Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 407

Inevitability (4)

Dragonslayer Regal Bagos. Few know about the ill-fated connection between this guy and me. Aside from the members who were on the same team back then, only a few high-ranking officials of the Leatlass Church and the leaders of the Dragonkin know about it. Naturally, Erwen knows nothing about that incident. She only knows that a mage named Dwarki met his end in the labyrinth. ‘Do they have some kind of bad blood between them?’ Well, if that’s the case, it’s a bit strange. When I shared the hidden mission from the Marquis to help Lavienne and eliminate the Dragonslayer, she didn’t react like this— ‘…Hmm, come to think of it, she did look unwell back then.’ No, now that I think about it, she actually did look unwell. When Amelia asked if she was feeling sick after seeing her stiff expression, she hurriedly left, saying it was nothing. Well, I didn’t pry too deeply back then, but… ‘I should check it out.’ I can’t just stand by and watch my comrade’s mental state crumble. So, after getting permission from Jun, I immediately left and calmed Erwen down. Then, I listened to her story. “I-I’m sorry. I-I suddenly….” “I’m not asking for an apology. I’m worried about what made you react like that. What happened with that Dragonslayer bastard?” “That’s….” Erwen hesitated for a long time, as if she couldn’t easily speak, before finally opening her mouth. “It happened when I was ten years old.” “Ten years old, huh….” That would be about 13 years ago. In other words, it would be about a year after the war between the Barbarians and the Elves ended. Something immediately came to mind. “Could it be related to that… the Blood Calamity?” The terror that occurred in the Elven Sanctuary. The culprit was the Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos, and I heard that over a thousand elves died back then. And if my guess is correct…. “…Yes, my parents died then. In front of me… while protecting my sister, my younger sibling, and me….” “…I see.” Erwen lost her parents that day. Her uncle took all three sisters in as his adopted children and cared for them with love, but even so, the void could not be filled. Nevertheless, Erwen endured. It was thanks to Daria, the eldest, who tried her best to fill that void. However…. [That young lady has more fate than you, next to you.] The cruel reality took even Daria away. Although it wasn’t the Dragonslayer, coincidentally, the culprit was the Ruin Scholar, one of the members of Orculiss. “Damn it.” “I-I’m sorry. I got scared as soon as I heard his voice. He’s clearly an enemy… I have to fight to not lose anything precious again… I’m afraid that… that they’ll take everything from me again….” It’s understandable that Erwen is in a panic. “Hah, I’m pathetic, right…? I’ve gotten stronger now… and I vowed to get revenge someday when I meet him, but look at me now….” That’s how trauma usually is. Emotions take over reason. Or rather, the memories of that time take over, and fear rushes in. “Pathetic? How could you be? It’s… it’s me who’s pathetic.” “What? Pathetic? That’s impossible! How can you say that? You’re such an amazing person!” Well… I guess everyone has different standards. I thought I had spent quite a long time with Erwen, but I didn’t know about this past at all. No, in fact, I didn’t even try to find out. [Actually, I know it too… that there’s something wrong with me…] When I first learned about Erwen’s anxiety. If I hadn’t just dismissed it as an effect of her stats, things would have been different. [Were you in pain? I know it too. I know what it feels like to lose something.] When I returned to the city after losing Dwarki. If I had thought more deeply about the meaning of those words of comfort, I could have figured out what the real problem was sooner. But…. “Mister….” But it wouldn’t be like me to be so down like this. If the problem is the problem, then I just need to eliminate the problem, right? “Erwen.” When I called her name, Erwen looked up at me with teary eyes and took my hand. It was as if she was waiting for me to say something. Yeah, you wanted me to say this, didn’t you? “Don’t be so anxious. Whether it’s the Ruin Scholar, the Corpse Collector, or that damn lizard bastard.” “………?” I quietly murmured as if making a vow. “I’ll kill them all someday.” “………Huh?” …Huh? That’s not the reaction I was expecting. “What, you don’t trust me?” When I glared at her, Erwen flinched. “N-No way? I-I trust you!” It was a somewhat deflated answer, but I wasn’t too worried. “…….” “…….” Erwen’s eyes, which had been filled with anxiety, had now calmed down and turned cold. It seemed like she had calmed down a bit. *** After sending the calmed Erwen back to the team’s position. I took some time to organize my thoughts. ‘…It’s still amazing.’ The Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos. There are four people on our team who have a bad history with this bastard. It goes without saying for Lavienne and me, who are from the Dragonkin, and as just confirmed, Erwen is also his enemy. And…. ‘Amelia also had a similar situation.’ Of course, Amelia is a bit different from the three of us. She’s closer to being unilaterally targeted by the Dragonslayer. Didn’t she say that she found the Dragonslayer bastard after he fell through a dimensional gate, stole his equipment, and then gave him a memory-loss drug? [If he had regained his memories, he would be burning with the desire to kill me right now.] What surprised me a bit at that time was the timing. It was right when the first vine was severed. ‘Thinking about it that way, does that mean Amelia has been helping me since then?’ It’s an incredibly strange connection. I chuckled and headed to where Jun was. “Aaaahhh!” A scream was heard as soon as I opened the tent where the sound-blocking magic was applied. “Y-you said you’d kill me! Aaaahhh!” “That was because I believed you had confessed all your sins and regained your pure heart. Or rather, because I was deceived.” “I-I didn’t lie about anything!” “Then, why didn’t you mention the Dragonslayer? It seems like he’s also waiting at the base.” “Th-that’s…!” “There’s still a hint of evil in your eyes—” “I-I didn’t know! I didn’t know! Those people don’t tell me when, where, or what they’re doing!! Aaaahhh! Kill me! Kill me!!” The guy, who was tied up and having a fit, suddenly shut his mouth. Jun approached him, grabbed his cheek roughly, and forced his jaw open. Then, blood started to flow out. He had bitten his own tongue to commit suicide. “Oh dear… it seems like he still lacks virtue to find the light.” Jun clicked his tongue with a bitter expression, then used divine power to heal the guy’s injuries in an instant. “……Ah, nooooo!” “Don’t worry. I will help you regain your pure heart and find the light someday.” “……Demon! You demon! You’re a demon!!” “……Oh dear.” Jun didn’t erase his benevolent smile despite the insulting words and quietly picked up an awl. And…. “Ah! You’ve arrived.” He quickly gagged the guy’s mouth after noticing me. “Ugh, ugh!” “……Did you find anything?” “Unfortunately, it’s still not enough. Other than the fact that the standby forces at the base are more than we expected.” “……More forces? How many?” “According to this guy, it seems to be about twice as many.” “What? Twice as many?” Wait a minute, this is a bit serious. I quickly continued. “Why couldn’t we hear about that from the others? Did they deceive us?” “No. They were not the kind of people who would lie, even at the cost of their lives. It’s just… they genuinely believed that.” Well, that makes sense. “But according to that logic, isn’t it possible that only this guy was mistaken?” “Yes, that’s right. I can’t deny that. But… this guy said he only made that guess after receiving a message. Usually, regular messages are sent from the base. If the Dragonslayer is there, it’s highly likely that his troops are there as well.” “…….” “What will you do? I’ll keep gathering information, but if the enemy forces are twice as many as expected, our mission is more likely to fail.” “Even if we succeed, we’ll suffer more casualties.” “……Yes, that’s right.” Well, then what should I do? Should I push through with the original plan, no matter how much damage we take? After thinking for a moment, I made a decision. “Jun, stop the interrogation for now and call the team leaders.” “You’re going to hold a meeting.” “Yes.” Two heads are better than one, maybe a good idea will come up. *** A leadership meeting that had happened countless times during the expedition. As soon as all the information obtained during the interrogation was shared, many opinions were voiced. “It’s a bit much to say the forces are doubled. I thought the Dragonslayer’s forces were only the size of a small to medium clan?” “Looking at the numbers, it’s only about twenty additional troops, but we can’t underestimate them. We also have less than thirty people, right?” “Yes. Unlike the small fries we’ve met around here, each one of them is likely to be an elite.” “So, are you saying we should give up on the mission?” “No one said that. We’re just saying we should think about other options. That’s probably why Mr. Schuetz called us all here.” “…….” When my name as the expedition leader was mentioned, Kaislan also calmed down. The authority that comes from power is respected in any situation. “Anyway, if we go on like this, our casualties will increase even if we succeed in the mission. Does anyone have a good idea?” When I asked directly, various opinions were immediately exchanged. “How about ambushing them nearby