Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 418: Eye of the Storm (4)

Munch, munch.

We devour jerky as we march.

Every single member of the expedition.

"I... I think I'm going to puke... I can't eat anymore..."

Some members groan, their stomachs full to bursting.

But they are a minority.

Most of us force down the jerky, even as we push ourselves to our limits on this uphill climb.

We all know.

This is our last chance to eat our fill.

Marone, the female mage from Kaislan's team, rushes towards me.

"The detection magic we set up ten minutes ago has been triggered!"

"Damn it, they were closer than I thought."

Close enough to reach us in minutes if they were running at full speed.

"Everyone, ditch the food boxes!"

I shout, throwing the box of jerky I was holding over the cliff.

We need to lighten our load if we want to increase our speed.

Whoosh!

Most of the members follow my lead without hesitation, tossing the boxes over the edge.

But some are reluctant, their hands trembling as they cling to the boxes.

The warriors, the knights, the paladins...

"Damn it, I can still eat more...!"

A warrior complains, his pockets stuffed with jerky.

It's a comical sight, but I understand his frustration.

I'm feeling the same way.

'Why am I already hungry again?'

This damn body is a bottomless pit.

No matter how much I eat, it's never enough.

'Well, that's it for our feast.'

"Marone, set up another detection magic. We need to gauge their speed."

"Yes, sir!"

Marone sets up another detection magic, and we increase our pace.

It's not a drastic change.

We were power-walking before, now we're jogging at a slow marathon pace.

Seven minutes later.

"The detection magic has been triggered!"

The gap, which had been seven minutes, has shrunk to three.

"This is a problem."

The mages and ability users are already being carried by the stronger members.

There's only one option left.

Survival is about knowing what to sacrifice.

"We're ditching the heating stones. Everyone, throw away the backpacks with the heating stones. Keep your weapons and shields, but everything else goes."

"What?!"

I don't wait for their reactions.

I toss my heavy backpack over the cliff.

"Are you serious? We're throwing away the heating stones?"

"You were complaining about dying just a moment ago. Are you suddenly attached to them?"

"No, but..."

"Then throw them away. We can buy new ones when we get back. We'll have plenty of money from the loot."

"Ugh... To think we're throwing away equipment while being chased by the enemy... You're insane."

The warriors grumble, but they follow my orders.

They reluctantly remove their backpacks and toss them over the edge.

And the result?

"Six minutes! The gap is back to six minutes!"

We've managed to maintain the six-minute gap.

They must be confused right now.

'What's going on? Why aren't we catching up?'

'I wonder what their faces will be like when they see us running naked.'

That thought brings a smile to my face.

Thump, thump.

We continue our uphill climb.

"...I never knew you could sleep while running."

"Just one minute... I'd give anything for one minute of sleep..."

Our speed is decreasing.

Days of nonstop marching, without proper rest or sleep, are taking their toll.

But...

"Six minutes... still six minutes..."

We've managed to maintain the six-minute gap.

They're getting tired too.

But then...

"Six minutes... no, five minutes...!"

The wall of six minutes has crumbled.

It's down to five minutes.

What happened?

Why are they suddenly faster?

"I-I used mental trance to check... their numbers have decreased! There are only twelve of them now!"

So they gave up.

They abandoned their numerical advantage.

'Did they send the rest back after redistributing the food?'

That seems like the most likely scenario.

Those who were sent back will be hungry, but they'll be able to eat their fill once they reach the bottom.

'Twelve... that means we outnumber them now.'

But...

'I'm not sure if we can win.'

We'll have to fight them eventually.

But not now.

"W-what should we do? They'll catch up to us soon!"

They gave up on one thing.

So we'll give up on another.

"Warriors, ditch your plate armor. Keep your shields and weapons, but everything else goes."

"What?!"

I don't waste time explaining.

I remove my heavy breastplate and throw it over the cliff.

"Are you serious? We're throwing away our armor?"

"You were complaining about dying just a moment ago. Are you suddenly attached to it?"

"No, but..."

"Then throw it away. We can buy new ones when we get back. We'll have plenty of money from the loot."

"Ugh... To think we're throwing away equipment while being chased by the enemy... You're insane."

The warriors grumble, but they follow my orders.

They reluctantly remove their armor and toss it over the edge.

And the result?

"Six minutes! The gap is back to six minutes!"

We've managed to maintain the six-minute gap.

They must be baffled.

'What's going on? Why aren't we catching up?'

'I wonder what their faces will be like when they see us running half-naked.'

That thought brings a smile to my face.

Thump, thump.

We continue our uphill climb.

"...I never knew you could sleep while running."

"Just one minute... I'd give anything for one minute of sleep..."

Our speed is slowing down.

Days of nonstop marching, without proper rest or sleep, are taking their toll.

But...

"Six minutes... still six minutes..."

We've managed to maintain the six-minute gap.

