Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 17

Back at the inn, I thoroughly examined Erwen’s slightly tipsy body.

Of course, I didn’t break the vow I made with my sister.

Not that such a vow would mean anything to me, a warrior in body only.

“Erwen, stretch out a bit more.”

“Hngh, but even if you say that…”

I was currently making Erwen stretch.

“Agh! My shoulder! I think my shoulder’s going to pop off!”

“Hmm.”

“I, I wasn’t this flexible before! Really!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes! I swear on my clan’s name!”

As I released her arm, Erwen immediately flopped onto the bed.

‘Flexibility +4,’ but it’s not that noticeable.

Well, was it the same in the game?

“Is, is there more left?”

“No. Rest for now.”

[Dungeon & Stone] was an unforgiving game.

Just look at the stats.

Physical, Mental, and Ability.

These were the three main stats, but if you pressed the [+] button next to them, thousands of detailed stats appeared.

For example, if strength, a sub-stat of physical, increased, it would give bonuses to carrying weight and physical attack power.

Flexibility?

It slightly increased evasion and critical hit rate.

Vision?

The range of ranged weapons and the character’s visible range increased.

Smell became a coefficient for related abilities, and accuracy was, well, accuracy.

Therefore, even if two characters had the same physical stat of 50, what they could do would be completely different depending on their detailed stats.

“…”

For the record, I figured all of this out myself.

Neither the game developers nor any overseas users had mentioned this information, so I had to create statistical data by repeating numerous experiments myself.

All because I wanted to clear this game.

Damn, back then, I never imagined that passion would come back to bite me like this.

‘Hah, I’m getting annoyed again all of a sudden.’

Back to the point, I was a hardcore veteran of nine years.

But even so, there were still some stats whose effects I hadn’t figured out.

The ‘Obsession +7′ stat displayed on the essence spat out by the goblin archer was a prime example.

Other than the fact that the obsession stat was a sub-stat of mental, everything else was a mystery.

“Erwen.”

“You sighed, so I’m getting anxious. Can’t you just not say anything?”

“Has anything changed since we left the labyrinth? Like, something keeps flickering in your head, or it’s hard to resist something, anything like that.”

“…Well, I guess? Maybe?”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“Sweets…? Yes, sweets. Come to think of it, I bought a lot of them as soon as we got out…”

“Did you usually dislike sweets?”

“No, I liked them? But I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much in a day before.”

“I see.”

Perhaps obsession means that desires become stronger.

So, it probably didn’t have any special function in the game.

My head is getting unnecessarily complicated.

It’s possible that additional functions were added to other detailed stats when reality was patched.

Just look at flexibility.

As it was in the game, if your body movements become more natural, it becomes easier to dodge. If the situation is right, you might be able to pull off a move you couldn’t normally do and inflict a critical hit.

But is that all?

If your flexibility improves, it will be easier to get into tight spaces, and you’ll be able to absorb impact better when landing than with a stiff body.

That was something I couldn’t know in the game.

Therefore, I need to re-examine my training methods, taking all of those things into account.

“Mister, I’m sleepy now…”

Ah, did I let her rest too much?

Her eyes are already half-closed.

I was going to check if there were any difficulties when using active skills, and how long it would take to use them again…

“Okay. Go to sleep.”

“Okay…”

I blew out the candle.

Then, I lay down next to Erwen.

Erwen didn’t find it strange, and neither did I.

We’d shown each other all sorts of embarrassing things in the labyrinth, so it would be weird to be awkward now.

Snore!

I slept like that, and my eyes are closing again.

It was only later that I remembered my sister telling me not to sleep together…

Well, I don’t need to worry about it.

She probably didn’t mean it that way anyway.

***

[07:35]

I woke up quite early in the morning.

I’ve been sleeping for almost two days, so it’s a bit of a stretch to call it early.

“Mister, some water…”

Erwen also woke up at the same time, so we washed our faces roughly and had a simple meal on the first floor.

Then, we headed to Erwen’s inn.

The city was so big that it took over an hour just to walk there.

“It’s a relief that we’re in the same district!”

I agree.

If it were on the opposite side, it would have taken a long time even by carriage.

It’s called a fortress city, but Lapdonia had a ridiculously large area.

“You have to be very quiet here, okay? My sister is the only one who knows about what happened with you.”

“I will.”

I waited in an alley three blocks away from the inn, and Erwen came walking with two backpacks, looking exhausted.

The backpacks of the leader and the crossbowman who ambushed us right before the end of the 7th day. They were stuffed so full that they wouldn’t close, and weapons were sticking out.

“I’ll take those.”

“Ah, thank you!”

She really doesn’t know how to refuse.

I don’t think she was like this at first.

“Put the weapons here, the armor here, and gather the tools and consumables separately.”

“Yes!”

Back at the inn, we spent time checking and organizing the items in the backpacks.

It took about an hour, but was it because they were spoils of war? It was quite enjoyable.

Erwen and I sat side by side on the bed, looking at the items neatly arranged on the floor.

“Are you going to sell all of this?”

“Everything except what we need.”

“Then, can I keep the leather clothes and belt you gave me?”

“I don’t care. If you deduct it from your share.”

“Then, please do that!”

After classifying what to sell and what not to sell, we went back out into the city.

We decided to share the remaining exploration tools and consumables like potions, except for duplicate items like watches and compasses, but we decided to sell almost all of the equipment.

It’s better to sell what doesn’t fit and buy something else.

It’s not like we don’t have that kind of leeway now.

“It’s here!”

The place we arrived at was a weapon shop that Tersia had told us about.

