Chapter 27: Rift (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 27: Rift (1)

People evolved, and each had their own method of doing so. By reading books, reflecting on the past, having an honest conversation with a friend for the first time, or realizing a dream they truly wanted to see come true.

Or...

By being jealous of someone else's good fortune, witnessing someone's misfortune, or realizing the power that comes with having a goal. Every experience stimulated and contributed to a person's growth.

I was no different. Well, psychological growth was probably only a small part of that, though.

As I was organizing the backpacks for the blond-haired guy's party, I smirked.

"One wooden bow, one metal plate gaiter, three low-rank potions, a dozen regular torches... What is this? A portrait? A family portrait, maybe? Anyway, toss that away..."

Adding it all up, this stuff would be worth over eight hundred thousand stones.

I'd always been like this, after all. Growth didn't always correlate with living through a fucked-up situation. But...

"With this, I can afford three more pieces of armor for myself."

Every time I leveled up as a person, it had always been following a fucked-up situation.

Damn, I knew what I had to do after this.

***

I was walking through the cave with Ainar.

"Bjorn, where are we going now?"

"We will move south to the gnomes."

After taking a break of four hours per person, for a total of eight hours, Ainar also came back to her senses. Her energy levels were still low compared to her usual, though.

"Bjorn, you can move faster. You don't have to worry about me."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I...I want to become stronger as soon as possible."

"I see."

It seemed that I didn't have to worry about her anymore. As long as she had a clear goal in mind, negative emotions would act as nourishment, not poison.

Mm, maybe I was the same way.

"I am of the same opinion."

The entire time I'd been on watch, I reflected on my journey so far. The coming-of-age ceremony, my arrival in the labyrinth, my night companionship with Hans, Erwen, the Goblin Forest, the four ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠against two battle with the crossbow party, et cetera.

When I thought about it, there was nothing wrong with anything I had done in those situations. I'd always looked for the best possible option to choose in a given situation. But...

Plainly speaking, I had spent every moment solely focused on escaping.

"Why did you suddenly stop?"

"No reason. We'll keep moving."

This was worth thinking about.

I'd had no tutorial fairy or system text to rely on. As soon as I opened my eyes, a man's head had been cut off, and from then on, events that were far outside the realm of reality had continued to unfold. Therefore, I had no choice but to react as passively as possible, putting my safety above all.

But how had that worked out for me?

"Bjorn...? You don't look good."

"Don't worry about it."

I always chose the best possible option? Bullshit.

In the end, that was just a coping mechanism. How great could the decisions I made have been, coming from a guy who only managed to handle a situation after it happened?

If I really wanted to survive here, I needed to start being more proactive. That way, the choices I was faced with would be different.

My gambling-addict uncle once told me, "Instead of playing a game someone else has planned, throw the dice on a board you made for yourself."

Okay. Change of plans.

I stopped in my tracks. "Ainar, do you really want to be strong?"

Ainar expressed deep confusion in response to my sudden question.

"What... do you mean?"

"I'm asking for your commitment. There is a way to definitely become stronger. But it comes with risks. What do you think?"

High risk, high reward. How would she respond to this proposal?

As I stopped to watch her, Ainar swallowed, and a fire roared to life in her eyes.

"Of course I will do it. If we don't become strong, we'll die anyway!"

Yeah, that's true. That's how this world works.

After expressing her consent, Ainar shouted, "I am a warrior!"

I thought you said you weren't one before?

I snickered.

As I watched the impractical mindset of a barbarian—which was also sometimes weirdly more practical than anyone else's—in action, I realized something.

"So, how can I get stronger?"

The slow way was the easy way. And fucked-up situations were like a natural disaster;

no matter which path you took, they could hit you without warning.

And with my luck, the number of natural disasters would be many. That was why...

"We will enter the rift."

The first punch wins.

This time, I was going to seek out the natural disaster myself. As someone famous once said: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

***

"Oh! I see!" Ainar exclaimed after listening to my plan. Then, she hesitantly asked, "...But what is a rift?"

How come you're a native of this world but have less knowledge than me? I wished she would read some books.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Oh, right... She still hasn't learned how to read.

