Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 176

What one must always think about before acting.

The advice I gave to Ainar on my first day here.

Even then, I didn’t just say it as empty words.

In fact, this motto has saved my life countless times in the face of numerous adversities.

So, in that sense…

‘Damn it.’

I end my short grumble and focus on the current situation.

[To think I’d meet someone who knows me here.]

First piece of information I can gather from her first line.

At least she didn’t come looking for me.

[This is a bit troublesome.]

Second piece of information.

She’s just as perplexed by this situation as I am.

However, the nuance is quite different from before.

It feels like there’s another reason why she shouldn’t be exposed.

‘I heard Noark was sealed off… So, is she some kind of spy? Did they smuggle her out before the blockade?’

Well, it’s hard to be sure yet.

There might be some hidden circumstances.

The only thing that’s certain right now is this.

[Well, I guess I can just beat you up and erase your memories like last time.]

Even in this situation, she doesn’t intend to kill me.

In other words, I can at least relax about that.

‘If I don’t accidentally step on a landmine, that is.’

The fact that memory-erasing pills don’t work on me.

I just need to be careful not to get caught on that.

Then, it won’t go to the worst-case scenario.

Therefore, the basic stance I should take now has also been decided. I have no intention of willingly taking the pill and being incapacitated, but…

It doesn’t hurt to have insurance.

‘What did I say in the sewers?’

It was a few months ago, but I quickly remembered.

When we accidentally met again in the sewers, I clearly asked this question first.

“…Why do you suddenly want to kill me now? I kept my promise, didn’t I?”

A question I had to ask if my last memory was from the Land of the Dead.

“You’re saying the same thing as before.”

“…Before?”

When I gestured with my eyes as if I didn’t understand, the woman shook her head and continued to say what she wanted to say.

“But your expression is much more relaxed.”

I chuckled.

‘Relaxed, huh…’

I didn’t think it was that obvious.

I spoke bluntly.

“The vow is still valid. Don’t you want to pretend you didn’t see me and just go?”

“Then take this.”

The woman took out a pill from her pocket and threw it at me.

A dark, somewhat damp-looking pill.

“It’s a pill that erases memories. If you just take it, today’s events will be as if they never happened.”

It suddenly occurred to me that taking the pill might be the cleanest way to resolve the current situation.

But…

“How can I trust you?”

That’s my last resort.

If I take the pill, I’ll lose consciousness.

What if this woman gets greedy for my equipment then?

What if she just opens it out of curiosity and happens to find the Dragonslayer Sword in my subspace ring [a magical ring that can store items in another dimension]?

In the end, that’s a landmine too.

“You don’t have any other choice, do you?”

“Why do you say I don’t have a choice?”

Compared to when we met in the Land of the Dead, I’m hundreds of times stronger. Even compared to the sewer days, I’m several times stronger.

Above all, this isn’t a dark underground where there’s no one to help me.

A city on the surface where law and society function.

“If I just shout once, my companions will wake up. You can’t handle that alone, can you?”

There’s no reason for me to give in to this woman.

“…Now that I see it, it wasn’t relaxed, it was arrogance.”

“Why don’t you try and see?”

Even though I spoke arrogantly, she must know it herself.

That the situation is too different from before.

“…”

A heavy silence descended on the empty dawn hallway.

The other side was the first to speak.

“Barbarian.”

The woman took a step forward and called out to me.

Instead of answering, I turned my back.

Then, as expected.

Tap!

I saw the woman’s clone, now doubled.

The Doppelganger’s ability, [Self-Replication].

「Amelia Rainwales has activated [Asura’s Wrath].」

The clone, which appeared silently from behind, leaped and swung its foot with its full weight.

The same thing that blew my head off last time.

I immediately raised my arm to protect my face.

Clang!

A tingling shock was transmitted through my wrist.

But that was all.

‘What’s my physical resistance now?’

Well, it seems like there’s a hairline fracture in my bone, but…

Actually, I’m not even sure about that. I don’t even feel the pain because of my pain tolerance.

“Behel–raaaaaaaa!!”

I shouted the name of my ancestor god and slammed my fist, the size of a watermelon, into the clone’s face.

Bang-!

The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke as soon as it took the hit.

I quickly turned my body towards where the main body was, in preparation for a combined attack, but…

The woman was just standing there.

“How did you know?”

Ah, she didn’t imagine I’d be able to block that.

I answered honestly.

“Sound.”

From some point on, all sounds had disappeared.

It’s the dead of night, but it’s a clearly unnatural phenomenon.

Ainar’s snoring easily passes through wooden doors.

