Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 235

A dimly lit interior.

White light filtered through wood-tone blinds.

A simple room containing a 200-dollar single mattress, a work desk with a laptop, and a small tea table with a single chair pushed against the wall.

A woman stood in the center of this small room.

Her face was a mask of confusion.

“This is….”

It wasn’t an unfamiliar place.

It was the rental apartment she had first signed a contract for when she moved to New York for a job, the place she had been summoned to every 15th of the month at midnight for several years.

“Why am I here….”

The woman felt a headache coming on as she tried to retrace her memories.

Slowly, one by one, they returned.

[I am a black magician!!]

[Buy time. I will handle it soon.]

The first day in the labyrinth where the war had begun.

The safe zone she had reached using multiple instant teleportation spells.

The ruthless decision they had to make after a long leadership meeting.

[The royal bastards are trying to abandon us and run away!! Stop them!!]

She and her clan members running through the dimensional gate while the knights fought the explorers.

And….

Swishhhhhh-!

A magic circle on the ground emitting a brilliant light.

KWAHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!!!!

A giant pillar of fire engulfed the sky.

“N, no way….”

Only then did she understand.

Why she, who had just returned to the city through the dimensional gate, was here.

“Has it been 15 days…?”

The woman hurriedly turned on her laptop.

She checked the online bulletin board to find out what had happened.

It didn’t take long to find the information she wanted, as she had done this many times before.

Only 103 explorers survived after passing through the dimensional gate.

All of them were unconscious, and even the high priest of the Tovera Church, known as ‘Agent,’ had given up, saying there was no way to cure them for now.

“Oh, no….”

Versil Gowland, the vice-commander of the Larel Clan.

Her face paled as she grasped the reality of the situation.

***

As soon as the computer booted up, she checked the chat room first.

[Long Live Korean Independence] – 0 members online.

As expected, Lee Baek-ho hadn’t returned this time either.

Well, since the Ghost Master had directly banned him, there was probably nothing he could do.

Sigh, it was definitely better when he was around.

‘In the end, I have no choice but to get high-level information from the Round Table Watcher….’

She tried to shake off her disappointment and moved the mouse.

The Round Table opens three hours after the community opens. Until then, she planned to lurk and observe the atmosphere.

‘The players died a lot too.’

Usually, when the community opens, players who have been waiting for this time post explosively on the trading floor, free bulletin board, etc.

But what about this time?

‘Almost a third.’

Not only the bulletin board but also the chat rooms.

Even the large chat rooms, where more than 50 people were always present, had only a little over ten people.

“Ha….”

Whenever she encountered these changes, she sighed.

It was as if a ‘great flood’ had swept over the world.

Everywhere she went, everything was destroyed, and there was no normal place.

‘Will this place be filled with new newbies again as time passes…?’

Well, it will.

Even in our country, nothing was left after the war, but eventually, we reached the present.

Maybe when that time comes, I will no longer be a newbie, but a player in the upper ranks.

Ah, am I in the upper ranks now?

Yeah, no matter how I think about it, there can’t be many people who have even obtained a noble title.

Click, click.

She browsed various bulletin boards as if she were surfing the web, thinking about this and that.

Every bulletin board was mostly full of talk about this incident, and as she looked around, her stories came up occasionally… no, quite frequently.

[Bjorn Yandel, what the hell is he?]

-I thought he was in his 30s since he’s a 5th-grade explorer, but it’s only been a year since he finished his coming-of-age ceremony?

-What have I been doing for 5 years?

She had been mentioned a few times during the 3rd-floor stratum lord [a powerful boss monster], but it was nothing compared to now.

The number of posts about her was enormous, and each one had dozens of comments.

[these99: He’s not even a 5th grade in the first place. How is that person a 5th grade? If it weren’t for the guild contribution points, he would have easily reached 4th grade.]

[└Writer: Wow, is it that much? Only a year has passed? I feel even more self-loathing.]

[└NExtlevEL: 4th grade is an exaggeration. The writer doesn’t need to feel self-loathing. It’s basic to reach 5th grade within a year if you get good essence.]

[└NExtlevEL: Ah, and it seems like he hasn’t had the essence for long? From what I saw, he’s barely making it to 5th grade.]

[└these99: 5th grade in a year is basic? Are you playing the game alone? How can you say he’s barely making it to 5th grade? He already proved it by completely destroying the Corpse Collector?]

[└NExtlevEL: Are you American? It’s obvious they’re making a hero, and you believe it. And even if he really won, would it be him alone? It’s all team play.]

