Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Stiletto (3)

The moment I spoke…

“……!”

…Clown gasped, his mask unable to conceal his shock.

His reaction was practically confirmation.

But could it be that the content itself was too shocking?

“The Corpse Collector…?”

The members looked at one spot hurriedly, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Towards the jewel on the round table.

A clear green light.

“…So it was true.”

Everyone’s gazes then shifted again.

Not towards the jewel, which had served its purpose, but towards the Clown, who seemed to have short-circuited.

“…….”

Clown didn’t say anything under their wary, or rather, hostile gazes.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was uncomfortable with their gazes.

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have revealed that he was from Noark.

‘He’s surprised that I know his identity.’

I wasn’t originally planning to reveal it.

Well, it would be practically impossible for them to identify ‘Bjorn Yandel’ just from this…

…but I judged that the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.

‘But for the situation to be set up like this…’

If I had revealed his identity first, Clown might have thought I had obtained that information recently.

But what about now?

[Crescent Moon said Mr. Lion seemed to know all our identities. I guess that’s not the case.]

The Clown bastard naturally created this situation by provoking me.

No, that wasn’t all.

He even revealed that he was from Noark. In other words, it meant he wasn’t going to leave the gathering even if his identity was exposed.

‘Well, since everyone knows he’s a player, his identity isn’t as important as the others.’

Thanks to that, I didn’t have to hold back.

I could expose his identity and mess with him, and I could still maintain Plan B of keeping him around and extracting information from him.

And there were several additional benefits.

Now that his identity as a Noark resident was revealed, the members would naturally expect information about that place from him.

And it also solidified the Lion persona in front of the members and left the new member, Queen, with a false impression.

This was also a very important part for me.

The more veteran Lion seemed, the harder it would be for them to connect me with Bjorn Yandel.

It was a win-win situation.

“…A secret chat room with the Corpse Collector, I’m glad I came.”

The Queen muttered, breaking the brief silence.

“…Pfft, you got me good.”

Clown forced a laugh, as if trying to maintain his composure.

“…….”

Goblin avoided making eye contact with the Clown after hearing the words ‘Corpse Collector’, and Fox and Antler looked at me with more wary gazes than the Clown.

“…So you really knew everything.”

“Who the hell are you…?”

Yeah, that’s it.

I tried to suppress my rising lips and acted indifferent, ignoring them. And as I did that, the attention naturally shifted back to the Clown.

“So, how do you feel about your identity being revealed? Corpse Collector.”

Antler asked aggressively, as if he had a story.

But the Clown bastard didn’t back down.

“…Pfft, well? How do I feel? Just that Mr. Lion is a more dangerous person than I thought?”

“You’re still trying to act tough.”

“Tsk, this is why you only see what you want to see. You think I care about you guys? It’s not like I’ve been hiding like you.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But did they sense something from the nuance?

“…Don’t tell me you’re planning to stay in the gathering even after this?”

“Of course. Ah, but I don’t want you to misunderstand and think I’m staying because of you guys. I’m staying because of Mr. Lion.”

Honestly, I was a bit surprised by his reaction.

He’s still acting friendly towards me, even after I hit him with killing intent and exposed his identity.

Is this bastard a punching bag?

That’s when, as I was inwardly impressed…

…the battle of nerves between Antler and the Clown continued.

“By the way, Mr. Antler, you should watch your mouth. What if I come looking for you?”

“I’m not worried. I’m not stupid enough to reveal my identity like you.”

“Pfft, are you really that confident? I can think of at least four suspects. What if I just kill them all? The answer will be among them, right?”

“Pfft, come at me if you want. Do you think I’m scared of you? You were just beaten up by a barbarian, and your arrogance hasn’t changed.”

“You… do you really want to die?”

Judging by the compliment that erupted, Antler was the winner.

Although the Clown unleashed his killing intent and pressured Antler, he didn’t budge since they were at a similar level.

That’s when…

“Everyone, stop it. We should all get along. Right?”

…the Queen intervened and mediated.

It was a bit funny.

What kind of newbie was this?

“Let’s just continue with the next round. I didn’t know before trying it, but it’s very fun.”

The two stopped their battle of nerves, perhaps impressed by the Queen’s unbelievable social skills.

But just as we were about to move on to the next round…

“…I’ll stop here.”

…Fox declared her withdrawal.

It seemed like she didn’t have any useful information left, after trying several times. It wasn’t surprising since this happened sometimes.

However…

“I’ll wait outside until it’s over.”

…Fox chose to wait outside after opening the door and leaving, instead of leaving the chat room.

It was the first time this had happened since I became a member.

“Please give me some time when it’s over. I have something to tell you, Mr. Lion.”

Something to tell me…

Is it related to her spacing out earlier?

“…Although you might already know.”

Fox left after those meaningful words, and the second round began immediately.

_________________

The Queen was the first.

She shared information in a cheerful voice, as if she enjoyed the system of this gathering.

“Everyone knows the GM, right? But I wonder if you know this. Huhu! Many people misunderstand, but this community wasn’t actually created by the GM.”

Although her voice was confident, as if she didn’t doubt she would pass, the jewel emitted a red light.

“Huh…?”

Antler muttered, looking at the flustered Queen,

“Lion already shared that information.”

It was information I had shared at a previous gathering.

“…Mr. Lion knew about this?”

The Queen stared at me.

It seemed like her curiosity about me had grown even further.

Well, I felt the same way.

‘Who is she?’

To know this information, which was high-level information that no one knew at the gathering…

‘Could she be someone from the community’s management team…?’

That’s when, as that thought crossed my mind…

‘Wait a minute.’

…a face I had only met once flashed through my mind.

The woman who guided me and explained things when I first entered this community.

