Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 455
C455: Barbarian Revolution (4)
The first day I opened my eyes in this world remains the clearest of all my memories.
Hearing an unfamiliar language I could somehow understand left me dazed. Even so, I tried to grasp my situation as best I could.
That’s when I felt déjà vu.
Somehow, this situation reminded me of the beginning of [Dungeon and Stone].
‘There… one person died.’
I remember his name clearly.
Orum, the son of Kadua.
He had barely opened his eyes in this world for five minutes before his throat was gruesomely cut.
And then…
‘There were quite a few of them, actually.’
Looking back at the records after becoming the tribe chief, it turns out that on average, one player has been executed at the coming-of-age ceremony over the past ten years.
Well, the average has been dropping recently as the cheat mod version of the game has lost some of its popularity.
‘I guess there are still kids out there who play it.’
It really is a pity.
‘Tsk, tsk, how could they get their hands on such a game.’
Of course, it’s not their fault.
If we’re to place blame, there’s only one.
‘That damn old bastard.’
Auril Gavis.
The creator of [Dungeon and Stone]…
[You have reached the abyss.]
[Tutorial completed.]
He kidnapped countless players with just these phrases.
‘If you’re going to do a tutorial, do it right.’
Looking at the frightened expression of a newbie, my old memories vividly return.
Of course, the nostalgia was short-lived.
If I continue like this, the other warriors will surely notice.
“Everyone quiet!”
After shouting briefly, the baby barbarians immediately calmed down and shut their mouths, and I proceeded with the coming-of-age ceremony as usual.
Not in the old way, of course.
This will make it easier to sneak in some help. Just in case there’s a newbie lurking somewhere that I haven’t spotted.
“Makhal, second son of Putil!”
I walked right up to a young warrior, called his name, and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“Come and choose your weapon!”
“Understood!!!!!”
Seemingly touched by the tribe chief’s warm support, the young warrior shouted at the top of his lungs and darted forward.
“A two-handed axe! Excellent choice!”
I continued to call each warrior by name, encouraging them and occasionally dropping hints to help the newbie figure out what was going on.
“Starting today, you are a warrior. May Raphdonia’s blessing be with you!”
And after some time had passed.
Eventually, it was the turn of the newbie I’d been eyeing.
“Vekta, third son of Kiltau!”
As I placed my hand on his shoulder a faint thud sounded; I could feel him trembling so much he couldn’t hide it.
But I pretended not to notice and continued.
“Come and choose the weapon for your journey!”
“…Understood!!”
Compared to the other warriors, he was slow to respond and spoke in a smaller voice. but—
‘At least he’s catching on.’
He was imitating the other warriors, so given time and experience, I figured he’d manage to survive decently enough—
‘Huh?’
Upon seeing the weapon he chose, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“A shield…”
I muttered to myself, and the kid flinched as if he had done something wrong.
“Never thought he’d be a shield newbie.”
I walked past the stiff newbie to the rack where the shields were displayed.
“Take this.”
By my authority as the tribe chief, I’d put in a ‘patch’ so that if someone chose a shield, we’d also give them a small one-handed hammer.
“Vekta, third son of Kiltau! With this, you are a warrior!”
He was momentarily confused at how different all this was from the game, but after receiving the hammer from me, he returned to his spot.
He tried to act nonchalant, but his expression was filled with unease.
‘Well, he probably needs time to sort out his thoughts.’
I then turned my attention away from the newbie and continued with the ceremony, until the last warrior had chosen his weapon.
“Warriors!”
Before heading into the city, however, I took a moment to give a speech.
Well, it was more of a review.
“All together now! A good plunderer is—?”
“A dead plunderer!!”
“What about the Explorers Guild?”
“We do not trust them!!”
“And if you meet Hans in the Labyrinth?”
“No! Go away, if you don’t want to get fucked!’
There was a reason for making the young warriors review these points.
