Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

As soon as we passed through the portal, Sven Parab asked.

"That... why me?"

It was a somewhat strange question.

Not the content, but the timing.

"You're only asking that now, after crossing the portal?"

"...I thought it might be a question hard to say in front of others."

Hmm, so that really was the reason.

The more I see him, the more I realize he's quite a meticulous guy.

Seems to have some loyalty too.

"Anyway, why me? If you needed a paladin, there must have been others as well..."

He asked again, and I answered honestly.

"I didn't pick you because you're a paladin."

"...Huh?"

"I picked you because you are you."

Sven Parab's eyes went wide.

I had expected that reaction.

This wasn't just a casual line.

Every time I say it, without fail, it's a moving, heartfelt line—

I waved my hand.

Yeah, that should've been it.

But for some reason, Sven Parab stepped back, his face pale.

As if trying to put distance between himself and something.

"...Why?"

As I expressed my confusion and stepped closer, he retreated equally, modestly covering his upper body with his arms.

Receiving his wary gaze, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.

I think I know what this crazy guy was thinking.

There had been a similar incident recently, after all.

"Don't misunderstand. Before I break your head."

"Then... does that mean the rumors aren't true?"

"Rumors?"

"That... the baron enjoys... men—"

"Stop."

It was too hard to listen to, so I cut him off.

Then I repeated what I had said recently to clarify.

"I like women. A lot."

"...I see?"

Maybe my sincerity got through, because the caution in his eyes softened a little.

Though he still seemed puzzled by one thing.

"Then what did you mean earlier...?"

I didn't choose you because you were a paladin, but because you were Sven Parab.

The meaning is simple.

Literally what it sounds like.

What was needed to catch the guardian was not a paladin, but this guy.

And...

'Looks like it's going well.'

I thought that plan was already halfway successful.

After all, he entered the portal without hesitation.

"Did you feel anxious or anything when coming in here?"

Just to be sure, I asked again.

He said no, then opened his mouth like someone who just realized something.

"Ah, could it be because of that...?"

I just shrugged and didn't answer.

And with that, the topic ended.

Afterwards, we talked about the boss strategy.

Though it was a cheat mode, the guy who came from playing games already had a general grasp on the boss battle.

He understood unfamiliar things quickly too.

"Um... Baron, how do you know all these things?"

He looked at me with suspicion, but giving a reasonable explanation wasn't difficult.

Well, I'm just a barbarian after all.

"When you become a titled noble, you can easily get information that ordinary people don't know."

"The other nobles don't seem to know much..."

"They're not explorers. They don't care about the labyrinth. Unless there's money to be made."

"Oh... that makes sense."

Sven Parab nodded willingly when I emphasized my noble status and dropped his doubts.

With business talk done, I thought about starting the strategy soon, but decided to continue talking a bit more.

Come to think of it, we hardly ever talked one-on-one.

So I started with a lighter topic.

"Sven Parab, how's temple life?"

"Actually, it's not too bad. After filing for secularization, I am treated like an outsider... but for me, sometimes that's more comfortable."

Secularization is a ritual where a cleric ends temple life and returns to being a layperson.

After the ritual, the religious person is no longer bound by temple commands.

"What exactly does secularization involve?"

As someone distant from religion, I was curious.

I heard you don't have to cut off your pinky finger or anything...

But I doubt the Trinitarian Church would just release their trained paladin without a price.

"It's nothing special. You just remove the blessing the goddess gave you and give up everything received from the temple, then it's done."

"Everything received from the temple...?"

"Ha, it means you become completely empty-handed. Everything I gained was while belonging to the temple. Ah, from next year I'll have to pay taxes too."

In short, you can leave only by giving up all your assets.

In some ways, giving up a pinky finger might seem more humane.

"I'm not too scared though. Miss Gowland promised to support me fully... Wait, you didn't know at all, Baron?"

Sven Parab sensed something strange while talking and flinched.

I chuckled and lightly tapped his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll take responsibility for you until the end."

"Phew... you startled me."

"But you're surprisingly calm? Don't paladins stop growing after secularization?"

Paladins are different from normal explorers.

They can't absorb essences like priests or mages, but instead gain new powers as they accumulate merits.

Oh, by the way, there are various ways to build merit.

Killing monsters in the labyrinth, offering donations, completing church missions.

As merit accumulates, the pope visits periodically to pray, and when you wake up the next day, a new skill appears.

That's why the pope's authority is so powerful.

"Well... can't be helped, right? Staying there means certain death someday. Besides, the goddess sometimes bestows new powers after secularization, so I'm hopeful for that."

"I guess I'll have to catch more monsters."

"I think if you stay with the baron, you'll naturally catch a lot..."

Usually he seemed like a lighthearted guy, but talking one-on-one, I realized he was earnest in his own way.

Maybe that's why...

I got curious about this too.

'Would he want to go back if he could?'

