Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 155

The Lion (2)

The community of evil spirits, Ghost Busters.

A source of information known only to me, not Misha or Ainar.

‘Okay, let’s do this.’

I deliberately ignored Lee Han-soo’s fluffy-looking bed and turned on the computer first.

The 12 hours this community is maintained.

There’s information I absolutely must find within that time.

‘Orculius, Noark, Dragon Slayer.’

They used to be stories from a faraway land, but now they’re closely tied to my survival.

There are limits to what I can learn from library books alone.

First of all, the medium of books is inherently slow when it comes to the latest information.

[1~140,000 GP] All information related to Orculius.

I posted a request to buy information on the exchange first, then opened the chat room. I figured this might be much more helpful than the exchange.

[Long Live Korean Independence] – 1 member is online.

It seemed Lee Baek-ho had entered the chat room as soon as the community opened. Come to think of it, he was so disappointed when he logged out last time. He was also anxious that I might not come next time.

Like a child who doesn’t want to be separated from their parents.

‘Hah, still, he’s not someone I can see easily.’

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

An icon of misfortune dragged in on his discharge day, and a veteran of this world who has survived for nearly 10 years.

Lee Baek-ho has great goodwill towards me, but…

I can’t completely trust him.

[Ah… well, I’m actually in hiding, so my access to the latest information is a bit weak?]

At that time, he said he was in hiding. That’s why he introduced me to the ‘Watchers of the Round Table,’ saying he was weak on the latest information.

I brushed it off last time, but…

I can’t rule out the possibility that he might be a member of Orculius or the underground city of Noark.

‘Even if we’re both Korean, here we’re just people who don’t know each other’s faces or names.’

I quickly organized my thoughts.

Maintaining a relationship with Lee Baek-ho has more advantages than disadvantages.

So, I’ll try to subtly probe his identity, but without overdoing it, and try to subtly fish for information about Orculius.

That’s when I double-clicked the mouse.

“Hyung!!!”

A large room reminiscent of a noble’s mansion.

Before I could even look around properly, Lee Baek-ho came running towards me.

“Ah, Han-soo hyung! Why did you come so late!”

“No, I came right away…”

“I was so worried you were dead!”

I wondered if he was really just saying empty words; his eyes looked fierce, and his hair was disheveled as if he had been pulling at it.

It hasn’t even been 5 minutes since the community opened, and he’s reacting like this.

Just how starved for affection is this guy—

“Hyung, you can’t die yet! We haven’t talked about idols yet, and we haven’t cursed politicians or the military either. You’re the only one who can do that with me…! We still have to talk about Dungeon Fighter!”

Ah, oh… so that was the problem.

Well, it’s funny to expect normal human emotions from someone who’s survived here for 10 years.

I chuckled and sat down in the chair.

“Stop it. I’m not going to die.”

“Yes. Then what should we talk about first? Ah, the Lovely Lovely 3rd full album? That’s the best, right?”

No, who is Lovely Lovely…

I wasn’t interested in the entertainment industry, so I naturally changed the subject. I had a feeling he’d get serious if I honestly said I didn’t know.

“…Let’s talk about the military.”

“Cool, sounds good! Oh? But come to think of it, weren’t you a public service worker?”

“I still went to the training camp, you know.”

“Hmm…”

Is the story of my time as a trainee not that interesting? Lee Baek-ho made a strange expression and cautiously said to me.

“Hyung, maybe we should just talk about Dungeon Fighter…”

“I haven’t played that.”

“Whaaaaat?!! Didn’t you say you were a public service worker?!”

Lee Baek-ho was flabbergasted as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

But did he come to his senses belatedly?

“Ah! I’m sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean it that way. You know?”

“…Yeah, let’s talk about that.”

“Okay…”

The atmosphere became awkward in an instant.

Lee Baek-ho scratched his cheek, looking somewhat dejected.

I could understand his feelings.

He was so happy to see another Korean, but he realized that we didn’t have much in common—

“Pfft! Puhuhuhuhu…”

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, hyung. Isn’t it kind of funny? The conversation we just had.”

Is it? I don’t know.

I don’t know what part was so funny.

“I can’t really explain it, but somehow I felt like I was back in Korea just now.”

Ah, that.

“…I think I know what you mean. I have a rough idea of what it feels like.”

“Right?”

Lee Baek-ho chuckled and leaned back in his chair. And instead of forcing a topic and having a conversation, we talked naturally.

We started by talking about what we used to do and just went with the flow, eventually ending up talking about the military.

“The training camp was funny too. I didn’t know there were so many crazy people in our country.”

