Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 578

Ghost Busters.

A place created over 20 years ago, a haven for countless users seeking nostalgia.

The end of that place was abrupt, even until the very last moment.

[Emergency Notice] The server will be shut down soon.

[To prevent potential issues from forced disconnections, all users currently logged in are requested to log out as soon as possible.]

A message popped up about five minutes after I received Hyunbyul’s message.

After hitting the refresh button, the already chaotic bulletin board went completely haywire.

Posts ranged from questions about why this was happening when the community still had plenty of time left, to people searching for others, and even mindless spam posts that were never seen when the site was well-managed.

[Urgent, need answers ASAP.]

[Urgent, need answers ASAP.]

[Urgent, need answers ASAP.]

[Urgent, need answers ASAP.]

[Urgent, need answers ASAP.]

[Urgent, need answers ASAP.]

I wondered what could be so urgent, so I clicked on one, and as expected, it was nothing important.

[What happens if you don’t log out and just wait it out?]

Ugh, I knew it.

Still, I was also curious, so I checked the comments on the post.

[these99: What do you think will happen? You’ll get logged out.]

[└OP: Really? Then I’ll just wait until it automatically disconnects.]

[└fliccolo: Didn’t you see that there might be problems? Just log out yourself. You might end up a vegetable for life if you don’t.]

That’s a pretty chilling thought.

Becoming a vegetable just for not logging out on time…….

I wondered if that could really happen, but considering the unique nature of this place, I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.

‘The GM’s wording of ‘potential issues’ is also a bit concerning.’

Even if that wasn’t the case, there was no reason to stay until the end, so I quickly scrolled through the posts one last time and then pressed the log out button.

[Are you sure you want to log out?]

A selection window divided into ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ reminiscent of when I first entered this world.

Click, click.

The moment I pressed ‘Yes,’ my vision went black, and I felt like I was being sucked into somewhere.

It was time to return.

Not as the mysterious absolute being with the lion mask, nor as the ordinary office worker Lee Hansoo.

“…You came out six seconds earlier than usual. Did something happen inside?”

Bjorn Yandel.

***

Come to think of it, when did it start?

Amelia was always there after I came back from the community.

No matter how many times I told her she didn’t have to, she was always secretly there when I opened my eyes, so I just gave up.

Honestly, it’s not that I’m not grateful…….

“You said you were just going to sleep? Are you lying now?”

“I was going to.”

“But?”

“I couldn’t fall asleep.”

Couldn’t fall asleep, my foot.

I chuckled and looked at her, and Amelia continued, as if making an excuse.

“……And you never know what might happen in the labyrinth.”

Well, she’s not wrong.

I sat up, and Amelia handed me a glass of water, asking again.

“So, what happened inside?”

“The gathering was shut down today.”

“Shut down……?”

I took a sip of the cold water to clear my throat and then told her in more detail about what had happened inside.

The notice that popped up as soon as I entered the community.

And the information about the shutdown that I got from the round table.

“Hmm, Auriel Gavis was involved in the shutdown…….”

“The official reason is to prevent the spirits from becoming lazy, but that can’t be the real reason. What do you think? Do you have any ideas?”

“Well…… I’ll tell you right away if I think of something later.”

Well, she doesn’t have any ideas either.

I guess it’s natural since she’s never properly met Auriel Gavis? As I was thinking that, Amelia changed her tone and stared at me.

“So, Yandel, what else happened inside?”

“…Huh?”

“You wouldn’t be making that face just because of that.”

“What face……?”

I tilted my head and looked at her, and Amelia carefully opened her mouth.

“I might be wrong…….”

“You don’t have to beat around the bush, just say it.”

“You look like you’re in pain.”

Ah…….

“Did something else happen inside?”

Ha, I can’t hide anything from her.

What should I do? Should I tell her, or not?

I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I just told her everything that happened inside.

It wasn’t something I should hide in the first place.

……And it’s a bit hard to lie in front of someone with such wide eyes.

“I see… that’s what happened inside.”

It didn’t take long to finish the story.

I narrated the events in chronological order, completely excluding my personal perspective.

But Amelia seemed to have immediately noticed what was bothering me just from that.

No, maybe she knew even better than I did.

Judging by what she said next.

“You’re wondering if you have the right to be angry at Misha Kalstein.”

Amelia summarized my psychological state, which even I didn’t fully understand, in just one short sentence.

I felt like I had been stripped bare, as if everything was exposed.

Was that why? I unconsciously retorted.

“It’s not that simple. It’s not just about Misha, it’s a complex issue involving everyone—.”

“But the core of the issue is Misha Kalstein, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“Am I wrong?”

……I had nothing to say.

So, I just kept my mouth shut, and Amelia calmly opened her mouth and asked.

“Can you tell me what happened that day?”

I didn’t need any modifiers to understand which day she was talking about.

It must be the day I said nothing happened.

That’s when Misha started to isolate herself, not talking to anyone and just staying in a corner.

‘…Where should I start?’

After hesitating for a moment, I just started explaining from the beginning.

“Do you know about the Resurrection Stone?”

To explain what happened with Misha, I had to explain this first. After all, I hadn’t told anyone the details yet.

“To some extent.”

“Misha Kalstein received the Resurrection Stone from Baekho Lee before returning to our clan. And I found out about this and questioned her about it.”

“And?”

“I asked if she knew that using the Resurrection Stone would cause the target to lose all their memories from their previous life, and she said she didn’t. So, I said I understood and told her to leave.”

