Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 255

June 25, 2024 • 11 min read • 1310 views

Open World (4)

Explorers age much faster than normal people.

That’s because the higher they go, the longer they spend in the labyrinth.

Sometimes, a single exploration can last nearly half a year.

‘But why does he look so young?’

I briefly wondered as I looked at the man with platinum blond hair slicked back in a pompadour style.

I gulped.

There was more pressing information to process than the secret to his youthful appearance.

[I heard you were in the royal palace. When exactly did you get here?]

When the city burned, Lee Baek-ho was at the royal palace.

[Who gave the order to start the fire without my permission?]

The Ruin Scholar was indeed the one who started the fire…

“Do you want to die?”

Lee Baek-ho was furious about that fact.

But what could be the reason?

Even the object of his anger, the Ruin Scholar, frowned as if he had no idea.

“I can’t understand. Why oppose me? You also benefited from my actions.”

“Benefited, my foot. Burning this place doesn’t make the king leave his palace.”

“Oh! So the king was your target?”

Despite the situation, Ruin Scholar’s eyes gleamed at Lee Baek-ho’s response.

But…

“What? The king was my goal?”

Lee Baek-ho sneered as if he found it pathetic.

“You really know nothing, old man. Forget it. It’s too bothersome to explain.”

Lee Baek-ho waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

“…You’re even more uncultured than I heard.”

For the first time, the Ruin Scholar couldn’t hide his discomfort.

Of course, Lee Baek-ho didn’t bat an eye. 

“It’s you who lacks manners, talking back and giving off a foul smell. Seriously, get yourself new dentures. The stench is unbearable.”

“What, what…?”

The Ruin Scholar winced, as if that remark had punched him in the gut.

“This insolent bas…”

Seeing his mustache twitch as he tried to curse, the winner was already decided.

Yeah,it’s hard to imagine that old man winning against Lee Baek-ho, who embodies the spirit of a K-gamer, with words.

“Alright, let’s get to the main point.”

 Lee Baek-ho dismissed Ruin Scholar’s frustration and got to the point.

“So how are you going to compensate me? My gukbap restaurant. It burned down because of you.”

That was the real reason he was so furious.

“Guk… gukbap…?”

The Ruin Scholar seemed clueless, but Lee Baek-ho continued to vent his anger.

“Even though he was an NPC, he made the best gukbap I’ve ever had, just by following my recipe. He even promised to make radish kimchi next time…”

“…Was there an alchemy workshop in Carnon?”

“Alchemy, my ass.”

Lee Baek-ho spat on the ground disrespectfully.

“Talking to NPCs is pointless. If Han-soo was here, he would be just as mad.”

When he suddenly mentioned me, I flinched. But yeah, I probably would have been equally mad. Who knew there was a place in this city where I could get gukbap?

‘If such a place existed, you should have told me before! I haven’t even tasted it yet!’

I felt a surge of anger towards both of them.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

I could only pretend to be a clueless barbarian and watch the situation unfold.

“So what do you want? I don’t want to make an enemy out of you. If my actions have harmed your workshop, I will compensate you.”

The Ruin Scholar tried to negotiate.

It was a surprising sight.

This madman who burned down the entire southern part of Carnon was trying to resolve things through dialogue? Just how significant was Lee Baek-ho’s stature for this old man to act this way?

I couldn’t know for sure yet, but one thing was clear.

“Take out your dentures.”

“…?”

“You said you’d compensate me, right? If you’re truly sorry, remove your rotten-smelling dentures yourself. Then I’ll let it go.”

Lee Baek-ho was a formidable ally but a nightmare of an enemy.

“…I don’t know what misunderstanding you’ve had, but these aren’t dentures—”

“Like hell they’re not.”

Lee Baek-ho stepped forward, signaling the end of negotiations.

And he spoke.

“Then what is this?”

A phrase that no one there could understand.

But just a brief moment was enough.

Tatat.

The sound of light footsteps on the ground.

