Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Outside the city walls, not a single strand of hair could be found except for us.

Yet it was reported that signs of human presence were detected.

And not just a group... but a single individual.

"The target is one person... surprisingly, they appear to be sleeping soundly."

Ironically, the fact that it was only one person made ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ me feel even more uneasy.

Isn't that far more suspicious than if it had been several?

Who on this dangerous land where Grade 3 monsters appear would be wandering alone, and why?

"Well... we should check it out, right?"

"Yes. It's only right to assess all surrounding variables first."

Ibaekho and the archer quickly exchanged opinions and sprang into action.

"I'm going ahead, so follow me!"

Ibaekho shot forward like a cannonball.

Does this guy have no fear at all?

If it were me, given the unknown variables, I'd approach slowly and stealthily with my team.

'That unconditional confidence...'

Maybe that's Ibaekho's greatest weakness.

"...Baekho?!"

"Aures, let's hurry. That man might not be dangerous, but you never know."

The rest of us hurriedly followed Ibaekho.

And after some time...

"Wh-who are you to do this! Gah! L-let me go!"

A man's panicked voice echoed.

From just below.

"...Seems to be down here."

Peering into a wide fissure in the ground that looked like it was cracked by an earthquake, I heard Ibaekho's voice from below.

"Ah, you're all here? I'm coming down, wait! It's narrow, so not everyone can fit!"

After saying that, Ibaekho peeked his face out from the cliff below.

From above, the angle didn't show much, but it seemed there was a hidden space down there...

"Ugh!"

Ibaekho leapt up and landed where we were with a grunt like an old man.

In his raised right hand was a struggling middle-aged man, whose identity was unknown.

He looked very unhygienic, as if he hadn't washed for months...

"W-what are you...! Let me go! Let me go—!"

The struggling man's eyes widened as his gaze fixed on someone.

"...Aures? You're the gatekeeper Aures, right? Aures-niiiim!!"

"Y-you are...!!"

...What? They knew each other?

"...Who are you?"

"Eek! I'm the Red Eye, squad leader of Noark's direct guard unit, 3rd squad!"

"Red Eye? That's a new nickname..."

Aures tilted his head, and Ibaekho, who had loosened his grip slightly, narrowed his eyes.

"Huh, just made up some name and pretended to know him?"

"No, no! You know! Red Eye! Red Eye Daylan!"

The man hastily added his name, and Lek Aures seemed to recall something.

"Daylan? That's the name of the old man at the Merun tavern, right? Oh... you're his son?"

"Yes, yes! That's me!"

"Oh, now I remember that guy! Haha! Nice to meet you!"

Only then did the two recognize each other.

Ibaekho seemed a bit deflated and threw the man to the ground like cargo.

But he hadn't completely lost interest.

"You said Daylan?"

"Yes, yes... that's right!"

"Tell me, what were you doing here alone?"

"Well..."

"If you don't tell the truth, you're dead. Take this seriously."

That intimidating attitude was one of Ibaekho's scary traits.

He ignored all politeness and pressed with force, demanding answers, and had a built-in lie detector.

'I almost lost it then...'

Watching the man shrink and roll his eyes in desperation reminded me of old memories.

But the past is the past.

"Speak quickly! What nonsense were you doing here?"

Ibaekho barked again, and the man shut his eyes tightly before answering.

"...I... deserted!"

"Deserted...?"

"The plan to invade Rafdonia seemed so absurd... People like us would only die meaninglessly if we got involved!"

"I see... So while everyone else was going back, you snuck away?"

"I wasn't the only one! At first, many people thought the same as me."

"Hmm? Then why are you alone now?"

"We were scattered because of monsters..."

He explained that initially more than a hundred people remained outside together.

They said if they united, they could live happily here.

But that promise lost all meaning the moment they faced powerful monsters.

No wonder.

Those who left the group for their own safety couldn't possibly unite properly in a crisis.

"So after scattering, we carefully searched for places to hide. That's how we ended up settling here..."

"In that rabbit-hole-like place in the cliff?"

"Yes..."

"How long have you lived there?"

"Uh... I don't know the exact time, but about two months now..."

"Wow, impressive. But where did you go to the bathroom?"

"Well... actually... I used to squat at the cliff's edge—"

"Stop it! No dirty talk."

Jaina, the healer, frowned and scolded him, and Ibaekho grumbled but didn't continue.

And maybe sensing it was the right moment?

"So... who is Gongja-nim?"

The man boldly asked Ibaekho.

"Me? Why do you want to know?"

"Well... if you're from the city, I wondered if you might know if the lord's plan succeeded..."

Is he regretting not following now?

If he really is from the city, he seems ready to beg to be taken back.

Of course, Ibaekho wouldn't allow that.

"You don't need to know. Stay quiet."

"..."

"Now, what should we do with this guy? He'll probably die soon anyway..."

The man's face grew more desperate.

Not surprising.

His tone sounded like he was deciding what to eat for dinner—chilling me to the bone.

"Wait! I have a proposal!"

"Hm?"

"Please take me with you when you return to the city! I'll give you useful information!"

His desperate bargaining was clear.

But Ibaekho only showed a bored expression.

"Hmm, not really curious..."

Though his tone was uninterested, I could tell it was an act.

Or rather, a natural negotiation—if the other party shows submission, he takes control.

"Well, then say it. If it's truly useful, I might consider."

Ibaekho spoke firmly from a position of power, giving nothing away, and then through the man, we heard something unexpected.

