spoke in a cheerful manner, Ainar’s voice was still gloomy.

“However, I think I somehow understand what it means to be a strong surviving

warrior.”

“Is that so?”

“To overcome such humiliation and the urge to commit suicide every single moment,
must mean that you are a strong warrior. Like you, Bjorn.”

No, I didn’t feel any of that though…?

Suicide? What are you, a samurai?

I didn’t originally mean something like that.

But I was happy to just go with it.

“You can do it, Ainar.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get through this pain… I’ll try.”

“Yes, one day we will repay our disgrace.”

With sincere mutual support, we resumed our walk. And after deciding to camp in a
suitable place, I asked Ainar to sleep first.

“I’ll wake you up in two hours.”

“…I will repay you for your consideration.”

My consideration…

She was half right and half wrong.

[07:39].

Going by the time, it was the morning of the third day.

I hadn’t slept in over twenty hours.

Besides, after going through a lot of things, the mental fatigue is enormous.

But even if I’d closed my eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep for a long time
anyway.

“…”

I wasn’t being driven by extreme impulses like Ainar, but…

Because I, too, felt just as dirty.

Similar to the pain of drinking a potion.

No matter how many times you experience this kind of feeling, you never get used to
it.

Crackle.

Last time, when I’d been saved by that blond’s group, had also been similar to today.

The priest had looked into my eyes and refused to give treatment.

The swordsman had thrown the potion like a toy as if he didn’t care about the waste.

Even having watched it all, I’d still taken the potion and gulped it down while lying
prostrate like a dog.

Of course, I was happy to have survived, but…

Some indescribable emotions were rising within me.

“Whew…”

I let out a long breath, as if trying to brush off my own thoughts.

What the hell was I doing?

It wasn’t like me to be swayed by emotions and to suffer from them.

Maybe it was time to slowly release them.

I closed my eyes and remembered the advice I’d been given by someone I’d admired
as a child.

‘Remember, you are nothing. You can never be special.’

A magic spell that always made me feel a little bit better.

Yes, let’s use even this feeling as raw material.

As always –

That, would be a bit more efficient.

People grow.

In various different ways.

Perhaps by reading a book, or looking back on your past, or having an honest

conversation with a friend for the first time, or having a dream you truly desire.

Or –

By envying someone else’s good fortune, or witnessing someone else’s misfortune,

or realizing the degree of your lust for someone or something.

Any inspiration that comes from experience contributes to your growth.

The me of today is no exception.

Well, mental growth is probably just a small part of that, though.

“One shortbow, a pair of metal gaiters, three low-level potions, a dozen regular
torches… What’s this, a portrait? Family, maybe? Anyway, let’s throw it away…”

Adding them all up, it’s over 800,000 stones.

Sifting through the backpacks of the yellow-hair’s party, I smile.

After all, this is how it’s always been for me.

Going through some shit doesn’t mean growth will inevitably follow.

But…

“With this, there’ll be three more pieces of armour.”

But growth will never come without going through some shit first.

Damn, now I’m starting to see what I should do next.

I’m walking through a cave.

With Ainar in tow.

“Bjorn, where are we going now?”

“South, to where the gnomes are.”

After a total eight-hour break, four hours rest for each of us, Ainar has also cheered
up a little bit.

But she’s still far from her usual liveliness.

“Bjorn, we can go faster. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I… I want to become stronger. Even just one day, even just one hour earlier.”

“Right.”

It looks like I don’t have to worry about Ainar anymore.

As long as you have a clear goal, dark emotions will only be your nourishment, not
poison.

Hm, is the reverse also true?

“I think the same.”

Halting in place, I look back on the steps I’ve taken so far.

The coming-of-age ceremony, entering the labyrinth, becoming night friends with
Hans, Erwen, the Goblin Forest, 4:2 battle with the crossbow party, etc.
Thinking about it now, I didn’t make any big mistakes.

I found and chose the best option in every given situation.

But…

In other words, it means I’ve only ever focused on escaping the trial at hand each
time.

“Why did you stop all of a sudden?”

“No, let’s keep going.”

I do have excuses.

There was no tutorial or system log.

As soon as I opened my eyes, somebody got his head cut off before my eyes, and from
then on, a procession of events that were too far removed from normal reality
continued to unfold.

Therefore, I had no choice but to act as passively as possible, putting my safety first.

But is that all?

“Bjorn…? You don’t look so good.”

“Never mind.”

Have I always chosen the best option?

Bullshit.

In the end, all I did was react.

How capable I am, to have taken the best course of action every time – after
something had already happened!

If I really want to survive, I need to be more proactive in the future.

So I can make some different choices.

Didn’t my uncle, a diehard gambling addict, also say so?

Instead of playing on a board made by others, throw the dice on a board you’ve made
yourself.

Okay, time for a change of plans.

“Ainar, do you really want to become strong?”

When I suddenly stop again and ask, Ainar expresses her bewilderment.

“…What do you mean?”

“It’s asking for commitment. There definitely is a way to become stronger. But it
comes with risks. What will you do?”

High risk, high return.

How will she respond to this proposal?

After watching me for a moment, Ainar gulps, her eyes brightening.

“Of course, I’ll do it. If we don’t become strong, we’ll all die anyway!”

Yes, that’s true.

That’s how the game had been set.

Ainar, who’d expressed her consent, shouts again.

“I am now a warrior!”

Weren’t you one already?

Pfft.

Looking at that barbarian-like attitude that seems so inefficient, but sometimes

becomes more efficient than anything else, I understand her a little bit better.
“So, how do I get stronger?”

The easy way is also the slow way.

There are so many things in this world that can only be called natural disasters.

No matter which path you take, you might fall into the abyss anytime, without
warning.

And for me who’s prone to living an interesting life, it could be much more frequent.

So…

“We’ll enter a rift.”

Offence is the best defence. Whoever strikes first has the advantage.

This time, I’m going to take the initiative and plunge into danger headfirst.

As someone famous had said –

The pain that doesn’t kill me, will make me stronger.

“Oh! I see!”

Ainar heard my plan and exclaimed.

And then asked carefully.

“…But what’s a rift?”

How could she be this ignorant despite being a native?

Couldn’t she crack open some books once in a while?

Uhm… come to think of it, she still couldn’t read the letters properly.

“Rift… In short, it’s a labyrinth within the labyrinth.”

I skipped over the finer details.

She wouldn’t understand anyway even if I explained.

“A labyrinth within the labyrinth?”

“Right.”

Should I say that [Dungeon & Stone] is like few games these days?

If I had to explain to another modern person, I would’ve used the phrase ‘instant
dungeon[1]‘.

“On each floor, a portal can sometimes open at a random location. When you enter it,
you see a new space, which is not on the second or third floors.”

“Ah! Are you talking about the Frostlord’s Palace?”

Apparently, she’d heard about it, at least.

The Frostlord’s Palace is a space accessible from the rift on the eighth floor.

Now that I remembered, how much effort did I spend trying to get the Frostlord’s
essence…

“But is it possible with just the two of us? I heard that even the chieftain almost died
when he ventured there in his youth.”

“Right. We’re on the first floor.”

A total of four types of rifts can be opened from the first floor.

The difficulty is far, far easier compared to the rifts on the other floors.

By the standard of us two, I’d have to give them a challenge rating of maybe seven
stars?

Of course, that was seven stars out of five.

“But how can we get into a place that appears randomly?”

“Don’t worry. There’s a way.”

I was an old pro of nine years at the game, solidly into the ranks of the ‘deceased’.

I’d found hundreds of hidden pieces in this brutal game.

“Bjorn, I will only trust you!”

Instead of heading further south, we turned east.

Originally, I’d wanted to hunt gnomes, kobolds, and stone golems on the second floor
of the southern route, at the ‘Blackrock Mountain’.

A stone golem’s ‘suppression’ is painful, but as long as you prepare for it in advance,
they don’t have any other strategy.

However, who knew how long it’d take to reach the eighth floor if I kept playing it
safe, and if I even would?

“You two barbarians. Are you looking for a night friend? With three of us, we can get
more sleep –”

“Screw off.”

“No, I was just asking –”

“I’m going to crack your skull open in three seconds.”

As we crossed the first floor, some other people tried sticking to us besides the
monsters, but they were all filtered out by Ainar.

…But did she really need to be that harsh?

“I hate humans more than idiots.”

It seemed that Ainar had evolved beyond the level of mere distrust for humans and
into a state of hatred.

Puff! Puff! Crunch!

We finally reached our destination after traveling for nearly twenty hours, smashing
down the monsters that blocked our way.

The time was around 4 am.

I could once again feel how large the first floor was.

The fact that it took more than a day to get from the west end to the centre was
enough to prove it, disregarding how treacherous and maze-like the paths were in
the first floor that was designed like an anthill.

“Bjorn, isn’t this the entrance to the first floor?”

Strictly speaking, the word “entrance” was ambiguous.

Most entrance points tended to favour one side, either north or south.

First of all, there was no light here, right?

Crrrackle!

Holding a burning torch, one of the regular ones I’d looted from the yellow-hair’s
party, we entered the dark zone.

How long was it after that?

「You hunted a gnome. EXP +1」

「You hunted a blade wolf. EXP +1」

After completing our eighth battle, Ainar exclaimed in wonder as if it were a miracle.

“All four types of monsters appear here! I never knew there was such a place at the
centre of the first floor.”

This was common knowledge for most adventurers, but this was not a place they
usually visited.

By analogy, was it perhaps comparable to a convergence point where warm and cold
oceanic currents met?
In the zone where we now stood, blade wolves from the east, ghouls from the west,
gnomes from the south and goblins from the north all appeared.

But…

“It’s strangely empty.”

This area was not popular with the adventurers.

For a simple reason.

Even if all four types of monsters appeared, that only increased the challenge and the
risk.

It wasn’t like the monsters were any less in number.

‘In addition, the most fatal disadvantage is the bad price-to-performance ratio,
because you have to spend money on torches.’

In fact, no one came here except for those who crossed it to save on travel time.

But old experts like me, liked this kind of place.

Wasn’t it suspicious?

It was a natural fit for hiding stuff from the game producer’s point of view.

“But, why are we here?”

“Wait a bit. It’ll come out soon.”

After an hour of wandering around in the dark, changing directions again and again.

Eventually I got to where I wanted to be.

“Come on, we’re here.”

An opening about 30m in radius.

In the middle of that open space, uncommon on this first floor which was structured
like a maze-filled anthill, stood a monument.

“…What is that?”

“A monument. To honour the first discoverer of this labyrinth.”

I cautiously approached, and read the inscription at the bottom.

[In commemoration of that great first step taken by the last of the great sages, Diplan
Groundel Gabrilius].

The content of the text was the same as it’d been in the game.

In other words, it was highly likely that this place was the same as the ‘hidden piece’
I’d found in the game.

“Ainar, what happens next is a secret. Do you understand?”

“I get it.”

“It needs to be an oath, not just words. If this news spreads, we may both be in
danger.”

“…I will swear on my honour as a warrior.”

“Thank you.”

I slowly loosened the pouch on my waist.

Goblin, gnome, ghoul, and blade wolf.

Mana stones of the four types of monsters that appeared on the first floor, as well as
the mana stone of a deathfiend, a rank eight monster.

I started placing them all in front of the great sage’s monument.

“It’ll start soon.”

All the preparations for forcibly opening the rift were in place.
The instance dungeons[2] of [Dungeon and Stone] –

Or rather, the rifts, have cooldowns.

Take the first floor as an example. It takes at least three cycles, three months in city
time, for a ‘rift’ to reopen.

Of course, it’s rare for a rift to reopen immediately after three months, and most
times a rift opens randomly every five to six cycles.

The maximum, maybe eight cycles? Something like that.

“…”

Keep in mind, this is all a result of my own investigation.

When I’d been working hard to get the Frostlord’s essence, I’d needed to know more
about ‘rifts’.

It isn’t efficient to just wander around waiting for the rift to open, after all.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No.”

Shaking off my old memories, I place the deathfiend’s mana stone in my hand in
front of the monument.

If the ‘rift’ had opened within the last three cycles, that is, if it’s still in cooldown,
there will be no response…

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrumble!

Before long, the mana stones I’d put down disappear in a flash of light, and the
monument starts shaking.

It’s really happening.

Boom!

The vibrations intensify, and a black portal opens in front of us.

“Let’s go in.”

“Uh, um. I get it!”

I hurriedly throw myself into it, with Ainar close behind.

Hey, the team might get filled up in the next ten seconds.

「The character has entered a rift on the first floor.」

I look around and check our surroundings while Ainar collects herself from where
she’d hit the ground, ass-first.

A red sky that seems to herald the end of the world.

A murder of crows flying overhead, and a black fortress looming forebodingly in the
distance.

Needless to say, this is one of the four rift types on the first floor, the ‘Blood Citadel’.

Since the eighth-grade mana stone I’d offered as a sacrifice belonged to deathfiend,
it’s only natural.

Whoosh!

After we wait for a while, another portal opens in the air and spits a person out.

This is the decisive reason why I’d planned to delay coming here until later, even
though I knew not only how to definitively open the ‘rift’, but also the optimal
strategy to conquer it.

Because I’m more afraid of adventurers than monsters.

“Heh heh heh! I finally managed to get in!”

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a five-man team with guaranteed confidentiality?

If you enter this way, you must clear the rift with some random adventurers who
enter on a first-come, first-served basis.

In gaming terms, auto-matching.

Feeling a bit nervous, I check out our first team member.

“Ooh! It’s reassuring to have two barbarians! Lucky! My name is Hikurod Murad! As
you can see, I’m a dwarf, hahahaha!!”

A chatterbox dwarf.

No matter how skilled he might be, it doesn’t look bad.

With a little luck, maybe the rest would also be like this…

Pfft.

Or am I getting too big for my britches again?

Fuck, just come, whoever you are.

I’m not going to hold on to any hopes or expectations.

「A new colleague has joined your journey. 」

Two more team members are added soon after.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 인스턴트 던전 (instant dungeon). This is different from 인스턴스 던전 (instance

dungeon). The former is shared across all users whereas the latter spawns different
instances of a dungeon for different sets of users. Shared vs sharded universe, writ
small. The labyrinth here is the former, rifts apparently the latter.

[2] 인던 (indun) is a short form for instance dungeons.

Daria Wittember di Tersia.

As an adventurer in her fifth year, she was currently wandering around the first
floor’s Crystal Cave.

With her younger sister in tow.

“Erwen, you used a spirit again.”

“Ah, Big Sis, it’s too hard with just my dagger…”

“I told you. Even if you don’t have a bow or you can’t use a spirit, you have to be able
to protect yourself.”

“No, I understand that…”

“Stop doing it, if you keep walking around and practicing like this, you’ll get better.”

Tersia had taken Erwen to wander around the first floor to give her harsh training.

It was all for the sake of her younger sister.

And yet her sister didn’t even seem to understand that.

But as time went on, she was obviously flagging more and more.

“Ah, uncle said that it’s better to specialize in what you’re good at…”

“…What?”

“Believe in your team and do your best in what you can do. Th-, that’s the basics of
being an adventurer… um.”
Tersia, who’d been listening with a blank expression, was speechless.

This was far too simplistic.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if that was how this world worked?

“Erwen, teammates are just teammates. Don’t put too much value in them.”

Tersia herself had gone through many teams.

From the exploration team on the sixth floor she’d belonged to for a while, to a
hunting team which had aimed only for certain profitable monsters, as well as a
speed-running team which had aimed for the achievement of being the first to open
a portal.

She’d experienced a lot of things while traveling with numerous people. Among
them, there were several that she never wanted to share with Erwen.

Teammates fundamentally couldn’t be trusted.

Unless they were your blood kin, of the same family.

“I see…”

Seeing Tersia’s hard expression, Erwen chose to shut up.

Time passed like that, and soon it was the fourth day.

Crossing the first floor clockwise, Erwen had grown enough to defeat all the
monsters with just her dagger.

In the process, her level had also naturally gone up.

“Sister, what about now? My level rose, can’t I just go to the second floor now? Uncle
must’ve already made a lot of money on the second floor by now…”

Tersia laughed as if she was hearing something cute.

What was the big deal about hunting a few more monsters on the second floor?
“Erwen, the rift will open soon.”

Rift.

A place where even mid-level adventurers with several years’ worth of experience
would never be able to enter without a lot of luck.

Erwen tilted her head.

“How do you know that, sis?”

“Because the last time a rift opened on the first floor was eight months ago.”

Tersia was kind enough to explain in detail to her younger sister.

Since today was the fourth day, statistically speaking, the rift had no choice but to
open in the next three days.

“I see… Uncle never talked about that.”

Naturally.

Erwen sang ‘uncle, uncle’ every time, but he was still just a rookie in the end.

From the point of view of a veteran, going up to the next floor so recklessly and
acclimating to killing monsters via trial and error, was the very peak of inefficiency.

“Erwen, don’t be impatient and trust your big sister. Give it just a year, and you’ll
have outstripped that barbarian by a huge margin.”

Sometimes the slow way is the fastest way.

“Yes… Then I’ll be able to help him!”

“Ah, is that so.”

Tersia nodded her head a bit strangely.

It was unknown whether the barbarian would still be alive or not, and even if he
were, it’d be fine to dissuade her at that time.
At least, she wished her sister could preserve this innocence.

While she was thinking that –

Rrrrrrrrumbllllllle!

As if there was an earthquake, the labyrinth began to shake.

A phenomenon that occurred whenever a rift opened.

“Erwen!”

Tersia grabbed Erwen’s hand and ran down the passage at full speed. And soon she
found a portal, rippling unsteadily.

A rift.

There had to have been thousands of such portals all over the first floor by now.

Now, it was a battle where every single second counted.

Whoosh!

Tersia and Erwen were about to crash through the portal.

But at that moment –

Boom–

The portal winked out.

Thump.

Tersia, who could only sail through the air and land on the bare ground, clicked her
tongue as if it was a pity.

“…We were one step late.”

They didn’t go in at the same time, but if she’d quickly pushed in just her younger
sister, Erwen might have been able to enter.
However…

“…There’ll be other chances.”

It couldn’t be helped.

What if her younger sister went into the rift alone and died without Tersia there to
protect her?

“Erwen, let’s go up to the second floor.”

Again, sometimes the slow road was the fastest.

Equivalent exchange (等價交換).

I really liked this phrase.

But sadly, the was not the law that governed this world.

Just look at how I met that psychopathic bitch.

I managed to somehow barely survive, but didn’t gain anything in return.

‘No, rather, I had to run away from the Land of the Dead and wasted more time.’

But it was different this time.

This time I myself made this choice.

So, there would definitely be a commensurate price to pay.

Well, maybe.

Thud.

The other two who got auto-matched as our team members looked like a pair of
human man and woman, making me raise my guard.
The man who landed with a heavy sound had no special characteristics…

The woman was different.

Step.

As if defying the effect of gravity, the woman slowly fell to a gentle landing.

Even the talkative dwarf could only gape at this sight, unable to hide his surprise.

I was the same, too.

“To think I’ll see a wizard here.”

Wizard.

The strongest job in [Dungeon and Stone], in name and in reality, one who’d be
treated respectfully wherever they went just because of their status.

“Bjorn, are wizards so great? The librarian was also a wizard!”

At Ainar’s question, the female wizard frowned as if in displeasure.

I spoke up quickly before things got any worse.

“The librarian is a rank nine wizard.”

“Is she different?”

She was.

By a lot.

Unlike those upper-class workers in guilds, public institutions, or workshops, this

woman here could be said to be a true wizard.

The fact that she was able to enter the labyrinth was proof of that.

Wizards were an important strategic resource for Rafdonia, so if one couldn’t prove
their skills, they wouldn’t be able to enter the labyrinth.
“I see!”

“Yes, that’s correct. You have a lot of knowledge for a barbarian.”

As I gave a clear explanation, the female wizard joined our conversation with a calm
voice.

Seeing that satisfied smile on her lips, I could guess her personality.

“Greetings. I am Arua Raven, a rank six wizard. This is the professional porter I’ve
hired. His name… what was it again?”

“I am called Tarzine, Mistress Raven.”

So these two people were in one group.

Anyway, it wasn’t too bad.

She didn’t give off the feeling that she was looking down on other people, which was
already the limit of open-mindedness one could expect from a wizard.

The game had been filled with wizards who were mostly shitheads.

“May I ask you to introduce yourselves, too?”

“Hikurod Murad. Although it’s a short journey, I hope we get along, Miss Raven.”

“How experienced are you, Mr. Murad?”

“It’s my third year.”

A third-year adventurer…

Each of his pieces of equipment looked pretty good.

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

After briefly mentioning my name, I asked straight-forwardly.

“No matter how one looks at it, there don’t seem to be any reason for any of you to be
active on the first floor. How did you reach the rift?”

Adventurers active on the first floor were mostly poor wretches without proper
equipment.

So, I’d expected having to suffer quite a lot to clear the rift.

But getting matched with a third-year dwarf and a rank six wizard?

At this point, I couldn’t just rejoice at my good fortune, since this much of a
coincidence had to be questioned.

“I can’t explain the details, but I’d heard that the rift would open this cycle.”

“So did I.”

Preserving the information advantage, huh?[1]

As if they’d made the same promises, Raven and the dwarf both kept silent about the
method.

Of course, it didn’t mean much.

Because I now had a guess as to how it’d been inferred.

“I am Ainar, Penelin’s second daughter.”

As soon as everyone’s introductions were finished, Raven took the lead in the
conversation.

“The loot will be divided according to the number of people, minus Mr. Tarzine here.
Can you all follow my instructions in return?”

“No objection. It’s common sense to follow the wizard’s instructions in the
labyrinth.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

When the dwarf expressed his consent first, Raven’s gaze turned to the two of us.
I couldn’t worry for too long.

As long as there was a wizard in the team, there was nothing good about drawing
attention.

Because it’d been the wizards who’d persuaded the royal family to recognize the
existence of the ‘evil spirits’ first, and announce them as marked for annihilation.

Fuck…

Clearing the rift was no longer the issue.

“I agree.”

Let’s just go half and half.

Earlier, she’d broad-mindedly admired me for being knowledgeable for a barbarian,

but who knew when that gaze might turn suspicious?

“I refuse.”

Eh?

People’s eyes converged on Ainar who’d been the source of that stubborn voice.

“I don’t know what’s so great about wizards. I wish Bjorn would lead us.”

No, I already agreed, why are you doing this?

I wanted to shut her mouth right now, but if I did that, it’d look even more
suspicious.

Soon the wizard asked cautiously.

“If it’s Bjorn… You’re talking about this barbarian, right?”

“Yes. Bjorn is no ordinary barbarian!”

“Not an ordinary barbarian?”

“Bjorn is the wisest warrior ever. He reads books at the library for six hours a day
every day.”

“Hmm, you are definitely an unusual person.”

“He’s not unusual, he’s great! I’ve never seen a barbarian as smart as Bjorn!”

Fuck…

Please stop…

Everyone looked at me strangely at Ainar’s praise, but it was just that.

They seemed to only chalk it up to us being barbarians.

At least till now.

“Still, it’s a majority vote, so there’s nothing you can do about it. Ha ha ha!”

“What’s a majority vote, why can’t anything be done about it!”

“Um…”

Sensing the atmosphere again turning confrontational, I calmed Ainar down.

But who knew why she was so upset, that Ainar grimaced in dissatisfaction?

“But! Bjorn, aren’t you a better choice than that wizard!”

Could it be that those words, ‘for a barbarian’, had offended her to the core?

I wasn’t sure, but thankfully I’d made her swear an ‘oath’ in advance.

Otherwise, the secret about the dimensional instability as well as the fact that I’d
been the one to open the rift, might’ve gotten exposed here.

“It’s a blessing to have your wife’s respect. I envy you, barbarian! Ha ha ha!”
“Oh, what wife! We aren’t like that!”

“Ha ha ha! There’s no need to be ashamed!”

“Eek! I, I’m not ashamed!!”

Anyway, thanks to the talkative dwarf, Ainar’s aggro was drawn elsewhere.

I too was relieved, and looked at Raven’s expression.

Contrary to what I’d been worried about, she wasn’t particularly interested in me.

“Hmm, it’s a barrier that won’t let you go outside. Interesting. If the dimension has
been severed, how are we seeing the other side with our own eyes?”

Should I call it a wizard’s passion for learning?

Seeing her muttering by herself and scribbling in her notebook, she seemed to be
curious about the principle of this barrier that was preventing us from leaving the
map…

I hoped that interest wouldn’t focus towards me until the moment we parted.

“Why don’t we all stop here and start slowly? I have a lot of research to do, and a lot
of samples to get.”

“Are you leaving? We still only know each other’s names…”

At Raven’s words, the dwarf tilted his head.

I too had a similar feeling.

Every team needs to know what each other’s abilities are and what they can do.

No matter how impatient a team might be, sharing the core essence is the
fundamentals of team play.

However, Raven waved that off as an unnecessary act.

“Is there any reason for that? All of the monsters from the Blood Citadel are rank
seven or lower.”

A voice full of absolute confidence.

The dwarf also showed a slightly uncomfortable expression, but didn’t get the
chance to say anything out loud.

Because she continued talking.

“Oh, I forgot to mention. I’ll keep the loot from the guardian. There’re some studies I
need to do.”

What kind of an ignorant bitch was this?

Haah, in the end, she was a wizard alright.

‘Shit.’

Just as expected.

Things were about to take a turn for the dogshit worst.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 사다리 걷어차 (lit. kicking the ladder). Somebody (the rich, the state apparatus,
anybody advantaged in some way) climbs up to a high position using a ladder and
then kicks it down so nobody can follow them up. No literal translation came to
mind, however. See Namu Wiki.
‘Infighting’ is a common occurrence whenever you play [Dungeon and Stone].

And the cause behind that ‘infighting’, hundred times out of a hundred, is ‘money’.

Research may be the top priority for an economically affluent wizard, but the reason
adventurers enter the labyrinth is to make money.

But now this wizard bitch has just poked at that sore spot.

“Are you going to take all the loot from the guardian?”

The dwarf no longer has the kind smile from earlier.

His voice sinks, and the eyes exposed through the thick fur of his helmet gleam with
a dangerous sharpness.

“Do I look like a doormat?”

The air freezes in an instant.

And everybody feels it, too.

Creak.

The human man touches the hilt of his sword.

He’s probably not just some porter, either.

It’s Raven who finally breaks the heavy silence.

“…Instead, I will give you all the mana stones that come out of the rift.”

“You’re telling me to pick up and eat the leftover garbage.”

“…Don’t you think this is a reasonable calculation? I’m not just saying things
groundlessly.”

She tries to hide it, but Raven’s expression of embarrassment is evident.

She hadn’t expected such a hostile reaction…

She might be unexpectedly innocent.

Of course, she should’ve expected it.

In a rift, the loot drop from the guardian is unquestionably the most precious. The
possible options include essences, ‘numbered items’, and rift stones.

Among them, ‘numbered items’ must be like incomparable treasures to a dwarf.

“I won’t let any numbered items go.”

“…Fine. In return, I’ll take the essence of the guardian if it drops. And please
acknowledge my ownership of any other discoveries that make use of my
knowledge.”

“Good. Then, we’ll roll a dice to fairly decide which of us two gets the rift stone.”

Hurray. What’s that bullshit about fairness, again?

These two don’t even care about me and Ainar, and have already started fighting for
their own interests.

My head throbs from just looking at the scene.

Even the thought that it might’ve been better to pass the rift with first-floor rookies,
crosses my mind.

Whereas now, we’ll at best be able to pick up some crumbs after the plate has
already been picked clean.

It’s such a shame that I don’t have the strength to change the outcome.

“Bjorn.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but for now, be quiet.”

“I get it.”

What I have to do is becoming clearer.

I have to become strong.

So that it doesn’t matter if these dogs high up try to kick away the ladder, I can still
climb all the way up.

Only then can I protect my own rights like they’re doing.

Of course, that shouldn’t be a reason to concede today.

“Wait a moment.”

“…?”

When I open my mouth, the attention of the two conversing with a softer
atmosphere than before, gather on me.

“You can take the essences and numbered items. But we will have the rift stone.”

“You’re being greedy.”

“Do you think a couple of barbarians are worth so much?”

Their eyes are very sharp.

Fuck, and here they were smiling so kindly just now when we first met.

Yeah, alright, I was just testing the waters.

“Fine, we’ll give up on the rift stone. Instead, give us priority to up to two essences
other than the guardian’s.”

“Alright. That much is fine.”

“I agree.”
As expected, Raven and the dwarf readily accede to my request.

This must’ve been their line in the sand.

At their level, essences other than from the guardian wouldn’t have much attraction
anyhow.

“Then shall we go?”

“Sure. My body is already sore from standing still for so long. Yeah! Ha ha ha ha!”

Once the haggling’s over, the wizard bitch and the dwarf change back to how they
were acting before, and smile cheerfully.

Adventurer bastards sure are scary.

How long had it been since we’d started climbing the mountain road towards the
distant fortress that peeked between the ridges?

At the entrance to the fortress, we encountered two sculptures of demons with

wings.

“Gargoyle statues.”

Rank eight monster, gargoyle statue.

It’s usually quiet, but once an enemy comes into view, it turns into a tricky monster
that starts off with ‘petrification’.

A general strategy would be to sacrifice one member to take the hit from
‘petrification’, and the rest of the team then breaks the gargoyle statue to release the
curse…

But we now had a wizard in our team.

“Kyaaaaah–!”

As the three of us including the dwarf neared it, the gargoyles opened their eyes and
spread their wings.

My lower body turned to stone in an instant, but it didn’t last long.

“Artena viar.”

Raven recited the ‘curse removal’ spell, and the battle began in earnest.

Ainar and I took on one, and the dwarf took on the other.

Clang!

The pint-sized dwarf swung his hammer like a madman and smashed both the legs
of his opponent.

And once the gargoyle fell to the floor helplessly, he smashed its head with his
hammer as if he’d been waiting for it.

Was this the dwarf’s style?

To be honest, it was quite manly to start from the bottom and work your way up.

It was pretty plain, though.

“You guys are pretty good too!”

There wasn’t much difference between us in the time it took to destroy the gargoyle
statues.

We, too, were confident in melee combat.

「You have defeated a gargoyle. EXP +2」

The two gargoyles turned into light and disappeared, dropping mana stones, but
there was no need to pick them up.

They floated upwards on their own, and shot into a huge burlap bag.

“I’ll save the mana stones for now and distribute them afterwards.”
“Thank you for that! Ha ha ha!”

The dwarf didn’t seem worried about the wizard stealing the mana stones or
anything.

Seriously, there was no way a wizard would be hung up on such a small amount of
money.

“Then let’s go!”

The dwarf smashed through the old wooden door with his hammer.

Was this the start of the real dungeon?

A strange feeling was welling up inside me as I followed him inside.

“I’m going to need some light.”

“Right.”

A sphere of light floated above Raven’s hand, illuminating the dark area.

This space we had just entered was the outer checkpoint.

A place for performing various administrative tasks, such as checking the luggage of
the wagons coming and going, and verifying the identity of the passers-by before
they entered the castle.

“Grrrrrrrr.”

As if awoken by the light and the noise, rotten corpses began to rise up from the
holes on the wall or from under the scattered furnitures.

“Deadmen.”

Deadman.

An unranked monster that doesn’t even spit out mana stones, let alone experience.

Even their bodies don’t disappear after death.

Except when they drop an essence.

“They just bite and scratch as far as their attack goes, so I’ll save my magic.”

There was no magical help, but it nevertheless didn’t take long for us to clean up the
whole room.

“Could Murad and Yandel please handle things over there while I open this door?”

“I’ll take care of it in a jiffy! Ha ha ha!”

As I followed the dwarf to the second floor, a space like a shared bedroom appeared.

As before, there were about ten deadmen, but since the space was larger than the
first floor had been, the fight was easier.

Puff! Puff!

We cleared up the second floor in an instant and climbed the ladder to the roof to
reach the third floor, without much conversation.

Waiting there for us were a dozen deadman soldiers wearing rusty armour, as well
as a deadman commander with a slightly larger stature than the rest.

Calling him the first boss was a bit much…

Rather, he was an enemy that had to be beaten in order to progress further.

“It’s a bit bigger, but it’s not that different from any other deadman, so let’s just get
rid of it! Ha ha ha!”

Once again, we quickly cleaned up the surroundings, and riffled through the
deadman commander’s clothes to pick up a horn.

When we went back down to the first floor, the iron door on the other side had
already opened.

“It’s very reassuring to have a wizard with us.”

With light coming in from both directions, the room without a single window now
became quite bright, but it was meaningless.

All the work to be done at the outer checkpoint was finished.

Now it was time to cross the 50m long bridge across the moat and reach the castle.

“Be careful of where you step, Mistress Raven.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The bridge ended in the middle, about 20m away from the gate.

It hadn’t broken down with the years.

This was its original design. The other side of the bridge was hinged at the end and
was raised at an angle. A drawbridge, that had to be lowered for people to pass.

Ppuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

When we blew the horn we’d obtained earlier, the drawbridge began to descend
with the rattle of chains.

Of course, things weren’t that simple…

「The water magic circle that has slumbered for a long time activates.」

“Bjorn! Water is rising from below!”

The moat surrounding the castle began to fill up.

Water began to rise from the furrows that had been dug around the fortress walls to
prevent enemy invasion.

Or rather – it wasn’t water, but dark, crimson blood.

This was why this place was called the ‘Blood Citadel’.

The sky was red and so was the earth.

But there was something else that added to this apocalyptic scenery.
“Bjorn! Hands! Over there, you can see hands over the water’s surface!”

“Don’t be nervous, they’re just deadmen.”

“Hey, who’s nervous?”

As soon as blood rose to touch the bottom of the bridge, the deadmen who’d been
struggling in the water, climbed up.

The drawbridge had not yet come down by even a fifth.

The concept of this part was simple.

– Hold on until the drawbridge comes down.

If it were a game, this message would’ve come out.

“Grrrrrr.”

Nobody gave any specific instructions, but everyone knew how to respond – either
by pushing the deadmen back down to the water or by knocking them down with a
weapon.

Puff! Puff! Crunch–!

Although they were just deadmen, mere unranked monsters, they were quite a
difficult opponent here on the bridge.

If you fell down, it was game over.

“It’s all done.”

After about a minute, Raven completed her magic spell.

“Uterna dart!”

If I were to translate the words directly, it’d be something like ‘blade storm’.

A strong gust of wind spread around us, in a dense formation, and mulched the
deadmen in an instant like a blender.
Brrrrrrrrr.

The dwarf groaned as he looked at his legs which were stained with bits from the
deadman corpses.

“…That’s great.”

“It was just a few deadmen. “

Contrary to her humble words, Raven’s eyes were full of pride.

But I didn’t at all feel that she was being arrogant.

This wasn’t an area that could be passed so easily without a wizard’s AoE spells.

After that, we kept crushing the deadmen who occasionally climbed up to the bridge,
and the drawbridge, which had been slowly descending, finally came into contact
with the bridge.

Clang!

The first chapter of the Blood Citadel was over.

It’d been ridiculously easy so far.

Now that we’d crossed the drawbridge, three more chapters remained.

The urban battle in the outer fortress.

The dungeon in the inner fortress.

And finally, the demonic shrine inside the lord’s castle.

“This is interesting.”

Raven, entering the castle, looked at the ruins with shining eyes.

As if she was looking at a heap of treasures.

“Smithies, taverns, inns, churches, merchants’ stables… most of these debris appear
to be public facilities.”

The dwarf grinned.

“Is that so surprising, Miss Raven?”

“Of course. Neither the mountain road we climbed nor the castle has any farmland or
dwellings. Meaning there were no farmers. Aren’t you curious? How could people
survive in a fortified city built in such a remote mountain area?”

“Didn’t they have an alchemist in this dimension as well? He could’ve changed mana
stones to bread like we do. Haha.”

“…Yes, that is the most popular hypothesis among the scholars.”

“Ha ha! Is that so? Even the learned people seem to think the same way as me!”

“But, Mr. Murad, that’s not the only thing that’s interesting. Whether it’s the long
drawbridge or the high walls, this citadel is built very practically. Who was their
enemy?”

Even the dwarf, who was amiable at first, became fed up with the lengthy
conversation and retreated.

“I don’t understand why you’re asking such a thing. After all, isn’t it all a created
space?”

“It’s a created space, well, people who haven’t really learned dimensional theory
might think so –”

“Stop it, Miss Raven. Monsters incoming.”

As we were passing through towards the inner fortress, monsters began appearing
before long.

From deadmen to skeleton archers and mages, ghouls, and even a rank eight
deathfiend.

The average rank of the creatures wasn’t much different from the Land of the Dead,
but there was a big difference in scale.

Each group included at least several dozens.

“Everyone, gather by my side.”

Moreover, if you deal with one group, another group might hear the sound of fighting
and rush in.

Within a minute of encountering the first group, hundreds of monsters surrounded

the area.

But at that moment –

The ‘blade storm’ we’d seen earlier swept through the surroundings again.

Sssshhhhhhhhhhh–!

Unlike a magic spell from some western educational institution[1], it couldn’t

transform everything in its path like before.

Some ghouls survived with only a severed limb, not to mention the deathfiend, which
was the epitome of physical defence and natural regeneration.

But…

“Please take care of the remaining monsters.”

The deadmen and the skeletons, that had accounted for more than 90% of the whole
group, had been swept away.

“Ainar!!”

I shouted out loud, and Ainar ran with me.

The target was a deathfiend.

How to hunt…

There was no need to explain.

One glance at each other was enough.

“Behel-raaaaaaaa!!”

We’d been in hundreds of fights together by this point, and now we hardly ever made
any mistakes.

Technique, (true) double barbarian tackle.

Thud!

The dwarf was amazed to see us grab both of the deathfiend’s legs, topple it to the
floor, then smash its head.

“…Is that how you normally hunt?”

His eyes were filled with some kind of question, like, ‘what kind of savages are these
people?’

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing. Very, very exciting, as expected from barbarians! Ha ha ha!”

I didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, but it was a little ridiculous.

His fighting style wasn’t particularly elegant or sophisticated either, after all.

“Raviod eheltun.”

There were only seven deathfiends left, but when Raven cast the ‘curse of
exacerbating wounds’, it became even easier to hunt them.

A deathfiend, once its passive ‘preservation of the flesh’ is sealed, isn’t such a tricky
monster to handle.

“I think I can see why everyone thinks wizards are great…”

Did she really feel the value of a wizard in just two battles?

Ainar was muttering in a frustrated tone.

Raven didn’t respond at all, but when I took a peek, I could see her lips twitching.

She was apparently weak to praise.

The dwarf also added a sentence.

“Ha ha! Obviously, having a wizard changes the scope of what you can do.”

I also agreed.

If we’d tried to conquer the ‘Blood Citadel’ with a party of just five rookies, this kind
of a head-to-head battle wouldn’t have been possible.

Perhaps it would’ve taken tens of times longer, since we would’ve had to whittle
down the number of monsters starting from the fringes.

“Hmm, well… that’s why I study so hard. Of course, you also need talent.”

Raven wiggled a little bit at the successive compliments.

Slowly, her character was becoming clearer.

A gifted wizard girl who pretended to be humble but loved to show off, and was
passionate about magic and research.

I was starting to get a handle on how to deal with her.

“Then I’m going to go around for a while and get some research data. If it’s okay with
you, could you all please help?”

“Thanks to Miss Raven, we finished with plenty of time left, so of course I should
help. Ha ha ha!”

“Thank you.”

Afterwards, we scoured the ruins of the city, collecting antiques, books, soil, metal,
and the flesh and bones of the deadmen.

“Thanks to all of you, I finished early. Then let’s move on to the next one!”
I was stunned for a moment.

Eh? Wait, what do you mean, finished?

You beat all the monsters, you searched all around, so why not take ‘that’ too?

“What are you doing there! Not coming?”

…Could it be that none of them knew about it?

The easy loot that dropped when you broke the fountain statue?

