Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 678
Chapter 678: Dream (5)
The unwaking dream continued.
“I came to see you again today, Hansu.”
Hyeonbyeol came nearly every day to visit me, and she told me about a lot of things.
“I’ve looked into it myself because I thought it would help you come to your senses. To be honest, I didn’t think I could find it just by looking for it… but I luckly did.”
In this dream world, Hyeonbyeol hadn’t been dragged into the game, and she was now here visiting me often after hearing the news from my mother.
“It’s that discharged soldier you talked about, Baekho Lee. I went onto the community board of that Dungeon and Stone game you played a lot, and he ended up responding. I asked him if I could meet him and talk, and he asked me if I was a girl or not. And he said yes after I told him I was… The way he acted and what he said, I think he’s just nuts about women.”
Hyeonbyeol sighed.
“Ah, I got distracted. Anyway, the important thing is that he wasn’t dragged into the game either. Uh… Are you disappointed?”
Disappointed about what?
I had already expected as much. Inside this dream world, no one had been dragged into the game. It was also the reason I had even gone out of my way to write that letter to that Canadian friend because I seriously started to question whether I had lost it. But thankfully, the results would be in after tomorrow.
No matter the medication or the lies they fed me, my head had nothing wrong with it. There was no shortage of details that made me doubt myself, along with a handful of unnecessarily realistic things. But this was definitely a dream world.
It may be a little odd for me to say this, but the dream world was very forgiving of me.
Now that I think about it, the police were strange as well.
Even if I was considered mentally unsound, I had caused all that trouble. However, Team Leader Kang still visited me sometimes and wished me well in my recovery.
Was that all?
“Hansu, when you get better, let’s go to Namsan together. You like the night view there, right?”
Hyeonbyeol was too devoted to me, the guy who was just her ex.
“Hansu… It’s my fault, it’s my fault… If I hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have turned out this way…”
Even my mother, who’d spent her life disgusted with me, acted out of sorts. It was as if she were saying all the things I had wished to hear deep down in my heart.
In that sense, this world really was a dream.
Maybe that’s why.
Thinking back on it now, that might have had a bigger impact on me than the medicine. It made me doubt, wonder if perhaps this really was reality and I had lost my mind. It was like the warm embrace of a soft bed that I never wanted to get out of.
But it’s time to wake up.
Using the letter from my Canadian friend as the foundation, I rebuilt my weakening resolve and began to craft a plan of escape once again. I studied the layout of the hospital, and I took note of the behaviors and schedules of the workers, all the while acting like I was actively being cured and luring them into a false sense of security.
“Mr. Hansu. In truth, although I haven’t told anyone about your story…I believe that what you told me could actually be true.”
Interrupting my diligent preparations, Team Leader Kang, who had come in under the excuse of an investigation, arrived unexpectedly and dropped that bomb on me.
Since I was acting like I was breaking away from delusional thinking, this presented a problem.
“Pardon?” I asked, not giving anything away. “But didn’t I make that all up? That’s what I believe right now…”
“My apologies… I’ve thought hard about whether I should tell you this while you’ve been showing improvements in your mental health… But just once is fine. Could you take a look at this video?”
The team leader took out his phone and showed me a video.
What is this…?
The video was a recording of the police station where I had been taken for questioning. The camera was on a desk and was recording a monitor.
“Do you see them? Those words on the monitor.”
There were mysterious logs written on the monitor. The video quality wasn’t that good, so it was difficult for me to read them, but thankfully, the team leader read them aloud for me.
“Synchronization is complete. Character information and journal entries have been recorded and sent to the administrator. The coming-of-age ceremony has been successfully completed. New equipment has been equipped. The total item level increased…”
He paused, then turned to me. “Those game messages were compiled down to the last detail. And they were updated pretty regularly. Once in a while, the character information would be outputted as well, and the name of the character given was ‘Bjorn Yandel.’ It’s the name you gave me.”
It came as a complete left hook for me just as I had been preparing to escape this place within a dream.
“So…” I hedged with a frown. “What are you trying to say?”
Team Leader Kang pressed play on the video once again.
“Could you look near the monitor? Yes, right there. You should be able to tell… The monitor isn’t connected to anything, not even the main console. It’s not even connected to a power source.”
That was true. My head began to spin. What did it mean?
“It’s a phenomenon that can’t be explained by modern science. This is why I’m beginning to believe what you told me is true.”
“…Then are you saying I’m sane?”
“No, I can’t be sure of that yet. But one thing I am sure of… The circumstances here are very suspicious.”
“Suspicious?” I tilted my head.
The team leader glanced around before lowering his voice. “Not long after we took this monitor, it went missing from the evidence locker… It’s as if someone wants to get rid of the evidence.”
What the hell was going on?
***
Team Leader Kang’s words only made me more confused.
I had finally accepted that this world was inside a dream, so why did he come now and show me that video? Just what was real and what was fake?
Maybe Team Leader Kang was sent here to show me the video so I would believe this world was real.
No, if that’s what the dream wanted to do, it could’ve just made my letter to the Canadian friend fail.
With each inconsistency I tried to rationalize, another inconsistency took its place.
My head was pounding with the thought of it, so I decided to take a more simple approach.
In the end, faith was the only important thing. And I could choose what I wanted to believe in.
I’ll enact my plan in four days…
With that, my escape plan was finalized. I had even decided on the time.
On that day, I would escape the hospital and go outside. Only after that would I be able to think about how to escape the dream.
For some reason, I feel like the Dungeon and Stone method will still work…
Of course, that was only a theory. I wasn’t completely sure about it yet. However, even though the hospital permitted most things, they suspiciously forbade me from playing Dungeon and Stone, rationalizing that it would get in the way of my treatment.
