Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 340

Snowball (4)

7th floor of the Labyrinth, Dark Continent.

In a mountain range veiled by thick, black fog that characterized the region, five explorers were setting up camp.

“How long until the magic circle is complete, Scholar Gramps?”

“It’ll take about ten minutes,” 

“Still not done? Ugh, this is why we need a priest.”

A hint of annoyance flickered across the old man’s face.

“If you’re so dissatisfied, why not recruit a priest for the team?”

The blonde chuckled at the old man’s response. “Do you think any priest would join us?”

“Aren’t there the Karui priests?”

“No thanks. Half-baked healers aren’t welcome here.”

Muttering, the blond man shifted his gaze from the old man to the misty darkness.

Although the black fog obscured the way forward, his eyes could see the shape of a monster approaching through the fog.

Daivilwolf, a level 5 beast. 

Normally, they live in packs, but it seemed this one had been outcast, likely after losing a dominance fight. The blonde man, in his usual lighthearted tone, turned to the red-haired woman.

“Hey, kitty, that one’s yours.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

“Touchy, aren’t you? So, are you gonna handle it or not?”

Without a word, Misha Karlstein, the red-haired beastwoman, picked up her sword and rose to her feet.

As the monster emerged from the mist with a menacing growl, Misha moved.

In just two strikes, it was over.

Thrust!

The moment her left hand’s sword pierced the monster’s hide, a chill swept through, freezing the monster solid.

Smash!

With her right hand, she swung her second sword, shattering the frozen wolf into countless icy shards.

“Wow, you can one-shot a level 5 now?”

Misha didn’t bother responding and quietly returned to her seat.

The blonde man sighed, sounding genuinely frustrated. “Why are you always so cold to me?”

“Do you really not know?” Misha retorted, her tone icy.

“How could I know? I’ve fed you, trained you, and even told you how to save your ‘beloved husband.’ What exactly do you have to complain about—”

“Enough.”

“See, even the way you talk to me now, it used to be so cute when you were all cat-like—”

“I said, enough.”

At that, Misha shot him a glare, cold enough to silence him. The blonde shrugged and sat down near the campfire.

“Oh, right. I forgot. Your precious husband is a no-go topic. My bad,” 

After spitting out an apology that didn’t sound sincere at all, the blonde man returned to chatting with his companions as if nothing had happened.

Misha quietly suppressed her boiling emotions.

‘…Lee Baek-ho.’

That was the name of the blonde man in front of her.

A ‘lone wolf’ of immense power, feared even by royalty and possessing enough skill to make even Noark cautious.

Crackle, crackle

As the campfire crackled, Misha recalled her first encounter with him.

***

It was like an offer from a devil.

Especially because the offer was impossible to refuse.

“What would you say if I told you there’s a way to bring Bjorn Jandel back?”

That day, Lee Baekho had made his proposition.

If they could reach the 9th floor, they could retrieve something called the “Resurrection Stone”. With it, they could bring back someone who was lost.

Of course, it wasn’t an act of pure charity.

“In exchange, I need you to do something for me.”

He’d laid out two conditions.

“First, testify that Bjorn Jandel was an evil spirit.”

“…What?”

“They say you were practically lovers, right? If you say it, no one will dismiss it as just a rumor.”

The first condition had made no sense to her.

“Are you kidding me? If I say that, even if he comes back, he won’t have anywhere to return to! I can’t—”

“So, you won’t do it?”

Lee Baekho’s sly grin cut her off.

Misha had wanted to walk away right then, but something told her that if she said one more word, the offer would be off the table forever.

“Smart girl.”

Seeing her restraint, Lee Baekho’s voice softened.

“I get that it’s a lot to take in, but trust me, this isn’t some spur-of-the-moment suggestion. If my plan works, we’ll bring down the royal family completely.”

“…The royal family?”

“I’ve realized that to cross the Abyss, we’ll need to take care of the royals first. And exposing Bjorn Jandel as an evil spirit is the first step.”

Madman.

The word nearly escaped her lips, but Misha restrained herself.

“Once the royals are gone, it won’t matter if Bjorn’s an evil spirit or not. He’ll have a place in the new world.”

“And if your plan fails?”

