Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 200

Master Key (5)

Nickname ‘Elfnunalove’.

A player shrouded in mystery, more commonly known to the public as Ghost master.

He slowly opened his eyes and checked the time.

“……”

It was just past midnight.,,

He was in his private study, located in the upper levels of the mage tower.

As usual, he sat in his chair for a moment to collect his thoughts.

‘How will he react now?’

Today, as soon as he logged into the community, he placed a permanent ban on one of the players.

Sergeant Lee.

He was a South Korean user with the unusual nickname ‘Sergeant Lee’.

“I’m sure he’s out on the streets looking to kill me by now’

He did not wish to be at odds with ‘Sergeant Lee’ either.

Not only was Sergeant Lee the closest to the key, but he was also the most powerful player in the game.

‘…It’s his fault for not listening.’

He was slightly worried whether he had proverbially pulled a tiger’s whisker, but it was something that had to be done.

It was Sergeant Lee who had refused the man’s final attempt at persuasion, leading to the permanent ban. 

Although he understood Sergeant Lee’s situation and had let it slide until now, he couldn’t keep being considerate forever.

He too had to make a choice

‘…I do feel a bit sorry for him.’

His thoughts naturally drifted towards another man.

A Korean user who used the nickname Elfnunna.

‘It seems he was a fan of that character.’

Having encountered many players, he knew how few of them were Korean.

Koreans made up less than 1% of all players.

‘Sergeant Lee’s desperate plea for a few more words with that guy wasn’t for nothing’

‘Funny, really. If he misses his countrymen so much, he should think about cooperating with them to beat the game and return home.’

The Ghost Master smirked and stood up

Just then, his crystal began vibrating, indicating an incoming call.

“Contacting me at this hour, something must have happened on your end, Soul Queen.”

[Yes. I was just about to leave for the day’s work when I found some strange login records.]

“Strange login records?”

The man straightened up.

Given the Soul Queen’s understanding of this space, her concern surely couldn’t be a fluke.

[There’s a login record, but it doesn’t show who it was. And more importantly… the login time is around 3 AM.]

“That means someone entered the Ghost Busters community in between.”

[Yes, and it seemed so strange…]

“Hold on, can you give me a minute to think about it?”

While holding the call, the man cast a spell on himself, a combination of ‘Thought Acceleration’ and a few other formulas to create his unique spell ‘Meditation.’

Soon, a person came to mind.

“The Watcher of the Round Table.”

[Ah! That suspicious person who was banned a year ago!]

Nickname ‘0720’.

He had first learned of this individual a year ago.

None of the guides helping newbies had any recollection of assisting his entry. Later, when they had gone into his psyche and seen him wearing modern clothes, they found it suspicious and banned him.

He had judged him to be a spy from the royal family who had somehow obtained pills to sneak in here. If not that, he might be a player from someplace other than Earth.

‘…Especially since he appeared to be an old man.’

Players are generally young.

That’s natural.

Who else but such people would enjoy such a perverse game?

It was hard to imagine a person over 70 clearing this game.

“Perhaps the Watchers of the Round Table is a gathering he created to evade our eyes.”

[But you deemed the remaining members normal back then, didn’t you?]

“Yes, that was the case then. But just to be sure, could you check on it instead of me?”

[…That’s a private chat room, though.]

“Don’t worry about the invite code. It might take a few months, but it’s not impossible to break in.”

[Well, if that’s the case…]

Soon after, Soul Queen agreed to it, and the man also prepared to end the call.

He would need to give more detailed instructions next month after further checks.

For now, there was nothing more he could do.

“Soul Queen, do you remember a player nicknamed ‘Elfnunna’?”

The nickname had somehow popped into the man’s head, prompting him to ask unexpectedly.

“Ah, that person? He joined a few months ago, and I distinctly remember him because of his unique nickname and, more notably, his other qualities, which were quite memorable.”

“What was memorable about him?”

[His  inner world was completely invisible. In all my time working here, I’ve never seen someone with such a thick mental barrier.]

“……I see.”

The man felt a sense of unease.

It’s an unusually thick mental barrier, which can be accepted as an individual deviation.

Soul Queen had not been working as a guide for long, either.

“But still, the man felt like he was missing something.”

Since ‘Meditation’ also enhanced his ‘intuition’, he did not dismiss these feelings as mere impressions.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

After asking for permission, he reviewed the written records in his mind.

Specifically, he looked at the details of those who had sent messages around the time Elfnunna joined.

‘They’re all newbies.’

Thinking that perhaps the pill was taken later, he expanded his search to every three months, but the results were the same.

No player had gone beyond the fifth floor.

But could someone really have such a high mental barrier?

“……Bjorn Jandel?”

As he expanded his search, one name stood out significantly.

A barbarian who unusually chose a shield.

So he had sent a letter wondering if the Barbarian might join, but dismissed the idea when there was no reply.

“Soul Queen.”

The man issued a new directive.

“Check out this user called Elfnunna. See what posts he’s made, his GP, and what information he’s purchased. Restore even the deleted ones if necessary”.

He needed to check further.

***

The morning after the community opened, Amelia woke me up.

“……What’s the matter? So early in the morning.”

“Morning? It’s already noon.”

Well, Barbarians can be late risers.

After downing a glass of water for my dry throat, I asked.

“So what is it?”

Amelia usually came in the evening.

We had agreed to meet around that time when we last parted.

Why would she come looking for me in broad daylight?

Her answer was surprisingly simple.

“Just felt like I had to say something before I go.”

“That means you’re leaving.”

Her tone suggested she wasn’t leaving because she had found ‘Auril Gavis’…

I probed naturally.

“Looks like you’ve got something else to do.”

Amelia didn’t respond at all.

But that was enough for me.

