Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 492

Kwaaaang!

I continue my sprint through the empty passage, past the shattered wall. If I’m blocked, I’ll just swing my hammer again.

Kwaaaang-!

Sometimes the wall leads to a dead end, but it’s no big deal.

Because of the building’s structure, there’s always a way up or down.

Just like this.

Kwang-!

I smash through the ceiling and climb to the next floor, where a rather unusual sight greets me.

A dimly lit area, noticeably different from the rest.

A narrow, long corridor with dozens of iron cages on both sides.

And inside, countless beings of various races.

Not barbarians, but all kinds of races, each with the same tattoo in the same spot.

‘Slaves, huh…’

Even with a giant barbarian suddenly appearing after breaking through the floor, they just stare blankly into space with listless eyes.

As a 21st-century barbarian, I felt a strange disconnect.

‘So, there are still slaves here.’

In fact, slavery is illegal in Lapdonia.

There was a time when criminals were legally turned into slaves, but after a law revision about 100 years ago, slavery was abolished.

Slaves who committed heinous crimes were immediately executed, and those who were enslaved due to inherited status or unpaid minor fines regained their status as ordinary citizens.

Of course, most of them died soon after because they couldn’t pay taxes properly.

“Hey.”

I spoke to a kid who still had some life in his eyes.

“……!”

The kid was startled by my voice and pressed his back against the wall.

Regardless, I asked,

“How did you end up here?”

Unfortunately, the answer came from a bulky guy who had just come up.

“…S-Stop it! Baron Yandel!”

What? What are you going to do if I don’t stop?

You guys can’t do anything but stand there and watch me.

I ignored them and focused on the kid.

Surprisingly, the bulky guy’s shout seemed to help a bit.

“A giant…?”

The kid quietly muttered my title, then widened his eyes and approached the cage.

“Giants… are heroes, they say. They save people and punish the wicked… Is that true?”

“Well, to some extent.”

“…Did you come to save us too?”

“No.”

I said honestly.

“I just happened to find you. So, tell me now. How did you end up here?”

Even as the bulky guy next to him begged me to stop, the kid, glancing between him and me, finally spoke.

“My mom… couldn’t pay her debts. So, I have to pay them back.”

“What about your mom? What happened to her?”

“She couldn’t pay her taxes… and died.”

“What about that elf woman next to you?”

I glanced at the woman in the same cage, and the kid quietly said,

“Riley noona [older sister] also couldn’t pay her debts. Even though she could, bad people wouldn’t let her. So, she was dragged here.”

“……”

“…Later, she said she would escape and come to save me, but after being dragged away by bad people a few times, she stopped talking.”

“I see, is that so?”

I think I know why this kid was the only one with life in his eyes. Those with the will to resist would have been subjected to more severe brainwashing.

A person’s will is more fragile than you think.

‘Okay, I’ve confirmed everything…’

I finished my conversation with the kid and turned my gaze to the bulky guys.

The guy in front flinched when our eyes met.

Like a bully caught tormenting a weaker friend.

Thump.

I took a step forward and asked them,

“Do you know?”

The guy in front raised his shield higher and swallowed hard.

“I haven’t killed anyone yet.”

I knew they were bad guys, so I beat them mercilessly, but I controlled my strength so they wouldn’t die.

“Why do you think that is?”

“…The higher-ups think it’s because you don’t want to be completely at odds with us.”

“Is that so?”

I coolly admitted it.

“That’s right.”

The fact that these guys were on the defensive against me, an intruder, was probably because they read my intentions.

If I had been going around killing everyone, they wouldn’t have just been holding up their shields. They must have been ordered to keep me alive.

So, my plan was to talk to the boss here after establishing some order and get what I wanted.

But…

“If you have any demands, please tell us.”

Why would Plan B be Plan B?

In this world full of variables, there are things you can’t avoid.

Just like this.

“We are ready to talk with the Baron—”

Before the bulky guy could finish his sentence, I punched him in the jaw.

