Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Ghost Busters (1) - Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 72: Ghost Busters (1)

I looked at the unfamiliar ceiling above me.

Since the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the city's typical gloomy sky, this must be an emergency medical tent set up for patients. There must be a lot of other wounded people besides me.

As a matter of fact, when I looked to the side, I could see a bunch of beds lined up next to each other. I easily grasped the situation. A stillness filled the tent, and most of the usable beds were empty.

That must mean quite some time has passed.

So my plan of action was decided. First, I needed to find out how much time had passed. As I tried to raise my body slowly so as not to shock my muscles, I felt a strange heaviness on my abdomen. As soon as I realized what it was, I chuckled.

I was wondering where you went...

Missha was sleeping on my stomach, letting out those distinctive, purring snores of hers. On the one hand, it was commendable that she had taken it upon herself to take care of me, but on the other, ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it seemed to be a moot point.

Well, she must have been tired too.

Elisa, the priestess of Karui... Getting left behind in the Witch's Forest... The Lord of Chaos, Riakis, chasing us... It wasn't hard to understand why she would be when I thought about everything we'd been through.

"Missha, wake up." Right now, though, my curiosity was my first priority, so I shook Missha awake without any hesitation.

"Hm? Mm... B-Bjorn! You'rrre awake! How is your body? Is it okay?"

"As you can see, everything is fine." My injured left ankle had good mobility, and my torn-off arm had been restored to its original state. On that note, my first question was: "Did you use an advanced potion?"

"No, a priest came and treated you."

"And the cost?"

"D-Don't worry. Th-the guild prrrovided disaster assistance, so it wasn't that much..."

In truth, her words just worried me more. "So how much?"

"...Three hundred thousand stones."

"I see." Whew, that was still cheaper than an advanced potion. I was worried when she mentioned a priest, but thankfully, it seemed the guild's subsidy had been quite generous. "Why are you making that face? You did well."

"But Bjorn likes money..."

Well, yeah, but... Wait, is that what she thinks of me?

"Even so, money can't be more important than my health, right?"

This wasn't just a matter of restoring ripped-up flesh or reconnecting bits that had been cut off—it was regrowing an arm that had been torn to the bone, an arm that had been left behind in the labyrinth.

Healing naturally would've been out of the question.

I let go of all my regrets. In previous experiments with Raven, it took an incredible amount of time for me to grow back even a severed finger.

Anyway, second question. "So, how long has it been since we got out of the labyrinth?"

"About six hours."

Hmm, no wonder it was still bright outside the tent. So I hadn't lost an entire day. "The backpacks?"

"They're fine. And everrrything inside too!"

"The mana stones?"

"I converted both yours and mine into money."

"Did anyone come to see me while I was passed out?"

"Ah, Hikurod and the otherrrs came by!"

"...The dwarf did?"

When I cocked my head, Missha explained everything that had transpired while I was out. To summarize, Hikurod and the others came by about five hours ago, just in case we happened to be here and reunited with Missha.

"I'm glad all three of them are fine. So where did they go?"

"After they confirmed we were alive, they said they were tirrred and left to get some rest."

"I see." That didn't upset me. I would have done the same. It wasn't like I would have woken up faster just because they were here. We could discuss everything we had missed during the meeting we had scheduled in two days' time. "Then what do I have to do to get out of here?"

"You just have to pack yourrr things and go. I already took care of all the trrroublesome parts."

"I see."

As I was about to pull back the blanket and leave, Missha hurriedly stopped me. "Wait, don't get up! P-Put this on first..."

No further explanation was needed. "Oh..." While Missha turned her back on me and looked elsewhere, I put on the new set of clothes that were folded on the table next to me. I hadn't expected her to prepare clothes in advance. She may have seemed clumsy, but I guess she had a thoughtful side to her, too.

"Does it fit?"

"It fits well." To be honest, it was a bit small, but finding clothes that fit me in this city was difficult to begin with. Anyway, when we stepped out of the tent, the sun was setting. "Missha, where are you staying?"

"District Eight."

"Then we can walk together."

