Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Wizard and Barbarian (1)

"N-, no! Please, just one! Just give me one more chance!"

"What’re you standing around for? Take them both away and put them in jail!"

After removing the investigator who was still begging, as well as the unconscious adventurer from the scene –

The compensation process was carried out swiftly.

As soon as we signed the non-disclosure agreement stating we wouldn’t leak this outside, a total of six million stones was given on the spot, including the additional ‘labour fee'.

And, well, that wasn't the end of it.

"Here’re all your belongings."

"How is it, Mr. Yandel? Please check carefully."

Looking at the barbarian rummaging through his backpack, the wizard said with a curious look.

"Maybe something is missing?"

"… Missing?"

The barbarian hesitated for a moment, then smiled as if he understood.

"Oh, something really seems to be missing!"

"Oh my gosh, is there something missing?!"

"It’s not a ‘thing’… just, about a million stones in cash have disappeared."

They weren’t very good at acting no matter which way you sliced it.

The branch manager, who’d been listening quietly, was about to faint because of high blood pressure.

What kind of people were they?!

"What do you mean! How could an adventurer who just came out of the labyrinth have such a large sum –!"

"Then are we lying?"

At the cold tone of the wizard, the branch manager flinched.

"Th-, th-, that’s, obviously –"

"You got evidence?"

"How could there be –"

"Oh my god, are you again accusing people of lying without proof? Mr. Yandel, now that I see this, I think this branch manager should also be added to the punishment list, right?"

"Really. To call an honourable barbarian and a wizard liars, he must’ve not been taught well at home, growing up –"

"Stop it."

The regional chief, who'd been quiet so far, sighed and stepped out.

"… We’ll also compensate you for the missing money."

"It’s a reward that I definitely deserve, so I won’t say ‘thank you’."

If one ignored the fact that they weren’t waving any weapons, what was the difference between this and daylight robbery?

It was so shameless that the branch manager could only stand frozen on the spot, because there was nothing else that he could do.

He could only watch what was happening in front of him.

"One million stones, here."

"Wow, as rumoured, the Adventurers’ Guild seems to have a lot of money, right? You just say a word and it just comes out."

"… I think we've shown enough respect to the tower already. Do not cross this line."

"Ah, yeah."

"Then will you give me the crystal ball now?"

"No. I think it’d be better to give you this after confirming that the punishment was properly meted out. Of course, I promise I won’t show it to anyone in the meantime."

"… That promise must be kept."

"Sure. Don’t worry. Anyway, we'll see each other for a while. Please take care of the people gathered outside."

With those words, the barbarian and the wizard left.

And in the hall, a heavy silence fell as if a storm had passed.

"…"

"…"

The guild was deprived of another one million stones, but they didn’t even get their hands on the crystal ball.

Also, the crowd gathered in front of the guild, as well as the people involved in this matter, had to be dealt with.

The regional chief, who’d been forced to smile in front of the two, was now looking cold as stone.

Feeling that suffocating chill, the branch manager struggled to speak.

"R-… R-, Regional Manager…? T-, thank you…"

"Thank me?"

"That, that… Didn't you agree to their coercion to protect me?"

"Because you belong to me, not anybody else."

"Oh! I won’t forget what happened today! I’ll work hard for the rest of my life to make it up to you – "

"So even if you do need a beating, it should be me who dishes it out."

The branch manager, who was showing off his determination to be forever loyal with an excited face, showed a puzzled expression.

"… Eh? Wh-, what are you… "

"You really are naive. Did you think you'd get away scot-free?"

"B-, but I really –"

"Enough. I'll take care of the rest, so if you want to save your own life, be on your toes until things calm down. Even if you have to die, you can’t die in a way that relates to this case."

Without saying anything further, the regional manager turned and stared at his daughter.

"Daughter, you’ll have to tell me later why you are here today."

"… Yes, Father."

"Then let’s just go."

The office became empty in an instant.

Only the branch manager was left alone inside, thinking –

"Ha, ha ha ha…"

If only all this could be a dream!

A black spire soaring high into the sky.

On the thirty-first floor of the building –

"How is it? How does it feel to visit the tower for the first time?"

"It feels cramped, because there are no windows."

"Uh… Um, is that so… But we wouldn’t have been able to build such a high-rise building in the city, if not for that."

