Ch.13Chapter 13. Winning Over the Barbarian (1)

Chapter 13. Gaining Favor with Barbarians (1)

[PumoFumo: Strategy Guide) Everyone should try for Hidden Pieces.

For those who don’t know, I’ll explain briefly. Hidden Pieces refer to hidden elements in the game, meaning special equipment, skills, or classes that can only be obtained by going to specific places or meeting certain conditions.

If this game world has become reality, then secret dungeons or special rewards from the game might exist exactly as they were.

I still remember a few, and I’ll specially share some locations where Hidden Pieces appear for your strategy.

Imperial Arena, Necromancer’s Tomb, Skull Mountains, Castle Grua, Assassin Guild Headquarters.

If you’re nearby and confident in your combat ability, give it a try.

I’m writing this under George’s orders. Show your gratitude to Sir George, not me.

He’s working harder than anyone for our clearance.

Let’s have a drink together when we all return to Earth!]

This is a post by PumoFumo, a user who died fighting a mid-level demon in the mines and was a member of George’s strategy team.

That last part is oddly touching.

I should memorize those five locations just in case.

The next post was written relatively recently.

[Rinojohnnson: Absolutely do not go to the Necromancer’s Tomb.

Demons and infected aren’t the problem.

Zombies? Undead? You know, those moving corpses. The place is crawling with them.

Unless you destroy their heads, they keep getting up, which is really troublesome.

If you stay there too long, you start seeing things, and your mental strength keeps decreasing.

Even demons and cultists don’t come here. They seem to avoid it too.

My life was too precious to risk for some mediocre Hidden Piece.

If you still insist on going, bring blunt weapons.

It took me over three days to get there, and it was disappointing. I need to take a break from exploring for a while.]

At least this one has some useful information.

Zombies, hallucinations (probably ghosts), and mental strength drain. It’s exactly like the Necromancer’s Tomb from the game.

I know very well what reward you get for clearing this secret dungeon.

The reason I still remember the Necromancer’s Tomb after all this time is simple: I have a memorable experience related to that dungeon.

It was 10 years ago, when I was a cute middle schooler.

Having no interest in studying back then, I often hung out with friends at amusement parks, which eventually resulted in me paying the price of a 50-point average on my final exams.

When I brought my report card home, my father came out with a fly swatter.

He beat me like I was a fly. My hands and feet still tremble when I think about that time.

Surrendering to my father’s merciless “no going out” rule, I had no choice but to lock myself in my room and turn on the computer.

The first thing I opened was <Surviving as Paladin>. The hope of my difficult childhood.

I spent the whole day playing games to vent my anger and cleared the Necromancer’s Tomb dungeon.

I sold the Hidden Piece I got there for a high price on a trading site and used the money to order chicken and pizza.

The story of a man who experienced anger, sadness, regret, and hatred before finding happiness again…

No, thinking about it now, it wasn’t really a big deal. Why do I still remember this?

Human memory is truly unpredictable.

Anyway, the Hidden Piece from the Necromancer’s Tomb is the “Zombie Control” skill.

It wasn’t well-regarded in the game. While it was a unique skill, it wasn’t a good one.

It literally allows you to turn corpses into zombies and control them for a short time, but it doesn’t mean much in practice.

Their combat power was only slightly better than an average human, and even though they kept getting up unless their heads were destroyed, their durability was so low that they’d crumble with a single punch, making it impossible to use them as tanks.

This neither-here-nor-there skill was judged as garbage and only used for concept or fun. Until now, that is.

But I think I could use it differently.

Zombie Control is a skill that remotely controls corpses. The reason it was garbage was because players were already busy controlling their own bodies in combat situations, let alone zombies.

It’s an inefficient skill unless you’re extremely good at multitasking.

But what if I, who has no physical body, control them?

I could use this skill on nearby corpses to provide remote assistance!

Wow! Amazing revelation!

Instead of just being stuck in a totem or clinging to a minion to observe, I can directly participate in combat and help.

Since it’s not my body, I take zero damage. If I protect the skull well, it can get up again. It’s essentially a meat shield I can use without worry.

Later, I can take some strong barbarians and go on a raid. It’s perfect since there are no demons around, according to the post.

