Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 93

Chapter 93 Player (5)

“Did we properly recover the computer that was handed over to the police?”

“Yes, all memories and related traces have been erased, so there won’t be any articles coming out like before.”

An elderly man nodded at a woman’s report and then slowly read through the documents laid on his desk.

Documents summarizing the life of a certain man.

It didn’t take long to read through a single page.

“A man resilient against misfortune.”

The old man briefly mused and continued.

“But that’s all there is.”

The woman nodded in agreement.

The man’s life was full of trials and tribulations, and saying that he was merely strong against misfortune would be an understatement.

Yet, there was nothing else remarkable about him.

Ordinary job, ordinary education, ordinary relationships.

Everything was ordinary.

Except for this game.

“It’s utterly incomprehensible.”

That’s why the man seemed all the more extraordinary.

Auril Gavis’s legacy, [Dungeon and Stone], was a failure. After much contemplation, everyone concluded that.

There was no disagreement that it captured its world better than any other work, but…

It was impossible to clear.

That’s why it was discarded five years ago.

“…And now someone has cleared it. Could it be it wasn’t a failure after all?”

The old man mused and shook his head.

Everyone agreed that even if he did manage to complete it, there was no guarantee that it would be any better than the others.

His choice was not wrong.

But…

“It does make one a bit curious.”

The old man then opened his laptop and entered the man’s name.

[Han Soo Lee]

The name of the only player who cleared his legacy, which everyone had deemed impossible.

[Owned GP: 139,000]

After selling information about the 1st floor Layer lord and Skull Island, I didn’t sell any more information.

There were two reasons for this.

Firstly, each deal took more time than expected.

This was because the buyers were suspicious of me due to my lack of previous transactions.

Well, they bought the information after a few questions, but…

It was more about trusting this community than fully trusting me.

After all, if I dared to scam and got expelled from this community, there would be no coming back.

And the second reason.

Actually, this was the biggest reason, even more than the time issue.

“Selling indiscriminately will surely draw attention.”

As the saying goes, a protruding nail gets hammered down.

No matter who it is, I want to avoid attracting attention.

I don’t urgently need a lot of GP right now—

Ding-!

Just then, a message arrived.

[Sender: Ghost master.]

A nickname I had seen a few times in the notices.

In other words, it was a message from a community administrator.

My heart skipped a beat like a thief’s, but when I opened it, it was nothing significant.

[Elfnunna, you have completed over 10 transactions. EXP +10]

[Your member level has been adjusted.]

[Deadman -> Goblin.]

An automated message sent to me as my community rank increased.

While a higher level didn’t offer significant benefits, it wasn’t bad to have it raised.

Sometimes there are conversations restricted to certain levels.

Tap, tap, tap.

Using the GP I had earned, I posted a question.

The reward I offered for the information was between 10,000 to 100,000 GP.

It was a declaration of willingness to pay that much for valuable information.

[Your transaction post has been registered.]

After registering, I spent time browsing the community like surfing the web.

Reading the jokes and humorous posts on the free board, I almost felt like I was back in the real world.

It was during this time that I learned something.

“100,000 points for 2 million stones?”

While browsing the exchange, I found out the actual value of GP.

I currently have about 140,000 GP.

“Crazy, does that mean I earned 2.8 million stones just by answering two questions?”

At first, I was shocked, but after some thought, it didn’t seem unreasonable. The information I sold was worth that much.

“Could I just sell information here and be set for life?”

Suddenly, the thought of not needing to enter the labyrinth anymore crossed my mind.

But…

“Let’s not get carried away.”

Still, the idea of converting GP into money felt dangerous to me.

“Don’t be greedy and use this place strictly for gathering information.”

With that, I set a new principle for myself.

As I continued browsing the community,

Ding-!

A notification sounded.

I checked my monitor and saw a new message.

[Elfnunalove has requested a 1:1 conversation.]

Elfnunalove.

Although the nickname felt a bit odd to me, I accepted without hesitation.

After all, there was only one reason someone would contact me.

The information seller had finally arrived.
A study with an old-fashioned interior.

Inhaling the faint scent of books, I was slightly surprised.

“It’s decorated really well. How much did they spend on this?”

It was a world away from the empty lot that was the backdrop of the newbie room, or the desolate plains that became the base when I started a conversation.

It must have cost a significant amount of GP to create this setting.

However, I didn’t feel like it was a waste of money.

“Definitely, this alone does create a certain level of trust…”

After briefly looking around, I noticed a Caucasian man and greeted him.

“Hello.”

“Hi, you’re Elfnunna, right? Please, take a seat here.”

As soon as I sat down, the man went straight to the point.

“You want to know about a mage named Shernal Fergus from the Tarutein School, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Dimensional Collapse.

If I directly asked about this, it would be hard for me to discern whether the other person was lying or not.

But it’s different if I ask about Shernal Fergus.

Like this.

“Specifically, I want to know in detail about his recent activities.”

“Hmm, are you asking because of the rumors about the dimensional collapse phenomenon?”

The man immediately connected the name Shernal Fergus with the dimensional collapse.

This increased the credibility of the information he was about to provide.

Therefore, I asked directly.

“Is that rumor true?”

The man demanded 20,000 GP as the price for his answer, and after I agreed, he continued.

“If you’re asking whether those words came from his mouth, yes, they did. But if you’re asking about the truth of the rumor… actually, it’s not true.”

“What do you mean?”

The man took a moment to gather his thoughts and then stated clearly.

“It means that the dimensional collapse phenomenon is not happening.”

“And your basis for saying this?”

