Chapter 455: Barbarian Revolution (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 455: Barbarian Revolution (4)

The day I first awoke in this world still stood out in my mind, more vivid than any other memory. I was left reeling by the fact that I somehow understood a language totally unfamiliar to me, yet there was no time to waste, as I also had to quickly make sense of my situation and plan accordingly. That had been my grand entrance to the world of Dungeon and Stone.

Now, I was struck with a sense of déjà vu.

Right there... is where he died.

I still remembered his name: Oreum, son of Kadua. There was no telling the sort of life he might have lived before entering this world, but less than five minutes after opening his eyes, his throat was sliced clean open.

And there were many more like him.

Having seen the records passed down to me as the new chieftain, I now knew that an average of one player had been executed at each coming-of-age ceremony for the past ten years, though those numbers had been in decline. It seemed the once-popular modded version of the game had lost popularity.

But I guess there are still people playing the game.

It was such a shame.

Damn it, why did we ever play that damn thing?

None of this was our fault, of course. There was only one person to blame.

That old bastard screwed us.

It was Auril Gavis, the creator of Dungeon and Stone.

[You have reached the Abyss.]

[Tutorial complete.]

He was the true mastermind behind the kidnapping of countless players, with only those two paltry sentences to show for it.

If he was going to make a tutorial, he should have done it right.

The newbie's expression brought back old memories. Well, they weren't all that old if you ignored the time I got trapped in the past, and I figured there would continue to be even more warriors like him in the future.

"Everyone, quiet!" I boomed. The young barbarians quickly reined in their excitement and shut their mouths, allowing me to proceed with the ceremony. This month's ceremony, however, would be unlike any other held in the past. I would use it as a chance to help the players hidden among the warriors. There might even be another newbie lurking unseen right now.

"Macal, second son of Putil!" I walked over to the young warrior myself and placed my hand on his shoulder as I called his name. "Come forth and pick your weapon!"

"I will!" the young warrior blurted in excitement, apparently moved by his chieftain's warm support and encouragement.

"A two-handed ax! Excellent!"

I kept encouraging the young warriors by walking over to them and calling their names out in turn. Whenever I could, I tried to give the newbie hints to help him quickly adapt to the situation he was in.

"As of today, you are a warrior. May the blessing of Rafdonia be with you!"

Eventually, it was the turn of the newbie I'd been keeping an eye on. "Vector, third son of Kiltau!"

When I clamped my hand on his shoulder, I could feel his entire body trembling beneath my palm. I pretended not to notice and said, "Come forth and pick a weapon for the beginning of your journey!"

"...I will!" Compared to the other warriors, his response was slower and quieter.

But at least he figured out what to do.

Since he was imitating the other warriors off the bat, I had a good feeling that he would survive as he continued to accumulate experience—

Huh?

As soon as I saw the weapon he picked, I couldn't help but let out a laugh. "A shield..."

The newbie flinched at my involuntary reaction, probably worried that he had made a major mistake.

I had no clue this would be a shield barbarian newbie.

I pushed past his frozen form and approached the display where the shield hung, then reached over and grabbed something else for him to take along. "Take this." With my authority as the chieftain, I decided to provide the warriors who picked a shield with an additional small, one-handed hammer.

"Vector, third son of Kiltau, you are now a warrior!"

He was a bit taken aback, probably because this aspect of the ceremony was different from the game, but after taking the free hammer, he quickly returned to his spot. Even though he tried to act unfazed, his expression betrayed open panic.

I can't really blame him. He probably needs some time alone to get his thoughts in order.

I turned my attention away from the newbie and continued with the ceremony until, eventually, the final warrior chose his weapon. It was time to move on to the next step.

"Warriors!" Before they headed into the city, however, I had prepared a brief speech. Well, it was more of a quick review than a speech. "Answer after me! Who are the only good plunderers?"

"Dead plunderers!"

"What do we think about the Adventurers' Guild?"

"We don't trust them!"

"What do we do when we meet a Hans in the labyrinth?"

"Say no! If you don't want to die, scram!"

The reason I was having this quick review session with the young warriors was simple. The rest of them may have all practiced and memorized what to do, but there was a newbie among them who hadn't.

"Now then..." There was one last piece of information I needed to review with them. "What do you do if you find out an 'evil spirit' has been living in the body of one of our people?"

It was the most important piece of information for any player's survival.

"We kill them!"

If a player gets caught, they die.

***

"Open the gate!"

