Surviving the Game as a Barbarian – 179



Episode 179: Doppelganger (4)

Crack.

Instant dungeons that exist in each layer such as Bloody Citadel and Glacier Cave.

There are two main characteristics of cracks.

Essence drop rate increases exponentially.

And special monsters called guardians give special rewards that cannot be obtained in regular fields.

“Where is the Abman Rift?”

In response to my question Mr. Bear closed his eyes for a moment as if concentrating on his senses.

“Over there. “I don’t think it’s far.”

Yes that’s right.

I smiled.

The probability of successful entry has increased.

Thanks to the five steps of Wisdom on the first day we have already reached stage 27.

[23:45]

The 7th day is not even over yet.

It is safe to say that there are only a few competitors.

Cracks on the 4th floor are only created at stage 25 or higher.

But it happened to be nearby?

“Of course you’re going to look for Mr. Yandel right?”

“Of course.”

Cracks are the flowers of the labyrinth.

An opportunity that any explorer should never miss.

After waking up we quickly cleared out the campsite with unanimous agreement.

And he stood in front of the door in the direction Abman pointed.

Huh!

After waiting for a few minutes the engraved pattern on the stone door came into light. This means that the 4-hour waiting period has ended and the door can now be opened.

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“Ugh I don’t like this….”

“I hope it’s not just a hallucination.”

Misha and Uncle Bear who had experience with the ordeal let out a cry in unison. On the other hand Raven and Einar responded that it was difficult to understand.

“I would rather be in a psychedelic world. “I heard that it doesn’t have much effect on mentally strong people.”

“Hahaha! Then there will be no problem for me too!!”

Now that I think about it this must be the first time for these two.

I also became a little curious.

A wizard armed with reason and rationality and a barbarian warrior who knows no fear.

How will these two react?

If I knew that I might be able to know whether my case was unusual or not.

“I chose the stairs of patience.”

It was just a long hallway about 100 meters long.

As soon as you step into it your companion disappears and a new background appears.

The pediatric ward where I spent most of my childhood.

The sky beyond the window was bright and the face of the child lying on the bed was also bright.

‘It’s a hallucination world.’

As soon as I take a step in the direction of the child my surroundings change.

Beyond the window where the sunset has already begun to set.

In front of the bed a young college student brings a chair and sits down.

At one time he was someone I trusted and followed more than my parents.

‘Ha is this the beginning again?’

I chuckled and took another step.

Then a conversation began between the child and the college student.

The child who was playing the game together asked if he could play a little longer and the college student refused.

Maybe it could have ended there.

But the child was young.

As he continued to force himself the college student’s expression eventually hardened. Then as if something exploded he got up and started swearing.

Those words were more painful than any hospital treatment at the time.

Trudging.

I took a step further letting it slip out of one ear.

I am now an adult.

Even if you hear the same words you won’t be hurt.

He doesn’t even turn his arrow at me saying it’s clear something bad happened to him that day.

It was something that could happen in life.

It could have been anyone’s fault but it couldn’t have been anyone’s fault.

That’s it.

Trudging.

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Inside the car right before the accident.

An apartment burning red.

The amusement park left alone.

My living room after becoming an office worker.

Trudging.

Every time I took a step the surroundings changed and the characters that appeared changed accordingly.

Trudging.

Mom Dad Uncle and ex-girlfriend.

At each place a new person came out and said things that left a deep scar on me.

But so what?

‘It’s still easy.’

These are scenes that can be vividly pictured in one’s mind even without being shown as hallucinations.

Now it’s not even a new thing.

Because there is a tolerance for pain.

‘What is this?’

After walking for a while people who had not appeared before appeared.

[ah! Bjorn is here!]

[Haha why is it so late!]

Misha and Dwalky smile happily with their arms crossed. Whenever you take a step closer to greeting someone their expression becomes grotesquely distorted.

[Everyone could have been happy if it weren’t for you.]

[Is it okay for you to survive for me?]

This is a pattern often seen in cartoons and movies.

Is there anything more novel?

