Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 301

Thwack-!

Right after I slammed Beck’s shiny bald spot with the Demon Crusher with all my might.

Pshoooosh-!

His skull and scalp burst simultaneously, and a fountain of blood gushed from every hole.

A successful sneak attack.

However, like the seasoned bastards they were, their response was quick even with their leader’s head smashed.

Tadat.

The archer retreated, creating distance.

“This crazy bastard!”

The melee types quickly approached, blocking my left and right sides in perfect unison.

Like they were some kind of cockroaches.

Whoooosh-!

I used [Giantification] and swung the hammer down at the shield warrior in front.

Surprisingly, he didn’t dodge.

He simply raised his shield, following the hammer’s trajectory, and shouted.

“Stab him!”

So, he’ll block and let them stab my side, huh?

A quick glance showed that his shield was quite impressive.

‘Adamantium, huh.’

Looks like he’s confident in his expensive shield…

There are way better items out there, though.

‘Desperate struggle.’

The shield and hammer collided, creating an explosion.

Kwaaaang-!

His shield was only slightly dented and remained intact.

But…

Crack-!

The guy holding the shield, on the other hand, spewed blood from every hole like a can of soda pierced by an awl.

That’s because I didn’t use [Swing] earlier.

I couldn’t use the Double Numbers item’s effect either.

500% damage increase and half soul power consumption when using blunt weapon skills.

And a 50% armor penetration bonus when slamming down.

Thud.

With his eyes bulging out from the pressure, the guy collapsed to the ground.

Now, it’s the next one’s turn.

Swish.

As I shifted my gaze towards the third target, he backed away.

A quick glance showed that the archer behind him was doing the same.

Are they trying to run away?

That’s a bit funny.

I have no intention of letting them go.

‘Transcendence.’

I quickly recited the command.

‘Eye of the Storm.’

The active skill I got from Stormgush.

Kooong-!

I slammed my foot on the ground, and a vortex began to swirl.

It was different from what Stormgush used.

It was the effect of [Transcendence].

Whoooooosh-!

[Eye of the Storm] no longer pulls enemies within a 5-meter radius.

Instead.

It pulls a designated target within a 20-meter radius.

Only one person, bringing them right in front of me.

“Ugh, aaaaagh!”

Just like that.

Crack-!

That makes three.

However, I wasn’t satisfied and checked on the last target, the archer who was running away.

If he had gotten too far, I was planning to follow him with [Leap].

But…

Thud.

Amelia had already approached and finished off the archer.

She was a very rational woman.

Whether she liked it or not, since an incident had occurred, she must have decided that killing them all to silence them was the best option.

“Ah, uh, er, sa, save me…”

Thwack-!

Amelia knocked out the kid next to the archer, Zensia, by hitting the back of his neck, then approached me.

And said briefly.

“That was a foolish thing to do.”

“Because they were on the Lord’s side?”

“No, because now we have to kill this kid too, because of you.”

…Is that how it works?

But he was definitely alive back then?

“There would have been many chances to kill him, even if it wasn’t today. Even if you hadn’t stepped in, I was planning to kill him someday.”

“…You?”

“I’m also responsible for this.”

Responsibility, huh…

Ah, I don’t know.

My head is a mess.

Beeeep.

I killed them all, but the ringing in my ears remains.

Instead of feeling relieved, I feel even more suffocated.

“Why did you do something so rash? You said he was your father you’ve never even met?”

That’s definitely true.

I even knew it.

Even if I killed all these bastards like a madman, it wouldn’t be any compensation for him.

Rather, there’s no greater hypocrisy than that.

But…

“Just because.”

I couldn’t find a better way to express it.

“I just… felt like it.”

“…I see.”

Surprisingly, Amelia didn’t get angry at that.

She just looked at me without saying anything.

“…”

I turned my head away, avoiding Amelia’s gaze.

Then I saw Yandel Jarku’s corpse.

A corpse that showed not only the injuries from the battle but also signs of being treated like a toy.

Clench.

I clenched both fists.

The short conversation we had in the rift came to mind.

[Was it Byorn? If possible, have a child soon. It’s a sad thing to leave nothing behind in this world.]

[…Is that so?]

[Yes, I didn’t know that before I had a child.]

Jarku said.

A child of your blood is like another you.

It’s a truly mysterious thing.

After having a child, he had a desire that was greater than becoming an outstanding warrior.

[Hehe, you’ll surely become a great warrior.]

That’s why I ran away.

[Stop!]

[Huh?]

[Stop, I’ll be going now…]

With that one word, I realized it deeply.

Even if I lived as Byorn Yandel, saved many people, and became a hero in the city.

‘I can’t be forgiven.’

Even if that wasn’t what I wanted.

Clench.

No matter what anyone says, the truth doesn’t change.

In the end, I am an evil spirit.

The one who stole even the only precious legacy of this barbarian warrior.

***

“Looks like you’ve calmed down a bit.”

While I was staring blankly at Yandel Jarku’s corpse, Amelia said to me.

She wasn’t wrong.

Is time a cure?

The ringing in my ears had subsided, and the trembling had stopped.

