Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 203

Misha was kidnapped.

In the city, no less.

Just hearing those words made it sound like something huge had happened, but I calmly assessed the situation.

If that were truly the case, it was strange that Ainar was sleeping so peacefully in his room.

“Kidnapped? Explain properly. What happened? And when did it happen?”

“It happened yesterday!”

The incident had occurred just the day before.

Ainar and Misha had gone out for a simple meal and were on their way back, it seemed.

But when they returned to the lodgings, beastmen in black clothes were waiting for Misha.

“Ah! From what I heard, they seemed to be from Misha’s family!”

If it was her family, then they must be the ones sent by the head of the family.

“…And then?”

“What do you mean, ‘and then’! The beastmen whispered something to Misha and then forcibly took her away!”

Hmm, could that really be called forcibly taking her away?

I asked to confirm.

“Didn’t Misha leave any message for you?”

“She said she’d be back tonight, so I should take care of myself for just one day. Ah! She also told me to go greet Bjorn… I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep well and ended up oversleeping!”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Regardless of the oversleeping part, she left a message before leaving, so why was this being called a kidnapping?

When I asked that, I got a slightly dramatic answer.

“Misha looked like she really didn’t want to go when she said that to me! If that’s not a kidnapping, then what is!”

Taking someone who doesn’t want to go is kidnapping, a common barbarian logic.

However, I am also a barbarian.

“Yeah, Misha was kidnapped.”

I know how pointless it is to argue with a barbarian about whether it’s a kidnapping or not.

“Right? I was so surprised yesterday that I went to Aruru, but she said it was nothing, which made me upset!”

“What did Raven say?”

“She told me not to do anything weird and just wait at home until you came, Bjorn. That’s why I haven’t reported it to the Security Office yet!”

Okay, he handled it well.

It’s best to leave things to a barbarian when it comes to barbarians.

If that’s not possible, then it’s best not to talk to them.

“So! What are you going to do, Bjorn! Of course, we should go storm their place, right? Misha is our comrade!!”

Who knows what kind of accident would happen if we stormed their place.

I said firmly.

“Misha is also a warrior. We need to give her time to handle it on her own.”

“That’s… true!”

“She said she’d be back today, so let’s wait until tonight, and if she doesn’t come back, I’ll go look for her myself tomorrow.”

“Understood!”

When I put it in a barbarian-like way, Ainar easily agreed without being stubborn.

“But it’s morning, aren’t you hungry?”

“Of course, I am!”

First, I took Ainar to have breakfast.

While eating, I checked what had happened while I was gone.

There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.

Just training, eating, and going home, a repetitive cycle.

The regular meetings that Raven and Bear Uncle held periodically were also skipped until I came back.

“Ah, Misha also said that you were amazing, Bjorn. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, you’re the center of the team, and without you, we can’t come together!”

“Oh… is that so.”

A strange sense of embarrassment washed over me.

Well, it’s a hundred times better than being badmouthed behind my back…

I changed the subject.

“Did Misha leave any money for food?”

“Yeah, but I used it all up.”

“…I’ll leave some money, so use this to eat well until tonight.”

“Are you going out? Without waiting for Misha?”

“Nothing will change even if I just stay home. I have to do my work. Misha would want that too.”

After finishing the meal, I put Ainar back in his room and went out.

My first destination was the Magic Tower.

“Oh, you’re out? How’s your body?”

“Thanks to the antidote Mozlan gave me, I seem to be fine.”

“That’s good. You’ve been through a lot. Anyway, you heard about Ms. Kalstein, right?”

“Yeah. If she doesn’t come back by today, I’m thinking of going to check on her, so don’t worry.”

“I never worried in the first place? Ainar is the strange one, she just went to her family, why is he making such a fuss?”

I smiled wryly and kept quiet.

Unlike Raven, I know the circumstances surrounding Misha and her family.

So, I couldn’t help but worry.

“More importantly, I heard you couldn’t do the settlement because I was gone? Let’s meet tomorrow.”

“What if Ms. Kalstein is late?”

“Then I’ll come back and tell you.”

After that, I briefly asked about their recent situation, set a time and place for the meeting, and then parted ways.

The next place I headed to was Bear Uncle’s tavern.

“Oh, you’re finally back. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Did anything happen while I was gone?”

“There’s nothing much to talk about. But shouldn’t I be the one asking that? How was it living in Bipron?”

“It wasn’t bad. It was a comfortable place to live.”

Just like with Raven, I briefly talked about the recent situation with Bear Uncle, told him the time and place, and made an appointment.

“Now I’ll finally get to share that money.”

“Sorry for making you wait. You could have taken it first.”