"Dimensional stele...! I know where another one is...!"

Hmm...?

The man's story was very short and simple.

After separating from the group, he wandered far and wide looking for a safe place.

And he accidentally found it.

A dimensional stele identical to the one in the Noark settlement.

"What? Really?"

With Ibaekho, who has a lie detector, saying that, there's no doubt about its truth...

"Usually, it's hidden in a dangerous place no one would dare go. If not for me, no one would find it!"

Indeed... Since he found it by living in a small cave under the cliff, it seemed to be somewhere unimaginable.

"So, where exactly is it?"

Now clearly fascinated by the dimensional stele, Ibaekho no longer feigned disinterest.

Sensing this, the man quickly tried to bargain.

"It's not hard to tell you, but..."

"Alright, you want a promise, right? I'll promise. If you don't cause trouble and follow us well, we'll take you to the city."

The man seemed to try to check if Ibaekho was lying, but eventually nodded, realizing he had no choice.

"I trust you..."

"Good. Now tell me, where is it?"

The man led us to his hideout at the edge of the cliff.

And...

"It's right down here."

"Down here?"

"Yes..."

Ha, no wonder he told us so easily.

He must have wanted to finish the deal quickly since we would find it soon anyway.

"I'm going down first, everyone come down on your own, got it?"

Without hesitation, Ibaekho jumped off the cliff again, and we followed down in our own ways.

Whoooooosh—!

The mage floated down with levitation magic.

Tap, tap, tap—!

The archer leapt down the cliff.

[Hihihihiing-!]

The priest rode a flying summoned beast.

And I...

'Guess I have to make do with my body.'

Kraaaang-!

The fall was quite deep, and upon landing, it felt like electricity ran through my toes, but thanks to my high bone density and physical resistance stats, I endured it.

"Wow, Baron, you're bold."

"What are you saying? Anyway, this must be the dimensional stele, right?"

"Yes. It really exists. We'll have to ask the old man later if it can be activated."

A deep ravine, nearly 70 meters.

It was so dark that light barely reached down, but the dimensional stele the man mentioned clearly stood there.

"Oh, old man! Here! Here! Come check this out quickly!"

"Havelion, you come and take a look too."

After the mages arrived, they examined the stele and reached the same conclusion.

"It is exactly the same kind of dimensional stele we used."

"If we pump enough mana into it like last time, there's a high chance the portal will open."

"Wow, really? Even after all that searching, it's found like this."

Ibaekho patted the man on the shoulder as if praising him.

I thought he should have patted harder if he was praising, but everyone has their own style.

"Well, let's start putting mana in. Let's see if it actually works."

"...What if it does?"

"No, try first. See if it works, then think. Why so cautious?"

"..."

The GM, who had asked a question earlier and got scolded, approached the stele with a bitter expression.

And then...

"Starting."

The ruin scholar and the GM injected mana first, producing exactly the same effect as before.

Sshhhhhhh!

Dense mana emitted light.

It gradually took shape, growing in size until the portal formed.

"The portal really opened."

"Baekho, what's your plan now?"

"...Well, I really have to think now."

"Finish as quickly as possible. The portal only lasts about five minutes."

"Okay."

Just as I thought he was quietly contemplating alone, Ibaekho spoke again shortly.

"But I'm curious where this leads. It really feels like exploring for the first time in a long while."

"...Don't forget our goal. We came here to gather materials to fix the magic circle."

"But you never know, maybe this will get us there faster."

"..."

"Well, if not, we can open another portal and come back. Right?"

What percentage P is this guy thinking with?

It's a mindset I can't even imagine, but one thing I agreed on.

'I'm curious too...'

It really feels like an adventure.

While I was thinking that, Ibaekho made up his mind.

"Okay, decision made."

"What will you do?"

"Let's go through once. It's more work to come back here later. Baron, you okay with that?"

Hmm...

"If you say no, you won't?"

"No. We're going without you. You stay here."

"I'm coming."

Yeah, this is kind of a hidden piece. I can't just let Ibaekho go alone.

When I decided, things started moving fast.

"Hey, you go first."

"Me... me?"

"Why can't you go first?"

"There might be danger on the other side... Ah, I'll go first."

"Should have done that earlier."

Ibaekho sent the man through the portal first, then one by one, we crossed.

By the way, I was last.

Flash—!

My vision whitened then slowly cleared.

I habitually scanned the surroundings.

The terrain was a dark cave.

No monsters nearby.

But the problem was...

"Baekho? Did you come properly? I don't see the dimensional stele anywhere."

The moment we crossed, the portal disappeared, and the dimensional stele that allows opening portals was nowhere to be seen.

Also...

'One, two, three, four, five...'

One person was missing.

No, more precisely...

"What the hell? That bastard."

The man who told us about the dimensional stele's location was nowhere to be found.

"Where did he really go? There was absolutely no time to escape! What the hell?"

Ibaekho muttered in confusion.

Watching him, I swallowed hard.

Thump!

I felt like we'd fallen into a trap.

An inexplicable dread began to engulf me.

I hurriedly spoke to Aures, who was familiar with that guy.

"Aures."

"Yes?"

"That guy earlier. The one called Daylan."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember his full name?"

Aures found the question somewhat random.

Still, he thought seriously and answered.

"Well... I don't really remember."

"...Is that so?"

Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a help.

'...Maybe it's better not to know?'

As I was about to drop the subject, Aures said something I couldn't ignore.

"But..."

"But?"

"I think it was a very common name."

...Eh, no way, right?