Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

The royal family had poured tremendous effort into this labyrinth opening. After all, the city’s resources were nearly depleted. Well, it’s not like the nobles or those already rich were struggling to eat…

‘Everyone else is starving to death.’

Homeless refugees. Skyrocketing prices. Just walking through the streets, you’d see beggars everywhere—something unthinkable just a year or two ago. Lafdonia used to be a city-state that executed “ineligibles” for failing to pay taxes. Now, all taxes had been temporarily waived for all citizens.

Therefore, the royal family needed this labyrinth expedition to succeed, stabilize things, and resume taxation.

“That’s Bjorn Yandel…”

“Of course they’d show up.”

“Still, impressive. Less than twelve people, yet summoned here… I heard the smallest clan besides them is sixty strong.”

“What’s so impressive? It’s only natural. The guy’s an explorer with his name carved on the Stone of Honor.”

“And now he’s even been promoted to Viscount?”

When we arrived at the rally point, hundreds of explorers already there scanned us from head to toe.

“Those must be the new members.”

“The hero of the fairies and the Golden Mage…”

“I mean, the Golden Mage has ties to Viscount Yandel, sure, but I guess you need that level of prestige to even join the clan.”

“No recruitment notices? Join the Anabada Clan and the whole city knows your name.”

“Still, I’d take a big clan any day. Sure, it’s ‘elite,’ but take away the name, and what chance does it have against the big boys?”

“And who’s that guy in the helmet? Shouldn’t there be eleven members total?”

Some looked at us with envy or resentment, others with pure curiosity. I ignored them and swept my eyes over the area.

The rally point where all participating explorers had secretly gathered was a familiar place to me.

“Of all places, the royal family chose the Marquis’s mansion? They’ve got some twisted taste,” Amelia muttered.

I chuckled.

“Probably more about practicality. In the capital, there aren’t many secure, spacious places like this.”

“True enough…”

Too clean to be a ruin. Too desolate to be inhabited. The Marquis’s mansion was eerie in its own right. Standing in it made you reflect on power—on how fleeting it all was. That sensation of futility hit me hard.

“This way, Viscount Yandel.”

After a bit of walking, an official from the labyrinth department appeared and guided us to one of the tents. He looked older than most civil servants, so I asked about his rank—it turned out he was pretty high up. Equivalent to a department head in modern terms.

‘Guess they’re using higher-ups in the field due to security.’

“Whew… finally, I can breathe.”

As soon as we entered the tent, the members who had been walking stiffly behind me relaxed their posture. I suppose everyone was tense under all those stares. The worst of them was Raven.

“Did you really have to wear high heels? We’re heading into a labyrinth, you know.”

“That’s exactly why! The moment they look down on you, it’s over.”

Hmm… I doubt heels will stop people from looking down on you, but whatever. Everyone has their own way of thinking.

“So are we waiting here until entry?”

“No, we’ll move out around midnight. The capital has a dimensional plaza too.”

“You mean the original one that’s not in use anymore?”

Before Kaislan could finish, Raven murmured with her hand on her chin.

“Still midnight, huh? So they can change the date the labyrinth opens, but not the time?”

“No idea. I’m no mage.”

“But I do have another question. If they can sneakily change the date like this, why didn’t they do it sooner?”

Ah, that one.

I had asked Astarotta the same thing, out of curiosity.

“Apparently, it takes a long time to reconfigure everything. They’ve been working on it ever since Noark occupied Viphron, and only now finished.”

“Hmm… maybe Noark knew that and rushed their invasion. With a Chancellor like that, there’s no way they wouldn’t have caught wind of it. Word probably got to Noark too.”

“Could be. Anyway, we’ve got some time, so rest up while you can. Once we’re inside, there won’t be much time to sleep.”

“Ah, one more thing.”

“…You’re still not done?”

Raven seemed particularly inquisitive today.

“I looked at the exploration schedule. Isn’t it a bit too aggressive? The timeline to reach the fifth floor is absurd.”

“It’s forced marching, yeah, but we have no choice. The labyrinth’s been closed for over a year.”

There are hidden pieces everywhere inside the labyrinth, most of them on cooldowns. Like the first-floor rift—it could be opened using mana stones from second-floor monsters, but it had a months-long cooldown.

And more than that…

“Historically, this isn’t the first time the labyrinth’s been sealed. There was the Iron Wall Rebellion, and when the Dawn King rose and created the 13th Month.”

“So?”

“Records show something strange.”

“What?”

“When it reopened, rift spawn rates spiked abnormally.”

“Ah…”

“And here’s the thing—other clans gathered here today probably know that too.”

Raven was sharp enough not to need the rest spelled out.

“…Makes sense. The competition’s going to be brutal. Everyone’s desperate to make as much as possible.”

“Even if the number of explorers is low, it’ll be intense. Everyone’s aiming for the upper layers this time.”

“…Then I’m gonna get some sleep. Doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any once we’re inside.”

“Sure.”

With that, the curiosity gremlin finally backed off. But I didn’t rest. The Guildmaster had just handed me the list.

“Here’s what you asked for. A breakdown of the clans and forces entering the labyrinth.”

“Thanks.”

A privilege only made possible by having the Guildmaster in our corner. I scanned through the finalized list for today.

These were our rivals, after all.