As soon as my voice rang out, the gate that separated the holy land from the city began to open. The young warriors who grew up in the holy land, dreaming countless times of the adventure that awaited them outside these gates, began to let out shouts of excitement.

"Rafdonia!"

Originally, this would have been the moment I sent them off with a final word of encouragement. However, I decided to lead the young warriors into the city myself.

"...What? The chieftain is going to lead us?"

I needed to go into the labyrinth too, so we were going the same way anyway.

"Behel—aaah!"

"We will surely become great warriors like him!"

The warriors were once again overjoyed after hearing that their chieftain would be personally guiding them. While admiring their innocence, I quickly led the warriors to the center of the district.

Since he was imitating the other warriors off the bat, I had a good feeling that he would survive as he continued to accumulate experience—

Huh?

As soon as I saw the weapon he picked, I couldn't help but let out a laugh. "A shield..."

The newbie flinched at my involuntary reaction, probably worried that he had made a major mistake.

I had no clue this would be a shield barbarian newbie.

I pushed past his frozen form and approached the display where the shield hung, then reached over and grabbed something else for him to take along. "Take this." With my authority as the chieftain, I decided to provide the warriors who picked a shield with an additional small, one-handed hammer.

"Vector, third son of Kiltau, you are now a warrior!"

He was a bit taken aback, probably because this aspect of the ceremony was different from the game, but after taking the free hammer, he quickly returned to his spot. Even though he tried to act unfazed, his expression betrayed open panic.

I can't really blame him. He probably needs some time alone to get his thoughts in order.

I turned my attention away from the newbie and continued with the ceremony until, eventually, the final warrior chose his weapon. It was time to move on to the next step.

"Warriors!" Before they headed into the city, however, I had prepared a brief speech. Well, it was more of a quick review than a speech. "Answer after me! Who are the only good plunderers?"

"Dead plunderers!"

"What do we think about the Adventurers' Guild?"

"We don't trust them!"

"What do we do when we meet a Hans in the labyrinth?"

"Say no! If you don't want to die, scram!"

The reason I was having this quick review session with the young warriors was simple. The rest of them may have all practiced and memorized what to do, but there was a newbie among them who hadn't.

"Now then..." There was one last piece of information I needed to review with them. "What do you do if you find out an 'evil spirit' has been living in the body of one of our people?"

It was the most important piece of information for any player's survival.

"We kill them!"

If a player gets caught, they die.

***

"Open the gate!"

As soon as my voice rang out, the gate that separated the holy land from the city began to open. The young warriors who grew up in the holy land, dreaming countless times of the adventure that awaited them outside these gates, began to let out shouts of excitement.

"Rafdonia!"

Originally, this would have been the moment I sent them off with a final word of encouragement. However, I decided to lead the young warriors into the city myself.

"...What? The chieftain is going to lead us?"

I needed to go into the labyrinth too, so we were going the same way anyway.

"Behel—aaah!"

"We will surely become great warriors like him!"

The warriors were once again overjoyed after hearing that their chieftain would be personally guiding them. While admiring their innocence, I quickly led the warriors to the center of the district.

"Good evening, Baron Yandel," someone called out to me. We followed the voice over to a guild wizard waiting in the agreed-upon spot, ready to cast a binding spell on the young warriors. As I clustered them into groups of three or four, some of the warriors began to question me.

"...But Chieftain! I thought it was tradition for us to go on our first expeditions alone!"

"That's right! I've heard the stories ever since I was little!"

Tradition be damned. That shitty tradition was exactly why so many of our warriors had been killed and looted during their first expedition. How many of them could have been saved if we had just abandoned the old ways?

Before I could raise my voice to yell at them, someone beat me to it. "You fools!" It was our newest elder, Ainar. "Bjorn, son of Yandel, is our chieftain now!"

"He's the chieftain, yeah, but what about tradition—?"

"From today on, everything the chieftain says will be tradition! And it's our duty to do whatever he says!"

It was a bit authoritarian, but the logic was sound. After all, the barbarian race had its own systems in place to handle dissent.

"If you disagree with these new traditions, then become the chieftain yourself! Understand?"

In other words, if you had a problem, then put your fists where your mouth was. The young warriors had grown up under that very system, so thankfully, they were quick to accept it.

"...That makes sense!"

All right, then that was the end of that.

"Excuse me... About the payment..."

"Here you go." After he finished casting the spell, I paid the guild's wizard for his work. "Good work. I look forward to working with you again next month."

