Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 254

An explorer’s aging is much faster than that of a regular person. That’s because the higher you go, the more time you spend in the labyrinth. Sometimes, a single exploration can last over two months.

‘But why is he so young?’ I briefly wondered, looking at the platinum-blonde man with his hair slicked back in a pomade style. I swallowed hard. There was information to sort out before I could wonder about the secret to his youthful appearance.

[I heard you were in the royal palace. When did you get here?] Lee Baek-ho was in the royal palace when the city was burning. [Who told you to set a fire? Without my permission.] The Destruction Scholar was the one who set the fire…

“You wanna die?” Lee Baek-ho was furious about that fact. Then, what could be the reason? Even the Destruction Scholar, the target of his anger, seemed clueless, furrowing his brow.

“I can’t understand it at all. Why are you hostile to me? You should have benefited from my actions as well.”

“Benefited my ass. It’s not like the king is going to come out just because you burn this place down.”

“Oh, so the king was really your goal?” Even in this situation, the Destruction Scholar seemed to have thrown out bait, his eyes gleaming at Lee Baek-ho’s response. However…

“What? The king is the goal?” Lee Baek-ho scoffed as if he was pathetic. “Old man, you really don’t know anything. Well, whatever. I can’t be bothered to explain.”

Lee Baek-ho waved his hand dismissively, like he was shooing away a fly. “…You’re even more uncultured than I heard.” The Destruction Scholar, who seemed to have never been treated like this before, couldn’t hide his discomfort. Of course, Lee Baek-ho didn’t even bat an eye.

“Yeah, the one who’s uncultured is the one who keeps talking back and reeks of old age. Ha, seriously, get some new dentures or something. The stench is reaching all the way over here.”

“Wh-what…?” The Destruction Scholar, who had just thrown out a single word, ended up getting a punch to the solar plexus.

“You impudent…” Seeing him tremble and spew out curses, it was clear that the winner was already decided. Well, I couldn’t imagine that old man winning against Lee Baek-ho, who had inherited the spirit of a K-gamer [Korean gamer, known for their competitive spirit], in a war of words.

“Alright, let’s get to the point.” Lee Baek-ho went straight to the main topic, as if he didn’t care about the Destruction Scholar’s anger. “So, how are you going to take responsibility? My gukbap [Korean soup with rice] place. It burned down because of you.”

That was the fundamental reason why he came running in anger. “Gu, gukbap…?” The Destruction Scholar didn’t even seem to understand what he was talking about, but Lee Baek-ho didn’t care and continued to vent his anger.

“He was an NPC, but he was the one who made the most plausible one just by listening to what I said. Ha, he even said he’d make me some kkakdugi [cubed radish kimchi] later…”

“…Could it be that there was an alchemy workshop in Karnon?”

“Alchemy my ass.” Lee Baek-ho spat on the ground with a foul look. “This is why you can’t talk to NPCs. If it was Hansoo hyung, he would have been angry with me.”

My body flinched at the sudden mention of my name, but I probably would have been angry with him. To think there was a place in this city where gukbap could be made? ‘…You should have told me if there was such a place! I haven’t even had a chance to try it yet!’ Anger towards both of them welled up. Of course, there was nothing I could do. I could only watch the situation unfold, pretending to be a clueless barbarian.

“So, what do you want? I don’t want to be enemies with you. If you suffered any damage to your workshop because of this, I will compensate you.” The Destruction Scholar soon tried to negotiate. It was a somewhat surprising sight. That crazy bastard who set fire to the entire southern part of Karnon was trying to resolve things through dialogue like a moderate? How high was Lee Baek-ho’s status that this old man was acting like this? I couldn’t know for sure yet, but one thing was certain.

“Pull out your dentures.”

“…?”

“You said you’d compensate me, right? If you’re really sorry, pull out all those stinky dentures with your own hands. Then I’ll let it slide.” He was more difficult than anyone when he was an enemy, but he was an incredibly reliable ally. That was Lee Baek-ho.

