Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 202

Dragon’s Blessing.

One of the few traits that made the Dragonkin a cheat race. However, unlike Dragon Words, this blessing can be engraved on other races as well.

However, in the game, I received this less than ten times.

It was only possible to unlock it after building a certain amount of favor with the Dragon race and completing a hidden quest.

‘If you chose a dwarf with bad relations, you couldn’t even try.’

Of course, I’m not a dwarf but a barbarian, so I was practically giving up on the ‘blessing’.

The conditions for the ‘hidden quest’ itself were insane, and as a result, the ‘hidden quest’ itself had disappeared in this era.

An era 150 years after the game’s world.

History books stated that the problem that plagued the Dragonkin had already been solved by a hero.

‘Wait a minute, if I can do this, does that mean I can do other things too?’

I organized my thoughts, recalling some of the hidden pieces that were already blocked. Perhaps, it might be possible to obtain them through other routes.

No, even if that’s not the case, it’s the same.

Things that were completely blocked by the system in the game.

For example…….

“Just in case, you can’t choose multiple ones. As a barbarian, your body won’t be able to handle it.”

“What do you mean my body can’t handle it?”

“Exactly what I said. You’ll die.”

Well, I guess that’s not an option.

They might try if I really insisted, but I had no intention of being that stubborn.

Isn’t the price my life?

Among the Dragonkin, there are only a few who have engraved more than two blessings, except for the Dragon Uncle.

That means it puts a lot of strain on the body.

“So, what’s your decision? I can give you more time if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll go with this one.”

I shook my head and grinned.

My decision was already made before I came here.

The Sea Dragon’s Blessing.

First of all, this is definitely not it.

MP is an important resource, but if I manage it well while hunting, I won’t feel like I’m lacking.

I’m not a sorcerer in the first place.

Having just enough is sufficient.

In that sense…….

The Volcano Dragon’s Blessing.

This isn’t bad.

As much as I’ve matched the combinations between skills, the performance enhancement won’t stop at 30%, it will show more than that.

But.

“I will take the Earth Dragon’s Blessing.”

I ultimately decided that it’s better to raise stats than skills.

It’s a simple reason.

Most of my skills use stats as coefficients anyway. If stats increase by 20%, it’s the same as enhancing skill performance by that much.

“Good choice. So, you were conscious of that guy after all?”

The Dragon Uncle nodded at my choice.

He seemed to think I chose this because I was conscious of the Dragonslayer, but I just agreed with him.

It’s not like I didn’t think about him at all.

[Soul’s Silence]

This overpowered Dragon Word of the Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos, makes MP zero, preventing the use of skills.

That’s why I had to fight him barehanded.

However, if you ask if this is the main reason for my choice, that’s not it either.

The Earth Dragon has a hidden effect.

‘But there’s no way they wouldn’t know about it…….’

I narrowed my eyes, looking at the Dragon Uncle and the kid.

I didn’t feel particularly upset.

They have no obligation to tell me, a different race, about that.

Besides, I don’t need that kind of consideration.

“Then that’s settled. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Once the decision was made, the Dragon Uncle stepped aside.

With a pleased smile.

“Have a good time with my daughter.”

No, that sounds weird.

***

After the Dragon Uncle left.

The kid and I talked until nightfall. The main topic was my exploration experiences so far.

“Do I really have to talk about my stuff?”

“It’s better if you do. I told you before, words have power. Since it’s the path you’ve walked, it’s easier for me to feel your resonance.”

“If that’s the case.”

I thought it would be easier than just rambling, so I told my story, filtering out some parts.

It hasn’t even been a year since I became an explorer, but there were more things to talk about than I thought.

Is that why?

“It’s getting late, is it not done yet?”

We even had a meal while talking, and it was already evening.

But was it not enough to engrave the blessing yet?

“……Not yet. Your resonance is strangely difficult to read. Yeah, so… just keep talking about what you were saying.”

“Where did I leave off?”

“The Doppelganger Forest. You talked about encountering other explorers and noticing that one of them was from the underground city.”

I came here in the middle of the day and talked all day, and now I’ve reached the recent part of my journey.

Once this is over, I won’t have anything else to talk about.

I was a little worried, but thankfully, when I told her honestly, she said she didn’t need to read my resonance anymore.

“Well, I think that’s enough.”

“Does that mean?”

“Follow me. Now, I’ll engrave the blessing on your body.”

Following the kid inside, I saw a cave hidden behind a thin cloth.

A cave connected to the building wall…….

