Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 145

Pachichit.

I picked up the sword I had briefly set down and returned to where my companions were. Then, I put the sword into the bag I had laid down.

It didn’t seem like an ordinary Arcane longsword, but I decided to look into it later.

“I’m sorry. I, once again…”

I just patted the dwarf on the shoulder as he lowered his head, looking apologetic.

What could I say to him?

It wasn’t my doing that we all survived.

“Bjorn.”

Misha approached with a sorrowful gait and placed her hand on my chest.

“You’re alive… I’m so glad. Really…”

I felt a surge of emotion.

Because I knew.

I knew who was responsible for us being able to feel relieved to be alive. Surely, he would have wanted to share this joyous moment with us.

“Rotmiler.”

I gently pushed Misha’s small hand away, carefully, and moved my feet. Then, I approached Rotmiler, who had regained consciousness, and told him.

The few words of farewell that Dwarki had left behind.

“I see. So he…”

After hearing everything, Rotmiler knelt before Dwarki’s body and made the sign of the cross. And he scattered the words of farewell he alone had not been able to deliver before him.

“I remember when you first entered the labyrinth. You said you were starting to understand what it meant for the world to be vast.”

It was something that happened on the Pilgrim’s Path on the third floor.

Rotmiler had led us to a high hill, saying that exploration wasn’t just about hardship and horror.

There, we had seen the vast nature bathed in silver light together, and Dwarki had been so excited and happy that he couldn’t sleep that night.

“I wish I could have shown you a wider world…”

Rotmiler finished speaking plainly.

Perhaps there were still many things he wanted to say to those who remained. Misha and the dwarf also knelt down and poured out the words they had kept inside.

I stepped back and watched them.

It wasn’t that I had nothing to say.

But…

“Waaaaah! It’s, it’s my fault! I, I! If I hadn’t chosen that door… !”

“No. It’s my fault. I told you to trust me, that I would protect you no matter what, but I couldn’t keep that promise.”

I wouldn’t be much different from these two.

No matter what I said, it would eventually lead to self-blame. Dwarki wouldn’t have wanted to see us like this.

The world we have to live in.

It’s not a kind world where we can afford to be down forever.

[Meeeeeeek-!]

I opened my mouth, seeing the Baikundus appear from the other side of the passage.

“Everyone, stop it.”

“…”

“It’s an enemy.”

We must remember, but we must rise above the sorrow.

That’s all the remaining can do.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaa!!”

We just had to move forward.

***

The battle with the Baikundus was more difficult than expected.

There was a simple reason.

Only four of us remained in this vast labyrinth, our abilities had drastically decreased, and our injuries were not fully healed.

In the first place, it was thanks to Dwarki that we were able to defeat a 6th-grade monster so easily.

“Let’s just grab what we need and go back.”

After the battle, we began to clean up.

Equipment scattered all over the floor from the fierce battle.

No, after collecting the remains of the equipment, I thoroughly searched the priest’s belongings.

I found a necklace of unknown use.

I couldn’t tell if it was an artifact or just for decoration.

After all, Dwarki was the only one among us who could sense the magic imbued in objects.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything special here either.”

I also looted the middle-aged explorer who had died early in the battle, but there was nothing of note.

Well, most of it would have been in that bastard’s subspace.

“…I will deliver everything to the place you wished for.”

A staff and the expandable backpack he carried. I could have taken his boots and robe to sell for money, but I left them untouched.

“I’ll carry Dwarki.”

After that, we went through the trap room to the portal and returned to the Tower of the Sky.

And we all collapsed and rested.

Someone sat in front of Dwarki, wiping the blood from his body, and someone leaned against the wall and sobbed.

The peaceful time that had come like a lie made us realize it.

That it was an undeniable reality, not a dream.

“Bjorn, is there no way to take Dwarki to the city?”

“…No.”

“I see, I guess not…”

Reality is so cruel.

He sacrificed his precious life for us, but we can’t even take him to the city for a funeral.

Because he was a mage.

The bodies that are created in the labyrinth are classified as objects, and it is impossible to take them out unless you have ‘distortion’ magic.

That’s why the barbarian’s heart was special.

To be able to take it back to the city without magic? Mages would have focused on that and started researching it as a magical material.

“Misha, you should rest too.”

“I’ll stay here a little longer. After we leave… he’ll be lonely all by himself.”

“…Okay.”

Leaving the suffocating air behind, I sat down in a corner.

And I checked the time.

[10:31]

It was a little over half a day before the labyrinth closed.

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘…It hasn’t even been an hour.’

I felt like I had become a truly insignificant being.

I had faced death countless times.

It felt like I had fought him for days and nights.

But even after finishing everything and returning, not even an hour had passed.

‘Let’s do what needs to be done…’

I took out the letter the priest had left behind.

A single, crumpled letter, stained and wrinkled, that he had kept in his possession for a long time. The letter was filled with writing, detailing the circumstances that had led the old man to this situation.

As I read through it, I focused on one place.

‘The underground city of Noark.’

It was the name of the place where the old man and his young grandson had been kidnapped by the dragonslayer.

[This is a potion made by the alchemist of Noark. If you take it, it will erase your memories for one hour.]

It was the name of a city that the psychopath had mentioned before, and it was something that I couldn’t find any information about in the library, no matter how hard I searched.

So, there was something like that under the sewers.

‘Could it be that that woman is also a member of Orculius?’

