Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 36

I’m sitting on a chair.

Strangely, there are iron restraints on my arms and legs, and the chair is bolted to the floor.

‘Seriously, can’t they give me some time to rest?’

To clarify the situation, I’m currently in an interrogation room in the basement of the Explorer’s Guild.

Across from me sits an investigator.

He looks to be in his mid-30s, with a noticeable paunch and an overbearing manner.

“I’m Koldo Birman, and I’m in charge of this investigation. I’ll be asking you some questions, and it would be best if you cooperated.”

“Investigation? Before that, shouldn’t you tell me why I was arrested?”

I asked, not backing down.

I’m not expecting to be presumed innocent, but this much is a reasonable right for a defendant in this era—

Thwack-!

The investigator kicked me in the shin.

He’s grinning as if nothing happened.

“Rule one: you only answer the questions I ask. Understand?”

“…Understood.”

“Heh, if you follow the rules, nothing painful will happen, so you can relax about that.”

Painful, my ass.

I went through hell in the labyrinth; do you think a kick to the shin would even tickle?

This guy clearly has some kind of fantasy about his job.

“Anyway, to answer your question… Bjorn Yandel. You’ve been arrested on suspicion of looting in the labyrinth.”

“…Looting?”

Just as I was wondering what kind of nonsense this was, the investigator grabbed my backpack, turned it upside down, and dumped its contents on the floor.

“Whew, that’s a lot.”

Exploration gear like torches and sleeping bags.

Special items acquired from the Crimson Fortress.

Among the food and various odds and ends, the investigator only picked out the equipment and placed it on the table.

Most of it belonged to the four-person party that backstabbed us in the Land of the Dead.

“If you didn’t commit looting, where did you get this? A barbarian wouldn’t use a bow.”

“That’s… it belongs to the guys who tried to kill me first.”

“Evidence?”

Evidence?

There’s no way there would be any, but that doesn’t mean I have to be submissive.

I countered.

“Then, is there any evidence that what I’m saying isn’t true?”

“Well, that’s what we’ll have to investigate from now on.”

“You’re holding someone and investigating them based on just this?”

That was the most incomprehensible part.

This is different from how the Explorer’s Guild usually operates.

It’s an unwritten rule in this city that explorers aren’t questioned about what they bring out of the labyrinth without evidence.

Therefore, the guild never actively seeks out looters unless a report or testimony is filed.

However……

“The guild’s internal regulations changed a few days ago.”

There’s no arguing with that.

This isn’t just a game, but a world where many people live.

“To suppress looting, the official guideline is to start with Rank 9 explorers.”

In short, they’re going to test it out on the easiest targets first.

It seems like those with low status suffer everywhere.

The criteria for being investigated were also roughly predictable.

Either they brought back a lot of magic stones, or they had equipment in their backpack that seemed to belong to someone else. Something like that.

So, I was at a two-strike disadvantage from the start?

“Now, tell me. Where did you get this equipment?”

Anyway, whether his initial attitude was just to intimidate me, the investigator continued the investigation normally afterward.

So, I also tried to be as cooperative as possible and explained what happened.

Oh, of course, I left out the story about the psychopath.

To talk about that, I’d have to talk about the oath, and a barbarian who broke an oath would look strange anywhere.

Being branded as an evil spirit is much more dangerous than being accused of murder. Especially since there’s no room for excuses.

‘If I report it, that woman might kill me without anyone knowing.’

Therefore, I only briefly stated that I encountered a group of four looters, fell into a ‘suppressed’ state, and dramatically defeated them.

But the investigator was indifferent.

“What? You survived after being stabbed in the neck? You’re telling a lie that even a child wouldn’t believe.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

“Then where’s the scar on your neck? If what you said is true, there should be a mark left.”

I unconsciously touched my neck.

It was smooth, without any bumps.

There was no need to think about the reason.

After eating the vampire essence, my natural regeneration became so high that even the scar was healed.

