The Cabin (1)
“Let’s get moving.”
We leave the area quickly.
After all that trouble to hunt the Cannibalo within 5 minutes, there’s no time to rest.
“So, are you feeling better now?”
“I feel a bit better after resting. Thank you. But how long did I sleep?”
“About 3 hours.”
It’s a lie.
Honestly, it can’t be more than an hour at most.
However…“I slept that long? No wonder…”
It’s called the placebo effect.
Believing that will be more beneficial for her mental and physical health.
Well, the problem now is me.
“Bjorn, you don’t look well.”
Misha, who woke up after a nap, no longer falls behind when we move.
But instead, my pace has slowed down.
Well, that’s only natural.
Just because my natural regeneration is high doesn’t mean my fatigue disappears.
“How about you sleep for a bit while I carry you?”
No, I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but…
Say something that makes sense.
“It’s fine, I can endure.”
Of course, it’s hard.
If I could just lie down and close my eyes, I would fall asleep in a second.
But…
“Let’s increase our speed a bit.”
I have no choice this time either.
After calmly analyzing my current condition…
I’ve come to the conclusion that I can only hold out for a few more hours at most. After that, my body won’t be able to endure, regardless of my mental strength.
That’s why…
“Increase our speed?”
“Yes, that’s the only way.”
We need to find a safe zone while my stamina lasts.
A place that randomly spawns in the Witch’s Forest at certain intervals and lasts for 8 hours.
In that place, the field effects are also deactivated, and monsters don’t appear.
In other words, we can sleep safely.
“But what if we can’t find it?”
Well, then the situation will get worse.
But we last found a safe zone two days ago, didn’t we?
It’s about time for another one to appear.
‘Even if I’m not, she seems to be lucky…’
Just look at what happened when we found the last safe zone.
We took a short break because her leg hurt, and during that time, a safe zone was created right next to us.
“Misha, you take the lead from now on.”
“Me?”
“Just go wherever you want. It’s not like we’re actually finding our way out, right?”
Although I don’t believe in superstitions, I put Misha in the lead just in case. And we move quickly, defeating only the aggressive mobs we encounter.
How much time has passed since then?
“Uh, uh? Bjorn! Look over there! Isn’t that it?”
“…Seems like it.”
Is this the law of attraction?
Surprisingly, we discover a unique tree in less than 30 minutes.
Its appearance is similar to other trees, but a purple light emanates faintly from its bark.
It’s a sign that leads to a safe zone.
“Good job, Misha.”
“Hehe! You can praise me more!”
What is she talking about?
I roughly pat her head as if to say good job, and then approach the tree.
And I place my hand on the bark along with Misha.
________________________________
「Character enters the Witch’s Cabin.」
________________________________
The moment we place our hands on the tree…
A purple mist surrounds us.
Soon, a warm wind like spring blows and disperses the mist that was obscuring everything.
Swaaaaaaaaa!
When the mist finally disappears…
The gloomy and dreary forest scenery is nowhere to be seen.
The ground is a grassy field with wildflowers in full bloom.
The skinny thorn bushes that were only covered in rotten vines are now lush with leaves.
“Bjorn! Look at this! Aren’t the flowers pretty?”
Uh, yeah.
But we saw that last time too…
“Stop messing around and let’s go inside and rest.”
“Hmph, as expected of a barbarian with no romance!”
Romance? That’s something you look for when you’re at least alive.
Having romantic thoughts when you’re on the verge of starvation is just pathetic or self-deception to others.
Creak-.
I ignore Misha, whose mood has strangely improved, and open the door to the cabin in the center.
A bookshelf, a table, a carpet, and a fireplace.
Contrary to its name, the Witch’s Cabin, the interior is nothing special.
It’s just an ordinary cabin that anyone could imagine.
‘Still, I think Raven or Dwarkey would have liked it.’
Mages like these unique spaces.
There are even books on the bookshelf, so they would have checked those out first.
But I’m a barbarian.
And one who is extremely exhausted at that.
Thud-
Therefore, I head straight to the bed and collapse onto it.