When Auril Gavis offered the escape ticket as a prize, he participated but soon gave up and left the round table.

After the Ice Rock expedition, he expressed anger and said he wanted revenge with us.

'But... how should I ask that?'

After thinking a moment, I cautiously asked indirectly.

"Sven Parab, there's something I want to ask."

"Go ahead, Baron."

"Do you... have someone you're seeing?"

"Huh?"

He looked surprised, like he heard a question he didn't want to.

But I was serious.

Because the answer would reveal how he views this world.

"I meant, do you currently have a girlfriend?"

"Well, um... no..."

"Hmm, I see...?"

Then I had no choice but to ask another question.

Just as I was about to speak again—

"But!"

He hurriedly continued.

"I-I do have someone I care about..."

"...?"

"No, I mean, there is a woman I care for!"

For some reason, by then he had stepped a few paces back from me.

Who was the woman who stole Sven Parab's heart?

I asked persistently, but he only bowed his head shyly and never answered.

Such behavior could only come from someone truly sincere toward the woman.

"It's really not Miss Gowland. She feels more like a teacher..."

"So you prefer innocent and fragile women?"

"Th-That's not what I meant!"

"I know, just kidding."

He really has a unique sense of humor.

I patted his shoulder and stood up.

After the private talk, I felt closer to him than before.

I understood better what kind of person he was.

"Well, we've talked enough, so let's go."

"Okay."

I led him out of the start point and down the corridor.

Criiick—!

Without needing to operate anything, the boss room entrance opened as we approached.

As soon as we stepped inside, the door slammed shut with a bang.

Whirr—!

Though the hall was dark, thanks to having pre-activated Barbarian Candle Mode, visibility wasn't a problem.

Three paths appeared: left, right, and straight ahead.

But the Rift Guardian wasn't anywhere to be seen.

That's natural.

The guardian we're about to fight is a unique type unlike any other.

Step, step.

This labyrinth we're walking through—

The whole maze itself is the boss monster we have to face.

This is just the first phase.

"Spirit Guardian Housiel has cast [Defense System]."

The moment we started moving in earnest, a magic cannon suddenly shot out from the perfectly smooth wall without any seams, aiming right at us.

And then...

Pew! Pew!

It didn't really hurt me, but for fragile mages, it would be just enough damage to take them out.

One reason I brought Sven Parab was this.

As a paladin, he can serve as a secondary tank and can self-heal.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah... yes. I was just a little surprised. I'm fine."

He looked like he was.

If he got seriously hurt from that, I wouldn't have brought him along.

"Then let's keep moving."

After that, we wandered through the maze defeating occasional magic cannon fire and monsters jumping out from frames.

Soon, the targeted area appeared.

A square stone chamber.

And at its center was a watermelon-sized magic stone.

Breaking that ends phase one.

Just like this.

Crack!

The moment I struck the magic stone with a hammer, a bizarre howling reminiscent of a banshee's scream echoed throughout the space, and the entire world turned pitch black.

When I opened my eyes, the space around me had changed.

An elegantly decorated mansion hallway.

But like a dream, the hallway endlessly stretched forward in a perfect mirror image.

"You said we need to search the rooms together to find the second magic stone."

"Strictly speaking, not 'together' but you."

"Ah... yes..."

We moved together, searching each room in sequence.

Though calling it a search felt a bit embarrassing.

Anyway.

"Um... I don't really feel dangerous."

After opening a closed door, Parab opened a box placed in the center.

And then...

Pew!

What happened next, I left to luck.

During that process, traps were triggered releasing poison gas, monsters appeared causing a long fight, and we got hit by an annoying curse.

"Um... I think it's better not to open this."

I put it on hold and checked it once more, just in case he felt uneasy.

If we can't find the true magic stone, we can open the others one by one later.

'It definitely takes a long time if he searches alone.'

If we split up ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) now, it would save a lot of time, but that was impossible.

"Spirit Guardian Housiel's [Defense System] grows even stronger."

No matter how much this guy gets stronger the longer the fight lasts—

'How are we supposed to open those when we could all die?'

The boxes had impossibly unfair traps mixed in.

Not a metaphor—about once in ten thousand.

No, more like once in a hundred thousand times when a box is opened, an event triggers—

'I'm not touching them.'

Luck.

Or rather, when facing misfortune, probability is just a numbers game.

At least I know that better than anyone.

'Well, sometimes the opposite happens, a positive event triggers.'

By the way, there's only one of each event, and the chance is nearly equal.

I figured the game designers deliberately put that nasty mechanic in.

So you can't just open all the boxes blindly.

You have to rely entirely on luck.

'Anyway, it's better not to expect much from the golden boxes—'

"Um... Baron...?"

I turned to Parab's stunned voice and froze.

"...Huh?"

An open box like a dead mimic.

Sshhhhhh—!

From inside, a brilliant light was radiating.