Surviving the Game as a Barbarian – 116



Episode 116: Reunion (4)

Erwen Fornacci di Tercia.

She was currently in the Witch’s Forest.

With her older sister Daria.

“Ugh… I’m so dizzy…”

“Once you get used to it it will be okay. So once you get used to it try focusing on the sound.”

The reason she came to the Witch’s Forest while hunting with her older sister on the third floor was simple.

She said recently that she was being trained as a searcher.

She took advantage of the last day before the labyrinth closed and entered the Witch’s Forest.

“She may not be an expert navigator but she should be able to find her way up to the fourth floor.”

“eww….”

Her older sister is a skilled explorer.

So she inherited her knowledge and know-how to the point where she could already find her way on her own in the lower levels.

But the Witch’s Forest was different.

Special terrain where you can only find your way through your senses.

“How do you think it sounds?”

Erwen followed her sister’s instructions and focused on the sounds she heard. Other races had to specialize in one ability such as smell or vision to avoid wandering in the Witch’s Forest…

Exciting-!

Are you saying that fairies with naturally developed hearing don’t need to do that?

Her older sister explains that even though it is difficult to move around here like in the front yard anyone can do it as long as they find the portal on the 4th floor.

Exciting-!

As I soon closed my eyes and listened I recognized small sounds that I had not normally heard.

The derivative sound of branches fluttering in the wind like a blade the howling of a monster the friction sound of a sharp weapon etc.

As I looked at them one by one I was able to find clearly disparate sounds.

Exciting-!

A heavy sound like a beating heart.

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This must be the magic wave sound her sister was talking about.

“Over there…”

Soon she heard a sound and pointed in the direction from which her older sister smiled proudly.

“Good job. “Shall we go then?”

Erwen continued to focus on the sound and find her way. There was a time when she didn’t even notice a monster approaching because she was so focused on hearing…

There was no problem because her older sister was by her side and helped her every time.

How long has it been like that?

Exciting-!

The sound of the magic waves grew louder.

Now even if I don’t really try to listen my ears are deafening. It was a moment when I thought it was okay to stop paying attention to the sound.

[Thank you for your hard work Rotmiller.]

Erwen frowned at the sudden voice she heard.

I don’t know who Rotmiller is but…

“Hmm?”

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

That voice saying you had a hard time was familiar.

Should I say that it was similar to the voice she missed which seemed harsh but still felt her warmth?

‘no way…?’

Even though she thought it couldn’t be possible Erwen’s legs were already moving.

In the direction the voice came from.

“Erwen? Where… stop…!”

She said her sister was talking to her behind her back but she didn’t even hear it and she went on like a person possessed.

Has it been like that for about a minute?

A wide open space appeared and a huge tower hidden in the forest was revealed.

In front of them was a group of explorers.

One dwarf two humans one beastman.

And… Barbarian.

Of course his behavior was completely different from that of anyone in her memories.

He was wearing shiny armor like a skilled explorer and his shield was much larger and more luxurious.

Her face couldn’t be seen because of her helmet.

but….

“Oh man?!”

Erwen instinctively felt it.

That that person is him.

“mister!!”

She belatedly shouted so that the whole forest echoed but she didn’t make the barbarian look back.

When I saw him he had already disappeared half way into the portal.

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Therefore she Erwen ran.

She was ready to follow him and enter the portal.

“Erwen!”

She ran with an agility that was incomparable to when she was running around on the first floor but her body was soon stopped by her older sister.

“…Let go! “Let’s go in now—”

“Come to your senses!!”

“That guy over there….”

“Are you going to keep forcing me? “What if you didn’t even see her face?”

Erwen found her speechless.

It was because she belatedly remembered how her actions might have been viewed.

but….

“I… I know. “I just know!”

“What if? The 4th floor is a dangerous place for the two of us. Besides do you know what kind of people they are who entered first?”

“That…”

It was a problem I hadn’t thought about.

Because she was already sure of Erwen.

But she did not have the confidence to explain this distinct pounding in her heart to her sister.

So she recklessly tried to loosen her arms by giving them strength.

“Oh no…!”

The color of the portal changed to red.

This means that now even if you enter the portal you will no longer be able to go to the same place that the previous people went to.

“why! Why didn’t you let me go?!”

“Because that’s natural! “Didn’t I tell you that if you go to the 4th floor you will be treated as a looter?”

“But… he was a man…!”

Erwen pressed his lips against hers.

Something rose up deep in her heart like a tantrum…

She took a long breath and came to her senses.

‘Yeah it’s okay. You knew he was alive…’

She decided to be satisfied with it for now.

If she wasn’t mistaken today if he really was alive.

‘…I’ll see you soon.’

Because I’m sure we’ll meet again.

***

“I have entered the 4th floor Tower of Heaven.”

***

What was it?

What about that voice?

It felt like it was calling me somehow…

‘Could it be Erwen?’

I froze in shock.

The only person I could think of who would call me uncle was her. But that also made a little bit of sense.

‘No to have such a coincidence.’

It was difficult to imagine that such a coincidence would occur while she was reuniting with her colleague in this vast labyrinth.

It was probably just a conversation between other explorers.

