Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 199

200. Master Key (5)

He was known by the nickname ‘Elfnunalove,’ but more publicly as the ‘Ghost Master,’ a player shrouded in rumors about their true identity.

He slowly opened his eyes and checked the time.

“……”

It was just past midnight.

He was in his personal laboratory on the upper floor of the Magic Tower.

As always, he sat in his chair for a while, organizing his thoughts.

‘I wonder how that guy will react now?’

Earlier today, as soon as he logged into the community, he had permanently banned one player.

The target was ‘Sergeant Lee.’

A Korean user with the unique nickname Sergeant Lee.

‘He must be going crazy right now, trying to find me and kill me.’

He hadn’t wanted to be on bad terms with ‘Sergeant Lee’ either.

‘Sergeant Lee’ was not only the closest to the ‘key’ but also a player with more raw power than anyone else.

…Among those from Earth, that is.

‘…It’s because he didn’t listen when I tried to talk to him.’

He was a little worried that he might have poked a sleeping tiger, but it was something he had to do.

The last attempt at persuasion before the permanent ban.

Wasn’t it Sergeant Lee who had rejected it?

Of course, he understood their situation, so he had left them alone until now, but he couldn’t keep being considerate forever.

Now, he too would have to make a choice.

‘…Still, I feel a bit sorry for that person.’

His thoughts naturally drifted to another user.

A Korean user with the nickname ‘Elfnunna.’

‘That person also seemed to be a fan of that person.’

He knew, having encountered many Korean users so far.

How few they were.

The proportion of Koreans among the players was less than 1%.

It wasn’t for nothing that ‘Sergeant Lee,’ who was desperately looking for fellow countrymen, had begged for even a few words at the end.

‘It’s funny when you think about it. If you miss your fellow countrymen so much, you should all cooperate to clear the game and go back.’

The man chuckled and got up from his seat.

His crystal ball was already vibrating, indicating that he had received a message.

“To contact me first at this hour, it seems something happened on your end as well, Soul Queens.”

[Yes. I was about to finish work, but I found a strange login record.]

“A strange login record?”

The man adjusted his posture.

Since it was her, who had as much understanding of this space as he did, it certainly wouldn’t be a trivial matter.

[There’s a login record, but it doesn’t show who it is. And most of all… the login time is around 3 AM.]

“That means someone entered the community in the middle of the night.”

[Yes. That’s why I found it so strange…]

“Please, give me some time to think.”

The man maintained the call while casting a spell on himself. A unique combination magic he created by adding several formulas to ‘Thought Acceleration,’ called ‘Meditation.’

One person quickly came to mind.

“The Watcher of the Round Table.”

[Ah! That suspicious person who was banned a year ago!]

Nickname ‘0720.’

He had learned of his existence a year ago.

He had heard from all the guides who helped new players enter the community that they had no memory of helping him, and later, when he entered his inner world, he saw him wearing the clothes of this place, which made him suspicious and led to the ban.

Usually, they wear modern clothes.

He judged that he was either a spy from the royal family who had secretly infiltrated this place by obtaining pills, or a player from somewhere other than Earth.

‘…And most of all, he was an old man.’

Players are generally young.

That’s only natural.

They were people who enjoyed this kind of twisted game, weren’t they?

It’s hard to imagine an elderly man over 70 clearing this game.

“Perhaps the Watcher of the Round Table created a group of their own to avoid our eyes.”

[But you judged that the remaining members at that time were normal, didn’t you?]

“Yes, I did at that time. But just in case, could you go in and check for me, Soul Queens?”

[…That’s a private chat room, though.]

“Don’t worry about the invitation code. It might take a few months, but it’s not impossible.”

[Yes, if that’s the case…]

Soon, Soul Queens agreed, and with that, the man was about to end the call.

He could only give instructions after going in and checking again next month.

There was nothing he could do right now.

But…

“Soul Queens, do you remember a player named ‘Elfnunna’?”

For some reason, the man, who had that nickname in mind, asked without realizing it.

[Ah, that person? They came in a few months ago, and I remember them clearly because they were unique. Not just the nickname, but the other side was also very impressive.]

“Impressive, how?”

