Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Master Key (5)

Master Key (5)

Nickname ‘Elfnunalove’.

A player more commonly known by the name ‘Ghost Master’ in official settings, whose true identity is shrouded in rumors.

He slowly opened his eyes and checked the time.

“…….”

It was just past midnight.

The location was his personal lab, located in the upper levels of the Magic Tower.

As always, he spent a few moments organizing his thoughts while sitting in his chair.

He had just permanently banned a player from the community as soon as it opened.

The target was ‘Sergeant Lee’.

A Korean player with the unique nickname ‘Sergeant Lee’.

‘He must be fuming right now, wanting to find me and kill me.’

He didn’t want to make an enemy of ‘Sergeant Lee’ either.

‘Sergeant Lee’ was the one who was closest to the ‘key’, and he was also the player with the strongest combat power.

…Among those from Earth, that is.

‘…He’s the one who didn’t listen even when I tried to reason with him.’

Although he was a bit worried that he might have poked a sleeping tiger…

…it was something he had to do.

It was his last attempt to persuade him before permanently banning him.

And it was Sergeant Lee who refused.

Of course, he understood his situation, so he had left him alone until now, but he couldn’t be considerate forever.

He would have to make a choice now.

‘…I feel a bit sorry for that person, though.’

His thoughts naturally shifted to another man.

The Korean player with the nickname ‘Elfnunna’.

‘That person also seemed to be a fan of hers.’

Having met many Korean players, he knew…

…how few of them there were.

It wasn’t for nothing that ‘Sergeant Lee’, who was desperately searching for a fellow countryman, begged for a few minutes to talk at the end.

‘It’s funny when you think about it. If he misses his hometown that much, he should be thinking about cooperating with everyone to clear the game and return.’

The man chuckled and got up from his seat.

His crystal ball was vibrating, indicating an incoming call.

“A call at this hour, it seems like something happened on your end, SoulQueens.”

[Yes. I was just about to leave work, and I found a strange login record.]

“Strange login record?”

The man adjusted his posture.

It wouldn’t be a trivial phenomenon, considering that it was her, who understood this space as much as he did.

[There’s a login record, but it doesn’t show who it is. And most importantly… the login time is around 3:00 AM.]

“So you’re saying someone entered the community in the middle of the session.”

[Yes. That’s why I found it strange…]

“Can you give me some time to think?”

The man cast a spell on himself while staying on the call. It was his own combination spell, ‘Meditation’, which he created by adding a few spells to ‘Thought Acceleration’.

One person came to mind.

“Watchers of the Round Table.”

[Ah! That suspicious person you banned a year ago!]

Nickname ‘0720’.

He learned about his existence a year ago.

All the guides who helped newbies enter the community said they didn’t remember helping him, and he was suspicious after entering his inner world and seeing him dressed in the clothes of this place.

People usually wear modern clothes.

He judged him to be a spy from the royal family who had somehow obtained a pill and secretly infiltrated the community. Or a player from somewhere other than Earth.

‘…And most importantly, he was an old man.’

Players are generally young.

It’s only natural.

They’re people who enjoyed this hardcore game.

It’s hard to imagine an elderly man over 70 clearing this game.

“Maybe Watchers of the Round Table is a group they created to avoid our eyes.”

[But didn’t you judge the remaining members to be normal?]

“Yes, I did back then. But just in case, SoulQueens, would you mind entering and checking for me?”

[…But it’s a private chat room.]

“Don’t worry about the invitation code. It might take a few months, but it’s not impossible.”

[Okay, if that’s the case…]

SoulQueens agreed, and the man was about to end the call.

He couldn’t give her any further instructions until he entered next month and checked again.

There was nothing he could do right now.

But…

“SoulQueens, do you remember a player named ‘Elfnunna’?”

He couldn’t help but ask, as the nickname suddenly came to mind.

[Ah, that person? He joined a few months ago, and I remember him clearly because he was unique. Not just his nickname, but other things about him were also impressive.]

