Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 154

I’m drinking a tea that’s somewhat similar to green tea.

The place is a tea room near the administrative office.

The members with me are Shavin, a level 7 clerk from the administrative office, and her best friend, Raguna.

For reference, this isn’t our first meeting…

After forming a connection through the sewer request, we’ve met a few times for meals and tea, usually organized by Shavin.

In terms of frequency, it’s about once a month.

“Oh, right! When you go back later, please share these with your colleagues. They’re from a new cookie shop near our administrative office, and they’re really popular these days.”

“…I will. Thanks for taking care of it.”

The conversations we have when we meet are mostly trivial chatter, but the reason I consistently attend these gatherings is simple.

Occasionally, useful things come up.

“Ah, that’s right! Did I mention that they’re planning to eliminate the system that reduces magic stone exchange fees based on seniority?”

“How certain is that?”

“Our office manager seems to think it’s almost certain to pass.”

Damn it.

For me, who hasn’t even been here for a year, this is like a bolt out of the blue.

“When do you think it will be implemented?”

“Well, maybe as early as next year, or as late as the year after next?”

“That’s somewhat fortunate.”

As always, once the useful talk was over, the mundane conversations resumed, and just as I was starting to feel bored, Shavin would invariably drop some beneficial information.

I realized it wasn’t a coincidence during our second meeting.

‘It’s like I’m being trained.’

Shavin definitely knew.

That if there wasn’t some bait like this, I’d have no reason to attend these dull meetings.

‘…The reason she’s going to such lengths is probably because of her.’

“How are you, Raguna? Anything interesting happening lately?”

Raguna Ritaniel Peprock, the librarian.

I didn’t realize it at first, but her social skills are practically non-existent. Is that why? Shavin wants me to become good friends with her.

Seriously, does she think she’s some kind of matchmaker?

“Nothing special.”

“I see. Do you have anything to say to Bjorn? You’ve been so quiet by yourself for a while now.”

“Something to say… Perhaps I might have one thing.”

“Oh my, really? Then go ahead and say it. You two are already friends, right?”

Saying that, Shavin looked at me, and I let out a silent sigh and nodded.

“Yeah, aren’t we friends.”

The promise of friendship we made when we shook hands at our first meeting.

To be honest, I wonder what that even means…

Well, what can I do?

Shavin, who works at the administrative office, knows a lot of information that could be helpful to me.

Not only that, but she also occasionally gives me easy requests that aren’t related to the sewers, so I have no choice but to jump like a caught fish.

“Friend…”

Did she gain courage from my words?

Raguna, who had been silent throughout the conversation, stared at me with her usual expressionless face.

And then, as if lecturing me, she murmured.

“B-Bjorn Yandel. You shouldn’t distance yourself from books.”

“Ah, I’ve been busy lately.”

It’s not an empty excuse; it’s the truth.

I haven’t had a single day to properly rest since coming out of the labyrinth.

“Then… will you come tomorrow?”

“If I can finish today’s work well.”

The Dragon Slayer Sword is still there, but there’s nothing much to do until Crobitz sets up an appointment.

Once the mage recruitment is done, I’ll be able to rest for a while.

In that sense…

“Raguna Ritaniel Peprock.”

It’s time to get to the main point.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the reason I participated in this meeting despite being busy was for this purpose.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. Clearly. Aren’t we, f-friends?”

“Of course!”

When Raguna brought up the word ‘friend’ first, Shavin smiled contentedly and agreed.

Okay, the stage is set.

“Have you ever thought about becoming an explorer?”

“…It’s the same offer as before.”

“Yes.”

It’s an offer I made once before, but the situation is a bit different now. Our team is much more complete, and now we’re supposedly ‘friends’—.

“Oh, no! What are you talking about!”

While I was waiting for Raguna’s answer, Shavin shouted as if her panic button had been pressed.

It was an unexpected situation.

“Raguna? You’re going to refuse, right? Of course, you should. What kind of place is a labyrinth!”

It was a miscalculation.

I thought Shavin would help me with the explorer thing, saying it was good social experience. She seems to know dozens of explorers.

I thought she wouldn’t be so against exploration.

That’s why I brought it up when the three of us were together.

But she’s the one who’s throwing a wrench in the works.

“…Shavin, don’t be so scared. I’m not going anywhere.”

Raguna gently took Shavin’s hand.

