Surviving as a Barbarian in the Game - Episode 132
132angry team play (2)
A portal that flickers like the Northern Lights of the North Sea.
A heavy silence falls in front of this..
Neither Misha nor the dwarf said anything and just stared..
It was that unfamiliar..
This facial expression that Rottmiller is making right now is.
Crackling.
Just like the expression ‘teeth are trembling’, Rotmiller’s tightly closed mouth is trembling..
It was like seeing his bottom for the first time..
That which must have been hidden in the deepest places by self-control and upright self-improvement..
complex.
“……It's not too late now.”
Soon, Rottmiller broke the silence and opened his mouth..
“Three teams passed first. Even if the team is the most advanced, the difference in time is only about 30 minutes. If you follow along quickly, you might be able to get ahead on the second floor..”
At first glance, it sounds logical..
However, if you look closely, it is full of contradictions..
And the problem is, everyone nodded awkwardly even though they knew this..
“iced coffee! Then it will work. Me too, I came this early and it was a little disappointing to just give up..”
“Hahaha! Well, yeah, I wasn't the only one who was disappointed.?”
“……Me too, I agree.”
nice guys.
It's too obvious what their thoughts are to package it like that..
Rather than openly saying things you don't like, it's better to just go along with it and suffer..
“Bjorn… … how about you?”
All eyes are focused on me who hasn't expressed an opinion yet..
Ha, really annoying.
Why do I always have to play this role??
I sighed inwardly but spoke in an angry voice..
“Do you all have a problem with your head??”
1There is already a 30 minute difference in floor level..
2This means that the gap widens further between floors..
Aren't we almost out of stamina just by coming here?.
“In this state, you are going to overtake those who passed by first? Do you really think that will happen??”
The trio kept their mouths shut and avoided eye contact..
So I left them behind and stared at Rotmiller..
“Braun Rottmiller, the deterrence ends here..”
“…….”
“1If it's on your floor, I'll hang out with you anytime. But the second floor is too much for us. Don't put your teammates in danger because of your stubbornness..”
Rottmiller pursed his lips in exasperation, and I stared at him without saying another word..
It was some time later that the answer came..
“I'm sorry. I guess I lost my mind for a moment. Forget what I just said.”
“I already forgot.”
Soon, Rotmiller apologized, and as I coolly brushed it off, the trio let out the breath they had been holding..
Fortunately, it seems like the situation was resolved well without any conflict.…….
‘It's a pain in the ass.’
The problem is not over yet.
***
explorer.
A position that exists to reduce travel time within a labyrinth where time reduction is key..
Combat power is lacking compared to other occupations…….
Their betrayal is always fatal.
Because it is the only position that can cooperate with external forces..
‘Since the regional head knew that, he probably tried to placate Rotmiller first..’
The explorer leads the journey within the labyrinth..
In other words, it is quite possible to pretend to give directions and lead us to a place where there is a trap prepared by the local leader..
‘……Should I just have taken a break for this episode??’
brown rotmiller.
The reason I decided to trust him was because I knew what he was like on a regular basis..
A personality so bold that it feels stubborn.
Sincerity that keeps away from chance and approaches hard work.
I thought he wouldn't let it go no matter what trick the regional head tried..
But how was Rotmiller today?.
It was so foreign that it seemed like a different person..
‘Probably because of that bastard who is the local manager..’
Of course, I think the possibility of betrayal is still low..
This guy isn't stupid, and if he really wanted to do that, he would have acted like he always did..
However, it was necessary to assume the worst and be careful..
‘……Let's watch for now.’
Exploration resumed amidst such anxiety..
However, contrary to my worries, Rotmiller showed his rational side as usual and led the group..
「2I entered the rocky desert..」
I found the path accurately in the desert where the compass was not working, and found a portal to the 3rd floor on the morning of the 2nd day..
「3I entered the pilgrim's path..」
There wasn't much difference on the 3rd floor, where I arrived earlier than before..
I went straight to the Witch's Forest with minimal fighting, and took a break at 10 PM to improve my biological rhythm..
3It was the same even at midnight when work day started..
“Hahaha! I don't know why I didn't watch this and just slept.!”
“I guess it's because I didn't have anyone to share it with..”
“Dwalki, you just felt so bad..”
We all woke up for a moment and watched the third floor turn into a silver light..
Should I say that it is Team Banpoon’s own tradition??
It's not like anyone did it first, but it was something we had always done like an unspoken promise since the first exploration..
