Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 113

Reunion (2)

“Bjorn! I remember now! It’s that guy from back then!”

“No need to explain. I remembered too.”

I felt a strange sensation as I retraced my memories.

Time went back three months, to when I was trapped in the instant-death skill [Abyss of Evil] of the floor boss, Lyakis.

[Be grateful that I’m not killing you right away, you trash.]

When the Dzarwi Clan rejected the explorers who had rioted, the explorers fell into a collective panic.

It was then that this man appeared.

[I, I know about this phenomenon.]

He presented a new path to the bewildered explorers.

Of course, it was a story that was hard to believe at face value…

[I’ve been in a team with him for over a year. He’s a mysterious person. He really knows everything. I have no doubt that his words will save us.]

The explorers, with no other option, followed his path, trusting only the guarantee of an elf who claimed to be his companion.

And…

‘No doubt, my ass.’

They all died.

Later, when I was curious and looked into it, that was the only news I heard, so I had assumed that was the case.

Until I met that guy today.

‘They took over a hundred people to their deaths, and they’re the only ones who survived.’

Thinking that, I couldn’t help but find him interesting.

It couldn’t have been just luck that they survived.

It would be reasonable to think he had some skill.

I thought he was just a moron back then…

‘Could it be that he knew it was a death trap when he took them there?’

“N-now! Get out of the way!” he shouted, predicting the Death Knight’s pattern.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched the man giving instructions.

He had a total of four summoned creatures.

The synergy between the summons was good, but the grade of the essences themselves wasn’t high.

Here’s one thing I could tell.

‘They’re probably around grade 7 on average.’

He was a low-level explorer with nothing to his name.

If he were a gold spoon [born into wealth], his equipment would have been flashy.

That’s why the questions grew even bigger.

Lyakis’s patterns and the conditions for the Death Knight’s appearance.

He wasn’t born into a good family, and he’s a short-career explorer, yet he knows this information?

‘…It’s reasonable to assume he’s a player.’

I made my final judgment through rational deduction.

That nameless summoner was a player.

I don’t know why such a guy would make the mistake of choosing a human summoner as a job.

‘Tch, this is a bit confusing.’

If he were a beastman, a dragonkin, or a dwarf, it would be understandable.

Humans have no synergy with the summoning system.

Of course, this is only a minor difference in the beginning, but it leads to a huge gap as you progress to the later stages.

In short, it’s very inefficient.

‘Maybe that wasn’t important to him…’

That was a possibility.

Regardless of the character’s completeness, it’s normal for people to want to choose an easy job.

Well, who would want to fight directly at the front?

It’s not like I can say anything, since I chose a shield as soon as I found out I started as a barbarian.

[You have defeated the Death Knight. EXP +4]

I opened my eyes amidst the feeling of satisfaction that settled in my body.

The Death Knight was scattering into a cloud of light, finished off by the fireball the mage had embedded in its core.

For the record, no essence came out.

“Too bad. I even bought a test tube at a high price, just in case.”

“P-Parteian-nim, b-be careful what you say…”

“Ah, right.”

The mage shut his mouth and looked at me.

‘Well, I guess it’s our turn now.’

After watching them with a blank face for a moment, I put on my innocent barbarian mask again.

“Ooh, amazing! What kind of magic was that at the end?”

“…I don’t think we’re on terms to have such a conversation?”

The elf archer coldly cut me off as I tried to approach the mage in a friendly manner.

“What was that you did earlier? If you can’t explain it properly, we’ll consider you an enemy.”

Tch, I thought he was very gentle in front of people back then…

Was it all an act?

Ah, elves and barbarians don’t get along.

“As I said before, I was just trying to help!”

“That’s strange. None of us said anything like that.”

“Death Knights are strong! So I thought you were in danger!”

The elf archer glared at me with suspicious eyes.

Even after seeing the baby barbarian mode, she had such a look, how bad is the barbarian image among elves?

“Is that really the only reason?”

“Then what else would there be?”

“Well, there would be the essence. You may not know, but the beastman next to you would have been greedy for that essence.”

Misha was startled by the elf’s sharp mutter and waved her hands.

“O-oh, misunderstanding! I use swords, but I already have all my essence slots filled, so I can’t eat it!”

“Is that true…?”

“You can check if you want!”

What’s there to check?

What are you going to do if you check here?

It was a truly absurd answer, but the elf just nodded and moved on.

