Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 503
Chapter 503: Age of Exploration (4)
A familiar crystal cave covered with bright lights greeted me the moment I stepped through the portal and opened my eyes. But was it because last time we were here, we had fought Dreadfear with all our might? I unconsciously hesitated for a moment.
“Do I…have to stab just one person…?”
“You will…become…a great…warrior…”
Goddamnit.
No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to forget those memories.
I never wanted to go through anything like it again. Yet as long as I continued to explore the labyrinth, I’d almost certainly run into a similar situation again in the future.
“Mister…what’s the matter?”
“…It’s nothing.”
I quickly came to my senses after seeing that Erwen was worried about me and went to check how my other team members were doing, though only Erwen and Missha were nearby.
Missha, she’s been quiet for a while now. Does she still feel uncomfortable around us?
“Missha.”
“…Oh, yes?”
“We should get started. Are you alright?”
“Yeah…”
For some reason, Missha only ever responded to me in a strangely awkward and quiet tone. Nevertheless, we quickly started to move. Our first destination was going to be the monument located in the center of the Crystal Cave. There, we would meet up with the rest of the clan. This time we didn’t have a choice but to split into two teams.
…I need to increase the number of clan members as soon as possible too.
The reason why we divided into two this time was because of our numbers. Our clan had a total of seven members as of now, so we had to split up into a group of three and another of four. Still, if we excluded Auyen, that number would drop to exactly six.
…We might need a navigator.
After much discussion, we decided to include Auyen this time. We deemed it necessary to prepare for any situation, given that we didn’t know what to expect.
Some environments called for a ship and navigator to make your way through, like the sixth floor.
…And if we can’t find the hidden area, we’ll just have to head to a higher floor.
Back in the city, I’d read through any book related to hidden areas I could find, and each had one thing in common: The hidden area would always appear on the same floor where the achievement took place. A good example was the achievement of the King of the Elves.
The elf archer Armella Powell Merhenia and her colleagues defeated the Coordinator, Gregory, and opened a hidden area.
The hidden boss, Gregory the Coordinator, had a low spawn rate and could only be found if you continued to climb higher in the Tower of Heavens rather than heading up to the fifth floor. After being the first to defeat it, the King of Elves’s party unlocked the Labyrinth of Larcaz, not to mention what were essentially three other distinct hidden fields. Whatever the case, that wasn’t the point here. What was important was that on the seventh day, the first floor of the labyrinth would close. If we didn’t find anything by then, the only choice we had would be to head higher up.
“…There are a lot of people here.”
When we arrived at the heart of the cave, the entire place was brimming with adventurers. The bustling scene stood in stark contrast to the usual quietness of this area, but I supposed it wasn’t all that strange. This was the first place any adventurer who was searching for the hidden area would look. In addition, most of the adventurers present were wearing high-class gear and proudly showing off their clan’s symbol.
Still, there are more people than I had thought…
As we entered the dark zone, the adventurers who saw me were shocked, as they quickly paved the way.
“Look, it’s him.”
“It’s Bjorn Yandel…”
“Sure enough, even he’s searching here first…”
Adventurers continued to stare at me curiously as if seeing a celebrity. Even so, some instead looked at me with a competitive glint in their eyes.
“…Does he know something because he unlocked the area?”
“He came here first. That must mean something is hidden here, right?”
In this situation, being famous was a disadvantage.
“Missha, don’t fall behind, and make sure to stay close.”
“Oh…yes…”
As we continued to walk down the dark pathway, we eventually reached the cavern where the monument stood. Again, countless adventurers were gathered around it.
“Oh! It’s Bjorn! He’s here!”
“You’re finally here.”
“You’re here, Captain.”
As soon as we arrived, we met up with the second team who had arrived first. First, I heard the situation from Amelia.
“Did anyone find anything?”
“Not yet. It seems like the wizards of the other clans are doing something, but they haven’t found anything yet.”
“I see…”
As we approached the monument while discussing the situation, the wizards who were gathered in front of us quickly cleared the way.
Gulp!
Everyone stopped talking as their eyes went wide, zeroed in on every single action I took, clearly hoping to find a clue. It was a hilarious situation to be in.
I don’t have a single damn clue either.
It was a strange feeling to stand in front of the monument again. Last I’d seen it, there was a witch altar right here instead. Just what other secrets were hidden here in this labyrinth?
With that thought in mind, I began to read the text on the monument again.
[The Last Great Sage, Diplan Groundel Gabrielius, in commemoration of his great first step]
It was the same text that I’d read countless times thus far.
