Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 73
Ghostbusters (2)
In a serene office, a man sipped his tea and murmured, “Little Balkan…”
It was a story that caught his interest after a long time.
How many explorers could gain a nickname within three months? At least since he took on this mission, it hasn’t even been three times.”
“Interesting,”
Even the essence records confirmed by the Guild were fascinating. Normally, explorers start with level 9 essences and gradually progress through the levels”.
But what about this guy? He absorbed the essences of a corpse golem, a vampire, and now an orc hero.
“Luck doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
It’s almost like using a cheat code.
Well, if we look back in history, we can find quite a few who have left similar marks
There are definitely people in this world who are born with special destiny, talent, and luck.
“Which category does he belong to?”
Among these people, most become heroes or great figures, revered in later times.
Then, what about this barbarian?
At least from what we’ve seen so far, he seems to have enough potential.
Of course, his essence needs to be proven first.
“Before getting weaker, I should check this once.”
This matter requires more caution and carefulness than usual.
***
A typical high-end pub with room-style seating.
As I open the door and enter, I am greeted by the Dwarf and Dwalki sitting in the dwarf-only chairs.
“Oh, you’ve arrived! Come, have a seat! Ha ha ha!”
“Truly, it’s good to see both of you safe,”
I sat down opposite Misha, who had come with me.
“Where’s Rotmiller?”
“Still not here. Should be arriving soon, right?”
As we ordered food and chatted casually, Rotmiller arrived at 8 PM sharp.
“Bjorn, Karlstein. Glad you’re safe,”
“No, Rotmiller, we’re glad you’re safe. Heard you got hurt trying to escape.
“That’s my only regret. If only I hadn’t been injured, I wouldn’t have left you there…”
“Stop,”
I cut him off before he could continue his self-reproach.
“Why not sit down? The food’s here.”
“…Alright.”
Soon, with Rotmiller seated, our team was finally reunited after a long time.
It felt like a miracle that we all returned alive after being separated in the labyrinth.
“Truly, the gods must have protected us,”
With Rotmiller’s melodramatic words, the real conversation began.
The main topic was naturally our recent experiences.
“So, Hikurod, what happened on your end?”
“Oh, that?”
The dwarf began to explain in order, detailing what happened in the labyrinth since we were separated.
Rotmiller was ambushed immediately after our separation, but they managed to counterattack and escape, taking down an enemy scout.
The story wasn’t much different from what I heard in the witch’s hut, but coming from the dwarf himself, it was more detailed.
“That time, I used [Emergency Restoration] to reactivate ‘Guardian’s Wrist Guard’ for an escape,”
I hadn’t expected it, but they indeed used that combo.
“Wow, I didn’t know Numbered items could be combined with abilities like that,”
“Hahaha, where have I ever been great? It’s all wisdom passed down from our ancestors.”
[Emergency Restoration] wasn’t for repairs but a skill that reverted equipment to its state from five minutes ago. Number items were no exception, though it consumed more MP than usual.
‘Wisdom of the ancestors…’
It seemed that tips related to Numbered items were passed down within the dwarf race.
To summarize the rest of their story:
“First, we fled far away, then healed Rotmiller. We tried to find you but couldn’t due to the distance.”
They didn’t give up and kept wandering the Witch’s Forest.
But on the third day, they encountered Elisha.
“What? You met that crazy woman again?!”
“Yes. Don’t know how, but she persistently followed us into the forest.”
“So, what did you do then?”
“Ha ha, what else? We had to run!”
They had to use a portal to escape Elisha’s chase, moving to the fourth floor.
And that was the end of their ordeal.
The 4th floor [Sky Tower] had a stage-like structure.
Somehow they managed to complete the first stage and decided to stay there until the labyrinth closed.
It was a judgment call since encountering a 6th-grade monster in the next stage could mean total annihilation.
“It was quite a hardship to kill time for over ten days… but we managed thanks to Rotmiller and Dwalki.”
Hardship my foot. That’s what we should be saying.
‘Ah, so they just left after saying they were tired?’
I started to feel a mild ache in my lower abdomen.
While we were struggling, they were resting and relaxing. It’s somewhat tolerable, but…
“Oh, right, I forgot to mention. Surprisingly, an essence appeared in the first trial.”
“An essence… appeared?”
What the fuck is this game?
