Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Stiletto (4)

“Pfft.”

Goblin chuckled, and the Clown’s cold gaze turned towards him.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Goblin avoided his gaze, clearing his throat as if to say he wasn’t laughing, but coughing.

Antler intervened and defended him.

“Why are you picking on Goblin? It’s not his fault that you ended up in a small body.”

The Clown didn’t respond to his sarcastic remark.

He just glared at them, trembling with humiliation.

That worry briefly crossed my mind, but fortunately, Clown was a professional.

“…Pfft.”

He forced a smile, even though it was a situation where anyone would understand if he burst into tears.

“Such childish tricks.”

I had a hunch about what he was trying to do.

The only way to turn the tables in this one-sided exchange.

“It’s not even my real body, do you think I would be hurt by something like that?”

A mental victory.

‘This guy is something else.’

Although his lines were confident, his voice was overflowing with anger.

But what about Antler?

His eyes were filled with amusement.

It was a situation where the winner was already decided.

However, Antler was a ruthless man who didn’t show any mercy.

“Hmm, so you’re admitting that you’re small?”

Is this man a demon?

“…….”

Clown, who was being hit below the belt until the very end, finally chose to remain silent. He realized that he would only be hurt if he continued talking.

“Real men.”

The Queen chuckled as the situation ended.

I felt embarrassed for them.

Well, it would be pathetic to see grown men bickering over something like this.

Anyway, the brief commotion ended, and the gathering continued.

“We got sidetracked. Then I’ll continue.”

Antler announced the resumption of the meeting and shared his information.

“The royal family captured a spy from Noark three days ago. It seems like they smuggled a few people to the surface before activating the barrier.”

A captured spy…

I wonder if it’s Amelia, but I don’t think so.

She didn’t seem like the type to be easily caught.

“They’re planning to kill him after extracting all the information. Ah, of course, after torturing him to the point where he wants to die.”

Antler then spoke to Clown, who was from Noark, as if to tease him.

‘Antler is definitely from the royal family…’

Another achievement from the conflict with the Clown.

“Pfft, how naive. Do you think I would bat an eye at the death of a few insignificant bugs who couldn’t even protect themselves?”

Although his words were dismissive, his voice was filled with displeasure.

He probably didn’t like the fact that Antler was acting so arrogantly, regardless of the spy’s life.

“Then it’s my turn.”

The Clown spoke as soon as Antler’s turn ended, as if to counterattack.

“An assassin will be sent to Bjorn Yandel soon.”

…Huh? Suddenly?

“They’re trying to make him a hero, right? It would be fun if he died as soon as he received a noble title. The royal family’s prestige would plummet!”

Ha, so this is what it means to be caught in the crossfire.

I was momentarily flustered at being mentioned out of the blue, and then anger welled up inside me.

‘An assassin, when I’m not even fully recovered yet…’

But the silver lining was that I was able to learn about it beforehand.

And was it the same for Antler?

“Idiot.”

He clicked his tongue and retorted.

“To kindly warn the enemy because you can’t control your emotions, you’re truly a child.”

“Tsk, where does that confidence come from? That you can stop it just because you know?”

Their battle of nerves was about to begin again.

Although it was fun at first, I was starting to get bored, so I intervened and ended it.

“It’s my turn now.”

The room became quiet in an instant as I spoke after a long silence.

I glanced at the members.

And I fixed my gaze on the Queen and said,

“Another world’s evil spirit created Ghostbusters.”

Tsk, I was saving this.

_____________________

It was a preemptive strike.

I was saving it to use as a reward if someone told me something ‘interesting’…

[This community wasn’t actually created by the GM?]

…but the Queen, who knew that the GM didn’t create the community, would also know that a different world’s evil spirit created it.

I judged that it was better to use it before it became useless.

I was running out of cards to establish Lion’s authority—

“Another world’s evil spirit created it…”

Huh?

“Right, so that was it.”

The Queen nodded as if something had clicked as the jewel emitted a green light.

What, she didn’t know?

‘…I thought she would know, being an administrator.’

Then could it be that she wasn’t ‘SoulQueens’?

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I wasn’t sure yet. Maybe the Master didn’t tell her about it.

That’s when…

“Wa, wait! Another world’s evil spirit? What do you mean? Are you saying there are players besides those from Earth?”

…Goblin asked me in surprise after a moment of silence.

But there was only one thing I could do.

“That’s for you to interpret.”

If he really wanted me to answer, he could bring me something interesting.

Although I would still judge it as boring.

“…I’ve heard that there are such beings. But I thought it was just a rumor.”

