Shadow and Steel is an unusual game. NPCs are essential for progress, but you should never trust them. Especially a newcomer you’ve just met. I walk through the cave with a lurching, uneven gait. Wobbling. It’s the single shoe. Nevertheless, I feel happy. This simple discomfort is a luxury I couldn’t afford when I was crawling on three limbs. I have regained a shred of human dignity. Who knows how long that will last. “Hoo…” I advance, using the shield to keep my upper body protected. There’s no need to scan every inch of the floor anymore. There is light here. Crystals embedded in the walls and ceiling cast a cool, pale glow over my surroundings. Compared to bleeding out while crawling through absolute darkness, this is a miracle. To be able to see what’s ahead feels like a blessing. A benediction from some god, granted so I can exterminate these wicked goblin bastards. “Waaaargh!” “Gruck?!” Startled by my cry, a goblin leaps out from behind a rock. I already had a good idea of where it was hiding, so I use my skill as if I’d been waiting for this exact moment. “Smash! You son of a bitch!” It’s a decent attack that costs no MP. I call it Smash. For the record, I made it up just now. Thump! The goblin collides with my shield in mid-air and tumbles to the ground. I close the distance in two long strides and stomp my boot down on its ribs. “Ga, gruck?!” Don’t give me those pathetic eyes. I know exactly how crafty and vicious you bastards are. “Ga, gruck!” Oh, you’re different? Then you can take it up with your friend who ran off. He’s the one who left me like this. Crunch! I bring the edge of the shield down on the goblin’s face with all my strength. This one is more of a finishing move than Smash, which is just a swing or a push. I call it Shield Ultimate. Also invented just now. A soft hiss fills the air. The dead goblin dissolves into shimmering motes of light, a sign that evil has diminished, and the world has become a little more beautiful. I pick up the mana stone it dropped and stuff it into my pocket. That makes ten since I entered this section of the labyrinth. “Hah… these fucking bastards.” After barely surviving that ordeal in the dark, I keep running into more and more of them. I was nervous at first, but I soon realized something. In these well-lit areas, the goblins aren’t a threat to me at all. They aren’t nearly as smart as I’d thought. If you don’t believe me, just look at that trap over there. A shoddy pitfall, left completely exposed in the middle of the path. Couldn’t they at least cover it with some dirt? Do they even have brains? Who in their right mind would step on that? The goblin traps are so crude you can spot them from a mile away. And even if you try to skirt around one, a goblin will usually just jump out and attack you anyway. The only reason I ended up getting caught by that pervert-faced bastard was because I’d been stupid enough to actually step in one. Once I learned their habits, the fights became easy. Their main weapon is a short dagger, and they have the physical strength of a school-aged child. I, on the other hand, am a muscular barbarian towering over them at nearly two meters tall. In a straight fight, I can take one down in three seconds flat. The only real danger is a surprise attack, but they helpfully mark their ambush spots with those shoddy traps. Hah, being a Goblin Slayer isn’t so bad, is it? I immediately slap myself hard across the cheek. Smack! The sting of it brings me back to my senses. What the hell was I just thinking? That’s a sure sign of madness. There’s no other explanation for giggling over such a pathetic thought. Don’t get cocky just because you’ve killed a few goblins. It hasn’t even been a full day since you were on the verge of death, and you still have plenty of problems. “Man, I’m hungry.” First, there’s the issue of food. The shield wasn’t the only thing I lost crawling through the dark. A hole in the food pouch the chieftain gave me cost me about five days’ worth of rations. And of course, I can’t go back into the darkness to look for it. This isn’t some fairy tale. Crunch, crunch. I take a piece of bread from my pocket and chew on it. It’s hard and dry for preservation, but as it softens with saliva, I can taste the subtle sweetness of the grain. Why does it taste so good? It’s as if my palate changed when I possessed this barbarian’s body. The palm-sized piece of bread is gone in a few bites. I sigh, a bitter taste of regret in my mouth. Thirst. That’s the second problem. Fuck, where am I supposed to find water? You killed a goblin. You killed a goblin. You killed a goblin. You killed a goblin. Warning: You are dehydrated. Please find a source of drinking water. Shadow & Stone had a satiety system, but it only activated inside the labyrinth. You never had to carry water; a single meal was enough to fill you up completely. But this isn’t the game. This is some other world that just happens to be terrifyingly similar to it. The game was already hardcore, but as a reality, the difficulty is insane. Still, I’m not too worried. Water is more vital than food, yet the tribe’s chieftain hadn’t provided any. That must mean it’s possible to find it within the labyrinth. It doesn’t take me long. “Smash!” After a few more hours of slaying goblins while wandering through a warren of caves, I follow the sound of dripping and find a small pond. An adventurer is already squatting there, drinking from his cupped hands. Not counting