Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

A synthetic monster created by inserting magic stones into a device.

And the customized essences obtained by defeating those synthetic monsters.

We discovered one key feature of these essences.

For device A, the magic stones correspond to the stat portion.

Device B corresponds to the passive abilities.

Device C is responsible for the active skills.

Ah, by the way, this information was only uncovered through research done by feeding these essences directly to expedition members who had descended to the underground first floor and had their minimum levels raised by one.

Unlike fixed base stats or passives, it was uncertain which active skill would be selected.

Perhaps because of that, the essence's color changed depending on the active skill.

"So... this has goblin stats combined with troll's bodily power ability. And since it's blue, it must contain the Steel Hill Chaser's [Terrain Eruption]."

Raven, who had been observing and recording every summoning, immediately briefed detailed info as soon as the essence dropped.

Without even asking my permission, she placed the essence in a test tube and labeled it.

Well, aside from the research value of the essence, no member of our expedition was willing to consume it.

In the first place, there weren't many awakened members yet, and those who were already conducting experiments had used up their essence slots.

Those guys probably have to go out and clear essences first.

"Alright, then, resume the search!"

Though we summoned monsters here and there for research, this was the last of it.

We focused on finding comrades trapped somewhere in the rail labyrinth.

Customized essences were tempting enough to make any explorer's eyes light up, but to properly farm these essences, finding our comrades came first.

There were several reasons beyond just worrying about them.

'It's difficult with the current members.'

The hunting difficulty for these synthetic monsters was quite high.

No wonder — they weren't just carrying stats equal to the essence you get from hunting them.

They had base stats like the combined stats of three monsters.

The passives of all three monsters.

All the active skills the three monsters possessed...

A synthetic monster made by combining three grade 9 monsters was obviously much stronger than an ordinary grade 9 monster.

There could be variations depending on synergy combinations.

'Generally, average grade plus 2.'

Depending on synergy, it could be plus 3, or even plus 4.

Well, since it's a synergy combination, the essences you get from such cases would have much higher value.

'...That's a real shame.'

I was briefly obsessed with the absurd discovery of customized essences to the point that I stopped searching and focused on research, but thanks to these penalties, I calmed down a bit.

It's amazing, but it's not like you can freeload through the rest of your life.

'Three grade 1 monsters might be specs high enough to open the Abyss Gate, but even that seems difficult.'

From what I see, even if the entire expedition gathered, it would be hard to defeat a grade 2 synthetic monster.

Grade 3 might be doable though...

'It'd still come with some damage.'

Ultimately, to obtain these customized essences, you have to be spec-wise much stronger than the essence's grade.

Therefore...

'Though it's a core essence, you can upgrade lower-grade essences or combine them to save essence slots.'

That's basically the real role of this device.

Well, you could also use high-grade essences mixed properly with lower monsters.

'The problem is the synthetic monsters...'

Most monsters in the factory are lower grade.

That itself isn't a big problem.

This factory is a place where dismantling, combining, and disassembling are all possible.

If we put the magic stones we have into the device, monsters appear on the rails, so we can confirm which magic stone belongs to whom.

Also, those spawned monsters won't leave the rails unless attacked first, so if we just wait, they'll complete one lap and return to the device, turning back into magic stones.

'But letting the rails keep spinning makes searching difficult.'

Anyway, waking our comrades is the first priority...

One day, two days, three days, four days...

Time passed quickly and finally, the awaited news arrived.

"W-we found them!"

A hidden room was discovered.

The waiting room that could only be checked via CCTV in the control room.

After running the rails backward and searching everywhere, we finally found where our comrades were trapped.

"Uh... here...?"

"W-we survived...!!"

As they woke up one by one using the crown of agony, the atmosphere grew busy.

"What is this headpiece? I think I've never seen something like this..."

"...It's a magical tool Mr. Yandel had. I don't know the details either. Ask him yourself."

Sometimes mages asked about the crown, but I just brushed it off roughly.

Because no one was nearby when we got it, pulling it out and using it like this raised no suspicion.

What can they do if we say it was ours originally?

"Sir..."

"Bjorn!"

Anyway, finding the room meant finally reuniting with our separated comrades.

"How's your body? Are you okay? Any pain or abnormalities?"

"No. Nothing. Don't worry. How about you?"

Though unconscious for a long time, fortunately, none of the Clan Anabada members suffered any physical problems.

But not everyone was like that.

"...One essence is malfunctioning."

"Huh? Me too! Same here!"

Some expedition members complained of abnormal symptoms, and they shared one common factor.

They had previously been dragged to the factory, transformed once into magic stones, and then returned.

However, there was a strange point here as well...

"I-I'm perfectly fine though."

Even though they turned into magic stones the same way, some showed no abnormalities.

So the mages gathered to inspect their bodies...

"The rank of their souls dropped by one. That's why their most recently acquired essence is malfunctioning."

"What about the others?"

"It's assumed that their merit points were reduced. Those who dropped rank had the commonality of recently being promoted."

Those who didn't receive level-down penalties had been promoted quite a long time ago.

'Experience reduction penalty...'

A precise causal investigation estimated the reduced amount to be about 1,000 EXP.

"Wait, then what will happen to me? I've collected merit for all monsters below grade 3 anyway..."

