Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 346

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Her specs are just slightly better than mine.

And her equipment…

“Overwhelmingly superior.”

On top of that, she’s been fighting in the war for over a year, even taking out some of those Noarch bastards, so she likely has more combat experience than me now.

But there’s no need to be intimidated.

Erwin made one crucial mistake.

Swish.

The distance.

Being a Spirit King’s contractor or whatever doesn’t matter when it comes to an archer. Controlling distance is key, and at this range, I hold the advantage.

The fact that we’re in an enclosed room works in my favor too.

Plus, her mental state is clearly not intact.

“Ch-charge at you? How could I… to you, Mister… I could never…”

Wow, just earlier, she was calling me an evil spirit or whatever.

I didn’t intend to drag this out.

Once we both start going all out, finishing this quietly would be difficult.

Crunch!

I clenched my hand, which was the size of a watermelon, into a fist and immediately sprang forward, kicking off the ground.

But…

Whoosh!

My so-called sneak attack, a punch, cut through nothing but air.

Is it because she’s an agility-type character?

“…Don’t. Don’t do this.”

Well, I expected as much.

Boom.

The moment I stomped my foot on the floor to stop my movement,

[Your character has cast [Eye of the Storm]

A whirlwind erupted around me, pulling everything in its radius.

It wasn’t combined with [Transcendence], so the range was only 5 meters.

But that was enough to cover the entire room we were standing in.

Whoooooosh!

The bed, blankets, pillows, bookshelves, desk, carpet—everything weighing less than 500 kilograms was swept up in the fierce wind.

Of course, Erwin was caught in it too.

“…This!”

Erwin’s eyes showed a hint of panic. She had fought the Storm Gush on Farune Island, so she must have wondered why I was using this skill now.

I didn’t show it when I revealed my identity to her, thinking it wasn’t necessary as it wasn’t my original essence.

Whoooosh!

But Erwin had apparently been through quite a bit herself. She immediately called upon the Wind Spirit to resist the pull of the vortex.

“St-stop it…!”

Stop it? Yeah, right.

“I told you, didn’t I? You’ve got a problem with your head.”

Maintaining [Eye of the Storm], I started walking toward her.

And then…

Whoosh!

I thrust my fist forward.

Of course, I didn’t actually expect it to hit Erwin.

She would surely dodge backward, and when she did, I was planning to extend my arm instantly with [Gigantification].

Yeah, that’s how it should have gone…

Thud.

The duration of [Eye of the Storm] ended, and all the furniture that had been swirling in the air dropped to the floor simultaneously.

And then…

“…”

Erwin stood there.

Right in front of my outstretched fist, eyes closed.

“Why…?”

At this point, I couldn’t help but ask.

If I hadn’t managed to stop midway, my punch would have certainly hit her.

So why didn’t she dodge?

“You didn’t avoid it?”

Erwin slowly opened her eyes and spoke with a face that looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

“Because… if I had, you would’ve gotten hurt, Mister.”

Huh?

As I stood there, dumbfounded by the sudden change in the situation—

“You’re right… I know too… I know there’s something wrong with me… but still, even so…”

Erwin continued to speak, her voice full of sorrow.

“I could never… hurt you, Mister.”

Oh…

I… see?

Drip.

I was left speechless as I watched a tear roll down her cheek and fall to the floor.

“…”

Now I just feel like the bad guy.

***

After that, Erwin and I had a heart-to-heart conversation.

Sometimes it got overly sentimental, and at one point the conversation veered wildly off topic, but in summary this is what she said:

She hasn’t been in her right mind since I died.

Driven by a single-minded desire for revenge, she endured endless suffering until she was able to claim the pure blood of her clan.

As soon as she gained power, war broke out, and she saw it as her opportunity for revenge, throwing herself into dangerous battles without regard for her life.

That’s when she made a contract with the Spirit King.

And…

“I admit I went overboard, but I never intended to imprison you, Mister.”

She boarded up the windows and restricted my walks to nighttime because she was worried about me.

After all, rumors had spread in the city that I was some sort of evil spirit.

It had become an obsession for her.

She couldn’t control her fear of losing me again.

“What about Amelia, then?”

“…Her too. I just can’t trust her. I know I would never betray you, Mister, under any circumstances… but I don’t know about her. It makes me too anxious…”

“…”

“But I won’t interfere anymore. Even if you want to make her your companion, I won’t stop you. Honestly, I’m still uneasy…”

“Uneasy, but…?”

“…But since you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

Hmm, is she being sincere?

It doesn’t seem like she’s lying or anything…

I’m a little worried she might snap and act irrationally again, but for now, she seems genuine.

Especially considering what she said next.

“If you want me to, I can go to the temple tomorrow and erase all of my essences. I wouldn’t be able to protect you anymore, but… I’m willing to do it.”

Most of Erwin’s essences were obtained through her feats in battle.

Yet, she was willing to erase them all.

“…Why go that far?”

“Because… I don’t want you to hate me.”

I couldn’t fully understand her reasoning.

Were we really that close for her to feel that way?

I couldn’t help but feel doubtful.

But I didn’t voice those thoughts out loud, considering the situation.

“…I think it’s better not to erase your essences.”

