Chapter 28 - The Rift (Part 2)

 

Daria Vitember di Tercia.

As a rank 5 researcher, she was currently wandering around the 1st floor, the Crystal Cavern. With her was her younger sister, who looked like a small child in her eyes.

"Erwena, use the spirit again.

"Ah, it's too difficult with a dagger alone..."

"I told you. Even if you don't have a bow or can't use a spirit, you must be able to defend yourself.

"No, I know that, but—"

"Stop it. If you keep training, you'll get better.

Daria took Ervena around the 1st floor and ruthlessly trained her. All this was done for the benefit of the younger sister, and the sister was not ignorant of this fact. But the time of training passed, and it became clear that she was starting to get tired.

"D-Uncle Varvar said it's better to specialize in what you're good at..."

— ... A what?

– Trust your team and do everything possible to fulfill your role. This is... These are the foundations of the researcher's work...

Daria, who had been listening to this dispassionately, was speechless.

It was a reasonable argument. Wouldn't it be great if the world worked that way?

"Ervena, teammates are just teammates. Do not attach too much importance to them.

Daria had many teams.

From the team of explorers on the 6th floor, which she was a member of until recently, to the hunting team that only hunted the most valuable monsters, and the speed team whose goal was to open the portal.

Working with different people, she has seen a lot of different things. Among them there were even things that she did not want to tell Erven.

The crew could not be trusted unless they were blood relatives.

"Okay...

Ervena did not argue, seeing how Daria tensed.

Time passed, and soon the 4th day came. Ervena had passed the 1st floor clockwise and could now defeat any monster with just one dagger. In the process, she naturally increased her level.

"Daria, I've already raised the level. Maybe we should go to the 2nd floor? Uncle Varvar probably earns so much money on the 2nd floor now...

Daria laughed at how cute her sister was. What's the big deal about catching a few more monsters on the 2nd floor?

"Erwena, the Chasm is about to open.

Fault.

A place where even mid-level researchers who have worked in this business for several years have never been without proper luck.

Ervena tilted her head.

"How do you know that?"

"Because the last Chasm opened on the 1st floor 8 months ago.

Daria kindly explained everything step by step, as if she were talking to a small child. Today was the 4th day, so she explained the statistical reason why the Chasm should open in the next 3 days.

"I see... Uncle Varvar did not mention this.

Well, of course, Daria thought.

Ervena continued to praise the barbarian at every turn, but after all, he was just a novice. Recklessly moving up the floor and going through all sorts of trial and error was, for a seasoned researcher, the epitome of inefficiency.

"Ervena, don't be impatient and trust me. In a year, that barbarian and you will have a huge gap in levels.

Sometimes the slower way was the fastest.

"Mm... Then I can help him when the time comes!

"Yes, you can do it.

Daria nodded her head and praised her sister. It was unknown if the barbarian would be alive by then, and even if he did, Daria could think of talking her sister out of it when the time came.

She wanted her sister to keep her innocence as long as possible.

Just when she was thinking about it...

*Dddddd!*

The labyrinth began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred. Such a phenomenon occurs whenever the Chasm opens.

"Ervena!"

Daria grabbed Ervena's arm and ran at full speed through the tunnel. And soon she found a portal that trembled unsteadily.

It was the Chasm.

There were already thousands of such portals throughout the 1st floor, and every minute from now on was to be an important battle against time.

*Oooh!*

Daria and Ervena rushed into the portal.

But at this moment..,

*Woom-*

The portal disappeared.

*Rumble*

Daria, jumping into the air and landing on the bare ground, clicked her tongue in disappointment.

— ... We were one step too late.

If they hadn't tried to enter at the same time, and she had pushed her sister before her, they could have successfully entered.

But...

— ... There will be another chance.

There is nothing to be done.

After all, what if her younger sister entered the Chasm alone and ended up losing her life?

"Erwena, let's go to the 2nd floor.

Again, sometimes the slower path turns out to be the fastest.

***

The Law of Equivalent Exchange

I really liked this theory. But, unfortunately, the world does not work according to this law.

Remember how we encountered this crazy bitch. We barely survived, and we didn't get anything.

No, rather, we were thrown out of the Land of the Dead, and our time was wasted.

But this time it was different. This time I made a choice, so the price will follow.

It's possible.

*Boom*

I looked at the man and girl, who were our last two teammates, and increased my vigilance.

The man who landed with a heavy sound didn't have any special characteristics, but...

The girl was different.

*Top*

As if defying the laws of gravity, the girl slowly descended and landed softly. Even the garrulous dwarf opened his mouth at the sight and couldn't hide his surprise.

I was the same.

"I didn't expect to see a mage here.

Magus.

The largest selection of a class in Dungeon & Stone that was worthy of the name, and one that was treated with respect wherever he went, simply for his status.

"Bjorn, are mages really that big?" The librarian was also a magician!

When Ainar asked, the mage frowned, as if dissatisfied. Before we could get on her blacklist, I spoke.

"Librarian is a 9th rank mage.

"Is this one different?"

This one is different. Very different.

While librarians were upper-class workers working in guilds, public institutions, or offices, this girl was a true magician.

The fact that she had entered the labyrinth was proof of that.

Magi were an important resource in Rafdonia, so if they couldn't prove their abilities, they couldn't enter the labyrinth.

