Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 122

Episode 122 High-Rank Player (1)

The next day, early in the morning, Misha woke me up.

“Wake up, wake up! How long are you going to just sleep, nyang!”

It was 6:30 AM at the time.

Even considering the schedule to visit Commelby, it was quite early.

“Let’s eat out today. I couldn’t pack lunch because I got up early, nyang.”

“Well, let’s start with breakfast on the first floor-“

“This place is no good, no good! Let’s go out to eat, okay nyang?”

“I’m hungry though…”

“Come on, I’ll buy you something delicious. Got it, nyang?”

Pressured by Misha, I ended up leaving without having breakfast. We hurriedly took a carriage and only managed to have our meal upon arriving at the commercial district of Commelby.

The restaurant Misha claimed was a hidden gem was located 30 minutes away from the public carriage platform.

“What do you think, is it good?”

“It’s delicious…!”

Whatever they did to the stew, it had a very familiar umami flavor.

I made a mental note to come here whenever I was nearby.

“I’m glad you like it, nyang. You seem satisfied.”

“Except for the price of a single meal.”

“Well, that’s because you ate four portions, you barbarian glutton!”

After our late breakfast, we visited the usual weapon and miscellaneous shops to sell off our loot.

“3 million stones…”

The amount we got from selling all of Jencia and the trio’s equipment and consumables we met on the second floor.

It wasn’t a small amount of money, but it didn’t feel particularly significant either. If we had sold the viper’s fangs and the leather armor made from second-tier materials as well, the sum would have been several times larger.

“Well, I can always sell those later.”

Afterward, we entrusted the repair of our equipment to a blacksmith recommended by Hikurod. I was worried about the repair costs since the shield and breastplate were significantly damaged during the troll battle, but…

“All together, that’ll be 300,000 stones.”

The repair cost was cheaper than expected.

After all, it’s easier to fix dents than to deal with melted metal.

“Do you also deal with leather, nyang?”

“Yes, Do you have something to entrust?”

“Ah, this part around the chest is too tight…”

Misha also had her armor adjusted.

I was worried that tampering with leather armor might cause problems, but there were no issues.

“This should do. No need to add new material. Just using a softener to slightly expand the tight area should suffice.”

The repair cost was just around 50,000 stones.

Maybe it was because we came on Hikurod’s recommendation, but the place didn’t overcharge us, and they seemed to conduct their business very honestly.

“Please come back together in three days.”

After leaving the blacksmith’s, we went around purchasing supplies for our next exploration.

We replenished our stock of Witch’s Lamp Solvent, a countermeasure for stealth techniques, and bought a few other items that came to mind.

And then…

“Two bottles for 2 million stones.”

We repurchased the top grade potions from the miscellaneous shop we visited before.

I hadn’t expected to use up a bottle so quickly.

The expenses were significant, but since we shared the cost, it felt somewhat better.

“Fortunately, we didn’t need to dip into the common account. Here, this is 325,000 stones.”

We split the remaining money between Misha and myself.

That concluded our agenda for the day.

“I’m off then, nyang! Sleep well, Bjorn!”

“Sleep well too.”

It was night by the time we returned to Rabigion. After a simple meal, we parted ways.

And upon returning to my lodging…

What’s this now?

In front of my room, a silver-haired fairy sat crouched, burying her head in her knees.

“Erwin…?”

“Oh, you’re here?”

Erwin greeted me with a smile as soon as she saw me.

Her eyes seemed tired, prompting me to ask.

“…How long have you been waiting here?”

“Not long. But, were you two out?”

“Yeah, we had to make a trip to Commelby.”

“I see… that makes sense.”

“So, what brings you here?”

It was getting late, and I was about to wash up and go to bed, but Erwin remained silent as if she was gathering her thoughts.

Her expression was serious, but then she spoke in her usual lively voice.

“Mister, I can’t come by as often as before. I came to tell you that.”

“Huh? Ah… well, things are different now.”

She’s not a greenhorn explorer anymore.

Well, it hasn’t even been a year for her yet…

But still, it’s a time when she needs to focus more on growing.

“Yes, starting tomorrow, I’ll be undergoing special training with my sister. So, I think I can only visit about once a week? I’d like to come more often, but… it seems it will take a while.”

“A while?”

“…There’s something.”

Erwin trailed off, then disappeared with a bright smile before I could ask any further.

“Anyway, I’ll be back next week, so I’ll see you then, mister!”

“Yeah, see you…”

…What’s this uneasy feeling?

****

The next day at lunch, the entire team gathered at the tavern.

We had a distribution session for the loot from our last exploration, celebrating with return drinks.

