Chapter 593: RPG (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 593: RPG (1)

We didn't debate the semantics of calling the boss rooms we entered through the Guardian statues "rifts," but they weren't truly rifts. I was pretty sure the wizards said something about how they couldn't find any traces native to a rift portal on those portals or something. So I just said sure. Plus, the portals here each led to an odd room that was different from a rift and was connected straight to a single boss room.

But this is a real rift...

The portal beyond the stone door that opened after we cleared each stone statue was a legitimate rift portal.

I mean...Basement Floor 1 is a floor as well.

The fact that a rift existed on the floor wasn't a particularly odd thing. It was just that the village chief told me he hadn't seen one appear after spending a long time here, and told me not to expect to find one.

But there's no way it doesn't exist.

I didn't doubt the existence of the rift. There were rifts out there that opened only in set coordinates and not randomly out in the field. I believed the first underground floor to be such a case as well.

"Be careful! If you get sucked in, we can't turn back!"

"Are you not done with the wave analysis?"

While the wizards gathered around the portal to gather all sorts of data, I stood some distance away and collected my thoughts.

I was honestly wondering if rifts from the sixth floor and above would be waiting for us...

First, the quiet speculations I had held were proven to be complete misses.

Well, I guess it's too early to dismiss them?

There was a chance that after going through that portal, we could enter a random rift among the ones from the sixth floor and above.

...Well, it doesn't seem like that's going to be the case.

My instinct as a gamer was telling me. It told me that beyond that portal, there was a very high chance that it was just the unique rift of Basement Floor One.

I sighed. Instead of the sense of curiosity and excitement of looking forward to what the rift could be, my emotions were dominated by my concern.

I mean, this was different from the game. There were no retries. We'd have to clear this mysterious rift with no information about its Guardian, the monsters we'd face, or the terrain we'd fight in, on the first try.

"...Yandel?"

"Ah...Emily."

Amelia looked at my tense expression with worry in her eyes, but she didn't do anything except hand me a bottle of water.

Sometime later, the leadership meeting commenced and the wizards revealed the information they obtained through their research. Ignoring the finer details, there were two major points of information.

"We didn't observe any decrease in the emitted mana density of the rift portal. We say that the possibility of the portal disappearing over time is very low."

We had as much time as we needed before we entered the rift.

Meaning that we didn't need to immediately form a team to enter the portal. I had expected as much, but hearing the wizards say it brought me a bit more comfort.

"Our research suggests that a maximum of five people can enter the rift at once."

That part did surprise me a little, however. Not the fact that the maximum number of people who could enter was five, but the fact that these wizards figured it out.

Was research able to get something like that as well? I was pretty sure that wasn't possible in the game.

My mind gave itself over to the question, and after asking them for their process in detail, I heard a decently meaty response.

"Well, there is a mural on the interior of the stone door... After our research group investigated and debated amongst ourselves, we concluded that the mural was telling us how many people can enter at once."

So the information wasn't learned through magic but just guesswork.

"Of course...as this was a subjective and arbitrary interpretation, our research group fully acknowledges that we might have given an incorrect interpretation and understand that you might feel displeased about this, and I ask for your grace in that respect in this instance."

"The hell is this wizard talking about?"

"...Pardon?"

Oops, I ended up saying what I was thinking out loud.

The mood immediately became colder, but I didn't try to make excuses like saying I had misspoken. That wouldn't be very barbarian-like of me.

Anyway, the gist of what he was saying was that their interpretation could be wrong and he was trying to put in some insurance just in case things went wrong.

"Then we'll pause our meeting here for a moment. I need to talk with the baron alone, could you leave us?"

The village chief understood the signal I gave him and sent everyone away, and he asked, "What do you want to be done?"

Just like when we began our investigation into the stone statues, the village chief made it known that he would let me decide on all decisions regarding the exploration.

"The wizards' theory does make sense, so I'm thinking of creating teams of five. Ah, of course, just in case, I'm going to create all the additional teams as well."

"Very wise. Then when the selection is over, come and tell—"

"Speaking of, I want to ask you one thing."

When I cut him off and stared at him, the chief looked back at me. His eyes still spooked me because I couldn't tell what was going on inside his head.

"Go on."

With his permission, I asked him directly, "Have you thought about entering the rift as well?"

"The reason for this?"

Hmm, an awkward lie wouldn't get me anywhere, right?

After thinking for a moment in my heart, I just gave my honest thought. "It doesn't matter if you die or not."

The perfect scout.

***

First friend, first love, first breakup...

The memory of the first of anything always remained for a long time. It was no different for me either.

My first rift.

