Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Ghostbusters (5)

The Secret Security Department directly under the Lafdonia Royal Family.

"What? He came back beaten to a pulp?"

The man who heard his subordinate's report let out a hollow laugh.

It was because he didn't even know where to start getting angry.

"Tell me this first, why did you contact him? I ordered you to just tail him, didn't I?"

"...It seems like it was a decision made on the spot."

"Decision made on the spot, are you kidding me? Speak properly."

"He judged that it would be easy to confirm his identity since he's a 3-month-old barbarian."

It's understandable.

Evil spirits who are less than a year old are mostly incredibly naive. Just approaching them and pretending to be in the same situation is enough to make more than half of them reveal their true identities.

And most of the remaining half reveal themselves through their expressions.

"So there was no such reaction?"

"Yes, he frowned as soon as he heard it and got angry, saying not to speak in riddles and to speak properly. You'll understand better if you see it yourself."

The subordinate takes out a button from his pocket.

It's a specially made video recording device.

He places it on the crystal ball on the desk, and the events that took place at the scene are replayed.

The man rewinds the recording several times, carefully observing the barbarian's changes in expression, gaze, and facial muscle movements.

[America? Taiwan? Europe? Where are you from?]

Although the guy who made the mistake this time approached too carelessly...

...even so, this reaction is definitely special.

[What are you talking about? Don't speak in riddles and say it properly.]

An immediate response without a moment's hesitation.

Normal evil spirits would panic and try to figure out the other person's identity.

But what about this barbarian?

[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.]

Vocabulary and tone of voice.

[Then I'll ask comfortably. Are you an evil spirit?]

[What's the point of hiding it now? Yes, I am. So...]

Thoughts and questions.

[That's enough. You don't need to say anything else.]

[Yes? What do you mean—]

[The chieftain said that evil spirits should be killed on sight.]

And his response.

Everything is clearly different from typical evil spirits.

No, it's more like it matches the unique reactions that have only been observed in non-evil spirits.

"Even those who don't want to reveal their identity usually choose to evade in that situation."

But what about this barbarian?

He chose to confront the situation head-on as soon as he made a decision.

Without any hesitation, just like a true barbarian.

The man contemplates for a moment and reaches a final conclusion.

"He's definitely not an evil spirit."

Bjorn Yandel.

Just like his name caught our attention, the evil spirits must have also been interested in him.

But he only gained fame a few days ago.

'The 'gathering' hasn't even been held yet, so he wouldn't have heard about our methods...'

All the circumstantial evidence points to him not being an evil spirit.

In the first place, it's questionable whether he would have been able to react like that even if he knew about the existence of the Secret Security Department.

And most importantly, the incident at the guild was impressive.

He caused a ruckus by escaping from prison when he was falsely accused and sentenced to death? No matter how you look at it, it's not something evil spirits, who like to act all high and mighty, would do.

Maybe a barbarian who doesn't care about anything, but...

Therefore—

"Bjorn Yandel is innocent."

The man stamps a blue seal on the report.

And he puts the report in a file and stores it in the cabinet.

His subordinate, who was watching, sighs in relief.

"...Thank goodness."

"Yes, it's a relief. If he had come back beaten to a pulp by an evil spirit, I would have had to kill him myself."

"Then what about the disciplinary action?"

"He acted on his own and contacted the target during a surveillance mission. We'll suspend him for 3 months, reduce his salary for the next 12 months, and postpone his promotion evaluation until next year."

"Then I'll let him know."

The subordinate leaves the office, and the man sits alone, lost in thought for a moment.

'To gain a title in 3 months even though he's not an evil spirit...'

Regardless of this incident, he's worth keeping an eye on in the future.

'Is he really born with the destiny of a hero? Maybe the Count will take a liking to him.'

Talented people are always in short supply in this city.

_____________________________________________

「Character's fame has increased by +1.」

「Character’s fame has increased by +1…….」

「…….」

_____________________________________________

'It's already morning...'

I stayed up all night.

It's because of the letter I found last night.

Whether the contents of this letter are true or not.

After contemplating until the sun rose, I let out a sigh.

'For now, it seems like it's real...'

It's just intuition, I can't be sure.

Therefore, as soon as the sun rises, I roughly wash up and go outside.

