Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Ghostbusters (3)

I’m sitting by the fountain, eating my lunchbox.

The menu is potato stew, bread, and a vegetable salad with beef.

Misha is sitting next to me.

“Bjorn, have some of this.”

“You’re giving me meat…?”

“I ate a lot while I was making it.”

If that’s the case…

I chew and swallow the meat that Misha handed me.

It melts in my mouth.

However, the downside is that it’s difficult to fully enjoy the taste because of the stares coming from the side.

“I’m pretty sure I just heard him say Bjorn?”

“Then that must be Little Balkan.”

“Hmm, I don’t see anything special about him…”

Since some time ago, people have started recognizing me wherever I go.

Clan invitations, team recruitment offers…

I can understand those, but…

“Hey, are you really Little Balkan?”

There are also guys who come up and pick fights or annoy me by asking me to tell them about what happened back then.

Geez, can’t they see I’m eating?

Well, it was the last bite anyway.

“Misha, let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“We’re done eating, so it’s time to go.”

We quickly pack up and leave the fountain.

I hear some grumbling from behind, but they don’t cross the line and follow us.

Misha glances back and mutters,

“It’s kind of strange. I thought only really amazing people would get recognized like that…”

What is this? Is she picking a fight?

Still, I understand what she’s trying to say.

She feels awkward because someone close to her suddenly became famous.

‘Little Balkan…’

In the game, there was no downside to having a high fame stat.

You could receive quests that you couldn’t before, or suddenly get high-paying requests.

Moreover, if your fame stat is low, you can’t enter the 1st district, the Imperial City of Karnon, so it was essential for game progression.

However…

‘I’m not sure if this is a good thing.’

The place I’m in now is not just a game.

It’s a world where players are treated as evil spirits and are beheaded as soon as they’re discovered.

If my name suddenly becomes known, I’ll definitely attract unwanted attention.

But…

‘It couldn’t be helped if I wanted to survive.’

To gain something, you have to give up something.

I obtained the Orc Hero’s essence, saved lives, and gained various other benefits.

So I have to accept this much.

“Then I think we’re done for today.”

After retrieving the equipment that I left for repairs, buying various necessities, and even stopping by the auction house to see if there was anything worth buying, it’s starting to get dark.

‘I should go back to the inn and finish planning my build.’

“I’m going to head back now, what about you?”

It’s basically saying let’s go back together.

But Misha suddenly trails off.

“Ah, that is…”

What is it? It makes me feel uneasy.

As I look at her with an expression that says ‘just tell me’, Misha observes me cautiously and then speaks carefully,

“…I’m going to visit my family for a bit.”

“Family?”

“Yeah. I’m planning to stay there until tomorrow or the day after.”

“I see.”

Why is she acting so cautiously about this?

If she has plans, she has plans.

It’s a family matter, so it’s not something I should interfere with.

Although I’m a bit worried… she’ll be fine.

“Good luck.”

Still, I decide to at least offer some words of encouragement.

I know what kind of presence her family is to her.

Misha chuckles.

“Well, I feel a bit encouraged now…”

Really?

Her voice doesn’t sound very energetic for someone who feels that way.

It seems like she needs a push.

Of course, in the barbarian way.

Thwack-!

“Ack! You barbaric idiot!”

Anyway, Misha is startled and shouts something.

“That’s better.”

“Ugh, anyway, I’ll definitely be back within two days, so make sure you eat properly until then, okay?”

I smirk and answer,

“Alright.”

It’s a change that happened after returning to the city.

She said she would treat me as her benefactor, is this what she meant?

For some reason, she’s been acting like a mother lately.

_______________________________________

I part ways with Misha at the carriage platform.

She gets on a carriage heading towards her family, and I get on one going to the 8th district where my accommodation is.

My body sways with every creak of the carriage.

Since there’s nothing else to do, I close my eyes and let my thoughts wander.

‘It’s better to stay on this team for a while.’

