Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 449
C449: Expanding(2)
After the meeting with Ragna, I returned home to find unexpected visitors waiting.
Two of them, in fact.
“Ah! Mister, you’re here! Your friends have been waiting for you.”
“Friends…?”
As I entered the living room with a puzzled look, two men who were enjoying snacks on the sofa stood up to greet me excitedly.
“Oh my, isn’t this really Bjorn Jandel!!! It really is Bjorn Jandel…!!”
Hikurod Murad.
Aka, “the dwarf.”
And…
“…Long time no see. I heard you were alive a while ago, but somehow it still doesn’t feel real.”
Braun Rotmiller.
It was nice to see familiar faces after such a long time.
Well, I had secretly stopped by the dwarf’s forge some time ago, so he and I had crossed paths once. To be honest, it was a somewhat shocking memory.
Heh, tsk… I thought he looked rich so I gave him a thorough explanation, and he turned out to be a pain in the ass.
I hadn’t expected to hear something like that just for looking around and leaving without buying anything.
“It’s good to see you. I was actually planning to visit you first. Sorry.”
“Haha! Don’t be sorry, my friend. I heard you’ve been incredibly busy lately?”
“How did you know that?”
“Well, someone as famous as you is bound to generate talk no matter what they do! Even if I’m just working in the forge, I hear about it naturally.”
“…I see.”
It left me feeling a bit awkward.
The dwarf knew of my visits to the bereaved families, my triumph ceremony, and even my most recent meeting with the expedition members at Commelby.
Did the papers say it was a “heroes” after-party?
“That’s actually why we only came to see you just now. I’ve been meaning to come sooner, but Rotmiller here told me to wait until things settled down.”
“I see…”
I gave Rotmiller a thankful look, then took a seat on the sofa. Erwen, who had been watching our little reunion from the side, scurried over.
“Mister, what would you like to drink?”
“Just water, please. Cold water.”
“Sure!”
As Erwin headed to the kitchen, the dwarf sidled closer to me and lowered his voice.
“Oh, right! You can’t imagine how shocked I was earlier. We came in, and that ‘Blood Spirit Queen’ was the one to greet us—on top of that, she even smiled and served tea!”
“…Wait, this is the first time the two of you have met Erwin?”
At my question, Rotmiller nodded, and the dwarf shook his head.
“I’ve actually met her once. Right around when the party disbanded, she came to find me, asking if I knew what had happened to you—she sounded worried.”
Ah, I seem to remember hearing something like that.
“Phew, I never thought that a young fairy would become such a renowned explorer… Truly, you can never tell what a person’s future holds.”
“Indeed…”
I had thought Erwin was a promising talent, but even I didn’t expect her to grow this quickly, let alone earn a nickname like the ‘Blood Spirit Queen.’
“By the way, Jandel.”
Just then, Rotmiller spoke to me.
“Have you met Miss Karlstein?”
Ah, I was wondering when this would come up.
“Not yet.”
“I see…”
“What about you?Have you met Misha?”
“Just once after you were reported dead. I went because I was worried, but after that one time, she wouldn’t even meet me. Then she disappeared somewhere.”
“Hikurod, you?”
“Same as Rotmiller here. Tsk, with your news spreading this far across the city, I thought she might have come by… Hopefully, nothing bad has happened…”
Despite his roundabout way of saying it, it was clear what the dwarf was worried about.
But fortunately, Misha was safe.
Well, I don’t know if she’s doing well, but I do know she’s alive.
“I’m looking for her too. I’m sure I’ll find her and bring her back, so don’t worry too much.”
“Well, if you say so. But I have to ask… is it because of the Blood Spirit Princess, by any chance?”
“…Why Erwin all of a sudden?”
“Well, there’s that rumor about the two of you, you know—something about how you’re, uh, close. Is it true?”
Wow, he’s still just as hooked on gossip as ever.
“It’s nonsense.”
I answered firmly, and the dwarf let out a sigh of relief.