"Ah... Of course, Your Lordship..."

Since the wizard had been forced to work overtime and come all the way out here to meet with a bunch of barbarians, it was no surprise he looked displeased and exhausted. Unfortunately for him, he was going to have to meet with us next month as well. I had personally gone to his branch of the guild to ask for a favor, after all. How could a mere wizard working there say no?

"The labyrinth!"

"Ohhh! It's r-really here!"

"It's like something is pulling my body toward it!"

In any case, after the payment was finalized, I led the warriors over to Dimension Square, and with that, my duties as chieftain had come to a close. There was nothing else to say other than:

"Go, warriors!"

The second I gave them permission, the young warriors pushed their way through the crowd, ran toward the portal, and threw themselves in.

"Hurraaah!"

Behind me, Ainar let out a laugh as she watched. "Bjorn, why do you look so worried?"

It felt like I was sending my kids off to school for the first time. As long as they came back alive, our tribe would become even stronger, but...

"Don't worry. We came back alive, didn't we? And we were dealing with way worse odds than them!"

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

It was a truly barbarian consolation despite her reminiscing tone. Strangely enough, it made me feel a lot better. The barbarian way of disciplining and training their kids had been too hardcore for much too long. I didn't want things to be so difficult for our young warriors, though I also didn't want to coddle them either. After all, the fastest way to grow was by facing adversity. Only in those moments when dread and fear were pounded into your bones by experience were you able to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

"Good evening, Baron Yandel," someone called out to me. We followed the voice over to a guild wizard waiting in the agreed-upon spot, ready to cast a binding spell on the young warriors. As I clustered them into groups of three or four, some of the warriors began to question me.

"...But Chieftain! I thought it was tradition for us to go on our first expeditions alone!"

"That's right! I've heard the stories ever since I was little!"

Tradition be damned. That shitty tradition was exactly why so many of our warriors had been killed and looted during their first expedition. How many of them could have been saved if we had just abandoned the old ways?

Before I could raise my voice to yell at them, someone beat me to it. "You fools!" It was our newest elder, Ainar. "Bjorn, son of Yandel, is our chieftain now!"

"He's the chieftain, yeah, but what about tradition—?"

"From today on, everything the chieftain says will be tradition! And it's our duty to do whatever he says!"

It was a bit authoritarian, but the logic was sound. After all, the barbarian race had its own systems in place to handle dissent.

"If you disagree with these new traditions, then become the chieftain yourself! Understand?"

In other words, if you had a problem, then put your fists where your mouth was. The young warriors had grown up under that very system, so thankfully, they were quick to accept it.

"...That makes sense!"

All right, then that was the end of that.

"Excuse me... About the payment..."

"Here you go." After he finished casting the spell, I paid the guild's wizard for his work. "Good work. I look forward to working with you again next month."

"Ah... Of course, Your Lordship..."

Since the wizard had been forced to work overtime and come all the way out here to meet with a bunch of barbarians, it was no surprise he looked displeased and exhausted. Unfortunately for him, he was going to have to meet with us next month as well. I had personally gone to his branch of the guild to ask for a favor, after all. How could a mere wizard working there say no?

"The labyrinth!"

"Ohhh! It's r-really here!"

"It's like something is pulling my body toward it!"

In any case, after the payment was finalized, I led the warriors over to Dimension Square, and with that, my duties as chieftain had come to a close. There was nothing else to say other than:

"Go, warriors!"

The second I gave them permission, the young warriors pushed their way through the crowd, ran toward the portal, and threw themselves in.

"Hurraaah!"

Behind me, Ainar let out a laugh as she watched. "Bjorn, why do you look so worried?"

It felt like I was sending my kids off to school for the first time. As long as they came back alive, our tribe would become even stronger, but...

"Don't worry. We came back alive, didn't we? And we were dealing with way worse odds than them!"

It was a truly barbarian consolation despite her reminiscing tone. Strangely enough, it made me feel a lot better. The barbarian way of disciplining and training their kids had been too hardcore for much too long. I didn't want things to be so difficult for our young warriors, though I also didn't want to coddle them either. After all, the fastest way to grow was by facing adversity. Only in those moments when dread and fear were pounded into your bones by experience were you able to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

After sending the warriors off into the labyrinth, we walked around Dimension Square until we found the rest of our party.

"Mister!"

"You're late." Amelia glanced down at her watch before glaring daggers at me.

