Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 622
Chapter 622: Glorious Return (5)
If Parav’s Golden Goblin Intuition activated, it could only mean one thing.
A crossroads.
An incredibly dangerous event would soon befall us, and this was the last chance we had to avoid it.
…The Overseer was right.
We had only around a month until the half-a-year time limit the Research Station Overseer gave us arrived. Considering how long it would take to reach the village chief’s island, we were down to the wire.
“Lord Baron…” Parav said nervously. “How about we leave immediately? No, we must leave now!”
“Calm down and return to your station. I’ll deal with this.”
“Pardon? Ah… Yes! But please! Please deal with it quickly!”
This guy lived life with the perfect subordinate disposition. If he of all people was acting up like this, then his intuition must be blaring at him with all sorts of alarm bells. From what he told me, this was considerably worse than when he was dragged to Ice Rock.
…A situation worse than what happened during the Ice Rock Expedition.
Knowing that made me a little uneasy as well.
How many people collapsed in that cold place and disappeared forever during that expedition? I didn’t want to experience something like that ever again.
“Deputy commander, I’ll be going up for a moment.”
“….So suddenly, sir?”
“We may need to leave this place in a rush. I’ll tell you everything when I get back, so take command of this place until I return.”
After that, I got the deputy commander to proceed with the raid without me and also told him to prepare everyone for departure if needed. I then quickly moved up toward the control center.
Is this right?
Even as I moved, my contemplation continued. I would need to immediately take the Overseer’s offer to receive the qualification then immediately set sail toward Chief Island to leave before the time I was warned about arrived. If I did that, no one would get hurt. And I had no qualms admitting that it was the safest method.
But it’s too much of a loss to never be able to come back down here ever again.
The fact that I still didn’t know why the Overseer was trying to stop me from coming here again was also another reason that made it difficult for me to make the call.
But for Goblin to say that much, I can’t just ignore him either…
I was in a really sticky situation. My thoughts were all jumbled, and so because of that, I chose to think more simply.
Priorities. All decisions relied on what I would prioritize.
As I headed to the control room, I reflected on myself. And as I did, I could feel my heart lighten a little as I made my decision.
…Let’s accept the offer.
There could be many more treasure chests hidden on this first underground floor, but I had obtained many things already. I didn’t even know the floor existed in the first place. It felt more like a bonus stage.
And most importantly…there’s not much I can do here for the time being anyway.
We weren’t strong enough to keep looking for more secrets. We couldn’t even fight that super giant on Giant Island. There were far too many factors working against us.
Just as many people died during the rank 1 monster fight on Library Island, we would need to sacrifice even more people if we wanted to continue our exploration.
[(You’re here.)]
“(Yeah, I’m here.)” I slowly entered the control room for the first time in over a month.
[(It would seem you’ve finally made your decision?)]
Overseer also seemed to realize why I was here from where he floated on the screen as if he had been waiting for me.
He’s an odd guy in a lot of ways.
Surprisingly enough, after making that first offer some time ago, the Overseer had been waiting for me the entire time. Even after days turned into weeks turned into months, he didn’t try to press me into making a decision. It was as if he knew that the outcome wouldn’t change.
[(Alright, tell me. What did you decide?)]
It left a bitter taste in my mouth, perhaps because it seemed like everything went as he predicted. However, since I had made my decision already, I couldn’t let my emotions get in my way. My choice here wasn’t deciding the fate of just one person.
“(Give me that qualification or whatever. Then I won’t get anywhere close to here in the future.)”
[(A wise choice.)]
“(Just give it to me. Ah, do I have to sign a contract or something?)”
[(That won’t be necessary.)]
The lights on the screen flowed to the side.
[(The contract has already been set.)]
What was he talking about? It was already set?
I don’t feel any different.
It was when I had that thought.
[Achievement Unlocked
Condition: Achieve 15% progress in the Seventh Records Archives.
Reward: Permanently granted the qualification to enter and exit the Basement Floor One Records Archives.]
An imprint of a golden book glimmered on the back of my right hand before it melted into my skin and disappeared.
[A dimensional pact was formed. You will be permanently restricted from entering the Basement Floor One Records Archives.]
It was a feeling I had never felt before. Although I couldn’t see anything or feel any other effects appear… But it was as if something had clenched down on my heart.
However, that feeling lasted for only a short moment. When it disappeared without a trace, I even doubted if I had just imagined it or something. “(…What did you do to me?)”
[(Nothing. A pact was merely formed.)]
“(…A pact?)”
[(You can think of it as a special contract. As we formed an agreement within the labyrinth, a new rule that applies only to you and I have been created.)]
In any case, it seemed that the Overseer now had nothing more he wanted to do with me, as he quickly tried to end the conversation after the deal was made.
[(It seems our business here is over. You must be busy, so be on your way. You’ll have good news waiting for you down there as well.)]
“(Good news…?)”