“If that’s the case, I’ll believe you.”

It seems that this elf archer is only prickly towards barbarians.

“But even so, there’s something fishy about you jumping in to help.”

“Those, pointy-ears…”

“You! What did you just say?”

I asked back with annoyance at her sharp shout.

“How shady are you normally that you start with suspicion?”

It’s not like I was really angry or anything.

I also know that it was wrong to barge in during the battle.

But so what?

“Are you looking down on me because I’m a barbarian?”

Even in a situation where my fault is clear, I can go on the offensive.

That’s what a true barbarian should be like.

“If you insult me any further, I won’t stand for it! Pointy-ear!”

The elf was flustered as she saw me raising my shield as if I was going to fight, despite the 4:2 situation.

“No, that’s not it! I’m just asking you to clarify the suspicious parts!”

“Suspicious points?”

“I understand that the essence isn’t your goal. But it’s hard to believe that you didn’t intend to get a free ride on our achievements.”

Hmm, she’s really sharp.

She’s practically reached the truth, but that’s not a problem either.

“Why would I do such a bothersome thing? I’ve already caught one before.”

“…Huh?”

The elf looked blank at my words.

Well, it wouldn’t make sense.

Because it’s hard to even encounter a monster like that before reaching the 6th floor.

I added a brief explanation.

“I’ve been to the Crimson Fortress before. Does that explain it?”

It was a mutated rift, so a vampire popped out instead of a Death Knight, but who cares?

It’s not like we’re going to investigate the truth here.

It’s also half true.

“B-but! How can we believe that?”

“If you’re going to be like that, you can’t believe anything I say, can you? If you want to fight, come at me, pointy-ear.”

“Just because I’m holding back, you think I can’t do it…!”

The man was startled and stepped forward as the elf exploded in anger.

“Maylin-nim. P-please stop! What he said is probably t-true!”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“I-I remember now! That barbarian… he’s the p-person I saw back then! Bjorn, Yandel’s son. The explorer who got the nickname ‘Little Vulcan’!”

It must have been a short meeting, but the summoner seemed to remember my face.

The mage and the warrior exclaimed at the same time.

“No wonder, he was easily blocking the Death Knight’s sword while talking.”

“Oh, amazing. Maylin, it seems we were mistaken. There’s no way someone so famous would do such a thing just to get some achievement points.”

The elf archer bit her lip, sensing that the situation was starting to turn strange.

“I understand how you feel, Maylin. Sometimes it’s the hardest to admit. But you know, sometimes you have to let go of your stubbornness and accept it.”

“Huu, I understand…”

When all of her companions judged that I had no impure intentions, the elf archer didn’t push it any further.

‘Hah, is this why I need to build up fame?’

I once again realized the importance of fame as I stared at the summoner approaching me.

“I-it’s nice to meet you. Bjorn, Yandel’s son.”

He looked funny because of his stuttering habit, but this guy was no ordinary person.

After all, he had a history of driving hundreds of people to their deaths to save his own skin.

“Since we met like this, w-would you like to introduce ourselves?”

He cautiously asked me.

It’s not like he’s curious about my name, so it’s safe to assume that he just wants to build a relationship with me.

“Sure.”

I nodded without hesitation.

There was no reason to refuse.

In the first place, I had stayed here until now because I was curious about this guy’s name.

“As you know, I’m Bjorn, Yandel’s son. What’s your name?”

Since he’s definitely a player, I was planning to find out his name and investigate him later.

It’s not for any big reason, I was just a little curious.

If I look into his actions, I might be able to use him as a reference sample for how normal players behave.

But…

“I’m Hans Krisen.”

Damn it, I didn’t expect this.

A player who possessed Hans’s body.

What kind of messed up attribute is that?

“If you don’t mind, let’s be f-friends in the future—”

I stepped back as I saw him smiling kindly and offering a handshake.

“Hold it right there. I have something urgent to do, so I’ll be going now!”

“…Huh? What do you mean—”

“Misha! What are you doing! Hurry up and come here!”

“U-uh! I got it… Wait! L-let’s go together…!”

Damn it, I should have brought some salt [a common superstition to ward off bad luck].

My heart was already pounding, wondering what would happen next.

***

I left the place as if running away as soon as I found out HansG’s identity.

How much time had passed since then?

“What are you doing! It’s okay to run, but please explain the reason—”

“…He was also a Hans.”

