The day I woke up for the first time in this world was still present in my mind, more vivid than any other memory. I was stunned by the fact that I somehow understood a language totally unknown to me, but there was no time to waste as I also had to quickly understand my situation and plan accordingly. That had been my big entry into the world of Dungeon and Stone.
At the same time, I was a feeling of déjà vu.
Right there... is where he died.
He still remembered his name: Oreum, son of Kadua. It was unknown what kind of life he had led before entering this world, but less than five minutes after opening his eyes, his throat was slit.
And there were many more like him.
After seeing the records that had been transmitted to me as the new chief, I now knew that in the last ten years an average of one player had been executed at each coming-of-age ceremony, although those numbers had been decreasing. It seemed that the once popular modified version of the game had lost popularity.
But I guess there are still people who play the game.
It's a shame.
Damn, why were we playing that damn thing?
None of this was our fault, of course. There was only one person to blame.
That old bastard screwed us.
Fue Auril Gavis, el creador of Dungeon and Stone.
[You have reached the Abyss.]
[Complete tutorial.]
He was the real mastermind behind the kidnapping of countless players, with only those two measly phrases to prove it.
If I was going to do a tutorial, I should have done it right.
The rookie's expression brought back old memories. Well, they weren't that old if you ignored the time I got stuck in the past, and I assumed there would still be even more warriors like him in the future.
«Everyone, silence!» i rumbled. The young barbarians quickly controlled their excitement and closed their mouths, allowing me to continue with the ceremony. This month's ceremony, however, would be unlike any held in the past. He would take advantage of it to help players hidden among the warriors. There might even be another rookie lurking unseen right now.
«Macal, second son of Putil!» I approached the young warrior and put my hand on his shoulder as I called him by name. «Come closer and choose your weapon!»
«I will!», exclaimed the young warrior excitedly, apparently moved by the warm support and encouragement of his boss.
«A two-handed axe! Excellent».
I continued to encourage the young warriors by approaching them and saying their names in turns. Whenever he could, he tried to give clues to the rookie to help him quickly adapt to the situation he found himself in.
«As of today, you are a warrior. May Rafdonia's blessing be with you».
Finally, it was the turn of the rookie he had been keeping an eye on. «Vector, third son of Kiltau!»
When I put my hand on his shoulder, I felt his entire body tremble under my palm. I pretended not to notice and said, «Go out and pick a gun for the start of your journey!».
«...I will!» Compared to the other warriors, his response was slower and quieter.
But at least he realized what he had to do.
Since I was imitating the other warriors from the beginning, I had a good feeling that I would survive as I continued to accumulate experience...
¿Eh?
As soon as I saw the weapon I had chosen, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. «A shield...»
The rookie shuddered at my involuntary reaction, probably worried that he had made a serious mistake.
He had no idea that this would be a barbarian rookie with a shield.
I walked past his frozen form and approached the display where the shield hung, then approached and grabbed something else for him to take. «Take this». With my authority as a boss, I decided to provide warriors who chose a shield with a small hammer from an additional hand.
«Vector, third son of Kiltau, you are now a warrior!»
He was a little bewildered, probably because this aspect of the ceremony was different from the game, but after grabbing the free hammer, he quickly returned to his place. Although he tried to appear unfazed, his expression revealed open panic.
I can't blame him. You probably need some time alone to get your thoughts in order.
I diverted my attention from the rookie and continued the ceremony until finally the last warrior chose his weapon. It was time to move on to the next step.
«Warriors!» However, before they headed to the city, he had prepared a short speech. Well, it was more of a quick review than a speech. «Answer after me! Who are the only good looters?»
«The looters dead!»
«What do we think of the Adventurer's Guild?»
«We don't trust them!»
«What do we do when we meet a Hans in the maze?»
«Say no! If you don't want to die, get out».
The reason he had this quick review session with the young warriors was simple. Everyone else may have practiced and memorized what they needed to do, but there was a rookie among them who hadn't.