Antler, who had been lost in thought for a while, also exclaimed in astonishment as if he had heard an amazing secret.

‘Baekho really is amazing.’

This piece of information, as well as most of the information that made Lion who he is now, came from Lee Baekho.

“Pfft, it’s a good thing I stayed.”

Even the Clown, who had been getting beaten up throughout the gathering, nodded in satisfaction, as if he found my information interesting.

It seemed like he thought I was good at playing dumb.

“…This is getting more interesting.”

The Queen, with enthusiastic eyes, suggested we continue with another round, but unfortunately, the gathering ended here.

Because Goblin raised the white flag.

“I, I don’t have anything else to say, so I’ll be leaving.”

“Then I’ll stop here too. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to find information that all four of us don’t know.”

Antler also declared his non-participation, and the gathering naturally ended.

“Then I’ll be going.”

The Clown, who usually stayed and chatted with the members, left as soon as the gathering ended.

Well, it would be awkward to chat after his identity was revealed.

“Pfft, then please bring something interesting next time.”

The Clown, still acting friendly even after being exposed.

Honestly, it was a bit ridiculous…

But his attitude of being strong only to the weak was admirable.

As expected, there’s a reason why he’s survived for so long.

“Then I’ll be going too.”

I got up and opened the door, and I saw Fox leaning against the wall in the empty hallway, waiting for me.

“Ah, is it over?”

She guided me to a small reception room nearby, not the main room with the round table, as I nodded.

Oh, so there was a room like this here.

“…….”

An awkward silence fell between us as we sat on the sofas facing each other.

But it would be a rookie mistake to speak first.

I waited patiently, and Fox finally opened her mouth.

“Um… thank you for your time.”

“Get to the point.”

Fox flinched at my curt words and then asked cautiously,

“Do you… happen to know why I called you…?”

Of course, I didn’t.

But it would also be a rookie mistake to answer honestly here.

“Are you testing me?”

I muttered coldly.

“N, no! Th, that’s not it…!”

“It doesn’t seem that urgent.”

I then pretended to get up from my seat.

Because I was the one who was in a hurry.

Although I didn’t know the details, that much was certain.

She wouldn’t have bothered creating a separate space otherwise.

‘Something must have happened that requires Lion’s power or information.’

I had time to organize my thoughts about Fox’s situation while the Round Table was in progress.

And I judged that if I used this well, I might be able to figure out her identity.

Then, what about reality?

“Please, I’m begging you. If you know about my situation, help me.”

Fox pleaded earnestly.

But I could sense that she didn’t completely trust me.

If I knew about her situation…

‘As expected, she’s asking for my help after seeing that I know the Clown bastard’s identity.’

If her identity was already revealed, she wouldn’t have anything to lose by receiving my help, and if it wasn’t, she would think about it a bit more.

Geez, how cunning.

“You’re still trying to look down on me.”

I got up from my seat as if there was nothing more to see.

In the first place, there was nothing I could do for her in my current state.

I only knew the Clown’s identity.

I didn’t know anything about Fox’s situation.

Therefore…

“You’re not desperate enough.”

…I said.

That wasn’t the way to ask for a favor from Lion.

“Come back when you’re more desperate.”

Fox shouted hurriedly as I got up and headed towards the door.

“Ju, just tell me! Whether you know or not!”

There was a hint of frustration in her voice.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her unexpected innocence.

“Why should I?”

“That’s—”

I refused to let her answer and said,

“Because it seems more fun this way.”

Damn right, this is Lion.

_____________________

A spacious room reminiscent of a hotel suite.

“I wonder what those two are talking about now?”

A man lying on the bed muttered to himself and got up.

“Eh, why am I even curious? They never tell me anything anyway.”

Actually, it was a familiar situation to the man.

He had often felt like an outsider among his friends since his school days.

Well, he was lucky.

He was able to live in a place like this because the cryptocurrency he bought out of boredom had hit the jackpot.

But what was the point now?

“Whew, less than five hours left.”

The man checked the time and sat down at the table in the living room, typing on his laptop.

It was his only hobby, something he did once a month.

Chatting in this virtual space made him feel like he was back in his original world.

“Bjorn Yandel…”

The forum he was browsing was filled with stories about one man.

Right, this was the main topic today.

[Did you hear that Bjorn Yandel is becoming a noble?]

-I’m so envious. Many people say he’s a player, but what does it matter? At that level, I would also want to live here, player or not.

The man spent his free time posting comments on various posts.

[Bling0_0: I agree. If you’re a noble, you can have multiple wives. I would live here too. I heard his companions are all very pretty.]

