Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 247

That day, the chief told me.

[If you desire my position, become stronger, warrior. Prove your worth. I will be watching you.]

He said he would pass the position to me if I proved I was qualified.

Then, how would I prove it?

I didn’t bother asking.

Because there was only one way a barbarian would do it.

“Wait, let’s move this outside!”

“…You are indeed a wise warrior.”

The battle that was about to happen indoors was moved to an open space thanks to my foresight.

And…

“Behel—raaaaaaaaah!!!”

“Behel—raaaaaaaaah!!!”

The battle began with shouts, neither of us taking the lead.

Kwaaaang-!

The chief swung the axe that had beheaded ‘Kadua’s son, Orm,’ mercilessly, and I responded with all the skills I had acquired.

However, to cut to the chase…

“I lost.”

I was defeated after about an hour of fighting.

The reason for my defeat was a lack of raw power.

After all, the chief was a similar type to me.

If our strengths were completely different, there would have been variables, but since I was pushed back by brute force, there were no surprises until the end.

‘I guess it’s not possible yet.’

I accepted the defeat cleanly.

Of course, if it wasn’t a sparring match, the result might have been different.

In a sparring match, I couldn’t use dirty tricks like spraying [Acidic Body Fluid] in his eyes, or distracting him with nonsense before a surprise attack. I didn’t even bite his neck when my hands and feet were pinned in a grapple.

In short, it was like fighting with my ultimate moves sealed.

Then, what about the ‘proof’?

“You are still lacking.”

The chief soon told me.

“If you desire my position, become stronger.”

Well, I thought the benchmark was around the 6th floor.

Isn’t that about where I am already?

Surely, it’s not that I have to beat him to take over the chief position—

“Enough to make an old man like me look like nothing.”

Ha, I guess my hunch was right.

To win against an 8th-floor explorer…

‘It will take a little more time.’

I let go of my impatience.

This is also one of the advantages of the barbarian tribe.

Even if you fail to inherit, you don’t really lose anything.

No, rather, you only gain a lot?

Even though my body was wrecked enough to need several potions as soon as the match ended…

‘Still, I’ve caught up a lot.’

It’s different from when I was knocked out with one punch.

I fought for almost an hour.

And…

‘I’ve definitely identified six essences.’

I identified several of the chief’s fighting styles.

In addition, I got used to some of his habits in combat.

Next time, it will be much easier to deal with him.

Also.

‘Barbarians are really good at fighting.’

I’ll have to fight more to master it, but I was able to naturally learn the senses of the chief, who once climbed to the 8th floor as a warrior, during the battle.

Moreover.

“To fight against that chief for an hour!”

“Look! That cheapskate chief is drinking potions!”

“He may look fine on the outside, but not on the inside. As expected, Bjorn, son of Yandel, is a great warrior…!”

When the sparring ended, my fellow tribesmen, who were watching, didn’t seem disappointed with my defeat.

Well, I’m only in my first year, right?

“I thought it would take at least five more years.”

“Hmm, maybe the chief will change much sooner than that.”

Even the elders were nodding with satisfaction.

Therefore, I lost, but I gained a lot.

On the other hand, the chief didn’t gain anything.

‘Yeah, so actually, can’t I say that I won?’

As I was doing some mental gymnastics, my motivation returned.

I stood up and stared at the chief.

The chief seemed curious about what I, who had been silent all along, would say.

“You’re not discouraged, are you?”

“Of course not.”

I chuckled.

And said.

“One more time.”

It’s not often that you find an opponent you can fight without any worries, right?

***

After that, I fought the chief a total of three times, and all of them ended in my defeat. However, the sparring time increased with each fight.

It was thanks to Lee Han-soo’s strengths, not Bjorn’s.

I’m good at self-analysis.

I’ve experienced many failures in my life, and what I desperately needed each time was the reason for the failure.

Finding the reason is my specialty.

‘He definitely has a lot of experience, so he has a lot of tricks.’

The difference between me and the chief wasn’t just raw power.

The techniques of a warrior.

Situational judgment acquired through experience.

Even in the midst of battle where thinking and reacting would be too late, the instinctive intuition to catch openings like a ghost.

These were all things I had to learn.

Now that I’ve consumed the ogre’s essence, it’s not efficient to be satisfied with just being a meat shield.

I need to be able to fight better.

This is also the way to protect my comrades.

‘If allies are in danger, just eliminate the enemy so they are not in danger.’

It was like a destiny.

A new destiny as a tank that I must move forward with.

“…You have a look of realization on your face.”

“Ah, thank you. I’m learning a lot.”

“Haha, that’s what the chief’s position is all about!”

What is this old man talking about?

He doesn’t seem like it, but he’s secretly weak to praise.

“Can I come again next time?”

“Anytime.”

As the sun was slowly setting.

When the sparring between the chief and I was completely over, the barbarians who had finished watching the spectacle all scattered to do their own things.

