Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 177

Doppelganger (2)

Think before you act.

The advice I gave Aynar on her first day here.

Even then, it wasn’t just empty words.

In fact, this motto has saved my life countless times through various adversities.

So, in that sense…

‘Shit’

With a brief mumble, I focused on the current situation.

[To think, I’d meet someone who knows me here]

From her first line, one thing is clear.

She didn’t come looking for me with hostile intent.

[This is… somewhat troublesome.]

Second piece of information.

She finds this situation as awkward as I do.

However, the nuance feels somewhat different from before.

There seems to be another reason why she cannot reveal her identity.

‘Noarark has been sealed… So, is she a spy? Did she sneak out before it was sealed?’’

Well, it’s hard to tell yet.

There could be some hidden circumstances.

There’s only one thing I know for sure right now.

[Well, I’ll just have to beat him up and erase his memory like I did then].

Even in this situation, she has no intention of killing me.

Simply put, I can at least be at ease about that.

‘As long as I don’t accidentally step on a landmine’

That the memory-erasing pill doesn’t work.

I just need to be careful not to let that get exposed.

Then it won’t come to the worst-case scenario.

Thus, my basic stance on what to do next is decided. I have no intention of just taking the pill and being neutralized, but…

It doesn’t hurt to have insurance.

‘What did I say to her in the sewer?’

It was a few months ago, but I remembered it quickly.

“…Why do you want to kill me now? I kept my promise, didn’t I?” When we accidentally reunited in the sewer, I definitely asked this question first.

A necessary question if my last memory was in the Land of the Dead.

“It’s the same words as that time.”

“…That time?”

When I looked puzzled, the woman shook her head and continued her sentence.

“But you look much more relaxed now.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Relaxed, huh…’

I didn’t expect it to be so obvious.

I spoke bluntly.

“The oath is still valid. Can’t you pretend that you did not see me and just leave?”

“Then take this.”

She pulled a pill from her pocket and tossed it to me.

The pill was overall grimy and its shell seemed somewhat damp.

“It’s a pill to erase your memories. If you take it, you’ll never remember what happened today.”

Suddenly, it occurred to me that taking a pill might be the cleanest way to deal with the current situation.

But…

“How can I trust you?”

That’s the last line of defense.

Because if I take the pill, I’ll lose consciousness.

And what if she’s lusting after my equipment?

What if she, out of curiosity, opens it and happens to find the Dragon Slayer Sword in my subspace ring?

In the end, it’s the same as stepping on a mine.

“You have no other option, do you?”

“Why do you say I have no options?”

Compared to when we met in the land of the dead, I’m hundreds of times stronger.

Even compared to my sewer days, I have become several times stronger.

Most importantly, this is not the dark underground sewers with no one to help.

This is an above-ground city where law and society function.

“If I just scream once, my companions will wake up. You alone won’t be able to handle it.”

There’s no reason for me to concede to this woman.

“……Now I see, you’re not relaxed, you’re just being cocky.”

“See for yourself.”

Despite my confident words, the woman remained silent.

Though she accused me of being arrogant, she must know.

How different the situation is now compared to before.

“…”

An unusual heavy silence settled in the empty corridor at dawn.

The first to speak was her.

“Barbarian.”

She called me, taking a step forward.

Instead of responding, I turned my back.

And sure enough.

Thud!

I saw the woman’s clone, her number having doubled.

The doppelganger’s ability [Self-Replication].

「Amelia Rainweilez has cast [Asura Strike].」

Without a sound, the doppelganger jumps from behind and swings her feet with her weight.

The same move that had sent my head flying last time.

I immediately raised my arms to protect my face.

Bang!

A tingling shock traveled through my wrist.

But that was all.

‘Considering my current physical resistance…’

Well, it feels like maybe my bones have cracked a bit, but…

But I can’t really say for sure. I don’t feel pain because of my pain resistance.

“Bethel—raaaaaaa!”

I shouted the name of my ancestral god and slammed my fist, the size of a watermelon, into the doppleganger’s face.

Boom!

The instant the blow landed, the doppelganger disappeared in a cloud of smoke like a firecracker.

I quickly turned towards where the original was, preparing for a combined attack…

But the woman was just standing there.

“How did you know?”

Ah, she must have not imagined I could block it.

I simply answered.

“Sound.”

At some point, all noise had ceased.

Even on a quiet night, this was clearly an unnatural phenomenon.

Aynar’s snoring could easily pass through a wooden door.

