Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 124

Episode 124 High-Rank Player (3)

We started off with a simple introduction.

Not as Bjorn Jandel, but as Lee Han-soo.

“My name is Han-soo Lee. I’m twenty-nine years old.”

“You have the same last name as me. I’m Baek-ho Lee. I was twenty-three.”

“You were twenty-three?”

“Well, the thing is… I’ve been here for over ten years now.”

“Oh, I see…”

I was at a loss for words.

I kind of expected it when I saw the fancy chat room skin, but over ten years was surprising?

Poor bastard.

“Wait, then you’re older than me—”

“Brother! Please don’t say such crappy things! I’m going to return. So, we should consider our real ages!”

“Well… if that’s the case.”

Being from a Confucian country where age is highly regarded, I saw no reason to argue against him wanting to take the role of the younger brother.

Well, that settled the family hierarchy.

“Anyway, brother, I’m sorry to ask, but can I do something a bit rude?”

“Rude?”

“It’s… like a simple test. I’m pretty sure about you… but I think we still need to do it.”

“What is it, then?”

“You just have to listen to what I say and respond with the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t worry unnecessarily. It’s a question that no Korean could get wrong.”

As he explained further, it turned out to be a sort of Korean test.

It’s a bit weird to say this about oneself, but it seemed that people were pretending to be Korean to take advantage of him, given his success here.

If that’s the case, then well.

“Shall we start…?”

“Go ahead.”

As I nodded, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I thought it was nothing, but his seriousness made me unexpectedly nervous.

Of course, as he said, the quiz itself was easy.

“Kimchi?”

“…”…Jjigae?”

“Beef head?”

“Gukbap.”

“Saudi?”

“Arabia.”

“Service motto.”

“…Our resolution. And I was a public service worker.”

“Ah… Anyway, this is the last one.”

Baek-ho Lee took a breath and looked at me with newfound seriousness.

I wondered if everything before was just a joke.

Then, Baek-Ho Lee spoke.

“Lee Wan-yong?”

 

TL/N- Lee Wan-yong is considered a traitor in South Korea

“Son of a… hey, you crazy bastard.”

At that moment, curses flew out of my mouth without me even realizing it.

I stiffened involuntarily, feeling a strange sense of spirit.

Before I knew it, Baek-ho Lee‘s cold gaze was on me.

As if everything shown before was an act.

“I believe you, you are indeed Korean.”

What the hell, this guy.

***

Lee Baek-ho.

A Korean player who was dragged here on the day he was discharged and has lived in this world for over ten years.

He seemed like a nice guy…

‘Is there something wrong with his head?’

I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.

However, listening to his excuse afterward, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

“Ah, sorry for speaking informally. It was a line I prepared for when someone passed the test. I didn’t expect it would take over three years…”

Even I, who thought I was distant from such emotions, missed having this kind of conversation.

Moreover, when this guy first arrived, there probably wasn’t a community like Ghostbusters.

It was the perfect environment for his character to deteriorate.

“So, what’s your name?”

“I told you already.”

“Not that, your name here. I need to know it to help you. Koreans wouldn’t be Koreans without loyalty and affection, right?”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s okay.”

I smirked and shook my head.

Then, Lee Baek-ho looked at me as if he couldn’t understand.

“Why won’t you tell me? Just knowing your name would allow you to live without worrying about taxes.”

His voice overflowed with confidence.

He must have already secured such a position here.

But still, my answer remained the same.

“If I were to make a counteroffer, would you tell me your name?”

“Well, even if you are my brother, that’s a bit…”

“It’s the same for me.”

Did he finally realize that I was different from the ordinary newbies? Lee Baek-ho looked at me with much more interest than before.

“Brother, how many times have you cleared it?”

“What about you?”

“10 times.”

10 times?

The founder of the Ghostbusters community cleared it 15 times?

When I looked at him as if surprised, he scratched the back of his head.

