Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 333

The best-case scenario was that the GM wouldn’t suspect me at all until I got the information I wanted. But I guess it was too much to hide until the very end. ‘Well, if it has come to this, there’s nothing I can do.’ I shook off the slight disappointment I felt. After all, the information I’ve gathered so far was enough to justify using the Fourth Style. ‘Even if I don’t know which school he’s from, he’s a 6th grade at 20.’ Plus, the three candidates have been narrowed down to two. There’s no way Auriel Gavis wouldn’t know his name after meeting him. But looking at his reaction… ‘There’s no way he’s Zerkif Elmen Macinder.’ The 33.3% chance became 50%. And perhaps this was the limit of what I could find out while hiding my identity. Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to be satisfied and leave quietly. ‘If I investigate the two candidates, I think I can figure it out just from that condition…’ There’s no need to go that far when there’s an easier path. The reason I was so proactive in gathering information was because I had this method in mind. “Tell me. Who are you? How did you get in here, and why did you pretend to be him?” The GM, having seen through my act, is now pressuring me with a triumphant attitude. As if he’s someone important. ‘How cute.’ I chuckled and opened my mouth. I was going to reveal that I was someone else and say this before I left anyway. “Auriel Gavis.” “…What? That’s the name of the game creator—” “That’s the name of the old man you met.” The GM frowned as I cut him off. He heard the words properly, but he doesn’t seem to understand the meaning at all. As a player who cares for newbies, I kindly added an explanation. “He’s the one who summoned you to this world, and he only intends to use you. And he doesn’t even feel guilty about doing this. Be wary of him.” “Even if you hide your identity and say that—” Whatever. “It’s your choice whether to believe it or not. I only came here to give you a warning.” “…Then why did you pretend to be him?” “I wanted to know what kind of person you were before I told you this.” Of course, I don’t think the GM will believe this 100%. I didn’t tell him 100% of the truth in the first place. In fact, the GM is looking at me warily, wondering what my intentions are. But… ‘The important thing is how plausible it sounds.’ People are so sensitive that once they hear something like this, they feel uneasy, regardless of whether they believe it or not. Even if it’s just a small crack, it’s like a crack in the wall that you can’t help but notice. Maybe, just maybe, perhaps. Just planting those keywords in the GM’s head is enough for now. ‘Well, I think that’s enough for the sowing discord…’ There are countless reasons to be wary of Auriel Gavis, but I decided to stop here. I judged that it would be more effective to leave it to his imagination rather than explaining it in detail. “…Do you think I’ll be swayed by your words!” Of course, the GM raised his voice because my identity is more important than Auriel Gavis right now. “If you don’t reveal your identity—” It was a pathetic thing to do. ‘That’s not how you ask a question.’ Especially not to someone who seems stronger than you. I took a step forward and asked back. “If I don’t?” The GM, who was cut off, tried to open his mouth, but no sound came out. He just swallowed the empty air with his mouth open. “…Keuhup!” Lion Style. Third Style, Weakness Disdain. Thud. As I took another step closer, the GM started to tremble and even show the whites of his eyes. Hmm, I didn’t expect his mental fortitude to be this low. “Weak.” I was flying around the Round Table [a reference to a powerful organization or group] when I was your age, you punk. At this rate, he wouldn’t even know what I was saying, so I lowered the intensity of my killing intent a little more. And I murmured softly. “Aika Terathios.” The name of the second candidate that Baek Ho told me. However, the GM’s reaction was not what I expected. What is this guy saying? Is it some kind of magic or spell casting? His eyes, filled with such wariness, are directed at me. ‘Tsk.’ Oh, this isn’t it either? Then there’s only one candidate left… “Yurven Havelion.” I continued without giving him a chance. I wasn’t without the anxiety that maybe Baek Ho had completely missed the mark. But… “… !” The reaction was clearly different from before. The pupils temporarily dilated. The increased breathing rate. The stiffness of the facial muscles. Even the fact that he didn’t avoid my eyes and tried to maintain a nonchalant expression. I had even considered the possibility that he might be a master of poker face. “Yes, that’s your name.” While I was thrilled to finally find out the GM’s name, I also felt a bit bitter. ‘To succeed on the third try.’ 33.3% and 50%. Both were probabilities worth trying, but I was anxious because I got blanks in a row, but there was a hit among them. Well, that’s always how it is with me. “Yurven Havelion.” I slowly released my killing intent, muttering the GM’s name as if savoring it. Then, the GM, who had been stiff and unable to breathe while standing, knelt on the floor and began to pant. Even in the midst of that, his gaze was fixed on me. “W-who the hell are you…” His eyes were filled with fear rather than hostility. But now that the killing intent that had been binding his body and mind had disappeared, was he able to make a rational judgment? Flash-! A pure white light briefly flashed, coloring the whole world. There was no reason to panic since I had experienced this countless times. “See you later.” He used the master’s authority to shut down the community server. *** “You’re awake.” When I opened my eyes, Amelia was sitting next to the bed. The only reason she, who had been busy day and night lately, was here was because I was in a state of incapacitation while I was in the community. What if something happened during that time? ‘What could happen in less than 10 seconds…’ It feels like she’s being