‘Come to think of it, her nickname was SoulQueens.’

And the woman also chose the Queen Mask.

The Clown said that people usually chose a mask that resembled them…

Could this be a coincidence?

And they’re both blonde Caucasians?

‘…Their voices also sound similar. Why didn’t I think of this right away?’

Although I had that thought belatedly, it was only natural. After all, a person’s impression changes drastically even if just their nose is hidden.

If it weren’t for the ‘Queen’ point, I wouldn’t have even thought of ‘SoulQueens’ unconsciously.

‘I’m not sure yet, but it’s better to assume that’s her for now.’

While I was organizing the possibilities, the Queen shared new information and received another rejection.

“Hmm, then I guess it’s better to go with confirmed recent information. A 6-person Bonding spell will be distributed within a few years. The entire exploration structure will change. How about it? Amazing, right—?”

Ha, just how many people are late to the party?

“Huh?”

The Queen looked flustered, seeing the red light on the jewel.

“Is there something wrong with this?”

“There’s no way. It’s information that’s already been mentioned. It’s been about six months, so there’s about a year and a half left until the Bonding spell is released.”

“Wow, even the time frame? The level here is really high.”

The Clown laughed arrogantly as the Queen exclaimed in genuine admiration.

“Pfft, isn’t it just that your level is low?”

He probably didn’t mean it.

The Queen had shown an unwavering presence from the beginning.

‘He’s just saying that because he wants her to share more valuable information.’

Ah, for reference, Goblin shut his mouth and kept a low profile as soon as the ‘level’ talk came up.

He was incredibly perceptive.

“Hmm, this is a bit troublesome…”

The Queen said so, not sounding troubled at all, and made her third attempt.

“It’s a lie that the King is sick.”

…Huh?

__________________

The jewel on the round table emitted a green light at the Queen’s words.

And that’s why even greater confusion swept over the Round Table.

The reason was simple.

Information that was the complete opposite had already been mentioned by the Clown.

[The King of Lafdonia’s condition has worsened.]

It was one of the Round Table’s weaknesses.

If the person sharing the information was 100% certain, the jewel would emit a green light.

It only determined the sincerity, not the truth.

Well, if that weren’t the case, they would have used this system to access all sorts of information.

“This is troublesome.”

“Yes? Troublesome?”

Antler sighed and explained the situation to the Queen.

“Hmm, no one lied, but it means one of them is mistaken.”

“That’s right.”

“Then it’s only natural that my side is more credible, right? Everyone knows that the King is sick, but I’m the only one who’s certain it’s a lie.”

“Pfft, where did you hear that nonsense?”

“Hmm, is this the level of the Corpse Collector?”

“…What did you just say?”

The Clown was enraged at the Queen’s provocation.

But the Queen just retorted slyly.

“Then where did you hear that information, Mr. Clown? I met the King in person. Are you more certain than me?”

“…Anyone can say that.”

“I can’t believe the Corpse Collector is such a cheapskate. Here, I’ll say it while touching the jewel. Then it’s settled, right?”

The Queen then said she had met the King, and the jewel emitted a green light.

“…….”

The Clown couldn’t say anything.

How did this guy become such a pushover?

He’s been getting beaten up all day.

“Another monster has joined, on top of Lion. A player who can contact the King…”

“It’s not that much. I just had an opportunity.”

The Queen, as befitting her mask, had imprinted her presence on the members from the very first gathering.

“Why are these kinds of people increasing…?”

Goblin, who was deflated by the newbie’s performance, was a bonus.

“Then let’s move on! It’s your turn now, Mr. Goblin!”

“My, my turn?”

“Yes!”

The Queen naturally took the lead, exuding her aura. Goblin couldn’t refuse and obediently took the next turn.

“They found a way to break through Noark’s barrier at the Magic Tower yesterday. It seems like they can do it right away. Ah, but it requires thirty High Priests to pray together.”

Right, so they finally found a way.

Maybe a second subjugation force would be formed soon.

“That’s right, Corpse Collector.”

“What are you bragging about? I heard the temple is withdrawing its support for the royal family.”

“Do you really think a religious group can rebel against the royal family?”

“The royal family doesn’t have ‘him’ anymore.”

“Damn it, I wouldn’t have said that if I knew you were one of them.”

Antler and the Clown started bickering, seizing the opportunity.

“Um… aren’t you going to stop them this time?”

Goblin subtly hinted at the Queen, but she just watched with interest.

“Why? I think this is also a form of entertainment.”

“I, I see?”

The Queen also ignored their battle of nerves, and the conversation seemed to be going on endlessly, but the winner was quickly decided.

“Ah, right. Congratulations. You got a new title, right?”

“…What do you mean?”

The Clown reacted as if he didn’t know.

“Hoo, you don’t know? Your new title is ‘Toy Collector’.”

“Oh my, how indecent.”

The Queen covered her mouth with her hand as if she knew something, and Antler continued explaining, unable to hide his amusement.

“Toy Collector. It’s because you’re like a child.”

“I’m like a child…?”

The Clown seemed confused.

Antler exaggeratedly tilted his head, as if he had expected that reaction.

“Why? Am I wrong? It’s famous that Bjorn Yandel keeps talking about it at drinking parties.”

“That, that bastard…?”

The Clown’s voice started to tremble, as if he was starting to understand.

It was the perfect time to deliver the final blow.

“You’re small, aren’t you?”

Antler, as expected of a veteran, didn’t miss the opportunity and stabbed him in the heart.

Crack.

I heard something breaking from the Clown’s mouth.

I apologized inwardly.

“…….”

Ah, sorry, sorry.

I repeatedly asked him to keep it a secret…

“Pfft.”

…and this happened?