Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Drawing a Line (1)

‘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 wasting time alone on the second floor.'

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 bear 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 level 5 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 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 level 6 or higher, and there should be 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 level 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 made 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.

Thanks to ThatCoolGuy for commissioning the chapter!