As soon as the sound disappeared, I realized she was trying to ambush me, and I even noticed her method when she took a step forward.

[Self-Replication], which I had been hit by once before.

‘The radius where clones can be summoned is 5m.’

It was clear that it wouldn’t be quite enough to summon behind me. Since we had fought twice, I was able to counter like this.

“The offer I made earlier is still valid. Pretend you didn’t see me and just disappear to do your own thing.”

I repeated what I had said earlier.

Then, as expected, a different answer came back.

“…How can I trust you?”

I grinned and returned the same words.

“Do you have any other choice?”

I don’t know what she used, but it seems like the duration is short, as Ainar’s snoring started to be heard again a few seconds ago.

Now, if I just shout, my companions will come out–

Creak.

At that moment, the door opened.

“Bjorn? Who are you talking to so loudly…”

Misha appeared through the crack in the door, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“I’ll explain later, so go inside for now.”

“Ack!”

I reached out and closed the door before it could fully open.

“Hey! You crazy bastard!!”

Misha went berserk after hitting her head, but it couldn’t be helped.

That’s not what’s important right now.

“Hey! Open it! Open it! There’s a woman outside! Erwen? Is she back again!!”

I blocked the door with my body and quietly stared at the woman.

The message in my eyes was extremely simple.

‘So, what are you going to do now?’

The answer came after a moment of silence.

“If I say I’ll go back, will you believe me?”

In other words, she’s asking if I’m not worried about retaliation.

I answered without hesitation.

“I believe you.”

After all, she’s the woman who spared my life before, just trusting in a single vow.

In fact, I didn’t report this woman.

I even blocked Misha with my whole body just now.

“You should know by now. I don’t care what you’re doing. I just don’t want to get involved with you.”

“…I guess so.”

The woman muttered in a somewhat bitter voice.

But that wasn’t the answer I wanted.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“I’ll go back.”

“I’d also like you to promise that you won’t come looking for me again.”

“I didn’t come looking for you. But… if you want, I’ll promise that too.”

At those words, I also lowered my guard a little.

It’s a world where you can’t give a grand meaning to a mere promise, but that’s not the case for everyone.

[I don’t want to kill the Barbarian with my own hands if possible.]

[Because that was the promise in the first place.]

She’s the woman who spared my life in the Land of the Dead because of someone’s promise.

The weight of a promise must be different.

‘I called her a psychopath back then, but now that I know her, she’s not really like that…’

“Then go, human woman.”

“…”

At my words, the woman quietly nodded.

And she turned her back and started going down the stairs.

Tap, tap.

As the sound of her footsteps faded, a sense of relief bloomed.

I was really glad it ended without a fight.

My setup wasn’t complete yet to withstand Aura [a type of magical energy].

If I had really tried to finish it, regardless of the city or my companions, I would have had to shed blood too.

“Hoo…”

I headed towards the stairs because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly until I saw her leave.

Tap.

The woman was stepping on the last step and going down to the first floor.

But did she sense something?

“…You’re not a human woman.”

The woman turned around and stared at me.

And…

“Amelia Rainwales.”

She left those words and disappeared like smoke.

My mind went blank for a moment.

“No, what the…”

Doesn’t this mean we’ll meet again later?

Knock knock.

I knocked on Ainar’s door first.

Only the sound of snoring could be heard, and the door didn’t open.

Unlike Misha’s door, which opened as soon as I knocked.

“Hey! Who was that woman outside!”

“A peddler.”

“What?”

“That’s it, let’s just sleep. I’m tired.”

“Huh? Uh, uh… uh? Sleep? Here? Why?”

I laid a pillow on the floor and lay down on the bare floor.

I really didn’t want to do this, but…

“Y-yeah, that’s right. If you’re t-tired, it can’t be helped. C-come up and brag. Don’t do that…”

“Still, that’s a bit… I’ll just sleep here.”

“Huh? Then, w-why did you come here?”

Uh…

For some reason, I feel like I’ll be scared to sleep alone today.

***

Time passed, and the day of the dungeon entrance arrived.

[10:30]

1 hour and 30 minutes before the portal opens.

Raven arrived as soon as it was time.

That meant everyone was gathered in one place.

“Fortunately, no one was late this time?”

After casting the binding magic, we all moved together.

For reference, the starting point was Bear Uncle’s tavern.

I decided that it would be easier to just take them from here than to wait for almost an hour.

“…There are definitely fewer people than usual.”

The path to the Dimensional Plaza was unusually deserted.

It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.

Given the current situation, everyone must be trying to take a break and observe the situation.

‘…But what is this?’

I froze as soon as I arrived at the Dimensional Plaza.

