Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 290

Ironically, that’s how relationships usually are. Most of the time, the one who’s desperate becomes the subordinate. Just like this moment. “Another glass.” “Ah, here you go.” “Keeeuhhhhh.” I refilled my cider and drank it down. The old man seemed like he wanted to get back to the conversation, but… No way. “Is it possible to get a cola, by any chance?” “Heh heh, you must miss your hometown a lot.” “Keeeuhhhhh!” Yeah, that’s the stuff. The refreshing sensation of carbonation after so long made my whole body tremble. However, I decided to stop with the drink demands here. ‘Seeing that he knows what cider and cola are, it seems he really did come to our world. Then how did they cross over? They couldn’t have opened the ‘Abyss Gate’…’ Various questions swirled in my head. ‘If I could figure out that method, could I go home without having to climb the floors?’ Of course, it was just a thought, and I wasn’t that desperate. Honestly, my biggest concern these days was whether I even needed to go back. I had already adapted well to this place. It was definitely a bit inconvenient, but it was a place I could live in. Yeah, even without carbonated drinks. “Heh heh, seeing you so happy makes me feel good too. Would you like another glass?” “No, I’m good now.” “Is that so?” Aurell Gavis tilted his head, then asked me the same question as before. But… “It was supposed to be my turn this time, wasn’t it?” I pointed out his rudeness, and he coughed awkwardly. “Ahem, ah, my apologies. I was too hasty. As you said, it’s your turn this time, so ask me anything.” What is he saying? He answered everything vaguely anyway. I said firmly. “That’s all for the questions.” “Huh?” What do you mean, ‘huh’? How shameless. “What’s the point of asking more? I can’t even tell if what you’re saying is true or not.” I pointed out his sneaky lie detector from behind, and the old man said as if he was wronged. “But I’ve never told a lie!” Yeah, that’s probably true. Because he didn’t tell me anything important anyway. Rather, that behavior makes me trust that he didn’t lie. But… “It’s still unfair, isn’t it?” This old man can just change the subject when it’s uncomfortable, but I can’t even stay silent. “…What should I do?” Well, let’s see. I pretended to think for a while, then opened my mouth at the right moment. “How about I ask ten questions for every one question you ask?” “What…?” The old man exclaimed as if it was absurd. Well, yeah, that was too much, wasn’t it? I quickly brought out the excuse I had prepared. “From the start, even talking to you is a huge risk for me.” “Risk?” “I don’t know how the future might change because of this.” A line that simultaneously implies the risks I’m taking and how valuable the information from 20 years in the future is. But… “What? Hahahaha!” Aurell Gavis burst into hearty laughter as if he had heard a truly funny story. It was so boisterous that I felt offended. Because I wasn’t telling a joke. “Ah, sorry for laughing suddenly.” I stared at the old man, whether he laughed or not, and he coughed and managed his expression. And… “It’s just that it was an unexpected story. Of course, it’s understandable that you would think that way from your perspective…” Aurell Gavis continued. “You can’t change anything with the fragments of records.” That was the reason he laughed at my words. *** I had a temporary brain freeze. But even after regaining my composure and thinking about it again, I couldn’t understand. So I just asked bluntly. “What do you mean, you can’t change it?” “Ah, is that a ‘question’?” Uh… “……” I felt like my words and even my breath were cut off. That’s when I desperately needed another sip of cider. “Heh heh, just kidding.” Aurell Gavis laughed merrily and gave an answer to my question. “It’s difficult to explain the concept of time and causality to you right now, so just know this.” “……” “Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The order doesn’t matter. The history of the universe is only once.” I don’t really understand the history of the universe or whatever. However, even if I don’t know the principle, I understood what he was saying. So, what this old man is saying is… “You mean, no matter what I do here, the future won’t change?” “That’s right. Once a timeline has been observed, it doesn’t change.” “Simply put.” “No matter what you think here, no matter what you do. No matter what kind of conversation we have here. It’s already something that happened in the past.” Understanding and accepting were two different things. I understand what theory he’s talking about, but… Then what about Dwarki? What about the letters I left in the Holy Land? Does it mean that nothing will change no matter what I do? ‘That can’t be.’ I decided to listen to the old man’s words, but not to blindly believe them. This old man couldn’t be omniscient. He didn’t even know I was an original clear [someone who cleared the game in its original form], did he? “You don’t seem to believe me.” “……” “Well, you’ll know when you’ve finished everything you need to do here and go back. What it means to be called by the times.” Aurell Gavis changed the subject and returned to the original topic. “So, about fairness… Ten is too unreasonable. How about one for every three?” He’s trying to take advantage of me when I’m confused. I decided to think about the history of the universe later and focused on the negotiation. “Three is too few. Maybe one for every five.” “…Aren’t you being too greedy? Even though information from 20 years in the future is important, what I know is by no means inferior.” Aurell Gavis frowned as if his pride was hurt. Well, I could understand his feelings. If you asked a hundred players from Earth, all hundred would be interested in the information that ‘Aurell Gavis’ knows and think it’s more valuable. But… “If you really think so, you can just not do it, right?” The value of water depends on the environment. To a thirsty person, a handful of water is more precious than a hundred pounds of gold. “One question for every five. Take it or leave it.” I gave my final offer as if I had been waiting for it. That was the moment. “Those damn things…” The old man’s expression turned cold. I was so scared that I thought I had crossed the line… “Ah, sorry. I wasn’t talking to you. It’s just that those guys I saw earlier broke the rules again.” Fortunately, I wasn’t the reason for his serious face. Rather, the old man continued, looking worried that I might have misunderstood. “I think I should go now. How about we continue this conversation next month? I’ll think about the fairness issue in the meantime.” It was sudden, but I didn’t show any signs of disappointment. The moment I showed it, the negotiation conditions that were about to be finalized would go down. “Okay.” I nodded as if I wasn’t in a hurry, and he waved his hand in the air. And… “…I’m back.” When I came to my senses, I was lying on my bed in the lodging. *** [00:00]. I checked the time, 12 AM on the 15th, and went back to sleep. Of course, sleep didn’t come easily. Numerous thoughts, worries, and anxieties flashed through my mind without being organized. But, even so, the day dawned. “…Nothing has changed.” As soon as it was morning, I got dressed and headed to the library. So what if the future doesn’t change? So what if it’s meaningless because it’s something that happened in the past? That can’t be a reason to just stay still. There’s a possibility that Aurell Gavis, that old man, was wrong about something. If you do nothing, the possibility is 0. ‘He’s not here today.’ With that thought, I went to the library, but Raven wasn’t there. Where did this kid go? Did he get into trouble again for shocking someone with electricity while I was gone? ‘…He didn’t come after all.’ I waited until the time Raven usually went home, but Raven didn’t show up. The same was true the next day. ‘…Tsk, this is worrying.’ I regretted not finding out where his house was before, but I kept visiting the library. It was the day after another day of waiting that Raven finally appeared. “Why haven’t you been coming?” “I had things to do. What about you?” “Just because.” Raven spoke in a way that was obviously an excuse and sat down to read a book. But what’s this again? “Why do you keep turning your head?” “I didn’t turn it.” No, you’re turning it right now. And your hair is strangely disheveled. “Come here.” “No.” “Then I’ll go to you.” I strode over and swept Raven’s bangs to the side. And I barely managed to engrave the character ‘patience’ on my head. ‘So, that’s what he was hiding.’ There was a large bruise on Raven’s eye. “Who did this?” “…It doesn’t matter.” Ha, how do I get him to open his mouth? As I was sighing with that thought, Raven mumbled as if to appease me, glancing at me. “…Don’t worry about it. I just got caught by my mom for going to the library when I got home late.” As soon as I heard that, I felt bitter. Putting aside the fact that this kid was beaten by his mom. ‘He got home late…’ He was a kid who was always punctual about his return time. But how did he end up getting home late? “Did you happen to be waiting for me and got late?” “……” Raven was silent at my words, and that silence was a clearer answer than anything else. Well, he did say ‘that’s not true’ later… It’s too late, kid. “Enough about me, tell me about the labyrinth. You stopped halfway last time.” “…Where were we talking about?” “The Doppelganger Forest. You said that doppelgangers are good at pretending to be dead. But that’s not very interesting, so tell me something else.” I told him about the labyrinth as Raven wanted, pretending that nothing was wrong, and that time passed until it was time for Raven to go home. “Then I’ll go.” “Okay.” “Will you… come tomorrow?” “If nothing happens.” After hearing my answer, Raven ran out of the library. So I came out too. And… ‘Should I follow him?’ I started following Raven. I didn’t want to interfere in other people’s family matters if possible, but… ‘It’s not like he did anything to deserve to be beaten.’ Yeah, this is a bit too much.