Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 590

As soon as we crossed the portal, Sven Parav asked,

“Um… why me?”

It was a rather strange question.

Not the content, but the timing.

“You’re asking that after we’ve already crossed the portal?”

“…I thought it might be a question that’s difficult to ask in front of others.”

Well, so that was the real reason.

The more I see him, the more I realize he has a meticulous side.

He also seems quite loyal.

“Anyway, why me? If you needed a paladin, there would have been others…”

To his repeated question, I answered honestly.

“I didn’t pick you because you’re a paladin.”

“…Huh?”

“I picked you because it’s you.”

Sven Parav’s eyes widened.

It was something I had roughly expected.

Was this just any old line?

A time-honored line that always moved people to tears, without fail—.

Swoosh.

Well, it should have been.

For some reason, Sven Parav took a step back with a pale face.

As if distancing himself from something.

“…What’s wrong?”

As I took a step closer, expressing my question, he stepped back just as much, covering his upper body with both arms.

Soon, receiving a wary look, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

I think I knew what this guy was thinking.

After all, something similar had happened recently.

“Don’t misunderstand. Before I break your head.”

“Then… does that mean the rumors aren’t true?”

“Rumors?”

“That… the Baron enjoys men—.”

“Stop.”

It was hard to listen any further, so I cut him off.

And I repeated the same words I had said to clarify things a while ago.

“I like women. A lot.”

“…Oh, is that so?”

Perhaps my sincerity was conveyed, as the wariness in his eyes lessened a bit.

However, was there still one thing he was curious about?

“Then, what did you mean by what you said earlier…”

I didn’t pick him because he was a paladin, but because it was Sven Parav.

The meaning of those words was simple.

Because it was exactly as it sounded.

What was needed to catch the Guardian wasn’t a paladin, but this guy.

And…

‘Looks like it worked out well.’

I think the plan is already half successful.

In fact, this guy stepped into the portal without any hesitation.

“Did you feel anxious or anything like that when you came in here?”

Still, I asked one more time to confirm, and he replied that he didn’t. And then, as if he had belatedly realized something, he opened his mouth.

“Ah, could it be because of that…?”

I just shrugged once and didn’t answer.

And that’s how this topic ended.

After that, we talked about the boss strategy, and as someone who had played the game, even if it was in cheat mode, he was familiar with the general aspects of boss battles.

He also understood things quickly.

“Um… how does the Baron know all of those things?”

He looked at me with suspicion, but it wasn’t too difficult to give a plausible reason.

After all, am I just any old barbarian?

“When you become a noble, you can easily obtain information that ordinary people don’t know.”

“But other nobles don’t seem to know much…”

“Those guys aren’t from explorer backgrounds. In the first place, they’re not very interested in dungeons. Unless it makes them money.”

“Ah… I guess that’s true.”

Sven Parav nodded obediently, accepting my explanation, as I emphasized my unique position as a noble.

Now that our work-related conversation was over, I was thinking of getting up and starting the strategy, but I decided not to and continued the conversation a little longer.

Come to think of it, I’ve hardly ever had a one-on-one conversation with him.

Let’s start with a lighter topic for now.

“Sven Parav, how is life at the temple?”

“Actually, it’s not too bad. After applying for secularization, I’m treated like an outsider, but… from my perspective, that’s sometimes more comfortable.”

Secularization is a ritual that religious people undergo when they end their temple life and return to being ordinary citizens.

After the ritual, the religious person is relieved of the obligation to forcibly follow the temple’s orders.

“What exactly does secularization entail?”

As someone who is far removed from religion, I was curious about this.

I heard that you don’t have to cut off your pinky finger to leave, but…

It didn’t seem like the Three Gods Church would just let go of a paladin they had raised so diligently without any compensation.

“It’s nothing much. It’s over once you give up all the blessings the Goddess has bestowed and everything you’ve received from the temple.”

“Everything you’ve received from the temple…?”

“Haha, it means you become completely penniless. Everything I’ve gained was gained while I was affiliated with the temple. Oh, and I’ll have to pay taxes starting next year.”

In short, it means you can leave if you give up all your assets.

In some ways, it seems more humane to just give up a pinky finger.

“But I’m not too afraid. Mr. Gowland promised to support me fully… no, wait, did the Baron not know at all?”

Sven Parav, who was speaking, noticed something strange and was shocked.

I chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for you until the end.”

“Whew… I was surprised.”

“But you’re surprisingly calm? Isn’t it true that you can’t grow any further after secularization?”

Paladins are different from ordinary explorers.

Like priests and mages, they can’t consume essences. But instead, as they accumulate ‘merit,’ new powers are added one by one.

Oh, by the way, there are various ways to accumulate merit.

Defeating monsters in dungeons, making donations, or completing church missions.

When merit is accumulated, the Pope would come periodically to offer prayers, and after sleeping for one night, a new skill would appear.

That’s why the Pope’s authority was so powerful.

“Well… what else can I do? It’s clear that I’ll die someday if I stay there. Besides, it’s not like the Goddess never bestows new powers directly after secularization, so I’m looking forward to that.”

“I guess we’ll have to catch more monsters.”

“I think I’ll naturally catch a lot if I’m with the Baron…”

He usually seemed like a very lighthearted guy, but after talking to him one-on-one, I realized he was someone who lived his life diligently.

Is that why?

This part also became a little curious.

‘If he could go back, would he go back?’