Then, as if she had regained her senses, Shavin sat back down with an embarrassed face.

I clicked my tongue with a bitter taste.

“I guess that means my offer is rejected.”

“Yes. I like my job at the library.”

She likes her job as a librarian…

It’s hard to believe, considering the clear memory of her looking into the distance, wondering who would even be interested in this place.

It’s wiser to accept that there’s some reason why she can’t leave.

‘In the end, she’s a failure.’

I was secretly disappointed.

After a few meetings, I realized that her mage rank was incredibly high.

A mage of at least 5th rank or higher.

And she’s young, so there’s room for future growth?

‘Well, the fact that someone like her is working as a librarian means there must be a reason.’

I cleanly erased my lingering feelings.

She’s a shame to lose, but there’s no way right now. With our current level of friendship, even if I asked what her story was, she wouldn’t answer willingly.

“Oh, but didn’t you have a mage on your team, Bjorn? That administrative mage…”

Shavin, who had returned to her usual state, asked, and I answered briefly.

“He’s dead.”

“Ah…”

That was the end of today’s meeting.

***

After finishing the ‘friends meeting,’ I headed to the Magic Tower.

It had been about two months since my last visit.

Wow, it’s already been that long since the research collaboration ended.

“Oh? Mr. Yandel?”

“It’s been a while. Can I come in?”

“Well, go ahead.”

Raven’s personal research lab, which I hadn’t visited in a long time, was the same as before.

Mounds of documents piled up like mountains and various magical materials scattered haphazardly.

I wondered if she could clean up a bit…

“Don’t just put it anywhere, give it to me. I can’t forget where I put it.”

Um, is the mechanism that she doesn’t need to organize because she remembers where everything is?

Maybe it’s rational in its own way.

“So, what’s the matter? You haven’t shown your face for two months.”

As soon as I handed the document on the chair to Raven and sat down, the question came flying at me.

At first, she would bring me water in a flask.

Is this because we’re not in a business relationship anymore?

Well, a short introduction was welcome.

After all, no matter how much I butter her up, she’s not a woman who will be swayed by it.

If the result is already decided, I should at least save time.

“I have an offer for you.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s an opening for a mage on the new team I’m creating.”

“In other words, it’s another recruitment offer?”

Raven chuckled.

It was a completely different attitude from before when she had turned serious as soon as I brought it up. Well, back then, I hadn’t even earned the nickname ‘Little Vulcan’.

“Mr. Yandel, do you remember what I said back then?”

“You said it would be good if all the team members were 6th rank or higher, and if there was even a priest.”

“So? How did it go?”

I honestly introduced the members.

Starting with the fact that there was no priest, the first was Misha, a 7th rank melee fighter.

“Hmm, 7th rank?”

“She’ll be promoted to 6th rank within this month anyway, so don’t worry about that part.”

She looked somewhat doubtful, so I went ahead and recited the rank of the essence Misha possessed, and she relaxed her expression.

“If that’s the case.”

Next was Ainar’s turn.

We had cleared the Crimson Citadel together, so there was no need for a long explanation.

“You said it so confidently, and she’s 9th rank? No, more than that, why is she still 9th rank? She ate the essence of the Bone Knight back then, didn’t she?”

“It’s the same as Misha Karlstein. There was no time to apply for promotion.”

It’s not an excuse; it’s the truth.

By now, the two of them, who had a big fight yesterday, would have visited the explorer’s guild and applied for promotion.

She’ll get at least 7th rank.

She has one 7th rank essence and a whopping 4th rank essence.

“She inherited a 4th rank essence… Then that changes things.”

“She may be 7th rank, but you can think of her as 6th rank. I’ve fought with her myself and made that judgment, so you don’t have to doubt it.”

“I’ll decide that for myself. So, who’s the last person?”

“Abman Urikfrit. A 5th rank explorer from the Black Bear tribe. He uses a large crossbow as a weapon.”

When I told her about the tank summon, Raven’s expression changed slightly.

“With that kind of skill, he’d be welcomed anywhere, so how did he end up on Mr. Yandel’s team?”

“We had a connection. At least he doesn’t seem like the type to stab his teammates in the back.”

“Certainly… He can be trusted in that regard.”

Raven surprisingly accepted it easily.

However, after hearing about all the members, she might have had this question.

“But what about the scout?”

