Bjorn Yandel the Barbarian

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4….

It usually ends at Chapter 4 or 5, but sometimes there are cracks that go beyond Chapter 7.

Anyway, this isn’t what’s important.

‘City Defense was chapter 1 a little while ago.’

It can be seen as chapter 1 that I woke up as the mercenary Bjorn Yandel and fought against monsters.

However, the important point here is….

‘Could it be seen as similar to a doppelganger forest?’

4th floor crack doppelganger forest.

At that time, we were locked in a cage as soon as we entered, and we were only able to get out and start Chapter 1 after two other teams entered the rift.

The three teams played Chapter 1 at their own starting points and then joined in Chapter 2… The

labyrinth we just entered is exactly that type.

“I started in a place like a rural village. “The army was invading.”

The content of Chapter 1 that Erwen experienced was different from mine.

It seemed like it was a battlefield right from the start, but it wasn’t a chapter where you had to shoot warriors and clear it like I did.

“It’s one-tenth of its normal state… or maybe it’s even weaker than that.”

Erwen, who had an insane amount of debuffs from the start, barely succeeded in escaping the village with the help of nearby NPCs.

And…

“I was just climbing up the mountain behind me, but monsters kept appearing. What’s strange is that the soldiers following me attacked, but I didn’t attack them.”

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the debuff was just hit indiscriminately.

“Anyway, I arrived at this cave while wandering the mountain while being chased. “Once I came in, I hid… but it wasn’t long before a driver found me.”

“Wait a minute, were there symbols like this engraved on the chests of knights and soldiers?”

Before continuing the conversation, I drew the imperial symbol and showed it to Erwen, who nodded.

“yes! This was it!”

Ha, it’s a real empire. There’s no place these bastards don’t participate in.

“I get it. Then keep talking. “The driver found you and then what?”

“I thought I was going to die like this, but they told me to relax because they didn’t come to harm me?”

The driver introduced himself as my brother’s friend.

He then gave her a compass and told her that if she went through the cave with it, she would be able to meet her brother.

“I wanted to tag along, but I couldn’t, so I told him to wait a few days and I would find someone for him.”

This is all that Erwen experienced in Chapter 1.

The moment the driver finished speaking, before I could reply, my eyes turned dark.

“But then suddenly I felt someone next to me… I’m sorry.”

“no. “If you don’t know what it is, it’s right to stick a knife in it first.”

“Uh… Is that so?”

“Good job.”

As I said that and stroked his head, Erwen smiled. It was something I did unconsciously, but I felt uncomfortable for some reason, perhaps because of my young appearance.

I feel like I’m a barbarian telling a child how to be mean.

“…Anyway, would you mind showing me the compass you said you received from the driver?”

“Here you go.”

From then on, the compass was handed over to Erwen.

‘Is it okay to just keep going in this direction…’

Given the circumstances, it was highly likely, but I checked Erwen’s condition before setting off.

‘First of all, all the equipment was taken away…’

Unlike me, who brought all the original items such as the Demon Crusher and the Aegis Wall, Erwen was bare.

Also…

“I can use essence and spirit as is, but… it’s difficult to use the same power as usual.”

MP is severely lacking, and the resulting value is only one-tenth of the normal state.

The only thing worth looking forward to was [Chaos Circuit], but Erwen hasn’t been able to confirm it yet.

“I thought if there was a reaction in that situation, it would be a big problem. “I managed to control it somehow and run away.”

[Chaos Circuit] is activated when all resources are consumed.

When this is activated, MP becomes infinite for 1 minute.

And in this state, if you use [Concentrated Fire] and summon the Spirit King to attack the damage, you can create tremendous firepower for one minute.

‘…Well, even on a full charge basis, it’s only 10% of the usual amount.’

Apart from MP, if the stats are low, the coefficient is also low, which means there is a difference in the deal even if charging for the same time.

Of course, it will still be much better than most ranged dealers.

‘I think it would be right to save this in case of an emergency…’

After conducting several experiments, I was able to discover one more unique feature other than ‘not being attacked first by monsters’.

“Ugh…!”

The wound does not heal.

It was not simply because the stats dropped and the natural regeneration value also dropped.

That’s because potions are applied completely differently from stats.

Cheeeeeeeek-!

