Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 247

Gnome Tree (1)

An alchemist.

A being who can turn magic stones into matter.

There aren’t many people with this profession in Raphdonia, making them a highly valuable resource.

In the much harsher Noark, this was even more pronounced.

“Good morning, Marlene!”

“Are you running an errand for the Alchemist? That looks heavy. Let me carry it for you.”

Everyone in the city treated Marlene with such kindness for this very reason.

She was the sole disciple of the Alchemist.

One day, she would inherit all the knowledge and take responsibility for the city.

‘Grandfather doesn’t seem to be in the best of health these days…’

Honestly, it would be a lie to say that this position wasn’t burdensome.

But there was no one else to take on the role.

So she had to muster the strength and take on the responsibility somehow.

Besides, it wasn’t a position filled with only duties.

“Grandfather!”

“Call me Master.”

“Got it. Master! So, did the item arrive?”

“Yes, it’s here. There are quite a few. Take your pick.”

The alchemist casually tossed a two-way storage pouch, and Marlin caught it to check the contents.

The items she had ordered were inside.

“Please send my thanks!”

“Sure.”

Marlin whistled as she transferred the items to her personal bag.

It was a clear privilege.

If it weren’t for her position as the Alchemist’s disciple, using strategic items like a two-way space pouch for personal use would have been impossible…

Not to mention, the infiltrators who ventured out of Noark wouldn’t have fulfilled her requests.

“Wow, Grandfather! Try this. This place makes amazing cookies!”

“Call me Master. Ah, but these cookies are indeed delicious.”

“But what is that? It looks similar to an elixir, but it can’t be…”

“Haha, you have a good eye.”

“Really? Is it really an elixir?”

Marlin, who had been absentmindedly munching on a cookie, stood up.

An elixir?

The ingredients were so rare and the production process so difficult that even her master had only made five bottles in his lifetime.

‘Two of those have already been used…’

So only three elixirs remain in Noark.

And now one of them was in her master’s hand.

Why?

As Marlene’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, her master smiled and explained.

“You need to learn this, so listen carefully. Today, we’re going to give the elixir to the dragon slayer, Regal Vargos, and attempt to restore his memories based on his recovery.”

“Regal Vargos, that man…?”

Marlene frowned unconsciously.

“Why, don’t you like him?”

“…He just looks scary.”

“Don’t judge people by their appearance. Isn’t it because of his injuries? I heard he was quite handsome before he got burnt. Well, to be honest, I don’t particularly like him either.”

“Right? It’s not just me, right?”

“Haha, you always hear only what you want to hear.”

“It’s not just his appearance. He’s so unfriendly, and he speaks informally to you, Grandfather…”

“Kid.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then Marlene heard the details from her Master.

The reason for giving such a precious elixir to the Dragon Slayer was quite simple.

Well, at least on the surface.

“The Corpse Collector’s power has been greatly reduced this time, and they need reinforcement.”

“Is that man really that strong? I heard he got weaker due to a curse.”

“Still, his dragon speech is special. He can’t use it freely, but with the elixir, he should be able to use it a few more times.”

The leader of Orcules requested the elixir directly from the lord of Noark, and the lord granted it.

It was a one-sided demand, but there was no choice.

They were partly responsible for the Dragon Slayer’s condition.

They tried to cure him, but for some reason, his health worsened.

“Tch, we still don’t know why. There was no reason for it to happen.”

“In my opinion, it’s all an act! He’s trying to frame us and assert dominance!”

“…I don’t think it’s an act, but I get what you mean. The lord can’t be at their mercy forever.”

Orcules was like a poisoned cup.

They knew it was harmful, but they couldn’t let go.

“Well then, let’s go.”

Marlene then followed her master into the room where the Dragon Slayer was.

“Grrr…”

He lay on the bed, unable to speak properly.

His limbs were stiff, and only his eyes moved.

“I believe your hearing is fine, so I’ll speak alone. This will be good news for you. The lord has granted you an elixir.”

“Grrr…”

“Let’s begin right away.”

The treatment process was straightforward.

After all, an elixir wasn’t an ordinary item.

Carefully feeding the elixir to avoid spilling it was all.

“…”

After about ten minutes, the Dragon Slayer was able to sit up and speak.

However…

“Damn it, what did you do to me before?”

