Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

When people gather, they form an organization.

Even if it’s just four people.

As I started assigning tasks to the four clerks, they naturally divided the work based on their specialties.

Ah, of course, Shabin Emure played a big role in this.

“Mary, you’ll be in charge of organizing the data and calculations. For now, just focus on the old records left by the previous elders.”

“…D-do you think I can handle it? The remaining records are so disorganized, and the handwriting is difficult to read…”

“You can do it. I’ll help you.”

“Okay…”

Mary Jayne, in charge of statistics and data.

“T-the coming-of-age ceremony…?”

“It’s an unfamiliar task, but it’s a small-scale event, so you should be able to handle it. If you have any questions, ask Miss Frenelin. Miss Frenelin, can you help him out?”

“Ah, o-of course! Leave it to me!”

“…What will I be doing after the ceremony?”

“Once the statistical data is ready, I’d like you to create a budget. Monthly, not annually.”

“…Understood.”

Shepherd Lambden, in charge of financial planning and management.

“Mr. Anderson… you already know what you’ll be doing, right?”

“Yes… the land…”

“There’s nothing prepared. I’d like you to start by surveying the forest. We’ll be building new roads, so make sure to leave space for them. Ah, and we also need to set aside land for the children. We’ll be building new childcare facilities.” 𝐫άɴօＢΕᶊ

“…This is practically urban planning! Are you sure I can handle such an important task?”

“I’m giving you the authority, so what’s stopping you? And you’re not in charge of the entire sanctuary yet. We’ll start by selling the land on the outskirts, so just focus on that for now.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

Rick Anderson, in charge of road construction and urban development.

“Right now, you’re just divided by tasks, but once we hire more people, you’ll be working as departments. And you’ll be the heads of those departments.”

Of course, Shabin Emure would be the Chief Administrator.

Ah, so that’s the source of their motivation.

I was impressed by Shabin Emure’s leadership skills. Not only had she efficiently reorganized the tribe’s administration from scratch, but she had also motivated her team.

‘She’s much more capable than I thought…’

I had always thought of her as a naive young woman who loved sweets.

I never knew she had this side to her.

As I was witnessing the birth of the barbarian administrative agency…

“Um…”

Mary Jayne, in charge of statistics, cautiously raised her hand.

“W-when do we get off work…?”

Shabin glanced at me.

It wasn’t a decision she could make on her own.

I quickly answered.

“Why would you get off work?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you fools? You get paid double for working at night!”

“…?”

The clerks were stunned, unable to process my words, so Shabin Emure explained it to them in detail.

“We’re busy, you know. It’s not like we’ve never worked overtime. And besides, we’re getting paid extra, so let’s all work hard for now. We’ve had enough rest, it’s not so bad to be busy, right?”

“…Yes.”

And so the barbarian tribe continued to function.

______________________

After the clerks started working, I headed towards the former chieftain’s tent.

There was something I hadn’t asked him about last time.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel—”

“It’s Chieftain.”

“…Right, Chieftain. What is it?”

I got straight to the point.

“I want to hear about Balkan.”

“Ah, the original owner of your first alias.”

Balkan, Kagureas, son of Shalik.

The hero of the tribe who had died 21 years ago at the age of 55.

I had only recently learned his full name.

I hadn’t bothered to investigate him before because I thought he was dead.

“…What do you want to know?”

“Everything about him.”

“This is going to be a long story. Sit down or lie down, whichever is more comfortable.”

The former chieftain sighed, but he answered my questions patiently.

“He was already a famous warrior when I was just a boy. He wasn’t interested in the tribe, but he was the strongest among us.”

“How strong was he?”

“Much stronger than I am now.”

Hmm, it sounded like he was even stronger than me.

“Some people called him ‘humanized’ because he didn’t associate with the other warriors, but he was a true warrior, in my opinion. He was only interested in becoming stronger.”

“Wasn’t everyone like that back then?”

“Hahaha! That’s true. Those were the good old days! Unlike now, there were hundreds of explorers who had reached the 8th and 9th floors. All six races were competing to reach the Abyss, and it wasn’t uncommon for Genesis Artifacts to be passed down to the warriors who reached the front lines. Balkan was one of them.”

The golden generation, the one the older explorers often talked about.

“But it all ended with the dimensional collapse, right?”

Titana Akuraba was also from that generation.

She had survived the disaster.

That’s probably why she was so obsessed with finding out the truth about the dimensional collapse and demanding stricter regulations from the royal family.

“It was a terrible tragedy. But it had nothing to do with Balkan’s death.”

“Why did he die?”

“No one knows. He and his companions entered the labyrinth and never returned.”

“I see. No one suspected anything because a Genesis Artifact was born in the sanctuary.”

“Do you think he might still be alive?”

“He might be in a similar situation as me.”

“Hahaha! A warrior never stops questioning!”

He seemed to think my theory was absurd, but he didn’t criticize me or try to change my mind.

“Anyway, I heard that our tribe wasn’t the only one that got a Genesis Artifact back.”