When Auriel Gavis offered an escape ticket as a prize, he participated at first, but soon gave up and left the Round Table.

Moreover, after the Ice Rock expedition, he expressed his anger, saying that he would take revenge with us.

‘But… how should I ask him this?’

After a moment of contemplation, I carefully asked indirectly.

“Sven Parav, there’s one thing I want to ask you.”

“Please, Baron.”

“Do you… have someone you’re seeing?”

“Yes?”

He was surprised as if he had heard a question he shouldn’t have, but for me, it was a serious question.

Depending on his answer, I could know how he views this world.

“I meant, do you have a woman you’re currently dating?”

“I, um… I don’t, but…”

“Hmm, is that so…?”

Then, I’ll have to find out with another question.

Just as I was about to speak again with that thought in mind.

“B, but!”

He hurriedly continued.

“A, a person I have feelings for…”

“…?”

“No, there is a woman I have feelings for!”

For some reason, he was already a few steps away from me.

***

Who is the woman who stole Sven Parav’s heart?

I persistently asked, but he only lowered his face like a shy person and never answered. It was an action that could only come from someone who was truly sincere towards the other woman.

“Um, it’s really not Mr. Gowland. She feels more like a, a teacher…”

“So, you like innocent and weak women?”

“T, that’s not what I meant!”

“I know. I’m just kidding.”

He’s really fun to tease.

I patted him on the shoulder and got up from my seat.

Perhaps because we had a private conversation, I felt a bit closer to him than before.

I also got to know him a little better.

“Then, we’ve chatted enough, let’s go now.”

“Yes.”

I led him out of the starting point and walked down the hallway.

Creak-!

Without having to manipulate anything, the entrance to the boss room opened on its own as we approached.

As soon as we entered, the entrance that had opened slammed shut with a loud bang.

Whoosh-!

The area was dark, but thanks to activating the Barbarian Candle Mode in advance, there was no difficulty in securing visibility.

Three paths appeared, leading to the left, right, and front, but the Rift Guardian was nowhere to be seen.

That’s only natural.

The Guardian we’re about to catch is a more unique type than any other.

Thud, thud.

This maze we’re walking through now.

This entire maze is the boss monster we have to face from now on.

Right now, we can consider it the first phase.

「The Soul Keeper Hausiel has activated [Defense System].」

The moment we started moving in earnest, magic cannons popped out from the smooth walls, where not even a small seam was visible, and aimed directly at us.

And…

Bang-! Bang-!

It wasn’t particularly painful for me, but it was enough damage to kill a glass-cannon mage.

That was also one of the reasons I brought Sven Parav.

Since he’s a paladin, he can act as a sub-tank and also has self-healing abilities.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah… yes. I was just a little surprised. I’m fine.”

Well, he seems to be.

In the first place, I wouldn’t have brought him if he was at a level where he would get hurt by that.

“Then let’s keep moving.”

After that, as we wandered through the maze, occasionally dodging magic cannons, defeating monsters that popped out of picture frames, and so on, the space we were aiming for soon appeared.

A square-shaped stone chamber.

And in the center, a melon-sized magic stone was placed.

The first phase ends the moment that is broken.

Just like this.

Crack-!

The moment I struck the magic stone with my hammer, a bizarre howling reminiscent of a banshee’s scream vibrated throughout the space, and the whole world turned black.

When I opened my eyes, the space where I was standing was different.

A hallway of a mansion decorated in an antique style.

However, the hallways, forming a mirror image as if in a dream space, stretched endlessly forward.

“You said we have to search the rooms together to find the second magic stone.”

“Strictly speaking, it’s not ‘together,’ but you.”

“Ah… yes…”

We moved together and searched each room sequentially.

To be honest, it was embarrassing to call this a search.

Anyway.

“Um… I don’t feel particularly dangerous.”

After opening a closed door and entering, Parav opens a box placed right in the center.

And…

Bang-!

I leave the rest to luck.

In the process, there were times when traps were activated and poison spread, times when monsters popped out and we spent a lot of time fighting, and times when we were afflicted with annoying curses.

“Um… I don’t think it’s a good idea to open this one.”

If his mood seemed even slightly off, we would put it on hold and just check it.

If we couldn’t find the magic stone, we could start opening them one by one from then on.

‘It definitely takes a long time when I make him search alone.’

If we were to split up and search now, we could save a lot more time, but it couldn’t be helped.

「The Soul Keeper Hausiel’s [Defense System] becomes even more robust.」

No matter how much this boss gets stronger in proportion to the strategy time.

‘…How can I open something that could kill us all?’

There are too many unreasonable traps mixed among these boxes.

It’s not an exaggeration, but once in ten thousand times.

No, it’s an event that happens about once in a hundred thousand times when you open a box…

‘I shouldn’t even touch it.’

Luck.

To be precise, in the face of misfortune, probability is just a numbers game.

At least, I know that better than anyone.

‘Well, on the other hand, there are also times when positive events occur.’

For reference, there is only one of each, and the probability is almost the same.

So when I was playing the game, I thought the developer had deliberately mixed that terrible thing in.

So that it couldn’t be found by simply opening all the boxes.

So that it would be purely dependent on luck.

‘Anyway, it’s better not to expect the golden box—.’

“Um… Baron…?”

I turned my head at Parav’s bewildered voice and froze.

“…Huh?”

A box that was wide open like a dead mimic.

Whoosh-!

From within, a brilliant light was pouring out.