‘…Why is everything going wrong again?’

I didn’t want to, but I had to talk about the rift.

The problem was that the investigator didn’t even listen to me.

“Puhaha! A rift? Vampires appeared? You’re a barbarian, so your words have no logic!”

“I swear, everything I said is true.”

He had already made up his mind, and even the warrior’s oath, which always worked like a cheat code, was useless this time.

“What honor does a looter have?”

At this point, I was also getting angry.

“Then, call a mage! You can verify it through magic!”

Actually, there was no need for such a long conversation.

Just one magic spell would reveal the truth.

However, the investigator just smirked as if it was ridiculous.

“Only those above Rank 7 can officially request verification from the guild.”

Damn it, when did that change?

Rank 9 explorers aren’t even treated like people.

“Even if I pay the fee?”

“That’s money that will be returned to the state if you die. We can’t waste it on meaningless things.”

Bullshit, it’s because there’s less money to embezzle.

“Now, just admit your crime.”

It seems like it will take time to prove my innocence.

***

As if to signal the end of 15 days of labyrinth life, the dazzling midday sun enveloped her body.

Erwen stood for a moment, enjoying the warmth.

Perhaps because of the starkly contrasting environment, fragments of memories from the past few days flashed through her mind.

‘I didn’t know the third floor would be so difficult…’

The third floor she entered with her sister.

The strength of the Rank 7 monsters she experienced for the first time.

Although her sister did most of the fighting, even the Rank 6 monster they happened to encounter at the end.

It was truly a journey that made her feel like she had gone on a real exploration for the first time.

The first labyrinth exploration with the old man wasn’t bad either… but back then, she was too busy trying to survive, so she was too flustered.

‘The old man would be so surprised if I told him?’

She wanted to rush and tell him about what she experienced in the labyrinth. And she wanted to ask him how he was doing.

Thinking about that, her tired body was filled with energy.

‘If I tell him I got a new essence, will he do that again like last time…?’

That’s a bit worrying, but…

For some reason, her steps were lighter than usual.

Erwen headed straight to the exchange office for Rank 9 explorers.

‘Did we miss each other this time? The old man isn’t here…’

“That’s 184,100 stones.”

“Wow…”

“That’s quite a lot for a Rank 9 explorer?”

“I went with my sister!”

“May I know her name?”

“Daria Whitember di Tersia.”

“Yes, confirmed. You may go.”

After exchanging the magic stones, meeting her sister outside, unpacking her luggage at the inn, and taking three hours to wash and change into new clothes, she headed straight to Bjorn’s inn.

But what was this?

“You’re the fairy girl who comes every day. But what to do? Room 302 hasn’t returned yet.”

“Hmm, really?”

Bjorn wasn’t at the inn.

What could have happened?

It seems like the room fee was paid in advance, and there are still other belongings left in the room…

“Are you going to keep waiting?”

“Yes! He’ll be back soon!”

“Tsk.”

The innkeeper, who was usually kind, clicked his tongue with a displeased look.

How much time had passed since then?

The sun had set. And it had been hours ago.

“Excuse me, why are you taking things out of the old man’s room without permission?”

“Ugh, annoying. Hey, miss, do you have any documents?”

“Do-documents?”

“You know, like a certificate that you’re a companion of that barbarian, or that you were supposed to receive his belongings.”

“I don’t have anything like that… No! More importantly, what do you mean by belongings!”

“Well, the labyrinth closed, and this much time has passed, so what else could be the reason he hasn’t returned? He’s dead, in the labyrinth!”

With that, the innkeeper forcibly kicked her out.

Erwen sat down in front of the inn, dejected.

‘Dead, there’s no way…’

It doesn’t make sense.

No matter how common it is for explorers to die in the labyrinth, she couldn’t imagine him dying.

So, she sat there and waited.

When morning came, then night, and then morning again.

“I found you.”

Her sister had come to find her.

