Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 297

Evil Spirit (1)

After running for almost thirty minutes, I encountered a five-person team.

The team consisted of three humans, a dwarf, and a fairy.

Judging from their equipment, they were explorers of at least the fifth floor…….

“You got lost? Calm down and come rest for a while.”

When I approached their camp, they didn’t show any wariness. Instead, they sat me by the campfire and even gave me some jerky.

At first, I suspected the jerky might be poisoned.

However…

“Hmmm, what to do. We don’t have the time to search the entire 3rd floor to find your team.”

None of them showed any greed during the conversation, nor did they ask for any equipment in return for saving me.

Well, that’s almost customary.

“Haha, you want to give us your weapon? No need. If you give us your gear, what will you do for the rest of this raid?”

“Never mind. If it weighs on your conscience, repay us by helping someone in need when you meet similar people later.”

These people were not just good; they were exceptionally kind. It was almost suspicious how nice they were,  and I showed my fatigue by nodding off at the bonfire…

“You seem very tired.”

“Jess, what do we do? We can’t just leave him here. That would be as good as telling him to die.”

“How about we look around for a few hours to see if we can find his teammates?”

“And if we can’t find them?”

“Well, then we take him with us during this exploration. It’s a hassle, but we can’t just let him die here.”

Testing them further seems pointless and would only cause more trouble. 

So I gave my prearranged signal to Amelia, who was nearby, to come and get me.

“There are a lot of people coming to meet us today. Who are you?”

“Sorry to intrude. I’m looking for my teammate.”

“A teammate? Oh, could it be…!”

As Amelia approached the bonfire, I jumped up and ran to her.

“Oh! Emily!! I missed you!! Why are you so late!!”

“S-sorry… but this is a bit…”

“Emilyyy!!”

While hugging her tightly to maintain the act, I also kept an eye on our surroundings.

Though they seemed like good people, I judged they might change their minds upon seeing Amelia.

But…

“So you’ve found your companion. That’s great.”

There was no twist until the end.

“Haha, make sure to stick with your teammates next time.”

“You’ve got good teammates. It’s not easy to find each other once separated in the labyrinth. Cherish each other.”

They were nice people from start to finish.

So, it was time for us uninvited guests to leave.

“Let’s go. Everyone… is worried… about you…”

Amelia took me away, saying there was a place where she promised to meet with our teammates, and they saw us off with warm smiles.

Now, as time passed…

‘Did I really come back without any trouble?’

I felt a mix of confusion and deep emotion.

Is this what healing feels like…?

What kind of life have I been living?

There are so many wonderful people in the world.

“Unfortunately, your method didn’t work.”

Amelia, who had been silently watching, looked at me as if asking what I would do next.

Sheesh, putting me on the spot.

How was I supposed to know this would happen?

“Are you going to continue?”

Amelia’s question made me genuinely contemplate.

Then, it happened.

“Hey there, did you get separated from your teammates? What are you two doing?”

Five explorers emerged from the darkness.

“If that’s the case, come over here. We can help.”

They all had bright smiles.

As if they’d found gold on the street.

So I ended my admiration for humanity and approached them with a smile.

“Oh, really? We could use some help. This is great!”

These types tend to come to you even if you don’t look for them.

****

The second team we met was much more blatant than I expected. As soon as we joined them, they naturally surrounded us.

And then…

“Oh, isn’t that a subspace ring? Your equipment may be shabby, but you’re wearing something valuable.”

One of them grabbed my hand and examined the subspace ring, creating a threatening atmosphere.

“So, where are your teammates?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm, really?”

After extracting some information, they probably decided we weren’t a significant threat.

One of them approached Amelia.

He reached out to touch her exposed thigh…

Thud.

Before he could touch her, a dagger pierced his hand.

“Aaagh!! This crazy bitch!”

“Kill her!”

The fight started less than three minutes after we met.

Whoosh!

The moment he was stabbed, he retaliated without hesitation, showing that they had plenty of experience in combat.

Of course, it didn’t matter.

Because we were the same.

“Bethel—raaaaaaah!”

Using my [Gigantification] and [Swing], the battle quickly tilted in our favor. Their formation to prevent us from escaping ended up helping us.

Beating up goblins when surrounded is advantageous, but…

Crunch-!

We’re not trolls or ogres, are we?

Having dealt with the rear ranks wielding bows and staff, the rest were soon on the ground.

“Were we tricked…? Damn.”

Crunch-!

“…”

When I crushed the head of the guy who seemed to be the leader, a pleasant silence followed.

Now it was time to gather the items left by the dead.

As expected, the spoils of their plundering were evident when we checked their gear and bags.

There wasn’t much equipment, as it was only the third day, but there were plenty of items such as sleeping potions, poisons and mind control scrolls, clearly meant for use on people, not monsters.

There were also several stolen ID cards.

Did we make a big haul all at once?

“If we do this about ten more times, we’re good.”

Amelia no longer doubted my method.

Well, she must have realized.

There’s no more efficient way.

By killing plunderers who had looted others, we could collect multiple pieces of equipment and IDs, achieving far more with less time and effort.

“Let’s clean up the blood and keep moving.”

So, we continued the same strategy, meeting various teams.

Their reactions varied greatly.

But broadly speaking…

[We have no interest. Please go away.]

90% wouldn’t even let me approach when I went alone.

[Your situation is unfortunate. You can stay for a while.]