They're getting tired too.

But then...

"What's going on? The detection magic isn't activating..."

The detection magic, which had been triggering every six minutes, is silent.

Twenty minutes have passed, and still nothing.

Could they be using some method to avoid the detection magic?

'No, they would have used it from the beginning if they could.'

Ten more minutes pass, and still nothing.

I reach a conclusion.

'They're at their limit.'

They've stopped to rest.

Which means...

"Halt!"

We can rest too.

____________________________

"Everyone, rest! Sleep if you can! I'll wake you up when it's time to move!"

My order is met with silence.

The exhausted members collapse to the ground, some falling asleep the moment they hit the ice.

"Aren't you going to rest, Mister?"

"I'll just look around for a bit."

"Sorry, I'd like to stay with you, but I can't hold on any longer..."

"Don't apologize. Go and get some rest."

"Okay..."

Erwen drags her weary body towards Amelia and collapses beside her. They huddle together for warmth, falling asleep almost instantly.

Well, we don't have the heating stones anymore, so sharing body heat is the next best thing.

I chuckle, watching them sleep, and then I patrol the area.

Most of the members are either eating or sleeping, but one man is doing something different.

"Kaislan, what are you writing?"

"Ah! I was just recording what you said earlier, Schuitz... I mean, Yandel."

"What I said...?"

Kaislan hands me his notebook without a word.

[The most difficult tasks, I'll take care of them. The dirty work that no one wants to do, I'll do it. I'll be the first to face danger, and I'll be the one who gets hurt.]

[So... follow me.]

[If you're going to die anyway, might as well die with me!!]

Ugh, reading it like this makes me cringe.

But I can't scold him for being diligent, especially since he's sacrificing his sleep to write this down.

"...You have a good memory."

"Well, it's not about memory. I'll probably never forget it."

He has strange hobbies.

I sigh, wondering why he's even writing this down.

"What are you going to do with it? It's not like it's going to be recorded in history."

"You never know."

"Huh?"

"This might become a part of history."

He's obsessed with history.

I remember that he was always like this.

I pat his shoulder, hoping he lives long enough to see his dream come true.

"You'll have to survive first. If you want your record to be a part of history."

"Ah, right. We have to survive..."

"Get some rest. You can write it down later."

"Alright."

I leave Kaislan and head back towards my teammates.

As I'm walking, the female mage from Kaislan's team wakes up.

"Bjorn Yandel."

It's Bersil Gowland.

"Ah, did I wake you? Sorry—"

"No, I should be the one apologizing."

"...Huh?"

"I'm sorry for abandoning you back on the 1st floor."

She's bringing up something from years ago.

"You said you regretted it back at the banquet. You don't have to apologize again."

"I meant it. When I heard about what you did in the Crystal Cave, I felt so ashamed and miserable."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. You were the leader, you had to make a decision. I would have done the same."

I mean it.

If I had been given the choice between fifteen escape tickets and being left behind, I would have chosen the former without hesitation.

But Bersil doesn't agree.

"Don't joke. You wouldn't have done that."

She's giving me too much credit.

I stare at her, speechless, and she smiles wryly.

"You're like the eye of the storm. No matter how strong the winds rage around you, you never get swept away."

She's using metaphors now?

I'm a barbarian, I don't understand these things.

"It just... happened."

"...I guess I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't mean to burden you. You were on your way to rest, weren't you? Sorry for taking up your time."

"It's fine. You should get some rest too."

Our conversation ends, and Bersil goes back to sleep.

I lie down next to Erwen and Amelia.

'The eye of the storm...'

It's a strange compliment.

I'm more like a black hole.

My bad luck sucks everyone around me into misfortune.

"Mister! Wake up!"

Erwen's voice jolts me awake.

What? Already?

"Did the detection magic activate?"

"No, but..."

Then why did she wake me up so urgently?

"What the hell! Why are there monsters here?!"

"Wait, these aren't the ones we saw before!"

"Skeletons... are there skeletons here too?"

I open my eyes and see a horde of monsters swarming towards us.

And they're not the ones we encountered on our way down.

"Yandel, do you know anything about this?"

Amelia asks, her voice tense.

Know anything?

Of course, I do.

There's only one reason why monsters would respawn in a cleared area like this.

?The Glacier Witch, Kariadaea, has appeared in this area.?

'The boss monster... it spawned.'

We've hit the 10% jackpot.

'This damn game...'

It's like the game is telling us to just give up and die.

Why now, of all times?

My vision blurs, and I sigh in despair.

But I quickly check the time.

[00:12]

It's just past midnight.

Which means...

We're one day away from the end of Ice Rock.

"Viscount Bjorn Yandel! The detection magic has been triggered!"

Marone shouts, her voice trembling.

They're back.

And so is...

"Heh heh heh..."

...my laughter.

My instincts are screaming.

Today is going to be a very, very long day.