So now it’s time to think about how to clean up the mess.

I looked at the unconscious Zensia and opened my mouth.

“…Do we really have to kill him?”

“Then is there another way? If this kid goes back alive, the Lord’s side will find out what we did.”

Ha, damn it.

I sighed deeply in frustration, and Amelia asked.

“Is there a reason why we shouldn’t kill him?”

“He’s still… young.”

Even as I said that, I wondered.

Why am I trying to find a way not to kill him?

I know the future.

This kid will live a hellish life and have his body taken over by an evil spirit when he becomes an adult.

So, it would be better if he died now…

‘Damn it.’

A curse word came out.

What am I thinking?

That it doesn’t matter if he dies now because he’ll die someday anyway? That I can prove Auriel Gavis wrong by killing him?

I shook my head firmly.

“…Killing him is not an option. Let’s find another way.”

“That’s not like you.”

“What do you know about me?”

As if she knew I was an evil spirit.

I spoke harshly without realizing it, but I was also admitting it deep down.

Certainly, if it were the usual me, I might have made a different choice.

But…

‘At least not today.’

I don’t want to do that right now.

Wasn’t it an unusually difficult day?

Even if this decision is an act of submitting to fate, I can’t handle it anymore.

That’s why…

“You’re right. I didn’t know you well enough. I didn’t know you were such a weakling. If you can’t do it, I will—”

“Stop.”

I grabbed Amelia’s wrist.

“…You should let go.”

“Didn’t you say we should find another way?”

“Another way? There’s no more certain way than this.”

Ugh, seriously…

So, I’m saying let’s think about that method together for a moment…

‘Ah, right, that!’

A method came to mind, and I quickly opened my mouth.

“Right, the Hwandan! If we give him that medicine made by the alchemist of Noark, we can erase his memories! He’s from the Lord’s side, right? They might have it!”

I spoke with the heart of a philosopher shouting Eureka, but Amelia just scoffed.

“This is the early stage of that medicine’s development. There’s no way these guys would have such a precious thing.”

“But, we still need to look for it, don’t we!”

“…Fine, if you’ll only give up after seeing it for yourself.”

With that, Amelia shook off my hand.

“And one more warning, don’t ever grab my arm without permission again.”

She’s so sensitive.

Amelia then approached the corpses and started looting.

Okay, this will give me time to think whether that Hwandan will come out or not—.

‘Ah, wait a minute.’

I belatedly realized one mistake.

Looking at it, it seems like Amelia hasn’t noticed it yet…

‘I’m going crazy.’

Ha, was my mental state too messed up earlier?

A mistake I would never have made if I were my usual self.

‘…I’ll try to handle it well later when she mentions it first.’

I also squatted down and started stripping the corpses of their equipment and checking their backpacks.

While doing so, I kept thinking about what to do if they didn’t have the memory-erasing pill.

It was then.

“…Lucky. I can’t believe they have this at this time.”

The pill really came out of the bag.

***

After the pill came out, everything went smoothly.

Amelia quickly put the pill in Zensia’s mouth, and we waited for Zensia to regain consciousness.

And how much time had passed?

“Ugh, ugh! Wh, what is this…!”

Zensia, with his hands and feet tied and a blindfold on, regained consciousness, and we quietly observed his reaction from a distance.

We thought that there might be defects since it was an early-stage medicine.

“Uncle Beck! Uncle Beck! H, help me!”

Since he was looking for the dead Beck, it was clear that his memories were erased.

Then, how far back were his memories erased?

We were able to get the information we wanted through Zensia, who was muttering to himself in a mental breakdown.

“To think that he doesn’t remember anything from the moment he entered the Crystal Cave. It seems that the performance is excessive compared to the mass-produced one, since it’s in the early stages.”

Amelia then went to the struggling Zensia, knocked him out again, and even gave him a sleeping pill to prevent him from waking up.

So, this problem is settled for now.

“The labyrinth will close soon, so we just need to stay together for a few hours.”

After that, we moved to another place and spent time with the sleeping Zensia.

We couldn’t just leave him alone in the labyrinth.

If we stayed like this and the labyrinth closed, Zensia would be taken care of by the Lord’s forces.

They would try to get information about what happened, but he wouldn’t remember anything.

“…Hey, Amelia. I’m sorry about earlier.”

I apologized while waiting, but Amelia just ignored me as if she didn’t hear it.

How much time passed in that awkward silence?

Swoooosh-!

White light emanated from all directions, and the labyrinth closed.

However, unlike usual, we weren’t greeted by the warm sunlight or the cool air that pleasantly wrapped around our bodies.

Only the gloomy underground city welcomed us.

“We’re out.”

The dimensional plaza located in the western part of the Lord’s castle.

From here, it’s different from Lapdonia.

On the surface, you had to go through a checkpoint and exchange magic stones when the exploration ended, but here, the exchange is up to the individual.

“Alright, let’s go get some drinks!”

“Hey, isn’t that the kid from Beck’s gang? Why is he alone like that? Could it be that the others died inside?”

