Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 1

I close my eyes.

And ask myself again.

If this is the beginning of a very, very cruel game, what should I do now?

‘First, assess the situation and gather information.’

Whew, I feel like I’m regaining my senses a bit.

Remembering the first task I set for myself, I slowly opened my eyes and checked my surroundings again.

Unfortunately, nothing had changed from before.

“…….”

I’m still in a clearing in the forest.

The surroundings are lit not by LED streetlights but by flickering torches.

And most of all, no matter where I look, there are muscular barbarians everywhere…

“Congratulations! Young warriors!”

Shit, I wasn’t seeing things after all.

I don’t know what they’re doing, huddled together in the middle of the night, but their expressions are quite solemn.

Is that guy in the middle some kind of chieftain?

Well, that’s not important.

“From today, you will leave the sacred grounds and be reborn as true warriors!”

I let the chieftain’s words flow through one ear and out the other as I closed my eyes.

I’m not a doctor, but if I were to self-diagnose, I’d say I’m experiencing a blackout.

I don’t know why I’m here.

“Now, come out one by one and choose a weapon that suits you!”

So, let’s try to figure this out.

What was I doing just before this?

I wondered if there was something wrong with my brain, so I carefully retraced my steps, and soon the memories came back.

I was playing a game.

I was about to enter the final boss room, and I activated the portal while suppressing my excitement. Then, suddenly, messages like ‘Tutorial Complete’ and ‘Starting Transfer’ appeared, and a bright light burst out. And then…

I came to my senses and found myself here.

Somehow, I’m even more confused than before.

“Karak, the third son of Panun, come forth!”

First, I decided to check my physical condition.

I don’t feel any pain, but you never know.

With that thought, I lowered my head and froze.

…What is this?

“A two-handed axe! Excellent!”

The hand I looked down at was grotesquely large. And surprisingly, it moved according to my will.

While I was at it, I checked other places, and it was a sight to behold.

Not only was I shirtless, but all sorts of tattoos were drawn on my bulky muscles.

…No wonder everyone looked so big; our eye levels matched.

I tried to analyze the situation.

No, there was really nothing to analyze.

For some reason, I had become a barbarian without even knowing it.

“Karak, the third son of Panun! With this, you have become a warrior!”

Kidnapping, hidden camera, psychological experiment, and so on.

I immediately dismissed similar possibilities from my mind. The situation is a mess, and it would be foolish to force a justification while clinging to false hope.

It’s more productive to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged and move on.

What’s happening to me now is something that cannot be explained by science or modern knowledge.

There are plenty of reasons besides this huge body.

“Next!”

First of all, the language these barbarians are using is neither Korean, English, nor Spanish.

A language I’ve never encountered in any media in my life.

The problem is that I can understand that language as naturally as my mother tongue.

As if the knowledge had been imprinted in my head.

“Ainar, the second daughter of Pnelin, come forth!”

Secondly, this situation feels familiar.

I know it sounds weird, but it’s true.

At first, everything was unfamiliar, but after regaining my senses a bit, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

“You chose a sword! A wise choice that suits your intelligence!”

The young barbarians are choosing their weapons in turn.

The only thing they have in common is that…

This reminds me of the beginning of [Dungeon & Stone].

To be precise, when you chose ‘Barbarian’ among the various races, the game started like this.

But is this really a coincidence?

The game I was playing when the mysterious light engulfed me was also [Dungeon & Stone], and even the main character I was playing was a ‘Barbarian’?

“Ainar, the second daughter of Pnelin! With this, you have become a warrior. May the blessing of ‘Laphdonia’ be with you!”

‘This is insane…’

I decided to stop analyzing the remaining evidence.

Laphdonia.

Thanks to this proper noun that the chieftain just mentioned, everything became clear.

I now know where this place is.

The world of the game I’ve been playing for nearly 10 years.

“D-Dungeon & Stone.”

Oh, who’s this? Why are they speaking for me?

I glanced at the barbarian next to me and froze. He looked different from the other barbarians at first glance.

“W-What is this? Why am I here…”

His breathing is rough, and his eyes are full of confusion.