Whoosh.

Instantly, Lee Baek-ho’s figure vanished.

Although I don’t know what his agility numbers are, my reflexes could only pick up fragments of moments.

Lee Baek-ho’s clenched fist.

The Ruin Scholar’s startled expression.

And then…

Swoosh-!

A magical barrier sprang up between them.

It was the combination of ‘Danger Detection Aid’ and ‘Shield’ that was essential to a mage’s survival in this roguelike world.

Judging by the barrier’s purple hue, the magic density was almost at its peak.

At this level, it could withstand an ogre’s punch once.

But…

Crack-!

Lee Baek-ho’s fist couldn’t be stopped.

“…!”

The magical barrier shattered like glass.

In exchange, the blue energy surrounding Lee Baek-ho’s fist also dissipated.

It wasn’t a significant achievement against the Ruin Scholar.

But it was enough to prove something with his bare fist.

Thud-!

In an instant, Lee Baek-ho’s punch landed on the Ruin Scholar’s jaw.

At the same time, something white flew out along with blood.

“See, you lied about it not being dentures.”

Lee Baek-ho snatched it from the air and clicked his tongue.

“If they weren’t dentures, why’d they come out?”

Even I had to admit, this guy was crazy.

***

“Are you really intending to see this through to the end?”

Surprisingly, the Ruin Scholar quickly stood up after taking a hit. He looked at Lee Baek-ho with emotionless eyes.

“If you want to continue, I won’t avoid it.”

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard a mage talk about fighting in close combat.”

Lee Baek-ho laughed as if it were absurd, but he didn’t seem to underestimate his opponent.

After all, Lee Baek-ho was also injured.

‘Why is he hurt?’

I still didn’t understand.

The Ruin Scholar had cast an additional barrier after his ‘Danger Detection Barrier’ was broken, and Lee Baek-ho had smashed it with his bare fists, knocking out a tooth.

And that was all I saw of their exchange.

“Spit.”

Lee Baek-ho spat out blood-mixed saliva on the ground and asked.

“What was that at the end?”

“A simple curse spell.”

“I shouldn’t be affected by curses, though?”

“Given your level, you should know this technique. I connected the circuit to complete the spell using your body as a medium during the brief contact.”

“Oh, so that’s why my magic resistance didn’t work.”

Lee Baek-ho nodded as if he understood.

It seemed to be a common technique among the veteran mages of this world.

Ha, there were no such cheat code in the game.

“But that still doesn’t make sense. You did that in such a short time? Others take several seconds just to connect.”

“I created this application technique. I should be able to do at least this much.”

“Wow, so you invented that shitty technique?”

Lee Baek-ho glared at the Ruin Scholar as if acknowledging a formidable opponent.

The Ruin Scholar returned the gaze equally.

“I know your situation. I have a rough idea why you left the royal family.”

“So what?”

“Since we’ve met, I have a proposition that might interest you.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

Lee Baek-ho asked back, seemingly curious.

He seemed more interested in the offer than in avenging the NPC at the Gukbap restaurant.

The atmosphere felt strange, so I discreetly took a step back.

That’s when it happened.

“How about we finish off that friend first and then talk?”

The Ruin Scholar shifted his gaze to me as he said this.

Ha, I didn’t see this coming.

‘Damn it.’

My heart pounded.

Just dealing with the Ruin Scholar was already pushing my luck, and having Lee Baek-ho intervene would leave me with no options.

Except revealing my identity as ‘Lee Han-soo’ and appealing to his emotions might be the only options..

“That’s not happening.”

I had considered even the worst scenario, but fortunately, Lee Baek-ho rejected the Ruin Scholar’s proposal.

Not because he knew I was a player.

And not out of some emotional reason like being unable to watch me die.

“It would seem like I’m acting according to your orders.”

It was simply a matter of maintaining control.

The Ruin Scholar seemed frustrated by Lee Baek-ho’s stubbornness and spoke as if persuading a difficult child.