「4Entered the Tower of the Sky.」
Anyway, the exploration proceeded without any problems, and reached the 4th floor in the evening of the 7th day..
This made me relax too..
This means that there is no longer a need to be suspicious and wary of Rotmiller..
‘I guess it was really my luck.’
4Layers are independent layers.
Once you enter, about 5 minutes later, it becomes a space where no explorer can enter..
I watched my back throughout the battle to see if anyone would enter, but no explorers entered until the first floor was cleared..
“Bjorn! Why are you thinking so hard??”
“Let's go up quickly.”
Therefore, I completely shook off my worries and focused on exploring..
Well, not entirely.?
I can't help it because it's my personality.
Because I believe that 100% does not exist in this world. Needless to say, if you are on an expedition where there is nothing strange about what happens..
「I chose the stairs of wisdom.」
「I chose the Stairs of Courage.」
「I chose the stairs of wisdom.」
Anyway, since I got to the 4th floor, I have focused on increasing the number of floors by taking the stairs of wisdom and courage alternately..
Well, there were some amazing situations along the way where all the stairs were patience.…….
「I chose the stairs of patience.」
It went easier than expected.
It was a psychedelic ordeal, but I was able to endure it..
No matter who showed up and said something, I could just ignore it..
To be honest, I was more bothered after the ordeal was over..
“Ahhhhh, Bjorn.……!!”
“Stop crying. It's all over, isn't it?.”
“If you abandon me too, I'll be truly alone.!!”
I don't know what I saw or heard, but as soon as I passed the floor, Misha started wailing loudly..
The dwarf was kneeling on the floor in frustration..
“It's worse than the black scrap metal I made…….”
For reference, Dwalki was staring blankly into space like a man who had lost his mind, and Rottmiller was silently clenching his fists.…….
They both looked somewhat angry..
‘……Oh, it bothers me.’
While they came to their senses, I checked the box in the center of the floor..
A reward that can only be obtained if you choose the trial of patience.
If you're lucky, you may get a number item or a random integer of level 6 or lower.…….
There is no way.
Sure enough, it contained only fifteen grade 7 magic stones..
“Once you've rested, let's start again.”
After gathering myself mentally for nearly 30 minutes, the exploration resumed..
And since then there has been no such incident..
I continued to climb the floors by defeating monsters, and soon reached the 100th floor on the 12th day of exploration..
“I think this is my first time coming here..”
100From the floor above, the trial difficulty is fixed to the highest, and level 6 monsters appear more frequently..
However, there was no major danger here either..
It was thanks to the growth of our two main dealers over the years..
「Riol Warb Dwalki casted the level 7 attack magic [Frost Storm].」
「Misha Karstein casted [Ice Crush].」
Dwarki has learned not only auxiliary magic but also a level 7 wide-area cold spell with the money he worked hard to save..
Combined with Misha, there was no trouble against most level 6 monsters..
2Stability has improved significantly by providing damage to the tank..
hmm… … It would be a different story if a level 5 monster like a troll appeared like last time..
‘Still, we've prepared this and that with the team's public funds, so the situation will be much better than before..’
Actually, it's funny to worry about level 5 monsters on the 4th floor..
Didn’t I meet Hans on the way?.
‘Rotmiller seems to have come to his senses now..’
Unlike the anxious beginning, this expedition continued to go smoothly..
And on the 19th, the car started..
***
[06 : 32]
I checked my watch and checked my surroundings..
All four people were sleeping comfortably in their respective places..
‘Since I'm awake alone, it feels like I'm awake for the first time in a while..’
I buried myself back in my sleeping bag and closed my eyes, but perhaps because of my increased energy, sleep did not come easily..
No, it's just because there are only 4 days left until the labyrinth closes.?
‘There's something strange about it..’
What I've noticed over the past few days is that our teamwork has improved significantly..
Should I say that it feels like it's coming together now??
Not only did each person do their best without me giving orders, but they also began to communicate to some extent through their eyes and body language..
Whatever it is, we are gradually growing into a proper team..
‘Compared to the first time, it has changed incredibly..’
Just by looking at Dwalki, the change is clear..
He hardly looks like a beginner any more, and his fighting sense is improving day by day..
but…….
I feel strangely moved by this fact, but also a little disappointed. Because I know that there are not many days left to be with them..
‘Don't be swayed by emotions and think rationally..’
The first regular team I formed after leaving this unfamiliar world..
