Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 249

At first, I wondered if it was GM again. But if it were GM, he wouldn’t approach me again using a face he’d already borrowed. Also, the atmosphere emanating from the surrounding guards and people was completely different. In short, this guy is… ‘(Real) Hans I.’ Not the GM pretending to be Hans I, but the real Hans I. Therefore, there was only one thing I had to do. “……” Hold my breath. “I must apologize…” I grit my teeth and ignored his words, pretending not to hear him. And then… Tadat. I run. “Why, why are you running away…!” “Whoa! I suddenly feel like running!!” “Th, that’s…!” As I started running mindlessly, (Real) Hans I was greatly flustered. But there was no way I would stop my feet. “Behel—laaaaaaa!” The distance between him and me quickly widened, and he didn’t follow me either. Fortunately, he didn’t have that much tenacity. ‘……I escaped.’ I arrived in front of the lodging in one go and tried to calm my racing heart. I only heard his voice; I didn’t even see his face. Thanks to that, I didn’t make eye contact, and I held my breath, so the possibility of airborne infection is low. ……I should be okay with this much. Yes, I’ll be fine. “You’ve arrived.” As I was catching my breath in front of the lodging, a waiting servant greeted me. And as I followed the servant inside. “Nyahat, Bjorn, you’re here!” Misha, with a flushed face, greeted me. It was her high-tension (alcohol) mode. Erwen, who was sitting quietly next to her, wasn’t much different. “Mister……… Hehe, heehee!” Erwen called me in a gloomy voice and then let out a creepy laugh. ‘What is this place?’ The surroundings were full of empty bottles, and the whole living room was filled with the smell of alcohol. ‘It hasn’t even been an hour since I left……?’ What happened here in the meantime? I put on my detective hat and looked around, and then I realized that Ainar wasn’t there. “Where’s Ainar?” “The Valkyrie is already drunk and sleeping.” The servant from the annex answered my question. When I asked for the location, it turned out to be the courtyard in the center of the annex, not a room. Drrrrrrrrrrr-!! Ha, seriously. I picked up Ainar and threw her onto the bed in the room, then came back down. Misha was chugging from a bottle, looking like she was having a great time. “Kuh……!” Sensing a strange murderous aura, I cautiously approached Misha. “Did anything happen while I was gone?” Even though we had drunk together and gotten tipsy before, this was the first time I’d seen them pouring it down like this. “Work? Nyahat, what work!” “But why are you drinking so much…….” “I just drank because I’m in a good mood!” “O, okay?” She drank because she was in a good mood. I guess I was worried for nothing. My body felt refreshed from the hot spring bath, and they were giving out good alcohol for free. There was no reason not to drink. “Yeah, at first, that is.” Misha wiped the alcohol from her mouth with her sleeve and became serious. I couldn’t help but look away and turn my head. Erwen, who was sitting on the sofa in a disheveled posture, came into view. For the record, she was just staring blankly into the air… “Hehehehe…….” She kept giggling, as if something was funny. Is laughing her habit when she’s drunk? “Hey, Bjorn.” Then Misha grabbed my wrist and spoke. “Uh, tell me.” “That time you rejected me.” Uh… are we talking about that now? It was an uncomfortable topic, but it wasn’t an atmosphere where I could refuse. I shut my mouth and waited, and Misha pressed her lips together and asked. “Is it because I can’t give birth to a Barbarian?” Huh? What? Did Ainar say something weird? My mind went blank for a moment, but my Barbarian body was good at handling crises. “Of course not.” My mouth opened without a moment’s hesitation. It wasn’t a lie either. The reason I rejected Misha that day wasn’t because I didn’t find her attractive, or because she was a beastkin. There was a reason I had to keep it to myself. “Yeah, that’s what it is…….” Misha stared intently into my eyes as if trying to determine the truth, then opened a new bottle of alcohol and shoved it into her mouth. And then… “Then, as expected…….” She looked at my eyes, then looked away, opened her lips, then closed them, and continued in a small voice. “You… someday, will disappear… disappear….” Misha, who was slurring her words, dropped her head. “Nyaaah…….” Somehow, it seemed like she had far exceeded her limit. I let out a breath I had been holding in and hugged Misha. Then I took her to the room and laid her on the bed. When I returned to the living room, Erwen was looking at me with a smile. “Finally, everyone… is asleep…….” What is she talking about? “If you’re drunk, go to sleep.” ‘Neck slice.’ “……Ggep.” I knocked her out roughly and threw her next to Misha. *** It was late at night, with midnight slowly approaching. I was debating whether to clean up the scattered bottles, but I decided to just leave them. It’s not like this is my house. They’ll clean it up themselves when I leave. “Haa…….” I collapsed onto the sofa, which was a bit cramped for me. My head was a mess. It was because of what Misha had said at the end. [You… someday, will disappear… disappear….] It was obvious what the rest of the words I didn’t hear were. She was probably going to ask if that was why, because I was someone who would disappear someday. Of course, she wasn’t sure that I was a demon. No, she probably thought it was more likely that I wasn’t. She had seen me receive the divine revelation herself. Demons are known to be enemies of the gods in this city. But the god is helping a demon and even giving him holy objects? It’s an impossible thing in the common sense of this world. It was just a sliver of anxiety that remained in her mind like a rooted seed, and it came out of her mouth when she was drunk. ‘……Still, the good thing is, even if I am a demon, it doesn’t seem like she’ll be hostile to me.’ I felt relieved by that fact. I also felt grateful, and I felt proud that I hadn’t lived in vain. But the biggest emotion was self-loathing. ‘What am I even hoping for?’ When I woke up in Bjorn Yandel’s body, my top priority was my survival. First, I decided to survive somehow and adapt to this world, then find a way to return to my original world. But… Isn’t it okay to just live like this? Do I really have to go back there? There were even fewer good things there, right? Recently, that thought has been growing more and more. I think I understand why players call the residents NPCs [Non-Player Characters] and distinguish them. There’s a need to draw a line. This world is not the world we belong to. We have a place to return to. ‘Stop it.’ I forcibly stopped the constant flow of thoughts. Am I going back home? Or am I staying here? I can’t make either decision yet. I made a decision when I saw the prisoners being executed for not paying taxes, didn’t I? To at least go to the 6th floor before making a decision. ‘It doesn’t matter if I worry about it now anyway.’ It’s not just taxes that are the problem. The Dragonslayer, the Clown, Noahrc, the Royal Family. A world full of things that could threaten my life. Whether I like it or not, I have to get stronger. Whatever I want to do, it will only matter if I’m alive. So, in that sense… “Where are you going at this late hour?” “Ah, I’m just going for a walk. You don’t have to wait up.” I told the servant and left the lodging. It was about time when there would be few people around. [02:37] As I came out of the building, the cool night air enveloped my lungs. But is it because it’s right below the mountain? It feels a bit chilly. Thump, thump. As expected, there were few people on the streets, but it wasn’t like there was no one at all. The brightly lit gambling house was still crowded and scattering loud noises. Well, it didn’t really matter. The place I was going was outside this village. ‘It’s dark.’ As I came out of the village, a darkness comparable to a labyrinth spread out before me. It was just like this in the countryside in Korea. If you get a little far from the lights, the eerie nature would greet you. ‘By the way, it’s about time it came out.’ I wondered if I should light a torch, but I just moved carefully, thinking that I might not know. How long had it been since then? The cave mentioned in the map provided in the lodging appeared. It was also a tourist attraction here. ‘……There’s no one guarding it.’ I carefully entered the cave, and the surroundings gradually brightened. Well, it’s similar to the 1st floor here. A mysterious cave with crystals all over the walls, emitting a blue light. I didn’t hesitate and moved forward. It’s not like there aren’t side paths, but in the game, you just had to go straight from the entrance. Whoooosh-! Indeed, a vast hollow appeared soon after. In the center, there was a rock that vibrated at regular intervals. ‘Lignarasia.’ The origin of the name was in ancient language, and it was written on a pamphlet-like map that it meant ‘Blessing of the Earth’ when translated literally. It was said that touching it would bring good luck? It was probably a superstition. The real hidden piece element wasn’t that rock. Srrrk. I opened the subspace bag and took out the mace. And I passed the rock in the center and clicked the interaction button on the wall with the mural. Ah, it means I hit it with all my might. Kwaaaang-! The wall shattered and collapsed with the mace swing imbued with the power of an ogre. But I’m not worried. This cave has an automatic restoration magic circle applied to it. It would fix itself in about 5 minutes. ‘Then, shall we go?’ I put my body into the passage that appeared beyond the collapsed wall. Inside, there was a small space, just like in the game. ‘Seeing how they hid it like this, the one outside is probably fake and this is the real one.’ I put my hand on the rock in the center. Unlike the one outside, it was an ordinary rock that didn’t vibrate at regular intervals or give off a mysterious feeling. However, as time passed, I felt it. 「The energy of the Earth Dragon is imbued. (1/3)」 A sense of fulfillment flowed through my fingertips and into my body. 「Soul Power +10.」 「Earth Resistance +20.」 It was one of the hidden pieces that was quite a steal. There was a condition that you had to become a noble to be able to travel to the Gnome Tree area, but it gave you 30 stats for almost free. ‘If you’ve played even a little bit of the original version, most people would know. They would have pressed the interaction key everywhere.’ It’s just my guess, but there are probably quite a few players who know this hidden piece. Well, they wouldn’t know this much, though. 「The blessing engraved in your soul reacts.」 「The additional stat increase rate is increased to 30%.」 When you receive the blessing of the Earth Dragon, the stat increase rate is upgraded from 20% to 30%. ‘I never thought I’d be the first to unlock this condition.’ It’s definitely far from normal play. Becoming a noble at level 5? If it were a game, I would have definitely thought I used a bug. ‘Anyway, shall we go back now?’ I had everything I needed, so I turned my back to the exit and froze. It couldn’t be helped. Rustle, rustle. A man was standing in front of the wall that had begun to restore itself as if time was going backwards. “Wow, you’re really a player?” It was Baekho Lee. *** 「Bjorn Yandel」 Level: 5 Physical: 607.62 (New +46.74) / Mental: 502.19 (New +38.63) / Ability: 2175.55 (New +203.35) Item Level: 2,567 Total Combat Power: 3,927.11 (New +288.72) Acquired Essence: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Orc Hero – Rank 5 / Ogre – Rank 3 / Manticore – Rank 5 / Bayon – Rank 3 *** All sorts of possibilities swirled in my head. “…….” Why is Baekho Lee here? I hadn’t seen a hair of him since that day. Was he following me all this time? The answer was really simple. “Isn’t it funny how people are connected? I was following you because I thought the GM was disguised again, but I never thought you’d show up.” It was Hans again. Baekho Lee had accidentally met Hans I in the Gnome Tree, and he followed him and found me. And… ‘He must have been following me ever since.’ The outline of the incident was roughly drawn. So, how should I act now? The decision was already made. “You’re saying that again. Aren’t you tired of it?” It’s still not good to reveal my identity to Baekho Lee. He’s a fickle guy, after all. Even if we were close, he would draw his sword and force me to choose if something went wrong. For example… “That cat seems to have noticed something? Isn’t it better to just kill it?” Yeah, just like that. I felt like I was cornered, but I pretended not to know anything. “I see why the chieftain called demons evil beings.” “Kiya, but your mind is still okay. Seeing you deny it even in this situation.” “This situation……?” I put on my best questioning look. However, Baekho Lee just chuckled as if it was ridiculous. “Yeah, this situation. The fact that you’re here is proof that you’re a player? Or how else would you know that something like this is hidden here.” Okay, I knew you’d ask that. I answered as if I had been waiting for it. Skillfully mixing only the truth. “I am the benefactor of the Dragon race. I returned the Dragon Sword to the clan in the past, and I have become close friends with the Ancient Dragon ‘Laphir’. His daughter, who is a Dragon Priestess, is also very fond of me.” An answer that implies that I heard this information from them. Baekho Lee tilted his head as soon as he heard this. “……Uh, what. Is that true?” Of course, it’s true. I didn’t lie at all. “Then, were you the one who took down that Dragon Slayer bastard? Wow, this is really amazing?” Baekho Lee exclaimed as if it was interesting. I sighed inwardly. Although I had revealed my hidden information to avoid the moment… ‘Yeah, the ring is broken anyway, right?’ If you think about it, it’s not that much of a loss. Now that the effect of the holy object is over, the day I will meet him again will come soon, whether I like it or not. There’s no need to hide it like I was going to die like before. “Certainly.” The guy who had been looking at me for a while nodded. “It’s not like I can’t understand it. Yeah, with that much merit, they might tell you something like this? Well, it’s not that big of a deal.” Does that mean it worked? No, there’s no way. It’s too early to relax. I didn’t let my guard down and waited for his next line. Several seconds, which felt like a year, passed. “But you know.” He asked me. With a smirk. “Why are you answering so well?” My mind went blank for a moment. “When I asked you if you were a player last time, you gritted your teeth and didn’t answer.” “…….” “You’ve suddenly become very kind?” You son of a bitch.