Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 313: Legacy (2)

Chapter 313: Legacy (2)

Misha's body froze as if she had encountered a predator.

Her heart pounded erratically.

Despite her constant thoughts of wanting to die, her body instinctively clung to life. As if reading her mind, Lee Baekho's smile widened.

"You know Bjorn Yandel is a player, right?"

"No, I don't. What are you talking ab—"

Misha immediately denied it, but Lee Baekho didn't even bother listening to the rest of her sentence.

"Oh, so you did know?"

His tone didn't sound like he was simply testing her.

"..."

And...

She flinched.

She unconsciously held her breath.

His eyes were empty, a bottomless abyss that seemed to pierce through her facade and see right through her.

She felt exposed, vulnerable.

As Misha trembled, unable to speak, he finally spoke.

"How did Bjorn Yandel die?"

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, as if he was simply seeking confirmation.

But Misha sensed an underlying anger.

She couldn't understand why.

Could they have been close? No, that didn't make sense. If they were, why would he be directing his anger at her?

"They say in the city that he died buying time for you to escape..."

The air suddenly grew heavy.

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

An oppressive pressure weighed down on her, making it difficult to breathe.

And the anger in his voice intensified.

"You knew he was an evil spirit, didn't you? So you just backstabbed him and took everything? I heard he even left his inheritance to you. That's a pretty good reason to kill someone, isn't it?"

"That's ridiculous—"

"Ridiculous? You don't even see us as human."

His tone was cynical, mocking.

Misha realized that he had experienced something similar.

That realization felt like a knife twisting in her heart.

It wasn't just because she was afraid of him...

Could Bjorn have felt this way too?

Had he been secretly worried that she would despise him if she knew his true identity?

Had he been drawing a line between them all along?

And...

What were his last thoughts?

The thought of it made her chest tighten.

He must have been scared.

That's why he didn't leave anything in his will.

He always smiled in front of them, but behind that smile, there must have been a deep loneliness.

But...

"Answer me. Did you kill him?"

One thing was certain.

He cared about them more than anyone.

So Misha looked him in the eye and said,

"That's... impossible..."

She knew her words wouldn't reach him, but she had to say it.

"How... could we do that to him...?"

She couldn't.

And she regretted it.

She should have told him sooner. Then he wouldn't have had to worry about them.

"..."

Misha closed her eyes.

She wasn't afraid of this stranger anymore.

She just endured the overwhelming emotions that washed over her.

Then...

"...You have good companions."

Lee Baekho spoke.

"Unlike me."

His voice was no longer that of a tyrant, but one tinged with sadness.

Misha opened her eyes.

The oppressive pressure had vanished.

"You're Misha Kaltstein, right?"

"Y, yes... but...?"

Misha was confused by his sudden change in attitude, and Lee Baekho smiled.

"How would you feel if I told you there's a way to bring Bjorn Yandel back to life?"

His eyes crinkled at the corners, but his smile didn't reach them.

______________________

Two weeks had passed since I joined Pelic Barker's clan.

And...

Crackle.

I was sitting by a crackling campfire.

We were camping in the Rocky Desert on the 2nd floor.

Behind me, four explorers were busy setting up camp.

Ah, it was on my orders.

It would take too long if I let one of the runners handle everything, as they usually did.

"Ugh, why do we have to do this..."

"Shut up, they'll hear you."

They already heard you, idiot.

I chuckled, watching them work. One of them, a muscular but soft man, caught my eye.

He was the one I fought on my first day in the clan, the one who almost got his head split open in the 'contest'.

His explorer rank was 6, based on the surface standards.

He lost to me in 3 seconds, and barely survived thanks to a potion.

What was his name again?

"Dumbo."

"...It's Derbon."

Ah, right.

I had mispronounced his name, but he didn't have to get so worked up about it.

He didn't even know what was important.

His name was probably an alias anyway.

"You still haven't learned your lesson?"

I got up and walked towards him.

He started trembling, remembering the beating he received on our first meeting.

Why act tough if you're going to be this scared?

"Dumbo."

I placed my hand on his shoulder, the weight of my position as the 3rd Team Leader of Barker Clan pressing down on him.

"Do I look like a joke to you?"

I squeezed his shoulder and continued,

"Your name is Dumbo now. It's easier for me to pronounce. Got it?"

"..."

"Answer me."

"...Yes."

Good, you should have just agreed from the beginning.

I patted Dumbo's shoulder, encouraging him after his successful name change, and sent him back to work.

And I returned to the campfire and started eating jerky.

Munch, munch.

After winning three 'contests' on my first day in the clan, I was promoted to 3rd Team Leader with the clan leader's approval.

And in Noark, a world of true men, the team leader's authority is absolute.

Especially in the labyrinth.

'Is this the taste of power?'

I was enjoying my newfound authority, watching them work, when a skinny explorer came over and reported that the camp was ready.

"You can go to sleep now. We'll take care of the watch..."

What was this guy's name again?

'I can't remember.'

Anyway, he was our team's scout.

He wasn't a Guide, and his navigation skills were slightly worse than Rotmiller's. But he had been looting for a long time, so he knew all the good spots.

"I'm not sleepy yet, I'll stay up a bit longer. You're the first watch, right? I'll wake you up if I get sleepy, so you guys go to sleep first."