The moment the sound stopped, I realized she was attempting a surprise attack, and upon seeing her take a step, I guessed her method.

The [Self-Replication] I had experienced before.

‘The summoning range for the clone is 5m.’

If she had tried to summon it behind me, the distance wouldn’t have been right. Having fought her twice before, I was able to counter like this.

“My offer still stands. Pretend you didn’t see me and just disappear to whatever you were doing.”

I repeated what I had said before.

As expected, a different answer came back this time.

“…How can I trust you?”

I smirked and returned the question.

“Do you have another choice?”

I don’t know what skill she used, but it was short-lived, and within seconds I started to hear Aynar snoring again.

Now I could practically scream and my mates would come out-.

Creak.

That’s when the door opened.

“Bjorn? Who are you talking to, Nyang?”

Misha appeared through the door gap, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“I’ll explain later, just go back inside.”

“Ack!”

I reached out and closed the door before it fully opened.

“Hey! You lunatic!!”

Misha was furious after getting her head bumped, but it couldn’t be helped.

That’s not what’s important right now.

“Hey! Open up! It’s a girl outside! Erwin? Is it her again, Nyang?!”

I blocked the door with my body and quietly stared at the woman.

The message in my eyes was very simple.

‘Now, what are you going to do?’

Her answer came after a brief pause.

“If I say I’ll leave, will you trust me?”

Essentially asking if I wasn’t worried about retaliation.

Without any hesitation, I replied.

“I trust you.”

After all, this was the woman who had spared my life before on just an oath.

In reality, I didn’t report this woman.

I even blocked Misha with my whole body just now.

“By now, you should know. I don’t care what you’re up to. I just don’t want to get involved with you.”

“…Right.”

The woman murmured in a somewhat bitter voice.

However, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.

“So, your answer is?”

“I’ll leave.”

“I’d appreciate it if you also promised not to come looking for me again.”

“I didn’t come looking for you. But… if you want, I’ll promise that too.”

At her words, I somewhat relaxed my guard.

It’s a world where promises don’t mean much, but not everyone holds them lightly.

[I would prefer not to kill a Barbarian with my own hands].

[After all, that was the promise.]

She was the woman who had spared me in the land of the dead, all because of someone else’s promise.

The weight of a promise to her must be different.

‘I used to call her a psychopathic bitch, but it turns out she wasn’t exactly that…’

“Then go, human woman.”

“…”

At my words, the woman quietly nodded her head.

Then, turning her back, she began descending the stairs.

Tap, tap.

As her footsteps faded, a sense of relief blossomed within me.

It was a relief that the confrontation ended without a fight.

My setting wasn’t fully complete to withstand her aura yet.

City, colleagues, or whatever, if it had come down to a real fight, I too would have to shed blood.

“Sigh…”

I felt I could only properly sleep after seeing her leave, so I headed to the stairs.

Tap.

The woman was stepping onto the last stair, descending to the first floor.

But then, perhaps sensing my presence?

“…I’m not a human woman.”

The woman quickly turned around to look at me.

And then…

“Amelia Rainweilez.”

She left those words behind and vanished like smoke.

At that moment, my mind went blank.

“No, what the…”

This makes it seem like we might meet again.

Knock, knock.

I knocked on Aynar’s door.

Only snoring came through, with no answer, unlike Misha’s door which opened almost immediately.

“Nyang! Who was that woman outside?”

“A peddler.”

“What?”

“Let’s just sleep. I’m tired.”

“Huh? Eh? Eh… eh? Sleep? Here? Why?”

I laid a pillow on the floor and laid down on the bare floor.

I really didn’t want to do this but…

“Nyang, right. If you’re tired, it can’t be helped. Come, come, come up and sleep. Don’t do this…”

“That’s a bit… I’ll just sleep here.”

“Huh? Then why did you come here?”

Uh…

Because it seemed like it might be scary to sleep alone tonight.

***

Time passed, and the day to enter the labyrinth arrived.

[10:30]

With 1 hour and 30 minutes left until the portal opened.

Raven arrived just in time for the appointment.

With that, everyone was gathered.

“Fortunately, no one is late this time?”

We casted the bonding magic and moved together.

The starting place was Mr. Bear’s tavern.

It was deemed more comfortable to take everyone from here than to wait nearly an hour elsewhere.

“…It’s definitely less crowded than usual.”

The path to the dimensional square was eerily quiet.

Not that it was incomprehensible.

