Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 701

“He’s gone….”

Only then, as if a strange tension had suddenly been released, did my companions approach me.

“Are you okay, mister…?”

“Y-you look quite exhausted, sir….”

My companions’ faces, full of worry, surrounded me as I lay sprawled on the ground.

“Bjorn Yandel.”

Among them, I saw Amelia. And she had a somewhat angry look on her face.

“How did you end up out here, and why couldn’t you return? And why were you fighting with those guys?”

Sigh, well, I guess she would be curious. It’s like I disappeared without a word for months.

“That’s—.”

Before I could explain, I tried to muster the strength to get up, but then—

“I have many questions, but you look exhausted.”

Amelia chuckled and gently pushed my shoulder, making me lie back down on the ground.

“Rest for now. We’ll talk after you’ve rested.”

At those words, I felt a sense of relief, and my eyes slowly closed. I felt like I could lose consciousness and fall asleep at any moment. But on the other hand, my head was a mess.

Thump-! Just in time, my companions came out of the city walls, and we were able to avoid the crisis. And conversely, we cornered Baekho and gained a lot of advantages.

But even so, ‘I ended up meeting them after all….’ Can I really say this is a good thing?

I was able to reunite with my companions outside the city walls, whom I thought I wouldn’t see for months. [The evil spirit from another world ‘————’ lost three companions and finally realized the path he had to take.]

Can I really call this a coincidence?

Weak footsteps. A desolate atmosphere.

Faces so dark they were almost scary. As if they were defeated soldiers, the four men and women started walking through the forest. How much time had passed?

Thump… The platinum-blonde man at the front suddenly stopped walking and muttered softly.

“This is fucked.”

The sound was so quiet that it was barely audible, and it was just a short mutter of a few syllables, but the three men and women couldn’t say a word.

They knew. They knew how frustrated, angry, and humiliated he was right now.

“……”

After a moment of silence, the large man, who had been glancing around nervously, opened his mouth as if he had to say something.

“Um… Baekho…?”

“……”

“It might be a meaningless question now… but why didn’t you go all the way…?”

“Why didn’t I go all the way?”

Baekho asked back in a cold voice, and Aures looked like he regretted bringing it up, but he continued, as if he had to satisfy his curiosity.

“I’m talking about Baron Yandel. It’s a well-known fact that he cherishes his companions. If you had gone all the way, it would have been the Baron who would have backed down.”

It was a question that Aures would naturally have. After all, Baron Yandel and Baekho were completely different people. Bjorn Yandel cherished his companions, but Baekho was the opposite.

A cold-blooded man who wouldn’t bat an eye no matter who died. That was Aures’s assessment of Baekho, and in reality, that assessment was no different.

And considering this difference, it was clear that Baekho had the advantage in the ‘stare-down’ a little while ago. But why did the opposite result occur?

The answer came from Jeina, who spoke instead of Baekho, who remained silent.

“…It seems you didn’t see it.”

“Didn’t see it? What are you talking about?”

“His eyes.”

“Eyes… you mean?”

Aures tilted his head, not understanding. Jeina added an explanation.

“If you had seen his eyes, Aures, you wouldn’t have asked that question.”

“What are you talking about? What was wrong with his eyes? Did he use some kind of power?”

“No, it’s not that… The moment I saw his eyes, I knew. Baron Yandel is someone who will never break. Especially if the means are something like blackmail.”

Aures still looked confused, and the Destruction Scholar, who had been listening from the side, chimed in.

“There are many people in the world who are simply short-sighted and reckless, or who make the wrong choices. But today, Baron Yandel was different.”

“How was he different?”

The Destruction Scholar created a small flame on his palm.

“Ordinary people don’t reach out their hands to fire. Because they know how hot the fire is. But what about someone who sees fire for the first time?”

“Well… I don’t know, but if it were me, I might have touched it out of curiosity.”

“That’s what ignorance is. Some people feel fear because of ignorance, but some people gain courage because of ignorance.”