“Even if it’s 10 times, it’s nothing special. After all, I cleared it with cheats. That’s why, even after 10 years, there’s a lot I don’t know. Ah, if I had known it would be like this, I would have just played the original.”

Being someone who had survived in this world for more than 10 years, his mindset was clearly different from the newbies I met in the newbie room.

“So, what about you?”

After a moment of thought, I answered.

“I also cleared it 10 times.”

“Really?”

Although he was visibly worried, Lee Baek-ho believed me easily.

“Yeah, that’s how it should be for a Korean.”

“What?”

“Koreans are known for their gaming skills, right?”

I thought his nationalism was a bit too much…

But I didn’t bother to argue over his words.

Poor guy. I should embrace him with my heart.

“Yeah, everything you said is right.”

“Right? Ah, it’s just so frustrating. If there had been a Korean patch, at least a few people would have beaten the original version…”

Lee Baek-Ho seemed to have become more nationalistic from being around foreigners too much.

“Ah, brother… Should I give you some GP then?”

“I’d appreciate it, but I’m not planning to cash it out anyway. There are plenty of ways to earn.”

“Sigh, looks like you’re going to keep accumulating GP like me.”

Excluding personality, Lee Baek-ho and I were quite similar in many ways.

We both were cautious not to expose our identities prematurely, and despite his frivolous demeanor, his actions were careful.

Well, that must be why he survived so long.

“Umm… Then there’s nothing I can do for you.”

“It’s fine, I didn’t come here expecting anything. Let’s just meet up occasionally and chat.”

“Sniff… Brother…”

Was it because he felt like he had met a true compatriot?

Lee Baek-ho pretended to wipe away tears that weren’t there, making a crying sound.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“Brother, if you have any questions, please ask. I feel like I should at least be able to do that much for you.”

His emotional swings were so severe.

It’s hard to keep up with his energy.

But since he offered, I did ask him everything I was curious about.

“Do you know who the admin here is?”

“Ah, I don’t know that either. Actually, I got the pills by raiding the secret police headquarters in the early days.”

“So you don’t know who he is either?”

“I have a few suspects in mind…”

“There are three of them? Will you tell me their details?”

Lee Baek-ho named the suspects one by one. They were all mages, and except for one, they were well-known figures even to me.

“You’ll probably handle it well, but never expose your identity here. From what I know, there are a few bastards attached to the royal family.”

Lee Baek-ho, seemingly fond of me, offered advice I hadn’t even asked for.

He gave me unsolicited advice, which I appreciated. Unlike the friends in the newbie room who claimed this place was 100% safe, his pessimistic view was quite refreshing.

In that sense, one more question.

“Is there a way for the admins to find out my identity?”

“No, that would be difficult, wouldn’t it? This space wasn’t created by their power but rather, it’s closer to being modified.”

“Modified?”

“There have been evil spirits in this city for over a hundred years. That’s like over 20 years ago in Earth terms. So, who could they be?”

Uh… I honestly hadn’t thought about that.

Twenty years ago, we were barely past the era when LCD monitors weren’t even widely distributed, let alone [Dungeon & Stone].

“I have no idea, just tell me.”

“The answer is beings from another dimension!”

“Another dimension…?”

“Yes. I’ve never met them, but from what I know, they were transferred here through books or documents that described this world.”

It’s said that the evil spirits at that time were really few in number, each possessing unique powers.

One of them created this space, and the current admins are presumed to have inherited it by chance?

‘I’ve suddenly heard quite the story.’

At this point, I became curious about Lee Baek-ho’s identity.

What kind of person is he to know such things so nonchalantly?

‘Well, it’s all to my advantage.’

I reset my mindset and continued to bombard Lee Baek-ho with various questions to clear my doubts.

However, this guy wasn’t omnipotent.

“Ah… that’s because I’m actually in hiding, so I’m a bit weak on the latest information.”

“In hiding?”

“Yes, it’s a bit complicated to explain in detail. If you want the latest information, I can introduce you to a chat room. It’s called ‘The Watchers of the Round Table’… it’s like a club made by kids with middle school syndrome.”