And I bury my face in the pillow and mutter,
“You sleep on the chair this time.”
“Ah, alright! You must be tired, so rest comfortably.”
Since she’s physically exhausted, I send Misha to the rocking chair where I slept last time.
Tadatadat, tadat.
I close my eyes and hear the sound of a crackling fire from the fireplace. Misha must have settled down, as the chair also creaks rhythmically.
Creak, creak.
“…Sleep well, Bjorn.”
My consciousness gradually fades.
Perhaps because I was so tired…
I had a dream for the first time in a while.
I was at the company, just like any other day.
I was doing administrative work, and my ex-girlfriend came to pick me up after work.
…She was wearing black stockings.
Anyway, we went to my studio apartment and ordered chicken.
I played games.
She read a book quietly in the corner.
And a comfortable silence followed.
When it was time to sleep, we naturally embraced each other and fell asleep.
That was the entire dream.
The moment I realized it was all a dream, I was thrown back to reality.
A small cabin found while wandering through the Witch’s Forest.
The old bed in that cabin.
The massive body of a barbarian lying on that bed.
And the reality that I have to lead this monstrous body and fight real monsters to survive when I wake up from my sleep—
This is my reality.
‘…So let’s do what needs to be done.’
Since it seems like I won’t be able to sleep anymore anyway, I turn my head and check the fireplace.
The firewood that was burning brightly before I went to sleep has lost its strength and is almost extinguished.
In other words, it means this cabin will close soon.
I check my watch to see how long I actually slept.
‘So I slept for almost 7 hours.’
It’s a bit strange.
I woke up naturally at the right time without an alarm.
“…….”
I force my eyes open and stare at the ceiling to wake up my mind, and a strong headache blooms in the back of my head.
It’s as if my brain is whining that it needs to sleep more.
I sit up, not wanting to give in to that weak thought.
I don’t know why, but…
‘When did she come up here?’
Misha is sleeping soundly on top of me, using my waist as a pillow.
And she’s even drooling.
She’s quite comfortable, as she’s breathing rhythmically with a purring sound.
‘Was the chair uncomfortable?’
I lift Misha’s head and roll it to the side, then get out of bed.
It would be better for her to wake up early too to manage her condition, but let’s just let her sleep a bit more for now.
Crack, crack-
I stretch and loosen up my stiff body.
And I go outside the cabin to bask in the sunlight.
Honestly, it’s quite refreshing.
‘…Is that why Misha liked looking at flowers?’
Thinking about it that way, I can understand Misha’s sentiment to some extent, but I still find it hard to relate.
It’s not that it’s wrong, it’s just a matter of preference.
Sunlight at least makes me feel like vitamin D is being synthesized, but flowers don’t even give me anything to self-hypnotize about.
The placebo effect is weak.
Anyway, should I wake her up now?
“Misha, wake up.”
“Ugh, five more minutes…”
“Get a grip, it’s almost time for us to leave this place.”
“Then until then…”
What is she talking about?
Since rational thought seems impossible for her while she’s half asleep, I forcefully hug her waist and lift her up.
And I shake her up and down.
“Aak! Aak! A, alright! I’m up! So stop!!”
“Alright.”
“You barbaric idiot!!”
She should have woken up when I called her.
I hand the canteen to Misha, who is hissing and spitting.
It doesn’t seem like she’s actually angry, she’s just grumbling out of habit.
“…Ah, thanks.”
Since she seems to be awake now, Misha and I sit down and munch on bread and jerky.
I don’t have much of an appetite right after waking up…
But we won’t have time to eat comfortably once we leave.
“Once you’re done eating, warm up a bit. We don’t have much time left.”
“Got it.”
Misha does something similar to national calisthenics, slowly waking up her body’s senses.
But is it because she’s an agility-based character?
Her body is incredibly flexible.
“Um, Bjorn…”
As I’m organizing my backpack to pass the time, Misha speaks up while stretching.
“What is it?”
“Th, that, Hikurod, Dwarkey, and Rotmiller…”
“Just say it.”
“Hmph, I was wondering… what do you think happened to them? They’re, they’re still alive, right?”
