SGB: Episode 46
Episode 46: Line (3)
Tarik Liyen.
Of course, this isn’t his real name, but anyway…
‘First, I should give him something to eat while we talk.’
Since the inn isn’t far, I take him to my room and buy him food from the 1st floor.
For reference, the menu is the 300-stone daily set meal.
It consists of chicken stew, a few pieces of bread, and some grilled vegetables, but even that is enough to make him deeply grateful.
However, there’s one thing that bothers me…
“I’ll ne, never forget this kindness!”
Phew, what the hell is with this awkward barbarian way of speaking?
Still, it’s a relief that he seems to have come to his senses a bit, but if he’s going to do it, he should do it properly.
He lacks confidence, and his voice is too quiet.
Our barbarians express their joy much more forcefully when someone buys them food.
‘…But he eats well. Is it because he’s been starving a lot?’
I smile bitterly to myself as I watch him devour the food.
It’s because of one fact I learned during our short conversation after the meal.
‘I can’t believe he wasn’t a newbie…’
Surprisingly, this man is my senior.
Just by one month.
He was summoned to this world a month before I woke up in Bjorn’s body.
And here’s another surprising fact.
“Co, coming-of-age ceremony? Ah, I was really surprised back then. Who would have thought there was an ev, evil spirit among us?”
‘An evil spirit appeared, huh…’
Coincidentally, this man and I had similar beginnings.
During his coming-of-age ceremony, an evil spirit…
In other words, a player was executed by the chieftain.
And here’s a question that arises at this point.
‘How did he survive?’
During the coming-of-age ceremony, they call out names.
However, when an evil spirit wakes up, they have no information about this body. That’s why I had to count in my head with bated breath every time the chieftain called out a name.
‘…But could it be that even if I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been suspected?’
Hmm, maybe.
Or maybe he used a similar strategy to me and avoided suspicion.
I’m curious, so I ask him indirectly, but the answer I get is a bit anticlimactic.
“How many times was I called during the coming-of-age ceremony? I don’t know why you’re asking, but… I think I was the last one!”
I see, so he was the last one.
Then he wouldn’t have needed to know his name.
There would have been no other warriors left.
I can only think that he was lucky, but he doesn’t seem to realize it.
How annoying.
“So what happened after that?”
“What, what happened? Why are you curious?”
Why, you ask?
Because I’m an evil spirit too, of course.
It’s data collection, data collection.
“I might help you if I hear your story and it’s pitiful.”
I intentionally answer as vaguely as possible.
However, in his mind, it seems like it’s already a given that I’ll help him.
“I, I see! Then I’ll tell you!”
He can’t hide his hopeful expression and starts to slowly tell his story.
From the day he woke up in Tarik Liyen’s body to today.
It’s less pitiful and more self-inflicted.
“…You’re saying you couldn’t enter the labyrinth after the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“I, I couldn’t help it! I got lo, lost on the way…”
First of all, he didn’t enter the labyrinth.
He made the excuse of getting lost, but…
‘That’s something I can just ignore.’
The real reason was probably that he thought fighting monsters was crazy.
And leaving the excited group of barbarians would have been very easy.
The problem was what came after.
Left in the city, he survived on stone bread for a week and tried to find a job, but no one would hire a barbarian.
‘It’s practically the biggest disadvantage of being a barbarian.’
Other races can have side jobs.
For example, even if you just go to a tavern, you can see beastmen working as servers, and you can also occasionally find dwarves employed at blacksmiths.
They mine magic stones when the labyrinth opens, and they also work and earn money during the month they spend in the city.
Unlike barbarians, who have no options besides fighting.
“You didn’t know that? It’s something you learn at the sanctuary.”
“Th, that’s… I fo, forgot for a moment! And I, I told you! I couldn’t help it because I got lost…”
That’s why I’m saying it, because I know it’s a lie.
Even though I said it was something you learn at the sanctuary, if you’ve played the game, it’s a setting you should know, right? That’s what I was indirectly asking.
‘But to get an answer like this…’
I’m starting to get suspicious.
Are ‘evil spirits’ really those who have reached the ‘Gate of the Abyss’ on the last floor?
If they’re that skilled, they should know the barbarian settings.
“…Can I continue?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Go on.”
Anyway, back to the main story.
After suffering from hunger for a few days, he sold his starting weapon for 50,000 stones.
Whoever bought it was quite sly.
As far as I know, barbarian starting weapons are worth at least 150,000 stones on average.
‘Well, the really important part is something else.’
With a little money in his pocket, he somehow managed to save it and survive for a month.
And then the next labyrinth entry period.
In other words, the day I woke up in this body and decided to enter the labyrinth.