“No, so what are you trying to say?”

“Baron Yandel knew exactly how hot the fire was, and what the consequences would be if he reached out his hand to it. But even so, he didn’t back down.”

“Because he thought it was something he had to do.”

The last words were spoken by Baekho. However, the Destruction Scholar didn’t seem displeased at all that his words were interrupted, and just said something that felt out of place.

“They are not beings who don’t know fear. They have simply learned how to overcome it and move forward. And people call them ‘warriors.’”

“……?”

“It’s written in the autobiography of Pebrosk’s army.”

“……”

“After seeing him today, I think I know why the barbarians call Baron Yandel a great warrior.”

“No, so whose side are you on, old man?”

“For now, I’m on your side. That’s why I’m giving you advice so that you can understand the reason for your failure. A little while ago, the Baron’s eyes were the eyes of someone who was prepared. But you weren’t.”

“So what am I supposed to do? Should we have fought to the death just to solve one question?!”

“I just mean that you should be careful from now on. You can no longer control him with the ‘leash’ you thought you had.”

“I know, I know… So stop talking. It’s not like you’re trying to provoke me.”

Perhaps his emotions had calmed down somewhat, as Baekho regained his usual tone. Baekho then let out an exaggerated sigh and muttered as if complaining.

“Ha, this is a real problem. If I can’t threaten him with his companions, what am I supposed to use to control him now?”

Perhaps his anger had passed. Now, it seemed that this was his biggest problem, and Baekho fell into thought without a word. The three men and women, who had been glancing at each other, continued their conversation.

“By the way… he was truly strong.”

“The Baron?”

“Yes. I never imagined that he could withstand our combined full-force attack for hours… I never dreamed that such a monster existed in this world.”

“It’s just that you don’t know about them, but they do exist.”

“Are there more monsters like that in the world?”

“Of course, there are only a few, but they do exist.”

At the Destruction Scholar’s words, Aures started counting on his fingers, as if he could think of some people.

One, two, three, four, five, six… The speed at which he folded his fingers was slow, and even after he was done, there weren’t many fingers folded. But…

“Perhaps in a few years, there won’t even be enough to count on two hands.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Baron Yandel will become even stronger in the future.”

At those words, Jeina and Aures didn’t say anything, but their eyes held one question.

A question about whether it was realistically possible for him to become even stronger. The Destruction Scholar turned his gaze.

And…

“Those who have nothing to lose only become more vicious…”

He continued, looking at Baekho’s back, who seemed lost in thought and didn’t hear their conversation.

“But those who have much to protect become stronger.”

It was a principle of the world that he had naturally come to know after living for so long. ***

When I opened my eyes, I saw a tree. A huge tree that seemed to reach the sky. Through the gaps, the night sky was filled with stars like a galaxy.

And… crackling. I could hear the sound of a campfire burning. ‘It’s chilly.’ Only then did I feel the coldness coming up from the bare ground, and the moisture that had gathered on the grass.

‘Did they cover me?’ A blanket was covering my body, so I guess my companions had covered me.

My own extra-large blanket that could cover the entire body of a barbarian who was over 2m tall.

‘Did they just cover me with a blanket instead of moving me because they were afraid I’d wake up?’ Thinking that, I felt a warmth in my heart.

If it had been Baekho’s team, I wouldn’t have felt this kind of emotion even if we had been together for decades.

“You’re awake.”

As I rustled under the blanket, Amelia’s voice came from beside me, noticing that I was awake.

I slightly raised my upper body and looked to see Amelia sitting in front of the campfire.

“How long has it been?”

“It’s been two days since you passed out and fell asleep.”

“…What?”

So, I’ve been sleeping on the bare ground for two days? No wonder… my shoulders feel so stiff.

“Where are the others?”

“They’re sleeping. I was on watch.”

I tilted my head at the mention of her being on watch.

“It doesn’t look like a clone?”

It was Amelia’s specialty to use a clone summoned by [Self-Replication] as a watch while she slept. But why was she doing this in her real body?

