Chapter 27 - The Rift (Part 1)

 

People grow up, and everyone has their own method. Reading books, reflecting on the past, having a frank conversation with a friend for the first time, or discovering a dream they truly desire.

Or.

Envying someone else's luck, observing someone's misfortune or realizing the power of desire. All the inspiration that comes with experience contributes to their growth.

Today's me was no different from others. However, psychological growth was probably only a small part of this.

As I was arranging Yellowhair's backpacks, I grinned.

"One wooden bow, one metal gaiter plate, three low-ranking potions, a dozen ordinary torches..." What are those? Portrait? Maybe a family portrait? Either way, it's better to throw it away...

If you add it all up, it will all cost more than 800,000 stones.

After all, I've always been like that. Growth does not always correlate with a situation.

But...

"With that, I can afford three more armors.

Every time I rose as a person, it always followed a situation.

Damn, I knew what to do next.

I walked through the cave with Einar.

"Bjorn, where are we going now?"

"We're going to move south to the Dwarves.

A total of 8 hours, after a break of 4 hours per person, Einar also came to her senses. Compared to normal, her energy level was still at the very bottom.

"Bjorn, you can move fast. You don't need to worry about me.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I... I want to become stronger as soon as possible.

- I see.

It seemed like I didn't have to worry about her anymore. As long as there is a clear purpose, dark emotions will serve as nourishment, not poison.

Perhaps it was the same with me.

"Me too.

All the time I was on watch, I looked back at my path so far.

Coming-of-age ceremony, entrance to the labyrinth, night companions with Hans, Erwena, Goblin Forest, 4:2 battle with a crossbowman squad, etc.

If you think about it now, there was nothing wrong with any of these situations. I was always looking for the best option that could be chosen in a given situation.

But...

In other words, I was solely focused on avoiding every moment.

"Why did you stop suddenly?"

"It's okay, we'll move on.

It was worth thinking about.

I had neither a teaching fairy nor a systematic text. As soon as I opened my eyes, the man was beheaded, and since then, events far from reality have continued to develop. Therefore, I had no choice but to act as passively as possible, putting my safety first.

But how did it end?

"Bjorn...?" You don't look good.

"Don't worry about it.

Have I always chosen the best possible option? Nonsense.

In the end, it was just a method of overcoming difficulties. How good could be a choice for a guy who was only able to resolve the situation after it had happened?

If I really wanted to survive here, I needed to start acting more actively.

Then the choice will be different.

My uncle, who is addicted to gambling, once told me, "Instead of playing a game that someone else has planned, roll the dice on a board that you create yourself."

Ok. Plans change.

"Ainar, do you really want to get stronger?"

When I suddenly stopped and asked about it, Einar expressed deep confusion.

"What... You mean?

"I ask about your determination. There's definitely a way to get stronger. But it is associated with risk. What are you going to do?

High risk, high reward.

How would she react to this proposal?

When I stopped to watch her, Einar swallowed and lit her eyes.

"Of course, I'm ready. If we don't get stronger, we're going to die anyway!

Yes, it's true. That's how the world worked.

Ainar expressed her agreement, and then shouted,

"I am a warrior!"

I think you said before that you weren't one...

I chuckled.

Observing the ineffective attitude of the barbarian, who was also sometimes more effective than others, I realized something.

"So, how do I get stronger?"

The easy way was slow. And situations were like a natural disaster; No matter which path you choose, it can hit you without warning.

And with my luck, there were a lot of natural disasters.

Here's why...

"We're going to enter the Chasm."

The first blow wins.

This time I was going to look for a natural disaster myself.

As someone famous once said:

"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

***

"Oh! Got it!

Ainar listened to my plan and exclaimed.

And then she asked cautiously:

— ... But what is the Rift?

How is it that you are a native of this world, and you have less knowledge than I do?

I wish she had read a few books.

Oh, yes... She still hasn't learned to read.

"A rift is... In short, it's a maze within a maze.

I omitted detailed explanations. She won't understand anyway.

"A labyrinth within a labyrinth?"

— Exactly.

It was an element of "Dungeon & Stone" unlike many games these days. If the person I had to explain this to was also a modern human, I would describe it as an "insta dungeon."

_____

Instance, instance, dungeon are special locations in MMORPGs that are inhabited by elite monsters. You can get to different instances both in a party (group) and alone.

_____

- Sometimes a portal will open at a random location on each floor. When you enter it, it does not take you to the 2nd or 3rd floor, but to a new space.

"Oh! Are you talking about Lord Frost's Palace?

She seemed to have heard of him.

Lord Frost's palace was a space accessible from the Chasm on the 8th floor. I remember working like a dog in the past, trying to get Lord Frost's essence.

"But is it possible only with the two of us?" I heard that the chief went there when he was young, and almost died.

"It's all right. We are only on the 1st floor.

On the 1st floor, there are four types of Chasms that can be opened. Whichever one we chose, the difficulty was incredibly easy compared to the Chasms on the other floors.

Although, if you were to use us as a standard, it would still be 7 stars... And this is out of 5.

"But how can we get to a place that appears by chance?"

"Don't worry. There is a way.

Maybe I don't look like that, but I've spent 9 years of my life playing this game.

And I discovered hundreds of hidden elements in this unfriendly game.

"Bjorn, I'll trust you!"

I turned east from our original trajectory to the south.

Originally, I wanted to hunt Dwarves, Kobolds, and Stone Golems on the southern route of the 2nd floor of Black Rock Mountain.

Suppressing the Stone Golem was a pain in the ass, but if you prepared in advance, it could be overcome. However, there was no telling how many years it would take to reach the 8th floor by playing so carefully.

"Two barbarians. Are you looking for a night companion? If the three of us sleep, we can sleep much more...

