Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 334

To the Future (4)

The best case scenario would have been for the GM not to suspect me at all until I had all the information.

But was it too much to hope for?

‘Well, since it’s come to this, there’s nothing I can do.’

I brushed off the slight disappointment.

Anyway, the information I’d gathered so far was worth revealing my fourth style.

‘Whatever school he belongs to, he’s a rank 6 at 20.’

Besides, the number of G.M candidates has now been reduced from three to two.

There’s no way Auril Gavis met with this guy without knowing his name.

But judging by his reaction…

‘It’s unlikely that this guy is Zerkiph Elmen Mackinder.’

The 33.3% probability has now become 50%.

And perhaps this is the limit of what I could uncover while keeping my identity hidden, but that doesn’t mean I’m satisfied or that I plan to leave quietly.

‘I could investigate the two remaining candidates, but…’

There’s no need to take the harder route when an easier one is available.

The reason I’ve been more aggressive in gathering information than usual is that I had this method in mind.

“Speak. Who are you? How did you get here, and why did you pretend to be him?”

The GM, having seen through my act, pressed me with confidence.

As if he was someone important.

‘How cute.’

I chuckled and opened my mouth.

I was going to reveal my identity before leaving and tell him this anyway.

“Auril Gavis.”

“…What? That’s the name of the game’s creator—”

“That’s the name of the old man you met.”

The GM frowned as I interrupted him.

He heard the words but didn’t seem to understand them. Like a player who cares for newbies, I kindly added an explanation.

“He’s the one who summoned you to this world and plans to use you. He feels no guilt for what he’s done. Be wary of him.”

“Saying that while hiding your identity—”

Whatever.

“Whether you believe me or not is your choice. I’m here simply to warn you.”

“…Then why did you pretend to be him?”

“Because I wanted to know who you were before telling you this.”

Of course, I don’t expect the GM to completely trust my words.

It’s not like I told 100% of the truth.

The GM, too, is watching me with suspicion, wondering what my intentions are.

But…

‘What’s important is how plausible it sounds.’

People are very sensitive creatures. Even if they don’t believe it, such a statement leaves a lingering discomfort. Like a crack in a wall, no matter how small, it’s hard not to notice.

Maybe, just in case, what if…

Just planting such a keyword in the GM’s mind is enough for now.

‘So, that’s enough sowing discord…’

There are countless reasons to be wary of Auril Gavis, but I’ll stop here.

Rather than explaining everything, I judged it more effective to let his imagination run wild.

“…Do you think I’ll be swayed by your words?”

Of course, for the GM, my identity is more important than Auril Gavis at the moment, so he raised his voice.

“If you don’t reveal yourself right now—”

What a pathetic move.

‘That’s not how you ask questions.’

Especially not to someone who seems stronger than you.

I took a step forward and asked back.

“If I don’t?”

The GM, at a loss for words, tried to speak, but no sound came out.

He just stood there with his mouth open, swallowing empty air.

“…Kuhk!”

Lion’s Roar Style.

Third Move: Contempt for the Weak.

Thud.

As I took another step forward, the GM began to tremble, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Hmm, I didn’t expect his mental strength to be this weak.

“Weak.”

When I was your age, I was dominating the Round Table, kid.

At this rate, he won’t even understand what I’m saying, so I dialed back the intensity of my killing intent.

And then, in a low voice, I murmured.

“Aika Terratios.”

The name of the second candidate that Lee bae-kho had given me.

However, the GM’s reaction wasn’t what I expected.

His eyes were filled with caution, as if wondering if I was casting a spell or some sort of incantation.

‘Tsk.’

No, that’s not it either?

Then, only one candidate remains…

“Urben Havellion.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, I continued.

I was slightly worried that Baek-ho might have been completely off the mark, but…

But…

“…!”

His reaction was noticeably different from before.

His pupils dilated momentarily.

His breathing rate increased.

The muscles in his face stiffened.

He didn’t avoid my gaze, trying hard to maintain a calm expression.

I had considered the possibility that he might be a master of poker faces.

“So that’s your name.”

As a thrill of joy surged from finally learning the GM’s name, I also felt a twinge of bitterness.

‘To think it would take three tries to succeed.’

33.3% and 50%.

Both seemed like reasonable odds, but missing twice in a row made me anxious. Still, at least one of them was a hit.

Well, that’s how it usually goes for me.

“Urben Havellion.”

I muttered the GM’s name, savoring it as I slowly withdrew my killing intent.

As I did, the GM, who had been frozen stiff and unable to breathe, collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.

Even then, his eyes remained fixed on me.

“W-Who are you, really…?”

His eyes were filled more with fear than hostility.

But now that the pressure on his mind and body had lifted, had he regained enough rationality to make a decision?

Flash!

A brilliant white light briefly flooded the world.

There was no reason to be surprised, as it was a phenomenon I had experienced countless times.

“See you later.”

He used his admin privileges to shut down the community server.

***

“Are you awake?”

When I opened my eyes, Amelia was sitting by the bed.