The skin regenerates so slowly that it’s hard to believe it was just a potion poured on it.

‘This is a bit difficult…’

What would happen if I got stabbed in a bad area in this condition?

It’s terrifying just to imagine.

“Erwen, you are absolutely prohibited from fighting in the future. Do you understand?”

“…yes?”

“I will protect you no matter what, so just trust me and follow me quietly.”

“ah…! yes!”

Now, let’s start chapter 2.

***

Trap, plod.

Get out of the cave entrance blocked by a barrier and follow the direction indicated by the compass and move deeper into the cave.

Meanwhile, there was something I realized again.

Actually, this is what I was thinking from the entrance of the cave…

“Mister, I guess this place is…”

“Are you saying it’s similar to the crystal cave on the first floor?”

“yes.”

Of course there are differences.

Because there were absolutely no monsters in this cave.

Thanks to this, I was moving around much more comfortably than expected.

Of course, it’s not just my body, my mind was extremely uncomfortable at this moment.

‘I’m going crazy because I’m anxious because nothing comes out…’

Even if you try not to let down your guard as the non-stimulating time continues, your nerves naturally become dull.

Even while I’m actually walking, I keep thinking about other things.

‘That’s strange…’

I took explorer lessons from Rotmiller.

Of course, the place that the guy who was serious about speedrunning studied the most was the crystal cave on the first floor, and thanks to receiving that knowledge, I am also familiar with the crystal cave.

To exaggerate a bit, you can tell where this place is by noticing subtle differences just by touching the wall.

So one question arises.

‘Is the terrain a bit different from the labyrinth?’

The current location where we are is estimated to be near the Land of the Dead.

But Erwen said.

He said that he started from a normal village, not from the land of the dead.

So where did this change come from?

‘As time passes… will that village turn into the land of the dead?’

Well, I don’t think it’s a completely absurd hypothesis.

One of the characteristics of the Land of the Dead was the remains of stone buildings buried in the muddy black earth.

“…I’m worried.”

“yes?”

“The place the compass points to is the rocky desert west of the Crystal Cave.”

“Yes, what about it?”

Erwen looks like she’s asking what’s the problem.

This is probably a common reaction.

But…

“I’m a little curious. “What about other places?”

For some reason, like I did in Chapter 1, I feel like I will move on to the next chapter as soon as I find the exit. If that happens, the structure of Chapter 2 will never be confirmed.

“Hey… what if it’s somewhere else?”

“I thought there might be something hidden in the center. “I wonder what the other exit is like.”

“Well… you always had a strong sense of exploration, right?”

It’s closer to greed than curiosity.

You never know what reward might be hidden there, right?

Even in Chapter 1, if it wasn’t for the purpose of gathering information, we would have searched all kinds of places.

“Well then, shouldn’t we just go?”

“But if there’s nothing there, you’re just wasting time.”

“Isn’t that what exploration is all about…?”

“Uh… that’s right.”

In fact, I had already made up my mind and changed direction immediately. And then headed to the center of the cave.

“This is the place? Originally, there should have been a monument…”

The very center of the cave.

Originally, there was supposed to be a monument to Gabrielius, and in the Pilgrim’s Grotto, this is the exact location where the Witch’s Altar was located.

“Once you look at the terrain, it seems like you’ve come to the right place, but there’s nothing there.”

Was it all in vain?

“Still, I regret having to come all the way here, so let’s search a little—.”

“Um… uncle?”

At that time, Erwen suddenly flinched and called me out.

“I feel something… strange.”

“You can feel it?”

“It’s coming…! “Over there!”

The direction Erwen pointed to was the direction of the wall.

However, I did not doubt the authenticity of the information.

“Step back. hurry!”

After sending Erwen behind me, I get into a fighting stance and stare at the wall.

And how long has it been?

Contrary to my expectations that something would appear like a storm. A strange, translucent creature peeks out from

the

wall and slightly looks around.

Soon I made eye contact with him and was speechless.

“…Ham style?”

Why are you out there?

***

Black eyes and ears that twitch.

Moderately protruding chin and front teeth.

Shiny beige fur and plump pink belly.

And even the cute front feet.

Anyone can see from the outside that he looks like a ham-style person.

But…

[Ham… Sik?]