I was currently at the personal laboratory of Arua Raven, a wizard belonging to the ‘Artemion' school.

"Come, sit here."

As she also sat down, clearing the pile of documents that’d been randomly scattered on the chair, she offered me a drink.

… In a conical titration flask, no less.

"Oh, I don’t have a cup."

I took a moment to observe the drink.

And came to a conclusion.

"… It’s water."

"Ah, yes? Oh, would you like some basilisk extract instead?"

"No, this is enough."

Of course, I didn't drink it.

I knew it was actually water, but it just felt disgusting to drink.

Not too long ago, it must’ve contained one of these colourful liquids and monster organ specimens that were scatter all around.

I got to the point.

"So why did you bring me here?"

"I’ve got something to discuss with you. You agreed to do me a favour, didn't you?"

So it was because of that.

I’d been in a hurry at the time and blindly agreed to her demand, but now that I was here, I was regretting it.

What if she said she wanted to do some kind of biological test?

"As I said back then, as long as it’s possible."

"I like it! That’s enough."

"So what are you asking for?"

"I want the rights to do proprietary research on the essences you’ve absorbed, Mr. Yandel. It’ll definitely help you, too. Since there’s no precedent, there might be something unusual to discover, right?"

The more she spoke, the more her eyes changed.

From the calculative eyes she’d had while dealing with the regional chief, to the zealous eyes I’d seen inside the rift.

It wasn’t that I didn't understand.

Except for the variant rift we’d experienced this time, there were no records of a rift in which a vampire guardian had been sighted, throughout the entire floor.

"But what does proprietary research mean?"

"Oh, that? Basically, it means that you only provide samples to me. I want to submit a thesis in my name to academia."

Were the wizards in this world like graduate students?

I didn't completely understand the motive, but…

They say that scholars always crave honour the most.

Oh, wait.

"Is that why you asked me to erase the records about the vampire earlier?"

While writing the non-disclosure consent form in the guild, she’d asked me not to record the fact that I’d eaten the vampire essence.

Of course, I didn't expect such a thing to remain completely secret, but…

I’d also agreed, thinking that it’d be better to just leave it alone.

‘They say that you should hide 70% of your abilities.'

To be honest, I was thankful that she was so mindful of even the smallest details…

The wizard awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"Uh, um, well… It's not that it’s not really that… "

A double negative is proof of the positive.

Raven then abruptly changed the topic.

"Uhmm! Anyway, I’m not asking for much, you just need to come here once a week and help for about three hours."

Three hours a week…

"Total duration?"

"Well, I think half a year would be enough…"

"Three months."

"I see. So, are you going to agree to my request?"

"I will."

After the first agenda was settled this way, Raven immediately brought up the next one.

"Then, back again… Shall we start with the calculations?"

Calculations?

Was there still such thing?

Since my gaze must’ve made it clear I was asking what kind of bullshit was this, Raven also changed her demeanour.

Just like how she’d been in our fight with the regional chief, earlier.

"You didn’t just survive because of me, you even got a total of six million stones for free, right? I don't think it's strange to claim my share."

Hah! Right, right.

This was what the tribe of magicians were known for.

If I was a simple man who only sought maximum efficiency, they were the ultimate money chasers.

So I decided to change my mindset, too.

"Give you money? You must be joking."

Just like how I’d smash a goblin's head when I saw it.

Our quarrel continued.

In a more intense tone than before.

"It would’ve been the same with any wizard, not just you."

"Oh? If it were someone else, I would probably have sold the crystal ball as soon as the regional manager suggested it, you know?"

"But the price has already been paid by the regional chief, right? A whopping one million stones!"

Rather, you only managed to earn that much thanks to me, so if anybody can claim a share, I swear to Behel-ra, it should be me.

"… Then give me at least the one million stones that you got with that backpack stunt in the end. That was purely thanks to my advice."

Did I ever say that I wanted to be friends with her?

I decided to cancel that.

Did barbarians look like pushovers or something?

"I refuse."

"I see. You agreed to help with my research, so I won't ask for too much. Just give me half, 500,000 stones."

"I refuse."

"Huh, then even if it’s 250,000 stones –"

"I don’t even need to hear it. Refuse."

I didn't make any compromises.

Anyone trying to inflict a loss on me was a fucking asshole.