Crack-!

The bulky guy flew like a baseball and crashed into the side wall, then fell to the ground, writhing like a bug.

“Tough guy.”

I said indifferently, looking at him.

“I swung with the intention to kill this time.”

At the same time, the bulky guys behind him flinched. They seemed to be still processing the sudden situation…

“What… does this mean?”

Ah, that?

“Baron, you said earlier that you didn’t want to be at odds with us.”

“Yes, I did say that earlier.”

I raised my hammer, looking at the bulky guy writhing in pain.

Then his expression changed.

“Stop it. You will regret this…”

That was a strange thing to say.

“Why would I regret it?”

With those words, I swung my hammer with all my might.

Crack-!

The bulky guy’s writhing stopped.

“You guys should be the ones regretting it.”

Isn’t that right?

***

“……”

“……”

There was no more conversation. After I swung my hammer, the bulky guys kept their mouths shut and focused all their attention on my every move.

Swoosh.

As I took a step, the group of bulky guys retreated.

In that standoff, I was internally calculating the timing to charge.

Screeeak-!

The sound of a door opening came from behind me.

I turned around and saw a thick iron door opening far down the corridor between the cages.

Beyond the open door, a middle-aged man appeared, heavily guarded by several bulky guys.

“That’s enough, Baron Yandel.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Mel, the head of the Shadow Merchant Guild.”

In short, this guy is the owner of the black market.

The guy who introduced himself as Mel gestured to his subordinates.

“How is that friend? Is he alive?”

“…He’s still breathing, Guild Master.”

“That’s a relief.”

Then Mel asked me,

“Baron Yandel. Before we start talking properly, may I treat that friend first?”

“Do you think I, a baron of Lapdonia, would accept the demands of a rebel group?”

“Haha, rebels… Baron Yandel, you seem to have a very negative view of us.”

“Then, is there any reason to have a good view of you who make a mockery of the strict law?”

“Hmm, is that so?”

The guy nodded as if my words made sense, then coldly muttered,

“Everyone, step aside.”

At those words, everyone’s eyes widened.

“…Guild Master!”

“It’s too dangerous!”

The subordinates collectively panicked, but Guild Master Mel’s stubbornness did not waver.

“I won’t say it twice.”

I don’t know how much he usually cracked the whip, but at that one word, the bulky guys started to step aside without saying anything.

Thump, thump.

Soon, Guild Master Mel walked down the corridor, now empty except for the two of us, and approached me.

To be honest, I was very flustered.

What is this? Is this guy actually super strong? Or is he some kind of clone that doesn’t matter if he dies?

As all sorts of possibilities swirled in my mind.

Swoosh.

The guy reached me, turned his back defenselessly, and squatted down. Then, he took out a potion from his pocket and poured it on the fallen bulky guy.

Chiiiiiiik-!

Bubbles boiled on the bulky guy’s half-crushed face.

The bulky guy’s body, who had been waiting for death while unconscious, began to tremble slightly.

“That’s a top-grade potion.”

“Yes, it is.”

I couldn’t understand at all.

What the heck is going on?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out, so I just asked directly.

“What are you doing?”

“I saved my subordinate who was dying.”

“You could have died?”

“Yes. He is my man.”

I was speechless for a moment.

I’ve seen many leaders, but this was the first time I’d seen this type.

“You’re risking your life for just that?”

“Value is subjective. Just like how you changed your mind after seeing these slaves.”

“…You’re a funny guy.”

“Now, shall we move to another place? This doesn’t seem like a good place to talk.”

With those words, the guy turned his back to me and walked away first, and I, dumbfounded, just followed him.

After passing through several doors, we arrived at a small room.

“This is one of the private rooms prepared for our clients. All the clients have been sent back to the city, so no one will disturb us.”

Soon, the guy sat down at the table in the center.

And he gave me a look that said, ‘What are you waiting for, sit down.’

At this point, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“I am afraid.”

