Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 20

Level Up (1)

The chieftain’s eyes narrowed, a menacing glint in them.

“Where did you hear about spirit imprints? It’s not something young warriors should know about.”

*Of course, the first place I learned about it was the game.*

*There’s no way a veteran like me wouldn’t know something that simple.*

But I spoke confidently.

“I read it in a book.”

I had already confirmed that the information could easily be found in the library books, so I had nothing to lose.

“The book said that spirit imprints were a great help in the Holy War against the elves—”

“Hahahaha!”

The chieftain burst into laughter, cutting me off.

Honestly, I was scared stiff, but his laughter sounded quite pleased, so I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“You read a book? How amusing! Just like Ainar, two such admirable fellows at once!”

Fortunately, the chieftain seemed to view these book-loving young barbarians favorably.

“…If the book’s contents are true, I also want to receive the secret technique.”

“Indeed, if a warrior requests it, we have no reason to refuse a spirit imprint! But young warrior! There is one problem!”

“A problem?”

“It costs a lot of money.”

*What, I was nervous for nothing.*

*Why is he talking about something so obvious so seriously?*

Spirit imprints require a lot of expensive materials.

For higher-grade imprints, there were many that couldn’t be obtained without the materials, not just money.

“Haha! It’s admirable that you came this far after reading a book, but it seems you didn’t look into that part!”

“I have money. How much is it?”

The chieftain looked at me and said, as if I were a cute child.

“The cost for the Undying Imprint Technique is, hmm, about 800,000 stones!”

I frowned.

*Ugh, it’s 150,000 stones more expensive than in the game.*

Still, I can manage to pay it.

“I’ll pay.”

“What?”

“Is that really true?”

The chieftain and Ainar exclaimed at the same time.

Before they could bother me, I opened my pouch and took out one 500,000 stone note and three 100,000 stone notes.

The chieftain’s eyes widened with questions.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, where did you get such a large sum of money?”

I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t asked.

I had even prepared a scenario in advance.

I told them a dramatized version of what happened with Erwen.

I roughly explained that I had enslaved an elf I met on the first floor, and by chance, a spirit essence came out, and her older sister paid me for it.

“Hahahaha! Serves you right, pointy-ears!”

“To fleece those sneaky pointy-ears, you must be the first! Bjorn, son of Yandel!”

More than I expected, the barbarians loved this story.

Not only the chieftain and Ainar, but even the elder who was far away came over and was grinning.

*Did they have that much pent-up frustration?*

“Hahahaha! I don’t know how long it’s been since I laughed like this!”

The chieftain then took 600,000 stones from my hand.

*What? I thought he said it was 800,000 stones earlier…*

I tilted my head, and the chieftain patted my shoulder.

“This is my gift to a young warrior who has shown great potential!”

My shoulder felt like it was dislocated, but the reward was truly sweet.

*Damn, 200,000 stones with just one word!*

*Our chieftain is fiery, just like a barbarian should be.*

I shouted with sincerity.

“I will continue to screw over the pointy-ears whenever I see them and become an even greater warrior!!”

“I look forward to it! Young warrior, Bjorn, son of Yandel!”

*Is this what it means to be charming the more you see them?*

*I’m starting to like the barbarians more and more.*

***

A spirit imprint is a type of enhancement technique.

The principle is to infuse the ‘spirit power’ residing in magical materials into the body, granting special abilities.

That’s also why all barbarians are covered in tattoos.

It was said that to make the spirit circuits visible even after adulthood, the tattoos must be applied to relatively pure newborns?

That was definitely the setting.

“I’ll give you one more chance to reconsider. If you choose this path, you cannot receive spirit imprints from other paths. Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

I know all the paths by heart.

Therefore, there’s no chance I’ll change my decision.

The core of my growth method is in the higher-grade imprints of the Undying path, and even if that weren’t the case, most of the abilities of the Undying path are high-performance.

“It seems the elder has arrived, so you may go now.”

“Understood.”

After Ainar left, the chieftain took me to the shaman’s tent.