Anyway it’s not something to worry about now.

“Bjorn what are you doing! “Move quickly!”

A space of about 40 pyeong.

A stone room with tightly closed doors on each wall.

Tower of the Sky.

This is the first trial upon entering. In other words monsters pour out.

[Kyaaaaagh-!]

9th grade seven 8th grade three 7th grade one.

Monsters that appear on the third floor attack us in groups regardless of their habitat. This is why I usually call this place ‘the tower of training.’

Because there are so many types of monsters it is easy to gain experience points and you can deal with combination patterns that you have never experienced before.

‘The Orc Shaman the Stone Golem Living Armor and the Dullahan…’

An odd combination emerged from the start.

“Living Armor has cast [Arm Reinforcement].”

Living armor that is worn over the Dullahan’s body as if it were a host.

“The orc shaman casted [Frenzy].”

“Durahan’s physical resistance increases 3 times for 10 seconds.”

The Dullahan which already has extremely high physical resistance has almost been reduced to a stone and in the meantime the Stone Golem uses [Suppression] and spreads debuffs.

“Behel—laaaa!!”

While Misha and Rotmiller took out the level 9 mobs the dwarf and I created a shield wall to block the Dullahan.

Although it was a bad combination it was easy to endure because there were two tanks.

‘Even if the physical resistance is high it doesn’t really mean anything to us.’

Our main dealers are Dwalki and Misha.

Not to mention the wizard Dwarki and Misha also uses the Freeze Test tree properly and his cold damage has increased dramatically.

“Well was this always this easy?”

He was just wearing a meat shield but as the battle ended in an instant the dwarf tilted his head.

“Aren’t we all stronger now?”

“Hehe the one I just wrote was a new spell I learned this time. How was it?”

No matter how hard you count the original tank it is not noticeable.

On the other hand being a dealer was an occupation that stood out even after a little growth.

For reference the explorer…

“Keuhumhum.”

Well in the first place it’s almost treated as something other than power.

It is safe to say that a searcher has done his or her job simply by getting them to their destination within time.

Monsters aren’t the only ones that appear on the 4th floor.

“The ordeal has been completed.”

Soon when all the monsters were dead the tightly closed door opened wide.

Each door had a unique pattern engraved on it.

Courage Wisdom Fate Patience.

Normally I would have opened the Stairs of Courage and fought random monsters…

“Since we don’t have time it would be best to raise the floor level quickly.”

We first chose the Stairs of Wisdom.

The difficulty of the Tower in the Sky increases each time you pass a trial but the Stairs of Wisdom is a route that allows you to climb multiple floors at once.

With all our might we have to get to the 20th floor before we start to enjoy hunting.

“I chose the stairs of wisdom.”

For that reason we walked through darkness like an abyss.

The road was complicated there were traps and monsters occasionally appeared but as long as there was Rotmiller a professional explorer there was no danger.

Kwaaang-!

After about an hour when we reached the 6th floor the door we came in was locked and a monster attacked.

Unlike the first floor there were three level 7s but there was no particularly dangerous situation.

Unlike before the combination was also poor.

“Hmm I guess there is no staircase of wisdom this time.”

After finishing the hunt I had no choice but to choose the Stairs of Courage. That’s right fate has so many variables and patience… Everyone shook their heads in unison.

‘Well rather than doing that it would be easier to fight monsters a few more times.’

Maybe it’s a game.

In this patch of reality the trials of patience were trials that everyone avoided.

Hot cold sad and shitty memories come to mind.

“I chose the Stairs of Courage.”

Anyway I climbed the stairs and reached the 7th floor.

A monster appeared and that was the end of it.

The battle ended easily but the tightly closed doors showed no sign of opening.

That was natural.

If you choose courage you will have to wait 4 hours even if you kill all the monsters.

“Now then let’s take a break and recharge our courage!”

Anyway it’s a joke from a dwarf.

We were exhausted after trekking through the Witch’s Forest so we took a break without any regrets.

There was no particular need for night watch.

Monsters do not respawn and once the portal color changes other explorers will not be able to enter.

“Whew then let’s go!”

After sleeping for 4 hours we woke up and took the Stairs of Wisdom one more time to climb the tower.

In terms of the number of floors we have already reached the 12th floor.

But what is this?

[Wow!!]

We froze as we saw the single monster sitting in the center of the stone chamber.

Kuung-!

A huge body measuring over 4m.

Huge fangs protruding from the mouth.

Gray-white leather covered over massive muscles.

And even the spine bones are curved like a hunchback and the shoulder skeleton is deformed and gaping.

“Troll…?”

“Why is that guy here….”

troll.

A monster classified as the highest grade bastard among the 5 grades.

If Deathfiend was a ‘newbie cutter’…

The kid who played the role of a ‘keyboard breaker’ against mid-level gamers.

‘This bastard is coming out of here?’

I also have quite a few memories of making shotgun sounds on my keyboard because of this guy.

But is it because of that memory?

Cursing words naturally flowed out.

“Nimiral.”

Somehow even after meeting Hans things got easier.

Was it all because of this?

‘Fuck I didn’t know it was going to be a monster this time.’

It’s not just plunderers that you need to be wary of in the labyrinth.