Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel MTL - Chapter 784
Chapter 784: Upgrade (2)
Beleg Shucia di Tersia. Erwen’s uncle and an evil spirit from another world who wore the crescent moon mask at the Round Table. In truth, facing him is a bit uncomfortable for me. In a way… no, there’s no ‘in a way’ about it. Even if I try to justify it, it doesn’t change the fact that I deceived him.
[That part is definitely different from the legends……]
[…Thanks to you, I can now let go of this foolish dream of mine.]
[However, I cannot seem to feel any gratitude toward you.]
On the final day of the Round Table, I revealed the conditions for using the ‘Stone of Revival’ that I had intentionally kept secret, and these were his words to me. At that time, his eyes were filled with deep emptiness. But now, he’s talking about the Stone of Revival again……
‘Could it be my assumption that he is Crescent Moon was actually incorrect?’
With this thought in mind, I had him sit down and started by clarifying things.
“Only two people can be resurrected with the Stone of Revival. However, you need to know that to use it, the target must have died recently and you must have their corpse. Are you aware of this?”
“I am.”
Hmm, he says he knows…… It seems certain that this guy is indeed Crescent Moon……
I decided to be straightforward.
“Who do you want to bring back?”
“…Myself.”
“……?”
“I want to use the Stone of Revival on myself.”
……What?
***
Hearing that he wanted to use the Stone of Revival on himself left me in a daze. You could say I was in a state of complete bewilderment……
Noticing my confusion, he quickly began to explain.
“I’ll speak candidly since I’m requesting your help. Originally, I wanted to use the Stone of Revival on Bellua and Daria.”
“…Bellua?”
“Their mother. My… Younger sister.”
“And?”
“But I don’t have either of their bodies. I buried Daria’s burned body without cremating it, just in case. I even periodically dug up her grave in secret to cast ‘preservation’ magic on her remains… But when I learned that it only works on those who ‘died recently,’ I stopped doing that.”
The story was nothing short of shocking. So, up until recently, Daria’s body had remained intact inside her coffin.
‘…Is he insane?’
I felt a chill run down my spine as he calmly gave his psychopathic explanation. But, that’s beside the point.
“I understand your frustration about not having their bodies. But why does that lead to you wanting to use the Stone of Revival on yourself?”
The situation was so far beyond comprehension that I thought my brain might short-circuit, but, surprisingly, his next words made sense.
“I’ve heard that when you use the Stone of Revival… You lose all memories of your previous life.”
Ah……
“…I need the Stone of Revival. To live.”
His calm confession made me nod in understanding. It was ironic in every sense. A living person needing the Stone of Revival to live…… It sounded absurd, yet somehow made sense. Perhaps because I’d had a similar experience.
“……”
My head hurt. It felt like my brain was overloaded. From experience, at times like this, I needed to simplify the problem as much as possible. A person in pain is a person in pain, and I’m just me, right?
“So, you want me to give you the Stone of Revival?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not expecting it for free, are you? What’s your offer?”
“I’m a man who’s lived without greed all my life, so I have nothing to offer. Except for this body of mine.”
……What?
I must be the weird one for having strange thoughts about him saying ‘this body of mine,’ right? Yeah, that must be it.
“Use me as you wish. Whether in the labyrinth, the city, or beyond, I will follow you and do whatever you desire.”
In simpler terms, he was offering to join me in exchange for the Stone of Revival.
“I’m confident in my abilities. Not only will I not hold you back, but I’m certain I can be of great help.”
“You might be helpful. But what if your help isn’t worth the value of the Stone of Revival?”
He responded without a hint of hesitation.
“I’ll stay until it is.”
The decisiveness of his answer left me slightly embarrassed that I had asked just to test him. I let out a deep sigh. Even back when he wore the crescent moon mask, he was just like this. After being so easily taken advantage of at the Round Table, here he was, making such a foolish proposal.
“What if I just wring every bit of value out of you and don’t keep my promise?”
“I know you’re not that kind of person.”
“……”
“And even if you were, it wouldn’t matter.”
“Wouldn’t matter?”
“……”
Though he had been answering every question clearly until now, this time he remained silent. However, I decided not to probe him further. This time I could somewhat guess what he meant. In life, sometimes you meet people like this, whether you like it or not. People who drift through life as if they have no attachment to anything. Those types of people often have eyes like his.
‘Hah……’
His proposal left me conflicted.
If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have to think this hard. I’d refuse without hesitation. I didn’t know Beleg’s exact combat strength, but it was unlikely to match the value of the Stone of Revival. However, the issue is……
‘He’s Erwen’s uncle, isn’t he?’
In the midst of talking with him, extreme scenarios flashed through my mind. If he were to, say, hang himself suddenly, how would Erwen handle the shock? And how would I feel? If the person I had deceived at the Round Table were to die, tormented by an unfulfilled wish until the end……
“Whew……”
I didn’t need long to make a decision. The Stone of Revival is for bringing back the dead, not for saving the living.
