Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 476

First, we moved to the living room on the first floor.

Auyen, who had been doing the dishes in the kitchen, was nowhere to be seen, so she must have finished her work and gone upstairs.

Well, maybe Amelia ordered her to do so.

Whatever the case, it’s not something I need to worry about.

“……”

“……”

Sigh, the atmosphere has become strange again.

Looking at Misha, who can’t seem to find a place to rest her gaze while her fists are on her knees, makes me feel awkward for no reason.

How do I break this tension?

I was thinking that when suddenly,

“H… Han….”

Misha opened her mouth.

“Hansoo……”

My real name, which only a few people in this world know.

I had already turned on the voice control magic tool, but I was still so surprised that I flinched and looked around.

And perhaps realizing her mistake,

“Ah… I, I’m sorry! I never meant to make you uncomfortable—.”

“It’s okay. The sound doesn’t spread beyond a 2-meter radius.”

“…I, is that so?”

What’s with the ‘is that so’?

She said she corrected her pronunciation, but it seems like only her way of speaking has become strange.

“Did you hear that name from Baekho Lee?”

First, before we start a serious conversation, I decided to quickly confirm what I needed to.

“Yeah……”

“Then you know I’m a demon, too.”

“……Yeah.”

“But you’re not disgusted or scared of me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve known it for a while. Something like that……”

What? She knew?

“When… when did you find out……?”

“Th, that’s……”

Misha seemed flustered by my question, then mumbled in a small voice with a flushed face.

“……The 16th of August, year 154 of the founding. Uh-huh. That was the day I became certain……”

No, why would you tell me the date like that?

I was dumbfounded, but when I slowly calculated the time, I remembered.

I think I know why she answered like this.

“……”

August 16th, year 154 of the founding.

That was the day I confessed to her that I didn’t see her just as a comrade.

And, after some things happened… there was a brief….

‘I got rejected.’

Sigh, could that be the reason?

I’ve been wondering countless times why I was rejected.

I’m dying to ask directly, but I can’t bring myself to ask outright.

So, I put it a little differently.

“After I was reported dead, why did you follow Baekho Lee?”

“……Because he said he would use the Stone of Rebirth to revive you if I helped him.”

It was something I already knew.

But the reason I brought up a question I already knew was for one reason only.

To naturally transition to this question.

“Why? If what you said is true, you knew I was a demon back then.”

“Still… a, a precious… comrade……”

A precious comrade…….

It was a happy story, but it was also a somewhat ambiguous answer.

If it wasn’t demon hatred, then why was I rejected?

Well, does that mean that I can be a demon and a comrade, but not a lover?

I wanted to dig deeper, but unfortunately, Misha changed the subject first.

“B, by the way!”

Yeah, she doesn’t want to talk about this part.

“Can I… ask you one thing, too?”

“Go ahead.”

“Baekho… he called you ‘hyung.’ Are you two… perhaps close…?”

“It’s ambiguous to call us close. I can see that he’s up to something.”

Misha repeated a word from my answer, as if it had made an impression on her.

“Up to something……”

“So, is that all you’re curious about?”

“Ah, no! There’s one more! Back then… on Parune Island, why did you disappear like that…?”

Ah, Baekho Lee didn’t tell her about that.

Why?

To drive a wedge between me and her?

No, maybe he just thought it was rude.

He must have meant for me to choose whether or not to tell her myself.

“Perhaps… did other people besides me… know the reason—.”

Of course, my choice was already made.

“Wait a minute.”

“……?”

“Let’s clear up the misunderstanding first. The story that’s known outside is different from the truth.”

I briefly explained the story of my past journey that started on Parune Island.

I wasn’t particularly anxious.

After all, all my closest aides except for Ainar already knew, and there was no reason to hide it from Misha, who even knew my real name.

‘Above all, Baekho Lee knows about it too.’

Misha looked somewhat relieved after hearing the whole story.

“So… it was an accident… that you suddenly disappeared……”

After that, Misha became curious about my story after I returned, and I told her everything truthfully.

Meeting Erwen.

Meeting Amelia.

Meeting Raven, meeting Ainar, meeting Bear Uncle, and even reuniting with the dwarf, Rotmüller.

“I… was the last one……”

Misha, who was muttering in a somewhat wistful voice, asked carefully once more.

“Perhaps… do they all know about your secret……?”

“Erwen, Amelia, Raven, and Baekho Lee all know. About my secret.”

“…I see.”

“Anyway, do you know how worried I was at first? Later, I found out you became comrades with some weirdo.”

And even testified that I was a demon.

As I continued to speak without realizing it, Misha’s face hardened.

