Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 205

[It’s been a while, Lady Rainewales.]

Amelia, receiving a message through the crystal ball, tilted her head, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. It wasn’t the lord’s voice she remembered.

“…Alchemist grandpa?”

[Heh heh, I’m honored you recognized my voice.]

“…How did grandpa get access to the communication network?”

[I asked the lord. I have a favor to ask, and speaking directly seemed easier for both of us. Plus, I get to hear your voice.]

“I see.”

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. The alchemist held more sway than the lord in Noark. If he asked, the lord would have little choice but to agree.

Amelia cut to the chase.

“So, what’s the favor you want?”

[Ah, it’s nothing much. More importantly, how have you been?]

“…You know that kind of talk doesn’t suit me.”

[Still can’t shake it off?]

Amelia pursed her lips, avoiding the question. The old man, who had known her since childhood, was one of the few who understood her circumstances.

[Lady Rainewales, I have some idea why you accepted this mission. But, it’s time to let it go. Surely, your sister would want something other than revenge—]

“Stop.”

Amelia cut him off, her tone sharp.

“Stop talking about that, and get to the point.”

Those left behind had their own paths to follow. She didn’t want interference, not even from the old man.

[…I understand. Then, let’s get to the point.]

The alchemist then listed several items, which Amelia wrote down to remember. Most were alchemical ingredients, like magical reagents. Nothing special, but difficult to obtain in isolated Noark.

[How long will it take to get them all?]

“A few days should be enough.”

[Really? Then, could you get me some sleeping flower powder a little sooner?]

“I can send that right away.”

[Oh, you happen to have some?]

“…You knew that, didn’t you?”

Sleeping flower powder had a sedative effect. It wasn’t strong, but it could penetrate poison resistance, so she used it often. Not on enemies, but on herself.

“I’ll put it in the two-way subspace as soon as we hang up.”

[Heh heh, then today’s business is done?]

The old man chuckled, sounding somewhat regretful. Amelia, about to end the call, paused as a question popped into her head.

“But… what do you need the sleeping flower powder for?”

As she asked, she felt a strange unease. It was a question she wouldn’t normally ask. She rarely questioned others, especially out of simple curiosity. But…

“There aren’t many alchemical formulas that use sleeping flower powder, are there?”

Today felt different. She felt like she was missing something important.

[Ah, that?]

The old man’s voice came through the crystal ball.

[The Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos. I’m going to use it to treat him. Well, not to make medicine, but it would be easier to put him to sleep first.]

“…Could it be that you’ve found a way to restore his memories?”

[Not really, I’m just planning to treat his broken body first. As you know, we need all the strength we can get, right?]

“I see.”

Amelia unknowingly sighed in relief. As long as his memories didn’t return, whether he recovered or not, it wouldn’t affect her—.

[Heh heh, but if his body recovers, I’m thinking of trying to restore his lost memories.]

Amelia froze.

[The method is so extreme it was impossible with his current body. Well, the success rate is only about half, since there are so few samples.]

A 50% success rate. That possibility was too significant to ignore. But, there was no immediate problem. It was a problem that could be solved if his body didn’t recover.

“I see.”

With those words, Amelia ended the call. And as promised, she put the sleeping flower powder into the two-way subspace, along with a deadly poison that destroyed living tissue upon ingestion.

***

The second vine broke. I had been at ease for a while, but now this. ‘What the hell is that bastard doing?’ A sense of urgency washed over me. I wasn’t fully prepared to face him yet. I had grown in many ways, but at best, I had gone from a 4th-floor explorer to a 5th-floor explorer. But now there was only one vine left.

‘6th floor. I need to get to the 6th floor as soon as possible.’ If I reached the 6th floor, I’d have a chance to obtain that essence. My second core essence after [Giantification]. If I got that, I could somehow hold my own against him—.

“Mister!”

Huh?

“What have you been thinking about so much since earlier?”

I snapped out of my thoughts at Erwen’s voice. Had the peaceful time been too long? It wasn’t even the last vine, just the second one, but since then, anxious thoughts had been clouding my mind.

“Sorry. Where were we?”

“It’s not ‘where were we,’ I was asking what you wanted to order…”

“Ah, right.”

I glanced at the menu and ordered some snacks and beer.

“But this place hasn’t changed at all.”

Erwen murmured, watching the employee return. I knew what she meant.

“We’ve changed a lot.”

The place was Pidenpus, the pub where we had celebrated after our first exploration with Erwen. It was inevitable that I would feel strange. The barbarian, who had struggled on the first floor for lack of a night buddy [a companion for dungeon exploration], had become a fairly well-known explorer. Though she hadn’t gained fame, Erwen had also grown tremendously, considering she had just finished her first year.

The changes were clear just by looking at her upgraded equipment.

“Isn’t this the first time we’ve had a drink since then?”

“Ah, when we paid our first-year taxes?”

That was right after we had moved. We were wondering where to meet and ended up here. Inviting them to my house was out of the question; Misha would hate it. It was a shared space for three, so I couldn’t do as I pleased.

“Did anything happen on this exploration?”

“…No, it’s the same as before.”

After the drinks and snacks arrived, we started talking in earnest. The main topic was each other’s recent news. Unlike the old days when we hung out daily, our contact had decreased, so we had few common topics.

“How’s the atmosphere in your clan? I’m a little curious about that too. Any new news?”

