Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 89

A silence hung in the air.

After a brief moment of thought, I let out a small sigh, a habit of mine.

Seeing this, Ragna slowly closed and then opened her eyes.

‘You’re more composed than I expected. I thought you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.’

What? I sighed because I thought this might actually be it.

‘Well, maybe it’s better to just ignore it. A dimensional collapse can’t be predicted, and it’s a disaster that can’t be stopped even if you know about it.’

That’s definitely true.

In the game, dimensional collapses always happened unexpectedly.

Well, most of the time they didn’t happen at all throughout the game.

‘It was something that happened maybe once in a hundred runs.’

Of course, when it did happen, it was a complete disaster.

Unless you were in the mid-to-late game where you could somewhat deal with it.

In the early game, it was often better to just press the ESC key and start over to save time.

‘So, where did you get this information?’

I calmly asked about the source.

My gut tells me this is the cause of the unease, but there might be something else.

‘It’s from a Tarutein School mage named Shernal Pergan. He’s been researching dimensional collapse phenomena for a long time.’

After giving me the mage’s name, she said she didn’t know anything else.

‘I see. I’ll look into it from here. Anyway, thanks for the warning.’

I turned to head towards the door when I heard a voice from behind.

‘Are you… just leaving today?’

Well, a new quest popped up, so I should go do that first, right?

***

As always, the tavern was filled with boisterous noise.

A silver-haired elf sat in a corner, tapping her finger on the table.

It was a habit of hers when she was troubled.

‘Haa…’

Her pretty and kind younger sister, Erwen.

She had changed since three months ago.

She had started asking for help with training, something she used to hate, and she pushed herself to her limits as if even sleeping was a waste of time.

And, she had become a bit sharp.

It was still okay with her, since they were blood-related….

But her way of speaking, her gaze, and her actions towards others were clearly different from before.

‘It’s a relief that it’s not a bad change, though…’

Excessive ambition and wariness of others?

As an explorer whose fate is to enter the labyrinth, these are welcome traits.

In fact, she had achieved a lot of growth because of it.

Her younger sister, who had successfully contracted with all four elemental spirits, had managed to awaken three of them, establishing their own free will.

And that wasn’t all.

Her archery, martial arts, and close-quarters combat skills using daggers were also improving day by day.

Honestly, it was hard to believe that such talent hadn’t bloomed before.

However, the reason for her sigh was the cause of this change.

‘I wonder how long she can keep hiding it…’

The death of a barbarian she called ‘Uncle’ and relied on emotionally.

Actually, it’s funny to call it death.

The person himself is probably alive and well.

Having even earned the nickname ‘Little Vulcan’.

‘Should I tell her now?’

When she first heard the news about him, her first emotion was surprise. Then it was anxiety.

She thought it was only a matter of time before she was found out.

But what do you know?

Erwen, who had been holed up in her room every day, focusing only on training, still didn’t know the news.

‘Hey, did you guys hear? The Obsidian Sword might become a disciple of the Sword Saint!’

‘Huh, are you spreading nonsense after hearing some weird rumor? The Sword Saint, that noble man, taking a mere explorer as a disciple? That’s absurd!’

Daria, sitting alone in a corner of the tavern, overheard the conversations of the surrounding explorers and felt a sense of relief.

‘It seems the rumors are starting to die down…’

The story that was once heard everywhere in this city was buried under new stories.

About defeating evil spirits, or killing the Karui priest who escaped into the sewers.

It was a bit nerve-wracking when the story of that barbarian started circulating in the tavern again….

But even that has mostly subsided now.

‘Yes, let’s just leave it as it is.’

Daria made up her mind.

It wasn’t even a matter to worry about.

As someone who chose to live as an explorer, when else would she have another chance to grow like this?

‘Hey, elf lady. Did you come alone—’

‘Get lost. Unless you want a hole in your forehead.’

Pushing away the drunkard who approached her, Daria left the tavern.

She had been coming here every evening, hoping that the barbarian wouldn’t cause any more trouble and become a hot topic again….

But she wouldn’t come anymore.

Knock knock.

Back at her lodgings, she knocked on her sister’s door.

There was no answer.

Worried that she might have collapsed and fallen asleep on the floor, she inserted the key.

Click-

The lock opened, and the door creaked open.

Her sister was visible through the gap.

Her sister had summoned all four elemental spirits and was meditating with her eyes closed.

But….

‘I have to get stronger…’

Her lips were moving slightly, as if she was muttering something.

Daria held her breath and moved closer.

Then, the muttering became clearer.

‘I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. That way, I won’t lose anything. I can have everything…’

Her sister was repeating similar words as if brainwashing herself.

‘Erwen…?’

Daria quickly woke her sister up.

Surprisingly, her sister’s expression was just calm.

‘Oh, did you come, sis?’

‘Are you… okay?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You were… muttering to yourself—’

‘Huh? I was just talking to the spirits?’

It didn’t seem like a conversation she would have with spirits, but….

Daria closed her mouth.

She had been dismissed.

‘I’m training right now, so can you come back later?’

‘Okay…’

Daria left the room weakly.

And she returned to her own room and pondered over what had just happened. Because that look was not something that could be dismissed as ‘enthusiasm’ or ‘determination’.

It was closer to an obsession.

Even during that incident 10 years ago, she wasn’t like this….

‘What’s the problem? That barbarian wasn’t that important—’

Daria froze.

The biggest change that had happened recently came to mind.

‘Ah, could it be because she ate that essence?’

Daria took out a book from the bookshelf.

It was something she had bought from the guild for a considerable price a while ago.

[Lower Essence Compendium]

A book that compiled information on all essences between ranks 7 and 9.

