Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 194

Auril Gabis. He’s a person from at least 150 years ago.

Back then, when I asked Raven to identify the year, it turned out that the paper used in the ‘Balance Record’ was from that era.

That’s what makes it even more surprising.

‘……That bastard is alive?’

I naturally assumed he was dead.

Of course, I don’t know why I thought that now.

He’s the creator of [Dungeon & Stone], and the most likely culprit who sent me and countless other players to this world……

This place is a fantasy world in the truest sense of the word.

Of course, there’s a possibility that he’s still alive.

The Dragonkin alone live for hundreds of years, don’t they?

Thump!

My heart pounded when I realized this.

It was a slightly different feeling from when I first heard the name.

A resonance filled with anticipation, not shock.

Thump!

If that bastard is really alive.

And if I can find him and meet him.

There might be a way to return to my original world. It’s the first time a clue to the vague ‘return’ has appeared before my eyes.

‘……Let’s calm down.’

I tried to suppress my racing heart and regain my composure.

After all, getting carried away with expectations and turning on the hope circuit can be done later before bed.

It’s better to focus on the present now.

“Barbarian, you’re definitely unique.”

Amelia said, looking at me with a meaningful expression.

For a moment, I wondered if she had seen through my lie that I was ‘just pretending to know him.’

But……

“Should I say you’re brave? To be able to joke in front of me after going through something like that. Are you…… not afraid of me?”

Now that I see it, she just seems to be curious.

Or maybe, she’s never met someone like me before, so this kind of conversation feels a bit awkward to her.

The important thing is that I managed to get through it safely.

That’s why you should act like a madman normally. Then nothing you do will look strange.

“What are you talking about, human woman? I’m not a barbarian, but Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

“Okay, Bjorn Yandel.”

Amelia chuckled.

To me, it felt like a sign that I could relax now.

In that sense, next question.

“But is that person a man or a woman?”

“He’s a man.”

“Could he have disguised himself as a woman?”

“Well, probably not. The records say he was a very male-chauvinistic person.”

“So, regardless of his abilities, he wouldn’t do that. Then what about as a child? Could he disguise himself that way?”

“……He wouldn’t do it as a very young child.”

“What’s the basis for that?”

“Because he was a person who valued his reputation.”

“I see.”

I nodded and subtly asked.

“But why are you looking for him?”

After finishing an easy question that she would naturally answer, I followed up with another question.

I read it in a book.

If you ask questions like this, the chances of getting an answer are higher?

Of course, whether it would work in practice was uncertain……

But there’s no reason not to try.

And indeed, an answer came soon after.

“……It’s a personal matter.”

A personal matter.

That’s what people often say when they don’t want to talk about something or want to draw a line, indicating that they’re not close enough.

It’s also what they say when they want to vaguely brush something off.

But when she says it like this, I’m not so sure.

[That’s none of your business.]

[Why should I answer?]

Even though she has refused to answer directly, she has never lied to try to gloss over things.

Is that why?

Maybe it’s not an order from Noah Arc, but really a personal matter.

‘Well, that’s not what’s important now.’

Auril Gabis.

If he’s really in Bipron, I have to find him.

I have a mountain of things I want to ask him.

***

After our conversation, Amelia said she would go to the city and return at night.

She said she had business there in the afternoon?

At first, it was so natural that I nodded without thinking……

“Wait a minute, how are you going to the city? Do you have a way to avoid the guards?”

“There’s a secret passage under the sewers.”

I would have regretted it if I hadn’t stopped her and asked again.

A secret passage connected to the city!

“Can you tell me about it?”

“Hmm.”

“What are you hesitating for? It’s not like I asked for something you can’t handle.”

“……Okay, I’ll tell you.”

When I subtly mentioned that I was helping with the ‘Auril Gabis’ search, Amelia readily told me about the secret passage.

She even seemed relieved.

Does this mean we’re even now?

‘I got something good thanks to her.’

A kind of pass that allows me to come to Bipron whenever I want in the future. Of course, I don’t plan to use this passage during my exile.

I know I’m the kind of person who stands out.

If I go out and get caught, things will get complicated.

The knight who let me in was the only one who warned me.

