Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 59

To save time, I immediately took off the ring.

No. 9425 Frost Spirit Ring.

A Numbers item I got by scamming the old master of the Artemion School.

“Here, take it.”

“Huh? A ring? Why all of a sudden…?”

Misha, who had absentmindedly taken it, looked bewildered, as if belatedly realizing what it was.

“It’s a ring I was going to save until someone worthy of receiving it appeared.”

“But… why are you giving it to me?”

Because the situation has changed.

I answered briefly.

“Swear to your guardian spirit that you will stay with me from now on as a condition for receiving this.”

The market price of the Frost Spirit Ring is 1.5 million stones.

However, it’s a rare item that’s hard to find even if you want to buy it because there are no listings.

If the true value of this ring becomes known, its price would skyrocket.

“Heeek?! Bjorn! Are you crazy?!”

Misha was horrified and berated me, but my mind was perfectly clear.

So, would I just give this away?

I’ll use it for survival for now, but at the very least, I need a promise that she’ll continue to follow and help me.

Of course, this isn’t a one-sided contract.

“The moment you receive this ring, I swear on my honor as a warrior that I will help you from now on. So, I hope you’ll do the same.”

“Are you serious…?”

To prove it, I stared into Misha’s eyes and spoke clearly.

“I am serious.”

A true win-win.

It’s a kind of companion pact.

And did she understand it?

Misha stared at me with surprised eyes for a long time, then opened her mouth with a voice that had lost all its playfulness.

“…It’s sudden, but I can tell you’re not teasing me. Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve received such a proposal, so I’m not *not* happy!”

“Then that’s a relief—”

“But Bjorn, I’m sorry. I’ve never thought of you that way.”

“…What do you mean?”

Misha squeezed her eyes shut.

And as if she had made up her mind, she stared at me intently and gave her answer.

“I… I prefer skinny men.”

“Skinny men…? What are you talking about? I don’t understand at all—”

“Eee! It means you don’t have any charm as a man!!”

My mind went blank for a moment.

Is this like being rejected even though I didn’t intend to confess?

I don’t know, but one thing was certain.

“…There seems to be a misunderstanding.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that. We have to keep traveling together, so it’ll just make the atmosphere weird—”

What is she saying?

I was trying to be subtle by saying I would help her because I was worried about looking too materialistic, but that was a mistake.

Barbarians have their own way.

“What I meant was, in exchange for receiving this ring, we should make a companion pact.”

“A companion pact…?”

“Of course, you can end the contract at any time if you get me the same ring or give me 15 million stones worth of benefits. Now, do you understand?”

“H-how could I understand?! In the first place, what is this ring that it’s worth 15 million stones?!”

“15 million stones is a cheap price.”

“No, I mean, what is this ring—”

I said firmly.

“This ring can fulfill your long-cherished wish.”

“…What? A wish?”

“For example, your brother won’t be able to call you a half-wit anymore.”

Was it a sore spot?

Misha flinched.

However, after taking a moment to think, she forced an awkward smile.

“Ehh, do you think I’d fall for that? Even if you’re embarrassed, you shouldn’t lie like that—”

“It’s not a lie.”

The conversation stopped for a moment, and silence followed.

Misha, who had been smiling awkwardly, no longer smiled.

No, rather, she stared at me with a cold gaze.

“This is a bit too much of a joke.”

A voice that was cold and stiff, unlike usual.

“I clearly gave you a chance to stop with a laugh. But why do you keep lying? Did you think I was a joke because I was smiling and going along with it?”

Misha bit her lip as if she was upset.

“…I shouldn’t have told you about that.”

It was a reaction I hadn’t anticipated, but it might be natural.

Trauma.

A wound that has festered for a lifetime will hurt just by someone touching it.

“I didn’t bring it up to stir up your wounds. I really—”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing. How do you know something that even our tribe doesn’t know?”

Instead of answering, I pursed my lips.

It wasn’t something I needed to explain in detail, and I didn’t want to.

We can’t keep doing this forever.

Let’s make it short.

“Misha, I’ll ask you just one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“If everything I’ve said so far is true, will you accept my offer?”

“You’re still joking—!”

I cut off Misha’s words and shouted back.

“Just answer!”

Isn’t it just a matter of answering the question?

Yes or No.

When I shouted and demanded an answer, Misha flinched and bit her lip again.

“…If everything you said is true, it wouldn’t be enough to treat you as a benefactor for the rest of my life. But—”

But what but.

“Then that’s settled.”

I took a step closer and grabbed Misha’s wrist.

“Misha Kalstein, it may be hard to believe, but I swear on my honor as a warrior that everything I’ve said so far is true.”

“…Wh-what?”

Misha looked confused.