"Ah, yes..."

I gave them permission to sleep, and the skinny scout relayed the message to his companions before getting into his sleeping bag.

And...

"Can I sit down?"

"Of course."

A red-haired woman sat down across from me.

She was our team's runner, a young girl with a mature aura despite her youthful appearance.

Amelia's older sister.

"What was your name again?"

"Laura Rainwales."

Laura answered formally, her eyes wary of her new team leader.

I felt a strange sense of dissonance.

'They look alike, but their personalities are completely different.'

Their features were similar.

But Laura had a much gentler and friendlier aura.

Even though I knew she had killed a seasoned explorer at the age of twelve to protect her younger sister, and despite her formal tone.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking you must have been through a lot."

"Ah..."

Laura looked surprised.

She probably didn't expect me to say something like that. I was known for being harsh on my team members.

"Your sister is also a runner, right?"

"Yes, she's working under Team Leader Martis."

"Aren't you worried about her?"

"..."

Laura pursed her lips and glanced at me. She seemed curious about my intentions.

But she must have decided that it wasn't wise to ignore her new team leader's question.

"I'm not worried at all. I believe Team Leader Martis will take good care of my sister."

Laura gave a rehearsed answer.

Ugh, this makes me feel like a spy.

"It's okay, you can be honest. You're sisters, of course you'd be worried."

I pressed her, and Laura finally opened up a bit.

"I'm worried, but I believe Team Leader Martis won't mistreat my sister or send her to dangerous places."

"Why?"

"...Because I'm valuable to him."

I already knew that.

She had absorbed four low-grade essences, if I remember correctly.

But she was still a runner.

A runner, despite being strong enough to be a full-fledged explorer. She received good treatment for a runner, but she was still a slave to the clan, unable to claim her share of the loot.

"You gave up your share in exchange for him looking after your sister."

"It's not like I can keep the money I earn anyway. I was the one who brought her to this clan when our father tried to sell her as a runner."

"Why?"

"At least in this clan... she wouldn't have to go through those things."

"You're a good sister."

Laura didn't answer, and an awkward silence followed.

It wasn't uncomfortable, though.

I just sat there, staring into the fire, lost in thought. And when I started to feel sleepy, I got up.

"I'm going to sleep now."

"Yes."

"You've been on watch for about an hour, switch with the next person in another hour."

"Yes? But my shift is..."

"You'll be too tired to fight tomorrow if you stay up for two shifts. You said you could handle it yourself, didn't you?"

"..."

"So switch with the next person in an hour and go to sleep. If anyone asks, tell them I ordered you to."

I got into my sleeping bag and lay down.

Laura tried to say something, but she sighed and closed her mouth when she heard me snoring.

'Laura Rainwales...'

I kept thinking about her as I drifted off to sleep.

How could I save her?

____________________

The next morning, after our first night in the Rocky Desert, we resumed our journey.

We arrived at the Pilgrim's Path on the 3rd floor on the second day, and we continued towards the clan's gathering point through the Twilight Slope, the Rocky Desert route.

The Thornreed Field.

A hunting ground that encompassed part of the western field of the Witch's Forest, the heart of the 3rd floor.

When we arrived on the fourth day, all the other teams were already there.

"..."

I exchanged a brief glance with Amelia and then headed towards the clan leader.

"Any problems on the way here?"

"None. They're all skilled."

"Haha, they might not be as strong as you, but they're all capable explorers."

Does this guy not know how to filter his words?

I chuckled and sat down on an empty chair next to him.

"Now that everyone's here, we should get moving, but I'll go over the plan one more time since we have some new members."

Clan Leader Pelic Barker smoothly transitioned into his briefing.

There wasn't much to explain.

We were going to loot other explorers, using this reed forest as our base.

"I'll say this beforehand, but if you encounter an opponent that seems too strong, contact the other teams through the scout. We'll come and help you immediately."

He finished his brief briefing and asked if anyone had any questions. I immediately raised my hand.

"Isn't this a bit inefficient?"

"...Inefficient?"

The clan leader looked at me as if I had said something strange.

He probably found it odd that a barbarian was talking about efficiency.

I felt a bit offended.

What other race values efficiency as much as barbarians?

"Speak your mind."

As soon as he gave me permission, I spoke confidently.

"Using runners is a problem. Why do we even do that?"

"I told you before, having an inside man is a huge advantage when ambushing. It also reduces the cost of combat consumables."

"What are you talking about? That's not what I meant."

"...Huh?"

Then what do you mean?

The clan leader frowned at me.

So I explained patiently, like a teacher instructing a slow student.

"That way, we can only kill 'good' explorers who let the runners in. And 'good' explorers are usually poor."

"...What are you trying to say?"

"We should be hunting looters, like us. Then we can take all the equipment they looted from others!"

I explained my plan in detail, and a brief silence followed.

And then laughter erupted.

"Hahahaha!"

"Why are you laughing?"

"Ah, sorry if I offended you. I've been in Noark for over ten years, and I've never heard of such a thing."

"So, what's your answer?"

"It sounds logical, but you're missing the most important part. We're not the Gods of Justice. How are we supposed to distinguish between looters and explorers?"

Haha, I knew he would say that.

I grinned and said,

"Don't worry, I have a plan."