Barbarian

"Eh~, is that so?"

With a blank expression as she looked at Karl, Hopp carried an air of purity untouched by knowledge.

"Forget it, let's not dwell on this. If there's anything you want to know, as long as I know it, I can teach you."

"No, won't that bother you?"

Watching Karl already take out his flint knife to carve wood, Hopp obediently sat across from him, asking with a hint of caution.

In her view, knowledge was very precious.

A literate person in Zhuomu, no matter how poorly off, could at least scrape by enough to feed a family of three.

If they mastered a skill, even if the city lord wanted to grab people for sacrifices, they wouldn't be the ones chosen.

"How about we start with construction? If you can learn the mortise and tenon structure, we'll be able to build our house much faster, since you're stronger than me."

After finishing carving the wood in his hands, Karl began explaining the principles of mortise and tenon to Hopp while fitting the pieces together. If there were any flaws, he would make slight adjustments.

And so, one taught and the other listened, time flying by swiftly.

In the mountains over a dozen kilometers from the Bioluminescent Mushroom Forest, a group of Dire Goblins trudged through a torrential downpour.

Muddy water soaked through their boots, and every step cost them a great deal of energy.

"Hold on! Not far ahead is the territory of the Rage Tribe. Once we get there, we'll have fresh food and warm rooms."

Staring into the pitch-black distance ahead, the leading Dire Goblin could only use such hollow words to encourage his subordinates.

In truth, though, he himself had no idea where they were or how far they still had to go to reach the so-called Rage Tribe.

He wasn't even sure that if they actually made it to the Rage Tribe, they'd receive the treatment he described.

But under these circumstances, this was all he could say.

This time, however, the chieftain of the Dire Goblins didn't get support from the others. Instead, one of them grabbed his arm and asked:

"Chieftain, how about we just turn back! Sure, our tribe's location is remote, and we're near the woods where those mind-controlling Brain Eaters lurk, but we're not exactly dying out. Why do you have to go find the Rage Tribe?"

If it were someone more cunning, they might have killed this guy on the spot for shaking morale.

But the intelligence of Dire Goblins meant they couldn't have such a mind.

Seeing the group had stopped moving, the Dire Goblin chieftain had no choice but to explain:

"The Rage Tribe knows how to become Barbarians. Those Brain Eaters can't control Barbarians who've activated Rage. If we can all become Barbarians, that base deep in the woods will be ours for the taking!"

Months ago, the tribe this Dire Goblin group belonged to had witnessed a Mind Flayer emerge from a portal and land in the Bioluminescent Mushroom Forest.

After that, the previous chieftain—a Hobgoblin warrior—led some Dire Goblins to investigate.

The result was that, except for the current Dire Goblin chieftain, everyone else was killed by the Brain Eaters.

But they hadn't come away empty-handed.

Before dying, the former Hobgoblin chieftain came up with a way to resist the Brain Eaters' mind control—send a bunch of Barbarian Dire Goblins who had activated Rage to charge in and hack them to death.

That was why the current chieftain was leading the remaining Dire Goblins to the Rage Tribe.

He should have set out months ago, but gathering supplies took longer than expected.

After a brief commotion, the group finally started moving again.

But how many would actually reach their destination remained unknown.

Three days later, the rain still poured on.

This freak weather caught Karl and Hopp off guard.

Their food was nearly gone. If they didn't go hunting soon, they wouldn't last much longer.

"Let's go hunting together!"

Looking at the curtain of rain outside, Karl suggested this to Hopp.

"But if we get sick..."

"Without enough food, our bodies will weaken, making us more prone to illness. This rain might last who knows how long. We need to plan ahead."

Meeting Karl's firm gaze, Hopp hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.

Compared to Karl, who had always lived in peaceful areas, Hopp feared disease far more.

In Zhuomu, where basic supplies were scarce, even a common cold could kill.

Having suffered through severe colds a few times, Hopp never wanted to experience that feeling of weakness and dizziness again.

But she also knew hunger was no easier than illness, and an empty stomach made people more vulnerable to getting sick.

"Better not wear that armor. It'll slow you down too much. In this environment, just walking might drain your stamina."

With four Hand Axes hanging at her waist, Hopp was about to step into the rain when she saw Karl getting ready to put on his armor.

"Mm? Oh! Okay."

Taking the advice to heart, Karl left his armor in the room and followed Hopp out into the rain.

Descending the Rope of Climbing, the two quickly reached the bottom.

The accumulated water had already risen past their knees. Watching the rushing current, Karl suddenly recalled the terrain around them when they first arrived at this dungeon.

It had clearly been shaped by heavy rainfall over time.

'Good thing we set up camp here back then. If we'd been lazy and sought comfort, the two of us might be trapped in a cave by a flash flood right now.'

Secretly relieved, Karl stepped forward.

The mushroom forest in the heavy rain wasn't as hard to traverse as Karl had imagined.

Whether it was because the large Bioluminescent Mushrooms had absorbed plenty of moisture, Karl felt the surrounding glow had actually brightened by several levels.

In this environment, he didn't find it dim at all—he could even vaguely make out the ground beneath the flowing water.

As the two pressed on, soon some Giant Lizards resting under the caps of large mushrooms came into view.

Pulling the Hand Crossbow, now modified into a Repeating Crossbow, from the Bag of Holding, Karl drew the foregrip like pumping a shotgun to tension the bowstring.

Aiming at the distant Giant Lizard, Karl held his breath and pressed the trigger.

Shwoosh

The crossbow bolt formed from mana pierced through the rain curtain, driving straight through one Giant Lizard's body.

Before Karl could reload and fire again, two Hand Axes were hurled by Hopp beside him.

Compared to the crossbow bolts, the flight paths of the Hand Axes deviated significantly due to the heavy downpour.

Hopp's throws failed to hit any Giant Lizard.

"Damn it!"

Realizing his ranged attacks were no longer accurate, Hopp activated Rage and charged forward, a Hand Axe in each hand.

They needed to gather enough food to last them a long while as quickly as possible. To save time, Hopp reluctantly used his twice-daily Rage ability.