He knows about [Dungeon & Stone], too. Is he in the same situation as me?

I felt the need to check, but unfortunately, I couldn’t even try.

“Who just spoke!”

My head went blank for a moment at the loud voice that made my eardrums tingle.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

Looking at the chieftain staring down at me, I quickly came to my senses.

“Was it you?”

As soon as I was asked, I shook my head. And naturally, I looked at the barbarian next to me.

An action so swift that I was impressed with myself.

In response, the chieftain shifted his gaze to the barbarian next to me instead of questioning me.

Sorry, but you’re the one who spoke, right?

“Was it you?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were the one who just mumbled.”

I’m only realizing now, but the chieftain’s expression is unusual. It doesn’t seem like it’s just because he spoke…

“Ah, are you talking about Dungeon & Stone? But… why is that?”

He doesn’t seem to have noticed the atmosphere yet.

“So it was you…”

A brief moment of pity flashes in the chieftain’s eyes as he grits his teeth.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, I unconsciously took a step back.

Then, the guy tilted his head and asked.

“Is this like an event? Ah, maybe it’s a problem that I noticed too quickly—”

I couldn’t even see what had passed with my eyes.

Something flashed, and then I heard a chilling sound.

Thud-

That was the whole incident.

After a moment that felt like an eternity, a head fell with a thud and rolled away.

A cruel scene that felt unreal.

My eyes conveyed the information I had just seen to my brain.

“…….”

A person’s head was cut off right in front of me. I could see the bones and the cross-section of the muscles. Something white splattered on my face along with blood and flesh. What is this? Is it fat?

Well, I don’t know.

It’s not as shocking as I thought it would be.

I didn’t feel nauseous like in movies or comics, nor did I lose my mind thinking it was all a dream.

Pshooosh!

Even while watching a fountain of blood gushing from a person’s neck, my mind was filled with only one question.

Why on earth did the chieftain kill him?

“The soul of Orum, the son of Kadua, was possessed by an ‘evil spirit.’ Young warriors, erase all the words the evil spirit just uttered from your memories!”

The moment I heard the chieftain’s words, information naturally combined in my head.

Info 1, I am an evil spirit.

Info 2, if this fact is discovered, I will die.

Info 3, I could have ended up like that.

After reaching that conclusion, a chill ran down my spine, which had been fine even when a person’s head was cut off.

“Vulcan! You must take the body and inform the temple of this fact!”

“What about the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“We will proceed!”

Although there was a bloodbath, the coming-of-age ceremony continued.

It seems like this is a common occurrence here, as no one even batted an eye. This was the same for the young warriors around me.

But maybe it’s because I’ve played so many cruel games?

Without anyone telling me, I could clearly recognize what I had to do now.

—Do not reveal the fact that you are an evil spirit to anyone, and successfully complete the coming-of-age ceremony.

A kind game would have displayed a message like this.

Engraving the updated task in my mind, I forcibly stopped my body from trembling. And using the attitudes of others as a guideline, I acted out an expression.

No one should feel any sense of unease from me.

It seems that to them, I am nothing more than an ‘evil spirit’ who has taken over the body of its master.

“Next!”

When the thought reached that point, my heart sank.

“Serum, the fourth son of Kenic, come forth!”

I don’t know my name.

This is a critical issue that could cost me my life.

If I’m the only one who doesn’t move when my name is called, it will definitely look suspicious.

“Next!”

Of course, I could just pass it off as having misheard.

That’s definitely the more likely possibility.

But if you ask me if I can be sure, it’s a completely different story. What if it’s not? What if the chieftain asks me questions because I look suspicious?

I won’t be able to answer anything.

“Next!”

Did the uneasy feeling stimulate the hormones in my brain?

Positive thoughts began to pop up out of nowhere.

A weak thought like, ‘If I’m called last, it doesn’t matter if I don’t know my name, right?’

“Next!”

I was pathetic.

Betting on luck?

I’ve never been lucky in my life, have I? You can tell just by the fact that I was dragged into this place while playing a game.