5% would listen to my story and let me rest in exchange for reasonable compensation.

[You’re suspicious. Show your ID.]

3% mistook us for plunderers and prepared to mete out justice.

[Equipment isn’t worth more than a life.]

Some tried to take all my equipment, indifferent to whether I died to monsters.

[Sorry. We don’t take chances.]

About 1% would take my life just because they’d seen my face.

‘The success rate is much lower than expected.’

One team in a hundred is worth it.

Why did I encounter such scumbags so often before? It’s like a proverb: you can’t find dog shit when you need it. Now that I’m looking, this happens?

I don’t know, but time passed, and by the eighth day.

We met a team of a type we had never seen before.

“Oh, to meet the famous newcomers here?”

They were plunderers from Noark.

****

To sum up, there was no battle.

Not because we didn’t intend to, but because they didn’t give us a chance.

“Haha, it’s nice to meet, but please keep your distance.”

They didn’t even let us close, and Amelia didn’t show any hostility.

In fact, she warned me.

“They’re from the lord’s side, so don’t act rashly.”

I didn’t plan to, anyway.

We have to pretend to be on the same side, right?

If we attack first and one of them survives to testify, our plan would be ruined.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Amelia didn’t hesitate to accept Noark’s team’s offer to talk. It didn’t take long for me to understand her intentions.

We need to join the lord’s faction.

This was an opportunity to showcase ourselves.

“I’m Beck.”

“We are…”

“We know. Emily, and you are the Iron Mask, right?”

“Iron Mask?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? That’s the nickname you’ve earned.”

I had no idea I’d earned such a nickname. Well, given that I always wear a thick helmet, it makes sense.

“But you look quite handsome without it.”

Oh, right. I wasn’t wearing my helmet since we were fishing for plunderers.

I felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t bother to put the helmet back on.

Yeah, what difference would it make if a few people saw my face?

Nothing would change anyway.

“So, was that your strategy earlier? It was impressive. You used people’s prejudices against the Barbarian tribe very well.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Oh, it was a compliment, nothing more. Don’t look at me like that. We might become allies, after all.”

At this, Amelia interjected.

“Allies?”

“Oh, I haven’t mentioned it yet. Since you need time to adjust to this city, I didn’t say anything, but the lord has taken a liking to you.”

In other words, they’d been observing us because we seemed skilled but unknown.

“The lord appreciates bold individuals. Especially those like you, who aren’t bound by moral scruples.”

This implied that there was no need to test us further.

“You’ll probably hear from us when you return. Think about it well in the meantime. It’s a strange city, right? You’ll need a nest.”

“…We’ll think about it.”

“Haha, that’s good enough.”

The guy laughed heartily and then looked at me.

“And you, you seem to have adapted well to the human world despite being new here!!”

“And you must’ve been out in the world too long, haven’t you? Your hair is all gone.”

“…What?”

It was clear he was trying to insult me, so I replied without thinking.

But perhaps he didn’t mean to offend?

“Ah! It was a compliment! Sorry if it sounded otherwise.”

Instead of showing displeasure, he apologized.

So, it was my turn to apologize.

“Oh, I meant it as a compliment too. Sorry if it was misunderstood.”

“…Really?”

He laughed awkwardly, and I awkwardly laughed back.

All the while, I kept looking at him.

It was a strange feeling.

‘His name was definitely ‘Beck’, right?’

But why did I feel so itchy just looking at him?

As I moved my gaze, I saw an explorer in a robe among the group.

The figure was small, like a child.

“Oh, you might not know yet.”

Noticing my stare, Bek pulled off the kid’s robe.

“This one is similar to the trick you used. We use her as bait. Most people lower their guard. Once inside, she scouts the enemy’s strength. Surprisingly helpful in fights too. Most people hesitate to kill kids.”

Beck proudly explained, like showing off a product.

But I wasn’t listening.

I had heard this from Amelia before…

‘Why does this kid seem familiar?’

Even after the robe was pulled off, the kid stood expressionless, giving me a sense of déjà vu.

Maybe misunderstanding my intense stare, Beck spouted nonsense.

“Hm, so you’re not curious but rather like the kid?”

In the past, I would have smashed his head to clear the misunderstanding, but I asked instead.

“What’s her name?”

“Name?”

Beck tilted his head, puzzled by my strange question.

He didn’t understand why a name would matter.

But he answered anyway.

“Jencia Neaprin”

So, it was you.

No wonder I felt strange.

[W-we’re real people… , right? Doing that would be murder.]

This child was the first evil spirit I killed in the ‘Ice Cave’.

Of course, the Jencia I killed would be different from this child.

Evil spirits only possess adults, and no other cases have been found.

‘Wait, if that’s the case…’

Realizing this, I understood something.

A child from Noark.

If this child survived into adulthood, it would likely still be living underground.

That means…

[I want to go home. I can’t die here. Not in this shitty place… I barely survived. Please.]

I finally understood why that woman had cried out so desperately.

Human characters have it easier in terms of survival.

They’re taxed much less compared to other races, so it’s not a big problem to survive for a few years even without working as an explorer.

That’s why I couldn’t really empathize with her.

All I saw was a woman trying to live easily through plundering.

But…

[Mom…]

Yes, this child started in this hell.

I used to think the Barbarian tribe had the worst starting conditions.

“…”

But there was a deeper bottom.