A completely different situation was unfolding from the deserted path.

“Everyone, please line up!”

Dozens of times more civil servants than usual.

And the military can be seen.

A formation of one knight and four soldiers formed hundreds of groups and were stationed everywhere.

‘…Are they trying to control the dungeon entry?’

I suddenly thought that, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“Here, please take this.”

When I stood at the end of the long line, a civil servant quickly approached and handed me two items.

One was a video recording device, and the other was…

Well, honestly, I have no idea.

“What is this necklace?”

“It’s an identification tag for our explorers.”

“Identification tag…?”

“Yes.”

The civil servant explained a few precautions, saying that it should never be lost.

As expected of an official administration, the explanation was long, but to interpret it, it was very simple.

‘If you lose it, you’re screwed.’

If you don’t have this identification tag, you’ll be targeted for execution.

Conversely, you won’t be held accountable for killing someone without an identification tag.

‘They were quiet, and they were planning this.’

They only told us right before the dungeon opened, so it seems they really kept it a secret.

As a resident of Lapdonia, it’s not bad for me.

“B-Bjorn… are we going to be okay?”

“Why wouldn’t we be okay? It means the military will protect us in the dungeon.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Still, one thing has become clear. The rumor that there’s a portal in the underground city is true.”

As we talked, about 5 minutes passed, and the portal opened.

The military entered first, and then it was the turn of the explorers who were waiting in line.

“…If this goes on, we might not be able to enter.”

“Hey, Mr. Ourikfreed. Surely that won’t happen.”

Raven said that it wouldn’t happen, but his expression hardened as time passed.

The portal was getting smaller in proportion to the shrinking line.

I was actually happy about this situation.

‘Hmm, if this is the case, I don’t need to say anything?’

Originally, I was going to confess my past story and use the experience copy bug [a glitch that allows the user to gain more experience than intended].

Bear Uncle, whom I had observed for a month, valued trust greatly, and Raven was trustworthy in a different sense.

The main thing was what happened with the special appraiser.

[If I tell you, you’ll make several times more profit than the money you gave us, right? I can’t allow that.]

He never does anything that benefits others.

So, I was going to share this method and keep accumulating free experience from this entry onwards.

But…

“What are you doing! Hurry up and go in!”

“If you’re not going in, get out of the way!”

In the current situation, it seems possible to naturally induce that situation.

Even I can see that it’s a close call.

It was a big deal that there were quite a few explorers who were blocking the way and hesitating in front, probably because they were scared when they saw the military.

“This is the end! Everyone, please step back!”

“What! What do you mean! I’ve been waiting for over an hour!”

The entry was closed when there were about 10 people left in the queue.

“A-are we going home like this!!”

“Huh, I didn’t think we really wouldn’t be able to enter.”

“It’s because Mr. Ourikfreed said something strange.”

“…Are you blaming me for this?”

“Hoo, that’s enough. Then, let’s all go back now?”

Everyone seemed to be resigned to reality.

Hey, that’s disappointing for a Barbarian to hear.

Are you giving up with just this?

“Bjorn, what are you doing? You keep looking ahead.”

“Now’s the time.”

Soon, the light of the portal began to fade.

Normally, it would be the timing when shouts like ‘The gate will be closed soon!’ would be heard everywhere.

“Everyone, get on my back.”

“Huh?”

There was no time to explain, so I activated [Giantification] first.

My body grew in an instant.

“W-what are you doing! It’s illegal to use abilities in an unauthorized place–!”

I can just pay the fine.

It wasn’t much.

About 300,000 stones if you didn’t cause any injuries.

‘I can just deduct this from the public funds.’

I immediately hugged the four people in both arms.

And I started running forward without thinking.

“There! What are you doing!”

“Stop!!”

I ignored the civil servants’ empty shouts.

After all, this will probably end with just a small fine.

There’s no reason not to go in.

Even if I hunt for just one day on the 5th floor, how much is that worth!

“Kyaa!”

“You, don’t tell me! Are you just going to go in?”

“Behel–raaaaaaaa!”

Did my shout become the answer?

Ainar, who was in my left arm, giggled.

“Hahaha! As expected of Bjorn!!! A great warrior!!”

Yeah, this is how our Barbarian should be.

Thump! Thump!

I smiled with satisfaction and quickly ran through the empty plaza.

Whoosh–

The light of the portal, which had shrunk to about the size of a person and was shaking uneasily.

Soon, the light flashed and embraced us.

「You have entered the 1st floor, Crystal Cave.」

Safe.

***

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1.」

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1.」

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1.」

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +1…」

「…」