Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

What the hell is he doing here?

Initially, I couldn't even process the situation.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart pounded even harder than when I was fighting the Deep Sea Giant, and my head felt like it had been slammed by an 8-ton truck.

I only came to my senses when he spoke.

"Wow, you really killed it alone?"

Even though we had only spoken a few times, I could never forget his voice and tone.

'Lee Baekho.'

As I finally registered the reality of the situation, I noticed the old man standing next to him.

There were two of them.

'I thought they were enemies... now they're companions with Baekho?'

My mind raced.

Forget being companions, what were they doing here? Were they after me? No, what happened to Erwen and Amelia?

I had told them to wait until I returned.

"That's strange. I've never heard of anyone like you."

"Not heard of him? You know that guy who was making headlines recently?"

The Ruin Scholar cut Baekho off, and he nodded with an 'Ah!' expression.

"Right, that's him. He looks similar, too."

"We can't be sure yet, but..."

"We can find out. Hey, are you that Schuitz guy?"

It was unbelievably rude for a first-time encounter, but I actually felt relieved.

'...They weren't specifically looking for me.'

Lee Baekho's target wasn't me.

And if that was the case...

'Their target must be this space itself.'

I had been wary of the 'competitor' who had cleared the rock island event.

Maybe it was them.

'Then this encounter was purely coincidental...'

I was lost in thought when...

"Aren't you going to answer?"

Damn, he's so rude.

"How about you reveal your identity first?"

He smirked, as if he liked my defiant tone.

"Lee Baekho. You?"

"You can probably guess."

"Wow, it's amazing to meet a celebrity here."

"Celebrity?"

"I heard you fought four of Noark's guys at once? And that you fell from the sky? And that the Blood Spirit Marquis is obsessed with you? Of course you'd be famous."

I couldn't deny it.

The higher you climbed in the labyrinth, the smaller the population became.

On the 7th floor, everyone knew each other, so the appearance of a nameless, faceless powerhouse would naturally attract attention.

"Wait, does that mean the Blood Spirit Marquis is here too?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen the mage. They probably didn't run into each other because of the teleportation magic."

I breathed a sigh of relief at their conversation.

It meant Erwen and Amelia were safe.

"So, what's your business?"

I asked as I slowly walked towards the essence. If a fight broke out, I would absorb it immediately.

It would be helpful, even if it wasn't the color I wanted.

"Stop right there."

Lee Baekho spoke in a playful tone.

"Don't touch the essence."

'Essence?'

It was a clue that could help me analyze the situation.

Lee Baekho's target was the Deep Sea Giant's essence.

Normally, that would be the end of my deduction... but my survival instincts, honed by countless battles, wouldn't let me ignore the inconsistency.

'Why would he come all the way here for an essence he could easily obtain on the 9th floor?'

There were two possibilities.

[You cleared the 10x version, right? Maybe you'll be as strong as me in 10 years. I've already reached my limit...]

Unlike what he had said before, maybe he wasn't that strong yet.

Or maybe he couldn't go to the 9th floor.

Thud.

I stopped walking.

I didn't want to provoke him by getting any closer.

But...

"This is my loot."

I couldn't just obey his orders.

I had to assert myself.

I spoke in a slightly aggressive tone, and Lee Baekho raised his hand, as if telling me to calm down.

"Whoa, whoa, why so sensitive? I just stopped because I thought we could make a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yeah, I need that red essence. If you don't need it, how about we trade?"

It was hard to believe.

I couldn't help but ask,

"Why would you want to trade?"

Lee Baekho's attitude was clearly condescending.

But then why was he offering a deal?

There was a much easier way.

"You want me to just kill you and take it?"

Lee Baekho gave an unexpected answer.

"Honestly, I'm pissed that I came all the way here for nothing... but you didn't cheat or anything, and it'd be pathetic to whine about you getting here first."

"...What if I refuse?"

"Well? I'll just come back later."

It was a perfectly reasonable response.

I couldn't help but be speechless, but it wasn't that hard to understand.

His ultimate goal was to return to Earth.

He must have drawn a line somewhere.

Just like I had in the past.

"Fine."

It was surprisingly peaceful.

I had expected a fight, but it seemed like it wouldn't come to that.

The offer itself wasn't bad either.

"What will you give me in exchange for the essence?"

He thought for a moment and then placed an item on the trade window.

"A Deep Sea Giant essence."

"...?"

"I've been farming them lately. I have blue and green..."

What?

I immediately cut him off.

"Green."

Another piece of good news.

At least for now.

______________________

"What, you wanted that?"

"The green one is more expensive. And we can save on the cost of a test tube."

Lee Baekho nodded, as if he understood, and took out a test tube from his subspace pocket.

"But how do I know it's really a Deep Sea Giant essence?"

"If I was going to scam you, I wouldn't have offered a deal."

He glared at me as if he was offended by my suspicion.

"So, are we trading or not?"

