Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 121

The next day, Misha woke me up early in the morning.

“Get up, get up! How long are you going to sleep!”

It was 6:30 AM.

Even considering the trip to Commelbie, it was quite early.

“Let’s buy breakfast today. I couldn’t pack a lunch because I woke up so early.”

“Then let’s at least have breakfast on the first floor—”

“This place is no good! Let’s go out to eat. Okay?”

“I’m hungry…”

“Come on, I’ll buy you something delicious. Okay?”

I was dragged out without even having breakfast, thanks to Misha’s nagging. We escaped in a carriage and only had our meal after arriving in the commercial district of Commelbie.

The restaurant Misha guided me to, claiming it was a great place, was a 30-minute walk from the public transfer station.

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

“It’s delicious… !”

I don’t know what they did to the stew, but it has a very familiar savory taste.

I should remember this place and come back whenever I’m nearby.

“I’m glad you look satisfied. Did you like it that much?”

“Except for the price per meal being expensive.”

“That’s because you ate your portion and mine, you gluttonous old man!”

After a late breakfast, we stopped by the usual weapon and general stores to sell our loot.

‘3 million stones…’

That was the amount we got from selling all the equipment and consumables of the trio we met on the second floor and Xenia.

It’s not a small amount, but it doesn’t feel that significant either. If we had sold the viper’s fangs or the second-tier leather armor, it would have been several times more.

‘Well, I can sell that later.’

After that, I had my equipment repaired at the blacksmith that Hikurod had told me about. I was worried about the repair costs because my shield and breastplate were badly dented from the troll fight, but…

“It’ll be 300,000 stones in total.”

The repair cost was cheaper than I thought.

Well, it’s probably easier to fix dents than to repair melted metal.

“Do you also handle leather?”

“Yes, do you have something to leave with us?”

“Ah, this part around the chest is too tight…”

While we were there, Misha also had her armor repaired.

Since it was leather armor, I was worried that something might go wrong if they messed with it, but there were no major issues.

“There’s no need to add new material. We can just use a softener to slightly stretch the tight parts.”

The repair cost was only around 50,000 stones.

It seems like a very honest place, probably because we came through Hikurod’s introduction, and they didn’t overcharge us.

“Come back in three days.”

After leaving the blacksmith, we went around buying exploration supplies.

We replenished the Witch’s Lamp solvent, a consumable for stealth, and bought a few other items that came to mind and stocked up.

And…

“I’ll give you both bottles for 2 million stones.”

I repurchased two top-grade potions from the general store we had visited before.

Well, I didn’t expect to use one bottle so quickly.

The expenses were considerable, but it was a bit better since we were sharing the cost as a joint expense.

“Fortunately, we didn’t have to touch the money in the joint account. Here, 325,000 stones.”

The remaining money was split between Misha and me.

That means today’s schedule is all done.

“Then I’m going! Sleep well, Bjorn!”

“You too, sleep well.”

We returned to Lavigion late at night, had a simple meal, and then parted ways.

And when I returned to my lodgings…

What is this now?

I see a silver-haired elf squatting in front of my room, her head buried in her knees.

“Erwen…?”

“Ah, you’re back?” Erwen greeted me with a bright smile as soon as she saw me.

Her eyes looked tired, so I couldn’t help but ask.

“…How long have you been waiting here?”

“Not long. But were you two out together?”

“Ah, we had some business to take care of in Commelbie.”

“I see… that’s why.”

“So, what brings you here?”

It was almost time to wash up and sleep, so I asked her what she needed, but Erwen just kept her mouth shut.

As if she was organizing her thoughts.

She looked somewhat serious, but soon Erwen spoke in her usual lively voice.

“Mister, I won’t be able to come as often as before. I came to tell you that.”

“Huh? Ah… well, the situation is different from before.”

She’s not a rookie explorer who’s only been at it for a month.

Well, it hasn’t even been a year, though…

No, that’s why she should be focusing even more on her growth.

“Yes, I’ve decided to start special training with my sister from tomorrow. So, I probably won’t be able to come more than once a week? I wish I could come more often, but… it seems like it would take a long time if I did.”

“A long time?”

“…There’s something like that.”

Erwen trailed off as if making an excuse, and before I could ask anything, she smiled brightly and disappeared.

“Anyway! I’ll come next week, so see you then, Mister!”

“Uh, okay…”

…What’s with this uneasy feeling?

***

The next day at lunch, the whole team gathered at the tavern.

And while drinking return ale, we had the time to distribute the loot from the previous exploration.

“It seems like we can divide 550,000 stones per person. The byproducts of the Frogman Shaman sold for more than I expected.”

