Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 695

“Well, it seems we’ve developed a connection of sorts,” Aurel Gavis said.

“Ah… is that so?” GM and the old man chuckled, exchanging pleasantries in a warm atmosphere. Lee Baekho, watching them with a displeased look, began to grumble.

“Ha, does that treacherous bastard have no spine?” he muttered.

I felt similarly. How could he laugh so foolishly? If it weren’t for that old geezer, none of this would have happened.

“Hmm, I’d call him a smart friend, though,” Aurel Gavis interjected.

“…Huh?” I responded, confused. “Isn’t it natural for a rational young man to have good manners?”

The Doom Old Man’s words seemed to defend GM. Was GM popular among older people? I didn’t know, but the Doom Old Man was no different from GM when facing Aurel Gavis.

“It’s been a while, Master,” the Doom Old Man said.

“Ah, Ruin Genesis… It’s good to see you. How have you been all this time?” Aurel Gavis replied.

“What’s there to say about being well or not?” Ruin Genesis responded.

“I’ll take that as you’ve been well,” Aurel Gavis said with a chuckle.

“By the way, Master, you haven’t changed at all. How is it that I’m the only one who’s aged?” Ruin Genesis asked.

“Haha, you’re still as young as ever,” Aurel Gavis replied.

It seemed like they were having a light chat after a long time, but that didn’t last long.

“Since we’ve met after so long, may I ask you just one thing?” Ruin Genesis asked.

“Go ahead,” Aurel Gavis replied.

As soon as permission was granted, the Doom Old Man threw out a heavy question.

“Has Master already achieved immortality?” he asked.

“Haha, you’re asking a very difficult question right from the start,” Aurel Gavis said.

“If it’s difficult to answer, you don’t have to—,” Ruin Genesis started.

“Still, let me answer just one thing,” Aurel Gavis interrupted.

Aurel Gavis cut off the Doom Old Man and spoke, as if giving advice to a child.

“There is no eternity in any world, Ruin Genesis,” he said.

“……”

“Everything changes eventually. Even things that you thought would never change,” Aurel Gavis continued.

“…That’s a very philosophical answer,” Ruin Genesis said.

The Doom Old Man nodded quietly, as if he was genuinely impressed, not just saying it as a formality. However, Lee Baekho just snorted.

“Philosophy my ass. If you interpret it, it just means that if you keep hitting, they’ll die, right?” Lee Baekho said.

“You seem particularly grumpy today?” Aurel Gavis asked.

“How can I not be? It’s so obvious now that you were the one who trapped us there,” Lee Baekho retorted.

Lee Baekho, not wanting to continue the small talk, didn’t hide his anger and got straight to the point.

“You should be grateful that I haven’t attacked you yet. You,” he said.

As always, he used strong words and started a battle of nerves, but unfortunately, this time the opponent was not easy either.

“Haha… the one who should be grateful is you,” Aurel Gavis replied.

“Ha! Grateful?” Lee Baekho exclaimed.

Seeing Lee Baekho exhale as if he couldn’t believe it, Aurel Gavis’s eyes flashed with a strong glint.

“Then you should be grateful,” Aurel Gavis repeated.

“……”

“That I still haven’t found a reason to ‘dispose’ of you,” Aurel Gavis finished.

The moment he finished speaking, I felt the air change all over my body.

“……”

A sensation as if steel thorns had sprouted in the soft air. Aurel Gavis, who had overwhelmed everyone with just his aura, took a step forward and continued to speak.

“Baekho, don’t you still understand? The reason I interfered with you was to prevent me from ‘disposing’ of you,” Aurel Gavis said.

Direct and threatening words that were on a different level from Lee Baekho, who was arguing about whether to attack or not.

“But if you keep going astray like this, I’ll have no choice but to ‘reconsider’,” Aurel Gavis warned.

Looking at him, it seemed like Lee Baekho was slightly intimidated. Well, no matter how much of a punk he was, he had no choice but to give way to this old man.

“…So what do you want? And what about Bryatt? It seems like you’ve been planting him next to me for a long time,” Lee Baekho asked.

“Bryatt was a guide for you,” Aurel Gavis replied.

“What? A guide…?” Lee Baekho asked, confused.

“You’re a person of interest. You need someone, don’t you? A guide to show you the right path so you don’t go astray,” Aurel Gavis explained.

Such a brazen line that it was absurd for me to hear it from the side. But that’s how this world is originally.