“Fine. I’ll permit you to join us. However, as you said, the decision of when to give you the Stone will be mine.”
What’s needed to save a living person isn’t some mere stone, but something warmer.
***
Three days were all it took for Beleg’s membership in our clan to become official. In that short time, he sorted out all his political and emotional ties within the elven holy land and joined the Anabada Clan. However, he didn’t completely relocate his residence. His only request was to stay close enough to look after Erwen’s little sister, May, who often remained alone in the holy land. I gladly granted this request.
“…My uncle joined our clan?”
I ended up reporting this to Erwen after the fact, but compared to what I worried about, Erwen’s reaction was rather subdued. Or more specifically, it was a subtle reaction.
“He’ll… be on a different team from mine, right……?”
“He most likely will be.”
“Then, I don’t mind.”
She seemed to care for him as family but didn’t necessarily want to see him often. And somehow, I think I understand why. It’s surprisingly common for couples who lose a child to separate. Even if they want to forget, being together constantly reminds them of that wound. In the past, I couldn’t understand it, but now, I sort of do. Sometimes, for a wound to heal, it needs to be left alone. If you keep touching it, then it may fester and worsen. Anyway, I should keep a closer eye on their relationship going forward……
“This is the document listing items registered at the Alminus Central Exchange today. If there are no issues upon review, they’ll be listed by tomorrow morning.”
Lately, I’ve been checking the exchange’s items daily with Amelia’s assistance. The reason is simple. Recently, rare items that normally wouldn’t be listed, have been appearing frequently.
“Oh, thanks. I see a few noteworthy items just from a quick glance.”
“At first, I thought it was just a temporary trend, but the number of listings keeps increasing.”
Amelia spoke as if she seemed puzzled by the cause, however, I actually had an idea why.
“It’s probably because countless nobles were wiped out in the recent war.”
When Thunder struck the Palace of Glory, countless noble households were destroyed. Some lost only their family head, while others were left without any successors. Still, many households were passed down to the next eligible heir, resulting in a generational shift.
“We’re seeing the aftermath of that now.”
It’s a difficult time for all noble houses. In such times, what would a newly appointed family head do first? They’d liquidate unnecessary valuables into funds. And with the noble-exclusive ‘Sky Auction House’ no longer attracting visitors, it was only natural that the largest marketplace, the Central Exchange, would see an influx of listings. When I explained this, Amelia nodded as if she understood.
And……
“For example, like Nomilat’s Ruby?”
Looking at Amelia who asked playfully, I couldn’t hide my excitement.
“Don’t tell me you found a way to get it? I heard someone else won the bid for it?”
“There’s always a way if you look for it.”
Amelia smiled mischievously, suggesting she might have actually obtained the item.
“How? Did it come up for sale again?”
“It’s not the kind of item that would reappear so quickly. I infiltrated the exchange and discreetly checked the records. Then I tracked down the seller and offered to cover the transaction fee if they’d canceled the sale and sell it to us instead.”
“…Did they agree?”
Even as I asked, I knew it was a rhetorical question. Amelia wouldn’t have brought it up if it hadn’t worked out.
“I mentioned it was something you needed, and they agreed without question. Oh, but they did ask me to relay their name to you clearly. It was Viscount Bertan”
“Viscount Bertan……”
While I haven’t had direct dealings with them, I’ve heard of their house. While they have a long history, they aren’t particularly powerful or well-known in political circles. I remembered they belonged to the minor nobles’ faction.
“Oh, and by the way, out of curiosity I asked what they were using it for and apparently it was just being used as a decoration in their first-floor hall”
“What……?”
Using something this precious as decoration? Tsk, the extravagance of nobles.
‘If it weren’t for times like these, such items would never be listed.’
Still, I couldn’t complain. Consumable items like this are always the hardest to acquire.
“But… what are you planning to use it for? They say consuming it increases strength, but I doubt that’s why you’re so pleased.”
“Ah, you mean what it’s used for.”
I grinned in response to Amelia’s question.
“It’s the last material for reaching the eighth stage of the Spirit Imprint.”
Finally, all the materials for the eighth stage have been gathered.
***
The eighth stage of the Immortality Imprint requires fifteen materials. Most of them are easily obtainable in the city if you have the money.
Except for three.
The core materials for the Eighth Stage are all byproducts of rank 3 monsters, making them exceptionally difficult to acquire. Fortunately, during my last excursion beyond the walls, I managed to secure two of these rare byproducts.
‘Finally, I’ve collected them all. ‘
Thanks to Amelia’s resourcefulness in securing the final material, it was now time to become even stronger. Well, it’s not like I’ll become tremendously powerful or anything. What’s really important is that I’m only one step away from the ninth stage.
‘Because with the ninth stage, that becomes possible.’
Once I reach the ninth stage and eat the two remaining essences I needed, my big and precious shield barbarian would be nearly complete……
[You have activated Immortality Imprint: Stage 8]
Only a few steps left to go.
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