I'm planning to find out about this pill.

Of course, there's a good chance that this is a trick by the Evil Spirit Hunters...

'No, that's why I need to show them that I'm trying to find out.'

Think about it from a local's perspective.

Someone sneaks into my room and leaves a letter with unreadable characters and a pill?

It's only natural to be curious about their identity.

It's a creepy situation for them.

"I thought you forgot about the appointment since you haven't come for a few days, but that doesn't seem to be the case?"

That's why I visited the Magic Tower.

I figured that a mage, the intellectual of this world, might know something.

And she actually did.

Much more than I expected.

"Oh, you received that pill, so it seems like you really did gain some fame this time, huh?"

That's Raven's reaction when I show her the letter and the pill.

"Fame?"

"Yes. So don't worry too much about it. I heard everyone gets it once they become a little famous."

Raven then clicks her tongue as she looks at the letter.

"Still, it's a bit disappointing. I wish you had come to me right away."

For your information, the letter is now blank.

It seems like some kind of magic was applied, because the letters disappeared less than 10 minutes after I finished reading it.

"Aren't you curious, Mr. Yandel? What the hell did those evil spirits write in the letter?"

"Evil spirits?"

"Ah, I didn't tell you, did I? That's a letter written by an evil spirit."

"I didn't even know it was a letter. As expected, you're amazing."

Raven lets out her characteristic nasal sound as I naturally compliment her.

And she goes into TMI mode as usual.

"Well, of course. It's something ordinary people don't know about. Can I see the pill?"

"Here."

"Do you know what this pill is?"

"No."

"It was made by a very skilled mage. Someone with immense knowledge in mental magic, dimensional magic, and alchemy."

"So what is it?"

After a long introduction about how many mages worked hard to decipher the spell structure, she finally gets to the point.

"If you take this pill, you can enter a specific spiritual world."

"Spiritual world?"

"Ah, was that a bit difficult? It's easier to think of it as a kind of different dimension. Your body will be asleep, but only your mind will be transported somewhere."

Raven's explanation continues.

To summarize, it's like this:

If you take this pill, you'll be summoned to a specific spiritual world on the 15th of every month, at midnight.

The evil spirits are probably exchanging information among themselves there.

Many people have taken the pill and infiltrated, but they were found dead the next morning, having vomited blood.

I flinch for a moment at this part.

"Found dead?"

"Yes. So Mr. Yandel, please don't take it just because you're curious."

"Wait, isn't it just poison?"

"Hey, what do you take us mages for? I swear, this pill doesn't have any such ingredients or spells."

"Then what about those who died?"

"Well, there are many hypotheses here... but the most likely one is that they have a way to distinguish non-evil spirits. When the soul and body are separated, the body dies."

"...It's a dangerous pill."

I mean it.

After all, the moment I take the pill, that guy will have control over my life.

Of course, I'm somewhat convinced now that the one who sent the pill is a player...

...but I have no information about what kind of person that player is.

"Anyway, it's definitely not poison. Although it's not an official record, there's a story that a captured evil spirit confessed about this gathering. It's not poison that kills everyone who takes it."

"I see."

"Ah, and another strange thing is that they're in their soul forms there, so you can't tell who they really are."

That's good news.

And with this, most of my questions have been resolved.

Is this why connections are important?

If I didn't have a relationship with a mage, I wouldn't have been able to hear about this anywhere.

However, I ask one last question.

"Is there no way to identify someone who has taken this pill?"

"Absolutely not. If there were, we would have caught all the evil spirits."

I see.

Now I understand why the sender was so confident about anonymity being strictly guaranteed in the community.

"So, can I study this pill a bit?"

"It's fine if you consider today's session as payment for that."

"You're being stingy, I even answered all your questions. Fine, it's not like I expect to find anything new even if I study it. Now, if we're done chatting, just sit here."

I sit down on the chair as she instructs.

I don't bother asking if this chair is a death penalty device for smashing people's heads.

"Then let's begin."

"...Please finish quickly."

Because I know now.

Tzzzt!

That this chair is a magic tool designed for blood collection.

_____________________________________

Around 4:00 PM, the day's research is finished.

It means I don't have to come to the Magic Tower and waste time until next week.