[Their inner world space wasn’t visible at all. In all my time doing this job, it was the first time I’ve seen someone with such a thick mental barrier.]

“…I see.”

The man felt a sense of unease.

That the mental barrier was unusually thick could be accepted as a difference between individuals.

Soul Queens had only been working as a guide for a short time.

But, he felt like he was missing something.

In the ‘Meditation’ state, the ‘Intuition’ stat also increased, so the man didn’t dismiss the feeling as just a hunch.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

The man asked for understanding and then checked the characters recorded in his mind.

Specifically, it was the list of those who had sent letters around the time Elfnunna had entered, as Soul Queens had mentioned.

‘They’re all newbies.’

Thinking that they might have taken the pills later, he expanded the search by 3-month intervals, but the results were still the same.

None of them had gone beyond the 5th floor.

But, how could their mental barrier be that high?

“…Bjorn Yandel?”

While checking by expanding the range, one name stood out to the man.

A rare barbarian who had chosen a shield.

So, he had sent a letter in case it was ‘that person,’ but he had dismissed his suspicion when he didn’t enter.

“Soul Queens.”

The man gave a new instruction.

“Investigate the user named Elfnunna. What posts they left, how much GP [Game Points] they have, and what information they purchased. Restore everything, even if it’s deleted.”

He needed to check.

***

The morning after the community opened.

Amelia woke me up.

“…What is it? So early in the morning.”

“Morning? It’s already noon, you know.”

Hey, a barbarian can sleep in late, you know.

I poured a cup of water into my parched throat and asked.

“So, what’s the matter?”

Usually, Amelia appeared in the evening.

We had agreed to meet around that time when we parted yesterday.

So why did she come to find me in the middle of the day?

The answer that came from Amelia’s mouth was quite simple.

“I felt like I should say something before I left.”

“You mean you’re leaving.”

“Yes, so you can stop the search now.”

Judging by her tone, it didn’t seem like she was leaving because she had found ‘Auriel Gavis’….

I naturally probed.

“Looks like you have something to do.”

Amelia didn’t answer.

But that was enough for me.

She was a woman who went to the city every day and moved around busily, wasn’t she?

[In Noark, they sent a few people to the surface right before the blockade. The goal is to kill one explorer! Isn’t that amazing?]

Perhaps the assassination operation that the clown had mentioned was about to begin today.

I had no intention of getting involved.

It wasn’t something I could stop even if I tried.

No, rather….

“Will you come back later to find him? I can leave a word here if you need it.”

I offered a good-faith suggestion.

She was the type who was sensitive to favors and grudges.

I figured that if I put her in debt, it would be helpful.

“There’s no need. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy to find him this way anyway.”

“I see.”

I didn’t bother to make another offer when Amelia refused.

That was how the conversation ended cleanly.

“Then, see you next time.”

I gave a short farewell, and Amelia quietly stared at me.

“See you next time, what does that mean?”

Ah, that was what she was curious about.

Well, it was me who had been saying that I hoped we wouldn’t get involved again, so it must have sounded a bit meaningful to her.

I answered honestly.

“I feel like I’ll meet you again.”

How many times have we met by chance already?

I don’t know how long it will take until I can go home, but I’m sure we’ll meet again at least once.

“…Strange fellow.”

With those words, Amelia disappeared from my sight as usual.

Now it was my turn to start my day.

Ding-!!

First, I pressed the call bell I had made next to the bed hard.

“Did you call for me?”

Jingjing, who appeared in less than a minute, as befitting my right-hand man.

After giving the order to stop the search, I had a simple lunch and went out with him.

It was my daily after-meal walk.

There was nothing else to do in Bipron.

“Let’s go to the distribution center.”

“The distribution center… you mean?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, I will guide you to the nearest one.”

Today’s destination for the walk was one of the 12 distribution centers in Bipron.

When we arrived, we saw a long line.

A line to receive food supplies supported by the city every morning.

It was a sight that was hard to see a few days ago.

Originally, each faction had occupied the distribution centers and monopolized them.

“As you said, at least the minors can take as much as they want without any conditions.”

“Good, keep it that way.”