So the text didn’t change…
After that, I looked around the monument with a careful eye, but once again, I couldn’t find anything suspicious or different. It was the same when I touched the stone as well. After finding nothing, I returned to my team members to discuss the situation.
“Versyl, did you activate voice control?”
“Yes, it’s turned on.”
“Alright.”
“Yandel, have you found something?”
“Not yet.”
There were many things I wanted to check, but given how many eyes were watching, I couldn’t do a thing. Everyone might revere me as some great hero, but the truth was that I wasn’t all that special.
“Then let’s go.”
I decided to come back later when there were fewer people around. However, just as we were about to leave, someone came over and talked to me.
“Baron Yandel.” A sword. Brown Hair. A strong-looking build. I looked down at him wondering who he was. He then greeted me in an aristocratic manner. “My name is Marnus Stilico. I’m the team leader of the White Ivory Clan’s ninth team. It is an honor to meet you, Your Lordship.”
Ah, so that was the symbol of the White Ivory Clan. They were one of the great four clans left.
“Versyl, turn off the voice control for a moment.”
“Yes.”
“So,” I asked kindly when voice control was deactivated, “what do you want to talk about?”
He slid into the main subject with a careful proposal. “If you have any information about the hidden area, we would like to buy it at a reasonable price.”
Geez, I was wondering what he wanted. But that’s it?
I had received countless proposals before to buy information about the hidden area. If memory served, one of those letters that I ignored was actually from the White Ivory Clan…
“Information, you say…” Even if I had any to give, I had no intention of selling information for money. Still, I acted as if I were genuinely considering his offer before asking him a question that was on my mind. “Is the captain of the White Ivory Clan also here on the first floor?”
“…I’m sure he’s stil here, but he’s probably not anywhere close to us.”
“Are you also searching the outskirts, then?”
“No, of the nine teams that make up the White Ivory Clan, we are the only ones tasked with exploring the hidden area.”
In other words, aside from these guys, the rest of the clan had headed straight for the higher floors like normal.
“I’m surprised. It looks like there’s not much support for exploring it?”
Given the situation, I decided to act as if the amount of money they were offering for my information wouldn’t be much, seeing as how only one of their teams was set to explore the hidden area.
“No one within our clan is taking this matter lightly,” he quickly refuted upon seeing my reaction. “Unfortunately, because of our wartime contract with the empire, we aren’t able to invest our full resources into exploring the area.”
“Are you saying that the war comes first?”
“Yes. If we can find the area in a short amount of time, our team alone will suffice.
But likewise, if it’s not easy to find, then there’s no reason for us to go all-out from the start. Our clan isn’t alone in their efforts. I’m certain that all the other clans are doing something similar as well.”
“I see.”
“Then…will you sell us information…?”
It was time to end this conversation. “I’m sorry, but I won’t.” I’d already heard everything I was curious to know from him.
“…I see. Yes, thank you for graciously lending me some of your precious time.”
After the conversation, we left the center of the cavern with our backs to the monument.
This war is surprisingly helpful.
I was worried that adventurers would flood the entire first floor, but further away from the center, it was relatively empty. Most of the competition must have been diverted to the war efforts. Even if the entrance ended up being easy to find, we wouldn’t have to worry so much about losing out on our share.
“Bjorn! Where are we going now?!”
“The outskirts…”
It was finally my turn to show off the skills that I hadn’t used in a while. The quicker we found it, the more treasures we could enjoy.
***
Dungeon and Stone was arguably the most unfriendly game I’d ever played. You had to smash your head on the keyboard to defeat a boss monster. The various fields and rifts you came across were teeming with all sorts of bizarre mechanics that made it a pain in the ass to clear. On top of that, there were way too many hidden elements in this game, to the point you started to wonder if the entire point. of the game was just to discover them.
I could rant about how unfriendly the game was for three days straight, yet at the same time, the biggest reason why I got hooked on the game was for that exact unfriendliness. Back then when I was struggling every day with unbearable boredom, the only thing that managed to grab my attention and ignite a flame in me was this nightmarishly difficult game.
It’s been a while since I’ve searched for a hidden piece.
In Dungeon and Stone, the difficulty really came from these hidden aspects. In other words, your progress in the game was solely determined by how many hidden pieces you knew. If you didn’t know a thing about them, it was practically impossible to climb the floors like in most games. That was why I grew a habit of searching for hidden pieces every time I played. It had become as natural as breathing.
If I saw a statue, I would look for a way to break it. When I was moving, I made sure to stick my character close to the wall while spamming buttons. If something seemed even slightly suspicious, I would cast all sorts of magic on it. I even burned, froze, and threw the bodies of looters to see if there was a reward.
