Episode 675

Despite the rapids crashing against me, my absurdly heavy body continued to sink straight down.

My mind felt hazy, as though I were drunk, and I had one final thought.

‘……Is this how it ends?’

After all that hardship and journey, this is how it ends?

‘No way.’

I can’t fall asleep. No matter what, I have to stay conscious and swim back up.

I tried to swim to the surface with all my determination, but my senses began to fade and my body refused to obey me.

I can’t fall asleep like this. If I do, I’d be in real trouble.

Even as I thought that, part of me gave up.

‘Ah, whatever…….’

I’ve reached my limit holding on.

Baek-ho or one of the others on the boat will come and save me anyway.

Yeah, they’ll definitely save me.

So…

‘Let’s just… sleep…’

Just as I was about to let go of the last thread of consciousness—

Swaaaaaaaaah-!

As I sank below the water’s surface, my fading vision suddenly began to glow brightly.

And, at the same time—

Riiiiiiiiiiiiing—

A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, assaulting my senses.

The sound and light jolted me awake.

Click, clack.

Somewhere nearby, I could hear the sharp click of heels.

After managing to force my eyes open, I could make out the faint outline of someone through my half-open lids.

Skin pale as a ghost’s.

A tattered doll clutched in her hand.

An ordinary-looking girl, about ten years old, with straight brown hair that fell to her shoulders.

Even though I was dazed, I immediately recognised her.

‘Ellis Groundia…’

The Earth Witch I had met before in the cabin.

‘Why are you here……?’

I tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Nevertheless, as though she had heard me, the Earth Witch smiled gently at me.

Then—

“I’ll make your dream come true.”

Her voice was dreamy and almost seductive, yet it also carried a strange note of pleading.

“So please…”

She stared straight at me, eyes unfathomably deep.

“Don’t come back.”

That was the last thing I remembered.

***

Like someone just pulled from the water, I gasped for air the moment I jerked upright.

Then—

My whole body froze. This time, the cause was mental rather than physical.

“…It’s thin.”

I looked down at my hand, opening and closing it several times, then blankly scanned my surroundings before closing my eyes again.

I glanced down at my hand, flexed it a few times, then looked around in a half-dazed state before closing my eyes.

As always, I needed time.

A little time to understand this situation.

Throb—

First of all, my physical condition was the worst.

Setting aside the fact that the endless energy I once felt every day was gone, it felt like waking up after a night of drinking until I’d thrown up.

My head felt like it was going to split open.

And……

Sigh…

When I opened my eyes again, the space around me hadn’t changed.

“This is……”

A place so familiar to me that calling it familiar wasn’t enough.

“It’s my room.”

Lee Han-soo’s room.

Why on earth did I wake up here?

Could it be that the Ghost Busters server had been reopened?

That thought crossed my mind for a second, but—

“It’s different.”

The room I’d seen in the community forums was neat and tidy.
This one was nothing like that.

‘What the hell…?’

The place was a total mess.

Books were spilled all over the floor beside the desk; the monitor had been taken; the wardrobe and drawers had been left wide open; and clothes were strewn everywhere.

…It really did feel like something was missing.

I suddenly realized I was completely naked, so I grabbed a few pieces of clothing from the floor and put them on.

Then—

Tap.

Stepping barefoot on the cold floor, I opened the bedroom door and went out into the living room.

The living room was also a complete mess. It looked like the aftermath of a police raid.

Every single drawer was open and various random items were scattered on the floor.

“Sigh……”

Feeling my throat getting dry, I thought about getting a drink of cold water and opened the fridge door.

But—

“Ugh!”

The moment I opened the fridge, a rotten stench hit me, as if the appliance had been unplugged for ages.

Feeling nauseated, I quickly closed the door and collapsed onto the floor.

‘Ugh, I’m gonna die……’

The smell only made my splitting headache worse.
My dizziness intensified.

Still, there were things I needed to figure out.

Leaning against the wall, I steadied myself and began to analyse the situation.

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

This wasn’t the Ghost Busters server restarting at the perfect timing.

Most likely—

“This is a dream.”

Under the “Dreaming Waterfalls” field effect, I’d fallen asleep and was trapped in an illusion.