We were headed to our inns, which were in the same direction, when I noticed the contrast between our appearance and those of the people around us. The people on the streets were wearing clean, everyday clothes instead of heavy, tough armor.

"Bjorn, what are you looking at? Let's go, I'm super tirrred."

After walking for about thirty minutes on the pristine streets, we reached my inn. Missha's inn was about ten more minutes from here. "They're closer than I thought."

"Right? Why didn't I realize beforrre?"

"Anyway, you can go now. You must be tired too. Thanks for today."

"W-Wait!" Just as I was about to enter the inn after saying my goodbyes, Missha grabbed my wrist.

"Is there anything else I need to know right now?"

"No, but..." Then, what? When I looked at her in a way that clearly said spit it out, Missha grinned and released my wrist. "Neverrrmind. You're just going to tell me to stop repeating the same thing over and over again."

"The same thing?"

"See you tomorrrow, then!" Before I could ask what she meant, Missha disappeared.

"Tomorrow?" Didn't we decide to all get together the day after tomorrow? That last sentence was a bit confusing, but I couldn't be bothered to wonder what it meant, so I quickly entered the inn. After washing myself a bit, I had a quick meal on the first floor.

As always, it was only when I lay on the bed that it hit me.

So, I made it back this time, too.

I had come back alive.

Fuck.

***

At noon the next day, I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door. I wanted to ignore it, but whoever it was was too persistent.

"Ah, Hikurod and the otherrrs came by!"

"...The dwarf did?"

When I cocked my head, Missha explained everything that had transpired while I was out. To summarize, Hikurod and the others came by about five hours ago, just in case we happened to be here and reunited with Missha.

"I'm glad all three of them are fine. So where did they go?"

"After they confirmed we were alive, they said they were tirrred and left to get some rest."

"I see." That didn't upset me. I would have done the same. It wasn't like I would have woken up faster just because they were here. We could discuss everything we had missed during the meeting we had scheduled in two days' time. "Then what do I have to do to get out of here?"

"You just have to pack yourrr things and go. I already took care of all the trrroublesome parts."

"I see."

As I was about to pull back the blanket and leave, Missha hurriedly stopped me. "Wait, don't get up! P-Put this on first..."

No further explanation was needed. "Oh..." While Missha turned her back on me and looked elsewhere, I put on the new set of clothes that were folded on the table next to me. I hadn't expected her to prepare clothes in advance. She may have seemed clumsy, but I guess she had a thoughtful side to her, too.

"Does it fit?"

"It fits well." To be honest, it was a bit small, but finding clothes that fit me in this city was difficult to begin with. Anyway, when we stepped out of the tent, the sun was setting. "Missha, where are you staying?"

"District Eight."

"Then we can walk together."

We were headed to our inns, which were in the same direction, when I noticed the contrast between our appearance and those of the people around us. The people on the streets were wearing clean, everyday clothes instead of heavy, tough armor.

"Bjorn, what are you looking at? Let's go, I'm super tirrred."

After walking for about thirty minutes on the pristine streets, we reached my inn. Missha's inn was about ten more minutes from here. "They're closer than I thought."

"Right? Why didn't I realize beforrre?"

"Anyway, you can go now. You must be tired too. Thanks for today."

"W-Wait!" Just as I was about to enter the inn after saying my goodbyes, Missha grabbed my wrist.

"Is there anything else I need to know right now?"

"No, but..." Then, what? When I looked at her in a way that clearly said spit it out, Missha grinned and released my wrist. "Neverrrmind. You're just going to tell me to stop repeating the same thing over and over again."

"The same thing?"

"See you tomorrrow, then!" Before I could ask what she meant, Missha disappeared.

"Tomorrow?" Didn't we decide to all get together the day after tomorrow? That last sentence was a bit confusing, but I couldn't be bothered to wonder what it meant, so I quickly entered the inn. After washing myself a bit, I had a quick meal on the first floor.

As always, it was only when I lay on the bed that it hit me.

So, I made it back this time, too.

I had come back alive.

Fuck.