[└Pnec: He’s right. The Corpse Collector fought against hundreds, how can you say he was completely destroyed? Are you an idiot?]

Players were giving various opinions, arguing back and forth on the internet as if they were discussing a celebrity.

There were several comments that made her heart sink.

[fliccolo: I think he’s a player too.]

[└Writer: Ah, that could be it. Why didn’t I think of that?]

It was an inevitable question when you gained fame in a short period of time.

Still, the path I had walked helped.

[└arolf5205: What player? If you guys had seen him even once, you would never say that ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for ‘lol’].]

[└stevencastle: All the people who say this are the ones who were lucky enough not to enter the labyrinth. If you saw him biting the Corpse Collector’s ear while he was blind at the end, you would never say he’s a player.]

[└cherylvander: A real man himself.]

[└Ykbell: When he screamed while stepping on the goblin trap, I got heated too. One year in or not, it was a sensibility that a modern person could never have. Everyone who was there will agree.]

[COOOOL75: Behel—laaaaaaaa!!!]

It was a very strange feeling to see the slanderous or praising posts about me.

I had grown so much that I had become such a hot topic.

While the intense attention was burdensome, I thought that it was a path I had to go through to go higher.

Because I will keep going up.

It was inevitable that the number of floors and fame were proportional.

‘It’s almost time.’

After looking around the bulletin board for a long time, three hours had passed since entering the community.

[03:01]

In the past, I would try to enter as late as possible to draw attention, but this time, I just entered as soon as the time came.

I was curious about the small talk before the main meeting.

‘I hope everyone except the clown didn’t die?’

I put aside a little anxiety and quickly double-clicked the mouse.

Flash-!

There was a brief flash of light in front of my eyes, and when I came to my senses, I was in the familiar customization room. I quickly put on the suit I wore every day and the lion mask and moved to the main room where the Round Table was.

Squeak.

Three people were already there.

A goblin, a fox, and a deer horn.

‘It seems the clown is not here yet.’

As soon as I entered, the three who were already there glanced at me and let out a strange exclamation.

“Ah….”

“Luckily, you came today too.”

They always do this every time they come.

I put on my lion mask and pretended to be uninterested, resting my chin on my hand in my designated seat.

If I do this, they will play among themselves.

I just need to close my eyes and listen.

“By the way, there are already four survivors.”

The goblin, feeling uncomfortable with the static air, muttered to himself.

“It’s amazing. I thought you would be in danger, even if not the others. How did you come back alive?”

That was something I was curious about too.

Except for a few priests, most of the religious figures had gone through the dimensional gate.

In other words, most of them were dead.

Then how did the goblin survive?

“Well, it’s a story related to my personal information. Let’s just say I was lucky.”

“Tch, what’s so great about that.”

The deer horn clicked his tongue as the goblin skillfully evaded the question. And the two of them had a small chat.

Strangely, the fox did not participate in the conversation.

But did the two of them notice that?

“Fox, you seem a bit strange today.”

“Yes. You’ve been just spacing out since earlier….”

The deer horn and the goblin expressed their doubts as they looked at the fox, and the fox, a beat late, tilted her head with a start.

“……Huh? What did you just say?”

“See, I told you she’s weird?”

“If something is wrong, please tell me. I can help you, even if not the others, I can help you a lot, Fox….”

The goblin, seizing the opportunity, tried to get close to her.

The fox let out a long breath and shook her head.

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s nothing. So please, mind your own business.”

“Ah, yes. If that’s what you want….”

The goblin, feeling embarrassed by her tone, which was much more prickly than usual, changed the subject.

“By the way, the others aren’t coming?”

There were only 5 minutes left for the entry time.

There were two members who had not yet participated.

The clown I was eagerly waiting for, and the crescent moon who desperately wanted the stone of resurrection.

“Surely, they’re not both dead, are they?”

“Hmm, I don’t think the clown would be dead, but I don’t know about the crescent moon.”

“……R, right? I guess?”

The goblin replied in a somewhat regretful voice.

It was then.

Squeak.

The customization room on the corridor side opened, and a presence was heard.

‘Is it the clown?’

I turned my head to check the place, pretending to be indifferent.

And….

“Huh?”

Like the goblin and the deer horn, I froze.

Because it wasn’t the mask I had expected.

‘The Queen?’

A mask with ornate jewels harmoniously embedded in it.

There were decorations around the eyes as if they were makeup with various gold pieces, and the forehead was in the shape of a crown.

And the chosen outfit was a flamboyant red dress.

‘Is it a returning member?’

I suddenly thought that, but I realized it wasn’t when I saw the Queen mask gracefully greeting us.