“So… what happened after that?”

I answered with a sigh.

“Misha Kalstein didn’t leave. She asked me to say something, even if it was to get angry. So, I just told her honestly.”

“…….”

“That I can’t… trust her. That even after hearing her story today, the first thing I thought was whether she was hiding something else.”

With those words, silence fell between us for a moment.

“…And?”

“That’s it.”

Misha Kalstein left the room without a word, and since then, we haven’t had a proper conversation.

That’s the whole story.

“I see.”

After listening to the story, Amelia seemed to be organizing her thoughts for a while, and then she asked an unexpected question.

“Why did you hide the story about Misha Kalstein from us?”

Well… I don’t know. Why?

Why couldn’t I tell Amelia about the Resurrection Stone?

I wanted to play dumb, but I actually knew the answer to that question.

“…Because Misha Kalstein would become isolated.”

Misha’s position in our clan is already precarious.

Erwin looks at Misha with a disapproving gaze, and Bersil is keeping a close eye on her as a potential traitor.

Moreover, Misha, who has lost her social skills over two years, can’t even get along with Ainar, who used to be her comrade, and is just drifting around.

If it’s revealed that she was under Baekho Lee’s orders, the outcome is obvious.

‘She’ll become even more isolated.’

She might even end up leaving on her own.

But that’s why I feel even more pathetic.

‘What do I even want to do?’

It was at that moment, when it was becoming increasingly difficult to understand my own state.

Amelia nodded as if she had finally understood.

“So that’s why. You couldn’t use ‘Misplaced Trust’ on Misha Kalstein.”

“…….”

“Because you must have thought she was hiding something more.”

That was spot on.

It’s a contradictory thing to say, but I couldn’t use that item because I couldn’t trust Misha.

It’s like Schrödinger’s cat [a thought experiment about quantum mechanics].

The moment you open the box, the result is already determined, and there’s no turning back.

So, I just left the box alone for now.

And looking at my pathetic self, Amelia said.

“That’s just like you.”

It sounded like a criticism, but Amelia’s eyes were gentle.

“Bjorn Yandel. When the sun rises, take ‘Misplaced Trust’ and go to Kalstein and ask if she’s hiding anything else. And if she says she’s not hiding anything, treat her like a comrade again.”

“What if she is hiding something from me?”

“Well, then we’ll have to think about it again.”

“Isn’t that… a bit irresponsible advice?”

“But you know you can’t put it off forever, right?”

Well, she’s right.

As I was sighing in frustration, Amelia said, as if comforting me.

“Do what you have to do, no matter how much you don’t want to.”

“…….”

“Bjorn Yandel. Do it like you.”

Like me…….

I wondered what kind of person Bjorn Yandel was in her eyes.

At the same time, I started to think about how I saw her.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just because you look more mature than usual?”

A sincere answer without any filtering.

“Ugh……?”

For some reason, Amelia flinched as if she had been punched in the gut.

And after looking at me for a moment, she sighed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Uh… could that be interpreted in another way?

***

After a good night’s sleep, the next morning, I went straight to the village chief and received the ‘Misplaced Trust’ to use on Misha.

Even then, I was still hesitant.

‘Is it right to use this……?’

It wasn’t because I was worried about what Misha might be hiding, but the very act of using such an item on a comrade felt very uncomfortable.

If I let this slide this time, what about next time?

Wouldn’t I end up relying on ‘Misplaced Trust’ every time I suspected something, starting with this incident?

And could such a relationship be called comradeship?

That was the fundamental question.

But…….

‘This is the last time I’ll use it.’

I didn’t know what would happen later, but once I made that decision, I hesitated a little less.

Right, so…….

Knock, knock.

I knocked on the door, where I had been standing blankly for a while.

There was no response. It didn’t seem like she was still sleeping.

“It’s me, Misha. Let’s talk for a bit.”

I knocked on the door again and spoke, and soon, I heard movement from inside the room.

“Eh? Uh? B, Bjorn? W, wait a moment, please…….”

The door finally opened almost five minutes later.

“What… is it……? At this early hour…….”

Contrary to the rumors that she was living like a recluse, she looked much neater than I expected. She must have been in the middle of washing up, as there was still some dampness in her hair.

“Can I come in for a bit?”

“Uh-huh… it’s a bit messy, though…….”

“It’s fine.”

I stepped inside the closed door.

And I immediately took out the Misplaced Trust.

“That is…….”

Misha’s expression, having immediately recognized the item, was a mix of various emotions.

She seemed relieved, and also happy. At the same time, she seemed disappointed, and also afraid.

Perhaps that’s why her lips wouldn’t part easily.

But I forced my voice out.

“I want to turn this on before we talk, can you allow it?”

The answer came after a moment’s pause.

Or rather, it wasn’t an answer, but a question.

“If I answer everything after you turn that on…….”

“…….”

“…Then can we go back? Like before?”

Before answering, that question popped up.

What did she mean by wanting to go back?

Was it the time when our hearts seemed to be in sync, or did she simply mean our comrade relationship?

Well, it must be the latter.

After all, it was Misha who clearly drew the line and pushed me away.

“Maybe.”

I gave an ambiguous affirmative answer.

With one condition, if Misha really wasn’t hiding anything else from me.

Then, we might really be able to go back.

Back to the time when I didn’t have to worry about such things.

“Then… okay.”

Finally, Misha nodded with a clenched fist, and I began the real questioning.

「The character has used [Misplaced Trust].」

I always think, they really nailed the name for this thing.