When I played Dungeon and Stone, I treated going into rifts like I would treat eating my daily meals, but the memory of when I challenged my first rift was still clear in my mind.

Bloody Citadel, Glacier Cave, White Temple...

I entered the rift without doing any prior information gathering. While I cleared it as carefully as I could, 99 percent of the time, I saw the game-over screen and lost my carefully nurtured character.

Hammer dwarf, sniper elf, beastperson voodoo shaman...

Due to my lack of knowledge, these bits of data disappeared in vain.

Was research able to get something like that as well? I was pretty sure that wasn't possible in the game.

My mind gave itself over to the question, and after asking them for their process in detail, I heard a decently meaty response.

"Well, there is a mural on the interior of the stone door... After our research group investigated and debated amongst ourselves, we concluded that the mural was telling us how many people can enter at once."

So the information wasn't learned through magic but just guesswork.

"Of course...as this was a subjective and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arbitrary interpretation, our research group fully acknowledges that we might have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠given an incorrect interpretation and understand that you might feel displeased about this, and I ask for your grace in that respect in this instance."

"The hell is this wizard talking about?"

"...Pardon?"

Oops, I ended up saying what I was thinking out loud.

The mood immediately became colder, but I didn't try to make excuses like saying I had misspoken. That wouldn't be very barbarian-like of me.

Anyway, the gist of what he was saying was that their interpretation could be wrong and he was trying to put in some insurance just in case things went wrong.

"Then we'll pause our meeting here for a moment. I need to talk with the baron alone, could you leave us?"

The village chief understood the signal I gave him and sent everyone away, and he asked, "What do you want to be done?"

Just like when we began our investigation into the stone statues, the village chief made it known that he would let me decide on all decisions regarding the exploration.

"The wizards' theory does make sense, so I'm thinking of creating teams of five. Ah, of course, just in case, I'm going to create all the additional teams as well."

"Very wise. Then when the selection is over, come and tell—"

"Speaking of, I want to ask you one thing."

When I cut him off and stared at him, the chief looked back at me. His eyes still spooked me because I couldn't tell what was going on inside his head.

"Go on."

With his permission, I asked him directly, "Have you thought about entering the rift as well?"

"The reason for this?"

Hmm, an awkward lie wouldn't get me anywhere, right?

After thinking for a moment in my heart, I just gave my honest thought. "It doesn't matter if you die or not."

The perfect scout.

***

First friend, first love, first breakup...

The memory of the first of anything always remained for a long time. It was no different for me either.

My first rift.

When I played Dungeon and Stone, I treated going into rifts like I would treat eating my daily meals, but the memory of when I challenged my first rift was still clear in my mind.

Bloody Citadel, Glacier Cave, White Temple...

I entered the rift without doing any prior information gathering. While I cleared it as carefully as I could, 99 percent of the time, I saw the game-over screen and lost my carefully nurtured character.

Hammer dwarf, sniper elf, beastperson voodoo shaman...

Due to my lack of knowledge, these bits of data disappeared in vain.

It wasn't like I didn't feel disappointed for losing them at that point, but through those experiences, one thing became clear to me: It was natural to get wiped when challenging a rift for the first time. That didn't apply when I was clearly over-statted for them, of course, but...

Considering the difficulty of this first underground floor, I don't think we're over-statted at all.

That was why asking the village chief to join the expedition was a significant request from me. It would allow me to wield the powerful individual Jerome Saintred as I pleased.

"And more importantly, it'll be a gain for you if you die," I concluded.

"...Not particularly a gain."

I said it while trying to hide my sheepish smile, but I couldn't refute his reply.

Then was he refusing?

I was seriously considering whether I needed to just give up on the matter and start thinking about something else when he responded, "I'll do it."

"...What?"

"If you can fulfill one request of mine."

"Tell me."

Unexpectedly, the village chief's request was nothing special. And it was very obvious what his true intentions were as well.

"Hold onto a few items and return them to me when you return to the city."

"...So you want me to deliver the Heart of Karui to you. Since you can't leave with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it using Heretic Altar."

"Correct."

It was one of the main traits of the Heretic Altar. You needed to periodically visit the altar to log the equipment you had to revive with those pieces of equipment.

"Hmm..."

"Isn't this a win-win deal on your end?"

"Not particularly," I said bluntly. "I'm wondering what you're placing trust in that would allow you to request that of me."

The village chief let out a laugh that sounded much less awkward than in the past. "You're the one who handed the body of the expedition commander sent here by the palace to a random monster just so you could live. How could I not trust you?"

In other words, he was threatening me to be ready for trouble if I broke my promise. "I'll tell you this now, but this will be the last time your threat of mutual destruction will work."

