Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 579
Return (5)
Ghost Busters.
A space created twenty years ago that became a sanctuary for countless homesick players.
It ended as suddenly as it began.
[Emergency Alert: The server will shut down shortly.]
[If you’re forcibly disconnected, unexpected issues may arise, so we kindly ask all users currently logged in to log out as soon as possible.]
The message popped up about five minutes after I received the DM from Hyeon-byeol.
When I refreshed the page, the already apocalyptic atmosphere of the forum erupted into chaos.
Posts questioning why the site was shutting down so early, people looking for reassurance from others, and even senseless spam messages you’d never see when the site was properly moderated.
[Guys urgent. Please reply.]
[Guys urgent. Please reply.]
[Guys urgent. Please reply.]
[Guys urgent. Please reply.]
I clicked on the post out of curiosity, but it turned out to be nothing interesting.
[What happens if I don’t log out and just stay?]
Ugh, of course.
Still, I was a little curious myself, so I checked the replies.
[these99: What happens? You’ll just get logged out automatically.]
[OP: Oh? Then I’ll stay until I’m automatically logged out.]
[└fliccolo: Did you not read the part about unexpected issues? Just log out properly. If something goes wrong, you might end up brain-dead for life.]
Chilling thought.
Going brain-dead just because you didn’t log out in time…
It sounded ridiculous, but considering how strange this space was, I couldn’t completely rule it out.
‘The wording “unexpected issues” left by the GM themselves is a bit unsettling too.’
Even if that weren’t the case, there was no reason to stay logged in. After skimming through the forum posts one last time, I hit the log-out button.
[Are you sure you want to log out?]
A choice between “Yes” and “No,” just like the first time I entered this world.
Click, click.
The moment I pressed “Yes,” my vision darkened, and I felt myself being pulled somewhere.
It was time to go back.
Not as the mysterious Lion Mask, nor as the ordinary office worker Lee Han-soo.
But as—
“…You came out six seconds earlier than usual. Did something happen inside?”
Bjorn Jandel.
Come to think of it, when did it start?
Every time I returned from the community, Amelia was always there.
No matter how many times I told her she didn’t need to do that, she’d always sneak in by the time I opened my eyes. Eventually, I just gave up.
Honestly, I wasn’t ungrateful, but…
“You said you were just going to bed? Are you lying to me now?” I asked
“I was planning to.”
“But?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Couldn’t sleep, my foot.
I stifled a laugh as I looked at her, and Amelia continued, as if making an excuse.
“…And you never know what might happen inside the labyrinth.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
As I sat up, Amelia handed me a glass of water and asked again.
“So, what happened inside?”
“The community shut down today.”
“Shut down…?”
After gulping down the water to soothe my dry throat, I explained in more detail.
The notice that appeared as soon as I entered the community.
And the information about the shutdown I’d gathered from the round table.
“Hmm, Auril Gavis was involved in the shutdown…”
“The official reason was to prevent the evil spirits from becoming complacent, but that can’t be the real reason. What do you think? Does anything come to mind?”
“Well… If I think of something, I’ll tell you right away.”
Tch. As expected, she didn’t have any leads either.
Well, it’s not like she’s ever met Aurel Gavis in person.
Just as I was thinking that, Amelia’s tone shifted and she locked eyes with me.
“So, Jandel. What else happened in there?”
“…Huh?”
“You wouldn’t be making that face just because the community got shut down.”
“What kind of face…?”
As I tilted my head, Amelia spoke carefully.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but…”
“Don’t beat around the bush. Just say it.”
“…You look like you’re in pain.”
Ah…
“Did something else happen in there?”
Damn it. Can’t hide anything from her.
What should I do? Should I tell her or not?
After a brief struggle, I decided to be honest and laid out everything that had happened.
It wasn’t like it was a secret anyway.
Besides, it felt wrong to lie to someone staring at me with such sincere eyes.
“So… that’s what happened in there.”
It didn’t take long to explain everything.
I recounted the events in chronological order, strictly without my personal perspective.
But Amelia seemed to grasp instantly what was troubling me.
No, It almost felt like she understood it even better than I did.
At least, judging by what she said next.
“You’re agonizing over whether you have the right to be angry at Misha Karlstein.”
In just one line, Amelia summarized my emotional state—something even I hadn’t fully understood.
I felt strangely exposed, as if I’d been stripped bare.
Maybe that’s why I reflexively argued back:
“It’s not that simple. It’s not just about Misha—it’s a complex issue involving everyone else—”
“But the core of the problem is Misha Kalstein, isn’t it?”
“……”
“Am I wrong?”
I had no response.
So I just pressed my lips together, and Amelia calmly asked another question.
“Can you tell me what happened that day?”
No further clarification was needed.
She meant the day I said nothing happened.
It was the day Missha stopped talking to everyone and began sitting alone in the corner.
‘…Where should I even start?’
After a brief hesitation, I decided to begin from the very beginning.
“Do you know about the Stone of Resurrection?”
Before I could explain my conflict with Misha, I had to explain this first—something I hadn’t shared with anyone yet.
“Somewhat.”
“Before Misha Karlstein returned to our clan, she received the Stone of Resurrection from Lee Baek-ho. When I found out, I confronted her about it.”
“And?”
