Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 96

[Wild Outburst] increases threat level when used. However, the threat level at this time does not trigger a ‘provocation’ judgment against people, only monsters. As Dwarki said in the past. [Hmm… It was a very strange feeling. My head knows it’s not dangerous at all, but my body feels like it needs to run away…]

Cowardly people shrink back in fear. Brave people, on the other hand, show their fighting spirit. So, what about this guy?

“Hah!”

The answer was the latter. Startled for a moment by my shout in his face, he quickly regained his senses and swung his sword again. If I had my shield in my left hand as usual, I could have just deflected it, but… ‘It wouldn’t make much of a difference now.’ It’s all the same anyway. The body of a tank on the right track exists only to block the enemy’s attacks. Swoosh. I move the hand that was detached from the axe to the trajectory where the sword is being swung. At the same time, a dull sound follows. Clack-

The guy, who thought he had the upper hand, has a look of doubt in his eyes at the sound. Well, he must be curious. When would he ever hear such a sound when a sharp blade and a bare arm collide?

“……?”

The focus moves with a light of wanting an answer. The guy’s gaze arrives at its destination. “Don’t you understand?” At my question, the guy blankly nodded his head. Why his sword cut through the skin but not the bone. There are many reasons for that. Bone strength, physical resistance, a naturally large and sturdy frame, increased physical stats from [Wild Outburst], etc. Rather, it would be more absurd if he had cut my wrist in one go. But… ‘There’s no need to explain it in detail.’ Because I’m a barbarian.

“You are—”

One word is enough. “Weak.” After saying it, it was quite a cheesy line, but the effect was considerable. As if he had received the ultimate insult, the what’s-his-name pulled the sword out of my arm. It was not a good choice. Whoosh-! Blood splatters as the blade is pulled out. Sizzle-! A corrosive sound follows. And…

“Kkyaaaaaaack!!!”

A groan of pain. “A dirty trick…” What? I was just standing still. Since he definitely had a problem with his head, I reached out and grabbed his neck. It would be a pain if he ran away, right? “Cough!” The what’s-his-name started to struggle as the blood flow to his brain was cut off. It was like a free meal. I could definitely kill him with just a twist of his neck. But… [Equipment has been unequipped.] [Overall item level decreases by -495.] I put down the weapon I was holding in my hand. It’s a simple reason. Clang! The double-edged battle axe that the butler bought for a lot of money for today. If I hit his head with this, I wouldn’t even be able to make the excuse that I didn’t intend to kill him, and… ‘I made a promise.’ I promised the knight Samdol that I would fix the problem in his head when I met him later. That’s why… Squeeze. Clenching a fist the size of a watermelon, I hit his temple with all my might. Thwack—!!! If there’s a problem with his head. “Behel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!” Then get rid of his head. Yes, a barbarian would definitely think that way. Or not.