Given the state of affairs, everyone was probably taking a break to observe the situation.

‘…But what’s this?’

Upon arriving at the dimensional square, I froze in place.

The scene unfolding before me was entirely different from the deserted paths I had traversed.

“Everyone, please form a line!”

There were dozens of times more officials than usual, and even the military was present.

Hundreds of groups formed by one knight and four soldiers each were positioned all around.

‘…Could they be planning to control entry into the labyrinth?’

The thought crossed my mind, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“Here, take these.”

As I reached the end of the long line, an official quickly approached and handed me two items.

One was a recording orb, and the other…

Honestly, I had no idea.

“What’s this necklace for?”

“It’s an identification tag for explorers on our side.”

“Identification tag…?”

“Yes.”

The official explained a few precautions, emphasizing that losing it was absolutely not an option.

Though the bureaucratic speech was lengthy, the translation was simple:

‘Losing it means you’re screwed.’

Without this tag, you become a target for elimination.

Conversely, killing someone without a tag incurs no penalty.

‘It was quiet, because they were planning this?.’

They only informed us right before the labyrinth opened, ensuring maximum secrecy.

As a resident of Raphdonia, this wasn’t bad news for me.

“Bj, Bjorn… Are we okay?”

“Why wouldn’t we be? It means the army will protect us in the labyrinth.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“But one thing’s for sure now. The rumors about a portal in the underground city are true.”

As we chatted and waited, the portal opened after about 5 minutes.

The military entered first, followed by the explorers who had been waiting in line.

“…At this rate, we might not even get in.”

“Oh come on, Urichfried. As if that would happen.”

Raven said it was unlikely, but as time passed, her expression hardened.

The portal shrank in proportion to the diminishing line.

I was actually pleased by the situation.

‘Well, no need to mention it now, right?’

I had planned to confess about past incidents and use the experience copy bug.

After observing Mr. Bear for a month, I knew he valued trust highly, and Raven was reliable in a different sense.

The incident with the special appraiser was the deciding factor.

[They would’ve. But if we told them, they’d make several times more than what they’ve paid us, right? I can’t accept that]

She would never do something that benefited others.

So, I intended to share this method and accumulate free experience from this entry onwards.

But…

“What are you doing! Hurry up and get in!”

“If you’re not going in, move aside!”

Given the current situation, it seemed I could naturally lead to that outcome.

Especially since the prospect of the military seemed to have scared some explorers, who hesitated and blocked the way.

“That’s it, everyone! Please step back!”

“What! I’ve been waiting for over an hour!”

Entry was closed with about ten people left in line.

“Are we really going back home like this?!”

“I never thought we’d actually not get in.”

“Urichfried was the one talking nonsense.”

“…You’re blaming me?”

“Let’s just go back, everyone.”

Everyone seemed resigned to reality.

Gee, what a letdown, Barbarian.

To give up over something like this?

“Bjorn, what are you doing? Just staring ahead.”

“Now’s the time.”

As the light from the portal began to fade, usually, there would be announcements like ‘The gate will close soon!’

“Everyone, hop on.”

“Huh?”

With no time to explain, I activated [Gigantification].

My body grew instantaneously.

“What are you doing! It’s illegal to use abilities in unauthorized areas—!”

A fine is just a fine.

It’s not that much.

As long as no one is injured, it’s around 300,000 stones.

‘This can come out of the group funds.’

I quickly scooped up the four people with my arms.

And then I started running towards the portal.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

“Stop right now!!”

Ignoring the officials’ verbal protests, I continued my run. After all, at most, I’d face a small fine.

There truly was no reason not to enter. Just one day of hunting on the 5th floor would more than cover any penalty.

“Kyaa!”

“You, are you really just going to barge in?”

“Bethel—raaaaaaa!”

Perhaps my shout served as an answer?

Aynar, clinging to my left arm, burst into laughter.

“Hahahat! That’s Bjorn for you!!! A great warrior!!”

Yes, this is how a true Barbarian acts.

Kwoong! Kwoong!

With a satisfied smile, I sprinted across the empty square at a breakneck pace.

Swoosh—

The light from the portal, now reduced to about the size of a person and wavering uncertainly, enveloped us in a flash.

「You have entered the 1st floor Crystal Cave.」

Safe.

***

「Your character’s fame score has increased by +1.」

「Your character’s fame score has increased by +1.」

「Your character’s fame score has increased by +1.」

「Your character’s fame score has increased by +1…」

「……」