Review is always important, and we have a brand-new newbie here, after all.
“Now, then…”
There was one last piece of information the newbie absolutely needed to know.
“When you encounter an ‘evil spirit’ that has taken over our body, what do you do?
It might just be the single most important factor for a player’s survival.
“Kill them!!”
If a player is found out, they die.
***
“Open the gates!”
At my shout, the gates in the city walls—those that separated the sanctuary from the city—swung open.
The young warriors, who had grown up in the sanctuary dreaming of this day, began to tremble with excitement.
“Raphdonia…”
Normally, I would have simply told them to march toward their fate. However, today, I personally led the young warriors into the city.
“…What? The chief himself is playing the role of guide?”
It was on the way anyway.
I had to enter the labyrinth myself.
“Bethel—raaaaaaaaa!!”
“We’re sure to become great warriors now!”
The young warriors, once again moved by the tribe chief’s direct guidance, cried out in joy. Even as I admired their pure spirit, I led them to the center of the city.
And then…
“I greet you, Baron Jandel.”
At a prearranged location, we met up with a Guild mage who performed the ‘Binding’ spell.
Not on me, but on the young warriors.
As I was pairing them up in threes and fours, some warriors voiced their doubts.
“…Chief! I heard that the first exploration should be done on our own strength…”
“That’s right! I heard it was tradition when I was younger!”
Tradition my ass.
That damn tradition had led to the deaths of many warriors on their first exploration.
I was about to scold them when…
“Stupid Bastards!!!”
A voice rose before I could, and it was Aynar, our first elder.
“Bjorn, son of Jandel, is our chief!”
“But even if he is the chief, tradition—”
“From today, everything the chief says is tradition! So follow whatever it is!”
It might sound a bit dictatorial, but it’s actually quite persuasive. Our tribe does have a fair system for disputes, after all.
“If you don’t like this new tradition, then you can become chief someday and change it yourself! Got it?”
Fortunately, warriors raised in the law of nature easily accepted this logic.
“…I see. Understood!”
Okay, that settled that issue.
“Now, about the payment…”
“Here it is.”
After the binding was complete, I paid the guild mage.
“Good work today. I’ll be counting on you again next month.”
“Ah… yes, Baron…”
Despite the unusual overtime and travel, the mage left with a sour face, but we would meet again next month.
If I make a ‘request’ to the guild’s regional chief and ask for a ‘favor. What can a mere mage do?
“It’s the Labyrinth!!”
“Ooooh! So that’s it…!!!”
“It feels like some unknown force is pulling at my body!!”
After paying up, I took the warriors to the dimensional plaza.
That’s where my duties as the chief ended.
“Go, warriors!”
As soon as I gave the word, they pushed through the crowd and hurled themselves toward the portal.
“Uwooooooo!!”
Watching their retreating figures, Aynar turned to me and smirked.
“Bjorn, what’s with that worried look on your face?”
Well, it’s like leaving a child by the water.
The more they survive and return, the stronger our tribe will become…
“Don’t worry! Remember how in our time – despite worse conditions – everyone who was destined to make it came back alive!
A typical Barbarian-style consolation mixed with nostalgia.
But, funnily enough, it did calm my mind.
After all, the harsh training of the Barbarian tribe was too extreme; I didn’t want to raise them like flowers in a greenhouse.
After all, it’s crisis that fosters the most growth.
Lessons learned in crisis are etched into the bones and not easily forgotten, even if you wish to forget.
“Mister!!”
After sending the warriors off into the Labyrinth, I wandered around the dimensional plaza looking for my teammates.
“You’re late.”
Amelia looked at her watch and grumbled, while the sailor, Auyen Roklov, greeted me nervously.
“You’re here, Clan Leader!”
I hadn’t seen him in full gear for a while.
“Thank you so much for letting me come along!”
His voice was sincere.
Well, he did spend quite a few days stuck in the basement.