Hmm, so it was that question after all.
I thought it was about time it came up.
People usually start thinking about other things once their bodies are feeling better.
I answer without hesitation.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s true, but you can at least make a guess.”
It’s not a guess, it’s wishful thinking.
I firmly cut off any room for conversation before it gets out of hand.
“Whatever my prediction is, it doesn’t change anything.”
Whether they’re dead or alive is meaningless.
Even if they’re in trouble, what can we do, stranded in the Witch’s Forest?
We need to focus on surviving first.
We’ll find out the result naturally once we return to the city.
“So, if you’re done warming up, check your equipment again.”
That’s all we can do right now.
Tadat-
The last embers of the fire die out.
「The Witch’s Cabin is closed.」
「Character is being transported to the Witch’s Forest.」
It’s time to leave.
___________________________________
「Status effect [Witch’s Eye] is upgraded to level 6.」
「Status effect [Witch’s Eye] is upgraded to level 7.」
「Status effect [Witch’s Eye] is upgraded to level 8.」
「Status effect [Witch’s Eye] is upgraded to level 9.」
___________________________________
Day 11 of entering the labyrinth.
In other words, it’s been 8 days since we became stranded in the Witch’s Forest.
「Status effect [Witch’s Eye] is upgraded to level 10.」
Now we don’t even have time to take a breath.
We have to keep moving forward.
Now that [Witch’s Eye] has reached its maximum level…
The calculation is that a Cannibalo will appear if we stay in one place for just 3 minutes.
‘Still, it’s a blessing in disguise that… things can’t get any worse from here.’
That’s assuming no other variables arise.
Of course, there’s also the possibility of positive variables.
For example, an essence, an essence, or an essence…
‘Damn it.’
While wandering through the Witch’s Forest, we had to hunt numerous monsters, regardless of our intentions.
But no essences dropped.
It’s quite disappointing.
If just one dropped, no matter what it is, our combat power would increase even a little…
And some essences even have the ability to completely turn this situation around.
For example, like this bastard.
“Bjorn! There’s a Witch’s Lamp over there!”
“Let’s quickly catch it and move on.”
The 9th-grade incorporeal monster, Witch’s Lamp.
It just looks like a will-o’-the-wisp.
Its combat power is also pathetic, and it can be easily defeated with elemental damage.
And its active skill is also trash.
Except in the Witch’s Forest.
「Witch’s Lamp has cast [Witch’s Lantern].」
The summoning skill [Witch’s Lantern].
Surprisingly, it summons a ‘Witch’s Lamp’.
That’s right, this bastard summons itself.
In other words, if you absorb this essence, you can summon and control Witch’s Lamps.
“Essence, come to me!!”
Misha chants and quickly defeats the Witch’s Lamps, which have increased in number from three to six.
However, as expected, there’s no essence.
Phew, if only this bastard’s essence dropped, we could use it as a guide and get out of here right away…
‘Do we have no choice but to hold out until the last day?’
Realistically, that’s the most likely scenario.
The labyrinth closes on Day 15 on the 3rd floor.
We just need to hold out for four more days, and we can return to the city.
The problem is that I can’t confidently say we can even survive those few days.
“Misha, how’s your stamina?”
“Hmm, I’m tired, but I’m okay since we rested a while ago.”
Last night, we were lucky enough to find another cabin and rest for a while.
It was our first discovery and rest in almost 50 hours.
In other words, we haven’t been able to sleep or eat properly and have just been moving.
‘And even worse, we found it late, so we could only rest for 4 hours.’
Finding a cabin is purely based on luck.
Therefore, if we’re unlucky, we might not find a single cabin in the remaining four days.
That’s why we’re hunting Witch’s Lamps with a vengeance whenever we see them.
It’s better to try everything we can, so—
“Bjorn.”
Misha, who was walking ahead, stops.
I also stop thinking and check the front.
“Explorers.”
For the first time since we got lost, we encounter something that’s not a monster.
And we still don’t know…
“A barbarian and a beastman? Don’t tell me it’s just the two of you?”
…whether this is a positive or negative variable.
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