‘Yeah it’s not my fault. ‘Ask God.’

I continued walking in silence without turning away from their gaze.

[Bjorn son of the great warrior Yandel!]

[Give back my friend’s body!!]

In addition to Einar who appeared next people I had formed as Bjorn Yandel appeared one after another and said strange things to me.

These were all things I didn’t remember.

But it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Because it’s an idea I’ve had at least once.

‘Yeah but it still doesn’t work.’

I kept going without stopping.

I didn’t cover my ears or close my eyes.

“The ordeal has been completed.”

Before long the hallucinations were over.

I was in front of the door and had already reached the end of the hallway with the stairs in front of me.

The same goes for other colleagues.

“B Bjorn…!”

“If you cry again I will really leave you.”

“Hey.”

I looked away from the crying Misha and checked the rest.

Mr. Bear had an innocent expression.

He gave me an unpleasant look but that was it.

Einar was also surprisingly fine.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh uhm… it was just a bit of an unpleasant experience.”

Actually if you think about it all barbarians are mentally strong.

The Barbarians were a race that learned how to fight and overcome before how to run away.

So what about wizards?

“….”

The last time I checked Raven was staring into space with a blank expression. Even from afar I could feel my body trembling like an aspen tree.

What on earth did he see?

I was curious but I didn’t bother to ask.

I don’t think they’ll answer anyway.

“It’s all over now.”

“Ah… yes. That’s right….”

When I approached him and tapped his shoulder Raven came to her senses.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead.

“I’ll go up and rest for a while so just cheer up a little longer.”

“yes….”

He climbed the stairs keeping his companions in check.

And then I took a break for about 10 minutes.

In fact the Stairs of Patience was not often chosen in the game for this reason.

Because your stamina is drastically reduced.

I didn’t know if that was the reason.

“Abman where should I go from here?”

“It’s over there.”

After the break we resumed the exploration again.

The decision is that cracking is the top priority right now.

The next thing I chose was the Stairs of Wisdom and I cleared the maze in 2 hours.

That’s the next stage.

“It’s a portal!!”

There was a crack open in the empty stone room.

For reference the color of the vigorously shaking portal is green.

‘It’s a doppelganger forest….’

It was the name of the third fissure I would explore following the Blood Citadel Glacier Cavern.

***

“The character entered the 4th floor crack.”

***

There are two types of 4th floor cracks.

Golden ruins and doppelgänger forests with money pouring out.

‘…It’s not a golden ruin.’

I tried to erase my regret and called the wizard.

“Raven.”

“Reyate.”

Soon as the light sphere floated in the air a new environment surrounding us came into view.

We were locked in a huge iron cage.

The outside visible through the bars is covered in the darkness of a labyrinth and is invisible.

“Bjorn! “How did this happen!!”

Um should I explain?

As he was thinking about it Raven opened his mouth.

“Don’t be surprised. “It will open on its own when the time comes.”

“huh? What do you mean! “Tell me more!”

“It’s because the number of people inside isn’t full yet. “Up to three teams can enter here.”

This is different from the first floor crack.

Up to 15 people can enter the Doppelganger Forest through a total of three portals. If the previous one was cooperation between individuals now it is cooperation between teams.

“Was this place also written about in that book?”

“yes. You’re lucky. “I don’t know much about the golden ruins.”

Well since I saw the crack report I guess I can just tell him to take care of the hidden pieces.

No should I just leave everything to you including the strategy?

The worry was short-lived.

“Good. Then this time you give the instructions. “I will follow everything.”

“Are you telling me to take on the role of leader?”

“Isn’t there a saying in places like this that you should follow the wizard’s words?”

“Hehe I like it. “Please leave it to me this time.”

When he gave him a little lift Raven spread his shoulders wide and declared that he would take care of all the troublesome work.

I mean I have a very easy personality to deal with.

‘If a problem arises later let’s step in then.’

In a new team you need to be careful following Rottmiller’s advice to hide your specialness as much as possible.