The chat room Lee Baek-ho mentioned was secretly operated, requiring an invitation code for entry, a kind of community for veterans…

“You can hide your nickname and face there, so don’t worry… I’ve heard that if you don’t know anything, you might get beaten up and thrown out, but since you’ve cleared it 10 times, you shouldn’t worry about that…”

He explained everything from one to ten, like sending a young child on a field trip.

It was a long explanation, but since it was all useful, I listened without interrupting.

“Brother, I’m going to go now, see you later.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. The pill I took only allows me to stay here for an hour.”

…Is this what they call a generation gap?

I wouldn’t be surprised if he started a “back in my day” rant. Clearly, he has lived a harder life than I have.

“Brother, you have to come again, okay?”

“Sure, see you next time.”

“If you encounter any troublemakers in the city, remember to tell me.”

“Yeah…”

“Ah, and also—”

“That’s enough, go now. We can talk more next time.”

“Ah, right… next time… yes, brother! See you!”

With a look of unease, he gave me a naive smile and left.

So, I also exited the chat room.

Following his instructions, I entered the code in the chat room search bar and joined ‘The Watchers of the Round Table’.

[It is not the time to enter.]

[OPEN 03:00 ~ 03:10]

Oh, Baek-ho didn’t tell me about this.

With no other choice, I spent time browsing the exchange and other forums.

And when the clock at the bottom left of the monitor hit three o’clock, I tried to enter again.

[You have been verified as a new member.]

[Welcome to becoming a member of The Watchers of the Round Table.]

[This assembly guarantees strict anonymity…]

Messages containing the information Baek-Ho had shared flashed through my mind, and when I opened my eyes.

Flash-!

I was in the customization room.

***

A room filled with all sorts of outfits and decorative accessories.

I wondered if it was really necessary to hide my identity to this extent even with Lee Han-soo’s body…

But since those were the rules, it seemed best to follow them.

After a quick look, I chose something fairly plain, as if I were doing cosplay.

A slim-fit navy suit.

‘Masks are mandatory, so I have to wear one.’

Incidentally, the variety of masks was so vast that one wall was entirely filled with them, presumably to avoid duplicates, as many spaces were empty.

Creeeak.

As I casually put on a mask that caught my hand, the door automatically opened.

A long red carpet stretched out as if guiding me.

As I explored my surroundings and walked slowly, a large round table appeared. Dozens of seats were positioned around it, but only four were occupied.

Thud.

They seemed to know each other, chatting away, but as I arrived, they abruptly stopped talking and all eyes turned to me.

Silence hung heavily in the air.

So this is the veteran community.

Those gazes were fierce.

Don’t they know newbies should be cherished and nurtured?

“Oh, that’s a new mask, isn’t it?”

The conversation started with someone in a yellow clown mask, followed by a sharp question from a woman wearing a fox mask.

“How did you get in here? We haven’t accepted new members for over a year.”

I hadn’t been aware of that.

“Speak up. Who are you, and who recommended you here?”

Fortunately, I had prepared for this question, so it wasn’t a problem.

“You must answer truthfully. That’s how it is here.”

As the woman said, this space was applied with a special skin. Lying would shatter your mask and immediately expel you from the chat room.

However, there was one exception.

Before the meeting officially starts, you can lie as much as you want.

‘But the fact that they’re all just watching silently, does that mean they’re all in on it together? Or maybe, they’re just curious about what kind of person I am.’

I understood why he said to go in strong at the first meeting.

It was advice born from etched experience.

So, although I wasn’t thrilled about it, I decided to follow the script and direction Baek-Ho had recommended.

“Ah, me, me, me?”

First, I put on a show of being a pushover.

“Yes, you—”

Right when they were smirking, time for the counter-punch.

“I’m here because your mum recommended me, ma’am?”

I’ve heard it all from her, and I’m not here to be a newbie.

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