“Really? Then that’s a relief…”
The way he said it felt quite ambiguous.
“…A relief?”
“Well, in the end, it’s up to your own heart, of course. But you’ve known karlstein for so long now—besides, it’s what Dwalki wanted for you in the end. Even I thought the two of you were perfect for—”
The dwarf’s words trailed off there.
Clank—!
The dwarf’s teacup sitting in front of him on the table shattered to a million pieces.
And then…
Tap.
Erwin walked out from the kitchen.
“Oh my, the teacup broke.”
She was smiling, holding the cold water I’d asked for.
***
“Mister, here’s your water.”
The moment Erwin set the glass in front of me—
Whoooosh—!
The broken fragments defied gravity and floated in the air.
The same happened with the tea that had soaked into the carpet.
“There, it’s all clean now.”
In the blink of an eye, Erwin used her spirit power to clear away the mess. Then she said she’d be in her room and turned around to leave.
“…”
While the dwarf’s teacup had vanished from the table, he said nothing as Erwin left.
He wasn’t thoughtless, just a bit reckless with his words.
“You should have been more careful. We are merely guests after all.” Rotmiller spoke to the dwarf
“…Hahaha, you’re right. I, I made a big mistake…”
Still looking unsettled, the dwarf let out a nervous laugh and breathed a sigh of relief.
Tsk, he really needs to mind his own business sometimes.
The mood had become quite strange, so as the host, I decided to change the subject.
“So, how have you two been? Hikurod, it seems like you’re not working as a blacksmith these days?”
“Huh? How did you know that?”
“Actually, I visited your forge before. I was smaller then, so you didn’t recognize me.”
“What! Really? I didn’t recognize you, just because you were a little shorter?”
The dwarf denied it, but the truth didn’t change.
So I simply told him the truth.
“I was surprised.”
“Ah, well, business has been good recently—.”
“That’s not it. You kicked me out, saying I was blocking other customers from coming in, and if I wasn’t going to buy anything, I should hurry up and leave.”
“…”
“Well, at least it’s good that business is thriving.”
The dwarf’s face turned red, as if he had been caught red-handed, and he laughed helplessly.
“Heh, to think you saw me like that, it’s quite embarrassing…”
“I’m not trying to blame you. Working hard to make money isn’t a bad thing. I just felt like you’d changed a bit.”
“That might be. After all, I left the team to pursue a dream I had given up on, so it might seem pathetic that I’ve become a merchant.”
Uh, I didn’t mean to be so pushy…….
Still, I was curious, so I waited for him to continue.
“But you know, Bjorn, I simply found a new dream. It’s not just hammering iron anymore—I have something bigger in mind.”
“A dream to earn a lot of money?”
The dwarf gave a small grin.
“Close. It costs quite a bit to support an orphanage.”
“…What?”
Wait, hold on.
“…Don’t tell me…”
“I can’t do much yet due to limited resources, but I recently increased my support to two orphanages.”
Uh, now I feel petty.
I sighed inwardly but somehow thought to myself.
“Bjorn, I’m going to make a lot of money. No matter how ugly it looks. I might not have much potential left, but the children do.”
“…”
“They might achieve the dreams I couldn’t.”
“…”
“That’s my new dream.”
Today, the dwarf seemed larger than life.
“…”
“…”
After revealing his new dream, the dwarf seemed embarrassed and I, lost for words, awkwardly sipped my water.
Then Rotmiller spoke.
“I’m just living without work these days.”
Somehow that was even more surprising news than the dwarf’s.
This hard-working man is unemployed?
“What about your training center? You were giving lessons on scouting techniques to budding explorers, weren’t you?”
“Unfortunately, it seems I’m not cut out for business.”
So it failed, huh.
Just as I was about to offer some words of comfort, the dwarf jumped to his feet.
“Hey, Rotmiller! It failed because of you—”
“That’s enough.”
“…?”
“I said that’s enough, Murad. We didn’t come here to talk about that.”
“But…! Jandel is a baron now! If you just say the wor—!”