“Impressive?”

[I couldn’t see his inner world at all. It was my first time encountering someone with such a thick mental barrier in all my time doing this.]

“…I see.”

The man felt a sense of dissonance.

Having an unusually thick mental barrier could be attributed to individual differences.

SoulQueens’ time as a guide was short.

But he felt like he was missing something.

He didn’t dismiss it as just a feeling since his ‘Intuition’ stat also increases in ‘Meditation’ state.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He asked for her understanding and checked the records in his head.

To be precise, it was the list of people who sent letters to Elfnunna around the time he joined, as SoulQueens had mentioned.

‘They’re all newbies.’

He expanded the search to 3-month intervals in case he obtained the pill later, but the result was the same.

There wasn’t a single player who reached the 5th floor or higher.

But could his mental barrier be that high?

“…Bjorn Yandel?”

A name caught his eye as he expanded the search range.

A barbarian who chose a shield, which was rare.

He had sent him a letter, wondering if he might be ‘that person’, but he had dismissed his suspicion because he didn’t enter.

“SoulQueens.”

The man gave a new order.

“Investigate the player named Elfnunna. What posts he made, how much GP he has, what information he bought. Even if you have to restore deleted data.”

He needed to check.

___________________

The morning after the community opened.

Amelia woke me up.

“…What’s going on? This early in the morning.”

“Morning? It’s already past noon.”

Geez, can’t a barbarian sleep in?

I gulp down a glass of water and ask,

“So what’s up?”

Amelia usually appears in the evening.

We also agreed to meet around that time when we parted ways yesterday.

Then why did she come looking for me in broad daylight?

Amelia’s answer was simple.

“I thought I should at least tell you.”

“You’re leaving.”

“Yes, so you can stop the search.”

Judging by her tone, it doesn’t seem like she’s leaving because she found ‘Auril Gabis’…

I naturally try to get more information.

“It seems like something came up.”

Amelia didn’t answer.

But that was enough for me.

She’s a woman who’s been busy doing something in the city every day.

[Noark sent a few people to the surface right before the lockdown. Their goal is to kill one explorer! Surprising, right?]

Maybe the assassination mission that Clown mentioned is starting today.

I had no intention of getting involved.

It’s not something I can stop.

No, actually…

“Are you going to come back and look for him later? I can let them know if you need anything.”

I make a good-natured offer.

She’s the type who’s sensitive to favors and debts.

I judged that it would be helpful to have her owe me one.

“There’s no need. It doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to find him this way anyway.”

“I see.”

I don’t offer again when Amelia refuses.

And so, the conversation ends cleanly.

“Then see you later.”

I say goodbye briefly, and Amelia silently stares at me.

“See you later? What do you mean?”

Ah, so she was curious about that.

Well, I was the one who acted like I didn’t want to be involved with her. It must have sounded meaningful to her.

I answer honestly,

“I have a feeling we’ll meet again.”

This is already our fourth encounter.

I don’t know how long it will take for me to return home, but we’ll definitely meet again at least once.

“…You’re a strange person.”

Amelia then disappears before my eyes like smoke, as usual.

Alright, then it’s time for me to start my day.

Ding-!!

First, I press the call bell I installed next to my bed.

“You called, Boss?”

Jingjing appears in less than a minute, as expected of my right-hand man.

I first give him the order to stop the search and then have a simple lunch before going out together.

It’s our daily after-meal walk.

There’s nothing else to do in Bifron.

“Let’s go to the distribution center.”

“Distribution center… sir?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, sir. I’ll guide you to the nearest one.”

Today’s destination is one of the twelve distribution centers in Bifron.

When we arrive, I see a long line.

It’s the line for receiving the food supplies that the city provides every morning.

It’s a sight that was rare just a few days ago.

Originally, each faction would occupy the distribution centers and monopolize them.

“As you ordered, I made sure that at least minors can take whatever they want without any conditions.”

“Good, keep it that way.”

