Episode 6 Give and Take (2)
[Dungeon and Stone] is an unusual game.
Fellow NPCs are essential to the progress of the game, but you should never trust them.
Even more so if you’re a kid you’ve just met.
***
You are walking in a cave.
waddling.
It is unbalanced because one shoe is missing.
I’m happy nonetheless
The discomfort I feel now is at least of a kind that I couldn’t feel when I was crawling on three legs.
I have regained my human dignity.
I don’t know how far it will go.
“After…….”
Properly protect the upper body with a shield and move forward.
You don’t have to look at the floor blindly like before.
Because there is light here.
The light emitted from the crystals embedded in the walls and ceiling brightly illuminates the surroundings.
It was like a dream crawling through the darkness bleeding.
To be sure, being able to see ahead was a blessing from God.
Undoubtedly, in terms of allowing them to slay the evil goblin pups.
“Wow!”
“That’s right?!”
Surprised by my cry, a goblin jumps out from behind a rock.
I already roughly grasped the hidden location, so I used the skill as if I had waited.
“Sumesh! It’s a dog!”
Smash is a skill with moderate attack power without consuming MP.
FYI I just made this.
puck-!
The leaping goblin was struck by the shield and collapsed to the ground. I quickly approached and pressed the goblin’s upper body with my foot.
“That’s right?!”
Let’s make pitiful eyes.
I know how cunning and evil creatures these chews are.
“That’s great!”
What is not you?
Then ask your friend who went first. Because that bastard made me this way.
Kwajik-!
I slammed the goblin’s face down with the edge of my shield as hard as I could.
It is different from Smash, which only strikes the enemy in front by swinging or pushing it.
The name is… Final Shield Attack.
just built like that
Shaaaaaaa-!
Soon, the dead goblin disappears into light.
It means that the evil has decreased and the world has become a little more beautiful.
I picked up the magic stone that came out as a reward and put it roughly into my pocket.
The tenth magic stone obtained after entering the labyrinth.
“Fuck you bastards.”
After dying once and barely surviving, I have continued to encounter goblins.
I was nervous at first, but I soon realized.
The goblins I met in a place where my sight was secured were not a threat at all.
I wasn’t as smart as I thought.
It’s like that just by looking at the traps set up there.
‘At least dig some soil and cover it up. Do you have an idea or not? If I openly put it on the road, who the hell will step on it?’
The goblin trap was crude enough to be noticed from a distance. Even if you tried to pass without stepping on the trap, most of them jumped out and attacked first.
It seems that it only happens when you step on a trap that you follow like a pervert while splitting the thread like that bastard…. As I
gradually figured out their habits, the battle with them became easier and easier.
First of all, their main weapons were short daggers, and their physical abilities were only at the level of upper elementary school students.
On the other hand, now I am a muscular barbarian with a 2m physique. In an all-out war, goblins and the like could be subdued within 3 seconds.
Therefore, I only had to be careful of surprise attacks, but I can know the ambush location through the trap in advance…
‘Hmm, wouldn’t it be bad to become a goblin slayer now?
I immediately moved my hand and slapped him hard on the cheek.
puck-!
I was sobered up by the pain.
…What was I thinking?
obviously crazy
If it wasn’t for that, there’s no way I’d be giggling while thinking such pathetic thoughts.
Let’s not be proud of killing a few goblins.
I’ve been dead for less than two hours and haven’t solved any of the new problems.
“My lady is hungry…”
First of all, the food problem.
It’s not just my shield that I shed as I crawled through the darkness.
The food pouch given by the tribal chief was punctured, and about 5 days worth of food was lost out of 7 days.
Of course, I couldn’t wander in the dark to find it.
I’m not some kind of Hansel and Gretel.
Wow wow wow.
I immediately opened my pocket and took out a piece of bread to eat.
For preservation purposes, the bread was hard and lacking moisture, but as it was melted gently with saliva and eaten, the sweetness of the carbohydrates gradually felt on the tongue.
Why is this so delicious?
Because of the body of a barbarian, his appetite seems to have changed.
After a few bites, the bread that was the size of my palm disappeared.
I sighed, feeling a strange regret and a dry feeling in my mouth.
thirsty.
This is the second problem.
…where the fuck do you get water?
***
“Goblins have been defeated”
“Goblins have been defeated” “Goblins have been defeated”
“
Goblins have been defeated”
“Warning: Insufficient moisture in the body. Hurry up and procure drinking water…….」
***
There is a satiety system in [Dungeons and Stones].
Of course, it was only activated inside the labyrinth and was filled with meals, so there was no need to bring drinking water.
But this is not in the game.
To put it bluntly, it’s close to another world that’s very similar to the game I know.
‘It used to be a hardcore game, but now that it’s become a reality, the difficulty level goes crazy.’
I’m not too worried though.
It is true that water is an important resource more than food, but even the tribal chief did not provide water.
Self-sufficiency would surely be possible within the labyrinth.
It didn’t take long to actually find it.
“Smash!”
An hour to wander through a complex cave like an anthill while beating goblins.
Tracking the dripping water, I found a small pond.
An explorer was already squatting down to drink water. In fact, it was practically the first meeting except for the blonde party, but…
“…….”
