Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Back to the 7th floor, Ice Rock.

The final stage of that floor, the Eye of the Glacier.

「Character has entered a special area.」

「Field Effect - Eye of the Glacier applied.」

「All healing and regeneration effects are reversed.」

「Status Effect [Whisper of Immortality] applied.」

「Upon death, the character will be resurrected as an undead.」

「Status Effect [Opportunity Denied] applied.」

The icy air chills me to the bone.

But there's no time to adjust to the sudden change in environment.

"Naria, summon the trolls!"

Three Ice Trolls begin pulling the sleds loaded with supplies.

Each sled carries thirteen days' worth of food.

We could have brought enough for a few weeks if we had pooled all our personal rations, but we deliberately brought just enough to last until the labyrinth closed.

We needed to maximize our carrying capacity for combat and exploration supplies.

"Formation!"

Our expedition force is down to twenty-five members.

I made a cold calculation: thirteen days' worth of food should be enough.

"Let's move!"

As soon as we formed our ranks, we began ascending the Eye of the Glacier, retracing our steps from ten days ago.

It's a steep climb, a narrow spiral path carved into the ice.

But our pace is faster this time.

There are no monsters here after the portal has been opened.

We should be able to reach the top in five days at most.

The real problem is the pursuit.

'If they're rational, they'll leave us alone.'

Entering Ice Rock requires extensive preparation.

Thick fur coats to ward off the cold, heating stones, food supplies, and sleds to carry it all.

Any explorer who relies solely on their subspace pocket would be in serious trouble here.

But...

'Knowing that guy... he'll come.'

It's too early to relax.

My life is on the line, along with my companions' and the other members'.

I have to prepare for the worst.

Thud, thud.

We push forward, urging the exhausted members to increase their pace.

About eight hours later.

"Schuitz!"

A female mage from Kaislan's team rushes towards me.

She's from the 2nd Magic Corps, if I remember correctly.

Her voice and tone are unusually childish for a soldier...

"Schuitz! Schuitz! We have a problem! A big problem!"

I can't understand why she speaks like that, despite her tall stature and mature appearance.

But that's not the issue right now.

"A problem? Is it them?"

"Yes! The detection magic we set up at the portal has been triggered!"

"I see..."

So they followed us into Ice Rock.

I had expected it, but it still made my stomach churn.

"How many?"

"I immediately entered a mental trance to observe them, and there were definitely over twenty!"

"What do you mean 'definitely over twenty'?"

"They noticed us sooner than expected. The Eye of Mind was destroyed, so I couldn't see anyone else entering."

Damn it, I missed the most important part.

Knowing the enemy's strength would have been a huge advantage.

"How were they equipped?"

"Heh, you're wondering if they prepared properly, right?"

"Yes."

I nodded, and the mage grinned.

"They're completely unprepared! They're just wearing thin cloaks over their armor! They have backpacks, but those are probably filled with food. They wouldn't have expandable backpacks, so they'll have to turn back soon."

Her initial worry had vanished, replaced by a smug confidence.

It was good news.

'Forget about the cloaks, they're using backpacks? Well, I guess it's unrealistic to expect them to bring sleds or carts.'

Backpacks have a limited carrying capacity.

They wouldn't be able to carry thirteen days' worth of food in those backpacks, not with the [Starvation] status effect active.

And backpacks are a liability in combat.

They're bulky and heavy, hindering movement.

In the early game, when subspace pockets were rare, low-level teams even hired porters to carry their supplies.

"Alright. We'll set up another detection magic here and move on. We need to know their exact numbers."

"Yes, sir!"

We stopped briefly and set up another detection magic, then resumed our journey.

This time, we pushed ourselves even harder.

______________________

"Schuitz! Schuitz!"

Six hours later, the same mage came running towards me again.

"The detection magic has been triggered!"

Her trembling voice made it clear this wasn't good news.

"...They're faster than I thought."

The magic we had set up after eight hours of marching had been triggered after only six hours.

It meant they were moving faster than us.

If this continued, they would catch up to us in two days.

"I-it seems like they're desperate... They don't have enough food, so they're trying to catch up as soon as possible..."

I could understand their desperation.

They were running out of time.

"How many are there?"

"I confirmed it this time! Forty-six!"

"That's good news. Thank you."

"It's my duty, sir!"

The mage saluted playfully.

And then she seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right. There's one more thing..."

She stopped and turned to face me.

And then she spoke cautiously.

"There are some unusual individuals among them. They're different from the others, just by looking at their equipment... The black mage who detected my magic first was one of them."

"..."

"I-it's just my opinion, so don't worry too much about it!"