“Your actions don’t show it.”

“But what can I do? If I harm Baron Yandel, this place and my family will be finished that day. I’m not that reckless.”

“Isn’t this reckless?”

“If I die, that’s the end of it. Someone else will take my place, and everything will return to normal, though it might take some time. Dirty water always collects in the lowest places.”

“……”

“Ah, of course, you will just vent your anger and return without getting what you want.”

What the heck is wrong with this guy’s guts?

I hadn’t talked to him for long, but that was enough to feel it.

This guy is no pushover.

However, I was done being dragged along.

“So, what do you want to say?”

“You should be the one talking, not me. You came here because you wanted something, didn’t you?”

Oh, that’s right.

Damn it, I have nothing to say again.

Since it’s come to this, I decided to stop worrying about who has the upper hand and just say what I want.

“Give me the identities of your clients.”

That was the biggest reason I visited the black market.

[Some mages… are placing requests on the black market.]

Those who tried to get a barbarian’s heart by visiting the black market because the supply was dwindling.

[Ah, there’s also a request on the black market… for the Baron’s heart…]

Furthermore, the one who requested my heart.

And…

[I-It’s true… I just received a request from the black market… I don’t know who the client is…]

Even the one who dared to request the disruption of the Layered Lord raid.

“Indeed… that’s why you came here, Baron Yandel.”

“No need for extra words, just answer.”

“Asking for the identities of our clients is a very difficult request for us.”

“So, you’re saying you can’t do it?”

“No. I am a merchant. Although the number of requests will decrease because of this, it’s more profitable than being at odds with you.”

“Does that mean?”

“I will arrange for you to receive the information of the clients by the end of today.”

Mel coolly accepted my request.

It was a completely different development than I expected.

Even after all this fuss, I thought I would have to argue a lot more to get this request fulfilled.

“Then, is your business finished?”

“No, there’s one more thing.”

“Please ask.”

After that, I made one last request to Mel.

“Release the slaves who were imprisoned.”

I couldn’t just leave after seeing that.

“Hmm, Baron Yandel, you seem to believe in the dignity of human beings?”

“You ask a lot of questions. It seems like it was a question that could be answered with a yes or no.”

“…May I take a moment to calculate?”

“Go ahead.”

With my permission, Mel closed his eyes without fear and pondered.

He opened his eyes about three minutes later.

“Very well. I will release all the slaves and will not engage in the slave trade from now on.”

“…That was a quick decision?”

I subtly probed him, and he answered coolly again, as if it wasn’t a secret.

“Actually, it’s a business I’ve wanted to quit for a while.”

“You wanted to quit?”

“There were quite a few cases where the buyers couldn’t manage them properly. There were several times when it almost caused big problems.”

He had actually tried to quit the business several times because of this, but he didn’t have a reason to quit a business that had been passed down from his ancestors and was generating huge profits.

“With you here, Baron Yandel, no one can object now. It’s a good thing.”

“……”

“Then, is your business really finished now?”

“Yes. I’ll disappear from your sight as soon as I receive the client’s information and the custody of the slaves.”

“Then, I should process it as quickly as possible.”

With that conversation, the guy called his subordinates again and gave them various instructions, and by dawn, I was able to receive the client’s information and the custody of hundreds of slaves.

And…

“Mel Asmond.”

I asked the guy before we parted.

“Why are you giving everything up so easily?”

Instead of answering, he just looked at me with a strange gaze for a long time.

“Baron Yandel, you also knew about our family.”

Of course, I’ve played the black market episode in the game. I know about the family that has reigned as the king of this place for a long time.

But…

“That’s not what I asked?”

When I asked persistently again, he revealed his honest thoughts.

“Heroes always die young. There’s no reason for us to take the falling blade.”

In other words, he meant that if I acted like this, I would surely die soon.

‘That’s an interesting guy.’

Mel Asmond, the owner of the black market.

I had a feeling I would see this guy again.