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Surviving as a Barbarian in the Game - Episode 436

436Let's meet up (2)

Baekho Lee.

age twenty-three.

A newly discharged soldier with fresh, raven hair and the facial features of a young country boy..

That guy called me brother..

[Me? just… Ten years have passed.]

at least 10 years.

No, it's been 4 years since I said that, so even if I'm a player who has survived in this city for at least 14 years..

At first I thought he was a weirdo.

but…….

[You are already from here.]

I was finally able to understand through the words of Hans A, whom I met in the Punishment Box..

The venom and tenacity in those words he said before..

[older brother! Don't be such a bastard! I'm going back. So, let’s take it as actual age.!]

Baekho Lee is not a weird guy..

I'm just more desperate than anyone else.

That's why it's easier to read what's inside.

[Quickly untie the van. Otherwise, you'll really be lost here..]

The tone of speech is frivolous.

[Hey, mold. Who wants to start a fire without my permission?.]

Believing in omnipotent power and acting like a fool.

[Wow, that was a real player.?]

Although it may seem that you only act according to your own desires,.

In the end, there's only one thing he wants.

[Because I don't build affection in this world.]

To escape from this damn world and return to the original world..

There is no person as easy to deal with as someone with clear goals. However, I have been wary of revealing my identity to Lee Baek-ho..

but…….

‘There's no need for that anymore.’

Anyway, this guy doesn't know that Bjorn Yandel is Lee Han-su, but he knows that he is an evil spirit..

And above all.

“Wow, awesome…….”

Now that time has passed, it has become somewhat.

Even if this monster is my opponent, I am confident that I can protect myself in the worst situation..

“okay… His older brother was really Bjorn Yandel. Lihen Schuitz is Bjorn Jandel, so the person I met last time in Atlante was his older brother.?”

After revealing my identity, Lee Baek-ho, who had let out several strange exclamations, exhaled as if relieved..

“…I'm really glad. Take care of it now.”

It was a little annoying.

“Thank goodness……?”

“ah… I think it's better not to say that.”

“I think that's a question I'll have to listen to and decide..”

When I spoke clearly, Baekho Lee's eyebrows furrowed slightly..

“But, bro.”

“…….”

“Why are you talking to me so aggressively??”

A voice that sounds like it doesn't understand at all rather than being angry. But, without me having to say anything, he convinced himself..

“ah… Come to think of it, I was kind of like that.…….”

I guess it reminds me of what happened with Bjorn Yandel..

“I'm sorry, bro. He'll understand because it was a time when he didn't know he was my brother.?”

Before he could decide whether to accept the apology or not, Baekho Lee sighed again..

“My brother too... I'll just tell you then. If that were the case, things wouldn't have gotten this messed up..”

Hehehe…….

It makes people mad, this.

“So you're saying it's my responsibility??”

“no. Didn't you say that? In the end, it was my fault. As my brother said, it was because of me that Bjorn Yandel became known as an evil spirit..”

The calm voice made me feel heated again, but I suppressed my emotions and focused on the conversation..

“Now that we know each other's names, I ask again, why is that like that??”

“I need a symbolic presence for my plan. Again, if I had known it was my brother, I would never have used that method..”

Well, that's what they say, but there's no trust in it..

I know a little bit about this guy now..

“Even if I really died?”

Did this guy actually decide not to use me??

***

“…….”

The answer to my question was silence.

Are you the type of person who hates lying??

I think so, but it's too early to be sure..

Maybe it's just that I don't tell lies that are too obvious to get caught..

Lee Baek-ho naturally changed the topic..

“But aren't you curious how I found out that my brother was Bjorn Yandel? I honestly thought you were going to ask that right away..”

The answer is simple.

I thought there was something else that was important right now..

No matter how much you look for the reason, the result will not change once it has passed..

Even if it means going back to the past—

“Oh, of course, even if I had asked, I wouldn't have answered..”

What are you doing, you bastard??

“But let me tell you one thing, it wasn't that certain. So I decided to take this opportunity to think a little bit..”

The way I thought about it, there was no need to listen..

Even though he suspected me of being Bjorn Yandel, I just acted like normal. Until I mention ‘Misha’ or ‘Bjorn Yandel’ first..

‘Maybe that's why he looked so embarrassed towards Hyeonbyeol. So that I can relax my guard a little more—’

“Ah, but Hyeonbyeol was really scary. How did you fall in love with someone like that? Wow, how long has it been since I lost a fight? I just laughed out loud? It's absurd.”

Well, was that real??

I don't know, but it wasn't a topic to think deeply about right now..

“Anyway, that's it.”

I ended the topic at this point and asked directly:.

“Why did you take Misha away??”

“Of course, it's because of the labyrinth attack..”

Yes, that was the reason..

I had guessed it in my mind, but hearing it in person gave me an inexplicable sense of relief..