“No, these things should be done with everyone present to avoid disputes. Besides, it’s not like you couldn’t come because you were playing around.”

“Thanks for understanding. Then I’ll be going.”

After leaving the tavern, I was a bit worried.

There was still quite a bit of time until evening, what should I do now? After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I headed to the library.

It was hard to find a better place to kill time, and…

There was also someone I needed to report my survival to.

“…Bjorn Yandel.”

As soon as I arrived at the library, Ragna checked my face and froze.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

I asked with a smirk, acting as if nothing had happened.

And I was about to explain why I hadn’t shown up for 20 days.

However, Ragna spoke first.

“I heard. You were exiled to Bipron for not only using your abilities in the city but also for disobeying the rules and entering the labyrinth.”

Oh, she knew.

Well, I heard at the Round Table that it was a political punishment, so it was quite a famous story.

“I’m glad you returned safely. And I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

A completely out-of-context apology.

When I tilted my head, Ragna carefully continued.

“I asked the butler if there was anything I could do to help, but he said it was an unavoidable problem…”

I still didn’t understand.

Why was she apologizing, and who was the butler?

When I asked about it again, Ragna shut her mouth as if she had made a mistake.

So, I didn’t pry too deeply.

She wouldn’t tell me about it anyway.

‘…It seems like she’s talking about her family matters.’

My fading interest in Ragna resurfaced.

A 20-year-old magician who was at least a 5th grade.

The aura of a wealthy person was evident from her clothes and staff.

And the butler she just mentioned.

She was working as a librarian, so I was sometimes unsure, but in my eyes, she was definitely a noble.

But…

‘That’s also a bit strange.’

I had looked into it out of curiosity before.

There was no noble family using the name Peprok.

Then what was her identity?

“…Are you going to read a book?”

“Ah, yes. That’s what I was planning to do.”

Perhaps feeling burdened by my gaze, Ragna changed the subject.

So, I just went inside to read a book.

‘Well, I’ll find out later if I get the chance.’

It’s not like she’s done anything to harm me.

It wouldn’t be good for me, an outsider, to dig into her family matters that she doesn’t want to talk about.

Whatever she is, our current relationship isn’t bad.

‘…By the way, I still couldn’t find the Complete Sea Record series today.’

I sat in one place reading until the window turned dark, then I slowly organized my things and got up.

I had occasionally looked for it after discovering the Complete Sea Record here by chance, but I couldn’t find it this time either.

“Are you leaving?”

“I have someone waiting for me.”

“…I see.”

After that, I returned to the inn and had dinner with Ainar. And I asked what he had done today.

“Today? I took a nap, and then I was bored, so I went to the sacred site.”

“To the sacred site?”

“It’s fun teaching the young warriors. It reminds me of the old days.”

In my eyes, he doesn’t seem much different from the old days…

Well, his combat power has increased tremendously.

“Let’s go together next time. Everyone wants to see you. It’s already been 20 days since you went.”

“Okay, let’s go together next time.”

After declaring that he would become the tribe chief, he had been visiting the sacred site from time to time to conduct early education, so I agreed without much hesitation.

I needed to raise my support within the tribe in advance.

“Hehe, the young warriors will be happy.”

Since we were both barbarians, the meal was already over when we had that much conversation. However, we didn’t go up to our rooms and waited on the first floor, which also served as a dining hall.

Misha hadn’t returned yet.

‘Has something really big happened?’

I was worried as the night deepened, but thankfully, Misha appeared about an hour later. She was wearing black clothes, unlike her usual preference for bright colors.

“Oh? Bjorn?”

“Misha!! Misha is back!!”

Ainar immediately ran to hug Misha.

“Ah! Don’t do that. I’m not in the mood!”

Misha sighed and pushed Ainar away.

Then she came and sat in front of me.

“…I’m sorry. I was originally going to wait in front.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like I’m a child. More importantly, how did it go over there? Ainar told me something happened.”

“Ah, that…”

Misha trailed off and glanced at Ainar.

“Ainar, go up and sleep.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Tsk.”

“Okay! I’ll go to sleep!!”

After sending Ainar upstairs, we talked.

“So, why did your family call you?”

“That’s… one of my older brothers died, so I had to attend. I’m still part of that family, after all.”

“So it was for a funeral.”

Unlike my worries, it didn’t seem like she was forcibly taken away.

However, one thing was questionable.

“That’s a bit strange. At this time?”

It wasn’t right after the labyrinth closed.

But a funeral at this time?

Doesn’t that mean something happened in the city that could lead to death?

“Don’t worry about strange things. That person was originally not in good health. He always had to call a priest for treatment.”