"Why is this a threat? I didn't push this promise onto you. I only said what could happen if this promise is broken. If you don't like it, you can just refuse."

Well...I guess that's true.

After losing any reason to refuse, I coolly ended the conversation. "...Then I'll take you into account when I'm forming the teams."

"Sure, but...aren't you going to leave?"

"Why? I'd have to come back here to tell you anyway, so it'd be a waste of time."

"...Do as you wish."

With that settled, I sat in my chair and contemplated who would be in the rift team.

I've already got two people...

The village chief and I.

If the theory put forward by the wizards were true, I could take three more people at most. Then who should I choose?

Taking a wizard and a priest is just right for team balance.

The utility of a wizard and the stability of a priest. With those two secured, we could at least be prepared for half of whatever could come our way, and it wasn't difficult to decide who would be the first.

It wasn't like I didn't feel disappointed for losing them at that point, but through those experiences, one thing became clear to me: It was natural to get wiped when challenging a rift for the first time. That didn't apply when I was clearly over-statted for them, of course, but...

Considering the difficulty of this first underground floor, I don't think we're over-statted at all.

That was why asking the village chief to join the expedition was a significant request from me. It would allow me to wield the powerful individual Jerome Saintred as I pleased.

"And more importantly, it'll be a gain for you if you die," I concluded.

"...Not particularly a gain."

I said it while trying to hide my sheepish smile, but I couldn't refute his reply.

Then was he refusing?

I was seriously considering whether I needed to just give up on the matter and start thinking about something else when he responded, "I'll do it."

"...What?"

"If you can fulfill one request of mine."

"Tell me."

Unexpectedly, the village chief's request was nothing special. And it was very obvious what his true intentions were as well.

"Hold onto a few items and return them to me when you return to the city."

"...So you want me to deliver the Heart of Karui to you. Since you can't leave with it using Heretic Altar."

"Correct."

It was one of the main traits of the Heretic Altar. You needed to periodically visit the altar to log the equipment you had to revive with those pieces of equipment.

"Hmm..."

"Isn't this a win-win deal on your end?"

"Not particularly," I said bluntly. "I'm wondering what you're placing trust in that would allow you to request that of me."

The village chief let out a laugh that sounded much less awkward than in the past. "You're the one who handed the body of the expedition commander sent here by the palace to a random monster just so you could live. How could I not trust you?"

In other words, he was threatening me to be ready for trouble if I broke my promise. "I'll tell you this now, but this will be the last time your threat of mutual destruction will work."

"Why is this a threat? I didn't push this promise onto you. I only said what could happen if this promise is broken. If you don't like it, you can just refuse."

Well...I guess that's true.

After losing any reason to refuse, I coolly ended the conversation. "...Then I'll take you into account when I'm forming the teams."

"Sure, but...aren't you going to leave?"

"Why? I'd have to come back here to tell you anyway, so it'd be a waste of time."

"...Do as you wish."

With that settled, I sat in my chair and contemplated who would be in the rift team.

I've already got two people...

The village chief and I.

If the theory put forward by the wizards were true, I could take three more people at most. Then who should I choose?

Taking a wizard and a priest is just right for team balance.

The utility of a wizard and the stability of a priest. With those two secured, we could at least be prepared for half of whatever could come our way, and it wasn't difficult to decide who would be the first.

"Gahuin Versilus. Let's take that old man for the wizard slot." The most powerful wizard of the first expedition group, the one I had a bit of trouble with in the past.

"Hmm..." the village chief hummed. "That's a bit unexpected."

"Why is that?"

As the pioneer of an entire field of study, Gahuin Versilus had spent his youth as a military wizard. That was why he had a lot of experience in adventuring, and his skills were very impressive on top of that. I even heard that the rank one group magic I saw in the past was initiated with that old man as the core.

"Honestly speaking, I thought you would take that lady wizard."

"Oh, you mean Raven?"

"Yes."

In truth, Raven was among the runner-ups. She had a lot of information about the labyrinth, and she was skilled as well. Most importantly, her knowledge about the labyrinth rifts was probably greater than even the old man's.

"We're not going in there to have fun. There's no reason to not choose the more skilled wizard."

The village chief just nodded. "So you treasure her a lot."

"...Did you even hear what I said?"

"You mean when you said it doesn't matter if I die or not?"

He was getting more sly and tricky by the day.

"Then what about the other two?" he prompted when I didn't respond.

"I'm thinking of taking at least one priest."

Paladin Sven Parav was on the list of candidates for this one as well, but I quickly wrote him off. The village chief and I would be enough for our frontline. Considering healing ability and utility alone, a priest would forever be miles ahead in that than any paladin. Well, to be fair, he had that cheat-like intuition to compensate...

