Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 7

I’m walking through the cave.

This time, I’m not waddling; I’m walking normally.

「Your character has equipped leather boots.」

「Your overall item level has increased by +5.」

The boots are a bit big. Because of that, I learned something new: the old man had big feet for his height. Anyway, they’re quite sturdy, so even if I step on a trap, I won’t get fatally injured like before.

「Your character has equipped a two-handed hammer.」

「Your overall item level has increased by +30.」

This hammer, made of solid iron, is about 1 meter long. When the old man used it, it was a two-handed blunt weapon, but I can swing it easily with one hand.

「Your character has equipped shoulder pads.」

「Your overall item level has increased by +13.」

They’re made of steel. I loosened the straps a bit, and they fit perfectly. When I put on the pads without a shirt, I look like a gladiator.

「Your character has equipped a backpack.」

「Your inventory has increased.」

Now I don’t have to store blood-stained magic stones with bread, and it’s much less cumbersome to move around.

Chew, chew.

I take out and chew on some jerky.

There isn’t much since it’s for snacks, but it tastes better than bread.

I cut off the remaining part with a portable knife and stored it carefully to avoid getting saliva on it.

On day 2, I graduated from primitive living.

When I’m thirsty, I drink water from the canteen.

When I’m curious about the direction, I take out the compass, and when I want to know the time, I look at the pocket watch.

A bottle of emergency potion will help me cope with any possible injuries.

Isn’t it a bit ironic?

I killed a person, and now I can live a little more like a person.

***

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 1

Physical: 25 / Mental: 37 (New +1) / Ability: 1

Item Level: 72 (New +48)

Overall Combat Index: 81 (New +13)

***

Smash was a good skill even when used with a shield, but its power is extraordinary when wielding a proper weapon.

Thwack-!

With one swing of the hammer, a goblin disappears into light.

If I had known this, I should have just chosen a weapon at the start. After all, I could have bought a shield later with the money I earned.

Well, I didn’t know I’d be this good at fighting back then.

Is it because I’m in a barbarian’s body?

When I fight, it feels like my body isn’t my own. I should be getting used to it by now, but I’m still amazed when I see this body that always exceeds my expectations.

“I’m so sleepy I could die.”

I yawn and pick up two magic stones that fell nearby, putting them in my bag.

This is a change that occurred on the second day.

Goblins started appearing in groups of two.

Probably tomorrow, they’ll increase to three or four, and that will continue until the labyrinth closes on the seventh day. It was like that in the game too.

In that sense, it’s not bad so far.

My combat power has increased with the new weapon, and I’m safer thanks to the various consumables.

It’s going quite smoothly.

‘Except for the fact that my eyes keep closing.’

I’ve been moving and fighting goblins since yesterday. But I’ve only slept for less than 10 minutes, and even that was while dozing off standing up.

I want to sleep.

I don’t even wish for a blanket or pillow. I just want to curl up and lie down, even on the bare floor.

I really feel like I’m going to die if this keeps up—

“Ah, shit!”

I almost tripped over a rock while dozing off.

Uncharacteristically, I was lucky. If it had been a trap, I would have been in big trouble.

“At this rate, let’s just sleep a little…”

As soon as I made the decision, I leaned against the wall with the shield and hammer in both hands.

Although I don’t have any night buddies next to me…

It actually feels safer that way. If I’m going to be ambushed anyway, it’s better if it’s by goblins.

If possible, wouldn’t I have a better chance of surviving if I’m stabbed with a carving knife?

Rather than being hit with a hammer while sleeping.

Clack-

Damn it.

I opened my eyes, hearing the now-familiar footsteps.

When I was on watch, they didn’t show their faces for over 4 hours. But as soon as I look like I’m dozing off alone, they appear right away.

I understand why the old man told me not to let my guard down.

…Persistent bastards.

I immediately rushed out and slammed the hammer into the goblin’s crown.

Thwack-!

“G-grrrk!”

There were a total of two goblins sneaking up, but one immediately turned and ran away as soon as its friend was pulverized.

Yeah, go, go.

I don’t have the energy to follow.

“Ha, you bastards…”

I checked the time, and less than 10 minutes had passed.

In the end, I had no choice but to wander around the cave again, hunting goblins.

Then, when I was too tired to go on, I leaned against the wall like before and dozed off for a while.

There were a few close calls while dozing, but I only felt like I was really about to die twice.

Once, I felt a presence and opened my eyes to see some explorer bastard quietly approaching me.

He smiled awkwardly when he made eye contact with me, then backed away and disappeared.

…Thinking about it again, it’s really creepy.

The second one is just as close, but in a different way.

Especially since it’s still ongoing.

「Your character was attacked by a goblin while sleeping.」

For the first time, I woke up not to a presence but to pain.

A goblin was right in front of me. I immediately swung the hammer and killed the one in front, and the other one ran away again.

“G-grrrk!!”

I immediately checked the source of the pain.

And, oh my god, a carving knife was stuck between my collarbones.

…Shit, no wonder my left arm wasn’t moving well.

Whew, I’m so glad it just ended with pain.

If I were a little shorter, or if the goblin had a little more jumping power, that carving knife would have been in my neck.

Crunch.

I grit my teeth and pull out the carving knife.

Then, I take out a potion from my bag and drop a few drops on the wound. As soon as I close the cap and put it back in my bag, the blood bubbles and regenerates quickly.

Chiiiiiiiiik.

The bastard who made this potion, are they a psychopath?

Somehow, it hurts more than when I was stabbed.

“Ughhh, hehehehe…”

After about 5 minutes, the pain disappears.