Completing Dungeon and Stone once more. Maybe that’s the trigger.
It was worth trying. The important thing now was to succeed on my first escape attempt.
Let’s run it once more, just in case.
While waiting for the promised day, I continued to run the escape simulation in my mind and looked for any holes in my plan.
One day, two days, three days…
It was one day before my decided time.
“Mr. Lee! You have visitors!”
Someone paid me a visit at the hospital.
Hyeonbyeol, Mother, Team Leader Kang—I figured it would be one of the three, but when I went over to see who it was, the person who greeted me was an old man I didn’t recognize. He was Caucasian and wore a gentlemanly suit. He walked with a high-quality cane that didn’t look like a weapon.
Even though he has a staff, he probably isn’t a wizard.
It was a habit I picked up in Rafdonia, analyzing strangers as soon as I—
“So you are Hansu.”
Honestly, the man caught me completely off guard with his fluent Korean. I’d assumed that the young man standing behind him was his translator. Was he just a companion?
Either way, one thing was certain here.
“I am, but… Who are you, sir?”
I didn’t get a good feeling from him. I could tell at a glance that he was rich with a high position in society. Someone like him had no reason to be visiting me, right?
My instinctive reaction was automatic suspicion of this stranger coming to visit me in the hospital. At that moment, the old white man took off the fedora covering his face and placed it on the table.
When I finally saw his face, I no longer needed his following introduction.
“My name is Auril Gavis.”
Ba-dump!
“I am the person who developed the game Dungeon and Stone you played.”
I never expected Gramps to appear. Maybe it was because this was a dream? I truly couldn’t expect what was going to happen.
“By the way.”
His infinitely deep eyes locked onto mine with a sharp movement. It felt like I was being overpowered by his gaze alone.
“From what I see, you already know me?”
Well, I guess there was no point in trying to hide things from Gramps. Not in that world or this one.
“It seems you’ve seen another me on that side?”
“Another you…?” I echoed.
“Hmm, it seems you haven’t figured out that yet…”
Perhaps I’d gotten too used to modern life already. It took hearing Gramps click his tongue in disappointment for my old senses to flood my body and tell me this:
I would be killed if I didn’t focus.
I lowered my voice and stared directly into his eyes. “It’s fine. Get to the point.”
Gramps gave a mysterious smile. He seemed satisfied about something. “I am the only person who knows you didn’t lose your mind. And I can help you out of his place as well. However, seeing how you aren’t reacting in any way… I take it you’ve already made a plan to escape?”
Hah, how could Gramps sound out all that as easily as he could breathe?
“Your point?” I growled.
Gramps slowly nodded, then finally got to the heart of the matter. “I will ask you directly.”
He’d come to me with just one question.
“Have you met that child?”
“Met what child?” Although I had an idea as to who he was talking about, I decided to play innocent.
Gramps shook his head in response. “Well then. I’ll change the question.”
What the? But now I was suddenly curious.
“How were you able to return?” he questioned. “The Gate of the Abyss shouldn’t have even opened.”
“…If you’ve come all the way here to me, you should’ve done all that research already.”
“Ah, are you talking about the statement you gave to the police and that doctor? If you’re talking about that, I’ve already checked…” Gramps trailed off before trying to stifle a smile that eventually turned into full-blown laughter. “Hahaha! Ahaha! Do you truly believe that this world is a dream?”
I didn’t want to reward his mocking tone with an answer. However, if I just kept my mouth shut, I wouldn’t be able to get any information out of him.
“Looks like you don’t think so, Gramps?”
“Hansu, no matter what you believe, this is truly reality. Though, perhaps one that is different from where you were before.”
“Different from where I was? What do you mean?”
“In this world, that ‘cheat mode’ you spoke of doesn’t exist. That is why you are the only person who opened the Gate of the Abyss to go to Rafdonia. However…”
Gramps paused, then revealed, “That doesn’t mean this is not reality. Even if you find it hard to believe, it is true. Even your mother, who is asking you for forgiveness, and that lover of yours who is so devoted to you.”
It went beyond hard to believe. It was impossible to believe.
“Then…give me some proof,” I demanded, getting brazen with him.
Gramps only smirked and shook his head. “No, it’s fine. There’s no need for that.”
“Aren’t you saying that because there is no proof you can give me?”
It was meant to agitate him, but he didn’t give me the reaction I expected.
“Think what you like. You already believe that this is a dream. If you truly want to return to that place, there is no point trying to convince you.”
Hah… So this is how you’re going to act?
Despite my sudden, rising stress, I couldn’t even throw a punch at him since I was planning on escaping soon.
“Then, I’ll leave you to it. I pray for your success.”
Gramps really just got up and turned to leave after saying everything he’d come to say.
Of course, I could’ve just let him leave…
“Wait.”
But I sensed something was off and stopped him.
“Have something to say?” he prompted.
Uh… I didn’t really stop him with a plan in mind, it was more just I felt that I couldn’t just let him leave like that.
Since it was too late to turn back now, I decided to at least ask this question.
“How can I wake up from the dream?” I asked.
“Hmm?”
“If you want me to return anyway, can’t you just tell me?”
Gramps looked at me for a moment before smirking again. “You must wish for it.”
“…What?”
“If you truly wish to return, then it will happen, whether you want to or not. However, seeing that you are still here… Unlike what you’re saying, it seems this place is to your liking.”
Huh? All I wanted, even in that moment, was to return.
“Oh, and I’ll deal with the hospital and the police so you can do as you please.”
No matter what happened, I wasn’t going to falter.