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

"Yes, sir... Oh, and one more thing! What about the detection magic? Should we set up another one?"

"No, we've confirmed their numbers. We just need to know when they passed by."

"Yes, sir!"

After the mage returned to her position, Goblin mumbled in a strange tone.

"That... Marone is always so energetic, isn't she?"

What is he talking about?

Does he even understand the situation?

I was about to tell him to focus on the path ahead...

"It's a shame. I hope she survives..."

His next words stopped me.

He was staring at the mage's back, his voice filled with a strange sadness.

I couldn't help but agree.

"Yes, it would be a shame..."

"..."

A heavy silence fell between us.

And then...

Raviyen, who had been walking beside us, spoke up.

"Speaking of survival, Parab, how are you feeling now?"

She had been looking down on him before...

But now she was asking for his opinion.

She must have witnessed his uncanny intuition firsthand.

"Well... I'm not sure anymore. I just feel like we have to keep moving forward, no matter how difficult it gets."

"...I see."

The mood suddenly turned gloomy.

I cleared my throat and changed the subject.

"By the way, Parab, why did you join the expedition?"

"...Yes?"

"You have that amazing intuition. You should have been able to avoid this."

I had been curious about this ever since we left the city.

He had avoided the 1st-floor incident by trusting his intuition, so why was he here?

"Well... I didn't want to come in the first place."

"What?"

"I'm not saying this because I regret it now. It's the truth."

"Really?"

"Yes, sir. The Archbishop tried to persuade me, offering all sorts of rewards... but I wasn't convinced. I tried to come up with excuses to avoid it, but..."

"But?"

"He sighed and looked at me. I suddenly felt a chill down my spine, so I changed my mind and agreed to join. I mean... wouldn't you rather walk a thorny path than face the executioner?"

"...? Executioner? I don't understand."

"Well... this might sound strange, but I felt like I would die if I refused. I mean it. I thought entering the labyrinth would be safer."

"Ah..."

"Anyway, I regret it now. He wouldn't have actually killed me, would he? Hahaha..."

Goblin laughed awkwardly, and Raviyen seemed to accept his explanation.

But...

'This is strange...'

Something felt off.

I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Parab, do you have any idea why the Archbishop made you feel that way?"

"Hmm, well... I haven't thought about it much... Maybe he was planning to send me on a more dangerous mission if I refused."

We continued the conversation as we marched, but I couldn't figure out what bothered me.

We had too much on our minds.

'At this rate, we'll be caught by them in two days.'

Even if we increase our pace, it's not enough.

We'll be overtaken before we reach the end of Ice Rock.

What should we do?

How can we escape this pursuit?

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

My heart pounded, filled with anxiety.

______________________

Scrape, scrape.

The sound of a whetstone sharpening a blade.

Chew, chew.

The sound of someone savoring their jerky.

"Haha, really?"

"Yeah, we should go together when we get back to the city. You wouldn't believe me if I just told you."

Some explorers were chatting and laughing, while others were meditating, their breaths deep and even.

Everyone had their own way of dealing with stress.

"...Shouldn't you get some rest too, sir?"

"I'll be fine here. You go back to your position."

"But..."

"Go, now."

At my order, Erwen reluctantly returned to her position, her shoulders slumped. I stared into the darkness of the descending path.

"They were trying to be considerate, weren't they? You didn't have to be so harsh."

"They crossed the line."

"...I understand."

Raviyen was about to say something, but she stopped when she saw my expression.

We were currently in the middle of the Eye of the Glacier.

"We've reached the midpoint."

We had arrived here after ten days of nonstop marching.

And now we had to stop.

Because...

"...They'll be here soon."

My heart pounded.

It wasn't excitement for the upcoming battle, but anxiety.

"..."

I had been brainstorming for days, trying to find a way to avoid the inevitable... but nothing came to mind.

There was no way to escape this fight.

So...

"..."

All I could do was prepare for it.

No matter how strong the enemy was, we had to fight.

'Forty-six...'

That's almost twice our number.

And according to the mage, ten of them were particularly strong. Their equipment alone rivaled the Dragonslayer's.

'Maybe some of them are from the 8th-floor expedition team.'

If that's the case, we're in deep trouble.

They would be strong enough to clear the 8th floor.

We wouldn't stand a chance in a head-on battle.

But...

"..."

There's no other choice.

We have to fight.

'But if we win...'

We can end this expedition here.

We wouldn't have to climb any further.

We could just stay here and eat until the labyrinth closed.

Crunch.

I clenched my fist.

Yes, there's that possibility.

"...!"

"Everyone, get ready!"

The mage suddenly shouted, her voice trembling.

"They're coming...!"

It was time.

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