"."

"I just asked...

"I'll crush your head if you don't leave in 3 seconds."

As we crossed the 1st floor, we came across other explorers as well as monsters, but Ainhar was able to deal with them every time.

... But can't she just say no?

"I hate people more than I hate ferns.

It seemed that Ainar had gone from distrusting people to a state of hatred.

*Шмяк! Шмяк! Хруст!*

We finally reached our destination, after walking for about 20 hours, smashing the monsters standing in our way.

The time was about 4 am.

I realized again how big the 1st floor was.

I knew that this place was a labyrinth, similar to an anthill, but it took more than a day to get from the western end to the center...

"Bjorn, isn't that the entrance?"

Strictly speaking, the word "entrance" was incorrect. Most of the starting points were usually directed in one direction, either to the north, or to the south, or somewhere else. Most importantly, there was no light here.

*Whoosh!*

Lighting the torch we got from Yellowhair's group, we entered the dark zone.

And how much time has passed since then?

[You killed the Dwarf. Experience +1]

[You killed the Blade Wolf. Experience +1].

Ainhar finished the eighth battle and exclaimed in admiration.

"To think that all four kinds of monsters appeared here, I didn't know there was such a place in the middle of the 1st floor.

Probably most researchers knew about it, but it wasn't a place to wander into by accident. In comparison, it looks like a place where cold and warm currents meet. Where we are now, Wolves from the east, Ghouls from the west, Dwarves from the south, and Goblins from the north coexist.

However...

"It's strangely quiet.

This area was not popular among researchers. The reason was simple.

Even if all four types of monsters appeared, it would only become more difficult for the hunter. The number of monsters that appeared was also small.

In addition, the fatal disadvantage was that it is very expensive to constantly light the torch.

In fact, no one came here, except for those who decided to pass through it to save travel time.

But the professionals loved the place, mainly because it was weird. In addition, from the point of view of the creator of the game, it was the perfect place to hide something.

"But why are we here?"

"Just wait. We'll get there soon.

For an hour we wandered in the dark, changing direction here and there. Eventually, we got to where I wanted to go.

"So, here we are.

It was a void with a radius of about 30 yards. On the 1st floor, which was made in the form of an anthill, an unusual monument towered in the middle of the open space.

— ... What is this?

"This is a memorial. In honor of the first discoverer of this labyrinth.

I cautiously approached the tombstone and read the inscription at the bottom.

[To the last Great Sage, Diplan Grundel Gabrilius, in memory of his great first step.]

To begin with, the text was the same as in the game. In other words, it would be correct to assume that the hidden place I found then was most likely the same.

"Ainar, what will happen next is a secret. I got it?

"Good.

"I need your oath, not just consent. If this becomes known, we could both be in danger.

— ... I swear on the honor of a warrior.

"Thank you.

I slowly loosened the pouch tied around my belt.

Goblins, Dwarves, Ghouls, and Blade Wolves. Mana stones of the four types of monsters that appeared on the 1st floor, and mana stones of the Death Fiend, a rank 8 monster.

And the monument of the great sage is right in front of me.

"I'll begin."

All the preparations for the opening of the Chasm were in place.

***

In Dungeon & Stone instance dungeons, the Rifts had a waiting time.

If we take the 1st floor as an example, then it took at least 3 cycles to reopen the Chasm, that is, 3 months in city time. Of course, it is rare that the Rifts have opened immediately after three months, in most cases they have opened arbitrarily within 5-6 cycles.

The maximum was... 8 cycles? Yes, I am sure that it was.

Keep in mind that I discovered all this on my own.

In order to obtain Lord Frost's essence, I needed to learn more about the Chasm. It was inefficient to walk through the floors every time and just wait for the Chasm to appear.

"Is something wrong?"

— No, I don't.

Momentarily lost in the memories of the past, I placed the Death Fiend's manastone in front of the monument. If the last Rift had opened for three cycles, then the cooling time would still be going on, and there would have been no answer. But...

*Shiver!*

After a while, the mana stone placed down disappeared with the radiance, and vibrations spread around the monument.

It really worked.

*Ears!*

The vibrations became stronger, and a black portal opened.

"Hurry, let's go inside."

"Uh... Ok!

Since I remembered that the maximum capacity fills up in 10 seconds, I hurriedly rushed into it with Einar.

[Character entered the 1st Floor Chasm].

Leaving behind Ainhar, who had landed on her ass as usual, I looked around.

A red sky that seemed to herald the end of the world at any moment.

A flock of crows hovering above him, and a black fortress in the distance.

Needless to say, it was one of the four types of Chasms on the 1st floor, the "Blood Citadel".

This was to be expected, since the rank 8 mana stone that had been sacrificed belonged to the Death Fiend.

*Wooh!*

After waiting for a while, a hole opened in the air, and a man spat out of it.

This was the main reason why I postponed our arrival in this place, as someone who knows the details of how to finally open the Chasm, as well as the clearing strategy.

I was more afraid of explorers than of monsters.

"Hahaha!" I finally managed to get in!

Wouldn't it be great to have a team of five people that guarantees confidentiality?

After entering the Chasm in this way, you had to clear it along with a random group of explorers who entered it in turn. If it were a game, it would be automated matchmaking. I looked nervously at the first member of the team.

"Oh! How reassuring it is to have two barbarians! Nice to meet you! My name is Hikurod Murad! As you can see, I'm a dwarf hahahaha!!

First, a talkative dwarf.

I didn't know about his skills, but it wasn't bad.

I hope the rest of the group will be the same...

I chuckled.

But that would be too much, right?

Shit, come to me, everybody who wants to.

In any case, I don't even hope so.

[A new team member has joined the journey].

Soon, two more team members were added to us.