But it's useless if there is no other option we can take at that moment.

Also, rather than the ability to sense danger, we needed the ability to get through the danger. It was just a fact of life that you were bound to encounter a blocked path from time to time.

"If you're considering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a priest, I know one that will be suitable for the role."

Intrigued, I asked, "Who is it?"

"The archbishop of the Reatlas Church."

His reasoning was sound enough when he explained it to me, so I decided on the archbishop as our priest under the chief's suggestion.

That left our final open slot.

We need a damage dealer.

If the village chief went down during the expedition, only our wizard would be left to deal damage. That was why we needed to reinforce our damage.

...No matter how I think about it, I can't think of a better alternative.

In the end, I decided on the final member, however unfortunate the decision felt.

"The final member will be my ally, Erwen Fornacci di Tersia."

Nevertheless, among all the members of the expedition group, none came close to Erwen.

***

In preparing for the worst-case scenario, I even divided up the rest of the expedition group into teams of five. After I did, the five members who would first enter the rift gathered together.

I mean, we needed to get to know each other before the expedition began, right?

We won't be able to switch out our members once we're inside, so I need to assess it here first.

Depending on how they interacted with each other, I might need to change the final lineup.

"I am Eden Hesteia. I am a man with his faults, but I have ended up as an archbishop of the Reatlas Church."

"Good to meet you. I think this is our first time talking with each other?"

"However, I have heard a lot about you from Sir Parav, Your Lordship. I'll be in your care inside."

Surprisingly, I wound up having a pretty good first impression of the archbishop Eden Hesteia. I had seen him practically squeeze Parav for everything he had, so I assumed he would be an annoying old man.

"It is shameful, but I don't know much about the labyrinth. I hope you can teach and lead me, Your Lordship."

"I will do that. What are the divine spells you can use?"

"Haha, I am sure I can use all the spells that you know of—"

"Oh, then can you use Stellar Genesis as well?"

"...It seems you are quite knowledgeable about divine spells. Stellar Genesis will prove difficult for me."

"Is that so? That's a shame. Then what about Star Calling?"

"Ah, that is possible."

With that, I began properly interviewing the members, and I concluded that the priest wouldn't need to be changed. The archbishop was quite the capable priest.

In any case, the wizard was next.

"Gahuin, can you tell me all the spells you can use?"

Gahuin Versilus looked annoyed, clearly wondering why he should need to go to such lengths.

"If we fail, the hundreds that follow us could all die," I pressed.

He let out a deep sigh at that and gave me a proper answer. "It'll take too long, so I'll only tell you the spells of rank three and above."

"What about the ones below?"

"I can use all of them. Except for unique magic."

Oh, that was pretty impressive.

Maybe it was because the palace picked only the best among the best for this expedition, but the level of our members here was pretty high. Could this be considered a dream team?

I think we might be able to do this...

After that, Erwen, the village chief, and I also introduced our own abilities and helped the others understand. We then took some time to formulate our positioning during the expedition and what we needed to look out for. Since the archbishop and Gahuin both said they were inexperienced with small-scale expeditions on five-member teams, there were a lot of things I needed to teach them.

But it's not like we have a time limit.

We spent a few more days getting all the information into their heads, and I checked multiple times to see if there would be any problem with teamwork or not.

Finally, the day came when we finished our preparations.

"Go in first, Yandel. If the portal doesn't disappear, we'll follow right afterward. And Tersia."

At Amelia's beckoning, Erwen asked, "...What is it?"

"If we can't follow after you..."

"I know. I'll take good care of Mister."

"...Sure."

Hey now, who was going to take care of who?

As I smirked and wrapped up my farewells to my allies, the village chief approached me.

Vwoong!

We didn't know what sort of danger was beyond that mysterious portal.

"Are you done here?"

But it was time to enter.

***

[You have entered the Third Records Archive.]

[Field Effect—Role is in effect.]

"Gahuin Versilus. Let's take that old man for the wizard slot." The most powerful wizard of the first expedition group, the one I had a bit of trouble with in the past.

"Hmm..." the village chief hummed. "That's a bit unexpected."

"Why is that?"

As the pioneer of an entire field of study, Gahuin Versilus had spent his youth as a military wizard. That was why he had a lot of experience in adventuring, and his skills were very impressive on top of that. I even heard that the rank one group magic I saw in the past was initiated with that old man as the core.

"Honestly speaking, I thought you would take that lady wizard."

"Oh, you mean Raven?"

"Yes."