And I never negotiated with assholes.

Whatever I earned, was mine.

"The story ends here."

"What? Do you know how much I lost because of you in the rift?"

Eventually, I made up my mind.

‘I'll have to break this flag before the water gets more muddied.'

To be honest, it wasn’t that I didn't feel grateful to her for this incident.

But aside from that, in order to have a long-term, friendly relationship, I needed to show her who I am.

If you just agreed with a smile no matter what the other party did, you wouldn’t be the good guy in the equation, just a scoundrel.

‘In the first place, she must’ve been so persistent not because she needs the money, but because she wants to subdue my pride.'

"Okay, let’s move on to the next calculation."

"The next calculation?"

She tilted her head as if she could think of nothing else to discuss.

I spoke directly, as a barbarian should.

"You should give me five million stones."

"F-, five million stones? Why should I?"

"Because you fed me the essence of a corpse golem without my consent."

"What, what?"

She groaned as if she was feeling short of breath.

"H-, hey! I gave you such a rare essence for free, and then you’re asking me for money instead? Do you think that makes sense?"

I did think that, in fact.

This wasn’t some simple whim.

I didn't know why everyone around me lacked imagination, if you just looked at it in enough detail, it'd all make sense.

"Why do you think it doesn’t make sense? You forcibly fed me that essence without my consent so that you could survive."

"Damn you, don’t you know I was trying to save you too?!"

"Well, I can’t actually know, and I didn’t want it. So pay me ten million stones. I heard that it takes that much to remove the essence at the temple –"

"Why would you remove that precious thing! You crazy barbarian!"

"Because it wasn’t the essence I wanted. You’ve done me some serious damage here."

Unlike before when she'd been negotiating a price, Raven’s face was now flushed red.

To anyone looking at it from the outside, this might sound like extortion, but it did make sense in a way, so she must’ve gotten annoyed.

She took a moment to regain her composure, with only the constant sound of exhalations, ‘whoo, hoo-woo'.

"… I've heard from adventurers before, that they want essences but can't find them. So this doesn't make sense. Rather, I’m the one who should get paid!"

"Isn’t that your preconceived notion as a wizard? You can also ask other adventurers. How would you think you feel if someone else fed you an essence you don't want?"

"Hah! Are you saying you know adventurers better than I do? Wait a minute. I can ask someone right away."

The wizard was very excited as she took up the crystal ball on the desk, and operated as if pressing a phone number. The call connected soon after.

"Ah, is this Mr. Patsran?"

[Who is this?]

"Hello. I am Arua Raven, of the Artemion School. I was with my master when I met you last time?"

[Ah! Miss Raven! I remember. But why are you calling me out of the blue…?]

"I have a question for you. What do you think would happen if someone fed you an essence you hadn’t planned to eat without your consent, Mr. Patsran?"

[Hahaha! I don't know why you're asking such a bizarre question, but if I had to answer… I’d be really angry.]

"… Yes? Angry? E-, even if it’s a seventh-grade essence? Even if it’s a very rare essence that only drops from a rift?"

[Even then. An unplanned essence means that it’s an essence with only a negative effect for me. I don't know what happened, Miss Raven, but if somebody just picks up any which essence and eats it, they’d never reach the higher ranks.]

The wizard had initially held a triumphant expression as soon as the call had connected.

But after hearing the adventurer's kind reply, her face turned pale.

"That, that, I see. Assuming that's what happened… how should I compensate?"

[If it were me, I’d first ask for compensation in cash.]

"How much would that be…?"

[Fifteen million stones would be appropriate.]

"T-, t-, that much?"

[The more expensive an essence is, the more it costs to erase. I don’t know why those god-botherers hanker after money so much…]

"Ah, uh, um, I see…"

As if she didn’t have the strength to keep holding it, the telecommunication device fell from her hand and rolled on the floor.

I picked it up for her and put it back into her hand.

"I still have one question left to ask."

As I whispered into her ear, the blonde girl in her mid-to-late teens asked in a trembling voice.

"… Um, no, if the money can’t be paid back, then what would you do, Mr. Patsran?"

[Um, well? If that happened and the other party was in front of me…]

The man on the other side of the telecommunication device answered with enthusiasm. [I think I'll probably shove their head down and cut it cleanly. Hahaha!]