too overprotective, but regardless of that thought, I’m also grateful. “Here.” As I reached for the water bottle I had left on the side table because my throat was dry, Amelia picked it up and handed it to me instead. “Ah, thanks.” “So, how did it go?” After taking a sip of water to moisten my throat, I told her what had happened there. Amelia listened with undisguised interest, but she didn’t get too excited either. “Yurven Havelion, that reclusive mage was an evil spirit. If it gets out, the city will be turned upside down.” “Reclusive mage?” “Don’t you know? He’s famous for being holed up in the magic tower and hardly living an external life. I know that most of his current fame was made when he was an explorer.” “I see.” I didn’t know he was a homebody, but I still have some general information thanks to the research I did before. That his entire school was destroyed due to some incident, and that he became independent and established his own school after that, and that he mainly used wind magic during his explorer days. And that he has reached an unrivaled position in his specialty, the field of magical tool making. ‘So his alias was ‘Magical Engineer’.’ Anyway, the story that started like that ended with the fact that it was fortunate that the record fragment stone didn’t work. “…Fortunate?” “Ah, from the middle, I realized that this was the role I had to play in this era. If this was my last role, I wouldn’t have been able to buy equipment and would have had to go back as soon as I opened my eyes.” “Ah… that’s… that’s true.” “Huh? Amelia, what’s wrong?” “It’s nothing. So, did you find a place to hide the equipment?” Amelia nodded at my words, but she looked a little strange, but it wasn’t something I could ask about. The next topic was more important. “Well, I don’t know. I’ve been all over the place, but I can’t feel at ease? I want to discuss this with you.” I listed all the places I had surveyed so far and asked for Amelia’s opinion. “Certainly, they all have some unstable elements.” “It would be perfect to hide it in the Holy Forest, but I’m a little worried about that shaman guy who’s always wandering around.” “Then how about putting it in a bank vault?” “Bank vault?” That was an unexpected method. That’s because you have to use the identity of ‘Nivels Enche’ to use the bank. There’s a possibility that a problem will occur when I try to retrieve it as Bjorn Yandel, and above all, ‘Nivels Enche’ is an identity that will be canceled next year due to unpaid taxes. In short, what I leave in the bank will also be confiscated by the state. ‘And it’s impossible to pay all 20 years of taxes in advance.’ It was a method with many realistic limitations, so I didn’t even put it on the list of candidates. ‘But there’s no way she would have said this without knowing this…’ “Tell me in detail.” As I adjusted my posture, Amelia opened her mouth. “Alminus Bank has something called an ‘anonymous term vault’.” “I’ve never heard of it.” It was a system that didn’t exist in the game. Then, it means it was an update that happened in the last 150 years. “It’s natural that you don’t know. It’s a system that’s so little known that even among explorers who frequently use banks, few know about it.” After that, Amelia briefly explained about the anonymous term vault. ‘To sum it up, if you pay money without revealing your identity, they will keep your items for a set period of time. You only need a password to retrieve the items.’ Hmm, not bad? *** The next day. I went out with Amelia for the first time in a while and visited the bank to check if there were any toxic clauses in the system or any hidden unstable elements that I was unaware of. And… ‘This is better than a Swiss bank?’ I decided that it was safer than burying it in the ground, so I put Kraul’s Demon Smasher in an anonymous personal vault. For reference, I set the period to 22 years, just in case. Well, because of that, the amount of money I had to pay in advance was not small… “Don’t worry, I can pay enough.” For me, who is protected by Amelia, this small amount of money was not a problem. Well, it seems that things have worked out well. “Oh, you really filled up all the missing money…?” Amelia, who had been running around day and night for more than two weeks to earn money, had actually made the promised capital. When I asked what kind of magic she had used, the answer was this. “It’s nothing special, I sold information.” She sold information using the benefits of being a returnee. The main customers were those who were interested in this auction. It seems that she sold the names and colors of the essences that would be exhibited this time… “But it’s a bit strange. What do they believe in to buy information?” “Ah, that’s because I used the position of the branch manager of the central exchange.” “Used it? How?” “I followed the branch manager day and night and investigated him, and I found something that could be used against him. I used that to blackmail him.” Ah, for reference, it seems that even the branch manager himself did not know what the essence was, as the exchange is very careful about maintaining security… Of course, it was just a minor problem for us. The important thing is to make customers think that it’s reliable internal information. “When I visited the branch manager’s office together and proved our friendship, no one doubted the authenticity of the information. They probably thought they could hold the branch manager responsible if the information was wrong.” After hearing all of this, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Her business acumen was so good that she would have succeeded even if she had started a business. Is this the majesty of an SSR companion [a reference to a high-tier character in a game]? “Amelia…!!” “W-what…! Don’t cling to me…!” As a result, everything from the place to hide the equipment to the money to sell the equipment and buy the essence and the balance was all settled by Amelia. And… “Hoo, is it today…” The auction day dawned as time passed.