Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 522: Giant Island (1)

Sixty newbie explorers freshly arrived on the first basement floor. They were momentarily flustered to see us alive and well, but soon regained their composure, approaching us and introducing themselves.

“Baron Yandel, you’re truly alive. It’s an honor. I’m Mul Armin, leader of the Armin Exploration Team.”

The Armin Exploration Team wasn’t one of the Big Four clans, but they were fairly well-known and highly regarded. They were famous for continuing their expeditions even during the war.

“Magnon Nias. I lead the Einperial Clan.”

Einperial. I’d never heard of them.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

Unlike our haphazard arrival, this cycle’s explorers were clearly divided into two groups. Mul Armin cautiously asked me,

“You don’t seem surprised to see us, Baron.”

“I suspected that time was flowing outside.”

“…What?”

Mul Armin flinched and glanced at my teammates behind me. Did he think one of them was a player?

I quickly added,

“I found a clue during our exploration.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Now that I thought about it, I could have deduced it from the Elder's story.

“Ah…”

“How did you know we were alive?”

Magnon Nias, an explorer who looked to be in his late thirties, answered my question.

“You must know about the evil spirits’ gathering. The information about this place was relayed to the city through them.”

Why was he talking to me like that?

As if we were equals. Did he not know how to address a noble?

Mul Armin, sensing my displeasure, quickly spoke.

“Yes. However, considering the source, most people are still skeptical. But they acknowledge the possibility.”

“I see.”

Okay, so I had laid the groundwork for avoiding suspicion.

Time for the next step.

“You’re quite resourceful. You’ve already figured out how to open the portal.”

“It’s nothing compared to you, Baron Yandel. We had several clues from the evil spirits. We connected the ancient inscription on the stone tablet to the Sculpture Temple.”

“So the two of you are collaborating?”

“For the time being, yes.”

This guy’s answers were too short.

How could I extract information from him? freewёbnoνel.com

Mul Armin, once again sensing my intentions, intervened.

“We met at the Sculpture Temple and decided to pool our fragments since we were short on time.”

“We had two, and he had one.”

“…Yes. So we adjusted our team sizes accordingly.”

So that’s why they had 40 and 20 members respectively.

“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, can you tell us about this place? We’d like to hear about it before we start exploring.”

Damn it, this guy was so rude.

Did he think I was his friend?

“You sound like you’re demanding information.”

I lowered my voice, and he quickly changed his tone.

“That wasn’t my intention… I just thought… it would be beneficial for us to exchange information… since we’ll be seeing each other a lot.”

“Really?”

“Of course. We can be of great help to you, Baron Yandel. Your clan is quite small, isn’t it?”

Even though we hadn’t talked for long, I had already made my judgment.

“Our Einperial Clan might be smaller than the Big Four, but we’re just as capable. The rest of our members will be arriving next month—”

This guy would only be a nuisance.

I cut him off.

“No need.”

“……?”

“I don’t need your help. Go explore on your own.”

He flinched and stared at me.

And then, realizing I was serious…

“…That’s a foolish decision. What if we find the exit first?”

“I doubt that.”

“…You’ll regret this.”

“Oh, most people who said that to me ended up dead.”

“Ha!”

He scoffed and then gathered his clan members, preparing to leave.

“Are you sure… we should just let them go?”

Mul Armin asked, concerned.

“Well… now that you mention it…”

I nodded and then called out to Magnon Nias, who was about to leave.

“Wait.”

“…Have you changed your mind?”

“Just come here.”

I beckoned him, and he approached me with a displeased expression. He looked at me expectantly…

Thwack!

…and I punched him in the back of the head.

“Ow!”

The sound was satisfying.

“W-What was that for?!”

“I just felt like hitting you.”

“………What?!”

He looked dumbfounded, but I didn’t care.

What was he going to do about it?

He could only glare at me.

“That’s all. You can leave now.”

“…….”

“Is there a problem?”

“…Rumors are unreliable.”

He quickly gathered his clan members and left, as if he didn’t want to have anything to do with me.

I chuckled, and Mul Armin asked,

“…Why did you do that?”

Ah, that?

“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

I just shrugged.

I couldn't hit him after he was dead, could I?

______________________

I didn't dwell on those who had left.

