Surviving the Game as a Barbarian Chapter 800: First-Class (2)
Previously on Surviving the Game as a Barbarian...
As soon as we passed through the portal, my sight flickered once more, revealing a brand-new area before us.
“This is.......”
“What is this place? It’s quiet.......”
Perhaps expecting hordes of monsters everywhere, a few team members cocked their heads in puzzlement over the surprising stillness.
That makes sense.
Unlike the bone-strewn Skull Island Catacoma or the prior zone where the whole island exploded like a live bomb right before our eyes, this spot was merely dim, silent, and devoid of any obvious dangers.
“This feels off. It resembles a lab facility.”
The odd vibe and strain from the unknown surroundings faded quickly. Raven surveyed the space and commented with scholarly interest.
'Guess that vow to avenge her master didn't stick—old habits die hard.'
Not that I mind.
Truth be told, I hope she drops the revenge obsession and simply pursues her passions.
Of course, that's easier said than done... even for someone like me.
'Thunk, thunk.......'
Each footfall reverberated across the metallic floor covering the whole space.
Metal pipes, hatch controls, and hefty mana conduits like factory wiring ran along the walls.
It was as if we had wandered into a massive submersible—or perhaps an underground shelter.
“Ooh! I really wanna flip this lever—.”
“Don’t! Prnelin, keep your hands off everything!”
“I-I didn’t touch it! I only considered it!!”
Ignoring Ainard’s irritation, I pressed on quickly.
The clock was still running, after all.
'He ought to contact us any second now.......'
While advancing cautiously to the middle with that thought, a voice rang out precisely as anticipated.
[Who are you? Are you pilgrims?]
The sound crackled with static, as if broadcast through an old intercom.
“......!”
Nearly everyone drew their weapons and swept their gazes around upon hearing it.
That’s reasonable.
Likely only two among us grasped the words spoken.
“Ancient tongue......?”
Raven, who had devoted years to learning fragments of the ancient language.
And...
[Welcome, Arta.]
Myself, utterly untrained yet fluent in it, like a true speaker.
[......You have not yet answered my question. Who are you? Are you pilgrims?]
At that query, a grin crept across my face.
Arta Island stood out as a captivating segment in the game.
Arta was the sole NPC encountered within the Labyrinth.
Well, once the full story emerges, labeling him an NPC feels less certain.
Still, his ability to converse intelligently and offer quests set him apart as exceptional.
The quest flow was remarkably distinctive too......
“Bjorn! Enemy or not? Give the order! I’ll crush it flat!”
“Stay put, Ainard. No use trying anyway.”
“No use......? W-Wait—is it a spirit?! No sweat! I-I handle spirits these days!”
“Really? Then swing at that door with your spear.”
“...Huh?”
Though baffled by my command, Ainard complied without question.
Yet...
“Uh......?”
Ainard stood rigid, gripping his spear tightly.
Some invisible barrier blocked the motion entirely.
“W-What’s happening?! M-My body won’t obey......! Save me!”
“Calm down. Let go of the aggression, and it’ll pass.”
To be precise, in the game it wasn’t aggression per se—the attack function simply locked out.
Under this ‘realism update,’ it manifests that way now.
Indeed, following my advice freed Ainard right away.
“Ugh......! What in the world was that?!”
Put simply, it’s an area effect.
This hidden gem ranks among the oddest spots.
「The character has entered a special area.」
「Field Effect - Arta’s Secret Base is in effect.」
「All hostile actions are prohibited within the field.」
No battles of any kind are possible here.
So ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) to advance, brute force won’t cut it......
[......What are you saying to them? Answer my question. If you do not, I will immediately expel you.]
The key lies in dialogue.
Back in the game, chats with this being relied on picking response choices, and only the right sequence unlocked the quest.
Oh, provided you knew “Ancient Tongue.”
'Took me more than a hundred attempts to snag that quest......'
Meaning: armed with that know-how, claiming it now will be effortless.
[We are not pilgrims.]
Declaring yourselves pilgrims leads straight to failure.
Pick that, and you face impossible “trials” no player survives.
Only issue is...
[...But how do you know my name?]
Right, the name slip...
[That is.......]
I paused, scrambling for a suitable explanation.
Darn. I’d let his name slip casually from habit.
Probably a blunder.
In-game, he stuck to scripted lines with fixed replies available—so this nuance never arose.
But hey?
Sadly, my life’s been too chaotic for a trifle like this to rattle me.
[We are survivors of the fallen Empire.]
I can utter this phrase solely because I possess foreknowledge of the tale.
Though the sequence is slightly altered, reciting this specific line remains essential to trigger the quest, no matter the timing.
[We came here to stop the apocalypse, and of course, we already know of your existence.]
