Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 136: Nauja

Jack was doubly stunned.

One, he had just seen and been attacked by a fucking dinosaur. In the flesh. If he ever made it back to Earth with one of these, he could publish half a library of research papers and win a bucketload of Nobel Prizes. It had no feathers!

Two, said dinosaur had been skewered by a woman dressed like a barbarian, who was pale white in the middle of a Jurasic jungle. Everything else aside, dinosaurs and humans shouldn’t coexist!

She glared at him. “What are you looking at, delver?”

“You’re in the wrong age,” was all he could muster in reply. Her frown deepened over her inquisitive stare. Jack examined her back.

First of all, she was ripped. A six-pack dominated her abdomen, and her limbs were clearly lined with muscles, though not overly so. Under her blond hair, her eyes were deep blue, and she even had a few freckles. If one got past her barbaric exterior, she could be pretty—though Jack realized that, with his chest bare for all to see and roaring at dinosaurs, he seemed pretty barbaric himself.

She looked young, too. Couldn’t be more than twenty-five. Perhaps twenty.

However, the main thing about this woman was that she looked so out-of-place in a dinosaur jungle. First of all, again, dinosaurs and humans never coexisted in the same age. Second, her skin was paper white, but she lived in a tropical rainforest. Her people should have developed large quantities of melanin, though perhaps that was explained by the artificial nature of the light here. The mushroom light resembled sunlight, but they probably didn’t exude the same radiation a star did, which would explain why the inhabitants of this ring didn’t develop melanin.

Which brought Jack to the main question. This woman was a native here. Even the System called her race Human (Trial Planet).

He didn’t know there were natives!

In hindsight, this ring is called Barbarian Ring. I should have seen it coming.

The woman watched Jack warily, while he stared back, wondering how to approach her. Should he be friendly or wary? How should he follow up to “you’re in the wrong age?”

Before Jack could decide, Brock acted first. He approached the woman, undeterred by her cautionary gaze, and reached out for a handshake.

Jack stared. The woman looked at Brock like he was an alien—which he was, to her—and ignored his outstretched hand. Brock persisted, waiting. She alternated her gaze between him and Jack.

Jack finally decided to just be honest. “Sorry for staring,” he said. “I just didn’t expect to find people here. Please don’t take offense.”

She seemed slightly taken aback by his comment.

“My bro’s hand is still hanging, by the way,” Jack advised. “It’s rude to keep him waiting.”

The woman snorted. She grabbed Brock’s hand in a quick shake—but firm enough to make his face twitch—then took a few steps back. “Keep your willy words to yourself, delver,” she said with clear distaste. Her voice was clear and strong. “I know how your kind treats us. I will not fall for your schemes.”

“I have no schemes,” Jack tried to pacify her. He showed his palms in a peace gesture. “I didn’t even know you existed until just now. Thank you for saving us, by the way.”

He could probably take that allosaurus, but no use in revealing his strength now.

“Hmph.” She snorted. “A barbarian saved your life. Next time your kin bad-mouths us, remember that. Remember how people should act, and compare that against your heartless malice.”

“Okay. I can sense some misguided hatred here. Perhaps you’re mistaking me for someone else?”

“Mistaking you?” She snorted again, intensifying her glare. Despite being a young woman, there was nothing even remotely cute about her anger. Her eyes were hard, the kind that had seen life and death, and the sharp arrow waiting on her half-drawn bow could pierce his skin as easily as it had the allosaurus’s. “I don’t know what you are trying to achieve, but you’re either stupid or a fool. I have the System’s eyes. I know who you are.”

“And who am I?”

“A delver.”

“Is that the name for people who descend through this planet?”

“Of course.”

“And these delvers are mean to you?”

“Mean?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. He’d touched a sensitive subject. “You exploit us like monsters. You suck our land dry, burn it to the ground, kill our cattle, ruin the jungle’s balance, and laugh about it. Your heart holds no respect, only greed.”

Jack didn’t mind her aggression—which was misguided, anyway. In fact, unexpectedly, her words struck a chord inside him. He could sympathize.

The way she spoke and the things she said reminded him of other people. The native Americans. The age of colonialism on Earth. The way the Animal Kingdom stomped on their planet, treating them like garbage by the side of the road.

All of a sudden, her plights were familiar.

“That sounds awful,” he said honestly. “I don’t know what others do, but I have nothing to do with those people. I come from a newly-Integrated planet—if you know what that is—and I’m just trying to get stronger so I can protect my home from the same tyrants who are after yours.”

His words did not have the desired effect. Her anger flared, and she pulled on her bowstring, holding it taut and aimed at the ground. “Of course I know what the Integration is,” she spat back. “Spare me your mockery, delver. We barbarians are people, not animals. We aren’t stupid.”

“I… I apologize. I did not intend to mock you. I simply know nothing about this world, or any world. I am lost. A month ago, I thought we were alone in the universe. I didn’t even know the System existed. Then, the Integration happened, and my world was broken under the heel of some tyrannic galactic overlords, and everything I knew was turned upside down, and I suddenly had to fight for my life, and then everyone started relying on me. I have been thrust into a world I do not understand, my enemies are overwhelmingly stronger than me, everyone is after me, and yet I must somehow succeed or everyone else will die! Trust me, I couldn’t give a second shit about mocking you.”