***

Silence. The surroundings are faint or silent. That state continues for a while. “…….” It was a very strange sight. How often would there be a place with so many people gathered? Even during a festival, how often would hundreds of people fall silent without any tacit agreement? “W-where is the priest!!” A knight ran out carrying the what’s-his-name with his head half-crushed, and the silence ended. So, I approached the referee. “Don’t you need to announce the winner?” At my question, the referee looked flustered and then shouted to the crowd. “T-the winner is Bjorn Yandel of the Martoang Baron family!” At first, I thought they were discriminating against me because I was a barbarian. But looking at the reaction of the crowd, it didn’t seem to be the case. “Waaaaaa!” “Barbarian! The barbarian is the best!” “This is the first time I’ve seen such an exhilarating duel! It feels like my chest is clear!” “But, isn’t that knight dead?” “Y-you’re too cruel. Touch my heart here. Can you feel it beating?” “O-oh… I-I think I can feel it…” “How many people die during a duel? And if it’s that bad, the priest will take care of it.” It was an even more enthusiastic reaction than the first duel. “Behel—raaaaaaaaaa!!” As a service, I let out a random shout and went down from the stage to the barracks. Not where the Baron would be waiting… The barracks where the what’s-his-name was being treated. “Y-you! What do you think you’re doing here!” As soon as I entered the barracks, a furious shout erupted. It was from the remaining two of the knight Samdol. I didn’t answer and approached the priest who was treating him. “Is he dead?” “…His life is not in danger.” The priest answered while glaring at me with a hostile gaze. “Couldn’t you have been a little more gentle?” Even though a follower of God said that, I was a little taken aback, but I had enough excuses. “I didn’t know it would turn out like this.” “……?” “He’s a knight! I just punched him with my fist after putting down my axe! How was I supposed to know he would pass out from just one punch?” At my confident answer, the knight Samdol blushed with shame, and the priest opened his mouth as if he was dumbfounded. “Pass out… are you saying he passed out? It was a serious injury with brain fluid leaking out, but you’re saying he passed out—” “If he’s alive, isn’t he passed out!” A choice of words that even Ainar, who taught me the life of a barbarian, would have to give up on. The priest closed his mouth. He decided that there was no point in talking. “…….” An awkward silence began to fill the barracks. I was thinking of just leaving, but then the what’s-his-name regained consciousness. “O-oh… where am I…?” The what’s-his-name mumbled with a dazed look. The divine power emitted by the high priest had already healed the crushed head, but it wasn’t an all-purpose cheat key. “I was definitely going up to the arena…” At his mumbling, the priest explained the situation. There was a match, and he suffered a major brain injury. But he was quickly treated, so his memory would return with time. “I-I see. Thank you for helping me—” The guy, who was expressing his gratitude for the priest’s kind briefing, stiffened when he found me. “W-why are you here…” A look closer to fear than embarrassment. It was a little strange. He said he lost his memory of the duel, so how could he react like this? “Hmm, do you really not remember anything?” “N-no, I don’t. S-so please leave.” Well, he doesn’t seem to be lying… Still, I should check what I need to check since I’m here. “I’ll leave right away if you do just one thing.” “……?” “It’s nothing much, just repeat what I say.” I told him exactly what he had said to me before and asked him to repeat it. “I-if I do that, will you leave…?” “Of course.” When I nodded, the what’s-his-name swallowed hard. And he repeated the words I had recited. But… “I-it was originally small, so that’s why it was named that… uh, ugh…” Suddenly, his body trembled like an aspen, and he grabbed his head. “Ah…! I-I remember…!” It seems that his temporarily lost memory returned as he recalled the past. “Good. Keep going.” At my urging, the what’s-his-name froze like a stone statue and started to have a fit. “S-stop… I-I was wrong. So please…” Apologizing? He would never have imagined such an attitude before. I let out a sigh of relief. “It seems the problem in his head has disappeared.” “Yes. So please leave now. The patient needs rest.” “I will.” At the priest’s words, I left the barracks without any regrets. “I-I’m going to get out of here. I-I have to run away…!” A faint commotion was heard from beyond the barracks. Listening to it, I finally realized. I am not a doctor, nor a priest with divine power. I am just one barbarian living in this barbaric world. But, so what? ‘As expected, the barbarian is a cheat character.’ Just today. I solved a problem that even the priest couldn’t fix.

