Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Two days after the labyrinth closed.

‘I slept for a little over 30 hours…’

The last day had been tough, but I hadn’t exerted myself too much physically, so I felt relatively refreshed after a long sleep.

Snore—!

I went downstairs, still half-asleep, and saw Ainar sprawled on the sofa, just like I had left her.

‘She’s a heavy sleeper…’

I went to the kitchen, and a simple meal was already prepared.

Had Auyen prepared it for us, knowing we would be hungry when we woke up?

‘…He’s more suited to be a butler than a navigator.’

I went to the front door and checked the mailbox. A mountain of letters had arrived while I was asleep.

“What’s all this…?”

Most of them were invitations.

They were filled with flowery language and praise, ending with a request to meet.

It reminded me of the past.

I had received similar invitations when I first gained fame.

‘…There are quite a few clan applications too.’

I skimmed through the applications, and the applicants were surprisingly high-level. The most impressive one was an explorer who had reached the 9th floor in his prime.

He even had a title.

‘It’s a shame he’s a tank…’

I was planning to expand my clan, but for now, it was just a single team. And we didn’t need another tank.

Sven Parab and Kaislan would be the tanks for the 2nd team.

‘I should contact him when we’re ready for a 3rd team.’

Anyway, I was proud that such a high-level explorer had expressed his interest in joining my clan, even though I hadn’t even contacted him.

My first team, Team Misfits, had been a ragtag group of newbies.

‘…We didn’t have much back then, but it was fun.’

I chuckled and continued sorting through the mail.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single priest among the applicants.

‘So even with this much fame, I still have to recruit a priest through achievements?’

It was ironic.

I had spent so much time and effort to get here, and yet I had never had a priest on my team.

Well, I needed a healer. Potions weren’t as effective anymore—

“…Huh?”

I stopped as I saw a familiar crest on a golden wax seal.

‘House Alminus…?’

I quickly tore open the envelope and read the letter.

It was a long, formal letter, typical of a noble family.

The gist of it was this:

[I would like to resolve the misunderstanding between us. Please visit me whenever you have time.]

Count Alminus was extending an olive branch.

______________________

“A misunderstanding…”

Why the sudden change of heart?

The only possibility was the Stone of Honor.

He must have realized that it was more beneficial to befriend me now that my influence had grown.

He hadn’t cared about the money in the first place. It was all about his pride.

Well, there might be other reasons…

‘I’ll meet with him later…’

I went back to my room and slept until nightfall. And then, after receiving Amelia’s farewell, I climbed over the wall.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“It’s fine. It’s easier to move alone.”

“Hmm, if you say so.”

I wore an iron helmet and moved through the city, avoiding the crowds. I finally stopped in front of a tavern in a back alley of Commelby.

“This place looks like a construction site.”

The building was dilapidated, practically falling apart.

The tavern wasn’t even open for business, and the sign was rusted and barely hanging on.

Creak—

The interior was even worse than the exterior.

Construction debris and dust covered the floor.

Except for the path leading inwards.

‘Look at all those footprints.’

I followed the footprints and found a staircase leading to the basement.

There was a steel door at the bottom of the stairs, but no guards.

It wasn't that kind of place.

‘I wonder what’s behind this door?’

I had always been curious about it in the game, so I decided to test its durability.

Creak, creak, boom!

The door, along with its hinges, came off the wall.

But there was nothing behind it.

Just a wall.

‘That’s anticlimactic.’

I was disappointed, but then I noticed a small slot next to where the door had been.

I inserted the magic stone I had prepared and then swiped my ID card.

And then…

Flash!

I was teleported.

You could only enter the black market through teleportation.

That’s why there were hundreds of entrances scattered throughout the city.

‘I can’t believe I’m finally here.’

I was in a small stone room, about the size of a closet.

There was a door leading to a hallway, and the number 217 was written on it.

‘Damn, 217… It’s going to be a long walk to the main street.’

I was about to open the door when…

Crash!

The door swung open from the other side, and three masked figures entered.

Hmm, there was no welcoming committee in the game.

“What’s your business?”

“…Did you damage the door before entering?”

“Ah, that?”

I hadn’t expected them to notice, but I answered honestly.

“I was curious what was behind it.”

“…You’ll have to come with us.”

“What if I refuse?”

“I wasn’t asking for your opinion. Get him!”

Two of the figures approached me.

I regretted breaking the door.

‘I wanted to look around…’

Well, it couldn’t be helped. I would have to deal with them first.

Thud.

I pushed them away.

It was a casual gesture, like swatting away flies.

But they didn’t attack me. They just backed away, keeping their distance.

“…So you’re an explorer.”

“You’re being informal.”

“You’re just a nuisance. I’ll treat you accordingly.”

“Oh, really?”

I scratched my ear with my pinky finger, and he lowered his voice.

“Judging by your size, you’re either a barbarian or a beastman. And this is probably your first time here.”

“How did you know?”

“If you knew anything about this place, you wouldn’t have done something so foolish. Kid.”

His words were a little offensive.

Who did he think he was, talking to me like that?

I took off my helmet.

There was no need to hide my identity anymore.

“…A barbarian.”

He didn’t recognize me.

But it didn’t matter.

Whoosh!

He activated his Aura.

But it didn’t faze me.

This wasn’t the Pilgrim’s Cave.

As long as I could use my skills, Aura was meaningless.

Like this.

Whizz!

He thrust his sword forward.

I grabbed the blade with my bare hand.

“······!”

His reaction was predictable.