“Huh? What do you mean—”

“I’ve never had a good experience when I met a Hans.”

It was a sincere worry, but Misha looked relieved instead.

“Oh my, I thought it was something serious. I was worried!”

No, this is a really big deal, isn’t it?

It’s Hans, you know?

And he’s a player from the labyrinth?

“When I look at you, you have some strange quirks. I didn’t think you’d believe in such superstitions.”

I felt a bit sad seeing Misha not taking it seriously.

“Pfft! Bjorn, you… you seem a bit cute today?”

What is she talking about?

I took the opportunity to tell her about all the incidents involving Hans.

Starting with HansA, who started it all, then HansC, who was Elisa’s subordinate, and HansD, who was the leader of the raider group we met in the Witch’s Forest.

“Come to think of it, you said you hated the name Hans back then too…?”

“Yeah. But back then, I just thought it was unlucky.”

When I told her about HansB, who was near Dwarki right before he was dragged away by Mozlan, Misha’s face changed.

“W-what is it! What is it with this Hans guy!!”

As expected of an explorer with a weakness for superstitions, Misha seemed to be getting uneasy at this point.

“Then what do we do? We’ve already met him… Could something big happen again?!”

Well, I don’t know either.

I just think I should be as careful as possible from now on.

“Let’s go to the 3rd floor as soon as possible.”

“…Not the 1st floor?”

Misha, who was now more serious than me, questioned my decision, but this was the most rational decision.

First of all, it’s not clear whether this is a superstition or not…

And even if it really exists, nothing changes.

If Hans’s curse is real, then running away is meaningless. Bad things can happen in the city too.

It’s better to just do what we have to do to minimize the losses.

“Ugh, if that’s the case, you shouldn’t have said anything. Now I feel uneasy too…”

Well, that’s true.

It seems that I had difficulty thinking rationally because I met a player Hans.

Or maybe I had become reliant on her at some point.

I don’t know about good things, but if we share the hard things, it definitely gets cut in half, right?

“Is that something you should say! You crazy barbarian!!!”

“…I’m kidding.”

“Don’t lie! Your eyes were serious!”

Misha was greatly enraged when I told her the truth.

Well, she seemed quite pleased with the fact that I had unknowingly relied on her, though.

“Hah! Anyway, it’s good that you told me without hiding it. If something like that happens again, don’t suffer alone and tell me. I’m older than you, right?”

“Ah, right.”

Misha is five years older than me.

Of course, that’s based on Bjorn’s age.

“What’s with that reaction?”

“It means I rely on you more.”

“…I don’t think that’s what you meant?”

Anyway, we ended our chat here and resumed our journey. And how much time had passed again?

I started to feel the fatigue building up in my body.

It meant it was time to set up camp.

‘It’s been almost a day since then, so I’ll probably arrive at the 3rd floor tomorrow or the day after.’

I was also quite tired, but I set up a place and put Misha to sleep first. Then, I sat quietly and kept watch, lost in thought.

How much time had passed since then?

[00:37]

When I checked the time, it was already past 12 o’clock.

Today was the 7th day, so the 1st floor crystal cave had already been closed and the explorers had been sent back to the city.

Well, whether they leave early or late, they’ll all be in the same time zone when they return to the city…

‘I wonder if that guy got back okay?’

Caron, whom I had taken to the 1st floor, suddenly came to mind.

[It might be a good idea to deliberately get a human night buddy and then pretend to sleep. If he has an ulterior motive, he’ll definitely reveal it!]

Was it because of what he said at the end?

I was worried for no reason, wondering if he had caused any trouble.

‘Eh, what could possibly happen?’

It was time for the shift change, so I woke Misha up and closed my eyes for a while.

***

Dazzling light.

The noise of the crowd.

And the damp air unique to the city that enveloped his lungs.

Caron couldn’t help but shout.

He just felt like it.

Should he call it refreshing?

He didn’t care about the gazes of the people around him, as if they were looking at a savage. There was a time when he was intimidated by such gazes…

So what!

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

Caron had changed.

No, he had shed a layer of skin.

Like a horned beetle larva breaking its shell to become an adult.

In this expedition, he had grown into a true warrior.

That’s why…

“Tsk, they always have to show off like that. Barbarians?”

“Hey, they’ll hear you. They’re the type to charge in without thinking, so you have to be careful.”

