Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 91 Player (3)

Player (3)

It's been 5 months since I woke up in this other world.

If we include the days I spent in the labyrinth, it feels even longer.

A lot has happened during that time.

I killed a person for the first time, and I killed monsters. I've done many barbaric things to survive.

But is my essence as a modern person still intact?

Click, clack, clack, click, thud!

As soon as I finish entering the password, my pinky finger naturally presses enter.

And I flinch as I realize one thing.

It's not the rough and thick hands of a barbarian.

It's not the body of a warrior with broad shoulders and muscles like rocks.

It's Lee Hansu's body, 175 centimeters tall, average weight, with soft flesh and skin.

That's when...

"Ah, shit!"

I feel like the ground is collapsing, and my body is being sucked somewhere.

When I come to my senses, everything is pitch black.

It's not unfamiliar since I've experienced it often in the labyrinth, but...

Click.

With the sound of a switch being flipped, my surroundings brighten up.

Surprisingly, I'm in my room.

My room, Lee Hansu's room, where I used to enjoy games before being dragged here.

'...So what's the point of all this?'

I first check my surroundings.

Bookshelves, computer, a slightly yellowed bed...

I go outside and check the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, and everything matches my memory.

'Ah, then could it be that too...?'

I hurriedly open the refrigerator door.

For some reason, it's filled with nothing but chilled cans of cola.

I wonder what kind of arrangement this is, but I don't think about it too deeply.

How could I possibly resist this?

Click, hiss-

A sound that makes me feel refreshed just by listening to it.

I could endure everything else, but I've missed this so much. I quickly pour it into my mouth, worried it might disappear before my eyes.

But...

'Damn it.'

I can't taste it.

There's no sharp sensation that feels like it's splitting my throat in half.

It just feels like a tasteless, odorless liquid is going down my throat.

That's when...

Ding-dong-

The doorbell rings.

I check the intercom, and there's a blonde, white woman.

It's probably not a religious solicitation, right?

Just as I'm about to say, 'Who are you?' in my usual tone, I realize my mistake and speak again.

"Who is it?"

I judge that she might be able to figure out that I'm a barbarian from my tone of voice.

'But why does it feel so awkward?'

It feels like there are thorns in my throat even though I just spoke normally.

Soon, I hear a response from the other side of the intercom.

[I'm SoulQueens, the guide for Ghostbusters. May I come in?]

Hmm, I didn't know it was this kind of system.

I quickly open the door before I offend her.

But what's this?

"Um, why are you walking into the wall?"

"Ah, was that a wall? To me, it just looks like white space."

Is she talking about the space I saw earlier?

It seems like there are some mysterious rules at play in this spiritual world.

As I roughly give her directions and guide her to the living room, the woman lets out a gasp.

"You're amazing. Usually, you can at least faintly see the shape."

"Shape?"

"This place. Maybe you..."

"You can just keep calling me 'you'."

"...If you insist."

As promised in the letter that guaranteed anonymity, the woman doesn't show any disappointment at my indirect refusal.

"Anyway, this space is a manifestation of what you imagined. The place that your inner mind thinks of first. It usually becomes the space that you feel most comfortable in psychologically."

"So?"

"It's usually visible to others. Although there are some people with strong defense mechanisms, you can still recognize the shape to some extent..."

The woman looks at me with a strange expression.

I can't tell if it's curiosity or wariness, but I decide to address the inconsistency first.

"Then what about when you rang the doorbell earlier? You said you couldn't see me."

"I guess it was expressed that way. I didn't ring any bell. I just called out to you as soon as I arrived in this white space. Does that make sense?"

Honestly, I kind of understand what she's saying, but I don't understand at all.

So I just smile awkwardly and nod.

"Thanks to your kind explanation."

"I'm glad. Actually, it's a difficult concept even for mages to understand, so I'm always at a loss for how to explain it."

Anyway, since she introduced herself as the guide, I ask her what I'm curious about.

"Ah, but what happens if you enter the wrong password?"

I figured it out by chance, but there must be people who can't enter the password.

"That? Nothing happens. It's just a bluff. In the first place, there's almost no one who gets the password right before I arrive, like you."

"......?"

"Whether you enter the password or not, I have to come and confirm anyway."

For reference, the confirmation she mentioned is simple.

She can just tell by looking?

I wonder if she has some special ability, but I realize it when I see my current appearance.

A navy blue suit that fits snugly.

It's the suit my ex-girlfriend bought me to celebrate getting a job.

'The difference starts with the clothes...'

Well, I also knew she was a modern person as soon as I saw her, so it must be the same for her.

"Wow, you're really quick-witted. The difference between players and NPCs starts here."

"NPCs?"

"It's a slang term for the locals. Anyway, the difference between the two is not just the clothes, but you can clearly tell when you enter this space. This is the first time I've seen a case where you can't see anything..."

"So usually, you can tell just by looking at the room."

"Yes. There's no way an NPC would have a poster of a rock star in their room, right?"

I understand.

With this kind of verification method, it would be almost impossible for locals... I mean, NPCs... to hide their identity and enter.

"Then I pass?"

"Of course."