The modern-day backdrop? Not strange at all.

The last time I’d dozed off, I’d also seen illusions drawn from my past connections in the modern world.

Well, although back then, I didn’t feel a headache like this, which is a bit puzzling.

Anyway.

The situation is clear, and what I need to do from now on is even clearer.

I have to fight an enemy hiding somewhere or obtain a key to wake from the dream by solving a mission.

Only one thing still bothered me—

‘…Was that really just a dream?’

 

The Earth Witch I met just before losing consciousness.

And the words she spoke to me…

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt.

My thoughts trailed there when—

Beep-beep, beep, beep, bee-beep…

I heard someone trying to punch in the passcode on my front door.

Badump-Badump!

Though I wasn’t in the body of a savage barbarian, my heart still pounded heavily at the sense of danger. The moment I heard the sound, I rushed to open the lower kitchen cabinet.

Click.

Well, of course.

This was a dream world.

Whoever was trying to open that door could very well be an enemy.

‘The knife… it’s gone……?’

It caught me off guard, but it wasn’t the first time something like that had happened to me. I immediately reassessed and turned my body towards the front door.

It’s a shame there’s no weapon, but what can you do?

If you have no teeth, you have to chew with your gums.

Besides, since they’ve stripped me of all my physical abilities, it’s highly likely that the enemy’s level isn’t that high either.

‘Especially since the setting’s modern.’

Beep, bee-beep…

The numbers were being entered one by one, slowly.

I didn’t wait.

After all, surprise attacks work best when the opponent least expects it.

So—

Clack!

Before the code could even finish, I flung the door open and lunged forward—

“Ahhh!”

The stranger shouted as the suddenly opened door smacked him square in the nose. He wasn’t the only one who looked confused.

“Wait…” I mumbled. It wasn’t just one person? “More than one, huh?”

My aching head made it hard to shake off the daze, but my decision was as quick as ever.

Whoosh.

I reached out, grabbed the collar of the man whose nose had been hit, and pulled him inside.

Then—

Thud!

I slammed the door shut and twisted the manual lock, sealing us in.

“Wh-what the hell! Who are you—!”

The man I’d thrown under the shoe rack stared at me, panicked.

And outside—

“Hey! Captain Kang! Captain Kang!”

“You son of a bitch! Open the door right now!”

Hostile voices shouted from beyond the door.

No time to waste.

Wham!

I made a tight fist and drove it into the face of the fallen man with all my might.

I didn’t hear the familiar sound of a watermelon cracking, as I did in my barbarian days, but that hit should have been hard enough.

‘…Apparently not.’

“You crazy bastard!”

Even after taking a direct hit, he grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the wall.

“Ha, damn it, I’m pissed……”

He was huge, a heavily built, muscular type.

Back in the day, I’d have frozen up at the mere sight of him.

“Who are you? What are you doing?!”

One thing was clear: he was pissed.

But…

‘Why’s he so sloppy?’

I didn’t feel particularly tense.

After all, how many life-or-death situations had I been through?

Even if I’m back to ordinary specs, if I can’t handle this much on my own, I should just go die.

Therefore……

“Ahhhhk!!”

After bending back the fingers he was using to grab me, I drove a straight punch into his face as he staggered back in pain.

He stumbled back from the impact, and I seized the moment to slip inside his guard and twist around into a rear choke.

“Ghk, kuh, keuh, glug……!”

I locked the position firmly, choking his neck and blocking the flow of oxygen and blood to his brain. The man’s struggles intensified.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

He hit my ribs with his elbows and stomped on my feet.

He struggled desperately, but it was meaningless.

“Buddy, I’ve got tank experience.”

Just because I don’t get physical resistance bonuses, do you think I’ll let go because it hurts?

“Keuh, kh… Pl-, please……”

Sensing it was useless, he tapped my arm pleadingly.

Outside, the banging grew louder.

“Captain Kang! Are you okay?!”

“What’s going on in there? Open up!”

“Enter the code! Hurry up and open it!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Beep-beep-beep—!

The door lock started beeping again.

God, what a nightmare difficulty right from the start.

“P-please…”

I tightened my hold. My mind was already running battle simulations.

Total of five enemies.

‘If I drop this guy, that leaves four…’

Well, it seems possible somehow.