"The rift is... in short, it is a labyrinth within a labyrinth."

I skipped any detailed explanations. She wouldn't understand anyway.

"A labyrinth in a labyrinth?"

"That's right."

It was an element of Dungeon and Stone that made it unique compared to many other games these days. If the person I had to explain this to were someone from the modern world, I would have described the rift as an "Instance Dungeon."

"Sometimes a portal opens at a random location on each floor. When you enter it, it takes you not to the second or third floor, but to a new space."

"Oh! Are you talking about the Frostlord's Palace?"

I always chose the best possible option? Bullshit.

In the end, that was just a coping mechanism. How great could the decisions I made have been, coming from a guy who only managed to handle a situation after it happened?

If I really wanted to survive here, I needed to start being more proactive. That way, the choices I was faced with would be different.

My gambling-addict uncle once told me, "Instead of playing a game someone else has planned, throw the dice on a board you made for yourself."

Okay. Change of plans.

I stopped in my tracks. "Ainar, do you really want to be strong?"

Ainar expressed deep confusion in response to my sudden question.

"What... do you mean?"

"I'm asking for your commitment. There is a way to definitely become stronger. But it comes with risks. What do you think?"

High risk, high reward. How would she respond to this proposal?

As I stopped to watch her, Ainar swallowed, and a fire roared to life in her eyes.

"Of course I will do it. If we don't become strong, we'll die anyway!"

Yeah, that's true. That's how this world works.

After expressing her consent, Ainar shouted, "I am a warrior!"

I thought you said you weren't one before?

I snickered.

As I watched the impractical mindset of a barbarian—which was also sometimes weirdly more practical than anyone else's—in action, I realized something.

"So, how can I get stronger?"

The slow way was the easy way. And fucked-up situations were like a natural disaster;

no matter which path you took, they could hit you without warning.

And with my luck, the number of natural disasters would be many. That was why...

"We will enter the rift."

The first punch wins.

This time, I was going to seek out the natural disaster myself. As someone famous once said: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

***

"Oh! I see!" Ainar exclaimed after listening to my plan. Then, she hesitantly asked, "...But what is a rift?"

How come you're a native of this world but have less knowledge than me? I wished she would read some books.

Oh, right... She still hasn't learned how to read.

"The rift is... in short, it is a labyrinth within a labyrinth."

I skipped any detailed explanations. She wouldn't understand anyway.

"A labyrinth in a labyrinth?"

"That's right."

It was an element of Dungeon and Stone that made it unique compared to many other games these days. If the person I had to explain this to were someone from the modern world, I would have described the rift as an "Instance Dungeon."

"Sometimes a portal opens at a random location on each floor. When you enter it, it takes you not to the second or third floor, but to a new space."

"Oh! Are you talking about the Frostlord's Palace?"

I guess she has heard of rifts, then.

The Frostlord's Palace was a space you could access by going through the rift on the eighth floor. I remembered working like a dog to try to obtain the Frostlord's essence in the game.

"But is it feasible with just the two of us? I heard the chieftain went in there when he was young and almost died."

"It's okay. We are only on the first floor."

There were a total of four types of rifts that could be opened on the first floor. No matter which one you chose, the difficulty was incredibly low compared to the rifts of the other floors.

Using the two of us as a benchmark, it would still be rated seven stars...and that was out of five.

"But how can we get into a place that appears randomly?"

"Don't worry. There is a way."

I may not look it right now, but I spent nine years of my life playing this game. And I discovered hundreds of hidden things in its unfriendly interface.

"Bjorn, I will trust you!"

I turned away from our original southern trajectory to move east. Originally, I had wanted to hunt gnomes, kobolds, and stone golems on the southern route of the second floor, Black Rock Mountain. The stone golem's [Restraint] ability was a pain in the ass to deal with, but if you prepared in advance, it could be overcome. However, there was no telling how many years it would take us to reach the eighth floor by playing so cautiously.

"Two barbarians. Are you looking for a night companion? If the three of us sleep together, we can sleep a lot more—"

"Get lost."

"I was just asking—"

"I will crush your head if you don't leave in three seconds."

As we crossed the first floor, we came across other adventurers as well as monsters, but Ainar took care of them each time.