This was the first thing he said.

“No, seriously, what kind of nonsense did you pull that left me in that condition after treatment!!”

Marlin wanted to say something but held back, remembering her master’s words before coming.

“Haha, that’s why I brought the elixir. Please be gracious and forgive us.”

“Ha, if it weren’t for you being an Alchemist…”

“Alright, it seems your body is mostly healed, so let’s move on to the next step.”

“The next step?”

“The memory recovery attempt we couldn’t perform last time due to your sudden collapse. Now we need to recover your lost memories.”

“There won’t be any problems, right…?”

“It might fail, but it won’t cause any harm.”

“…I’ll trust you.”

The Dragon Slayer nodded like a superior. Marlene found it irritating, but she couldn’t say anything since her master remained silent.

“Here, drink this. It’s a potion called ‘Curse of Lethe’. It might hurt a bit, but with your current body, you’ll endure it just fine.”

The Dragon Slayer reluctantly took the potion and swallowed it.

“…Bitter.”

“Soon, you’ll feel some pain, so lie down here.”

The Dragon Slayer obediently lay back on the bed.

After some time…

“…!”

The Dragon Slayer, sweating profusely and groaning, opened his eyes again.

“How do you feel? Have your memories returned?”

“…I’m not sure. I think they might.”

“It could take some time.”

“It’s a strange feeling. Childhood memories are coming back vividly.”

“That’s the nature of this potion.”

“By the way, do you have something sweet? It would be nice to have something to clear my palate…”

The master looked at Marlene in response to the Dragon Slayer’s request.

Clearly, he wanted her to provide something if she had it.

“…I’ll go get something.”

Marlene quickly returned to her room to fetch the cookies she had left behind.

But when she returned, her master was gone.

“Your master was called away by the lord. So, did you bring anything to eat?”

“Here…”

Marlene handed over the few remaining cookies.

She didn’t like it, but she had no choice.

‘These were given to me by Lady Amelia…’

The Dragon Slayer, greedy as ever, didn’t settle for just one but gobbled up several cookies.

After some time had passed…

“Ugh… my head!!”

Suddenly, the Dragon Slayer clutched his forehead.

It was as if he was recalling the memory of ‘that day’.

“Yes…! It was him…!”

The Dragon Slayer cheered loudly, staring into the air.

But his joy was short-lived.

“Ugh, ugh!”

The Dragon Slayer began coughing violently, his face contorted in pain.

It was clear that nothing was lodged in his throat.

His burnt and scarred skin was swelling in a bizarre manner.

‘Grandfather never mentioned any side effects like this…’

Marlene’s mind went blank in the unexpected situation.

And at that moment…

“You!!”

The Dragon Slayer suddenly reached out towards Marlene.

It was a hand filled with clear hostility.

Having spent her life studying alchemy, Marlene couldn’t react to the sudden movement.

But…

“Ugh!”

The hand didn’t reach her.

Dragon Slayer, who had just risen, lost his balance and fell off the bed.

“Ugh!”

Saliva dribbled from his wide-open mouth.

It seemed to be mixed with blood.

What on earth was happening?

“You… what did you put… in the cookies…”

“What? They’re just regular cookies…”

Marlene stammered, and the Dragon Slayer collapsed completely.

“…bitch.”

Even as he lay there, the Dragon Slayer glared up at her with bulging veins.

But this didn’t last long either.

Thud.

The Dragon Slayer’s head drooped lifelessly.

“Dragons… allergic to cinnamon…”

It was a cinnamon allergy.

***

「The conditions for activating the Blessing of the Stars have been met.」

***

The third vine disappeared.

I don’t know why.

If I had to guess, it was divine retribution for some evil plan that he may have conceived.

After all, it’s a holy relic imbued with divine power.

Anyway, the reason doesn’t matter.

‘Damn it.’

Now the dragon slayer could target me at any time.

It meant I had more to be wary of.

‘The second vine broke just last month.’

How did this happen?

A sigh escaped me.

The truth is, I wasn’t fully prepared yet.

‘I might be able to handle him alone, but…’

The problem was, there was no guarantee he would come alone to seek revenge.

What if he brings the Clown with him?

Or worse, a horde of followers?

‘It looks like the barrier will soon be breached.’