Seeing this, I wondered if it wouldn’t have been easier if I had used the warrior’s oath from the start, but… well, it doesn’t matter now.

“So, when you wake up, you keep your word too.”

I pulled Misha towards me and slipped the ring onto her finger.

And…

Crack-!

I shattered the blue glass gem on the ring with just the strength of my grip.

「The Frost Spirit Ring has been destroyed.」

「The Ice Beast Scathach awakens from its seal.」

Like ripples on a lake.

A wave of cold spread across the ground.

Whoosh-!

No. 9425 Frost Spirit Ring.

A unique effect that occurred when this item was destroyed.

The damage was negligible, so it was essentially a meaningless option, but after various attempts, I made one discovery.

「Special conditions have been met.」

If the wearer was a beastkin [a person with animalistic features].

An event occurs separately from the destruction effect.

「The Ice Beast Scathach proposes a contract to Misha Kalstein.」

A soul contract.

It allows the forced awakening of the special abilities of the beastkin race.

***

「The contract has been successfully completed.」

***

A cold whirlwind swirled around Misha like the eye of a storm.

As it slowly subsided, Misha opened her eyes.

In her red eyes, there was a complex and somewhat empty look.

“This is, this is so easy… What was I doing all this time…?”

Misha, who was speaking incoherently, looked at me.

And asked with a betrayed expression.

“Bjorn, what is this ring? If there was such a thing, why didn’t my father tell me about it!”

I don’t know if the beastkin race is aware of the existence of this ring.

But if I were to give her the answer she wants…

“He probably didn’t know either.”

“…Didn’t know?”

“Yeah, it seems a mage was researching it for a long time and only recently found out. He probably didn’t hide it because he didn’t think of you as his child.”

This would be better for her mental state.

But even with my answer, Misha seemed to have a lot of questions.

“Wait, then how do you know about it? And where did you get this ring?”

It’s not hard to explain.

I have stories I made up in advance.

But there’s one thing I need to do first.

“It would be better to get dressed first and then talk.”

“…Clothes?”

Misha tilted her head and followed my gaze down.

And then she checked her current state…

“U-uh? Uhh? Wh-why am I completely naked!!”

Misha, who was creaking like a broken robot, screamed.

“I’ve folded everything next to you, so put them on first and then we’ll talk.”

“O-okay…”

While I turned away for a moment, Misha picked up her clothes and put them on.

“Y-you can turn around now.”

“That was fast.”

“Then should I take my time!!”

When I turned around, Misha was wearing her usual clothes.

The thin cloth she wore under her armor.

It fit her perfectly, making her curves even more apparent.

“Aren’t you going to put on your armor?”

“Before that, answer this! Why was I, I, I naked!”

“Because I took them off.”

“Y-you, you, you took them off?! Y-y-you?!”

“I had no choice. I heard that all the equipment you’re wearing will be destroyed if you do this ritual.”

For the record, that’s a lie.

I didn’t hear it, I experienced it myself.

Damn, I worked so hard to level up, but all my equipment was reset, and I couldn’t do anything and got a game over.

“…W-wait a minute! Could it be that the question you asked at the beginning, was it for that reason?”

“What question?”

“About marriage and stuff.”

Ah, that.

I nodded honestly.

“Wouldn’t a spouse be upset?”

I am a proud Confucian from Korea [a follower of Confucianism, a system of thought and behavior].

I could never do the disrespectful act of undressing a woman who even has a husband.

However, Misha shouted as if she was dumbfounded at my words.

“How could you think of that, but not think of telling me beforehand!”

“I didn’t intend to hide it. But you didn’t believe a word I said.”

“W-well, that’s true…”

Since she had no more to say after I gave a reasonable explanation for every question, it seemed like I could start being a bit more assertive.

“Rather, I had a hard time because I had to take them off in a hurry. Tsk, I didn’t think you were like that, but why do you have so many accessories?”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

“Okay, before you apologize, isn’t there something you need to do?”

I looked at Misha intently, speaking indirectly.

You should always make the most of it when you can take credit.

“…Thank you.”

“Is that all?”

Misha hesitated for a moment and said again.

“…Thank you?”

“Don’t try to gloss over it. There’s something we need to address properly.”

Misha avoided my gaze with an embarrassed and awkward face, but I wasn’t going to let it slide.

These things should always be addressed properly.

“Of course.”

When I spoke firmly, Misha’s eyes changed.

As if the playful atmosphere was over.

As if she never intended to gloss over it from the beginning.

She straightened her posture and looked at me.

“Bjorn, you know, I… I used to… try to die.”

Suddenly?

I couldn’t help but feel that way, but I listened to her serious voice.

“It was my father who found me and saved me then.”

“You should be grateful to your father.”