“Haha, it’s all thanks to Rotmiller for peeling them off so well.”

“Ahem, since I’m not much help in combat, I have to do something like that.”

I roughly ignored Rotmiller’s humble words and finalized the earnings from this exploration.

The magic stones acquired from the rift, the first floor, and the second floor were worth 400,000.

After deducting the cost of consumables from the money we got from selling equipment, we had 320,000 stones left.

We got 550,000 stones from the quest completion and byproducts.

In total, 1,270,000 stones.

‘Even after spending so much, we still earned this much.’

One way or another, we earned much more on the fourth floor than in the past two months.

No, in fact, if you consider the essence Misha ate, the leather armor, and the viper’s fangs, it’s safe to say we made insane profits.

And there’s also the 5 million stones I’ll get from the bear uncle.

‘At this rate, I’ll be able to get the 6th stage engraving soon?’

I grinned and gulped down my beer.

There’s still 2 million stones in the joint account between Misha and me.

And I have about 2.5 million in my personal savings.

I was getting impatient because my growth had almost stalled for the past two months, but seeing my bank balance makes me feel rich.

“Bjorn! How can you drink your first glass alone!”

“Huh?”

“Let’s all drink together! We haven’t even properly celebrated yet.”

“…Okay, do whatever you want.”

“Let’s give thanks for defeating the troll bastards and returning safely! Come on! Everyone, drink up!”

After settling the accounts, we all drank return ale and reminisced about the previous exploration.

Was it because we had overcome another crisis together?

The dwarf leader seemed to be in a very good mood.

However, the drinking session ended even faster than last time.

“Um… I have to go now. I have to visit my family for a bit today.”

First, Misha left, and then it was Rotmiller’s turn.

“I should stop here for today as well. I have some business at the guild.”

Both of them, who had only sipped their drinks and kept the mood up because of their later appointments, left. Rotmiller aside, the noisy drinking session became quiet as soon as Misha left.

If I left too, the dwarf would probably sulk, so I tried to stay and continue the drinking session, but…

Surprisingly, the dwarf quietly slipped away and moved to the next table.

“Hahaha, that’s right? The troll bastards were nothing, you know? What, a lie? There’s no way. Do you see that barbarian over there? He’s a small Vulcan, you might have heard of him…”

The dwarf, leaving his team members behind, started chatting and clinking glasses with the explorers he had just met. So, I was about to go back, but Dwarki grabbed me.

“W-wait, how about we talk for a bit?”

“What?”

“Well, now that I think about it, we’ve never had a quiet conversation just the two of us.”

Well, that’s true.

I often chatted with Rotmiller when everyone was drunk and asleep, but he was always the one who fell asleep drunk.

‘Does he have something to say to me?’

And that was all.

Dwarki just sipped his drink awkwardly and didn’t open his mouth first.

‘Damn, I should have just left.’

Unlike the noisy surroundings, an awkward atmosphere flowed around me.

So, I just opened my mouth first.

Because there was something I was curious about anyway.

“Is your body okay?”

“Ah, I’m fine… To be honest, I was still a bit uncomfortable even after being treated by the priest, but I’m completely healed now.”

“That’s good, then how about this?”

I tapped my forehead and asked, and Dwarki tilted his head.

“It must have been the first time you’ve ever had your body folded in half. How is it, can you still go into the labyrinth?”

Explorers who have lost their nerve are more common than you think.

Sometimes, the cruel memories left on the body remain as strong as scars in the mind.

“Ah, that’s…”

Dwarki hesitated to answer, realizing the meaning of my question.

As expected, he couldn’t be completely fine.

“Hoo… To be honest, I haven’t been able to sleep properly since that day. I thought it was because I was in the labyrinth, but it’s the same in the city.”

Dwarki confessed, exhaling his drunken breath, that his hands were already trembling just thinking about going back into the labyrinth.

“But, don’t worry too much. It’s something everyone goes through and overcomes, right? I’ll be fine before the next exploration.”

Overcome it, huh…

Looking at his eyes, it didn’t seem like he was just saying empty words.

But there was one thing I was curious about.

“Is there a reason why you’re going that far?”

Most people overcome their trauma and continue their work as explorers.

Because they have no other way to make a living.

In a city where they have to pay taxes to survive, they had no choice but to overcome it.

But Dwarki, a mage, is different.

“You could make a living just by working in the city, so why do you keep trying to be an explorer?”

Dwarki hesitated at my question, then downed a glass of beer and answered.

“It’s… because it’s fun.”

It was a completely unexpected answer.

“Because it’s fun?”

“Of course, it was for a different reason at first. Do you remember what I said when we first met?”