“Isn’t that why you were raising her too? It's convenient to have a freeze dual-wielding sword in the latter part of the 9th floor..”

Of course, there were questions about that answer as well..

“There would have been many other candidates at your level, but why did it have to be Misha??”

“I like Sunaebo. She thought that if she promised to save her brother's life with the Stone of Reviving, she would never betray him..”

“That's all?”

“Well, there are other things too… It's all trivial. To be honest, that decision wasn't without my whims. I was a little surprised. Even though you know it's an evil spirit, your mind can't change.”

It didn't seem like a lie.

In fact, he didn't seem to have much interest in Missha..

No, more accurately, I was thinking of it like an object.?

“Oh right! If you want it back, I'll give it to you. I've worked hard to raise her over the years, and I feel like I'm sinning against Hyunbyeol.…….”

The only thing this guy is interested in right now is me..

“It's between you and me.?”

Soon he looks at me with a grin on his face..

“I can tolerate that much. I know?”

A burdensome favor.

Through this, I was able to clearly recognize.

The reason this guy treats me well is not simply because I am ‘Korean’..

There is more reason.

Otherwise, there is no way this guy whose goal is ‘return’ would give up Misha so easily..

but…….

‘It's better to pretend not to know for now.’

I didn't even try to look.

First of all, we decided that getting Missha back safely was an urgent priority.…….

“Well then, since the meow problem is solved, let’s talk about something else.!”

“another story?”

“I'm just curious about your story. When I was younger, I wasn't as strong as my brother. I even ate deep sea giant essence not long ago. After making an estimate using only roughly confirmed facts, it seems that there will be at least 4 grade 3 integers.…….”

Lee Baek-ho started asking various questions about me, and I faithfully answered the parts that needed to be answered, filtering out the ones that needed to be answered..

Because the world is give and take.

Since I coolly said I would let Missha go, I decided it would be better to show this level of sincerity..

however…….

“So what is it like in practice? Where have you been for two and a half years??”

I thought a lot about this question.

20Wouldn't it be a good idea to tell him about what happened a year ago?.

It didn't take long to make a decision.

‘He knows that I am Bjorn Yandel anyway, so there is no need to hide it. Maybe I'll hear some helpful information from him too..’

Auril Garvis is the players' public enemy..

So it is important to share information and discuss ways to confront it..

thus…….

“Fragments of records... … ? I heard it, but it really existed..”

What happened when I was sucked into the past on Farune Island?.

and…….

“…I met Auril Gavis.?”

20The story focuses on my entry into the community a year ago. Anyway, he probably doesn't care about how he saved Amelia..

“Uh, now I see that this community itself was created by him..”

“Oh, I know that. I also heard it from that old Ruingenes... uh? wait for a sec… At that time, the old man said that before the community exploded, Auril Gavis brought a strange guy... … . Could it be that it was my brother??”

“Probably so.”

“and… This makes you seem like the main character. Try more. So? What happened??”

“Auril Gavis was very interested in the fact that I was a player from the future..”

I explained the conversation I had with Auril Garvis, excluding that I beat the original mod..

Surprisingly, Baekho Lee already knew most of the information..

That's because one of his current colleagues is an Annihilator..

The reason I talked about the past in the first place was because I wanted to get information about it..

“I know that the Earth Witch is alive. Well, I don't know where it is..”

“The old man said that everyone's wishes are where they are headed. Is there anything you want to point out??”

“Eh? Did you really answer that way? Is it easy? There's more than the end of the labyrinth?”

“But there was no such thing as a final boss in the game..”

“That was a tutorial. If you've lived this long, you'd know, right? This place is completely different from the game. Maybe the Earth Witch will appear as the final boss. Hmm, then how on earth should I prepare??”

Even though he was not just an earth witch, the conversation with Lee Baek-ho was beneficial in its own way..

Rather, I was the one who unlocked the information, but should I say that I obtained more information??

“Kagureas refers to the barbarian who collected the three Noble Phantasms of Creation.?”

Uh, there were two when I was there.…….

No, it was more than that in the first place..

“That man was a barbarian……?”

“I did not know? I have a deep relationship with my brother. It's called Little Vulcan... My brother was called by that nickname.?”

…what?

“no way…….”

“yes. Cagureas is Balkan. To be precise, that is assumed based on the circumstances. April 2, 136, Gaebyeok. Immediately after Balkan died at the age of 55, all the creation treasures that had disappeared were returned to the lost tribes..”

It was an amazing story.

Who would have thought that the legendary senior who was the original owner of my tinnitus was an evil spirit?.

“I also know about the portal in the basement of the palace.?”

“We've been investigating it for a while, but we haven't found out much. The portal there is an exit, not an entrance.?”

“The exit??”

“It's not that you can go somewhere through a portal, it's the opposite. If you take a portal somewhere, you can go to the place where the portal under the royal family is..”

Um, I see.…….

It's a very suspicious story at first glance..