She was the woman who had been bustling about in the city every day.

[Just before the lockdown in Noahark, a few were sent to the surface. Their target is to kill one explorer! Surprising, right?]

Maybe the assassination operation the clown talked about was starting today.

I had no intention of getting involved.

It wasn’t something I could stop if I tried.

Or rather…

“Are you going to come back and look for him later? I can leave a message if needed.”

She was the kind of person who was sensitive to gestures.

If I owed her a debt, it could come in handy.

“There’s no need. It seems difficult to find him this way anyway.”

“I see.”

With Amelia’s refusal, there was no need to press the offer further.

So ended our brief conversation.

“Then, see you next time.”

I briefly said goodbye, and Amelia just quietly watched me.

“See you again, what does that mean?”

Ah, that was what she was curious about.

After all, I was the one who had insisted on having no further entanglements. To her, it might have sounded somewhat significant.

I answered her honestly.

“I just have a feeling we’ll meet again.”

We had run into each other several times by chance.

I didn’t know how long it would take until I could go home, but surely we would cross paths again.

“……Strange fellow.”

With those words, Amelia disappeared from view as usual.

Now it was my turn to start the day.

Ding!!

I vigorously pressed the call bell I had installed next to my bed.

“Did you call for me?”

Jingjin appeared in less than a minute, true to being my right hand.

I gave the order to stop the search, then I just had a quick lunch before heading out together.

In Bifron, there was nothing else to do.

“Let’s go to the distribution center.” I asked Jingjin

“The distribution center… you mean?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, sir. I will guide you to the nearest one.”

Today’s walking destination was one of the twelve distribution centers in Bifron.

Upon arriving, I saw a long line.

It was the queue for the daily ration supported by the city.

It was a rare sight just a few days ago.

Initially, various alliances had occupied the distribution centers and monopolized them.

“As you requested, the children can now take their share without any conditions,” Jingjin reported.

“Good, keep it up.”

Watching the line of children, I turned away with a smile and walked through the city, letting my feet lead me.

Then I spotted a familiar kid.

The very same one who had guided me to the inn on my first day in Bifron.

“Come here.”

“Yes!”

As our eyes met, the kid, who had been slowly backing away, came forward and stood at attention in front of me.

“Where are you headed?”

“To, to the distribution center…”

“You seem a bit healthier than before.”

“Yes…”

Perhaps it was because I had become the de facto leader of Bifron?

Even though I hadn’t caused any trouble since that day, the kid trembled before me.

Ah, I just called out of friendliness.

Is this the loneliness of an absolute ruler?

“How have you been lately?”

“I, in my spare time, I read books. At the, the library you arranged to be revived…”

The library wasn’t exactly my creation; rather, I revived an old, dust-covered one.

There were still many empty shelves since many books had been used as firewood. However, I had ordered that every book be collected and placed on the shelves, it should improve.

“I swear, I haven’t done anything like that day! If I need money, I register at the labor office and earn it honestly!”

As I looked at him quietly, the kid, perhaps feeling uneasy, began to make excuses for things I hadn’t even asked.

“You said you dreamed of becoming a scholar, didn’t you?”

“Yes, yes!”

I smirked and gave him a piece of advice.

“Keep living that way. If you make money by deceiving others, one day it’ll come back to bite you, and then, your days are numbered.”

“…What?”

“If you don’t have a head, you can’t be a scholar, can you?”

“What? Oh, yes…”

He didn’t quite grasp my words, but I didn’t elaborate further.

I didn’t want to become a preachy barbarian.

“Go on then.”

I continued my walk with Jingjin.

The distribution center, library, residential areas, labor office.

Since searching for Auril Gavis left me with nothing else to do, I busied myself with correcting various injustices in the city, and now the city was livelier than when I first arrived.

The biggest change was the elimination of the alliance’s tyranny.

‘Well, once I’m gone, it’ll probably revert back to the old ways.’

With that thought, I led Jingjin toward the sewers.

“Why are we going here…?”

Jingjin looked at me with a trembling voice, as if fearing the worst.

Anyone would think I was about to dispose of him here.

“I’ll be stepping out into the city for a bit. Need anything?”

“…What?”

Jingjin, usually not one to repeat himself, looked bewildered.

“To, to, to the city…?”

“Ah, did I not mention? There’s a passage that connects to the city.”

“That, that, that, that can’t be, can it?”

“Why are you stuttering? Is there something wrong with your head?”

“No, sir.”

Thinking his liberation was just days away, Jingjin’s face fell in despair.

Was he regretting not bluffing?

“Anyway, if you don’t need anything—”

“No! I do!”

“Oh? Tell me.”

Jingjin requested one thing before I headed to the city.

Skewers from a certain shop in District 9.

“It’ll be cold by the time I bring it back, won’t it?”

“That’s fine!”

I grinned and nodded.

I knew what he was thinking.

He wanted to test if I truly had a means to travel to the city.

“Then you can go back now.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After sending Jingjin off, I entered the sewers and proceeded toward the secret passage Amelia had mentioned.

While on my way, an unexpected sound occurred.

Ziiiing.

It was when I demanded ‘Dragon’s Blessing’ as a price for the Dragon Slayer Sword.

‘He said it would take a month or two, and it’s been exactly two months.’

What would the result be?

Pressing the button that protruded from the bottom, a voice came through.

[Tear up the paper I gave you.]

“Rather, I’m curious about the outcome.”

[The elders have decided they want to see you in person to make their decision.]

“That so.”

As instructed, I tore up the paper I had stored in my subspace.

‘They want to see me in person to decide…’

It wasn’t the ‘YES’ I was hoping for, but it wasn’t a big concern either.

Even if they say no, I’ll make them say yes.

That’s the spirit of a K-barbarian.