“Then I’ll take responsibility and get you both safely out beyond the walls. I hear it’s not so bad out there. Or, if you’d prefer, I can set you two up with new identities and you can live quietly on the outskirts.”

“……”

“Not a bad deal, right?”

Whether or not it was a good deal didn’t matter. If he was telling the truth, she really had no choice.

Better to be alive than dead.

And without Bjorn, the world was as good as dead to her anyway.

But Misha wasn’t foolish enough to agree so easily.

“…What’s the second condition?”

“Oh, that? Simple. I need you to help me out.”

“…Help you?”

“Yeah. I’ve been looking for a dual-wielding frost swordsman.”

His casual tone made Misha flinch.

He was smiling, but his eyes made her feel like he saw her as an object, not a person.

“…Why me?” Misha asked, feeling the weight of some unknown pressure.

She was genuinely curious about his true intentions.

But…

“Just a hunch.”

His response wasn’t what she’d expected.

“…A hunch?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t have to be you, really. It’s not like I can’t spread rumors about Bjorn Jandel being an evil spirit without you. Plus, getting the Stone of Resurrection for you is just adding to my workload…”

His tone was as if he were dealing with an annoying burden.

Just then, a benefit seemed to dawn on him.

“Oh, but there is one benefit,” Lee Baekho said with a sly smile as he looked at her.

“You have a reason not to betray me, don’t you?”

That was why he had sought her out.

****

The question made me feel like I’d have to prove my identity all over again, but it wasn’t too difficult to dispel Erwin’s suspicions.

I simply told her the truth from start to finish.

The Fragment of Record that had activated on Farune Island.
How I arrived in the city 20 years ago.
The six months of struggling there to return to the original timeline.

Of course, I didn’t mention anything about evil spirits.

[No matter what anyone says, to me, you’re still Bjorn Jandel.]

It wasn’t easy to lie to the first person who had said something like that to me, but there was no choice.

This was the best way for both of us.

[This will help you hide your identity from now on.]

I had the ‘gift’ given to me by Auril Gavis.

If it worked properly, it wouldn’t be impossible to prove that I wasn’t an evil spirit.

But if that ‘verification’ ever pointed toward Erwin?

If my confession about being an evil spirit were exposed to the world?

‘It’d be a complete disaster.’

No one could predict how things would unfold. It was only prudent to prepare for the worst.

‘Did Auril Gavis foresee this situation when he gave me that gift?’

Considering this was the first news I’d heard since returning to the future, it wasn’t unreasonable to wonder. But at the moment it was impossible to be certain of anything.

“So… you’re not an evil spirit, right?” Erwin asked. She didn’t seem overly concerned about the matter, whether she truly didn’t care or was playing it off.

Instead, she was oddly persistent about another topic.

“By the way…”

“Hm?”

“You spent more than six months with that woman, Amelia Rainweilz, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes.”

“She even fell for you after you saved her, didn’t she?”

“It wasn’t about falling for me, it was just gratitude—”

“If it’s just gratitude, you can leave her behind now, right?”

“…What?”

Leave Amelia behind?

Why did the conversation take such a sudden turn?

Unlike before, I was struggling to keep up with Erwin’s pace.

Before I could carefully choose my words, she spoke first.

“No matter the circumstances, she’s a plunderer from Noark. Can you really trust someone like that?”

“But Amelia is a very useful ally…”

I trailed off as Erwin gave me a strange, knowing smile.

“Pfft, you’re cute, you know that?” she giggled.

That was probably the first compliment I’d received since becoming a barbarian.

As I stared at her, Erwin seemed to notice my gaze and covered her mouth, blushing.

But it seemed there was one thing she couldn’t hold back.

“Don’t worry about that woman. You’ve got me now. I’m much stronger than before. I’ve made so much money, I’ve got subordinates who will do anything I say.”

“Oh, really…”

“Yes! I understand why you relied on her back then. You were in a tough situation, and she might’ve seemed reliable, just like when we first met…”

Erwin’s words, tinged with a warped memory, trailed off as she grasped my hand tightly.

“But don’t worry anymore. I’m here now.”

Despite her words, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered. Sure, we were close, but were we really this close? It had only been two and a half years since we last saw each other, yet she was speaking as if we’d become inseparable.

“I’ll protect you from now on. So…”

“So…?”

Feeling an odd sense of foreboding, I asked.