“I, I’m sorry. I, I thought you were dead—.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I believe that you were trying to save me.”

Well, I do wonder what she was planning to do after I came back, but…….

I was grateful for the effort itself.

Well, even if you roll in a pile of dog poop, this world is better than the afterlife, right?

“Well, I think I’ve talked enough about myself, now it’s your turn.”

“M, my story……?”

“Yeah. How have you been? Why are you so thin?”

“I’m not thin……”

Not thin? I saw earlier that she was nothing but skin and bones.

“Just tell me. What happened to you all this time?”

Misha, who had been agonizing over where to start for a long time, began to tell her story haphazardly.

***

Everyone dies someday.

Just like the Immortal King, who was the absolute ruler of a great kingdom, could not avoid death in the end. It is a law of nature that cannot be changed no matter what you do.

But even so.

[So, Biyorn is dead.]

That farewell was too sudden.

Even after falling asleep and waking up several times, it felt like I was still in a dream.

That’s why I couldn’t refuse.

[What would you do if there was a way to revive Biyorn Yandel?]

The only way to get back what I had lost.

[The Stone of Rebirth can revive up to two people, and if you help me, I’ll leave one of them as your husband.]

In the end, I accepted the offer.

I spread rumors that Biyorn Yandel was a demon, as Baekho Lee told me to, and I went in and out of the labyrinth with him, helping him with various tasks.

Still, they were decent days.

It was hard, and sometimes I was so sad that I soaked my pillow with tears, but still, there was hope.

[Oh, are you trying to get rid of the ‘nyang-nyang’ speech?]

I corrected my way of speaking, which I was teased for being half-witted.

I wanted to see Biyorn surprised when we met later.

……Actually, that wasn’t the only reason.

Anyway.

[Nyang-ah, what are you reading alone again?]

I started studying by reading books.

It felt like Biyorn was next to me when I did this.

[Stop reading and come out. Let’s go to the training grounds. I’ve trained a lot of newbies, and sparring is the best way to improve your skills.]

I sparred every day, which was almost like a beating.

It was with the determination to become stronger.

One month, two months, three months…….

Time flowed endlessly, and many parts of her changed in the face of the flowing time.

She still sometimes spoke in her old way when she got excited, but she could speak normally if she paid attention, and she became stronger than ever before.

And…….

[…When are you going to use the Stone of Rebirth?]

My patience was also running out.

[Ah, I told you I’d use it when the time comes? Why are you being so impatient lately?]

An answer that was always without a promise.

In the end, I asked.

[……Do you even plan to use it?]

The Stone of Rebirth that Baekho Lee had was real.

But, would Baekho Lee really keep his promise?

Until now, I had been trying to ignore that question.

If the truth in the box was different from my expectations, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

But…….

[Baekho Lee, tell me straight. When are you going to use the Stone of Rebirth? Tell me right here and now. Otherwise—.]

In the end, I overcame my fear and reached out for the truth.

But the answer I got was far from the truth.

[Otherwise, what are you going to do?]

[…….]

[You’re really annoying. Why can’t you trust people? In the first place, what have you done to help me so far?]

[…….]

[I had no use for you, so I made you level up. Now that you’re finally becoming useful, you’re just getting too big for your britches. Hey, if you want to argue with me, show me some results. Then I’ll answer you.]

From that day on, my relationship with Baekho Lee reached its worst.

Of course, even so, I couldn’t leave Baekho Lee’s side.

At least the Stone of Rebirth was real.

[Haha! Unlike what I heard, you’re a prickly lady!]

I drew a line with all of his comrades, including Baekho Lee, and acted professionally, and I didn’t hesitate to take on dangerous tasks to build up my merits.

Then one day.

Good news and bad news.

Those two things came at once.

[Alive… is he…? Biyorn… ?]

Biyorn was alive.

But…….

[Otherwise, Biyorn Yandel will die?]

A new shackle was put on me.

Of course, I couldn’t tell him all of this truthfully.

“Haha… that’s the end of my story… it’s not that special, is it……?”

I’m used to holding back.

***

Misha’s story was quite interesting.

Because I could find out how Baekho Lee had been doing for the past few years.

‘He really did a thorough job of leveling up.’

Thanks to that, I roughly learned about Baekho Lee’s skills.

I didn’t see all of the combinations, but I could say that his character concept was clear.

If I were to classify his job, it would be a ‘melee-type psychic user’.

‘He said he could use all kinds of weapons depending on the situation.’

He’s a more difficult guy than I thought.

Well, even so, the completeness of his essence combination was not very high.

