Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 260

In the past, I told Misha:

That I thought of her as a precious comrade.

I drew a line with cowardly words.

I thought it was the right thing to do, and it was, indeed, the right thing. At the time, I was still consumed by the desire to ‘return’ and….

I wasn’t qualified to cross that line either.

Because I am an ‘evil spirit.’

I thought that whispering affection in Bjorn Yandel’s body would ultimately be deceiving her.

But….

‘W-What do you mean? Y-You don’t just think of me as a comrade…?’

I answered Misha’s question without a moment’s hesitation as her eyes widened.

‘You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?’

That’s what I realized for sure after visiting the community this time.

More than Lee Han-soo’s dark and gloomy room.

I feel much more at home here now.

‘You didn’t say it properly….’

Misha, who had been avoiding my eyes and looking at the wall, slowly turned her head to look at me.

‘How am I supposed to know that…?’

Maybe this is what Baekho was wary of.

The moment you form a deep relationship with an NPC [Non-Player Character], your desire to stay here grows stronger.

But so what?

‘Misha Kalstein, I like you.’

‘Returning’ doesn’t matter anymore.

That it becomes difficult to make rational decisions in the labyrinth when you’re in a relationship?

That’s the same thing.

It’s already too late anyway.

Even at this moment, I cherish Misha and my team members, and I can’t put only myself first anymore.

‘Dwarki.’

It was a trace he left me as a legacy.

Well, if he acts like that and leaves, what can I do?

I can’t see him as an NPC at all.

‘….’

Then, what would Misha’s answer be?

I felt nervous for the first time in a long time, but I tried not to show it so it wouldn’t affect the outcome.

That’s how a moment of silence passed.

‘Bjorn.’

Misha finally broke the long silence and spoke.

She had already come out from under the blanket and was standing in front of me.

‘…Let’s go out.’

Misha grabbed my hand.

And led me out of the house.

I didn’t ask where we were going.

‘….’

Early in the morning, when people were slowly waking up and starting their day, Misha and I, who had come out without even putting on a coat, rented a room in an inn 30 meters away.

And we hugged each other tightly.

‘Bjorn, gently…! It hurts if you hug me too hard….’

I moved my rough barbarian body carefully and cautiously, worried that she might get hurt.

‘Are you really okay…?’

‘…Anything for you.’

Misha hugged me clumsily but warmly.

The time we spent hugging each other, sharing warmth, continued until evening.

‘…So, this is what a tail looks like.’

It was the day I finally saw with my own eyes what I had always been curious about.

But, they say happiness is like a fleeting illusion.

‘Bjorn.’

‘Why aren’t you sleeping more? Don’t worry about Ainar and Erwen. They’ll be fine on their own—’

‘It’s not that, I have something to say.’

‘…Huh?’

I tilted my head, wondering what was going on, and then Misha sat up on the bed and looked at me.

And she said in a determined voice.

‘Actually… I think it would be better if we just stayed as comrades.’

I was dumped.

***

It felt like I was dreaming.

[Misha Kalstein, I like you.]

From the moment I heard those words, my heart started beating like crazy, and the whole world shone brilliantly.

That’s why.

[…Let’s go out.]

Misha led Bjorn out of the house as if running away.

Because she was anxious.

It felt like she would wake up from a dream if she looked away even for a moment.

[Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn…!]

[Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.]

That’s how the dreamlike time continued.

The two shared their warmth with each other, and sometimes they rested and talked.

From the first time they met to the present.

They talked about many moments and expressed their feelings and thoughts.

It was a time for them to confirm and share with each other.

But….

‘Wait, she fell asleep….’

A dream is a dream because it must be broken someday.

Misha slowly opened her eyes.

The dark sky was visible outside the window, and next to her, the man she had longed for was dozing off.

She felt a deep sense of happiness for a moment.

‘….’

The world was colored with reality, and she woke up completely.

‘After all, Bjorn is….’

An evil spirit.

Misha couldn’t even say the hidden words in her heart and swallowed them.

Just thinking about it made her heart ache.

‘Huu…’

She was suffocating.

She had been suspicious with a hopeful heart, but it was today that she was sure of his identity.

That’s because she had asked Caron about ‘duty’ yesterday, and she had checked with Ainar about various things.

Only barbarians can give birth to barbarians.

This is a fact she knew from the beginning.

But….

[You can still date, right? Haha, what are you saying! Of course, you can. As far as I know, there are quite a few of those kinds of people!]

Barbarians are people after all.

As they live in the city and spend more time with other explorers, forming teams rather than with their own kind in the sanctuary, their values slowly change.