I could feel his surprise through the trembling blade.

I smirked and pulled.

And…

Crack!

I punched him in the face.

One down.

“…R-Reinforcements!”

The other two tried to run away, but I grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and slammed their heads against the wall.

‘They were surprisingly weak.’

I wiped the blood off my hands.

It was a mixture of their blood and mine.

I had a deep cut on my hand from blocking his sword. I hadn’t activated [Gigantification], so my Physical Resistance wasn’t as high as usual.

But it didn’t matter.

It would heal quickly.

“Now, let’s see…”

I bent down and removed the first thug’s mask. Or rather, I brushed away the shattered fragments.

But I couldn’t recognize his face. His nose was broken, and his face was covered in blood.

“…This place is more secure than I thought. I didn’t expect them to be this cautious.”

He spoke, his voice hoarse,

“B-Bjorn… Yandel…?”

He had finally recognized me.

“W-What are you… doing here…?”

“I have some business to take care of. And I have a few questions for you.”

“…….”

“Where’s the boss…?”

He had passed out.

I dropped him on the floor and stepped out into the hallway. The onlookers flinched and backed away.

They were customers, not staff.

‘They won’t know anything…’

“Hey! What’s going on here?!”

Another thug appeared from around the corner, running towards us.

And…

“W-What the…”

He froze as he saw the open door and the bodies inside.

I felt like a villain in a horror movie.

“…Aaaaah!”

He started backing away, and I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

“Where can I find the head of the black market?”

“…I-I can’t tell you…”

“You’ll die if you don’t.”

I threatened him, but he just closed his eyes, as if accepting his fate.

“K-Kill me… It’s better than… betraying them…”

“Oh, really?”

Crack!

I flicked his forehead, and he collapsed. It seemed like intimidation wouldn’t work.

But that was a minor problem.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The alarm bells started ringing.

“Intruder! Intruder alert!”

More thugs appeared, as if they were spawning endlessly.

I roared,

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

Something would come out of this.

______________________

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

「Character has used a Transformation ability.」

「[Primordial Cell] reduces Soul Power consumption of the skill by half, and increases the highest stat by 1.5 times.」

______________________

The black market was located somewhere underground.

No one knew its exact location, but it was a well-known fact.

It made sense.

If a building the size of three soccer fields was located above ground, it would have been discovered long ago—

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Damn it, that’s annoying.

When will they turn off that alarm?

And where’s the main street?

‘This place is huge.’

Well, there was an advantage to the building’s size.

Unlike the cramped stone room, the hallways were spacious, and I could use [Gigantification] without any problems.

Like this.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

I charged through the hallway, my giant body taking up the entire space. The people I encountered could be divided into two groups.

“R-Run…!”

The customers who were here to shop, terrified by my appearance.

“Stop him…!”

And the thugs who were trying to protect the black market.

I had sensed it when I saw the Aura user earlier, but the thugs were stronger than I expected.

'Their average level is around 4th floor...'

And some of them seemed strong enough to survive on the 6th floor.

Considering their infinite respawn rate, even I would be in danger if I fought them alone.

But I was surprisingly calm.

They couldn’t kill me.

Not because of my strength, but because of something else.

“…S-Stop! We have orders to capture you alive…!”

“What?! C-Capture him alive?!”

Right, the higher-ups had finally heard about my arrival.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

I increased my speed, and the thug in front of me shrieked.

“H-How are we supposed to capture that monster alive?!”

He trembled and swung his weapon, but I just charged at him. He desperately changed the trajectory of his attack and slammed his weapon into the wall.

Kwang!

It was an admirable display of loyalty… but also a foolish one.

He wouldn't even scratch me with that attack.

"Hey, Baron Yandel! Stop! The higher-ups want to talk to y—"

What? This is getting interesting.

I had an invincible dodge skill now.

I charged forward, ignoring their attacks.

Kwang! Thud! Clang!

Their weapons couldn't touch me.

It was a whole new world.

I just had to run, and their attacks would miss automatically. It felt like I was a martial arts master who had achieved enlightenment.

“Hahaha!”

I ran even faster, enjoying the feeling.

“Shield wall!”

The thugs started forming a shield wall, trying to stop me.

It was a desperate measure.

If I died, the black market would be shut down.

They might have a reputation for not fearing nobles, but they couldn't afford to offend a Baron.

“I repeat, do not attack!”

The higher-ups knew.

If they harmed a titled noble, they would be destroyed.

Their only option was to kill me discreetly… but I had already encountered countless customers on my way here.

I had plenty of witnesses.

“Hiding behind shields, you cowards!”

“……?!”

“Bring me your leader! I, Bjorn Yandel, will judge you in the name of the royal family!”

“W-We told you! The Chair wants to t-talk—”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I continued to charge through the shield wall.

Their numbers were increasing, and the shield wall was becoming more and more solid. Mages and ability users joined the fight, casting curse magic…

And I was starting to feel the pressure.

Thud.

I stopped and turned around.

The hallway behind me was also filled with thugs.

‘Hmm, if I just surrender like this, they’ll underestimate me…’

As I was contemplating my next move, a high-ranking thug appeared from behind the shield wall.

“…Baron! Please calm down and let’s talk—”

“I have nothing to say to you villains!”

“…But you have nowhere to go!”

Nowhere to go?

They didn’t know barbarians.

‘Okay, that’s it.’

I swung my hammer.

Not at the thugs hiding behind their shields…

But at the wall on my left.

Kwaaang!

If there was no path, I would create one.