“…I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but these aren’t dentures—”

“Not dentures my ass.” Lee Baek-ho took a step forward, signaling the end of negotiations. And then he said. “Then what is this?” Words that no one in this place could understand. But a very brief moment was enough.

Tap. A light sound of kicking off the ground was heard. Whoosh. Immediately, Lee Baek-ho’s figure disappeared. I didn’t know what his agility stat was, but all I could see with my dynamic vision were fragmented scenes. Lee Baek-ho clenching his fist. The Destruction Scholar with a flustered expression. And…

Swish-! A barrier of magical power blocking the two of them. It was the combination of ‘Danger Detection Assist’ and ‘Shield,’ the essential linked magic for a mage to survive in a roguelike world. It was purple, so the density of magical power was almost at its highest. That level could withstand an ogre’s punch at least once. However…

Crack-! Lee Baek-ho’s fist couldn’t be stopped. “…!” The magic barrier shattered like glass shards. Instead, the blue aura on Lee Baek-ho’s fist seemed to lose its light as if it was being neutralized. It wasn’t a significant achievement for the Destruction Scholar. It was enough to prove it with his bare fists.

Thwack-! The exchange of blows ended in an instant, and Lee Baek-ho’s fist landed on the Destruction Scholar’s jaw. At the same time, something white flew out along with blood. “See, you were lying after all.” Lee Baek-ho caught it in the air and clicked his tongue. “If it’s not dentures, why did it fall out?” Even I thought this guy was crazy.

***

“Are you really going to see this through to the end?” Surprisingly, the Destruction Scholar, who had been hit once, quickly got back on his feet. And he looked at Lee Baek-ho with emotionless eyes. “If you want to continue, I won’t avoid it.”

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard a mage say something like that in close combat?” Lee Baek-ho laughed as if it was absurd, but he didn’t seem to underestimate his opponent. After all, Lee Baek-ho was also injured. ‘Why is he hurt?’ I still didn’t understand. After the ‘Danger Detection Shield’ was broken, the Destruction Scholar used another shield, and Lee Baek-ho broke even that with his bare fists and knocked out his teeth. And that was all I saw of the exchange of blows.

“Tch.” Lee Baek-ho spat out blood-mixed saliva on the ground and asked. “What was that last thing just now?”

“It’s a simple curse magic.”

“There’s no way I’d be affected by a curse?”

“You should know this technique, right? Your body was temporarily out of reach. At that time, I connected the circuit and completed the magic using your body as a medium.”

“Ah, so that’s why my magic resistance didn’t work.” Lee Baek-ho nodded as if he understood. Now that I think about it, it seemed like most of the high-level mages in this world knew how to use this technique. Ha, there was no such cheat application in the game.

“But this doesn’t make sense either. You did that in that short amount of time? It takes other guys several seconds just to connect it?”

“I’m the one who created this application formula, so I should be able to do at least this much.”

“Wow, you were the one who created this crazy technique?” Lee Baek-ho glared at the Destruction Scholar as if acknowledging him as an equal. The Destruction Scholar felt the same way.

“I know about your situation. I have some idea why you left the royal family you were in.”

“So?”

“Since we’ve met, I’ll make you an attractive offer.”

“What is it? Tell me.” Lee Baek-ho seemed curious and asked back. He seemed more curious about this than getting revenge for the gukbap NPC. I felt a strange vibe, so I quietly took a step back. That’s when it happened.

“How about we finish off that friend first and then have a conversation?” The Destruction Scholar said that and shifted his gaze to me. Ha, I didn’t expect this development. ‘Damn it.’ My heart was pounding. My life was already hanging by a thread with just the Destruction Scholar, but if Lee Baek-ho joined in, there was nothing I could do. Except for revealing that I’m ‘Lee Hansoo’ and appealing to his emotions.

“That won’t work.” I had considered the worst-case scenario, but thankfully, Lee Baek-ho rejected the Destruction Scholar’s offer. It wasn’t because he knew I was a player. So it wasn’t an emotional reason like he couldn’t watch me die. “Then it’ll look like I’m moving according to your intentions.” It was just a simple matter of taking the initiative. But perhaps he was frustrated by that attitude. The Destruction Scholar spoke as if he was trying to persuade a difficult child.