“It looks like 550,000 stones per person would be the split. The by-products from the Frogman Shaman sold for more than expected.”

“Haha, all thanks to Rotmiller’s skillful handling.”

“Ahem, since I’m not much help in combat, I had to contribute somehow.”

While Rotmiller modestly brushed it off, I finalized our earnings from the expedition.

The magic stones obtained from the rift and the first and second floors amounted to 400,000.

After selling equipment and deducting the cost of consumables, we had 320,000 stones left.

550,000 stones from completing quests and selling by-products.

In total, 1,270,000 stones.

‘We’ve earned this much even after spending.’

No matter how you look at it, we earned much more on the fourth floor than in the past two months.

In fact, considering the essence Misha consumed, the leather armor, and the viper’s fangs, it’s fair to say we made a killing.

And there’s still the 5,000,000 stones from Mr. Bear.

‘At this rate, I’ll be able to hit Level 6 engraving soon?’

I smirked and chugged my beer.

Our joint account with Misha still had 2,000,000 stones in cash.

My personal wealth is now around 2,500,000 stones.

Despite feeling anxious about my growth stalling over the last two months, looking at my bank balance made me feel quite content.

“Bjorn! How could you drink your first glass alone?”

“Eh?”

“Let’s all drink together! We haven’t properly celebrated yet.”

“…Alright, do whatever you want.”

“To overcoming the troll and safely returning! Cheers, everyone!”

After settling the accounts, we all drank return drinks, celebrating our recent expedition.

Maybe it was because we overcame another crisis together?

The team leader, the dwarf, seemed very pleased.

However, the drinking session ended sooner than the last time.

“I… should be going. I need to stop by my family’s place today, Nyang.”

Misha left first, followed by Rotmiller.

“I guess I should call it a day too. I have some errands to run at the guild.”

After making brief appearances and barely touching their drinks, likely due to having other plans, both of them left. Once Misha was gone, the once noisy tavern quieted down.

I thought about staying so the dwarf wouldn’t feel offended by everyone leaving, but to my surprise, he quietly switched to another table on his own.

“Haha, right? Even the troll was nothing special. Lie? Why would I lie about that? Do you see that barbarian over there? The little Balkan, you might have heard of him…”

Leaving his team behind, the dwarf began to chat and clink glasses with explorers he had never met before. So, I decided to leave, but Dwalki stopped me.

“How about we have a chat?”

“What?”

“Now that I think about it, we’ve never really had a quiet talk, just the two of us.”

True, that.

While I often chatted with Rotmiller when everyone was drunk and asleep, Dwalki was usually the one sleeping off his drunkenness.

‘Does he have something he wants to tell me?’

And that was all there was to it.

Dwalki just hesitantly sipped his drink, not initiating the conversation.

‘I should’ve just left.’

Unlike the noisy surroundings, an awkward silence enveloped us.

Therefore, I decided to break the ice first.

I was curious about something anyway.

“How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m fine… Honestly, I was a bit uncomfortable even after being treated by the priest, but now I’m completely recovered.”

“That’s good to hear, what about this?”

I tapped my forehead as I asked, and Dwalki looked puzzled.

“Having your body bent in half must have been a first-time experience. How do you feel, can you continue entering the labyrinth?”

It’s not uncommon for explorers to be mentally broken.

Sometimes, the cruel memories left in the body linger intensely in the mind, like scars.

“Ah, that…”

Dwalki hesitated in response to my question.

As expected, it wasn’t something he could easily brush off.

“Sigh… Honestly, I haven’t been able to sleep properly since that day. I thought it was because I was inside the labyrinth, but it’s the same in the city.”

Dwalki admitted, with his courage fueled by alcohol, that the mere thought of re-entering the labyrinth caused his hands to shake.

“But, don’t worry too much. Everyone goes through this, and it’s something to overcome, right? I’ll be fine before the next exploration.”

To overcome it…

His eyes didn’t seem to be speaking lightly.

But one thing was puzzling.

“Do you have a reason to go that far?”

Most have to overcome their trauma to continue their work as explorers.

After all, if not for this, they have no means to live.

In a city where one must pay taxes to survive, they have no choice but to overcome.

However, Dwalki, being a mage, was different.

“You could easily work within the city, why insist on being an explorer?”

Hesitating at my question, Dwalki downed a glass of beer in one shot before answering.

“It’s… because it’s fun.”

An answer I hadn’t expected at all.

“Fun, you say?”

“Of course, my initial reason was different. Do you remember what I said when we first met?”

“I remember. You said you wanted to become a great explorer to bring honor to your noble family.”