“I wish it was that simple… but it’s not a beautiful story. Do you know what my father said first when I came to my senses? He told me if I really wanted to die, I should go die in the labyrinth. He asked how much more of a disgrace I had to be to the family to be satisfied.”

Ah, oh, um…

Her family was even more messed up than I expected.

As I was seriously considering whether I should correct my earlier mistake, Misha continued calmly.

“So I came to the labyrinth. Of course, I didn’t come to die like my father said. I just wanted to escape from that family. Even if I didn’t have a soul beast, I had some hope that if I became a great explorer and got recognized, my father would look at me again.”

A voice with restrained emotions.

From that difficult voice, I could feel all the emotions she had felt while growing up even more clearly.

“Of course, I don’t know if this will make my father recognize me. But for some reason… I don’t think it matters anymore.”

Misha then bowed to me.

“…Thank you, Bjorn. I will never forget this favor and will repay it with all my heart until the day I die.”

Even if it fades away with time, it seemed meaningless to doubt Misha’s sincerity now.

And in that sense, the melodrama is over now.

“Swear to your guardian spirit?”

I asked briefly, having been listening intently.

Misha chuckled and nodded.

“I swear to my guardian spirit.”

Okay, that’s good and clean.

***

Summoning, Enhancement, and Supernatural.

Beastkin who have made a contract with a soul beast generally acquire one of these three types of abilities.

Misha was an Enhancement type.

「The power of the Ice Beast Scathach permanently resides in Misha Kalstein’s body.」

Apart from a leap in physical ability, the ice attribute is permanently granted.

Just like the area of my abdomen that I was just hit with is chilling.

“Ah! I hit you because you told me to, but I didn’t know it would be like that. A-are you okay?”

The skin was red as if it had frostbite.

Looking at this, I smiled.

‘It’s a shame it’s not Summoning or Supernatural, but…’

Still, this is something.

I know for sure now that I’ve been hit.

I now have the elemental attack method I’ve been hoping for.

With this, I can now beat the crap out of spirit-type monsters.

“Huh? Snap out of it, Bjorn! Why are you smiling like a fool!”

“It’s nothing. Let’s move now. We’ve been in one place for too long.”

After roughly cleaning up the surroundings, I moved with Misha. And on the way, we fought a 9th-grade spirit-type monster called a ‘Wraith’ as a test.

「The Wraith has cast [Corpse Flame].」

[Corpse Flame].

An active skill that mixes dark and fire attributes.

Its power is lower than a 9th-grade spell, and…

For me, who has dark resistance with vampire essence, it’s only lukewarm when I get hit.

Like this, most spirit-type monsters have low combat power compared to their grade.

It’s just that they’re difficult to deal with in the early stages because you don’t have any means of attack.

「You have defeated the Wraith. EXP +1」

I used a mace sprinkled with holy water.

Misha beat up a dozen Wraiths with her frost-covered fists.

“Heeing, it feels weird every time I hit them…”

The reason why she used her fists instead of a spear was simple.

‘As expected, it doesn’t apply to weapons with the first stage of awakening.’

Just like there are stages to the barbarian’s soul imprint.

The beastkin’s soul beast contract is also a method of gradual growth.

Still, it was fortunate that Misha was originally a martial artist class. Did she start using daggers because she felt limited by fighting with only her fists and it seemed easier to adapt to?

「You have defeated the Witch’s Lamp. EXP +1」

「You have defeated the Dire Howler. EXP +2」

「You have defeated a Mutated Lesser Spirit. EXP +2」

Anyway, after that, we continued to wander through the forest.

We defeated monsters as we saw them, within our limits. We also rested as much as possible whenever we had the chance to conserve our stamina.

「You have defeated the Woodman. EXP +1」

「You have defeated the Homunculus. EXP +2」

「You have defeated the Owlbear. EXP +2」

About 11 hours passed like that.

We haven’t encountered a 7th-grade monster yet, but the battles with the lower-grade monsters weren’t particularly difficult.

There were no dangerous situations.

Contrary to my worries, there was still no sign of the Elisas coming to find us.

‘Did something happen to them too?’

Well, maybe.

Or maybe not.

Rather than having naive hope, let’s keep preparing ourselves.

While doing what we can right now.

‘Hah, the essence still isn’t coming out.’

I clicked my tongue with a bitter taste.

With holy water and the Ice Beast Scathach, we were able to hunt spirit-type monsters without any problems, but…

Even so, nothing much has changed.

‘Maybe 30%.’

I thought.

I wondered if the probability of me surviving and returning to the city was about that much.

「12 hours have passed since entering the Witch’s Forest.」

「Field Effect – The Witch’s Forest is strengthened.」

「Status effect [Witch’s Eye] is applied.」

The real survival starts now.