“……”

A barbaric world where you couldn’t even speak up if you didn’t have power. Moreover, since Lee Baekho had enjoyed the privilege of the strong for a long time, he would have even less to say about this attitude.

“Just say it,” Lee Baekho said.

Lee Baekho, who had been silent for a long time, continued to speak in a somewhat resigned voice.

“What do you want from me… Just tell me…” he said.

The emotion felt in that short question wasn’t resentment. It was just a strong sense of exhaustion. How tired and worn out Lee Baekho had become during that long time.

“Hmm… I don’t particularly want anything from you,” Aurel Gavis said.

“…What?” Lee Baekho asked, surprised.

“Don’t you know by now? That you’re a defective product,” Aurel Gavis said.

Aurel Gavis then looked at Lee Baekho and spoke clearly and precisely.

“I have never wanted you, not even once. I didn’t even want you to come here. So, I don’t really understand why you hate me. Isn’t the direction of your anger wrong?” Aurel Gavis asked.

“……”

“Well, if there’s one thing I want, it’s for you to know your place and stay quiet,” Aurel Gavis said.

“……”

“Like a supporting character. Don’t try to change the story,” Aurel Gavis finished.

Lee Baekho didn’t answer Aurel Gavis’s sharp words and remained silent. But his bloodshot eyes were telling the story.

How much humiliation he was suffering right now. Ah, of course, the Doom Old Man, whose empathy level was zero, didn’t seem to care about that.

“If Lee Baekho is a supporting character… does that mean we are also supporting characters?” Ruin Genesis asked.

The Doom Old Man, only interested in the parts that caught his attention, was shining his eyes.

“Are you also disappointed by that fact?” Aurel Gavis asked.

The Doom Old Man shook his head at Aurel Gavis’s question.

“Not really. It’s been a long time since I was at the age where I thought I was the main character…” Ruin Genesis said.

“Besides?” Aurel Gavis asked.

“What’s the point of being the main character in someone else’s story?” Ruin Genesis replied.

“…That sounds very meaningful?” Aurel Gavis said.

Aurel Gavis glanced at the Doom Old Man with a somewhat uneasy look, but the Doom Old Man didn’t even show any reaction and just moved on to the next topic.

“By the way, are Flyer and Ares also acquaintances?” Ruin Genesis asked.

“Hmm……” Aurel Gavis hummed.

“It doesn’t seem like there would be any connection between the two of them,” Ruin Genesis said.

At that question, Aurel Gavis looked back and forth between Jaina and Rex Ares with a thoughtful look. And…

“I met him once before,” Jaina said, honestly revealing that she had a connection.

“He told me that I could regain my lost memories by offering a sacrifice to Karui. It was him,” Jaina explained.

“…So that happened? Then what about Ares?” Ruin Genesis asked.

“Uh… uh… I, I’ve seen him a few times next to the lord, starting from when the royal family invaded the city of Noark?” Rex Ares stammered.

A tone that clearly sounded like he was lying. The Doom Old Man, as well as Lee Baekho, narrowed their eyes, and Aurel Gavis shook his head and uttered a rather shocking truth.

“Ares is from the same world as Ruin Genesis,” Aurel Gavis revealed.

“…What?” “Is that true? This person was also a demon…?” Lee Baekho asked, surprised.

It seemed like it was information that none of the group knew about…

‘All six of us are demons…’ This is like a demon dream team.

More than just a coincidence. I remember being amazed that more than half of them were demons before, but I never thought that it would be all of them, not just half.

“So… maybe Mr. Bryatt is also…” Jaina trailed off, looking at Aurel Gavis. It seemed like she had the same thought as me…

“Bryatt is a pure-blooded resident born and raised in this world,” Aurel Gavis clarified.

Well, then six out of seven were demons. It felt strange. Because in any group, demons were always in the minority.

The reason why Ghost Busters, who were the only ones who were the opposite, were special among demons was also for that reason.

“What the hell is a pure-blooded resident?” Lee Baekho grumbled as if he didn’t like the specific term, but Aurel Gavis didn’t even bother to respond.

“Oh, I never expected that Ares’s hometown would be the same as mine. Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Ruin Genesis asked.

“Ah… haha… I didn’t mean to hide it… Actually, I just found out now that we’re from the same hometown,” Rex Ares replied.

“Well, it’s not something you’d bring up first… I guess we’ll have a lot to talk about in the future. I’m curious about your world,” Ruin Genesis said.

“Ahaha… Ask me anything. To be honest, my memories are hazy, but I’ll tell you everything I remember,” Rex Ares replied.

