Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 510: The Tomb (2)

Hans A.

My first companion, and the first person I killed in this world.

Thanks to him, I had been able to evolve from a helpless newbie to a seasoned explorer. And it was because of him that I had met Erwen and come this far.

But…

‘Maybe it’s because his name was Hans… he’s surprisingly persistent.’

His portrait…

It was the first thing I had discarded after looting his body. Was it some kind of cursed doll that kept coming back?

“Hmm, you threw it away in the labyrinth…?”

What? When did Amelia get here?

I looked around, and the other teammates were also eavesdropping while pretending to do their jobs.

Explorers had sharp ears.

“…Maybe this is where everything that disappears from the labyrinth ends up.”

Bersil offered a theory, but it was something anyone would have thought of after hearing my story.

“Oh! That’s interesting! So I can find my lost boots now? They were my favorite!”

“If you’re lucky.”

“Wait a minute, Gowland. If your theory is correct, then what are those? I don’t think there are that many wardrobes and tables in the labyrinth.”

Amelia pointed at the floating objects, and Bersil hesitated, unable to answer.

“That’s… strange… Why…?”

The flaw in her theory.

Surprisingly, it was Auyen, the navigator, who provided the answer.

“Those… might be furniture from large ships.”

“Large ships?”

“I heard that Space-Time magic wasn’t as advanced when the 6th floor was first explored. So the ancient explorers couldn’t summon ships like we do.”

“Oh, so…?”

“They built their ships on the starting island and then left them on the 6th floor. It’s a well-known fact among navigators.”

“…How is that possible? Did they just abandon their ships after using them once?”

“No, they used magic. Space-Time magic wasn’t as advanced as it is now, but it still existed.”

Auyen didn’t know the details, but he said there was a spell that automatically guided the ships back to the starting island, regardless of their location.

“So they used the fact that time still flows on the 6th floor even when the labyrinth is closed.”

“Yes. But that led to many thefts and disputes. And shipwrecks were also common—”

“I see. Thank you for the information.”

I cut Auyen off.

He was getting too excited. He needed to focus on navigating.

“Just focus on steering the ship.”

“Ah… yes!”

“Erwen, stop eavesdropping.”

“……!”

“Ainar, your cleaning has stopped.”

I redirected my teammates’ attention back to their respective tasks.

It didn’t matter what was floating in the sea.

The important thing was that we could find items that had disappeared from the labyrinth.

“Bersil, keep collecting the floating objects. There might be treasures among them.”

“Okay.”

Hans A’s family portrait might be useless now…

But who knew what we might find?

Numbered Items, high-grade equipment…

There must be countless lost treasures in this sea.

Just like the equipment we had to abandon in Ice Rock.

‘Hmm, so it’s not a garbage dump… it’s a tomb. Filled with valuable artifacts.’

Now I understood.

Why there were so many explorers waiting in front of the stone tablet, even with Verzak roaming the floor.

It was worth the risk.

‘New monster essences, byproducts, and lost treasures…’

I wondered how much we would earn after returning to the city.

As I was thinking that, Erwen shouted from the crow’s nest,

“Mister! Land! I see an island!”

…I hoped it wasn’t another 1st-grade monster.

______________________

Thankfully, it really was an island.

Well, calling it an island was a bit of a stretch…

But it wasn’t a monster.

“…It looks like a temple.”

A single structure, supported by two pillars, was floating on the water.

We circled the island, but there was only one entrance. And we couldn’t see inside.

It was shrouded in shadows.

“What do we do?”

“Explore, of course. That’s why we’re here.”

The water around the island was shallow, so we transferred to a smaller boat and unsummoned the main ship.

And then we slowly rowed towards the island.

“…This is a strange place.”

As we approached the entrance, the shadows receded, revealing the interior.

‘The visibility is about 5 meters.’

A wide staircase led downwards. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

It looked like it was designed for something much larger than a human.

Well, that was convenient for me.

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

A staircase I could use even while using [Gigantification]?

This was valuable.

Thump, thump, thump—

I took the lead and descended the stairs, ready to tank any damage.

And after a while…

“It’s deep.”

I had descended at least 200 steps.

What was this place?

It didn’t make sense spatially, but I decided not to think about it. There was no point in questioning the laws of physics in this world.

Thump!

I finally reached the bottom.

“Ugh… it smells like dust.”

A musty smell filled the air.

The visibility was low, but the surroundings gradually became brighter.

“……!”

It was as if someone had flipped a switch.

My teammates flinched, looking around for enemies, and then they all stared at the surroundings in awe.

“This is…”

The ceiling was incredibly high, as high as the staircase we had just descended.

And giant bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling.

“What is this…? A library…?”

It resembled a library, but there was a key difference.

The size.

Each book was as large as a person, requiring both arms to carry. And the bookshelves, filled with thousands of these giant books, were even larger.

“Oh! They’re not that heavy!”

But the books themselves weren’t that heavy. An explorer could easily lift one.

“Frenelin, can you open one?”

“Of course!”

Ainar took a book from the shelf and placed it on the floor, opening it.

But…

“It’s blank…”

So the books were just decorations?

