Chapter 43 – The Magician and the Barbarian (Part 3)

 

"Oh! Bjorn, son of Yandel!

As soon as I left the magic tower, I immediately headed to the barbarian dormitory. But since 2 months have passed, half of the faces I know have disappeared, and their places have been taken by new barbarians. I heard that it was part of an unspoken tradition to leave this place as soon as you earned money to make room for new barbarians.

Among those who are no longer here, there are certainly many who died during this expedition.

Since they were born barbarians, then this was their fate.

Unlike the elves, who were helped from above by more experienced relatives, barbarians, once in the city, had to survive alone.

"Is Einar there?"

"Ainar went to the Holy Land first thing in the morning!"

Yes, I thought so. I came to visit her, as I had not seen her for 2 days after leaving the labyrinth, but it turned out that it was in vain.

"Oh, did you hear the news?"

"What's the news?"

"A liberated barbarian!" The whole city is boiling with news about this man. Didn't you know?

I instinctively shuddered.

"I, I had no idea. Do you happen to know his name?

"Hm?" I do not know! Strangely, this is the only thing that has not been revealed!

Fortunately, it seemed that the Guild had made me anonymous.

"Anyway, I'm just proud to have such a person among our people!" He single-handedly beat up hundreds of people and proudly dropped the false accusation made by the Guild. Isn't that amazing?

— ... Did he beat up hundreds of people?

I swear to God, nothing like this happened. All I did was hold on to the daughter of the head of the district and whine. But have the rumors already spread so much? I had already begun to worry about the future.

I am sure that everything will calm down soon. Guild employees are not idiots.

"I'll be back tomorrow night." Will you tell me Ainar if you see her?" I asked.

"I'll pass it on!"

Shortly afterwards I turned and went to my inn. But what was it? As soon as he saw me, the innkeeper looked like he had seen a ghost.

"T-you...!" Are you not dead?

In any case, it wasn't exactly the wrong comparison. Thanks to this, I didn't have to ask many questions, and I got the confession that he got rid of my belongings, thinking that I was dead.

"What happened to my belongings in the room?"

"I threw them away...

– I clearly paid 3 days in advance.

Unbeknownst to me, my voice was filled with irritation, and the innkeeper's face turned white.

I can beat him?...

Stop. Since when did I begin to think so?

I shuddered from the feeling that I was not in my place.

Perhaps it was even from day one.

In fact, if you look back, things were a little strange. As soon as I opened my eyes, despite the fact that the man had been beheaded, my mind was calm. It was the same with my first murder in the labyrinth. I knew this was what I was supposed to do, but the committing process was too easy. It wasn't even a gradual change. From the day I woke up in this body, I had been as aggressive as barbarians and simply outrageous.

So it was today.

Jailbreak? Of course, this was a conclusion drawn after much deliberation, but strangely enough, I did not feel any hesitation. The argument with the old man in the magic tower was in the same vein. Did I get angry because I heard something that didn't make me happy? 29-year-old office worker Lee Hansoo would never have done anything like this. He was not timid, but he was not brave either. He was very suspicious of everything, so he was the kind of person who watches things for a long time and then puts everything into practice.

And what about now?

Until now, I had thought that it was only the changes that had come about because I was in a special environment, but the feeling of inadequacy was getting bigger and bigger.

I'm sure.

Soon I was convinced. Just as in every battle the instinct imprinted in this ignorant body manifested itself, so there was a change in my consciousness. No, it was closer to harmony than to change.

"That's why I said 'I'm sorry'!" Stop looking at me!

When I finished thinking, I sighed. I have changed. It's strange that I only noticed it now, but at least it was accurate. But what to do?

If I want to survive in this world, it will be better this way.

I decided to think positively about it. I could just manage my barbarian instinct with more care.

— ... If you give me 30,000 stones, I'll forget about it.

Therefore, although the innkeeper's behavior was very abusive, I decided to put an end to him with only reasonable compensation. The most expensive thing I owned was only clothes worth 2,500 stones, and I wanted to rest more than stand here and argue.

"30,000 stones?!" Just because I sold some of them...

"Didn't you say you threw them away?"

The man swallowed silently.

"If you don't want to give me the money, then tell me so I can tell everyone here what you did to me."

