Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

The day after the community meeting,

I woke up feeling exhausted, but I started my day as usual.

Which meant having breakfast.

"Breakfast is ready!"

Things were different now compared to when we had three separate groups.

Even our daily routines were more organized.

We had four designated cooks who prepared our meals.

And Misha was in charge of them.

"How is it? Is it to your liking? I made it a little blander than usual since it's breakfast."

"Ah… meat…"

"I'm just kidding. We have to conserve our food. Just in case."

After breakfast, I went to Bersil, who was in charge of resource management, and checked our remaining supplies.

"We have enough food for 61 days, based on our current numbers. If we ration it, we can stretch it to 65 days."

"No need. We need our strength to fight."

We had enough food for two months.

And that was thanks to the Armin Exploration Team, who had brought extra supplies.

The Hex Clan, who had lost their ship, had run out of food, and we had only brought enough for four months, based on a seven-person team.

'Day 86…'

If this was a normal labyrinth, the 7th floor would have closed ten days ago.

But we were still trapped here.

And the problem was…

'…at this rate, we might not be able to escape even after 200 days.'

Well, I wasn't too worried about the food supply.

More explorers would be arriving soon, and if necessary, we could always use Distortion magic to hunt monsters.

Just like in Ice Rock.

"Anyway, don't be stingy with the other supplies. Give them whatever they need."

"I'm already doing that. Ah, and…"

"And?"

"…Never mind. I'll tell you later."

I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say.

That there was an evil spirit spy among us. But she probably didn't want to reveal her own identity.

"Really? I'll be going now."

"Okay."

After checking the supplies, I went to Amelia and asked her if anything had happened during the night.

She was the leader of the security team.

"Nothing unusual."

It was her usual answer, but it was an important role.

We couldn't let our guard down in the labyrinth.

There were always external threats…

And internal threats too.

We never knew what kind of variables might appear.

Like this.

"But Vilkus, a warrior from the Hex Clan, seems to be stressed. He hasn't been sleeping well lately."

The security team's main task was surveillance. They kept watch at night and reported any unusual activity.

We had six members on the security team, and the former royal investigator was Amelia's second-in-command.

"I see. I'll talk to him later."

"Then I won't worry about it."

"Hmm?"

"You're like an idol to the warriors. And he seems to respect you a great deal, so he'll probably be fine."

After talking to Amelia, I went to see the three mages from the Armin Exploration Team.

"I heard you were up all night researching. Any progress?"

They were our research team.

They investigated everything we found in the labyrinth: monster corpses, essences, summoning books, altars, stone doors…

But…

"Um… not exactly progress…"

"We found some unusual values in the Hippermachant's blood sample…"

"If you could give us more time and resources…"

They always seemed nervous whenever I asked about their progress.

I had told them repeatedly that they didn't have to rush, but it didn't seem to help.

Was it a habit from their days at the Mage Tower?

"Hehe, you're the leader, Baron."

"Even so… we can't help but feel pressured."

"Right, you can't achieve anything if you're too relaxed."

Well, I couldn't argue with that.

Anyway, that concluded the morning briefing.

"Alright, everyone, back to work!"

It was time to start the day.

We had eaten and rested.

"We're summoning monsters!"

Time to get back to our main job.

______________________

Our routine after the morning briefing was simple.

We gathered the summoning books we had collected the previous night and started hunting.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

Magic stones poured out, and whenever an essence dropped, we paused the summoning and identified it.

Ah, we didn't have to rely on eyewitness accounts anymore.

We had installed a recording crystal above the hunting ground and were recording everything.

"It's the Katanda essence."

"The green Katanda essence… [Ominous Prophecy]."

"We don't need it."

"I see. Does anyone else want it?"

After confirming the essence's identity, they offered it to me first, and if I refused, they looked for someone else who wanted it.

And if no one wanted it, they discarded it.

"It's strange, isn't it? A 4th-grade essence, and no one wants it."

"Even 3rd-grade essences are discarded sometimes."

"There's no rush. We can wait for a better one."

"Hehe, thinking about the future while staring at an essence… No one would believe us if we told them about this."

"It's a shame to discard it… It's worth a lot of money…"

"The Baron said we should conserve our test tubes. I think it's a wise decision."

Surprisingly, the explorers were happy when an essence was discarded.

It meant a break from hunting.

Well, not a complete break.

"What are you waiting for?! Replenish the summoning books!"

I made the most of the downtime, sending the explorers to retrieve more books from the shelves. And when we had enough books, we had a quick meal.

And after ten days of relentless grinding…

'…Finally.'

…we finally obtained a worthwhile essence.

"…Baron?"

"We'll take this one."

'Spear Deeper.'

A 3rd-grade monster that could be encountered with an extremely low probability when diving deep in a specific area of the 6th-floor Great Ocean.

And its owner had already been decided.

"Ainar."

"Yes! Finally!!"