Auyen Rockrobe, our navigator, stood next to her and greeted me with an anxious look on his face. "You're here, Clan Leader!" It had been a while since I'd seen him decked out in full gear. "Thank you for letting me follow you into the labyrinth again." His voice was full of sincerity. It made sense given how he'd been stuck in the basement for the past few months.

Perhaps it was because he tried to loot me before, but I didn't feel any sense of guilt or pity when I looked at him. The only good plunderer was a dead plunderer, so we needed to be harsh with him, in the beginning, to remind him of his place. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to trust him to watch our backs.

"Amelia."

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him in the labyrinth."

We were openly talking about it right in front of him, but Auyen acted like he couldn't hear a word. He didn't bother saying we could trust him or that he would do a good job either. He simply kept his mouth shut.

He's definitely able to read a room.

It remained to be seen whether that was a good or bad thing.

"Um... Bjorn? Shouldn't we get going now?"

"Right. Let's go."

We hurried over to where the portal was gradually decreasing in size.

[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor.]

Thus began the first quest of the Anabada Clan.

***

The Crystal Cave was bathed in a faint purple glow.

"This is the northern side."

"So we're in the north."

"We're over by the Goblin Forest."

As soon as we entered, three of us spoke simultaneously—me, Rotmiller's apprentice, Amelia, who was a scout, and Erwen, who had learned the basics of being an adventurer from her sister.

A beat of silence followed, and we were suddenly confronted with the awkward reality of having a team of five people that included three scouts.

Amelia cleared her throat while Erwen protested, "I was a bit faster than her."

"Hahaha! Are you kids? Why would you compete over that?!" Ainar let out a loud laugh, and Erwen glared at her, making no effort to hide her displeasure. Of course, glaring at Ainar had no effect on her at all. "That's a good look in your eyes, Erwen!"

Surprisingly, Erwen shook her head silently instead of firing back. She stared at Ainar like she was some incomprehensible creature and her best option was simply not to engage.

Ainar, on the other hand, just shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head, confused. "I'm saying you look happy, unlike the last time I saw you!"

I flinched at that. The last time they saw each other... She must have been talking about the day Raven had told me about. I thought Ainar had just stepped on a landmine.

"...That goes without saying." However, in an even more surprising twist, Erwen wasn't angered by her comment. If anything, she seemed somewhat embarrassed given how she was avoiding any and all eye contact.

Right, Erwen did always have this meek side to her...

It was a good thing that Ainar came with us, though if needed, Amelia would also have been more than able to handle Erwen herself.

It feels like Amelia has been a bit more relaxed these days too...

Either way, it was time to put those thoughts aside.

"All right, let's get going! I can't wait to explore the labyrinth with Bjorn again. My heart's been pounding like a drum!"

Ainar took the lead as I tried to hold back a grin.

"Ainar, why are you going that way?"

"Huh? You said we were in the northern part, so I was heading north. I know the basics now too! I can even read a compass!"

I was proud of her growth over the past few years. However...

"We aren't going to the Goblin Forest today," Amelia interjected.

Ainar tilted her head. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"...Oh? Really? Then where are we going? The Land of the Dead?"

"The Rock Desert. Hm, that's strange. I'm sure I shared the plan with you in advance..."

"Ah, sorry! I forgot!"

"...I see." Amelia, faced with her first encounter with a real barbarian, was rendered speechless.

I quickly joined the conversation to smooth things over. We couldn't waste any more time here arguing. "Well, let's see..."

Who should play the role of scout? Should it be Amelia, just like last time? Or should I have Erwen do it this month?

It was a tricky question to answer, but wanting to make the most of our time, I quickly came to a decision. "I'll be the scout!" The main goal of today's expedition was to get familiar with each other, and for that to happen, I needed to minimize the chances of anyone's feelings getting hurt.

"What? But Mister, you don't have to go out of your way to—"

"What are you saying?!" I quickly cut Erwen off and took the lead. "As a clan, it's our job to all pitch in and share the workload. So let's get going now!"

We had a lot of work to do this time around, though Ainar probably forgot all of it already...

At least she won't be suspicious of me.

This actually worked out. Our previous team hadn't been able to take advantage of the full extent of my game knowledge because I was wary of Raven.

[You have entered the Rock Desert on the second floor.]

Now, it was time to go all out and kick things off with a low-rank raid.

After sending the warriors off into the labyrinth, we walked around Dimension Square until we found the rest of our party.