Somehow, it seemed like from now on, whenever there was a break, Ares and the Doom Old Man would sit side by side and have a chat…

‘I can’t really imagine it…’ I was organizing my thoughts, inwardly surprised that Ares was a demon.

“Um… Elder?” GM cautiously spoke to Aurel Gavis.

“By the way, could you tell us where we are right now…?” GM asked.

“Are you curious if we’re outside the walls, inside, or somewhere else entirely?” Aurel Gavis asked.

“Yes… Ah, it seems like the Baron and I were accidentally caught up in this after going outside…” GM said.

“Well… I guess it could be like that from your perspective,” Aurel Gavis said.

“…Yes?” GM tilted his head at the somewhat meaningful words, but Aurel Gavis didn’t explain further and immediately returned to the answer to the previous question.

“This place is somewhere outside the walls. It’s a very meaningful place to me,” Aurel Gavis said.

“Ah… is that so…?” GM responded.

“So, please understand that I can’t tell you exactly where it is,” Aurel Gavis said.

“Yes…? Then—,” GM started.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean I’m going to keep you here,” Aurel Gavis reassured.

“Ahaha… is that so? Then that’s a relief. I didn’t plan on such a long journey…” GM said.

GM, who had no spine, was flattering the culprit who created this situation with a smile. Well, thanks to having someone like him, the conversation went smoothly.

“If you’re not going to keep us? Does that mean you’re going to let us go like this?” Lee Baekho, who had been listening intently to the conversation with a sullen expression, asked as if throwing a question, and Aurel Gavis slowly nodded his head.

“Of course. If you promise just one thing,” Aurel Gavis said.

“…Tell me,” Lee Baekho said.

“It wasn’t in my plan to say this so directly, but since it’s come to this, I’ll say it clearly,” Aurel Gavis said.

“No, I mean, hurry up and say it—,” Lee Baekho interrupted.

“Don’t try to find the answer elsewhere,” Aurel Gavis said.

At Aurel Gavis’s words, Lee Baekho flinched for a moment and then laughed awkwardly.

“What kind of nonsense is that? You’re asking for a promise, but shouldn’t you be more clear?” Lee Baekho asked.

“Then I’ll tell you more directly,” Aurel Gavis said.

“……”

“Baekho, I know very well why you’re aiming for the royal palace,” Aurel Gavis said.

“And…?” Lee Baekho asked.

“But don’t even go near that place. Because there’s no answer you’re looking for there anyway,” Aurel Gavis said.

Aurel Gavis didn’t mention any penalties for breaking the promise. Because he had already said it several times before. If he doesn’t follow those words, Lee Baekho will be ‘disposed’ of. And Lee Baekho knows that too.

“…Then where is the answer?” Lee Baekho asked.

Lee Baekho only asked one more question, and Aurel Gavis smiled kindly and said.

“You are ‘explorers’, aren’t you?” Aurel Gavis said.

Patting Lee Baekho’s shoulder.

“Find the answer in the labyrinth,” Aurel Gavis said.

As if there was no malice at all.

“Because all the answers you want are there,” Aurel Gavis finished.

Looking at Aurel Gavis speaking in a soft voice, somehow ‘Karui’ came to mind. Come to think of it, this old man is similar to Karui. In that he always plays with people.

***

Aurel Gavis calmly waited for Lee Baekho’s answer without any urging words.

“……”

“……”

A comfortable yet heavy pressure. It didn’t take long for Lee Baekho to raise the white flag.

“Ah, okay. Okay. I get it. In short, you’re saying don’t touch the royal palace, right? I won’t touch it. Is that okay?” Lee Baekho said.

If you’re going to raise the white flag, you could at least drop the swaggering attitude.

‘Well… does he want something?’ I thought.

While I was thinking that, Lee Baekho continued to speak in a nonchalant tone.

“But it seems like you’re not omnipotent either? Seeing you running around like this, cleaning up the mess,” Lee Baekho said.

“…?” Aurel Gavis responded.

“Why is that? It seems like you don’t like the fact that the labyrinth is closed either. Actually, this is all because you saved Noark, who was on the verge of annihilation, right?” Lee Baekho asked.

“So what are you trying to say?” Aurel Gavis asked.

“No, I don’t have anything in particular… I’m just saying. If you’re showing yourself in front of us like this, I figured something must be going wrong for you too,” Lee Baekho said.

In other words, he was testing to see if his guess was correct or not.