...But can't she just tell them "no?"

"I hate humans more than fern faces."

It seemed that Ainar had evolved from distrusting humans to flat-out hating them.

Smack! Smack! Crunch!

We finally reached our destination after traveling for about twenty hours, demolishing the monsters standing in our way. The time was around 4 a.m.

It was once again hitting me how big the first floor was. I knew this place was a maze-like anthill, but to think it took more than a day to get from the west end to the center...

"Bjorn, isn't this the entrance?"

Strictly speaking, the word "entrance" was incorrect. Most starting points tended to be in a certain direction, either north or south or whatever. Most importantly, there was no light here.

Whoosh!

Burning a torch we had obtained from the blond-haired guy's party, we entered the dark zone.

And how long had it been since?

[You have defeated a gnome. EXP +1]

[You have defeated a blade wolf. EXP +1]

"To think all four types of monsters appear here!" Ainar exclaimed in fascination as she finished off our eighth battle. "I didn't know there was a place like this in the middle of the first floor."

It was probably common sense to most adventurers, but this was not a place you casually wandered into. If I had to compare it to something, this was like a spot where a cold current met a warm one. Blade wolves from the east, ghouls from the west, gnomes from the south, and goblins from the north all coexisted in the area we were standing in.

I guess she has heard of rifts, then.

The Frostlord's Palace was a space you could access by going through the rift on the eighth floor. I remembered working like a dog to try to obtain the Frostlord's essence in the game.

"But is it feasible with just the two of us? I heard the chieftain went in there when he was young and almost died."

"It's okay. We are only on the first floor."

There were a total of four types of rifts that could be opened on the first floor. No matter which one you chose, the difficulty was incredibly low compared to the rifts of the other floors.

Using the two of us as a benchmark, it would still be rated seven stars...and that was out of five.

"But how can we get into a place that appears randomly?"

"Don't worry. There is a way."

I may not look it right now, but I spent nine years of my life playing this game. And I discovered hundreds of hidden things in its unfriendly interface.

"Bjorn, I will trust you!"

I turned away from our original southern trajectory to move east. Originally, I had wanted to hunt gnomes, kobolds, and stone golems on the southern route of the second floor, Black Rock Mountain. The stone golem's [Restraint] ability was a pain in the ass to deal with, but if you prepared in advance, it could be overcome. However, there was no telling how many years it would take us to reach the eighth floor by playing so cautiously.

"Two barbarians. Are you looking for a night companion? If the three of us sleep together, we can sleep a lot more—"

"Get lost."

"I was just asking—"

"I will crush your head if you don't leave in three seconds."

As we crossed the first floor, we came across other adventurers as well as monsters, but Ainar took care of them each time.

...But can't she just tell them "no?"

"I hate humans more than fern faces."

It seemed that Ainar had evolved from distrusting humans to flat-out hating them.

Smack! Smack! Crunch!

We finally reached our destination after traveling for about twenty hours, demolishing the monsters standing in our way. The time was around 4 a.m.

It was once again hitting me how big the first floor was. I knew this place was a maze-like anthill, but to think it took more than a day to get from the west end to the center...

"Bjorn, isn't this the entrance?"

Strictly speaking, the word "entrance" was incorrect. Most starting points tended to be in a certain direction, either north or south or whatever. Most importantly, there was no light here.

Whoosh!

Burning a torch we had obtained from the blond-haired guy's party, we entered the dark zone.

And how long had it been since?

[You have defeated a gnome. EXP +1]

[You have defeated a blade wolf. EXP +1]

"To think all four types of monsters appear here!" Ainar exclaimed in fascination as she finished off our eighth battle. "I didn't know there was a place like this in the middle of the first floor."

It was probably common sense to most adventurers, but this was not a place you casually wandered into. If I had to compare it to something, this was like a spot where a cold current met a warm one. Blade wolves from the east, ghouls from the west, gnomes from the south, and goblins from the north all coexisted in the area we were standing in.

However...

"It's strangely quiet."

This area was not popular amongst adventurers, and the reason for that was simple. Even though all four types of monsters appeared, that only made the job of the hunter harder. The number of monsters that spawned was also few.