the party from before, he’s the first person I’ve seen in here. We don’t speak. He saw me coming from a distance and left without a word. I didn’t bother trying to talk to him, either. It was the same with every other adventurer I saw afterward. As soon as they spotted me, they fled. Just like in the game, there seems to be an unwritten rule about avoiding contact with one another. Then again, maybe they just didn’t want to get involved with a barbarian drenched in blood. In any case, time flew by. I killed goblins, ate bread when I was hungry, and drank water when I was thirsty. “One, two, three… five, six…” I count my loot. A total of forty-four mana stones. At a one-to-one conversion, that’s forty-four pieces of bread. Considering I was on the brink of death not long ago, it’s been a thrilling success. But nothing in this world is free. In exchange for my spoils, I’ve earned a bone-deep exhaustion. My third problem. I’m getting sleepy. Every living creature has to sleep, and even a high-spec barbarian like me is no exception. So, how do you sleep in a labyrinth teeming with monsters? There are two ways. First: commend your soul to the heavens and take a nap. Second: find a teammate so you can watch each other’s backs. I’ve already made my choice. Commend my soul to the heavens? In my experience, the heavens aren’t very dependable. At least not for me. Time to find a partner. Of course, I don’t mean forming a proper party. Everyone in here is in the same exhausting situation. I just need to find someone suitable and form a temporary cooperative relationship. In the game, most nights passed that way once my character got tired. Thump, thump. After making my decision, I start moving through the labyrinth with more purpose, focusing on travel rather than combat. Unlike before, I’m now seeing groups of people everywhere. Adventurers in twos or threes, resting while one of them stood watch. I work up the courage to approach a few groups that look approachable, but I’m refused every time. “Sorry, but we’ve got all the people we need.” That’s what they said, but they all frowned and covered their noses as I got closer. The real reason was obvious. Motherfuckers. You think you’re so clean? As I’m fuming, someone calls out to me. “Hey.” He’s a human man who looks to be in his thirties, about 180 centimeters tall. He has a kind, warm-hearted face, but the hammer in his hand is caked with goblin blood. The man smiles. “Looking for a night-friend?” What the fuck did this bastard just say? I instinctively take a step back, and the man tilts his head. “Isn’t that what you’re looking for? I figured a barbarian would be a trustworthy person to watch my back while I rest. Guess not, huh?” You should have led with that, mister. It seems ‘night-friend’ is slang for the temporary partnership I was thinking of. The in-game term was ‘Night Companion.’ I’d always interpreted it as a comrade for the night, but hearing it said aloud… it sounds a little perverted. “No. I am looking for a night-friend.” “Is that so? My lucky day. Want to join me?” “I will.” And just like that, we became friends for one night. “My name is Eckhart.” “I am Alaric, son of Brand.” “Alaric, then,” he says, his experience showing as he easily steers the conversation. “Three is the ideal number for night-friends, but looking for another seems like a waste of stamina. What do you think, Alaric?” It sounds like you’re proposing we sleep together. What exactly are you thinking? That snarky tone makes me feel like I’m being interrogated. “Good.” “Great. If anyone else asks to join, we’ll discuss it first before deciding.” After a brief chat, we agree to spend the night together. The only problem now… “Alright, let’s decide the watch order. Rock-paper-scissors.” So that’s a universal constant here, too. Fuck, I’m not good at this. As expected, I lose. “Hmm, I won. For some reason,” Eckhart says with a slight smirk. Screw you. “Okay, let me be clear. If a goblin or another adventurer approaches, you wake me up immediately. Got it?” “I get it.” “Here, take this.” The man hands me a timepiece with numbers from 0 to 23 on its face and patiently teaches me how to use it. “When the short hand gets here, you can wake me up.” Perhaps this is how they all see barbarians. “Don’t break it. It’s expensive.” “I get it.” He’s just being thorough, I suppose. Soon, Eckhart takes a blanket from his pack, covers himself with it, and lays his head down on his bag. Moments later, he’s fast asleep. That looks so comfortable. I wonder if he’d lend it to me when it’s my turn. “Hooo…” This is terribly boring. The goblin bastards are nowhere to be seen, and no other adventurers pass through our little alcove. I suppose everyone else has found their own night-friends and settled in. As the silence stretches on, sleepiness tugs at me. Still, leaning against the cold stone wall and thinking about the future, the time passes quickly enough. “Eckhart. Get up.” “Anything happen?” he asks, instantly alert. “No.” “Right. Good work. Give me the watch and get some rest. I’ll wake you in two hours.” He stands and packs the blanket into his bag before I even have a chance to ask to borrow it. Tsk. Shoving my disappointment aside, I lean back against the wall. And I pretend to nod off. Of course I do. No matter how kind or intelligent this man seems, and even if he has no intention of harming me… how can I trust a stranger I’ve only just met?

Chapter 6: A taste of power