Despite our countless battles with monsters in the Witch’s Forest, no essence appeared. Yet, they casually stumbled upon one.
And it was from a 7th grade monster, the ‘Mimic’, known for yielding high rewards when its essence appears.
“Rotmiller absorbed it first, then opened the [Treasure Vault].”
[The Treasure Vault] is Mimic’s active skill. It’s not combat-related but allows access to a personal subspace storage.
The key point is…
“So, what did you find?”
When you first open [Treasure Vault], it contains various items randomly. If you’re unlucky, it might just have a few high-grade potions and that’s it.
I hoped they had the same luck but…
“About 2 million stones worth of magic stones, three top-grade potions, and two Numbered items.”
“Crazy?”
“…Why suddenly curse?”
“Sorry, I was just shocked.”
I felt like I was going to throw up, but I swallowed hard and asked.
“So, what were the item numbers?”
“Unfortunately, one was in the 8000s, the other in the 9000s.”
Whew, so they made well over ten million stones. Obviously, they would divide it among themselves since we weren’t there.
Why is this dwarf so lucky?
“We thought they weren’t much use to us, so we decided to sell them. Rotmiller, having absorbed the essence, agreed to deduct its standard guild value.”
“Congratulations…”
Rotmiller gained a new essence, and the Dwarf and Dwarli hit a financial jackpot.
Maybe that’s why?
I could barely manage to offer congratulations with a smile, but…
Snap!
The spoon in my hand bent in half.
“Bi, Bjorn? Why suddenly break a perfectly good spoon?”
“The Orc Hero essence makes it hard to control my strength.”
“Eh? Wasn’t that not an issue yesterday?”
Well, yesterday, this didn’t happened.
Damn leechers…
***
Now that we heard the dwarf’s updates, it was our turn.
“Actually, we’re more curious about what happened to you. We heard some rumors and got a rough idea yesterday, but what exactly happened to you?”
I decided to summarize our experience, knowing Misha might slip up.
Our life after being stranded.
Misha’s ‘accidental’ awakening.
“Karlstein, truly congratulations. It must have been hard on you…”
“No, it wasn’t me, it’s all thanks to Bjorn.”
“…Thanks to Bjorn?”
“Ah, no! I mean, we couldn’t have survived without Bjorn!”
Regardless of the occasional detours in conversation.
The religious trio we met in the cabin.
And somehow encountering a tier lord roaming around after coming out.
Our dynamic story unfolded, vastly different from their time-killing on the 4th floor. The trio listened intently.
“Ha, deciding to go to the orc colony in that situation was really smart.”
“I wouldn’t have even thought of the Dzarwi Clan in that scenario.”
“So, what happened next?”
Their earnest reactions were encouraging. But instead of exaggerating, I continued objectively.
However…
“Ah, to ask for protection money in that situation?”
“You both paid 2 million stones… I feel ashamed. Look, Rotmiller, Dwalki, how about we pool some money to help them out?”
“A good idea. We can’t say we’re not responsible.”
Did they start feeling pity for us after hearing the story?
Hearing about our protection fees, the damage to some of our equipment, and the repair costs amounting to 500,000 stones, the trio decided to pool together 1 million stones for us.
Honestly, I was a bit reluctant.
“…Are you really giving this to us?”
“Of course. We made a fortune this time; can’t we do at least this much for you?”
Was this really happening? Is this dwarf an angel, not a dwarf?
“Hikurod, you are truly a great team leader…”
“Ha ha ha, thanks for the compliment. But let’s continue with the story.”
I decided to continue the story with more enthusiasm, feeling repentant for previously undervaluing such a great dwarf.
“Wow, a tier lord appeared in that situation!”
The Chaos lord appeared with just five hours left.
“It makes sense to receive protection fees considering the resources you poured into the fight.”
The extensive resources used for the combat and the ensuing riot.
The inevitable triggering of the [Gap of Evil].
“So that’s what you meant by the essence of the Orc Hero.”
The essence obtained through negotiation with the Dzarwi Clan, who lacked a tank.
And our dramatic escape.
I even mentioned having the Vampire essence, to which the dwarf surprisingly responded with understanding.
“I too was initially hesitant to talk about Numbered items. No need to bow your head.”
No need to bow my head?
Well, I was just looking at the food that fell on the floor, but no need to correct that.
“Anyway, congratulations. Having two Grade 5 essences already sets a foundation for becoming a top explorer.”
