Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 175

Choice 3

A double-sized bed and a wardrobe.

And a computer desk placed in Lee Han-soo‘s room.

[Long Live Korean Independence] – 0 people are connected.

First, I turned on the computer and entered the chat room.

The last time I entered the chat room a few minutes late, he thought I was dead.

‘Above all, we can only be together for an hour.’

This time, I have a big event, so I’m going to get as much information out of Lee Baek-ho as I can.

‘I’m the first one here today.’

A spacious room with antique furniture.

I barely had time to sit down on the sofa before Lee Baek-ho followed and logged in.

So far, there were no problems.

“Hyung!”

But, what is this?

His expression is obviously very urgent.

“I’m currently in a battle, you see? So, I need to go right now.”

“What?”

“I don’t have time to explain in detail.”

“But—”

“You have heard about the Noark’s subjugation, right? Never take part in it,even afterwards. That’s why I came to tell you.

“What do you mean—”

“See you next month!”

That was the entirety of our conversation.

Within seconds of meeting face-to-face, he was gone.

“…What?”

My mind went blank.

However, if I calmly organize the situation…

‘…He said he’s in a battle?’

An hour in the community is equivalent to 1 second in reality.

But to leave in such a hurry?

It means he’s fighting against a formidable enemy.

Being here for about a minute, only about 0.02 seconds would have passed outside.

Proof that the enemy is so formidable that not even 1 full second time can be wasted.

‘What exactly is he fighting against?’

I don’t know.

Only one thing is certain.

He is closely related to the Noark expedition.

‘This bastard, is he really related to the underground city?’

The dead of night.

He’s not in the Labyrinth, and he’s fighting the enemy. I can’t think of any other reason for him to be fighting, other than Noark.

The expedition had set out just yesterday.

The King’s army, the Alliance of Explorers, and even the Knights of the Temple sent as reinforcements. The sight of them lining up and entering the sewers was spectacular.

‘His last words….he thinks the expedition will fail?’

‘Don’t participate, not even afterwards’

Interpreting this, it means that the first expedition will fail, and a second expedition force will be formed.

‘Ah, it’s really frustrating…’

Since staying here yields nothing, I returned to my room. There were still 3 hours left until the Watchers of the Round Table would open.

First, I checked the exchanges, then the unrestricted chat rooms.

It was all the same.

Everyone was only talking about the Noark expedition.

‘…It seems chaos has already erupted in the underground.’

The number of players who participated in the expedition was significant.

And listening to them…

[I was at the back, so I don’t know much, but the atmosphere was seriously not normal. There were constant explosions up front, but the commanders just shut up and didn’t explain anything…]

[Why are there so few participants today? Don’t tell me they all died?]

Even at this moment, a fierce battle seems to be unfolding underground.

Honestly, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the intensity of it.

This was even more evident when I came across a post on the forum.

[“I’m about to die, ask me anything.”]

• I got stabbed in the neck, and when I opened my eyes, I was here.
• I guess I’ll live for another 12 seconds?
• Fuck.

[EdwardBless77: I hope it’s not an eternal dream. I hope you wake up in your home.]

[└OP: I really hope so.]

[godFLEXyou: You’ve suffered enough. Rest now.]

[└OP: Thanks for the consolation.]

[stevencastle: You must have been in the front lines. I heard it’s a living hell there. Did you meet Orcules?]

[└OP: Don’t know. Heard someone shouting that they arrived but I can’t remember. Maybe they saw wrong. Couldn’t see 1m ahead because of those damn dark mages.]

[teckmonkey: What do you want to do the most?]

[└OP: Reproduce.]

[└teckmonkey: Uh, well… I’ll stop there.]

[tunaboot: Where are you from?]

[└OP: Not sure what you’re asking. If it’s Earth, then Canada. If you mean here, then Ariveten Clan, I was a sort of officer.]

[└tunaboot: I meant your hometown, of course. But you were an officer of the Ariveten Clan, huh? You were a big deal.]

[└1spring: So what, you’re dying now. Goodbye.]

[└ionboii: Wow, to come out like this here, you must not be trolling, huh? Sincerely, rest in peace. You did well. And ignore the nonsense above.]

Dozens of comments were posted below.

Even as the number of comments increased in real-time, OP responded to each one.

As if enchanted, I read through from the top and posted a comment.

[Elfnunna: Why give up so soon? Instead of doing this, you should immediately log out and try to survive.]

If you don’t give up, there is a possibility.

It may be infinitely close to 0, but it’s not 0.

I am proof of that.

However, after posting, it seemed too presumptuous, so I added an explanation.

[└Elfnunna: I’ve been stabbed in the neck before. I’ve also entered a state similar to a countdown in the game. But my body moved. In the end, I killed the enemy, drank a potion, and barely survived. So, how about you try?]

The experience in the Land of the Dead and the Blood Tinted Castle.