I look at the line of children with a satisfied smile and then turn around. And I start exploring the city, walking wherever my feet take me.

That’s when I see a familiar child.

It’s the kid who guided me to that inn on my first day in Bifron, offering to show me the way.

“Come here.”

“Yes, sir!”

The child, who was subtly backing away as soon as our eyes met, approaches me and stands at attention.

“Where are you going?”

“I, I was just coming back from the distribution center…”

“You’ve gained some weight since then.”

“Yes, sir…”

Is it because I’ve become the de facto ruler of Bifron?

The child trembles, even though I haven’t harmed him since that day.

Geez, I just called him because I was happy to see him.

Is this the loneliness of an absolute ruler?

“How have you been?”

“I, I read books in my spare time. At the library that Ya, Yandel built…”

It’s not a library I built, but rather one that I revived.

There are still many empty bookshelves since so many books were used as kindling, but I ordered them to gather all the books and fill them up, so it will get better over time.

“I, I swear I won’t do anything like that again! If I need money, I’ll register at the labor camp and earn it honestly!”

The child starts making excuses, as if he’s anxious because I’m just staring at him.

“Come to think of it, you said your dream was to be a scholar.”

“Ye, yes, sir!”

I chuckle and give him a piece of advice.

“Keep living like that. If you try to cheat others and get your head messed up, you’ll eventually disappear someday.”

“…Yes?”

“You can’t be a scholar without a head.”

“Yes? Ah, ye, yes…”

Although he doesn’t seem to understand at all, I don’t bother explaining further.

I don’t want to be a nagging barbarian.

“Go.”

I then continue my walk with Jingjing.

Distribution centers, libraries, residential facilities, labor camps, and so on.

I’ve been fixing the irrational aspects of the city since there’s nothing else to do besides looking for Auril Gabis, and the city has definitely become more lively compared to when I first arrived.

The biggest factor is that the tyranny of each faction has disappeared.

‘Well, it will probably go back to the way it was once I’m gone.’

In that sense, I head to the sewers with Jingjing.

“Um, why are we here…?”

Jingjing looks at me, trembling and speaking in a strange voice.

Geez, anyone would think I’m going to kill him and bury him here.

“I’m going to the city for a bit, do you need anything?”

“…Yes?”

Jingjing, who rarely repeats himself, asks back with a dazed expression.

“To, to, to the ci, ci, city…?”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you? There’s a passage connected to the city.”

“Th, th, th, th, th, th, th… there’s no wa, way?”

“Why are you stuttering? Did something happen to your head?”

“No, sir.”

Jingjing hangs his head low, his face filled with despair, as he had only been thinking about being freed in a few days.

But did he belatedly realize that it might be a bluff?

“Anyway, you said you don’t need anything—”

“No! I do!”

“Really? Tell me.”

Jingjing makes one request as I’m about to leave for the city.

It’s skewers from a certain shop in the 9th district.

“It will be cold by the time I bring it back.”

“That’s okay!”

I chuckle and nod.

I know what he’s thinking.

He’s trying to confirm whether I really have a way to go to the city.

“Then you can go back now.”

“Yes, sir.”

I then enter the sewers after sending Jingjing away. And I head towards the secret passage that Amelia told me about.

That’s when…

Buzz.

The message stone I always carry with me, not in my subspace pocket just in case, vibrates.

It’s the one I received from the Dragonkin man.

We agreed that he would contact me when they decided whether to give me the ‘Dragon’s Blessing’ I requested in exchange for Dragonslayer.

‘He said it would take a month or two, and it took exactly two months.’

I wonder what their decision is.

I press the button on the bottom, and a voice comes through.

[Tear the paper I gave you.]

“I’m more curious about what happened.”

[The elders decided to meet you in person and then decide.]

“I see.”

I tear the paper I had shoved in my subspace pocket as instructed.

‘Meet me in person and then decide…’

It’s not the ‘YES’ I was hoping for, but I’m not too worried.

To make it happen even if they say no…

…that’s the spirit of a K-barbarian.

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