«Now...» There was one last piece of information I needed to go over with them. «What should we do if it is discovered that an 'evil spirit' has been living in the body of one of our own?».
It was the most important fact for the survival of any player.
«We kill them!»
If a player is caught, they die.
***
«Open the door!»
As soon as my voice rang, the gate separating the sacred land from the city began to open. The young warriors who grew up in the holy land, dreaming countless times of the adventure that awaited them on the other side of these doors, began to let out screams of emotion.
«¡Rafdonia!»
Originally, this would have been the moment he would have dismissed them with a last word of encouragement. However, I decided to guide the young warriors towards the city myself.
«...What? Is the boss going to guide us?»
I needed to get into the maze too, so we were going in the same direction anyway.
«¡Become-aah!»
«We will surely become great warriors like him!»
The warriors were glad once again to hear that their leader would guide them personally. While admiring his innocence, I quickly led the warriors to the center of the district.
«Good evening, Baron Yandel», someone called me. We follow the voice to a guild mage waiting at the agreed location, ready to cast a binding spell on the young warriors. As I grouped them into groups of three or four, some of the warriors began to ask me questions.
«...But Cacique! I thought it was tradition that we did our first expeditions alone».
«That's right! I've heard the stories since I was little!»
To hell with tradition. That shitty tradition was exactly why so many of our warriors had been killed and looted during their first expedition. How many of them would have been saved if we had abandoned the old ways?
Before I could raise my voice to yell at them, someone beat me to it. «Idiotes!» It was our new old man, Ainar. «Bjorn, son of Yandel, is our boss now!»
«He is the chief, yes, but what about tradition...?»
«From today, everything the chief says will be tradition! And it is our duty to do what he says!»
It was a bit authoritarian, but the logic was solid. After all, the barbarian race had its own systems for handling dissent.
«If you don't agree with these new traditions, become the boss yourself! Understood?»
In other words, if you had a problem, then put your fists where your mouth was. The young warriors had grown up under that same system, so luckily, they quickly accepted it.
«... That makes sense!»
Alright, so that was the end of it.
«Excuse me... About the payment...»
«Here you go.» When he finished casting the spell, I paid the guild mage for his work. «Good job. I hope to work with you again next month».
«Ah... Of course, Your Honor...»
Since the wizard had been forced to work overtime and come here to meet a handful of barbarians, it was no wonder that he seemed disgusted and exhausted. Unfortunately for him, he was also going to have to meet with us next month. After all, I had personally gone to his branch of the guild to ask him a favor. How could a simple magician who worked there refuse?
«The labyrinth!»
«Ohhh! It's really here!»
«It's like something is pulling my body towards him!»
In any case, once the payment was completed, I led the warriors to Dimension Square, and with that, my duties as a chief had come to an end. There was nothing more to say other than:
«Come on, warriors!»
As soon as I gave them permission, the young warriors made their way through the crowd, ran towards the portal and rushed inside.
«¡Hurraah!»
Behind me, Ainar laughed as he watched. «Bjorn, why do you seem so worried?»
I felt like I was sending my kids to school for the first time. As long as they came back alive, our tribe would be even stronger, but...
«Don't worry. We came back alive, right? And we face much worse odds than them!»
It was a truly barbaric consolation despite its reminiscent tone. Oddly enough, it made me feel so much better. The barbaric way of disciplining and educating his children had been too harsh for too long. I didn't want things to be so difficult for our young warriors, although I didn't want to spoil them either. After all, the fastest way to grow was to face adversity. Only in those moments when fear and trepidation penetrated you to the bone from the experience could you avoid making the same mistake in the future.
After sending the warriors to the maze, we walked through Dimension Square until we found the rest of our group.
«Sir!»
«You're late. Amelia looked at her watch before glaring at me.
Auyen Rockrobe, our navigator, stood next to him and greeted me with a worried face. «You are here, clan leader!». It had been a long time since I had seen him dressed in the complete team. «Thanks for letting me follow you into the maze again». His voice was full of sincerity. It made sense, given that he had been stuck in the basement for the past few months.