I decided not to show affection to the people here as much as possible, but since I am a human being, I can do whatever I want..
I'm sure I'll think of this team a lot later.—
plod.
When my thoughts reached that point, I suddenly felt a surge of popularity..
When I glanced up and checked, it was Rotmiller..
“Did I wake him up??”
“No, I woke up a little while ago..”
“If so, you're lucky. I thought you woke up because of me this time too..”
‘‘This time too’…….
Is it because of my mood that it feels like there is a bone in my words??
Well, probably not..
Rotmiller, this guy has a good sense of humor..
Even if he pretended not to, he must have been aware that I was keeping an eye on him..
“Since you're awake, why don't we talk for a moment??”
“……good night.”
I got out of my sleeping bag and sat down against the wall with Rottmiller..
And there was an awkward silence..
Ah, this is the first time we've talked together since that day.?
I felt like I was suffocating for some reason, so I took some beef jerky out of my pocket and chewed it..
Tsuap, Tsuap, Tsuap.
Yeah, it's better because it sounds like this..
Rotmiller, who had been asking for conversation, opened his mouth only when he had finished eating one piece of beef jerky..
“……I plan to leave the team after this expedition..”
“I'm leaving the team?”
It was unexpected, but not completely unexpected..
I also thought about cases like this..
“It's because of me.”
huh?
“what does that mean?”
“……Well, give me one too..”
When I handed him a piece of beef jerky, Rotmiller chewed his teeth and continued talking..
It was a bit of a long story.
“I can't say that the regional head's suggestion has anything to do with this decision. Wouldn’t I also be greedy? They said they would give me a position as an explorer for a large clan..”
“Even though I knew it was a lie, my heart continued to pound. That was the first time he realized it was time to get out of this team..”
“Oh, but don't stress too much. Actually, it's something I'm familiar with. Different races... No, don't those with talent easily rise to the top?.”
“8I've been on many teams over the years, and there have been many times when I was left behind because I couldn't keep up with them. Sometimes they got kicked out, sometimes they got out before they got worse..”
“That's how an explorer like me survived.”
“But this time it wasn't easy.”
“Why??”
I was the first to ask a question, and Rottmiller smiled and answered.
“Because I care about you.”
“……?”
“Even though I knew it was time to leave, I hated admitting it. So, I tried to hide what happened with the local manager and follow him on this expedition. I wanted this journey to continue even just a little bit. but…….”
Rotmiller slowly swallowed the beef jerky he was chewing..
“Everything has to end someday.”
Those words left me speechless without realizing it..
Rottmiller looked straight ahead and said nothing, as if waiting for an answer..
It was that time.
The alarm rang, and colleagues began rustling one by one..
“It's time for everyone to wake up. I'm going to leave now, so you can get ready to leave..”
Rotmiller left to pack up his sleeping bag..
I took the watch out of my pocket..
[08 : 00]
Before I knew it, it was time for the 19th day of the journey to begin..
***
Rotmiller is like me in many ways..
Even though I didn't want to give affection to others, I felt affection, and despite that, I made a rational decision without being swayed by it..
But the difference is…….
‘I was just doing it for me, and this guy was doing it for us..’
It's not like I didn't have altruistic calculations..
I thought that if I went upstairs with them, the exploration game would end only when one person dies..
So I decided to finish it with my own hands before that..
“Bjorn!”
To be honest, the back of my head feels tingly..
I never thought Rottmiller would have thought like this..
How did I appear in his eyes??
What on earth were they thinking as they felt my eyes scanning them as if warily??
It was a time when endless questions were running through my head..
“Bjorn! How on earth are you selling your mind??”
Misha shook my shoulder and woke me up from my thoughts..
“Stop fooling around and get it sorted out quickly..”
“……I get it.”
After coming to my senses, I joined in clearing the campsite..
Then we all gathered together, had a quick meal, and then climbed the stairs..
‘Let's talk when we get back to the city. We're both going to leave anyway, so there's no need to leave.…….’
My head was racing, but I decided to just focus on exploration for now..
There are still 4 days left.
6We are now able to easily defeat grade monsters, but the Tower of the Sky is a place where the level of difficulty can increase dramatically depending on the combination of monsters..
Don't let your guard down until you get back to the city.—
「Completed the ordeal.」
No, it wasn't just me..
“……All three are stairs of fate?”
“What should I do? I didn't say it could be dangerous there.?”
Wow, this is really hot..
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