[(You’ll know when you get there.)]
So mysterious for no reason. Overseer continued to make me feel like I had been taken for a fool even until the end.
[(Marx, have a good trip as well. It was great to see you again, even if it was for but a short while. Truly.)]
Hamsick let out a quiet mumble at Overseer’s short farewell. “(…No.)”
[(No? What do you mean?)]
Hamsick hesitated, then stood up straight on my shoulder. “(I’m not Marx. I’m Hamsick.)”
[(…Although I said this to you in the past, that name was given to you by the Witch. Before you lost your memories, it meant a lot to—)]
“(But that was the me before I lost my memories.)”
At those firm words, Overseer seemed to lose his words, as he remained quiet. Only after a decent amount of time passed did the voice speak again.
[(That’s right. Nothing is eternal even in this world… You have changed as well… And so have I.)]
The voice was still mechanical, but I could feel genuine emotions held in those words. It sounded both nostalgic and regretful.
[(If that is your decision, I understand. I wish for your success.)]
Overseer didn’t say anything else, so I left the control room with Hamsick on my shoulder.
As soon as we left, Hamsick worriedly asked me, “(Hey, are you alright? That pact. Is it really alright?)”
“(How would I know? Well, it doesn’t seem like it’s affecting me in any way right now.)”
“(You know that I went to talk with that guy every day while you were busy, right? Be careful. He’s a suspicious guy no matter how you look at him.)”
“(I will. Thanks for looking out for me.)”
“(…It’s only natural between friends.)”
I went quiet at the word “friends.”
Back when I visited the control room to obtain information, I had heard this from Overseer: Hamsick couldn’t leave Basement Floor One.
…And I can’t come back down ever again.
Although we both knew this fact, we didn’t talk about it.
As if it didn’t exist at all.
***
I understood as soon as I arrived in the underground factory what Overseer meant by “good news.”
“Mister! Come quickly! Quickly!”
“Is this…from that guy?”
“Yes! Congratulations! You said you wanted it!”
An essence had dropped while I had gone to the control room. It was the green color I wanted as well.
As I walked over in a daze, I met eyes with Raven before she shrugged. “I was going to wait a little longer and put it in a magic vial if you didn’t come soon, but you got here on time.”
“How many minutes have passed?”
“Ten minutes.”
Alright, that was good.
After checking that I still had time, I took off all the numbered items I had on me. I needed to do a bit of preparation before I ate the essence.
Step, step.
With my preparations complete, I slowly approached the essence.
Thanks to becoming level 8, I still had one essence slot open after eating the essence of Bellarios. If I could eat it without having to use a magic vial, that would be the best.
Problem is…will it work?
It was impossible to double up on essences in Dungeon and Stone, except, of course, when eating a guardian essence after having eaten the regular essence.
But in cases like that, the regular essence is just upgraded to a guardian essence. Then what about this case?
I soon learned of the result.
The moment my hand touched the essence that had floated into the air…
I can’t eat it at all in this state.
…my hand just reached through the essence, like there wasn’t a slot left in my soul for it to enter.
“Tsk.”
To be honest, I was looking forward to it. If it was possible to eat a duplicate essence, then I could have tested something then too.
Tested if it was possible to use the same skill multiple times.
It’s a shame in a lot of ways.
Giantization and Transcendence to Transcendent Giantization, and then using Giantization on top of that… It would’ve been amazing if I could’ve used Super Transcendent Giantization.
Then I’ll eat this essence after I remove the original one when I get out…
With that, I got Raven to store it in a magic vial and put aside thoughts of the essence.
“Deputy commander, are we ready to set off?”
“Yes. We can leave whenever you wish.”
“That’s good. Let’s go home.”
It was time to leave.
***
After leaving the Research Station and the temple, we passed through a forest and headed for our destination. A few days of travel later, we arrived at a wide lake, a place we had discovered during our search in the past.
No, to be precise, it was unlocked by us.
It had been originally blocked by a barrier before, but we were granted access after defeating a huge drone defending it.
“Get on your boats and head to your stations!”
Also, floating our boats here was the way to get off Rainbow Island. Well, this was our first time trying, at least, but since that was what Overseer told me, it was probably the case.
Tick, tock.
I activated the pocket watch that we obtained after defeating the giant drone and waited for it to make a full rotation. Then, bright lights in the colors of the rainbow tinged the lake just like they had when we first arrived at this place.
Flash!
When we regained consciousness, we were back in that windless zone we spent so hard surviving the rainy season in. I then headed to Library Island to drop Hamsick off.
“(I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to keep my promise. Even though I said I would help you find your memories.)”
“(…You still care about that? Don’t make that expression. I’ve already heard everything I needed to from Overseer… Goodbye.)”
Hamsick only said goodbye, and never said anything about seeing each other again.
So I said it instead.
“(See you… again…?)”