— ... What if I just let you stay in a hotel for that amount?

— No, I don't.

I had no intention of staying in such hotels in the future.

Stealing from the dead researcher was one thing, but he couldn't even wait for the promised date.

"Ha... Promise that you won't tell anyone.

— Of course.

After that, having received an additional income of 30,000 stones, I went to the inn that I liked earlier. Although the average meal and the cost of a night were 2 times more expensive, it was worth it.

Now I finally felt that I was living like a human being.

Firstly, the room was 1.5 times larger than before. It had windows and even a separate bathtub in the bathroom. The bonus was that it was much closer to the Dimension Square. After rubbing my skin for about an hour to wash away all the dirt that had accumulated in the maze, I immediately jumped into bed.

It was soft to such an extent that I wondered if people live for such momentary happiness.

Suddenly, all the events from the labyrinth to everything that happened after returning to the city flashed through my head like a panorama.

"Damn!

Why was it so difficult to rest?

***

As soon as it was dawn, I walked into an open clothing store and bought casual clothes. I then headed to the barbarian-only dormitory.

"Bjorn!" Where have you been all this time?! Ainar shouted.

"I had something to take care of. I'm sorry I bothered you.

"Disturb?" What are you talking about?! I would never worry about you! Even if you are thrown into hell, you will come back alive!

Well, that's your impression of me. Well, I like it much more than a second-rate soap opera.

Since none of us ate, we went to a nearby restaurant.

"Oh, did you hear?" "After we took our seats and made an order, Ainar asked a question.

This time I was not very surprised, because I foresaw that it would be heard.

"Oh, you mean the liberated barbarian?"

"Hm?" A liberated barbarian? What does it mean?

"Uh, isn't that what you meant?" ... No problem. So what were you going to say?

"Oh!" Returning to the original story, Einar lowered her head and lowered her voice. "I heard it from the elder... Someone stole the Treasure of Genesis!

"The treasure of Being?" I exclaimed sincerely.

The Genesis Treasures signified the six treasures held by the six races: dwarves, barbarians, elves, beastmen, dragons, and humans. The problem is that...

Without it, I won't be able to get to the top floor!

Genesis Treasures were key items in Dungeon & Stone.

The end... in fact, at the moment, I didn't know if it even existed, but in order to open the Abyss Gate, all six Genesis Treasures had to be combined. But the treasure of the barbarians has disappeared?

"Who could have done such a reckless act?"

"I don't know either. But apparently it was stolen on the day of our coming-of-age ceremony. The elder said that other races could find themselves in a similar situation.

— ... Got it.

It felt like someone had hit me on the back of the head with a hammer, but I ended the meal without saying anything.

Damn it, am I going to have to live here for the rest of my life?

In a way, it was as if the most reliable option for me had simply disappeared. But it took at least a few years for the Treasures of Genesis to be useful to me.

It's not something I have to worry about when I haven't even made it to the 3rd floor yet.

In the end, my job stayed. When the day of the decision came, I needed to be as strong as possible to choose from as many options as possible. Besides, you never know. While I was doing this, the thief could even be caught.

"Ainar, are you free today?"

— Yes. I decided not to go to the Holy Land today.

"Okay," After a short meal, Einar and I headed to the business district.

"Is that Commelbi?" This is my first time here in person! There are so many people here!

Commelbi is the name of sectors 2 and 5 that surrounded Carnon like a belt. Many people casually called it a free market.

It was a commercially prosperous place in the city. Representatives of the middle class of Rafdonia lived here, many artisans and shops were concentrated here. It was here that I looked with Ervena the other day.

I wonder if she is doing well?

Belatedly, I remembered Erven. Our meetings had always begun with her coming to see me at the inn where I was staying, but now that I had left the inn, it was rather difficult to see her again. I also couldn't remember exactly where the elf-only dormitory I had already been to was located.

Well, I'm sure I can find her if I want to.

At the same time, I doubted whether it was necessary to do this. As long as her older sister is alive, she doesn't need to go to the maze with me.

If we are to meet again, we will.

To be honest, after going through so much these days, my memories of Erwen also faded a little. And our relationship was not so deep.

"Oh! Look over there, Bjorn! People eat clouds on skewers!

A what? Was there cotton candy here?