Maybe it was because he had tried to loot me before, but I didn't feel any guilt or pity when I looked at him. The only good looter was a dead looter, so we needed to be tough on him, at first, to remind him of his place. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to trust him to watch our backs.
«Amelia.»
«Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him in the maze».
We were talking openly in front of him, but Auyen acted like he didn't hear anything. He also didn't bother to tell us that we could trust him or that he would do a good job. He just kept his mouth shut.
It is clear that he knows how to read a room.
It remained to be seen if that was a good or bad thing.
«Um... Bjorn? Shouldn't we go now?»
«Okay. Come on.»
We hurried towards where the portal was gradually decreasing in size.
[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor.]
Thus began the first search for the Anabada Clan.
***
The Crystal Cave was bathed in a faint purple glow.
«This is the north side.»
«So we are in the north.»
«We are near the Goblin Forest.»
As soon as we entered, three of us spoke simultaneously: me, Rotmiller's apprentice, Amelia, who was an explorer, and Erwen, who had learned the basics of being an adventurer from her sister.
There was silence and suddenly we were faced with the uncomfortable reality of having a team of five that included three scouts.
Amelia cleared her throat as Erwen protested: «I was a little faster than her».
«Hahaha! Are you kids? Why would you compete for that?» Ainar laughed loudly, and Erwen glared at her, making no effort to hide her displeasure. Of course, looking at Ainar badly had no effect on her. «You look so good, Erwen!».
Surprisingly, Erwen shook her head silently instead of responding. He stared at Ainar as if he were an incomprehensible creature and his best option was to simply not confront her.
Ainar, for her part, simply shrugged her shoulders and bowed her head, confused. «I say you seem happy, not like the last time I saw you!».
I shuddered. The last time they met... He must have been talking about the day Raven had told me about. I thought Ainar had just stepped on a landmine.
«...It goes without saying». However, in an even more surprising twist, Erwen didn't get angry at his comment. If anything, she seemed a little embarrassed, since she avoided all eye contact.
True, Erwen always had that meek side...
It was fortunate that Ainar came with us, although if necessary, Amelia would also have been more than capable of taking care of Erwen herself.
It seems that Amelia has also been a little more relaxed these days...
In any case, it was time to put those thoughts aside.
«Very good, on the go! I can't wait to explore the maze with Bjorn again. My heart beats like a drum».
Ainar took the lead while I tried to contain a smile.
«Ainar, why are you going there?»
«Hey? You said we were in the north, so I was heading north. Now I know the basics too! I even know how to read a compass».
He was proud of his growth over the past few years. But...
«Today we are not going to the Goblin Forest», Amelia intervened.
Ainar tilted his head. «...Ah yes? So where are we going? To the Land of the Dead?»
«To the Desert of Rocks. Hm, how strange. I'm sure I shared the plan with you beforehand...»
«Ah, I'm sorry! I forgot.»
«...I see.» Amelia, faced with her first encounter with a true barbarian, was speechless.
I quickly joined the conversation to smooth things over. We couldn't waste any more time here arguing. «Well, let's see...»
Who should play the role of explorer? Should it be Amelia, like last time? Or should Erwen do it this month?
It was a difficult question to answer, but since I wanted to make the most of my time, I made a decision quickly. «I'll be the explorer!» The main goal of today's expedition was to familiarize ourselves with each other, and for that to happen, I needed to minimize the chances of someone's feelings being hurt.
«That? But sir, you don't have to get out of your way a-»
«What are you saying?!» I quickly cut Erwen off and took the initiative. «As a clan, our job is to pitch in and share the workload. So let's get going now».
We had a lot of work to do this time, although Ainar has probably already forgotten everything...
At least he won't suspect me.
This really worked. Our previous team hadn't been able to take advantage of all my knowledge of the game because I distrusted Raven.
[You have entered the Rock Desert on the second floor.]
Now, it was time to go all out and get things going with a low-ranking raid.