Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

The Sanctuary Redevelopment Plan.

I hadn't even sold the first plot of land yet, but I was already confident that this plan would be a success.

After all, I was already getting inquiries.

‘There’s no need for advertising. Word will spread throughout the tribe quickly…’

Okay, then all that’s left is to sell it?

“Um… Bjorn?”

“It’s Chieftain.”

“Anyway, Chieftain! Why aren’t you selling the land right away? So many warriors want to buy it!”

The reason was simple.

“So we should sell it quickly!”

I was glad that Ainar had gained a merchant’s mindset, but unfortunately, she was missing the bigger picture.

How many would buy it now?

They didn’t have any money saved up, so the actual sales would be low.

So…

“Tell the warriors who want to buy land to come back on the 5th of next month. That’s when I’ll start selling.”

The launch date was set for the 5th of next month.

The day after the labyrinth closed, when the barbarians had the most money.

I would decide how much to sell based on the number of buyers.

If 100 people came, would selling to 30 be appropriate?

But Ainar just tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? You’re not going to sell it to everyone? Why?”

I patiently explained it to her, as if I was training the 1st Elder.

“First, we don’t have enough manpower to handle that many sales.”

“Oh…?”

“Second, it won’t increase the price.”

The concept of real estate hadn’t been properly established in the warriors’ minds yet.

So…

“…What do you mean by ‘it won’t increase the price’?”

“Think about it. If 30 warriors buy the land that 100 warriors want, what do you think the remaining 70 will do?”

“…Wait for the next sale?”

“Of course, some will. But others will offer to buy the land from the initial buyers at a higher price.”

“Hmm! That’s true! Some warriors will have more money later…”

Wow, she’s getting the hang of this.

I continued, hiding my admiration.

This was the key to the redevelopment plan.

“Anyway, the resale value of the land will be higher than the initial price. Popular weapons are also more expensive and have longer waiting lists, right?” ꭆΑꞐоΒÈš

“Oh! So the warriors who buy the land first will earn money without even doing anything?”

Ainar had finally reached enlightenment.

“That’s right. And that’s the important part. The news will spread throughout the tribe.”

Passing down land to your descendants? The value of land? Saving on lodging costs?

Those were just excuses.

The important thing was to create a firm belief that buying land was profitable.

Ainar’s voice trembled with excitement.

“The warriors… they’ll go crazy. Even those who dismissed it as useless…”

“Yes, they’ll come with all their money. Because they know they can make a profit just by buying it.”

It was a money duplication glitch.

It was the same with the Backpack Revolution that started with Charon. Barbarians loved money, despite their claims of valuing honor and glory.

And…

‘It’s better to sell it through a lottery at first, instead of an auction.’

I had no intention of fixing this glitch.

Even if the bubble eventually burst, this was the most efficient way to boost the tribe’s growth in the short term.

‘…As long as I prevent them from taking out loans, it should be fine. We’ll have other sources of income by then.’

I was actually more worried about the near future than the distant future.

After all, a ‘barbarian’ creating the concept of real estate was unprecedented.

It would definitely attract attention.

But I made my decision.

‘It doesn’t matter if I attract a bit more attention. I need to focus on growing the tribe first.’

And besides, we weren’t the first ones to do this.

The dwarves and the beastmen had already sold most of their land to boost their economies. So people would just assume I was copying them.

‘Phew… I should start looking for a clerk.’

I had a lot to do if I wanted to give the young warriors proper shoes.

______________________

The day I introduced real estate to the warriors,

I returned to the city after finishing my work.

And I immediately went to a meeting.

“It’s been a while, Shabin Emure.”

She was home, as expected.

“…Huh? B-Bjorn…?”

She was surprised to see me, but she welcomed me into her house.

“Sorry for the sudden visit. I’ve been busy lately.”

“No, no! It’s fine. I just… didn’t expect you to come see me…”

“Of course I would. We’re friends.”

“Ah…”

“And I have a proposition for you. Or rather, a favor to ask.”

Her eyes lit up at the word ‘friend’, but then she tensed up.

“A favor…?”

“I heard you lost your job. Can you help me out?”

“…?”

“Or if you know anyone who’s looking for a job, recommend them to me. I need someone to handle administrative tasks. Someone trustworthy.”

“…So you really did come here because you need a clerk.”

“You were the first person I thought of. I don’t know anyone else in this field. This is where friends come in handy.”

She thought for a moment and then readily agreed.

“Okay. I’ll do it, as long as you pay me the same as my previous job. And I’ll bring a few of my colleagues with me.”

“How much did you earn at the administrative office?”

She told me her salary, and it was lower than I expected. I negotiated a higher salary and finalized the deal.

“That’s unexpected. I thought you would refuse.”

“Well… I was already looking for a job.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. Ragna said you rejected her offer.”

“You seem like you really need me. Unlike her, who just wanted to help.”

“You didn’t want to be indebted to her.”

“…Hehe, you could say that. So you’ve already met her?”

“How else would I know where you live? Ah, of course, our meeting is a secret.”

“A secret… This noble society is really something else…”

She seemed genuinely impressed, and then she offered me a drink. We chatted for about an hour over tea.

And…

“I should be going now. I have a lot to do before the expedition.”

“Okay! I’ll talk to my colleagues and then come to work by myself. Where should I go?”

“I’ll pick you up in three days.”

“Huh? Pick me up? That’s not necessary…”@@novelbin@@

It was necessary.

Humans couldn’t enter the sanctuary without permission. I was planning to take her there and issue her a pass.

“Anyway, I’ll see you then.”

“Okay, take care.”

I left her house and headed straight to the dwarf’s forge.

I hadn’t made an appointment this time either, but thankfully, he was there.

“Bjorn! What brings you here?”

He was working, as expected.

