Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 376: Treasure Hunter (4)

Chapter 376: Treasure Hunter (4)

I gripped my weapon, but I didn't aim it.

Their intentions were still unclear.

It would be foolish to provoke them unnecessarily and escalate the situation.

"What's the plan?"

"Talk first."

"I'll be ready."

"Good."

"Erwen, don't do anything until I give you the signal."

I finished the brief discussion with my companions and stood in front of them protectively.

Thud, thud.

A group of fifteen explorers stopped outside our campsite, and a man who seemed to be their representative slowly walked forward.

"Good, you're awake."

"Introduce yourselves first."

"Haha, there's no need to be afraid. Nothing you're thinking will happen."

What the hell, who's afraid?

I'm just deciding whether to smash his head or not.

'Four ranged, two mages, nine melee, and... no priest?'

The number fifteen was a bit unsettling.

The standard unit size was six after the 6-person Bond was introduced.

Maybe the remaining three were hiding somewhere.

"You're a suspicious one. Relax and let's talk. If we had ill intentions, we wouldn't be talking to you like this, would we?"

We'll find out after fighting.

I scanned the group behind him and then looked at the man.

"So, what's your business? It's not a good look to be wandering around someone else's campsite at night."

The man revealed his identity at my question.

"We're from the Huntsman Clan."

"I've never heard of that name."

"That's understandable. To be honest, we're not that famous. And we've been busy treasure hunting on Pione Island, so we haven't been very active lately."

"Treasure hunting..."

Now I understood why they were here.

"I don't know if you know this, but Pione Island is divided into six territories, each controlled by a different clan. It's a measure to prevent conflict."

"So?"

"This area where you're camping belongs to the Huntsman Clan. We would appreciate it if you left by tomorrow morning."

As expected, it was about territory control.

It was something every explorer experienced from the 5th floor onwards, a harsh reminder that the labyrinth was a dog-eat-dog world.

I didn't like them from the beginning, but I disliked them even more now.

"I don't recall the royal family granting any clan exclusive rights to Pione Island."

"Haha, you're quite the stickler for rules, despite your appearance. Do things always go according to plan in the labyrinth?"

He didn't say anything more.

He just stared at me, waiting for my response.

The words that would come out of his mouth would probably change depending on my decision.

I didn't hesitate.

"Don't worry, we were planning to leave tomorrow morning anyway."

We were only here for one night, so there was no need to fight over territory.

But did he misunderstand my answer as a sign of weakness?

"Haha, is that so? It seems like we made a wasted trip. Thank you for understanding."

His expression relaxed, and he started smiling.

He must have judged that we weren't a threat.

He wouldn't be spouting this nonsense if we were.

"By the way, it's unusual to see a three-person team. Did you lose some companions on the way here?"

"It's none of your business."

"Don't be so wary. We're just trying to help. It's dangerous if a monster suddenly appears. We can lend you our campsite if you want..."

He trailed off and glanced at Erwen and Amelia behind me.

Damn it, this guy is really good at pissing people off.

"Thank you for the offer, but we'll decline."

"Hmm, is that so? But the two ladies might have a different opinion."

He persistently tried to persuade us, and he only backed down after Erwen and Amelia firmly rejected his offer.

"We're not interested."

"We can handle ourselves."

"That's a shame. Our clan headquarters is in the 8th District of Ravigion. Come find us if your team disbands and you need a place to go."

Damn it, he's still at it.

"Alright, let's go back!"

I suppressed a chuckle and watched him leave with his group.

"Mister, why did you hold back?"

"I can't just swing my hammer every time I'm annoyed."

"Hmm, really?"

Amelia and I ignored Erwen's question.

"I, I could have dealt with them if I stepped in…!"

Erwen expressed her frustration, but it couldn't be helped.

She was too famous and would attract too much attention.

I didn't want to expose our information, even if it was just a little.

But that wasn't the right way to say it.

"Thank you, Erwen."

"...For what?"

"You held back even though you were angry."

"Well... you told me not to do anything..."

"That's what I'm grateful for."

"I, is that so...? It's nothing. I can always do that..."

I changed the subject instead of explaining myself.

After all, the most important thing was to resolve her emotions.

"That ended sooner than I expected."

"What's so surprising about that? Anyway, let's go back to sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. Okay, Erwen?"

"Okay!"

We quickly wrapped things up and went back to sleep.

And after some time...

"Schuitz, wake up."

Amelia woke me up, shaking my shoulder urgently.

What the hell, are those bastards back?