Her sister didn’t scold her for staying out for two days, nor did she ask any questions.

She just held out her hand.

“…Let’s go eat first.”

Erwen took her hand and got up, thinking.

She didn’t know the exact reason.

And she knew that this and that were completely unrelated.

“Sister, I want to get stronger.”

For some reason, she felt that way.

More intensely than ever before.

***

I’m trapped inside a thick iron cage.

All my belongings have been taken away, and I’m wearing only a piece of cloth wrapped around my waist.

I’m leaning against the wall in an awkward posture.

And it’s been two days.

‘Shit…’

Since the first day, the situation has been getting worse.

Despite my repeated denials and requests for verification, the investigator had no choice but to call a mage…

「The character’s mental stat is 90 or higher.」

「Resists mental magic due to magic resistance.」

The magic of the Rank 9 mage working for the guild didn’t work on me.

“The mental barrier is too thick. It seems we’ll have to call a mage from the Magic Tower.”

The situation became complicated.

Even for the guild, it was inevitable to get help from a high-ranking mage to conclude my case.

“It’s not cost-effective to call them for a Rank 9 explorer’s case.”

From then on, the investigator did everything he could to get my confession.

He thought it was an easier way.

But there’s no way I’d be intimidated by this guy and make a false confession.

I even mentioned the names of the Rank 6 mage Arua Raven and the dwarf, but this frustrating investigator didn’t even listen.

That’s how the case dragged on.

“Hahaha! Bjorn Yandel, it seems like this isn’t the first time you’ve committed looting?”

A completely new charge was added, unrelated to the previous investigations.

“What are you talking about?”

“While investigating you, this was discovered.”

The investigator proudly presented a message stone [a device for sending short messages].

“Message stones have unique numbers, so the owner is recorded. So, I checked the one in your backpack, and sure enough. It belonged to a dead explorer.”

For reference, the owner’s name was Artoa Serdin.

“I contacted the clan he was a member of, and they testified in detail about the things you did. Not only did you injure a person named Hatz Young and run away, but you also killed the person who was tracking you?”

This guy thinks he’s the protagonist of a mystery novel, talking unnecessarily long.

“So, what’s going to happen to me?”

I cut to the chase and asked only the main point.

No matter what I say here, this guy, who’s dying to get rid of me, won’t listen.

“Given the circumstances, testimony, and evidence, this guild has decided to reject your request for verification and execute your sentence.”

This guild, my ass.

It’s just that you rejected my request.

“…So, what’s the sentence I’ll receive?”

“You’re saying strange things. The Lapdonia royal law has never shown leniency to looters. Ah, is that too difficult for a barbarian to understand?”

The investigator smirked and continued.

“It means death.”

That was what happened last night.

For reference, this morning, a guard came and told me my execution date and asked if there was any food I wanted to eat.

It suddenly hit me.

“……”

If I stay still, I’m going to die.

That means I can’t stay still.

The stage for solving things through conversation has long passed.

But even if I break out of the cage and run away, I’ll just be a fugitive looter.

‘Even if I can escape to the city, I’ll quickly become a wanted criminal.’

I thought about it for a while, but in the end, there was only one way to survive.

To somehow prove my innocence.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.

Just as you can know the forest by looking at a tree, even a mere investigator is this unreasonable, so how could others be any different?

‘Whether I’m guilty or not, the Explorer’s Guild would think it’s easier and quieter if I just disappear.’

Once I set that premise and made a plan, I started to see a way.

First, the key was to create a situation where the Explorer’s Guild couldn’t silence me.

I also had an idea about how to do that.

Of course, I’d have to go through a lot of annoying things as a result…

Creak-.

I thought of the investigator’s face and mustered my motivation.

Since I was young, I was a cheeky kid who knew how to return a favor tenfold.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s not worth it to just save my own life.’

I will definitely get the price for this.

「The character has cast [Flesh Explosion].」

And I’ll make them pay dearly.