“Oh my, hello. I’m new, so I don’t know much, but please take care of me.”

She was a new member.

***

A new member for the first time since I came.

Naturally, everyone’s attention was focused on her.

The most enthusiastic of them was the fox.

“New? How did you get in? Did you meet the Master too?”

The fox, unlike a little while ago when she was spacing out, couldn’t hide her excitement and asked a question.

“Yes, well… I guess so?”

When the Queen mask spoke as if half-affirming, the excitement in the fox’s voice grew even more.

“That person! Where is that person? No, it’s okay if I can just meet them. There’s one thing I really need to ask….”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can grant that request.”

The Queen drew a firm line.

And she smiled and led the conversation with a relaxed attitude, unlike a new member.

“Anyway, shall we introduce ourselves?”

The Queen spoke as if she was in her own living room from the first meeting.

The deer horn replied as if he was displeased.

“It’s a rule not to use names.”

“Oh, I see! Then this one is the goblin, that one is the fox, and this one is the lion. Hmm, then how should I call that one?”

“Deer horn.”

“Not just deer?”

“There should be a name written on your mask too?”

“Ah! That’s right. Then I’ll be the Queen? Hehe.”

While the Queen was drawing attention and chatting with the members, I kept observing her.

Because a mask doesn’t cover everything.

The goblin had a bronze skin. So I thought he was from Southeast Asia or South America.

Then what about this woman?

‘She’s definitely a Westerner.’

Blue eyes and shimmering blonde hair.

Her skin was very white, like that of a Caucasian.

Of course, this was all the information I could get from her appearance, and even that didn’t help in deducing her identity in this world.

But even so, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

‘I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere….’

A sense of déjà vu that I couldn’t explain.

Why do I feel like this?

“Anyway, Fox, I’m so glad to meet you. As you know, there aren’t many female users, right? Ah, and Goblin, your voice is very nice. Deer horn, you seem very kind too.”

When the Queen, who had a tension that made people lose their energy, stared at me, the fox quickly spoke up and warned her.

“Lion….”

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“I know what kind of style you are, but it’s better not to act too friendly with that person.”

“Huh? Why?”

The Queen tilted her head, and the fox looked at me, embarrassed. Did she think I would try to take the lead like I did with the goblin?

Well, I might have done it if it were normal.

If I could be freed from that demonic tension with just one killing intent, it would be a huge win.

But….

“Hmm, Lion is very taciturn. Let’s talk a lot when we get closer!”

“…….”

I just ignored her, not doing anything in particular.

It was a simple reason.

I had to save my energy.

‘Looks like he’s here.’

About a minute before the entry deadline.

Squeak, the door in the corridor opened with a sound.

“Oh, it seems there are more members?”

For a moment, all the attention was focused on the Queen. The members’ gazes moved in the direction of the presence.

“Yay! Many of you survived!”

The clown, speaking with his usual annoying tone from afar.

“Honestly, I thought Goblin would just die… Huh?”

The clown tilted his head as he saw the Queen.

“Hello. Should I call you Clown from now on? You seem like a very fun person, so I’m very excited!”

“……What is this frivolous woman?”

“She’s a new member. It seems she came in with the Master’s recommendation.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

The clown, who had been observing the Queen, took his seat. And he took his attention away from her and spoke to me.

“Hehe, Lion, have you been well?”

It was the usual repertoire.

This bastard always acted friendly towards me.

As if I was the only one equal to him in this place.

“Please look forward to it. I have brought quite a few interesting stories this time.”

What are you talking about, you idiot.

“…….”

I slowly raised my killing intent.

Normally, I would have to control my mind and have the intention to kill, but this time, there was no need for that.

‘If it weren’t for this bastard.’

Daria would not have died.

In addition, many explorers would have been able to return alive to their families.

But what is this bastard doing now?

“Hehe, it seems Crescent Moon is not here, so she must be dead?”

He was smiling brightly as usual.

Yes, so….

“But why have you been silent since earlier, Lion?”

I opened my eyes, filling my mind with only one thought.

It was called true killing intent.

“Maybe somewhere… Ugh!”

The moment our eyes met, the clown grabbed his neck with both hands. And he writhed on the floor as if he had entered a vacuum chamber, then collapsed on the floor.

“……!”

The members, not knowing what was going on, were flustered.

I slowly got up from my seat and walked towards the clown.

Then I looked down at him from above.

“P, p, please….”

It was a little funny.

He always treated people like idiots with his idiotic tone, as if he was something special.

“You’re like a bug.”

You are forbidden from acting friendly from now on, you bastard.