[The tribal chief said that even the most hardened warrior will change little by little after living in the city for a few years. Ah, the tribal chief also called it ‘urbanization.’]

Just because they have a good heart.

Because their personalities match well.

Because they have grown fond of each other after spending a long time together.

There are definitely barbarians in this city who feel romantic attraction regardless of the other person’s race.

However, they also had something in common.

[But I heard it’s hard to find a partner. Most of them don’t understand the ‘duty.’]

Even they want to have children.

Ainar also said that it was a tribal mission engraved in their souls.

So, Misha tried to understand.

That’s why she waited until morning without sleeping, even though she was frustrated, and went up to her room without saying anything.

But….

[Misha, nothing really happened at the sanctuary last night, and I don’t want you to misunderstand me because of that.]

She was told not to misunderstand.

[Because I don’t see you as just a comrade anymore.]

She also heard that.

At that time, she was so happy that she couldn’t think of anything, but when she came to her senses, it was full of contradictions.

Of course, she believes that nothing happened at the sanctuary.

But….

‘Then why did he lie to Caron?’

Why did Bjorn tell Caron that he was going to do his ‘duty’?

Now that she thinks about it, the answer was simple.

‘…Because he had to.’

Only novice warriors who have not yet settled down neglect their duty.

It is strange in many ways for a warrior who has even earned the nickname ‘Giant’ to abandon his duty.

So, Bjorn used Caron.

What Caron said yesterday is proof of that.

[Bjorn is currently fulfilling his duty with the female warriors in the sanctuary, so don’t even think about interfering!]

Without digging too deeply, Caron told her the whole story. It would have been impossible if Bjorn really wanted to keep it a secret.

Because he would have made her swear an oath.

Considering his usual thoroughness, it was more reasonable to see it as an intentional part.

He wanted Caron to spread the rumor in the barbarian society.

That Bjorn Yandel is fulfilling his ‘duty.’

‘Then, the reason why he had to go through the troublesome process of changing his appearance….’

Misha lowered her head.

‘He, he likes me….’

Bjorn wanted to be seen by his own kind as a barbarian fulfilling his duty, but he didn’t want her to hear about it.

In fact, if she hadn’t felt something was off that night and stopped by the pub, she would still think that Bjorn had just been drinking all night.

Even if she asked others, she would have heard the same answer.

‘I am now….’

Her hands and feet trembled as she learned the truth about everything.

Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit.

However, her feelings for him have not diminished at all.

Of course, it’s natural.

What she fell in love with was not ‘Bjorn Yandel,’ but the man who inhabited that body, who had saved her, and who had been on many journeys with her.

‘Then… what should I do now?’

After all, it doesn’t matter that he’s an evil spirit.

Even if everyone points fingers at him for doing something wrong, she just needs to do what her heart tells her, as she learned from him.

But even so, there are still practical problems.

‘If this goes on, it will be exposed someday….’

Love makes rational judgment difficult.

Misha knows that better than anyone else.

In fact, Bjorn made the wrong choice.

It would have been much more advantageous to hide his identity if he had actually done his ‘duty’ instead of pretending to do it.

But there was only one reason why he didn’t.

It was her.

‘Yes, because of me….’

Misha made a decision.

If this relationship continues, Bjorn will make an even bigger mistake, even if it’s not today.

So….

‘I just have to endure it….’

This is the best way after all.

Just imagining it already makes her heart ache.

But she is confident that she can endure it.

She had lived like that her whole life until she met a man named Bjorn Yandel.

‘Bjorn.’

She called out the name of her sleeping lover to wake him up.

And….

‘Why aren’t you sleeping more? Don’t worry about Ainar and Erwen. They’ll be fine on their own—’

‘It’s not that, I have something to say.’

She said, forcing a smile, even if it was awkward.

Even if that path is full of pain.

‘Actually… I think it would be better if we just stayed as comrades.’

She will surely be able to do it.

If it’s for this man.

***

[You, you come home a little later. I’ll take care of the kids… okay?]

Before my head could even fully understand what had happened to me, Misha left.

And….

‘….’

I froze in place like a stone.

It was the Barbarian Stone Statue Mode.

‘I got dumped…?’

My head was spinning.

What did I do wrong?

Did I make a mistake today?

‘….’

I went over it for a long time, but only all sorts of delusions came to mind, so I just checked out and left.

Yeah, why should I suffer in silence?

If I have any questions, I can just ask.

If I did something wrong, I can fix it.

‘Oh, you’re here? Come and have a meal.’

When I returned home, Misha greeted me as if nothing had happened.