Besides, the fatal flaw of this area is how expensive it is to constantly light a torch.

As a matter of fact, almost no one came here except for those who chose to pass through it to save time on travel. But pros enjoyed this space, mainly because it was unique. Plus, from a game designer's point of view, it was the perfect place to hide something.

"So, why are we here?" Ainar asked.

"Just wait. We'll be there soon."

After an hour of wandering around in the dark, changing directions here and there, we eventually got to the place I wanted to go.

"Now we're here."

It was a hole with a radius of about thirty yards sitting in the middle of an open space. In the first floor, which had been designed with an anthill-like structure, this peculiar monument stood out.

"...What is that?"

"It is a memorial. To honor the first person to discover this labyrinth."

I cautiously approached the tombstone and read the inscription at the bottom.

[The Last Great Sage, Diplan Groundel Gabrilius. In honor of his great first step.]

The text was the same as it was in the game. In other words, it would be reasonable to assume that the hidden place that I had found back then was likely the same one I was looking at now.

"Ainar, what happens from now on is a secret. Got it?"

"Okay."

"I need your oath, not simply an agreement. If this becomes known, we may both be in danger."

"...I swear on my honor as a warrior."

"Thanks."

I slowly loosened the pouch tied around my waist. Goblins, gnomes, ghouls, and blade wolves. Mana stones of the four types of monsters that appeared on the first floor and the mana stone of a death fiend, a rank-eight monster.

And then, the monument of the great sage right in front of me.

"I'll get started."

All the preparations to force open the rift were in place.

***

In Dungeon and Stone's instance dungeons, rifts had a cooldown time.

Using the first floor as an example, it took at least three cycles—three months in city time—for the rift to reopen. Of course, it was rare for the rifts to open immediately after three months, and most opened randomly after five to six cycles.

The maximum was...eight cycles? Yes, I was sure of it.

Keep in mind, that these were all things that I had discovered on my own. While grinding for the Frostlord's Essence, I needed to know more about the rift. It wasn't efficient to just constantly wander around the floors and wait for the rift to appear.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

Having momentarily been caught up in memories of the past, I placed the death fiend's mana stone in front of the monument. If the most recent rift had opened within three cycles, then the cooldown clock would still be running, and there would be no response. But...

Before long, the mana stone I had placed disappeared in a flash of light, and vibrations spread through the monument.

It had really worked.

Whooom!

The vibrations became stronger, and a black portal opened up.

"Hurry, let's go inside."

"Um, uh... Okay!"

As I remembered that the rift usually reached max capacity in ten seconds, I hurriedly threw myself inside with Ainar.

[You have entered the first-floor rift.]

Leaving behind Ainar, who had landed on her butt as usual, I studied our surroundings.

A red sky that seemed to signal the end of the world at any moment, a flock of crows flying above it, and a black fortress in the distance... Needless to say, this was one of the four types of rifts on the first floor, the Bloody Citadel.

That was to be expected, since the rank-eight mana stone I had offered as a sacrifice belonged to a death fiend.

Whooom!

After we stood around waiting for a while, a portal opened in the air, and a person was spat out. This was the main reason why I had put off coming to this place, despite knowing exactly how to open a rift as well as the best strategy to clear it.

I was more afraid of adventurers than monsters.

"Hahaha! I finally managed to get in!"

Wouldn't it be nice to be a member of a five-person party guaranteed to trust each other?

When you entered the rift the way we did, you had to clear it alongside a random group of adventurers who entered it on a first-come, first-served basis. If this were the game, we would be matched with other players by an automated system. I glanced nervously at our first party member.

"Oh! How reassuring to have two barbarians! Nice to meet you! My name is Hikurod Murad! As you can see, I'm a dwarf, hahaha!"

First, a talkative dwarf.

I didn't know about his skillset, but that wasn't bad.

I hope the rest of the group will be like this...

I snorted.

But that would be asking for too much, right?

Shit, come at me, anyone who wants to come. I don't have my hopes up anyway.

[A new party member has joined the campaign.]

Two more party members were added soon after.

However...

"It's strangely quiet."