Editor’s Notes:

[1] At a guess, this is a reference to Harry Potter.

Every gamer has a habit of mashing the interaction key whenever a suspicious wall
or an unusual sculpture appears.

I’d been the same, too.

And that habit had helped me discover many ‘hidden pieces’, that is, elements hidden
inside the game, while playing [Dungeon & Stone] for nine years.

Like the fountain statue here, for example.

“Bjorn?”

“Ah, coming.”

I left my uneasiness behind and followed the group inside.

I decided not to mention the statue, in the end.

A barbarian knowing something that even a wizard who’d devoted her entire life to
learning didn’t know?

‘It’d be better to avoid suspicion.’

Clearly, the excuse that I’d read it in a book wouldn’t work this time, and this ‘object’
was an item that couldn’t be taken out of the rift with distortion magic, anyway.

“This is the inner fortress.”

In the medieval age, if the outer fortress served as the first line of defence, then the
inner fortress was closer to being the last stronghold.

Originally, this was the place where various military facilities such as the armoury
would’ve been built, and where the vassals, knights, and soldiers of the lord would
be stationed.

Raven looked around and sighed.

“…I’d already heard about it, but I really can’t find anything here.”

The inner fortress, which was about one-third the size of the outer fortress, was
horribly damaged.

All the buildings had collapsed, and only ruins remained.

There weren’t even any monsters here.

“Let’s quickly move on to the next destination.”

Under Raven’s direction, we cleared the rubble for about thirty minutes and finally
found a way to the basement.

“Mr. Murad, will you take the lead?”

“Got it!”

“Ah, I need to conserve my magic, so please light a torch.”

The dwarf took out a torch and slotted it onto his helmet.

Maybe because he was so short, he looked like the Molediver, from the manhwa[1].

Crumple!

We pushed the thick wooden planks away and slowly made our way down the stairs
hidden underneath.

The third chapter of the Blood Citadel – the dungeon.

I gulped and tried to steel myself.

「You have entered the first floor of the dungeon. 」

Aah, I’m not good with the disgusting stuff…

“Miss Raven, what kind of monsters come out here?”

“I know there can be skull rats, banshees, deathfiends, chimeric wolves, ghoul lords
and corpse golems.”

“Except for the corpse golem, they’re all monsters I’ve dealt with.”

“That’s how it should be. Corpse golems are monsters that only appear inside the
Blood Citadel.”

“Hahaha, time to pile up some achievements, I think!”

The dwarf was happy that he could increase his experience by fighting new
monsters.

But not me.

Even the graphics had been so terrible, how disgusting would the reality be?

“Is there anything to be careful about, specifically?”

“You just have to be careful about the flesh explosion. The explosive power is not
very strong, but the body fluids are mixed with toxic acid, so it can be fatal if you get
hit at close range. Of course, I’ll try to stop you before that.”

“Ha ha! There is nothing to be afraid of, because we have a wizard with us!”

“It’s all possible because there are strong warriors like Mr. Murad.”

Damn.

Weren’t they at each other’s throats when they were arguing over loot just now?

Step.

As soon as I went down the last stair, a dungeon with a labyrinthine structure
unfolded before my eyes.
Deadmen shackled with chains rotted inside cages, and on the floor, rats with only
bones left made strange noises as they wandered around.

“Bjorn, are those monsters too?”

“They’re the skull rats I mentioned earlier.”

“I didn’t ask you, wizard!”

By the way, these were unrated, same as the deadmen.

In fact, they didn’t even have enough fighting power to be called monsters, so we
simply walked forward, trampling on whatever we could see.

And not long after, we met a banshee.

“Kuhuhuhu, huhuhuhuhu!”

The banshee was flying around haphazardly, revealing only the outline of a bizarre-
looking face.

“B-, Bjorn…”

Oh, right, she was afraid of banshees.

Seeing Ainar clinging to me, Raven grinned.

Thankfully Ainar was too busy to notice. The shouting match would’ve started up
again otherwise.

“Be careful not to bump into the banshee. It’s not too dangerous if it’s just once or
twice, but…”

“…But?”

“You’ll have a very, very horrible experience.”

“V-, very, very horrible experience? What does that even mean! Talk clearly, wizard!”

“Well. Shall I leave it to your imagination?”

Raven smiled crookedly as she looked at Ainar’s pale face.

Seeing her take revenge in this way, she didn’t seem to have a very good personality
either.

I sighed inwardly and cut in on their conversation.

“I heard that wizards have a way to deal with banshees.”

“Hmm, you said you like books, so you have broad knowledge, huh?”

Was this enough to call my knowledge broad?

Well, for a barbarian, it might be…

Still, this was probably still within the range of plausibility.

“Then I’ll stop joking around and handle the banshee first. Tayrun shell.”

Immediately, an arrow of light was fired out of Raven’s staff and pierced the banshee.

The magic was called ‘mageshot[2]’ in the game.

It had no casting time because it was a basic attack spell that was no different from a
wizard’s normal attack.

“Kyieeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

In a while, dozens of banshees began to flock together, burning with fierce hatred.

They’d sensed the ‘mark’ left by their colleague when she’d died.

From the point of view of a wizard who possessed a large number of powerful wide-
area attacks, it must’ve been a welcome occurrence.

“Iherno heindar.”

Flame baptism.

Flames from her magic staff filled the straight passage.

And when the fire was extinguished –

There were no banshees left.

Whooosh!

This time too, the mana stones scattered on the floor floated in the air and went into
her bag.

In fact, I was more envious of this than the attack spell.

That you didn’t have to pick up the mana stones one by one.

Really, how long would it take to put a wizard on my team and carry them around?

Again, I realized how far I still had to go.

Reality was different from the 2D world beyond the monitor.

Especially the chill that now prickled on my skin.

「The character has entered the second floor of the dungeon.」

The dungeon I experienced firsthand for the first time felt like a mad scientist’s
laboratory.

A chimeric wolf with four heads and bulging, uneven muscles like a mutant.

A ghoul lord with a retinue of thirty elder ghouls.

These eighth-grade monsters not only possessed grotesque appearances, but the
small props around them were full of a horror game vibe.

I could only hope I wouldn’t get turned into another prop that completed the
picture[3].

“By the way, Miss Raven is great. Aren’t you scared at all?”
“Well. I do love anatomy, so this much is fine.”

Fuck, then what about a barbarian’s anatomy?

Come to think of it, the reason why barbarian hearts were sold at high prices was
because they were magic materials…

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

Hunting all the monsters in the dungeon and reaching the third basement floor, we
found a hidden door leading to the underground space beneath the ruins of the
lord’s castle.

Originally, we should’ve gotten the map from the guardroom, but…

“The door is hidden behind the wall, so it’s good that I memorized the map in
advance.”

Thanks to Raven, who’d studied the area thoroughly, there was no way we could get
lost.

Well, if I were alone, I would’ve found it as well.

As for the dungeon, the place was identical to how it’d been in the game.

‘But that’s only possible because I’m a player.’

Once again, I could feel why wizards were so important.

Powerful attack magic.

Highly useful support system abilities such as ‘cure wounds’.

Even the knowledge accumulated by reading numerous books.

It wasn’t for no reason that wizards were treated better than priests in a team.

“It’d be better to leave our backpacks here. Especially for you, Mr. Yandel.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, I dropped the oversized backpack that spanned from
my head to my thighs in front of the door.

…If I made enough money, I’d have to buy a magic backpack first.

This wasn’t my first time feeling uncomfortable because of it.

“Ah, from now on, Mr. Yandel should also light a torch.”

At Raven’s instruction, I also affixed a torch on my helmet.

With this, everything was ready.

Creak, creak, creak –

As I turned the circular valve to open the iron door, a rotten stench rushed in.

“I didn’t expect this kind of a place at all.”

“Oi, wizard… do we really have to go in here?”

“I’m disgusted to death, too, but it can’t be helped.”

A space reminiscent of a sewage treatment plant.

There were large water pipes lined up on the cylindrical wall, and dark filth was
dripping down everywhere.

And on top of that –

Broken and severed limbs and heads were piled up like mountains on the floor, and
the air full of rot and decay stung our noses and caused headaches.

“Ugh, gghhhh!”

The first to vomit was the porter.

The guy who’d been simply holding the baggage next to Raven like an escort, with a
really expressionless face, spewed out the contents of his stomach.

The second was Raven.

“Uggh, woagghhh!”

She might’ve been able to tolerate the sight due to her experience with dissections,
but she was equally vulnerable to the smell.

Surprisingly, I managed.

Even though a scene that would’ve made me faint in the past was unfolding before
my eyes, there was no effect on this barbarian body.

“I’m glad you’re all right. Come on, let’s go forward.”

Feeling something indescribable, I slowly approached the centre.

Squelch.

Every step made a sound as if I was stepping on a sponge.

And as the light got closer to the centre, the huge shape that’d only been a dark
outline became clearer.

“Hello.”

Surprisingly, it spoke to us.

In a female voice that sounded like a scratched tape recording.

“Kkgh, kuhk! Meat! Save, kkghghk, save me! Me! Kkgh, kgkk, delicious, d-, daddy,
kkh!”

Ah, um, ah…

To be honest, it was a bit shocking.

“Hooo…”

Fuck, you used to be so quiet in the game.

Why the hell are you doing this to me?

Bitter thoughts welled up out of nowhere, but nothing would change even if you
lament.

When I looked to the side, even the trustworthy dwarf was frozen in place.

“Everyone, calm down!!”

I immediately roared, waking up my bewildered teammates.

But did this end up provoking it?

“Daddy! Daddy! Hurts! Hurts! Hurtsss! It hurtssssssssss!!”

The pile of corpses that had been crouching in the dark stood up and staggered
forward, although I really couldn’t say if it actually had any feet or not.

Boom–!

The midboss of the Blood Citadel.

It was a corpse golem.

Although [Dungeon and Stone] is the epitome of a niche cult classic, it’s not without
its own popular parts.

At least some of its illustrations are famous.

The lifelike illustrations that seem like old black and white photos are often used as
‘memes’ on the internet.

Few people know that those illustrations are actually from a game.

I’m realizing once more.

“Fuck.”

No matter how realistic a picture is, it can’t match up to reality.

“Hurts! Hurts! It hurtssssssss!”

Is this what a collection of thousands of human arms, legs, and heads looks like?

Each component moves independently, as if it has its own will.

The same goes for the hundreds of mouths.

Each one pours out what it wants to say, uncontrolled and unfiltered.

Most of them say it hurts, it’s cold, it hates, kill me, save me, etc., and there’s no
overarching logic that governs the emotions that fluctuate from moment to moment.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah–!”

Well, it’s either that or a simple scream.

Everyone is frozen once again by the macabre harmony in the synthesis of all sorts of
bizarre voices.

“Hikurod! Be careful!”

A wizard good at anatomy.

A third-year dwarf who must’ve encountered numerous monsters.

A human man who exudes an atmosphere that looks quite good for a porter.

They treated us two rookie barbarians as spares, but…

Surprisingly, at this moment, it’s only Ainar and I who haven’t lost their cool.

“What’re you all doing!”

Ainar, who’d been watching the corpse golem, pulls the dwarf by the neck and lifts
him up.

Craaash!

The pile of corpses that flies in like a shotput explodes on impacting the ground. The
splattered blood and flesh sticks to Ainar and the dwarf.

Screeeech!

Fortunately, Ainar is unharmed because of her clothes, but not the dwarf.

“Ah! Eye! My eyes…!”

Fuck, it seems that the acid somehow went through the narrow slit in the helmet and
hit him in the eyes.

In an instant, the dwarf is incapacitated.

And the wizard who believed only in herself…

“Ugggh, huurrrrrk!”

Is still vomiting.

…What do you guys think you’re doing?

And here I thought things have gotten easier.

No way, of course they can’t.

“Ainar! Take the dwarf and retreat to protect the wizard!”

Shouting my instructions, I raise my shield and face the corpse golem.

There’s no choice.

I don’t want to attract attention as much as possible, but…

Aren’t the ones supposed to carry us through the mission now messing around?

“Behel-raaaaa!!”

To survive, I have no choice but to take the steering wheel myself.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 두더지 광부 (lit. mole miner). Initially we thought this might refer to the ‘mole
miner’ enemy type in Fallout 76, but that doesn’t make sense either from the
imagery or from context. This is quite possibly referring to the Molediver (Teamfight
Tactics). Does that even have a manhwa?

[2] 마력시 (lit. magic power) doesn’t seem to be a very fitting name, so this is being
translated as ‘mageshot’.

[3] 화룡점정 (lit. fire dragon point), giving the finishing touch. Comes from the
Chinese proverb ‘paint the dragon, dot the eyes’, about a painter who’d drawn a very
lifelike portrait of a dragon, with just one thing missing. As soon as he painted the
dragon’s pupil with his last stroke, it became real and flew away.
The corpse golem’s attack pattern is simple.

Fire corpse bombs at distant enemies.

Pull close and devour nearby enemies.

Using those hundreds of arms sprouting from all over its body, wriggling like
tentacles.

“Bjorn!”

Ainar’s worried cry rings in my ears as I maintain my distance.

If I get too close, I won’t be a valid target for the corpse bomb…

Then the target would change to where the wizard is.

Craaash!

I have to stall somehow.

At least until the wizard comes to her senses.

By drawing aggro all by myself.

Craaash!

Each time a corpse bomb flies in, I roll to the side to create some distance, then
crouch behind my shield to protect myself from the splattering acidic synovia.

And when I’m doing this for the third time –

“Iherno heindar.”
A baptism of flames comes roaring.

Fortunately, the wizard seems to have come to her senses.

Instead of looking back, I keep my attention focused only on the corpse golem.

Accompanied by the screams of hundreds of voices, the body of the corpse golem is
set ablaze, and its shell starts peeling off.

The standard strategy for beating the first pattern is to repeatedly light it aflame
using torches while kiting its attacks and managing your distance, but with a single
spell, all of that is now completed in one shot.

「The outer shell of the corpse golem has been neutralized. 」

But the burning smell of rotten corpses is even more disgusting.

“U… uggh, eeek!!”

Another scream resounds from behind.

Please, just come to your senses quicker this time…

Well, although, I guess I don’t need a wizard anymore.

“Ainar! It’s fine now, come to the other side!”

I immediately call Ainar forward.

The corpse golem is a rank seven monster, but as long as its skin is peeled off, it’s not
a monster beyond the reach of two barbarians.

“Grrrrr–!!”

Its gigantic shape has also shrunk noticeably, and now it’s only about 3m in diameter.

Now that the piles of corpses that’d been crawling all over its form have burned and
melted, only the remaining bones, like bars of reinforced steel, keep creaking as they
move.
I call this, ‘bone golem mode’.

“Kaaaaagh!”

Because of the reduced weight, its movement has become much more agile.

I shout as I block the violent swing of its arm with my shield.

“Porter! You come help, too!”

“I must protect Lady Raven.”

Motherfucker.

Alright, I get it.

Let’s wait and see, what price all my hard work gets me.

Crump!

I leap high and slam my mace on the golem’s torso.

There’s a shattering sound, but that’s all.

Its ribs are so hard that cracking a piece of bone a little is all I managed.

But this is repeatable.

“Ainar! Aim for the chest!”

“Got it!”

Ainar and I attack the corpse golem’s ribs, kiting its aggro between us.

Perhaps after doing that around forty times?

The ribs, hard as walnut shells, crack apart, revealing the kernel inside.

A magical core, a common vital element for golems.

Crunch!

After I break the core with my mace, the corpse golem stops working and dissolves
into light.

「You have killed a corpse golem. EXP +3」

The reward is a mana stone the size of a fist, as expected of a rank seven monster.

“Ohhhh! How many loaves of bread would this buy?”

Ainar, admiring the first stone she’s seen of this size, suddenly stiffens.

Because the reward doesn’t end with just a mana stone.

Whoosh!

A halo of black light shines softly as it hangs in the air.

“Bjorn, maybe this is…?”

I nod my head, equally nonplussed.

Essence drop.

A rift is nothing less than a treasure trove.

Elite monsters that don’t appear outside in the regular areas are like raindrops in the
desert for adventurers who can’t get any more experience from regular monsters,
not to mention the loot the guardian spits out.

But the key is that the essence drop rate inside a rift is exponentially higher than the
outside.

‘Actually, if you look at the probability, it’s not that strange that an essence came out
now… ‘

“What are we going to do?”

I put my thoughts together for a moment in response to Ainar’s question.

First of all, we two should own it.

We almost did all the fighting by ourselves, and this was the promise in the first
place.

But…

“…”

Originally, I had two candidates.

Deathfiend for regenerative power, or chimeric wolf for muscular strength.

Both essences are from a rank eight monster.

But all of a sudden, here dropped the essence of a corpse golem, a rank seven elite
monster that appears only inside the ‘Blood Citadel’.

The difficulty of obtaining such a rare essence is incomparable to either of the

candidates…

But it’s too average for me to be happy about it.

The penalty is severe, and the unique abilities have their own drawbacks.

[Corpse Golem]

 Pain Tolerance +70, Skeletal Density +55, Poison Resistance +12, Strength +15,
Cognition -5, Appetite +9, Weight +21

First of all, the basic stats are suitable for tank builds.

The decline in cognitive ability affects the visual acuity of the body as well as the
speed of judgment, and the body will become dull overall…

In return, other stat increases are very high.

‘Skeletal density’, which affects defence as well as physical resistance, is +55, and
‘weight’, which used to affect knockback and blunt damages in the game, is +21.

‘Pain tolerance’ is also very useful in reality compared to in the game, ‘appetite’ is
insignificant, and ‘strength’ as well as ‘poison resistance’ are unconditionally helpful
stats.

But…

Special:

 (P) Acidic Bodily Fluids – Blood becomes acidic.

 (A) Flesh Explosion – Create a powerful explosion from any part of the body.

The abilities have huge flaws.

‘Flesh explosion’ does boast tremendous damage, but it uses the character’s HP as a
cost.

What if you just don’t use the active skill?

Sealing a skill is a huge loss in the first place, but even disregarding that…

If you eat this essence, every time you get injured, the durability of your equipment
will drop drastically.

Because whenever you bleed, your blood will splatter and corrode whatever it
touches, including your equipment.

“Whoo…”

Outrageous potion costs and horrendous equipment costs.

Usually, whenever this essence dropped in the game, I fed it to whichever NPC I was
carrying with me at the time, pretty much throwing it away.

You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit[1], and this essence is the same.

It’s a waste to completely throw it away, but it’d be problematic to feed it to your
player character.
‘Anyway, the essence you eat at the start has to be thrown away someday, so taking
this now wouldn’t be such a bad thing… ‘

“Let’s put it on hold for now and treat the dwarf first.”

Even if there’s no owner, the essence will remain for half an hour, so there’s no need
for haste.

I don’t know if I might be able to trade something for this.

Having made such a judgment, I turn to our rear and witness a scene that can be
summed up in one word – a mess.

Did the porter give them potions?

The dwarf is rolling on the ground with the pain from the potion, and the wizard
somehow looks half-dead.

“Do not come close.”

His name… right, Tarzine.

This sleek-looking escort bastard blocks our way as soon as he sees us coming closer.

Fuck, what did we do?

“What happened?”

When I keep my distance and ask, the porter answers.

“She’s suffering from backlash because she forcefully cast magic.”

Backlash…

He seems to be referring to ‘circuit break’, a condition that sometimes occurs when

casting fails.

Upon closer inspection, the wizard is literally vomiting blood, not just spewing out
the contents of her stomach.
“Ugh, huurrrk!”

Is this the bitter price of using magic in the midst of a stomach upset because of the
smell?

It’s a weird sight for sure, but…

In fact, in [Dungeon and Stone], that’s a good thing.

Unlike other games where the chain of causality is transparently visible, in this
game, small ’causes’ that seem insignificant can sometimes threaten your life.

“Are you going to leave her to it? I think it’d be better to move her outside first.”

“…I will ask you to carry the dwarf, then.”

After escorting Raven and the dwarf to the dungeon basement, things get better in a
while.

The dwarf is the first to come to his senses.

“I have no excuse… Thank you. Things would’ve been a nightmare if it weren’t for the
two of you.”

“I’m glad you understand that.”

I don’t try to act humble.

Because there’s no going back.

I’m sure I made a difference, and I’m going to use this to raise my hourly wage a little
bit more.

For that, it’d be better to go high than to go low.

“If it weren’t for Ainar, you’d be dead already.”

“I know. It’s really embarrassing, but as soon as I saw it, my body stiffened. I used to
think I’ve seen everything there is to see…”
Once again, this place emphasizes the harshness of reality.

If it were a game, he would’ve been more than strong enough, but due to his fragile
mentality, he was almost killed by a midboss, not even the rift guardian.

“So what’s up with the lady?”

“Backlash. She’s drunk a potion, so she should get better soon.”

The wizard, who’d been screaming instead of vomiting, comes to her senses about
ten minutes later.

“It hurts, ouch.”

She speaks pretending to be careless, but there’s no more of that earlier lofty
atmosphere.

The corners of her mouth and the nape of her neck are caked with vomit and blood,
and even her fine blonde hair hangs loose and matted.

Same with her robes, covered in dirt and grime.

“We took care of the corpse golem.”

“Yes. I know. I overdid the magic, but well done.”

Really, is this how adventurer bastards behave?

Rather than saying thank you, the first thing she mentions is her own achievement.

If I let it be, there’ll be no hope of increasing my wages.

I need to get a confirmation somehow.

“We saved you. By more than a person’s share. Do you agree, wizard?”

“…I agree.”

Raven nods as if in anger.

It seems that it was quite shameful that the two barbarians whom she’d been taking
for granted did such a great job.

To be honest, it’s quite refreshing, but leaving her some room at this point will help
the negotiations.

“Of course, your magic was amazing. With such strong flame, you must’ve overdid it
for the sake of the team.”

“Well, I guess… So, what do you want to say?”

I say bluntly.

“We will take the rift stone.”

Essence, numbered item, rift stone.

These are the three possible loot drops from a rift guardian.

When I’d first asked for this, they’d glared at us saying we were being too greedy for
two useless rookies.

But what about now?

“…”

There is only a strange silence.

I wait patiently without urging.

Patience is the basis of negotiation.

“I agree. If it weren’t for this barbarian girl here, I’d be dead.”

Is this him repaying the favour?

The dwarf is the first to express his affirmation.

But…
“I disagree.”

Raven doesn’t allow it.

But it’s not like she’s giving no concession at all.

“But if the rift stone does drop, I think we can at least give them an equal chance.”

Simply put, it means that we’ll be given the opportunity to bid.

It’s a little disappointing, but it’s true that she’s helped a lot too, so it might be nice to
be satisfied with this.

Because I don’t have much time.

Then, on to the next item.

“Ah, and there was the essence.”

“Essence? Could it be that the corpse golem dropped an essence?”

“Yes.”

The dwarf and Raven both gape, perhaps not having expected to see something so
rare.

“It’s amazing. It looks like you haven’t gotten a single essence yet, but you got this
one as your first.”

“I heard that the corpse golem’s essence is so rare than even the Adventurers’ Guild
doesn’t understand its properties.”

Raven admires the essence that’s even rarer than the essence of a guardian.

Her eyes are shining with the lust for research. It’s a bonus.

I hide my happiness as much as possible and bring out the proposal I’d been holding
back.

“You can exchange it for the essence of the guardian if you want.”
“Yes? But we’re not sure if the guardian will even drop an essence…”

Raven wiggles in place with a strange face.

She really likes the suggestion.

“I’ll take the chance.”

“Okay then, alright. I really don’t know how adventurers think. Actually, the corpse
golem is a lot more interesting to me. I didn’t know this would drop…”

Negotiations, success.

“Miss Raven, I’ve heard that wizards can’t absorb essences, so are you going to feed it
to your porter?”

“No, the essence by itself is worth studying.”

Raven took a test tube from the porter’s bag.

This was one of the reasons wizards were such a cheat.

Even if they didn’t directly absorb the essence into the body, they could still take it
outside.

They did need to prepare for that though.

“Ah! Did you bring a test tube? I heard they’re exorbitantly expensive!”

“…This is the only one I have.”

In fact, putting an essence below the sixth grade in a test tube was almost a waste.

But Raven seemed to value the corpse golem’s essence quite highly.

Whoosh!

As Raven chanted a spell, the essence was sucked into the test tube.
She carefully double-wrapped the item with cloth and stored it properly in her
backpack.

“Then let’s get out of this terrible place.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that!”

We climbed up the grimy ladder and moved quickly through the water pipes.

The only monsters that appeared were skull rats and deadmen.

Although the place smelled foul, it was nothing compared to the stench in the corpse
golem’s arena.

After traveling for about thirty minutes, we reached our destination.

“I’ll go up first.”

There was a staircase beyond the rusty iron fence that looked like it would crumple
with one kick, and when I climbed it, a spacious stone chamber appeared.

Breathing in the fresh air as much as I could, I checked my surroundings.

“It doesn’t look like a gargoyle statue, what is that?”

“It doesn’t feel magical, so it must be a simple sculpture.”

Demonic sculptures were everywhere.

And the floor was littered with human skulls.

“Perhaps there was a house right above here. If it hadn’t collapsed, I would’ve been
able to investigate inside…”

As if she didn’t feel the eerie atmosphere, Raven spoke as if it were a pity.

“As you can see, it has the typical look of a religious facility. However, hiding it
underground means that this faith did not fit the social norms of the time. For
example, worshipping an evil god.”
“I, I see.”

The dwarf was taken aback by Raven’s enthusiastic explanation as she showed off
her knowledge. I brought them back to reality by interjecting before they could go off
on even longer tangents.

“Why don’t we stop talking and get a little rest?”

In fact, this was my warning to myself as well.

Because the last chapter of the rift, the ‘demonic shrine’, was not a place to be taken
lightly.

“Bjorn, I’m feeling something ominous in the air.”

Especially for an unlucky bastard like me.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 계륵과 (lit. chicken ribs), something that has no great use or benefit, but not
worth completely throwing away.
Click.

When Raven pushed a stone embedded in the walls, the candles in the stone
chamber lit up at once, and the hall became brighter.

“Oh, how did you know about this again?”

“Books are a treasure trove of knowledge.”

Yeah, you can read anything in a book.

“Let’s see, ah! Here it is.”

Raven pushed a brick, and a book fell down from the ceiling with the clicking sound
of a mechanism.

‘Necronomicon’.

A grimoire of black magic, and an item that was sold at a fairly high price in stores.

…Damn it.

“It’s something I discovered with my own abilities, so I’ll take it as agreed.”

“That’s fine. We wouldn’t be able to take it out without distortion magic, anyway.”

“Hahaha…”

Raven laughed awkwardly.

She probably knew all about it from the map she’d memorized.

The ‘Necronomicon’ was considered an item, and could be taken outside even
without distortion magic.

“Would you mind putting this in my backpack?”

“Yes, Mistress Raven.”

My stomach hurt with envy, but all I could do was watch while the wizard swallowed
the loot all by herself.

Huh, I’d thought to collect it myself later…

Why the hell did she know about this, when she didn’t even know what was hidden
under the statue?

“Then shall we go?”

As we walked along the straight passage for about 10m, we came across a two-way
fork under a huge statue of a devil.

“Miss Raven?”

“It doesn’t matter which one we choose. We’re going to hunt all the monsters
anyway, right?”

We went around the ‘ㅁ’ shape of the ‘demonic shrine’ and methodically hunted
down the monsters.

Gargoyle statue, deathfiend, chimeric wolf, and bone knight.

“Not only did the corpse golem drop an essence, but we even got the longing type, so
we’re pretty lucky.”

Yes, this rain of good fortune wasn’t like my usual experience.

Hate, sorrow, longing.

A ‘bone knight’, a rank seven monster, can have one of these three attributes at
random. And we got the easiest and the most rewarding type.

“The longing type only has the ability to ‘drain life’, which restores its own life when
it hits. And I can simply negate it with my ‘cancel regeneration’ magic.”

Raven bragged proudly, but in fact, with or without her, the longing type would’ve
been the easiest.

The sadness type, which emitted a mist that caused delirium, had a very annoying
ability even in the game.

Well, it wasn’t in the same league as the hatred type, though.

The dwarf said thoughtfully.

“If we’re talking about luck, I’ve heard that the hatred type is the weakest, right?”

Fuck you.

Knights of hatred use ‘soul slash’.

A crazy skill that does no damage, but has an atrocious probability of dropping your
level.

[Companion A suffers serious damage to his soul and his level drops.]

Once it crits, this message appears in the battle log regardless of HP, defence, or
magic resistance.

And when this message appears, it’s better to give up and start nurturing a new
character.

That’s a lot easier than continuing the grind at the portals and recovering the lost
experience that way.

“…It’s really scary to have your soul’s rank go down.”

At Raven’s explanation on my behalf, the dwarf shuddered and breathed a sigh of

relief.

However, this wizard girl did not miss the opportunity to show off her knowledge
and continued to explain.
“Ah, if you have as many essences as your soul allows, one would be lost at random.
Perhaps this is something that other adventurers might not know.”

As expected of a wizard, she was bang on.

However, if I could add one more piece of information as an old pro…

‘Soul slash’ crits more easily the lower your level.

And now I was only level two.

Even with my bad luck, I was really lucky I didn’t meet the knight of hatred –

“Essence.”

Fuck, is my luck finally turning?

Another essence dropped at my hands.

It belonged to none other than the seventh-grade monster, the bone knight.

What is this?

Even the corpse golem dropped an essence…

Was this the so-called ‘bountiful fortune’?

“It is as if God is watching over you. Ha ha ha ha!”

“I know what you mean. Maybe the guardian would drop an essence too?”

Each of them gave meaningless congratulations and looked at us.

Me and Ainar.

It meant one of us would have to eat this.

After thinking for a while, I came up with an answer.

“Ainar, take this for yourself.”

“Is, is that alright?”

It would’ve been a lie to say I wasn’t tempted.

In fact, now only the guardian was left, and no one could be sure whether another
essence would drop or not.

But…

“You said you wanted to be strong, didn’t you? So take this.”

From a player’s point of view, it was more reasonable for Ainar to take it rather than
me.

‘Drain life’ was a good fit for swordsmen, and I was in a position where I’d have to
give up my weapon someday.

And above all, Ainar was reliable.

Judging by her honest personality, she wouldn’t leave me to fend for myself and
instead stay by my side.

So, rather than being impatient, it’d be more efficient to make Ainar stronger, and
then use that strength to get an essence that fit me better.

“Oh, thank you! Bjorn! You’re the best! I’ll definitely repay this favour!”

With my permission, Ainar took the essence with excitement.

The change was dramatic and immediate.

“W-, what the! Why did you all suddenly grow so large!”

“You’re the one who turned small, Ainar.”

“What?! Really?!”

Ainar’s height, which was around 2m, decreased sharply.

In an instant, she came down to around the late 170s.

“This is the basic effect of the essence of the bone knight. In return for a significant
increase in bone density, your height decreases.”

Raven, who liked to explain things, recited the information known by this world’s
standards.

If instead of terms like (high), (middle), (low), etc., you expressed it in terms of hard
numbers:

[Bone Knight]

 Cutting Power +12, Skeletal Density +55, Agility +15, Endurance +15,
Flexibility -7, Height -25

(P) Antiseptic – All wound aggravating effects (poison, bleeding, decay, etc.) are
halved.

(A) Drain Life – Temporary significant increase in regeneration when you strike
another.

“Don’t worry. You wouldn’t have lost muscle strength just because you got shorter –”

“I, I’m ruined! Nobody will see me as a warrior anymore! Everyone already looked at
me funny because I’m a woman!”

…Did people really make fun of her because she was a woman?

Or was it a complex all in her head?

“By the way… you look really pretty.”

Raven, watching Ainar scream, murmured with interest.

“Is it because the skull structure shrunk? Maybe this could be sold to nobles as
cosmetics –”

“That, that means I’m not a warrior anymore?!!”

I didn’t know it was going to be this bad, so I hurriedly cut in trying to fix it
somehow.
“No, no. Ainar, everyone already knows that you’re a great warrior!”

To be honest, except for the tattoos on her upper body, she now almost looked like a
tall human woman…

“What’s wrong with getting just a little bit shorter!”

“Do you call this a little bit?!!”

“…But you’re much stronger now! Isn’t that good enough?”

I was the only one trying to console her.

The rest were pure sociopaths, busy chattering with each other, ignoring their
colleague’s misfortune.

“Ha ha ha! What a strange essence. If a dwarf like me eats it, he’ll become invisible!”

“Hmm, that’s a fun idea. Whether the height reduction effect is proportional or
absolute, I need to look for examples after I go back.”

“I’m ruined!!”

“Ha ha ha! Is it because you’re a barbarian? Even if you’re short, your voice is still
very loud!”

“Ainar, if it’s okay with you, can I examine you once we get back to the city?”

“I’m ruined!”

All of you, please stop and be quiet.

My ears are ringing, and my head hurts…

“Deathfiend!”

Thanks to the monster that ran in from afar attracted by all the noise, the commotion
somehow barely subsided.
However, perhaps because they were curious about Ainar’s transformation after
absorbing the essence, everyone took a step back and expressed their intention to
watch.

“Behel-ra…”

Ainar swung her greatsword with a shout that was completely devoid of spirit.

And…

Snikt!

No, I didn’t hear it wrong.

Her greatsword made a slashing sound rather than a blunt impact, for the first time.

…Was this what cutting force +12 looked like?

“Ainar, aim at the head!”

“Uh, uh… got it!”

Surprised by her own change, Ainar leapt up high and chopped her greatsword
straight down.

And then…

Snikt!

The deathfiend, which used to need dozens of hits with the two of us, died in a single
blow.

That one shot cleaved through the hard skull and reached the brain inside.

“Look! You’ve gotten much stronger!”

“Then, am I still a warrior…?”

“Does that make sense?”

“…?”

“Ainar, second daughter of Penelin! Now you are not just a warrior! You’re a stronger
warrior!!”

“Behel-raaaah!!”

Thank God, she finally cheered up.

Her balance was off because she’d lost weight, but she’d become much stronger once
she got used to it.

“Aren’t they a really good couple?”

“I know, right?”

I ignored the useless chatter between the wizard and the dwarf, and proceeded
forward.

Because I’d realized once again that the only way to shut them up was by fighting
monsters.

“Come on! Bjorn! If you eat one, you can also become a stronger warrior like me!”

Regaining her motivation, Ainar really kept fighting with all her heart and soul.

Thud! Ka-thunk! Snikt!

Unfortunately, even after hunting all the monsters in the shrine, no more essences
dropped.

But I didn’t give up hope.

Because the best part of the rift, the guardian, was still left.

We’d been lucky enough so far, so couldn’t that luck last for one last round?

Just when that thought crossed my mind –

“I’ve had a lot of fun with you guys, but now it’s almost over.”
The dwarf boldly raised a flag.

Raven followed.

“It’s a bit sad. This is my first time in the labyrinth, but I think I can understand why
my seniors go on adventures.”

In that instant, it felt as if I’d been dumped in a frozen river.

Come to think of it, when had I ever been this lucky in my whole life?

Even if I combed over my entire lifetime, I couldn’t find a single instance.

Something would always happen to spoil things at the end.

The screws in my head, which had been loosened to the limit, tightened at once, as
an unknown premonition loomed over me.

“Then I’ll go in.”

What’s the problem?

If the worst were to happen now, what would it be?

Infighting?

That didn’t seem correct.

The loot distribution had already been agreed, so even if an internal conflict were to
happen, it’d only happen after the guardian died.

Screech.

As the dwarf opened the door to the stone chamber, I observed our surroundings.

With an iron certainty that something was going to happen.

I paid close attention to every little detail my eyes could reach.

Simultaneously, I went over all the in-game information about the ‘Blood Citadel’ in
my head.

So, I was able to find it.

“Door! Close the door!”

“What do you mean –”

Damn it, it’s too late.

Rrrrrrruummbllllle!

At the same time as the door opened –

The floor began to shake violently.

And then, at the very centre of the spacious stone chamber, a shape than had been
hiding in the dark stood up, and took off its hood to reveal a wretched face.

Only Raven, the wizard, realized how serious was the predicament that we were now
in.

“No, that’s absurd…”

The guardian of the rift had changed.

Instead of the ‘death knight’ that should’ve been waiting for us here…

「The lord of the Blood Citadel wakes up from his deep slumber.」

A ‘boss’ monster without any retinue.

Nevertheless, it was a monster with a rank five difficulty rating.

A true ‘hybrid’ monster, proficient in black magic as well as melee combat.

A monster we would’ve only had a faint chance to meet even if we were on the sixth
floor.

“Vampire…”
A so-called ‘high variant’, not an ordinary vampire.

Simply put, he was a named monster with intelligence, a name, and a history.

I even knew his name.

“I haven’t seen any of the living in a long time.”

Vampire Duke Cambormere.

“Where are you guys from?”

On behalf of the frozen crowd, I opened my mouth.

“Let’s run.”

Fuck, why are you doing this to me?

In the game, even if I sang, come out, come out every time, you never showed up!
Monsters can be broadly classified into four categories.

1. Variants.

For example, regular goblins, goblin archers and goblin swordsmen. They’re all of
the same race, but have different classes.

2. Higher species.

The deathfiends I’d met in the Land of the Dead belong to this category.

Note that this is a relative term. As long as the monster is one grade higher than the
average of the current floor, it’s a higher species.

3. Rare species.

Monsters that can only be met in certain special places like the rifts, like corpse
golems, or monsters that can appear in the general areas but are extremely difficult
to find, like mimics, fall in this category.

4. High variants.

Named monsters, with unique memories for each individual, and individual names.

Their most prominent characteristic is that they can have ‘the power of essence’,
giving them special abilities unavailable to their species.

In short, they’re much tougher and much more demanding to fight.

Imagine, what if an ‘ogre’, known for its thick skin, also possessed the regenerative
ability of a ‘troll’?

A crazy monster would be born.

That’s why…

I was running with all my might.

“Who the hell is that guy?! Why the hell is there a vampire here…”

“Run faster if you’ve got the time to whine, dwarf.”

Out of the entrance to the boss room –

“Huk, huk, I can’t even run anymore…”

“Excuse me, Miss Raven.”

Following the same route by way of which we’d come in, past the water pipes –

“We can’t leave this place without killing him anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to fight?”

“We at least need to find sunlight.”

“What sunlight? The sky’s all red!”

“That’d still be better than here, though.”

Even after entering the maze-like dungeon –

“Turn left here!”

We continued to sprint.

Because this place was no different than ‘his’ home ground.

We had to get outside at any cost.

That way we could still have a chance to live.

“A, a high variant guardian… This is unprecedented.”

Well, that wasn’t strictly true.

High variants appear even in the ‘White Temple’ on the third floor. And from the
eighth floor and up, in the true depths of the labyrinth, it’s safe to say that all rifts are
like that.

But, well, it wasn’t wrong to call this unprecedented for the first floor.

Even I, an old pro in his ninth year with ten thousand runs under his belt, had never
met the ‘vampire duke’.

I only knew about his existence from a recording a player had posted on the only
community site for the game.

“Oh right! How did you know, Mr. Bjorn? You told us to close the door!”

Couldn’t that damned zeal for learning take a rest even in this situation?

“I repeat, run faster.”

“But I’m not running by myself, right?”

Ah, that’s right.

But can’t you see how hard I’m trying to run?

“…I just had an intuition.”

Before things got any more annoying, I looked around and cut off our conversation.

But if I were to answer that within my own head…

It was thanks to the unusual colour of the doorknob that I’d noticed.

In the Blood Citadel gameplay recording that player had uploaded, that had been the
only unusuality.

When the vampire duke didn’t appear for me even after trying hundreds of times
under the same conditions as that player, I’d thought there had to be some special
condition, so I’d combed through the recording and found that small difference.
If I hadn’t been blinded by so many lucky breaks, could I have discovered it even
before opening the door?

Well, there was no point thinking about that right now.

“You’re being rude, o guests.”

As soon as we reached the second floor of the dungeon, ‘he’ appeared on our trail.