And the procedure began in earnest.

“Hmm, your circuits are quite clean. If you continue to maintain a pure heart, the spirits will grant you great power in the future.”

The blindfolded shaman said something incomprehensible and then started poking needles along the tattoos on my upper body.

And then…

“Keeeuuuhhh…”

“Young warrior, you don’t have to hold back your screams. Everyone does it.”

“KYYAAAAAAAH!!”

The pain, which felt about ten times worse than a potion, washed over me.

*Damn it, I thought it would just be like a tattoo.*

*Do I have to feel this pain every time I go to a higher path?*

“Alright, it’s over. You must be tired, go on out.”

When the shaman finally said the words I had been waiting for, it was already dark.

The chieftain who brought me here was also nowhere to be seen.

“Thank you.”

“Hehehe, you’re the first warrior to thank a shaman.”

*Huh? Did I do something wrong?*

I don’t know, but I quickly left the tent before I got caught.

[You have activated the first stage of the Undying Imprint.]

[Natural regeneration is slightly increased.]

[Physical stats have increased by +40.]

Mentally, I was incredibly exhausted, but strangely, my body was overflowing with energy.

*Is this the power of the spirit?*

It’s a very strange feeling. It’s like I can feel an unknown power within my body.

I’ll have to check the details later.

“Open the gates!”

After leaving the sanctuary and returning to the inn, I tested my newly acquired abilities a few times and then collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

***

Another day passed, and morning arrived.

I revisited the commercial district that Erwen and I had visited the previous day.

It was to invest all the remaining 900,000 stones, thanks to the chieftain’s generous discount.

“You’re the one who came last time. Are you selling again this time?”

“No, I’ve come to buy this time.”

I need a new weapon.

The hammer I got from the old man was sold last time.

The feel wasn’t bad, but the handle was too long to use as a one-handed weapon.

“I want to see one-handed blunt weapons.”

“One-handed blunt weapons…”

After sparring with Ainar, I decided that this type of weapon suited me better than blades.

Swordsmanship requires proficiency.

*Well, I could do it if I practiced…*

But the weapon itself is only for the early stages, so it’s inefficient. Once I get that ‘essence,’ I plan to focus only on the shield anyway.

“Hmm.”

The shopkeeper scanned me and showed me a one-handed blunt weapon that didn’t look like one.

The lightest one seemed to be three times heavier than the two-handed hammer the old man used.

*But, this is a one-handed blunt weapon?*

“These are all one-handed blunt weapons that barbarians prefer.”

Ah, they would probably love it.

Even my shield was a crude piece of equipment made of solid steel.

But…

“I want something a bit more ordinary.”

“Understood.”

There’s no need to buy something so outrageous.

With such a weapon, the destructive power of each blow would undoubtedly be several times greater than now…

But the first-floor monsters are already almost one-shot kills.

I’m not going to fight large monsters, so equipping such a weapon would likely just be cumbersome.

“How about these?”

The shopkeeper then brought out new weapons.

Of course, these were also far from standard, but they would be just right for a barbarian’s physique.

I chose a mace of a reasonably crude size.

“How much is this?”

“250,000 stones.”

*250,000?*

*Last time, selling six people’s worth of weapons only got me 350,000?*

I frowned, and the shopkeeper added.

“The production difficulty itself isn’t high, but the high steel content is unavoidable.”

Ah, I guess that’s true.

I was convinced.

Though not without grumbling.

“I’ll buy it right away if you adjust the price to 220,000 stones.”

When I tried to haggle, the shopkeeper looked at me with a strange gaze.

*…How much of a pushover are these barbarian bastards living?*

“These kinds of weapons aren’t going to sell anyway.”

“The barbarians often look for them, though.”

Well, maybe the first ones he showed me, but not these.

If I know barbarians, they wouldn’t choose something this ambiguous.

Most of all, barbarians mostly preferred bladed weapons like axes, not blunt weapons.

When I added those reasons, the shopkeeper agreed to the haggle so easily that it was disappointing.

“Alright. I’ll sell it for 220,000 stones.”

