Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

"Oh! This is quite interesting—"

Just as Ainar reached out to pick up the item, I shouted,

"Stop!!!"

I pulled Ainar away from the item and let out a sigh of relief.

"...W-What?! I didn't do anything wrong!!"

Ainar, confused and flustered, immediately started defending herself.

Of course, I wasn't planning to scold her.

"W-What is this thing?!"

Ignorance is not a crime.

"It's No. 9999, Beginner's Luck."

When I revealed the item's name, only Amelia reacted.

"...We've obtained a valuable item from the start."

Yes, it's valuable indeed.

Money can't buy this.

"What is it? What's so special about it?"

"Hmm... It's one of the 109 treasures of the labyrinth. Didn't you read any books when you were young?"

"...I didn't ask you."

I didn't know what the 109 treasures were, but I intervened before they could start arguing.

"Beginner's Luck is a charm item."

In the game, it was classified as a 'Charm'.

"A charm...?"

It seemed like an unfamiliar term, so I explained the concept of a charm, and Erwen, with her years of experience as an explorer, quickly understood.

"Ah, so it's an item that activates its effect just by having it in your possession?"

"That's right."

There were twelve Numbered Items classified as charms, and their effects didn't stack, even if you had multiple charms.

Only one charm could be active at a time.

"And Beginner's Luck has a special characteristic. It binds to its first owner."

"...Like the 'Orb of Fire' you mentioned before?"

"Yes."

"...B-But I didn't know!! I swear! Please believe me!!"

Ainar panicked when she heard the word 'bind', but we ignored her and continued our conversation.

"So what's its effect?"

Ah, that.

It's simple.

This Numbered Item isn't particularly helpful in combat. It doesn't increase your item level or give you any stat boosts.

But...

"It increases the probability of an essence dropping from the first monster you slay."

"Ah... I see... It's a fascinating item!"

Erwen seemed to accept it, but Ainar was disappointed.

"What? That's it? It doesn't even guarantee an essence drop! And it only works on the first monster?!"

It was an understandable reaction.

They didn't know the exact probability.

According to my (self-made) statistics, Beginner's Luck increased the essence drop rate by about 5%.

And it wasn't a multiplicative increase.

It was a fixed bonus.

For example, the Guardian's essence had a drop rate of 33%, so with Beginner's Luck, it would become 38%.

The effect seemed insignificant...

"So how much does it actually increase the drop rate?"

...but it depended on the monster.

There was a huge difference between 33% becoming 38%...

And 0.01% becoming 5.01%.

"It's about a 1 in 20 chance."

I gave them a rough estimate, and Ainar, Erwen, and even Amelia were surprised.

"R-Really?! One in twenty?!"

Even if they didn't know the exact drop rate, explorers knew one thing from experience.

Essence drop rates were abysmal.

I added,

"Ah, of course, that's for 9th-grade monsters. The drop rate is slightly higher for higher-ranked monsters."

Higher-ranked monsters had a slightly higher base drop rate.

Some 3rd-grade monsters even had a 5% drop rate.

Well, they were incredibly difficult to find, but...

"It's definitely worthy of being one of the 109 treasures."

"Yes, it's a remarkable item. Even if it only works on the first monster, with this drop rate, you could make a fortune just by hiring a mage and going around slaying monsters."

"Bjorn... I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that valuable..."

Ainar suddenly apologized.

She seemed dejected that she had almost touched the item without knowing its true value. I ignored her and focused on the next issue.

We had to decide who would get the item.

It was a bound item, so we couldn't sell it.

"As long as we're bonded, we don't have to be the one who slays the monster, right...?"

"It would be most efficient if the person with the lowest level used it."

Amelia was right.

The most efficient way to use the item was to give it to the lowest-level member.

Amelia was level 8, and Erwen, Ainar, and I were level 7.

"Auyen, what's your Soul Rank?"

"...Y-Yes? Ah, yes! It's 6...!"

We could give it to Auyen, who was level 6, and use him as a totem...

'But I can't waste such a valuable item on a non-combatant who can't even join us for real raids.'

