Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 340: Snowball (4)

Chapter 340: Snowball (4)

The 7th floor of the labyrinth, the Dark Continent.

Five explorers were setting up camp in a deep mountainous area shrouded in black fog, indicating that it was part of the 7th floor.

"Hey, old man, how long until the blocking magic circle is done?"

"About 10 minutes."

"Still? Ugh, this is why we need a priest."

The old man's face twitched slightly at the blonde man's complaint.

It wasn't very noticeable, but it was clear that he was annoyed.

"If you're so unhappy, why don't you fill the last spot with a priest?"

The blonde man chuckled at the old man's words.

"There are priests of Karui."

"I'll pass on half-assed healers."

The blonde man muttered and then looked out into the fog.

He could see a monster approaching through the thick black fog.

A 5th-grade beast, the Devil Wolf.

They usually lived in packs, but this one was alone, perhaps having lost a fight for dominance. The blonde man then turned to a woman and spoke in his usual lighthearted tone.

"Hey, kitty cat, you take care of that."

"I told you not to call me that."

"You're so sensitive. So, what's your answer?"

The red-haired beastwoman, Misha Kaltstein, didn't answer.

She just stood up and drew her sword.

And...

"Woof, woof...!"

As soon as the monster emerged from the fog, she attacked.

Two strikes were enough.

Thud!

She pierced the monster's hide with the sword in her left hand, and a wave of frost froze the wounded beast solid.

And then...

Kaboom!

She shattered the frozen monster with the sword in her right hand.

"Oh, you can one-shot 5th-graders now?"

"..."

Misha didn't answer.

She just returned to her seat.

The blonde man muttered, as if he was feeling wronged.

"Hey, why are you always so cold to me?"

"You don't know?"

"Then do you know? I brought you here, fed you essences, trained you, and even told you how to bring your lover back to life. What are you so unhappy about—"

"Stop."

"Just your tone... It was cuter when you used to meow—"

"I said stop."

Misha glared at him, and the blonde man shrugged and sat down by the campfire.

"Ah, right, we're not supposed to talk about him? Sorry."

He apologized without a hint of sincerity and then started chatting with his other companions.

Misha quietly suppressed her boiling emotions.

'...Lee Baekho.'

That was the blonde man's name.

The only 'individual' the royal family was wary of, and a powerful figure even Noark had to be careful of.

Crackle, crackle.

Misha stared at the flickering flames and recalled her first meeting with him.

____________________

It was like a deal with the devil.

An offer she couldn't refuse.

"I'll tell you how to bring Bjorn Yandel back to life."

Lee Baekho had said that.

He told her about the 'Stone of Resurrection' on the 9th floor.

That it could bring back someone who had died.

Of course, it wasn't an act of kindness.

"But you have to do something for me."

He had two conditions.

"First, you have to testify that Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit."

"...What?"

"You were practically lovers, right? If you say it, it won't just sound like a rumor."

The first condition was baffling.

"Don't be ridiculous! If I do that, Bjorn won't have a place to stay even if he comes back alive! I would never—!"

"So, you're not going to do it?"

Lee Baekho chuckled and cut her off.

Misha wanted to run away, but she clenched her teeth and endured.

She had a feeling that if she said another word, he would withdraw his offer and leave.

"Good."

Lee Baekho seemed pleased with her patience and continued in a gentler tone.

"Don't worry, I didn't make this offer without a plan. If it works out, we can crush the royal family."

"...Crush the royal family?"

"It seems like we have to take care of the royal family first if we want to get past the Gate of the Abyss. And revealing that Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit is the first step."

This crazy bastard...

She wanted to say it, but she held back.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is... once the royal family is gone, it won't matter if he's an evil spirit or not. He'll be able to live safely."

"...What if your plan fails?"

"Then I'll personally escort you outside the walls. It seems like a decent place to live, based on what I've heard. Well, if you don't like that, we can create new identities and live in hiding in the city outskirts."

"..."

"It's a good deal, isn't it?"

Whether it was a good deal or not didn't matter.

If what he said was true, she had no choice.

Living without Bjorn was the same as being dead.

But Misha wasn't stupid enough to agree right away.

"...Tell me your second condition."

"Ah, that? It's simple. You have to help me."

"...?"

"I need a dual-wielding frost swordsman."

Misha flinched at his casual tone.

He was smiling, but his eyes were cold, as if he was looking at an object, not a person.

"...Why me?"

She felt a strange pressure and asked.

But...

"Just a whim."

His answer was unexpected.

"...A whim?"

"Yeah, it doesn't have to be you. I can spread the rumor about Bjorn Yandel without your help, and I have to get the Stone of Resurrection anyway, so it's just more work..."

He spoke as if she was a burden.

Misha felt humiliated, but then he continued.

"Ah, but there is one advantage."

Lee Baekho grinned and looked at her.

"You have a reason not to betray me."

That was why he had sought her out.

____________________

I felt like I was going crazy.

I had to prove my identity again?

But it wasn't that difficult to convince Erwen.

I just had to tell her the truth.

About the Fragment of Records activating on Parune Island.

About arriving in this city 20 years in the past.

And about the six months I spent struggling to return to my original time.

Of course, I left out the part about being an evil spirit.

[No matter what anyone says, you're Bjorn Yandel to me.]

It wasn't easy to lie to someone who had said that to me.

But I had no choice.

It was the best option for both of us.

[...You'll be able to live safely in this world.]