He had started venting at some point during that small speech, giving voice to the complaints he had about his fate so far. But he didn’t care.

This girl had it bad, but so did he! His people and land were also disrespected and ruined!

The barbarian seemed surprised at his outburst. She stared at him for a moment, biting her lip in thought—probably unconsciously. When she finally spoke, her voice was lower, but also calmer.

“Those were words of the heart,” she said. “I can tell. I apologize for my assumptions. I thought… I thought you were someone else.”

Jack didn’t expect such a quick change of mind. Not that he was going to complain, of course, but he now understood better why these barbarians were preyed upon by the cultivators of the galaxy. They were naive. And the cultivators, if everyone thought like the Animal Kingdom, were cutthroat opportunists.

“Listen,” Jack said, taking a careful step forward. “I understand we got off on the wrong foot here. How about we start over? I’m Jack, and this is Brock. We are simply passing through, and we have no intention of harming anyone who doesn’t mean us harm.”

Or who isn’t a killer ant, he added mentally, but no need to complicate things.

“My given name is Nauja, of the Tri Lake tribe,” the girl replied after a moment of hesitation.

“Okay, Nauja,” Jack said, “thank you. Now, can you please tell me about this ring? We are on our way down, but it looks like I must kill something strong first, which means I have to level up. I will be respectful in doing so. I will direct my fists where you tell me to, and maybe I can even help your tribe in the process. Especially if there’s anyone from the Animal Kingdom bothering you.”

“There are, sometimes,” she replied, squinting at him. “I’ve never heard of anyone from the…Bare Fist Brotherhood? That’s a good thing. Perhaps you are not lying.”

“Of course not. I said words of the heart before, right?”

That wasn’t the right time to joke. He could practically see her guard coming back up.

“Wait, wait,” he added quickly. “Bad time to be funny. My bad. Now, if you can help us by explaining what the hell is going on, we would be very grateful. If not, that’s fine too. Just point us away from your tribe and we’ll be on our way.”

She examined him for another long moment.

“Barbarians are kind to strangers,” she finally replied, still hesitant. “Kind delvers are rare. If you really are one of them, we would be happy to offer you our hospitality. But if you aren’t… My father will run his spear through your heart. Trust me. We have people who can detect lies. If you don’t mean your words, you will not survive.”

“That’s fine,” Jack replied with relief. If they could just confirm he was telling the truth, things would go a lot smoother. “Being your guest would be my honor.”

He was in a rush. Taking down a Level 115 beast would take time, but the quest had mentioned a party of three, right? Maybe these people could help him.

“Very well,” Nauja replied, turning around and presenting a clear target. If he was lying, she would be dead. Probably. “Follow me. I will take you to the Tri Lake tribe. Oh, and beware of dinosaurs. They bite.”

***

Vivi was buried under endless decisions and the weight of her position.

“Send out our elites?” she said, frowning at her advisor. “That’s risky.”

“The professor advised it pretty strongly, commander,” the advisor, a middle-aged, hard-faced man, replied. “She said we must increase the pressure and hope our soldiers rise to the occasion. A harsh but appropriate decision, if you ask me.”

Vivi wasn’t going to ask him, but she let the comment slide.

“Fine. Deploy the Fire Snakes. Do we have a high-tier dungeon for them to conquer?”

“Negative, commander. Our seers sensed one in India, but the three we’ve checked so far were duds.”

“Yeah, well, India is huge. It doesn’t take a seer to know there’s a high-tier dungeon.” She sighed, slumping in her chair. The advisor frowned slightly, but she had no energy to care about him, too. “We should reallocate the resources of the Fire Snakes. Do we have any elites waiting, allies to secure, or suggestions by the professor?”

“She gave one entire dungeon to Emir of Egypt, since his squad got annihilated in the Stinky Marsh, but no instructions to us.”

“Okay…” She massaged her brows. “Give him another half. He’s a valuable ally, and Egypt has performed splendidly, besides the recent hiccup in Stinky Marsh. As for the rest…one fire- or water-related dungeon to our most promising recruits, and one to Babua. He’s reliable.”

“Yes, commander.”

Vivi took a moment to breathe. Unlike the professor, she had a combat class. Keeping all variables in mind and making complex split-second decisions was taxing. When those decisions affected the course of war and millions of lives in the long run…she felt overwhelmed.

She pushed through. She didn’t show it. But every once in a while, she needed a breather.

The only reason she was still in charge was because of her strength and because people trusted her. But deep down, she felt inferior to the professor and Alexander Petrovic… Perhaps she was why they were losing.

On the plus side, she had strength. She was a warrior queen. And, in some cases, this more than made up for her other, slightly lacking qualities.

She looked up, suddenly realizing that the advisor was still here. “Dismissed,” she said. “Actually, no. Prepare a small squad. I’ll go conquer a dungeon myself.”

Being a warrior queen had its perks.

“Actually, commander, the professor advised us to tighten our defenses,” the man said. “It would be more prudent for you to stay here.”

Vivi looked him in the eye. She didn’t disregard his advice. The man was an experienced army general. However, there was little she could do. Her strength was the only thing that made up for her lack in experience. If she stayed cooped up in her palace, she would just be a clearly inferior leader compared to the other major factions.

“The odds are against us. We will never win by playing safe,” she decided. “I’m going. Prepare a squad.”

The man hesitated for a split-second. “As you wish, commander.”