Erwin smiled.

“Next time, make sure to kill her.”

“Who…?”

“Amelia Rainweilz, of course!”

****

Now I understood.

Why Amelia had warned me with those words.

[Bjorn, that fairy is not the same as the one you once knew.]

The pure, innocent fairy from two years ago was gone.

In her place was an extreme, obsessive being, as if a screw had come loose in her mind.

‘If I let her drag me along, it’ll be the end.’

Instinctively, I knew that laughing this off wouldn’t solve anything.

So…

“BETHELL—LAAAAAAA!!!!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

It gave me a surge of confidence, like I could do anything.

But Erwin, whatever she had gone through during our time apart, didn’t even flinch at my outburst.

No, she actually clapped, as if delighted.

“Wow! That’s the Mister I know!”

…Ugh, exhausting.

I forced myself to ignore her reaction and spoke in a firm tone.

“Erwin, we’re not killing Amelia.”

“Huh? Why not?”

She wasn’t easy to sway.

“Fewer people who know the secret, the better, right? The thing about the Fragment of Records… And for now, we need to hide the fact that you’re still alive. There’s no reason to—”

“Enough.”

I cut her off, and she tilted her head, genuinely confused as to why I was being like this.

“I’ll handle the issue with Amelia. Don’t bring it up again, understood?”

I spoke firmly once more, holding her gaze until she answered. Erwin looked flustered for a moment, glancing around before finally lowering her shoulders in defeat.

“…Alright. I won’t mention it again.”

Phew, seems like I can rein her in if I push hard enough.

Having settled the Amelia issue, I discussed a few more matters with Erwin before making my way to the surface through the secret passage.

And then…

“Don’t worry. No one will see you.”

Once on the surface, we used a dark spirit to conceal our appearance and made our way to an inn. It was the middle of the night, the streets were deserted, and no one was skilled enough to detect our stealth.

“It’s small, but stay here for now. I’ll find a better place for you by tomorrow.”

“A better place…?”

This was already a room on the top floor with four separate chambers… Was she serious? It was hard to believe, especially considering she had once made a round trip of an hour just to eat a meal that was supposed to be cheap and delicious. But I guess this is just how time passes.

Better to adapt quickly.

“Now, get inside!” she urged with a cheerful push.

“…You too?”

“Of course! I rented this room with my money.”

Oh, well, she had a point.

While I hesitated, trying to come up with something to say, Erwin shoved me into the room.

And then…

“Hey, remember this?”

Erwin suddenly pulled out a bottle of alcohol from her dimensional storage.

It felt like I had stumbled into some new trial.

‘Remember…?’

Oh, I did.

“It’s the return brew we first drank together.”

I must have guessed right because Erwin beamed and giggled, clearly pleased. “I knew you’d remember!”

But in the process, she let slip something I didn’t particularly want to know.

“Isn’t it romantic?”

“Romantic…?”

“This drink. I was saving it for after I killed all the bastards I’ll have to take care of later. I figured I’d drink it alone. But I’m sharing it with you instead…”

What the hell happened to her?

If she’s like this, I’m a bit worried about our other companions…

“Alright, let’s have a drink.”

Drinking without losing my focus was something I had mastered, so I accepted Erwin’s offer for a drinking contest.

Time passed, and soon…

‘Still can’t handle her alcohol.’

Before long, Erwin was drunk and had collapsed onto the bed. Seeing her so defenseless made me wonder if she acted like this in other places, but…

‘Why am I even worrying about that?’

I chuckled to myself and sat down in a chair by the window.

It was one of those moments where I could finally understand why husbands crave alone time after getting married.

‘This is peaceful…’

For a brief moment, I enjoyed the quiet as the moonlight streamed through the window. But soon, I shifted my focus. I had gathered a considerable amount of information from my conversation with Erwin, and it needed sorting out.

Raven was in the 3rd Magic Division.
Mr.Bear joined a clan to make a living.
She knew nothing about Misha.
As for Aynar…

‘She might be the easiest to bring back.’

I sighed and shook my head.

The real obstacle wasn’t reuniting the scattered team.

Like any quest, there was a sequence of priorities.

‘She said that a few months after the rumors about me being an evil spirit started spreading, the royal family officially acknowledged it…’

That was the first thing I had to fix.