‘It feels like I’m going on an adventure.’

After walking through the cave for a few minutes, a space of about ten pyeong [approximately 36 square meters] appeared.

A common area with a bed and some furniture.

The jewel embedded in the ceiling emitted a soft light and smoke, giving it a magical feeling.

“Okay, lie down here.”

“The bed is too small for me to lie on.”

“…….”

“I’ll just lie on the floor.”

As a barbarian, I coolly lay down on the floor, and the kid chuckled and began preparing to engrave the blessing on my body.

It didn’t take long.

It takes the form of a tattoo, but the core of the blessing is the special ability of the priestess.

“Where should I engrave it?”

“How big is it?”

“About this much.”

The kid showed me her open palm.

It was much smaller than I expected.

“Does the location matter?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter. But why?”

“I want to engrave it somewhere that’s not usually visible.”

It’s a blessing from another race, after all.

If the barbarians find out before I become the chief and change the conservative clan rules, it’ll be a big problem.

“……Somewhere not visible?”

As if something came to mind, the kid’s gaze naturally moved to one spot.

And she made a troubled expression.

“Th-that place might be a bit difficult…….”

Following the kid’s gaze, I looked down and was genuinely dumbfounded.

No, crazy. Who gets a tattoo there?

“……U-um, I can do it on your butt.”

What is she saying?

“Okay, do it here.”

I said the part I had been thinking about from the beginning.

“The sole of your foot? Ah, I see……”

This world is closer to Western culture.

That means you don’t usually take off your shoes indoors.

The kid, who had a convinced expression, expressed a question.

“But can’t you just engrave it small among the tattoos? It doesn’t seem like it would stand out much. You always wear armor on top, right?”

“The shaman will notice.”

“Ah, I guess so.”

Of course, considering the shaman’s personality, he wouldn’t say anything about it.

But I want to hide it as much as possible.

I don’t know what will happen in the future, and the shaman is strangely suspicious.

“Then that’s settled. Can we start now?”

“Of course.”

“It’s going to hurt quite a bit.”

“It’s okay, just finish it quickly.”

Despite the kid’s warning, I wasn’t too worried.

How much could it hurt compared to the Soul Imprint?

Even if it’s a type that my pain resistance doesn’t work on, I’m not afraid.

“I am a barbarian.”

A barbarian.

A being that always moves forward after a struggle.

“Hmm, is that so?”

The kid smiled meaningfully, then pulled out a pure white flame on her index finger.

And…….

Chiiiiiiik!

She said, searing the flame onto the sole of my foot.

“You can make noise.”

Oh, really?

[The Earth Dragon’s Blessing has been imbued into the character’s soul.]

[All additional stats increase by 20%.]

I shouted with all my might.

“Kkyaaaaaaaaaaak!!”

This is no time to worry about my barbarian pride.

***

[Bjorn Yandel]

Level: 5

Physical: 516.48 (New +86.08) / Mental: 427.56 (New +71.26) / Ability: 937.2 (New +171.2)

Item Level: 2,867

Total Combat Power: 2,597.99 (New +328.54)

Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Orc Hero – Rank 5 / Ogre – Rank 3 / Manticore – Rank 5

***

The process of engraving the Earth Dragon’s Blessing on the sole of my foot was short.

It took about 3 minutes?

Compared to the Soul Imprint, which took several hours at most, it was like a blink of an eye.

However, the time spent was similar in the end.

I lost consciousness as soon as it was over.

“Are you awake?”

I opened my eyes slowly and saw the kid sitting against the wall, reading a book.

“……I must have dozed off for a bit.”

“Not fainted?”

“…….”

“You’re so funny.”

I ignored the kid’s mockery and checked the time first.

9 AM.

It was already time to start a new day.

“Drink this.”

I drank the water the kid gave me and got up.

I was mentally exhausted, but my body felt very energetic.

Well, my stats increased by 20%, so it’s impossible not to feel it.

I’m already looking forward to it.

Excluding the Corpse Golem, I only have three essences of rank 5 or higher.

Just filling this spot will increase my stats as much as eating one higher-rank essence.

“Kid.”

“It’s Penitasauros.”

So she doesn’t want to be called a kid?

“Okay, Penitasauros.”

It felt strange even as I said her name as she wanted.

Is this a person’s name or a dinosaur’s name…….

“……Just call me Pen.”

“Okay, Pen. By the way, is everything done now?”

“Yeah. Thankfully, it went well. But just in case, come back again later when you have time. This is the first time I’ve done it for another race, so there might be side effects.”