“Bjorn! Are you going home!”

“Not right away. I’m thinking of looking around nearby for a bit.”

“Really? Can I come with you?”

Well, there’s no reason why not.

After finishing the sparring, I moved with Ainar.

There wasn’t a specific destination.

I just walked aimlessly in the opposite direction of the city walls.

“It’s been a while since I’ve come this far.”

As we left the camp, unkempt, lush bushes greeted us.

The forest where the elder who performed the ‘Soul Succession’ ritual for Ainar, as well as the souls of many warriors, were said to reside.

However, I continued to move forward.

“There’s nothing but a barrier if you go that way, why are you going there?”

“I suddenly became curious about that barrier.”

I picked up the pace a bit and walked for about an hour, and soon reached the point I wanted.

Tuk.

An invisible wall appeared as if to say this was the last place allowed.

Beyond that, the forest continued as before.

“Eek! Bjorn! Wh, what are you doing now! If the guardian barrier breaks, it’s a real disaster!”

Ainar was startled and tried to stop me as I knocked on the wall with the back of my hand.

Well, this is a world where everyone dies if this is gone.

‘Yes, at least that’s what’s known.’

It was a question that arose after visiting Bipron.

Is this outside world really in the state that the royal family said it was?

It was at that time that I was having such thoughts.

“Hehehe, it’s been a while, warrior.”

I turned around at the sound behind me, and saw an old barbarian with an eye patch.

“Shaman!!”

“Yes, it’s been a while for you too, Ainar, the second daughter of Pnelin.”

It’s always amazing to see.

How can he walk around so well without eyes?

“What brings you here? There are hardly any warriors who come this deep.”

“I just came because I was bored. What about you? What are you doing here?”

“Hehehe, what else would a shaman be doing in the forest?”

Saying that, the shaman showed his hands covered in white powder.

Looking again, it was bone powder.

And not from animals, but from people.

“You were having a funeral.”

When a corpse left in the forest turns into a skeleton, the shaman finely crushes the bones and scatters them throughout the vast forest as the final step of the funeral.

“Ho, is today perhaps the turn of Kiduba, the third son of Tohar?”

“That guy still has a long way to go before returning to the forest.”

In short, it meant that the corpse of the elder who acted as Ainar’s teacher had to wait longer to become a skeleton.

“…I see.”

“I’m about to go back, how about you two come with me?”

The shaman asked us, and I replied that I would stay a little longer before going back.

“Really? If you want to.”

The shaman turned his back without hesitation.

And…

“There is an order to everything.”

“…”

“Warrior, it’s not yet time to be curious about what’s beyond that.”

He left after leaving those meaningful words.

***

“Hehe, now that I think about it, it’s been a long time since we’ve been alone together?”

“Has it?”

“How about a match after a long time? You haven’t been sparring with me much lately because you said you weren’t feeling well.”

Ah, he’s talking about sparring.

It seems that the match with the chief earlier also sparked his competitive spirit…

Seriously, these barbarians.

“Not today, let’s do it tomorrow.”

“Good. You know this without me having to say it, but I’m quite patient.”

Oh, yeah, yeah.

I nodded roughly and spent time observing the guardian barrier again. Maybe it was because of what the shaman had said, but something felt strange.

However, there was nothing I could figure out.

‘Hah, if I were a mage instead of a barbarian, would I have been able to discover something?’

In the end, I turned back without any gain.

It was quite a distance from the guardian barrier to the city walls, but the way back wasn’t boring.

After all, Ainar is a chatterbox.

He especially loves barbarian talk.

Talking about equipment, who fought whom and won, and how the backpacks these days are rugged and cool.

Or…

“Ah, did you hear? That Karon is going to be a father soon?”

“What?”

I was genuinely surprised.

“How? No, there was no such talk in the labyrinth in the first place?”

“Hehe, it seems he was meeting women as soon as he entered the 3rd floor. Ah, and he only heard about the pregnancy from the woman a few days ago, so there wouldn’t have been time to tell you.”

I heard the details from Ainar.

The woman on the other side was one of the tribe’s female warriors.

Well, this was a given.

Humans cannot give birth to barbarians.

It’s not impossible to have a mixed-race child, but in the end, the child’s race is human.

In the first place, barbarians prefer their own kind.

The way they feel attracted to the opposite sex is different from other races.

‘Above all, there are no ideological problems when pregnant.’

In human society, it is the right order to ‘marry’ and have children.

However, that doesn’t exist in barbarian society.

The children are raised in the holy grounds, and the women also consider giving birth to be a matter of pride.

In addition, there are practical benefits.

Although less than humans, the royal family gives a two-year tax reduction.

‘Besides, the pregnancy period is short.’

Although it varies from person to person, it takes an average of four months to give birth, and recovery is very fast.

Perhaps this is why barbarian women are so lenient about childbirth.

It’s a bit strange to say this about childbirth…

Is childbirth just a sacred process?