Swaaaaaa–!

Chasing us in the form of a black mist, not as a human.

This wasn’t a vampiric ability. It was one of the dozens of black magic spells he
possessed, ‘spiritization’.

This was why I hated monsters that used magic.

They were too damned versatile.

“Raven!”

I immediately called the wizard on our side.

I wanted to ask if she knew any solar magic, the elemental weakness of all vampires.

But I was thinking too much.

“Everyone close your eyes!”

The lady wizard had already finished casting.

“Aheschenbert tu!”

‘Radiant explosion’.

A support spell usually used for its AoE blinding effect.

Even with my eyes closed, I could clearly feel the sudden and intense flash of light.
Ppiiiii–.

Ignoring the tinnitus from my ears, I opened my eyes, and found that the black
smoke that’d been chasing us had disappeared.

Thank God.

By cancelling ‘spiritization’, the next part of the combo, ‘materialization’, had also
been prevented.

Meaning we’d earned at least three minutes of reprieve, or even more.

By now, ‘he’ must’ve again woken up in the shrine room.

But were triumphs bound to be accompanied by disasters?

“Bjorn! The wizard’s down!”

“What?”

Hearing Ainar’s exclamation, I glanced at Raven, who was being held by the porter as
we ran, and saw that she had fainted. As if she’d suffered from some internal injury,
blood was dripping from her lips.

…What? Did that bastard use some magic?

But one couldn’t use magic in ‘spiritized’ state, though?

‘Maybe the power of the essence?’

Maybe.

In the recorded gameplay, the player had gotten wiped out without much fuss, so it
was impossible to confirm what kind of additional abilities the ‘vampire duke’ had.

Various possibilities swirled in my head, but I decided to stop thinking about it for
now.

“What are you doing?! Not running?”

“The wizard who knew the way has passed out!”

“Don’t worry. I know the way.”

“…How?”

Looking at the dwarf’s face full of doubts, I answered briefly.

“I memorized it.”

“But isn’t this your first time here…?”

In fact, I’d been here hundreds of times.

I’d wanted to meet the ‘vampire duke’, so I’d been a really frequent visitor. Of course,
I’d never expected that I’d get to see that face from up close instead of from the other
side of the monitor.

“Follow me.”

I took the lead without allowing any further questions.

Would the wizard consider me too unusual for a barbarian when she woke up later?

But that’d be a concern for later.

Surviving now was the priority.

“Whoa, you really memorized the way…”

As we sprinted nonstop and reached the first basement floor, the dwarf exclaimed in
amazement.

“You two, is it true that you finished your coming-of-age ceremony only last month?”

“Of course! Didn’t I tell you! Bjorn is a great warrior!”

“A great warrior, huh… Feels like that really might come true someday.”

They say praise can make even whales dance, but I’m not a whale… please, I’m begging
you, if you’ve got the energy to talk, run faster.

Maybe two minutes had passed so far.

Pit-a-pat pit-a-pat.

Left, right, straight, straight, right, left, straight, straight.

As we kept running non-stop according to map I’d drawn in my head, the exit finally
came into view.

Were we just under three minutes?

I checked our trail one last time before running up the stairs.

“Whoo, whoo…”

Everyone was breathing hard, but nobody had been left behind because they all had
good basic stamina.

The problem was that I could see a trail of dark smoke following behind us.

Swaaaaaa–!

Should I have thrown away the whole backpack?

Else I could’ve widened the distance a little bit further.

But nothing would change even if I regretted it now.

Let’s focus on what we can do right now.

Pit-a-pat pit-a-pat!

We rushed up the stairs.

But did he use ‘materialization’?

Pitter-patter.
I heard the sound of something being assembled behind us.

It was time to go for broke.

I started jumping two to three steps at a time with a last-minute burst of energy.

And…

“We’re out!”

We finally came out on the surface.

Without a single fatality.

“I was so worried deep inside, but it really didn’t follow us up, I see…”

The dwarf muttered with a sigh.

However, as if he wasn’t completely relieved, his gaze was still fixed on the stairs
leading to the basement.

Anybody with basic sense would know.

In the end, we’d just bought ourselves a little more time.

None of the problems had actually been resolved.

“…How long do you think it’d take?”

In response to the dwarf’s question, I shrugged, looking at the ridge across the castle
walls.

Well, although I didn’t know the exact time…

“Just from the looks of it, there isn’t much time left.”

Time was clearly not on our side.

Soon, that dark red sky would turn completely stygian.

So we needed to finish our preparations before that.

“So how’s the wizard, exactly?”

“She’s taken a potion, so she should come back to her senses soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“…I’m sure she will.”

That’s just your own wish then, you bastard.

Really, did this guy have no concept of our current situation that he was behaving
like this?

I said firmly.

“You have to do more this time.”

“But…”

But, what?

“Or do you want to lose everything?”

Sometimes being completely direct is the most effective.

He couldn’t protect the wizard by himself if all the rest of us died.

“…What can I do?”

Although if he had to ask me that, it might be true that he couldn’t make much of a
difference.

But I just wanted to remind him of his resolve before the battle began.

“Guard the wizard. Even if you have to risk your life.”

“…Of course.”

His tone changed, sounding a lot more reliable.

And now that this bastard had been dealt with –

Was there only one more thing left to prepare?

“Let’s go to the outer walls. It’d be better to have some cover.”

I used some unreasonable excuses to lead the party to the outer walls.

In fact, it might’ve been best to leave everything here and go alone right away…

But if ‘he’ popped up in the meantime, it’d be game over.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll take a look around and come back.”

“Splitting the party’s a bad idea!”

The dwarf shouted something, but I pretended to be deaf and ran towards the
fountain I’d noticed the last time.

I had no choice then but to ignore it in order to not attract attention, but this time I
had to get that item.

Clang! Crumble.

A fountain, dry and full of pebbles.

After breaking the statue in the middle, I combed through the fragments and pulled
out a small box from the debris.

「The character has obtained the [Tear of the Goddess].」

When I checked, the contents also matched how it’d been in the game…

Other good news also followed.

“This is…”
When I came back after packing my new prize into the sole of my boots, Raven had
come to her senses.

“Vampire! What about the vampire?”

“We managed to escape somehow. But he’ll appear again after the sun goes down.”

“I see.”

Maybe because she was still in pain, so she frowned.

Now it was her turn to answer.

“What the hell happened to you?”

Raven took a cursory sip of the potion the porter handed her like it was plain bottled
water, and answered in a half-dead voice.

“Ugh, I’m not sure, but… augh, based on the symptoms, sss… it was most likely ‘pain
sharing’.”

‘Pain sharing’.

We were pretty lucky if that was true.

The eighth-grade monster with this ability, ‘nightflier’, was one of the ones with the
lowest basic stats among its peers.

If the essence had been sixth grade, no, even seventh grade, the difficulty would’ve
been even higher.

“Ah… In fact, when I tried to use the spell one more time, the backlash…”

Raven grabbed the collar over her chest with a painful expression.

Seeing it made me feel very sad too.

Seemed like I’d have to cover for her a while longer.

“How long would the recovery take?”

“Ugh, a complete recovery is impossible. My magic circuit’s gotten completely
twisted.”

“A rough estimate is fine, so give me some numbers.”

“Twenty minutes? I should heal up enough by then for up to five rank seven attack
spells.”

Five magic spells in the same class as ‘flame baptism’.

This was a pretty big deal.

“Are there any other solar magics you know of?”

“It’s very rude to ask a wizard about their spell repertoire, you know?’

Of course, in terms of the worldview, I knew that.

But right now I was one of the barbarians, who stood at the very apex of rudeness,
with a cultural tradition of daring to talk smack towards anybody except the king.

Looking at my eyes which were bluntly saying ‘so what?’, Raven could only sigh.

“I could cast one ‘sunspot sphere’.”

“Sunspot sphere…”

Its basic form was similar to a fireball, but it was a rank six attack spell that used the
solar attribute instead of fire.

Now how could I spruce this up even more?

“What about using the ‘attribute strengthening’ spell on the sunspot sphere?”

“…If I had ten more minutes to gather the mana.”

“Alright then. I’ll try to hold on somehow until then. So don’t go out of your way to
help, and save your magic.”

“Yes, got it… Wait, but why is Mr. Yandel acting as the leader?”
As expected of a wizard, huh? She sure caught on quickly.

The dwarf had just followed along when I’d ‘naturally’ taken the lead.

“Then is there anyone else who can do it?”

She glanced at the porter, Ainar, and the dwarf, in that order, then shook her head as
if she’d been convinced.

“That, really… I see how it is.”

“Ha ha ha! Sorry! I was just born like this, so what can I do?”

The dwarf scratched the back of his thick neck as if he was indifferent. And Ainar
also joined in the conversation because she saw a way for a quick victory.

“Are you going to admit that a barbarian is better than a dwarf!”

“Of course not! However, as the barbarian lady here said, this friend here is really
something special. I could feel it.”

“Special…?”

“I’ve always been confident in my eye for people.”

Raven was curious about what’d happened while she was unconscious, but sadly, we
couldn’t spend our precious time on that.

“Murad, how many essences do you have?”

“Four.”

“What kinds?”

I made the questions as short and concise as possible, trying to grasp the dwarf’s
overall capabilities.

Among the essences he had, there were no key cards that could turn the game
around…
Still, I could draw a strategy inside my head.

The one disappointment, however, was that there was no time to discuss it with the
team members.

Swaaaaaa.

A cool wind blew, and the shadows that covered the earth congealed and grew
thicker.

Thirty minutes left until the preparations were ready.

「Night falls. 」

Now there was no place to retreat to.

I’d just have to endure it somehow.

“Bjorn.”

The moment Ainar called out my name –

The sun, that had been covered by the red clouds so far, went completely over the
horizon. And at that same instant, a pale-skinned man appeared under the red
moonlight.

“It’s strange, it’s really strange…”

He took a glance at the ruins of the castle town all around us, then focused his full
attention on our party.

“Your very presence makes my killing intent boil over. I can’t even stand to look at
you. Do you guys know the reason?”

The reason? Well…

How should I know?

And I don’t really want to know, either.

I tried to be a bit clever with my answer.

“Given some time to think, we might be able to remember?”

Even one more minute would be fine, so I decided to try and buy time.

However, the bastard’s eyes shined at my answer.

“Unfortunately… my bloodlust has become too unbearable. Kahahaha.”

To be honest, this wasn’t much of a surprise.

There was no way this vampire bastard would agree to such a thing.

“Kaha, kahahaha! Kahahahahahahaha!!”

Even facing so many of us, the vampire, as if he’d been possessed, went from a small
snicker to full-blown, gut-busting laughter…

“Kyaaaaaaagh!”

Finishing with a scream that wouldn’t have been out-of-place if it’d come from some
kind of movie alien.

Sniiikt–!

His nails, the main weapon of a vampire, were already protruding outwards with a
sharp, slicing sound.

At some point, only madness remained in his pupils, shedding a crimson glow.

‘Again, this is the same as how it’d been in the game.’

Come to think of it, the game had been the same way.

No matter how intelligent a monster was, there was never any proper conversation
to be had, beyond exchanging only a few words like an introduction.

“Are you still fine with this much ‘fear’[1]?”

The killing intent emitted by the rank five monster was enough to make one freeze,
but surprisingly, the dwarf was fine.

“Everyone, back off!”

I was indeed a little amazed.

He’d looked so pathetic when facing the the corpse golem, but he was still a third-
year adventurer in the end, huh?

At the same time as the vampire’s form disappeared, the dwarf stepped forward and
raised his buckler.
Claaaaaaaang!

An explosion of dust blew around him with a roar.

The power was evident even from a few steps away, but…

“Ha ha ha! It’s pretty heavy!”

The dwarf didn’t take a single step back.

It wasn’t that his stats overwhelmed the vampire’s…

It was all thanks to his essence.

「Hikurod Murad has cast [counterweight].」

An ability of the seventh grade monster, ‘iron troll’.

A ‘knockback immunity’ skill that prevents you from falling or being pushed when
your feet are in contact with the ground.

Additional options include shock absorption.

“Tarzine, you stand back!”

As the battle began, I gave orders.

However, no answer came back.

When I glanced askance, I saw that the porter was already far away, with the wizard
safely cradled in his arms.

He did do a good job, so why did I feel so annoyed?

What exactly was I feeling right now, I decided to ponder over later.

“Ainar!”

“I’ll take the right side!”

I could just save my breath, because we could read each other’s thoughts just by
looking into the other’s eyes.

I nodded briefly towards the left side of the vampire, then rushed at him together
with Ainar.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Perhaps he hadn’t completely lost his mind, and his wits remained about him as far
as battle was concerned? The vampire retreated.

At the same time, the dwarf’s half-crumpled buckler was restored to its original state
as if time had been reversed.

The buckler didn’t come with an auto-repair feature…

「Hikurod Murad has cast [emergency restoration].」

This was the ability of ‘living armor’.

A useful skill that not only saved on the cost of equipment, but also greatly increased
the performance any magic tool one equipped.

The dwarf, who’d finished the repairs in an instant, shouted.

“I’ll be in charge of the front, so you guys help from the side!”

There was no reason to disagree.

Because he was a dwarf, he’d probably even be able to hold out alone for a few
seconds. To be honest, I was the one here who was the least helpful.

Ainar had at least eaten an essence this time, but I, the wise one, had nothing except
for my ‘undying imprint’.

Well, I supposed I could serve as a meat shield.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”

At that moment, as the vampire looked at us from a distance, his body suddenly
dissolved into hundreds of crows.

A murder of crows flapping their wings, and flying towards us at great speed.

“Get as far away as you can!”

The crows quickly hit the floor and exploded.

Craaaack! Bang! Booooooooom!

The explosions weren’t that powerful in and of themselves.

However, we couldn’t avoid the blood that splashed all over the place.

‘Shit.’

Of course, this wasn’t like the corpse golem with its acidic blood, but…

Considering the next part of the combo, this was even more of a headache.

“B-, Bjorn! What the hell is this!”

A red tattoo was engraved on our blood-drenched foreheads, and a bright light shone
forth.

「The character has been marked as a sacrifice.」

「Vampire Duke Cambormere’s physical ability temporarily increases proportional

to the number of sacrifices within a 100m radius.」

I clenched my teeth, ignoring the information from the game log that somehow rose
within my mind.

The vampire’s figure was slowly reforming from the blood that’d pooled on the floor
after the crows had exploded.

Now that he’d been buffed, it was going to be even more difficult to deal with him.

‘Are we close to about three minutes, now?’

There was still a long way to go before the preparations were ready.

Would I be able to survive until then?

I shook my head.

There was no point in thinking about the uncertainty of the future.

“Behel-raaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

I’d simply have to endure.

With the same bull-headed, intransigent resolve that the barbarians were proud of.

First, buff skill, ‘mark of sacrifice’.

Second, ‘eternal life’, that greatly increases regenerative power, proportional to the
lost stamina.

Third, ‘master of blood’, that absorbs part of the target’s abilities when directly
sucking blood from them.

Each of the three active skills possessed by vampires shine with great majesty in
close-ranged melee combat.

The problem, though, is that this isn’t the end of it.

These bastards, unsatisfied with their natural abilities, also use various black magic
spells.

“Bjorn, another crow!”

For example, turning into a crow and exploding, turning into smoke to phase through
hits, using blood scattered nearby to summon monsters, etc.

Vampire bastards are the epitome of how cheaty the specs of the high-grade
monsters are.
‘This is why the majority couldn’t even reach the sixth floor and had to quit the
game.’

Seeing with my own eyes the crazy difficulty of [Dungeon and Stone] once again, I
raise my shield.

It’s already been torn and dug by the vampire’s nails, and it’s almost like scrap metal
at this point…

But it’s better than nothing.

Claaaaaang–!

I use the recoil to jump back and absorb the shock of the impact as much as possible.

Strength, speed, and skill.

Against an enemy who overwhelms me in every way, all I have are the remnants of
my fighting talent and my experience.

[Please hold on for another five minutes!]

Suddenly, Raven’s voice echoes inside my head.

I wonder if it’d have taken less time if she’d saved the magic power instead of
sending a message…

Still, after hearing this hopeful news, I do feel a little refreshed –

“Hikurod got hit!”

– Like hell.

The dwarf who’s been marking the vampire from up close, showing his skill as an
adventurer in his third year, falls down.

Although Ainar, being nearby, rushes in and prevents the vampire from sucking his
blood…

「Hikurod Murad has fallen into a state of [incapable of combat]. 」

In an instant, the tide has turned.

Ainar and I are already at our limits.

It’s almost impossible to stop the enemy with just the two of us, without the dwarf
who’d been taking on at least half the pressure during this battle.

‘Then I’d rather… ’

I make a quick decision.

“Ainar! Take Murad and step back!”

“But…”

“I’m going to stop this guy!”

“Oh, I see!”

As Ainar hauls Murad over her shoulders, I dash forward and swing my mace.

Crump!

My first valid hit in quite a while.

“Aahk!!”

My head throbs with the recoil of my successful attack.

Because this crazy bastard is a high variant.

「Vampire Duke Cambormere has cast [share affliction].」

In the meantime, this bastard fully recovers from his injuries by just taking a step
back to catch his breath.

Damn, I’m still in pain.

What kind of bullshit is this?

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Still, just as planned, the aggro has completely focused on me.

I double-check to see if the thing I’d hidden in my boots is still safe.

The item called the ‘Tear of the Goddess’.

Simply put, it’s a sacred object.

Although it’s a disposable item, it can be used for healing purposes, and also for
attacks against monsters with unholy attribute.

‘…Should I use this now?’

Of course, using it on myself isn’t worth it.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a ‘special grade’, it’s still an item that can only be used within
the ‘Blood Citadel’.

If it’s used on the dwarf, we could restore our fighting power immediately, and if it’s
used on the vampire, it’d be able to inflict considerable damage.

But…

‘No.’

I stop my pointless worries.

Why have I been defending so steadfastly until now?

Because I’ve only planned for one attack.

And actually, planning for more than would rather be a demerit.

Since the chance will come only once –

We have to pour our everything into it at that exact moment.

That’s the only way for the five of us to hunt a rank five monster.
Click.

I take a bottle of potion from my waist and open the stopper.

And the moment I pour the potion into my mouth while watching the vampire
rushing towards me –

Screeeech!

The countless number of residual wounds I’ve accumulated during the battle start
healing, and the accompanying agony rushes in like a tidal wave.

It’s as if the strength is running out of my hands like water. I want nothing else but to
collapse. After all, it’s close to impossible to fight while drinking a potion. But…

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Because I’m not trying to ‘fight’ here. Not exactly.

Snikt!

Soon, the vampire’s claws are nailed to my abdomen.

Even with my sheet metal armour in the way, the wound seems grievously deep.

“…!”

Nerves that feel a life-threatening danger fire like crazy, sending signals of pain to my
brain.

My head feels blank, as if overloaded on sensations.

‘Shit, if I’d known things would be like this, I would’ve just eaten the corpse golem
essence.’

Leaving my belated regrets behind, I pour another bottle of potion into my mouth.

Screeeech!

The effects of the undying imprint stack with the potion, and the wound heals
swiftly.

“Kyaaak–?”

The vampire bastard sounds startled, as if he can’t make sense of the current
situation.

Honestly speaking –

It hurts like I’m dying, but…

“Behel-ra, you son of a bitch…”

Mere pain cannot kill me.

I’m still alive to this day. I’m still here. That is my proof.

“What the hell is that guy doing…!”

Raven, who was hiding behind the rubble in the distance and observing the situation,
was astonished.

Although she’d read of many extraordinary strategies and hunting methods of

famous adventurers in her books, none of them had been like this.

Just cling to the enemy while chugging potions?

“Th-, that’s never going to work. H-he’ll die!”

The concept itself didn’t make sense.

She, who’d taken potions several times, knew this very well.

The pain that came with drinking a potion could be unimaginable, and the intensity
of the pain increased depending on the severity of the injury.

Then what about that barbarian, right now?

Screeech!

It wasn’t at a stage where his wounds were bubbling and steam rising from them. His
whole body was covered with pulsing smoke.

Even for her, seeing this kind of scene was the first time.

In this state, even leaving the injuries aside, death from the shock itself wouldn’t be
strange at all.

In fact, wasn’t that already common as a case of death after drinking potions?

“Huh?”

At that moment, while she was shuffling in place with anxiety, her eyes widened.

The pain the barbarian had to have been feeling right now was beyond her
imagination.

But at least one thing was certain.

In that state, he shouldn’t have been able to even move.

But, what the hell was this scene before her eyes?

Claaaaaang–!

Blocked.

While half-collapsed on the floor –

Holding a shield that had become a lump of scrap metal –

The barbarian blocked the vampire’s nails from cleaving him in two.

And as if to prove that this wasn’t an accident –

Claaaaaang–!

This happened several times, over and over.

Of course, not all the attacks were blocked. Even now, the barbarian’s whole body
was being shredded with abandon by those nails that danced like a whirlwind.

However…

Claaaaaang!

Every attack that targeted a key vital point such as the head or the heart, was
somehow blocked by a random-looking thrust of the shield.

‘Is this even possible…?’

She had no idea whether he was accurately avoiding the most fatal attacks with
superhuman concentration, or whether it was just the fighting instincts left in his
body that were making this possible.

However, a document she’d read a long time ago suddenly came to her mind.

It’d said that the true value of the barbarians lay in their mental power, not their
superior physical abilities.

‘Somehow, I think I understand now… ‘

“Mistress Raven, it’d be better for us to leave here.”

Tarzine, who was watching the battle together with her, spoke up with a heavy voice.

He mentioned escape, but what he meant was to abandon the rest and run away.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to protect you at this rate, Mistress Raven. It’s too
dangerous here.”

Seriously, did she come off as full of the spirit of self-sacrifice?

‘Do you think I’m still here because I don’t know that?’

She would’ve done that already, if she could.

Although she’d been told before that she had too soft a heart for a wizard, she still
wasn’t naive enough to risk her life for some low-tier adventurers.
But…

“Are you crazy? Leave? And go where?”

There was nowhere to run.

There was only one way to get out of the rift, and that was to defeat the ‘guardian’
and exit through the portal.

‘…He already knows that… he must be really desperate.’

A thought flashed within her mind.

Even a barbarian barely out of his coming-of-age ceremony was making such a coldly
rational judgment and doing his best given their situation…

And as the wizard, what the hell am I doing right now?

“When Bjorn dies, it’ll all be over. He must somehow survive.”

A wizard is not a being who only fires high-power spells from behind.

One of the wizard’s jobs is to coldly analyze the situation using their diverse
knowledge, and to suggest the most efficient way to their team.

“…”

Raven checked the current situation once again.

The third-year dwarf warrior was incapable of combat.

The barbarian was feeding him potions and helping him recover.

No problems so far…

As a wizard, she was hiding and waiting until her magical power was restored, and a
human swordsman was there to escort her.

This was pretty wasteful.

“Tarzine, go help Mr. Murad.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll be fine here. You go over there so that at least that barbarian can join the battle.”

“…Understood.”

“Leave your backpack here.”

Despite her slightly nervous tone, Tarzine followed her instructions without even
trying to argue.

Instead of even watching him go, Raven immediately put her hand into the subspace
of her backpack.

‘The essence of the corpse golem.’

As soon as she clearly recalled the image, the test tube was firmly grasped in her
hand.

‘It’s a bit of a… no, it’s a lot of a waste, but this money’s nothing compared to my life.’

Raven slowly gathered her magic and used the spells one by one.

Whoosh!

Support – accuracy.

Support – projectile range.

Support – orbit auto-adjustment.

With a few more additions, she wouldn’t even have to wave her arms to fire…

‘I have to save some magic power.’

After completing the procedure, she threw the test tube in her hand as hard as she
could.
And…

Clink!

The test tube that flew far away with a smooth curve hit the target and broke,
emitting light.

「The [corpse golem essence] permeates the character’s soul.」

「Pain Tolerance +70」

「Strength +15」

「Skeletal Density… 」

「… 」

「… 」

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 2

Body: 80 (New +34) / Mind: 46 (New +10) / Ability: 30 (New +26)

Item Level: 202

Combat Index: 203.5 (New +70)

Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 (New)

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 피어 (fear, lit. to bloom) is a homonym of the English word ‘fear’. This seems to be
an ocular/pupil skill of vampires, here.
My head is blank, and my vision, blurry.

Does it hurt? There’s no need to ask.

It feels as if my whole body has been shredded, and is now being pickled in brine.

I want to put it all down right now and rest, but…

‘Like hell I will.’

Kick away all the weaknesses from your heart.

A man must choose when he arrives at a crossroads.

What will you give up? What can you keep in return?

Snikt!

Something sharp pierces my thigh.

It’s fine.

That’s not an area where an injury would threaten my life, not now.

But maybe ‘he’ got frustrated, seeing the prey still standing no matter how many
times he’s torn apart?

“Kyaaaah!”

The vampire bastard’s movements become more and more vicious.

But I still have miles to go before I can sleep.

Lifting my shield that has been crumpled and torn in half, now much smaller in size,
I keep protecting only my vital points.

Screech!

The shield, unable to withstand the attack of a rank five monster, gets completely
torn off, leaving only the handle behind.

Dropping it to the ground, I raise my arms to protect my head, without conscious

thought.

At that moment –

Clink!

Something that’s definitely not a fingernail hits the back of my head and shatters into
sharp shards.

「The essence of the corpse golem seeps into the character’s soul.」

The pain fades in an instant.

「Pain Tolerance +70」

A new vitality swells up from inside the body that had already reached its limit.

「Strength +15」

My vision clears.

The first scene I see is that of the vampire’s sharp claws, swinging at my arms
wrapped around my head.

Unconsciously, I imagine my arms being cut off next…

But what actually happens is completely different.

Scratch!

The nails pierce the soft flesh, like cutting through butter.
But that’s all.

Crack!

The nails are blocked by my bones, and cannot go any deeper.

Then I realize –

What is the identity of this mysterious power?

「Skeletal Density +55」

「Poison Resistance +12」

「Cognition -5」

「Appetite +9」

「Weight +21」

「Passive Skill [acidic bodily fluids] causes the character’s blood to turn acidic… 」

Relief and regret flood in at the same time.

‘So I ate the corpse golem essence in the end… ’

Because of this, my growth plan now has to undergo a huge revision.

But, um, from a very short-term point of view…

This is great.

My chance of survival has risen.

Thump!

I drop to the floor and roll, before jumping back up.

Is this the effect of pain tolerance?

Since the problem of pain is resolved to some extent, there’s nothing stopping me
from moving.

‘But what about the essence of the guardian? Since I ate the essence of the corpse
golem, is our deal now invalid?’

Such thoughts suddenly cross my mind, but I throw them away.

This is something to think about later.

“Kyaaaah!”

Perhaps he finds the sudden liveliness of the prey very strange, because the vampire
rushes in enthusiastically.

My body moves instinctively to avoid it, but what happens next isn’t much different
from before.

To be honest, something like suddenly overwhelming a grade five monster after

eating a grade seven essence is impossible.

All that changes is that the meat shield, which was being beaten while lying down,
can now stand up and move.

‘So that’s the only difference, huh?’

I can only laugh out loud at my own self-evaluation.

Snikt! Scratch! Crack!

Nails cut through my flesh, tearing my intestines apart.

The potion I’d swallowed in advance has already been digested, so my regeneration
rate is slow.

But it doesn’t matter.

The wizard, who’d been passive so far, has realized that her life is in danger, and
starts pouring out her fortune.
Clink!

Another glass bottle flows in and shatters, pouring its contents over my body.

「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (high) effect.」

A high-level potion?

Just from how it hurts, I can tell that it’s got better effects than what the blond guy
had fed me.

Screech!

Really, my wounds begin closing far faster than before.

I take the initiative and rush at my opponent.

So what if my flesh gets shredded, or my muscles torn?

It’ll all get better in a few seconds anyway.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!!!”

I roar loudly enough to drown out the vampire’s scream, and enter extreme close-
range combat.

There’s no other choice.

My mace is far away, and my shield has turned into a pile of scrap metal.

“Kya, kayak?!”

Perhaps he’d never met any adventurers who used wrestling techniques, because
he’s quite confused when I stick to his back like a cicada and clinch his neck.

Erm, or maybe he’s just annoyed, not confused?

“Kyaaaah!”
Smoke gushes out from each place where our flesh comes into contact.

Screeech!

It’s impossible to tell for certain whether the smoke comes from the acid in my blood
coming into contact with him, or if it’s just from the potion healing my body…

It doesn’t matter.

‘Might even be a mix of both.’

Even in such a situation, another bottle of potion comes flying and crashes against
my skin.

「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (high) effect.」

Ah, so the potion’s different from the acid.

As the potion scatters over us, the vampire I have in a chokehold screams even
louder and flings me away like a fly.

The overwhelming difference in strength between our forms is apparent.

But…

“Fuck, this is no big deal, you bastard.”

Slowly, the path begins to appear.

In my current state, that is, in this barbarian: immortality mode, I can survive a few
minutes against this piece of shit.

I’m confident.

“Bjorn! I’ll help!”

Even Ainar rejoins the battlefield.

“What about Murad?”

“The porter is looking after him!”

Ainar’s addition is even more positive for us.

I take the role of the main tank by chugging down potions, and whenever there’s a
little danger, Ainar swings her sword so I can take a moment to catch my breath.

The battle’s definitely gotten easier.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Ainar! Avoid! Soon the crows will come flying!”

The moment Ainar takes a big step backwards at my shout –

The vampire’s body dissolves into hundreds of crows. But they can’t reach us, who’ve
already started moving in advance.

“Bjorn really is great! How did you know this was coming?”

Because he always frowns with one eye before using this.

Rather than a racial characteristic of all vampires, it feels like a habit of this
particular individual.

Things seem to be coming to an end.

“I’m ashamed! You all endured very well! Ha ha ha ha!”

Soon, the dwarf, his wounds healed with a potion, joins the battlefield again.

Even the porter comes along.

“From now on, I’ll help.”

“We’ll assist you from the side!”

Apparently, the main tank role has become something I would ‘naturally’ continue to
perform.
It doesn’t even feel like they’re trying to make me sacrifice myself.

It seems that they really think this would be more efficient. The third-year dwarf
warrior thus encourages the second-month barbarian.

“Great Warrior Bjorn, son of Yandel! You’re good enough to handle it! Ha ha ha!”

It seems to be a compliment, but…

‘It means I have to work like a dog till the end.’

Why am I the only one who never gets an easy ride anywhere? No, why is my life like
this?

But now’s not the time to bitch about it.

“Behel-raaaaaaa!”

As the four of us keep dealing with the vampire with myself at the core of the
formation, the turning point we’d been awaiting for so long finally arrives.

[It’s done.]

If that means ‘I’m done’, ‘I’ve finished recovering my magic’, ‘I’ve finished chanting
the ‘sunspot sphere’, too’, and ‘I’ve even completed the ‘attribute enhancement’’…

Then I’d say that everything is now ready.

In other words, it’s time to end this long dogfight and go outside.

[I can cast any time.]

The moment I hear the confirmation, I roar –

“Murad! Now! ‘Lightning ejection’!”

An instruction without a single aside, let alone any explanation.

However, the dwarf immediately carries it out without any backtalk.

Crackle, crackle!

A yellow glow shimmers on the dwarf’s hammer, and sparks begin to fly.

「Hikurod Murad has cast [lightning].」

The ability of the seventh-grade monster, ‘elatrek’.

The effect is to allow a strong current to flow through a part of your body.

The dwarf raises his hammer high.

As if it’s a strain to even lift.

“Everyone, better stay away for a while! Ha ha ha!”

After that brief warning, the dwarf swings his hammer into the air with all his might.

The fact that he’s far away from the vampire, his target?

Little things like that don’t matter.

「Hikurod Murad has cast [release].」

‘Release’ is one of the rare ‘transformation series’ abilities in [Dungeon & Stone].

The effect is to ‘erupt’ any ‘energy’ acquired through other abilities to the outside.

Booooooooooom!

Lightning shoots out from the hammer in the form of a sphere, like a cannonball…

And, explodes. Literally.

Crrrrrrrrrrrrump!

Compared to the noise, the physical effect seems low.

Because there’re no craters on the floor, nor are there limbs of the target scattered
about, or anything like that.
But…

「Vampire Duke Cambormere has fallen into a [stunned] state. 」

In the first place, the key to this combo is not pure power.

The dwarf who’s made a rank five monster go groggy in one hit, turns back and
signals.

It’s a very analog signal.

“Raven––!!!!”

Fortunately, the signal is transmitted properly, and strong light immediately

condenses on a roof about 200m away from us.

I hurriedly take out the item I’d hidden in my boots.

A small jewel the size of a fingernail, the ‘Tear of the Goddess’.

Even in the midst of so many crises, I’ve been cherishing it just for this moment.

Pit-a-pat!

I grab it and run.

And after shoving it into the bastard’s open jaws –

Crumpt!

I uppercut as hard as I can to close them.

Crunch.

There’s the sound of something breaking, and before long, a pure white brilliance
erupts from his mouth.

「The Tear of the Goddess has been destroyed.」

「[Grace] shall descend at the location of destruction.」

「By the effect of [grace], all resistances of Vampire Duke Cambormere are
temporarily sealed and he takes great damage.」

Blood flows from the vampire’s mouth like crazy.

He looks fine on the outside, but it looks like his insides are messed up.

Surprising.

But this isn’t enough.

「Due to the strong impact, the [stunned] status of Vampire Duke Cambormere is
adjusted to [paralysed].」

The bastard’s fingers twitch as if the stun is over.

‘Is it time yet? Any later and… ’

The moment I turn back and run, thinking that –

「Arua Raven has cast the sixth-grade attack magic [sunspot sphere]. 」

A dazzling sphere flutters in the dark sky.

My regret is immediate.

Boooom–!

Ah, fuck, it’s been a while since I…

「The character is caught up in an explosion of [sunspot sphere] and is [stunned].」

「Vampire Duke Cambormere has cast [pain sharing].」

「Hikurod Murad is [stunned].」

「Ainar Penelin is [stunned]… 」

Beep–.

A clear sound echoes in my head, like in a TV channel after the national anthem has
ended.

And over my ringing ears, I can as if hear conversation.

Dialogue that wouldn’t be out of place on TV or in some comic book.

[Why would a butcher sell grilled meat?!]

[No! This is raw meat!]

[No, just look at it, it’s grilled! How is this raw meat?!]

[But…]

As I listen to this absurd conversation, I open my eyes.

[Are you alive?]

I see a dark sky looming above.

I can smell roasting meat.

Is this the smell of my own body?

“Hey…”

When I open my mouth, I hear a scratching groan from my parched throat.

My ears seem fine though.

I decide to only think about the positives, as much as possible.

“Heh heh heh! Ugh!”

The attack spell ‘sunspot sphere’, with the solar attribute, which is a combination of
the fire and holy attributes.

Naturally, its power is weaker than its purer equivalent, the ‘fireball’.

That was the fortunate part for me.

If not for that, I might’ve become charcoal by now.

‘But why is it so quiet…?’

I got caught in the ‘sunspot sphere’ and fainted for a moment.

That’s clear enough, but doesn’t explain the current situation.

Why haven’t I been healed yet, and why can’t I hear anything around me?

“…”

I push against the ground with my wet hands and stand up. Then I force my eyes to
focus.

The first thing I see is the vampire bastard.

“Fuck.”

Why is he still alive?

Of course, this bastard also seems spent.

Both his arms are missing, and bones are visible through the exposed upper part of
his chest.

He doesn’t even seem conscious.

But…

「Vampire Duke Cambormere’s regenerative power is greatly increased by the effect

of [eternal life].」

Even right this moment, his wounds are healing.

Since his regeneration is proportional to strength he’s lost, it won’t take long for the
gaping wound in the chest to heal, and for the torn arms to grow back.

“Mo… therfu…”

I look around and see the several people scattered on the ground.

The dwarf, Ainar, even the porter bastard.

For some reason, even the wizard who’d been hiding on the roof in the distance
seems to be in the same situation…

Weird.

What kind of crazy mystery is this?

Why did everyone faint all of a sudden?

What the hell happened while I was unconscious?

It looks like it’s been a while, doesn’t it?

All kinds of questions are rising up in my mind…

But I decide to put it all away and try to take a step, pushing my numb legs forward.

Step.

The situation still doesn’t make sense.

But only one thing is far too clear.

What should I do now?

Step.

Vampire Duke Cambormere.

I need to get rid of him before he comes back to his senses.

There’s no choice other than that.

No matter how rich the wizard might be, she wouldn’t have an endless supply of
potions. In fact, it’d be better to stop using the strategy of sustaining the battle with
potions.

Step.

So I walk, with staggering steps.

What about the pain that even my new pain resistance passive can’t handle?

Ignoring the piercing sensations, I put one leg, smelling of roast meat, forward after
the other.

Step.

Pain is a signal that tells you that you are alive.

At least, I think so.

It’s not like there wasn’t a time when I thought the opposite, but that’s how it is right
now.

So I keep walking.

Step.

As I get closer, even the vampire bastard smells of grilled meat. My knees buckle and
I fall down almost bonelessly, then crawl up on top of him.

“Son, of a, bitch…”

The wound on his chest, which had been severe enough to see the bones inside, has
already covered up quite a bit while I was walking.

I can’t help but curse.

Puff!
So I smash the bastard’s chest with my fists.

A vampire’s weakness is the heart.

Even if their brains are destroyed, these bastards can revive as long as their hearts
are intact.

‘Ah, that’s why this bastard’s arms are missing. He blocked the ‘sunspot sphere’ with
them, huh?’

Belatedly, an idea of what happened in that moment I’d missed is drawn inside my
head, but as usual, I just let it go.

Puff!

I clench my fists again.

I can feel the barrenness of my equipment slots more keenly than ever.

But if you don’t have any teeth left, you just have to chew with your gums so you can
swallow, don’t you?

Puff!

Who even knows where my mace is, and my shield has become a lump of waste that I
randomly dropped somewhere.

Of course, Ainar’s greatsword and the dwarf’s battle hammer are on the floor…

‘I didn’t even think of picking them up.’

Eh, with my strength right now, I couldn’t have picked them up anyway.

As I’m slamming down my fists, my crumpled and perforated half-armour is torn off
at the seams and falls to the floor.

‘My 360,000 stones… ’

Looking at the half-armour that’s been corroded and pitted due to my acidic blood, it
seems that repairs would be difficult.
This really hurts. It’s a different kind of pain.

“Shite.”

It’s like pouring water into poison.

No matter how much you do it, nothing changes.

Why are his ribs so hard?

I thought if I kept smashing, they’d break and pierce the heart.

‘Okay, let’s give up on this plan.’

I always like to have a plan B.

Because my plan A’s are rarely successful.

Maybe it’s because of my dogshit luck, but no matter what I do, some shit always
crops up at the end.

‘By the way, I’ve never tried this before… ’

…Can I do it?

Erwen said that it’s important to have an accurate image in your mind.

‘Flesh explosion.’

Oh, it worked.

Puff!

My hand placed on the bastard’s chest explodes.

Although the explosion isn’t particularly powerful, the acid mixed in my blood is
enough to dent his chest slightly.

But even that heals back up quickly…

‘I never expected to do it one shot anyhow.’

I cast [flesh explosions] in rapid succession.

Maybe it takes about ten tries?

Puff! Puff! Puff!

My left hand is completely insensate.

Perhaps because of the increase in skeletal density, the bones are still intact and only
the flesh has disappeared, as if it were the hand of some kind of skeletal monster.

Anyway, I can’t use the left hand anymore.

‘Now it’s the right hand’s turn.’

Even though I can’t help but think I’m just being crazy, I continue to visualize the
ability in my mind.

First, I put my right hand on the bastard’s chest.

‘Flesh explosion, flesh explosion, flesh explosion… ’

And keep at it.

The pain that breaks through some kind of limit and reaches new heights? I ignore it
as much as I can.

It feels like I’m going to die, but I’m not doing this to die.