There was only one reason why she, who had been busy day and night recently, would be by my side.

I’m vulnerable while in the community.

Could something have happened during those few seconds?

‘What could happen in less than ten seconds…?’

It might seem overly protective, but despite that thought, I couldn’t help but feel grateful.

“Here.”

As I reached for the water bottle I had left on the bedside table, Amelia picked it up and handed it to me.

“Ah, thanks.”

“So, how did it go?”

After taking a sip to wet my throat, I told her what had happened there.

Amelia listened with keen interest but didn’t make too much of a fuss.

“Urben Havelion, that reclusive mage, is an evil spirit? If this gets out, the city will be in an uproar”

“Reclusive mage?”

“Don’t you know? He’s famous for rarely leaving the Mage Tower. Most of his current reputation stems from his time as an explorer”

“I see.”

I didn’t know he was a shut-in, but I did have some basic information from previous research.

Like how the school he belonged to was wiped out in an incident, and he later founded his own school. Or how he primarily used wind magic during his exploring days.

And how he became an unrivaled master in the field of magical artifact crafting.

‘That’s why he’s known as the “Arcane Engineer.”

Anyway, the conversation concluded with a discussion on how fortunate it was that the fragment of records didn’t activate.

“…Fortunate?”

“Oh, it’s just that it made me realize my role in this era. If it had been my final task, I wouldn’t have been able to buy any equipment before returning, right?”

“Ah… that’s… true.”

“Hmm? Amelia, is something wrong?”

“Nothing. So, did you find a place to hide the gear?”

Amelia nodded, though she seemed a bit off, but it wasn’t worth prying.

There was a more important topic at hand.

“Well, I’m not sure. I’ve scouted several places, but none of them feel secure enough. I’d like your opinion.”

I then listed the locations I had scouted and asked Amelia for her thoughts.

“They all have their risks, indeed.”

“Hiding it in the Sacred Forest would be ideal, but that shaman guy wandering around makes me uneasy.”

“Then how about placing it in a bank vault?”

“A bank vault?”

It was a solution I hadn’t considered.

Using a bank would require the identity of ‘Nibels Entze.’

It could cause issues when retrieving the items as Bjorn Jandel, and besides, the identity of ‘Nibels Entze’ is set to expire next year due to unpaid taxes.

In other words, anything left in the bank would be seized by the treasury.

‘Not to mention paying 20 years’ worth of taxes in advance isn’t an option either.’

There were too many practical limitations to that method, so I hadn’t even considered it as a candidate.

‘But Amelia wouldn’t suggest this without knowing these things…’

“Tell me more.”

I adjusted my posture as Amelia began to explain.

“Alminus Bank offers something called an ‘Anonymous Term Vault.’”

“Never heard of it.”

It wasn’t a system that existed in the game.

So, it must have been an update over the past 150 years.

“It’s natural that you don’t know. Even among explorers who frequently use the bank, few are aware of this obscure service.”

Amelia then gave me a brief rundown of the Anonymous Term Vault.

‘To sum it up, it’s a vault where you can store items for a set period without revealing your identity. You only need a password to retrieve them.’

Hmm, not bad.

***

The next day.

After a long time, Amelia and I went out together and visited the bank to ensure that there were no hidden clauses or risks of which I wasn’t aware.

And…

‘This is even more secure than a Swiss bank, huh?’

I decided it was safer than burying it in the ground and stored the Demon Crusher of Kraul in an anonymous private vault.

For the period, I set it generously at 22 years.

Of course, the upfront payment for that period wasn’t cheap, but…

“Don’t worry, we can afford it.”

With Amelia’s blessings, such a small amount was no problem for me.

Luckily, it seemed things had gone well for her too.

“Oh, you really managed to cover the shortfall…”

Amelia, who had been tirelessly raising funds day and night for over two weeks, had indeed gathered the promised capital.

When I asked what magic she had used, she replied.

“I sold information.”

She had used her privilege as a returner to sell information.

The main customers were those interested in the upcoming auction.

Apparently, she sold the names and colors of the essences that would be on offer…

“But it’s odd. What made them trust your information?”

“Oh, that? I leveraged the status of the branch manager of the Central Exchange.”

“Leverage? How?”

“I followed him day and night until I found something to blackmail him with.”

By the way, since the exchange put so much effort into security, even the branch manager didn’t know what the essences were. 

Of course, that wasn’t a problem for us.

The important thing was to make the customers believe it was reliable insider information.

 “When I visited the branch manager’s office with the customers, no one doubted the authenticity of the information. They probably figured they could hold him accountable if it turned out wrong.”

After hearing all this, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

I thought she might succeed even if she started a business.

Is this the majesty of an SSR companion?

“Amelia…!!”

“W-What…! Don’t cling to me…!”

In the end, Amelia handled everything, from finding a place to hide the gear to securing the funds to buy the essence and cover the remaining balance.

And…

“Phew, today’s the day…”

Time passed, and the day of the auction finally arrived.