It’d be hell, but possible.

‘Okay, one down.’

The moment the man’s body went limp, I released the grip and stood up.

And then…

“Oh, look at this sweet starting weapon.”

I immediately looted the expandable baton attached to the limp man’s waist and equipped it.

No wonder he kept trying to pull something from his waist—who knew he was hiding such a sweet weapon.

So that’s what he had been reaching for earlier: a hidden treasure like this.

‘This’ll make things much easier.’

After extending the baton to its full length and swinging it a few times in the air, I wore a satisfied smile on my lips.

While it wasn’t quite as satisfying as the Demoncrusher or even the 200,000-stone iron mace from the shop, it was still a decent mid-tier weapon.

Besides, with my current strength, those kinds of weapons were out of the question anyway.

The password was being entered much faster than before.

Honestly, if I just press the forced lock button here, they won’t have any way to open the door from outside.

However, instead of locking the door, I approached the front door.

Well, the life of a Barbarian taught me that.

There is a golden time for everything.

So, if you avoid a situation, a more difficult one will come later.

Therefore……

Swing.

Once again, I threw the door open first—

“Ahhk!”

—and aimed for the crown of the head of the man who had hit his head while entering the password—

“[Swing].”

I brought the baton down.

It wasn’t the Demoncrusher, so there was no armor-piercing effect,

But—

Thwack!

It landed cleanly.

The man collapsed, and the others around him rushed forward.

“You crazy bastard!!”

“Get him!!”

Though narrow corridors were usually my specialty, I didn’t have the physical stats to rely on this time, so I took a few steps back to widen the distance between us.

“Te-, Team Leader Kang!!”

As I retreated into the living room, the men who had entered saw the unconscious man and were astonished.

“You seem like the type with strong camaraderie?”

Personally, I like that type, but when they’re the enemy, it’s just a weakness.

“Team Leader Kang! Please, snap out of it! Huh?!”

‘One is preoccupied checking on his condition……’

The two I need to deal with immediately are right here.

The problem is that these two aren’t unarmed either.

Shwaaak-!

If the ‘Team Leader Kang’ I caught earlier was a regular Goblin, these guys could be considered mutant variants.

Goblin Swordsmen…

“No, since they have batons, are they Goblin Cops?”

While I was laughing at such a trivial thought.

“This son of a bitch is laughing!!”

The ‘Provoked’ Goblin Cop swung his baton and charged at me.

Whoooosh-!

It was a decent swing, accompanied by a satisfying air-cutting sound.

But from my perspective, it was too straightforward.

I leaned back just enough to dodge, then countered with a clean strike to the temple.

Thwack!

This may seem minor, but it’s the decisive difference between an ordinary person and an explorer.

When you swing or thrust a weapon with all your might.

Those who are untrained will, without fail, miss the intended location and…

‘…Fail to transfer power properly.’

Ah, of course, I had long since passed that stage.

Just like this.

Thud—

Having taken a direct hit to the temple, the man collapsed powerlessly.

The other one was suddenly terrified. The one who’d been standing to the side slowly stepped back, eyes fixed on me.

“…”

Perfect.

There’s nothing easier to handle than a frightened opponent.

Dash—

I aggressively dashed forward.

Once I had covered a sufficient distance, I swung the baton using the power of my waist.

But……

Whooosh-!

Oh? He dodged it?

‘But his posture is broken.’

Based on my abundant combat experience.

In this stance, it’s impossible to avoid a follow-up attack.

In other words, it’s practically as good as victory being decided.

Once I take this guy out, dealing with the last one will be a piece of cake.

Swoosh.

Just as I was grinning and about to bring the baton down on the head of ‘Goblin Cop C’, who had lost his balance.

A small, dull pop. Too weak to be a gunshot

It sounded like a BB gun being fired.

And then….

Thud—

Something long and needle-sharp shot into my skin, delivering a sharp, stinging pain.

I turned toward the source of the sound.

“Die, you bastard!”

The man who’d been giving “Captain Kang” CPR had stood up and was now aiming a weapon at me.

That’s when I finally realized what had hit me.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be f—”

Bzzzzzzzt—!

“…A taser? That’s… cheating…”

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