Chapter 6: Give and Take (2)
[Dungeon & Stone] is a peculiar game.
Companion NPCs are essential to progress, yet you must never trust those bastards.
Especially if you've only just met them.
***
I am walking through the cave.
Wobble, wobble.
With one shoe missing, my balance is off.
Even so, I am happy.
This discomfort I feel now is something I could never have experienced back when I was crawling on three limbs.
I have reclaimed my human dignity.
Though I don't know how long it will last.
"Hoo…"
I advance, using the Shield to protect my torso.
There's no need to strain my eyes scanning the floor like before.
Because there is light here.
The light emanating from the crystals embedded in the walls and ceiling brightly illuminates the surroundings.
It feels like a dream, crawling through the darkness, bleeding.
I can say with certainty that being able to see was a blessing from the gods.
Without a doubt, especially since it allowed me to crush those wicked Goblin bastards.
"Waaagh!"
"Gruk?!"
Startled by my shout, a Goblin pops out from behind a rock.
Having already figured out its hiding spot, I used a skill as if I had been waiting for it.
"Smash! You son of a bitch!"
Smash is a skill with decent attack power that consumes no MP.
For the record, I just made it up.
Thwack-!
The leaping Goblin was struck by the Shield and fell to the floor.
I quickly approached and pressed my foot down on its torso.
"G-Gruk?!"
There's no use in looking pitiful.
I know just how cunning and wicked these little bastards are.
"G-Gruk!"
What, you're saying it wasn't you?
Then go take it up with your friend who died first.
That bastard is the one who made me this way.
Crack-!
I brought the edge of my Shield down on the Goblin's face with all my strength.
This is different from Smash, which is just about striking an enemy in front of you by swinging or pushing.
The name… Final Shield Attack.
I just made that one up, too.
Swaaaaa-!
The cleanly dispatched Goblin vanished into light.
It means that evil has faintly diminished, and the world has become a little more beautiful.
As my Reward, I picked up the Magic Stone and roughly shoved it into my pouch.
It was the tenth Magic Stone I'd acquired since entering the Labyrinth.
"Hoo, weak little bastards."
After dying once and barely surviving, I have been continuously encountering Goblins.
I was tense at first, but I quickly realized something.
The Goblins I met in well-lit areas were not threatening at all.
And they weren't as smart as I'd thought.
Just look at that carelessly placed trap over there.
'You could at least dig a hole and cover it with some dirt.
Do you have a brain or not? Who's going to step on it if you just leave it out in the open on the path?'
The Goblin Trap was so crude I could spot it from a distance.
Worse, if I tried to walk past it without stepping on it, most of them would jump out and charge me first.
It seems that the giggling, perverted following act like that one bastard's only happens if you step on the trap…
Once I started to understand their habits, fighting them became easier and easier.
For one, their main weapon was just a short dagger, and their physique was only about that of a fifth-grader.
On the other hand, I was now a muscular Barbarian standing two meters tall.
In a head-on fight, I could subdue a Goblin in under three seconds.
Therefore, I only had to watch out for ambushes, but since the traps revealed their hiding spots in advance…
'Hmm, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to become a Goblin Slayer while I'm at it?'
I immediately raised my hand and slapped my own cheek, hard.
Thwack-!
The pain jolted me to my senses.
…What was I just thinking?
I must be insane.
Otherwise, there's no way I'd be chuckling to myself while having such pathetic thoughts.
Let's not get complacent just because I killed a few Goblins.
It hasn't even been two hours since I came back from the dead, and I haven't solved any of the new problems that have arisen.
"Agh, I'm hungry…"
First is the food problem.
The Shield wasn't the only thing I lost while crawling through the darkness.
A hole had formed in the food pouch the Tribe Chief gave me, and I lost about five days' worth of my seven-day supply.
Of course, I couldn't wander back into the darkness to find it.
I'm not Hansel and Gretel.
Crunch, crunch.
While I was at it, I untied my pouch and took out a piece of bread.
The bread was hard and dry, likely for preservation, but as I slowly dissolved it with my saliva, the sweet taste of carbohydrates gradually spread across my tongue.
Why is this so delicious?
It seems my tastes have changed along with this Barbarian body.
After a few bites, the bread, which was the size of my palm, was gone.
I let out a sigh, feeling a strange sense of longing and a dryness in my mouth.
I'm thirsty.
This is the second problem.
…Fuck, where do I get water?
***
「You have defeated a Goblin.」
「You have defeated a Goblin.」
「You have defeated a Goblin.」
「You have defeated a Goblin.」
「Warning: Your body is dehydrated.
Procure drinking water immediately…」
***
[Dungeon & Stone] has a satiety system.
Of course, it only activated inside the Labyrinth, and since it was filled just by eating, there was no need to carry drinking water.
But this place isn't a game.
If I had to describe it, it's closer to another world that just happens to strongly resemble the game I know.
'It was already a hardcore game, but now that it's reality, the difficulty is completely insane.'
Still, I'm not too worried.
Water is indeed a resource more important than food, but even the Tribe Chief didn't give me any.
I should be able to find it and sustain myself within the Labyrinth.
And indeed, it didn't take me long to find it.
"Smash!"
After about an hour of wandering through the complex, ant-hill-like caves while smashing Goblins, I followed the sound of dripping water and discovered a small pond.