The result of doing that for nearly a decade was the demystification of countless hidden elements. Oh, and of course, I gained a certain know-how of how to efficiently progress.
The issue is that this time, I didn’t invest anything into ways to find a hidden piece.
I didn’t have any characters near me with incredible luck or an essence specifically tailored to searching. In fact, all of my current colleagues were trained and developed to focus on combat. After all, I was confident that I had already found every hidden piece that the game had to offer.
Thankfully, I can at least read the ancient language now…
Well, if the hidden piece didn’t require the ancient language, then the skill was useless to have.
Slam!
Still, what else could I do? If you didn’t have teeth, you just had to chew with your gums.
Like so.
Slam!
Just as I had back when I played the game, I moved as close to the wall as I could while hitting it. It wasn’t just me either; the entire clan did the same.
Slam! Thud! Whack!
It was a symphony of hammers, daggers, and spirits attacking the walls of the Crystal Cave.
“Ohhh! This is fun! Just like a festival!”
Everyone aside from Ainar seemed reluctant to do it, but they still diligently carried out my orders.
“Even if you hate it, there’s no other choice! This is the basic way to find an Arrangement of Gabrielius.”
“…Basic way?”
“That’s what I read in a book before!”
As we continued to make our way through the Crystal Cave, I kept making similar excuses to Versyl. After all, she didn’t know that I was an evil spirit. Whenever we came across a certain area, we made sure to be very thorough in our checking.
The three-way intersection. The pond was next to a large rock. Any unusual pieces of moss or water puddles we came across. And more…
In the Crystal Cave, the topography changed whenever the labyrinth reopened.
However, there were a few things and locations that stayed the same every single time.
Usually, hidden pieces are found in places that don’t change.
We continued to slam the walls as we walked through the caverns, before entering another dark zone on the outskirts.
Fwoooooosh!
Of course, the portal leading to the Goblin Forest was already opened by other adventurers. There didn’t seem to be anything suspicious nearby.
Damn, it wasn’t by the portal either.
We then decided to split up and search the outskirts on our own for a bit, before meeting up again.
Day one, day two…
Time continued to quickly pass by without any news. Finally, when there were only two hours left before the third day began, something finally happened. A smallish clan of about twenty people were all gathered by a certain passageway, trying to block access. It was as if they had discovered something and were trying to hide it.
“I thought I needed to tell you first, Mister. That’s why I made sure to not approach them on my own. I just saw them from afar and made sure they didn’t spot me.”
So that’s the situation…
“Well done, Erwen.”
I led my team to the place Erwen described. When we arrived, we saw adventurers who seemed to be standing on guard, blocking entry to a passageway.
Step, step.
I approached them without hiding my presence, and the adventurers guarding the passage quickly recognized me. They brandished their weapons, but their words and actions were hesitant. “Stop! P-please stop…B-Baron Yandel…”
I guess it’s hard for others to talk down to me once they recognize me.
“I’m passing by. Is there a problem with that?”
When I asked while approaching them, the adventurers’ wariness turned to visible fright. They desperately tried to convince me, saying, “W-we are currently camping here…and according to the unwritten rules of the adventurers…I-I must humbly ask you to please leave…”’
Ha?! Why are they acting so suspicious?
“Unwritten rule… What’s that? Don’t say difficult things to me!” I ran forward and broke through them.
“W-wait…!”
“Y-you can’t…”
All those adventurers could do was watch me as I broke through their formation.
However, as soon as I barreled past them, I ran into about fifteen other adventurers who were gathered by the wall. They seemed surprised as if they had just been caught doing something bad.
A heavy silence filled the air.
“What’s all the fuss about over here…huh?” A man suddenly stuck his head out of a very small crack in the wall. “U-uhhhh…you’re…?”
“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Are you the captain here?”
“That’s right, but…”
“What’s inside there?”
“Oh, uh…th-there’s nothing here…”
“Hey. That doesn’t seem true.”
As I grinned at him, he closed his eyes tightly and shouted, “W-we discovered this place first!”
Well, that made it sound like we were the bad guys.
“So you discovered this place first…”
“Yes. If you steal the achievements of adventurers like us, then that will also affect your reputation—”
“Did the adventurers you met before say the same thing?”
“…What? Wh-what do you mean—?”
It’s exactly as it sounds.
“Ow! Aaaargh!”
I grabbed him by the hair as I plucked him out of the wall like a radish. “Your sleeves, there’s human blood on them. Whose blood is that?”
It hadn’t even properly dried yet.