I made my decision.

"Ainar, you take it."

Erwen had slain a Bellarios before, but Ainar hadn't.

And most importantly...

"...Huh? M-Me? It's a good item, but... wouldn't it be better if Bjorn used it...?"

I told her,

"You can only equip one charm at a time."

We couldn't waste an equipment slot.

Especially on a bound item that we couldn't even unequip.

"It's better if you have it. So take it, Ainar."

"Bjorn!!!"

Ainar seemed happy with my decision.

_______________________

「The luck within the flower has seeped into Ainar Frenelin.」

_______________________

After clearing the Steel Tomb, we headed straight for the Beast's Lair.

And...

"Aaaaargh! How long do we have to stay in this smelly place?! This isn't the kind of exploration I imagined!!"

We waited until the 8th day for the rift to open.

I had considered hiring a mage and coming back later, especially since we had Beginner's Luck... but...

'The profit margin would be too small, considering the cost of the test tube.'

The only real reward was the Guardian's essence, and I was planning to give it to Erwen if it dropped, so there was no point in delaying it.

Well, it turned out to be a pointless worry in the end.

"...Are you serious? We're really just going to waste time here and then go up?!"

"It's normal. Just stop complaining."

We encountered many high-level explorer teams on our way to the 3rd floor.

They were all doing 'rift runs'.

The 2nd-floor rift wouldn't open after the 7th day, so they were all heading up.

「Character has entered the 3rd-floor Pilgrim's Path.」

We arrived at the 3rd floor and headed straight for the Orc Encampment after passing through the Steelrock Hills.

Our target this time was a monster I had a deep connection with.

The same monster that the Djarwi Clan had been raiding when the Chaos Lord was summoned.

The Orc Hero.

"Oooooh! So I can use [Gigantification] now?! I can finally become a giant too!!"

Ainar was ecstatic when she heard about our next target, but none of us were planning to absorb its essence.

[Gigantification] had a huge penalty without the [Unification] effect from the Undead Engraving.

So we were just going to farm experience points and hope for a Numbered Item drop.

But...

'With Beginner's Luck, there's a chance we might get an essence.'

I couldn't just ignore that possibility.

So I approached every mage we encountered while mining magic stones for the Orc Warlord and asked if they had a test tube.

We were lucky enough to find one.

"Test tube...? I have one, but..."

"Great. If we get an essence, put it in this. I'll pay you for the test tube right away."

"...But do you even know who I am—?"

"Lewis! Are you insane?! That's Baron Yandel!"

"!!!"

My fame made things easier.

We also obtained some useful information.

The 3rd-floor rift hadn't opened yet.

'Okay, so we can stay on the 3rd floor until the 13th day...'

We resumed mining magic stones.

We split up and hunted, and it didn't take long to gather all 777 magic stones. We then found a mage and asked him to wait nearby.

"Just to be safe, don't come near the altar until I get back. I won't be able to protect you if the Orc Lord spawns."

"The Orc Lord...?"

"It's a 2nd-grade monster."

"A... A 2nd-grade monster?!"

"It's safe as long as you stay away, so don't worry."

"I-I'll be careful..."

We gave the mage a brief explanation of what to do if the Orc Lord spawned and then placed the magic stones on the altar.

「The Warrior's Vessel has received the Warlord's Soul.」

「The Warrior's Vessel has received the Warlord's Soul.」

「The Warrior's Vessel has received the Warlord's Soul...」

「...」

The magic stones vanished into light as we placed them on the altar.

「Special Condition - Overflowing Vessel has been met.」

The statue behind the altar began to crumble, signaling the start of the boss fight.

Crackle, crackle, crackle.

Thankfully, the Orc Lord statue remained intact.

Well, it was to be expected, considering the low spawn rate of the Orc Lord...

'But I always get nervous when it comes to probability.'

It felt like we had dodged a bullet.

"Get ready!"

I shouted to my teammates, who were waiting at a safe distance.