I will definitely survive.

Puff!

Maybe after doing that eight more times?

My body suddenly trembles.

I think I just need to add a few more…

「Warning: Your character has less than 1% health. If not treated promptly, the
character may perish.」

It’s instinct.

That I’ve reached a point where I can no longer endure with just my mental strength.

I have to stop.

Otherwise, I might be able to kill the vampire bastard, but I’ll die, too.

As my intuition lets me know that fact, cold reason makes a judgment.

‘If I stop, I’ll still die in the end… ’

So I don’t.

There is absolutely no intention of sacrificing myself for the sake of my colleagues.

Puff!

I don’t know if I might look like a crazy bastard to some…

But in this moment, I am certain of one thing.

If there is to be even the slightest chance of survival, this is definitely the way to go.

Puff!

The moment when I break my flesh one more time –

「Warning: Your character’s health has reached 0%.」

I feel like something has changed.

As if something is escaping from my body, but should I say that it feels strangely
light?

Soon enough, I realize –

「The countdown begins.」

Oh, so that’s it.

This is what they call the final reflection, the last moment of perfect serenity before
your death[1].

「Mind consumed 3/second. (43/46)」

「Mind consumed 3/second. (40/46) 」

「Mind consumed 3/second. (37/46)」

Even though it feels like the reaper is hovering at my back, I explode my flesh once
more.

Puff!

Once more, his chest is dented, just like every other time.

But is this the battle intuition of a barbarian?

I can somehow feel it, clearer than ever.

‘Once.’

Just one more time.

I only need to do it once.

So…

‘Flesh explosion.’

Instead of my right arm, which now has almost no flesh left, I hold him tight to my
chest as I cast.

And at that moment –

「Vampire Duke Cambormere has been slain. EXP +5」

The body of the vampire bastard turns into motes of light.

That’s right, bitch. You have to die, too.

「Bonus for killing a high variant. EXP +1」

「Guardian kill bonus. EXP +3」

My heart is pounding.

It’s not a metaphor. It really is pounding.

Having experienced it before, I can accurately grasp my current situation.

「The character’s level has risen. 」

「Soul Power +10」

「The maximum number of absorbable essences increases by +1.」

I’ve levelled up.

But this doesn’t make me particularly happy.

Not only had I been expecting it already, but…

[Dungeon & Stone] isn’t a kind enough game to top up your health when you level
up.

「Mind consumed 3/second. (16/46)」

How many seconds do I have left in my life?

I don’t know for sure, but it’d be about five seconds at the most.

‘…In the end, I’ll just leave the last part to luck.’

No matter how many times I think about it, I can’t call this situation favourable.

Still, I decide not to regret it.

‘In the game, there was about a 33% chance that a rift guardian would drop an
essence.’

33%.

It’s too low to bet your life on.

But compared to 0%, it’s so high that they’re not even in the same league.

‘There’s no point thinking about it.’

I grin, as if to shake off my regrets.

To the last, to the very last inch, have I struggled.

So now I just have to wait for the result.

「Mind consumed 3/second. (13/46)」

「Mind consumed 3/second. (10/46)」

「Mind consumed 3/second… 」

One second, two seconds, three.

As time ticks by, my eyes flutter close.

‘I failed, huh… ’

It’s not because of some kind of accident.

I just wasn’t lucky.

‘Maybe this is the ending that suits me best.’

I close my eyes as if to let the world pass me by.

I hope that I can wake up again. As the twenty-year-old office worker, Lee Han-soo.

“Keh.”
Nah, as if that’d happen.

「The [essence of a vampire – guardian] permeates the character’s soul. 」

「Natural Regeneration +40」

「Strength +15」

「Agility +15」

「Magic Resistance +30… 」

「The character will not die until his heart is destroyed, by the effect of the passive
skill [dark origin]. 」

「The character’s regenerative power is greatly increased by the effect of [eternal

life]. 」

「The character’s HP has recovered to more than 1%.」

「The countdown is over.」

「Achievement complete」

「Condition: Survive the countdown.」

「Reward: Sanity permanently increases by +10.」

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 3 (New +1)

Body: 155 (New +75) / Mind: 90 (New +44) / Ability: 115 (New +85)

Item Level: 98 (New -104)

Combat Index: 381.5 (New +204)

Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7, Vampire (Guardian) – Rank 5 (New)

「Abnormal growth rate」

「The administrator is keeping an eye on the character.」

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 回光返照 is a metaphor in Zen Buddhism, and it’s a concept of one’s last
moments in life being perfect in spirituality, without relying on words or symbolism.
“Hey! Mr. Yandel! Wake up!”

Raven shook Bjorn by his shoulders.

The rest of the colleagues who’d fainted, were waking up up one by one.

“Miss Raven? What the hell is this…”

“Bjorn! Is Bjorn dead?!”

“Miss! I’m so glad that you’re safe…”

Questions were popping up all over the place.

Questions only Raven could answer.

Indeed, because she didn’t faint.

“The vampire is dead. Yandel is alive. Tarzine, I’m fine, so could you please stop
yelling so loud?”

“Great! To think your magic could kill the vampire in one shot!”

Hearing Murad’s exclamation, she pursed her lips. She was somehow feeling upset.

It was not the ‘sunspot sphere’ that had killed the vampire.

In terms of contribution, although she did contribute…

“…It wasn’t me, it was Mr. Yandel.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Yandel was the one to kill the vampire.”

Murad furrowed his eyebrows.

“No, you mean this little friend?”

He’d been praising the barbarian as ‘special’ and a ‘great warrior’ some time ago, but
he didn’t seem to believe that he could’ve killed a rank five monster.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand how he felt.

‘If I’d only heard the story… maybe I would’ve felt the same, too.’

Was it because of the distance?

Unaffected by ‘pain sharing’, she’d watched the whole story unfold, that no one else
knew about.

Yes, literally.

She’d just watched.

What could a sorceress who’d run out of magic even do?

“Everyone, be thankful to Mr. Yandel. Perhaps, without him, none of you would’ve
been able to open your eyes ever again.”

“B-, but that’s… could you explain a little bit more about what happened, please?”

She was wondering how to explain, but just then, Ainar cut in on the conversation.

“Then what happened to Bjorn! Aren’t we supposed to feed him potions right now?”

In other words, asking if she still had any potions left.

Raven shook her head and answered.

“Potions… wouldn’t help. His body has already mostly recovered.”

If she dared to predict the future, she might say that this man wouldn’t have many
occasions to drink potions in the future.

Because any injuries he took would heal back up far too quickly.

“Then why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

“I don’t know either. But…”

“Looks like you know something! What is it? Wizard! Come on, tell me!”

Raven took a deep breath and answered.

“Maybe… he’s exhausted.”

“…Exhausted? Didn’t you say his body was all healed up, earlier?”

Ainar placed a hand on Bjorn’s shoulder, which was still filthy with grime and coated
in crusted blood.

She looked as if the sky had collapsed.

“Wait, don’t tell me you two are really lovers?”

“Ah, ah, no! What’s with that, all of a sudden!”

“Hmm? Anyway, I can’t tell for sure. I’m no priest, and I only know of a few cases like
this.”

“Cases? Miss Raven, is this common?”

“It’s not that common, but… occasionally, there are cases like this. The body is
healthy, but the mind can’t recover.”

Warriors under extreme traumatic stress, or who really put their all into battle, can
sometimes fall into this state.

Hearing Raven explain this, Ainar raised her voice.

“I’ve never heard of anything like that! Besides, it doesn’t even make sense! Too tired
to even wake up? Bjorn isn’t that weak!”
He wasn’t that weak…

That was something she completely agreed with.

A few hours ago, she would’ve snorted inside her own thoughts, but at least now, she
believed it.

Because she alone had watched him fight the vampire till the final moment.

However…

No, that’s what made things even more difficult.

“To be honest, I’m almost certain. The reason Mr. Yandel isn’t waking up is because
he’s mentally exhausted.”

Too tired to even wake?

That went beyond the realm of being weak or strong.

It was the natural response of a living sapient organism.

‘Perhaps this woman wouldn’t have said this to me if she’d seen him fight in person.’

Perhaps today, she herself had witnessed an incredibly valuable scene.

“Wizard! So when will Bjorn wake up?”

“Well. It could take a day or two at the earliest.”

“No, I think he should be up in a few hours! Bjorn is a great warrior!”

‘…Then why did you have to ask me?’

Raven’s heart became uncomfortable once again, but for some reason, she couldn’t
find any desire to retort.

It was almost like she didn’t have the energy to do so.

In fact, those words didn’t sound as pretentious as they used to.

“A great warrior, is it…”

In the eternal flow of history, there were fewer than ten barbarians who had
officially received such a title from the king.

‘Well, it seems to be used as a compliment among the barbarians these days.’

She put her thoughts together one last time before continuing.

The essence of a corpse golem, and the essence of a vampire.

A barbarian who’d eaten them both, and the latter was even from a rift guardian.

He’d completed his coming-of-age ceremony only last month, so was this his second
time inside the labyrinth?

She opened her mouth as she looked at the barbarian lying asleep, as if without a
care for the outside world.

“…Maybe, he really might.”

Of course, in order for that to happen, he’d have to survive dozens more crises as
dangerous as today.

‘Am I alive?… ’

It was midnight when I woke up.

Ainar was giving me a lap pillow for some reason, and as soon as our eyes met, she
screamed ‘Bjorn!!!’ loud enough to chase all my drowsiness away.

“…Where are the others?”

“Everyone left! Bjorn, are you okay? I was worried because you’d passed out for
three full days!”

It’s been three days?

So, in terms of time, now was the seventh day?

Thoughts flashed through my mind, and I stood up as fast as I could. And then I gave
myself a once-over.

There were no visible signs of injury or trauma.

In terms of health, except for the pangs of hunger being sent out from my stomach, I
generally seemed to be in good shape.

“By the way, Ainar, what are these trousers I’m wearing?”

In fact, the word trousers was a bit of a misnomer.

A cloth folded like handkerchief was wrapped around my lower body, covering only
the important bits.

To be precise, it was closer to a skirt than trousers.

It was quite, ah, minimalistic.

“Ah! That, well, the wizard gave you her surplus cloth.”

“…Well, were you the one to dress me, then?”

“Of course!”

A hint of shame crept in, but it wasn’t too bad because Ainar herself didn’t seem to
much care.

Seriously, it was a little funny to see two warriors face each other in this situation.

“You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. After all, Bjorn is a great warrior!”

…Wait, was this sexual harassment?

“…So what happened afterwards?”

I changed the topic to forget my feeling of shame.

I was wondering what’d happened after I’d fainted. Especially when it came to loot.

“There was a numbered item or something? Murad took it, and the wizard took the
rift stone.”

“What?”

It was a series of surprises from the start.

Being alive right now meant I’d absorbed his essence… did that mean the vampire
had dropped all three possible loot items?

What kind of good fortune was this?

“Oh, right! There were no dice rolls when distributing the rift stone. Because the
wizard forcefully took it away to make up for the damage she’d suffered…”

Ainar continued speaking as if making excuses.

“Murad said he didn’t mind, but I said no! But then the wizard said something
strange.”

“Something strange?”

“She said you won’t mind, since you got the biggest reward.”

‘Only that woman seems to know that I ate the vampire’s essence.’

I quietly shook my head.

I had no regrets at all regarding the distribution of loot.

Whatever the reason, the wizard had fed me the essence of the corpse golem from
her share. In addition, considering the cost of all the potions she’d poured on me, the
wizard had actually gained almost nothing.

If I got greedy for even the rift stone after all that, I’d just be a thief.

Ainar seemed to think a little differently, though.

“Well, I told them to wait until you woke up and then decide, but it couldn’t be
helped! After waiting for more than half a day, you still wouldn’t wake up, so they all
left through the portal!!”

“You don’t need to blame yourself. This was unavoidable.”

To be honest, I could only imagine the expressions on their faces as they were held
captive for half a day at Ainar’s coercion…

It would be better to just give her a compliment.

“Thank you. I was lucky to have you with me.”

“…Of, of course! Aren’t we friends!”

I checked my belongings that Ainar had gathered.

A backpack, a mace, a few pieces of scrap metal that might’ve been a shield in the
past…

‘Still, if I take it outside to sell, I’d at least recoup the price of the iron.’

Sorting out everything and putting them into my backpack, I took out some food and
a canteen to fill my hungry stomach.

And I checked the time.

11:20 p.m.

‘There’s less than an hour before the stairs close.’

“Bjorn! When you’re done eating, how about heading out? There isn’t much time
now!”

“I can’t.”

I stubbornly refused.

I desperately wanted to leave this disgusting place right now, but…

Since I’d suffered so much, shouldn’t I grab everything I could afford to grab?

I wanted to check out the boss room, too.

‘The wizard took away the Necronomicon, so there’s only one left.’

Looked like I’d have to move quickly.

「You have moved to the entrance to the first floor.」

「The labyrinth has been closed.」

「The character is moved to Rafdonia.」

I breathed out, feeling the kiss of the sun on my skin.

‘Just barely safe… ’

The schedule had been tighter than expected.

It’d taken less than ten minutes to find the item hidden in the ceiling of the
watchtower of the outer walls, climbing up the ladder…

But going to the boss room and coming back had been tough.

‘…In the end, it was all in vain.’

When Ainar said they’d waited for half a day, was it really so that the wizard could
investigate?

‘Well, with that personality of hers, it’d be weird if she just passed by.’

Broken walls everywhere.

Window and door frames torn out.

Even the treasure chest had been left open and empty.

‘There must’ve been some additional rewards, but she swallowed it all up by
herself… ‘

In the boss room, where I’d arrived in such a hurry, I’d only found the aftermath of a
thorough investigation.

However, rather than anger at being one-upped, I was feeling curiosity.

Wasn’t this a variant rift that had never been cleared?

Something that even I, who’d been playing the game for nine years, wasn’t familiar
with?

My curiosity as a gamer was burning.

‘There’s no way she’d give me anything if I ask… I’ll just have to ask in a roundabout
manner when we meet later.’

Anyway, after searching all around to see if there was anything the wizard had
missed, the schedule had become very tight.

In fact, the stairs closed as soon as we came out of the rift, so it wasn’t at a level that
could even be called ‘cutting it close’.

Any later, and I would’ve been caught by the boss mob and trapped there forever.

“Serum, fourth son of Kennick! Got some new scars, I see! I’m envious!”

“It was nothing much! Karak, third son of Farun!”

As I was sorting out my thoughts, the voices of the barbarians could be heard here
and there.

Fortunately, they hadn’t found me yet.

I bowed my head to duck out of sight and headed to the money changer for rank nine
adventurers.
Fortunately, we managed to arrive early so the line wasn’t long.

There were no barbarians to bother me, either.

When I handed the mana stones, the official exchanged it for money just like last
time.

“231,520 stones.”

Around 230,000 stones.

It was an amount that felt infinitely small compared to the hardships I’d been
through……

‘Because that’s not all.’

In this expedition, I’d absorbed two essences.

Besides, after disposing of the items I’d gotten in kind, the profit would be several
times the mana stones.

‘Somehow, the mana stones have just become extra income.’

I didn’t know if I should feel happy or sad about this.

I could only give a bitter smile and picked my pouch back up.

“That’s too much for a tier nine adventurer.”

As I took back the pouch the official had put down, he stared at me with a
meaningful gaze.

“What’s in that backpack on your back?”

What?

It wasn’t something I couldn’t answer, but…

“…Why are you asking?”

Somehow, a chill was running across my back.

I looked around and saw that the guards were rapidly approaching this way from
afar.

It looked like he’d pressed something like an emergency call button hidden under
the desk.

“Is it this guy?”

“Yes.”

I raised my arms to express my intention to cooperate with the public authorities,

but the guards who had a quick conversation with the official forcefully grabbed my
arms.

Fuck, I just came back alive after so much trouble, so what the hell was this now?

“Barbarian, let’s go over there for a moment and have a chat.”

Instinctively, I felt that something was off.

I’m sitting on a chair.

Unusually, the chair is made of iron, has shackles that can be attached to the arms
and legs as an option, and is fixed to the floor with nails.

‘Aren’t you supposed to give me some time to rest as a human being?’

To summarize the current situation further, where I am currently at is the

interrogation room, located in the basement of the Adventurers’ Guild.

Across the table sits the investigator.

His age is somewhere around the mid-thirties, and he’s got a high-pitched tone of
voice that’s often related to obesity.

“I’m Cordo Biermann, the investigator in charge of this case. I’ll be asking you some
questions, so I hope you respond cooperatively.”

“Investigation? Why don’t you first tell me why you arrested me?”

I ask impatiently.

I’m not even asking about the principle of presumption of innocence until proven
guilty, but this much should at least be a reasonable right for a defendant in this age.

Thud–!

The cunt of an investigator kicks me in the shin.

His mouth rips into a sly smirk.

“Rule one, you only answer what I ask. Understand?”

“…I get it.”

“Hey, if you properly follow the rules, you won’t get hurt anymore, rest assured.”

You really think you hurt me just now?

Compared to what I’ve suffered inside the labyrinth, being kicked in the shin tickles
at most.

This bastard must have some kind of a fetish regarding his profession.

“Anyway, to answer your question… Bjorn Yandel. You have been arrested for
pillaging inside the labyrinth.”

“…A pillaging charge?”

What kind of a bullshit rip-off is this, I can’t help but wonder.

The investigator bastard picks up my backpack and upends it, spilling the contents
on the floor.

“Whew, that’s a lot.”

Exploration items such as torches and sleeping bags.

A special item obtained from the Blood Citadel.

From the rest, food and other miscellaneous items, the investigator takes out only
the equipment and puts them on the table.

Mostly stuff from the party of four who’d ambushed us in the Land of the Dead.

“If you hadn’t pillaged, where did this come from? A barbarian wouldn’t use a bow.”

“That… They belong to those who tried to kill me first.”

“Evidence?”

Evidence?
There’s no such thing, but there’s no reason for me to be meek.

So I retort.

“Then do you have any proof that I’m lying?”

“Well, I’ll have to investigate that from now on.”

“So you’re arresting people and investigating them without any proof?”

This is the part I can’t understand the most.

This is different from the usual habits of the Adventurers’ Guild.

It’s the unwritten rule of this city to not ask anything without evidence, no matter
what the adventurers bring out in the labyrinth.

Therefore, the guild never proactively searches for pillagers unless reports or
testimonies come in.

But…

“The guild’s internal rules changed a few days ago.”

Since he says that, I have nothing to respond with.

This isn’t a game, but a fully realized, fleshed-out world with innumerable people.

“The official guideline is to start with rank nine adventurers, to deter pillaging.”

In a nutshell, it means to test out the doctrine from the weaklings.

Wherever you go, if you have low status, you will suffer.

I can roughly guess the criteria to be investigated.

Did you collect a lot of mana stones, or do you have equipment that appears to
belong to someone else in your backpack? Something like that, it must be.

So I got two strikes from the start?

“Well then, tell me. Where did you get all this?”

Anyway, the initial attitude was probably just to kill my fighting spirit, and after that,
the investigator bastard continues the investigation normally.

So, I try to be as open and cooperative about what I’d experienced as possible.

Oh, of course, I leave out the psychopath I’d met.

If I talk about her, I also have to talk about the oath, and a barbarian who breaks an
oath will be considered strange wherever he goes.

It’s far more dangerous to be hunted down by that demoness than to be framed for
murder. Especially in the aspect that there’s no room for excuses.

‘If I report her for no reason, I might get quietly butchered by that woman without
tipping off even a mouse or a bird.’

Therefore, I only briefly state about meeting a four-man pillager group, falling into a
state of ‘suppression’ and then killing them in a dramatic reversal.

However, the investigator bastard doesn’t buy any of it.

“What? Can you survive being stabbed in the neck? You’re telling lies that even a
child won’t believe.”

“I’m only telling the truth.”

“Then where did the scar on your neck go? According to what you said, it should
have left a mark, right?”

I unconsciously touch my neck.

It’s smooth, with not even a scab.

There’s no reason why it would stay.

After eating the vampire essence, my natural regeneration increased so much that
even the scar got healed.
‘…Why are things like this again?’

I don’t like it, but in the end I have to spill my guts about the rift.

The only problem is that the investigator bastard doesn’t even listen to me to the
end.

“Pfft! Hahaha! Rift? And a vampire came out? Because you’re a barbarian, there’s no
logic in your words!”

“I swear upon my honour, everything I’ve said is true.”

Perhaps he’s finally hardened his heart, because even my oath as a warrior, which
worked every time like a cheat, is useless this time.

“What honour can a pillager have?”

I, too, am fed up by now.

“Then, call a wizard! Shouldn’t it be verified through magic?”

In fact, there was no need for such a long conversation.

Just one magic technique can reveal the truth.

However, the investigator bastard only grins back.

“It’s possible to make a formal verification request to the guild – from rank seven or
higher.”

Damn, when did this change again?

They aren’t treating rank nine adventurers like human beings at all.

“Even if I pay the fee?”

“It’s money that’d be returned to the state when you die. We can’t waste it on
meaningless things.”

Shit, it’s probably because I don’t have enough money to spend.

“Come on, just admit your crime.”

It seems that it’ll take a while to prove my innocence.

As if announcing the end of the fortnight spent inside the labyrinth, the dazzling
noon sunlight wrapped around her body.

Erwen stood still for a moment, as if to bask in that warmth.

Fragments of memories were interspersed in her head, perhaps because of the

sudden stark shift in environment.

‘I didn’t know the third floor would be so hard… ’

The third floor that she’d entered with her sister.

For the first time in her life, she’d experienced the might of rank seven monsters.

Even though it was her sister who’d almost fought alone, even the sixth-grade
monster they’d met by chance at the end.

Truly, this was her first journey that’d actually felt like an expedition.

Well, my first time in the labyrinth with uncle wasn’t bad either… But I was just in a
hurry to survive then, so it was a different experience.

‘Would he be very surprised if I told him?’

She wanted to run to him and tell him about what she’d experienced in the labyrinth.
And she also wanted to ask him, how was his trip this time?

Just thinking about it made her tired body feel refreshed.

‘If I tell him that I got a new essence, would it again be like last time?…?’

That was a bit worrisome, but…

For some reason, her steps felt lighter than usual.

Erwen quickly headed to the money changer for rank nine adventurers.

‘Is it different this time? I can’t see him anywhere… ‘

“It’s 184,100 stones.”

“Wow…”

“Isn’t that a lot of money for a rank nine adventurer?”

“I went with my sister!”

“May I know her name?”

“Daria Wittember di Tersia.”

“Yes, it’s been confirmed. You may go.”

After exchanging the mana stones, meeting her sister outside, unpacking at the inn,
washing herself and changing into new clothes (that took three hours), she finally
headed straight to Bjorn’s inn.

But how could this happen?

“Ah, you’re the fairy girl who came every day. But what’s this? The guy at room 302
hasn’t come back yet.”

“Um, is that so?”

Bjorn was not at the inn.

How could this happen?

It seemed that the room had been paid for in advance, and there was other luggage
left in the room…

“Are you going to keep waiting?”

“Yes! He should be back soon!”

“Tch.”

The owner of the inn, who was usually kind, clicked his tongue, expressing some
kind of displeasure.

How long had it been since then?

The sun had gone down. That too, a few hours ago.

“Hey, why are you taking things out of his room?”

“Tch, annoying. Hey, lady, do you have any paperwork?”

“P-, paperwork?”

“You don’t? A certificate stating that you, young lady, are an associate of that
barbarian, or that he’s agreed to hand his keepsakes over to you, or something like
that.”

“There’s no such thing… no! What’s this about keepsakes!”

“The labyrinth is closed and it’s been this long, why do you think he hasn’t come back
yet? Because he’s dead meat now, dead inside the labyrinth!”

Finally, the innkeeper kicked her out semi-forcibly.

Erwen helplessly squatted down in front of the inn.

‘He can’t be dead… ‘

It was ridiculous.

No matter how common it was for an adventurer to die in the labyrinth, it was
impossible to imagine his death.

So she sat down and waited.

Then it became morning, then night, and then morning again.

“There you are.”

Her sister finally came.

She didn’t complain about staying out for two days, nor did she ask any other
questions.

She just put her hand forward.

“…Let’s go eat first.”

Erwen took her hand and stood up, thinking.

She didn’t know the exact reason, but –

Even though it had nothing to do with anything, but –

“Sister, I want to be strong.”

She just kind of felt that way.

More intensely than ever.

I was trapped inside a cage with thick iron bars.

All my luggage had been taken away, and I was wearing only a piece of cloth rolled
up below my waist.

I stood slumped against the wall.

It was the second day.

‘Motherfucker… ‘

After the first day, the situation got worse and worse.

In response to my repeated denials and verification requests, the investigator had no

choice but to call a wizard…

「The character’s mind stat is over 90.」

「You have resisted spirit magic with anti-magic correction.」

The magic of a rank nine wizard who worked as a guild employee, didn’t work on
me.

“His mental barrier is too thick. It seems like we should call somebody from the
Magic Tower.”

The situation got worse.

Even from the guild’s point of view, the help of a high-ranked wizard was too much a
waste to close my case.

“It doesn’t make sense to call them for a rank nine adventurer’s case.”

From then on, the investigator threw all kinds of bullshit at me to get my confession.

He must’ve thought that’d be easier.

But there was no way I’d be afraid enough of this bastard to make a false confession.

I even tried to name the sixth-grade wizard Arua Raven as well as the dwarf, but this
frustrating investigator bastard didn’t even listen.

It was such a long and tedious case.

“Hahaha! Bjorn Yandel, apparently this isn’t your first time pillaging?”

A completely new charge was made, unrelated to previous investigations.

“What do you mean?”

“I discovered this while investigating you.”

It was nothing other than the message stone that the investigator held out with
triumphant eyes.

“Message stones have a unique serial number, so the owner can always be found. I
looked up what was in your backpack, and I found it. It belongs to a dead
adventurer.”
By the way, the owner had been called Artoa Serdin, apparently.

“He belonged to a clan, so I inquired there, and they told me everything about what
you’d done. It wasn’t enough to run away after injuring this Hearth Young, you even
killed the people pursuing you, right?”

This bastard thought he was the main character of a detective story, and he was too
fond of the sound of his own voice.

“So what happens now?”

Being naïve, I’d gone directly to the point.

After all, this bastard who was only dreaming of dealing with me wouldn’t listen to
anything I said anyhow.

“Since the circumstances, testimony, and evidence have all been clarified, this guild
has decided to reject your request for verification, and will perform your
sentencing.”

This shitty guild…

So they’d turned down my request.

“…So what will I get?”

“You are saying something strange. Rafdonia’s royal law has never tolerated
pillagers. Oh, are my words too complex for a barbarian?”

The investigator bastard had continued with a grin.

“It means, the death penalty.”

This was what had happened last night.

By the way, this morning, the jailer had come to visit and inform me of the date of my
execution, and asked if there was any food I wanted to eat.

At that moment, I’d realized.

“…”

If I stayed still, this would be the end of me.

That meant I shouldn’t stay still.

The stage of resolution through dialogue had already passed.

But if I broke this iron cage and left, I’d be nothing but an escaped pillager.

‘I might be able to lose myself in the city, but I’ll soon become a wanted criminal.’

I thought about it for a while, but in the end there was only one way to survive.

To prove my innocence somehow.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.

You can tell the forest by looking at the trees, and looking at this young investigator
bastard, communicating with them wasn’t worth it.

‘It doesn’t matter if I’m guilty or not, the Adventurers’ Guild will judge that the easier
and quieter way is for me to disappear.’

With such a premise, I could make some headway into devising a plan, and a path
began to come into focus.

First of all, the key was to create a situation where the Adventurers’ Guild could not
silence me.

There was a possible method that came to mind.

Of course, I’d have to go through a lot of troublesome things in return…

Crack– bang –.

Recalling the investigator’s smug face again, I raised my motivation.

I’d been a rude child since I was young, who never turned the other cheek whenever
somebody said something to him.
‘No matter how much I think about it, saving my own life won’t be an easy trade.’

I’d surely have to pay a commensurate price.

「The character has cast [flesh explosion].」

But that was fine.

[Flesh explosion].

It’s one of the few crazy skills that use the character’s life force itself as fuel.

Maybe it’s because of the adrenaline rush, the pain does break through my pain
tolerance, but…

That’s just the price I have to pay.

Screeeeech!

The grate melts halfway, as it’s drenched in my acidic blood that splattered along
with the explosion.

When I apply some force sideways, it bends very easily.

“Ouch…”

Aside from the pain, both my hands heal up quickly.

It’s not just the effect of the undying imprint, it’s thanks to the vampire essence I got
this time.

As soon as I go out into the hallway, I encounter a guard.

“What, what! You!”

It’s the same guard who’d visited me before to ask about my final meal.

It seems like he heard something explode and ran in straight away…

“You! Everybody, jailbreak! Jailbreak!”

Before he can get any louder, I immediately dash forward and sink my fist into his
stomach.

Puff–!

He falls to the ground, insensate.

As I riffle through his clothes and take out the keys, the other prisoners, who’d been
watching the situation with interest from the other cages, begin to go crazy.

It’s pretty obvious what I’m trying to do.

“Hey! Barbarian! Are you really doing this!”

“Kiheeheee! You’re crazier than I thought!!”

“Me too! Take me too!”

Considering that this place is inside the basement of the Adventurers’ Guild, most of
them must be pillagers.

But…

‘I’m not in a position to be picky about my methods.’

A poor barbarian who’d been unfairly framed can’t care about all that, right?

‘Anyway, things won’t last long.’

The only good pillagers are dead pillagers.

This belief, which I’ve formed within the first few days after waking up in this world,
is probably something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

“Hahahaha! I’m finally free! Freedom!”

“Let’s get out of here!!”

I release all the prisoners on the floor.

I naturally can’t rein in these bastards, but that doesn’t matter.

That’s not my motive in the first place.

“Waaaaaaagh!”

After that, I don’t really need to do anything.

An infectious insanity spreads through them like a bonfire, as the prisoners unite
and head upstairs, subdue the guards, and release more and more prisoners with the
keys they find.

Of course, there are quite a few who don’t participate in the mass escape even after
the doors to their cells are opened wide.

As a percentage, about 50%.

‘Either their cases are still under investigation, or they’re really innocent, like me.’

As I make my way quickly through the chaos, I see a group of prisoners gathered in
front.

It’s the door to the interrogation room, which I’ve gone into and out of countless
times in the past two days.

The situation is quite simple.

“C-come on, hurry, go back to your rooms!! I-, if you go back now, we can pretend
nothing happened…”

The guards tremble at the other side of the locked door, and the prisoners try to rip
the door open.

“They’ve got the keys we need to go upstairs!”

“Tear it out!”

However, it’s unlikely that the thick iron door would break, no matter how much you
pound on it with your arms.
Do I have to do this shit again?

While I’m busy pondering –

“Do you think you’re going to go scot-free after this? You’re all getting death
sentences! Execution!!”

A familiar voice comes from beyond the door.

Looking through the small grate, I see that polite investigator bastard, sandwiched
between the two guards.

I hadn’t expected to see him this early.

“Get out of the way!!”

With a happy heart, I push away the prisoners blocking my way.

And then I explode my left arm, which had just recovered, again and again.

‘Flesh explosion, flesh explosion, flesh explosion… ‘

After repeating it five times, the door handle melts and the locking mechanism is
disabled.

The price being only my flesh, blood, and pain.

The prisoners burst into cheers like crazy.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaagh!!”

“Barbarian! Barbarian!! Barbarian!!!”

“He’s the barbarian who freed us!!”

The investigator’s eyes widen as I enter the interrogation room.

“You, you! Bastard, what… uh, how…!”

It’s not easy for him to understand.

Because the abilities a ninth-grade adventurer can have are insignificant for the most
part. That was why they hadn’t put any restraints on me other than locking me
inside the iron cage.

How could he have known that I have such an ability?

All I can say is this –

“Blame your poor family environment, where you had no choice but to grow up with
a lack of imagination.”

“I, I grew up in a decent family!!”

“It was so terrible that you even grew up a liar.”

“Ugh, what! Cough!”

The investigator falls to the floor and wriggles like a worm when I hit his solar plexus
with all the anger I’d been holding back.

He’s still conscious, perhaps due to the thick layer of fat that absorbed the shock.

“You, you crazy…!”

The uneducated swine slurs all kinds of curse words at me, unable to even breathe
properly.

“You’re dead! Your power might’ve been enough to cause a riot inside the prison, but
do you think you’ll be able to handle what comes next?!”

Can I handle it?

“I think that’s rather a question for you to think about. After all, if my plan works out,
you’ll be fucked.”

“Yeah, what do you think you can do?”

A chuff of laughter breaks out.

“What can I do?”

What a fucking useless question.

“You should rather ask, what can’t I do?”

I’m an asshole who won’t balk at anything, however crazy it might be, if my life is at
stake.

It’s this pitiful lack of imagination that I was referring to, you piece of shit.

“So take a nap for now.”

When you wake up, either you will be in hell or I will.

Puff–!

This time my fist kisses his face instead of his plump belly, and the investigator
bastard faints in a single blow.

It’s a guard who shouts at me next.

“Key.”

“All, all of you, do you even know what you are doing right now?!”

I do know.

But what’re you trying to say?

That it’d have been better if I’d just stayed there?

I only repeat that one word.

“Key.”

“It, it’s still not too late –”

“Key.”

“H-, here you are…”

As I pluck the key from his hand and turn back, the prisoners smoothly part before
me, like it’s some kind of a movie.

Step, step.

Passing between them, I find myself standing in front of the stairs that lead to the
ground, and take a deep breath.

Is it really okay to up the ante even more?

Such worries suddenly arise, but…

‘It’s those bastards who didn’t give me a choice.’

I raise the key up, and roar.

“Let’s go!!!!”

Everything that’s gonna happen next is self-defence.

To protect this precious life of mine.

The prison was built deep underground beneath the Adventurers’ Guild branch
office.

The double doors that connected the basement to the ground floor were so thick that
the people outside hadn’t felt anything even when the situation underground had
reached this point.

‘It’s pretty lucky for me.’

Creak.

Climbing up the long stairs and opening the door, I could see a peaceful interior
room that was completely different from the dungeon I’d just escaped from.

Lots of administrative staff, and adventurers bustling in front of the counter.

“Uh, how did you get in here?”

A staff member asked as he saw me come from inside the building, where ordinary
adventurers were not allowed to go.

Of course, I didn’t need to answer.

The staff member noticed the open door behind me and understood the situation in
an instant.

“J-, jailbreak!!”

The eyes of everyone present converged on me at his cry.

A heavy silence descended in an instant.

However, among the careless adventurers, there was a bastard who was particularly
quick in judgment.

“Sister Clerk! If I catch this guy, would you have a drink with me after work?!”

A man standing next to a female employee jumped over the counter in an instant and
ran towards me.

And then.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaagh!!”

“The smell of freedom!!”

Prisoners started pouring out from the stairs.

“Uh, uh, uh…?”

“No, stop!”

“The reward will be paid by the guild! Adventurers, lend us your strength!”

“Aaaaagh!!”
Prisoners rushed in without fear, and adventurers took out their weapons to fight
back.

“Kill!!”

In the peaceful Adventurers’ Guild office, blood began to flow.

I, who’d been the cause of all this, took a step back from the front and hurried
towards my destination.

‘I don’t have time.’

The prisoners could perhaps earn me five minutes, or even less.

Except for a few clubs that I’d stolen from the guards, I didn’t have any weapons.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor and looked out of the window.

‘It’d be unreasonable to escape, too.’

Perhaps the commotion had already reached the outside, because adventurers all
along the street were also paying attention to the building.

If I went out in this state, I’d just get beaten up and taken down again.

The answer, therefore, was above.

“You, who are you!”

All the staff I encountered in the hallway, I stunned with a hit from my fists, and then
peered over the railing to check out the situation on the first floor.

Dozens of people were fighting.

I reached out my hand to the air, over their heads.

And…

‘Flesh explosion.’
As my hand burst, acidic blood poured down like a sprinkler.

“Aaaaah!”

Adventurers, prisoners, and shitheads were all splattered without discrimination,

and dozens of screams sang in unison.

Somehow, I felt a bit guilty, but…

There was no helping it.

I had to increase the chance of success of the next step of my plan.

「The character has cast [mark of sacrifice].」

As the link activated, tattoos were engraved on the foreheads of those stained with
my blood, and red light sparked here and there.

「The character’s physical ability temporarily increases proportional to the number

of sacrifices within a 100m radius.」

The sacrifices numbered at least several dozen.

‘This is why the players were so addicted to this skill.’

Power boiled all over my body.

The railing I grabbed unintentionally was starting to creak as if it’d snap any
moment.

Even the anxiety in my heart had disappeared.

This much, was sufficient.

“Ahhhhhh!!”

Leaving the commotion behind, I climbed the stairs again and headed to the third
floor.

‘Fortunately, it doesn’t look like he’s gone.’

The third floor was completely different from the lower floors, with the door only
slightly ajar.

The entire floor was made up of offices.

The wooden furniture, decorations and the plaques on the walls gave off a rather
old-fashioned vibe.

“What the hell is that commotion! Go down and check it out!”

“Yes! Branch Manager!”

‘There’s the branch manager.’

Having identified the target, I hid behind the door.

And the moment the man who’d gotten his orders opened the door and came out –

I hit him on the chin with my fist, holding nothing back.

Crunch.

Uh, I didn’t mean to break your jaw…

Thump.

He was an assistant to the branch manager, so I’d been cautious thinking he might be
strong, but he collapsed to the floor bonelessly in one shot.

At the same time, the branch manager jumped up.

“Who, who are you!”

Me?

“A poor barbarian.”

If more clarification was needed, then I was here to prove my innocence.

Like a proper barbarian, in a physical manner.

“You must’ve caused that disturbance below!”

The man quickly judged the situation, as expected of a branch manager of the guild,
and immediately pulled out a sword that’d been hanging on the wall.

Perhaps he was a former adventurer? His posture was different from the rest.

All of the staff below had been civilian pencil-pushers.

Well, it didn’t matter in the end, because I’d doped up in advance expecting
something like this.

“Girl, come stand behind me.”

“Ye-, yes!”

The woman who’d been sitting facing the branch manager quickly hid behind him,
and both sides were now ready to fight.

‘Is this what you’d call a boss battle, in game terms?’

I took a deep breath.

For my plan to succeed, I had to defeat this guy.

Ideally, before the commotion on the first floor calmed down.

“Behel-raaaa!!”

Was it because of my [mark of sacrifice] that’d targeted dozens of people below?

The moment I kicked off the ground, my body surged forward with an explosive
acceleration.

To be honest, even I myself wasn’t used to this kind of speed…

But the branch manager wasn’t helpless either.

“Damn it!”
His sword accurately read my movements, traced a precise trajectory, and dug into
my wrist.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to cut my bones in ultrabarbarian[1] mode.

Crack!

A dull sound rang out, as if something had gotten stuck.

Then, blood sprayed from the cut and drenched the branch manager’s head.

Screeech!

“Ugh! Aaaagh!”

The unexpected pain made him lose focus.

It was ridiculously simple after that.

Taking advantage of the distraction, I hit his throat with my fist, and that was the end
of it.

“Ka, kahagh!”

The branch manager groaned and knelt down.

Contrary to how nervous I’d been, the boss battle ended so quickly…

I really hadn’t thought that a simple blood spray would result in something like this.

Apparently, lack of imagination was a tradition in the Adventurers’ Guild.

But not for me.

“You, you bastard…!”

I always planned imagining the worst possible outcome.

Since I didn’t know what kind of essence this former adventurer might have, I
slapped him on the back of his head and stunned him.
The preparations were ready.

“P-, please spare me!”

But what about the girl?

Judging by the way she’d crouched behind the branch manager, she didn’t seem like a
bigshot.

“She, she’s the district chief’s daughter! Touch her even slightly and you…”

What the hell, how did he wake up so quickly?

Puff!

After applying a little more force this time, I calmly continued my thoughts.