‘But I don’t understand why he can’t get any stronger. What is it……? Was it just a bluff?’

There were a few questions, but they were the kind that couldn’t be solved right away.

As I was just organizing the newly acquired information in my head, Misha carefully opened her mouth.

“But… what did you mean by that earlier?”

“Huh? What?”

When I tilted my head, Misha said in an even smaller voice.

“You said to me earlier…… that I can’t go… anywhere.”

Ah, that…….

“What did you… mean by that?”

I answered immediately so that I wouldn’t show any signs of being flustered.

Just like Misha had said to me earlier.

“……Aren’t we precious comrades? Comrades should be together.”

Words that came out before I could think.

Misha also added an interjection, as if she was agreeing.

“……I, is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“……”

I quickly changed the subject.

“But what was it back then? On Parune Island. You said you had something to tell me.”

“Ah… that… did I, did I say that? I, I don’t remember……”

Her pronunciation was slurred, so it was obvious that she was lying…….

I felt like if I asked more, it would become awkward again, so I decided to ask again later if I had the chance.

And in that sense, the next question.

“Ah! Do you have the necklace too? Raven said you took it……”

The No.7777 Garphas Necklace.

When I mentioned it, Misha unbuttoned the collar of her shirt, and the necklace hidden inside was revealed.

It seems like she didn’t sell it and kept it well, thankfully…….

“B, but… do I really have to give it back?”

What is she saying?

“Give it to me.”

“……Okay.”

Yeah, I finally got this back too.

***

The conversation with Misha, which started in the middle of the day, continued until the sun went down and it became night.

Since it was our first time meeting in a long time, there were a lot of topics to talk about, and as time went on, the awkwardness of the reunion gradually disappeared.

But…….

“It’s already this late. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s have dinner together—.”

At my suggestion, Misha quietly shook her head.

She said she would have dinner at her own accommodation?

“Why your accommodation? There are many empty rooms, so why don’t you just live here?”

“Biyorn. I appreciate your concern, but you don’t have to worry about me that much.”

A stubborn refusal that was hard to persuade.

Is she trying to draw a line with me?

“I, is that so? Okay. Do as you please.”

“Yeah. Thank you for understanding. And… about the offer to join the clan again… can I think about it a little more?”

“……Think? Ah, of course! Think? Of, of course, you should think about it. But… how long do you think it will take?”

“A week… I think that’ll be enough, and I’ll come back when it’s over, so don’t wait too long. Okay?”

That was how our reunion ended, and I slowly went upstairs.

I had given them some space, so I thought I should explain the situation to them to some extent.

Surprisingly, the two of them were in the same room.

They were in the middle of a serious conversation…….

Thump.

Without even needing to knock, as soon as I approached the door, the two of them, who had sensed my presence, simultaneously closed their mouths.

Seriously, that’s what you get with the min-maxers [players who optimize their characters to the maximum].

I was a little curious about what they usually talked about together.

“Can I come in?”

“C, come in!”

A voice that sounded somewhat surprised.

This part was also unexpected.

“W, what brings you to m, my room?”

I thought she would be depressed or aggressive, but she seemed to be in a very good state?

I turned my gaze to Amelia.

Amelia, who met my eyes, shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. It seems that Erwen is okay because she calmed her down well in the beginning…….

‘She’s really reliable.’

After giving her a look of gratitude, I looked at Erwen again.

“D, do you… have something to say?”

Only then did I feel something suspicious.

It was like they were hiding something?

‘I thought she would ask me about Misha as soon as I came in…….’

When I focused a little more and looked around the room, there was something that caught my eye.

A thick book on the desk.

‘That book… I think it was originally in Amelia’s room.’

The book was titled ‘Man and Woman.’

Is it a romance novel?

I should find it and read it later.

“So, how did it go with Kalstein? Did she leave?”

“Ah, that…….”

I gave a brief explanation and told them that Misha had decided to think about whether or not to join the clan.

And that was the end of the day.

“Haa……”

I lay down on the bed, but I couldn’t fall asleep.

What if Misha doesn’t come back?

No, in the first place, why did I think that Misha would come back if I just persuaded Baekho Lee?

Does she… really only think of me as a comrade?

But if she only thought of me as a comrade, there would be no reason for her to try so hard to save me.

What is Misha’s true intention?

“…Let’s just sleep.”

It was a problem that I couldn’t find an answer to no matter how much I thought about it, so I decided to clear my head.

And so, time passed…….

“Congratulations! Young warriors! From today, you will leave the sanctuary and be reborn as true warriors!”

The day of the Barbarian coming-of-age ceremony.

In other words, the day the labyrinth opens.