Surviving the Game as a Barbarian
Chapter 526: Giant Island (5)

A portal stone in a hidden chamber within the cave. As soon as I saw it, I instinctively reached out and touched it, but the stone remained unresponsive.

“It seems… even you can’t activate it.”

Well, I had expected that. The portal we used to enter this floor also required a special condition.

This one probably needed something too.

I examined the base of the stone, where it met the ground, and the surrounding area was clearly disturbed, showing signs of recent digging.

‘…There’s no inscription this time…’

So we had to figure it out ourselves. I started by asking Wyte, who had discovered it.

“Did you check the stone every day?”

“Yes. Every day since we found it. But there was no response.”

“Were there any unusual phenomena or anything?”

“No.”

“Why were you so pessimistic earlier, even though you found a portal stone?”

It had bothered me earlier.

When he first saw me, he had expressed his anxiety, doubting the existence of an escape route.

Why?

“…You never know.”

He answered cautiously.

“Whether the place beyond this stone is outside… or not.”

“Ah…”

It was the same thought I had had when I first saw the stone.

This was a newly discovered floor. Nothing was certain.

When we activated the portal stone…

It might lead back to the 1st floor or the city, as we hoped…

But it might also lead to a completely different place.

‘…Like the 2nd Basement Floor.’

Regardless, our top priority was to find a way to activate the stone.

That was the explorer’s way.

To try everything and see what worked.

“How many people know about this stone?”

“Everyone in our group.”

Hmm, so there was no need for secrecy.

“Let’s go back.”

I ended the investigation and returned to my teammates. I shared the information about the portal stone with everyone, including the Armin Exploration Team.

This kind of problem required collective brainstorming.

“A portal stone that leads to an unknown location… but at least we have a clue.”

“So, any ideas? What do we have to do to activate it?”

“…Maybe we have to slay that 40-meter giant…?”

“Or maybe there’s something at the top of the library’s bookshelf…”

Bersil and the others started sharing their ideas, and I listened attentively, memorizing every suggestion.

“Um… maybe the Elder knows something…?”

Right, that was also a possibility.

Mul Armin, who had been listening to our conversation, cautiously asked,

“Who… is the Elder?”

“I’ll explain later. We’ll be visiting that island soon.”

“Okay…”

After the brainstorming session, some of the mages from the Armin Exploration Team went to investigate the portal stone, while the others rested.

And the next day…

After assigning tasks to our twelve new laborers, we resumed our exploration.

We didn’t have much time left.

‘Day 9 already…’

It was Day 59 since I entered the labyrinth, but it was only Day 9 since the new cycle began.

The rainy season started on Day 14, so we had to explore the island thoroughly before then.

‘The rainy season is troublesome…’

I felt anxious just thinking about being stuck on this island for a week.

And it wasn’t just a week.

The island would be swarming with monsters right after the rainy season, and we would have to find a safe place to hide before it started.

“Yandel, what are we going to do during the next rainy season? Stay in that cave they found? Or go back to the village?”

“I’m thinking about going back to the village. I have a few things to ask the Elder. And if the Silver Lion Clan is still there, we can recruit more members.”

“Then we’ll have to leave this island in three days. It’ll take some time to get there.”

We only had three more days to explore this island.

It was a tight schedule, but thanks to our increased numbers, our exploration speed had increased significantly. It felt like we were playing in auto-battle mode, just walking around and revealing the map.

“Trolls on the right…!”

“Tayrun Erbias!”

Boom!

Lower-level monsters, below 5th-grade, were obliterated by our ranged attackers before they could even get close.

That was the reason why explorers always formed clans.

The more members you had, the easier the exploration became.

Of course, there was a major drawback. You had to share the loot.

“Seryton, how’s the map coming along?”

“It’s almost done. Do you want to see it?”

I no longer made the maps myself.

Seryton, an archer from the Hex Clan, seemed to be much better at it, so I had delegated the task to him.

We also had a reconnaissance team.

I had assigned a few people to Mikhail Lecta, the former royal investigator, and he was now scouting the area ahead of us, providing me with valuable information.

Like this.

“Baron, there are three Nelpardons lying in ambush about three minutes ahead. What are your orders?”

What? Three Nelpardons with [Gigantification]?

“How long will it take to go around them?”

“Not long.”

“Then we’ll take a detour.”

We didn’t need the Nelpardon essence, and we had already farmed them in the Archives, so we decided to avoid them.