"Oh, is that the famous guy these days?"

"I heard Mr. Hernesion was the one who gave him the title Little Balkan..."

"That picky guy had such a good impression of a barbarian? That's strange."

As I leave Raven's personal research lab, I see mages gathered in the lobby.

They're all looking at me.

Is this the power of fame?

'Last time, they treated me like a random lab rat...'

I'm starting to feel the effects of my increased fame—

"I heard you absorbed the Orc Hero's essence?"

"Aru said you even have the Vampire Guardian's essence?"

"Indeed... this is, valuable."

They're looking at me not as a regular lab rat, but as a very, very valuable one.

Well, would the fame of an explorer even matter to these bastards?

"Hey! Could you come here for a moment?"

"I'm busy."

"No, it will only take a second—"

"I can't, I'm hungry."

I make my way through their gazes, which are several times more uncomfortable than before, and leave the Magic Tower as if fleeing.

'It's a bit late to go to the library, so I should just go back and rest.'

It takes about an hour to get back to the inn while organizing my thoughts, and I collapse onto the bed.

And I take out the pill and examine it closely.

My thoughts deepen as my mind sinks into contemplation.

'A community where anonymity is guaranteed...'

The biggest reason I tried to avoid contact with other players was because of the risk.

If even one person knows, it's no longer a secret.

But according to Raven, it seems like a virtual web space.

Well, I used to think that there was no point in contacting other players...

...but now my thoughts have changed a bit.

'Those guys definitely know more than me.'

I'm not talking about hidden pieces or hidden information within the game.

There's no way I wouldn't know what others know.

However, this place is not the decimal-based game world, but another world.

Since the risk of identity exposure has decreased, the advantages are more prominent than before.

'I'll have to confirm it myself, but being able to get information one step ahead is not bad.'

For example, what methods Evil Spirit Hunters use, or that the Explorer's Guild created a new law and is testing it out.

I'll be able to access such latest news more easily if I join the community.

In short, it's like gaining a secret source of information.

'Although I don't have much hope, they might even know how to go back.'

After much contemplation while looking at the pill, I come to a decision.

'It's better to take it.'

It's a conclusion I reached after carefully weighing the risks and rewards.

But I'm not going to take it right away.

I need time to check if there are any other risks...

'And even if anonymity is guaranteed, there must be someone who sent the invitation.'

Think about it.

What if there were three people who sent invitations, and all three joined the community?

The person who sent the invitations would be able to guess their identities and true selves.

'It would be safer to take it at least 3 to 6 months later.'

Of course, if the community isn't operated in the way I imagine, all these assumptions are meaningless.

But...

'I don't need the information urgently anyway.'

Let's be patient and wait.

As I always have.

There's a saying, 'better safe than sorry', isn't there?

_________________________________________

In a research lab on the upper floors of the Magic Tower.

[00:01]

The moment the minute hand of the clock passes midnight...

A man lying on a chair opens his eyes.

And he immediately gets up and contacts someone through a crystal ball.

"SoulQueens, how was the recruitment this time?"

Although he tries to hide it, his voice clearly reveals his anticipation and excitement.

However, a look of deep disappointment soon appears on his face.

[There weren't any.]

"Phew, then it seems he really isn't a player."

[That's highly likely. So what are you going to do with the unsent letters?]

The man contemplates for a moment.

Originally, there were a total of seven letters that should have been sent before this gathering. But this time, only one was sent.

It was because there was one thing he wanted to confirm.

But...

"I shouldn't delay it any further because of my stubbornness. Could you send the remaining letters sequentially until the next gathering?"

[Yes, I'll make sure to do that.]

The short conversation ends there.

The lab is now filled with silence.

"I had high hopes because he chose a shield during the coming-of-age ceremony."

The man mutters, sighing.

"It wasn't 'that person' this time either."

At this point, he's starting to think that the rumors circulating among players might be true.

He has consistently denied it out of fan loyalty…

‘Actually, it doesn’t make sense that one person could have organized such a vast amount of data alone…’

Does ‘that person’ really exist?

Was he just someone from the game company, like many people speculated?

It’s been 20 years since he woke up in this strange world.

Cracks are starting to appear in the man’s faith.