But perhaps because this is the same guy who once tried to plunder me, I can’t manage to work up even an ounce of sympathy.
Again, a good plunderer is a dead plunderer; And unless you treat them harshly, you can’t trust them to watch your back.
“Emily.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him in the Labyrinth.”
We said this openly in front of him, but Auyen just kept silent as though he didn’t hear a thing.
He made no attempt to say anything like “Trust me!” or “I’ll do my best!”
‘He certainly knows how to read the room.’
Whether that’s a good thing or not… I’m not quite sure.
“Um… Bjorn? Shouldn’t we be going now?”
“Oh… right.”
The brilliant glow of the portal was already starting to fade, so we walked slowly towards it.
And then…
[You have entered the 1st Floor: Crystal Caverns]
Thus began the first expedition of Clan Anabada.
***
In the crystal cave shimmering with a purple glow.
“North.”
“North, then.”
“Looks like it leads toward the Goblin Forest.”
As soon as we arrived, three of us spoke simultaneously: me, still training under Rotmiller as a scout; Amelia, our scout; and Erwin, who’d also undergone scouting training from her sister.
“…….” “…….”
With only five members in the team and three of them as scouts, there was an awkward moment.
“Ahem.”
“I was a bit faster than that woman.”
“…”
Aynar laughed out loud, and Erwin glared at her, not bothering to hide her displeasure.
Of course, the glare didn’t work.
“You have a nice look in your eyes, Erwin!”
Aynar nodded as if she liked it.
“…?”
Erwin furrowed her brows as if she had encountered an incomprehensible creature, and Aynar shrugged.
“I mean you look like you’re having fun! Unlike the last time I saw you!”
Her comment made me flinch.
Because the last time they met… would have been that day Erwin heard from Raven about Misha.
It seemed Aynar had inadvertently stepped on a mine.
But…
“…What are you talking about.”
Surprisingly, Erwin didn’t react angrily.
She just averted her gaze with an embarrassed look.
‘Yeah, she’s always been sensitive to this kind of thing…’
It might be good that Aynar stepped in.
Honestly, Amelia alone seemed to have a hard time taking care of Erwin.
‘She seems to have gone a bit soft these days, too…….’
As I was thinking this when:
“Come on then, let’s go, I can’t wait to explore with Bjorn again”
Aynar took the lead, and I stopped her with a chuckle.
“Aynar, where are you going all by yourself?”
“Huh? We started from the north, so we go north! I know those basic directions by now! I can read a compass!”
I had to admit, she’s come a long way over the last few years…
“But we’re not going to the Goblin Forest today.”
“…Oh? Is that so? Then where? The Land of the Dead?”
“It’s the Rock Desert. Hmm, that’s strange. I’m sure I shared the exploration plan before…”
“Ah, sorry! I forgot!”
“…I see.”
While Amelia—who’d never dealt with a ‘true Barbarian’ before—was momentarily at a loss for words, I quickly sorted out the situation.
We can’t waste time here forever.
“Alright, then…”
Who should lead us?
Should I have Amelia guide, like last time? Or should Erwin do it this time?
I hesitated briefly, but my decision came fast.
“…I’ll be the guide!”
Our main goal for this expedition is to work on our teamwork.
No matter which of the two I choose, it’s probably best to minimize any hard feelings.
“What? There’s no need for you to—”
“What are you saying! Such annoying tasks should be shared by all. Come on, everyone, follow me!”
Cutting off Erwin’s protest, I quickly took the lead.
There was quite a bit of work to be done on this expedition anyway.
Although Ainar doesn’t seem to remember anything… … .
‘At least that means she doesn’t question anything I do.’
Oddly enough, it’s an advantage.
Back in my old team, I couldn’t even put my ‘game knowledge’ to good use because I had to tiptoe around Raven.
[You have entered the second floor, Rock Desert]
Okay, let’s start working on our teamwork, by slowly taking on the lower flower raids.