Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Lee Baekho.

Twenty-three years old.

A recently discharged soldier with a buzz cut and youthful features, like a naive country boy.

That kid called me 'hyung'.

[Me? It's been... over ten years.]

At least 10 years.

No, it had been four years since he said that, so at least 14 years.

He had survived in this city for over 14 years, even though he was a player.

At first, I thought he was just a strange kid.

[You're one of them now.]

Hans A's words in the Vessel of Punishment made me realize...

The determination and tenacity behind his words.

[Hyungnim! Don't say such bullshit! I'm going back! So you have to count my real-life age!]

Lee Baekho wasn't strange.

He was just desperate.

That's why he was so easy to read.

[Unban me quickly. Or you'll really die here.]

His words were frivolous.

[Hey, you bastard. Who told you to set fire to my stuff without my permission?]

He acted recklessly, relying on his overwhelming strength.

[Wow, you're a real player?]

He might seem impulsive, driven by his desires...

But his ultimate goal was simple.

[I don't form attachments in this world.]

To escape this damn world and return to his original life.

There's no one easier to deal with than someone with a clear goal.

But I had been wary of revealing my identity to him.

But...

'There's no need for that anymore.'

He already knew I was an evil spirit, even though he didn't know I was Lee Hansu.

And most importantly...

"Wow, that's amazing..."

I had gained some confidence.

Even against a monster like him, I could protect myself.

"So... you really are Bjorn Yandel. If Lihen Schuitz is Bjorn Yandel, then you were the one I met in Atlante..."

Lee Baekho, after exclaiming in surprise several times, finally sighed in relief.

"...I'm so glad I found out now."

That part bothered me.

"Glad...?"

"Ah... it's better if I don't say anything."

"I'll be the judge of that."

His eyebrows twitched at my firm tone.

"But hyung..."

"..."

"Why are you being so aggressive towards me?"

He sounded confused, not angry.

And then he seemed to realize something.

"Ah... right, I was a bit of a jerk back then..."

He must be remembering our past encounters.

"Sorry, hyung. I didn't know it was you. You'll forgive me, right?"

He apologized before I could even respond, and then he sighed again.

"You should have just told me, hyung. Then none of this would have happened."

He's making me angry.

"So you're saying it's my fault?"

"No, I didn't say that. But it is my fault, in a way. You became known as an evil spirit because of me."

His calm tone made me even angrier, but I suppressed my emotions and focused on the conversation.

"Now that we know each other's identities, I'll ask again. Why did you do it?"

"I needed a symbol for my plan. Like I said, if I knew it was you, I would never have done that."

Well, I don't believe him.

I know him too well now.

"Even if I was really dead?"

Would he have really chosen not to use me?

______________________

"..."

Silence.

Does he hate lying?

I can't be sure.

Maybe he just avoids telling obvious lies.

He changed the subject.

"Aren't you curious how I figured it out? I thought you would ask me right away."

The answer was simple.

I had other priorities.

The past couldn't be changed, no matter how much we analyzed it.

Even if it meant going back in time—

"Ah, of course, you wouldn't have answered even if I asked."

What is he trying to do?

"But I wasn't completely sure. That's why I decided to test you."

I didn't need to hear how he did it.

He had acted normally, even though he suspected me. He waited for me to mention 'Misha' or 'Bjorn Yandel' first.

'He must have acted so flustered around Hyunbyul to make me lower my guard...'

"Ah, by the way, Hyunbyul noona is scary. How did you even date her? Wow, it's been a while since I lost a battle of nerves. I couldn't help but laugh."

Hmm, was he really flustered?

I couldn't tell, but it wasn't important right now.

"Anyway, enough about that."

He got straight to the point.

"Why did you take Misha?"

"For the labyrinth, of course."

So that was the reason.

I had expected it, but hearing him say it made me feel strangely relieved.

"You were raising her for the same reason, weren't you? An Ice Dual Swordsman is useful in the latter half of the 9th floor."

But there was still a question.

"You could have chosen someone else. Why Misha?"

"I liked her devotion. I thought she would never betray me if I promised to revive you with the Stone of Resurrection."

"Is that all?"

"Well, there were other reasons, but... they're not important. Honestly, it was a bit of a whim. I was curious to see if her feelings would remain unchanged even after knowing she was an evil spirit."

He didn't seem to be lying.

He didn't seem to care much about Misha.

Or rather, he saw her as a tool.

"Ah, right! I'll give her back to you if you want. I've been training her for years, and I feel a bit guilty towards Hyunbyul noona... but..."

He was only interested in me.

"We're friends, aren't we?"

He grinned at me.

"I can do that much for you. Right?"

His excessive friendliness made me uneasy.

He wasn't just being nice to me because I was Korean.

There was another reason.

He wouldn't give up Misha so easily if his goal was to return to Earth.

But...

'It's better to play along for now.'

I didn't probe any further.

My priority was to get Misha back safely.

"Okay, now that the Meowmeow issue is settled, let's talk about something else!"

"Something else?"

"I'm just curious about you, hyung. I wasn't as strong as you when I was your level. And you even absorbed the Deep Sea Giant essence recently. Based on the confirmed facts, I estimate you have at least four 3rd-grade essences..."

He started asking me questions, and I answered selectively.

Give and take.

I had to show him some sincerity since he had agreed to return Misha.

But...

"So where were you for the past two and a half years?"

That question made me hesitate.

Should I tell him about the past?

I made my decision.

'He already knows I'm Bjorn Yandel, so there's no point in hiding it. And I might even get some useful information from him.'

Auril Gabis was our common enemy.

It was important to share information and discuss how to deal with him.

