Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 413: Karma (3)

Chapter 413: Karma (3)

"Ever since I was young, I've had a good feeling about things..."

Goblin started listing his past experiences as I looked at him, dumbfounded.

His rambling was so incoherent that I wondered if he even understood what he was saying... but one story caught my attention.

"It happened on the day of the fire pillar incident! I was supposed to enter the labyrinth, but I had the same feeling as today..."

At first, I thought he was delusional... but if his stories were true, I couldn't ignore them.

'Sixth Sense' was a real stat in [Dungeon and Stone].

"Alright, go back to your position."

"A-are we leaving then?"

"We can't just keep marching based on a baseless feeling."

He seemed relieved that I was at least considering his warning.

"But I'll think about it."

I left him with that, and the other team members chimed in as he left.

"He's a strange one."

"Strange" was a euphemism for "crazy", coming from Didi, the ability user.

"Maybe he received a divine revelation. He's a paladin, after all."

Ashid defended him, while Erwen looked annoyed.

"What was that about? We're all exhausted, and he's just making things worse."

"Calm down, Erwen."

As I was calming Erwen down, Amelia approached me.

"Schuitz, what are you going to do? You seem to be taking him seriously."

"There's always a reason why explorers believe in superstitions."

"So you're going to follow his advice?"

"Well..."

I had to think about it.

I had a bad feeling too.

Swoosh.

I looked down at the Traffic Light Ring.

It wasn't glowing.

But that didn't mean I could relax.

'It doesn't always work.'

That's how it was in the game.

The ring didn't activate every time there was an event nearby.

It was unpredictable.

Green meant good fortune was guaranteed.

But no light didn't mean there was no good fortune...

'What should I do?'

I was lost in thought when...

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

The ring suddenly glowed.

Swaaaaaaaaaaa!

It was a bright red light.

"Mister...?"

I ignored Erwen's worried voice and stood up.

And...

"Everyone, get ready to move!"

We resumed our march.

"...But we haven't even rested for ten minutes."

"The members are exhausted."

The team leaders expressed their concerns, but I overruled them.

It was better to be tired than to experience a red event.

"Formation! We're leaving!"

We continued our march, and about 30 minutes later...

Swaaaaaaaaaaa.

The ring's light vanished.

I didn't know what kind of negative event we had avoided...

But I couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.

'What the hell was that about?'

Was it just a coincidence?

His 'sixth sense' couldn't possibly be more accurate than the Traffic Light Ring.

I approached Goblin, who was resting.

"How are you feeling? Any better?"

If he was still feeling uneasy, I would dismiss it as a coincidence.

He didn't know about the ring.

"Y-yes... I-I feel much better..."

What the...?

_______________________

The 7th-floor Dark Continent.

A muscular human explorer bent down and touched the ground.

"Baekho, there are traces of a camp here!"

"Really? How many?"

"Over twenty! I can't be sure, but they left recently!"

He shouted.

The old man next to him winced, but spoke in a low voice.

"It could be them."

"Them?"

"The ones who destroyed the Sky Eye. The ones who are on the run."

"Ah, those bastards..."

"Should we go after them? We could demand a lot from Noark if we capture them."

"Hmm..."

The blonde man pondered for a moment and then smiled, looking at a woman.

"Meowmeow, what do you think?"

He asked playfully.

The beastwoman frowned.

"It's a waste of time."

"You're saying it's not worth it?"

"...Yes."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to deal with the city folk."

"..."

"You're no fun."

Their conversation ended, and the warrior who had discovered the traces spoke.

"So, what are we going to do? Are we going after them?"

"No. It's not worth the effort."

The blonde man shrugged.

"We don't even know if it's them. What if it's just some random explorers?"

"We'll be wasting our time. But it's a shame. We could catch them if we hurry."

"Nah, it's not worth it. We have our own mission."

He dismissed the suggestion and pulled out a chair from his subspace pocket.

"We'll focus on our own goals. They can do whatever they want. It's their problem."

"If that's what you want..."

"Okay, enough about that. Let's take a break and eat. Hey, Aures!"

"Haha! Coming right up! I'll cook you some delicious meat!"

The smell of grilled meat soon filled the air.

_______________________

60th day of the labyrinth expedition.

Fifteen days until the 7th floor closed.

"We've come this far..."

We arrived at 'Loser's Rest', a field located in the western region of the Dragon's Lair.

Swaaaaaaaaaaa.

A thick black fog, unmoved by the strong wind.

An endless plain, littered with thousands of rusted swords.

It was a desolate and eerie place, but no one commented on it.

We didn't have the luxury.

"Schuitz, we have to keep moving. If they surround us—"

"I know, so be quiet."

"..."

Did I sound too harsh?

I wanted to apologize, but I couldn't.

I didn't have the energy.

"Schuitz, don't worry. A leader can't afford to break down."

His words were surprisingly comforting.

I sighed.

'Don't worry? That's easier said than done.'

My plan had failed.

We had chosen to head north, into enemy territory, hoping to hide in plain sight.

But...

'They're relentless.'

They were always on our tail.

We couldn't rest, we couldn't sleep.

We had been marching for days.

"I don't understand. How do they know where we're going?"

Kaislan was baffled by Noark's pursuit, but I knew the answer.

I had experienced it before.

[I would have lost you if it weren't for that arm.]

In Lalkas's Maze, the Dragonslayer had used a priest from Karui to track us.

They were probably using the same tactic.

They wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals.

"Parab, how are you feeling?"

"I-I'm fine, sir..."

Goblin's intuition had been crucial in keeping us alive.

He seemed to sense the enemy's presence even when they were resting.

Whenever he suggested changing direction, we would find an ambush waiting for us.

That's why I had been keeping him close.

"Alright, you can rest. Let me know if you feel anything."

"Yes, sir."

He collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

I wanted to do the same.

But...

'I can't.'

I had to stay strong.

I gathered the team leaders for a meeting.

"Kala, Kaislan, Jun, Akuraba. I apologize."

"...?"

"I thought we could hide here until the labyrinth closed, but I was wrong."

My apology caught them off guard.

They tried to comfort me.

"It's not your fault."

"We wouldn't have survived this long if we had stayed at Deadwood."

"You saved our lives."

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm glad I'm not the leader. A leader can't afford to break down..."

His words were strangely comforting.

I had been thinking the same thing.

Maybe we should have stayed at Deadwood.

Maybe we should have risked it and headed south.

And...

Maybe it was my fault that we were all going to die.

Boom.

I tapped my knee, and the team leaders gulped.

"Schuitz has made a decision."

"He always does that when he's thinking."

...Did I have that habit?

I had never noticed.

But that wasn't important now.

"Anyway, I called you here to ask for your opinions."

I laid the groundwork.

"We can't stay here forever."

"We'll be caught soon if we don't move."

We were like sharks, we had to keep moving to survive.

If we stopped, it was game over.

We would be surrounded and wiped out.

"...Where are we going?"

I looked at the team leaders and sighed.

"I have a destination in mind."

I had been thinking about it since we arrived at Deadwood.

It was our Plan B.

A last resort, a desperate gamble.

"You seem to have something in mind."

I finally revealed my plan.

"We're going back to Ice Rock."

If it was a difficult path for us, it would be difficult for them as well.

Let's see if they can follow.