One Explorer was already there, crouched down and drinking.
It was my first real encounter with someone besides the blondie's party, but…
"..."
We didn't exchange any words.
He saw me from a distance and silently moved aside, and I didn't bother approaching him to talk either.
The other Explorers I met afterward were all the same.
They would see me and slip past.
It seems there's an unwritten rule among Explorers not to interact with each other unless necessary, just like in the game.
Well, it's also possible they just didn't want to get involved with a Barbarian covered in blood.
Anyway, time flew by as I repeated the cycle of killing Goblins, eating bread when hungry, and drinking water when thirsty, bringing me to the present.
"One, two, three, four, five, six…"
Counting them up, I've obtained a total of forty-four Magic Stones so far.
In bread terms, that's 44 loaves.
When I recall the time I was dying, this is a truly moving achievement, but there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
In return, I gained a deep sense of fatigue.
This was my third problem.
'I'm starting to get sleepy…'
As a living being, I have to sleep.
That doesn't change, even for a Barbarian with these high-performance specs.
So how does one sleep in a Labyrinth where real monsters exist?
There are two ways.
Entrust your life to the heavens and take a light nap.
Or find a companion who will watch over you.
The choice for me was already made.
Entrust my life to the heavens? Experience tells me that's not something to be trusted.
At least, not for me.
'Let's find a companion.'
Of course, I don't mean forming a proper party.
Since everyone else is likely in the same tired situation, I'm thinking of finding a suitable person and forming a temporary cooperative relationship.
In the game, that's how most people got through the night when their fatigue built up.
Thud, thud.
Having made my decision, I focused more on moving than fighting as I wandered through the Labyrinth.
Just by doing so, unlike before, I started seeing groups of people here and there.
Thud, thud.
Groups of two or three Explorers were resting, taking turns on Night Watch.
Based on their appearance and demeanor, I bravely approached a few groups, and was rejected by all of them.
"Sorry, but we have all the people we need."
That's what they said, but seeing them frown and cover their noses as I approached made the reason all too clear.
…Those bastards.
Who are they to act so clean?
As I was grumbling to myself, someone spoke to me.
"Hey there."
It was a human Old Man who looked to be around thirty.
He was about 180cm tall.
He had a kind, gentle face, but in his hand was a Mace caked with Goblin blood.
The Old Man grinned and asked me.
"Are you perhaps looking for a Night Companion?"
Fuck, what's with this guy.
I instinctively took a step back, and the Old Man tilted his head.
"Weren't you looking for a Night Companion? I thought since you're a Barbarian, I could trust you and rest easy. A shame."
You should have just said that in the first place, Old Man…
It seems 'Night Companion' is slang for the temporary partnership I was thinking of.
In the game, it was displayed as 'Night Companion'.
I'd interpreted it as a companion for the night or a fellow traveler, but hearing it out loud, it sounds incredibly perverted.
"…No. I am looking for a Night Companion."
"Is that so? Good. Then will you join me?"
"I will."
And so, the Old Man and I became Night Companions.
"My name is Hans."
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"Then I'll call you Bjorn, shall I?"
The Old Man, who seemed very experienced, naturally finished the introductions and took the lead.
"Three is the best number for Night Companions, but I think it would be more of a waste of stamina to go looking. Bjorn, what do you think?"
In short, he's saying the two of us should sleep together.
Is this Old Man really thinking of something else? His slick way of talking makes me feel like I'm being taken for a ride.
"Fine."
"Excellent. If anyone asks to join, we can discuss it then and decide whether to accept them or not."
After a brief discussion, we decided that the two of us would spend our first night together.
The problem, however…
"Then let's play rock-paper-scissors to decide the order."
It seems rock-paper-scissors is the universal rule here, too.
Shit, I'm not good at this…
As I've said before, I have no Luck.
"Hmm, for once I won."
Damn it.
"Then I'll be counting on you. If a Goblin or another Explorer approaches, wake me up first. Got it?"
"…I understand."
"Here, take this."
The Old Man lent me a Pocket Watch with numbers 0 to 23 engraved on its face and was kind enough to explain how to use it.
"When this short hand gets here, you can wake me up."
This is probably how people here perceive Barbarians.
"Don't break it. It's an expensive item."
"…I understand."
Jeez, he's picky.
Soon, the Old Man took out a blanket, covered himself with it, used his backpack as a pillow, and lay down.
Before long, he was fast asleep.
Is this what you call experience? He looks so comfortable.
He probably wouldn't lend it to me if I asked during my turn.
"Hoo…"
By the way, this Night Watch thing is incredibly boring.
There are no Goblins in sight, and no other Explorers passing through the tunnel.
Is it because everyone has found their Night Companions and is resting?
The silence is making me sleepy.
Still, as I leaned against the wall and pondered the future, time passed quickly.
"Hans, wake up."
"…Did anything happen?"
"Nothing."
"I see. You did well. Then give me the watch and get some rest. I'll wake you in two hours."
Before I could even ask to borrow the blanket, the Old Man packed it into his backpack and stood up.
Tch.
I gave up and went to the wall, leaning my back against it to sit.
And I pretended to doze off.
Of course I did.
No matter how kind this Old Man seems, how intelligent he appears, or how much it looks like he has no intention of harming me—
How could I possibly trust a bastard I just met?