The items for sale were a katana, two longswords, a crossbow, a two-handed hammer, two daggers, and three portable knives.

“That’ll be 350,000 stones in total.”

I was worried because it was a referral, but it was the best price compared to the other shops we visited for comparison, so I just sold everything.

“Whoa…”

As soon as we left the shop, Erwen let out the admiration she had been holding back.

I felt the same way.

“Mister, this isn’t a dream, right?”

Excluding the stolen magic stones, the money we earned from pure hunting for 7 days would be around 100,000 stones at most.

But 350,000 stones?

And we haven’t even sold the armor yet.

…Now I understand why those explorers’ eyes went crazy when they saw people.

Equipment is money. A lot of it.

“Mister, how much is my share?”

Erwen’s eyes were filled with a desire for money.

“Wait, there’s still a lot left to sell.”

Our next destination was an armor shop located 10 minutes away.

“This is 180,000 stones.”

There were more items in the armor category, but the total value was less than the weapons.

It’s said that it’s difficult to sell used armor, so the purchase price is low, which was a reasonable explanation.

We were going to sell everything because of size issues anyway.

“I’ll sell it at that price.”

“You have a straightforward personality like a barbarian. Come again if you have more items like this. I’ll give you a good price then too.”

“I will.”

After stopping by a general store and selling various items that were deemed unnecessary, we had a total of 1,450,000 stones in our hands.

Well, not all of it was my money.

“Here, take this, it’s 45,000 stones.”

“Huh? Isn’t that a bit much?”

I deducted 20,000 stones for the leather clothes and belt, and added exactly 7,000 stones.

It’s not because she’s pretty, but it’s the value of the magic stones that the tall guy and the samurai had, divided 9:1.

“I don’t know exactly how much it is, so I based it on the other two you gave me.”

“Ah, I see! Thank you!”

Anyway, after deducting everything, our total assets amounted to a whopping 1,400,000 stones.

It was a little, no, a lot amazing.

Even in the game, I’ve rarely had this much money in my first playthrough…

It’s a good start.

“Then, let’s part ways now.”

“Huh?”

Why the surprised face?

The money calculation is done, so we should go our separate ways.

Because my plans were messed up because of you, and I have a lot to do.

“Well, we can go to the central square together.”

“Okay…”

Erwen suddenly became quiet.

As we walked along the road, we arrived at the central square, which was a fork in the road.

“Huh? There are suddenly a lot of people?”

Unlike when we passed by earlier, the crowd was swarming.

Half of them were soldiers, and the other half were prisoners tied with ropes.

No, is it right to call them prisoners?

“Ugh, ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

They weren’t violent criminals like murderers, rapists, or arsonists.

The crime of these people, gagged and trembling with fear, was ‘tax evasion.’

In other words, because they didn’t have money.

The young woman in her twenties, the man of child-bearing age, the old man with wrinkled hands who had lived harder than anyone else, they became death row inmates.

“I will begin the execution!”

As the tax collector shouted, the soldiers put the man’s head under the guillotine.

And…

Thwack-!

With a chilling sound, the man’s severed head fell into the wooden bucket in front of it.

Some of the nearby crowd dipped the bread they had brought into the blood and ate it greedily.

“Hiccup!”

Erwen started hiccuping at the sudden bloodshed in front of her.

“W-what is that! Who are those people? Why are they dipping bread in people’s blood?”

“There’s a superstition that if you drink the blood of someone executed by the tax collector, you’ll have good fortune.”

Erwen frowned as if she couldn’t understand at all. It seems that was more shocking to her than seeing someone’s head cut off.

“Erwen, how much is the tax for the first year?”

“700,000 stones for other races.”

“I see.”

It was 600,000 stones in the game.

There’s a slight difference, but it’s roughly the same.

“But you don’t have to worry, mister. You’ve earned that much.”

Huh? Well, that’s true, but…

It’s not something she should say, with her sister’s backing.

Besides, I don’t plan to save this money for next year’s taxes in the first place.

It’s a simple reason.

“Erwen, how much is the tax from the second year?”

“800,000 stones. And there’s a fee when you exchange money.”

The tax keeps increasing until a certain number of years have passed.

So, now is the time to invest in myself.

The first year, with its relatively low taxes and no fees, is the best time to grow rapidly.

“Agh! P-please, save me!”

“Put the gag back on properly!”

“Next month! If it’s next month, I can pay the money— Ugh, ugh! Ugh!”

Anyway, it’s a relief.

Humans are said to be creatures that rely most heavily on visual information, right?

Thwack-!

Seeing it with my own eyes makes it feel real.

Returning to the original world.

Rather than this unrealistic goal, I need to set a clearer intermediate goal and work towards it.

For example, assuming my lifespan is 90 years.

If I can’t find a way to go home and have to spend the rest of my life here.

‘How much money do I need?’

Well, I should probably calculate it.

To live in a house with a kitchen, to be able to get treatment when I’m sick, and to be able to relax with three dogs after I stop working at fifty…

“6th floor.”

I need to save like crazy until retirement, at least on the 6th floor.

Yeah, so—.

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.”

Let’s go to at least the 6th floor for now.

Whether it’s possible to go home or not.

That’s a problem to think about later.

***

「You have received 630,000 stones from 6th-grade explorer Daria Wittember di Tersia.」

「You have sold equipment.」

「You have sold equipment.」

「Your overall item level decreases by -43.」

「You have sold equipment.」

「You have sold equip…」

「…」

「…」

「TIP: Your current total funds are 1,403,520 stones. Use this to increase your character’s overall combat index!」