“(Yeah,)” I said. “(Nothing is set in stone in the world. I’m thinking of trying to find a way back here after I leave this place.)”
“(Will that be possible…?)”
“(I think it will be. And that’s why I agreed to Overseer’s offer in the first place.)”
“(…Hmph. You can if you want.)”
“(Stay safe until then. And don’t open your doors to strangers.)”
Although we didn’t have a lot of time left, I took my time to say my farewells to Hamsick before heading directly to Chief Island. Thanks to increasing our sailing pace as much as possible, we were able to arrive three days before the day Overseer warned me about.
“It’s the islaaand!”
After we got off our boats, I immediately went down into the village and touched the dimensional headstone just in case.
“The p-portal! The portal opened!”
“Th-then we can really go back home?!”
“Hurrah for Baron Yandel! Hurrah!”
Thankfully, Overseer’s promise was real, as the dimensional headstone, which previously didn’t react no matter what we did, finally activated and a blue portal was opened. However, I didn’t immediately take the portal.
I mean, I got curious, alright?
[(You will suffer a great plight if you do not escape this place within half a year. Because he will appear then.)]
Who was this “he” Overseer warned me about? Since he never told me everything in full to the very end, my curiosity couldn’t help but bubble up.
Since the portal’s opened…it wouldn’t be bad to wait a little before leaving.
I then stationed the main force in the village and went back up to the surface with only Sven Parav by my side.
“Wh-why me again…?”
“Focus. We’ll immediately go down to take the portal if you sense danger.”
“If it’s that, then I want to go down right now…and isn’t the rainy season about to begin?!”
“Since you’re leaving it at that, looks like we have some time.”
He didn’t respond.
And so, a day and another day passed, and it was now only a few hours until the time Overseer warned me about it.
Splash!
A strong wind began to blow from behind me as if warning that something would soon appear.
“Well…c-can we go down now?”
“Are you very uncomfortable right now?”
“Yes…”
“I’ll just check one thing.” I quickly went up to the cliff to check the beachside. The silver ocean was roiling and being pulled away as if held by a powerful force.
“H-how about we get back? I’m starting to feel really scared…!”
I could tell that it was time since he was acting like that…
So lastly, I checked my map.
It’s in the direction of Stone Island…
The wind and waves were blowing and splashing in the direction of Stone Island.
If waves start to approach you during the rainy season, immediately stop whatever you’re doing and look for a place to hide.
Was it related to what was written in the village chief’s book of strange stories?
I couldn’t know, but I took Sven Parav back down to the village and then got everyone through the portal one by one.
And finally, it was my turn. I was last because of the fear that maybe the portal would disappear if I entered it first.
Rumble!
And right as I was about to take the portal, the entire village shook as if hit by an earthquake.
What’s this?
My curiosity as a gamer ignited for a second, but I didn’t go outside to check.
Yeah, if I can return someday, I could check it then. And if I couldn’t come back, there’s no need for me to know.
[Lord of Records, Recardo, begins to roam the floor.]
It was time to stop caring about it and get out of here.
Vwoong!
And with that, I thrust my body into the portal.
***
Basement Floor One, Records Archives.
Although there was a small difference, time flowed in here the same as it did outside the labyrinth. Around the time the rainy season began, the entire labyrinth, including the first-floor Crystal Cave would be closed…
But the portal thankfully opened.
The portal opened. But where would we end up if we took it? I expected that we would return to the first floor, but the labyrinth was already closed by this point.
It didn’t take long for my question to be answered.
[You are moved to Rafdonia.]
So when the labyrinth was closed, we were moved to the city.
Well, maybe we would be teleported to the city no matter what. Still, that wasn’t that important.
“M-Mister…”
We arrived at the Dimension Square of District Seven, the one we had used all those months ago to enter the labyrinth.
When we looked around, only me and the Anabada Clan were standing in the empty square.
Of course, that wasn’t too odd. I heard that the expedition group had used a different Dimension Square to enter the labyrinth. The same went for the Armin Adventurer Group and the Hektz Clan.
Yeah, nothing was wrong up to there. And it wasn’t as if I was waiting for people to greet us when we returned.
“Wh-why is the square so…?”
However, the square we returned to was much too different from the usual square we were all familiar with.
Fwoosh.
A suffocating smoky scent was carried in by the wind, drifting past the inspection offices that lined the street, all of which were destroyed and crumbling.
It was as if there had been a war here.
“It looks like something big happened to the city while we were away.’ Amelia calmly analyzed the situation after taking in the surroundings.
“Captain! This way!” shouted a male voice from afar. “We just detected a portal signature…”
We then met eyes with the man who had climbed over the debris of the inspection office.
“Eh? Who the hell are you guys?”
After seeing the insignia on the man’s jacket, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Where did you come from?”
Where did we come from? That was what I wanted to ask.
Just what happened here…?
Since when could these Noark bastards walk around the city as they pleased?