Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 72

Chapter 72 Ghostbusters

I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, lost in thought.

The last thing I remembered before losing consciousness was the gloomy sky characteristic of this city…

‘It looks like a temporary tent for patients. There must have been many others injured.’
Indeed, when I looked to the side, I saw a row of hospital beds.

I naturally assessed the situation.

The tent was quiet, filled with a sense of stillness.

Most of the usable beds are empty.

Which means.

“It’s been a while.

So, I knew what I had to do next.

First, find out how much time has passed.

As I slowly tried to sit up, being careful not to strain my muscles, I felt a heavy, strange sensation in my abdomen.

I chuckled wryly as I realized its source.

‘There you are…’

Misha was using my belly as a pillow, asleep.

Her characteristic snoring even made me chuckle.

It was touching that she stayed by my side to care for me, though it seemed pointless in this state.

‘Well, she must be tired too.’

Karui Priestess Elisha.

Our ordeal in the Witch’s Forest.

The chase with Chaos Lord, Liakis.

Considering all that we had been through, her exhaustion was understandable.

But…

“Misha, wake up.”

Right now, my curiosity took precedence, so I woke Misha up without hesitation.

“Huh? Ah… Bjorn! You’re awake! How’s your body? Are you okay?”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

My left ankle, which had been damaged, moved well, and my torn-off arm was back to its normal state.

That led me to my first question.

“Did you use a high-grade potion?”

“No, a priestess came and healed you

“The cost?”

“Don’t worry. The guild provided disaster relief funds, so it wasn’t much…”

Her response made me more concerned.

“So, how much was it?”

“…300,000 stones.”

“That’s reasonable.”

Thankfully, it was cheaper than a high-grade potion. I was worried about the priest’s fees, but it seems the guild’s support was quite generous.

“Why that face? You did well.”

“But Bjorn doesn’t like spending money…”

Well, that’s true, but…

“Money is never more important than health.”

This wasn’t just about healing some bruises.

It was about reattaching a limb that was completely torn off and left in the labyrinth.

‘Natural regeneration would have been hopeless.’

I let go of any regret.

From past experiments with Raven, I knew regeneration had its limits. Even growing a finger took a tremendous amount of time.

Anyway, onto my second question.

“So, how long has it been since we got out of the labyrinth?”

“About 6 hours.”

It made sense that it was still light outside.

It hadn’t been a whole day.

“My backpack?”

“It’s fine. Everything inside too!”

“The magic stones?”

“I exchanged yours and mine for money.”

“Did anyone come looking for me while I was unconscious?”

“Hikurod visited!”

“The Dwarf?”

I tilted my head in confusion, and Misha slowly explained what happened.

To cut to the chase, she was reunited with Hikurod’s group about five hours ago, when they happened to find this place…….

“I’m glad to hear that all three of them are okay, so where did they go?”

“They said they were glad you were alive and left because they were tired.”

“That makes sense.”

I didn’t feel slighted. If roles were reversed, I’d have done the same.

Being here wouldn’t have woken me up any faster. We could catch up on missed conversations in two days when we planned to meet.

“So what else do I need to do to get out of here?”

“Just pack up and go. I’ve already taken care of all the tedious stuff.”

“That’s good.”

As I began to rise, throwing off the blanket, Misha hastily stopped me.

“Wait, don’t get up yet!”

“…?”

“At least put this on first…”

No further explanation was needed.

“Ah…”

While Misha turned away, I quickly dressed in the new clothes laid out on the table.

She had even bought clothes for me in advance.

Despite her usual silly appearance, she has a thoughtful side.

“Does the outfit fit well?”

“It fits perfectly.”

Honestly, it was a bit too small, but finding the right size in this city is a challenge anyway.

When we stepped out of the tent, dusk was setting in.

“Misha, where’s your accommodation?”

“In district 8.”

“Then we can go together.”

As we walked together, the contrast between us and the surroundings was striking.

People in clean everyday clothes, not heavy, rigid metal armor.

“Bjorn, why are you staring like that? Let’s hurry, I’m exhausted.”