Anyway, after that, for the first time in a long time, we had a conversation where we were on the same side, and we ended up talking about it as well..

[Auril Gavis, do you feel any remorse for the countless ‘evil spirits’ who were brought here and died because of your greed??]

The question that happened to end the game of truth.

As soon as Lee Baek-ho heard this, he burst into laughter..

“Fuha! Foot, ahahahaha! really? I asked that question to the old man.?”

“Why are you smiling??”

“Just. I guess it was a question worthy of a brother... … . But my brother is still somewhat naive.…….”

what? I'm naive?

I was shocked when I heard it, but Lee Baek-ho seemed to really think that way..

“So? What did the old man say??

I gave exactly the answer I heard at the time without a single mistake..

[How could I feel at peace? Of course I feel sorry for you. I also feel responsible. I will probably live with this feeling for the rest of my life and atone for it..]

Look me straight in the eyes and say that.

[How about this, would this be the answer??]

Even the red light on the jewel came on..

“Hmm…….”

Lee Baek-ho, who I thought would swear at him and say that he was an old psychopath, had a strange expression on his face..

“This is a bit ambiguous.”

“It's ambiguous?”

“I spoke for a long time, and I exaggerated it on purpose..”

“huh?”

“This is a pattern typically used when hiding lies within the truth. It was a situation where you could only answer yes or no.?”

Lee Baek-ho was suspicious of Auril Gavis’ intentions..

But the problem is that when I think about it, that doesn't make sense at all..

“Um, but why did the old man do that? Is it just a coincidence? What do you think bro??”

“well… How can we know what's inside that old man?.”

“that… Yes.”

The discussion on Auril Gavis's response ended neatly there..

Baekho Lee seemed to have more questions than that..

“Hey bro…….”

“say. Suddenly, I feel more anxious for no reason..”

“Ah, but I think it might be a bit rude..”

“Okay, I told you to do it..”

“Then I will do it?”

“uh.”

When permission was given once more, Lee Baek-ho asked carefully..

“What is your goal??”

It wasn't a random question.

But I asked back as if I had heard something unexpected..

“What a goal?”

“Do you want to go back to Earth or not?.”

Yeah, I was curious about that too..

“When we met at Gnome Tree back then, he clearly said he wasn't sure..”

Yeah, I did..

For reference, when I answered that question, this guy asked if it was because of the Red Cat tribe. When I responded with silence, he said he felt like he was seeing his old self and even gave me some advice, not advice, not to expect much from the NPC..

‘…The reason I moved on so coolly at that time was probably because I didn't place much value on 'Bjorn Jandel'..’

“I still don't know?”

“well…….”

“Well then, think about it seriously now. It's long past the time when simply surviving was the goal..”

Baekho Lee's intentions were obvious, but he pretended to be seriously considering it. But I guess it's because I've been thinking about it often lately.?

“It's a goal…….”

I was just trying to pretend, but all kinds of thoughts are really running through my mind..

what is my goal.

“If it's difficult, think about it this way. There's a button here. And if you just press that button, you can immediately return to the world you came from..”

Baekho Lee’s advice was more helpful than I thought..

In fact, I may not know what decisions I will make in the future..

“So what are you going to do then??”

At least I knew the immediate situation..

“…….”

If there really was such a button, I would hesitate in front of it for a long time..

Also, you probably thought about it non-stop in your head..

When you return home, what is there?.

Just thinking about it right away was full of joy..

“…….”

Hamburgers, Cola, Games.

Fun media and the convenience of numerous modern devices.

You don't have to kill anything, you don't have to bleed every day, and you don't have to be sick and tired..

Although you may worry about living, you do not worry about survival..

Yes, there is a smooth life out there that I wish for..

but.

“…….”

Obviously, the world in this game is a shitty place, and that thought still hasn't changed..

‘maybe… The result won't change.’

In the end I wouldn't have been able to press the button.

No, I wouldn't have pressed it..

Because that's not the life I want right now.

“I think my worries are over to some extent.?”

“okay.”

The conclusion has been reached.

my goal is to survive.

In this place full of all kinds of threats, like walking on thin ice.

Me and the many people I met here.

That's my honest desire.

so that…….

“Can you tell me? What are you going to do?.”

I answered while looking him in the eye..

“I'm going to press that button.”

I decided that it was necessary to accommodate him for now without revealing his true intentions..

Because it was obvious.

What kind of answer was this guy waiting for?.

“…….”

After hearing my answer, Baekho Lee stared at me without saying anything..

There was silence for a moment like that..

A silence that feels heavy somewhere.

“Tsk.”

What signaled the end in that short period of time was the sound of Lee Baek-ho clicking his tongue..

“Well, it makes people feel bad. Here, just because you can't use skills doesn't mean you're treated like an asshole..”

The guy who always smiled frivolously and spoke jokingly was looking at me..

“You lie while looking me in the eyes.”

With cold eyes that I've never seen before.