Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 514: Natives (2)
Every world has its legends.
Lafdonia was no exception.
Tales of explorers encountering intelligent beings in the labyrinth, receiving their help, or narrowly escaping their clutches, had been passed down for generations.
Of course, none of these stories had ever been proven true.
“It’s a common fantasy among explorers.”
As Erwen’s cynical comment suggested, most explorers had entertained the thought at least once.
What if there were other intelligent beings in this labyrinth of secrets?
“Interesting… Very interesting…”
Unlike Erwen, Amelia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she listened to the story about the ‘natives.’
“What about the bodies at the entrance? Did those ‘monsters’ kill them?”
Amelia’s question made the female explorer tilt her head.
“Bodies… at the entrance?”
“You didn’t see them? There were three.”
Amelia described the bodies, and the explorer flinched.
“MacHoldin, Prenton, Rick… Those were the three who were captured in the first attack… We didn’t see them in the village… So that’s what happened to them…”
“The first attack… Tell me everything. From the moment you separated from the Hex Clan.”
“But… how did you know about that…?”
“The Hex Clan told us about this island.”
“…I see.”
“We should have followed them…”
The explorer muttered softly and then began her story.
“After we parted ways with the Hex Clan, we started exploring the island.”
They had discovered a new area.
And encountered new species.
The battles had been challenging, and there had been several close calls, but they had been filled with excitement and anticipation.
“Tentakulan, Diamond, Squirrel, Papagonas, Bailonta… We named the new monsters we encountered, feeling like we were on a grand adventure.”
Papagonas and Bailonta.
Those were monsters we hadn't encountered yet.
I made a mental note to ask about them later.
“As we were heading towards the center of the island, we found something unusual.”
A trail of footprints.
They were much larger than human footprints, and there were many of them.
But…
“They were different shapes. And… flat. As if they were wearing shoes…”
They had followed the trail, convinced that it belonged to a new species.
The already dense jungle became even thicker.
And the monsters that had been appearing occasionally disappeared completely.
And then…
“That’s when the first attack happened.”
The monsters had ambushed them from all sides. They had fought back, but three of them had been captured.
Including the clan leader’s girlfriend.
The Silver Lion Clan had pursued the monsters, venturing deeper into the jungle.
“But we couldn’t go any further. We lost many members in the second and third battles.”
The biggest problem was that they hadn't been able to kill a single monster, despite their losses.
“I don’t know why we didn’t realize it sooner, but… they were intelligent. They communicated with each other and used complex strategies.”
The Silver Lion Clan had retreated.
The clan leader, whose girlfriend had been captured, had been furious, but he had eventually agreed to return to the city and seek help from Baron Yandel.
But it had been too late.
“There were traps on the way back. We had taken the same path, but there hadn’t been any traps before…”
They had been captured and taken to the monster village, blindfolded.
“But how did you escape?”
“One of the… monsters… freed us…”
“Freed you…?”
It had been a small monster, much smaller than the others.
They thought it was a child.
“Were you close?”
“No… We couldn’t even communicate.”
“Then why did it free you?”
“We… don’t know. It just came to our cell and stared at us… and talked to us… but that’s all.”
I pondered their story, and Amelia spoke her mind.
“It must have been out of sympathy.”
Erwen agreed.
“My sister did something similar. She was fascinated by the monsters during the festival preparations, and she kept visiting the stables… and then she freed them all the night before the festival.”
The explorers’ faces hardened, but they didn’t argue.
They knew, deep down, that they had been spared because of a child’s sympathy. They had been treated like animals in cages.
“Well… children are like that…”
That was the end of their story.
We then focused on the ‘monsters.’
What did they look like?
How strong were they?
How many of them were there?
We gathered as much information as possible and then made our decision.
“It seems safe enough to continue exploring.”
There were many monsters in the village, but their individual strength varied greatly.
Just like human society.
Not all of them were warriors.
The problem was that they had the home-field advantage…
Well, if things got dangerous, we could always retreat.
“Lead the way. To the village.”
“…Are you sure…?”