Those condescending gazes only felt like a pleasant stimulus.

That meant they were being careless.

Just like the two night buddies he had killed in the past few days.

‘It was easy.’

Bjorn, Yandel’s son.

Everything was as he had said.

The 1st floor was full of trashy people hiding their true intentions, and as soon as he showed an opening, they pounced on him.

Without even realizing that it was a trap.

The expressions they made when they were defeated by those who had looked down on them as prey were enough to give him a thrill he had never experienced before.

Clang, clang.

One on his back, one on his right arm, and one on his left arm.

He walked proudly towards the checkpoint with a total of three bags.

The line was long, as it was a gate for 9th-grade explorers.

As soon as he arrived, his fellow tribesmen who were familiar with him found him and approached him.

“Caron, son of Tarson! What are those bags?”

“Th-they’re full of equipment! Did you perhaps loot them?”

Caron shook his head firmly.

“Pfft, loot? There’s no way I would do that.”

This was not a disgusting act like looting.

No, it was a noble act of protecting his fellow tribesmen.

When he drew a clear line against their concerns, the barbarians’ eyes changed.

“It’s possible to do that without looting!”

“I-I’m jealous! How many stone breads would you get if you sold all of that?”

They were his peers who had completed their coming-of-age ceremony with him, but today they looked so young.

That’s why he gathered as many of his fellow tribesmen as possible.

There was a time when he felt competitive with them, but the real enemy was somewhere else.

“Hehe, don’t be jealous. If you know the method, you can earn this much too. You won’t have to eat stone bread for the rest of your life.”

“What!! If there’s such a thing, tell us quickly!”

“I’ll tell you! But before that! There’s something I need to talk about first.”

Caron first told them about what he had experienced in the labyrinth this time.

How he was betrayed by his companions.

How the reason was his heart.

And how they saw them as easy monsters with big rewards.

“We are not monsters!!”

“We are warriors!!”

As expected, his fellow tribesmen were greatly enraged.

And when they heard that it was ‘Little Vulcan’ who had saved him, they praised him loudly.

“Little Vulcan, Bjorn, Yandel’s son!”

“To read the minds of vicious looters, he is indeed a great and wise warrior!”

The atmosphere heated up in an instant.

In the midst of it, Caron proudly shouted.

“He gave me guidance. It’s all thanks to his guidance that I was able to return with so many spoils!”

“Oh! Is that true!!”

“It’s true! I’ll share that guidance with you now!”

Then, Caron shared everything he had learned from Bjorn.

No, he even shared ‘that method’ that he had devised himself without hiding anything.

Of course, he gave all the credit to Bjorn.

“All you have to do is get a human night buddy and pretend to sleep!!”

“Bjorn, Yandel’s son! Is he a genius?”

“It sounded a bit strange at first, but if such a great warrior said it? I’ll follow it!”

Looking at his fellow tribesmen who were excited, Caron was convinced.

“Tsk, those guys are starting again.”

“I don’t know why they just let them be so noisy all the time.”

“Even if you tear out their hearts and sell them, their mouths will still be the same.”

Until now, barbarians were the lowest prey in the labyrinth.

It was hard to admit, but that was the reality he had faced recently.

They might be strong in a head-on fight, but they were helpless against their cunning tricks.

But…

“Bjorn, Yandel’s son, said! This is all going to be a noble first step for all of us!!”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Things will be different from now on.

Surviving the Game as a Barbarian [EN]

Surviving the Game as a Barbarian [EN]

Surviving as a Barbarian in the Game, 게임 속 바바리안으로 살아남기
Status: Ongoing Author: ,
Bookmark
Followed 25 people
[English Translation] After nine grueling years, Hansu Lee finally conquers the infamously challenging game "Dungeon and Stone." But his victory is short-lived; upon defeating the final boss, he's thrust into a blinding light and awakens as Bjorn Yandel, a barbarian warrior within the game's universe. In this perilous world, survival hinges on his ability to embody the savage strength and cunning of his new identity. Armed with only his gaming knowledge and a barbarian's physique, Hansu must navigate treacherous dungeons, battle formidable monsters, and conceal his true origins to avoid deadly suspicion. Dive into "Surviving the Game as a Barbarian" and join Hansu on a relentless quest where the line between player and character blurs, and every decision is a fight for survival.

Read Settings

not work with dark mode
Reset