So...

"The Fragment of Records... I've heard of it, but I didn't know it actually existed."

I told him about being dragged back in time on Parune Island.

And...

"...You met Auril Gabis?"

I focused on my experience in the community 20 years ago. He wouldn't be interested in the part about saving Amelia's sister.

"Wow... so he was the one who created this community."

"I know. Ruinjenes told me... Wait, he said Auril Gabis brought a strange guy with him before the community crashed... Could it have been you, hyung?"

"Probably."

"Wow... you're like the main character. Tell me more. What happened next?"

"He was very interested in the fact that I was a player from the future."

I explained my conversation with Auril Gabis, omitting the part about clearing the original mode.

Surprisingly, Lee Baekho already knew most of it.

He was companions with the Ruin Scholar, after all.

And I had told him about the past hoping to get information about him.

"I know the Earth Witch is alive. But I don't know where she is."

"The old man said she's at the place where everyone's desires converge. Any ideas?"

"Huh? That's his answer? That's easy. Where else could she be, besides the end of the labyrinth?"

"But there was no final boss in the game."

"That's because it was a tutorial. You should know by now, hyung. This place is different from the game. Maybe the Earth Witch is the final boss. Hmm, then how do we prepare for that?"

Our conversation was quite fruitful.

I had actually gained more information than I had given.

"Kagureas... you're talking about the barbarian who collected three Genesis Artifacts, right?"

Three? There were only two when I was there...

Wait, more importantly...

"He was a barbarian...?"

"You didn't know? You have a connection with him. You were called 'Little Balkan', remember?"

...What?

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes. Kagureas is Balkan. Or at least that's the most likely scenario. April 2nd, 136th year of the New Era. Balkan died at the age of 55, and then the Genesis Artifacts, which had disappeared after his death, were returned to their respective races."

It was a shocking revelation.

The legendary explorer who had inspired my alias was an evil spirit?

"Do you know anything about the portal in the royal palace basement?"

"I've been investigating it, but I haven't found much. Just that it's an exit, not an entrance."

"An exit?"

"You can't enter through it, but you can exit through it. If you enter a portal somewhere else, you'll end up in the royal palace basement."

Hmm, I see...

That sounds suspicious.

Anyway, we continued our conversation, and then we talked about the question I had asked Auril Gabis.

[Auril Gabis, do you feel any remorse for the countless 'evil spirits' who were dragged here and died because of your greed?]

Lee Baekho burst into laughter.

"Pfft! Hahaha! You really asked him that?"

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's just... so like you, hyung... You're still so naive..."

What? Naive?

I was speechless, but he seemed to be serious.

"So? What did he say?"

I repeated his answer verbatim.

[Of course I feel remorse. I feel responsible. I'll probably carry this burden for the rest of my life and atone for my sins.]

He had said that while looking me straight in the eye.

[Is that a satisfactory answer?]

And the jewel had emitted a red light.

"Hmm..."

I had expected him to curse the old man with me, but he had a strange expression on his face.

"This is ambiguous."

"Ambiguous?"

"He talked too much. And he was being overly dramatic."

"Huh?"

"It's a classic tactic to hide a lie within the truth. And besides, you could only answer with yes or no, right?"

He was suspicious of Auril Gabis's intentions.

And come to think of it, he wasn't wrong.

"Hmm, but why would he do that? Was it just a coincidence? What do you think, hyung?"

"I don't know... We can't read his mind."

"That's... true."

The discussion about Auril Gabis's answer ended there.

Lee Baekho seemed to have something else on his mind.

"Hyung..."

"What is it? You're making me nervous."

"Ah, this might be a bit personal..."

"Just ask."

"Okay?"

He asked cautiously,

"What's your goal, hyung?"

It wasn't an unexpected question.

But I was surprised by his next words.

"My goal?"

"Do you want to return to Earth?"

So that's what he was curious about.

"You said you weren't sure when we met in Gnome Tree."

That's right.

He had then asked if it was because of the Red Cat beastwoman, and when I didn't answer, he had advised me not to expect too much from NPCs.

'...He didn't care much about Bjorn Yandel back then.'

"Are you still unsure?"

"Well..."

"You should think about it seriously. It's been a while since survival was your only goal."

His intentions were clear, but I pretended to contemplate. It was a question I had been asking myself lately.

"My goal..."

I had only been pretending, but my mind started racing.

What was my goal?

"If it's difficult, think about it this way. There's a button. And if you press it, you can return to Earth."

His advice was surprisingly helpful.

Even though I didn't know what my future self would choose...

"So, what will you do?"

...I could understand my current state.

"..."

If there really was such a button, I would have hesitated for a long time.

And I would have thought about it endlessly.

What was waiting for me back home?

I could think of countless things.

"..."

Hamburgers, cola, games.

Entertaining media and the convenience of modern technology.

A life where I didn't have to kill, where I didn't have to bleed or suffer.

A peaceful life, where I didn't have to worry about survival.

Yes, that's the life I wanted.

But...

"..."

Even though this world was a living hell...

'I probably wouldn't press it.'

That wasn't the life I wanted anymore.

"Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes."

I had reached a conclusion.

My goal was to survive.

To survive in this dangerous world, with the people I had met here.

That was my true desire.

Therefore...

"Can you tell me? What are you going to do?"

I met his gaze and answered.

"I'll press the button."

I decided to play along for now.

I knew what he wanted to hear.

"..."

He stared at me in silence.

An awkward silence followed.

A heavy silence.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue.

"That's rude. It's not like you're looking down on me because I can't use skills here."

He was looking at me with a cold gaze I had never seen before.

"You're lying."

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