Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

The best-case scenario was for the GM to remain completely oblivious to my true identity until I had extracted all the information I needed.

But it seemed like hiding it until the very end was impossible.

'Well, it can't be helped.'

I dismissed my lingering regret.

The information I had already obtained was enough to justify using the Fourth Form.

'He's 6th-grade at 20 years old, even though I don't know which school he's from.'

And the number of candidates had been reduced from three to two.

Auril Gabis wouldn't have met him without knowing his name.

But judging by his reaction...

The probability had increased from 33.3% to 50%.

And this was probably the limit of what I could find out while hiding my identity. Well, that didn't mean I was going to leave satisfied.

'I could probably find out who he is just by investigating the remaining two candidates...'

But there was no need to take the long way when there was a shortcut.

I had been so aggressive with my information gathering because I had this trump card.

"Tell me. Who are you? How did you get in here, and why were you pretending to be him?"

The GM, having seen through my act, pressed me with confidence.

As if he was someone important.

'Cute.'

I chuckled and opened my mouth.

I was planning to reveal my true identity and tell him this before leaving anyway.

"Auril Gabis."

"...What? That's the game developer's—"

"That's the old man's name."

The GM frowned as I cut him off.

He understood the words, but not the meaning. I patiently explained, like a veteran player guiding a newbie.

"That guy summoned you all to this world, and he's only planning to use you. And he doesn't feel any guilt for doing this. Be wary of him."

"You think I'll believe you just because you're hiding your identity—"

What is he talking about?

"Believe it or not, that's your choice. I just came here to warn you."

"...Then why were you pretending to be him?"

"I wanted to know what kind of person you were before I told you this."

Of course, I didn't expect him to believe me 100%.

I hadn't told him the whole truth.

The GM was still wary of me, trying to figure out my intentions.

But...

'It's all about how convincing it sounds.'

Humans are sensitive creatures. Even if they don't believe it, they'll still feel a sense of unease. It's like a crack in a wall, you can't help but notice it. 𐍂áŊՕBƐS

What if, maybe, perhaps.

Planting those keywords in his mind was enough for now.

'That should be enough to sow discord...'

There were countless reasons to be wary of Auril Gabis, but I decided to stop there.

It was more effective to let his imagination run wild than to explain everything.

"...You think I'll be swayed by your words?!"

The GM was more concerned about my identity than Auril Gabis, so he raised his voice.

"Reveal yourself, or—"

It was pathetic.

'That's not how you ask a question.'

Especially not to someone who seems stronger than you.

I took a step forward and asked,

"Or what?"

The GM opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

He just gasped for air.

Lion Style.

Third Form, Contempt.

Step.

I took another step closer, and the GM started trembling, his eyes rolling back.

Hmm, I didn't expect his mental fortitude to be this low.

"You're weak."

You were a beast in my time, kid.

It seemed like he wouldn't even understand what I was saying, so I lowered my killing intent.

And I muttered,

"Aika Teratios."

It was the name of the second candidate Lee Baekho had given me.

But the GM's reaction wasn't what I expected.

What is this guy talking about? Is he casting a spell?

He looked at me with wary eyes.

'Damn it.'

So that wasn't it either?

Then I was left with one candidate...

"Yurven Habelión."

I didn't give him time to recover and spoke the name of the last candidate.

I was a bit worried that Lee Baekho might have been wrong...

But...

"...!"

His reaction was completely different this time.

His pupils dilated.

His breathing became ragged.

His facial muscles stiffened.

He was trying to maintain a poker face, but he couldn't hide his shock.

"So that's your name."

I felt a surge of joy, but also a hint of bitterness.

'It took me three tries...'

33.3% and 50%.

Both were good odds, but I was getting nervous after two failures. At least one of them was a winner.

Well, that's just how I am.

"Yurven Habelión."

I muttered his name again and slowly released my killing intent.

The GM, who had been frozen in place, collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.

But his eyes were still fixed on me.

"Wh, who... are you...?"

His eyes were filled with fear, not hostility.

But as the pressure lifted, his mind started to work again.

Flash!

A white light flashed, blinding me.

I wasn't surprised. I had experienced this countless times.

"See you later."

He had used the Master's authority to shut down the community server.

_____________________

"You're back."