“I told you to stop.”
Rotmiller’s low voice rumbled through the air.
It was so cold and firm that even the dwarf swallowed hard and shut his mouth.
I felt much the same.
…That voice.
I’d only ever seen Rotmiller really angry once.
It was on Team Halfling’s last expedition.
Feeling the limits of his abilities as an explorer, Rotmiller had been incredibly angry, mostly at himself.
To see him like this towards others was something else.
Is this why they say it’s scary when a nice person gets angry?
Judging by the dwarf’s reaction, there’s probably some story behind this…
Phew, I’ll have to ask him alone when the dwarf isn’t around.
“…”
“…”
The awkward silence returned as if nothing had happened.
Such times are a waste, so I decided to get straight to the point.
“Hikurod.”
“Huh? Oh, uh… go ahead! What is it?”
“I have a business proposal for you.”
“A business proposal, you say?”
“Yes.”
If they hadn’t come today, I would have visited them just for this.
“You make me nervous when you say that… Go on, then.”
“I plan to expand our clan.”
“And?”
“I’d like your forge to exclusively support our clan.”
“Oh! The kind of offer that only big workshops get!”
As expected, the dwarf was visibly delighted at the proposal.
Okay, onto the next step then?
“Alright, let’s get the contract written up.”
“Huh? A contract? Aren’t we close enough to not need that…?”
“Official matters need to be clear.”
“Um… that’s true, but aren’t we rushing it? If we’re going to sign a contract, I should review it first…”
“Are you going to make a big deal out of it? What’s there to think deeply about between us? Come on, just stamp your palm on it. It’s just a formality.”
“Um… alright then…”
Once I got his agreement, I quickly drew up a contract, smeared his palm with a magical ink pad, and got the dwarf’s seal of approval.
In other words…
“It’s done.”
I’ve secured a partner in crime to buy stolen goods on a regular basis.
What expression would he wear next time I brought equipment from the Rose Knights?
***
The day after the dwarf and Rotmiller visited.
I received my keepsakes back from Mr. Bear and Aynar.
‘No, calling them keepsakes sounds a bit strange…’
Anyway, I put on my old gear for the first time in a long time.
[The character has equipped an adamantine large battle shield]
[Total item level has increased by +1,750]
A shield made from a Level 5 material.
And…
[The character has equipped a Litinium breastplate.]
[Total item level has increased by +270]
Since I first bought it, it had been smashed and repaired, and if not repairable, repurchased to the same specifications.
[The character has equipped idium greaves]
[Overall Item Level has increased by +400]
I had picked these up in the Doppelganger Forest and have used them quite well ever since.
[Your character has equipped [No. 8,667: Outlaw of the Wasteland]
[Overall Item Level has increased by +315]
A belt.
[Your character has equipped [No. 8,820: Iron Wall]
[Overall Item Level has increased by +310]
These boots, when activated, double your physical resistance and spell resistance for three seconds.
And then…
‘Why on earth did Mr. Bear take these? It makes me feel weird.’
A special pair of magical underpants that were enchanted with ‘self-repair’, ‘shape-shifting’, ‘acid immunity’ and and later “Cleanliness Retention.” The slang term for it here in raphdonia is egg guard.
“Honestly, with [Unity], I don’t really need it anymore, but still…”
Because they were relatively expensive, I continued to use them even after they were no longer needed.
‘I got the ‘Soul of the Dead and the ‘Orb of Fire’ back from Raven recently, so all that’s left is to get my necklace back from Misha…’
Thinking about it made me laugh.
It’s like I’m collecting Dragon Balls or something.
After equipping my gear and looking in the mirror, I was glad that I had stubbornly refused to take back the money they had received from my will. The equipment they’d held onto had been kept in pristine condition.
I’m already grateful they didn’t sell it, and on top of that, they’d repaired every damaged spot from the fight with Stormgush.
They must’ve spent quite a bit on repair costs, too.
“Misha just took the one necklace…”
But, that’s actually the most valuable thing I own.