“Huh… you even know that? Being a noble is quite useful, isn’t it?”

I didn’t reveal my source, Lee Baekho, and just asked,

“Which tribes were they?”

“The fairies and the dwarves.”

“I see…”

I then asked if he knew anything about the Genesis Artifacts that had been stolen from all six tribes on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, but I didn’t get the answer I wanted.

“Well, I don’t know anything about their whereabouts.”

Damn it, I was hoping he knew something.

“Ah! Come to think of it, I should tell you this. There was a strange incident related to the Genesis Artifacts.”

“A strange incident?”

“Someone left a letter in the sanctuary while the previous chieftain was away. It was a prophecy about the Holy Artifact War, and that someone would steal the Genesis Artifacts on March 1st, 153rd year of the New Era.”@@novelbin@@

Ah… that…

I felt a pang of guilt, and the former chieftain continued excitedly,

“Isn’t that amazing? Our ancestor god must have helped us! The shaman said so too!”

I’m not sure about the shaman, but I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering me.

“But if you received that letter, why did you let it happen?”

At first, I thought they had ignored the letter. But it seemed like they were aware of it.

Then what happened?

“We thought it was a prank. We thought some young warriors were messing with us. But then the Holy Artifact War actually happened, and the previous chieftain must have realized something was wrong.”

Okay, that’s understandable.

“But what about the Genesis Artifact? You knew it was going to be stolen, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know. We were prepared, but when I returned from the city, all the warriors were unconscious.”

“Did you tell the other tribes about the letter?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Do you think they would believe us if we told them it was a divine revelation?”

Ah, right.

I then asked him what kind of preparations he had made, and he explained in detail.

‘He was actually quite thorough. I didn’t notice anything on the day of the ceremony.’

What happened that day?

Now that I was the chieftain, I had to investigate it properly. If we had the Genesis Artifact, we could gain an advantage in our relationship with Lee Baekho…

And it was practically an end-game item.

“By the way, what about the letter? Do you still have it? I’d like to see it.”

“Well… I heard the previous chieftain had it, but I never received it. He must have lost it somewhere.”

“I see…”

So the letter I had left in the past was gone.

I asked my final question.

“What happened to the shaman? His apprentice said he retired.”

“Ah, the old shaman… he collapsed during a ritual and has been bedridden ever since.”

“Bedridden…?”

“He’s practically a vegetable. I told them to just let him die, but his apprentice refused and has been taking care of him. So I just let them be.”

Hmm, I see.

“If you’re done asking questions, leave. I’m hungry.”

“Alright.”

He seemed to have lost interest in our conversation, so I didn’t bother him any longer and left the tent. I then headed towards the shaman’s tent.

Swoosh.

The dark tent was filled with the smoke of incense.

A pungent, nauseating smell.

I approached the bed where the old shaman was lying.

And at that moment…

“…C-chieftain?!”

The apprentice shaman entered the tent and looked at me, his eyes wide with fear.

“N-no! I still have much to learn! Please don’t kill me! I’m working hard!”

Uh…

I was just checking on him.

“Please… he might be dying, but he’s still my master…!”

I was forced to leave the tent.

______________________

The arrival of Shabin’s administrative team gave me some breathing room, but I was still busy.

I was the Baron of the Yandel family, the Clan Master of Anabada, and the Chieftain of the Barbarian tribe.

I had to prepare for the labyrinth expedition, complete tribal quests, and even Amelia was complaining about me not coming home.

‘Will next month be even busier…?’

Hmm, it probably would be.

I had to attend Melbeth’s gathering, and the land sales would begin.

‘I’m glad they scheduled the gathering for the day after the expedition…’

If it had been this month, I would have had to attend even with all this work.

“Phew…”

The thought of my ever-growing to-do list was depressing, but it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t just ignore my daily quests.

And I couldn’t quit now.

“Chieftain, everything’s ready.”

Ainar, the 1st Elder, entered my tent and called me.

[20:58]

It was already time.

I followed her out of the tent, and we soon arrived at our destination.

Crackle!

A clearing in the middle of the forest, illuminated by flickering torches.

Muscular barbarians everywhere I looked.

Step.

The place where I first woke up in this world.

Step.

As I entered the clearing, the young warriors’ gazes turned towards me.

Their eyes were filled with excitement and nervousness.

‘…This feels strange.’

I looked at them and shouted,

“Congratulations, young warriors!”

The same words I had heard on that day in the forest.

“From this day forward, you will leave the sanctuary and become true warriors!”

There was no need for a long speech.

“Now, step forward and choose your weapons!”

Ah, of course, there was one new line.

“Leather boots and two potions will be provided!”

It was time for a new era.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

The young warriors cheered, pleased with the new welfare system.

It wasn’t intentional, but it made it easier for me to find him.

The one who wasn’t cheering.

“…..”

A warrior standing frozen in place, his eyes darting around nervously.

Lick.

I couldn’t help but lick my lips.

‘He’s definitely…’

A newbie.