After about 30 minutes of walking through the streets, we arrived at the inn.

Misha’s place was about a 10-minute walk from there.

“It’s closer than I thought.”

“Yeah, why didn’t we notice this before?”

“Anyway, you should head off now. You must be tired too. Thanks for today.”

“Wait a moment!”

As I quickly said goodbye and turned to enter the inn, Misha grabbed my wrist.

“Is there something else I need to know right away?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Then what is it?

Sending a look that urged her to speak, Misha chuckled and let go of my wrist.

“It’s okay, you would have scolded me anyway for repeating the same thing several times.”

“The same thing?”

“Then I’ll be off. See you tomorrow!”

Before I could respond, Misha dashed off.

“Tomorrow?”

Wasn’t the meeting scheduled for the day after tomorrow?

Her last words were a bit puzzling, but I was too tired to ponder. I entered the inn, took a quick shower, and had a simple meal downstairs.

As always, it didn’t really hit me until I was lying on the bed.

‘I survived and made it back again.’

Fuck

***

The next day, at noon.

I woke up to a knock on my door. I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it was persistent.

“…Misha?”

“I knew you’d still be sleeping.”

“Why are you here? I thought we were meeting tomorrow night?”

Misha chuckled at my grumpy question and spread out a bundle on the table.

I look at it and realize it’s food.

“Come and sit down quickly. It’s not good for your body to sleep without eating.”

Barbarians don’t usually care about that kind of thing.

I stare in disbelief, and Misha finally grabs my arm and pulls me over.

“Stop complaining and come. Even if you go back to sleep, eat something first.”

I didn’t see the harm in skipping a meal or two, but she was being considerate, so I complied.

The menu was sautéed vegetables and grilled meat with eggs.

“How is it?”

“…It’s delicious. Did you make this yourself?”

“Where else would I get something like this?”

Just saying so would have been enough

I didn’t really think she was a good cook anyway.

To think that she could cook so well, I never expected that.

“At first, I did it myself to save some money, but it was kind of fun, so I’m still doing it.”

“Hmm, but aren’t you staying at an inn?”

“Oh, that’s true, but I became friends with the chef, so he lets me use the kitchen for a bit.”

“That makes sense.”

“You should try it sometime, Bjorn. You’ll save more money than you think.”

“Cooking, huh?”

It seems like she really believes there’s nothing a barbarian can’t do. Or maybe she just doesn’t know much about barbarians?

“Cooking is a disgrace to a warrior.”

“Is that so?”

As I nodded firmly, Misha looked resigned and cautiously offered a suggestion.

“If that’s the case, I can cook for you…”

What is she talking about now?

“No need for that. Buying food is easier.”

“I guess so.”

“By the way, how did you know I was at the lake? I don’t recall telling you about that.”

“Oh, that? I just asked the innkeeper where the barbarian was and he told me.”

“I see.”

After some casual conversation and finishing the meal, the plates were empty.

“So, what will you do now? Go back to sleep?”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“Since it’s come to this, I might take a walk around the commercial district.”

Originally, I planned to sleep until tomorrow night, but lying down again wouldn’t help.

It’s a kind of compulsion. Unless I’m absolutely exhausted, I can’t rest with things left undone.

“It’s better this way. Misha, come with me.”

“Eh? Me too? I was planning to go back to sleep…”

Misha looked surprised, but I knew I had to be firm.

“You woke me up. You’re responsible.”

“Fine, fine. I had to drop off some equipment anyway…”

There’s no escaping this.

***

First, I disposed of all the equipment I had acquired.

After paying the Dzarwi Clan 2 million stones in equipment as protection money, the profits weren’t as high as expected.

‘I’ll have to divide some of this for Hans and his group…’

Still, selling the equipment and various consumables brought in quite a sum.

One of the religious fanatics had an expandable backpack, which helped.

“Yes, the repair cost is 500,000 stones.”

“It’s Lytianium gear. A bend or warp is one thing, but such severe corrosion is another matter.”

Even so, 500,000 stones to repair 4 million stones worth of equipment?

Are they taking advantage of me because I’m a barbarian?