“Well, the environment is what it is. Everyone becomes normal when they go outside.”

“Yeah… that’s true. We didn’t know we’d end up like this either, right? We’ll probably have to go to a mental hospital when we go back, right?”

“I don’t think we should talk about this.”

“No. Haven’t you thought about it, hyung? Killing if they get in the way, killing if you’re suspicious, and when you meet someone new, you worry about whether they’ll hurt you. People’s lives… just feel like game characters. Isn’t this completely insane?”

The air became heavy, as if the earlier giggling was a lie.

“You’ll get used to it soon. Just like when you came here.”

“…I guess so?”

“Yeah.”

After that, there was a moment of silence.

Lee Baek-ho was the first to speak.

“Anyway, that’s why I’m grateful to you, hyung. Honestly, I’ve been wondering if I should even go back these days. Not because I like it here… you know? What I’m saying.”

“Yeah.”

“You might think it’s nothing, but it’s motivating for me. If I can laugh and joke around here, I feel like I can do it when I go back.”

Belief…

I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort from that word.

But I didn’t dig deeper.

It wasn’t the stage to be sure of anything yet, and I judged that there was nothing to gain by poking at it.

“Ah, by the way, do you know anything about these guys called Orculius?”

I naturally brought up the main topic.

As if the purpose was just to end the heavy atmosphere, in a casual tone.

I threw it out there and focused on Lee Baek-ho’s facial expression.

There was no significant change.

However…

“Orculius? Why are you curious about them?”

Lee Baek-ho asked for the reason first.

Before, he would just answer whatever I asked without hesitation.

The questions are getting bigger and bigger.

What the heck is his identity?

***

“You need the Genesis Artifact to get to the last floor, right? I was wondering if they stole it. Ah, you know about the news that someone stole it, right?”

As I delivered the lines I had prepared without a moment’s pause, Lee Baek-ho nodded.

“Yes. I know. But so that’s why you asked… I was relieved.”

“Relieved?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Lee Baek-ho vaguely glossed over it and continued.

“Anyway, it’s amazing that you thought that far. Actually, I’ve thought that before too.”

“You don’t think so now?”

“Yes. I’ve checked using various methods, but it doesn’t seem like it. Besides, the Genesis Artifacts were all stolen about half a year ago, right?”

“All stolen?”

“Ah, you didn’t know that. All six races were robbed. On the same day too.”

Huh, the Elder said that other races might be in a similar situation.

That was true.

“It doesn’t make sense realistically. Even if it’s other races, how could they steal from the Dragonkin and humans? No matter how good they are, they can’t do that. Well, I did investigate just in case, but I didn’t find any clues.”

“So you don’t know who stole it either?”

“Yes. If you happen to find any traces, please let me know. As you know, if there’s a way to go home, that’s the only way, right?”

I asked because I was curious about Orculius, but I learned something unexpected.

He doesn’t know anything about the Genesis Artifacts either.

I even had a brief delusion that he might be the final mastermind.

“Hyung, you’re not thinking about something else, are you? Like a rival or something. We can open the door together with up to five people anyway. I’ll be helpful if I’m there.”

“No, it’s not that…”

I couldn’t say what I was thinking to his face, so I just brushed it off.

“It’s just a little strange that you’re saying that to me. How would I find traces that you couldn’t find?”

“Oh, if you put it that way, I have nothing to say… But somehow I think you’re special. Actually, I thought that from the first time I saw you.”

“…I have nothing to say if you say that to me.”

“Hey, you cleared a 10x difficulty, right? Won’t you be similar to me in about 10 years? Actually, there’s almost no room for me to get stronger now…”

Putting aside the fact that there’s no room for him to get stronger.

I could feel Lee Baek-ho’s mental strength in his casual voice. He was already expecting that it would take another 10 years to find the Genesis Artifacts.

But he doesn’t even think about giving up.

What kind of obsession is that?

“Oh, right. Should I tell you something interesting? You probably didn’t know about it either. It’s a setting that wasn’t in the game.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a huge underground city under the sewers. It’s called Noark.”

“…Noark?”

I tried to maintain my composure.

Should I say it’s like a wish come true?

I never thought he would bring it up first.

“Yes. It reminded me of Orculius. Actually, that’s their main base. You know about the Ormi Revolutionary Army, right?”

I chuckled at the slightly random name.

The Ormi Revolutionary Army.

“They’re the guys that sometimes appeared in events, right? The ones who came and said let’s turn the world upside down together if you got a little fame.”

For reference, accepting that event always resulted in a dead end. I tried countless times to see if there were any hidden conditions, but it was a problem with the game structure itself, so there was nothing I could change.