***

At noon the next day, I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door. I wanted to ignore it, but whoever it was was too persistent.

"...Missha?"

"I knew you'd be asleep."

"Why are you here? We agreed to meet tomorrow night."

Missha grinned at my annoyance and opened her sack on the table. When I looked, it was full of food. "Come, sit quickly. Not getting enough food while you'rrre recovering is bad for you."

Barbarians didn't have that kind of problem. When I looked at her like that was ridiculous, Missha ended up dragging me over by the arm.

"Just come. You can go back to sleep afterrr you eat."

Skipping one or two meals wasn't the end of the world, but I obeyed because of the sincerity behind her gesture. The menu was stir-fried vegetables and grilled meat with eggs.

"How is it?"

"...It's good. Did you make it yourself?"

"Of courrrse, who would sell something like this?"

You can just say yes.

I had no idea she could cook too.

"At first, I mostly cooked to save some extrrra money, but now I keep doing it because it's fun."

"Mm, but aren't you staying at an inn?"

"Ah, yes, but I ended up becoming frrriends with the chef, so they let me use the kitchen once in a while."

"I see."

"If you have a chance later, you should trrry it too. You can save a lot more money than you'd think, which is good."

Cook? You shouldn't say things like that to a barbarian. Or maybe she just didn't know a lot about barbarians? "Cooking is a warrior's shame."

"I-Is that so?" When I nodded firmly, Missha cautiously made a suggestion. "Well then, I can do it for you..."

What was she saying? "It's fine. Why would you do that? I can just buy my own food."

"R-Right."

"By the way, how did you know my room number? I don't remember telling you that."

"Oh, that? When I asked the innkeeper where the barbarian was staying, they just told me."

"...I see."

After that, we chatted and put food in our mouths, and the bowl was empty in no time.

"What arrre you going to do now? Are you going to sleep some more?"

I pondered this for a while before answering. "Now that I'm awake, I'm thinking of visiting the business district." Originally, I had planned to sleep until tomorrow, but even if I lay down again right now, I didn't think I'd be able to sleep at all. It was my own kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Unless I felt like I was going to immediately collapse from exhaustion, I couldn't ever allow myself to procrastinate and take a break. "It's better this way. Missha, you come with me."

"Huh? Me too? I was going to go back and sleep some morrre..." Missha trailed off, a surprised look on her face.

In my experience, it was necessary to come out swinging in situations like these. "You're the one who woke me up. Take responsibility."

"Hnng, fine. I have to rrrepair my equipment anyway..."

Don't even think about running away.

***

First, we completely offloaded the equipment we had acquired. The money wasn't quite as satisfying as I expected, as I had paid the Dzarwi a protection fee of two million stones' worth of equipment earlier.

"...Missha?"

"I knew you'd be asleep."

"Why are you here? We agreed to meet tomorrow night."

Missha grinned at my annoyance and opened her sack on the table. When I looked, it was full of food. "Come, sit quickly. Not getting enough food while you'rrre recovering is bad for you."

Barbarians didn't have that kind of problem. When I looked at her like that was ridiculous, Missha ended up dragging me over by the arm.

"Just come. You can go back to sleep afterrr you eat."

Skipping one or two meals wasn't the end of the world, but I obeyed because of the sincerity behind her gesture. The menu was stir-fried vegetables and grilled meat with eggs.

"How is it?"

"...It's good. Did you make it yourself?"

"Of courrrse, who would sell something like this?"

You can just say yes.

I had no idea she could cook too.

"At first, I mostly cooked to save some extrrra money, but now I keep doing it because it's fun."

"Mm, but aren't you staying at an inn?"

"Ah, yes, but I ended up becoming frrriends with the chef, so they let me use the kitchen once in a while."

"I see."

"If you have a chance later, you should trrry it too. You can save a lot more money than you'd think, which is good."

Cook? You shouldn't say things like that to a barbarian. Or maybe she just didn't know a lot about barbarians? "Cooking is a warrior's shame."

"I-Is that so?" When I nodded firmly, Missha cautiously made a suggestion. "Well then, I can do it for you..."