“…I’ll do as you say.”

“But if something like this happens again, you should be prepared to erase a few.”

“Yes, if that’s what you want—”

“I’m not saying this for my sake, but for yours.”

I was 100% sincere.

Because Erwin wasn’t in her right mind.

It wouldn’t be hard to manipulate her with sweet words, exploiting her desire not to be hated and making her follow my will.

But that wouldn’t be right.

That’s not what comrades are for.

I learned that from a mage in Larkaz’s labyrinth.

So…

“For… me?”

I spoke firmly.

“Yes, for you… No, more accurately, for the sake of our relationship.”

“Our… relationship…”

“…Do you understand?”

I grabbed her shoulders and asked, as if to confirm, and she soon answered.

“Y-yes… hehehe…”

…Did she really understand?

***

After that conversation, not much changed in my daily life.

I still led a secluded life, enjoying the night air in the yard, and didn’t remove the boards from the windows.

The only noticeable difference was in Erwin’s attitude.

“Mister, here’s the equipment you used.”

Erwin, who previously seemed content for me to just hide away in this house, had become much more proactive in helping me.

It started with the gear.

“This is…”

No. 2988: Guardian Corps Insignia.

While it didn’t have any special stats or active effects, it was one of the core items for shieldbearers, granting a 50% shock absorption effect to shields when equipped.

“…You’ve had this the whole time?”

“Yes. There was no way I could sell it.”

Apparently, the inheritance distribution had been handled by Raven, and although the earring was mailed to her, she hadn’t sold it and had just kept it.

“Why give it to me now? I asked about my equipment before, didn’t I?”

“I’m sorry… I was hiding it because I didn’t want you to go back into the labyrinth.”

So, it wasn’t just in my head.

‘If things hadn’t worked out properly, I might’ve really been locked up in this house…’

The thought made me shiver, but surely she hadn’t meant it that way.

I pushed away the uneasy feeling and focused on other things.

I thought the rest of my gear would’ve been sold off already, but now I had a different thought.

Maybe the others had kept some things, too?

“I should check that out too. But one thing’s certain: Abman definitely sold everything.”

“Abman?”

“Yes. He took things that didn’t hold as much meaning for you, like the spatial ring and such.”

Hmm, I see.

He must’ve taken the things that were easy to sell, leaving behind the more personal items.

It stung a little, but it wasn’t a big deal.

“As long as this earring and a few other important items are intact, the rest can be replaced.”

I could always have a new shield and armor made.

The other numbered items aren’t too expensive anyway.

“Do you know who took my necklace?”

“Oh, the one that turned gemstones into strange things?”

“Yeah.”

The official name is the No. 7777 Garphas Necklace.

This necklace has the ability to transform gemstones into random materials. It’s like a gacha machine for alchemy, turning gemstones into things like bread, water, or metal.

It wasn’t exactly a valuable item.

At least not until you had the resources to trigger the hidden special event.

“Actually… I really wanted that necklace, so I once sent a letter to that mage… or rather, Alluva Raven, about it.”

“So? Who took it?”

“Misha Karlstein.”

“…Ah.”

At the mention of her name, I couldn’t help but sigh.

She was the only one among our comrades whose whereabouts were unknown. Although, I did recently hear that she’s been spotted with Lee Baek-ho at the round table…

That only added to the confusion.

Everything feels like a mystery.

“….”

Still, I decided to be optimistic.

Misha and I had a special connection.

If it’s her, there’s a good chance she hasn’t sold it and is keeping it safe.

‘Hmm… maybe not?’

After two and a half years, I can’t be certain.

So I decided to put that matter aside for now.

“As for my armor and weapons, I bet Aynar took those… and maybe Raven got the rest?”

While I was puzzling over where my scattered equipment might have ended up, another item came to mind.

‘Ah, the Orb of Fire… What happened to that?’

It’s the only soul-bound item I had.

If my disappearance was officially considered death in this timeline, then it would’ve been possible to sell it. Otherwise, someone’s probably just holding onto it.

‘If it’s the latter, Raven’s the most likely one with it…’

Sigh.

The more I think about it, the more it weighs on me.

I hadn’t come away empty-handed from my time in the past, but the number of tasks I had to complete was overwhelming.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Mister?”

“Oh… I got lost in thought for a moment.”

I snapped out of my reverie and took a bite of the food Erwin had brought from the dining hall. After I finished my meal, I sat down to talk to her.

“So, what are you planning to do next?”

“…First, I need to clear my name as an evil spirit.”

“Should I use my connections to arrange something?”

Erwin suggested I could prove myself in front of the royal family, but I decided to decline.

It felt a bit premature.

At some point, I would need to take that route, but I had the nagging feeling that there were political undertones involved in my case.

“I think we need to be more cautious about this. If things go wrong, it could reflect badly on you or even the entire fairy race.”

“…You’re always so considerate.”

Ahem. 

“Anyway, could you focus on gathering information about Raven and Abman for now?”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

After our conversation, Erwin left, saying she needed to visit the sanctuary, and I lay down on the couch in the living room, planning to take a nap.

That’s when it happened.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the front door.

It couldn’t be Erwin—she wouldn’t knock.