My specs have skyrocketed after absorbing the Orc Hero’s essence.

I’m practically guaranteed a promotion to a 6th-grade explorer just by submitting an application.

And with the fame of Little Balkan, I might even be able to jump straight to 5th grade.

In other words, it means I can find a better team if I want to.

‘But it would be difficult to bring Misha along.’

Misha’s combat power is exactly at the level of a 7th-grade explorer.

Of course, she has enough potential to reach higher ranks.

She just acquired a Spirit Beast, and the transformation-type ability [Enhance] is the decisive reason why I decided to raise her as a companion.

In that sense…

‘First priority is to level up Misha, huh.’

I make my final judgment.

It’s more efficient to focus on Misha’s growth for a while.

‘First, we need to raise her Spirit Beast contract level, and if possible, we should head towards that area for the next expedition. That essence might drop. Ah, and it would be good to change her main weapon too…’

As I’m meticulously planning Misha’s development process, we arrive at our destination.

‘Whew, even if it’s not anything else, I should get a place near the platform when I change accommodations later.’

It’s like living near a subway station.

Although the rent will be expensive…

Thud.

I get off the carriage and head towards the inn, skillfully finding my way.

Go straight and then turn left at the candy store.

Then, when you see the statue of the Immortal King, take the right fork.

If you go for about 5 more minutes, you’ll reach the Central Plaza, but…

“We will begin the execution!”

Damn it, it was quiet for a few days…

I see a crowd gathered in the plaza, which is usually empty.

Everyone is looking up at the guillotine.

Slash-!

It’s a sight that’s not even that gruesome anymore.

However, I have no desire to watch with interest.

Therefore, I ignore the chilling sound and quicken my pace.

But even so, my subconscious detects something strange based on the visual information.

‘…Why are there so few people today?’

I’m not talking about the crowd gathered under the guillotine.

I’m talking about the people who are about to be executed today.

Usually, they execute dozens of people at once, but today there are only four.

‘And it seems like there’s no one waiting to dip their bread in blood either.’

The moment my mind detects the question…

The faint murmurs become clear.

“It’s disappointing, I was expecting more from an evil spirit.”

“Oh my, that’s right. His blood is red too.”

“Isn’t it disgusting? An evil spirit pretending to be human.”

What, evil spirit?

I stop walking involuntarily.

I turn my head to look at the guillotine, and I see the death row inmates trembling and waiting for their turn.

There are three left.

“I, I’m not! I’m not an evil spirit!”

“What are you doing? Put the gag back on.”

A young-looking fairy woman.

A dwarf man who seems to be around the same age as the dwarf.

And—

“Eugh, eueueugh!!”

…a barbarian with a somewhat familiar face.

Slash-!

The fairy’s head rolls off and falls into the designated container, and the dwarf, who is next in line, is forced to kneel on the execution platform.

However, my gaze is fixed on one spot.

‘Tarik, son of Liyen.’

Right, that was his name.

The name of that barbarian who is trembling in fear with terrified eyes.

‘Damn it, I was worried because of his behavior…’

His awkward barbarian-style speech.

His timid personality.

His weak mindset that wanted to rely on someone.

I can’t even guess what he did wrong to be exposed, maybe because there are too many possibilities.

But I have a feeling…

‘I don’t think he bought a weapon with the money I gave him.’

There’s no evidence.

They would have confiscated his weapon before bringing him to the execution grounds. But for some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that he didn’t enter the labyrinth this time either.

‘Why?’

Just as I’m seriously contemplating the source of this baseless intuition…

“Eugh, eueueugh!!”

He suddenly starts struggling.

And his mouth, gagged, keeps moving as if trying to say something, and his wide eyes are looking in my direction.

It doesn’t seem like a coincidence.

“Eugh! Eueueueueugh!!”

Could it be that he recognized me from afar?

Well, I’m the only barbarian here, so I would have stood out even from a distance.