“That person is a noble now.”

“So?”

“Since you’ve fallen out with the royal family, he’s ultimately a potential enemy.”

Even to my ears, it was a pretty reasonable statement. However, thankfully, Lee Baek-ho didn’t even listen to it this time either. “So what? I’m confident I can control him, so mind your own business.” The source of that confidence was obvious. He knew I was a player. No matter how close I got to the royal family, he was confident he could make me a fool in an instant. ‘In this case, does it mean that my identity being revealed has actually worked out for the better…?’

“Then… we should move the location.” In the end, the Destruction Scholar couldn’t break Lee Baek-ho’s stubbornness and gave up on his desire to kill me. Well, from his perspective, Lee Baek-ho was much more important than me anyway. “Ah, I’m telling you in advance, I’m not teleporting?”

“Teleport…?”

“I mean instant movement. You go first. I’ll follow you. You can do whatever you want, but be prepared to die if you do something stupid.” “…Then I’ll move first.” The Destruction Scholar then floated into the air with a servant-like man behind him. It was levitation magic. “What are you looking at? I’ll follow you, so go first.” The Destruction Scholar stared at Lee Baek-ho for a few seconds and then disappeared beyond the flames. I had gotten through one crisis. However, it was too early to relax. One of Lee Baek-ho’s characteristics was that you never knew where he would jump next.

“Hey.”

“…What.” I spoke without bothering to hide my fear. Then Lee Baek-ho chuckled… “I just saved you once, you know?” He left after saying those words. My mind went blank. ‘Wasn’t the reason he told them not to kill me just to take the initiative?’ Well, I still don’t know which one it is. But if that’s the case… ‘It might be a little touching.’ I wiped the soot off my nose with my hand. “Tsk.” That guy. He said he wouldn’t build up any affection.

***

Not long after Lee Baek-ho and the Destruction Scholar left, Raven arrived. “Yandel-ssi!” Thanks to the Destruction Scholar’s reputation, Raven was followed by a considerable number of knights and military mages. “I came to save… Huh? Why is no one…” Raven looked flustered when he couldn’t see the Destruction Scholar anywhere. The royal forces that followed him had similar expressions. I quickly explained the situation before they could misunderstand.

“So, you’re saying that ‘that person’ who appeared during the assassination attempt came and started fighting the Destruction Scholar.”

“Yeah, they suddenly started fighting and disappeared in an instant.”

“Do you happen to know why that person was hostile to the Destruction Scholar?”

“Well! I don’t know either!” The reason I simplified the incident as much as possible was one thing. I was worried that someone might think that Lee Baek-ho helped me just from this situation. “You were really lucky.” Since it was an incident involving such big figures, the knights didn’t doubt the truth of my statement. “Then we’ll go out first.” After that, the royal forces stayed behind to investigate the surroundings, and Raven and I watched them for a while before going outside.

The first thing that greeted us were the survivors who had come out earlier. The dozen or so lives that Raven and I had worked hard to save. They all bowed to me repeatedly with their faces covered in soot. Of course, that time was short. After all, people don’t die just because they don’t receive a thank you, right? “Huh? Where are you going?” Raven asked, expressing his confusion as I turned around. To be honest, I was exhausted from what had just happened and wanted to rest, but… “I made a promise.” “…A promise?” In exchange for receiving fire-attribute equipment and consumables, I had told a mage named Leben Arpegeon. That if I had the energy, I would try my best. Raven looked blank for a moment, but he didn’t stop me or scold me for doing something meaningless. “Go ahead. I’ll stay here and help people.” Well, is it like we’re each doing our best in our own positions? I looked down at Raven once as if he was admirable, and then moved back into the flames. And until the fire was extinguished about 12 hours later, when it rained as if there was a flood.

Swishhhhh-! I saved a total of 17 more lives. It was a pathetic number that would be difficult to use as a main episode in a movie or comic, but… 「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1.」 「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1.」 「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1…」 「…」 「…」 That was my best.