No matter how much pride there is, if the economic aspect is not resolved, it will inevitably lead to low birth rates.

“Speaking of which, Bjorn, don’t you have any thoughts?”

“…Huh?”

“About children. I heard that the female warriors in the tribe are already targeting you…”

Ah, so that’s what targeting was.

No wonder they kept pressing on my body, saying it was good. I thought they were praising my muscles, so I was flexing hard…

“I don’t have any thoughts yet.”

“Oh, why? It’s a bit strange for me to say this, but we’re late. There are female warriors who have already finished giving birth among the later generations than us!”

Is it because this is the first time I’ve had this kind of talk?

For some reason, I was scared for the first time since I entered this body.

The barbarian race.

“…”

As I was secretly trying not to show it, Ainar said, as if she had found the right thing.

“Ah! Is it because of Misha? Don’t worry! Misha will understand. Aren’t we barbarians? She can only give birth to beastmen anyway!”

Ainar feels unfamiliar.

She was a cat person in front of the bear, but I never knew she had these thoughts inside.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

I changed the subject because it was an uncomfortable topic.

In martial arts terms, it’s a technique of using the enemy’s power to counterattack, the ‘Yi Hwa Jeop Mok’ [a technique of redirecting an opponent’s force].

“Me, me?”

When the arrow turned to herself, Ainar couldn’t hide her embarrassment.

The reason was simple.

“Hah, even if I wanted to, I can’t. What warrior would like a petite woman like me…”

That damn aesthetic standard.

Unintentionally, I ended up stabbing Ainar’s reverse scale with a dagger [a metaphor for hitting a sore spot].

However, just as I was about to apologize for this.

“And… I don’t have any thoughts either.”

Huh?

“Th, that’s right, isn’t it!! When I’m with you, all the other tribesmen look young and not manly!”

Ainar shouted as if she was wronged.

I was also flustered and said that she could find a partner among the older tribesmen, but…

“I hate older men!!”

An unexpected answer came back.

‘She hates older men, and the same age doesn’t feel manly…’

It’s quite a troublesome taste.

However, to be honest, it was a positive thing for me.

If she suddenly got pregnant and couldn’t enter the labyrinth for a few months, the repercussions would be passed on to me.

‘Oh, but how did the conversation get like this?’

Lee Han-soo, 29 years old, turned 30 years old after spending another year in this world.

But…

“Anyway, if you have any thoughts, tell me! I’ll introduce you to a good female warrior!”

This kind of talk is still uncomfortable.

***

Two days later.

I finished breakfast and a warm-up sparring match with Ainar and went out alone.

Ah, is it right to say alone?

“We have arrived at the destination. The search inside the store is complete, but please be careful just in case.”

The knights’ extreme escort, which I was now used to.

“Okay, thank you.”

I got out of the carriage after giving a casual thanks and entered the meeting place.

A tea shop I had visited about three times so far.

“Oh, Mr. Bjorn! Over here, over here!”

Shabin Emuer, a 7th-grade administrative officer, waved at me while sitting in the corner.

Next to him, the librarian, Ragna, was sitting silently.

When I sat down, all the members of the regular friend gathering were gathered.

“First of all, thank you for coming. You’ve also obtained the title of Baronet this time, and I was really worried about whether I should call you out like this.”

“You’re worried about strange things.”

“That’s right, Shabin. Do you think this man would change just because he became a noble?”

Ragna said with a boastful tone while sipping her tea.

For once, she was right.

I have no intention of showing off with my noble title.

But…

‘Yeah, the baronet title isn’t something to feel burdened about, right?’

Her natural behavior shows how much of a daughter of a good family she is.

Well, I don’t know exactly what kind of family she is from.

Looking at the knights lined up around me, she doesn’t seem to be bothered by it…

‘I’m getting more curious. Where is she from?’

I turned my gaze to Shabin.

Unlike Ragna, he was secretly looking at the knights.

Well, it must be uncomfortable.

Let’s just get to the point quickly.

“So, what’s the matter that you called me for today?”

“Hehe, are we only meeting when we have a reason?”

“You have a habit of twitching your nose when you lie.”

“Huh? R, really? I didn’t know that!”

Of course, it would be the first time.

“It was a lie.”

“Ah…!”

Ragna chuckled as she watched Shabin’s blank expression.

“It’s really rare to see this kind of expression.”

“That’s just for you. This is nothing to a barbarian.”

In fact, regardless of gender or age, most people make that kind of expression when I start acting like a barbarian.

“Okay, so? Tell me the reason quickly.”

When I spoke again, Shabin also came to his senses and brought up the matter.

“I would like to make a request on behalf of the administrative office to Baronet Bjorn Yandel.”

Hmm, a part-time job…

It’s not like I don’t have money right now, but money in this world is always lacking no matter how much you have.

“Tell me, what kind of request is it?”

I should at least hear it out.