‘Daughter, the district chief’s daughter… ’

It might make things a little easier.

Or, make everything spiral out of control.

“Branch Manager! Are you alright?!”

A staff member came up to check up on the situation once the commotion on the
first floor died down.

Of course, there was no problem.

Because the branch manager had already finished changing his job to become my pet
parrot.

“Tell them it’s okay.”

“…I’m okay. What happened downstairs?”

“Everything’s sorted out! A few escaped into the city, but they’ll be found soon.”
“Is that so… Good job.”

“Ah! But where’s Secretary Robert? I thought he’d be here with you…”

The manager’s assistant?

He was resting in a closet with a broken jaw.

Of course, it was impossible for the branch manager to answer honestly.

“Say he’s taking a look around.”

“…He’s got some business outside, so he went out. I have some urgent work to finish,
so make sure nobody comes up until I call.”

“Yes!”

The staff member left with an affirmative, and I immediately got out from behind the
desk.

In my arms was the daughter of the regional chief.

The branch manager brushed his moustache as he looked at me.

“I sincerely advise you; it’d be better for you to quit even now.”

“Right.”

The advice went through my one ear and out the other.

Better for me? What bullshit.

If I quit here, won’t all I have done come to nothing?

“Think about it, I don’t know what your purpose is, but I might be able to help –”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you.”

As I picked my ear with my little finger, the branch manager couldn’t bear it anymore
and roared.
“You crazy bastard! Do you even know what you’re doing!”

I knew.

No, to be honest, I’d heard it so many times already that my ears were about to scab
over.

What choice did I have?

Either I did something crazy, or I died.

It was a simple, binary choice.

“I see.”

As I perfunctorily nodded my head again, the branch manager probably got too
stimulated and tried to scream again…

“What the hell do you even –”

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll kill this woman.”

When I bluffed and pretended to tighten my grip on the district chief’s daughter’s
neck, the branch manager promptly shut his mouth.

Upon closer inspection, his face looked pale and bloodless.

Well, it wasn’t like I couldn’t understand his predicament.

Not only did a jailbreak incident occur at his branch, the daughter of the local chief
who was with him was also taken hostage…

He was in a terrible mess.

No matter how this ended, this bastard won’t be fine.

‘You reap what you sow.’

While I was thinking that, the hostage suddenly opened her mouth.
“My name is Julianne Urbans. Not ‘this woman’.”

Her voice had calmed down compared to the terrified tone from before.

Her heartbeat, which I could naturally feel due to how closely our bodies were
entwined together, was also quite stable.

“Tell me what you want. There must’ve been a reason for someone like you to do this
kind of a crazy thing, right?”

“Someone like me?”

Had I ever met this woman before?

As I tilted my head, she continued.

“You aren’t intimidated or anxious at all. Your breathing is even, and your eyes are
calm and still.”

“Summarize.”

“Did you plan all this? A long time ago, too.”

Plan? I did, at that.

It was about thirty minutes ago, to be precise.

‘I thought she was going to say something important, but it turned out to be a waste
of time.’

“Maybe you even knew that I was going to be here today –”

“Be quiet.”

“Uh, urp!”

Covering the woman’s mouth with my hand and shutting up her excessively
narcissistic analysis of the current events, I asked the branch manager to make the
necessary preparations for my future.
“I need you to bring me the investigator who was in charge of my case, a guy named
Hearth Young of the ‘Crystal Union’ clan who’s active on the first floor, a wizard from
the tower, and an official priest of the temple.”

I’d laid the foundation as much as I could.

Now was the time to turn this thing around.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 초바바리안 (chobabalian). 초 has many meanings but here it means ultra or
extreme.
“What do you mean, Master? Why do you suddenly want me to visit the guild?”

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to visit once, because you were looking for
someone?”

“That’s true, but…”

Arua Raven, a sixth rank wizard belonging to the Magic Tower, put on a grumpy
expression and mumbled.

It was true that she had business at the guild, but…

She’d been planning to take a good rest and do a rough study of the ‘object’ she’d
gotten this time, and go there only afterwards.

“The branch manager made an official request for support. From what I’ve heard, it
seems that something big has happened there. Wouldn’t it be nice to earn some
pocket money?”

“…I see. Fine, I’ll go.”

Raven reluctantly agreed.

It was true that the guild was a place she needed to visit at least once.

If she went now, she’d even get a small monetary reward, so there was no
justification for procrastinating further.

‘I spent a lot of money in the labyrinth this time… ’

Besides, it didn’t seem bad to meet that barbarian a little earlier, either.

That unprecedented variant rift –

Wasn’t he the one who ate the guardian essence from it?

He was as interesting a specimen as that ‘object’.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a while.”

“Ah, take Tarzine with you.”

“That’s alright. He wasn’t particularly useful last time.”

Raven travelled to the nearest location to the relevant guild branch office, using the
warp gate on the first floor of the tower.

It should take about ten minutes on foot from there to reach the destination.

As soon as she came out to the street, she frowned.

“Why are there so many people here?”

The crowd seemed to be several times denser than usual.

And the closer she was to her destination, the more people were packed into the
streets.

As if something big had happened here.

‘By the way, did he say that the branch manager has officially requested support?’

Raven let out a long sigh.

She was just here to earn some pocket money, but she thought she might have to
really put in the work.

“Hey, let me ask you something. What the hell is going on?”

Raven grabbed hold of one of the spectators, the one that looked the most reliable,
and asked.

And she heard something that made her doubt her own ears.
“There’s been a mass breakout of the pillagers who’d been locked up in the branch
office.”

It was truly an unprecedented event.

Not only was there a jailbreak, some prisoners even managed to escape to the city
proper…

One of the suspects was said to have taken the daughter of the regional chief, who’d
just happened to stop by the branch office, hostage.

“He doesn’t seem to have any brains. There’s no way the guild will negotiate for
something like that.”

The guild had no authority for such negotiations in the first place.

The Rafdonia royal family gave the guild a lot of authority related to the labyrinth,
but they strictly adhered to the principle of punishing pillagers.

If he’d run away like the rest of the prisoners, he might’ve at least had a slight chance
of surviving.

“But things have gotten kind of fun.”

“What do you mean?”

“The hostage-taker is screaming that he’s been framed.”

“Really?”

“Yes. All he wants is to bring in the parties involved and use magic to reveal the truth
fairly, in front of everyone.”

So he was rather asking for an indulgence, instead of negotiating for amnesty.

He only demanded ‘clarification of the truth’.

Because of this, suspicions were spreading among the crowd of spectators that his
words might actually be true.
‘What kind of a crazy guy is he?’

Of course, if the story was true, the biggest culprit would be the investigator who’d
messed up his job.

But did that mean that this guy had to cause a large-scale jailbreak and, not content
with just that, also take the daughter of the regional chief hostage?

It was definitely something no sane person would ever do.

“Anyway, that’s why everyone is waiting. The branch manager has already asked for
support from the Magic Tower, but eh, who knows when the wizard will come.”

Raven smiled awkwardly as she watched the onlooker smack his lips in anticipation.

Now she knew for sure.

That this wizard happened to be herself.

Raven took a deep breath and recited a spell.

“Vatuna corvier.”

Her body began to rise into the air, with a shimmering blue light blooming under her
feet.

“Ooh, lady! You were a wizard?”

Raven passed over the crowd and landed on the third-floor terrace of the
Adventurers’ Guild branch.

And when she found the man already waiting there, she was stunned.

“Bjorn… Yandel?”

Why was he here?

Was it because the daughter of the regional manager was being held hostage?
All the prep work was done quickly.

“This is Cordo Biermann, whom you asked to be brought. Like you said, he was down
below, unconscious.”

“Thank you. You can go.”

The first to arrive was the investigator bastard.

He was still unconsciousness.

It didn’t look good, so I shoved him into the closet, too.

After a short wait, the second shipment arrived.

“W-, wait! No matter even if it’s the guild, how can you force people like this?!”

The name of this male adventurer in his twenties, who walked in with a slumped
posture, was ‘Hearth Young’.

The asshole who lost his masculinity while trying to do something to Erwen.

“Thank you for taking care of my request. You can go back downstairs.”

“Yes.”

“A-, are you the branch manager? I, why am I…”

In sync with the footsteps of the staff member going down the stairs –

I jumped out from behind the ajar door and shoved my fist into his face.

Puff–!

One wasn’t enough, though.

If the investigator was the number one contributor to the situation coming to this
point, this bastard was undoubtedly the second.

Had it not been for this man giving a false testimony, there would’ve been no basis
for the investigator to sentence me to death.

“Ah! Whoa, what are you doing! Who are you –!”

“Okay, let’s get it right.”

One, two, three…

As I slammed my fists down on his face, Hearth Young passed out with blood bubbles
foaming at the corners of his lips.

This time too, it didn’t look good, so I put him in the closet as well.

It looked a little cramped thanks to the inspector’s girth already taking a lot of room,
but it shouldn’t be a problem.

The more I looked at them, the more they matched each other.

After watching for a while, the branch manager cautiously spoke to me.

“…What the hell do you want?”

Oh, I hadn’t told him yet.

But there was no need to explain twice.

After all, when the next preparations arrived, even if he didn’t want to know, he’d
have no choice but to know.

With that thought in mind, I refrained from talking.

But…

“Chief! It seems like it’d be difficult to get a priest.”

The most important card in this game, the priest, was missing.

The reason being that the priest officially assigned to this branch was currently
absent.
It was impossible to just call another priest.

No matter even if it was the Adventurers’ Guild, they couldn’t just call a priest who
worshipped the gods like a friend from the neighbourhood.

‘Even at the request of the branch manager, it’d take at least a day.’

In this worldview, priests were like nobles.

Not in their identity, but in their job.

All of a sudden, I had a taste for it.

‘There is no way to solve this neatly.’

I’d wanted to do things as quietly as possible.

If the branch manager had heard me, he probably would’ve pointed to how the
situation already was and shouted what kind of bullshit was I spewing…

The jailbreak was an ‘accident’ and could be hushed up somehow.

But what about the guild sentencing an innocent rank nine adventurer to death?

The moment this was known to the outside world, the prestige of the Adventurers’
Guild would sink to the absolute bottom, covered in shit.

‘Especially because they claim to be an organization that protects adventurers.’

That was why I’d asked for a priest.

If I could prove my innocence in front of a priest, I could do things relatively quietly.

And the Adventurers’ Guild wouldn’t have dared to cover this up either.

But from the very beginning, the plan was hampered.

“Thank you for the news. Go back down.”

“Yes! You’ve worked hard, Branch Manager!”

As I listened to the footsteps of the staff moving away, I finished my brief
deliberation.

‘If it is impossible to entrust a priest to be the notary… ‘

There was no choice but to enlarge the gameboard even more.

Only then, the Adventurers’ Guild won’t be able to silence me by killing me.

Of all the methods that came to mind, I chose the most radical and the most effective
one.

“Ahhhhh!”

“W-, what are you doing!”

As I went out to the terrace with the sword at the neck of the regional chief’s
daughter, I saw people flocking to the street.

They seemed to be spectators who’d gathered here because of the previous jailbreak
incident.

“Up there! There’s a suspicious guy up there!!”

One of them noticed me and shouted.

Their attention focused on me in an instant.

“Hmmmm.”

After clearing my throat once, I shouted using the natural outdoor voice of a
barbarian.

“My name is Bjorn Yandel! A rank nine adventurer that the guild tried to frame and
kill! I swear on my honour that I am innocent!”

The reaction appeared immediately.

“Who is this guy?”

“One of the prisoners?”

It didn’t matter whether they believed me or not.

Since I threw some bait, people would gather, even if only to sate their curiosity.

Even for the Adventurers’ Guild, it wouldn’t be possible to forcefully bury the
incident, not with all these people keeping watch in real time.

Now I just had to wait until the wizard came.

Instead of my old shield that’d already become a lump of scrap metal…

“Uh, hey!”

I made good use of the regional chief’s daughter, who happened to be my new one.

How long had it been since the jailbreak?

“What? Why is Mr. Yandel here?”

“You must be the wizard sent from the tower.”

Hearing the conversation between the pair of male and female voices, Cordo
Biermann opened his eyes wide.

It was dark, and his body couldn’t move.

‘What? Am I locked up? Why?’

Forcibly ignoring the blooming headache, he recalled his memories. There were a
few scenes that immediately came to mind.

Prisoners running rampant, escaping from the prison.

The interrogation room where he’d escaped to, locking the door behind him.

And the barbarian who smashed the door, and hit him with his fists!
‘Oh, but what happened after that?’

He didn’t know.

He didn’t have the faintest idea.

So he focused on his sense of hearing.

“It’d be quicker for me to explain the situation to everybody at once.”

“Quicker, who cares about quicker! What were you thinking! Mr. Yandel, how many
lives do you think you have?”

“If I had more than one, I wouldn’t have done this.”

Mr. Yandel?

What? Maybe that barbarian was out there?

“Okay, now do some magic.”

“If you promise to grant me one request later.”

“I don’t know what you want, but if it’s within the range of possibility.”

“Nice! Remember, you promised. Dertei narvas! Uh, um…? Why doesn’t this work?
Mr. Yandel, do you have any magical tool that reinforces mental barriers?”

“Isn’t it clear just from looking at me that I don’t have anything like that on me? I
guess I have no choice but to wake these guys up. Do you even know how to use the
‘image of remembrance’ magic?”

“Yes. Can I record everything from now on?”

The more he listened to the conversation, the more confusing it was.

“Ouch! Ugh!”

Suddenly, the space widened and his centre of gravity shifted downward. He fell
down with a bang and hurriedly raised his head.
It was the branch manager’s office on the third floor, which he’d only been to a few
times.

“What, were you awake already?”

A total of four people were looking at him.

The barbarian and the branch manager were both there.

There was also woman who was presumably a wizard, and another woman who
looked like she had some kind of high status.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he cried out.

“B-, Branch Manager! It was this bastard! This bastard led the jailbreak!”

“I know that already.”

“Ye-, yes…?”

His head went numb for a moment.

He couldn’t understand.

If the branch manager already knew what an outrageous crime this bastard had
committed, why was he just observing quietly?

“I heard you were in charge of the investigation of his case. Is it true?”

“Well, it is…?”

It was then that he felt the heavy atmosphere covering the room.

He could tell because he had experience as an investigator.

That this atmosphere was in no way favourable to him.

“This barbarian… no, Mr. Yandel here is claiming that you identified him as a pillager
without clear information. What do you have to say about that?”
“Nonsense!”

“That word… it has to be true. It won’t end with just hanging up your uniform,
otherwise.”

“Wh-, wh-, what are you talking about! Isn’t he just a rank nine adventurer!”

“Watch your mouth! Can a guild staff, of any grade, say something like that!!”

“Ye-, yes?”

Biermann completely froze at the thunderous shout.

Why was this man, who’d always been the first to despise the lower-ranked
adventurers, saying this all of a sudden?

As if he was conscious of the gazes of outsiders…

‘Ah! I remember, they were talking about ‘image of remembrance’ magic or

something!’

Apparently, the conversations they were having now were being recorded on the
crystal ball the wizard was holding.

“Ahem! As far as judging right and wrong goes, the guild’s actions must be
meticulous and perfect. Please tell me the reasons behind your judgment.”

Biermann, focused, recited the contents of the investigation as the branch manager
directed.

Because he thought that that was the only way for him to live.

“Ah, the first one is the mana stones. At the checkpoint, he presented mana stones
that far exceeded the average income of a rank nine adventurer, and he looked
suspicious, so his backpack was checked. Then we found some equipment that
seemed to have been stolen from others.”

“Therefore?”

“During the investigation, the authenticity of the charges could not be confirmed.
Because the truth magic didn’t work.”

“Then, on what basis did you make the final decision that Mr. Yandel was a pillager?”

“Because of a separate incident. A message stone was found within his belongings.
Based on this, we traced the origins of the original owner, and we were able to obtain
testimony from his clan members that Bjorn Yandel murdered innocent people and
robbed their belongings.”

As he talked about the investigation, his voice gradually filled with confidence.

He didn’t know why the branch manager was treating him so harshly, but there had
to have been something wrong.

“Chief, there’s nothing wrong with my judgment. If you suspect that I might’ve lied to
you, you can use magic to determine the truth.”

“I’m doing it already. Everything you’ve said so far is true.”

The wizard, who was watching silently, nodded.

However, at that time, the rude barbarian who didn’t know his place spoke up
sarcastically.

“Yeah, it was only the testimony of the clan members. Neither confirmed by magic
nor evidence.”

“Is what Mr. Yandel said true?”

“That, that, that’s right…”

“Why didn’t you check that part?”

The branch manager’s voice suddenly became cold again.

It wasn’t that he had nothing to say.

“First of all, the attitude of this barbarian was the problem! Knowing that magic
doesn’t work, he just kept making false statements instead of cooperating!”
“He lied? What exactly do you mean?”

Biermann answered confidently.

“One time, he said he survived being stabbed in the neck. But there was no trace of
the wound, so I asked him about that, and do you know what he said? Goodness! The
scars disappeared because he ate a vampire essence from a rift?”

“He said he ate the essence of a vampire?”

“Yes! Branch Manager! Does this make sense? Vampires coming out of a rift on the
first floor?”

From start to finish, this barbarian had been speaking gibberish.

“Spitting out a new lie to hide a previous lie. This is the most common statement
pattern for criminals. How could I just listen to this guy and let a precious wizard
suffer in vain?”

Of course, there were times when he’d wondered if there was any truth in the
barbarian’s repeated claims of innocence.

But he thought it wouldn’t matter.

After all, what did it matter if an innocent, young adult barbarian died without just
cause?

‘…Besides, if I’d called in a wizard, my own take would’ve gotten smaller.’

Still, it was fortunate in the midst of all this misfortune.

Ignoring everything else, meeting a vampire on the first floor?

If it could be confirmed that the barbarian had made such a rubbish statement, it’d
be enough to convince everyone of his judgment.

‘If he was really going to lie, he should’ve done it a little better!’

So he looked at the barbarian with triumphant eyes.

But only for a while.

“That’s true, though?”

His thoughts froze at the wizard’s voice.

“…Yes?”

“Yeah, I was there… or do you want me to prove it too? You can’t use magic on me,
though.”

What the hell was this wizard talking about?

Editor’s Notes:

None for this chapter.

Thanks to Ruckkus for commissioning the chapter!

“W-, w-, what do you mean, wizard? Even if you two know each other, you can’t just
cover things up like this…”

The investigator stuttered in a panic.

His tone wasn’t just incredulous, it was close to denying the reality that stared at him
in the face.

But the wizard was in no mood to coddle him.

“Oh, you calling me a liar?”

“Ah, no, that wasn’t what I meant…”

“Then what did you mean? Because you got the authority to investigate some two-bit
adventurers, even wizards don’t look like much in your eyes anymore, is that it?”

Wizards from the tower were close to semi-nobles.

Although they were split into several schools, they were always united when it came
to thoroughly protecting their rights and interests, so it was no wonder.

Hence the fact that the investigator, a junior employee of the guild, dared to doubt
the truth of her words, was a problem.

The branch manager, who’d been watching from the sidelines, now cautiously
interrupted the conversation.

“How about stopping here? Lady wizard, even you should understand, this sounds
like nonsense for those who don’t know the details of the situation.”

Raven nodded as if in acknowledgment.

“Certainly, there’s no precedent of a vampire sighting in a rift on the first floor.”

Unlike when she’d been dealing with the investigator, now there was a friendly smile
on her lips.

It was very fleeting, however.

“Thank you for saying that –”

“But ever since the labyrinth had been born, it’s been filled with all sorts of
unknowns. So what’s all this talk about nonsense? Is that something a branch
manager of the Adventurers’ Guild should say?”

Harsh criticism poured out.

As expected of a wizard, perhaps?

Even the opponent’s position as a branch manager of the guild didn’t seem to matter
to her.

“…”

The branch manager, who’d gone to battle but had come back defeated, chose to shut
up.

Rap.

There was a knock on the door.

It wasn’t a request to open it, however.

Before anyone could move, the door had already swung open.

“Are you that barbarian?”

“Who are you?”

“You can call me Nile Urbans.”

Two men entered the room.

A middle-aged man dressed in a neat tuxedo, and a young man who seemed to be
escorting him.

“R-, Regional Chief!”

“Father…?”

Julianne, who was being held hostage, and the branch manager both spoke up at the
same time.

I, too, ratcheted up my muscles that had relaxed.

‘…In the end, the regional chief came.’

The guild’s operating system was simple.

Each of the hundreds of branch offices in the city had a branch manager, and there
were thirteen regional managers to oversee them all.

The only rank higher than them was the ‘guild leader’, so one could actually consider
the thirteen regional chiefs as the guild’s second-in-command.

There was no doubt that this was bigshot, one a tier nine adventurer would usually
never even catch a distant glimpse of.

But even they couldn’t control how the world turned.

“You, so you were the one behind this absurd situation? Do you think this is a joke?”

Facing the regional chief’s gaze that was full of displeasure, I grinned.

Absurd, was it…?

“Yeah, you guys might see it that way.”

If only Hearth Young hadn’t given false testimony.

Even then, if only the investigator hadn’t been greedy and did his job properly.

No, if only the Adventurers’ Guild was a fair organization that properly managed its
staff…

Maybe I wouldn’t have needed to go through all this trouble.

But they didn’t.

“It might seem like a very small thing for you.”

But not for me.

For me, my life itself was at stake.

“So why did you do such a crazy thing?”

“Crazy?”

I retorted.

“Is it crazy to struggle to survive?”

“Hah! Didn’t you have any other choice? You’ve caused too much trouble.”

Any other choice? What bullshit.

Until I broke my iron cage and arrived here, the manager of this branch hadn’t even
known that I existed in this building.

And this was also true of this regional chief, who had the right to change the guild’s
internal regulations so that only rank nine adventurers could be investigated.

“If you had done things right, none of this would’ve happened.”

As I responded with cold sarcasm –

“You! How can you take that tone in front of the regional chief!”

The branch manager cut in on our conversation.

The investigator bastard and the regional chief’s escort were also looking at me as if
they were wondering what kind of madman I was.
Well, I felt the same about these guys.

Common sense couldn’t explain this situation.

The regional chief sighed and shifted his gaze.

“What is your name, lady wizard?”

“I am Arua Raven.”

“Alright, then, Miss Raven. How much would you want for that crystal ball, if you had
to sell it?”

A conciliatory offer with no hesitation.

I hadn’t thought he’d be so open about it.

My heart pounded for a moment, but…

“I will decline the offer.”

“That’s too bad.”

“You aren’t going to try and take it away by force, surely?”

“Haha! How could I? The master of your school wouldn’t stand still if I did.”

The regional chief broke into a cheerful smile.

“Why are you all so stiff? It was just a joke. There’re people out there waiting for the
results, how could I dare do something like that?”

It was a pretty shitty joke.

Cold sweat was still running down my spine.

“…”

This was why I’d tried to bring in a priest.

Forget that ‘image of remembrance’ magic or whatever, wizards could always be
bribed according to their interests.

Maybe if I hadn’t known her at all, she might’ve even accepted the bribe from the
regional chief…

‘So what if there’s a crowd outside, what happens in here… ’

Anyway, the results weren’t bad.

She kept her word, so even the regional chief wouldn’t dare to forcefully bury this
incident.

In other words, now I only needed to prove my innocence.

Either way, it was time to end things.

“Alright, how about we slowly finish things up?”

I walked to the closet and woke up Hearth Young, who’d been sleeping inside.

“Wh-, why am I here…”

I could hear gulps from the surroundings.

Yeah, they were right to be nervous.

The moment I proved that this guy gave false testimony –

They really wouldn’t be able to take it as a joke anymore.

“This man is lying.”

As soon as Raven spoke –

A heavy silence descended on the room.

“Then what are you going to do now? Regional Manager?”

“Did you say your name was Bjorn Yandel? You are innocent.”

Seeing the regional chief’s forced smile, I answered.

“I hope you don’t expect a ‘thank you’.”

This time, even the branch manager, who’d been standing next to me and listening
quietly, didn’t dare question the sarcasm in my tone.

He just trembled under the gaze of the regional chief.

“Then what do you want us to do now?”

“The usual. Punishment for the guilty and compensation for the victim.”

“Right.”

The regional manager nodded quietly as if he was running some mental calculations,
and spoke.

“First of all, the investigator in charge of your case will be fired.”

“R-, Regional Manager! I, I swear to God, I only made a mistake…!”

“Are you trying to pass on your incompetence to the guild? All the judgments you’ve
made in the past will have to be thoroughly reviewed. And if any injustice is found in
the process, you’ll be punished accordingly.”

“Y-, you can’t!”

The arrogant investigator fell to his knees in despair.

Seeing him so afraid, he didn’t seem to have led a life of integrity.

Well, looking at his past behaviour, I couldn’t say it came as a surprise.

“S-, save me, please! Please…!”

‘Shouldn’t you beg me here instead of him?’

I thought he was barking up the wrong tree, but I didn’t dare say it out loud. And
anyway, things wouldn’t have come to this point If he hadn’t been such a bastard in
the first place.

This was just how the world was like.

I, too, never had any regrets about attacking anybody.

I just regretted when the time came to pay the price.

“Then what about this guy?”

The other contributor to this case, Hearth Young.

When I asked a question looking at him, the regional managed answered without
much thought.

“He’s seriously jeopardized this investigation with false testimony. He’ll face the
same.”

“Meaning?”

“Imprisonment and a thorough investigation.”

A regional manager’s words carried significant weight.

The investigation had not yet begun, let alone a trial, but it’d almost certainly result
in a death sentence.

“N-, no…”

Hearth Young’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted dead away, but
none of us paid him any attention.

“I wish you’d investigate the clan this guy belongs to, if at all possible.”

“You mean the Crystal Union? They’re a bunch of noisy rabble-rousers. Fine, we’ll do
as you say.”

The regional manager readily agreed to my request.

He was a pretty smart guy.

He must’ve clearly recognized that he had no choice but to accede to my demands.

“Then, is the punishment enough?”

“Well…”

As I dragged the word and glanced to the side, the branch manager who met my eyes
hurriedly avoided his gaze.

I smiled and nodded my head.

“If I want any more, here, I’d be overstepping.”

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

He didn’t need to be thankful, though.

Because I planned to be repaid in a different way.

“Fine then, now that the punishment part is over, we should talk about compensation
for our mistake. Is there anything specific you want?”

“What are my options?”

“First of all, we’ll raise your rank to the seventh.”

“A rank up, huh…”

It wasn’t bad.

Once I became a rank seven adventurer, the money-changing counter would be less
crowded, and there’d be many other benefits.

The investigator bastard wouldn’t have been so arrogant if I weren’t a rank nine in
the first place.

“R-, Regional Manager! He’s only been an adventurer for two months, to promote
him to rank seven at once –!”
The branch manager added that he was worried about rumours of favouritism
arising from this, but the regional chief waved it away.

“This is how we’re apologizing to him. So please don’t disagree on this.”

“…Understood.”

The regional chief’s attitude seemed like a politician who was apologizing sincerely.

Especially in how slick he was talking.

“Wait. This sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it?”

As I was about to speak, Raven, who’d been quiet so far, joined the conversation first.

I was nervous about what she was going to say, but…

As it turned out, she was pretty impolite.

“How can a rank upgrade be called a reward? Isn’t it the guild’s actual job to give
such benefits to adventurers if they have the ability?”

“But, as you just heard, it hasn’t been long –”

“So what? Why does that matter?”

“Unprecedented –”

“Of course it’s unprecedented!”

Interrupting the regional chief several times, she spoke like a rapid-fire cannon.

“How could there be another adventurer who ate the essence of a fifth ranked
monster, a vampire rift guardian, after two months!”

“…So, what do you actually want to say, Miss Raven?”

“Well. It just seemed a little ugly to call it a reward when you’re just doing what
you’re supposed to.”
Raven looked at me and smiled.

I wasn’t so ignorant that I couldn’t eat when somebody set a buffet, so I quickly fell
into step.

“I think I can expect real rewards.”

“…What do you want?”

Well, since I’d suffered this hardship, I should get back something commensurate.

What did I want?

As if waiting, Raven spoke up again.

“Of course, it’s money. Is there anything else the Adventurers’ Guild can do for you?”

If you looked, you could indeed find other things.

Lifetime free bonding magic, or allow posting personal announcements on bulletin

boards within the guild, etc.

‘But at the end of the day, everything can be done with money.’

When I nodded as if in agreement, the regional chief sighed and raised the white flag
of surrender.

“How much?”

Now all I had to do was to write the amount on the blank cheque.

I looked at Raven, feeling I could trust her on this.

I could believe in a wizard’s rational judgment.

Fortunately, she read my glance properly, and spoke with a somewhat proud
expression.

“You almost accidentally killed an adventurer with a bright future…”

As the sentence trailed off, she bit out after some suspense.

“Isn’t five million stones the least you should reward?”

The regional chief nodded his head without saying a word.

“…All right, I’ll pay.”

It wasn’t that surprising.

If it was just five million stones, it was quite a bit beyond the maximum I’d expected,
but…

‘Because she’s the one asking.’

Without Raven, the transaction wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

Was this the true power of having an identity?

With a deep sense of realization, I wondered how I could repay her for the help I
received today.

But then Raven spoke again.

“Ah, and my hard work costs one million stones, separately.”

“Are you trying to make trouble? What do you mean? If it’s the fee for your visit, the
amount agreed with the tower is –“

“This includes the price of this crystal ball that recorded that joke of yours, Regional
Manager. Even though it was just a joke… still, I think there’d be quite a few people
interested in this crystal ball, don’t you think?”

“…Ha ha ha, you’re pretty funny.”

“I’m not joking though?”

At her retort, the regional chief’s expression hardened and distorted.

However, it didn’t last long.

“Fine…”

The regional chief nodded.

This one million was the price for his own mistake.

‘…I don’t need to pay extra for her work, I suppose.’

Was this the true form of the tribe called wizards?

As I was admiring how quick she was to snatch others’ money, Raven’s voice
resounded inside my head.

[Thanks to you, I got some pocket money.]

Hearing that, I stood still looking at her for a moment and thought –

As much as possible, I wanted to stay friends with her in the future.

“N-, no! Please, just one! Just give me one more chance!”

“What’re you standing around for? Take them both away and put them in jail!”

After removing the investigator who was still begging, as well as the unconscious
adventurer from the scene –

The compensation process was carried out swiftly.

As soon as we signed the non-disclosure agreement stating we wouldn’t leak this

outside, a total of six million stones was given on the spot, including the additional
‘labour fee’.

And, well, that wasn’t the end of it.

“Here’re all your belongings.”

“How is it, Mr. Yandel? Please check carefully.”

Looking at the barbarian rummaging through his backpack, the wizard said with a
curious look.

“Maybe something is missing?”

“…Missing?”

The barbarian hesitated for a moment, then smiled as if he understood.

“Oh, something really seems to be missing!”

“Oh my gosh, is there something missing?!”

“It’s not a ‘thing’…just, about a million stones in cash have disappeared.”

They weren’t very good at acting no matter which way you sliced it.

The branch manager, who’d been listening quietly, was about to faint because of high
blood pressure.

What kind of people were they?!

“What do you mean! How could an adventurer who just came out of the labyrinth
have such a large sum –!”

“Then are we lying?”

At the cold tone of the wizard, the branch manager flinched.

“Th-, th-, that’s, obviously –”

“You got evidence?”

“How could there be –”

“Oh my god, are you again accusing people of lying without proof? Mr. Yandel, now
that I see this, I think this branch manager should also be added to the punishment
list, right?”

“Really. To call an honourable barbarian and a wizard liars, he must’ve not been
taught well at home, growing up –”

“Stop it.”

The regional chief, who’d been quiet so far, sighed and stepped out.

“…We’ll also compensate you for the missing money.”

“It’s a reward that I definitely deserve, so I won’t say ‘thank you’.”

If one ignored the fact that they weren’t waving any weapons, what was the
difference between this and daylight robbery?

It was so shameless that the branch manager could only stand frozen on the spot,
because there was nothing else that he could do.
He could only watch what was happening in front of him.

“One million stones, here.”

“Wow, as rumoured, the Adventurers’ Guild seems to have a lot of money, right? You
just say a word and it just comes out.”

“…I think we’ve shown enough respect to the tower already. Do not cross this line.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Then will you give me the crystal ball now?”

“No. I think it’d be better to give you this after confirming that the punishment was
properly meted out. Of course, I promise I won’t show it to anyone in the meantime.”

“…That promise must be kept.”

“Sure. Don’t worry. Anyway, we’ll see each other for a while. Please take care of the
people gathered outside.”

With those words, the barbarian and the wizard left.

And in the hall, a heavy silence fell as if a storm had passed.

“…”

“…”

The guild was deprived of another one million stones, but they didn’t even get their
hands on the crystal ball.

Also, the crowd gathered in front of the guild, as well as the people involved in this
matter, had to be dealt with.

The regional chief, who’d been forced to smile in front of the two, was now looking
cold as stone.

Feeling that suffocating chill, the branch manager struggled to speak.

“R-… R-, Regional Manager…? T-, thank you…”

“Thank me?”

“That, that… Didn’t you agree to their coercion to protect me?”

“Because you belong to me, not anybody else.”

“Oh! I won’t forget what happened today! I’ll work hard for the rest of my life to
make it up to you – “

“So even if you do need a beating, it should be me who dishes it out.”

The branch manager, who was showing off his determination to be forever loyal with
an excited face, showed a puzzled expression.

“…Eh? Wh-, what are you…”

“You really are naive. Did you think you’d get away scot-free?”

“B-, but I really –”

“Enough. I’ll take care of the rest, so if you want to save your own life, be on your toes
until things calm down. Even if you have to die, you can’t die in a way that relates to
this case.”

Without saying anything further, the regional manager turned and stared at his
daughter.

“Daughter, you’ll have to tell me later why you are here today.”

“…Yes, Father.”

“Then let’s just go.”

The office became empty in an instant.

Only the branch manager was left alone inside, thinking –

“Ha, ha ha ha…”
If only all this could be a dream!

A black spire soaring high into the sky.

On the thirty-first floor of the building –

“How is it? How does it feel to visit the tower for the first time?”

“It feels cramped, because there are no windows.”

“Uh… Um, is that so… But we wouldn’t have been able to build such a high-rise
building in the city, if not for that.”

I was currently at the personal laboratory of Arua Raven, a wizard belonging to the
‘Artemion’ school.

“Come, sit here.”

As she also sat down, clearing the pile of documents that’d been randomly scattered
on the chair, she offered me a drink.

…In a conical titration flask, no less.

“Oh, I don’t have a cup.”

I took a moment to observe the drink.

And came to a conclusion.

“…It’s water.”

“Ah, yes? Oh, would you like some basilisk extract instead?”

“No, this is enough.”

Of course, I didn’t drink it.

I knew it was actually water, but it just felt disgusting to drink.

Not too long ago, it must’ve contained one of these colourful liquids and monster
organ specimens that were scattered all around.

I got to the point.

“So why did you bring me here?”

“I’ve got something to discuss with you. You agreed to do me a favour, didn’t you?”

So it was because of that.

I’d been in a hurry at the time and blindly agreed to her demand, but now that I was
here, I was regretting it.

What if she said she wanted to do some kind of biological test?

“As I said back then, as long as it’s possible.”

“I like it! That’s enough.”

“So what are you asking for?”

“I want the rights to do proprietary research on the essences you’ve absorbed, Mr.
Yandel. It’ll definitely help you, too. Since there’s no precedent, there might be
something unusual to discover, right?”

The more she spoke, the more her eyes changed.

From the calculative eyes she’d had while dealing with the regional chief, to the
zealous eyes I’d seen inside the rift.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand.

Except for the variant rift we’d experienced this time, there were no records of a rift
in which a vampire guardian had been sighted, throughout the entire floor.

“But what does proprietary research mean?”

“Oh, that? Basically, it means that you only provide samples to me. I want to submit a
thesis in my name to academia.”
Were the wizards in this world like graduate students?

I didn’t completely understand the motive, but…

They say that scholars always crave honour the most.

Oh, wait.

“Is that why you asked me to erase the records about the vampire earlier?”

While writing the non-disclosure consent form in the guild, she’d asked me not to
record the fact that I’d eaten the vampire essence.

Of course, I didn’t expect such a thing to remain completely secret, but…

I’d also agreed, thinking that it’d be better to just leave it alone.

‘They say that you should hide 70% of your abilities.’

To be honest, I was thankful that she was so mindful of even the smallest details…

The wizard awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“Uh, um, well… It’s not that it’s not really that…”

A double negative is proof of the positive.

Raven then abruptly changed the topic.

“Uhmm! Anyway, I’m not asking for much, you just need to come here once a week
and help for about three hours.”

Three hours a week…

“Total duration?”

“Well, I think half a year would be enough…”

“Three months.”
“I see. So, are you going to agree to my request?”

“I will.”

After the first agenda was settled this way, Raven immediately brought up the next
one.

“Then, back again… Shall we start with the calculations?”

Calculations?

Was there still such a thing?

Since my gaze must’ve made it clear I was asking what kind of bullshit was this,
Raven also changed her demeanour.

Just like how she’d been in our fight with the regional chief, earlier.

“You didn’t just survive because of me, you even got a total of six million stones for
free, right? I don’t think it’s strange to claim my share.”

Hah! Right, right.

This was what the tribe of magicians were known for.

If I was a simple man who only sought maximum efficiency, they were the ultimate
money chasers.

So I decided to change my mindset, too.

“Give you money? You must be joking.”

Just like how I’d smash a goblin’s head when I saw it.

Our quarrel continued.

In a more intense tone than before.

“It would’ve been the same with any wizard, not just you.”

“Oh? If it were someone else, I would probably have sold the crystal ball as soon as
the regional manager suggested it, you know?”

“But the price has already been paid by the regional chief, right? A whopping one
million stones!”

Rather, you only managed to earn that much thanks to me, so if anybody can claim a
share, I swear to Behel-ra, it should be me.

“…Then give me at least the one million stones that you got with that backpack stunt
in the end. That was purely thanks to my advice.”

Did I ever say that I wanted to be friends with her?

I decided to cancel that.

Did barbarians look like pushovers or something?

“I refuse.”

“I see. You agreed to help with my research, so I won’t ask for too much. Just give me
half, 500,000 stones.”

“I refuse.”

“Huh, then even if it’s 250,000 stones –”

“I don’t even need to hear it. Refuse.”

I didn’t make any compromises.

Anyone trying to inflict a loss on me was a fucking asshole.

And I never negotiated with assholes.

Whatever I earned, was mine.

“The story ends here.”

“What? Do you know how much I lost because of you in the rift?”

Eventually, I made up my mind.

‘I’ll have to break this flag before the water gets more muddied.’

To be honest, it wasn’t that I didn’t feel grateful to her for this incident.

But aside from that, in order to have a long-term, friendly relationship, I needed to
show her who I am.

If you just agreed with a smile no matter what the other party did, you wouldn’t be
the good guy in the equation, you’d just be a pushover.

‘In the first place, she must’ve been so persistent not because she needs the money,
but because she wants to subdue my pride.’

“Okay, let’s move on to the next calculation.”

“The next calculation?”

She tilted her head as if she could think of nothing else to discuss.

I spoke directly, as a barbarian should.

“You should give me five million stones.”

“F-, five million stones? Why should I?”

“Because you fed me the essence of the corpse golem without my consent.”

“What, what?”

She groaned as if she was feeling short of breath.

“H-, hey! I gave you such a rare essence for free, and then you’re asking me for money
instead? Do you think that makes sense?”

I did think that, in fact.

This wasn’t some simple whim.

I didn’t know why everyone around me lacked imagination, if you just looked at it in
enough detail, it’d all make sense.

“Why do you think it doesn’t make sense? You forcibly fed me that essence without
my consent so that you could survive.”

“Damn you, don’t you know I was trying to save you too?!”

