Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 284 Drift (4)

Is this for real?

Is this a prank?

I stood there frozen, unable to describe how I felt. My fingertips trembled, and my breathing became ragged.

But I quickly accepted reality.

'Time slip.'

That was the only explanation for all the contradictions I had experienced since waking up on this island.

There was no point in denying it.

Yeah, I could wake up in a barbarian's body after playing a game, so why not time travel?

I finished organizing my thoughts and looked at Amelia.

"To some extent."

Amelia nodded slightly and said she had become certain after meeting those explorers.

I had only read about them in a book, but they were apparently quite famous back then.

'...No wonder she attacked them first. She's not usually that aggressive.'

It was a kind of time traveler's perk.

To see through those who were hiding their true intentions and crush them before they could do anything.

It would be baffling for those on the receiving end.

"Fa, fa, famous? Wh, wh, what do you mean?!"

What the hell.

There's no time to explain.

And it wouldn't even matter if I did.

"Are there other members of your clan on this island? Just nod if there are."

I quickly moved on to the interrogation.

And after clearing up a few things I was curious about, I took some time to think.

"Twenty years ago..."

The time period was twenty years in the past.

In other words, we had just met explorers who would be exposed for their crimes and executed five years later.

'This is a bit of a problem.'

According to the interrogation, there were over thirty of them on this island.

And Amelia had warned me.

The leader of Clan Elvis was a dangerous explorer.

"...We have to move."

"We do."

I exchanged glances with Amelia and quickly reached an agreement.

We worked well together in this aspect.

There was no need for persuasion.

"Let's take their equipment first."

"Ah, I'll take care of that."

We skillfully stripped them of their equipment and took their backpacks.

And...

Thud.

We killed them all.

How could we let them live?

They would definitely come after us with their companions as soon as they returned to the city.

'And they deserve to die anyway.'

They were from a clan that would be exposed for its crimes five years later.

Their backpacks were filled with evidence of their looting, and I had heard enough during the interrogation to feel no guilt.

"What about the bodies?"

"We should bury them."

"Then we should start digging."

I agreed with Amelia's suggestion without hesitation.

Yeah, it's best to listen to the expert in this kind of situation.

"I'll go erase the traces."

While I dug a hole to bury the bodies, Amelia went back to our campsite and dismantled the campfire and leaf bed I had built.

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My short primitive life had come to an end.

Time to return to civilization.

"A dagger? Do you want to use it?"

We took off our 'Blessings of the Tree Spirit' and put on the clothes and equipment we had looted.

It wasn't as good as my original equipment...

'But it's good enough for now.'

It would be greedy to ask for more.

I finished burying the bodies and then ate some jerky and drank water from my canteen. And I checked the direction with my compass.

'Phew, I finally feel like a human again.'

It wasn't even strange anymore.

_______________________

"I know a cave. Let's go there."

The sky was turning blue as dawn approached.

I followed Amelia for about thirty minutes and arrived at a small cave.

It was a place she had found while we were heading towards the center of the island with Misha.

"It's bigger than it looks."

"...You've been here before?"

"I just took note of it while we were passing by. It seemed like a good place to hide."

Wait, you even remember the location?

"You have a good memory."

Amelia frowned at my genuine compliment.

"It's just a habit."

"Well, you're embarrassed by a simple compliment."

"...I'm not embarrassed."

"Oh, I see."

"Barbarian, what does that 'I see' mean?"

It just means I see.

Whatever.

"Let's get to the point. What was that stone?"

I asked the same question again, and this time, I finally got an answer.

"It's called the 'Fragment of Records'. It's a legacy of Archmage Gavrilius, a treasure that has been passed down through the Lords of Noark for generations."

So that was its official name.

It definitely seemed related to this situation.

"Then did we time travel because of that Fragment of Records?"

"Probably."

Amelia nodded and continued.

The 'Fragment of Records' was a legendary item that could supposedly allow you to go back in time and change history.

That's why she had spent her entire life trying to obtain it.

"But why did you use it when you were with me?"

"It wasn't my intention."

"What?"

"I didn't even know how to use it. I was planning to research it properly when I returned to the city."

According to Amelia, even the Lord of Noark didn't know how to use it, so he just kept it safe.

Until the 'Chosen One' appeared, as Auril Gabis had said when he gave it to him.

'Damn it.'

I couldn't help but sigh.

"Then you don't know how to go back either?"

"...That's right."

Amelia looked apologetic, but her eyes were sparkling.

I could understand.

She had finally achieved her lifelong goal. She was probably more interested in changing the past than returning to the present.

'What about the time I came from? Did it just stop?'

My mind was racing.

But I couldn't figure it out by myself.

I decided to satisfy my curiosity first.

"So, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm curious about why you wanted to go back in time."

"..."