"Then from now on, you should aim for monsters grade 3 or higher."

"Damn! Losing one essence and still having to say that!"

"...There's no ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) other way."

Those who aimed for max level looked utterly frustrated.

Looking at them, I wasn't planning to say this, but...

'That's a relief.'

I felt deep relief.

Because among those dragged away was Amelia too.

If she hadn't woken up midway and escaped on her own, our plans would have been seriously disrupted.

Our goal wasn't to settle for making money on floors 7 or 8.

"Vice Commander, take the remaining members and move to the underground below. Raven will tell you what to do."

Once the chaos calmed down somewhat, I immediately gave orders.

"Emily, go to the control room, reactivate the rails, and then come back here."

"Got it. I'll be quick."

"Expedition Leader, you will stay here and investigate this room with the search team. If my instincts are correct, something hidden should be here as well."

"...Understood."

Okay, that's all the immediate orders.

"Sven Parab."

I caught the guy trying to slip away underground among the main group.

"Yes?"

"How's your body?"

"Ah, yes... No problems at all."

"Good to hear. Come with me for a moment. I have something to discuss privately."

Since it wasn't a conversation to have with others around, I took him to a secluded place.

And...

"This is something only a few know about, so be especially careful with your words. Understand?"

I started by intimidating him, but ironically, it backfired and he looked awkward.

"Uh... then maybe I shouldn't listen..."

Trying to dodge from the start.

Avoidance was his bad habit.

"This is something I must hear your opinion on, so listen carefully. It's an order."

"...Yes. I'll listen carefully."

Only after activating my barbarian commander mode did he change his expression and prepare to talk.

I glanced around quietly and lowered my voice to tell him what the 'Lab Director' said in the control room.

Of course, no need to explain about the hamster or every detail we talked about then.

The gist was all that mattered.

"He warned that if we don't leave here within half a year, we'll face great trouble..."

"Yeah. He said something would appear by then. Five of us might not survive."

"I-I see..."

Anyway, with the situation explained, it was time to get to the main point.

"So, how do you feel?"

"Yes?"

"How do you feel after hearing all this?"

At my repeated question, he seemed dazed for a moment but then opened his mouth as if realizing something.

"Ah... because of that, you..." Thischapter'struesourceisMyVirtualLibraryEmpire(M|V|LEMP-YR).

He was gradually catching on to why I called him.

Well, this kind of situation had repeated several times already.

"Speak. Your thoughts... no, how do you feel? Do you think we need to get out of here as he said?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly concentrating, then answered with a remorseful voice.

"...It feels so far into the future that I have no feelings about it yet."

"You said during the Ice Rock expedition you didn't want to go into the city?"

"Yes... that's true, but..."

He trailed off at my question and added an explanation about his intuition.

Generally, that ability works at the final crossroads or moments when you can make choices.

"Then we just have to do what we have to and wait."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize. Anyway, if you feel something strange later, drop everything and come find me. Got it?"

"Yes, I will definitely tell you."

Time passed quickly again.

After the conversation with the goblins, I set a guideline.

[If we can't leave here within half a year, we'll be in serious trouble.]

Even if the lab director's words were true, I decided to proceed my way.

After all, didn't the director say?

[It's not a wrong guess. If someone qualified appears, it's my duty to grant the qualification.]

If we can qualify on our own before then, the director's warning becomes irrelevant.

No reason to make shady deals then.

So what I did afterward was simple.

"Commander! We found this in the room where we were kidnapped!"

We continued investigating the lab.

Following clues found in the hidden room, we entered a new space, and after searching there, found something else.

During that process, we raided the mechanical wolf we found when first entering the lab.

When the clues ran out and progress stalled, we even went outside the temple and searched externally to gather information about Rainbow Island.

Also at the same time.

"Hey! You just made a mistake. That monster transformed into a magic stone just now isn't a normal drake, but a red drake."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. Please make sure to label the magic stones properly so no problems occur later. If you're even a bit unsure, ask me right away."

While the expedition was doing its work, we also assigned a fair number of personnel to the underground factory.

It was a sort of insurance.

It's good to focus on one thing, but sometimes having plan B can prevent total ruin.

If that guy the director warned about really shows up and we have to run away from here, at least if we have gathered the necessary essences beforehand, the losses would be minimized.

'It's not like it takes much manpower.'

For now, we were just rotating rails and labeling magic stones, planning to hunt monsters with all members at once when the time was right.

One day, two days, three days.

After spending busy days without rest, a month, two months, three months passed.

'...Exploration has basically stopped. Maybe it's time to start.'

We stopped exploring Rainbow Island and returned to the lab.

Then gathered all members in the underground factory and inserted the magic stones into the devices.

Clatter.

Into the first device, I put the magic stone of Arbet, a grade 3 monster with weak skills but insanely high raw stats, to set the base.

Clatter.

Into the second device, I put the magic stone of Woomdal, a grade 4 monster with good passives but weak otherwise, unsuitable for shield warrior training, as seasoning.

And...

Clatter.

Into the third device, I put the magic stone of an Orc Hero with [Giant Form] for the active slot, finishing neatly.

"Mr. Yandel, as I said earlier, this combination can be used twenty-one times total."

"I know."

Come on out already.