With that thought, I read through the letter.

The letter left by the old man contained one surprising piece of information, in addition to the fact that the underground city of Noark and Orculius were in a cooperative relationship.

‘…I can’t believe there’s a portal there too.’

The foundation that allowed the city of Lapdonia to exist.

A portal connected to the labyrinth also existed underground.

That’s why the underground explorers hid their identities and mined magic stones, achieving the unbelievable feat of building a city with them.

‘Noark.’

I engraved that name in my mind.

I had a strong feeling that I would be involved with this place in the future.

‘When I get out, let’s investigate this place more.’

With that thought, I put the letter back in my pocket.

Looking at the contents, it didn’t seem like delivering the letter would be harmful to me.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

So, anyway, this issue is over for now.

“…”

I let out a long breath and closed my eyes.

I desperately needed rest, but all sorts of thoughts kept popping up and disappearing, tormenting me.

What should I do now?

With such a formidable enemy appearing, the city can’t be guaranteed to be safe. My companions might even try to harm me in the labyrinth.

‘Damn it.’

Was it because of that?

I was suddenly regretful that he had returned alive. If he had just healed me, I could have finished him off myself.

‘…What am I even thinking?’

I shook my head and brushed away my lingering feelings.

The world doesn’t move as you wish.

He probably didn’t have a choice either.

The evil god was like that even in the game.

He would grant wishes in exchange for a price, but he would never give the best outcome. Like a monkey’s paw that grants wishes but also brings misfortune.

An existence that always gives hope and despair at the same time.

‘…This bastard keeps getting tangled up with me in a strange way.’

I added the evil god Karui to my list of things to investigate and shook off my distracting thoughts.

It was time for me to rest as well.

This place was safer than the city, and there were many things to do when I went outside.

“…”

After wiping my body with a wet towel, I spread out my sleeping bag and lay down inside.

It was a strange thing.

Even though I had fought so fiercely for almost two days straight.

I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

***

「The labyrinth has been closed.」

「The character will be moved to Lapdonia.」

***

The sunlight pricked at my eyelids.

Without even having time to enjoy the afterglow, I passed through the checkpoint and exchanged the magic stones.

Then, I headed to the meeting place.

The Explorer’s Guild branch, located closest to the Dimensional Plaza. When I arrived, there was a group of people who looked similar to me.

“…”

An unusual silence for a group of dozens of people.

Everyone waited with solemn expressions for their companions to arrive.

That was only natural.

There was only one reason to return to the city and come here without even washing up.

The death of a companion.

“If everyone’s here, let’s go inside.”

Soon, all of our companions arrived, and we entered the guild. And we reported the death and entrusted all of Dwarki’s equipment and backpack that we had recovered.

“…The deceased had good companions.”

The staff member looked at us with a strange gaze.

Well, it would be unusual.

Even if they took the city’s assets, they could easily swallow this part without any problems.

Most people would just report the death and be done with it.

But…

“The death report for Royal-certified 8th-grade mage, Leol Worb Dwarki, has been completed.”

There was no feeling of regret.

That’s because we knew the contents of the will he had written before he first entered the labyrinth.

[Haha, a will. It really makes me feel like I’ve become an explorer.]

[You can write whatever you want, but make sure to specify the inheritance of your assets. Otherwise, everything will go to the Explorer’s Guild.]

[Don’t worry about that. I’ve already decided.]

He wanted to donate his assets to an orphanage under a certain temple.

I only learned the details yesterday.

The dwarf said that he had been left there as a child and had lived there for a while? His assets must be used where he wished them to be.

We had already received something greater than that.

“It’s really over… Well, let’s go now.”

Anyway, with this, the first thing we had to do after returning to the city, reporting Dwarki’s death, was over.

It was surprisingly simple.

One minute to fill out the paperwork, two minutes for the staff to review it. It only took three minutes to put an end to the 25 years of life that one man had carried.

‘I guess that’s how common death is in this world.’

Leaving the bitterness behind, I left the guild.

And headed to the Great Temple of the Leatlass Church.

That was the only way to repay the grace to the departed.

“You guys can go back and rest.”

“How can we do that? He was our savior.”

“I’ll… I’ll go too. I’ve rested enough inside…”

Misha, who hadn’t been able to rest all day from crying, didn’t say anything. It was clear that she wouldn’t be able to rest properly even if she went back to the inn.

“…”

We all headed to our destination together.

Soon, a pure white building that seemed untouched by the world appeared, and we entered it.

When the novice priest asked if we were seeking treatment, we hesitated about how to answer, but then said that we were visiting at the request of High Priest Ludwig.

“Hi, High Priest Ludwig…?”

Perhaps they couldn’t imagine uttering a lie in a place where God resided. The young-faced priest’s eyes widened, and he immediately ran inside to deliver the news.

And…

“It’s been a while.”

As we waited quietly in place, a familiar face came out to greet us.

Paal Krovitz, the commander of the 3rd Holy Knight Order.

“I heard that you came at the request of High Priest Ludwig, who went missing several years ago. Do you have any evidence?”

He asked politely.

He also said that it was a very sensitive matter for the main church, and asked for our understanding.

There had been several incidents where they had been severely punished because of the reward money that had been posted throughout the city?

“Reward money?”

“Yes. The amount is so large that there are those who harbor wicked intentions.”

We didn’t come for the reward money.

But I, who had a history of defeating Elisa and receiving a huge reward, asked without thinking.