I had Auril Gabis' 'gift'.

If it worked, I could prove that I wasn't an evil spirit.

But what if Erwen tested me?

What if my secret was revealed?

'It would be a disaster.'

I didn't know what would happen.

So I had to be careful.

'Did Auril Gabis give me that gift with this in mind...?'

I couldn't help but be suspicious, but I couldn't be sure.

"Hmm... so you're saying you're not an evil spirit?"

Erwen didn't seem interested in the evil spirit issue.

But she was persistent about something else.

"By the way..."

"Yeah?"

"You spent over six months with Amelia Rainwales... that woman?"

"Y, yeah..."

"And she even said she would become your companion?"

"She didn't mean it romantically, it was just—"

"So you can just abandon her now?"

"...Huh?"

Abandon Amelia?

What was she talking about?

Erwen's conversation was difficult to follow.

I was trying to figure out what she meant when...

Erwen continued.

"You know she's a Noark looter, right? Can you really trust someone like that?"

"But Amelia is a valuable asset..."

I trailed off.

Erwen was smiling, her eyes filled with a strange meaning.

"Hehe, you're so cute..."

It was probably the first time I had been called cute since I was possessed by this body.

I stared at her, and Erwen seemed embarrassed. She covered her mouth with her hand.

But she had to say this.

"Mister, don't worry about that woman. I'm here for you. I've become very strong. I don't need someone like her anymore. I can earn a lot of money, and I even have subordinates who follow my orders."

"Oh, really..."

"Yes. Of course, I understand how you feel. You must have needed someone to rely on after what happened."

She spoke as if I couldn't live without a woman.

It was a bit offensive...

"Maybe she was reliable in that situation. Like when we first met..."

Erwen then said something strange and grabbed my hand.

"But don't worry. I'm here now."

"...?"

"I'll protect you from now on. So..."

"So...?"

I had a bad feeling about this.

"So... when we meet again, I'll kill her."

"Kill... who...?"

"Rainwales, that woman!"

____________________

Now I understood.

Why Amelia had said that.

[Yandel, that woman is not the Erwen you knew.]

The innocent 20-year-old fairy was gone.

Only a radical and slightly crazy fairy remained.

'I'm screwed if I let her lead me around.'

I instinctively knew that I couldn't just laugh this off.

So...

"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"

I shouted.

It always made me feel like I could do anything.

But Erwen, perhaps because of what she had experienced, didn't even flinch at my sudden outburst.

No, she actually clapped her hands and smiled.

"Wow! It's mister!"

...That's not helping.

I ignored her reaction and spoke firmly.

"Erwen, you're not going to kill Amelia."

"Huh? Why not?"

Erwen, as expected, wasn't easy to deal with.

"Secrets are better kept hidden, right? The Fragment of Records and all that. We have to keep it a secret that you're alive, and that means we can't let that woman live—"

"Stop."

I cut her off.

She looked at me, genuinely confused.

"Don't talk about Amelia like that again. I'll handle it. Do you understand?"

I spoke firmly and stared at her.

Erwen looked around nervously and then slumped her shoulders.

"...Okay, I won't."

Whew, it seemed like I could still control her.

I then discussed a few things with Erwen and headed to the surface through the secret passage.

And...

"Don't worry, no one will see you."

Once we were on the surface, we used the darkness spirit to hide ourselves and walked to the inn. It was nighttime, so there weren't many people on the streets, and there was no one strong enough to detect us.

"It's a bit small, but please stay here tonight. I'll find a better place by tomorrow..."

"A better place...?"

This was already the top floor with four rooms...

It was hard to believe that this was coming from Erwen, who used to walk an hour to eat a 1,000-stone meal because it was cheap and delicious.

But that's what time does.

I should adapt quickly—

"Come on, let's go inside!"

"...You too?"

"Of course? I paid for this room."

Uh, that's true.

I was speechless, and Erwen pushed me into the room.

And...

"Mister, do you remember this?"

Erwen suddenly took out a bottle of alcohol from her subspace pocket.

It felt like I was being tested again.

'Remember this...?'

...Ah, I remember.

"It's the Return Wine we drank together for the first time."

"That's right! I knew you would remember!"

Erwen smiled brightly, seemingly pleased that I had answered correctly.

But then she said something strange.

"It's so romantic, isn't it?"

"Romantic...?"

"I was saving this to drink alone after killing all those bastards we have to kill. Hehe, I never thought I would be drinking this with you..."

What the hell happened to her?

If she was this messed up, I was worried about the other companions...

"Okay, let's have a drink."

I was good at holding my liquor, so I accepted her offer.

And then, after some time...

'She still can't handle her alcohol.'

Erwen soon passed out and went to bed. She looked so vulnerable that I was worried she might get into trouble if she drank like this outside...

'No, why am I even worried?'

I chuckled and sat down by the window.

I finally understood why husbands wanted some alone time after getting married.

'It's peaceful...'

I sat by the moonlit window and enjoyed the silence.

But then I started thinking.

I had learned a lot from my drunken conversation with Erwen.

Raven was in the 3rd Magic Corps.

Avman had joined a clan to make a living.

She didn't know anything about Misha.

And Ainar...

'She'll be the easiest to bring back.'

I sighed and shook my head.

There was a bigger problem than reuniting with my scattered companions.

Quests have a certain order, right?

'The rumor that I was an evil spirit spread a few months later, and then the royal family officially announced it...'

I had to take care of that first.