Sigh, that’s actually the most valuable thing I own.
“Alright, let’s see if there’s any problem…”
After checking the condition of the equipment, I left the house.
Though I took off the helmet, it had been quite a while since I had walked the city streets in full armor mode.
After all, there’s rarely a need to fight in the city.
Usually, I just wore the breastplate.
Conversely, doing a full kit today means I’m expecting a fight.
Step, step.
Starting early in the morning, I walked for quite a while until I reached the outskirts of Sector 7.
The gate connecting to other sectors was firmly shut, and the guard atop the city wall was staring at me as if demanding a password.
Sigh, can’t he just tell by looking?
“BETHEL—RAAAAHHHH!!”
I let out a hearty Barbarian war cry. Fortunately, with no further identity check, they opened the gate to the Sacred Grounds.
And then…
Step, step.
I passed the forest path where I had walked with fellow barbarians after my coming of age ceremony.
“Bjorn, son of Jandel! It’s Bjorn, son of Jandel!”
“The mightiest warrior, the one who is called the giant”
The barbarians I encountered on the way stopped what they were doing and began to follow me, their Barbarian instinct telling them that something big was about to happen.
“WAAAHHHHH!”
“Bjorn, son of Jandel, is back!!”
Eventually, the forest path opened up to the barbarian village…
By the time I arrived there were already hundreds of warriors following me.
“…So the rumors were true.”
The Barbarians who’d been hanging around the village all rushed out, barefoot, to wait for me once they heard the news.
Step, step.
They stood aside to clear a path, pounding their chests with their fists as I walked by.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Man, if a regular human saw this, they’d think it was a festival.
Boom! Boom!
Following the cleared path, I arrived at the tribe chief’s hut.
By the way, Aynar was standing in front.
I heard she was training to be the tribe chief, it seems she spends all her time here.
“…Is the tribe chief inside?”
After exchanging nods with Aynar and asking, she stepped aside to clear the way to the hut.
Should I go in directly?
If so, well.
Thud, thud.
When I arrived in front of the hut, the tent was pulled back, and a giant barbarian appeared from inside.
It was the tribe chief.
The day I first woke up here, he had mercilessly chopped off the head of ‘Orum, son of Kadua’, who had been exposed as an evil spirit.
“You’re late, Bjorn, son of Jandel.”
That very tribe chief.
He looked down at me with a large axe resting on his shoulder.
“I thought you had completely forgotten us after eating all that noble food.”
He really is huge.
Even when I’m back in my normal body, I have to look up to see him.
“Forget? No way.”
When I answered, he burst out laughing, as if that alone wiped away whatever lingering disappointment he’d had.
And…
“Then, welcome back, warrior of the tribe!”
He opened his arms wide to welcome me.
“Bjorn, son of Jandel!”
After the welcome, he immediately asked me something.
However, this question was very different from those typically exchanged between long-separated friends, such as where I’d been these two and a half years, whether the royal family’s announcement was really true, or whether I was in some kind of political predicament.
“What brings you here today?”
To that question, I replied.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly the kind of thing to say right after reuniting…
“I’ve come to say something.”
Since I’m a true barbarian.
“What is it?”
I answered the tribe chief in a straightforward barbarian manner.
“Let’s have a good fight.”
“…”
“For the position of tribe chief.”
It didn’t take long for the tribe chief to respond this time either.
“Alright.”
He accepted my challenge.
And at the same time.
“Bethel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Bethel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Bethel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
All the barbarians began to howl.
***
[Biorn Jandel]
Rank: 7
Body: 1,390.55 / Mind: 521.3 / Ability: 2,197.65
Item Level: 7,980 (New +1,695)
Overall Combat Index: 6,104.5 (New +423.75)
Collected Essences:
Orc Hero – Rank 5
Ogre – Rank 3
Bayon – Rank 3
Stormgush – Rank 3
Bol-Herchan – Rank 3
Deepsea Giant – Rank 3