Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 80

Chapter 80 Sewer (1)

How long must we have been walking through the sewers, aware of our surroundings?

The Dwarf and Misha began to complain.

“There really is nothing here.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I wish something would show up already…”

It’s strange how they were so eager to come along.

What exactly were they expecting?

“I told you, didn’t I? It’s just a simple task to walk around once and then we’re done.”

This task is straightforward.

With the borrowed video recorder on my head, all I have to do is walk the predetermined route and check for hidden people. That’s it.

Well, there might be a fight along the way, but…

‘The predecessor found less than 30 people in two years.’

The frequency of encountering strangers is low.

Even if we do encounter someone, it’s not like we have to chase them down and fight.

“Huh? We don’t have to chase them?”

“I heard there’s a bonus for capturing them, but it’s not necessary to focus on that.”

“How come?”

Well, the task I received is ‘sewer patrol’.

The process of dealing or capturing is handled later by the administration, who sends additional personnel after reviewing the video recordings.

“That makes sense…”

As I was roughly explaining the request to Misha, Rotmiller, who was leading the group in front, suddenly stopped walking.

“I have a feeling there’s something around here.”

It was a baseless murmur, relying on intuition.

But it was enough to make everyone in the group look around.

The stench-filled sewer didn’t allow for the olfactory stats to shine as before, but…

Rotmiller had increased his sixth sense stat by +50 and luck stat by +20 thanks to the essence of Mimic.

“Hey! Look, there’s a person!”

During this, Misha pointed and shouted at a spot.

Following her gaze, we saw a man with a panicked expression.

‘How did she spot that?’

In a gap barely big enough for a person to squeeze through.

The man was crouched like a shrimp in a hole he found, trying to hide.

“Yikes!”

I reached in, grabbed the man by his collar, and pulled him out.

He was quite tall but so skinny that it felt like lifting a goblin.

His actions weren’t much different from a goblin’s either.

“Die!!”

As soon as he was dragged out, the man stabbed at me with a dagger he was clutching.

A good attempt.

You gotta try anything to stay alive, right?

“Ugh!!!!”

After grabbing and twisting the wrist holding the dagger, the brief fight came to an end.

“Why were you hiding here?”

The man quickly changed his stance in response to my question.

“Please, spare me! I swear! I haven’t hurt anyone, I just didn’t have any money, you know?”

It’s not the answer I was expecting…

But interpreted, it means he fled because he couldn’t pay his taxes.

Nobody believed his words, though.

“It reminds me of the old days! When I used to work at the forge, thugs with tattoos like these would often come by. Hahaha!

His tattoos were different from the geometric forms of Barbarian tattoos.

Skin marked with skulls, naked women, and monsters.

Of course, I don’t judge a person’s character by their appearance.

But…

“Bjorn, look at the mark on his forehead. It’s clear he’s a criminal who fled into the sewers.”

The brand hidden under the hood on his forehead was evidence of a heinous crime, too serious to be just a fine.

There was no room for sympathy.

Even if he was just a tax evader, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different.

“Bjorn, what are we going to do with him?”

“Well.”

“Didn’t the administration give you some guidelines in advance?”

Hmm, they did give some advice.

The basic policy is to capture and bring them in, but if the video is recorded properly, it’s okay to kill them and leave them in the sewer, right?

“They said it’s okay to kill him? What if he’s a civilian?”

“There’s no way a civilian would just wander in here.”

“Hahaha! That’s so like the heartless administration!”

Well, to me, it seems more like they’re accommodating the heartless explorers.

But now’s not the time to ponder that.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“For now, we’ll take him with us.”

If I were alone, maybe not.

But with five of us, we have extra hands.

Moreover, bringing him in alive pays an extra 5,000 stones.

“Please, just let me go this once. You can just pretend you didn’t see me and walk away. I ended up like this just trying to survive—”

“That’s enough.”

There was no need for lengthy explanations.

Whether they’re tax evaders or criminals, or they committed crimes for unavoidable reasons.

What does that change?

“I accepted a task. So, I’ll take you in. They’ll make the judgment there.”

“Fuck! You bastards are no different from me!”

But we are different.

If we were the same, would you be begging me like this?

“Dwalki, gag him.”

“Ah, got it.”

Then Dwalki then used his newly learned [Paralysing Poison] spell to quiet the man.

His body stiffened rigidly.

I slung the man over my shoulder like a sack of rice and continued on.

About an hour passed?

“Rotmiller, how much further do we have to go?”

“We’re about halfway there now.”

“Eh? Still half left?”

Misha sighed as if regretting coming along.

Then, she opened her mouth with curiosity.

“But Dwalki, why are you so fine? Last time you were vomiting terribly.”

“Hehe, that? Actually, I’ve learned a spell that prevents me from smelling anything. Turns out, among mages who have lived as explorers, it’s considered an essential spell.”

“Oh, I see. But can’t you cast it on someone else?”

“Uh… well, I’m not yet familiar with modifying the spell…”

Dwalki, who was proudly explaining his new spell, trailed off.

I chuckled.

It’s not that he’s not familiar; he just can’t do it.

‘Spell modification’ is virtually the bread and butter of tower mages.

They may teach the basic spells for a fee, but they never reveal methods for modifying magic or creating new spells to outsiders—

“Let’s make a deal! Release me, and I’ll give you information!”

Suddenly screaming and thrashing, the man under the effect of [Paralysis Poison] started to regain movement.

“Information?”

As I stopped Dwalki from casting [Paralysis Poison] again, the man hurriedly continued.