“Huh! You didn’t even enter the labyrinth on that day? Are you out of your mind?”
“But how can I fight monsters without a weapon!”
No, that’s why you should have just entered.
You’re also a player who reached the ‘Gate of the Abyss’, right?
Can’t you even make that judgment?
“And be, besides, that day, I had a stomach ache from eating something bad!”
‘This is truly speechless.’
My head is getting complicated.
‘I can’t just ask him directly if he’s even played the game…’
Now that I think about it, I’m not even sure if this guy, or any of the evil spirits, are from the same Earth as me.
This is a world where monsters exist and magic is real. The setting that some evil spirits were summoned from other alien dimensions is also possible.
“Anyway, keep talking.”
It doesn’t seem like there’s anything else noteworthy, but I endure and listen to the rest of his story.
He runs out of money, gets kicked out of the inn, and spends his days fighting hunger, cold, and illness.
One day, he finds out about the inn where barbarians gather and thinks he might be able to get help, but for some reason, he’s rejected…
“Come to think of it, you’re quite unique! Everyone else looks at me strangely.”
Honestly, I find him even more strange.
How could he have survived for three months while acting so carelessly?
‘No, should I be praising him for figuring out on his own that he needs to act like a barbarian?’
Each of the choices he made doesn’t make sense to me, but at the same time, I feel a sense of relief.
If I had made different choices back then…
‘I probably wouldn’t have been much different.’
If I had chosen to run away out of fear of fighting on that day…
“…By the way, how much does it cost to stay here per day?”
I would probably be sleeping on the streets instead of in an inn with a window and a private bathtub.
And I wouldn’t even be able to eat stone bread, let alone soup, so I would have to rummage through trash cans…
“Ah, ah! So, what did you think of my story? Wasn’t it pitiful?”
…And I might have had to do things like this, pouring out my misfortune and relying on the pity of others.
I think carefully before answering.
And I make a decision.
“It was definitely a pitiful story.”
“Then will you help me?”
His face brightens up instantly.
“Of, of course, I’ll repay your kindness. You might not believe me, but I know a lot about the labyrinth! If you travel with me, it will be a huge help to you too!”
A huge help?
‘Judging by the way he’s talking, it seems like he has some knowledge about this world…’
I can even sense what kind of future his optimistic delusions are painting in his head.
He’s probably imagining entering the labyrinth with me and becoming a team.
He might be saying those things because he genuinely wants to repay me.
He doesn’t know my true identity.
But to draw a clear line beforehand…
“I will never enter the labyrinth with you.”
That future will never happen.
I’m already struggling to take care of myself, why would I carry dead weight into the labyrinth just because he’s in a similar situation?
Why would I do such a crazy thing?
“But you said you would help me!”
I suppress a bitter laugh as I hear his slightly resentful voice.
“I’ll help you in a different way.”
“A different way?”
“Here, 150,000 stones. Buy a weapon with this and enter the labyrinth.”
I take out three 50,000-stone bills and hand them to him, and his face brightens up again.
“Are you really just giving this to me? Thank you! I’ll definitely repay this kindness!”
I don’t expect him to actually repay me.
With that mindset, it doesn’t seem like he’ll survive for long even if he has this money.
The labyrinth I’ve experienced firsthand is not a place you can easily navigate just because you have some knowledge from the game.
But I gave him 150,000 stones.
I gave him the money even though I knew it wouldn’t benefit me in any way.
“Then please leave now, I’m tired.”
“Ah, ri, right! I’ll come back next—”
“Don’t come back.”
I speak in a low voice so that he can understand clearly.
“Tarik, son of Liyen, whether you lose the money, get lost in the labyrinth, survive, or make a lot of money, even if things go well and you have the means to repay me—”
He flinches as I approach and grab his shoulder.
I can feel his bewilderment through my fingertips, but I continue speaking without stopping.
“It’s the same for any other reason. Once you leave this room, never come looking for me again. And if you understand, answer me. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
I hear his confirmation and practically force him out of the room. And I collapse onto the bed, reflecting on my actions just now.
A chuckle escapes my lips.
‘Well, did I just reminisce about the past?’
Maybe I remembered the time when I desperately needed someone’s help.
But even considering that…
‘Even I think what I did was hypocritical.’
Someone calculating would probably call me foolish after seeing me like this.
Someone emotional would find me sly, asking if that’s all I can do to help.
They’re not wrong.
I don’t have the coldness to distance myself completely from a line, nor the recklessness to cross it.
That’s why I stopped right on the line.
‘This must be what hypocrisy is.’
I close my eyes.
And I think once more.