“In truth, that was all a lie. I just thought that if I became a famous explorer, my father… no, the former baron might take an interest in me.”

Dwalki is a bastard of a noble family.

And, as is often the case with bastards, he harbors deep ambivalence towards his blood relatives. He hates them, yet also longs for their love, a contradiction.

“As you know, the former baron has passed away. And as you’ve seen… the brother who inherited his position didn’t even know I existed.”

He said he felt hollow at first.

Losing his life’s goal in an instant, he felt like he was drifting aimlessly on water all day.

Dwalki, expressing his emotions poetically, looked me straight in the eye.

“But I was able to overcome it because I had four people to lean on around me.”

“Surely… you, you’re talking about us?”

“Who else could it be? Initially, I didn’t realize that colleagues could be that. More than friends you can trust and rely on, it felt like family.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. After my mother passed away, I felt like I was left alone in the world every day… But when I’m exploring, laughing, and talking with you all, I don’t feel that way at all.”

Seemingly embarrassed by his own heartfelt words, Dwalki quickly downed another beer he had ordered.

“Thank you, Bjorn. Thanks to all of you, my days have been joyful lately. So… even though I experienced such an ordeal this time… I can overcome it.”

“…I see.”

“Yes. So, don’t worry too much about me.”

“Alright, I won’t fuss over it anymore.”

I quickly set aside my concerns.

Regardless of the motivation, with that level of determination, there’s no need to worry about Dwalki’s mental state.

“Haha, you seem indifferent at times, but you’re actually quite caring.”

“Enough, let’s just drink.”

Perhaps because of our sincere conversation, the awkward atmosphere vanished.

Dwalki, who had been hesitant in front of me, began to excitedly start various topics, and I joined in, responding to him.

It was then.

“Bjorn… there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you… dating Miss Misha?”

Instead of answering, I just stared at Dwalki.

His face, flushed with alcohol, was filled with nervousness and tension.

That’s when I realized.

‘So that’s why he suddenly wanted to talk.’

Ah, this was his main purpose.

***

“Braun Rotmiller. Age 34, been an explorer for 8 years, huh?”

The moment Rotmiller entered the office, he felt the chief’s gaze on him. Despite feeling humiliated, Rotmiller responded.

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

His confusion outweighed his dismay.

He had been summoned to the Explorer’s Guild that morning. Despite being in the middle of unwinding with his comrades, he arrived at the guild on time.

Following an employee upstairs, he found himself in this room.

A man was sitting in the chair, a face Rotmiller recognized.

‘The 7th District Head of the Explorer’s Guild, Nile Urbans. Why would someone like him…’

His questions mounted, but he did not act rashly, waiting instead for the man to explain.

After all he didn’t know what misfortune would befall him if he said the wrong thing..

“Hmm, I like that. You must be curious, yet you wait until the end.”

“Then could you possibly explain why I’m here?”

At his request, the District Head nodded with a pleased smile, then explained the reason for summoning him.

The more he heard, the more absurd it sounded.

“So, you’re telling me to betray my comrades?”

“That’s up to you. Specifically, if you can just fix that barbarian friend of yours.”

Rotmiller clenched his teeth.

In this city, there are only 13 District Head’s.

An explorer could face severe consequences simply for irritating someone of that stature.

That made it all the more necessary to muster courage.

 

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that proposal.”

Rotmiller clenched his fists and forcefully spat out his refusal.

The District Lord smiled as if he found this refusal interesting.

“If we’re done here, I’ll be on my way.”

Rotmiller quickly turned towards the door, eager to escape before fear overtook him.

That’s when it happened.

“It’s commendable to care so much for your comrades. A truly noble belief. But… how long do you think they will remain your comrades?”

The following words made Rotmiller involuntarily stop in his tracks.

“I’ve seen your record. It must feel quite unfair. It took you 8 years to barely reach rank 7. Meanwhile, a certain barbarian reached rank 6 in just half a year.”

“I’ve never felt… such emotions.”

“If you say so. But perhaps it’s time to accept reality.”

“…”

“Your comrades will continue to ascend. They are not ordinary humans like you.”

Rotmiller bit his lip at the directness of these words.

But he couldn’t retort.

Not because he feared the man’s power, but because he knew all too well that these words were true.

“How long do you think you’ll last with them? Three months? Four? Hmm, maybe even longer if they pity you.”

Rotmiller didn’t listen any further and opened the door to leave.

“I trust you’ll make a wise decision.”

As the door closed, the District Head, visible through the narrowing gap, had a friendly smile on his face.

See You Guys on Monday