I was secretly worried because my room wasn't visible due to my defense mechanisms, but the woman nods without hesitation.

Seeing that, I realize one more thing.

Clothes, tone of voice, expression, and this mindscape.

There must be a more definitive way to distinguish NPCs besides these things.

'They're probably not telling me for security reasons.'

"Alright, then... you've officially become a member of our Ghostbusters."

"But who came up with the name Ghostbusters?"

"There is. Someone like that. You'd think, 'what kind of crappy name is this?' I told them to change it to something else..."

Uh, I asked because I thought it was a very witty name...

"Ha, everyone who comes here asks why we chose this name."

I nod awkwardly.

Although I can't agree with the sentiment that it's a crappy name, I can pretend to agree.

Acting tactfully has always been my specialty.

"Indeed... it's a unique name."

"Right? Ah, where was I..."

The woman returns to the main topic and continues.

"Ah, we can no longer forcefully separate souls and kill people like we used to with NPCs who snuck in. Instead, we can banish them from ever being summoned here again, so please make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules when you have time."

The woman then explains the basic methods for using the Ghostbusters community.

"Do you have a computer? If you do, go ahead and turn it on. If not, you'll have to imagine one and materialize it..."

"I have one."

"That saves time. Go ahead and turn it on."

When I turn on the computer as instructed, instead of the familiar OS screen, a window pops up.

"Ah, just a moment. Your code is..."

After entering the code the woman gave me, the window changes to a page where I can set my nickname.

"Just create a nickname here, and that's it. You can't change it once you've made it, so choose carefully."

Hmm, what should I use?

As I'm contemplating, the woman offers some advice.

"You've used Stone Ivan, right? Most people use the nicknames they used there. My nickname, SoulQueens, also came from there."

Stone Ivan.

It's a community for a dead game, so the main board's refresh rate was less than 30 posts per day...

But still, everyone who played this game must have used it at least once.

I did too.

'It's not my real name, it's just an ID, so it should be okay to use my nickname from there, right?'

I enter my nickname and press enter.

But...

[That nickname is unavailable.]

"Ah, it seems like someone is already using that nickname."

What? Someone's using that nickname?

I don't understand at all, but I change one letter and set my nickname. The woman looks at my nickname and smiles meaningfully.

"Huhu, you must be a fan of that person, huh?"

Fan? What is she talking about?

Just as I'm about to ask in detail, the woman continues her explanation.

It's about how to use the community.

"Alright, then I think I've told you everything I need to. I'll be on my way now, so please feel free to use it. If you have any problems, send a 1:1 message!"

The woman with the nickname SoulQueens then leaves.

I'm alone in the room again.

Having completed the tutorial, I browse through the community without much difficulty.

[20s, 30s Men Only]

[American Union]

[Beastmen Gather]

[Wizardry]

[Chat Room]

There are several chat rooms currently active.

I guess I can choose any of them and enter to chat with the people there?

It's a futuristic yet fantastical system.

'There are even rooms with rank restrictions and passwords.'

I choose a random room to enter as a test, to get used to this place.

[Newbie Room]

It's a unique room where only people who have been in the community for less than a year can enter, not a rank restriction.

I chose it because I thought there would be many people similar to me.

Click.

The moment I double-click...

A bright light emanates from the monitor.

And just like the day I woke up in the barbarian's body while playing the game...

When I come to my senses, I'm in an open space.

________________________

Click, clack, clack-

A bonfire is burning fiercely in the center of the clearing, like a campfire.

There are about a dozen people standing around it.

They're all men.

Well, how many women would play this perverted, hardcore game?

“Oh, a new person!”

Gazes gather as I appear.

White, yellow, black.

There's more racial diversity than I expected, but…

After living in the other world for a few months, I first feel a sense of kinship as people from the same hometown.

Is it the same for them?

“Which country are you from?”

“Ah, Korea.”

“I see! Welcome!”

I look around and observe my surroundings.

There’s no racism, and the atmosphere is one of genuinely welcoming a newcomer.

‘Is that thing above their heads their nickname?’

Letters are floating translucently above people’s heads.

A black man in a neat suit approaches me and speaks.

“It’s a bit bare, right? We haven’t gathered enough points to decorate yet. I’m DarkMan, the room owner. Could you please turn on nickname display and introduce yourself?”

“Nickname display?”

“You must be new to this room. Just think ‘I agree’. In this community, thoughts and intentions have power.”

Thoughts and intentions have power…

So I just have to do it like using an active skill?

‘Nickname display.’

As I say that inwardly, people’s gazes turn towards the top of my head.

It seems like they can see my nickname now.

But…

“Hello, I’m Elfnunna.”

The moment I reveal my nickname, thinking it’s an anonymous space anyway…

“…….”

“…….”

An eerie silence falls over the clearing.

And after a moment…

“Elfnuna?!”

“Crazy, the person who wrote the stat guide?”

“Uh… wasn’t that person from the game company?”

“As expected, that person was Korean! I knew it!”

“Excuse me! Is it true? Is it really you?”

For some reason, a commotion breaks out.

However, before I can grasp the situation, I quietly exhale a deep breath.

‘Whew…’

What is this again?