For a guy like me to overcome this crisis, I need a plan with a much higher probability.

“Next!”

For that reason, I continued to observe my surroundings.

With my chin facing forward, I used my eyes to observe and scrutinize the expressions, movements, and habits of others.

As I did so, one method came to mind.

“Next!”

Of course, this method doesn’t guarantee 100% success either.

But the given time was short, and I made a final decision.

This is the path with the highest chance of survival.

“Next!”

“Next!”

“Next!”

The callings continued after that.

Each time, I counted to about 2 seconds in my head.

I repeated that eight times.

“Bjorn, the son of Yandel, come forth!”

The moment I had been waiting for finally arrived.

Even after 2 seconds had passed since the calling, no one took a step forward.

Recognizing this fact, I took a step forward. And with my shoulders held high, I walked towards the chieftain.

Thump.

It’s not that I’m not afraid.

Even at this moment as I take a step, I’m not sure that’s my name.

Thump.

If my judgment is wrong, the crazy chieftain will suddenly stop me, saying I’m suspicious.

And he’ll ask, who’s your mother?

I won’t be able to answer.

But.

Thump.

I didn’t hesitate.

Even as my heart pounded, I took a breath and continued to step forward.

For a simple reason.

Because I judged that this had the highest probability of success.

“Young warrior, choose the weapon you desire!”

As a result, my choice was correct.

There was no suspicion in the chieftain’s gaze as he looked at me.

A warm look, just like when he was dealing with other young warriors.

I suppressed a strange excitement and caught my breath.

I survived.

***

Not even 10 minutes had passed since I opened my eyes.

But I accepted the reality I was facing as it was.

Some people might find this strange…

Denying it is meaningless.

It’s not a dream.

‘Bjorn Yandel.’

From now on, I have to live with this name.

No, not just the name, I have to become this barbarian completely.

I don’t know how long it will be.

Is it even possible to go back home? If it is, what should I do?

I don’t know anything yet.

Well, maybe I can go back if I fulfill the game’s clear conditions.

But it’s still too early to say for sure.

Honestly, I hope not.

No, I haven’t even cleared it in the 2D version yet, how am I supposed to clear it in real life?

Maybe I’ll have to live here forever.

“…….”

In that sense, choosing a weapon was important.

I thought it might raise suspicion if I dragged it out, but I carefully examined each weapon.

One-handed swords, two-handed greatswords, maces, iron clubs, spears, harpoons, two-handed axes, flails, large hammers, and so on.

There were no bows or staffs at all.

These barbarian bastards don’t care about easy jobs like healers, mages, or archers.

It’s only natural considering their racial characteristics.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel! Choose your weapon now!”

As the selection time grew longer, the chieftain began to urge me.

I organized my thoughts one last time.

Barbarians have no magical talent by nature, but they have powerful physical abilities.

For that reason, when I raised a barbarian, I always gave them a melee weapon and placed them in the front line.

I also tried raising an archer barbarian out of curiosity, but it wasn’t good.

Their true value was always demonstrated in close combat.

And among them…

‘This one.’

After much deliberation, I chose a weapon.

“Hmm.”

The chieftain, who had been expressing admiration and praise after each selection, showed a strange reaction for the first time.

I could fully understand his feelings.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel! With this, you have become a warrior!”

I chose a weapon that no one else had chosen.

***

At that time, in a dark room where the flash had subsided.

「Synchronization complete.」

「Character information and logs are recorded and sent to the administrator.」

The fan of the turned-off main unit started spinning, and the light leaking from the monitor illuminated the empty room.

However, the booting did not proceed normally.

Beep, beep, beep—

Stopped at a black DOS screen, the typing entered to the beep sounds as if there was an error.

「The coming-of-age ceremony has been successfully completed.」

「New equipment has been equipped.」

「The overall item level increases by +12…」

「…….」

As if someone was writing in real-time even at this moment, only those sounds echoed quietly in the empty room.

Endlessly, continuously.

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 1

Physical: 25 / Mental: 35 / Supernatural: 1

Item Level: 24 (New +24)

Overall Combat Index: 67 (New+6)