“Iron Teeth will be happy to hear this. He was already grinding his teeth at Beck.”

The explorers who came out to the plaza scattered according to their respective purposes, and the surroundings quickly became deserted. Zensia, who was lying far away, was also discovered by the Lord’s forces and taken somewhere.

“Let’s move on too.”

“Ah, okay…”

We also slowly left the plaza and headed to one place.

[Melta Merchant Guild]

The only merchant guild in Noark, and the most popular place for underground plunderers to dispose of their equipment.

Unlike the magic stone exchange, which had a relatively short line, the branch of the Melta Merchant Guild was crowded with people. After all, magic stones are money here, so there’s no need to exchange them.

In the first place, I heard that the magic stone exchange there doesn’t exchange them for money, but for food or desired items.

“Hmm, Iron Mask and Emily. The most famous people lately have arrived?”

When it was our turn, we took out all the equipment we had been storing.

Ah, by the way, we left out Beck’s equipment.

If we took that out, it would be obvious that we killed them.

“…Did you acquire all of this during this exploration?”

Anyway, as we started emptying our backpacks, the employee’s eyes gradually glazed over.

Although Noark was full of plunderers, it seemed rare for someone to come out with so much loot.

“It will take some time. Would you mind waiting?”

After that, the employee called a few more appraisers from the guild and started the appraisal together.

And after about 10 minutes, the appraisal value came out.

21 fourth-grade magic stones.

1 fifth-grade magic stone.

7 seventh-grade magic stones.

Ha, it’s hard to get a sense of it when I say it like this.

“How much is it based on the Lapdonia exchange?”

“Ah, you might not know since it’s your first time in Noark. Based on last month’s exchange rate, it’s a total of 21.57 million stones.”

I heard it from Amelia, but these guys are really thieves.

Even if they were low-level equipment and we didn’t put things like subspace or extended backpacks on the counter.

“If you sell it on the surface, it would be worth well over 70 million stones.”

“Yes, that would be the case on the surface.”

Look at that snarky tone.

“That’s enough. Emily, let’s pack up and leave.”

“Do you mean you’re not going to sell it?”

“Yeah, I have no intention of handing it over at such a ridiculous price.”

“If that’s the case.”

We packed up our equipment again and left.

The employee didn’t try to hold us back, feeling disappointed.

They think that we’ll eventually have to sell it to them anyway.

“Then let’s go to the inn for now.”

After leaving the guild branch, we moved to the inn where we were staying. And after washing up in order, we sat facing each other and talked.

“We showed the looted equipment to the guild, so even if it’s not Beck, the Lord will be interested.”

That was the reason why we went to the guild with equipment that we had no intention of selling.

In fact, the owner of the guild is practically the Lord.

The evidence of our numerous plunder, such as blood-stained equipment and IDs, would reach the Lord’s ears.

“Then we just have to wait until then.”

“Yeah, for now.”

After discussing a few more topics, we changed into casual clothes and lay down on the bed.

“If you’re done talking, I’m going to sleep first. I’m tired.”

Of course, sleep didn’t come easily.

So, I was still tossing and turning when.

“Are you asleep?”

Amelia suddenly spoke to me.

“I’m not asleep. Why?”

“I suddenly became curious about something.”

Curious about something…

I had a feeling I knew what it was.

Looking back, she must have remembered that ‘mistake’ from earlier.

“Go ahead.”

“How did you know about the Blessing of Amern?”

Oh, so that’s the name of the medicine.

It was the first time I heard that information, but I didn’t show it and answered naturally.

“Ah, that? Didn’t you give it to me at the inn last time, telling me to take it?”

“But I didn’t say it was made by an alchemist from Noark.”

“I was curious, so I grabbed another Noark explorer and asked him before killing him!”

“Hmm, I see. So, that’s how it is…”

No, what’s with that tone?

I’m getting uneasy—.

“Barbarian, the name of that Hwandan is the Blessing of Lethe. Not the Blessing of Amern.”

Huh?

“As I expected.”

Then, a person’s shadow fell over the bed where I was lying.

I turned my gaze slightly, and I saw Amelia standing in front of me, looking down at me.

“You, you didn’t lose your memories back then.”

It was a checkmate.

Moreover, it seems that she had been aware of it since I made the mistake, but she pretended not to know until I let my guard down…

How can a person be so cunning?

I sighed and coolly admitted it.

“Yeah, for some reason, I was the only one who was fine.”

What can I do if the medicine was defective?

So, what are you going to do?

I hid it back then because I thought she might come to assassinate me if she knew I had my memories, but there’s no need for that now, right?

The existence of Noark has been revealed to the city.

‘Right, what do I have to hide now?’

Thinking about it, there was nothing to worry about.

Therefore, I quickly raised my upper body and looked at Amelia confidently, as if to say, ‘Say what you have to say.’

But, what is this again?

“…”

Her eyes are strange.

Should I say they feel cold?

“…Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

Amelia answered coldly to my question.

“Byorn Yandel, only an evil spirit doesn’t lose their memories from that medicine.”

Ah, uh, um…

‘Damn it.’

I didn’t know that either.