“What are you doing! Force him to kneel!”

He’s finally subdued by the people and his head is placed under the guillotine blade.

Even in the midst of that, he tries to say something.

Looking directly at me among the crowd.

“Eugh, eueueugh!!”

I don’t understand.

What his muffled cries mean.

Is he asking for help?

Hmm, his eyes seem too venomous for that…

“Ugh, eugh!!”

While I feel heavy-hearted at the sight of him unable to even leave behind his last words, I also feel a slight sense of relief.

‘It’s a good thing I kept my distance back then.’

If I hadn’t just given him 150,000 stones and called it a day…

If I had made a different decision and revealed that we were in the same situation and relied on each other—

“Yandel’s so—!!”

…I might have been there with him.

Slash-!

The gag breaks at the last moment, and he shouts something, but the cold blade falls and silences his voice.

I immediately turn around and head back the way I came.

And I engrave a lesson in my heart.

‘I shouldn’t do things like that again.’

I need to be more careful.

In this shitty world, it’s not just marauders and explorers who threaten my life.

Who’s to say who’s pitying whom?

I should refrain from unnecessary meddling and act with caution from now on—

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, right?”

Someone calls my name from behind.

I turn around, and a well-dressed man is looking at me.

“Don’t bother me and get lost.”

I ignore him and continue walking, as I’ve had many strangers approach me lately.

But…

“Don’t be so wary. I’m in a similar situation.”

The nuance of his words is very strange.

I involuntarily stop and turn around to look at the man.

“America? Taiwan? Europe? Where are you from?”

Damn it, what the hell is this again?

____________________________________

I’ve thought about it after gaining fame.

That something like this might happen.

However…

‘I didn’t expect it to be this soon.’

My mind becomes ice-cold.

Of course, my actions are already decided.

Whether this guy is a real player or just pretending to be one…

‘It doesn’t change anything. Let’s do it as planned.’

Didn’t I know from the first day I woke up in this body that there were other evil spirits besides me?

I already asked myself this question before.

‘Is it necessary to take risks and interact with them?’

The conclusion I reached at the time was simple.

Absolutely not.

Because what would I do by meeting another player?

Share information?

We could do that to some extent, but…

In the end, it would just be a sense of relief that I’m not alone in this strange world.

Taking such a risk just to feel at ease is a foolish thing to do.

That’s why…

‘There’s no need to reveal my cards to anyone.’

There’s a saying in the world, ‘poker face’.

It’s sometimes used to describe someone bluffing, but it basically means an expressionless face.

That’s because the face is the part of the body where a person’s psychology is most easily revealed.

But I’ve made a judgment.

What I need to do right now is not to have a poker face.

I answer as soon as he finishes his question,

“What are you talking about?”

Of course, this isn’t perfect either.

That’s why, even as I answer in a barbarian-like tone, I think to myself,

‘How would Ainar have reacted if I said that?’

Since we spent quite a bit of time together, the answer comes easily.

“Don’t speak in riddles and say it properly.”

Right, that’s it.

Barbarians don’t know much.

And they’re not ashamed of not knowing.

And if the stranger is a human…

…they also show a bit of wariness and aggression.

Therefore—

Thud.

…I take a step forward with a slightly threatening look in my eyes.

And I snort as if I’m about to smash his head in if he says one wrong thing.

But even with my actions, the man only lets out a strange exclamation.

“Wow, I almost fell for it. You’re really good at acting. You’re not really a 3-month-old, are you?”

“Acting? I told you not to use difficult words.”

“Ah, you don’t have to be on guard. I’m from America. I shouldn’t have even touched that damn game.”

His voice is filled with regret and sorrow.

And he even revealed information that only a player would know.

With this, I’m somewhat certain.

“Anyway, you’re amazing. To gain a title in just 3 months… it took me over 3 years. And of all things, to be stuck as a human…”

This bastard is not a player.