I don’t know what level this user Rinojohnnson is, but I remember that this dungeon wasn’t so difficult that high-level users couldn’t clear it.

Let’s try it when we gather enough barbarians.

***

Three days have passed since I sent the letter.

The Brown Rock tribe sent a reply through Toughie.

To summarize its contents: “We understand, so wait for us. Our tribe will come to see Lord Malak in person.”

Now I just need to wait two weeks for them to arrive… but I have nothing to do.

Since we’ve exterminated the infected creatures living in the mountains, I’m not earning points anymore. I can’t slack off by possessing Paya’s body like last time either, since she’s always busy.

Whatever the case, I can only do productive work once the Brown Rock tribe arrives.

In the end, what I’ve decided to do with my remaining time is “changing perceptions about barbarians.”

From what I’ve observed so far, community opinion about barbarians is mostly “dislike” or “indifference.”

This isn’t good. Eventually, I’ll need to make paladins and barbarians cooperate, whether to defeat demons, save the world, or just for me to live comfortably. Fighting among ourselves is just a waste.

While the barbarians might not strongly antagonize paladins if I order them not to, paladins are different.

My fellow Earthlings who were forcibly dragged into this cursed world won’t like barbarians who pick fights with them over being “heathens.”

It would be fortunate if they were moderate people like “CorruptPowerKnight” or “SamuraiJackson” who commented before, but what if unpredictable maniacs like “NotACatfish” or “MeleeSpy” meet barbarians?

My precious barbarians would be utterly destroyed. Nothing but ruin awaits.

I need to instill positive perceptions about barbarians so people think of them as “our friends.”

Why do advertising companies and businesses that employ comment farms exist? Because many people know the importance of consistent positive mentions and perception improvement.

It would be a noble and productive act for me, Lord Malak, to sacrifice myself by writing posts to build goodwill toward barbarians.

Well then, shall we begin?

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: Barbarians are precious lives just like us]

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: Barbarians could be our neighbors]

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: The Barbarian Who Repaid Kindness]

Hmm. I wrote and posted lengthy content with effort… but no comments?

I can’t check the view count, so I don’t know if anyone has seen it or not.

Well, the content was rather serious, so people might have just passed by without reading.

I should probably use storytelling techniques. After all, stories are what immerse people and generate interest.

What kind of story would be good…

How about a story where I saved a young barbarian girl and became friends with her?

A young girl, salvation, and a cool protagonist. This combination is guaranteed to work.

Let’s make the title lighter too.

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: Made friends with a barbarian lol]

After waiting for several hours, I finally got a comment. As expected, stories…

[Ghoulr: Lol trying hard. Do you have a barbarian fetish or something?]

This bastard…!

What went wrong? Was the story lacking? That can’t be it.

This is the most traditional form of storytelling. It might be cliché and predictable, but it has classic emotional appeal and entertainment value.

Is it the title? Or the subject matter?

Barbarians themselves aren’t popular in this community. So how should I write to make these people read?

Not to brag, but I’ve serialized novels before.

[Goddess: *toddles*

Protagonist: What’s with this loli grandma

Goddess: I’m a goddess here to give you cheat abilities

Protagonist: Lol sweet~ I want infinite regression, instant death cheat, and immortality please~

Goddess: Now let’s go save the other world~!]

Although I was criticized for whether this could even be called a novel, what matters is that I was active as a literary person.

Let me use a bit of my ability.

Subject matter people like… an intriguing title… that would be…

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: The barbarian girl I saved is now obsessed with me]

Within minutes, a comment appears.

[MeleeSpy: Is she pretty?]

I might have done it!

As I was mentally clapping with satisfaction, suddenly a private message window popped up next to the community window and started buzzing.

A private message? Several messages from the same person?

[NotACatfish: Hey]

[NotACatfish: You]

[NotACatfish: Are you close with barbarians? Friends?]

[NotACatfish: Answer quickly]

[NotACatfish: I’m in a hurry]

[NotACatfish: Seriously]

They seem really desperate. What could have happened to make them send so many messages?

[Yeah]

I sent that for now.

[NotACatfish: Ah fuck this is embarrassing]

[NotACatfish: Don’t tell the community]

[NotACatfish: I’ve been captured by barbarians]

What?