‘Just like the Chancellor said—no one’s entering in full teams.’

Of course, that didn’t mean small-time explorers were excluded. According to the Guildmaster, some elite micro-teams had managed to join through connections, getting assigned to major clans.

Anyway, the roster went something like this…

“Thirty-one clans. A total of 2,517 people.”

Add to that the 1,700-strong royal expeditionary force, and around 4,300 people were entering the labyrinth this time.

Once again, the royal force had overwhelming numbers as a single group. But they weren’t worth worrying about.

Their goals were different.

‘Mana stones.’

According to the Chancellor’s intel, the expeditionary force aimed to secure mana stones. Their destination was the sixth floor, where they would seize all three of the prime farming islands and mine them nonstop until the labyrinth closed.

The clans that had been eyeing those islands were going to be left with nothing, but that wasn’t my problem.

What mattered was that the royal force wasn’t my competition.

‘Our goal is the eighth-floor rift.’

So who were our real competitors? I’d find out when we got there.

“Everyone, please board the carriages! We’ll move to the plaza in order!”

As midnight neared, we left the tents set up in the Marquis’s garden and rode carriages to the plaza.

And then…

Swoooooosh—!!

At last, the portal began to open at the plaza’s center.

The sight stirred something in my chest. It had been far too long.

Just like a caterpillar devours pine needles—

「You have entered the First Floor: Crystal Cavern.」

Of course. If you’re an explorer, you explore.

***

A radiant glow filled the Crystal Cavern.

The cool, slightly damp air coiled deep into my lungs, and only then did it truly hit me—we were back in the labyrinth.

‘Feels… strange somehow.’

It was a subtle, unfamiliar sensation—something I hadn’t noticed in my monthly expeditions before. Just standing here felt oddly out of place.

Still, I had work to do.

Slide—

I placed my hand on the crystal-studded wall, brushing along it to distinguish the faint textural differences beneath my fingertips. It was a technique passed down to me by Rotmiller, who had started as a guide at the very bottom.

It had been a while, so I was a bit rusty…

‘Yeah, this texture—’

“Judging by the portal placements, the starting point seems shifted northward. Heading to the Goblin Forest will be quickest.”

Ah, right.

He was our Guide.

‘…These prodigies, honestly.’

While I stood there feeling the wall and tasting the air, Beleg just pulled out a compass, glanced once, and put it away. The vague sense of defeat only lasted a second.

“I’ll take point.”

He quickly moved out ahead. Normally it wouldn’t be ideal for a ranged DPS to lead, but…

‘Let’s be honest—at this point, it’s hard to even get hurt by goblins.’

With Beleg’s skill level, he could probably hold point safely up to the fifth floor. Maybe sixth, depending on the island. Though from the seventh floor onward, even he would have to be careful.

There was no need for me to strain my brain figuring out the route—just follow Beleg and keep an eye on the squad.

More precisely, on Raven and the Guildmaster.

The Guildmaster was moving along just fine, nothing unusual. Raven, however, was riding some kind of wheeled device.

“Umm… Aruru? Is that the transport thing you mentioned before?”

“Yes. It’s a military-grade magic tool. You can slot in mana stones, but it also charges by absorbing ambient mana. You only need to use stones when you need extra output.”

“Aha…? R-Really?”

“On flat terrain, it can probably match Kalstein’s speed.”

“Th-That’s… impressive…”

Misha hesitated, clearly regretting asking. The Guildmaster took over the conversation.

“Can it be used off flat terrain?”

“If the incline isn’t too severe, yes. Otherwise, I’d have to pull out something else.”

“Something else…?”

“If the time comes, I’ll show you.”

Unlike the TMI overload she gave Misha, Raven didn’t continue the conversation with the Guildmaster.

“Haha, I see. Understood.”

…Did something happen between them I don’t know about?

Raven’s usually the type who proudly flaunts her gear to friend or foe alike.

‘I’ll figure it out eventually.’

For now, I focused on sprinting through the cavern.

But—

“Looks like someone beat us to it.”

By the time we reached the dimensional monolith connected to the Goblin Forest, someone had already activated the portal.

Damn, explorers move fast.

We’d moved quickly enough to expect first entry. A shame.

「You have entered the Second Floor: Goblin Forest.」

Whoever they were, knowing someone was already ahead lit a fire under us. We pushed the pace even more.

But we never caught up.

「You have entered the Third Floor: Pilgrim’s Path.」

Another already-open portal greeted us on the third floor.

Because of the terrain in the Green-Tail Swamp, it was easy to spot tracks left by earlier parties…

“Those must be the ones ahead of us.”

“At least it looks like just one team.”

“Yeah. If multiple teams were already ahead after we moved that fast, that would’ve been frustrating.”

“Alright, let’s keep—”

I stopped Beleg with a quick word.

“Hold on.”

“What is it?”

“The direction those tracks are heading… it’s not toward the fourth floor.”

Only then did Beleg’s expression shift with concern.

“You’re right… That path only leads to the Fragmented Shrine.”

Still, he didn’t seem to understand the significance. But I did.

‘They rushed to the third floor, then veered toward the Shrine?’

There was only one answer.

Whoever it was—whatever insane bastard came up with this—

‘The first basement floor.’

Someone’s aiming for that place.