Amelia didn't answer.

Come on, just tell me you don't want to talk about it.

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence followed.

We both had a lot on our minds.

"The sun is rising."

Time passed, and the sun rose. We stayed in the cave.

It would be troublesome if we went out and ran into those explorers.

Damn it, if those guys had a boat, we could have used it to escape the island.

'They're controlling the entire island?'

I had learned something during the interrogation.

Parune Island was their clan's territory.

They used it as a base to loot explorers on nearby islands.

They had sent five members to search the island for any explorers who might have entered while the clan was away...

'Well, at least we just have to endure for today.'

The labyrinth closes on the 60th day on the 6th floor.

And today was the 60th day.

Even after time traveling, it was still a relief that the labyrinth closed.

'I wonder what happened to my companions... They still have a month left until the labyrinth closes. I hope they're okay without me.'

I was worried about my companions, but I tried not to dwell on it.

Yeah, I should worry about myself first.

I don't even know if I can go back.

'I hope we don't just end up staying in the past...'

I was having those silly thoughts when Amelia called me.

"Barbarian."

"My name is Bjorn, son of Yandel, human."

"..."

"So what did you want to say?"

"Choose an ID card from the backpacks. You should pick one beforehand."

Huh?

'Ah...'

I didn't understand at first, but then it clicked.

We couldn't even pass through the checkpoint if we returned to the city like this.

I rummaged through the backpacks and gathered all the ID cards.

There were at least forty of them.

"...Why did they even collect so many ID cards? It could be used as evidence against them."

"It's common. ID cards are worth money."

Apparently, there were many people who wanted new identities, even those who weren't from Noark.

'Well, they're already looters, so it doesn't matter if they get caught with ID cards. They might as well sell them for profit.'

We then looked through the ID cards and chose ones we could use.

Unlike Amelia, I didn't have many options.

There was only one barbarian ID card.

"Amelia Berrywells? You got a good one."

Amelia chose an ID card with the same name as hers.

It was a human female.

"Twenty-one years old? You have some conscience."

"...I, I didn't choose it because I liked it."

Huh? What's with that reaction?

"Wait a minute, how old are you, Amelia?"

"...Don't pry into my personal life, Bjorn Yandel."

Amelia quickly cut me off.

She was already thinking about the taxes she would have to pay after returning to the past.

'She's choosing the youngest one to pay less taxes.'

'Damn it.'

I sighed inwardly and checked the ID card I had chosen.

'Name: Nibels Enche, Age: Twenty-one, Explorer Rank: 6.'

That was the essential information.

But since I was 6th-grade, my essence information would be registered with the guild, so I shouldn't use [Gigantification] in public.

"Give it to me when you're done."

"Huh?"

"You told me not to call you a barbarian, didn't you? I can't call you 'Yandel' in front of other people."

Ah, right.

I handed Amelia my new ID card.

But then...

"Nibels Enche...?"

Amelia froze, staring at the ID card.

As if she knew the name.

_____________________

"Do you know her?"

Amelia shook her head at my question.

And she said it was just a coincidence and didn't elaborate.

Damn it, this woman is really frustrating.

'She could have just kept quiet.'

Anyway, we waited in the cave until the labyrinth closed.

We chatted occasionally, and one conversation was particularly memorable.

"I'll find a way for us to return, so try not to do anything that will draw attention. You might do something irreversible."

"Irreversible?"

"I heard this from a mage. If time travel is possible, even a small change could lead to the destruction of a nation."

He was talking about the butterfly effect.

You know, the one where a butterfly flapping its wings could cause a hurricane on the other side of the world.

'...Wait a minute, what happens if Bjorn from this time period dies?'

A sudden thought crossed my mind.

It's twenty years in the past, so Bjorn would still be alive.

He would be a baby, just starting to drink from a bottle.

But what would happen to me if that baby died?

'...I might be in danger.'

I should listen to Amelia's advice and lay low for a while after returning to the city.

"Alright, I won't cause any trouble, so don't worry."

"...I'll believe you."

Amelia said so with a distrustful look and then fell into deep thought.

Time passed.

A few explorers from the clan that was searching for us passed by, but Amelia had disguised the entrance well, so we weren't caught.

And finally...

[00:00]

The clock struck midnight.

It was time for the labyrinth to close.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A white light enveloped me.

My vision blurred, and then colors slowly returned. I looked up at the sky and chuckled.

'It was gloomy even twenty years ago.'

The familiar gray sky of Lafdonia.

"Hey, you're not going straight to your place, are you?"

"Of course not. Let's get a drink first."

The Dimensional Plaza was bustling with explorers.

Yeah, this was how it usually was.

I've been through so much lately that this peaceful scene felt strange.

It was finally sinking in.

'...This really is twenty years ago.'

I would have to live here for a while.