[I see... survivors of the fallen Empire. Well, you wouldn’t want this world to be destroyed either.]
[Of course not. Is there anything we can do to help?]
[Hmm... I doubt there’s anything you can do. I respect your will to save the world, but if you truly want that, then leave. I’m trying to resolve it through my own methods.]
Uh... what?
Why is he simply ordering us to leave?
Did I botch the opening?
Nevertheless, this marks not the initial instance where actual events strayed from the game.
'Looks like freestyle mode starts now.'
Thinking that, I opened my mouth once more.
[Arta, we know how to kill the Beast.]
The statement he supposedly cannot overlook per the plot.
[...Haha, you?]
Oddly enough, a real burst of incredulous laughter came back from him.
Yet another dose of realism?
This guy wasn't nearly as irritating back in the game.
Actually, after verifying who we were, he would assess our skills and hand over the quest promptly if we proved valuable.
'Damn... flubbed the initial phase.'
Even so, with full plot knowledge on my side, no issue arises.
[We know how to kill the Beast.]
[......The Beast is not something that can be killed. Even I can only seal it.]
Disdain oozed from his tone, as if questioning how trash like us could possibly pull it off.
[I’m not here to convince you with words. I’m going to kill that serpent.]
[......You even know about that?]
[Is that important? What matters to you is whether we can solve your problem or not.]
[You’re not wrong. However—]
[We also know it’s a First-Class monster. And that once it’s killed, the Divine Device below must be activated. Don’t worry.]
[.......]
Arta ceased inquiring about my sources of information.
Yet his manner changed dramatically—owing to my nonchalant grasp of those classified secrets.
His seriousness had intensified greatly.
[...Very well. I will trust you. Survivors of the fallen Empire.]
Upon concluding his words, a sharp hiss of venting air resounded, revealing a concealed floor panel.
Sure, I bypassed a chunk of the narrative, but...
Chi-i-i-i-i-iik—!
Reaching Seoul is the goal—who gives a damn about the path?
***
Down we go.
Scaling a seemingly bottomless ladder into the depths.
“What were you talking about up there? I heard something about an Empire and a trial or whatever.”
“Nothing important.”
“Wait, but how did you even know about this island in the first place?”
In reply to Raven’s query, I flashed a grin.
She’s aware I started as a player.
The rest harbor doubts too, yet nobody voices them outright.
“You are a Baron, after all. It makes sense that someone like the Captain would know things the average explorer doesn’t! Right, Parab?”
“Haha, yes... That’s true.”
“Still, doesn’t this mean the royal family already knew the secret of Arta Island......?”
I eavesdropped silently on the whispers from the group trailing me.
A somewhat uneasy chuckle escaped me.
“Don’t think too hard about it. It’s not something we should be discussing out loud.”
“Of course. I understand that better than anyone. I’m just curious why the royal family kept Arta Island a mystery in the first place.”
Royal blood undoubtedly at play.
Kaislan forever distrusts the royals, pinning every scheme on them.
...And he’s not completely off-base.
“Focus, everyone. I explained the monster back in the city, right?”
“Ah... wait, this is the place? Where that thing shows up? The End Serpent, Sniktura?”
“That’s right.”
“...This is nerve-wracking. Even Kashan was a monster back there.”
Kaislan’s voice quivered, likely recalling our clash with Kashan on Basement Level 1.
Hard to fault him.
That fight cost us dearly despite hundreds of top fighters.
Few explorers encounter First-Class monsters, so their terror remains abstract...
Those who survive etch it into memory forever.
A First-Class monster equates to a cataclysm.
Beyond mere beasts or humans—it’s an otherworldly force.
“Don’t worry too much. Like I said in the city, this one’s not like Kashan. Given all the conditions, the actual battle difficulty is more like an upper-tier Second-Class.”
“Uh... isn’t a Second-Class monster still a total nightmare?”
Hmm... fair point.
Tales abound of elite clans annihilated by lone Second-Class beasts.
Yet for a maxed-out K-gamer like me, the equation flips entirely.
A First-Class monster at Second-Class difficulty? You bet I’ll slay it.
Skipping that would make me the fool—
'Thunk.'
Daydreaming, I descended the ladder nonstop until my boots met firm footing.
Right then—
「The character has entered a special area.」
「Field Effect - Destroyed Nuclear Laboratory is in effect.」
「The land’s source absorbs all power.」
「All resources possessed by the character are fixed at 0.」
My MP was totally depleted, plunging me into a condition where no skills could be activated.
“So... we’re supposed to fight a First-Class monster in this condition?”
Raven grumbled, her mana entirely sapped, rendering her feebler than an ordinary person.
I merely shrugged.
“Don’t worry. Same goes for the enemy.”
That's the core idea of this place—clashing fists without any powers.