“Stop being unreasonable, Bjorn. He’s not wrong…”

Misha seemed annoyed, but seeing a 5-year veteran explorer agree, it must be a standard price.

So, I paid for it.

‘How much is the total loss in gold…?’

For an efficiency-minded gamer, gold loss is more frightening than muscle loss.

‘I left my mace and an arm in the labyrinth, used an advanced potion, paid 300,000 stones in treatment, and now 500,000 for repairs…’

The more I thought about it, the more it hurt.

If only I hadn’t handed over 2 million stones worth of equipment as protection money…

“Don’t worry too much, Bjorn. I’ll work hard to earn more money.”

Right, let’s stay positive.

After all, Misha is one of the biggest gains from this expedition.

Of course, the first being the essence of the Orc Hero.

‘I also got a lot of potions, so in a way, I’ve saved a lot of money for future expenses…’

“Bjorn, what are you doing? Why aren’t you going in?”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I entered the inn with Misha. It wasn’t our usual lodging, but an inn located in the commercial district of Commelby.

“Who would’ve thought the carriages at the station would be out of service.”

“That’s why I said we should hurry, didn’t I?”

“Alright, no more nagging.”

On entering the inn, I asked the counter for two rooms, only to be hit on the back by Misha.

“Are you crazy! Do you know how expensive it is per day? Just get one room.”

“One room?”

Usually, it’s the opposite, but…

“Don’t you know this is Rabigion! Usually, one night here costs over ten thousand stones!”

“I see. One room will do.”

Now I understand why she hit me.

Even the cheaper option costs 9,000 stones a night? The cost of living in the city center is insane.

‘She had a reason for hurrying…’

But the room justified its cost.

It wasn’t a dormitory-like room I used to stay in, but had a separate living room, bedroom, and bathroom.

There was not only a window but a small terrace in the living room, and a faint scent of flowers wafted through the room.

“Look, Bjorn! Artian Workshop soap! They’re letting us use this for free!”

Even Misha, who had been complaining about wasting money, was thrilled after discovering something in the bathroom.

When she returned, she seemed very satisfied.

“Bjorn, we really have to work hard to earn more.”

I couldn’t help but agree as I lay on the wide bed.

“Yeah… let’s work hard.”

The bed was comfortably soft.

‘When will I be able to sleep on a bed like this every day…’

A city where barbarism and civilization coexist.

To live more humanely than now, how many more plunderers and monsters do I need to kill?

Without time to ponder deeply, my eyes closed swiftly.

***

Late at night, when most are asleep.

The tavern where the unfortunate gathered today was as noisy as ever, perhaps noisier than usual.

“Have you heard the news?”

“About the layer lord appearing on the 3rd floor?”

“Yes, over thirty from the Dzarwi Clan died because of it.”

“Thirty is nothing. There are rumors that the total death toll is in the hundreds.”

“So, they haven’t caught the person who summoned the layer lord?”

A topic of interest for any explorer.

But there was another story, slowly spreading among the gossips.

“Did you hear? One of the survivors told me… A single person’s actions greatly contributed to the Dzarwi Clan’s survival.”

“One person? Is it Deputy Leader McGrain?”

“No, I heard it was a 3rd floor explorer who just happened to be there.”

“Is there such an explorer? What’s his name?”

“Well…”

Bjorn Jandel.

A barbarian who entered the 3rd floor after just three months.

His incredible bravery, saving many, was talked about in various ways, sometimes exaggerated.

But all stories concluded the same way.

“The wizard who told me the story did not hesitate to say this about the Barbarian.”

“And what was that?”

“Though young and yet to achieve heroic deeds, his actions are certainly worth following, akin to those of a great and brave hero…”

A nickname.

A second name earned only by explorers who possess both skill and fame.

“He deserves to be called ‘Little Balkan.'”

This nickname was heard everywhere.

***

「Your character’s fame has increased by +1.」
「Your character’s fame has increased by +1.」
「Your character’s fame has increased by +1.」
「Your character’s fame has increased by +1…」
「…」
「…」
「Warning: The probability of special events occurring for your character has increased.」

 

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