“Well, I can’t actually know, and I didn’t want it. So pay me ten million stones. I heard
that it takes that much to remove the essence at the temple –”

“Why would you remove that precious thing! You crazy barbarian!”

“Because it wasn’t the essence I wanted. You’ve done me some serious damage here.”

Unlike before when she’d been negotiating a price, Raven’s face was now flushed red.

To anyone looking at it from the outside, this might sound like extortion, but it did
make sense in a way, so she must’ve gotten annoyed.

She took a moment to regain her composure, with only the constant sound of
exhalations, ‘whoo, hoo-woo’.

“…I’ve heard from adventurers before, that they want essences but can’t find them.
So this doesn’t make sense. Rather, I’m the one who should get paid!”

“Isn’t that your preconceived notion as a wizard? You can also ask other adventurers.
How would you think you feel if someone else fed you an essence you don’t want?”

“Hah! Are you saying you know adventurers better than I do? Wait a minute. I can
ask someone right away.”

The wizard was very excited as she took up the crystal ball on the desk, and operated
as if pressing a phone number. The call connected soon after.

“Ah, is this Mr. Patsran?”

[Who is this?]
“Hello. I am Arua Raven, of the Artemion School. I was with my master when I met
you last time?”

[Ah! Miss Raven! I remember. But why are you calling me out of the blue…?]

“I have a question for you. What do you think would happen if someone fed you an
essence you hadn’t planned to eat without your consent, Mr. Patsran?”

[Hahaha! I don’t know why you’re asking such a bizarre question, but if I had to
answer… I’d be really angry.]

“…Yes? Angry? E-, even if it’s a seventh-grade essence? Even if it’s a very rare essence
that only drops from a rift?”

[Even then. An unplanned essence means that it’s an essence with only a negative
effect for me. I don’t know what happened, Miss Raven, but if somebody just picks up
any which essence and eats it, they’d never reach the higher ranks.]

The wizard had initially held a triumphant expression as soon as the call had
connected.

But after hearing the adventurer’s kind reply, her face turned pale.

“That, that, I see. Assuming that’s what happened… how should I compensate?”

[If it were me, I’d first ask for compensation in cash.]

“How much would that be…?”

[Fifteen million stones would be appropriate.]

“T-, t-, that much?”

[The more expensive an essence is, the more it costs to erase. I don’t know why those
god-botherers hanker after money so much…]

“Ah, uh, um, I see…”

As if she didn’t have the strength to keep holding it, the telecommunication device
fell from her hand and rolled on the floor.
I picked it up for her and put it back into her hand.

“I still have one question left to ask.”

As I whispered into her ear, the blonde girl in her mid-to-late teens asked in a
trembling voice.

“…Um, no, if the money can’t be paid back, then what would you do, Mr. Patsran?”

[Um, well? If that happened and the other party was in front of me…]

The man on the other side of the telecommunication device answered with
enthusiasm. [I think I’ll probably shove their head down and cut it cleanly. Hahaha!]
Click –

The line cut off.

There was silence inside the laboratory for a while.

Heck, even I had never expected this to happen.

I was just trying to sponge some money off her, but how could I have known that
things would turn out like this?

‘Really, this lack of imagination seems endemic here.’

In fact, it wasn’t that she didn’t have any way to win the argument.

If she’d caught any of the ninth-grade adventurers scraping by hand to mouth and
asked them the same question, they would’ve called it a lucky break.

Her argument definitely wouldn’t have gotten dismantled like this.

But instead, she ended up asking an adventurer who seemed capable even at a
cursory glance.

‘If it’s her teacher, she’s talking about a master wizard. There’s no way somebody
who has a personal acquaintance with someone like that could be some ordinary
adventurer.’

This served as the decisive factor[1] that resulted in her defeat.

So now it was her time to reap what she –

“Chuckle! A barbarian beating a wizard in a battle of words, it seems you’re even

more amazing than I’d heard, eh, friend?”
A white-haired old man with wrinkled skin opened the door without even knocking
and entered the room.

Although his face showed his age, he had a straight waist without any sign of
stooping that one might’ve expected.

After a moment of bewilderment at the sudden intervention, I was quickly able to

infer the identity of this old man.

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself yet. This old man is the master of the lady who you just
made to cry.”

“I, I didn’t cry!”

Raven’s teacher.

In other words, the master of the great Artemion School, that independently owned a
whopping five floors inside the tower.

He was as much a bigshot as the regional manager I’d met earlier – no, in some ways,
he was even more powerful.

“Anyway, I heard you two talking by chance.”

“Eh? You heard us? I’m sure the soundproofing magic is still working –”

“Oh, it needs to be reinforced it a bit more. There’re a lot of gaps in the technique.”

From his way easy of speaking, he sounded like a normal old neighbour, but since he
still sat in such a high position, I couldn’t help but feel a bit daunted.

After all, this disciple of his that I’ve been dealing with – he seemed to cherish her a
lot.

“Haah, you completely smashed my magic circle. It must’ve been difficult to do that
without me noticing, no matter what you say… Why were you trying to snoop?”

The old man chuckled.

“My youngest disciple brought in a boy for the first time. Plus, it’s been so long a
barbarian’s entered here alive; wouldn’t you be curious?”

…Something was strange.

“Alive?”

As I mumbled unconsciously, the old man savagely grinned.

“Chuckle! They mostly come in as corpses! Or just their hearts get delivered!”

“…?”

“Look at your face, all red. It was a joke, a joke!”

Oh, I see.

Is this wizard humour?

I was also a barbarian who was an expert in reading the atmosphere, so instead of
staring blankly, I gave a big smile.

“Hahaha! I want to smash your head!”

AKA barbarian humour.

“…Wh-, what?”

But why weren’t they laughing?

Oh, I forgot the punchline.

“Hahaha! It was a joke!”

Whatever bullshit you spout, you just have to tack on that it was all a joke at the end,
right?

“So don’t look so red and smile. Old geezer!”

“Ol-, old geezer…?”

“Oh, that was a joke! Hahaha!”

“…”

The old geezer who happened to be the master of the Artemion School frowned at
me as if he was uncomfortable with my sense of humour.

When I glanced at the side, Raven was also gaping as if she couldn’t believe what was
happening.

“…Mr. Yandel, are you a crazy bastard by any chance?”

Was this her being respectful or rude?

It was confusing because of the mixture of tones…

‘I might’ve messed up a tiny bit.’

Seeing their expressions, I thought I might’ve exaggerated things a bit.

This wasn’t normal, huh?

A damned barbarian playing such a crazy prank in front of the head of a school
inside the tower?

“Haah… I should’ve known, seeing what you did at the guild…”

But it was still a little sad.

It might sound like an excuse, but hadn’t this guy been joking about dead barbarians
in front of a barbarian who somehow survived his imminent demise just this
morning?

“I was feeling a bit sensitive, so I might’ve gotten defensive without realizing it. I
apologize if I’ve offended you.”

It was quite a succinct explanation, but Raven shouted as if she didn’t accept it.

“You call that getting defensive?!”

“Offence is the best defence, after all.”

This was my theory, which I’d clung to all my life since my early childhood.

‘So how do I follow up?’

At a glance, I noticed that the old man was still standing still with a blank gaze.

As the silence continued, I was beginning to become genuinely concerned about my

future well-being.

“Heh heh heh heh! That was great, my friend, great!”

The old man suddenly started talking.

I didn’t know what he was going on about, but I went with the flow and laughed
along.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Heh heh heh heh! You’re funny, my friend, very funny!”

Anybody could tell that this old man was forcing himself to laugh, but…

If I did it right, I might be able to cross the bridge like this.

“Don’t worry about it! The old man is different from those other little bastards
who’re sensitive to every word.”

Although he probably still had some resentment left, from the way his lips were
trembling…

But there was no need to bring attention to that.

‘I can roughly guess what kind of a character he has.’

I had a sense of how to deal with it.

“Haha! Do you have some barbarian blood in you? I take back calling you ‘old
geezer’! To think you didn’t even bat an eye at barbarian-style humour! This is my
first time seeing a wizard as spry as you!”

Although wizards were scarce and hard to see in the first place –

But who cared about that?

“Chuckle, I’m not that old in the fist place. Somehow, it feels like we get along a little
bit!”

“I agree!”

The bloody atmosphere seemed to dissipate.

Seeing us going haha hoho, Raven made an absurd expression.

“Haah… What is even going on?”

Well, I didn’t know either.

And I was sure that even this old man had no idea what he was doing right now.

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel! Great wizard! I want to know your name!”

“So you’re Bjorn Yandel! After seeing all those other little bastards for so long, you
feel like a breath of fresh air! Good to meet you! This old man is Deian Tveherion!”

For some reason, the old man introduced himself in a loud voice.

However, the veins sticking out on his neck would make any observer worry about
his health…

Let’s pretend I didn’t see anything.

“Awesome! That’s the majestic voice of a real man!”

I, Bjorn Yandel –

– Was a barbarian who understood the mores of society.

“So, what I told those little bastards back then was –”

“Awesome!”

“Huh? I didn’t say what I told them yet –”

“Must’ve been awesome!”

After a few minutes of such entertaining conversation –

Perhaps the old man regained his sanity after getting his fill of blowing his own
trumpet.

“So, what do you think Aruen should do?”

“Aruen?”

“Oh, that’s the nickname of my youngest disciple.”

Arua + Raven = Aruen?

This kind of culture seemed to be multiversal.

“Anyway, those five million stones earlier, if this old man –”

“No bargaining.”

Social life mode, off.

Seeing me stop talking, the old man clicked his tongue.

“Hnn, tch, who’s talking about stiffing you? Rather, if it’s fine with you, this old man
would like to replace it with something else…”

Then it was different story.

“Something?”

“This.”
The old man put his hand inside his robe and pulled out a box the size of a palm.

However, I was more interested in his robe than the box itself.

‘Is there a subspace attached to the robe?’

Umm, I wonder if he’d give it to me if I asked for it…?

“What’re you staring for? Come on, open it.”

I opened the box and glanced inside as instructed. A ring lay inside.

“It’s an item called the Ring of the Frost Spirit.”

“Ring of the Frost Spirit?”

The old man continued to explain, but I didn’t need to listen.

Because I already knew what it was.

“Even though it’s from the 9000s, every adventurer knows. How precious a
numbered item is.”

Numbered items.

They are only dropped by rift guardians, and each one has its own special ability.

In fact, except for ‘production’ and ‘discovery’, in [Dungeon and Stone], the only other
source of equipment is numbered items.

Of course, most of them are expensive regardless of their number.

But…

“You’re really lucky. People usually can’t get their hands on it even if they want to –”

“Well, it’s not something anybody would actually use.”

No. 9425, Frost Spirit Ring.

Frost Spirit Ring, which can only be dropped from rifts below the third floor, has only
one unique ability.

It’s not an ability that helps in battle, it just seals one of the essences absorbed by the
wearer.

Of course, stat changes are still applied, and only the skills are sealed…

‘In that case, it’s cheaper to remove the essence from the temple.’

Consider the facts.

Levelling up becomes astronomically difficult as you go higher.

However, if you wear this ring, all of the skills you’ve acquired from an essence will
be completely lost.

The skill slots disappear altogether.

Adventurers, considering their future, would rather choose to erase the essence at
the temple and eat a new one, instead of wearing this ring.

“But it must be a very useful thing for you, isn’t it?”

Well, there was some truth to that.

Stats are more important in the early game than skill combinations. Moreover, even
though the corpse golem has poor skills, its stats are quite high.

‘If I take the ring off at any time, I can use the skills again, so it’s not a bad item by
itself.’

I finished my mental calculations.

In fact, I never even considered rejecting in the first place.

That’s because this ability was only a fraction of the true value of this ring.

‘No matter what, since you haven’t mentioned it at all… You really don’t know about
‘that’, do you?’
Wizards were the best intellectuals in this worldview.

However, in the ‘Blood Citadel’, Raven had no idea how to obtain the ‘Tear of the
Goddess’ hidden under the statue. That was what convinced me.

Yes, in my eyes, they were all newbies.

What could be easier than playing with a newbie?

“What’re you so worried about? To be honest, this ring isn’t worth five million
stones. But it’s not something you can get even if you want to.”

“Right.”

I nodded as if in agreement.

Even in the game, the auction house price was only about 1.5 million stones, but
numbered items hardly ever went up for sale, so I got my hands on this ring less than
once in ten.

‘But did I get such a precious thing just like this?’

In the first place, I’d never expected to get the full five million stones.

This old man also took this out with the intention of foisting some useless stuff off
me.

He was probably laughing at me inside, calling me an idiot barbarian.

“Thank you, I got something good. I’ll use it well.”

Uhm, and I was in the exact same situation.

“Chuckle, think of it as a gift from an old man.”

I thought, as I looked at the old man who smiled kindly.

If I did well, perhaps there’d be a lot more things I could mooch off him in the future.

As much as possible, I wanted to stay friends in the future.

“Mr. Yandel, a lot has happened today, hasn’t it? You must be tired. Shall we meet
again in two days for the rest of the discussion?”

“I was just going to say that.”

After a quick arrangement of the detailed time and place, Bjorn left the laboratory.

After that, Raven looked into her master’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Master, because of me…”

“It’s fine, it was something that’d have gotten sold anyway. That barbarian, he might
get quite heartbroken when he finds out later how much that ring costs.”

“…Is that so?”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be particularly angry with Bjorn whom she’d brought
here.

So Raven could more comfortably try and confirm what she was curious about.

“But why were you like that today?”

Her teacher’s attitude today was very abnormal.

He usually hated rude people.

And he’d never joke about his fellow mages, either.

“Oh, there’s just something I need to check.”

“Check?”

“You don’t need to know.”

She shut her mouth with a subdued expression.

Clearly her master had some kind of intention behind matching Bjorn’s pace, but…
Since he’d spoken like this, there was no way for her to find out the details.

“Anyway, he’s an odd duck. He’s so unique that I’m kind of looking forward to what
he does next. I hope I’m on the right track…”

“Are you going to keep doing this? If you’re going to tell me, just tell me!”

“I’ll tell you later, when the time is right. Oh, and make sure you write down what
happened with that barbarian and give me a report.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me why?”

“I’ll tell you once I’m sure.”

Her teacher left the laboratory with a gentle smile as usual.

Looking at the empty place, Raven felt a bit uncomfortable.

‘What the hell is teacher thinking?’

She wondered if bringing Bjorn here had been a mistake.

Because the people her master had such interest in never ended up well, from what
she remembered.

‘Oh, but maybe Mr. Yandel will be different?’

Thinking of the mess he’d left at the guild as just a rank nine adventurer, she became
somewhat anxious.

‘Ah, I’m just overthinking it. The Magic Tower isn’t as small-time as them.’

The tower was completely different from the guild.

It wasn’t a place that could be shaken up by a single barbarian.

Certainly, indubitably.
Editor’s Notes:

[1] 패착 (pachak) is a term that comes from Go, meaning the move that was the root
cause of a defeat. It’s used in more modern contexts these days, like in strategy
games.
“Oh! Bjorn son of Yandel!”

After leaving the tower, I headed towards the barbarians-only dormitory.

Had it already been two months?

More than half of the familiar faces had disappeared, and new barbarians were filling
the void.

I’d heard that it was an implicit tradition to leave this place as soon as you made
enough money to do so…

‘Among those absent, there’re probably a quite a few who’d died this time.’

Since I was born as a barbarian, this might also be my destiny.

Unlike the fairies, who have their veterans help their newbie members up, the
barbarians prefer to leave the newcomers to fend for themselves once they grow up.

“Is Ainar in there?”

“Ainar? She left for the sanctuary first thing in the morning!”

Yeah, that did sound like her.

I didn’t show my face for two days after leaving the labyrinth, so I came here in a
hurry, but in the end it turned out to be a waste of time.

“Oh, by the way, have you heard the rumours?”

“What rumours?”

“The Barbarian of Liberty! The whole city’s shaken up because of him, didn’t you
hear?”

Instinctively, my body trembled.

“…I haven’t heard anything. Do you maybe know his name?”

“Oh? I do not know! Strangely enough, nobody knows who he actually is!”

Fortunately, the guild seemed to have preserved my anonymity.

“Anyway, to think we have such a person among our people, I feel proud! He beat
down hundreds of people by himself, and proudly torn apart the guild’s conspiracy
against him! Amazing, huh?”

“…Hundreds?”

On my oath, nothing like that ever happened.

All I did was take the daughter of the regional chief hostage and lodge a complaint.

And yet were there already such rumours spreading?

I was quite worried about the future, but…

‘…It’ll all calm down soon. Those guys at the guild aren’t idiots.’

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning, so will you let Ainar know when she comes back?”

“Of course!”

I left and headed towards the inn.

But what was this now?

“Y-, you…! W-, weren’t you dead?”

The innkeeper looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Or rather, from his point of view, that was what happened.

I didn’t even have to dig deep, he confessed very quickly that he’d cleared out my
room thinking I was dead.

“What happened to my luggage?”

“I cleaned it all up…”

“I’d paid for the next three days in advance, right?”

My voice that had unconsciously become annoyed, enough that the innkeeper’s face
began to turn white.

‘I can’t let this go –’

No, wait.

When the hell did I start thinking like this?

My body trembled at the sudden feeling of discomfort that I’d noticed so late.

‘…Maybe it was from the first day.’

In fact, looking back, all of it was a little strange.

As soon as I opened my eyes, even though a man was decapitated right next to me,
my mind was at peace.

It was the same with my first murder in the labyrinth.

I thought it was something I had to do, but the process was far too easy.

It wasn’t even a gradual change or anything.

From the first day I’d woken up from this body, I’d been a radical brute like every
other barbarian.

‘Today was the same.’

Organizing a jailbreak?
Of course, I could’ve come to the same conclusion after a lot of deliberation, but it
was strange how little I’d hesitated.

And the same way I’d started an argument with that old man in the tower.

Did I get angry just because I heard something I didn’t want to hear?

Lee Han-soo, the 29-year-old office worker, would never have done that.

He hadn’t been timid, but he hadn’t been outrageously bold either. At his core, he’d
been a sceptic, who always observed everything for a long time before putting it into
practice.

‘But what about now?’

Up until now, I’d thought my new, special environment the root cause behind my
changes.

But the feeling of incongruity was getting bigger and bigger.

‘Surely –’

I was convinced.

Just like how the brutish instincts engraved on this body came out to play during a
battle –

My mind, had also transformed.

No, it’d be more correct to call it harmonization rather than transformation.

“I, I told you, I told you I’m sorry! Please stop staring at me like that!”

Having finished my contemplation, I sighed.

I’d changed. There was no refuting that.

It was strange to have noticed it so late, but I was now at least certain.

But what could I do about it?

‘If I want to survive in this place, it’s better this way.’

I decided to do the best I could with the hand I was dealt.

Well, that was the barbarian way.

“…For thirty thousand stones, I can let it go.”

Although the innkeeper’s behaviour had been atrocious, I decided to end it with a
reasonable compensation.

Considering the fact that the most expensive item in my missing luggage was the
clothes I’d bought for 2,500 stones…

The greatest desire was to take a break while arguing.

“Thirty thousand stones! For those few pieces of junk that sold for chump change –”

“Didn’t you say you’d thrown them away?”

“…”

“Fine, if you don’t want to pay, that’s okay. I’ll just tell everyone here what you made
me go through.”

“…How about staying here till the money covers your rent?”

“Absolutely not.”

I had no intention of staying at this kind of an inn in the future.

Even if it was just stealing a dead adventurer’s belongings, couldn’t he at least be

moral enough to wait till the promised date?

“Whoo. You have to promise not to tell anyone about this.”

“Naturally.”

With an additional income of thirty thousand stones, I headed to the other inn I’d
been eyeing before.
Although the meal had an average cost, and the rent per night was twice as
expensive…

It was well worth it.

‘Now this is the life, even if just a little.’

First of all, the room was about a half larger than before.

It had windows, and even a private bathtub in the bathroom.

That it was much closer to the Dimensional Plaza was a bonus.

After scrubbing my body hard for about an hour to wash away the grime from the
labyrinth, I threw myself on the bed.

It was fluffy.

In fact, it made me wonder if people lived for this kind of momentary happiness.

But was it worth it?

Suddenly, the events of the past few days, starting from the labyrinth, till returning to
the city, unfurled in my mind like a panorama.

“Fuck.”

Why was it so difficult to get a good rest?

As soon as the dawn broke, I went and bought everyday clothes from the first
clothing store I saw was open.

And then I headed to the barbarian-only dormitory.

“Bjorn!! Where have you been all this time?”

“I had some business. Sorry for worrying you.”

“Worry? What do you mean! There’s no way I’d worry for you! Bjorn, even if you get
thrown into hell, I’m sure you’ll be able to survive and return on your own!”

I see, is that how I look in your eyes?

Well, I liked this much better than some clumsy melodrama[1], anyway.

Since neither of us had had breakfast, we went to a nearby restaurant.

“Oh, did you hear?”

As soon as we sat down and ordered from the menu, Ainar started off with a
question.

I wasn’t particularly surprised, because I’d been expecting it this time.

“Ah, the Barbarian of Liberty?”

“Huh? Barbarian of Liberty? What does that mean?”

Uh, so you weren’t asking about that?

“…It’s nothing. What were you trying to say, again?”

“Ah!”

Returning to the original topic, Ainar ducked her head and spoke with a low voice.

“I heard from the elder… that someone stole our Genesis Treasure[2]!”

“Genesis Treasure?”

I was floored.

There were six of them in total.

For reference, in the game, they’d been divided equally among the six races: the
dwarves, the barbarians, the fairies, the beastmen, the dragonkin, and the humans.

And the problem was…

‘You can’t enter the last floor without them!’

The Genesis Treasures were key items in [Dungeon & Stone].

To reach the game’s ending… no, honestly, I didn’t even know if such a thing really
existed, but in order to open the ‘Gates of the Abyss’ at least, you needed to collect all
six.

But was one gone?

“Who the hell did something so grand?”

“I don’t know either. Apparently, we got robbed on the day of our coming-of-age
ceremony. The elder said that the other races might be in a similar situation.”

“…I see.”

It felt like someone had smashed the back of my head with a hammer, but I still
quietly finished my meal.

‘Fuck, do I have to live here for the rest of my life?’

In a way, it was as if the most hopeful route I had before me had just disappeared.

Still, it’d take at least several years for the Genesis Treasures to become relevant for
me.

‘…It’s not something to bash my head against, when I haven’t even reached the third
floor yet.’

In the end, I still had work to do.

When the moment came for me to make a choice, I had to be strong enough to have
as many options as possible.

Besides, who knew?

Perhaps the thief who’d stolen the Genesis Treasure would get caught soon.

“But, Ainar, are you free today?”

“Yeah. I decided not to visit the sanctuary today.”

“Good.”

After the brief meal, I headed to the business district with Ainar in tow.

“Is this Commelby? It’s my first time here! So many people!”

Commelby.

Sectors 2 through 5, which encircle the first sector, Karnon, like a belt.

Commonly called, the Free Market.

As such, it’s the most thriving and commercially active area of the city, full of shops
of all kinds. The middle class of Rafdonia mainly reside here, and the place is filled
with artisans.

It was here that I’d stopped by along with Erwen, the other day.

‘Come to think of it, is she doing alright?’

Belatedly, Erwen came to mind.

When I’d first met her, she always used to visit my inn the first thing in the day.

But now that I’d left the inn…

It’d become quite difficult to meet her again.

I couldn’t even remember exactly where the fairy-exclusive dormitory she stayed in
was, even though I’d been there once before.

‘Well, it’s not that I can’t find it if I really look for it… ‘

But I wondered if there was any need.

As long as her older sister was still alive, there was no chance of the two of us going
into the labyrinth together.
‘We’ll meet again if fate allows it.’

To be honest, after the sufferings of these past few days, my memories of Erwen had
also faded a lot.

We hadn’t had that deep of a relationship in the first place.

“Ooh! Look over there, Bjorn! People are eating clouds on skewers!”

What? Did they even have cotton candy here?

Intrigued, I bought one and passed it on to Ainar after taking a bite.

By the way, it was real cotton candy.

“Oh, I can’t believe it! Are humans this clever? To make food like this!”

“Stop admiring it and start walking.”

“D-, don’t leave me alone! I mean, I can’t find my way home alone!”

Quickening the pace, we reached our destination in no time.

Where I’d disposed my equipment in the past.

This time, I disposed of all the equipment that had landed me in prison, as well as my
own equipment that’d turned into scrap metal.

The selling price was about 800,000 stones.

I didn’t dispose of the ‘item’ I got just before leaving the rift, but…

‘Let’s price that at 500,000 stones.’

“Ainar, this is your share.”

“I, I, can I have this much? You even got me an essence…”

“Don’t make a fuss, just take it. It’s you fair share.”
For reference, the ratio was 8:2, as promised.

Still, among the barbarians of our batch, this should’ve been the biggest when it
came to earnings.

“I promised you, didn’t I? If you follow me, you’ll make a lot of money.”

“Still, 300,000 stones! Isn’t that too much! How many cloud sweets can I even get
with this?!”

It seemed that cotton candy had risen to be another monetary unit for Ainar.

“By the way, I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

Was it because of the corpse golem essence, with its ‘appetite +9’? My hunger cycle
seemed to have quickened a lot.

“Already? It hasn’t even been three hours yet!”

“So you’re not coming?”

“Of course I’m coming! Today is my treat! I’ll buy you meat!”

After quickly disposing of the equipment, we stopped at a nearby restaurant for a

bite.

And as we finished up and were about to leave –

“Thank you, Bjorn.”

Ainar looked straight into my eyes as she said so.

Her lips were still stained with sauce, but her eyes were much more serious than
usual.

But all that served to do was make me feel even more awkward.

“It’s fine. Like I said –”

“I’m not talking about the money.”

Eh? Then what’re you talking about?

“It’s just… I just wanted to thank you for treating me the same as you used to.”

I heard her nonsense, but I didn’t understand at all.

However, Ainar’s expression was much too serious for me to tell her that.

So I simply watched her, silent, as she struggled with her words.

“It’s… well, it’s my appearance, it’s changed a bit, you know. Others are now avoiding
me because they don’t think I’m a warrior.”

“That’s –”

“And these days, wherever I go, humans keep sticking to me and flirting! Nothing like
this has ever happened to me before…!”

Clearly, this was a serious concern for her as a warrior.

To be honest, I couldn’t really sympathize.

It must’ve been because my nature was different from that of a barbarian.

As I listened quietly, Ainar cried out in a voice that burned with anger.

“Bjorn! Be honest! Am I that ugly?”

…What?

“I’ve decided! Bjorn! I can’t enter the labyrinth with you anymore!”

No, no, wait.

How the hell did you come to that conclusion?!

While drinking lukewarm beer –

I sat alone on the first floor of the inn where I was staying.

“Whoo…”

How could beer be this fucking tasteless?

I made a bad choice with the inn.

The food was pretty good, but the owner couldn’t brew alcohol worth shit.

“Whew…”

I took a deep breath to shake off the bitter taste.

My conversation with Ainar during the day came back to my mind.

After her bombshell of a declaration, we had a long conversation, but the result
didn’t change.

“I’m alone, again.”

Ainar left.

Due to the nature of barbarians, she wasn’t shy with her words, but from what I
heard, it wasn’t just a matter of appearance.

[Actually… yesterday, I received an offer from the elder, about becoming his heir.]

The elders of the sanctuary –

One of them, a rarity with a strong reputation as a swordmaster, favoured Ainar.

And today, she’d made a decision.

To learn swordsmanship in earnest under the elder.

[Can’t you go into the labyrinth anyway, isn’t it just one day on the outside?]

I’d asked.
It was just one day every month.

So it might’ve been alright to take a day off every month to visit the labyrinth.

But Ainar only looked troubled.

[I wanted to, too, but… I heard that there’s a special training method, so I won’t be
able to leave the sanctuary for six months.]

Special training, huh?

If so, it was understandable that we couldn’t go to the labyrinth together for six
months.

I knew what a great opportunity this was for her.

[I won’t ask you to wait. I won’t ask you to unconditionally accept me back when the
time comes, either. I’ll train hard, and I’ll definitely come back as a great warrior who
won’t hold you back.]

So I couldn’t hold onto her.

Even on this last expedition, she’d been forced to swear an oath under duress, to a
pillaging criminal.

Also, what about the rift?

A wizard, a dwarf, and even I, her comrade, had contributed, while she’d been
helpless in comparison.

‘Actually, that must’ve been the decisive factor behind her decision.’

I couldn’t say for certain, but the change in her appearance might’ve only been the
last straw.

“Whoo…”

I gulped down another sip of lukewarm beer to quench the unfamiliar thirst brewing
within me.
The bitter taste covered my throat.

‘In the end, I can only find a new colleague.’

I’d been hoping to take a little break and prepare better, this time.

Damn, why wouldn’t these daily quests end?

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 신파극 (sinpageuk, lit. new wave), originally came from Japanese and meant
plays and theatre with Western influence. As such, they often dealt with the lives of
the common people. In Korea, however, new wave cinema and dramas were created
while under the Japanese colonial rule, and as such once the Koreans got their
independence back, the term ‘new wave’ naturally became almost taboo. In modern
context, new wave (perhaps undeservedly!) is used to denote forced, melodramatic
development without rhyme or reason. Find more at Namu Wiki.

[2] 보구, in FATE franchise this stands for Noble Phantasm.

‘But do I even need any colleagues?’

That had been the first thought that’d come to my mind when Ainar talked about
leaving the party.

After all, I was now different from who I’d been two months ago.

‘Now, I think I could even hunt a group of deathfiends all by myself.’

I’d eaten the essences from a corpse golem and a vampire rift guardian.

My basic stats, including strength, had increased tremendously, and considering my

new regenerative skills, it was safe to say that I was virtually unrivalled on the
second floor.

‘There’s nothing there that can stop me, I’m pretty sure.’

Although I wouldn’t be able to take any breaks.

There’d be nobody to turn to for help in case of an emergency.

But I still judged, objectively.

Even taking all of that into consideration, at my current level, a solo playstyle would
be stable enough.

‘Of course, the third floor would be unreasonable.’

[Dungeon & Stone] is basically a game that forces party play. No matter how strong
your character is, it’s impossible to be an invincible lone wolf, due to how the game
itself is structured.

As such, party composition is crucial, and the higher you go, the more fatal would the
absence of a specific position become.

For example, the Goblin Forest, where having a scout is essential.

It’s an obstacle a barbarian in the ‘tank’ position can’t overcome alone.

‘From the third floor onwards, the monsters also change in scale.’

After a lot of deliberation, I finally made my decision.

I’d find a new colleague at my level.

If you couldn’t find one, I’d join a similar team.

And together, we’d hunt monsters on a higher floor, and aim for the top.

‘It’s more efficient than grinding away at the second floor by myself and wasting
time.’

Of course, this would also be quite troublesome.

I’d have to worry not only about the combat power and team composition of the
party, but also about how to make sure that they were trustworthy.

‘Huff, where the hell can I find such people?’

It looked like this month would be pretty busy for me.

In fact, except for Erwen and Ainar, I didn’t have a single acquaintance in this world.

“Keh…”

As I poured down the rest of the beer down my throat and was about to go up to my
room –

“Hey there, yes, you, barbarian! What do you think, brother?”

A party of adventurers, who’d been chugging down alcohol at the next table for a
while, called me.
“What do you mean?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? This young friend here has been saying some adorable things.”

Well, it didn’t look like they were trying to strike up a quarrel.

When I nodded indicating my interest, an adventurer in his mid-twenties explained

the situation.

In short, it was as follows –

Recently, there’d been talk of a barbarian of liberty. Naturally, the adventurers had
gotten excited hearing the story and started liberally slandering the guild.

But then a young adventurer had bucked the trend and praised the guild instead,
asking the others how they could believe such nonsense.

The adventurers who’d been listening had then started making fun of the kid,
ridiculing him.

“So, I wanted to hear what you think. What’s your opinion? Do you think the guild is
trustworthy, too?”

Fuck, say that earlier.

“If you think that, you might as well believe that pigs can fly.”

“Ahahaha! I knew you’d say something like that, brother! One look at your eyes is
enough to tell that you’ve got your shit together!”

The man grinned like a cat that’s got the canary.

But a young boy who’d been crouching in a corner suddenly got up, face red.

“Wait a minute! Can you really call yourselves adventurers? Did you ever consider,
without the guild, who’d protect us in this city? You should be grateful instead!”

His outburst led to a spell of silence that lasted for a while.

But before long, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

“What? Grateful? Puhahahahaha!”

“You little punk! And you wonder why people treat you like a kid wherever you go!”

Apparently, distrusting the guild was an ancient adventurer tradition, and you
couldn’t be called a full-fledged adventurer without it.

“You all, what’s even the point of this? Wouldn’t he realize it himself once he gets a
little more life experience? That nobody can protect you other than yourself!”

“Keh, now that really strikes a chord!”

“Let’s have another round!”

After the brief incident, the adventurers started drinking again.

I was about to leave, but the man who’d spoken to me first approached me with a
friendly expression.

“I’m Hans.”

“Hans…?”

“Haha! Is the name too common?”

I couldn’t really say, but it did seem that way.

The first man I’d killed in the labyrinth had also been called Hans.

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“I see! It’s fate that we’ve met like this, so if you aren’t too tired, why not join me for a
drink? My treat, of course!”

Hesitating for a moment, I finally nodded.

Although I’d eavesdropped on other adventurers before here and there, I’d never had
many direct conversations with them.

“So, what kind of trouble are you in, that you’re drinking here all by yourself?”
Maybe I could get some unexpected advice, so I frankly lay bare my concerns.

“My team has disbanded and I’m looking for new colleagues. But I don’t know where
to start.”

Hans, who’d been listening intently, went, ‘Huh?’ He tilted his head as if in
puzzlement.

“If that’s the problem, isn’t it easier to just go to the guild?”

“The guild?”

“Haha! It’s true that those bastards are hardly trustworthy, but shouldn’t we use
every available resource? Just how much money do you think they mooch off our
taxes!”

Well, it certainly made sense.

Adventurers are inseparable from the Adventurers’ Guild.

In the game, it’d been easy to find colleagues through the guild.

But…

“I’m worried whether the people I meet there can be trusted.”

“Hahaha! It looks like you haven’t used it properly yet? It’s very different from how it
used to be. Because there’d been a lot of cases of betrayals in the past, it’s now
mandatory to wear a video recorder.”

Really?

There’d been nothing like that in the game.

“Trust me and go check it out. Whatever you’re worried about, won’t happen.”

Since he said so, it might not be a bad idea to visit once.

Next morning.

Waking up with a slight hangover, I headed straight to the tower.

“You can’t enter without a visitor’s pass.”

Aren’t you supposed to ask first if I have one?

It was annoying to start off the day with an episode of racial discrimination, but once
I showed the card Raven had given me, the staff let me in without saying anything
else.

Ding–!

And I soon arrived on the 31st floor.

Once I set foot into Raven’s private lab, a far more bustling interior than two days
ago was there to greet me.

“Oh, are you here already?”

It seemed that a lot of books and documents that’d been cluttering the space had
been cleared away, but in their place, the room had been crammed with gruesome-
looking devices.

“…Where are you going to use this?”

I pointed out the one that looked the ghastliest, and asked what it was to be used for.

“It’s nothing special, it’s just a magic tool that makes it easier to collect blood.”

Her answer was a double surprised.

The first surprise was that it wasn’t intended for crushing people’s skulls. And the
second surprise was that this savage-looking instrument was a magic tool.

“Then, you ready?”

“…I don’t think so, um, not yet.”

“Eh, you serious? C’mon, come here.”

“…Fine.”

At first, I was half suspicious and half worried, but surprisingly, all of the diagnostic
tests using the magic tools turned out to be quite humane.

Not only that, the process was so quick that it didn’t even take long to finish.

But looking at the results…

‘There’s nothing I hadn’t already figured out while I was stuck in prison.’

“First of all, there’s no significant variance compared to other guardian essences. Oh,
do you know what I’m talking about?”

“I know.”

Essences dropped by guardian monsters have two characteristics.

First of all, the basic stats are 1.5 times higher than the essence that the monster
would normally drop.

“You know, it might be better to just see for yourself.”

Raven showed me a piece of paper that summarized the stats of the vampiric
essence, which she’d estimated using the various magic tools.

It didn’t really mean much.

As expected, instead of hard numbers, the paper had rough guesses like (high),
(medium) and (low) written on it…

Whereas I myself was able to calculate the exact numbers, by multiplying the stats of
a normal vampire by 1.5.

[Vampire]

 Natural Regeneration +45[1], Strength +15, Agility +15, Magic Resistance +30,
Physical Resistance +12, Soul Power +21, Mana Sensitivity +30, Dark
 Resistance +12, Solar Resistance -12

Some might think the stats too low for a fifth rank monster.

That’s definitely true, from a certain perspective.

The corpse golem essence, which is only rank 7, gives much higher stats of +70 pain
resistance and +55 skeletal density, in comparison.

And even these pitiful stats are what you get after multiplying by 1.5.

And yet…

‘Natural regeneration, magic resistance, physical resistance, soul power, and mana
sensitivity… ’

Different stats have different values.

Even in the game, these precious stats tended to be low on average.

Because if you could stack them high, a monster would be born.

“This isn’t my first time thinking this, but, Mr. Yandel, you’re really very lucky. Even a
regular vampire essence is rare as hen’s teeth, but you got one from a guardian.”

In fact, lucky wasn’t enough to describe it.

Guardian essences of the fifth rank or higher could even be treated as essences that
let a newcomer graduate into an expert.

It definitely wasn’t something you were supposed to get in the early game.

“If you’ve taken it all in, check this, too. In case you don’t understand, I’ve put
together all the characteristics. There’re four in total.”

Suddenly, the corners of her lips curved up.

“Four…”

That’s the second characteristic of a guardian essence.

Normal essences bestow only two skills: one passive and one active.

But essences from a guardian are different.

(P) Dark Origin — Resist death as long as your heart is intact.

There’s the basic passive skill, of course.

(A) Mark of Sacrifice — Temporarily increase your physical abilities based on the
number of marked beings within a certain radius.

(A) Eternal Life — Temporarily gain a significant increase in regenerative power

based on health lost.

(A) Master of Blood — Temporarily absorb one of the target’s skills when directly
drinking their blood.

And alongside that, all possible active skills are attached.

Originally, to get [mark of sacrifice], you’d need to eat a yellow vampiric essence, and
to get [master of blood], you’d need to eat a red vampiric essence…

But a guardian essence bypasses all that.

Even though it’s tough to acquire them, they’re worth it.

‘Now that I’ve got this on top of the undying imprint, is it safe to say that I’m done
with the regeneration side of things?’

This was some incredible growth rate, even for a ten-year pro at the game like me.

While feeling satisfied by myself, I heard Raven talking.

“Okay then, this is all for today. Thank you for taking the trouble. Come back for the
next check-up anytime next week, at your convenience. I’ll be here, anyway.”

“What else is there to check?”

“What’re you talking about? We need at least ten more surveys before this essence
data can be registered officially with the society.”
…I see.

“I asked because I didn’t know, so don’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry. Anyway, I’m going to check on the corpse golem essence when I have
the time, so don’t even think about running away.”

“…Got it.”

I’d been pretty much naked during the examination, so I put my clothes back on.

But before I had to leave, I had one more question.

“Raven, do you have any plans to enter the labyrinth in the future?”

“Well? Probably not for a while… why?”

“Oh! Wouldn’t it be better to go together with people you know?”

Although I tried to act cool, she seemed to see right through me.

She grinned as if I was being an idiot.

“Oh, but we really don’t know each other that well, right?”

“Alright, alright, pretend I never said anything.”

“Oh, should I?”

Her voice suddenly became harsh.

Now that I remembered, she did have this kind of a personality.

Even though she kept calm most of the time, if somebody touched her pride, the
arrogance buried in her bones would burst out and pierce the heavens themselves.

“No, how dare you think you can ask me to join a team with just two barbarians?”

To be honest, it wasn’t two anymore.