“That crazy woman! If you capture that crazy bitch, she’ll be worth much more than me!!”

“Bjorn, what are you listening to? He’s clearly desperate to survive.”

I thought so too…

But one word in particular caught my ear.

“…Crazy bitch, you say? Tell me more.”

It seemed worth listening to.

Negotiation.

The act of persuading and discussing to make a decision.

It’s rational yet paradoxical.

If the relationship isn’t equal, someone is bound to lose out.

Just like this.

“…Before I talk, I need a promise!”

“Dwalki, just do like before and—”

“I, I’ll talk!!”

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, the man started to explain in detail.

“There are many others living in this sewer besides me. Usually, they avoid the paths of the patrols, so they aren’t seen…”

“Make it short.”

“…A few days ago, some crazy bitch took over my hideout.”

Summarizing the man’s story:

He was living comfortably under the sewer until a woman came and took his home.

She wasn’t ordinary.

Though frail, she had skeletons with her, and he couldn’t do anything but flee.

“A skeleton, isn’t that just someone who ate Necromia’s essence?”

Misha mentioned the 7th-grade monster Necromia, tilting her head in confusion.

But the man seemed certain.

“I don’t know what that exactly is. But! These skeletons were definitely different from the ones in the labyrinth! I was an explorer once, so I’m sure!”

“So, what’s your point?”

“Definitely some evil black magic. If you turn her over to the temple, there will surely be a reward. Much more than for someone like me!”

I pondered for a moment.

It was too coincidental to ignore.

A woman using evil black magic hiding in the sewers just a few days ago…

“…Could it be her?”

“Elisha Behenk. Indeed, if she were to flee, she wouldn’t have many options other than this place.”

Rotmiller and the Dwarf, sharing similar thoughts, gulped and added their own comments.

“Damn, is it really her?”

More investigation was needed.

The evidence was still too scant to be certain.

“What did she look like? Describe her in detail.”

“She was wearing a robe and had her face covered with a hood, so I couldn’t see clearly. But from her body line and voice, I could tell she was a woman. That’s all.”

“I see.”

“Ah! Now that I think about it, she was wearing a very unique necklace…”

“What did it look like?”

“It’s hard to explain in words…”

Something clicked in my mind, and I quickly pulled an item from my backpack.

A symbol of the Karui Order I had found while rummaging through Hans’s backpack in the past.

“Was it this shape?”

“Yes, that’s it! Exactly that shape!”

Seeing the man nod affirmatively, I let out a deep sigh.

The likelihood that it was her had just significantly increased.

“What will we do?”

“I’m thinking.”

“Hahaha, what’s there to think about! We should catch her and bring her to justice!”

Justice, my foot. He’s just after the reward.

Anyway, if the Dwarf was the radical, Rotmiller was the moderate.

“I think we should first return to the administration and report officially. We aren’t even sure if she’s the right woman yet, and there’s no need for us to take unnecessary risks.”

Both opinions were valid.

If we catch her ourselves, we could get the reward, and if we avoid the risk, we can end our involvement by reporting, leaving the matter to others.

But…

“Something feels off.”

If this man’s story about the crazy bitch, Elisha Behenk, is true, leaving now would be particularly worrying.

Elisha Behenk isn’t just some ‘jerk.’

She’s a jerk who harbors a grudge against me.

I’ve been somewhat uneasy, wondering if she’s been scheming something in the shadows.

“Even if the administration or temple sends people, it would take days…”

If she escapes in the meantime, I’d continue to feel uneasy.

“I want to check it out, but what do you all think?”

Misha immediately agreed to my question.

Dwalki, who had been neutral, cast his vote following his close friend, the Dwarf.

Even Rotmiller, who I was worried about, complied with the majority decision.

“All four of us agree, so I’ll follow. But how about we first finish the patrol task?”

“You’re right. Let’s do that.”

We quickly completed our patrol of the route designated by the administration.

“Where’s your hideout? Lead the way.”

“I need a promise you’ll spare me first.”

“If we find the woman we’re looking for, or if she’s worth it, we’ll let you go.”

“Fine, follow me.”

“Wait, first this.”

“Huh…?”

What’s with the ‘huh?’

I tied the bewildered man’s waist tightly with a rope and held the remaining length like a dog leash.

I mean, it would be annoying if he tried to escape, right?

“Okay, now lead the way.”

“…This way isn’t on the map, so follow closely.”

The man then began to navigate this labyrinthine sewer.

I realized just how complex it was.

So far, we had only wandered along the main sewer lines…

But if you squeezed through narrow gaps that seemed like walls, new spaces would open up. There were crossroads, and some places required climbing through holes in the ceiling.

Then, a question popped up.

“Why were you hiding in such a place and got caught?”

“…I was looking for a new hideout. Then I heard your voices from a distance and had to hide in a hurry.”

I see, he’s just unlucky.

“We’re here.”

The place where the man stopped was marked by a 2-meter diameter hole.

I wasn’t sure of its intended design, but it seemed that following the path below the hole led to a large space.

“Let’s keep our voices down from here.”

“Hehe, this is kind of exciting.”

The Dwarf, somewhat excited, and Misha, slightly scared, were different from me. I wasn’t particularly anxious.

Fortunately, all five of us had come down into the sewer together.

And we’re all much stronger than before.

If the woman hiding below is Elisha Behenk…

“Hey, is there another way for her to escape down there?”

“There’s no other entrance or exit besides this hole.”

This time, perhaps, we can truly demonstrate what justice is.

 

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