What was she saying? "It's fine. Why would you do that? I can just buy my own food."

"R-Right."

"By the way, how did you know my room number? I don't remember telling you that."

"Oh, that? When I asked the innkeeper where the barbarian was staying, they just told me."

"...I see."

After that, we chatted and put food in our mouths, and the bowl was empty in no time.

"What arrre you going to do now? Are you going to sleep some more?"

I pondered this for a while before answering. "Now that I'm awake, I'm thinking of visiting the business district." Originally, I had planned to sleep until tomorrow, but even if I lay down again right now, I didn't think I'd be able to sleep at all. It was my own kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Unless I felt like I was going to immediately collapse from exhaustion, I couldn't ever allow myself to procrastinate and take a break. "It's better this way. Missha, you come with me."

"Huh? Me too? I was going to go back and sleep some morrre..." Missha trailed off, a surprised look on her face.

In my experience, it was necessary to come out swinging in situations like these. "You're the one who woke me up. Take responsibility."

"Hnng, fine. I have to rrrepair my equipment anyway..."

Don't even think about running away.

***

First, we completely offloaded the equipment we had acquired. The money wasn't quite as satisfying as I expected, as I had paid the Dzarwi a protection fee of two million stones' worth of equipment earlier.

From here, the money we got from Hans's group will have to be divided into five...

Still, after selling the equipment and various consumables of the three religious freaks, our profits ended up being quite sizable, particularly because one of those three had owned an expandable backpack. However, this also meant that there were more costs.

"...The repair costs five hundred thousand stones?"

"It's made of lithinum. The corrosion is too severe, so there's no other option."

But, still, how could it cost five hundred thousand stones to repair equipment worth four million? Was this guy trying to cheat me?

"Bjorn, don't push it. It's not like he's wrrrong..." It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but considering Missha, an adventurer with five years of experience, was saying that, I figured the price must not have been outrageous and just paid it.

...How much gold have I lost, then?

All efficiency-obsessed gamers were afraid of losing gold. I counted each stone one by one.

I left my mace back in the labyrinth along with an arm, used an advanced potion on the way, paid three hundred thousand stones for that treatment, and five hundred thousand stones for repairs...

The more I thought about it, the more it hurt. If I hadn't had to pay a whopping two million stones in equipment for the clan's protection fee, this much money would've been nothing.

"Bjorn, don't worrry. I'll earn a lot more money in the futurrre..."

Yes, let's think positive. In fact, my second-biggest gain from this expedition would be her. Of course, the first was the Essence of the Orc Hero.

I got a lot of consumables like potions, so I don't actually have a lot of money to spend later.

"Bjorn, what are you doing? Arrren't you going in?"

I finished my calculations and entered the inn with Missha. It wasn't mine or Missha's, but an inn located in the market district of Kommelby.

"Who would've thought the carriages stopped running so early?"

"That's why I said we should speed up," she scolded.

"Okay, stop nagging."

Upon entering the inn, I asked for two rooms at the counter, and Missha slapped me on the back. "Are you nuts?! Do you know how much one of these rrrooms costs per day? Just grab one."

"...Just one?" Wasn't this usually the other way around?

"Do you think we're in Ravigion? These sorts of inns have rrrooms for ten thousand stones per night!"

"I see. One room should be enough."

I deserved that slap on the back. We came to this inn because it looked like the cheapest one around, but ten thousand stones for one night? The prices were crazy in the center of the city. My food expenses last month were just over twenty thousand stones.

So that's why she kept urging me to move quickly...

However, the room itself was well worth the price. It wasn't like the tiny half-room I was staying in—it had a living room, bedroom, and a separate bathroom. It had a window, obviously, and the living room even came with a small terrace. A faint scent of flowers could be picked up throughout the room.

"Bjorn, look at this! Artian Studio Soap! This is frrree!" Missha had been telling me off for spending money unnecessarily before she noticed something and disappeared into the bathroom. When she came out again, she looked very pleased. "Bjorn, we should make a lot of money in the futurrre."