One had resigned yesterday.

Of course, I had more sense than to say that out loud and turn the atmosphere any
bloodier.

“…That’s why I told you to pretend I never said anything!”

“How do I pretend I didn’t hear it when I heard it already?!”

No, is this worth raising your voice so high?

While I was pondering over how to react to this sudden burst of temper –

“Haah…”

She let out a long sigh, as if forcefully calming herself down.

“Mr. Yandel, even if it’s not me, if you’re going to make such an offer to any other
wizard, please make a team properly, first. Well… it’d be nice if everybody is sixth
rank or higher, and you should try to get a priest, too.”

Motherf… you don’t say?!

If things had been going that good, do you think I would’ve come to offer you a spot?

“Yeah, alright.”

Really, wizards were such snobs.

“Then see you later.”

“Ah! Wait a moment!”

Raven caught Bjorn who’d been just about to leave.

Because she remembered something she’d been planning to ask.

“At the end! What was that? You know, you put something in the mouth of the
vampire while he was stunned? I think I felt a flash of divine power…”

It was a question that’d risen while she’d been recording the past events, to pass on
to her master.

What the hell had that thing been?

No matter how one looked at it, it wasn’t something a rank nine adventurer could
carry around.

“Oh? No idea what you mean.”

“Eh?”

“Didn’t you see it wrong? It was such a crazy situation, after all.”

“See it wrong? I couldn’t have. I’m sure I felt ma–”

“Sorry, have to go! Got some urgent business to take care of.”

“Hey! Wait a moment! Wait—”

Bam!

Bjorn slammed the door closed and left without saying anything else.

‘Huh, are you hiding something?’

Breaking her gaze on the door he’d hurried through, Raven frowned and headed to
her study room.

Once there, she pulled out a thick book from the shelves.

[Rift Records III].

It was a compilation of various recorded information on rifts.

Just like its plain title, the old book didn’t even have the author’s name written on it.

As a child, she’d accidentally bought this book at the Free Market, and surprisingly, it
contained knowledge that was not even recorded by the society.

“What page was the Blood Citadel on again?…”

As she was flipping through the pages, her finger stopped at one place.

A map of the dungeon area.

The exact location of the hidden passage.

A page with advanced information about the Blood Citadel, such as how to obtain the
‘Necronomicon’ inside the ‘demonic shrine’.

Unfortunately, there were parts that were not readable.

Two of them.

[Tear of the Goddess]

Location: ——————.

[Golden Mask]

———: ——— —.

Two items, whose descriptions and locations had disappeared with the passage of
time.

She’d gone through the rift with a fine-toothed comb to find them herself, but in the
end she hadn’t been able to.

Raven tilted her head as she again felt the taste of regret.

‘Wait, I think I’ve heard of the Tears of a Goddess somewhere… ‘

Where was it?

Trawling through her hazy memories, she pulled out a few books on religion and
quickly flipped the pages one by one.
How long did it take?

Finally, her hand stopped turning the page.

[Tears of the Goddess]

 A consumable relic of unknown origin.

 When destroyed, it has the effect of spreading powerful ‘grace’ on its location.

 150 years ago, during the Dimensional Collapse, Cardinal Androne had used all
three to save the pope, and they’ve since disappeared.

“A holy relic?”

Amazed, Raven even checked the illustration drawn on the next page.

It was too early to be certain because she’d only seen it from afar, but the shape and
size seemed to roughly match.

Even the method of using it, and the effectiveness. It all matched.

“…”

Raven was feeling confused.

Just looking at the shape of things, this didn’t look like some simple coincidence.

But if it wasn’t a coincidence, then what?

How could a barbarian who’d just become an adult know where the [Tear of the
Goddess] was hidden, and even make a plan to use it right away?

‘Maybe, Mr. Yandel… ’

One possibility popped into her mind, and her eyes lit up as she gripped the book
tight.

‘I’ll have to check it out.’

No matter how long it took –

It’d be worth it in the end.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] This seems to be a typo in the raws as the chapter where Bjorn got the essence
showed it at +40.
After returning to the inn, I was organizing my backpack when I ran into a problem.

It was about nothing other than the metal helmet in my hand.

‘Should I just sell this?’

This helmet had been officially called the ‘Golden Mask’ in the game.

An item obtained by defeating the boss of the ‘Blood Citadel’ and satisfying certain
special conditions.

The effect was simple.

It customized the appearance of the wearer’s face.

Although the effect was only limited to thirty in-game days.

‘Plus, it’s a limited-use consumable.’

From what I remembered; it could perhaps be used up to five times?

I recalled that it’d naturally disappeared from my inventory after I’d used it all up.

Of course, I wasn’t completely sure about the number.

Because except for the first playthrough when I’d gotten my hands on it, I’d never
used this item.

Instead, I’d sold it off on the exchange every time.

For about 500,000 stones.

‘Still, I’m worried… ‘

It wasn’t a worry one would have if they were playing the game.

What use is a cosmetic item in a game?

Why would you go and apply a skin on a game character with 2D pixel graphics, and
one with a limited thirty-day duration at that?

It was better to sell it off, even if it were as cheap as 10,000 stones.

But I was in a ‘reality’ right now.

After a short deliberation, I made my decision.

‘Since I can’t be sure, let’s keep it for now. I’m not hurting for cash right now, anyway.’

My situation was different from the game, in many ways.

Hadn’t I even been framed and imprisoned, just recently?

If I ever needed to become a public enemy of this city, this item would surely play a
huge role.

And perhaps I could find some other place to use it, too.

‘In the end, it’s money that makes the world go round.’

I could once again feel how precious money was.

If I hadn’t made a lot of money this time, I’d have definitely chosen to sell.

And as could be seen from this –

The more money you have, the more options you have.

Whether it’s in the game, or in reality.

Or even in this distant world.

“Hey! Did you hear? The Crystal Union’s disbanded!”

A silver-haired fairy was quietly eating in a corner of the restaurant.

Daria Wittember di Tersia, perked up her pointed ears.

Because this was a topic she was interested in.

“What? The Crystal Union, disbanded?”

The Crystal Union.

It was the name of an adventurer clan that’d achieved explosive growth in the past
decade. It specialized in providing various conveniences to first-floor adventurers,
using an extensive network of contacts and an overabundance of of message stones.

“Surprising, right? A whole adventurer clan in tip-top shape just going ‘puff!’
overnight?”

“Hah! Tip-top shape? Can you even call them adventurers?”

From what she’d heard, the members of the Crystal Union were mostly ordinary
people who, under the pressure of taxes, set foot in the realm of adventurers.

Many of them held a separate job in the city and spent only one day a month to visit
the labyrinth.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with just that.

Rather, such a purpose could be even called noble.

In fact, she’d heard that many ordinary citizens who’d been facing a crisis of
defaulting on their taxes, which would’ve seen them executed, had been saved
through this in the past.

But…

“Anyway, this is good news! They always kept bragging everywhere about being
adventurers.”
The current Crystal Union had become corrupted.

As its power grew, it began to reject outsiders, and there were frequent cases of
abuse of power[1] and even violent deeds against rookie adventurers.

What’d happened to her sister was a perfect example.

It wasn’t enough that they’d tried to harm her in such an unsightly way, they’d even
tried to eliminate her to keep her mouth shut.

‘I hate to admit it, but if not for that barbarian, something unimaginable could’ve
happened.’

Ever since hearing about the incident, she’d been hoping to take care of those guys
one day.

But from this conversation, it looked like she didn’t need to anymore.

Coincidentally, this time too, it was thanks to a barbarian.

“By the way, I haven’t asked yet. Why did they suddenly disband?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear the story?”

“What news?”

“The Barbarian of Liberty!”

As she secretly overheard the story that followed, Daria frowned involuntarily.

The more she listened, the more interesting the story became.

After being framed, not only did this guy escape from prison, did he even take the
daughter of the regional chief hostage?

“The story keeps getting bigger and bigger. At this rate, the new loot investigation
law for ninth-ranked adventurers may end up getting scrapped.”

It was a story worth listening to.

The person who’d allegedly done the frame-up had already been sentenced to death
and summarily hanged. Even the Crystal Union, which had been proud of its
staggering size, was now apparently being held accountable for its past actions, and
was being savagely beaten.

Just, there was one thing…

“But you know what’s even more surprising? That barbarian’s only a rank nine
adventurer! A rookie barely past his coming-of-age ceremony!”

A rank nine adventurer who’d just finished his coming-of-age ceremony.

Somehow, when she heard this story, one person came to mind.

A barbarian who’d faced her with dignity, and was different from the masses in many
ways.

‘No way, such a coincidence… ’

She shook her head as if to untangle her jumbled thoughts.

Getting up and leaving the premises, Daria headed towards home.

But with every step, the thought came back again and again.

‘Is that barbarian really dead?’

So far, there’d been no reason to doubt it.

But if he was actually the protagonist of the story she’d just heard…

‘Then it explains why he didn’t come back to the inn for two days… ’

Could she really tell her little sister about this?

Creak.

The thought still hadn’t left her head when she opened the door, and saw her
younger sister, who looked noticeably emaciated.
She was sitting on the bed, eyes closed, manipulating three wisps of flame that were
on the verge of winking out any moment.

Last time in the labyrinth, two had been her limit…

“Oh, Big Sis, are you back?”

“…Have you been summoning spirits nonstop since then?”

“Yeah, if I can expand my ability even the slightest bit…”

Daria’s mouth hardened into a line at those words.

The training method itself wasn’t surprising.

Because she’d been the one to instruct Erwen to train like this in the first place.

But her younger sister had never pushed herself to the limit like this before.

“You know, Big Sis, I think I heard the voice of fire.”

“What…?”

“Now I know. I know how to become strong. Why did I stay so weak all this time?
Why did I always have to ask someone else for help…”

Her younger sister, who’d always been a bit shy, who’d always avoided her gaze when
speaking, kept talking while staring straight into her eyes.

“I just wasn’t desperate enough.”

There was no vitality in that dry, cracked voice, merely a sense of desperation.

Spite. Thirst for victory.

Finally, the one thing that her younger sister had lacked the most, had been filled.

It was clear what was causing this change.

So Daria kept her mouth shut.

‘Even if the story is true… I’d better not tell her now.’

Just like how it’d been, ten years ago.

All this, was for the sake of her precious little sister.

Sometime past noon.

I visited the Adventurers’ Guild branch near the tower.

To be honest, my last experience there had been so traumatic I never even wanted to
come near it ever again…

But I had no choice but to proceed with the daily quest I’d received the day before.

“What are you here for?”

“I’m looking for colleagues, of the right level.”

“Any requirements?”

The guild administrator quickly came to the point without wasting time on useless
words.

I, too, answered without hesitation.

“A team of at least four, working on the third floor or higher.”

After all, I wasn’t here just to fill in a substitute for Ainar.

Rather, I planned to use my promotion to the seventh rank to join a team with the
best skills, as that was the most effective path to attacking the labyrinth.

‘Well, assuming I get a good team.’

As I showed my identity card along with the personal statement I’d prepared in
advance according to the procedure, the sleepy-looking administrator looked
startled for some reason.
He looked it over several times, with strange eyes.

“…Five stars?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, ah, no!”

The administrative officer seemed to have gotten a sudden infusion of energy.

I didn’t know what the ‘stars’ meant, but his tone had become noticeably kinder.

“This is a list of teams that meet your criteria, Adventurer Bjorn Yandel. Would you
like to check it out?”

He was finished in less than five minutes.

“That’s quite a few.”

“I swear, that among the recruitment announcements received by the guild, these
ones definitely meet all your conditions!”

What did I say?

It was just a comment, I didn’t know why he suddenly had the urge to swear an oath.

“Hmm.”

The documents briefly described the fifteen teams in total.

When I started with the first one…

[Third Floor Adventurer – Ellen Bornev]

 Preferred exploration areas: Twilight Slope, Steel Rock Hill, Jet Black Estuary.

 Average rank: 7th.

 Current personnel: 2 human melee warriors (7th rank), 1 beastkin melee

warrior (7th rank), 1 dwarf melee warrior (7th rank).
  Recruitment: 1 melee warrior.

 Equal distribution.

 No fairies.

 Participation in post-battle meal together is mandatory.

 Drinking is allowed during exploration if desired.

What the hell was this team?

The smell of sweaty muscles could almost be felt within the lines.

Frustrated, I read the recruitment letters of the other teams, but couldn’t find one
that I really liked.

If the members were good, the loot distribution was too lopsided; and if the
distribution ratio was good, there was some problem with the team composition.

‘…If I can see it even from the recruiting announcement, it’d be even worse in reality.’

Perhaps if I’d had a slightly longer career, finding a team would’ve been easier.

The highest I’d reached was the second floor.

If I weren’t such a purported newbie, I would’ve had a much wider range of choices.

There wouldn’t have been any teams trying to openly rip me off with such a low
distribution ratio.

‘It’s annoying.’

I thought I’d rather organize a team myself by posting a recruitment notice, but…

Well, no one would join, right?

Rather, the unlucky bastards who’d join such a team wouldn’t be normal people.

‘Forget it, I didn’t think I’d be able to find a team on my first day, anyway.’
“Do you have a team you prefer?”

“I’m not really seeing anything I like today.”

When I shook my head and returned the documents, the administrator started
parroting lines like those brainwashed game NPC.

“Oh, is that so? Thank you for your valuable time, but I’m so sorry that I couldn’t help
you. Bjorn Yandel, we can let your information be disseminated to other teams if you
wish –”

“It’s fine, I’ll be back.”

“Oh, would you please? Then see you next time. I am Terbes, a guild member who’s
always friendly towards adventurers!”

Really, this man was kind – in his tone, in his words, and in his actions.

He wasn’t bad at his job, either.

“Then goodbye, Adventurer!”

But… why was I feeling so weird?

Leaving that hint of unease behind, I left the guild and headed back to my hotel.

But my feet stopped at an alley corner.

It was because of one barbarian.

Step.

A bushy beard.

Trousers that were frayed and stained with dirt.

It was true that many barbarians comported themselves no better than beggars, but
even keeping that in mind, the barbarian resting against the alley wall looked
particularly wretched.

‘What?’

As soon as I saw him, a sense of incongruity struck my mind.

Although I lived in a separate inn, I often hung out with other barbarians, so I could
pinpoint the source.

Even if it was like this, a barbarian who’d just sat down to rest somewhere –

‘Why… are there no weapons?’

He had no weapon.

This was a very serious contradiction.

No matter how poor, hungry, and cold they might get, the barbarians carry their
weapon as if it were their own life.

Although I wasn’t one to indulge in idle curiosity, I approached him instinctively and
tried to start a conversation.

But what was this, again?

“Hey.”

“…H-, hey!”

The barbarian, who’d fallen asleep leaning against the wall, was startled and greatly
dismayed when he woke up and found me looking down at him.

Well, fear of strangers may be a natural reaction for a living creature…

But that’s by the standards of other creatures, not for us brave barbarians.

‘Motherfucker, this bastard… ‘

That nebulous sense of incongruity began to gradually take shape.

My heart was pounding, but I quickly suppressed my raging emotions and thought
through what I had to do next.

First, I’d have to lower his vigilance.

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.”

As proof that I wasn’t an enemy, I pulled out a piece of jerky from my backpack and
forced it into his hand.

It was the greatest kindness a barbarian could do.

Of course, he only took it, and he didn’t actually eat the jerky in front of me.

Still, I could at least clearly feel that the caution engraved in his eyes had subsided a
little.

‘Well, this should be enough to start a conversation.’

I asked as if curious.

“Why’re you doing this here?”

“T-, that, that’s… I, I don’t have any money…”

I nodded quietly.

Rookie barbarians were indeed penniless.

This could indeed be the reason.

No, it made more sense the more I thought about it.

But…

“What happened to your weapon?”

“I, I sold it, sir…”

He didn’t just sell his weapon, he was also polite…

“You’ve got a name? I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“I, I’m Ta-, Tarikan, son of Li-, Lien!”

He raised his voice as if he’d realized his mistake, but it was already too late.

I was already certain.

“Nice to meet you! Tarikan, son of Lien!”

This bastard, was an ‘evil spirit’. And it hadn’t been long since he’d entered this
world.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 등에 업고 (lit. carrying on the back), to use your position or background to your
advantage.
Tarikan Lien.

Of course, it wasn’t his real name, but I decided to ignore that.

‘It’d better to have this conversation over a meal.’

Since my hotel wasn’t too far away, I took him to my room, and got him some food
from downstairs.

It was just the set meal of the week, priced at only 300 stones.

Chicken stew, a few slices of bread, and a few grilled vegetables were all it had, but
that was enough to make him feel overjoyed.

Still, if there was one thing that bothered me, that was…

“I will never forget this grace!”

Ugh, what the hell was this clumsy barbarian-style speech?

Although he’d thankfully come to his senses, if he was going to do it, he should’ve
done it properly.

His voice was much too faint, and he lacked any kind of confidence.

We barbarians rejoiced a lot more enthusiastically when someone bought us

something to eat.

‘…Although, I’ve been eating well from the start. Is he so starved he simply lacks the
energy?’

Seeing him wolf down the food, I hid my bitter smile.

And I learned what I needed to from a short conversation after dinner.

‘I really thought he was a newbie… ‘

Surprisingly, this man was older than me in this world.

Although only by a month.

He was called into this world a month before I’d opened my eyes in Bjorn’s body.

And there was one more surprising fact.

“C-, coming-of-age ceremony? Ah, I was really surprised back then. Who could’ve
known that there were e-evil spirits hiding among us?”

‘So an evil spirit had appeared… ‘

Coincidentally, this man and I had very similar beginnings.

A demon had appeared at his coming-of-age ceremony as well.

In other words, there was an incident where a player got executed by the chieftain.

And another question arose at this point.

‘How did he survive that?’

At the ceremony, your get called by name.

But when you, the evil spirit, wake up, you have no information about who your body
previously belonged to. That was why I’d had to count the time in my heart, taut with
tension, every time the chieftain had called a name.

‘…Even if he hadn’t been as jittery as he is now, how did he keep people from
suspecting?’

Well, perhaps he’d been in better condition back then.

Or, he could’ve used a strategy similar to mine to avoid suspicion.

I was mildly curious, so I asked in a roundabout manner, but the answer that came
back was a little frustrating.

“When was I called at the coming-of-age ceremony? I don’t know why you’re asking
but… I was the last!”

I see. He’d been the last one to be called.

That’s why he hadn’t needed to know what his name was.

Because there were no more warriors left to be called up.

All I could think was that he was lucky, but the man himself didn’t seem to even
realize that.

What an idiot.

“So what happened afterwards?”

“W-, what happened? That… why do you want to know?”

Why?

Because I was an evil spirit, too.

This was market research. Data collection. Whatever you’d like to call it.

“Tell me, and if the situation calls for it, I might be able to help.”

I deliberately answered as vaguely as possible.

But had this guy already decided in his mind that I was going to help him out?

“I, I see! Then let’s talk about it!”

He didn’t hide his anticipation, and slowly began to tell his story.

From the day he’d woken up in the body of Tarikan Lien, to today.

As I listened, all I could think was that some punishments were well-deserved.
“…You mean you couldn’t enter the labyrinth after the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Th-, that couldn’t be helped! I got lost along the way…”

First of all, he didn’t even enter the labyrinth.

He made some excuses about losing his way, but…

‘It’s best to filter out the obvious lies.’

Quite possibly, the real reason was that he’d felt that fighting monsters was a crazy
thing to do.

And it wouldn’t have been hard to break away from the horde of over-excited
barbarians.

The problem was the next bit.

Left in the city, he’d eaten the rock-bread he had with him for a week, and wandered
to and fro looking for a job. He hadn’t gotten accepted anywhere because he was a
barbarian.

Other races can hold side jobs.

For example, beastkin may wait at a tavern, or dwarves may work at a smithy.

On the day the labyrinth opens, they go harvest mana stones inside, and for the rest
of the month, they earn a living wage in the city.

Unlike barbarians, whose only option is combat.

“But didn’t you know that? You must’ve learned that in the sanctuary, right?”

“Th-, that… I g-guess I forgot! And, oh, didn’t I tell you already! I got lost, and there
was nothing I could do…”

He was bullshitting[1] again, so it looked like he didn’t know.

I’d asked him if he hadn’t learned about this while living in the sanctuary, but what I
meant was he should’ve known about this setting if he’d played the game.
‘But if the answer’s like this… ‘

I was slowly starting to get suspicious.

Was it actually true that ‘evil spirits’ were the beings who opened the ‘Gates of the
Abyss’ on the last floor?

Because if this guy had been that experienced, he definitely should’ve known the
settings about the barbarians.

“…So, should I keep talking?”

“Oh, sorry. Yeah, go on.”

Anyway, we went back to the main point of the story.

After starving for several days, he finally sold his starter weapon for 50,000 stones.

I didn’t know who the buyer was, but he was one sharp bargainer.

Barbarian starter weapons go for 150,000 stones on average.

‘Well, the most important part comes afterwards.’

With that little bit of money in his pocket, he made it to the next month somehow by
skimping on everything.

And then came the next chance to enter the labyrinth.

In other words, the day I woke up in this body and decided to enter the labyrinth.

“Hah! You didn’t go into the labyrinth that time either? Are you crazy?”

“But how am I supposed to fight monsters without any weapons!”

No, that’s why you should’ve just walked in the first time.

He had to be a player who’d reached the ‘Gates of the Abyss’, same as me, right?

Couldn’t he even judge something so simple?

“B-, besides, I’d had a stomachache that day because of something I’d eaten!”

‘Really, I don’t know what to say anymore.’

My thoughts were getting complicated.

‘I can’t ask him directly if he’s ever played that game… ’

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t even know if all demons, including this one, were
from the same Earth as me.

Wasn’t this a world of magic and monsters? Then why not have some evil spirits be
summoned from some alien dimension?

“Anyway, keep talking.”

It didn’t seem like there was anything special left to learn, but I still listened to the
rest of the story.

Of course, the content didn’t differ much from what I’d expected.

The money ran out, he got kicked out of the inn, and he had to fight hunger, sickness
and cold every day.

One day, when he found out about the inn where barbarians gathered, he went to see
if he could get some help, but was rejected for some reason…

“You really are special! Everybody else just gave me weird looks.”

To be honest, I was now even more curious about him.

How could he survive three months in such a state?

‘No, shouldn’t he have realized how to pretend to fit in with the other barbarians, by
now?’

Even though I didn’t understand the reasons behind any of his choices, there was a
sense of relief blooming in my heart.

If I, too, had made a different choice back then –

‘Perhaps I wouldn’t have ended up any different.’

On that day, if I’d chosen to run away because I was afraid of fighting.

“…By the way, how much does this place cost per day?”

By now I might’ve been sleeping on the streets instead of renting a room in an inn,
with a window and a private bath.

I wouldn’t even be able to afford rock-bread without soup, and would have to
rummage through the trash for something to eat–

“Ah, hm! So, how was my story? Good, huh?”

Just like this, I might’ve had to pour out my own imperfections to scrounge for the
sympathy of others.

I pondered one last time before answering.

And made my decision.

“It was definitely a sad story.”

“Then, can you help me?”

His face regained some animation in an instant.

“Of, of course I will repay the favour. You might not believe it, but I actually know the
labyrinth really well! If you go there with me in the future, it’ll be of great help to you
too!”

Help, me?

‘I see, so you do have some knowledge about this world… ‘

I could even sense what kind of a future he was imagining in his head.

Like teaming up with me to go into the labyrinth.

He might’ve said he’d repay me, thinking of that.

Because he didn’t know who I really was.

But if I had to cut off this dream of his, and draw a line in the sand in advance –

“I’ll never go into the labyrinth with you.”

There was no such possible future, upon my oath.

I had so many bigger fish to fry[2], why would I take a burden alongside me into the
labyrinth, just because he was somebody in a similar situation?

How crazy would I have to be to even consider something like that?

“Didn’t you say that you’d definitely help?”

Hearing his voice filled with a trace of anger, I again forcefully suppressed my bitter
smile.

“I’ll help you, but in a different way.”

“A different way?”

“Here, 150,000 stones. Buy a weapon with this and enter the labyrinth.”

When I took out three 50,000-stone coins and held them out, his face brightened
again.

“Are you really just giving this to me? Thank you! I will definitely repay this favour!”

I didn’t even expect it to be repaid.

Even if he had the money, with his mindset, long-term survival seemed like a fool’s
dream.

The labyrinth that I’d personally experienced was not a place one could easily
navigate with just game knowledge.

But I still gave him 150,000 stones.

I handed him the money, knowing that the act wouldn’t do me any good.
“Now, I’m a bit tired, so shall we wrap this up?”

“Ah, that’s right! I get it! I’ll be back next time –”

“Don’t.”

I lowered my voice and repeated my words so he could clearly understand me.

“Tarikan son of Lien. Whether you’re defeated in the labyrinth or survive and make a
fortune, or even if things go well and you can afford to repay the favour –”

I closed in and grabbed him by the shoulder, and he flinched.

An awkward feeling passed through my fingertips, but I didn’t let that stop me.

“– Or for any other reason. Leave this room today, and never return to see me. If you
understand what I’m telling you, then answer me. Do you understand?”

“…I understand.”

After his confirmation, I semi-forcibly kicked him out of the room. Then I stretched
out on the bed, pondering what I’d just done.

My lips twisted into a smirk.

‘Huh, did he remind me of the past?’

A past when I, too, had desperately needed someone’s help.

But even considering that…

‘What a disgusting thing I’ve done.’

From a pragmatic point of view, it’d been a foolish act that had no value.

From an emotional point of view, I could’ve done much, much more if I’d actually
intended to help, instead of this anaemic level of support.

Neither were wrong.

I had neither the ruthlessness to completely step back from the line, nor the
recklessness to cross over it.

So I’d stopped right on the line I’d drawn.

‘In the end, I’m just being a hypocrite.’

I closed my eyes.

And thought.

No matter how hypocritical my actions were today –

“Tarikan, live as long as you can.”

This was the best that I could do.

And without money, I could’ve never made the choice I’d made today.

The next morning.

I visited the same Adventurers’ Guild branch I’d visited yesterday.

Unfortunately, it was a different staff member who responded…

“Five stars…?”

The face of the female employee who checked my identification card underwent an
instantaneous transformation, same as what’d happened yesterday, and she also
responded very kindly.

What the hell?

Maybe the regional chief had done something to my identity card?

I was curious, so I asked, but couldn’t get a definitive answer.

“Star? Oh my, did I say something like that?”

Well, rather they just plainly pretended not to know.

I didn’t choose to dig deeper, either.

It had to be something like a password used only by the guild.

Something like being marked as a VIP, or to be temporarily given special treatment.

I was curious how exactly it’d been marked, but…

‘Either way, I’m the one who benefits.’

It didn’t matter if I was considered a VIP, or if it was a limited-edition special

treatment.

The end result was the same, to receive a kinder response from the guild staff.

“This is a list of teams that meet the criteria you mentioned. Would you like to check
them out? Sir adventurer?”

Same as yesterday, I again went through the recruiting announcements.

They were almost unchanged compared to yesterday, except for a few new teams
being added.

‘Am I going to find a decent team today?’

While looking through the documents focusing on the newly added teams, I stopped
my gaze at a specific part.

It was because I saw a familiar name.

[Third Floor Exploration – Hikurod Murad]

 Preferred exploration areas: None, to be decided at a later meeting.

 Average rating: To be decided.

 Current personnel: 1 dwarf melee warrior/defender (7th rank)

  Recruitment: 4 (regardless of role, may vary depending on team composition)

 Equal distribution

‘Is the team leader called Hikurod Murad?’

The race was dwarf, too.

Could it really be the same guy…

‘Is his original team disbanded?’

Whatever the reason, it wasn’t a bad deal for me.

It was a bit odd that there weren’t any members yet, but at least the team leader was
fairly reliable.

I wondered what numbered item he’d gotten at the ‘Blood Citadel’.

‘I’ll have to meet him once.’

I filled out a short application form and submitted it to the administrative officer,
then left the building and headed along the road towards the business district.

Maybe tomorrow, or perhaps the day after tomorrow at the latest, a meeting would
be arranged.

‘Then let’s do some in-game purchases before then.’

I was certain.

This was definitely going to rank up there in terms of having fun, given my recent
history.

‘Huh… But have I ever had fun before?’

I decided not to worry about such trivialities.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 구라 (gura) comes from Japanese and used in Korean as a slang, meaning to lie or
to exaggerate. Something you’d use in a conversation between friends, or a close
translation might be ’spinning a yarn’.

[2] 내 코가 석자 (lit. my nose is three lengths), indicating when your nose is running
you don’t have the time to worry about others.
230,000 stones just from the mana stone exchange.

The equipment from the four-man party led by that blond, sold at 800,000 stones.

Five million stones of settlement money from the guild, and one million more via
blackmail.

In addition, 30,000 stones worth of compensation from the innkeeper.

‘The Golden Mask is worth about 500,000 stones, but… since I decided to keep it, it
doesn’t count.’

From the earnings, subtract the 300,000 stones paid to Ainar, and the 150,000
stones I’d thrown away carelessly (?) yesterday, and you can calculate my current
wealth.

‘About 6,610,000 stones… ’

In fact, even if I factored in my current standard of living, it was a huge enough

amount that I won’t have to enter the labyrinth for the next three years.

Of course, that was only because the tax rate was relatively low for rookies, but even
so.

‘If I leave out 70,000 stones for this month’s living expenses… my total budget comes
around to 6.54 million stones.’

I quickened my steps, recalling the items on the shopping list I’d prepared in advance
last night.

Although, that didn’t mean I was really going to walk all the way.

“Is this the carriage for to Zone 2?”

“Right.”

Once I arrived at the shared platform, I paid the 500 stones fee and got on the ten-
person carriage.

The original price was 250 stones per head, but…

Barbarians were so big that they had to pay for two.

‘Damn it.’

It was kind of upsetting, to be honest.

Especially because I had no way to refute it.

“We’re here.”

After a period of dozing on the seat, we arrived at the northern part of the city, to
Zone 2 of the Commelby commercial area.

It took about 4 hours.

If I could’ve passed through Karnon, the first sector under the royal family, the
journey could’ve been cut in half…

‘But there’s no way for me do that, with what little fame I have.’

First, I had a quick bite at a nearby restaurant, and then headed to my destination
following the city map I’d bought in advance.

It was easier to find than I’d expected.

It wasn’t long before I started to see a majestic building in the distance.

[Arminus Central Exchange].

One of the facilities I’d used the most while playing the game.

The central exchange.

There was no need to wander around the city directly selling my wares, and it was
also a convenient place for finding specific items.

In return, you had to pay a fee.

“Are you registering as a seller?”

“No. I’m here to search for some stuff.”

After taking a numbered ticket and waiting a while, I submitted my pre-written

documents to the exchange staff.

“There are a total of twelve items that meet the criteria. Would you like to check the
information?”

“Of course.”

For reference, the search fee for each item was 3,000 stones.

After paying and waiting a while, the staff pulled out some papers and brought them
to me.

“After checking the contents, please tell the staff over there what you want, and
someone will guide you to the storage area.”

In the game, you just had to press the buy button, but this was how it actually
worked, huh. It was reasonable that they were charging a fee.

Somebody had to pay the labour costs of the system, after all.

‘Anyway, let’s check things out, first.’

Like the other users crowded nearby, I also sat down and started reading the
documents.

There were only twelve items that met the criteria, so it didn’t take long to finish.

“I want to see this item, here.”

Having selected the item with the most reasonable price from the list, I followed the
staff to the storage area.

And after a few inspections to confirm that there were no defects, I bought it with
cash without hesitation.

[Expandable Backpack]

 Storage space: Rank 8

 Form: Standard medium backpack

 Enchantments: Automatic organization, individual item withdrawal/deposit,

lightweight (low)

 Selling price: 2.5 million stones

An expandable backpack.

It was a little far from the standard subspace, but at my current level of wealth, it
was a good item.

Even if the storage area was only eighth grade, that was still more than thrice the
size of the extra-large backpack I used…

‘And it’s got the set of all three of enchantments.’

All in all, it was definitely worth it.

Even assuming you can do without[1] ‘automatic organization’, which keeps the items
inside in an optimal shape –

‘Lightweight’ is close to essential.

Think about it. No matter how wide the space might be, if the weight of the items
remains the same, it’s meaningless.

‘…In that sense, individual deposit and withdrawal is the same.’

This was an expandable backpack that I bought for convenience.

If it had no ‘individual withdrawal’ function, only last-in, first-out withdrawal would
be possible, meaning I could only take out the items in reverse order of how I’d put
them in.

‘It was all so inconvenient in the game, but in reality, it’s no joke.’

Well, it was a bit disappointing that it still looked like a backpack, but…

Expecting anything more would’ve been delusional.

I decided to be satisfied and returned to my original place with the backpack I’d just
purchased.

Then I searched for the rest of the items ,as well.

Now my remaining budget was about 4 million stones.

「The character is wearing an expandable backpack.」

「Inventory expands significantly.」

Now that I’d taken care of the conveniences, it was time to increase my actual
strength.

Four million stones.

It was enough to fit myself a full set of steel plate armour, or to raise my immortal
imprint by about three levels at once.

Neither was a bad choice, per se…

But I didn’t pick any of them.

Because things had changed at my end.

(P) Dark Origin — Resists death if your heart is intact.

Somehow, I ended up eating the essence of a vampire.

Thanks to that, I was now in a state where my body would not perish as long as my
heart was unharmed.

In other words, the choice of strengthening the immortal imprint, or getting

matching armour parts such as gaiters, was no longer the best value for money.

After much deliberation, I made a final decision.

‘I’d rather get higher-tier equipment.’

What was commonly called higher-tier equipment was –

In other words, I decided to purchase equipment made from a second-tier metal,

instead of first-tier metal like steel.

「The character is wearing a lythinium breastplate.」

「Total item level rises +270.」

Lythinium.

A second-tier metal, twice as light and hard as normal steel.

But maybe because it shone so brilliantly white, it was outrageously expensive.

‘1.91 million stones for a single breastplate… ‘

The breastplate I purchased through the exchange had the same shape as the steel
half-armour I sold as scrap metal, but the price was more than five times higher.

‘Well, it’s natural. Usually you’d have to be an adventurer on the fourth floor to use
second-tier material, right?’

The reason why I prioritized the breastplate among the various armour pieces was
simple.

The safer and more protected my heart, the greater the benefit of my passive skill,
[Dark Origin], would be.

Safety was my paramount concern, so there was no doubt about what my first pick
would be.

The second, however, took some time before I could finalize the purchase.

「The character has equipped a large lythinium combat shield.」

「Total item level rises by +315.」

After puzzling over whether I should change my weapon or buy a new shield to
replace the old one that was sold for scrap metal –

After a long deliberation, I finally spent 2.1 million stones to purchase a shield.

There were many reasons, but the main one was…

‘Now I don’t have to focus on DPS[2] anymore.’

So far, I’d only ever ventured into the labyrinth solo or as prt of a duo.

But to go any higher, I’d need a party – of at least four people.

In other words, it was more efficient to hold a shield and become a living tank to
protect my allies.

‘Vampiric essence isn’t suited for the DPS role, anyway.’

And above all, unlike a weapon, the shield was something I could continue to use
even after I got my hands on ‘that essence’…

And without my trusty shield, I was feeling kind of bereaved.

Well, now my pockets had become bereaved instead.

‘Yeah, now this is some respectable equipment.’

For some reason, when I looked into the mirror, a sense of satisfaction welled up
inside my heart.

Was this another transformation from my becoming a barbarian?

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 3

Body: 155 / Mind: 90 / Ability: 115

Item Level: 683 (New +585)

Combat Index: 527.75 (New +146.25)

Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7, Vampire (Guardian) – Rank 5

By the time I was done with my moderate spending spree, it was already evening.

After eating one more meal at the same restaurant where I’d had lunch, I got into a
carriage and returned to my place at Zone 13.

The day was over.

‘It takes so much time to travel… ‘

Later, once I made some actual money, I’d have to look at moving to the central
district.

Living at the outskirts brought many inconveniences along with it.

Even though I’d gotten a bit closer to the city centre this time, it was still too far from
the Dimensional Plaza.

‘At the end of the day, is it all about money?… ’

As I’d spent a lot of money today, I went to sleep with a promise to myself to make
even more money.

And the next morning –

‘I’ve finished what I can deal with right now, so let’s go back there soon.’

Like a sincere barbarian, I got up really early in the morning and headed to the
library.

Korean gamers are famous for their habit of grinding[3] whenever they have spare
time. Well, this wasn’t a game anymore, it was reality, so now it was just normal hard
work.

I still lacked common sense and knowledge of this world.

‘In that sense, if I get my own house in the future, it’d be better if it were close to the
library.’

Books are nourishment for the soul.

The reason why I’d been able to spend my money so rationally on the exchange was
probably because I’d read a book in the library.

‘What was the title of that book again?’

I couldn’t remember the title, but it was a book that recorded the average trading
prices of items on the exchange for the past decade.

It was hard to read because there were so many numbers, but there was no better
textbook to learn the market price levels.

As I kept walking while immersed in my own thoughts, I soon found myself at my

destination.

Nothing had changed compared to the last time.

The smell of books wafting throughout the building, the countless glass-wearing
nerds[4] who’d arrived earlier than me, and the librarian sitting at the counter with a
sleepy face.

“Long time no see.”

As I greeted her, same as last time, the librarian gave me a strange look.
Then she mumbled a short word.

“…How?”

Oh, did you notice?

“Fufu, this is lythinium armour and shield. I had to spend about 4 million stones in
total. Oh, and here’s an expandable backpack on my back –”

“Parstyev.”

Ah, she was as cold as always.

I left the chronically fatigued librarian, who’d started to doze off again after casting
the spell on me, and headed deeper into the library.

But was it because of my new, shiny equipment?

I could feel people’s gazes everywhere, even more so than usual.

Most of them had a look of… awe, maybe?

I wasn’t completely sure about that, but delving deeper into that train of thought was
just a recipe for embarrassment, so I decided to think of them that way.

‘…Is it because I came to the library with my equipment on?’

Maybe so.

But even if it looked strange, so what?

I was a barbarian!

I just stopped paying attention and decided to do my own thing, and while
concentrating on the keywords, I managed to pull out a bunch of books.

[Establishment and Development of the Adventurers’ Guild].

[Judgments on Pillaging: A Case Study III].

[Comprehension of Legal Terminology].

[The Birth of Mozlan].

[…] […]

[……]

Was it because how I’d almost gotten framed this time?

My interest in the guild, as well as the various institutions directly controlled by the
royal family, and the law – was growing.

Wasn’t there a famous saying back on my world?

Ignorance is a sin[5].

So, I had to start learning.

Creak–!

As I kept reading, with a break every four hours to go out and have a meal, the sun
again began to set.

I decided to finish the rest when I came back the next day, and returned to my inn.

A letter had arrived for me during the day, which was a very unusual state of affairs.

It was from the Adventurers’ Guild.

Hikurod Murad wanted to meet with me.

‘I can’t go to the library tomorrow, looks like.’

After wiping my new shield and breastplate with a dry cloth for about an hour, I lay
on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

There was nothing to do in the morning, so I decided to sleep in.

It was a little past noon when I got up.

After a quick and plain wash, I headed to the meeting place.

Rattle–!

A shop that was an inn, a restaurant and a tavern, all in one.

As I entered the hall on the ground floor, I could see quite a few people eating and
chatting.

After looking around the room for a while, I finally found the person I’d been looking
for. After all, dwarves were too short to see easily among a crowd.

He would’ve done better to stand while he ate, honestly.

But anyway –

“It’s been a while, Hikurod.”

“Hah! It was really you! It’s marked as a rank 7, so I wasn’t sure if –”

The dwarf who greeted me with a smile suddenly startled as he got a better look at
me.

“No, what the hell is with that equipment?”

Oh, so you noticed?

I replied like it was no big deal.