“Well? Even if there is, they don’t tell us…”

Erwen and her sister, who had joined a mercenary clan, were still exploring the labyrinth with them. Their activity area was the 5th floor. However, we had only hunted in Hellfire Canyon, so we hadn’t encountered each other in the labyrinth.

“By the way, it’s so annoying. You know how I told you before? There’s someone who keeps hitting on my sister. These days, he’s even doing it to me?”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah, he’s a high-ranking member, so I can’t just shoot an arrow into his forehead… I just have to endure it. Until I get everything I need and leave.”

The more we talked, the more I realized she had changed. It had only been a little over a year since she became an explorer, but the naivete was gone. In a way, it was natural. A year in the labyrinth was enough to see all sorts of things.

“Anyway, tell me now. You said you had something to say?”

“Ah, that…”

When I thought the time was right, Erwen paused and then spoke.

“Do you remember? You said that I still had a lot to learn from my sister…”

“I remember.”

She had also said she would learn everything from her in half a year and join my team. Well, it had been more than half a year since then. I hadn’t bothered to bring it up. There wasn’t even a spot for her on our team anyway…

“I thought you had changed your mind since you hadn’t said anything until now.”

I thought it was a matter that had ended vaguely. But was that not the case at all?

Erwen denied my words vehemently.

“N-No, what are you talking about! There’s no way I would do that. We’re night buddies!”

Strictly speaking, my first night buddy was Hans A. She was that guy named Hatz Young or something.

“So, what do you want to say?”

“I… I think it’s going to take a little more time.”

“What does that mean?”

“E-Everyone is 5th grade, right? There’s no room for me to squeeze in with my current level… Actually, I don’t think there’s any hope anymore… Ah, no, we live in the same house now…”

“What are you saying? Speak clearly instead of mumbling.”

At my words, Erwen gulped down the rest of her drink.

“I regret it. Back then… when you offered, why didn’t I accept? I thought I could close the gap quickly, but it’s only getting wider…”

Her words were more like a lament than a business matter. However, I think I knew what she was trying to say. She wanted to join our team, but she couldn’t ask me to remove one of them. She wasn’t even better than the current members. Well, at least she hadn’t changed her mind.

“Anyway. So, what I want to say is…”

“Stop.”

I cut her off mid-sentence. First, there was a misunderstanding to clear up.

“I never intended to put you on the current team from the beginning.”

“…Huh?”

There was a moment of silence. Then, Erwen’s pupils, which had been fixed blankly in the air, showed a question.

“W-What do you mean? You didn’t say anything back then? I, I thought that meant yes…”

Erwen’s gaze darted around, as if her mind had broken down. Well, that wasn’t what I meant. I cut her off before the misunderstanding grew any bigger.

“Erwen, I’m going to create a clan.”

“A c-clan?!”

“Of course, not now, it will take a few more months. But if you’re okay with it, I’d like you to join—.”

“Okay!! I’ll join!!”

The answer came before I could finish my sentence.

“No, but first, let me explain in detail—.”

“It’s okay! I’m going to join anyway!”

“…If that’s the case. Anyway, this is a secret. I haven’t told anyone on our team yet.”

“Oh, so I’m the first one to get this offer…?”

Huh?

I tilted my head.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

I hadn’t even said I was going to create a clan, so how could I have made an offer? In the first place, Misha and Ainar were people I didn’t even need to ask. Raven, who belonged to the Magic Tower, would probably refuse. I didn’t know about Bear Uncle. ‘I think he had some bad memories about clans.’

It was at that moment that I was thinking that.

“Hehe, hehihihi!!”

Erwen started making strange laughing noises.

***

The drinking session with Erwen, which had started in the early evening, lasted longer than expected. Originally, I had planned to hear what she had called me out for, then hear about her recent news, and then leave…

“What? The clan master is bald?”

“Yes, that’s right. When his wig came off during a hunt, it was so hard to hold back my laughter.”

Today, the conversation with Erwen was fun. Was it because it had been so long since I had a drink? Why was it so funny even though it wasn’t a big deal?

‘Ah, the kids are waiting for me at home…’

I had that thought in the middle, but every time I did, Erwen would bring up an interesting story, so I couldn’t find the right time to leave. But now it was really time to go back.

“I think we should—.”

“Ah, right!”

“Huh?”

“Did I tell you that I ate a new essence this time?”

What? She ate an essence? This was something I couldn’t just ignore.

“It’s a very unique ability. It suits me well too.”

“Stop stalling and tell me what you ate.”

I straightened my posture and focused on listening to Erwen again. First of all, it was a 5th-grade essence. It was an essence that her veteran sister had recommended, so it suited her, an elf archer, very well.

‘I don’t have to erase this later.’ I thought that when I got back, I should plan out Erwen’s growth route to some extent, and I asked her about the essence she had acquired this time.

“Wow, you know what? Your eyes suddenly became sparkling.”

Of course, they did. No matter what, I was a player who loved this game more than anyone else.

“Isn’t that an essence that’s known to be very unique? I can’t help but be curious about what it actually feels like.”

“But it’s hard to explain how it feels. I can’t show you directly…”

Well, that’s true. I nodded in agreement.

“Hey, so, about that… Mister.”

Erwen trailed off and glanced at me. Her face was flushed, as if she was drunk.

“Do you want to go upstairs for a bit and just see my ability?”

…What should I do?