“…Thanks for saying that.”
I calmly narrated our escape from the [Gap of Evil] and being chased by the tier lord with Misha on my back, concluding our story.
The trio, who had listened intently, expressed their amazement.
“Ha ha, I knew it. I always said this guy would achieve great things.”
“Indeed! The most grand and noble tale I’ve heard recently. I regret not being a part of it!”
“Truly… With such achievements, no one could dispute calling you ‘Little Balkan’.”
One phrase particularly caught my attention, said by Rotmiller.
“Wait, ‘Little Balkan’?”
As I looked puzzled, the dwarf kindly explained.
“You haven’t heard yet? That’s your new nickname!”
‘Little Balkan’.
A new title following the Free Barbarian.
Yet, I couldn’t tell if this nickname would work out positively or negatively in the future.
「Your character’s fame has increased by +1.」
「Your character’s fame has increased by +1…」
「…」
The day after the gathering, I met Hikurod early in the morning and visited the guild to report on Elisha Behenk.
“…The priestess of Karui, you say?”
The receptionist, unfamiliar with such a case, seemed flustered.
But after seeing my five-star ID and the dwarf’s video recording device used throughout our exploration, the receptionist’s demeanor changed.
“This seems beyond my authority. Could you please wait a moment?”
We were soon called into the branch manager’s office and explained everything.
Subsequently, the news reached the temple.
Elisha was excommunicated from the Leatlas Church and became a top-tier wanted criminal.
“The checkpoint records confirm she’s back in the city. She should be caught soon.”
While the guild and temple were confident, I had a gut feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.
There’s no basis for it, but I have this hunch.
“Tsk, it’s just unnerving.”
Thus, we decided to stay updated on Elisha and concluded the matter for now.
After all, there’s nothing more we can do.
An unexpected reward also came our way.
“Ha ha ha! An unexpected profit, huh?”
“Justice always brings its rewards.”
The temple awarded us approximately 3 million stones for providing crucial information.
Well, it’ll have to be divided into five parts, but…
‘Not bad at all.’
This kind of fortune is exactly what you should gratefully accept. Anything more would be scary, not knowing what might come back.
“Ah, it took longer than expected. I should get going. Everyone must be waiting.”
After wrapping up the Elisha report case, we headed to the agreed meeting place and finalized the distribution.
“Let’s divide everything we acquired together before splitting up into five parts. Whatever we got after can be negotiated separately.”
We divided the faithful servant ‘Hansen’s’ equipment and consumables, and the magic stones obtained until the fourth day.
Since we only used the religious fanatics’ equipment for the protection fee, the calculations weren’t complicated—
‘Ah, the boots.’
I remembered HansC’s boots lost to the mine, but decided to stay quiet.
Revisiting the calculations seemed too tedious, and besides, we had already used up their holy water and potions.
“Dwalki?”
“Calculating, um… Each person gets 1.22 million stones!”
Misha and I received a total of 2.44 million stones. Plus the temple’s reward of 1.2 million stones, and the trio’s donation of 1 million stones.
The sale of the religious fanatics’ extended backpacks and remaining equipment after paying the protection fee amounted to 3.11 million stones.
And the magic stones for 15 days totaled about 800,000 stones.
In total…
‘8.55 million stones.’
Split with Misha, my earnings from this exploration would have been 4.27 million stones, if not for that ‘promise.’
“Ugh…”
Misha’s eyes, dripping with regret, made it clear: all the earnings were mine.
That was the deal.
At the time, I agreed to ease her mind, but…
‘It’s better for me to keep and manage it.’
Misha is now my main partner. I’ll be in charge of her essence, future equipment, and overall development strategy. Naturally, this will involve significant expenses.
‘Subtracting 300,000 stones for our equipment repairs and medical fees…’
This calculates the net profit from this exploration.
7.65 million stones.
Even considering the loss of the boots and mace destroyed in the labyrinth, it’s an incredible profit.
Regardless, the amount is far beyond what one could earn from hunting alone.
‘It’s not much considering the expenses ahead.’
“Why are you looking like that?”
“It’s nothing. Just finish your meal.”
The situation had changed.
After consuming the vampire essence, I ate the orc hero essence, which I thought I wouldn’t get until much later.
‘I should start with that when I get back.’
Therefore, a reassessment of plans was necessary.
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