"I see!"

When I explained this clearly at Ainhar's eye level, the mage joined the conversation in a calm voice.

— Yes, that's right. For a barbarian you are knowledgeable.

Seeing the satisfied smile on her lips, I realized what kind of character she had.

— Hello. My name is Arua Raven, a Rank 6 Mage. And this is the professional porter I hired... What is your name?

"Tarzin, Lady Raven.

So, they were a duet. It wasn't so bad. She seemed to have a tendency to look down on others, but she wasn't that bad compared to other Magi.

There were much worse thugs in the game.

"May I ask you all to introduce yourself?"

"Hikurod Murad." It's a short journey, but I hope we work well together, Miss Raven.

"How experienced are you, Mr. Murad?"

"I was a researcher for three years.

Researcher of the 3rd year...

No wonder the quality of his equipment looked so good.

"Bjorn, son of Yandel."

After a brief introduction, I asked bluntly:

"I don't understand why someone like you is on the 1st floor. Why did you enter the Chasm?

Most of the explorers who were active on the 1st floor did not even have the appropriate equipment. Therefore, I expected that clearing the Chasm would not be an easy job.

But with a 3rd year veteran and a rank 6 Magus? At this point, I couldn't just be happy about it. It was also doubtful to call it a coincidence.

"I can't explain the details, but I've heard that the Chasm will open during this cycle.

"Neither do I.

So they don't want to share information? As if by agreement, Raven and the dwarf were both silent about how they got here.

Of course, it didn't mean much to me. Now I guess how they guessed about the discovery of the Chasm.

— Ainar, Fenelin's 2nd daughter.

As soon as everyone introduced themselves, Raven started talking.

"The loot will be divided according to the number of people, minus Mr. Tarzin." In exchange for that, will you all carry out my orders?"

"I have no objections. In the labyrinth, it is most logical to follow the orders of the magician.

"Thank you for those words.

When the dwarf agreed, Raven's gaze turned to the two of us.

I didn't have to think long. As long as there was a mage in the team, there was no need to stand out.

After all, it was the Magi who first recognized the existence of evil spirits and convinced the royal family to declare them targets of destruction.

Deuce...

Clearing the Chasm was no longer a problem.

— I also agree.

Just meet them halfway. Previously, she could praise me for being a knowledgeable barbarian, but this could turn into suspicion at any time.

"I refuse.

And?

All eyes turned to Einar as they heard her resolute voice.

"I don't know what's so special about a mage. I want Bjorn to lead us.

Even I agreed to it! What are you doing?!

I wanted to gag her right now, but if I did, it would only look more suspicious.

Soon, the magician cautiously asked:

"Bjorn... That barbarian, right?

— That's right. Bjorn is no ordinary barbarian!

"What do you mean by 'not an ordinary barbarian'?"

"Bjorn is a wiser warrior than anyone else. He reads books in the library for 6 hours every day.

"Hmph, he's definitely unusual.

"It's not unusual, it's wonderful!" I've never seen a barbarian as clever as Bjorn!

Deuce...

Please stop...

Everyone looked at me with strange eyes at Einar's praise, but the situation ended as a minor incident. It seems that they decided that this was just the childishness of the barbarian.

At least for now.

"Still, it's a majority of votes, so there's nothing you can do. Hahaha!

- What is a majority of votes? What does "nothing can be done" mean?!

"Um...

Feeling that the atmosphere was getting cold again, I calmed Ainhar. I didn't know what upset her so much, but Ainar was wheezing and visibly displeased.

"But! Bjorn, you're better than this mage!

Perhaps the words "for a barbarian" offended her?

I wasn't sure, but I was glad I had made her take an oath beforehand.

Otherwise, our use of dimensional instability and the fact that I was the one who discovered the Chasm could have been exposed.

"It's happiness to have the respect of your wife. I envy you, barbarian! Hahaha!

"Wife?!" I'm not like that!

"Hahaha." There is no need to be embarrassed!

"Gah!" I'm not embarrassed!!

In general, thanks to the talkative dwarf, Einar was distracted in a different direction. I felt relieved too and looked at Raven's face. Contrary to my misgivings, she didn't seem particularly interested in me.

"Hmm, a barrier that prevents you from going outside. Interesting. It seems to have cut off from the dimensions, but how can we see the other side with our eyes?

Should I call it a sorcerer's passion for study? Seeing her muttering to herself as she wrote something down in her notebook, I thought she was curious about the properties of this barrier that prevented us from leaving the map.

I hoped that this interest would not be directed at me during our joint work.

"Why don't we all stop this and start moving?" I need to do a lot of research to get a sample.

At that, the dwarf tilted his head at Raven's words.

"Start moving?" So far, we only know each other's names.

I also held a similar opinion. Each team should know what each other's abilities are and what they are capable of. No matter how quickly the team was formed, revealing the main essence was the basis.

However, Raven cut the matter off as unnecessary.

"Is it necessary?" All monsters from the Blood Citadel are rank 7 or lower.

A voice full of absolute confidence. The dwarf looked a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say it.

... Until she added something else.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I'll take the loot from the Guardian. I need to study it separately.

What a selfish bitch...

No wonder she seemed so ordinary to a mage.

Bloody hell.

As expected.

The situation was getting shitty again.