“It involves high-ranking individuals and political power struggles…”

In short, the information was too sensitive to share for just 20,000 GP.

“I’ll give you another 20,000 GP.”

“If you’re that eager to know, then.”

The man nodded and continued without hesitation.

“The Tarutein School focuses on labyrinth studies, especially magic research related to dimensions. And its master wanted to conduct an experiment.”

“An experiment…?”

“I can’t tell you the details, but it’s not a dangerous experiment. It’s just that for it to work, there need to be fewer explorers entering the labyrinth than usual.”

So, the Tarutein School spread rumors through their affiliated mages in the city.

They assumed that spreading a rumor about dimensional collapse would deter the more superstitious explorers.

“…Are you sure you can just tell me all this?”

“I’m not blabbering around. I’m selling this information for GP, you see?”

His confident attitude left me speechless.

The man chuckled and continued.

“None of my business, I’m not the master of that school. Besides, it won’t be long before the royal family issues a public notice denying the rumors.”

“…The royal family?”

“Of course, the Raphdonia royal family wouldn’t just stand by. If there are fewer explorers, the supply of magic stones will decrease as well.”

Hmm, that makes sense.

As we talked more, the situation fit together perfectly. The evidence he presented was convincing.

He didn’t seem to be lying.

When I told him that I would complete the transaction and send the remaining 20,000 GP separately, he shook his head.

“Actually, you don’t have to. It seems like you’re a fan of that person.”

Refusing 20,000 GP, which is equivalent to 400,000 stones, just because we might be fans of the same person…

While I thanked him, curiosity grew within me.

How many years has he been here?

“5 years? 10 years?”

Whatever it was, one thing was clear.

He had established himself firmly in this world to the extent that missing out on 400,000 stones didn’t bother him.

“So he must know all the ins and outs of the information that I struggled for days to find.”

A renewed sense of determination filled me.

15 times? 20 times? 30 times? Or even 100 times more?

Well, whatever mode he cleared, it wasn’t my business to worry about.

This isn’t the world inside a game.

This is the harsh reality where only the strong survive, governed by a barbaric law of nature.

‘I may be the little Balkan, but I’m a newbie here after all…….’

I suddenly feel the road I’ve traveled is much shorter compared to the long journey still ahead.

But why is that?

I had just rekindled my initial determination.

“It’s fun.”

The man who bought the 1st floor layer lord’s strategy.

The woman who wanted information about Skull Island.

And now this man standing before me, who must have taken several years to get to where he is.

I couldn’t help but smirk.

It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t get there.

****

A black DOS screen.

After a short loading, a beep sounded, and the monitor filled with the journal detailing the player’s activities.

Beep, beep-beep, beep-

The rule of the journal is simple.

It only records actions.

Therefore…

[The coming of age ceremony was successfully completed]

[New equipment has been equipped]

Choosing a shield in the coming of age ceremony.

[The character stepped on a goblin trap]

Falling into a crisis as soon as entering the labyrinth.

Stepping on a goblin trap and crawling on the ground, bleeding for hours.

Killing someone on the first day.

Becoming allies with a fairy met by chance.

And, starting with nothing, reaching the second floor on the first entry.

“He’s a madman.”

As the old man read through the journal, he was incredulous. The fact that it recorded only actions made it even more so.

Every action has a reason.

Having seen the journals of many players, the old man could visualize the reasons behind each decision made at every moment.

Because it had to be done.

Because it was the right choice.

That’s why this man acted on it.

As if he was really playing a game.

It was astonishing.

How many players had made irrational choices caught between the game and reality?

“…How many made it to the second floor on their first entry?”

“As far as I know, 117.”

A considerable number, neither too few nor too many.

But the old man was certain.

None of the 117 players had faced such adverse conditions as this one.

“An extraordinary fellow, indeed.”

As the old man scrolled down reading the journal, he stiffened at a certain entry.

[Defeated Vampire Duke Cambormier. EXP +5]

[High-tier mutant kill bonus. EXP +1]

[Guardian kill bonus. EXP +3]

[The essence of [Vampire-Guardian] has permeated the character’s soul…]

Before he knew it, the journal on the screen had reached the latest entry.

“Bjorn Jandel”

Level: 3 (New +1)

Physical: 155 (New +75) / Mental: 90 (New +44) / Supernatural: 115 (New +85)

Item Level: 98 (New -104)

Overall Combat Index: 381.5 (New +204)

Acquired Essence: Corpse Golem – Rank 7, Vampire (Guardian) – Rank 5 (New)

Character information that would be hard to believe even for a player of many years.

This was achieved in just two months after waking up in an unfamiliar body.

Of course, luck must have played a part to some extent.

But…

“If it were a realm achievable by luck alone, there would have been at least one similar case.”

The old man raised the player’s surveillance grade to the maximum.

That’s the nature of statistics.

As samples and data accumulate, the range of possibilities narrows, and uncertain information becomes clearer, transforming into more definite facts. This process generates a ‘probability’ which, astonishingly, remains almost error-free no matter how much the sample size increases.

In statistics, the variable of ‘luck’ is extremely minimal.

However, there are occasional exceptions.

The first of its kind.

What was impossible becomes possible.

Simply put, 0 becomes 1.

An Irregular – an outlier beyond the scope of statistics, with no comparative sample and an indeterminate cause.

Click, click.

[Abnormal growth rate detected.]

[Administrator is monitoring this character]

A thought occurred to him.

When everyone else had agreed it was a failed project,

The last words he had left.

“I made a rational decision. Even if it’s only for one person in a lifetime, if I can properly complete and send them off, that’s more promising”

Perhaps, those words had been right.