“That man is now a noble.”

“So what?”

“Given that you’ve fallen out with the royal family, he is a potential enemy.”

It was a reasonably logical argument even to my ears.

Fortunately, Lee Baek-ho didn’t seem to care at all.

“And what of it? I can handle him myself, so stay out of it.”

The source of his confidence was clear.

He knew I was a player.

No matter how close I got to the royal family, he believed he could easily render me powerless.

‘So in a way, it’s actually good that my identity was exposed…?’

“In that case… we need to change locations.”

In the end, the Ruin Scholar couldn’t bend Lee Baek-ho’s will and had to give up on killing me.

After all, from his perspective, Lee Baek-ho was far more important than I was.

“Just so you know, I’m not using teleportation.”

“Teleportation…?”

“Instant movement, you know. Lead the way. I’ll follow. Feel free to try anything funny, but be prepared to die if you do.”

“…Then let’s move.”

The Ruin Scholar and the man who seemed like his attendant floated into the air.

They used a levitation spell.

“What are you staring at? I’ll follow, so go ahead.”

The Ruin Scholar stared at Lee Baek-ho for a few seconds before disappearing beyond the flames.

This averted the immediate crisis.

But I couldn’t relax just yet.

One of Lee Baek-ho’s traits was that he was unpredictable.

“Hey.”

“…What?”

I spoke, not bothering to hide my fear.

Lee Baek-ho smirked and said…

“You know I just saved your life, right?”

With that parting remark, he left.

I felt my mind go blank.

‘So his refusal to kill me wasn’t just about maintaining control?’

I wasn’t sure.

But if that were the case…

‘I might be a bit touched.’

I wiped the soot off my nose.

“Ugh.”

Damn kid.

He said he didn’t want to build any bonds.

****

Not long after Lee Baek-ho and the Ruin Scholar left, Raven arrived.

“Mr. Jandel!”

Thanks to the Ruin Scholar’s reputation, Raven was accompanied by a battalion of knights and several military mages..

“We’re here to rescue… Huh? Where is everyone…?”

Raven looked confused when she didn’t see the Ruin Scholar anywhere. The royal troops behind her had similar expressions.

Before any misunderstandings could arise, I quickly explained the situation.

“You mean to say ‘that guy’ from the assassination incident showed up and started fighting the Ruin Scholar?”

“Yeah, they suddenly started fighting and then disappeared in an instant.”

“Do you know why ‘that guy’ opposed the Ruin Scholar?”

“I have no idea!”

I simplified the events for one reason.

I didn’t want anyone to think Lee Baek-ho had helped me.

“You were really lucky.”

Since the incident involved such prominent figures, the knights didn’t question my account.

“Then we’ll go ahead and investigate.”

The royal troops stayed to investigate the area, while Raven and I stepped outside.

The first to greet us were the survivors we had saved.

The dozen or so lives we had struggled to protect.

They all bowed repeatedly to me, their faces blackened with soot.

But that moment was short-lived.

After all, no one dies from not receiving a thank you.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

Raven asked when I turned to leave.

Honestly, I was exhausted from the recent events and desperately wanted to rest…

“I made a promise.”

“…A promise?”

In exchange for receiving fire-resistant gear and supplies, I had told Reben Arpegan, the mage, that I would do my best if I had the strength.

Raven looked a bit stunned but didn’t try to stop or scold me for wasting my efforts.

“Go ahead. I’ll stay here and help others.”

She seemed to be saying we’ll each do our best in our own way.

I gave Raven an approving look before heading back through the flames.

And over the next 12 hours, until the heavy rain came pouring down, extinguishing the fire…

Swoosh!

I managed to save 17 more lives.

It’s a number that wouldn’t even make it into a main episode in a film or comic, but…….

「Character’s reputation has increased by +1.」

「Character’s reputation has increased by +1.」

「Character’s reputation has increased by +1…」

「…」

「…」

It was my best effort.

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