I could do anything, but I shouldn’t try to escape.

“Then, go and come back.”

“Come back?”

“Didn’t you say you’d come back tonight?”

“Yes, I did……”

I went down to the sewers with her to get the location of the secret passage and saw Amelia off in front of it.

Then, when I checked the time, it had already been three hours since the gathering order was given. So, I asked people for directions and quietly headed to the gathering place.

The Dimensional Plaza, once bustling with explorers.

“Hey, do you know anything? Why did the boss suddenly call us all? And who are those Western Union guys?”

“I’m not ‘hey’.”

“……?”

“I’m your boss.”

“What do you mean—”

“No questions allowed.”

I pushed through the crowd and headed to the center.

Along the way, members of the Western Union recognized me and greeted me.

“Chung!!!”

Yeah, that’s it.

“What is……?”

The Western Union members kneeling before me and the Eastern Union guys just looking confused.

Still, they cleared the way for me, so it was easier to get to the center.

“You’ve arrived. Please go up there.”

After reaching the center, I was escorted to the platform by Jingjing, who I had reunited with.

He said he had prepared it in advance because he thought it would be necessary?

‘He’s really good at his job.’

I thought it might be a good idea to take him outside and have him work as a butler.

With the secret passage, it’s a waste to keep him here, right?

But if he gets caught by the guards, it won’t end with just a fine.

I was thinking that when I was about to go up the platform.

Crack.

The wooden stairs shattered.

These thin planks couldn’t support my weight and my equipment.

I couldn’t hide my dismay and said.

“Jingjing, what happened?”

“I’m sorry.”

An immediate apology without a single excuse.

I felt a little better, but……

The guy who made this platform is definitely a barbarian hater. Otherwise, he would have designed it to be sturdy enough for a barbarian to climb.

Yes, that means.

“This platform is a harmful platform.”

“Yes. I’ll burn it down right now.”

Jingjing brought a torch and set the platform on fire.

He even poured a liquid that seemed to be oil on top, and the flames soared, instantly engulfing the three-story platform.

It’s like we’re having a campfire.

Whoosh-!!

My heart warms up as much as the warm flames.

Back then, there was no one around me, but what about me now?

I have over a thousand subordinates with me.

“Then, what will you do?”

“The founding ceremony will proceed as planned.”

“Founding ceremony…… Yes, that’s right. That’s why you told everyone to gather in one place……”

“It’s obvious, didn’t you know?”

“I’m sorry.”

I patted Jingjing on the shoulder to show that I forgave him, then [Leaped] high.

My destination was the rooftop of a nearby four-story building.

Thud-!

Cracks appeared on the rooftop floor, but thankfully, it didn’t break.

I felt relieved for some reason.

If I had jumped coolly and fallen through the floor, I would have lost face.

‘Is this what they mean by a position makes a person?’

I’m trying to maintain my dignity without realizing it.

“Ahem.”

Anyway, when I went to the railing, I could see the crowd filling the plaza at a glance, creating a spectacular sight.

Now it’s time to officially start the founding ceremony.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”

I shouted the opening line,

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

The Western Union members, who were my seniors, immediately echoed.

The Eastern Union guys just blinked and stared.

They looked like they were wondering what kind of crazy scene this was.

I clicked my tongue briefly.

“Tsk.”

There’s still a lot to teach them.

***

After the founding ceremony, where the new boss’s face was imprinted on the organization members, I called Jingjing and Baldy and gave them one instruction.

“Check the backs of everyone in Bipron. And bring all the guys with tattoos to me.”

Ah, of course, women and children under the age of 14 who hadn’t passed the ‘qualification test’ were excluded, and by the end of the first day, a total of 37 suspects were brought before me.

But……

“This isn’t the tattoo.”

Amelia, who had returned at night, checked each one of them and shook her head.

Yeah, it wouldn’t be that easy.

To increase efficiency, I scolded Jingjing and Baldy, the vice-leaders of the ‘Behel-ra Union,’ and on the second and third days, many more suspects were caught.

Of course, the guy I was looking for wasn’t among them this time either.

Moreover, the quality decreased instead of the quantity increasing.