“Bersil, you and Ainar examine the books. And Ainar, protect Bersil if anything happens.”

I left Ainar and Bersil with the bookshelves and explored the area.

It was a cylindrical space.

Curved bookshelves lined the walls, reaching all the way to the ceiling.

And…

“…I don’t know what this is for.”

A stone slab that looked like a table stood in the center.

And at the opposite end of the staircase, there was a large stone door between the bookshelves.

I examined everything carefully, but I couldn’t find anything.

‘It seems like you have to use this somehow…’

There didn’t seem to be any monsters or traps, so I let my teammates explore the area.

And after a while…

“Yandel, I found a book with something written in it! But it’s in ancient language, so you should come take a look.”

Right, my ancient language skills were finally useful.

I rushed over to Bersil, and a book was open on the floor.

There was a picture on one page, and text on the other.

“The picture looks like a 9th-grade Wall Mole… but I can’t read the text.”

Bersil was right. The picture was of a Wall Mole.

The text next to it confirmed it.

Name.

Habitat.

Abilities.

And a description of its name, abilities, and behavior.

“…It’s like an encyclopedia. Is this the only one?”

“Yes. All the other pages are blank.”

“I see…”

“You seem… thoughtful.”

“Just thinking.”

This book alone was incredibly valuable.

Raven, the history buff, would have been ecstatic.

But I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing.

An explorer prioritized practicality over knowledge.

‘How can I use this?’

What could I do with this discovery?

And why was it here?

An explorer’s job was to experiment and find answers, not to study and theorize.

“Everyone, gather around.”

I summoned my teammates.

“Did you find something?”

“Not exactly, but I have an idea.”

“An idea?”

Amelia tilted her head, but it was faster to show her than to explain.

And I wasn’t even sure if it would work.

Thud.

I placed the book on the stone slab in the center of the room.

And after about three seconds…

“…You’re wrong.”

Amelia spoke, and at that moment…

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

…the stone slab started glowing blue.

Something had changed.

And in [Dungeon and Stone], that usually meant danger.

Therefore…

“Bjorn! The stone door! It’s opening…!”

I ran towards the door and shouted,

“Get ready for battle!”

My teammates quickly got into formation, their faces grim.

A tense silence filled the room.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

And then, after four seconds…

A monster emerged from the slightly opened door.

[Squeak—]

…It was a Wall Mole.

[Squeak!]

Just one.

______________________

The first monster we encountered had been a 1st-grade Tol-Lafupa.

So we were all wary of what might emerge from the stone door.

But…

“A Wall Mole…?”

A single 9th-grade monster?

“Stay alert. There might be more.”

I said that, but I was also disappointed.

But my disappointment quickly turned into understanding.

‘…I see how it works.’

We had placed a book about the ‘Wall Mole’ on the stone slab, and a ‘Wall Mole’ had appeared.

Was it a coincidence?

“Erwen.”

I called her name, and she immediately fired an arrow.

Did she understand my intentions without any explanation?

It didn’t matter.

[……!]

The Wall Mole, which had been waddling towards us, died without a sound.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A 9th-grade magic stone dropped.

No essence.

Beginner's Luck didn't work here.

Not that I would have absorbed it anyway.

Rumble!

The stone door closed.

And…

“Oh! Yandel! Look!”

…a staircase leading to the second level of the bookshelf appeared.

It was a surprisingly straightforward progression, even for [Dungeon and Stone].

‘So we have to summon monsters and climb up…’

I checked the book before going upstairs.

“The picture and the text are gone…”

So we couldn’t reuse the books.

I discarded the blank book and climbed the stairs.

And then a thought occurred to me.

‘Can’t I just climb up without using the stairs?’

I was a barbarian. I had to try.

I climbed up the bookshelf, using my height to reach the railing of the third level.

But the books on the shelf wouldn’t budge.

‘So I can climb up, but I can’t take the books.’

I was curious what was at the top…

But I decided to save it for later.

We still had a lot to do here.

“Everyone, find a book with a picture in it.”

My teammates started searching the bookshelves, and it didn’t take long for us to find another one.

This time, it had two monsters.

A 8th-grade Nightfla…

“Oh! I know this one! It uses the same ability as the vampire we met in the Blood Citadel!”

…and a McGuffin.

“…What does it say?”

“It already has a name… we wasted our time.”

They were all curious about the McGuffin’s entry…

‘Let’s see… the name is…’

…and I froze as I read the first line.

“…Huh? Bjorn, what’s wrong?”

Ainar approached me, concern etched on her face.

Bersil also asked,

“…Yandel? Is there a problem?”

I didn’t answer and just said,

“McGuffin.”

“Yes?”

“The book also calls it a McGuffin.”

“…What? But you named it…”

That’s what was strange.

“W-What a coincidence…? They have the same name…?”

Auyen muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.

It was an understandable reaction.

It was much easier to believe it was a coincidence.

But…

Name.

Habitat.

Abilities.

I reached the etymology section and read…

[…Bjorn, son of Yandel, the first explorer to enter the 1st Basement Floor: Archives, named this creature after its discovery.]

…and I froze.

What the hell was going on?