I focused on the remaining explorer.

“Mul Armin, was it?”

“Yes, Baron.”

“Call me Bjorn.”

“It would be an honor, Baron.”

“So what are your plans?”

“I… was about to tell you about that.”

“Me?”

It was about the forum post. The one about the explorers trapped on an island.

“Now that we’ve met you, it seems likely that the post was true. So we’re planning to go there first.”

“Why?”

“We have to save them. And besides, we don’t have any information about this place, so it’s better than wandering around aimlessly.”

“That’s true.”

Mul was the complete opposite of Magnon.

Even though we hadn’t talked for long, I could tell…

He was trustworthy.

“If you have any advice for us, we would be grateful. It would help us protect our members. And of course, we’ll compensate you.”

“Don’t worry about the compensation.”

I chuckled and gave him two pieces of advice.

“If you see an island, be careful. We encountered a Tol-Lafupa near it.”

“The Tol-Lafupa…? The 1st-grade monster?”

“That’s right. It’s the only one we’ve confirmed so far, but we can’t be sure.”

“…So there might be more 1st-grade monsters… This place is truly dangerous.”

Mul’s face darkened.

“But the rainy season is even more dangerous than the monsters.”

“Rainy season…?”

“On Day 14, it starts raining monsters. And it lasts until Day 21. So you need to find a safe place to hide.”

I told him about the monsters that appeared during the rainy season, and his face turned pale.

“So that’s what you meant… by ‘no opportunity’…”

“That’s right. We’ll be going now. Good luck.”

“What?”

Mul looked flustered by my sudden departure, but I didn't answer and turned to leave.

I wanted to make him feel uneasy.

One step, two steps, three steps…

‘He should be stopping me by now…’

Why wasn’t he?

Was the information about the 1st-grade monster and the rainy season not enough?

‘Should I make him an offer…?’

As I was thinking that…

“Baron…!”

Mul called out to me, and I slowly turned around, feigning ignorance.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

“Hurry up. I don’t have much time.”

“…How about we join forces?”

That was exactly what I wanted.

But I just looked him up and down, my expression indifferent.

“Hmm… with you?”

“Yes. We won’t be a burden. We’ll even give you full command.”

Mul then explained that the Armin Exploration Team was a small but elite group that specialized in finding Gavrilius’s Arrangements. They had a lot of experience exploring hidden areas.

I already knew that.

They were famous.

And for good reason.

“The offer isn’t bad, but what about the loot distribution?”

I cut to the chase, and Mul hesitated for a moment before answering.

“You arrived here first, and you know more than we do, so we won’t be greedy.”

“Give me a number.”

“We won’t claim any of the magic stones. But we’d like half of the other loot, including essences.”

This guy…

He seemed friendly, but he was still an explorer.

“We’ll split the magic stones evenly. But your share of the other loot, including essences, is 30%. And we get first pick.”

“Can we lower our share to 20% in exchange for removing your right of first refusal?”

“No.”

Mul frowned as I firmly rejected his counteroffer. He seemed troubled by my terms, which were practically a slave contract…

It was time to add the final touch.

“Mul Armin, the choice is yours. But remember this.”

I looked him in the eye and said,

“I, Bjorn, son of Yandel, never abandon my comrades.”

That, at least, was the truth.

And it seemed to have had an effect.

“…I accept your terms.”

I had just gained twenty high-level slaves.

______________________

The Armin Exploration Team’s arrival was a huge boon.

They were even better than I had anticipated.

Four 3rd-grade explorers.

Twelve 4th-grade explorers.

A priest and three mages.

It was a luxurious lineup, considering the slave contract they had agreed to.

‘If we work together, we might even be able to slay a 2nd-grade monster…’

After assessing their strength, I introduced myself to each member of the Armin Exploration Team.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

“I-I’m Charlotte Amblot, the team’s mage…!”

“I see. You should eat more. Here, have some jerky.”

“Th-Thank you!”

“And you are?”

“B-Brian Amblot…”

“Amblot?”

“Ah…! Charlotte is my younger sister.”

“Oh, both of you are explorers? That’s impressive! And you are?”

“I-I’m…”

The introductions took a while, but it was worth it.

‘This is a good sign.’

Thankfully, there were no Hanses among them.