The intimidating feeling that comes from the tone of voice and tone of voice makes it confusing.

[So, did mortals dare to give me such an insignificant name?…]

A life that would send shivers down my spine.

As soon as I sensed this, I acknowledged it.

This guy in front of me right now is completely different from Ham Sik.

“…who are you?”

[People like you are not allowed to ask questions.]

Hamsik, who received my question, coldly dismissed it and fixed his gaze on Erwen.

[Human girl, do you know your destiny?]

“Hey… who are you?”

Hamsik, who received Erwen’s question, answered more kindly than I had asked.

[I am a being who can help or harm you.]

“…?”

[Pity.]

Hamsik, who was looking down at Erwen, completely got out of the wall and walked over.

He gave off a heavy aura with his majestic eyes, but his pouting manner was unmistakably ham-like.

Is it a limitation of biological structure?

As I was thinking hard without realizing it, Hamsik spit out important information in a deep voice.

[Human girl, the moment you are captured by your pursuers, a terrible disaster will come. But…]

“…but?”

[If I die here, the world will be preserved.]

I said it as if there were two options, but anyone who looks into Hamsik’s eyes now would know.

What decision did this guy make?

‘Nimiral.’

I came here hoping to get something, but I never thought a hidden boss would pop out.

[You have no sin. You can blame me—.]

Hamsik was interrupted in the middle of muttering something.

There was no reason to listen further.

It doesn’t matter whether that guy is Ham Sik before he lost his memory or one of Ham Sik’s mom and dad.

Whi-profit-!

I swung the hammer around and blocked the way.

“Can you stop showing off your cute face?”

[Cute ears… me?]

Hamsik trembled as if he felt humiliated.

[Beep! What a lowly mortal! So cruel—!]

And so the hidden boss battle began.

***

To conclude, the ham diet was strong.

About a level 3 monster.

I thought it would probably be enough to get into the middle rank among the 3 grades.

But….

[Beep—! Let go! Let go…!]

The ham diet had a fatal flaw.

Durability and regeneration are high, but the casting time is long and each skill has a wide range, but single damage is low.

He had a skillset specialized in the so-called ‘Yanghak’…

‘If it had been Shield Baba, his damage would have been lacking.’

Thanks to my job as a mercenary and becoming Hammer Baba, I was able to break through all of its defense mechanisms and subdue it.

Oh, of course, Erwen’s performance was the biggest factor in achieving this result.

Even with that crazy debuff, I was able to do enough for one person by using [Chaos Circuit].

‘How is it that even in that condition, he gets better damage than me…’

“…Mister! Are you okay!”

After the successful suppression, Erwen runs towards me with a gasp.

My body was not working because my defense level was low.

However, there was something I was able to find out thanks to fighting so desperately.

“Okay. “There are no serious injuries.”

To be more specific, the serious wound has already healed to some extent. Somehow, as soon as it healed to a certain extent, the recovery speed slowed down significantly.

‘Is this a mechanism where the regeneration level increases the more injured you are?’

It seems that the status ailment I’m in doesn’t just increase attack power and lower defense power.

‘This kind of mechanism matches well with [The Hero’s Path].’

In any case, what we need to worry about right now is not self-feedback.

“Hamsik.”

[My name is Hamsik—!]

“Hamsik.”

[…What do you want from me, mortal!]

“What is this?”

When I took out a small bead, Hamsik’s eyes turned round.

[How could you—!]

How could you have it?

When I fainted for a moment, I searched my stomach pocket and it came out right away.

“It’s okay, just answer what’s asked. “What is this?”

[….]

I have never been notified of Miranda principles or anything like that.

“If you’re not going to say anything, should I just keep this?”

I asked for consent in a gentlemanly manner, but this time, Hamsik did not say anything.

Was it something you cherished?

“answer.”

[….]

“Don’t you?”

I muttered softly in an aggrieved voice.

[I was originally going to give it to you, but…]

I couldn’t say anything to that voice that sounded so unfair.

[I was going to give it to you when I decided that I wouldn’t die in vain after taking the test…!]

What is this?

As a gamer who has experienced all kinds of hardships, I was quite embarrassed.

[Why on earth did I subject myself to this humiliation…!]

…Couldn’t it have been just a case of beating him up?