“I need to get my equipment repaired, and I wanted to show you something.”

“I see. Give me the equipment first. I need to finish all the repairs before the expedition.”

“Right.”

I handed him my damaged equipment and waited in the lobby. He then led me to the attic on the 2nd floor.

“I usually use this place for storing documents and doing paperwork… It might be a bit cramped for you.”

“It’s fine. I can just crawl around.”

“It’s not that bad…”

“Just let me lie down.”

The ceiling was low, barely over 1.5 meters even in the center, so I just lay down on the floor. He sighed and sat down on a dwarf-sized sofa.

“So what’s the item?”

“Ah, here it is.”

I took out a chest from my subspace pocket, and he gulped, his eyes widening as he examined the contents.

“Where did you get this?”

“You’re better off not knowing.”

“…R-right. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He was trembling with anticipation as he examined the equipment of the Noark explorers.

It wasn’t fear or anxiety, but excitement.

He was a blacksmith, after all.

The attic was filled with 3rd-grade equipment and Numbered Items.

And he was getting a 5% cut of the profits.

“Take your time selling it. I want you to be discreet.”

“Ah, y-yes… I will. I have to…”

He was so excited that he couldn’t even hear me properly.

I decided it was the perfect time to reveal the rest.

“Oh, there’s more?!”

“I’m not selling this. I want you to reforge it into new equipment. Melt down the daggers and turn the leather into fabric.”

“That’s easy. But why?”

He opened the other chest, his eyes widening.

“…Ogre leather is one thing, but this is… Mithril? 90% of the Mithril in circulation is supplied to the royal family, where did you get this?”

Ah, that.

“Take a closer look.”

“…Huh?”

I wiggled my finger, and he reexamined the Mithril daggers, his eyes widening in realization.

“Th-th-th-th-th-this is…!!!”

“Keep your voice down. Someone might hear us.”

“…………It’s the Rose Knights’ equipment!!”

He whispered, his voice trembling, and then he quickly closed the chest.

“B-Bjorn! This is insane! Where did you get this?! It’s dangerous…!”

His concern was genuine.

But I just shrugged.

“You knew I might have stolen goods, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I didn’t expect you to have something related to the royal family!”

“So you’re refusing?”

He couldn’t answer.

“Uh, uh…”

He just looked at the equipment with a conflicted expression.

He was clearly tempted.

“If you’re refusing, forget everything you saw today. We’ll burn the contract too.”

I reached for the chest, and he slapped my arm.

“…I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it.”

“Hmm? You said it was insane.”

“I still think it’s insane, but… as long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine!”

He was a good business partner.

______________________

July 28th, 157th year of the New Era.

Two days before the next labyrinth expedition. It had been a busy month.

But I still had one more thing to do.

“You’re here!”

I went to pick up Shabin Emure early in the morning.

It was her first day at work.

I had expected her to be alone, but there were three other people at her house.

“Who are they?”

“They’re my colleagues from the administrative office. You said you needed more people, right?”

“Uh, yes, but… this quickly?”

“Our faction lost the election for the Director position, so we were all fired.”

Hmm, I didn’t know about that.

“You managed to find three people in that short amount of time.”

“It wasn’t difficult. You’re the Giant of the Labyrinth, Baron Yandel! They all see this as a great opportunity.”

“…Clan?”

I felt a sense of dissonance, but I couldn’t ask any further questions because they were greeting me.

“Ah, hello! Baron Yandel! I’m Rick Anderson, from the Civil Engineering Department of the administrative office.”

“Mary Jayne… I worked in the Civilian Support Department with Emure.”

“Shepherd Lambden. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Thankfully, there was no Hans among them.

“I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel. It’s nice to meet you all.”

I introduced myself briefly, and then we headed towards the military transfer station in a carriage.

“Wow… I’ve never been in the noble section before.”

“I didn’t even know there was a separate section for nobles.”

“Well, commoners aren’t allowed to use it.”

“…It’s so convenient. They’re always waiting and take you to your destination immediately.”

“Hehe, you can enjoy this too once you become nobles.”

“Don’t joke… How could we…”

The atmosphere was quite pleasant.

“Anderson, you said you worked in the Civil Engineering Department?”

“Yes, sir!”

“What kind of work did you do?”

I asked the new recruits about their work experience, and we chatted idly as we rode the carriage.

And after a while…

“The carriage is heading towards the outskirts…”

Shabin Emure looked out the window and spoke.

“Is the clan house near the walls?”

“Clan house? What are you talking about?”

“…Huh? You said you created a clan. And that you needed clerks…”

I finally realized where the misunderstanding had started.

‘That’s why she didn’t ask about the job description…’

I quickly corrected her.

“Shabin Emure, you’re not working for a clan.”

“Huh? Then where…?”

“The barbarian sanctuary.”

“………………What?”

She tilted her head, as if she had misheard me, and the carriage came to a halt.

“Let’s get out.”

I opened the door and stepped out, and the clerks followed me, their expressions dumbfounded.

“…….”

They stared at the towering wall in front of them, speechless.

Well, they’ve probably never been here before.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I let out a war cry, and the gate opened.

I led the stunned clerks inside.

The warriors who saw me greeted me.

“Humans! Humans! The chieftain brought humans!”

“Ooooooh!!”

“Two men and two women!!”

The clerks clung to me, trembling with fear, as if they had just entered a cannibal’s den.

“…….”

“…….”

They only regained their composure when we reached the chieftain’s tent after a long walk through the forest. Shabin Emure, who had brought the clerks, asked me,

“S-so… what are we supposed to do now?”

His name was Rick Anderson.

A 6th-grade clerk from the Civil Engineering Department of the administrative office.

He might be the ace of our redevelopment plan.

I looked at him and answered,

“Everything that involves numbers.”

Including selling land, of course.