Intrigued, I bought one to try, and gave the rest to Einar. It was really cotton candy.

"I, I can't believe it!" Are all people geniuses? To create such food!

"Stop admiring me and follow me."

"Don't leave me here!" I won't be able to get home on my own!

Speeding up a bit, we quickly reached our destination: the surplus store where we had sold our equipment in the past. I sold all the equipment that was responsible for my going to jail, as well as the equipment that turned into a piece of scrap metal. The sale price was about 800,000 stones. I didn't sell the thing I got just before I came out of the rift, but...

I can consider that this is 500,000 stones rounded.

"Ainar, this is your lot.

"So many?!" Thanks to you, I even absorbed the essence...

"Don't hesitate, take it." This is a fair price.

The share was 80/20, as promised. Nevertheless, among our colleagues, she would earn the most.

"I promised you that if you follow me, you'll make more money.

"Anyway, 300,000 stones!" That's too much! How many cloud snacks are there!

Suddenly, cotton candy turned into another monetary unit for Einar.

"By the way, I'm hungry."

Could it be because the Corpse Golem's essence was bound to Appetite +9? I felt that hunger came to me much faster.

"Already?" Not even three hours have passed!

"So you won't go?"

"Of course I will!" Today I will buy you meat!

After quickly getting rid of our gear, we stopped at a nearby restaurant to eat. As we were about to leave, Ainar looked me straight in the eye and said:

"Thank you, Bjorn.

There was still sauce on her lips, but her eyes were more serious than usual.

Ha... It was always embarrassing when she was like that.

"Don't. As I said before-...

"I'm not talking about money.

"Hm?" Then what is it about?

"It's just... I want to thank you for treating me the same way.

I wondered what she wanted to say, but I couldn't understand her words at all. It's just that Einar's expression was too serious. So I just watched her without saying a word, and she continued.

"Hmm... As you know, my appearance has changed a lot. Others avoid me because they don't think I'm a warrior.

"This-...

"These days, wherever I go, even people come up to me!" This has never happened before!

Of course, this was a major concern for a girl who was very proud to be a warrior. To be honest, I wasn't very sympathetic, but probably because my nature was different from the barbaric one.

As I listened silently, Einar shouted in an angry voice:

"Bjorn!" Tell me honestly! Am I really that ugly?

... A what?

"I've decided!" Bjorn! From now on, I can't enter the maze with you!

Hold on. How is it connected?

***

I drank warm beer, sitting alone in the hall of the 1st floor of the inn where I was staying.

"Ugh...

How can beer be so tasteless?

It looks like I'm staying at the wrong inn. The food was not bad, but the innkeeper was poor in alcohol.

"Ha..." I exhaled for a long time, as if to ward off the bitterness.

A conversation with Ainar in the afternoon came to mind. After her loud statement, the long conversation continued, but the result did not change.

"I'm alone again.

Ainar left. Due to the nature of the barbarians, she was prone to delirium, but it seemed that it wasn't just because of her appearance.

— To be honest... Yesterday, the elder asked me to be his heir," she explained.

The elders of the Holy Land—among them one known for his reputation as a respected swordsman—preferred Einar. Today, she had decided to officially study the art of the sword under his guidance.

"Even if you go inside the labyrinth, only one day will pass here," I remarked. Can't she miss one day to enter the labyrinth?

But this only made Ainar uncomfortable.

"I want to do it too... but there is a special method of teaching, so I cannot leave the Holy Land for six months.

A special method of teaching? Can this happen? If so, I could understand why she couldn't enter the maze with me for six months. I also knew what a great opportunity it was.

"I won't ask you to wait. Nor will I ask you to receive me when I return. I will train hard and return as a great warrior so as not to be a burden.

That's why I couldn't hold her. During this expedition, she was overwhelmed by a looter and forced to take an oath.

Inside the rift? While the mage, the dwarf, and I, as her colleague, played active roles, Einar was helpless.

In fact, this was the decisive factor in making such a decision.

Her changes in appearance were only an auxiliary reason.

I took another sip of lukewarm beer, feeling strangely thirsty. A bitter taste rose from my esophagus.

Do I have to look for another teammate now?

I was hoping to get some rest and prepare. Why is there a new quest every day?