“I remember. You said you would become a great explorer and raise the honor of the baronial family.”

“Actually, it was all a lie. I just thought that if I became a famous explorer, my father… no, the former baron might pay attention to me.”

Dwarki is a bastard of a noble family.

And as bastards usually do, he feels a deep love-hate relationship with his blood relatives. A contradictory emotion of hating them but wanting to be loved by them.

“As you know, the former baron is dead. And as you saw… my brother, who inherited the position, didn’t even know I existed.”

At first, he was devastated.

He said he felt like he had lost his purpose in life and was floating on water all day.

Dwarki, who poetically expressed his feelings at the time, looked me straight in the eye.

“But I was able to overcome it. Because there were four people around me to lean on.”

“Don’t tell me… are you talking about us?”

“Well, who else would it be? At first, I didn’t know that companions were such beings. Beyond friends I could trust and rely on, it felt like family…”

“I, I see?”

“Yes. After my mother passed away, I felt like I was left alone in the world every day… but when I explored with you, laughed, and chatted, I didn’t feel that way at all.”

Knowing that he was saying embarrassing things, Dwarki quickly emptied another glass of beer he had ordered.

“Thank you, Bjorn. Thanks to you guys, I’m enjoying every day these days. So… even though I went through something like that this time… I can overcome it.”

“…I see.”

“Yes. So, don’t worry too much.”

“Okay, I won’t worry about that anymore.”

I cleanly dismissed my concerns.

Whatever his motivation, Dwarki’s mental state was fine if he was at that level.

“Hehe, you’re quite sentimental even though you don’t seem like it.”

“Enough, just drink.”

Perhaps because of the sincere conversation, the awkward atmosphere disappeared.

Dwarki, who had been hesitant in front of me, became excited and started talking about various things first, and I listened while agreeing with him.

That’s when it happened.

“Um, Bjorn… there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“Tell me.”

“Are you… by any chance, dating Miss Misha?”

Instead of answering, I stared at Dwarki.

His face, flushed with drunkenness, was full of anxiety and tension.

Only then did I realize one thing.

‘No wonder he suddenly wanted to talk alone.’

This was his real purpose.

***

“Brown Rotmiller. Age 34, it’s been 8 years since you became an explorer, right?”

The moment he entered the office, a contemptuous gaze was directed at him. Feeling humiliated, Rotmiller answered.

“…That’s right.”

He was more puzzled than embarrassed.

He had received a summons from the Explorer’s Guild this morning. So, even while reminiscing with his companions, he arrived at the guild on time.

And when he followed the staff up, this was the room.

A man was sitting in a chair, and the man was a face Rotmiller knew.

‘Nile Urbans, the 7th Regional Director of the Explorer’s Guild. Why would this guy call someone like me…’

Questions filled his throat, but he waited for the man’s explanation without acting rashly.

Because he didn’t know what kind of trouble he might get into if he made a mistake.

“Hmm, I like it. Especially the part where you wait until the end even though you must be curious.”

“Then, could you please tell me the reason for this?”

At his request, the regional director nodded with a pleased smile and explained the reason for calling him here.

The more he listened, the more absurd it became.

“Does that mean you want me to betray my companions?”

“That depends on you. To be precise, you just need to fix the habits of that barbarian friend of yours.”

Rotmiller gritted his teeth.

The regional director, one of only 13 in this city.

A being who could inflict enormous disadvantages on a mere explorer just by being displeased.

That’s why he needed even more courage.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that offer.”

He squeezed his fist and barely managed to utter his words of refusal.

The regional director smiled as if he found it interesting.

“If the conversation is over, I’ll be on my way.”

Rotmiller quickly turned towards the door before he was consumed by fear.

That’s when it happened.

“It’s good that you value your companions. It’s a truly wonderful belief. But… how long do you think they’ll be your companions?”

At the following words, Rotmiller stopped in his tracks without realizing it.

“I’ve seen your records. It seems quite unfair. It took you 8 years to barely reach the 7th rank. On the other hand, a certain barbarian reached the 6th rank in just half a year.”

“I’ve never… felt such emotions.”

“If you say so, then that’s how it is. But shouldn’t you start accepting reality?”

“……”

“Your companions will continue to climb higher. Because they are not ordinary humans like you.”

Rotmiller pressed his lips at the very direct words.

However, he couldn’t refute anything.

Not because he was afraid of the man’s power, but because he knew too well that those words were true.

“How long do you think you’ll last with them? Three months? Four months? Well, maybe it could be longer. If they pity you, that is.”

Rotmiller opened the door and left without listening any further.

“I believe you will make a wise choice.”

The regional director, who was seen through the closing door, had a kind smile on his face.