“Okay, when I have time.”

“Make time and come. I’ve already told my dad too.”

After saying I understood, I left the cave with Pen. And I asked the location of the Dragon Uncle to go back.

“Dad should be where you were when you first came. Should I guide you?”

“I can find my way alone.”

Since I received guidance training from Rotmüller, I’m confident in memorizing paths.

So, as I was about to leave this place.

“Sorry.”

A voice came from behind.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry. Yesterday…… I was honest about saying you were ugly.”

I chuckled.

I wasn’t sure if this was an apology or another way of picking a fight…….

Like an adult, I decided to point out the facts.

“I’m not ugly.”

“What?”

“I’m handsome in a manly way.”

Pen stared at me, then nodded slightly.

“……Okay.”

It seems I succeeded in instilling the correct sense of beauty before the world tainted her.

“See you next time. I’ll tell you another new story then.”

“……Okay.”

After that, I said goodbye to Pen and found the Dragon Uncle.

And after handing over the Dragon Sword, I returned to the sewer where I was through Dragon Words.

The familiar smell of sewage that completely kills my appetite.

I briefly considered just going back to sleep, but I hurried my steps.

‘It’s really connected to the city.’

As Amelia told me, when I went through the secret passage, an exit connected to the city appeared.

District 8, located next to District 7 where I live.

I was originally going to meet Misha and Ainar to hear about their recent news, but…….

I was too tired to do that.

‘I can see them in a few days anyway…….’

I covered my face with the prepared hood and bought the skewers that Jingjing ordered before returning.

“Here are the skewers from the store you mentioned. I asked for the spiciest flavor like a man.”

“…….”

“Why are you so quiet? Aren’t you happy?”

“……I’m happy.”

“Your voice is too small.”

“I’M HAPPY!!!”

Jingjing was greatly pleased, making it worth the effort of buying them with my tired body.

Seeing this, I felt relieved.

The warning that I could come anytime was enough, so I knew that Bipron wouldn’t return to its old ways overnight just because I was gone.

“Are you crying?”

“The skewers are spicy… that’s… why.”

“Tsk. You cry so easily, that’s why you’re losing your hair.”

“Yes…….”

“I’m going to sleep now, so don’t wake me up.”

I spent almost the entire day sleeping as soon as I returned, and after that, I rested as if I was enjoying my last vacation.

Time passed, and finally, that day arrived.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”

The end of my exile, which felt both short and long.

I headed towards the city wall, receiving a passionate send-off from all the assembled members. And I also said goodbye to Jingjing.

“I’ll visit sometimes.”

“Yes! I’ll be waiting!”

Jingjing seemed to have recovered a lot of his mental state compared to the first day.

After emphasizing once again that the secret passage should only be known to the two of us, I called out to the guards on the wall.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel. Confirmed.”

I entered the checkpoint and went through a simple identification process, and when that was over, the guard opened the gate on the other side of the double gate structure.

“Sir Mozlan’s knight left a message. He said not to cause any more trouble next time.”

What trouble?

I was trapped here because of their circumstances, for a problem that would have ended with a fine. I grumbled and stepped out into the city, taking a deep breath.

It felt like the air was different somehow?

The sunlight felt strangely warm today.

‘……But why is no one here?’

After finishing my 20-day exile and returning to the city, I stood blankly on the street for a while.

Even after a few minutes, none of my companions appeared.

Well, I guess I shouldn’t have expected them to come out to greet me.

‘Well, they wouldn’t know what time I’d be out.’

I quickly grabbed a carriage and moved to the inn.

And as soon as I arrived, I knocked on Misha’s door.

Knock knock!

No matter how many times I knocked, the door didn’t open.

I couldn’t hear any signs of life inside either.

‘What’s going on? Did she go out?’

Maybe she went out to greet me and we just missed each other.

I was thinking that when.

Bang.

The door opened.

It was Ainar’s room, not Misha’s.

“Bjorn……!!!!”

Ainar, who had just woken up, greeted me urgently.

I felt a sense of incongruity.

‘What is it?’

At first, it was an unconscious reaction, but I soon found out what was causing the incongruity.

If Misha had gone out to greet me, there’s no way Ainar would be left here alone.

She would have brought him with her.

“Why……! Why did you come so late!!”

“Calm down and tell me what happened.”

Suppressing my growing anxiety, I first asked what was going on.

“Misha……! Misha has been kidnapped!!”

Something happened while I was gone.