[└arolf5205: Misha is the legal wife. I saw her from afar, she’s really cute.]

[└Ykbell: I like Erwen, the fairy.]

[└cherylvander: For a real man, it’s obviously that barbarian woman, right?]

Replies poured in as he subtly trolled in popular posts.

The man frowned as he was reading them.

[Pnec: Idiot. I can tell your level just by the fact that you’re envious of that trash barbarian.]

Okay, this guy was today’s target.

The man chuckled.

Because he knew.

That these kinds of people who didn’t receive a proper upbringing were the most satisfying to hit.

‘Come to think of it, that kind of insult worked well.’

The man chuckled, recalling the incident from earlier.

Although his opponent started attacking him personally…

[└Bling0_0: Yeah, yours is 3cm. One-tenth of Bjorn’s. Are you trembling with envy?]

Ding!

A notification soon popped up, indicating that a reply had been posted.

[└Pnec: …Damn it, who are you?]

It was a slightly unexpected reaction.

[└Bling0_0: What? Is it really 3cm?]

[└Pnec: Why are there so many weirdos? Just get lost.]

[└Bling0_0: Yeah, I’m not going anywhere. The one who’s getting lost is your future wife. Even a kind woman can’t endure 3cm and will run away. That’s why you can’t even get a concubine, even though you’re a noble.]

[└Pnec: …Hey, where do you live?]

As expected, compliments soon erupted.

The man grinned and continued to cling to him tenaciously.

[└cherylvander: I was wondering what was going on with all the notifications, what the hell are these two doing here? LOL.]

[└Ykbell: Everyone, stop it. As someone who graduated from MIT, I can tell that this is a complete defeat for 3cm.]

[└1spring: But judging by how he’s talking, I think he’s really 3cm.]

Other users, who were watching the fight like it was a spectacle, joined in the mockery, and his opponent eventually deleted all his comments and ran away.

‘That bastard, how pathetic.’

The man stretched, feeling refreshed after his victory.

After some time…

…it was time for the community to close.

“Parab! Parab!”

When he opened his eyes, a priest next to him was quietly calling his name and shaking his shoulder.

“What are you doing, sleeping?!”

“Ah, I apologize…”

The man quickly apologized and then listened to the bishop’s words from the pulpit.

No, to be precise, he pretended to listen.

This wasn’t a world where he could reveal his true nature.

He had to act like a devout paladin.

‘Ha, I should have chosen a different class if I knew it would be this hard.’

Today’s evening prayer ended after about an hour. But the man spent some time chatting with his companions before returning to his room.

But could it be because he had just been to the community?

His companion asked with concern as he just listened, too tired to talk,

“Parab, are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“Don’t tell me it’s because of that incident? Let it go. It’s not your fault that you couldn’t enter the labyrinth because you had an upset stomach.”

“It’s a good thing you’re alive.”

“God helped you.”

Although his companions were misunderstanding, he didn’t correct them.

He just nodded with a bitter smile.

“Right, I should let it go.”

Actually, he didn’t even have an upset stomach.

He just made an excuse because he had a bad feeling and wanted to rest.

He couldn’t describe how relieved he was when he saw the pillars of fire erupting from the Dimensional Plaza the next day.

“Why don’t you go back to your room and rest?”

“No, I’ll stay here. I think I’ll be better off here.”

“…If that’s what you want.”

His companions’ chatter continued.

The barbarian was also the topic of conversation here.

“That guy, he’s becoming a noble, right?”

“It’s a good thing. I heard he’s a truly noble person from the priest who was with us that day.”

As expected of religious people who valued humility, his companions praised the new hero without any envy or suspicion.

‘Geez, this is so boring.’

It was difficult to find the freedom of the community here.

The man couldn’t help but blurt out, feeling suffocated,

“Isn’t he a bit suspicious?”

“Suspicious?”

“To gain that much fame in just one year, it’s not normal.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Maybe he’s an evil spirit?”

Although he said it jokingly, he meant it.

Although the general consensus in the community was that he wasn’t a player…

…he thought it didn’t make sense unless he was.

Then, what about his companions’ opinions?

“…….”

Silence fell at his words.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“Hahahahahaha!”

His companions all burst into laughter.

“An evil spirit? There’s no way.”

“Captain Krovitz likes him. It’s not good to suspect him like that.”

“What kind of evil spirit would sacrifice their life for their companions?”

“Your jokes are a bit much today!”

The man felt his face flush.

Of course, it wasn’t an unfamiliar experience.

He had always been teased and ostracized like this since he was young.

‘Right, I was wrong again.’

The man sighed deeply and returned to his room.

It was a common occurrence.