Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 676

To summarize what happened after that, it was simple. Team Leader Kang gave my mother time to talk, and she spent a long time asking for my forgiveness. She explained why she had left me that day, talking about her own weakness and how she shouldn’t have left. She poured out words of regret with a sincere look and voice. And I listened to all those stories with one ear, mostly ignoring them. No, to be precise… ‘Things are starting to shape up.’ I ran simulations in my head, supplementing the shortcomings or completely overhauling the plan. I kept observing my surroundings and thinking about escape routes. And how much time had passed? Knock knock knock. Someone cautiously knocks and enters the interrogation room where I was alone with my mother. “Hello, Mr. Lee Han-soo.” Who the heck is this guy? No matter how I look at him, he doesn’t seem like a detective. “Excuse me, but could the guardian please leave the room for a moment?” “Ah, yes…” Soon, my mother leaves the interrogation room, and a new face sits across from me. He was holding quite a thick stack of documents in his hands. “I’ve heard all the stories, from the investigation you did earlier to the riot incident that happened before. There were many interesting parts, and I was wondering if we could talk about them a little?” The bespectacled man, who didn’t reveal his identity, spoke to me with a gentle expression and voice. Only then did I realize who this guy was. ‘Mental evaluation.’ This guy came to check my mental state. And depending on the results… ‘I’ll be transferred to a mental hospital without a second thought.’ I quickly imagined the subsequent situation. Is going to the mental ward also part of the ‘tutorial’? ‘…No way.’ Based on my gaming experience, that was definitely not the case. If I were to compare the current situation to a game, the moment I’m transferred to the mental ward, it’s highly likely to be ‘game over’. Should I call it a kind of bad ending? Maybe I’ll be stuck in the hospital for the rest of my life, forced to take medication, and live as a real mental patient. Therefore… “Yes. You can ask me anything.” Turning off Barbarian Mode and turning on Gentleman Lee Han-soo Mode. “Thank you. Unlike what I heard, you’re very kind.” “I’m usually like this.” As soon as the environment for conversation was established, the bespectacled man began to bombard me with questions. “You said you were dragged into a game, is that true?” “No. It was a lie.” “Then where were you during the period you were missing?” “I don’t remember where it was, but it was a very dark place. I was trapped there, and then the guys who captured me suddenly took me home. That’s why the riot incident happened. I thought the guys who kidnapped me had come back.” “Hmm… Do you know what their purpose was in kidnapping Mr. Lee Han-soo?” “I don’t know. I was just kidnapped and trapped. Do you know that movie? The one where they only gave you dumplings… Yes, like that movie. They just locked me up and didn’t do anything.” “But why didn’t you tell the truth when you were being investigated earlier?” “The guys who kidnapped me threatened me. They said they would definitely come back and retaliate if I talked about them… I was so scared of that.” It was a story I made up on the spot, but it was still plausible. However, the problem was… “But is it okay for you to tell me that? You said you were threatened.” “Well, that’s true… but you seem trustworthy and kind, sir… I, I decided to take courage.” As I spoke, acting like a clueless young man, the bespectacled man stared at me intently before slowly nodding his head. “You thought I looked like a trustworthy and kind ‘sir’… I understand. Let’s stop here for today.” Ah, uh, um… ‘……I think I messed up?’ The saying that sad premonitions never miss was true this time as well. The bespectacled man who came for the mental evaluation left, and my mother, whose visit was over, waited outside. I was locked up in a detention center and spent the night… “Mr. Lee Han-soo, come out.” It was only the next afternoon that I was taken out of the detention center and transferred outside the station. “Team Leader Kang, where am I going?” “…You’ll find out when you get there.” Son of a bitch. ‘I failed.’ If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have talked about the game during the investigation. As I bit my lip and looked at the ground, Team Leader Kang, perhaps judging that there was no point in hiding it, offered words of comfort. “Still, if you behave well there, it will be much more advantageous in the trial. Attempted murder and aggravated assault… Normally, even if it’s your first offense, you wouldn’t be able to avoid prison. So… think of it as resting your tired mind…” Bullshit. Resting my tired mind, my ass. “I’ll visit often, and your mother will especially help you a lot…” The voice of Team Leader Kang, which I no longer had any reason to listen to carefully, gradually faded. Thud. A special transport vehicle parked in front of the station came into view. People in uniforms were standing in front of the car. “He’s a level five high-risk patient. Never provoke him, and be especially careful during transport.” The bespectacled man added a warning in a very strong tone to those uniformed men. ‘Level five… is this the Explorer’s Guild?’ I sighed and quickly scanned my surroundings. The uniformed men, having heard the bespectacled man’s warning, were preparing something like a straitjacket from the car. ‘They’ll probably take off the handcuffs and move me there when they’re ready.’ However, that’s why I needed to move one step faster this time as well. Even though the handcuffs would naturally be removed soon, these guys weren’t idiots. Knowing that it was the most dangerous moment, they would proceed much more thoroughly. Yeah, so… ‘Now.’ I turn around and look at Team Leader Kang. “Han-soo? Is there something you want to say…?” “Th… thank you for treating me well.” “No, it’s my job. There’s nothing to be thanked for.” “My job…” Hearing that makes me feel a little better. Just like Team Leader Kang did his ‘job’, I’m just doing my job. Crack-! I hit him right in the center of his face with a ‘headbutt’, which I often used in my newbie barbarian days. “Agh!” “Kyaaaak!” Pushing the seated Team Leader Kang down to the floor, I reached for his waist, which I had been eyeing earlier… “Why isn’t it there?” What is this? This situation wasn’t in my plan? “Uh…” I was genuinely flustered and looking around when… “Ugh…” “T, Team Leader Kang!” “That bastard again!!” Team Leader Kang, holding his nose that was hit by the headbutt, stopped his colleagues. “It’s okay! Don’t do it!” “B, but…!” “I said don’t do it!” Soon, Team Leader Kang slowly got up from the floor and looked at me. “…I thought Han-soo might do this, so I entrusted the keys to another colleague.” Ah… I see. “I don’t resent Han-soo. It just hurts. If you listen to the doctors there and take your ‘medicine’ well, you’ll get better soon. You too, Han-soo.” I’m screwed. *** White and white. The smell of strong chemicals fills the air everywhere. “Aaaah! Aaaah! Aaaah!” As always, I look out the window made of special glass, using the screams of the patient in the next room who started his tantrum as a lullaby. “Hehe…” A languid afternoon that can’t be described as just drowsy. A muscular man in a nurse’s uniform stands in front of me with a chart, accompanied by a clueless nurse who seems to be a newbie. “This patient here is the Lee Han-soo patient we talked about. What did I say to be careful about when dealing with this patient?” “Never have personal conversations!” “You were in another hospital, but still, be especially careful with this patient. As Professor Park said, he’s a patient who is as skilled at deceiving, tricking, and acting as he is at breathing.” “R, really?” “Yes! He’s calm now because he’s drugged, but he’s a patient who tries to escape at every opportunity. He thinks reality is a game. If he had a knife, he’d stab us to death and laugh, saying, ‘I took one down’?” “…Yes, I understand!” “Don’t take it lightly! I heard that during the arrest process, he knocked down three police officers and strangled one to death.” “Ah… I heard about that. He even caused a riot when he was leaving the police station, right? And I heard that even after coming to the hospital, several nurses were seriously injured…” “Still, it’s a relief. Thanks to that, we can give him strong drug treatment. Now he’s so calm, right?” “Yes. He hasn’t even looked at us once while we’ve been talking.” Well, if I look at you, I won’t be able to talk. These conversations I’m listening to are all information in a way… “Haaahm…” I’m so tired I could die. That’s enough for today, I should go to sleep. ‘But… how many days has it been already…?’ I don’t know exactly, but rest is also part of the battle. Even as I close my eyes and accept the sleep that is washing over me, I thought. ‘Let’s get a grip.’ No matter what anyone says, this is a dream world. I’m still in a trial, and as always, I’ll find a way to overcome it. However… “It’s time for your medication, Mr. Lee Han-soo. Open your mouth!” “Ah…” Gulp! “…Ah, he’s just pretending to swallow again. Kim! Bring that! We’ll have to force it in again today. Tie his hands and feet for an hour so he can’t throw up!” Is it because of the antipsychotic drugs I receive every day? I fall asleep when I’m sleepy, I’m drowsy when I wake up, and at some point, even my walks have disappeared, and I spend all day tied to the bed. In that, I couldn’t help but feel doubt. ‘Is this really… a dream…?’ My mother, who comes to visit and cries every time she can. All the memories and experiences I gained in Lapdonia. They all tell me that this situation is a dream, but one crucial contradiction confuses me. ‘Why the heck…’ Why isn’t anyone trying to kill me? *** You die if you make a mistake. You die if you’re unlucky. You die if you just don’t know something. The damn world was full of all sorts of death flags. [Dungeon & Stone]. My body still belongs to that world, and if I’m really just dreaming, it doesn’t make sense. Why am I still alive? One day, two days, three days, four days… Why doesn’t anyone try to kill me, no matter how much time passes? The detective who got hit in the head, and Team Leader Kang, who was almost strangled to death. Why are they all so non-violent? ‘It’s like…’ As if I’ve come to the real modern world. No, to be precise… ‘It’s like I’ve really… become mentally ill.’ No matter how firmly I try to hold on, I can’t help but start to wonder if it’s possible. It could just be because of the drugs, but… “Is there really something wrong with my mind?” Actually, if you think about it, it’s not that far-fetched. Or rather, should I say it’s plausible? A childhood that was so unlucky and terrible that it couldn’t be explained by words like stress or trauma. The game I immersed myself in as an escape. Among them, [Dungeon & Stone], which I played the most, almost to the point of obsession. The separation from Hyun-byul that happened during the game. It’s not strange that all of those things overlapped and my mind went completely crazy. No, even if you’re not a psychiatrist, it’s a story that everyone would understand as ‘it’s possible’. “Then… the things that happened there… were they really all because I was crazy…?” “Everyone cover your ears! It looks like Lee Han-soo is trying to pull something again!” “Yes! He’s definitely going to try to make us lower our guard by pretending to be okay!” Regardless of the reactions of the hospital staff around me. ‘No, that can’t be.’ I shake my head and hold onto my heart that’s trying to weaken. I didn’t come back. This is still a dream. The moment I accept this as reality, the trial is over. It’s clear that it’s game over from then on. Yeah, so… ‘I need proof.’ I need proof to strengthen my resolve. I need to build a support that is stronger than anything else so that I don’t collapse. “A letter… please deliver a letter.” “A letter? To your mother?” “No… overseas. It’s okay to open it and look at the contents, just please send it by international mail.” “The address is… Canada? Is it the letter to that ‘Canadian friend’ you mentioned before?” “Yes. Please.” “…Okay, I will definitely deliver it.” Did they think that reading the letter would help my treatment? My doctor readily agreed to my request, and about two weeks later, a reply came back. [I don’t know how to start. Hello, Han-soo.] [I was so surprised to see your letter. At first, I thought my friends were playing a prank… but if your situation that the doctor sent with it is true, I felt like I had to reply, so I’m writing this.] [But your doctor might not like it. To be honest, I thought for a moment that what you said might be true.] [Because it doesn’t make sense? I also played [Dungeon & Stone], and I was also in the related community, so you could have found my name or address by searching the internet.] [But the fact that my first kiss was at 17. That the person was my girlfriend’s best friend. That I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian after my puppy died when I was young.] [I’ve never said those things even once. Not on the internet, nor to my close friends.] The Canadian friend’s reply became the decisive proof that I was trapped in a ‘dream’. Isn’t that right? If everything I experienced was a ‘fantasy’, how could I have known about the ‘Canadian friend’ who is far across the ocean? “Hoo…” Okay, I’m not crazy. So, now, let’s just get a grip and find a way to escape. Thinking that, I continued to read the letter. [But while what you said sounds plausible, I hope it’s not true.] [If what you said is true, it means I’m already dead in that world, and the current me is a fake… that’s too sad, right? I have a loving family and a lover.] [I don’t know about you, but I think this is real.] [Of course, it’s your choice what you believe is real.] [Ah, and if you need someone to talk to, you can send me a letter anytime. Even though I don’t know you yet, I have a feeling that we could become good friends.] [PS. I also heard about your childhood story. You seem like a very strong person. So I believe you will definitely overcome it, and I’ll be cheering for you from afar.] After reading the entire letter, I let out a deep sigh. “Haa…” This is also depressing in its own way.