We continued exploring, fighting some monsters and avoiding others, and…

‘…The southern part of the island is almost completely explored.’

…we moved to the eastern part.

And after a while…

As I was thinking about returning to the shelter or setting up camp…

“Baron.”

Mikhail Lecta, who had been scouting ahead, returned.

“There’s a Hippermachant about four minutes ahead. It’s sleeping.”

Hmm… how should we handle this?

______________________

The Hippermachant.

The giant monster we had encountered in the sea. It had called its friends, and we had barely managed to escape.

According to the Elder’s book, it had been half-submerged in the water when it was first discovered.

So I had assumed it was an aquatic monster…

‘But it’s not just an aquatic monster…’

It had appeared on land now.

It seemed to be amphibious.

Anyway, that wasn’t important.

“Alone?”

“Yes, for now.”

“Scout the area without disturbing it. It might have companions nearby. We’ll decide what to do after that.”

“Yes, sir.”

I sent Mikhail Lecta to scout the area and organized my thoughts.

I had lost some of my enthusiasm after finding out that it dropped an essence… but I still wanted to fight it at least once.

We would probably encounter it again during our exploration.

‘It’s better to fight it while it’s alone and learn its patterns.’

What was its passive skill? Did it have any hidden abilities?

I needed to know those things before formulating a strategy.

“There are no other monsters within a 2-kilometer radius.”

As soon as the reconnaissance team returned, we started preparing for the raid.

We changed our formation and prepared for the possibility that it might run away again.

And…

“Let’s go.”

It was time.

“A-Already?”

“It might wake up. Or its companions might return.”

It was a 2nd-grade monster, so some of our members seemed hesitant.

But we couldn’t waste any more time.

We approached the sleeping giant, trying to avoid making any noise, and surrounded it.

But just as the mages and ranged attackers were preparing for a surprise attack…

[Mmm…?]

The giant, which had been curled up like a sleeping shrimp, raised its head and looked at us.

It hadn’t heard us. We had used a silencing spell.

‘…Did it sense our mana?’

It didn't matter.

It was awake now.

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

I activated [Transcendence] and [Gigantification], increasing my size.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

And then I slammed my hammer into its shin before it could stand up.

Kwang!

It wasn’t enough to break the bone, but it was enough to disrupt its balance.

Boom!

The giant crashed to the ground, creating a cloud of dust.

It was a common problem in battle.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The mages at the back quickly used wind magic to clear the dust.

I charged forward and swung my hammer at its jaw.

And at that moment…

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!]

It roared, its eyes fixed on me.

It was so loud that the air vibrated.

‘Damn it.’

I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I was annoyed.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

I roared back, matching its intensity.

It wasn’t a conscious decision, but it seemed to have boosted our morale.

“W-What are you waiting for?! Attack!”

“Everyone, calm down and follow the plan!”

Wyte Hex and Mul Armin regained their composure and started giving orders.

A barrage of ranged attacks followed.

Arrows, abilities…

They weren’t as powerful as my hammer, but…

They bought us some time.

「Charlotte Amblot has cast the 2nd-grade Attack magic [Spear of Annihilation].」

A combined spell cast by the three mages from the Armin Exploration Team.

Puk-!

A giant white spear pierced the giant’s lower abdomen.

I was surprised.

‘It didn’t go all the way through?’

How high was its Magic Resistance?

I was curious about its stats, but that wasn't important right now.

“Barbarian, don’t be too reckless this time. Focus on—”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

Ainar and Amelia, followed by the other melee fighters, charged forward and attacked the giant.

We focused on its legs.

It was an order I had given them beforehand.

It had a habit of running away, after all.

We had to cripple its mobility—

“It’s getting up!”

“Retreat!”

Despite our efforts, the giant managed to stand up.

And…

[Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!]

…it started running in the opposite direction.

‘What a coward…’

I was speechless, but I wasn’t going to let it escape again.

This wasn't the sea.

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia summons [Dicloe, the Dark Spirit King].」

A barrage of dark orbs rained down on the giant.

Surprisingly, it continued running, tanking the damage…

But it couldn’t last forever.

Thump, thump!

I caught up to it and jumped on its back.

Kaboom! Kwang! Kwang!

Dicloe’s attacks continued, but they didn’t affect me.

I had the best equipment, after all.

No. 12, Trust.

「Damage inflicted by a bonded ally.」

「The light of trust protects the character from the damage.」

This item made this kind of strategy possible.