*…Should I have asked for 200,000?*

[Overall item level has increased by +85.]

Anyway, I went around and bought two more pieces of equipment.

The first was a half-armor.

[Overall item level has increased by +57.]

The shape is like a flat steel bulletproof vest. The price was 360,000 stones, and I was able to get it cheaply because there was one that fit me perfectly.

If it had been custom-made, I probably would have had to pay twice as much.

Like the helmet I bought second.

“It’ll take about three days. If you leave your address, I’ll have someone deliver it.”

In the case of the helmet, it had to fit my head perfectly, so I had no choice but to have it custom-made.

Instead of giving up on the design, I was able to agree on a relatively cheap price of 170,000 stones.

[Overall item level has increased by +47]

As a result, I had about 50,000 stones left.

*…I probably won’t be able to eat meat for a while.*

***

My daily routine was set.

Wake up at 7 AM.

And have breakfast with Erwen.

“Wow, there are potatoes in the stew today!”

“But why do you always eat breakfast here?”

“Because it’s cheap and delicious?”

After breakfast, I head straight to the library.

If I walk slowly, I can arrive at exactly 8 AM when it opens.

“Parsityev.”

I’ve become quite accustomed to receiving magic from this chronically fatigued female librarian.

“Then, good luck.”

“……”

Of course, I’ve never had a proper conversation with her yet.

Grumble-!

After reading until 4 PM, I have a simple meal at a restaurant I’m visiting for the first time, if possible.

*Hmm, this place is just expensive and not tasty.*

There are a lot of explorers, so it’s good for eavesdropping on conversations, though.

“Is Ainar not here yet?”

“That’s right! Until then, I’ll be your opponent!”

After finishing my meal, I go to the barbarian lodging, arriving around 5 PM.

From the 7th day of training, I started sparring with other barbarians.

I fought fiercely, taking off my shirt like them, throwing punches, and grappling each other.

It was far from the systematic fighting techniques I had expected…

But sparring with barbarians, whose instincts and intuition were extremely developed, was ultimately a great help to me.

*I’m a barbarian too, after all.*

[Repeated training slightly improves reflexes.]

[Repeated training slightly improves flexibility.]

[Repeated training improves dynamic visual acuity…]

[Physical stats have increased by +1.]

I’m starting to get a feel for how to use this body.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, has won!!”

“He’s the strongest warrior ever!!”

Even without the help of new equipment, I occasionally won against Ainar in sparring.

He’s definitely skilled, but his pattern is consistent, which is a weakness.

I gave him advice, but it seems that it’s already ingrained as a habit, and he can’t easily fix it.

“I’m tired! I’m going to sleep!”

“Me too!”

“A wise warrior knows when to rest!”

At 9 PM, the sparring, which was like a real battle, was over.

Then, I drag my sweat- and dirt-covered body back to the lodging.

By the time I come out after washing up, Erwen comes again.

“Mister! Hurry up and wash! The food will get cold!”

“Alright.”

Not every day, but five times a week, I meet her again in the evening for dinner and a chat.

Most of the conversations are trivial daily stories about what Erwen did today and how she felt.

“Isn’t it annoying to walk for an hour every time you come here?”

“Not at all? The food here is cheap and delicious!”

*Cheap and delicious, my ass.*

I don’t know why she’s doing this here when she has a rich older sister.

“Thank you for the meal!”

After finishing the meal, it’s around 11 PM.

At this time, Erwen also obediently returns to her lodging.

“Then, good night. Oh, and I can’t come tomorrow either.”

“You wouldn’t have met me even if you came. We’ll both be busy tomorrow.”

This was my daily routine.

After checking the time, I quickly went up to my room and collapsed onto the bed.

A month had already passed.

And…

[23:41]

Approximately 24 hours remain until the labyrinth opens.

***

[Bjorn Yandel]

Level: 1

Physical: 66 (New +41) / Mental: 37 / Ability: 1

Item Level: 218 (New +146)

Overall Combat Score: 158.5 (New +77.5)