“We’re here to explore.”
“….”
I patted their shoulders reassuringly, but they looked like they were about to cry.
“Um… We can tell you the location… but please… don’t go there yourself…”
“Yes! We’ll be a burden…!”
They didn't want to go back.
But…
“Do you have a ship?”
“Yes! Murton has a ship summoning inscription.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
“…What?”
“If you can make it back to the rocky island and summon a ship, then go. It’s your choice.”
We had encountered 3rd and 4th-grade monsters on the way here.
Thankfully, they were explorers, so they understood what I meant.
“…We’ll lead the way.”
“Good.”
It seemed like our paths would cross again, so we exchanged names.
Marina, Chen, Krian, and Dennis.
Dennis, the spearman, was from the smaller team, and the other three were from the Silver Lion Clan.
Well, the clan was practically disbanded at this point.
“Yandel, I’ll take the lead.”
Our formation changed slightly.
“Emily, you’re going to be the vanguard?”
“There are traps in the jungle.”
“But that’s why I should be in the front—”
“Yandel, you’re our leader. What if you’re injured or captured? Who will lead us then?”
Amelia took the lead, arguing that she was better at detecting traps.
And she was right. She found and disarmed the traps with ease.
It was a strange feeling for a tank.
‘Being protected… it’s not that bad…’
After about two hours of walking, we reached our destination.
But…
“This is it… This is where we escaped… Huh?”
There was no entrance.
The tree roots they had climbed out of… there was nothing there.
“What happened?”
“I… I don’t know…”
“Did you make a mistake?” ƒrēenovelkiss.com
“No! I’m sure this is the place! You saw it yourself, Baron! I found my shoe here!”
He seemed to be telling the truth…
We checked the other trees nearby, just in case, but there was no entrance.
‘Maybe it opens and closes periodically?’
I wasn't sure how it worked, but there was definitely a village hidden somewhere beneath this tree.
The child we had just met was proof of that.
As I was thinking that…
Swoosh!
“I’ll take the left.”
“Then I’ll take the right.”
Erwen and Amelia immediately moved to block the escape routes.
And they captured their target.
A small, blue-skinned creature with large eyes.
Sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, and its head had a strange, pointed shape.
[Kyiyaaaaa!]
The creature struggled and shrieked.
But it didn't last long.
“Be quiet.”
Amelia pressed her dagger against its throat, and it stopped struggling, looking up at me.
[P-Please… spare me…]
It spoke in ancient language.
_________________________
If you could read and write ancient language…
You could also speak it.
Even if it was a little awkward.
[So you’re the one who freed them.]
I spoke to the creature in ancient language, and its eyes widened in surprise.
It had been begging for its life just a moment ago.
[Answer me.]
[Y-Yes… I freed them…]
[Why?]
[They looked… sad…]
That reminded me of a common trope.
A kind-hearted child inadvertently causing a disaster with a single act of kindness.
“Yandel, what is it saying?”
“It says it freed them because they looked sad.”
I answered Amelia, but the four explorers who had overheard our conversation looked displeased.
“That damned monster… how dare it…”
“Baron… can you tell it that we’re not grateful? It killed our comrades… and now it’s acting like it did us a favor…”
I didn't translate their words.
This was the first intelligent being we had encountered in the labyrinth.
I had to be polite and extract as much information as possible.
[What are they saying?]
[They’re thanking you for helping them.]
[…Really…?]
The little monster seemed to accept my words without question.
It was probably difficult for it to read our emotions, since we looked and sounded so different.
But children were the same everywhere.
It was filled with curiosity.
[How can you speak our language? You’re a monster.]
[Monster…?]
Its boldness was amusing, but I couldn't let that comment slide.
[Why are we monsters?]
[Because… you look different… Even though we can communicate…]
It was like Gulliver’s Travels.
A normal person becoming a giant in a land of Lilliputians.
[Okay, if we’re monsters, then what are you?]
I asked, and the little monster answered without hesitation, as if stating a simple fact.
[We’re… humans.]
It had become a strangely philosophical conversation.