I hoped this would bring hope to someone whose name and face I did not know.

But…

[└OP: I get what you’re saying. But I’m an archer, so your method won’t work for me.]

The response was one of complete resignation.

[└Elfnunna: But you could still try, couldn’t you?]

I was compelled to post another comment.

And soon, a response came.

[└OP: Sorry, if I’m going to die anyway, I want to die as myself. Not as this cursed body, but as the person my parents gave birth to.]

Upon reading it, my mind went blank.

I took my hands off the keyboard.

What could possibly be said in this situation?

That it’s not your real body, anyway?

That it’s just the manifestation of your identity as you perceive it?

Well, no one has the right to criticize OP’s choice.

And they shouldn’t.

“……”

Without realizing it, I found myself looking at the wardrobe.

More precisely, at the mirror next to it.

I saw Lee Han-soo.

Tap-tap-tap-

I started typing on the keyboard again.

And I repeatedly wrote and erased countless words of comfort, hoping he could rest in peace or wake up in his original world.

But I couldn’t easily press the enter key.

Tap-tap-tap-

As I hesitated, tapping on the keyboard, unable to do anything, the players’ comments continued to be posted.

OP responded to each one.

[branbran_helmet: This game is trash.]

[└OP: Tell me about it, this fucking trash game!]

After that comment, no more comments were posted.

I refreshed the page.

Suddenly, OP ‘s username at the very top was blurred out.

“…”

It meant he had died.

****

I don’t know why.

I’ve never seen his face or had a conversation with him.

But my heart keept beating wildly.

Thump-thump.

Deaths I’ve seen countless times in this world.

Today, the weight of those deaths feels particularly heavy.

What could be the reason?

Scrolling up as if to find an answer.

And then, reading from the top down again.

Thanks to many people asking about his real identity, I could glimpse a lifetime’s worth of stories just from that.

He was from Canada.

Born into a farming family, his real name was Mack Davis.

His first kiss was at 17.

With his girlfriend’s best friend, was it?

Sounds like a troublemaker, but he hadn’t lived a life deserving death.

He dreamed of becoming a Vet.

Witnessing his childhood dog choke to death on vomit was the catalyst.

But he wasn’t good at studying and failed.

In the end, he helped with his parents’ farm work and occasionally enjoyed playing games.

Yes, he was an ordinary person.

Fairly kind, and sometimes seen as a bad person due to some mistakes…

Just an ordinary person in every way.

Then, I stopped scrolling at one point.

There was a new comment under the one I had left.

[└OP: Your words keep coming back to me. Somehow, I think you are a strong person. I hope you can clear this game and return. Of course, it’s your choice.]

The words of encouragement he left for me when I was repeatedly writing and erasing a few sentences of consolation.

“…”

From the word ‘choice’, I could feel how thoughtful he was.

Tap-tap-tap-

As if it were already too late for anyone to see, I typed a new comment.

[└Elfnunna: If you do get back, I’ll make sure to write a letter to the address you’ve posted above.]

[└Elfnunna: You’ve worked hard.]

Leaving a seemingly pointless comment, I left the post.

Then, I lay down on my bed, blankly continuing with my thoughts.

How much time had passed?

[03:07]

There were only three minutes left until the Watchers of the Round Table sign-ups closed.

But what’s this now?

Creeeeak-

The room was empty as I rushed in.

***

No crescent moon, no goblin, no fox, no Deer Horn.

And no Clown.

Just me, in the round table room.

“…Could it be that everyone participated in the expedition?”

That seemed to be the only explanation.

3 hours in the community.

Outside, it equates to merely 3 seconds.

What other reason would they have to come here if they didn’t have those three seconds?

‘No way, I didn’t think I’d get dumped here too…….’

The wind hit me one after another after Lee Baek-ho.

My eyes flashed in front of me, and when I came to my senses, I was back in Lee Han-soo’s room.

[The minimum number of participants was not met.]

[This session of the gathering is closed.]

The message displayed on the monitor.

Yes, this is what happens when no one shows up and the entry time expires.

It’s as if the essence of community activity was completely hollowed out.

“I guess I’ll just keep browsing around before I go.”

In the end, I had no choice but to spend the time web surfing, checking up on minor news.

Time passed, and it was time to log out.

[Your character will move to Raphdonia]

The familiar room of Bjorn and Bjorn’s body.

But somehow, today it felt a bit unfamiliar.

Or, perhaps I’m just tired?

‘Time to get some sleep’

I cleared my mind and lay down on the bed.

Creak.

The bed, as always, made a groaning sound as my body sank in.

Another day had come to an end.

And three days later.

“Bjorn! Come out, quick! The expedition that went underground has returned!”

The army that headed towards Noark had come back.

Only about a third of them survived.

“…”

“…”

The army passed by in silence, their shoulders slumped.

That alone made the outcome obvious.

“They really failed.”

Things had become complicated.