Whoosh.

I sat up abruptly and reached for my hammer.

"Calm down. It's not a human this time."

"...What?"

Not a human?

Then what...?

"Don't tell me..."

I quickly looked around, and I saw it.

[Click, click? Click!]

The only monster that appeared on Pione Island.

The 4th-grade rare species, the Lafremimic.

____________________

The Lafremimic.

A monster that guaranteed a Numbered Item drop and could potentially earn you billions of stones if its essence dropped.

It appeared in other fields, but Pione Island was the easiest place to find it.

But even here, it only appeared once a month at most.

And that was for the entire island.

"...I can't believe we encountered it here."

This is what exploration is all about.

"Schuitz, what are we going to do?"

Amelia asked in a hushed voice, and I answered,

"What else can we do?"

Did she think I would give up on it because of those bastards?

"We kill it, of course."

"...I knew you would say that. I'll go wake Erwen."

Amelia went to wake Erwen, and I belatedly realized something.

"Wait, Erwen? When did you two get so close?"

"She's kind of cute."

Damn, the human heart is truly a mystery.

Is this what they call bonding through battle?

"...Cute?"

"There's no need to wake her."

"Wake her...? Wait, what are you two doing?"

"A Lafremimic appeared."

"...Really?"

Erwen, who had woken up, quickly sat up and looked at a chest that was rolling around about 20 meters away.

[Click! Click, click?! Click!]

The Lafremimic, a non-aggressive monster, didn't show any hostility towards us, even though we were far away.

"Erwen, your role is crucial here. We don't have a mage."

"I know. You said we have to kill it in one shot if there's no mage, right?"

"Right, otherwise it'll burrow underground."

If it burrowed underground, we could practically consider it lost.

So a one-shot kill was crucial in this situation...

"Erwen, shoot with all your might. And summon the darkness spirit too. Ah, you know its real body is the chest, right? Don't shoot the stem just because it looks like a body—"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely kill it!"

"Good, I trust you."

I had no choice but to trust her.

She was the strongest damage dealer among us.

"Then... I'll go ahead."

Erwen slowly drew her bow.

And at that moment...

?Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Elemental Fusion].?

Fire, water, wind, earth, and darkness.

All five elements were combined, creating a powerful aura.

But the Lafremimic was still nonchalant.

[Click...?]

It tilted its head, as if curious. I felt a pang of guilt, but that was all.

We were explorers.

Our job was to kill monsters and earn money.

Thud.

Erwen released the arrow.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew towards the Lafremimic at an incredible speed.

[Cl, click—!]

The Lafremimic finally reacted, but it was too late.

Kaboom!

The arrow pierced through its open 'mouth' and exploded.

But...

[Cl, click...!]

...it was still alive.

The chest was shattered, and its body was mangled, but...

[Click, click—!]

...it tried to burrow underground.

But Erwen was faster.

?Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Rupture].?

The Lafremimic exploded into hundreds of pieces as the follow-up attack connected.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The pieces turned into particles of light and disappeared.

?Lafremimic defeated. EXP +6?

A significant increase in experience points, as expected of a 4th-grade monster.

It was a pleasant feeling, but I focused on something else.

‘The essence… didn’t drop.’

Well, I wasn’t expecting it.

That would be too greedy.

‘Please, just a high number…’

Two objects fell to the ground where the Lafremimic had been standing.

One was a magic stone.

And the other…

“It’s a ring…?”

I approached them and burst into laughter.

“Huh…”

“Schuitz, do you know this item?”

Of course, I do.

I almost died because of it.

No. 6111 Fate Tracker.

The ring that Dragonslayer was wearing in Lalkas’s Maze.

‘It’s not a bad item, but I’m a bit disappointed…’

“What kind of ring is it? If, if it’s good for archers…”

Erwen trailed off, her eyes gleaming with greed.

She wasn’t usually materialistic, but a Numbered Item was tempting.

“It’s a bit difficult to categorize. It’s a detection-type magic tool. It tells you whether something is good or bad by changing its color.”

For reference, there were three colors.

Green, red, and yellow.

That’s why I called it the Traffic Light Ring.

“It’s not a bad item to have, so we should keep it.”

“…Can I wear it?”

“You? But you’re already wearing a lot of rings. I’ll take it.”

“Ah, okay. Y-yes! Th-that’s better, right?”

I put the ring on my finger after getting Erwen’s approval.

And at that moment…

?The ring has detected the character’s fate.?

…the ring lit up.