‘You’re here, mister.’

‘Bjorn, you’re just coming back after staying out all night? Next time you drink, take me with you!’

Erwen and Ainar were under the impression that I had come home for good.

First, we all gathered and had dinner.

I wanted to ask about what she had said earlier, but I couldn’t ask here.

‘W-Well, I’m tired, so I’m going to go rest first!’

As soon as dinner was over, Misha ran away to her room.

‘Erwen, Misha is acting strange today. The way she’s walking is also awkward.’

‘I don’t know why she’s acting like that either. I have a bad feeling about it….’

I told the two who were questioning Misha’s behavior that she might be sick, and I said I would go check on her, and I quickly followed her.

‘B-Bjorn…?!’

That’s how we finally had time alone again.

I asked her to tell me if I had done anything wrong, and I asked again why she wanted to stay as comrades, and the answer I got was the same as before.

‘L-Let’s just pretend today didn’t happen. I think that would be better.’

A firm refusal that didn’t even give me a proper reason.

I decided that now was not the time and took a step back to wait for the right moment.

But….

‘Ah, I’m sorry! I have somewhere to go right now!’

‘Ainar! Laundry! Let’s go hang the laundry!’

‘…I’m tired today.’

After that, Misha desperately avoided being alone with me, and no matter how I tried to create an opportunity to ask her, she always gave the same answer.

After a few days, I gave up.

‘…I see. Then let’s pretend that day didn’t happen.’

Even I couldn’t insist when the other person was acting like that.

That would be coercion.

To be honest, it was an unconscious defense mechanism.

‘Wow, I want a cigarette.’

I don’t even remember when I was this mentally broken.

Even when I stepped on a goblin trap and crawled through a cave, or when a pillar of fire exploded in the square, it wasn’t this bad.

‘Okay, let’s do what I have to do.’

I couldn’t just be spacing out forever, so I tried my best to forget about Misha and focused on my work.

Fortunately, there were several other things to worry about.

‘Mister, have you heard the rumor?’

‘You mean the one about the outside being fine?’

‘Yes. That’s all anyone is talking about these days.’

The information about beyond the wall, which was first revealed in the community, began to spread like wildfire throughout the city.

Well, it’s still treated as just a rumor….

It was clear that it would grow bigger as the days went by.

‘How will the royal family react?’

Contrary to expectations, the royal family has not yet responded.

We need to watch it a little more.

Of course, while doing my job.

‘By the way, you know what today is, right?’

‘You mean we’re meeting at the 7th District headquarters at 3 PM, right?’

‘Yeah.’

As soon as I finished lunch, I went out and headed to the Explorer’s Guild.

And I filled out various documents in advance.

They were the documents needed to create a clan.

Raven and Bear Uncle, who had said they would think about it, had finally made a decision.

They said they would join the clan I created.

‘Raven?’

As I was filling out the documents, Raven appeared before the appointed time.

‘It’s an important matter, so I thought it wouldn’t be right to leave it all to Yandel.’

He said it as if he didn’t trust me, but in reality, it meant that he had come early to help even a little.

‘How far have you gotten? Let me see.’

Raven took a few sheets of paper and quickly wrote down the essential clauses, scribbling with his pen.

He seemed to be three times faster than I was.

And he seemed to make far fewer mistakes.

‘The internal regulations are ambiguous. These things need to be clearly defined. The same goes for the withdrawal clause. Exceptions should be made, but it should be clearly stated who the exceptions will be.’

‘I, I see…?’

‘Give me what you’ve already done. I have a feeling I’m going to have to redo everything.’

‘Here you go.’

Anyway, with Raven’s help, we had almost finished the documents when the rest of the members arrived.

‘It’s my first time creating a clan, so it’s a bit strange. Did you do all this, Raven?’

‘Yes. You just have to sign here. You can read the documents before that if you want.’

‘Haha, it’s okay. I’m sure you did a good job.’

Soon, starting with Bear Uncle, the rest of the members also signed the documents, and the clan creation application was completed by handing the documents to the staff.

It will probably be officially registered with the guild tomorrow.

‘Then, this problem is over for now….’

The fence called a clan will not only bind us together as a group, but will also send us further.

And in that sense.

‘Everyone has made time, right?’

We left the guild and moved to a pub.

Although there are only six of us, it was our first meeting as a clan, not as a team.

We ordered some simple drinks and snacks and took the time to share our plans for the future.

Well, should I say it was a time to inform them?

‘We’re going into the labyrinth this time.’

Now that we’ve created a proper clan, it’s time to run again.