First, she checked the essence she had absorbed this time.

‘Where is Kanibaro…?’

It was a monster that only appeared in the Witch’s Forest, but she had luckily obtained the essence while saving an explorer who was being chased by it out of the forest.

‘Ah, found it.’

She turned the page and read the text while summoning a fire spirit.

[Kanibaro] Rank 7.

Agility (Medium), Dark Resistance (Low), Endurance (Low), Accuracy (Medium), Sixth Sense (Low), Hearing (Medium), Obsession (High).

*Agility and senses increase while moving.

*Mana Mine (Red)

*Hound (Blue)

*Pursuit Arrow (Green)

She carefully checked the contents and froze at one part.

‘Obsession… is a high rank?’

A sense of déjà vu arose, and she checked the essence she had absorbed three months ago.

[Steel Hill Chaser] Rank 8.

Strength (Low), Physical Resistance (Low), Leg Strength (Low), Jumping Power (Medium), Earth Resistance (Low), Perception Interference (Low), Agility (Medium), Obsession (Medium)

*Penetration power increases upon a successful surprise attack.

*Penetrating Arrow (Red)

*Terrain Eruption (Blue)

*Weakness Detection (Yellow)

‘What is this…’

There was obsession again.

And it was even a medium rank.

‘Could it be, that one too…?’

She went ahead and looked at the first essence her sister had absorbed.

And as expected.

[Goblin Archer] Rank 9.

Flexibility (Low), Smell (Low), Poison Resistance (Low), Perception (Low), Perception Interference (Low), Accuracy (Low), Vision (Low), Agility (Low), Obsession (Low)

*Inflicts paralysis poison when using bow weapons.

*Sneak

There was obsession here too.

Now Daria understood the situation.

The excessive obsession with power was all because of this stat.

‘Then what should I do?’

She couldn’t just erase the essences she had absorbed, even if she had to pay for it.

But she felt heavy-hearted leaving it like this.

‘When she eats an essence that can replace it… let’s erase it then.’

After much deliberation, she came to a conclusion.

However, after simply washing up and lying in bed, she faced a new question.

‘Wait a minute.’

If she finds out that the barbarian is alive before that….

Where would this stat’s direction change to?

***

Ten days had passed since the news of the dimensional collapse.

But whether it was a baseless rumor, a fact, or a delusion of someone who thought it was a fact.

Even though I had been busy trying to find out, there were no significant results.

‘Shernal Pergan?’

Even Raven, who had always helped me when I came with questions, was no help this time.

‘No, I’m telling you, even if you ask me to introduce you, I’ve never heard of that name. In the first place, the Tarutein School doesn’t really have any exchange with us.’

‘…I see.’

‘Anyway, when you come next week, keep the whole day free. A winner was drawn in the lottery.’

‘Winner…?’

‘Did you forget? You agreed to help my seniors with their research once in exchange for finding out about the paper?’

No, I remember that.

I just didn’t know they would pick it through a lottery.

‘Tsk, this is making me more anxious…’

I’ve never had good luck with lotteries in my life.

Anyway, after that, I tried various things to meet the mage Shernal Pergan, but all of them failed.

Meanwhile, rumors slowly started to spread.

‘Bjorn! Did you hear?! There might be a dimensional collapse soon!!’

Misha, who had gone to meet an old colleague after a long time, came back in a hurry and started making a fuss.

If she knows about it, it must have already spread everywhere.

In fact, when I went to the tavern in the evening, everyone was talking about the dimensional collapse.

But the problem is….

‘They don’t even know the source.’

Who said it.

And what the basis was.

There was no such information, and everyone was just fueling their anxiety and exaggerating the rumors.

‘This is… a bit strange…’

I felt an unknown sense of unease.

Usually, for it to spread this widely, there should be some plausible basis, right?

Now, various rumors have been added as evidence by gossips, but there was nothing like that at first.

‘Could someone be deliberately spreading the rumors?’

I, who had been carefully observing the situation from the beginning, came to that conclusion.

Of course, it was just a guess….

But no matter how I thought about it, the current situation was a bit strange.

‘Ha, it seems like there’s really something going on.’

It’s frustrating.

I want to know the information that is being exchanged quietly in a more secretive place, not just in the tavern.

But the wall of reality was high.

How could a barbarian who had only built his reputation through combat access such information?

‘If it weren’t for Ragna, I wouldn’t even know the name Shernal Pergan.’

I soon made a decision.

In my hand was a letter from the Ghost Busters and a pill that was enclosed with it.

It was a pill that I was originally going to take at least three months later, for the reason of ensuring anonymity, but….

‘It should be okay to move it up by a month.’

I put the pill in my mouth and swallowed it.

「The character has taken GB-027.」

I wasn’t immediately pulled into the spiritual world.

According to the information I had checked in the secret library that Raven and Ragna had opened for me, the gathering was held at midnight on the 15th of every month.

‘I just have to wait three days.’

Time passed quickly.

And the moment I had been waiting for arrived.

A sensation as if my mind was leaving my body.

「The character’s soul resonates and is led to a specific world.」

When I opened my eyes, there was a computer in front of me.

***

A pure white space reminiscent of the universe.

It would have been difficult to even perceive which way was up or down.

If it weren’t for that computer over there.

‘What is this now?’

It was a completely different start than I had expected, but I slowly took a step forward towards the computer.

It was a feeling I had never experienced before.

It was like riding a robot and controlling it to walk.

Stumbling, I barely reached the computer and checked the monitor that was turned on.

[Please enter the password.]

A short sentence on a black DOS screen.

Without much thought, I entered the password.

[Rafdonia’s king, Mother fucker]

So, that’s not what the PS in the postscript meant.