I looked at the line of children with a satisfied look and then turned away. And I walked around the city as my feet led me.

Then, I saw a familiar kid.

The very kid who had guided me to that inn on my first day in Bipron.

“Come here.”

“Yes!”

The kid, who had been slowly backing away as soon as our eyes met, came to me and stood at attention.

“Where are you going?”

“I, I’m on my way back from the distribution center….”

“You’ve gained a little more weight than before.”

“Yes….”

Was it because I had become the de facto leader of Bipron?

Not only that day, but even after that, I had never done anything to harm him, but the kid was trembling.

Well, I just called him because I was glad to see him.

Is this the loneliness of an absolute being?

“How have you been lately?”

“I, I read books in my free time. In that library that Yandel-nim made….”

It wasn’t that I made the library, but rather that I reactivated the library that had been gathering dust.

There were still far more empty bookshelves because so many books had been used as kindling. I had given instructions to gather all the books and fill them in, so it would get better over time.

“I, I swear I won’t do anything like that again! If I need money, I register at the labor camp and earn it honestly!”

The kid, who had started making excuses about things I hadn’t even asked about, seemed to have become anxious when I just stared at him.

“Come to think of it, your dream was to be a scholar.”

“Yes, yes!”

I chuckled and gave him a piece of advice.

“Keep living like that. If you make money by backstabbing others, you’ll have problems with your head, and then one day you’ll disappear.”

“…Huh?”

“You can’t be a scholar if you don’t have a head, can you?”

“Huh? Ah, yes….”

He didn’t understand my words at all, but I didn’t bother to continue the conversation.

I didn’t want to become a boomer barbarian.

“Let’s go.”

After that, I continued my walk with Jingjing.

Distribution centers, libraries, residential facilities, labor camps, etc.

I had nothing to do but look for Auriel Gavis, so I had touched on various unreasonable parts, and the city was definitely more lively than when I first arrived.

The biggest change was that the tyranny of each faction had disappeared.

‘Well, it’ll go back to the way it was if I’m not here.’

In that sense, I led Jingjing to the sewers.

“W-Why are we here….”

Jingjing looked at me, trembling with a strange voice.

Hey, anyone would think I was going to kill you and bury you here.

“I’m going to the city for a while, is there anything you need?”

“…Huh?”

Jingjing, who rarely repeated the same words twice, asked back with a blank face.

“Y-Y-Y-You’re going to the city…?”

“Ah, didn’t I tell you? There’s a passage connected to the city.”

“T-T-T-T-T-T-That can’t be?”

“Why are you stuttering? Is there something wrong with your head?”

“N-No, there isn’t.”

Jingjing, who had probably only been thinking about being released in a few days, lowered his head with a miserable face.

However, did he belatedly realize it was a bluff?

“Anyway, since you don’t need anything—”

“No! I do!”

“Really? Tell me.”

Jingjing asked me for one thing when I said I was going to the city.

It was a skewer from a certain shop in District 9.

“It’ll be cold by the time I bring it back, though?”

“That’s okay!”

I chuckled and nodded.

I knew what he was thinking.

He was probably trying to see if I really had a way to go to the city.

“Then you can go back now.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After that, I sent Jingjing away and entered the sewers. And I headed towards the secret passage that Amelia had told me about.

It was then.

Ziiing.

The message stone, which I always kept in my pocket instead of in my subspace, vibrated, just in case.

It was the one I had received from Dragon Uncle.

In the past, we had agreed to contact each other when a decision was made on whether to give me the ‘Dragon’s Blessing’ that I had requested in exchange for the Dragon Slayer Sword.

‘He said it would take a month or two, and it took exactly two months.’

I wondered what the result would be.

When I pressed the button that protruded from the bottom, a voice flowed out from the other side.

[Tear the paper I gave you back then.]

“I’m more curious about what happened.”

[The elders have decided to see you in person and make a decision.]

“I see.”

I tore the paper that I had shoved into my subspace as instructed.

‘They decided to see me in person and make a decision….’

It wasn’t the ‘YES’ I had expected, but I wasn’t too worried.

Even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll make it work.

That’s the spirit of a K-Barbarian [Korean Barbarian].