Even if my actions today were nothing but hypocrisy…
“Tarik, survive for as long as you can.”
This was my best.
Something that yesterday’s me, without any money, could never have chosen.
___________________________________________
The next morning.
I visit the Explorer’s Guild branch again.
Unfortunately, the employee helping me is different, but…
“Five stars…?”
The female employee checks my ID and her expression changes instantly, just like the employee from yesterday, and she treats me kindly.
What the hell is this?
Did the regional manager do something to my ID?
I’m curious, so I ask the employee, but I can’t get a clear answer.
“Stars? Did I say something like that?”
Geez, pretending not to know now…
I don’t pry any further.
Well, it must be some kind of code used only within the guild.
Something they attach to VIPs or troublemakers.
I’m curious which one I am…
‘Either way, it’s beneficial to me.’
Whether I’m a VIP or a top-tier troublemaker…
The end result of receiving kind treatment is the same.
“Here’s a list of teams that meet your requirements. Would you like to take a look, explorer?”
I check today’s notices with the same conditions as yesterday.
The content is almost the same, except for a few new teams added.
‘I wonder if I can find a decent team today?’
As I’m looking through the documents, focusing on the newly added teams, my gaze stops at one point.
I see a familiar name.
[3rd Floor Exploration – Hikurod Murad]
Preferred exploration area: None, to be decided later through discussion.
Average rank: Undecided.
Current members: 1 dwarf melee tank (7th grade)
Recruiting: 4 people (any role, may vary depending on team composition)
*Equal distribution
‘The team leader’s name is Hikurod Murad?’
And his race is dwarf…
It doesn’t seem like a coincidence…
‘Did his original team disband?’
Whatever the reason, it’s not bad.
Although it’s a bit concerning that there are no other members yet, at least the leader is someone I can trust.
I’m also curious about what Numbered Item he absorbed in the ‘Crimson Fortress’.
‘I should at least meet him.’
After filling out the application form, I submit it to the administrator and leave the building, heading straight for the commercial district.
If I’m lucky, the meeting will be arranged tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.
‘Then should I do some shopping before then?’
I’m certain.
It will definitely be the most enjoyable time I’ve had in recent days.
‘Uh… but have there been any enjoyable times?’
I decide not to worry about such trivial matters.
Tarik Liyen.
Of course, this isn’t his real name, but anyway…
‘First, I should give him something to eat while we talk.’
Since the inn isn’t far, I take him to my room and buy him food from the 1st floor.
For reference, the menu is the 300-stone daily set meal.
It consists of chicken stew, a few pieces of bread, and some grilled vegetables, but even that is enough to make him deeply grateful.
However, there’s one thing that bothers me…
“I’ll ne, never forget this kindness!”
Phew, what the hell is with this awkward barbarian way of speaking?
Still, it’s a relief that he seems to have come to his senses a bit, but if he’s going to do it, he should do it properly.
He lacks confidence, and his voice is too quiet.
Our barbarians express their joy much more forcefully when someone buys them food.
‘…But he eats well. Is it because he’s been starving a lot?’
I smile bitterly to myself as I watch him devour the food.
It’s because of one fact I learned during our short conversation after the meal.
‘I can’t believe he wasn’t a newbie…’
Surprisingly, this man is my senior.
Just by one month.
He was summoned to this world a month before I woke up in Bjorn’s body.
And here’s another surprising fact.
“Co, coming-of-age ceremony? Ah, I was really surprised back then. Who would have thought there was an ev, evil spirit among us?”
‘An evil spirit appeared, huh…’
Coincidentally, this man and I had similar beginnings.
During his coming-of-age ceremony, an evil spirit…
In other words, a player was executed by the chieftain.
And here’s a question that arises at this point.
‘How did he survive?’
During the coming-of-age ceremony, they call out names.
However, when an evil spirit wakes up, they have no information about this body. That’s why I had to count in my head with bated breath every time the chieftain called out a name.
‘…But could it be that even if I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been suspected?’
Hmm, maybe.
Or maybe he used a similar strategy to me and avoided suspicion.
I’m curious, so I ask him indirectly, but the answer I get is a bit anticlimactic.
“How many times was I called during the coming-of-age ceremony? I don’t know why you’re asking, but… I think I was the last one!”
I see, so he was the last one.
Then he wouldn’t have needed to know his name.
There would have been no other warriors left.
I can only think that he was lucky, but he doesn’t seem to realize it.
How annoying.
“So what happened after that?”
“What, what happened? Why are you curious?”
Why, you ask?
Because I’m an evil spirit too, of course.
It’s data collection, data collection.
“I might help you if I hear your story and it’s pitiful.”