“So it’s not that guy from the Layer Lord time.”

I asked directly.

“Then who is it? Judging by your dark expression, is it that older brother who always took care of you?”

“…You probably don’t know him. I’ve never talked about him.”

“Is that so?”

If she hadn’t talked about him, then he must be one of the guys who bullied and ignored Misha.

Then why does she have such a gloomy face?

“Now that I think about it, it wasn’t just the funeral, something else happened there.”

“…How did you know that?”

Why is she asking that now?

If I said it was obvious just by looking at her face, she would probably get angry, so I said it in a roundabout way.

“If it was just for the funeral, there would be no reason to send Ainar away.”

“Why are you so quick-witted about these things?”

“…Just tell me. What happened?”

“That’s…”

Misha sighed deeply and continued.

“My father… no, that human wants to bring you back again.”

Why is everyone so eager to not leave me alone?

***

The head of the Kalstein family wants to see me.

I wondered if they had found some new clue about the Frost Spirit Ring, but…

“Anyway, that’s that. You don’t need to go there. I’ve already firmly refused.”

Since Misha had already taken care of it, it seemed like I didn’t need to worry about this issue anymore. She said that if they wanted to meet me, they should come to me instead of ordering me around.

If there was no news, it meant that it wasn’t a big deal.

‘If they really come… let’s listen to what they have to say then and think about it. It seems like it would only cause trouble if I went there.’

Then, let’s wrap up this matter.

“Ugh, the more I think about it, the more angry I get. What does that human think of me? From now on, whether it’s a funeral or anything else, I’m not going again even if they call me.”

After that, I talked with Misha, who was once again burning with determination for independence, about what had happened in the past 20 days, and then went to bed.

And the next afternoon.

“It’s been a long time since we all gathered. How have you all been?”

Team Apple Narak was all gathered in one place.

The place was the same three-story tavern where we had been meeting since the first meeting.

The goal was the final settlement that we hadn’t been able to do yet.

“I heard it back then, but I want to hear it in more detail again. What’s the total income?”

“Including the ‘Foxfire Knot’ that was sold a few days ago, it’s 159 million stones.”

“Does that include the labor costs we received from those guys?”

“Yes. I thought about it, but we ended up killing all those people, right? It’s funny to claim the money we received as labor costs as my share now. So, I took out the cost of the test tube as my share in advance.”

Well, even if that wasn’t the case, it was loot that would have ended up in our hands after the battle.

‘Still, that’s unexpected. I honestly thought she would claim it as her share.’

She seems to have become a bit more lenient.

At least compared to when we first met.

“Anyway, I’ve organized the final settlement details here. It’ll be easier if we all look at this while we talk.”

We started the settlement in earnest, looking at the documents that Raven had prepared with receipts attached.

The magic stone income was distributed equally.

The explorer and combat income were also distributed equally.

However, the herbs we picked in the Doppelganger Forest were classified as special loot, so Raven got 40%.

The potions were not sold and were classified as common items.

Since it was organized in an easy-to-see document, the complicated settlement proceeded smoothly.

And…

“30 million stones…”

With a slight margin of error, each person received a huge sum of 30 million stones.

It was a truly unprecedented income.

However, now it was time to pay it back.

“Now, all that’s left is the settlement for the personal loot. Actually, I had some free time these days, so I roughly organized that too. As usual, I set it at about 70% of the average market price, so it’ll be much cheaper than buying it.”

Raven said, looking at each person in turn.

“First, Mr. Kalstein. A half-troll leather boot with ‘Acceleration’ and ‘Size Adjustment’ magic is 2.1 million. A lythium necklace with ‘Cold Enhancement’ engraved on it is 2.7 million. That’s 4.8 million in total. But since Mr. Kalstein’s share has to be deducted from that… you only need to pay 3.84 million stones.”

“Ugh…”

“Mr. Ainar, an expandable backpack is 1.5 million… that’s it. You only need to pay 1.2 million stones.”

“Ugh.”

“Mr. Urikfrit, a subspace quiver is 2.1 million. A large steel breastplate is 550,000… but why did you take the breastplate?”

“…I’m going to give it to Iron Bear after imbuing it with size adjustment magic.”

“That’s not a bad idea. It seems like it would be annoying to put it on him every time you summon him. Anyway, you need to pay 2.12 million stones.”

Everyone except Raven, who didn’t choose any personal loot, silently put the agreed-upon money on the table.

And then came my turn.

“Finally, it’s Mr. Yandel’s turn.”

How much would I have to pay?

“First, an idium greave is 3.1 million stones. No. 8667, the Outlaw of the Wasteland, is 3.3 million stones.”