"...I'll trust you."

As soon as I agreed, Lee Baekho tossed the test tube towards me.

It was a concept I still couldn't understand, throwing a test tube...

But I caught it.

"Okay, move aside. The old man is scaring me."

I stepped aside, and the Ruin Scholar approached the test tube and inserted the essence.

The deal was done.

'He didn't obtain it for himself. Then he must be planning to give it to a companion.'

I observed them quietly, thinking, and Lee Baekho spoke to me.

"Schuitz, right?"

"Yes."

"You're back to your usual self? Just be comfortable."

"This is comfortable."

"Whatever. I have a question for you."

He got straight to the point.

"Are you Bjorn Yandel?"

This guy really doesn't have a reverse gear.

Thump!

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my composure.

I just responded with a question, as if I had heard something strange.

"Why would you ask that?"

"A nameless, faceless guy suddenly appears, and the Blood Spirit Marquis calls him 'mister' and follows him around? That's a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

It was a reasonable question.

Even the Round Table members had suspected me for the same reason.

"So, what's your answer?"

He stared at me intently.

I knew what he was doing.

'He's using a lie detector.'

Lee Baekho had a lie detection skill.

'If I stay silent, he'll interpret it however he wants. He might even get aggressive.'

I quickly analyzed the situation.

There were two possible lie detection skills that Lee Baekho could have.

One could distinguish between truth and lies, and the other could only detect lies.

Some might think they were the same...

But they were different.

I had Auril Gabis' gift.

If it was the latter, and the skill didn't react to my answer... he would believe me.

'...I might even be able to figure out what essence he has.'

I didn't hesitate.

"I'm not Bjorn Yandel."

I met his gaze and answered, and he chuckled.

"Really? Too bad."

His tone and expression suggested he didn't doubt my answer at all.

Thanks to that, I could figure out one of the essences he had.

If it was the former, he wouldn't have been so easily convinced.

He would have been suspicious, wondering why his skill didn't react.

'I had a hunch from our previous conversation, but this confirms it.'

This gave me an advantage in our future interactions.

But I wasn't satisfied yet.

"Can I ask you a question too?"

"Sure, give and take."

"..."

"Yeah, you can ask."

I had earned a question.

I hesitated for a moment.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

There were countless questions I wanted to ask.

What was he planning to do with the Stone of Resurrection?

Why was he companions with the Ruin Scholar?

And...

[That woman is one of Lee Baekho's companions now.]

How did Misha become his companion?

Where was she now?

What had he done to her?

"..."

I swallowed all those questions.

If I asked, he would become even more interested in me.

It wasn't the right time.

I didn't even know how he would react if I revealed my true identity.

I didn't know what his plans were.

So...

"Lee Baekho."

I called his name.

And as he smiled, seemingly pleased that I had pronounced it correctly, I asked,

"Since we're talking about Bjorn Yandel..."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you spread the rumor that he's an evil spirit?"

Lee Baekho's smile faded.

"You already knew who I was, didn't you?"

"Of course. You're famous."

"Really? Well, I guess everyone knows by now."

He was briefly surprised, but he didn't seem suspicious.

"So... the Blood Spirit Marquis found out that I was the one who spread the rumor?"

"That's right. So, what's your answer?"

He thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on his waist.

And as he was about to answer...

"They're coming."

The Ruin Scholar, who had finished transferring the essence, spoke up.

Lee Baekho's expression changed.

"Really? Then we should get out of here."

"Do we have to?"

"Yeah, the old man will be pissed. And Meowmeow told me not to mess with her former companions."

"...Okay, let's use the Multiple Teleportation spell."

I felt relieved at their conversation.

But also angry.

'Meowmeow' must have been referring to Misha.

The realization that Misha had become Lee Baekho's companion hit me hard.

But...

"Wait."

I suppressed my emotions and spoke.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"Ah, right. You asked why I spread the rumor?"

Lee Baekho looked at the Ruin Scholar, and he sighed and nodded.

I felt a strange sense of familiarity from that sigh.

It felt like I had seen it somewhere before...

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A blue magic circle appeared, centered on the Ruin Scholar.

'What?'

It was so sudden that I couldn't process it.

'Are they ambushing us?'

That possibility flashed through my mind.

"Ah! Come on, old man!"

Lee Baekho shouted in his usual dramatic tone.

"We're in the middle of a conversation, and you activate the teleportation spell? Now I can't answer!"

"..."

"Schuitz, right? Sorry, I'll tell you next time. It's not because I don't want to answer, really. Okay? Okay—"

Flash!

Lee Baekho's voice vanished as a bright light engulfed the room.

I was speechless.

It was so absurd that I couldn't even be angry.

Clench.

Yeah, he was Korean too.

I had been played.

'Wait...'

I quickly came to my senses and smashed the test tube.

「Character's soul has absorbed the [Deep Sea Giant's Essence].」

...Thankfully, the essence was real.

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