“I asked if she knew that using the Stone of Resurrection would erase all of the target’s memories from their past life. She said she didn’t know. So I said, ‘I see,’ and told her to leave.”
“So… what happened after that?”
I answered with a sigh.
“Misha didn’t leave. She begged me to say something—even if it was just yelling at her. So I told her the truth.”
“……”
‘I don’t… think I can trust you.’
‘Even after hearing your explanation, my first thought was that you might still be hiding something.’
With those words, there was a brief moment of silence between us.
“…And then?”
“That was it.”
Misha left the room without another word, and we hadn’t had a proper conversation since.
That was the full story.
“I see.”
After listening, Amelia stayed quiet for a long time, sorting through her thoughts. Then she asked something unexpected.
“Why didn’t you tell us about Misha Kalstein?”
Honestly… I don’t know. Why didn’t I?
Why hadn’t I told Amelia about the Stone of Resurrection?
Part of me wanted to dodge the question, but the truth was, I already knew why.
“…Because Misha would be isolated.”
Her position in our clan was already precarious.
Erwin viewed Misha with suspicion, and Versil outright treated her as a potential traitor.
And after two years of isolation, she couldn’t even reconnect with Aynar, who used to be close to her.
If it came out that she’d been acting on Lee Baek-ho’s orders, the outcome was obvious.
She’d be even more alienated.
Maybe to the point where she’d eventually leave on her own.
But that only made me feel more pathetic.
‘What do I even want?’
Just as I was struggling to understand my own feelings, Amelia finally nodded in understanding.
“So that’s why. You couldn’t use ‘Misplaced Trust’ on Misha Kalstein.”
“……”
“You must have thought she was still hiding something.”
It hit the mark.
It was a paradox, but because I didn’t trust Misha, I couldn’t use the item on her.
Like Schrödinger’s cat.
The moment you open the box, the outcome is decided, and there’s no going back.
So I left the box closed for now.
Looking at my pathetic self, Amelia said,
“Very much like you.”
It sounded like criticism, but her eyes were gentle.
“Bjorn Jandel. At dawn, take the ‘Misplaced Trust’ and ask Karlstein if she’s hiding anything. If she says no, treat her like a comrade again.”
“And if she is hiding something?”
“Well, then you’ll just have to figure it out again.”
“That’s… a little irresponsible, don’t you think?”
“But you know you can’t put this off forever.”
Fair enough.
As I let out a long sigh of frustration, Amelia spoke up comfortingly.
“Do what you have to do, no matter how much you don’t want to do it.”
‘…….’
“Bjorn Jandel. Be yourself.”
Be yourself…….
I wonder what kind of person Amelia sees me as.
And then I wondered how I saw her.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just… you seem more mature than usual?”
An unfiltered, honest remark.
“Ugh…?”
For some reason, Amelia flinched as if she’d been punched in the gut.
After staring at me for a moment, she sighed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Uh… was there any other way to take it?
***
After a good night’s sleep, the next morning.
I went straight to the village chief to retrieve the “Distorted Trust” for Misha.
Even then, I hesitated.
‘Is it really okay to use this…?’
Not because I was afraid of what Misha might be hiding, but because it just felt wrong to use something like this on a comrade.
Because what about next time?
Would I start relying on “Distorted Trust” every time I had doubts?
And could I still call that a “comrade” relationship?
It was a fundamental dilemma.
But…
‘This is the last time I’ll use it.’
I didn’t know what the future would bring, but after making that vow, I felt a little less hesitant.
Right. So now…
Knock, knock, knock.
After standing blankly for a while, I knocked on her door.
No response. She didn’t seem to be asleep, though.
“It’s me, Misha. I need to talk for a second.”
I knocked again and called out. Soon, I heard movement inside.
“Eh? Oh? B-Bjorn? J-Just a minute…”
The door finally opened—after nearly five minutes.
“What’s… going on…? At this early hour…”
Despite rumors of her living like a shut-in, she looked surprisingly neat. Her hair was still damp, as if she’d just washed it.
“Can I come in for a minute?”
“Uh… It’s a bit messy, but…”
“It’s fine.”
Without waiting, I stepped inside and immediately pulled out ‘Misplaced Trust.’
“That’s…”
Misha recognized it right away, and a swirl of emotions crossed her face.
Relief. Happiness. Disappointment. Fear.
Neither of us said anything for a moment.
Eventually, I forced the words out of my mouth.
“Before we talk… I want to turn this on. Will you let me?”
After a pause, she finally replied—not with an answer, but with a question of her own:
“…If I answer everything after you turn that on…
“……”
“…Then can we go back? To how things used to be?”
Before answering, a question surfaced in my mind.
What exactly did she mean by “going back”?
Back to when it felt like we truly understood each other? Or just back to a simple comrade relationship?
Well, it was probably the latter.
After all, it was Misha who had clearly drawn the line and pushed me away.
“Maybe.”
I gave an ambiguous but affirmative answer.
There was one condition, of course—if Misha truly wasn’t hiding anything else from me.
Then, maybe we really could go back.
Back to a time when I didn’t have to agonize over things like this.
“…Okay.”
Misha clenched her fists tightly and nodded.
With that, I began the real questioning.
[The character has used [Misplaced Trust].]
I always think this, but…
What a perfectly fitting name for this thing.
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