I wondered why she was making such a fuss, but when I lay down on the spacious bed, I couldn't help but agree. "Yeah... let's make a lot of money." This was what a bed should feel like.

When will I be able to sleep in a bed like this every day?

There was a long way to go. This was a city where barbarism and civilization coexisted. How many more predators and monsters did I have to kill in order to live like a normal person?

Honkkk!

Before I could think too hard about it, my eyes slowly closed.

***

At a time when most were asleep, those feeling sorry for themselves were loud, or even more so than usual.

"Hey, did you hear the news?"

"Are you talking about the Lord of the Floor appearing on the third floor?"

"Yeah. They say over thirty Dzarwi died because of that monster."

"Who cares about thirty people? The guild will probably announce this tomorrow, but the total number of deaths is said to be in the hundreds."

"So the culprit who summoned the Lord of the Floor hasn't been caught yet?"

For adventurers, this news was extremely interesting. However, in addition to what everyone already knew, there was a story being spread slowly and unintentionally by the gossip.

"Oh, you guys know what? This is something I heard from one of the survivors... The reason why so many Dzarwi were able to survive was apparently thanks to one person."

"Are you talking about the Iron Lion, Vice Captain McGrain?"

"No, I heard it was a third-floor adventurer who happened to be there."

"Hmm, is there a third-floor adventurer who could do something like that? What was their name?"

"Their name is..."

Bjorn, son of Yandel. A barbarian who had set foot in the third floor after just three months. The story of the unbelievable bravery he had shown while saving so many people from disaster was sometimes accurate, and sometimes a little exaggerated as it spread. However, each retelling ended with one thing.

"The wizard who told me this story did not hesitate to say this about the barbarian."

"What?"

"He may not have achieved a hero's feat, but, young as he is, it is clear that he shall follow in his footsteps, and so he shall borrow the name of a hero who was greater and more valiant than anyone else..."

An epithet, a second name that only adventurers with skill and fame could obtain.

"It would only be fitting to call him Little Balkan."

That nickname always accompanied each retelling.

***

[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]

[Your Reputation has...]

[Warning: The probability of special events occurring has increased.]

From here, the money we got from Hans's group will have to be divided into five...

Still, after selling the equipment and various consumables of the three religious freaks, our profits ended up being quite sizable, particularly because one of those three had owned an expandable backpack. However, this also meant that there were more costs.

"...The repair costs five hundred thousand stones?"

"It's made of lithinum. The corrosion is too severe, so there's no other option."

But, still, how could it cost five hundred thousand stones to repair equipment worth four million? Was this guy trying to cheat me?

"Bjorn, don't push it. It's not like he's wrrrong..." It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but considering Missha, an adventurer with five years of experience, was saying that, I figured the price must not have been outrageous and just paid it.

...How much gold have I lost, then?

All efficiency-obsessed gamers were afraid of losing gold. I counted each stone one by one.

I left my mace back in the labyrinth along with an arm, used an advanced potion on the way, paid three hundred thousand stones for that treatment, and five hundred thousand stones for repairs...

The more I thought about it, the more it hurt. If I hadn't had to pay a whopping two million stones in equipment for the clan's protection fee, this much money would've been nothing.

"Bjorn, don't worrry. I'll earn a lot more money in the futurrre..."

Yes, let's think positive. In fact, my second-biggest gain from this expedition would be her. Of course, the first was the Essence of the Orc Hero.

I got a lot of consumables like potions, so I don't actually have a lot of money to spend later.

"Bjorn, what are you doing? Arrren't you going ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in?"

I finished my calculations and entered the inn with Missha. It wasn't mine or Missha's, but an inn located in the market district of Kommelby.

"Who would've thought the carriages stopped running so early?"

"That's why I said we should speed up," she scolded.

"Okay, stop nagging."

Upon entering the inn, I asked for two rooms at the counter, and Missha slapped me on the back. "Are you nuts?! Do you know how much one of these rrrooms costs per day? Just grab one."

"...Just one?" Wasn't this usually the other way around?

‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