and slowly reducing their numbers?” “No, we won’t be able to meet the deadline we promised with the main force.” “Besides, even if they’re not very perceptive, they’ll realize what’s going on. Then the advantage of a surprise attack will disappear, and it will be even more difficult. They’ll start preparing.” “Then, Kala, do you have a better idea?” “……How about infiltrating? If we use the guy we’re interrogating, we might succeed.” “But the moment we fail, we’ll all be done for. Of course, the mission will fail. The risk is too great. It’s better to just—” From ambushes to infiltration, luring, and assassinations, various opinions were voiced, but no good plan that everyone could agree on came up. But humanity is the epitome of collective intelligence. “It’s best to lure the enemy and disperse their forces.” “It’ll be easy if we use the enemy’s message stone.” In the end, after putting our heads together, a plan that everyone agreed on came up. Well, even that was quickly divided into two. “I think it’s better to call out the Dragonslayer and take him out first. We can target the base later, right?” Should we deal with the Dragonslayer first? “No, we should call out their forces and then attack the base. That’s our mission.” Or should we prioritize the mission? Both had their pros and cons. In the former case, if we succeed, we can kill two birds with one stone. But…. “Akuraba, this isn’t the time to be obsessed with achievements. Do you think they’ll be taken out without being able to contact their rear like the guys we met before? They’ll definitely let them know about our existence even if they die.” “Besides, there’s no guarantee that the surprise attack will succeed. If they respond calmly, our casualties will increase.” “Yeah, that’s what I was going to say! Even if we win, everyone will be tired and exhausted. How can we attack the base in that situation?” If things go wrong, the mission itself will fail. On the other hand, in the latter case, we can at least ensure the success of one mission. “Alright, calm down everyone. In the end, it’s up to Schuetz to decide, right?” When Jun mediated the rising tension, everyone’s gaze turned to me. ‘Hah, this is tough.’ It’s been a long time since a choice was this difficult. Of course, I knew it in my head. That choosing the latter was the right thing to do. If the existence of the ‘Dragonslayer’ wasn’t there, I would have chosen the latter without any hesitation. Tap tap. When I unconsciously tapped my knee, the team leaders swallowed hard. “It seems like Schuetz has made a decision.” “He always does that when he’s done thinking.” Huh… I had that habit? It was the first time I learned about it, but it wasn’t something I needed to worry about right now. I spoke the decision I had made. “We will focus on the mission.” It’s too early to be greedy for the Dragonslayer as well. “Good thinking! If we succeed in the mission, the royal family will give us enough rewards!” “Rewards….” I chuckled. But did they feel something strange in my laughter? Akuraba cautiously spoke to me. “Schuetz, can I ask why? I thought you would be more greedy.” That’s definitely not wrong. If I was alone, I would have been. But…. “Your lives depend on my decision.” “…….” “The less we fight, the more people will return alive.” That’s why I gave up on greed. That’s all there is to this decision. “Well, is that an answer?” “……Yes, it’s more than enough.” Looking at Akuraba, who was nodding with a somewhat docile look, I let go of my last bit of regret. ‘Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos.’ It doesn’t have to be today. It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed. [We will meet again, Dragonkin.] The vow of that day will surely be fulfilled.

Surviving the Game as a Barbarian [EN]

Surviving the Game as a Barbarian [EN]

Surviving as a Barbarian in the Game, 게임 속 바바리안으로 살아남기
Status: Ongoing Author: ,
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[English Translation] After nine grueling years, Hansu Lee finally conquers the infamously challenging game "Dungeon and Stone." But his victory is short-lived; upon defeating the final boss, he's thrust into a blinding light and awakens as Bjorn Yandel, a barbarian warrior within the game's universe. In this perilous world, survival hinges on his ability to embody the savage strength and cunning of his new identity. Armed with only his gaming knowledge and a barbarian's physique, Hansu must navigate treacherous dungeons, battle formidable monsters, and conceal his true origins to avoid deadly suspicion. Dive into "Surviving the Game as a Barbarian" and join Hansu on a relentless quest where the line between player and character blurs, and every decision is a fight for survival.

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