If it’s installed like before Raven or Mr. Bear are sure to sense that something is wrong.

“Then I will tell you what to pay attention to from now on. First of all most of the monsters you will meet here will be doppelgängers…”

Afterwards Raven’s briefing continued.

Everyone listened intently except Einar.

I knew everything about it but I listened with the thought that there might be corrections or parts I didn’t know.

How long has it been like that?

“…I think that’s enough.”

“yes? “I haven’t even been able to tell you about the herbs that come out here yet…”

“Can’t we do that as we go along? “Rest first.”

I stopped midway through Raven’s endlessly long explanation and took a break.

He went through an ordeal of endurance and couldn’t sleep properly because the cracks opened.

You need to save up your stamina for this game.

Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Ainar began to make snoring sounds as if she had been waiting and Misha and Mr. Bear also sat with their backs to the bars.

And Raven…

“Something is strange. “You get a mirror in the first exploration and a crack in the second exploration…”

For some reason he came next to me and started chattering.

It looks like the excitement hasn’t gone away since entering the crack.

“Seeing things like this makes me feel very lucky. “You went into the Bloody Citadel last time right?”

Oh does that happen?

“Yes everything you said is correct.”

“…You’re just teasing me.”

“That can’t be possible.”

“You lower the corner of your mouth and say something like that?”

It’s useless to be quick-witted.

“It’s okay I’m going to rest so you can rest quickly too.”

At this point I ended the conversation and closed my eyes.

Time passed by so quickly that it was the morning of the 8th day.

[07:11]

In other words it was about 5 hours after entering the crack.

Clap!

The bars that had been closed were raised.

This means that all admission capacity is full.

“Okay then let’s go.”

The full-scale exploration began with me leaving the cage first.

“Reyate.”

Raven increased the number of light sphere magic spells to three to secure visibility. Then the shape of the cave hidden in the darkness was revealed.

At this Ainar tilted her head.

“uh? “Didn’t you say it was a forest?”

“I think I explained it to you earlier.”

“Oh sorry. “I didn’t hear anything at all.”

An overly honest answer.

Raven couldn’t even get angry.

“…The forest appears after this cave ends. So it starts after all the entered teams join in one place.”

“I see!”

“….”

Raven just clenched his fists and trembled.

For some reason I can’t help but empathize with that sight…

Now I’m in normal barbarian mode where I just have to follow orders.

Yes sometimes there have to be days like this.

“What kind of life has Mr. Yandel been living?”

“…let’s go.”

“Oh that’s right. Come on let’s go. “I don’t have time.”

Following Raven’s instructions I moved along the road at a slightly faster pace.

The reason for the rush is simple.

The first chapter of Doppelganger Forest is Shadow Cave.

The format is to start from different locations and meet other teams at the center.

“We need to get to the center as quickly as possible. Only then can you receive rewards from other routes. “If you’re late the opposite will happen.”

Eventually due to the structure we will defeat the final boss together but until then it is no different from competition.

Who packs more stuff and leaves?

It’s up to us to do it.

“There’s something ahead!”

As they were running down the straight passage Mr. Bear sensed someone and stopped the group.

After waiting for a while a person appeared from the darkness.

Trudging.

Brown hair grown carelessly.

Frizzy beard.

A breastplate made of lithium draped over a muscular body over 2m tall.

And even a huge shield and mace.

“It’s Bjorn!!!”

Einar took turns staring at me who had doubled up and then fell into confusion.

Raven couldn’t bear to see that and screamed.

“I told you it was a doppelganger!!!”

“Doppelgänger?!”

“Oh really! Now that’s it get ready for battle!!”

I think this is the first time he has shouted like this.

Is there really no one who can defeat a barbarian with words?

It was a moment when I was thinking about that and laughing.

“Behel—laaaaa!!!”

The doppelganger dared to call out the name of the ancestor god.

At the same time the body inflates like a balloon.

I needed to be a little nervous.

“The doppelganger casted [Giantization].”

“Doppelganger casted [Wild Eruption].”

I’m pretty strong.