I opened my eyes, and Amelia was sitting next to me.

She was always there when I returned from the community.

I was vulnerable while I was gone, so she was worried something might happen.

'What could possibly happen in 10 seconds...?'

It felt like overkill, but I was grateful.

"Here."

I reached for the water bottle on the nightstand, and Amelia handed it to me.

"Thanks."

"So, how did it go?"

I told her about what had happened in the community.

Amelia listened with interest, but she didn't overreact.

"Yurven Habelión, the recluse mage... he's an evil spirit? The city would be in chaos if this got out."

"Recluse mage?"

"You don't know? He's famous for being a shut-in, rarely leaving the Magic Tower. Most of his fame comes from his time as an explorer."

"I see."

It was the first time I heard that he was a recluse, but I had done some research on him before.

He had become independent and founded his own school after his previous school was destroyed in an incident, and he mainly used wind magic during his time as an explorer.

And he was considered the best in the field of magic tool creation.

'That's why his nickname was 'Magitechnician'.'

Anyway, I finished my story, and Amelia said it was a good thing the Fragment of Records hadn't activated.

"...A good thing?"

"Yeah, I thought I might have to leave without buying the essence if it activated while you were gone."

"Ah... right... I see."

"You seem disappointed."

Amelia looked at me with a strange expression.

I chuckled awkwardly.

"Haha, no, not at all. I'm just glad it didn't activate."

"I thought so."

I then brought up the topic of hiding the Demon Crusher.

"I'm not sure where to hide it... I've been to a lot of places, but none of them feel safe."

"The forest in the sanctuary would be ideal, but I'm worried that the shaman might find it."

"How about putting it in a bank vault?"

"A bank vault?"

It was an unexpected suggestion.

I would have to use the identity 'Nibels Enche' to use a bank.

It would be troublesome to retrieve it as Bjorn Yandel, and besides, 'Nibels Enche' would be erased next year due to unpaid taxes.

In other words, anything I left in the bank would be seized by the government.

'I can't pay twenty years' worth of taxes in advance either...'

It was an unrealistic option, so I hadn't even considered it.

'But she wouldn't have suggested it if she didn't know about that...'

"Tell me more."

I leaned forward, and Amelia explained.

"Alminus Bank has something called an 'anonymous time-limited vault'."

"I've never heard of it."

It wasn't a system that existed in the game.

So it must have been an update that happened in the past 150 years.

"It's not surprising that you don't know. It's a little-known system, even among explorers who frequently use banks."

Amelia then explained how the anonymous time-limited vault worked.

'So basically, you can store items for a set period of time without revealing your identity. And you can retrieve them with a password.'

Hmm, not bad.

_____________________

The next day,

Amelia and I went to the bank and checked for any hidden clauses or risks.

And...

'This is better than Swiss banks...'

It seemed much safer than burying it, so I deposited Kraul's Demon Crusher in an anonymous vault.

I set the time limit to 22 years, just to be safe.

Well, the down payment was quite hefty...

"Don't worry, we can afford it."

Amelia's blessing was with me, so this kind of petty cash was nothing.

She had managed to get the money.

"You really got all the money we needed...?"

Amelia had been working day and night for the past two weeks, and she had actually managed to raise the necessary funds.

I asked her how she did it, and she simply said,

"I sold information."

She had used her knowledge as a regressor to sell information.

Her main customers were those interested in the upcoming auction.

She had sold them the name and color of the essence that would be auctioned...

"But why would they believe you?"

"I used my position as the branch manager of the central exchange."

"Used it? How?"

"I followed the branch manager and investigated him for a few days. It wasn't hard to find something incriminating. I used that to blackmail him."

The central exchange was very strict about security, so even the branch manager didn't know what essence would be auctioned...

But that didn't matter to us.

The important thing was to make the customers believe that it was insider information.

"We went to his office together, so they didn't doubt the information. They probably thought they could hold him accountable if it was wrong."

I was amazed by her skills.

She could have been a successful businesswoman.

"Amelia...!!"

"Wh, what...?! Don't touch me...!"

Thanks to Amelia, we had solved all our problems, from finding a hiding place for the equipment to selling it and getting the money for the essence and the remaining balance.

And...

"Phew, it's finally here..."

The day of the auction had arrived.

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