I intentionally answer as vaguely as possible.
However, in his mind, it seems like it’s already a given that I’ll help him.
“I, I see! Then I’ll tell you!”
He can’t hide his hopeful expression and starts to slowly tell his story.
From the day he woke up in Tarik Liyen’s body to today.
It’s less pitiful and more self-inflicted.
“…You’re saying you couldn’t enter the labyrinth after the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“I, I couldn’t help it! I got lo, lost on the way…”
First of all, he didn’t enter the labyrinth.
He made the excuse of getting lost, but…
‘That’s something I can just ignore.’
The real reason was probably that he thought fighting monsters was crazy.
And leaving the excited group of barbarians would have been very easy.
The problem was what came after.
Left in the city, he survived on stone bread for a week and tried to find a job, but no one would hire a barbarian.
‘It’s practically the biggest disadvantage of being a barbarian.’
Other races can have side jobs.
For example, even if you just go to a tavern, you can see beastmen working as servers, and you can also occasionally find dwarves employed at blacksmiths.
They mine magic stones when the labyrinth opens, and they also work and earn money during the month they spend in the city.
Unlike barbarians, who have no options besides fighting.
“You didn’t know that? It’s something you learn at the sanctuary.”
“Th, that’s… I fo, forgot for a moment! And I, I told you! I couldn’t help it because I got lost…”
That’s why I’m saying it, because I know it’s a lie.
Even though I said it was something you learn at the sanctuary, if you’ve played the game, it’s a setting you should know, right? That’s what I was indirectly asking.
‘But to get an answer like this…’
I’m starting to get suspicious.
Are ‘evil spirits’ really those who have reached the ‘Gate of the Abyss’ on the last floor?
If they’re that skilled, they should know the barbarian settings.
“…Can I continue?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Go on.”
Anyway, back to the main story.
After suffering from hunger for a few days, he sold his starting weapon for 50,000 stones.
Whoever bought it was quite sly.
As far as I know, barbarian starting weapons are worth at least 150,000 stones on average.
‘Well, the really important part is something else.’
With a little money in his pocket, he somehow managed to save it and survive for a month.
And then the next labyrinth entry period.
In other words, the day I woke up in this body and decided to enter the labyrinth.
“Huh! You didn’t even enter the labyrinth on that day? Are you out of your mind?”
“But how can I fight monsters without a weapon!”
No, that’s why you should have just entered.
You’re also a player who reached the ‘Gate of the Abyss’, right?
Can’t you even make that judgment?
“And be, besides, that day, I had a stomach ache from eating something bad!”
‘This is truly speechless.’
My head is getting complicated.
‘I can’t just ask him directly if he’s even played the game…’
Now that I think about it, I’m not even sure if this guy, or any of the evil spirits, are from the same Earth as me.
This is a world where monsters exist and magic is real. The setting that some evil spirits were summoned from other alien dimensions is also possible.
“Anyway, keep talking.”
It doesn’t seem like there’s anything else noteworthy, but I endure and listen to the rest of his story.
He runs out of money, gets kicked out of the inn, and spends his days fighting hunger, cold, and illness.
One day, he finds out about the inn where barbarians gather and thinks he might be able to get help, but for some reason, he’s rejected…
“Come to think of it, you’re quite unique! Everyone else looks at me strangely.”
Honestly, I find him even more strange.
How could he have survived for three months while acting so carelessly?
‘No, should I be praising him for figuring out on his own that he needs to act like a barbarian?’
Each of the choices he made doesn’t make sense to me, but at the same time, I feel a sense of relief.
If I had made different choices back then…
‘I probably wouldn’t have been much different.’
If I had chosen to run away out of fear of fighting on that day…
“…By the way, how much does it cost to stay here per day?”
I would probably be sleeping on the streets instead of in an inn with a window and a private bathtub.
And I wouldn’t even be able to eat stone bread, let alone soup, so I would have to rummage through trash cans…
“Ah, ah! So, what did you think of my story? Wasn’t it pitiful?”
…And I might have had to do things like this, pouring out my misfortune and relying on the pity of others.
I think carefully before answering.
And I make a decision.
“It was definitely a pitiful story.”
“Then will you help me?”
His face brightens up instantly.
“Of, of course, I’ll repay your kindness. You might not believe me, but I know a lot about the labyrinth! If you travel with me, it will be a huge help to you too!”
A huge help?
‘Judging by the way he’s talking, it seems like he has some knowledge about this world…’
I can even sense what kind of future his optimistic delusions are painting in his head.
He’s probably imagining entering the labyrinth with me and becoming a team.
He might be saying those things because he genuinely wants to repay me.