This area was not popular amongst adventurers, and the reason for that was simple. Even though all four types of monsters appeared, that only made the job of the hunter harder. The number of monsters that spawned was also few.

Besides, the fatal flaw of this area is how expensive it is to constantly light a torch.

As a matter of fact, almost no one came here except for those who chose to pass through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it to save time on travel. But pros enjoyed this space, mainly because it was unique. Plus, from a game designer's point of view, it was the perfect place to hide something.

"So, why are we here?" Ainar asked.

"Just wait. We'll be there soon."

After an hour of wandering around in the dark, changing directions here and there, we eventually got to the place I wanted to go.

"Now we're here."

It was a hole with a radius of about thirty yards sitting in the middle of an open space. In the first floor, which had been designed with an anthill-like structure, this peculiar monument stood out.

"...What is that?"

"It is a memorial. To honor the first person to discover this labyrinth."

I cautiously approached the tombstone and read the inscription at the bottom.

[The Last Great Sage, Diplan Groundel Gabrilius. In honor of his great first step.]

The text was the same as it was in the game. In other words, it would be reasonable to assume that the hidden place that I had found back then was likely the same one I was looking at now.

"Ainar, what happens from now on is a secret. Got it?"

"Okay."

"I need your oath, not simply an agreement. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this becomes known, we may both be in danger."

"...I swear on my honor as a warrior."

"Thanks."

I slowly loosened the pouch tied around my waist. Goblins, gnomes, ghouls, and blade wolves. Mana stones of the four types of monsters that appeared on the first floor and the mana stone of a death fiend, a rank-eight monster.

And then, the monument of the great sage right in front of me.

"I'll get started."

All the preparations to force open the rift were in place.

***

In Dungeon and Stone's instance dungeons, rifts had a cooldown time.

Using the first floor as an example, it took at least three cycles—three months in city time—for the rift to reopen. Of course, it was rare for the rifts to open immediately after three months, and most opened randomly after five to six cycles.

The maximum was...eight cycles? Yes, I was sure of it.

Keep in mind, that these were all things that I had discovered on my own. While grinding for the Frostlord's Essence, I needed to know more about the rift. It wasn't efficient to just constantly wander around the floors and wait for the rift to appear.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

Having momentarily been caught up in memories of the past, I placed the death fiend's mana stone in front of the monument. If the most recent rift had opened within three cycles, then the cooldown clock would still be running, and there would be no response. But...

Before long, the mana stone I had placed disappeared in a flash of light, and vibrations spread through the monument.

It had really worked.

Whooom!

The vibrations became stronger, and a black portal opened up.

"Hurry, let's go inside."

"Um, uh... Okay!"

As I remembered that the rift usually reached max capacity in ten seconds, I hurriedly threw myself inside with Ainar.

[You have entered the first-floor rift.]

Leaving behind Ainar, who had landed on her butt as usual, I studied our surroundings.

A red sky that seemed to signal the end of the world at any moment, a flock of crows flying above it, and a black fortress in the distance... Needless to say, this was one of the four types of rifts on the first floor, the Bloody Citadel.

That was to be expected, since the rank-eight mana stone I had offered as a sacrifice belonged to a death fiend.

Whooom!

After we stood around waiting for a while, a portal opened in the air, and a person was spat out. This was the main reason why I had put off coming to this place, despite knowing exactly how to open a rift as well as the best strategy to clear it.

I was more afraid of adventurers than monsters.

"Hahaha! I finally managed to get in!"

Wouldn't it be nice to be a member of a five-person party guaranteed to trust each other?

When you entered the rift the way we did, you had to clear it alongside a random group of adventurers who entered it on a first-come, first-served basis. If this were the game, we would be matched with other players by an automated system. I glanced nervously at our first party member.

"Oh! How reassuring to have two barbarians! Nice to meet you! My name is Hikurod Murad! As you can see, I'm a dwarf, hahaha!"

First, a talkative dwarf.

I didn't know about his skillset, but that wasn't bad.

I hope the rest of the group will be like this...

I snorted.

But that would be asking for too much, right?

Shit, come at me, anyone who wants to come. I don't have my hopes up anyway.

[A new party member has joined the campaign.]

Two more party members were added soon after.