“Noark was also created by those bastards. They failed in their rebellion and all ran away below.”

“That’s interesting. Anyway, so?”

“That’s all. Their goals are similar, right? So they’re working together there.”

The cooperative relationship between Noark and Orculius.

I had already learned this from the letter left by High Priest Ludwig.

In other words, what comes next is important.

How can I ask about the Dragon Slayer without arousing suspicion?

I was pondering this when it happened.

“Hyung, I’m just telling you this just in case, but even if the royal family or the guild sends down a request later, don’t even go near anything related to this.”

“I think I need to hear the reason first.”

“Ah, this is going to be a long story…”

Lee Baek-ho sighed as he looked at me, then quickly continued.

“There’s a guy called the Dragon Slayer, and that bastard completely screwed up this time. He kidnapped the High Priest and took him around, then lost him. It seems someone accidentally picked up a letter and brought it to the temple.”

I swallowed hard and asked back.

“…How did that happen?”

“I don’t know the details. He lost his memory and doesn’t even know what happened to him, they say?”

Lost his memory?

Could that be related to the fact that one of the vines was cut?

I wanted to ask more details, but Lee Baek-ho didn’t give me a chance and finished his words like a machine gun.

“Anyway, what I want to say is that they broke the agreement first, so a subjugation force might be formed, so absolutely don’t participate.”

“…”

“They’re not still alive and well down there. You’ll only get hurt if you get involved. Got it? Ah, damn, it’s already time. Hyung! See you next time—”

Lee Baek-ho’s voice was distorted and disappeared without a trace.

“Damn it.”

Log out.

In other words, it meant that time was up and he was kicked out.

***

After Lee Baek-ho disappeared.

I returned to my room and took a moment to organize my thoughts.

No, to be precise, I repeated one sentence he had said over and over again.

[I don’t know the details. He lost his memory and doesn’t even know what happened to him, they say?]

Considering the pill that the psychopath woman gave me, it’s possible.

But the problem is, I don’t know if this is a fact.

It’s also possible that Lee Baek-ho heard a rumor created by Orculius and passed it on to me.

But if this is true…

‘It makes sense that the vine was cut.’

It’s somewhat understandable.

This ring doesn’t sever my bad relationship with him.

It just postpones it.

‘In the end, it’s only a matter of time before I’m found out.’

If they trace who delivered the letter, they will eventually find out about me.

There’s also the issue of disposing of the Dragon Slayer Sword.

Even if that’s not the case, there’s also the possibility that Noark has a way to restore memories.

Therefore…

‘What I have to do won’t change.’

I sat back at the computer and continued doing what I had to do.

I checked if there were any information sales posts, and if there were, I met them and bought them at a reasonable price.

I didn’t discriminate, even if it wasn’t information about the Dragon Slayer. Assuming that the entire group could become enemies, I gathered information and gathered more information.

How much time had passed?

[03:09]

It was time for the Watchers of the Round Table to open.

I deliberately waited until there was one minute left before the entry time and then entered the secret chat room.

Because the beauty of role-playing lies in the details.

Squeak—

As I put on the lion mask placed on the table, the closed door opened.

A long red carpet leading to the room with the round table.

As I slowly moved my steps, I heard voices talking in the distance.

“That person, is he not going to come this time?”

“It wouldn’t be strange. Someone like him doesn’t need us.”

“No, who is that person that everyone is talking about?”

There was a voice I had never heard before in the middle.

It seemed like a member who hadn’t attended last time…

“It’s hard to explain.”

“He’s a weirdo. So if you ever meet him, be careful what you say. Otherwise, you’ll have a very hard time.”

The newbie said to the senior’s experienced advice.

“Ha, I really don’t understand. Are you all just teasing me? He doesn’t have any physical power, and he doesn’t know my identity, so why are you so scared?”

“Hehehe. Isn’t there just one thing, his killing intent?”

“What… No matter how strong the killing intent is, we can defend against it, right?”

The newbie muttered as if it was absurd.

So I continued my stopped steps and made a sound.

Thud.

The members sitting at the round table all turned their heads at the loud footsteps, and I quietly passed behind them and sat in the seat I had sat in last time.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Lion.”

Everyone except the clown was silent, watching my every move.

But perhaps he didn’t like that atmosphere?

The newbie awkwardly laughed, mumbling.

“Ah, uh… S-so there really was a newbie? Haha.”

I quietly stared at the newbie.

And, I released the killing intent that I had been practicing hard.

“…!!”

Yeah, if a newbie comes, you have to take the initiative.

That’s the tradition here, right?