With this level of pain, I should be wide awake, but my eyelids are even heavier than before.

My focus blurs even if I lose concentration for a moment.

It’s time to make the decision I’ve been putting off.

Even though I’m in a barbarian’s body that’s sensitive to killing intent, there’s a limit to how much I can doze off like this. Just now, I only woke up after being stabbed with a knife.

‘I need to rest.’

I checked the time, and about 14 hours had passed since I parted ways with the old man.

Probably, the adventurers active on the first floor are also starting to look for night buddies again.

“Hey, barbarian, are you looking for a night buddy?”

As they were actually wandering nearby, the explorers spoke to me first.

And very enthusiastically.

“Hmm, you look quite tired? Why don’t you come here?”

“A barbarian is trustworthy. If you join us, we’ll be three. How about we team up?”

I feel like I’ve become a popular gigolo.

Is it because everyone is in a similar state on the second day?

There are no bastards picking on me for my smell. Or was the smell not the problem from the beginning?

Well, my appearance yesterday, covered in blood and waddling around with one shoe missing, was a bit much.

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

Numerous love calls poured in, but I rejected them all and continued to pass through the passages.

Ha, isn’t there a sturdy barbarian around?

In fact, the best case for me is to meet a fellow barbarian and become night buddies. The problem is that I haven’t seen a single barbarian so far, even though it’s the second day.

“Looking for a fellow barbarian? Hmm, that’ll be tough?”

“Tough? Why is that?”

“Even a barbarian who has just completed their coming-of-age ceremony will go up to the upper floors in two or three months. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are less than a hundred on the first floor.”

After some inquiries, it seems that barbarians themselves are rare on the first floor. Well, it would be strange to be lingering on the first floor with this kind of physique.

From the start, 99% of the adventurers I met on the first floor were humans.

“Why don’t you join us instead?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“I see. May the blessing of Laphdonia be with you on your journey.”

“Thank you.”

This old man seemed quite trustworthy, but I continued to move on after that conversation.

After learning that a barbarian’s heart is valuable, there wasn’t a single explorer who didn’t seem suspicious.

Click.

I took out the compass.

I’ve been moving south ever since I got it, but I still haven’t left the goblin zone.

It makes me realize how big the first floor is.

‘…Should I give up on finding a fellow barbarian?’

The thought didn’t last long.

I decided to stop looking for a needle in a haystack and make a realistic plan.

I’ll find a night buddy, even if they’re not a fellow barbarian.

But, excluding humans.

I’ll look for a different race with a population ratio of about 1%.

An elf who values promises, or a dwarf with a generous personality like a barbarian, would be the best…

But any other race would be fine too.

Most non-human races are more relaxed than humans.

They have the talent to go straight up if given time, so they wouldn’t be blinded by small money and harm fellow adventurers.

Having made that decision, I wandered around the cave for about an hour.

And…

「You have encountered an injured, unfamiliar elf.」

I finally found the non-human race I had been searching for.

***

The moment our eyes met, a strangely suffocating silence began to settle.

“……”

The elf with pointed ears is sitting with her back against the wall, silently staring at me.

Was she dozing off alone without a night buddy?

Her amber eyes, shining like a cat’s, show a mix of bewilderment and deep wariness.

No matter how I look at it, she seems to want me to just pass by and disappear…

Swoosh.

As the standoff continues, the elf gets up with a tense expression.

But her posture is unnatural.

Looking closer, I saw a wound on her abdomen.

“You’re hurt.”

It’s a long, but not deep, cut.

It’s definitely not something a goblin’s carving knife could make.

I quickly came to a conclusion.

“Was it a human?”

The elf didn’t answer.

She seems to be afraid of me.

Well, I can understand. If I were injured and a huge guy like me approached, I’d be terrified too.

Especially since she’s a girl.

She’s also small. Maybe around 160 [centimeters tall]?

Anyway, it’s not a bad situation—

“Please, save me.”

Huh?

“Please, just this once, barbarian sir, I have a younger sibling in the city that I need to take care of.”

While I was wondering what kind of development this was, the elf dropped to her knees without hesitation.

Her eyes were even starting to get teary.

“I beg you.”

What’s with this elf, so lacking in spirit?

To be honest, I thought she was the cool beauty type.

Not just because of her looks, but because most of the elves’ speech and personalities in the game were like that.

Whew, if I had known she was this kind of character, I would have approached her differently.

Let’s clear up the misunderstanding before the situation gets worse.

“I have no intention of killing you.”

I say it with clear pronunciation while maintaining eye contact.

Eyes are the windows to the soul, so if I give her time to calm down, she’ll know that what I’m saying is sincere—

“…Do you really have to be like this, barbarian sir?”

—is bullshit.

I’m having an identity crisis.

I feel like I’ve become a barbarian man harassing a high school girl in front of her school. I’m clearly a barbarian.

“Just once, please just let it go.”

As my silence grew longer, the elf took a step back with even more fear in her eyes, clutching her collar.

I was dumbfounded.

What kind of lives are these barbarian bastards living? What’s their usual image that makes her act like this?

“Whew…”

A sigh escapes me.

What should I do?

If I show her with my actions, not words, that I’m not that kind of trash, will the misunderstanding be cleared up?

…That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

“Get treated first. We’ll talk later.”

I take a step back and throw some herbs and bandages from my bag.

“This is, Lycho leaf…?”

So it was Lycho leaf after all.

I can use it without worry from now on.

I couldn’t use it earlier because I was worried it might be a poisonous herb, even though I was injured.