“Ah, this? As you can see from this white brilliance, it’s lythinium armour, and the
shield’s the same. And this one on my back is an expandable backpack, I finally
bought one this time.”

Really, it was nothing much. No need to stare!

Editor’s Notes:
[1] 백번 양보해서 (lit. conceding a hundred times), used to debunk someone’s
argument by revealing their error after making some assumptions.

[2] 딜 (dil), is a homophone of the English word ‘deal’. In game context, this is used to
refer to ‘dealing (inflicting) damage’, so here the protagonist is saying he no longer
needs to be the primary damage dealer and can focus on being the tank of the team.
Using DPS (damage per second) as the translation since it conveys the same
meaning.

[3] 노가다를 (nogada) means hard, repetitive work. In RPG terms, this is what you’d
call ‘grinding’ and that’s how it’s translated here.

[4] 멸치 (lit. anchovy), slang for thin people. Nerd really isn’t the right translation
here, but it fits the context.

[5] This is really not what the raw says. What the raw actually says is 모르면 맞는
수밖에 없다 (lit. if you don’t know, there’s nothing you can do). It’s a meme from
Tekken, about how you can get beaten by an ultimate move if you don’t have any idea
how it works, but on the other hand, if you do know then it’s easy to block. See this
wiki link.
After a brief spell of silence –

The dwarf, who was looking hesitant about what to say, finally spoke after a period
of contemplation.

“Is that so…?”

His reaction was in equal terms bewildering and surprising.

“What’re you so surprised about? You must have at least one of these, too, right?”

“No, just… was your personality always like this?”

Well, I had no idea what misconception he’d had about me.

But this would have to be enough. I wasn’t going to suffer any more embarrassment.

As long as I gave him a little time, even with just this little bit of information I’d
craftily leaked out, he should be able to make an estimate of my overall equipment
level.

‘With this, no matter how short my career’s been, I don’t think he’ll try and mess
around.’

Of course, the recruitment notice had clearly stated ‘equal distribution’.

But I still remembered very clearly –

The expression on his face when he’d lamented that he only got the rift stone and
had to give up all the rest of the loot in the Blood Citadel.

‘After all, no matter how nice somebody might be on the outside, adventurers are
adventurers in the end.’
If you started off by giving an inch, they’d take a mile and still keep coming, forever.

Therefore, I plopped down on the seat opposite him, without even asking if I could
sit.

And didn’t hesitate to ask –

“Not going to buy me a drink, Hikurod? You got that numbered item thanks to me,
after all.”

A statement that harkened back to my abilities and reminded him of his debt at the
same time.

“Eh? Ha ha ha ha! Is that so?”

Although the dwarf laughed out loud, he didn’t deny it.

Because I’d indeed been the biggest contributor in the ‘Blood Citadel’.

“Well, that’s not wrong! It’s a bit late, but I’ll buy you a round in thanks. Let’s talk
while drinking!”

“Good.”

It seemed that the food would take a while, so we grabbed the alcohol that got
served first.

And our conversation started in earnest as we drank.

The dwarf started with a string of rapid-fire questions.

“I was really surprised when I found out you were the one who applied, you know?
What the hell happened? Did you find there some sort of treasure hidden in the rift?
Surely that wizard girl must’ve looked around, too, but she never found it?”

It wasn’t surprising that he had so many questions.

After all, I’d changed too much.

Although, we weren’t familiar enough that I had to give him an honest answer.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

“What do you mean? Please tell me more!”

“Like you said, there was a treasure there. That’s it. Don’t ask any more.”

As I drew my line in the sand, the dwarf smacked his lips.

He understood that getting any more information would be difficult even if he

pressed.

“I don’t know what kind of treasure you got, but you got lucky too, huh.”

Me, lucky?

This guy had been the one to benefit the most from the ‘Blood Citadel’.

While I got hurt to the very edge of death –

Wasn’t he the only one going in solo, who got out with a numbered item?

‘I wonder what exactly dropped… I’ll ask about it later.’

The meal I’d ordered soon came out, so the conversation went on while I was filling
my stomach.

Starting with the obvious –

“So, have you got a full team?”

“I don’t really like any of the applicants, so you’re the first one I’m meeting face-to-
face.”

“I see.”

Nodding, I went straight to the point like a barbarian should.

The real purpose behind the meeting –

“So? What do you think?”

Would Hikurod Murad accept me as a team member?

“Um, that’s… actually, I invited you just to check if it was really you. More than
getting a teammate, I just wanted to talk to you. Um, although I wrote in the notice
that we were going to explore the 3rd floor, I was considering going up to the 4th if
the team seemed solid enough…”

He was just needlessly chattering on.

It would’ve been enough to say he never intended to accept me in his team.

“So, have you changed your mind now?”

At my piercing stare, the dwarf answered, stroking his well-kept beard.

“Heh heh, you could say that. After all, nobody would call you a rookie anymore if
they just got one look at you. Really, if it weren’t for the fact that gathering the rest of
the team would be problematic if they saw a rookie had joined, I wouldn’t even have
worried about it!”

Instead of making such cheap excuses, I wished he hadn’t said anything in the first
place.

But the fact that the dwarves lacked the artifice to take such a tack was also a part of
their charm.

“Then, is this it?”

“Hahaha! Let’s seal the deal.”

I picked up my drink, and the dwarf followed suit.

“Here’s to the future!”

A team, was formed.

Although it had two people in it…

But I could just pretend in the future to have an intense discussion before I made the
choices according to my own thoughts.
“Hikurod, didn’t you say earlier that a lot of people had applied?”

“Yeah?”

“Who were they?”

“Hm? Who cares? They were all just eighth-ranked kids with less than a year in the
trade.”

Oh? Didn’t that apply to me too?

After a moment of serious thought, the dwarf suddenly spoke up as if he’d

remembered something.

“Ah! Come to think of it, I never asked! How did you get promoted so quickly? It’d be
difficult to get rank seven with just one corpse golem essence, right?”

“One corpse golem essence?”

My muttering trailed off.

Right, he’d passed out, hadn’t he? So he still didn’t know, that I’d eaten the vampire’s
essence.

Should I tell him the story?

While I was locked in an internal struggle –

“Oho! That’s right!”

Suddenly, the dwarf shouted that he’d got it.

“Hah! I didn’t think it through! Seriously, your equipment now is more than enough
for the promotion!”

Ah, uh, um…

It was a plausible enough guess, but…

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

Now that this had happened, I decided to keep the information to myself.

After all, the team hadn’t even been officially formed yet, and others might join in the
future.

It was better to be careful.

Maybe someday this could be my trump card.

‘It’s enough to say that I have regeneration from my undying imprint.’

The most important part was over, so we continued small talk over a glass of wine.

I also had a question, as to why the dwarf had left his original team and formed a
new one.

“You know, I just left my team for a while this time, right?”

“Right.”

I heard that he’d applied for a leave of absence from the team, hoping to get a crack
at the rift.

“But now that I’m back, they seem more interested in the warrior who temporary
substituted for me!”

The dwarf belched out his anger towards his former colleagues in a voice filed with
fury, but to be honest, I couldn’t particularly empathize.

‘Isn’t it because you left the team for personal reasons, in the first place?’

The biggest victim had been the leader of his old team.

They’d been slated for a labyrinth tour, but a teammate suddenly said he’d take a
break? He must’ve gotten swamped by a sudden deluge of overwork.

What if more such problems cropped up in the future?

Rather, didn’t he have a better choice?

‘I, too, if I’d been the team leader, wouldn’t have accepted such a selfish guy back.
After all, what happens once can happen again.’

Of course, I kept the thought bottled up inside my head.

“Oh my god, what idiots! Right?”

“Yeah. They really have no concept of loyalty!”

It was always better to agree unconditionally, in such a scenario.

But I could take this opportunity to satisfy my curiosity.

“I don’t know how good they are, but they’ll definitely be crushed with regret if they
get to know what you got this time!”

“What I got this time?”

“The numbered item!”

“Aah! I totally forgot! Next time we meet, I’ll tell them all about it! Make them
understand how big idiots they are!”

Was he already fantasizing about the scene?

The dwarf took a large sip of alcohol and burst into laughter.

Anyway, this was a natural segue to what I wanted to know, right?

“Yeah, exactly! That’s why, I was asking…”

I probed carefully.

“What did you get this time?”

“Um, didn’t I tell you yet?”

“You didn’t!”
It was something I’d been curious about ever since we met up here.

I knew all the possible numbered items that could’ve dropped, of course, but this
was an unprecedented variant rift that we’d cleared this time.

He might’ve come across a unique item.

Like the mysterious box that Raven had left open in the boss room.

‘Come to think of it, I never asked what was in it.’

I decided to enquire when we met up next week, and while I was waiting for him to
answer, the dwarf grinned and put his thick arms on the table.

“These vambraces are from there.”

Well, I couldn’t get a feel of them just from the view.

“What’re they called?”

“The guild’s appraiser called them something like the ‘Guardian’s Bracers’[1] –”

“What the hell?”

How did something like that drop?

“…Yes? You’re familiar?”

“Oh, no, no. I was just surprised by how cool the name was.”

“Heh heh heh! We really have something in common! I thought so too!”

No. 3112, the Guardian’s Vambraces.

A numbered item belonging to the 3,000 sequences, which can drop only from rifts
on the 4th floor or higher.

With unsurpassed effectiveness, how much would this cost on the market?

“I checked the price through the central exchange. Apparently, it’s around 50 million
stones.”

Fuck.

What was this, a joke?

How much had this dwarf bastard even contributed in the rift?

“Ha ha ha! They said that that was the old price, and these are almost never put up
for sale, so they might actually be even more expensive now! Of course, I’m not
selling either, but still!”

“…”

“Oh, hey, why’re you so silent?”

“It’s nothing. Just… I… I was a bit surprised, that’s all.”

To be honest, I was so surprised that my stomach, filled with alcohol and meat, was
now feeling unbearably sore with jealousy.

“I understand. 50 million stones? I thought I was going to faint when I first heard it!
It must be the same for you too, huh?”

Was this retaliation for how I’d teased him about my new equipment?

Didn’t this bastard understand the concept of disproportionate response?

“Don’t be so down. Keep on adventuring, and you too could get a numbered item
someday, right? Of course, it won’t be as good as what I got! Hahaha.”

Looing away from his grinning face, I slowly lowered one of my hands under the
table.

It –

– Was the hand that wore the Ring of the Frost Spirit, No. 9425.
Guardian’s Bracers? 50 million stones? So what?

I decided to think as positively as possible.

Although I was so green with envy that I felt like hurling, it was a minor annoyance.
Having a strong teammate was an unquestionable net positive.

‘…Let’s just focus on building a team.’

The first task should be to raise the dwarf’s adventurer rank to the next level.

If you want to find a good team member, you first need to look like an attractive
team.

There’s a huge gap between the team leader being seventh ranked and being sixth
ranked, which can’t be bridged by mere words.

“Hikurod, go to the guild today and raise your adventurer rank, first.”

“…What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Don’t you have 50 million stones worth of equipment? If you apply for review, the
guild will definitely take it seriously!”

“But, it’s too sudden –”

“So you don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Then go, now!”

I even followed him to the guild and watched him submit the application, in case he
got sidetracked.

For reference, the evaluation results took six days, a little later than expected, but
fortunately the promotion request was successful.

And then the quality of our applicants rose dramatically.

More than ten came in every day.

And while the dwarf and I were busy carefully vetting the applications, very happily
–

“Oh, a wizard?”

Suddenly, a wizard’s application arrived.

Of course, he wasn’t somebody from the Magic Tower, and was only of the eighth
rank, working in a guild or a public institution somewhere –

Still, a wizard was a wizard.

“Hey, Bjorn, isn’t something wrong? How can a wizard be attracted to a team like
ours?”

“Yeah, it’s really weird. He could’ve picked a much better team than ours.”

“Well, what should we do?”

There were some questionable parts, but we still decided to meet him, and informed
the guild.

And, this morning –

Finally, a place and time were set for the appointment.

“He won’t ask for half the share, right? They say all wizards are snotty…”

I didn’t know what made Hikurod so nervous.

He hadn’t given a single inch against Raven, who belonged to the tower, while
haggling for his share.

“What’re you so worried about? If he makes a request like that, you just say it’s
unfortunate and leave.”

“That, ah, right?”

Was it because it was the first wizard he was meeting as a team leader?

While I was teasing the dwarf who was so nervous that his chubby legs kept
occasionally knocking together, a man in a robe entered the tavern.

He looked at us and waved his hand.

“Yo, barbarian! Dwarf!”

Fuck, was this another landmine?

How could somebody sound so offensive with just a short greeting?

I was already expecting a catastrophe, but just in case, I decided to wait a little
longer.

“Hahaha! Nice to meet you! Are you the wizard we’re here to meet today?”

“What’re the odds of you coming across a second wizard at the same time and place,
d’ya think?”

At the young wizard’s question, the dwarf looked at me in bewilderment.

Haah, really, why was he like this?

“…He means, you’re right.”

“Oh, is that so! Hahaha! Anyway, nice to meet you! My name is Hikurod Murad!”

“That’s one weird name. I am Reol Webb Dwalky, an eighth-ranked wizard officially
acknowledged by the royal family of Rafdonia.”

“…R-, royal family of Rafdonia?”

Again, what was this guy so surprised about?

“It means he isn’t from a guild, he does administrative work in a public institution.”

“Ah, is that so?”

The young wizard’s roundabout way of speech was also contributing, sure, but it was
the dwarf, dazzled at every turn, who was really driving me up the wall.

“Haha! Even though you’re a barbarian, you’re very knowledgeable. What’s your
name?”

“I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel. Please sit down.”

I’d just been planning to watch for a while, but it was so frustrating that I decided to
take the lead in the conversation.

Because that’d save all our time.

“Dwalky, I’ve pored over your application. But I still have a few questions that I’d like
to ask. Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

“Do you have a labyrinth pass?”

“Would I have come here if I hadn’t?”

Well, assuming that was true –

“One more thing. Why do you want to be an adventurer, when you can make enough
money in the city?”

It was rare for eighth-ranked wizards like him to go on labyrinth expeditions.

For a simple reason.

They didn’t have the skills to explore the middle or higher areas. But there was
hardly any money to be made on the lower floors.

Working in a public institution would net them much better income.

Considering the difficulty of obtaining a pass, and the risks involved, it wasn’t worth
the cost.

“Hmm, that’s an unexpected question.”

Dwalky, who’d tilted his head for a moment, continued.

“It’s simple. I want to become a great adventurer, to honour my liege, Baron

Martoine.”

His face was shing with pride as he declared his aspiration.

The dwarf, who’d had been sitting by the side listening quietly, apparently felt a chill
down his spine.

“B-, baron? You, a-are a noble? No, why would a noble…?”

Nobles.

The most powerful group inside Rafdonia. The masses usually lived out their lives
without ever meeting a single one.

As if he felt quite content with the dwarf’s reaction, Dwalky burst out laughing and
proudly declared.

“Fufufu, Aunt Enka, my mother’s sister, happens to be the wife of Baron Martoine’s
third younger brother.”

“…!!!”

The dwarf was hyperventilating as if he was about to faint, and Dwalky patted his
shoulder as if he understood.

There was a kind smile on his lips.

Seeing that smile, I thought –

“Don’t be too nervous. I won’t abuse my status to mistreat others.”

– This punk, did he really have a few screws loose?

Editor’s Notes:
[1] 팔목 보호대 (lit. wrist guard). This literally translates to ‘bracers’ which are used
by archers. As this is supposed to be a melee warrior’s equipment, perhaps the
author means ‘vambraces’ instead.
A polished appearance and curly blonde hair.

Height in the mid-160s, with a tall and lanky body.

A rank 8 wizard who was capable of daily life and administration magics, a few
curses, and cold magic.

Reol Webb Dwalky.

The more he talked, the more his words stank, practically oozing.

‘Fuck, is he actually a wizard or not?’

I suddenly had such doubts, so I tried to verify, but surprisingly, he was legit.

And looking back, he’d never truly lied.

He’d only said that his aunt’s husband was the third brother of the baron, not that he
himself was an aristocrat.

Well, he probably knew where to draw the line.

Impersonating a noble was an unpardonable crime, the sentence being summary

execution.

“So how about it? Am I in?”

After much deliberation, it was decided to add him to the team.

“…We will be colleagues from now on.”

“Ha ha! That’s good! Because it’s my first time, I wanted to join a team with as many
warriors as possible.”
His personality was full of bravado and bluff.

And he’d never delved into the labyrinth before.

Although these two were demerits, but…

He was still a wizard.

He didn’t request a higher share, and even said he’d follow orders properly inside
the labyrinth, so on balance, he was a decent enough pick.

‘Because nothing comes cheap without reason.’

Moreover, we’d get better applicants if it became known that we had a wizard on the
team.

It wasn’t like our recruitment notice would describe our wizard’s personality, right?

“Once we recruit the rest of the team, we’ll contact you again.”

“I see. Then I’ll see you later.”

After Dwalky left, the dwarf, who’d been frozen throughout the conversation, let out
a long breath.

“Isn’t he great? A wizard, even a nobleman, is so humble…”

I answered with sincerity.

“Hikurod, it’s you who really is the greatest.”

I was being a hundred percent sincere.

My life in the city settled into a plain routine after that.

Aside from visiting Raven’s lab once a week, I got up every day at 7 am, grabbed a
bite to eat, and went straight to the library.
“Parstyev.”

“I’m off then. Have a nice day.”

“…”

Including last time, I’d been here almost every day for two months, but I’d never had
a proper conversation with this lady librarian.

Cough–!

Usually, I simply kept reading till the closing time, going out for a meal break every
four hours.

But today, the routine would have to be broken because I had an appointment.

I was about to leave a little earlier than the closing time, when the librarian suddenly
started talking to me.

“I have a question.”

“…What is it?”

“Why do you always wear armour when you come to the library?”

Oh, that was what she was curious about.

I answered honestly.

“What if I leave it at the inn and someone steals it?”

“…I see, so that’s why.”

As soon as she got her answer, the librarian closed her eyes as if she was done.

“I thought you were completely indifferent to others, but you don’t seem to be, huh?”

I felt like I was losing for some reason, so I added a comment, but the librarian
showed a slight displeasure on her face.
“I keep getting complaints from the other users. They feel so worried at the sight of
you that they can’t read the books calmly.”

“…I-, is that so?”

“Yes. If your business here is done, could you please not disturb me anymore and
leave?”

Disturb?

Yeah, I should just leave so you can get back to your nap, eh?

I wanted to retort, but if she really got annoyed and had me banned, it’d be a
headache and a half.

I left the library at a fast, almost running pace, and headed for the meeting place.

It was a little past 9 in the evening when I got there.

“There you are! Bjorn! Why are you so late today!”

“Sorry, it was too small to find.”

“Hahaha! More jokes! Come sit down!”

In the evening, I met the dwarf and had a drink together.

Not just today, about three or four times a week.

Of course, it wasn’t to foster our friendship, it was to discuss the team.

“So, how was the guy you met this time?”

“He was a serious and reliable friend.”

No, not that.

How were his skills?

“Ah! It wasn’t as bad as I’d been worrying it’d be. He’s had a long career as an
adventurer, and is an all-rounder with skills for all sorts of situations.”

“Right.”

“…So, what do you think?”

After thinking for a while, I nodded, and the dwarf’s complexion brightened.

“Haah, that’s good. I was wondering what to do if you didn’t like him. There isn’t
much time left.”

In his sigh, I could hear his pain, as a team leader who was actually only a
figurehead[1].

In fact, he was the one who was suffering the most.

Let’s praise him more, praise him more.

Praises didn’t cost money, anyway.

“You did a great job, Hikurod. Also, you’re a great leader. I’m glad I chose you.”

“Ha ha ha! Is that so?”

“Of course. Is there another team leader in this world who respects the team
members’ opinions like you do? Don’t lose your focus and just keep on doing things
the way you are. Then, unlike that idiot who kicked you out, you’ll be a great team
leader.”

“Ha ha! You’ve been a real help, too, mate! This was my first time in a role like this, so
I’d been a bit worried, but I’m glad that I have you with me!”

My heart was overwhelmed at those words.

This dwarf always complained about my frequent interferences. How come he

turned into such a great team leader overnight?

“Then, you buy the alcohol today!”

“…Again? Didn’t I buy it last time too!”

“Hey, a good team leader shouldn’t be so stingy!”

“Hey, who says I’m stingy…!”

Exactly one week was left before the labyrinth opened.

“Ah, fine, I’ll buy it today! We finally got a full team, what’s the cost of alcohol
compared to that?”

Finally, our team was complete.

The reality is different from the game.

You can’t enter the labyrinth just with a full team, there’re other preparations you
need to make separately.

First, everyone in the team has to gather and discuss.

How far to go, where would the main hunting ground be, and – as adventurers
who’re all crazy for money – whether the loot distribution ratio is fair.

If no problem arises, you have to go to the guild office to register as an official team,
and then work together every day to organize the exploration plan, etc.

‘It passed quickly.’

This has been my busiest week since waking up in Bjorn Yandel’s body.

And the long-awaited moment has come.

「You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor. 」

The Crystal Cave on the first floor of the labyrinth is covered in brightly coloured
spots of light.

“Oh! So this is the labyrinth!”

Unlike the days when I’d been solo or at best part of a duo, now there’re five men
and women around me.

These are the new team members who’ll be joining me on this journey.

Let’s introduce them one by one—

“Lieite!”

“Ouch! Fuck! My eyes!”

The skinny blond, who cast optical magic before my eyes could adapt, is named Riol
Webb Dwalky.

Dwalky the Dunce[2], for short.

“This crazy basta–”

The dwarf cuts my grumbling off.

“Dwalky, save your magic as much as possible.”

“Oh, but isn’t it too dark?”

“In the labyrinth, this is already very bright. If it gets really dark, you can light a
torch.”

“Okay then, I see.”

This is a change that’s occurred over time.

The dwarf finally realized that Dwalky isn’t a noble, and began to be more relaxed
around him.

And, somehow, they’ve become pretty friendly.

The dwarf pretends to be indifferent, but whenever Dwalky the Dunce does
something stupid, he’s there to take care of it.

“Why did you pack so much for the labyrinth? Rookie mistake. Come on, give it to me,
I’ll put it in my bag.”
“Your meticulous consideration, I will not decline.”

While the dwarf is watching over the idiot and taking care of him as usual –

A high-pitched, cheerful voice breaks in.

“Captain, shouldn’t we start moving?”

Misha Karlstein.

As can be seen from the triangular ears growing on her head, she’s a beastkin
adventurer.

Twenty-five years old, and on her fifth year as an adventurer.

Her height in his early 170s, and her tall and slender body along with her proud
expression creates the impression of an icy beauty, but…

“Stop playing and come on. I want to get to cracking some monster skulls.”

She has a strange habit of slightly slurring her words at the end of her speech.

She claims that it’s an unavoidable problem due to the beastkin body structure, but
I’ve never seen one with such poor pronunciation before.

Oh, and she has one more trait.

“Ha ha! If Princess says so, we have to march!”

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to call me Princess!”

“Still, you’re the daughter of the chieftain of the Red Cat Tribe, how could a mere
dwarf like me –”

“Shut your trap! You bastard dwarf!”

Misha Karlstein is the princess of one of the five great tribes, the Red Cat Tribe.

The thirteenth, or the fifteenth?

I can’t remember her actual number in the sequence.

In any case, there’s no need for special treatment or anything like that.

In the first place, she’s only a princess by the norm of human society, not a real
princess of the beastkin.

Rather, there’s somebody else in the team to be more careful of.

“Murad, stop it. Even if it’s just a joke, you shouldn’t annoy her like that.”

Brown Rotmiller.

A human, thirty-four years old.

Although he’s only seventh rank, he has eight years of experience.

No matter how meritocratic the adventurer industry may be, he’s the most
experienced among us.

That’s why even the dwarf takes a step back every time he says something.

“Hey, was I a little too harsh? I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Serves you right –”

“Same goes for you, Miss Karlstein. I understand you’re angry, but does that justify
calling your team leader a bastard?”

“…I was wrong.”

Personally, in this team, I like him the best.

In a way, he’s the only member who’s somewhat normal.

Well, that’s what, unlike the other team members, also makes him difficult to deal
with.

“Murad, can we stop delaying any farther and depart?”

“Ah, yes, please.”

“From now on, everyone, please follow me.”

Dwalky speaks up just as we’re about to start.

“Wait, wouldn’t it be better for Bjorn or Hikurod to take the lead? They’re the
warriors…”

“I’ll need help from the third floor onwards, but I’ll be enough by myself till then.”

Frankly, I don’t know what he’s so worried about.

Rotmiller is a professional adventurer.

Who’s survived the labyrinth for eight years.

‘His adventurer rating is low compared to his experience, but… ‘

I rather appreciate that part.

In eight years, he must’ve gone through all sorts of situations, but isn’t he still alive
and kicking?

Not by virtue of brute force, but by taking advantage of his other diverse talents.

‘That’s probably why he’s so serious and inflexible about everything.’

Under Rotmiller’s guidance, we finally reach our destination, occasionally smashing

the monsters appear in our way.

To the outermost part of the first floor, often called the Dark Zone.

Despite running all the way via the shortest route without losing our way even once,
the portal had already been opened by some other adventurers by the time we reach
it.

“I got outpaced this time too.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve done your job without any mistakes.”
“Murad, that’s no reason to give up. If you can’t resent your own shortcomings, that
means your life as an adventurer is over.”

“I-, is that so?”

It took us about ten hours to get here, for reference.

After Rotmiller’s passionate speech, I can’t say it out loud, but for a generalist
adventurer team like ours, this is already a very good record. We aren’t a
speedrunning team specialized for grabbing the portal opening experience, after all.

To be honest, I hadn’t expected him to find the portal so easily.

‘He isn’t even a specialist guide, but to think he still found the way so fast… ’

I’m anticipating all the other talents he hasn’t had the chance to show off yet.

But in a corner of my heart, a strand of regret blooms.

‘If it were Ainar or Erwen, I would’ve been able to grab the opening experience.’

Dimensional instability.

By using the method that can only be called a ‘bug’, it’s possible to grab the portal
opening experience without any fuss.

But this is a method that can only be used when the secrecy can be maintained
through a ‘promise’ or an ‘oath’.

‘Later… Let’s save it for later when I have a really reliable team. After all, experience
isn’t the limiting factor right now.’

I take a deep breath and shake off the last traces of my regrets.

And the dwarf shouts loudly at the same time.

“C’mon then, let’s go in!”

The dwarf steps into the portal first, and I immediately follow after.
‘Please, I hope nothing big happens this time… ‘

Hm? Isn’t this a bit too windy?

「You have entered the Beasts’ Lair on the second floor. 」

The true journey has just begun.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 바지 팀장 (lit. pants team leader), a nominal leader with no real power. The
common usage is 바지사장 (lit. pants boss/CEO). Although it uses similar words as
the English phrase ‘wearing the pants (in a relationship)’ the meaning is the
opposite. The etymology behind ‘pants’ can found at Namu Wiki.

[2] 드왈키 새키 (Dwalky Saeki), where 새키 (saeki) is short for 새끼 (saekki),

bastard.
Skills are, of course, very important when looking for colleagues.

But there are virtues that are just as important.

Reliability, for example.

In other words, can they be trusted?

Of course, when things go smoothly, this isn’t much of a problem. You can just band
together and laugh, hahahoho.

But what if they don’t?

When the worst happens, can you trust them with your back?

‘Maybe it’s not a matter of trust, it’s a matter of nature.’

This is the part that you can’t find out just by re-reading the application letter a few
times, or after a few meet-and-greets.

Human nature is hidden deep within.

And I fervently hope that we do not ever need to show our true natures to each
other.

Because that’d be for the best of us all.

“No matter how many times it’s been, I just can’t get used to the stink of this place!
Ha ha ha! Hey, Dwalky, you alright over there?”

“…Please don’t talk to me… ugh – hurk!”

I turn my gaze away from the nauseous form of Dwalky, and glance around for a
moment.

The place where I currently am is on the second floor, accessible through the portal
in the eastern area of the first floor, the habitat of the blade wolves.

The Lair of Beasts.

As can be inferred from the name, it’s a place where mainly beast-type monsters
appear.

And that’s why it stinks so badly.

That too, a very dense smell.

“Rotmiller, are you alright? I heard you have an olfactory essence?”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. This isn’t my first or second time coming
here.”

“Right.”

Is this the true form of somebody in his eighth year?

Just looking at this uncle somehow gives me peace of mind.

I’ll have to nose in a bit more to understand him better.

“By the way, when will our wizard come to his senses? I need to go make some
money…”

Misha Karlstein.

She shows no empathy for the suffering of her colleagues, and only cares about her
own interests.

While I’m about to add this sentence to her character evaluation in my head, I freeze.

Am I not the same?

“Dwalky, calm down. How much of our time are you going to waste?”
“Right, right. If you can’t even handle something like this, you’re no adventurer.
Wizard! Grow up!”

As soon as I say a word, Misha, who’s next to me, immediately jumps on the
bandwagon with a high-pitched tone.

But Dwalky shows a rather unexpected reaction.

“That’s right. Now I must act like an adult.”

Uh, is that how he’s taking it?

To be honest, I thought he’d make some stupid excuse. Or maybe even get angry.

“Let’s go.”

“Hah, but are you okay?”

“Of course, it’s tough. But even though it’s my first time, even though I’m a wizard…
how pathetic would it be if I became a burden to my teammates?”

“I, uh, I didn’t say you were a b-burden…”

While Misha is embarrassed by the unexpected apology –

Dwalky, getting up from the ground with a pale face, mutters sadly.

“I can’t besmirch the honour of Baron Martoin.”

“…Hey! You’re pretending to be a noble again!! I won’t be scammed anymore!”

“Ha ha ha! Let’s go. I’m really okay, now!”

Seeing him so cheerful as if it’s all been a lie just now, Misha bursts into anger as if
she’d been cheated once again. And finally, we slowly start moving.

“From here on, everyone, please follow my steps. Although it looks flat, the terrain is
filled with pits.”

“Pits? I’m looking, but I can’t see any…”

“They’re usually filled in with trash, so it’s hard to tell them apart. So you could easily
fall into one if you don’t take care where you step.”

“…Rotmiller, I will trust only you.”

The Beasts’ Lair is a canyon terrain.

The narrow path is lined with high cliffs on both sides, and any adventurer passing
by must find their way by wandering through the cliffs tangled like a maze.

‘There are no traps, but the role of the scout is more important than in the Goblin
Forest.’

For reference, the monsters that appear are blade wolves, wall mole rats, sabre
tigers, werewolves, and vulkars, and most of them live in the caves on the cliffsides.

It’s common for adventurers who’re here mainly to hunt, to enter a cave and fight a
group of monsters.

But our purpose is to go to the third floor, so we pass on it.

「You have defeated a giant blade wolf. EXP+1」

「You have defeated a sabre tiger. EXP +2」

「You have defeated a werewolf. EXP +2」

「You have defeated a wall mole rat. EXP +1」

As we move quickly while hunting only the monsters roaming outside the caves, the
time comes to take a break.

Three hours left before the start of the second day.

[20:58].

Although the entire day has been invested in travelling –

Without Rotmiller as the scout, it would’ve taken twice as long to get here.
“The entrance is quite narrow, so this’ll be a good place to make camp.”

We clean up the den of a wall mole, and start preparing our camp.

The dwarf, Rotmiller, and Misha.

We have three adventurers with years of experience, so the preparations take barely
an eyeblink.

Even the wizard, who’s had no presence so far other than creating drinking water,
shines at this time.

“Since there’s alarm magic, one person on watch should be sufficient.”

“Why do we need somebody on watch?”

“Dwalky, it’s not because I don’t trust you, so don’t get any strange ideas. As you
know, monsters aren’t the only ones to be wary of in the labyrinth.”

To become a proper adventurer, you need to be on the lookout for other adventurers,
who’re supposed to be on the same side as you, more than monsters.

“The first watch goes to Rotmiller, who’s worked the hardest today, and we’ll take
turns from then on in this order…”

“Wait, I don’t have to stand watch?”

“Leave this to us, and rest.”

The wizard is excluded from the night watch roster.

Not because we’re particularly concerned about his weak stamina, but because this
is the custom.

Adventurers are big fans of ‘grant honours according to one’s merits’[1], and the
alarm magic is enough to compensate for a watch shift.

‘Well, actually, the custom is an age-old tradition that came about from trying to
please the wizards.’
Anyway, it’s unbelievably comfortable to have to stand watch only for two hours.

Sleeping six hours a day?

Compared to when I’d been in a two-person team, it’s almost like paradise.

Of course, the downside is that the number of people to share the loot has increased,
but it’s a more than fair trade-off because we can now hunt more and stronger
monsters.

“I, the great wizard, Reol…”

“Stop mumbling and wake up, wizard!”

“…Slurp, is it morning already?”

“I don’t know if it’s morning, but I’m sure it’s time to wake up.”

Day 2, 5 am.

The first night that I’ve been so worried about, passed by without a hitch.

The alarm magic detected monsters four times, and a group of adventurers
approached the campsite when it was the dwarf’s turn, so all of us had to wake up
together…

That was all just par for the course, though.

“Dwalky must’ve adapted too by now, so I’ll speed up a bit more from now on.”

“Hmm, but there’s no need to be in such a hurry, is there?”

“It’ll be convenient for camping if we arrive on the third floor as early as possible.”

From the second day onwards, we reduce the chatter as much as possible and focus
only on travelling. Of course, monsters block our way every few minutes, but…

It’s a welcome sight.

「You have defeated a half-moon rock bear. EXP+1」

「You have defeated a wall mole queen. EXP+1」

「You have defeated a blood blade Wolf. EXP+1」

I suppose I’ve hunted all the ninth ranked monsters in the Beasts’ Lair?

Because this is my first sojourn here, the experience points must be piling up fairly
quickly. Although I don’t have some kind of HUD with an EXP bar, so this is just
conjecture.

‘If I count the monsters I’ve hunted so far… ‘

Only forty.

If I do get the proper bonuses for killing the high variant guardian, it’s forty-four.

‘There’s still a long way to go before I can reach level four.’

As the level goes up, the required experience increases explosively.

For level two it’s six, for level three, thirty, and for level four, a hundred and fifty.

Of course, it’s not a continuous geometric progression by a factor of five, but it’s safe
to say that the actual level of difficulty is even higher than how that sounds.

If the monster goes up by one rank, the count increases by +1, but even with that,
once you’ve run out of monsters you can reasonably hunt, it’s no longer a matter of
simple supply and demand.

‘…Tch, it’s not like I’m in a hurry to level up right now.’

I’m level three right now.

Meaning I can absorb up to three essences.

In other words, I still have an essence slot left.

Of course, I’m not expecting another essence to drop before I hit level four.

[Dungeon and Stone] isn’t as kind a game as that.

‘Why did I have to play a game like this… ‘

Such regrets well up in my heart, but what can I do?

The me of that time, who’d felt the more joy the more difficult the journey, had been
a top-notch pervert.

“We’ll now slow down. From here on out, only higher species will appear, and the
number will also increase dramatically.”

As we trail after Rotmiller for about half a day –

The terrain, or to be precise, the colour of the cliffs, starts changing.

From reddish brown to black.

‘Is this the end of the second part?’

No rank nine monsters appear anymore.

Still, no one, including me, is too nervous.

“Even if it’s a higher species, on the second floor, that just means rank eight!”

Our team is rank seven on average.

And we have people who’ve been active on the third floor for a certain amount of
time.

Well, I myself am a rookie –

But I’m an exception because I’d seen it all in the game.

“By the way, Bjorn, did you say you haven’t been to the third floor yet?”

“Yes, so?”

Thinking she might be trying to start up an argument, I answer in a stern tone, but
Misha sounds genuinely admiring.
“Great. It took me a year just to get to the third floor!”

Well, that just makes me uncomfortable.

“…I just got lucky.”

It’s not a topic I’d like to talk about at length, so I try stalling, but then the dwarf also
joins the conversation.

“One year to the third floor? So how long did it take you to get to the fourth floor?”

“Um, two years? I think it took about that long.”

“Ah, just like me.”

“Yieesh! I’m suddenly feeling a little embarrassed! Even though I’m your senior, team
leader, you’re already sixth rank!”

“But instead, you were born into a good family, Miss Karlstein!”

“Yieesh! I told you, don’t bring up my family!”

As the conversation lengthens and there’s a sign of another quarrel starting up,
Rotmiller, who’d been looking for the way forward, intervenes.

“Both of you, stop.”

His voice, his tone, and his expression are the same as last time.

But why do I feel he’s more annoyed than last time?

‘Hey, he’s working hard on his own, so it’s too much to have to calm people down
who’re lazing around in the back, is that it?’

But I don’t pay much thought to it.

「You have entered the Pilgrims’ Path on the third floor. 」

It was a little past noon on the second day.

According to Rotmiller’s flawless guidance, we entered the third floor.

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t hunt a few more reasonable rank eight
monsters in the Beasts’ Lair…

Because not all of them appeared regularly on the second floor.

‘I’ll get another crack them someday.’

Shaking off my remaining regrets, I focused on our current situation.

“Rotmiller! Get out of the way!”

The place where I was now, was on the third floor, the ‘Pilgrims’ Path’.

It was along the route from the Beasts’ Lair to the ‘Steel Rock Hill’.

And upon arrival, we encountered two seventh ranked monsters.

“Dwalky! Use corrosion magic!”

Entity name: ‘irontro’.

You could easily visualize them as wild boars with steel tusks.

Only, they about five times the size of a wild boar from Mount Jirisan in Korea.

「Reol Webb Dwalky has cast the eighth grade curse magic, [Corrosion].」

While Rotmiller, who entered the portal first, retreated to avoid the monsters –

Dwalky immediately cast a spell.

And in tandem, the dwarf and I dashed forward to block one each with our shields.

Clang–!
A heavy shock hit me from the front.

If it were the old shield, it would’ve gotten crushed the moment it met the charge.

Like the dwarf’s shield was, over there.

「Hikurod Murad has cast [Emergency Restoration].」

“Bjorn? Why’re you suddenly looking at me like that?”

“No, I’m just not being jealous.”

I really wasn’t.

If you use a hard shield in the first place, you don’t have to fix it every time, right?

“What’s that, all of a sudden? Anyway, Bjorn! Don’t even think about pushing them
away, just don’t get pushed back!”

“You don’t have to spell it out loud, I already know!”

Irontro’s active skill is ‘Counterweight’.

It has the effect of knockback immunity.

It was also the same essence that the dwarf had.

「Hikurod Murad has cast [Counterweight].」

Did he even have a conscience?

A crazy wild boar with that kind of a skill was charging straight at me, and this dwarf
bastard was nagging me about not getting pushed back?

The anger inherent in the barbarian body surged up once again.

Was that why?

“Behel-raaaaa!”
Instead of waiting for the rest of the teammates to attack, I swung my mace and
smacked the irontro on the jaws.

Cra-ack–!

At that moment when the steel molars that had already been [corroded] were
shattered without resisting –

“Essence, here I come!”

Without my permission, Misha stepped on my back and leapt high, stabbing a dagger
deep into the irontro’s head.

「You have defeated an irontro. EXP+3」

One down.

I thought of dealing with the other one as well, but stopped and watched for a while.

Dwalky was casting magic.

One of the few offensive spells he had.

「Reol Webb Dwalky has cast the eighth-grade attack magic [Ice Lance]. 」

A skewer of ice flew and pierced into the irontro’s stomach.

If he’d aimed at the head or the heart, it would’ve been a one hit kill, but…

I’d have to give him some detailed feedback later.

Whoosh!

The battle ended with Rotmiller approaching the collapsed Aiantro, and firing a bolt
into its forehead from the crossbow in his hands.

Of course, no essence dropped.

Well, that wasn’t what was important right now.

‘There was a monster right in front of the portal… ’

Some bastards might be lurking nearby.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 논공행상 (lit. awarding paddy fields), investigate and rank one’s merits, small
and large, and reward accordingly.