The royal family had acquired a means to destroy Noark’s barrier.

If travel between the surface and the underground became possible, encountering Dragon Slayer in this city rather than the labyrinth was a real possibility.

But this wasn’t an immediate concern.

‘Why here of all places…’

I silently sighed and surveyed my surroundings.

“Bjorn, is that…?”

Misha, knowing the significance of the vine ring, was simply shocked.

The knight, however…

“…?”

He just looked puzzled, as if wondering what strange occurrence this was.

But the holy knight was different.

“…It’s a holy relic of our church. And it’s a form I’ve never seen before.”

Sven Parav, the deputy commander of the Second Holy Knight Order of Leatlas, narrowed his eyes.

As a religious man, he immediately recognized it as a holy relic.

“Could it be related to the oracle received last time…?”

“Enough.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

When I interrupted, the guard knight realized his mistake and shut his mouth.

But it was already too late.

“So, you are the subject of that oracle…”

“…The fundamental rule of an escort mission is confidentiality, so do not worry too much.”

What nonsense. Confidentiality or not, they’ll report everything to their superiors.

‘…Damn it.’

Three knights and one deputy commander.

Only four people knew the secret now, but that number would undoubtedly increase.

How long before the tribe chief found out?

‘…He won’t really expel me from the tribe, will he?’

Well, I’m not sure about that.

But it was clear that trouble was coming.

The tribe chief already seemed displeased with my becoming a noble. I had to convince him that it was for the good of the tribe, but that was a difficult task as well.

‘…It will take a long time to reach Level 9 engraving.’

Frustrating.

Especially since there was nothing I could do at the moment.

Even if I asked for secrecy, they would agree to my face but report everything to their superiors.

“Then I’ll be going.”

So I left the temple without further words.

What’s done is done.

‘The only solution is to take over the tribe as soon as possible.’

Becoming the tribe chief and changing the tribe’s traditions would solve everything.

And with that in mind…

“Misha, go home now.”

I had work to do.

“Uh?”

“I’m going to visit the sanctuary for a bit.”

Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.

I soon parted ways with Misha and headed to the sacred grounds.

The escort knights only accompanied me to the entrance; they didn’t enter.

The Barbarians still upheld the tradition of barring other races from entering their sanctuary.

“Then we’ll wait here.”

“I’ll be out by evening, so rest nearby.”

“Yes.”

As I stepped beyond the open gate, a forest landscape rarely seen in the city appeared.

Perhaps it’s a remnant of the warrior within me?

For some reason, this place felt more like home than Lee Han-soo‘s room in the community ever did.

‘The air is certainly better here.’

Walking along the unpaved, overgrown path, I soon reached the residential area of the sanctuary.

Roughly built huts, lacking any particular structure.

“Bjorn, son of Jandel, is a warrior blessed by the ancestors and invincible!”

“Blessed and invincible!”

“Now, listen up as Bjorn tells the tale of how he defeated the most wicked evil spirit, the Corpse Collector!”

“Listen? What does that mean!”

“It means open your ears and listen carefully!”

In a nearby clearing, young warriors were being trained.

Their instructor was…

‘Aynar.’

Aynar was different from how she was in the city.

The shoulders that never relaxed in front of Misha were now broad and confident, and her expression was full of assurance.

And she was carrying four backpacks.

In the Barbarian tribe, the number of backpacks symbolized success.

She must have wanted to show off in front of the juniors.

It seemed she liked the position, as she came to the sacred grounds every morning without fail.

‘…Better move quickly.’

I thought about greeting Aynar but decided against it, not wanting to get drained of energy.

There was a specific reason I came to the sacred grounds today.

I needed to conserve my strength.

Swoosh.

Arriving at the tribe chief’s house, I opened the tent and stepped inside.

One advantage of being a Barbarian is that there’s no need to knock.

“Oh, you seem to be fully recovered.”

“Yes.”

“What brings you here?”

True to his position as the Barbarian tribe’s leader, he got straight to the point.

I liked this straightforwardness.

“I have something to say.”

“Speak.”

In barbarian society, honesty is a virtue.

“I’ve come to inherit the position of tribe chief.”

I said bluntly.

“Inherit, huh…”

The tribe chief grabbed the axe that was leaning against a corner and responded.

“Forget the formalities, attack me.”

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