「The Ancient Heroes, Danish, Belta, and Targus, have awakened.」

「The Ancient Heroes, Danish, Belta, and Targus, have awakened.」

「The Ancient Heroes, Danish, Belta, and Targus, have awakened.」

The three Orc Heroes, also known as the 'Hero Trio', emerged from the statue, and the battle began.

[Gul-kaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!]

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"

Axe, hammer, sword.

The three heroes charged at me, wielding different weapons. I wasn't intimidated by their size, thanks to [Gigantification] and [Transcendence].

Kaboom!

I didn't even flinch when their weapons struck my body.

It just felt like a slight tingling sensation in my bones.

Honestly, I could probably endure their attacks for a whole day, even if I just stood there and took the hits.

But...

'This is a good opportunity to practice our teamwork.'

I decided to focus on defense and let the others handle the offense.

The battle dragged on.

It was to be expected.

They were just three 5th-grade monsters.

But their difficulty was surprisingly high.

[Chwiiiiiiiik!]

As soon as the raid began, hordes of orcs, up to 7th-grade, swarmed the area.

Kwaaang! Kwagic! Boom!

Ainar was doing her best to hold them off, but that meant we were down a damage dealer for the boss fight.

Erwen and Amelia had to take down all three heroes by themselves.

They had slain the Deathworm in one hit, but...

「The Ancient Hero Danish has cast [Anguish].」

These 5th-grade monsters had 4th-grade essences and were classified as high-variants.

And all three of them had different essences.

「The Ancient Hero Belta has cast [Sacred Battlefield].」

「The Ancient Hero Targus has cast [Guardian Shield].」

Their essences complemented each other's weaknesses and amplified their strengths.

And that wasn't all.

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Focused Fire].」

「Danish has used [Sword of Control].」

「The trajectory of the ranged attack has been altered.」

They used Numbered Items.

「The Orc Shaman has cast [Frenzy].」

「Danish's Physical Resistance is tripled for 10 seconds.」

And even if they were hit, they had high damage reduction...

「The Orc Arch Shaman has cast [Regeneration Mark].」

「Targus's Natural Regeneration is greatly increased.」

...and they received healing in real-time.

It was a raid that wasn't worth doing unless you were after the high-variant kill bonus or the 'Numbered Item drop' characteristic.

"What are you all doing?! Hurry up and kill them! You took down that worm in one hit!"

"It's not that easy!"

"Just focus on your role, Barbarian."

As the battle dragged on, conflicts arose...

But they were all professionals.

"Ainar! Can you prioritize the shamans?"

"Tersia, focus on the one with the hammer. I'll hold off the one with the sword."

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"

They started cooperating, providing each other with feedback and creating opportunities.

"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"

Auyen, despite being level 6, was also doing his best, helping Erwen with crowd control.

And finally...

「The Ancient Hero Belta has been slain. EXP +5」

「High-Variant Kill Bonus. EXP +1」

We took down one of the heroes, and the tide turned in our favor.

The battle ended quickly.

「The Ancient Hero Danish has been slain.」

「High-Variant Kill Bonus. EXP +1」

「The Ancient Hero Targus has been slain.」

「High-Variant Kill Bonus. EXP +1」

The total battle time was about 35 minutes. It was a decent time, considering we were a four-man raid team...

"Nothing dropped. After all that effort..."

...but there was no loot.

No essence, no Numbered Item.

But what could we do?

This kind of disappointment was a common occurrence in [Dungeon and Stone].

"Okay, let's gather the magic stones and move on. Amelia, tell the mage he can go now."

We collected the magic stones and left the Orc Encampment.

Everything was going smoothly.

But...

"Mister...?"

As we were waiting for the rift to open in the Witch's Forest...

Something strange happened.

「The Cabin has received its fifth offering.」

「The Cabin has received its sixth offering.」

「The Cabin has received its seventh offering...」

「...」

The surroundings were suddenly illuminated, as if by daylight.

I looked up, and the ceiling was glowing with a crimson light.

「Special Condition - Seven Offerings has been met.」

Damn it, it seems like bad luck never comes alone.

Someone had triggered the event.

「The Chaos Lord, Riakis, has begun to roam the floor.」

This was going to be a problem.