Finally, the question I had been waiting for came up.

People can perceive information differently depending on how it’s presented.

I casually blurted out as if I had just remembered.

“Ah, I didn’t mention that. Urikfrit is a guide.”

“…Is that really true?”

“Do I have to swear to make you believe me?”

“No, it’s not that…”

I chuckled and confidently puffed out my chest.

And I threw away the pangs of conscience that were slowly wriggling.

‘Yeah, I didn’t lie, did I?’

Bear Uncle is a guide.

He’s just bad at directions.

Anyway, after revealing that Bear Uncle was a guide, things went smoothly. She wanted to show off her pride, so she pretended to think about it…

“It will be a good opportunity for you too. You’re always complaining about not having enough money. The goal is to get to the 6th floor, so once the exploration starts in earnest, you won’t be short on money.”

“Hmm.”

“As you can see from the team composition, not just any mage will do. We need a skilled mage like you.”

“Hmm?”

“Ah, and one more thing. Since there’s a guide, there will be a few times when we’ll enter rifts or find hidden spaces in the labyrinth. A proper mage like you knows the value of that, right?”

“Heeeeeum.”

When I tried to persuade her a little more, Raven also lowered her pride and nodded.

“Okay. If you’re so desperate.”

It was a somewhat expected result.

After all, she didn’t refuse the recruitment offer outright.

If she had no thoughts about exploration in the first place, she wouldn’t have listened to me this much.

“But I have one condition.”

“…Tell me.”

“Exploration will always be my second priority. My first priority will be my magic research.”

“Simply put.”

“If I have a research topic, I might take a break for a month or two. Or maybe I’ll drop out completely. I hope Mr. Yandel understands that.”

I was nervous, but it wasn’t an unreasonable request.

We’re not some kind of regular clan.

It’s common in this industry for sudden vacancies to occur. Especially for a high-nosed mage.

Yeah, this is reasonable.

“Okay. But tell me in advance. If you’re leaving completely, I’ll have to find a new mage. If it’s just for a month or two, I can just use a mercenary.”

“Yes. Then that’s settled.”

That’s how the last member was decided.

Arue Raven.

A 6th rank orthodox mage from the Artemion School.

“So, are we really teammates now?”

“Please take care of me.”

Recruitment successful.

***

After that, we had a short conversation.

The foundation for the team has been laid, but the team hasn’t been formed yet.

“We’re going to register the team at the guild and discuss the distribution, when would be a good time?”

It’s common for teams to fall apart at the meeting stage, so I wanted to meet as soon as possible.

I judged that there was not much time to find a new member.

However, unfortunately, the final meeting was delayed by more than a week.

“I’m in the final stages of working on a paper about vampire guardians. Everything will be finished by next week, including the registration at the academic conference, so I’d like to meet around then.”

I decided to think positively.

If it was going to be finished next month, she wouldn’t have even considered my offer.

The timing was good in many ways.

With her specs, she could have found a better team than ours if she wanted to.

“Then let’s meet on the 17th. I’ll discuss the location and time with the others and send you a letter.”

“Thank you.”

After that conversation, I left the Magic Tower and met Misha and Bear Uncle in order. And after deciding on the place and time, I went back to the accommodation and rested well.

The next day, I visited the library, and after that, a peaceful daily life continued without any notable incidents.

“Wow! I’ve never seen such a huge mace before!”

Practicing (True) Giantification mode while sparring with Ainar.

“You bought me cotton candy and now you’re buying me this too? Bjorn, are you some kind of bottomless pit?” [Shaman’s jar is a metaphor for a bottomless pit or someone who spends money without end.]

“I’m not buying it, I’m investing… no, I’m lending it. You have to pay it back when you make money later.”

Upgrading Ainar’s equipment with Misha at Commelby.

“What about your original accommodation? There aren’t many places that let you cook.”

“Forget it. I’m going to buy everything from now on. She always steals it all anyway!!”

Misha moving into the vacant room next door.

“You, you’ve been going into the labyrinth alone and deceiving me?”

“Y-yes, honey. I-I’m sorry. Please spare me…! Think of the child in my belly!”

Misha carelessly opening her mouth at Bear Uncle’s shop, which the three of us visited together, almost causing Bear Uncle to die.

Days like that, filled with peaceful daily life, passed.

And…

[23:59]

One minute before midnight on the 15th.