He doesn’t know my true identity.
But to draw a clear line beforehand…
“I will never enter the labyrinth with you.”
That future will never happen.
I’m already struggling to take care of myself, why would I carry dead weight into the labyrinth just because he’s in a similar situation?
Why would I do such a crazy thing?
“But you said you would help me!”
I suppress a bitter laugh as I hear his slightly resentful voice.
“I’ll help you in a different way.”
“A different way?”
“Here, 150,000 stones. Buy a weapon with this and enter the labyrinth.”
I take out three 50,000-stone bills and hand them to him, and his face brightens up again.
“Are you really just giving this to me? Thank you! I’ll definitely repay this kindness!”
I don’t expect him to actually repay me.
With that mindset, it doesn’t seem like he’ll survive for long even if he has this money.
The labyrinth I’ve experienced firsthand is not a place you can easily navigate just because you have some knowledge from the game.
But I gave him 150,000 stones.
I gave him the money even though I knew it wouldn’t benefit me in any way.
“Then please leave now, I’m tired.”
“Ah, ri, right! I’ll come back next—”
“Don’t come back.”
I speak in a low voice so that he can understand clearly.
“Tarik, son of Liyen, whether you lose the money, get lost in the labyrinth, survive, or make a lot of money, even if things go well and you have the means to repay me—”
He flinches as I approach and grab his shoulder.
I can feel his bewilderment through my fingertips, but I continue speaking without stopping.
“It’s the same for any other reason. Once you leave this room, never come looking for me again. And if you understand, answer me. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
I hear his confirmation and practically force him out of the room. And I collapse onto the bed, reflecting on my actions just now.
A chuckle escapes my lips.
‘Well, did I just reminisce about the past?’
Maybe I remembered the time when I desperately needed someone’s help.
But even considering that…
‘Even I think what I did was hypocritical.’
Someone calculating would probably call me foolish after seeing me like this.
Someone emotional would find me sly, asking if that’s all I can do to help.
They’re not wrong.
I don’t have the coldness to distance myself completely from a line, nor the recklessness to cross it.
That’s why I stopped right on the line.
‘This must be what hypocrisy is.’
I close my eyes.
And I think once more.
Even if my actions today were nothing but hypocrisy…
“Tarik, survive for as long as you can.”
This was my best.
Something that yesterday’s me, without any money, could never have chosen.
___________________________________________
The next morning.
I visit the Explorer’s Guild branch again.
Unfortunately, the employee helping me is different, but…
“Five stars…?”
The female employee checks my ID and her expression changes instantly, just like the employee from yesterday, and she treats me kindly.
What the hell is this?
Did the regional manager do something to my ID?
I’m curious, so I ask the employee, but I can’t get a clear answer.
“Stars? Did I say something like that?”
Geez, pretending not to know now…
I don’t pry any further.
Well, it must be some kind of code used only within the guild.
Something they attach to VIPs or troublemakers.
I’m curious which one I am…
‘Either way, it’s beneficial to me.’
Whether I’m a VIP or a top-tier troublemaker…
The end result of receiving kind treatment is the same.
“Here’s a list of teams that meet your requirements. Would you like to take a look, explorer?”
I check today’s notices with the same conditions as yesterday.
The content is almost the same, except for a few new teams added.
‘I wonder if I can find a decent team today?’
As I’m looking through the documents, focusing on the newly added teams, my gaze stops at one point.
I see a familiar name.
[3rd Floor Exploration – Hikurod Murad]
Preferred exploration area: None, to be decided later through discussion.
Average rank: Undecided.
Current members: 1 dwarf melee tank (7th grade)
Recruiting: 4 people (any role, may vary depending on team composition)
*Equal distribution
‘The team leader’s name is Hikurod Murad?’
And his race is dwarf…
It doesn’t seem like a coincidence…
‘Did his original team disband?’
Whatever the reason, it’s not bad.
Although it’s a bit concerning that there are no other members yet, at least the leader is someone I can trust.
I’m also curious about what Numbered Item he absorbed in the ‘Crimson Fortress’.
‘I should at least meet him.’
After filling out the application form, I submit it to the administrator and leave the building, heading straight for the commercial district.
If I’m lucky, the meeting will be arranged tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.
‘Then should I do some shopping before then?’
I’m certain.
It will definitely be the most enjoyable time I’ve had in recent days.
‘Uh… but have there been any enjoyable times?’
I decide not to worry about such trivial matters.
I think what he did with the other guy was the smartest think to do. I think evil spirits should definitely try to help each other, but MC cannot carry a deadweight. At the end of the day it's better to let others learn how to earn their own living.
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