In truth, Raven was among the runner-ups. She had a lot of information about the labyrinth, and she was skilled as well. Most importantly, her knowledge about the labyrinth rifts was probably greater than even the old man's.

"We're not going in there to have fun. There's no reason to not choose the more skilled wizard."

The village chief just nodded. "So you treasure her a lot."

"...Did you even hear what I said?"

"You mean when you said it doesn't matter if I die or not?"

He was getting more sly and tricky by the day.

"Then what about the other two?" he prompted when I didn't respond.

"I'm thinking of taking at least one priest."

Paladin Sven Parav was on the list of candidates for this one as well, but I quickly wrote him off. The village chief and I would be enough for our frontline. Considering healing ability and utility alone, a priest would forever be miles ahead in that than any paladin. Well, to be fair, he had that cheat-like intuition to compensate...

But it's useless if there is no other option we can take at that moment.

Also, rather than the ability to sense danger, we needed the ability to get through the danger. It was just a fact of life that you were bound to encounter a blocked path from time to time.

"If you're considering a priest, I know one that will be suitable for the role."

Intrigued, I asked, "Who is it?"

"The archbishop of the Reatlas Church."

His reasoning was sound enough when he explained it to me, so I decided on the archbishop as our priest under the chief's suggestion.

That left our final open slot.

We need a damage dealer.

If the village chief went down during the expedition, only our wizard would be left to deal damage. That was why we needed to reinforce our damage.

...No matter how I think about it, I can't think of a better alternative.

In the end, I decided on the final member, however unfortunate the decision felt.

"The final member will be my ally, Erwen Fornacci di Tersia."

Nevertheless, among all the members of the expedition group, none came close to Erwen.

***

In preparing for the worst-case scenario, I even divided up the rest of the expedition group into teams of five. After I did, the five members who would first enter the rift gathered together.

I mean, we needed to get to know each other before the expedition began, right?

We won't be able to switch out our members once we're inside, so I need to assess it here first.

Depending on how they interacted with each other, I might need to change the final lineup.

"I am Eden Hesteia. I am a man with his faults, but I have ended up as an archbishop of the Reatlas Church."

"Good to meet you. I think this is our first time talking with each other?"

"However, I have heard a lot about you from Sir Parav, Your Lordship. I'll be in your care inside."

Surprisingly, I wound up having a pretty good first impression of the archbishop Eden Hesteia. I had seen him practically squeeze Parav for everything he had, so I assumed he would be an annoying old man.

"It is shameful, but I don't know much about the labyrinth. I hope you can teach and lead me, Your Lordship."

"I will do that. What are the divine spells you can use?"

"Haha, I am sure I can use all the spells that you know of—"

"Oh, then can you use Stellar Genesis as well?"

"...It seems you are quite knowledgeable about divine spells. Stellar Genesis will prove difficult for me."

"Is that so? That's a shame. Then what about Star Calling?"

"Ah, that is possible."

With that, I began properly interviewing the members, and I concluded that the priest wouldn't need to be changed. The archbishop was quite the capable priest.

In any case, the wizard was next.

"Gahuin, can you tell me all the spells you can use?"

Gahuin Versilus looked annoyed, clearly wondering why he should need to go to such lengths.

"If we fail, the hundreds that follow us could all die," I pressed.

He let out a deep sigh at that and gave me a proper answer. "It'll take too long, so I'll only tell you the spells of rank three and above."

"What about the ones below?"

"I can use all of them. Except for unique magic."

Oh, that was pretty impressive.

Maybe it was because the palace picked only the best among the best for this expedition, but the level of our members here was pretty high. Could this be considered a dream team?

I think we might be able to do this...

After that, Erwen, the village chief, and I also introduced our own abilities and helped the others understand. We then took some time to formulate our positioning during the expedition and what we needed to look out for. Since the archbishop and Gahuin both said they were inexperienced with small-scale expeditions on five-member teams, there were a lot of things I needed to teach them.

But it's not like we have a time limit.

We spent a few more days getting all the information into their heads, and I checked multiple times to see if there would be any problem with teamwork or not.

Finally, the day came when we finished our preparations.

"Go in first, Yandel. If the portal doesn't disappear, we'll follow right afterward. And Tersia."

At Amelia's beckoning, Erwen asked, "...What is it?"

"If we can't follow after you..."

"I know. I'll take good care of Mister."

"...Sure."

Hey now, who was going to take care of who?

As I smirked and wrapped up my farewells to my allies, the village chief approached me.

Vwoong!

We didn't know what sort of danger was beyond that mysterious portal.

"Are you done here?"

But it was time to enter.

***

[You have entered the Third Records Archive.]

[Field Effect—Role is in effect.]