Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 42

“Oh! Bjorn, son of Yandel!” I headed straight to the barbarian dorms as soon as I left the Magic Tower. But was it because it’s been two months now? More than half of the faces I knew were gone, replaced by new barbarian recruits. I heard that there’s an unspoken tradition of leaving as soon as you’ve earned enough money, freeing up space… ‘I bet a good number of those missing are dead.’ Being born a barbarian, this might be fate. Unlike the elves who stick together, once you’re out in the city, you have to make it on your own. That’s the barbarian way. “Is Ainar inside?” “Ainar left for the holy site as soon as morning came!” Tch, I had a feeling. He hadn’t shown his face for two days after leaving the labyrinth, so I came straight here, but it looks like it was a wasted trip. “Oh, did you hear the news?” “What news?” “About the Free Barbarian! The whole city is in an uproar because of him, didn’t you know?” My body instinctively flinched. “…I, I didn’t know at all. Do you know his name?” “Hmm? I don’t know! Strangely, that’s the one thing that hasn’t been revealed!” Well, it seems the guild has kept my name anonymous. “Anyway, it’s so great that someone like that came from our people! They say he single-handedly took down hundreds and cleared his name from the guild’s false accusations. Isn’t that amazing?” “…Took down hundreds?” I swear, that never happened. All I did was complain to the regional manager’s daughter. But the rumors are already this distorted? I’m already worried about what’s to come… ‘…It’ll die down soon. The guild isn’t stupid.’ “I’ll come back tomorrow morning. If Ainar returns, please tell him that.” “I will!” I turned and headed to the inn where I had been staying. But what’s this situation now? “Y-you are…! W-weren’t you dead?” The innkeeper looked like he’d seen a ghost as soon as he saw me. It wasn’t exactly a wrong comparison. Without even digging deep, I got a confession that he thought I was dead and had cleared out my room. “What did you do with my things inside?” “I cleared them all out…” “I clearly paid for three more days in advance?” My voice unintentionally became irritated, and the innkeeper’s face started to turn pale. ‘I can’t just beat him up—’ No, wait a minute. When did I start thinking like this so naturally? I felt a sense of unease and my body flinched. ‘…Maybe it was from the first day.’ Actually, looking back, everything was a little strange. Even though someone’s head flew off right after I opened my eyes, my mind was calm. It was the same when I committed my first murder in the labyrinth. I thought it was something I had to do, but the process was too easy. It wasn’t even a gradual change. From the day I woke up in this body, I was as aggressive and simple-minded as the barbarians. ‘That’s the same even today.’ Breaking out of prison? Of course, I came to that conclusion after some thought, but it was strangely without hesitation. The argument with the old man at the Magic Tower was the same. Getting angry just because I heard something I didn’t like? Lee Han-soo, the 29-year-old office worker, would never have done that. He wasn’t timid, but he wasn’t bold either. He was a cautious person who observed everything for a long time before acting. ‘But what about now?’ Until now, I thought it was just a change caused by the special environment. But the sense of unease is growing. ‘It’s certain.’ I was sure. Every time I fought, it was like the instincts engraved in this ignorant body were naturally coming out. My mind has also changed. No, it’s more like a fusion than a change. “S-so, I-I’m saying I’m sorry! Please stop glaring at me!” I finished my thoughts and sighed. I have changed. It’s strange that I’m only noticing it now, but it’s certain. But so what? ‘If I want to survive here, this is better.’ I decided to think of it in the best way possible. Well, I can just be more careful about managing the barbarian instincts. “…If you give me 30,000 stones, I’ll let it go.” So, even though the innkeeper’s behavior was very annoying, I decided to end it with a reasonable compensation. The most expensive thing among the lost items was just the clothes I bought for 2,500 stones… I wanted to rest more than argue. “30,000 stones! Just for selling a few pieces of junk—” “Didn’t you say you threw them all away?” “……” “Okay, if you’re not going to give it, just say so. I’ll tell everyone here what happened to me.” “…How about letting you use our inn for that amount instead?” “No.” I have no intention of using such an inn again. Stealing the belongings of a dead explorer is understandable, but at least they should wait until the promised date, shouldn’t they? “Hah, please keep your promise not to tell anyone.” “Of course.” After securing an additional income of 30,000 stones, I headed to the inn I had previously noticed. The average meal price and the cost per night were about twice as expensive, but… It was worth it. ‘Now this feels like living.’ First of all, the room was 1.5 times larger than before. It also had a window, and even the bathroom had a private bathtub. It was also much closer to the dimensional plaza. After scrubbing my body for about an hour to wash away the grime from the labyrinth, I threw myself onto the bed. It was so soft. It made me think that maybe people live for this brief moment of happiness. But was it because of that? Suddenly, the events from the labyrinth to returning to the city unfolded in my mind like a panorama. “Shit.” Why is it so hard to just relax? *** As soon as morning broke, I went into any clothing store and bought everyday clothes. Then, I headed to the barbarian dorms. “Bjorn!! Where have you been all this time!” “I had some things to do. Sorry for making you worry.” “Worry? What are you talking about! There’s no way I’d do that! Bjorn would survive and come back even if he was thrown into hell!” Yeah, that’s the image you have of me. Well, I prefer this to a clumsy melodrama anyway. Since it was before mealtime, we moved to a nearby restaurant. “Oh, did you hear about it?” Ainar started with a question as soon as we sat down and ordered. I had expected it, so I wasn’t too surprised this time. “Oh, you mean the Free Barbarian?” “Huh? Free Barbarian? What are you talking about?” Oh, that wasn’t what he was going to ask? “…It’s nothing. So, what were you going to say?” “Ah!” Returning to the original topic, Ainar leaned in and lowered his voice. “I heard this from the elder… Someone stole the Genesis Artifact!” “The Genesis Artifact?” I was genuinely shocked. The Genesis Artifact refers to six treasures. In the game, the six races—dwarves, barbarians, elves, beastmen, dragonkin, and humans—each kept one. And the problem is… ‘If we don’t have that, we can’t enter the last floor!’ The Genesis Artifact is a key item in [Dungeon & Stone]. To open the ‘Abyss Gate’ for the ending… no, honestly, I don’t even know if there is such a thing anymore, you need to collect all six Genesis Artifacts. But it’s gone? “Who on earth would do such a daring thing?” “I don’t know either. But they say it was stolen on the day we had our coming-of-age ceremony. The elder said that maybe other races are in similar situations.” “…I see.” It felt like someone had hit me hard on the back of the head with a hammer, but I didn’t show much reaction and finished my meal. ‘Shit, does this mean I have to live here forever?’ In a way, the most hopeful option for me had just disappeared. But even if the Genesis Artifact became meaningful to me, it would take at least several years. ‘…I haven’t even gone to the third floor yet, so it’s not something I should be thinking about.’ In the end, what I have to do remains the same. When the moment comes to make a choice, I need to become stronger so that I have as many options as possible. Besides, who knows? Maybe the thief who stole the Genesis Artifact will be caught soon. “But Ainar, are you free today?” “I am. I decided not to go to the holy site today.” “That’s good.” After a quick meal, Ainar and I headed to the commercial district. “This is Commelby! It’s my first time seeing it in person! There are so many people!” Commelby. It’s the name for the 2nd to 5th districts that surround the 1st district, the imperial capital of Karnon, in a belt shape. Many people call it the free market. It’s the most active commercial area in the city. The middle class of Lapdonia resides here, and many artisans and shops are concentrated here. It’s also where I went with Erwen the other day. ‘I wonder if she’s doing well?’ Erwen came to mind belatedly. Our meetings were always when she came to the inn where I was staying. But now that I’ve left that inn… It’s become quite difficult to meet her again. I don’t even remember exactly where the elf-only dorms were that I went to once before. ‘Well, if I wanted to find her, I could…’ I don’t think there’s a need to go that far. Since her sister is safe, there’s no reason for us to go into the labyrinth together. ‘If we’re meant to meet, we’ll meet again.’ Honestly, after experiencing so much lately, my memories of Erwen have become quite faint. We weren’t that close to begin with. “Oh! Bjorn, look over there! People are putting clouds on skewers and eating them!” What? There’s cotton candy? I was curious, so I bought one, took a bite, and then put it in Ainar’s mouth. It was real cotton candy, by the way. “I-I can’t believe it! Are humans all geniuses? To make such a food!” “Stop being amazed and just follow me.” “D-don’t leave me behind! I can’t go home alone!” After speeding up, we quickly arrived at our destination. The same weapon shop where I had sold my equipment before. I sold all the equipment that had caused me to be imprisoned, as well as my equipment that had turned into scrap metal. The selling price was about 800,000 stones. I didn’t sell ‘that thing’ I got right before coming out of the rift, but… ‘I can calculate that at about 500,000 stones.’ “Ainar, here’s your share.” “C-can you really give me this much? I even ate the essence thanks to you…” “Don’t refuse it. It’s fair compensation.” The ratio was 8:2 as promised. Still, he probably earned the most among the barbarian recruits this time. “I promised you, didn’t I? That if you followed me, I’d help you make a lot of money.” “Still, 300,000 stones! Isn’t that too much! How many of those cloud snacks could I buy with this!” It seems that cotton candy has become another unit of currency for Ainar. “I’m starting to get hungry.” Is it because of the ‘Appetite +9’ effect from the corpse golem’s essence? I feel like my hunger cycle is much faster. “Already? It hasn’t even been three hours!” “So, are you not going?” “Of course, I’m going! I’ll buy you meat today!” After quickly finishing the equipment sale, we went to a nearby restaurant for a meal. And just as we were about to leave again. “Bjorn, thank you.” Ainar looked me straight in the eye and said. There was sauce on his mouth, but his gaze was more serious than usual. Hah, when he’s like this, I feel awkward. “It’s nothing. Like I said before—” “I’m not talking about the money.” Huh? Then what are you talking about? “I just… I wanted to thank you for treating me normally like before.” I listened to what he had to say, but I didn’t understand at all. However, Ainar’s expression was too serious to say that. So, I watched him silently, and he opened his mouth with difficulty. “You know… my appearance has changed a lot, hasn’t it? Other barbarians avoid me because they don’t think I’m a warrior.” “That’s—” “Even these days, humans keep coming up to me and flirting with me! That never happened before…!” It was clear that this was a serious concern for him, who had pride as a warrior. Honestly, I didn’t really empathize with him. That’s probably because my nature is different from that of a barbarian. As I listened, Ainar shouted in a frustrated voice. “Bjorn! Tell me honestly! Have I become that ugly?” …What? “I’ve decided! Bjorn! I can’t go into the labyrinth with you anymore!” No, wait a minute. Why is that the conclusion? *** I’m drinking lukewarm beer. Sitting alone in the lobby on the first floor of the inn where I’m staying. “Kuhhh…” How can beer be this bad? I think I chose the wrong inn. The food is pretty good, but how can the owner be so bad at brewing alcohol? “Hoo…” I took a long breath as if to shake off the bitterness. At the same time, my conversation with Ainar during the day came to mind. After his bombshell declaration, we had a long conversation, but the result didn’t change. “I’m alone again.” Ainar left. Although he was rambling like a typical barbarian, it wasn’t just about his appearance. [Actually… yesterday, the elder offered me to become his successor.] The elder of the holy site. Among them, an elder who was renowned as a master of swordsmanship had taken a liking to Ainar. And today, he made a decision. To start learning swordsmanship under the elder. [If we go into the labyrinth, it’s just one day here, right?] I asked. Just one day a month. Couldn’t we just set aside one day to go into the labyrinth together? Ainar was just troubled. [I want to, but… I heard there’s a special training method, so I can’t leave the holy site for six months.] If it’s a special training method, could it be that? If so, I can understand why we can’t go into the labyrinth together for six months. I also knew how good of an opportunity this was. [I won’t ask you to wait for me. And I won’t ask you to accept me unconditionally when the time comes. I will definitely train hard and return as a great warrior who won’t hold you back.] So, I couldn’t hold him back. After all, in this exploration, he had to make a forced oath after being defeated by the looters. And what about in the rift? While the magician and the dwarf, and even I, who was his peer, were active, he was powerless. ‘That must have been the deciding factor. In making this decision.’ Maybe, the change in his appearance was just the push he needed. “Kuhhh…” I took another sip of the lukewarm beer, feeling a strange thirst. The bitterness rose from my esophagus. ‘So, I have to find a new companion again.’ I was going to take a break and prepare leisurely this time. Why are there quests every single day?