"Mister!"

"You're late." Amelia glanced down at her watch before glaring daggers at me.

Auyen Rockrobe, our navigator, stood next to her and greeted me with an anxious look on his face. "You're here, Clan Leader!" It had been a while since I'd seen him decked out in full gear. "Thank you for letting me follow you into the labyrinth again." His voice was full of sincerity. It made sense given how he'd been stuck in the basement for the past few months.

Perhaps it was because he tried to loot me before, but I didn't feel any sense of guilt or pity when I looked at him. The only good plunderer was a dead plunderer, so we needed to be harsh with him, in the beginning, to remind him of his place. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to trust him to watch our backs.

"Amelia."

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him in the labyrinth."

We were openly talking about it right in front of him, but Auyen acted like he couldn't hear a word. He didn't bother saying we could trust him or that he would do a good job either. He simply kept his mouth shut.

He's definitely able to read a room.

It remained to be seen whether that was a good or bad thing.

"Um... Bjorn? Shouldn't we get going now?"

"Right. Let's go."

We hurried over to where the portal was gradually decreasing in size.

[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor.]

Thus began the first quest of the Anabada Clan.

***

The Crystal Cave was bathed in a faint purple glow.

"This is the northern side."

"So we're in the north."

"We're over by the Goblin Forest."

As soon as we entered, three of us spoke simultaneously—me, Rotmiller's apprentice, Amelia, who was a scout, and Erwen, who had learned the basics of being an adventurer from her sister.

A beat of silence followed, and we were suddenly confronted with the awkward reality of having a team of five people that included three scouts.

Amelia cleared her throat while Erwen protested, "I was a bit faster than her."

"Hahaha! Are you kids? Why would you compete over that?!" Ainar let out a loud laugh, and Erwen glared at her, making no effort to hide her displeasure. Of course, glaring at Ainar had no effect on her at all. "That's a good look in your eyes, Erwen!"

Surprisingly, Erwen shook her head silently instead of firing back. She stared at Ainar like she was some incomprehensible creature and her best option was simply not to engage.

Ainar, on the other hand, just shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head, confused. "I'm saying you look happy, unlike the last time I saw you!"

I flinched at that. The last time they saw each other... She must have been talking about the day Raven had told me about. I thought Ainar had just stepped on a landmine.

"...That goes without saying." However, in an even more surprising twist, Erwen wasn't angered by her comment. If anything, she seemed somewhat embarrassed given how she was avoiding any and all eye contact.

Right, Erwen did always have this meek side to her...

It was a good thing that Ainar came with us, though if needed, Amelia would also have been more than able to handle Erwen herself.

It feels like Amelia has been a bit more relaxed these days too...

Either way, it was time to put those thoughts aside.

"All right, let's get going! I can't wait to explore the labyrinth with Bjorn again. My heart's been pounding like a drum!"

Ainar took the lead as I tried to hold back a grin.

"Ainar, why are you going that way?"

"Huh? You said we were in the northern part, so I was heading north. I know the basics now too! I can even read a compass!"

I was proud of her growth over the past few years. However...

"We aren't going to the Goblin Forest today," Amelia interjected.

Ainar tilted her head. "...Oh? Really? Then where are we going? The Land of the Dead?"

"The Rock Desert. Hm, that's strange. I'm sure I shared the plan with you in advance..."

"Ah, sorry! I forgot!"

"...I see." Amelia, faced with her first encounter with a real barbarian, was rendered speechless.

I quickly joined the conversation to smooth things over. We couldn't waste any more time here arguing. "Well, let's see..."

Who should ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠play the role of scout? Should it be Amelia, just like last time? Or should I have Erwen do it this month?

It was a tricky question to answer, but wanting to make the most of our time, I quickly came to a decision. "I'll be the scout!" The main goal of today's expedition was to get familiar with each other, and for that to happen, I needed to minimize the chances of anyone's feelings getting hurt.

"What? But Mister, you don't have to go out of your way to—"

"What are you saying?!" I quickly cut Erwen off and took the lead. "As a clan, it's our job to all pitch in and share the workload. So let's get going now!"

We had a lot of work to do this time around, though Ainar probably forgot all of it already...

At least she won't be suspicious of me.

This actually worked out. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Our previous team hadn't been able to take advantage of the full extent of my game knowledge because I was wary of Raven.

[You have entered the Rock Desert on the second floor.]

Now, it was time to go all out and kick things off with a low-rank raid.