There was no conversation.
He saw me from afar and moved away silently, and I didn’t dare to go up and talk to him either.
The other explorers I met after that were all the same. As soon as they saw me, everyone ran past me.
As in the game, there seems to be an unwritten rule among explorers that they do not touch each other at all.
Well, maybe he just didn’t want to get involved with a bloody barbarian.
Anyway, after catching goblins, eating bread when hungry and drinking water when thirsty was repeated, and time passed steadily until now.
“One, two, three, four, five, six……”
Counting, he had obtained a total of forty-four Magic Stones.
If converted into bread, it means that 44 pieces of bread were acquired.
Recalling the days when I was dying, it is truly thrilling, but nothing is free anywhere in the world.
In return, I got a deep feeling of exhaustion.
This was the third problem I had.
‘I’m getting sleepy…….’
As long as I was born as a creature, I must sleep.
It is no different from a barbarian with this high-performance spec.
Then, how do you sleep in a labyrinth where monsters exist?
There are two ways.
Entrust your life to the sky and take a nap.
Find allies who will protect each other.
I had already decided which option to choose.
You entrust your life to heaven? According to experience, that is unbelievable. At least it really is for me.
‘Let’s find a colleague.’
Of course, I don’t mean to throw a formal party.
Everyone is in the same tired situation, so I’m thinking of finding the right person and forming a temporary cooperative relationship.
In fact, most of the time I passed the night like that when I was tired in the game.
trudge trudge.
After making my judgment, I wandered around the labyrinth, focusing on movement rather than combat. It was just like that, but unlike before, people who built a group were seen everywhere.
trudge trudge.
A group of two or three explorers are taking turns taking care of the night watch and resting.
Focusing on behavior and appearance, I mustered up the courage to contact a few groups, and I was beaten by them all.
“I’m sorry, but we’ve got all the people we need.”
They said that, but when I saw them frowning and covering their noses as I approached, the reason is so clear.
… chews.
How clean are the alternatives?
While I was grumbling inside, someone started talking to me.
“Look.”
It was a human uncle who looked to be in his thirties.
He is about 180 cm tall.
He has a warm impression that looks quite good, but in his hand is a hammer coated in goblin blood.
The old man smiled and asked me.
“Are you looking for a night mate?”
What is a fuck?
Instinctively taking a step back, the old man tilts his head.
“Wasn’t it to find a friend for the night? I thought I could trust him and rest comfortably because he’s a barbarian, but it’s a pity.”
You should say that a long time ago, mister……
It seems that a night friend is a slang term for a temporary cooperative relationship that I mentioned.
In-game notation is ‘Night Companion’.
I interpreted it like a comrade at night, a companion at night, but actually listening to it, the tone is very perverted.
“…No. I’m looking for a night mate.”
“Is that so? Thank goodness. Would you like to join me then?”
“I will.”
That’s how I became friends with the uncle for the night.
“My name is Hans.”
“I am Bjorn, the son of Yandel.”
“Then can I call you Bjorn?”
The man who seemed to have a lot of experience naturally led the atmosphere by ending his voice.
“Three night friends are the best, but it would be more wasteful to go looking for Hanema. What do you think, Bjorn?”
To put it simply, it’s the sound of two people sleeping.
Isn’t this man really thinking about something else? I don’t know if it’s because of the way I talk, but I keep feeling like I’m being victimized by something.
“good night.”
“That’s great. If someone asks for it, then let’s discuss it and accept it or not.”
After a brief discussion, we decided to spend the first night alone.
But the problem is…
“Then let’s decide the order by playing rock-paper-scissors.”
Rock, paper, scissors seems to be the national rule here as well.
Fuck I’m not good at this…….
I’ll say it again but I’m out of luck.
“Hmm, somehow I won.”
Niimi.
“Then I beg of you. If goblins or other explorers approach, wake them up first. Okay?”
“…i get it.”
“Now take this.”
The man who lent me a watch with numbers from 0 to 23 on the dial kindly taught me how to use it.
“When the short hour hand comes here, just wake me up then.”
Perhaps this is the perception of the people here looking at the barbarians.
“You can’t break it. It’s an expensive item.”
“…i get it.”
To be strict.
Soon, the man pulls out a blanket, covers it, and lies down with the backpack as a pillow. And sooner or later, he starts sleeping coolly.
is this time? It looks damn comfortable.
If I ask you to borrow it on my turn, will you not lend it?
“Huh……”
Anyway, staying up all night is really boring.
There are no goblin hatchlings in sight, and no other explorers attempting to pass through the passage. Is it because it’s time for everyone to find friends for the night and rest?
As silence continues, drowsiness continues.
Still, as I leaned against the wall and thought about the future, time quickly passed.
“Wake up Hans.”
“…Has anything happened?”
“None.”
“That’s right. You’ve done a lot of work. Then give me the watch and you should hurry up and rest. I’ll wake you up in two hours.”
Before he even had time to ask for a loan, the uncle put the blanket in his backpack and stood up.
Awesome.
I also erased my lingering feelings and approached the wall, leaning my back against it.
And pretended to doze off.
That’s natural.
No matter how kind and intelligent this man seems and has no intention of hurting me—
how can I trust a new kid?