Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 119

The office was filled with the heavy scent of wood. Nile Urbans, the 7th Regional Director of the Explorer’s Guild, chuckled to himself. It was because he was reminded of something his daughter had said not too long ago. [I have no intention of living the rest of my life as my father’s puppet.] When the prison break first occurred, he had noticed his daughter’s suspicious movements. After all, there was no reason for her to be having a private meeting with the branch manager at that time. That fact was suspicious enough that he began a full investigation, and he learned that his daughter had been secretly building her influence within the guild. ‘A woman has her own life to live.’ For a moment of rebellion, it was quite plausible. While he thought it was a headache, he also felt a sense of pride, thinking that she was indeed his daughter. However… ‘I told her to be careful even when breathing.’ The only reason he could look at even such ambition with fondness was because the target was his daughter. ‘Branch manager, it seems that guy has chosen my daughter after all.’ Bjorn Yandel. He had planned to teach him a lesson someday, but the barbarian had made tremendous growth in a short period of time. The branch manager had attempted to contact him today. He didn’t know what his daughter was planning by using that barbarian yet. However, it was clear that the branch manager had gone under his daughter’s command. That fact was extremely unpleasant. ‘How dare they rebel against me.’ He couldn’t say he didn’t understand why the branch manager had made that choice. He was already out of favor, and he had already decided who would take his place when he was removed. He knew that, so he must have tried to grab onto any rotten rope. However, understanding and forgiveness are two different things. ‘I should take care of both of them this time.’ Nile Urbans sipped his tea, his eyes gleaming. Originally, he had planned to just leave the barbarian alone. Thinking about the humiliation he had suffered at that time made him shudder, but he had established his own position in just a few months. There was no reason to create another enemy. However, now the situation was different. There must have been a reason why his smart daughter tried to contact the barbarian. ‘……Besides, he’s been strangely bothering me.’ Nile Urbans made a decision. If something was bothering him, he would just get rid of it. Before it became a bigger problem later. *** How long had it been since he left the Explorer’s Guild? As he was heading back to his lodgings, thunder rumbled in the clear sky, and heavy rain began to pour down. ‘God damn it.’ Dark, gloomy clouds had covered the sky at some point. He thought about just getting soaked, but then he figured it might just be a passing shower, so he stepped into a nearby restaurant. Since it was time for a meal anyway, he planned to eat and wait for the situation to calm down. “Here’s your order.” Grilled meat, pumpkin stew, and rye bread. His insides were warmed up nicely, but he still felt like something was missing. It wasn’t like he had come to a cheap restaurant that cost 300 stones per meal like before. ‘Definitely… Misha grills meat well.’ He decided that he would buy some meat when he went out tomorrow and ask her to grill it, and he ordered an additional rum. Since things had turned out this way, he planned to kill time until the rain stopped or at least calmed down a bit. After all, Misha wouldn’t be there even if he went back. ‘Ah, is she still there because of the rain?’ As he drank alone, using the sound of the rain as a side dish, various thoughts came to his mind without any order. It felt like just yesterday that he was eating rock bread while being careful of goblin traps, but half a year had already passed. ‘Pajeon [Korean savory pancake] and makgeolli [Korean rice wine]… I guess there’s no place that sells them?’ The thought of wanting to go home had faded a lot. Everything had just become familiar. The creaking bed, the small one-room apartment with a single bathroom, the daily life of laughing and chatting with his colleagues while drinking cheap beer. ‘I’ve really changed a lot too.’ He could list the shitty things about this world all day long. But if he was asked if there had ever been a time when he wasn’t happy… At first, survival was his goal, but gradually, he felt the joy of a gamer as he watched himself grow. It wasn’t bad to laugh and joke around with his colleagues. It was a slightly unfamiliar feeling. ‘If I hadn’t been summoned here, I’d probably still be in my room playing games alone.’ The social circle of Lee Han-soo, a 29-year-old office worker, was extremely narrow. Of course, he had no complaints or discomfort about it. He was steadily preparing for his retirement, and he could live alone without relying on others. Unlike this world where colleagues are forced upon you. ‘Seeing that I’m having these thoughts… I guess I’ve grown attached to them.’ He took a sip of the rum, which had an unnecessarily sweet aftertaste as if it had been sugared. Dwarki, Rotmiller, the dwarf. Thinking of these three made his mouth feel bitter for no reason. ‘To go to the upper floors, I guess I have no choice but to form a new team.’ From the 5th floor, the current members were not enough. Should he say that their growth limits were clearly visible? First of all, Dwarki wasn’t from the Magic Tower, and he had a serious problem of having a naturally low amount of magic power. ‘He’s learning new magic well now, but I can assume that he won’t be able to use almost any 6th-grade spells.’ Not to mention Rotmiller. In the lower floors, he just needed to find the way, but in the upper floors, even scouts needed a high level of combat power. After all, the maximum number of party members was five. ‘Unless that old man awakens as an Inducer [a class that enhances magic], his limit will be the 4th floor.’ Of course, unlike these two, the dwarf would be able to play an active role even in the upper floors if he had the right equipment. However, there was no need for two tanks in the team. ‘……If Misha’s specs improve a bit more, I should either form a new team or something.’ It was a problem he had been thinking about before, but now he had made up his mind. The troll fight this time played a big role. He would continue to go to the upper floors, and he couldn’t achieve that goal with them. It might seem cold-hearted, but it was also a decision for their sake. The upper floors were swarming with monsters worse than trolls. It was better not to expect that they would be lucky enough to survive like this time— “Yandel?” Oh, what the heck all of a sudden. He turned his head at the sound of someone calling him, and there was someone he had never expected to see. The bear old man. No, I mean… “Urakburak?” “…It’s Urikfrit. If it’s hard to pronounce, you can just call me Avman.” “Then I’ll go with that.” The macho-looking bear old man sat down across from him without asking for permission, as if trying to live up to his looks. He often did that himself, so he wasn’t particularly offended. “I never thought you’d come here as a customer.” “Customer?” “Ah, I didn’t tell you. This is a store run by my wife.” A store owner, huh… It was information he hadn’t known, but it wasn’t something to be too surprised about. A 5th-grade explorer would have enough wealth to open a store. If he was going to be surprised, he should be surprised by something else. “You have a wife, and you were going into the labyrinth alone?” “The store’s been in the red lately. I have to work hard to earn money, don’t I?” Well, if that was the case, he had nothing to say. It wasn’t something he should meddle in. “Anyway, it’s a strange coincidence that the owner of the place I came to to avoid the rain is you.” “It’s a coincidence that’s more than just strange. Thanks to that, I’ve become certain, Bjorn Yandel.” “Certain about what?” The bear old man replied as if it was nothing. “Won’t you let me join your team?” Huh? What was this again? *** Suddenly asking to be accepted as a colleague? It was an unexpected topic, but after listening to the rest of the story, he understood. From the bear old man’s point of view, he was a proven explorer. “If you’re willing to save a complete stranger in that situation, you wouldn’t stab someone in the back, would you?” He had asked for 5 million stones, but it seemed that he had made a good impression by saving him in a rift that was cut off from the outside, even using a top-grade potion. ‘……This is how it turns out again.’ A tank, a support summon, and a powerful long-range physical dealer. The bear old man would definitely be able to do his part without any problems even on the 5th floor or higher. However… “I think you’ve misunderstood something. I just went in separately this time, but I have a fixed team.” He indirectly rejected his offer. He was planning to stay in Dwarki’s party for the time being, and he couldn’t just kick someone else out to put this old man in. Surprisingly, the bear old man nodded his head readily. “If that’s the case. Let’s talk about what we talked about today again when a spot opens up or when you leave your team.” “A spot opens up?” “You should know what I mean, right?” The topic of colleagues was concluded with the bear old man’s meaningful gaze. After that, they had a brief conversation about when he would