Ainar, who had been waiting expectantly, rushed over as soon as I called her name.

She was a Spear Barbarian now, so she must have been hoping for a spear-related essence.

But I wasn't going to just give it to her.

"Wait."

"Ugh…! Why?! You're going to give it to me anyway—"

"Shhh."

"……."

Right, she should have known better.

"Absorb it."

"Wooooh!!"

Ainar excitedly rushed towards the essence.

So her Fighting Spirit had decreased, but her greed remained?

「Ainar Frenelin's soul is imbued with [Spear Deeper's Essence].」

The essence's light seeped into her body, and after a moment of silence, she opened her eyes and shouted, as if intoxicated,

"What is this?! This is amazing! It's been a while since I've felt this strong…!!"

Well, it was understandable.

Her base stats were all focused on Physical stats.

Of course, the skills were more important than the stats.

(P) Xenophobe — Damage dealt increases proportionally to battle duration against non-kin. The opposite effect applies against kin.

It was a perfect passive skill for her 'Slayer' engraving.

And…

(A) Trident — Attacks with a spear, dealing the same damage to two nearby enemies.

It had no cooldown and low MP cost.

Of course, the skill itself wasn't that powerful…

But a build with only low-cost skills would be weak.

[Trident] would be Ainar's new basic attack, replacing [Repeated Slash].

'Okay, so Ainar's build is complete for now…'

Well, there were still a lot of essences she needed to replace, but she didn't have any more essence slots, so I didn't have to worry about it until we returned to the city.

So the remaining essences were…

'…One for me, one for Erwen, and two for Amelia…'

Those were the essences we could absorb immediately. If we stored them in test tubes, we could get even more.

It would be more efficient to remove our current essences and equip the new ones as soon as we returned to the city.

'…I should also try to find some engraving materials…'

The 8th level of the Undead Engraving required three different 3rd-grade materials.

Well, there were other materials too, but…

'…I can just buy those in the city.'

Unlike low-grade materials, 3rd-grade materials and above couldn't be bought with money.

The Soul of the Dead, a 7th-grade material, was a prime example.

It was dropped by the 4th-grade monster, Lich, but there was only one available on the Central Exchange.

So I had bought it immediately, not knowing when I would be able to find another one—

「Ainar Frenelin has cast [Trident].」

As Ainar was testing out her new essence and getting used to her increased strength…

"Clan Master!!"

Auyen Lokrob, the only non-combatant among us, rushed towards me, carrying a large summoning book.

"I-I found it…! Finally…!"

"Found what? Calm down and tell—"

"It's the Bellarios book!!"

As soon as I heard the news, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Phew…"

Finally.

______________________

The Bellarios.

A 3rd-grade monster that resembled an Eastern dragon.

Its habitat was Dragon's Mountain Range, located in the heart of the Dark Continent.

But since that area had become a war zone, I hadn't been able to hunt it, even though it had become available.

"Bersil, gather everyone."

I had been looking forward to this moment ever since we arrived at the library, so I quickly gathered everyone and briefed them on the Bellarios.

But someone seemed to have an objection.

"Um…"

One of the explorers raised their hand.

"What is it, Ainar? Are you hungry?"

"No… it's just… I haven't gotten used to my new essence yet…"

"So?"

I didn't understand what she wanted.

"There's no better practice than actual combat."

It was a sentiment that all barbarian warriors would agree with.

But…

"Well… I… I prefer practicing to fighting… It's more efficient…"

Ah, right.

That damned Fighting Spirit debuff.

"Can't I just practice here while you guys fight?"

She was desperately trying to avoid combat.

My answer was obvious.

"No. You're participating in this battle."

"…Okay."

She looked so dejected that I felt a little bad, but I forced myself to be firm.

Erwen approached me and whispered,

"Mister… it's just a 3rd-grade monster… and there are only two of them… Can't we handle it ourselves…?"

I didn't know when she had become so considerate, but she wasn't wrong.

Ainar's absence wouldn't make much of a difference in this battle.

But…

'…The others are watching.'

If I showed favoritism towards my clan members, it would create resentment, even if it wasn't expressed openly.

So…

"I've already made my decision. Don't argue."

"…Yes, sir. I apologize."

I firmly rejected Erwen's suggestion and continued the briefing.

And when I was certain that everyone understood the enemy's abilities…

I placed the summoning book on the altar.

And…

Clatter!

The stone door, which had opened and closed countless times today, opened again, and two monsters appeared.

Fwoosh-!

A goat-headed monster with a hammer, carrying a pouch filled with red-hot liquid on its back.

'Hellsmith.'

The original owner of the 'Flame Warrior' essence that the village chieftain possessed.

And…

'…Bellarios.'

I unconsciously licked my lips as I looked at its smooth scales.

「Bellarios has cast [Scales of Greed].」

「Bellarios is now immune to all magic damage.」

Give me that essence.