“……I thought it would be better if someone was next to you when you woke up.”

Wow… I really have good companions.

“I heard a rough summary of what happened from the magic scholar. You went and caused trouble again by acting on your own.”

“Trouble?”

“If you hadn’t gone out alone with just the magic scholar in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened, would it? What were you thinking?”

Amelia started to scold me in a tone as if she was reprimanding a naive child.

“Wasn’t the option of consulting us even in your head? If you had died out there, what were we supposed to do? How could you act so irresponsibly?”

I didn’t have anything to say. It’s not like I knew this would happen, but as a result, I made not only myself but also them suffer.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel. I trusted you and entrusted my life to you.”

“……”

“Please don’t make me regret that choice.”

“……I will make sure that this never happens again.”

I said, making the most pitiful expression I could, and Amelia pressed her forehead and let out a long sigh. And…

“…That’s enough scolding.”

Amelia, who had returned to her usual voice, looked at me and said.

“You must have a lot of questions too, so let me tell you what happened on our side first.”

After that, Amelia gave me a concise summary of what had happened in the city after I disappeared.

Well, it was a few months’ worth of information, so it was quite long. First, there was a kind of clan battle tournament held at the 13th Month Festival.

Our Anabada Clan was originally planning to participate, but we had to withdraw due to my absence.

“The royal family opened the Golden Marriage Report to the 10 members of the winning clan…?”

“In the case of the leader, they opened the Sacred Marriage Report, which is one level higher than the Golden Marriage Report.”

What the hell. The Sacred Marriage Report means they’re storing 2nd grade essences and double numbers? I felt a slight pain in my stomach, but I decided to think positively.

I was able to gain a lot of things by exploring outside the city walls, and in the end, I hit the jackpot by getting a settlement from Baekho.

Anyway. After listening to the story, it seemed that there were no major incidents, unlike what I had been worried about.

There were a few problems due to my absence, but it seemed that my businesses in the city were running smoothly….

“My disappearance hasn’t been made public yet…?”

This part was quite surprising to me.

“How is that possible?”

“We were able to handle most of the tasks you were doing.”

“But there must have been a lot of people who had questions?”

“We explained to those people that you had obtained a new essence and were researching it in seclusion.”

“……Still, it’s better to assume that the people who would know that I’ve disappeared already know.”

“That’s probably true. It’s that kind of city. Even if they can’t say anything because we’re denying it, they’re probably suspicious. Especially since we disappeared all at once like this.”

“……Ah! That’s right! How were you able to come out? Was the magic circle fixed?”

I asked, hoping that we could go home now, but Amelia shook her head. And then she started explaining why they were able to come out….

‘So, it’s only the return that’s blocked, but it’s possible to go out of the city.’ I felt a warmth in my heart again.

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

It’s just that I’m grateful. Unlike me, they came out of the city walls, which was ‘unknown land’ itself, to find me, even though they knew there was no way to return.

“So, what happened to you?”

As I smiled silently, Amelia changed the subject, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Ah, me? Um, where should I start—.”

“As I said before, I heard a rough summary from the magic scholar. What I’m curious about is something else.”

“Something else?”

“The real reason why you ended up confronting Baekho, who you were getting along with.”

Ah, that….

“I heard about you meeting Auriel Gavis, and that you came out late at the end.”

Well, if that’s the case, it’s like she already knows everything…

“What happened that made you hide it from Baekho, even while fighting him in that unfavorable situation?”

Looking at Amelia, who had a serious expression, I chuckled.

“It seems like there’s some misunderstanding… The reason I hid it from Baekho was different.”

To be honest, there was no reason to keep it a secret from Baekho. In fact, if he had asked politely, offering a price first, I might have told him. But…

“Because he came at me so forcefully. I decided that I couldn’t give in here.”

“…I see.”

Amelia, who had grown up in a world of the survival of the fittest, seemed to understand what I meant without needing a long explanation.