repay the 5 million stones. “I’ve already put up some equipment that I wasn’t using on the exchange, so I’ll be able to give it to you on the promised date.” Looking at the inside of the store where only flies were buzzing around, he felt quite heavy-hearted, but… They agreed to meet again here in ten days to exchange the collateral for the 5 million stones. “Then I’ll see you then.” “Wear this at least. It’ll fit you.” It didn’t seem like the rain would stop even if he waited longer, so he borrowed a raincoat from the bear old man and headed to his lodgings. Swaaaaaaah- Heavy rain was pouring down as if a typhoon had come. As he ran through the unusually quiet streets, he soon arrived at his lodgings. But, what was this again? “Oh, Bjorn, you’re here? This is your guest.” “Uwaaaaaah! Mister…!!” Like the rain that poured down on a sunny day, an unexpected meeting was waiting for him. *** Since that incident 10 years ago, she had been living while restraining herself in many ways. So she thought she was good at holding back. At least until today. “If you covet someone else’s things, shouldn’t you be punished?” Erwen was startled and stiffened at the true feelings that had unknowingly come out of her mouth. “Huh? You… you’re a lot tougher than I thought?” Fortunately, the other side didn’t seem to have noticed the true meaning of what she had just said, but… ‘Wh-what did I just say…’ Strictly speaking, it wasn’t like she had been robbed of anything. The mister wasn’t an object. Also, it was her own choice to leave the mister’s side and be with her sister. But what was this feeling? Crunch. A strange sense of hostility was welling up. Could she win if they fought? She found herself unconsciously thinking that while observing her opponent. “Come to think of it, we don’t even know each other’s names. I’m Misha Karlstein.” “…Erwen Fornacci di Tersia.” “Wow, your name is pretty too… Erwen, nice to meet you.” “Yes…” Hiding her reluctance, she accepted the handshake. And they sat down and talked. She didn’t want to get close to that woman, but there was one thing she wanted to ask. “Ms. Karlstein, do you happen to be in a relationship with anyone?” “A, a relationship… Don’t say weird things. Bjorn and I are just colleagues, colleagues!” “Hmm, I see.” For some reason, she felt her anger subside. She had only asked if she was in a relationship, but she didn’t know why the mister’s name came up right away. She should probably check a little more. “I’m sorry. I just misunderstood because you said you showered together earlier.” “Sh, showered together? What are you talking about! I just borrowed the bathroom for a moment.” “To borrow a bathroom in a strange man’s room, is your lodgings really far from here?” “Uh, it’s not that far…” “…It’s not?” At those words, Erwen’s eyebrows furrowed. Even if the mister wasn’t, it was clear that this woman had some lewd thoughts. Enough to use such a vulgar method. “Ahem! So, how do you know Bjorn?” Did she want to change the subject from herself? This time, the other side asked a question. Erwen answered honestly. “I was a colleague with the mister.” “Huh? Mister…? Bjorn is only twenty years old…” “Ah, it’s like a nickname that only the mister and I use, so you don’t have to worry about it.” “A nickname… you say?” “Yes, is there a problem?” When she tilted her head innocently, the beastkin woman smiled awkwardly. “No. A problem? There’s no way there would be. Nyahat!” Her mouth was smiling, but her tail was whipping back and forth as if she was in a bad mood, hitting the bed sheets. Erwen felt a strange sense of victory at that sight. Until an unexpected counterattack followed. “The mister and I have a bit of a special relationship. First of all, we were the first colleagues, and we also shared the first return scroll—” “Hee, but isn’t that only meaningful to you?” “…Huh?” “That’s because I’ve been living with Bjorn for several months, but I’ve never heard him talk about you. Nyahat!” The beastkin woman smiled brightly and stabbed a dagger into her heart. Erwen couldn’t hide her bewilderment at the sudden change in attitude. However, she instinctively knew one thing. “You said your name was Erwen, right? Well, if I’m going to look at your actions with a generous eye, I guess I can. But… if you show this much hostility and treat people like idiots, I’m going to get annoyed, you know?” Misha Karlstein. The reason she felt hostility as soon as she saw this woman was obvious. “Hmm, but I’m thankful for one thing. Thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll be confused anymore.” “C, confused?” “Well? Don’t you already know what I mean?” This woman was an enemy. Someone who was trying to take away what was precious to her.