“Wait a minute, take out the Outlaw of the Wasteland. I’m planning to keep this as a team common item, not my personal loot.”

“…A team common item?”

“Isn’t it a useful item when we meet that guy on the 5th floor? It’s better to keep it for that time.”

“Hmm.”

Raven looked at me like a tax official looking at a tax evader.

But in the end, the conclusion was ‘YES’.

“That’s a reasonable explanation. I feel like I’m being taken advantage of, but… let’s move on to the next one.”

Before I could feel relieved that I had saved some money, Raven moved on to the last item.

The highlight of this settlement.

“The Manticore’s Essence. And No. 2988, the Guardian Corps’ Insignia.”

“······.”

“The average market price for the Manticore’s Essence is about 50 million stones, but we’ve already deducted the cost of the test tube, and we calculated the price at the guild’s official price.”

“So, what’s the official price?”

“32 million stones.”

Damn it.

Then, if we apply the 70% discount as usual, and then deduct one-fifth since I’ll get 20% back as my share after paying the money…

“You’ll need to pay 17.92 million stones for the Manticore’s Essence.”

Even so, it’s still expensive.

“…What about the Guardian Corps’ Insignia?”

“The average market price is 52 million stones.”

This hasn’t changed much from the game price.

Similarly, if we apply the discount, the final price is 29.12 million stones.

“So, if we add the idium greave, it’ll be a total of 48,776,000 stones.”

Raven smiled and continued.

“Have you saved some money usually?”

“…”

I kept my mouth shut.

And I looked at Ainar.

“Huh? Why are you suddenly looking at me?”

“Ainar, how much money did I borrow from you…?”

“A-are you taking it away…!!”

No, I’m getting it back.

***

This expedition was truly a record-breaking income.

However, after paying everything, I was actually short of all the money I had saved up until now.

Even if I added the money I had lent to Ainar, it wasn’t enough to pay everything.

Of course, there was no problem.

“Ainar, while you’re paying me back, lend me some more.”

“U-uh…? It’s not good for comrades to do money transactions—”

“Ah, I’m saying I’ll pay you back.”

“Ah, okay…!”

“Misha, it would be nice if you could lend me some too.”

“Oh my, how much are you short?”

The 13 million stones I was short were covered by credit loans from Ainar and Misha.

As a result, I became a debtor.

When am I going to pay this back?

Should I hope to meet a looter in the labyrinth?

“I’m rich now!!!!”

After lending me money and being depressed for a while.

Ainar, who had no living expenses until a few days ago and was being taken care of by Misha and me, really started spending money like crazy.

Hmm, is it really like crazy?

He did buy snacks without hesitation, but since the prices were so cheap, it was difficult to spend a noticeable amount no matter how much he ate.

“Bjorn, what should we do with this money?”

“Keep it for now. We’ll get new equipment when we come back next time.”

“Okay.”

“Oh! Me too! I’m going to get new equipment too!”

“Hold on this month. I’m going to make some, but they won’t be finished until before the labyrinth opens anyway.”

Since the settlement was delayed, we decided to postpone spending money in earnest until next month.

Since we had a large sum of money, we planned to get something that we could use up to the 7th floor, even if it was just one or two parts.

Of course, I couldn’t tell them to spend all of it on that.

“But we made a lot of money, so don’t be too stingy and spend it on what you want to do. Isn’t that why we earned it?”

“Huh? Is it okay, is it really okay?”

What does she think of me?

Growth is important, but I have no intention of making them give up their entire daily lives.

“It seems like you wanted to do something?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why are you looking at me? It’s your money, you can spend it.”

“No, it’s not just that…”

“…?”

When I gave her a questioning look, Misha carefully opened her mouth.

“Should we move this time?”

“…What?”

“Now that we’re making good money, wouldn’t it be better to go to a better place…? We can’t even cook here.”

Hmm, I wondered why she was looking at us.

After thinking for a moment, I agreed.

I was already starting to feel like this inn was getting a bit cramped.

Besides, Misha’s food is much better than the restaurant’s food.

It’s also healthier.

“Then let’s look for a place to move to later. Right now, we need to prepare to enter the labyrinth.”

“Okay!!”

After that, a long-awaited daily life continued.

We gathered to make exploration plans, went back to Rotmiller to continue the interrupted guide lessons, and occasionally visited the commercial district to check if there were any items to buy, a peaceful time.

As always, those days passed like a flash.

And…

“If everyone’s here, let’s get going.”

We gathered at Bear Uncle’s tavern, just like last time.

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

It was time to enter the labyrinth.