“This doesn’t look like a tattoo, but a birthmark.”

“That’s what they say. What happened?”

“I’ll correct it.”

In short, he meant that he would scold his subordinates to improve efficiency.

Fortunately, he must have scolded them well, because from the next day, they brought fewer people with things that weren’t even tattoos.

Day 4, Day 5.

Two more days passed like that.

As expected, there were no significant results.

In the first place, it was ridiculous to think that I could find a big shot like ‘Auril Gabis’ with such a simple and crude method.

But what else could I do?

‘I have to try this at least. It’s not like I have a better way.’

Even if it’s like finding a needle in a haystack, if that needle has the possibility of sending me back home, it’s worth trying.

Therefore, I continued the search.

Of course, I changed the method a little.

It’s nothing special, I just added a ‘reward’.

“Those who don’t meet their daily quota will receive mental training that night.”

Some people might say how is that a reward, but people’s happiness is always relative.

In short, if you live better than others, that’s a reward.

Even in the primitive era, when people ate raw meat and slept in caves with no clothes, weren’t there happy people?

Day 6, Day 7, Day 8……

Time continued to flow endlessly.

However, Auril Gabis showed no signs of appearing, and I gradually gave up on my expectations.

It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t disappointed since it was the first clue to returning home……

But the real reason I was trying to help her was different.

So, I decided to focus on that.

That is, Amelia Rainwales.

What is this woman doing?

I talked to Amelia, whom I met every day through the connection of ‘Auril Gabis,’ and gathered information.

Surprisingly, she answered my questions well.

Although it was limited to information of low importance.

“I don’t eat foods that contain wheat. It makes my skin itchy for some reason.”

She has a wheat allergy, or something.

If she has a hobby, it’s reading.

She answered those questions without difficulty, but she avoided answering questions about who the barbarian she owed a debt to was and what had happened.

“That’s none of your business.”

“But I’m curious. For a woman like you to be so flustered, he must have been a great warrior! At least tell me what kind of person he was!”

“……If I had to compare, he was a bit similar to you.”

She added an unnecessary comment at the end, but it wasn’t meaningful information.

After all, we’re both barbarians.

There are bound to be similarities.

Anyway, as we continued our casual conversations, did she lower her guard a little?

“Why do you go around looting? To be honest, it doesn’t suit you at all.”

“It doesn’t suit me?”

Amelia, instead of getting angry, expressed her doubt even at a question that could be a bit sensitive.

I easily delivered the line I had prepared.

“Since then, I’ve met many looters besides you. And that made it clearer. You’re not the kind of person who would kill someone for money.”

“……That’s funny. What do you know about me?”

“I don’t know. But I know that someone of your level has many ways to make money other than looting.”

“……”

Amelia was silent for a moment.

Then she briefly explained the situation.

“……I don’t usually do it.”

“Then what about that time?”

“Those guys…… committed a crime that deserved death.”

“Does that mean it was a personal grudge?”

“Yes.”

Amelia answered, looking at the empty space as if she was recalling a distant memory.

I became curious about the deep circumstances beyond that, but I couldn’t hear what kind of grudge it was.

Amelia had come to her senses.

“I don’t know what I’m saying to you.”

“Don’t make a fuss over nothing. We’re going to part ways in a few days anyway. There are things you can only talk about with a stranger.”

“Things you can only talk about with a stranger……”

Amelia, who seemed to be impressed by those words, repeated my words once, chuckled, and got up from her seat.

“It’s late. I’ll be going now.”

“Will you come at this time tomorrow too?”

“Probably.”

Amelia disappeared from my sight without making a sound, just like when she came.

Well, is that it for today?

I went out to the terrace to change my mood for a while.

The night view of Bipron was completely different from the outer city areas.

The streets and buildings were buried in darkness without a single light.

‘There are really only a few days left now.’

I sat on the rocking chair on the terrace, blankly organizing my thoughts and looking at the darkness.

How much time had passed since then?

I checked the time and headed to the bedroom.

[23:57]

It was time to go to bed.

Well, it would take a while before I fell asleep though.

「The character’s soul resonates and is drawn to a specific world.」

I wonder if everyone logged in today?