***

“You’ve done well. I didn’t think you’d finish it so quickly… But where did you go?” The Baron greeted me as I returned to the waiting barracks. When I told him that I went to see how the what’s-his-name was doing, he chuckled. “You’re quite unique. You care about that while attacking so mercilessly.” Mercilessly, that’s a bit harsh. “If it was a labyrinth, I would have hit him with an axe.” “Well, I guess you would…” “To be honest, I didn’t know he would be this weak. I thought he would be sturdy since he was slow.” An answer I had prepared in advance in case there was a problem. For some reason, the Baron burst out laughing. “Yes, how could it be your fault? It’s their fault for not training properly.” “But is it okay to keep doing this? They’re apprentice knights, but they’re still nobles.” “Huh, are you worried about the aftermath? Then don’t worry about it at all. It happened during the match, didn’t it?” “But aren’t knights the property of the family? What if the noble who they swore allegiance to tries to harm me?” “Oh, didn’t I tell you not to worry? Why would an apprentice, not a formal knight, participate in such a game in the first place? It’s because it’s not a big deal even if they die.” The Baron then assured me that no one would try to make trouble with him over such a trivial matter, and even if such a thing happened, he would stop them. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. “So, you just focus on winning. I saw the people’s reaction earlier, and the more you rampage, the more satisfied the Count who hosted the banquet will be.” Well, in that case. I guess I can smash all their heads without worry. I saw earlier that the priest’s abilities were no joke. “The winner is Sir Tilyan of the Henselvenia Viscount family!” After that, I watched the duels with the Baron and waited for my turn. It was quite fun at first, but I soon lost interest. Is it because the way they fight is too similar? I think I know why people were so enthusiastic during my turn. ‘Is it because they’re nobles even if they’re from a side branch? They don’t have any showmanship.’ I was a little tired, so I asked the Baron for permission and took a nap in the corner. How much time had passed since then? The butler woke me up very carefully. “…H-hey, you, someone is looking for you.” “Looking for me?” It was a bit sudden, but the butler finished what he had to say before I could ask anything and disappeared. So, I went out to check. But what is this? ‘Knight Samdol?’ Two of the three are standing there. Also, before I could ask what they wanted, one of them reached out to grab my collar. I don’t know his name. He was the guy who slandered me as a small clown. “Y-you—!” When I stepped back and avoided his hand, the small clown looked embarrassed and stiffened, then continued to speak. “C-cough. You! What did you do to Sir Silvenia!” “Sir Silvenia?” When I scratched my ear and tilted my head, he got angry. “You don’t even know the name of the person you dueled with!” So that was his name. So, his name is… “Sil… Meria…” “It’s Sir Silvenia!!” “Yes, did something happen to him?” At my question, the two started to tremble. “How can you say that…! He loses his mind and goes crazy whenever your name is mentioned!” “How can you be so cruel? Even if you have a grudge, how can you make a person like that… Don’t you have any mercy or honor?” Mercy and honor? That’s not something a guy who said he would cut my neck in 10 seconds should be saying. I made a final diagnosis. “…I didn’t know his condition was this serious.” A quick solution is needed.

***

“What are you doing here?” The commotion ended when Baron Martoang peeked his head out from beyond the barracks. The two, who seemed to have something to hide, quickly left as soon as they saw his face. “…What were they?” “It’s nothing.” “Okay, anyway, come here. I have a good idea, and I’m wondering if it’s actually possible.” After that, I went back to the barracks and killed time by having pointless conversations with the Baron, and the first round ended. And the round of 8 tournament began. Is this what the shaman meant by ‘the fate of a hero’? “Sir Quartean of the Serpia Baron family and Bjorn Yandel of the Martoang Baron family, please take your places!” Surprisingly, I faced one of the knight Samdol in the second round. It was the guy with the bluffing attribute. “Don’t expect it to be the same as before.” The guy was still talking even though the duel had started. “It’s hard for me to say it myself, but Sir Silvenia is the weakest of us—” It was easier than the first time. Taking advantage of the gap while he was mumbling, I dashed forward. And… “O-oh…?” Whether the guy was startled and swung his sword or not, I reached out and grabbed his neck. Then, a sincere punch to his temple. Thwack-! The guy, whose flesh and bones of his head were crushed, fell to the floor powerlessly. It happened just 3 seconds after the duel started. However… “Waaaaaa!” “Crush them like that next time too!!” “Knight Crusher! It’s the Knight Crusher!!” Even though it was a duel that ended in an instant, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers. It was truly ironic. ‘They’re so happy to see someone’s head get smashed.’ With this, I don’t know who the barbarian is.

***

[The character’s reputation has increased by +10.] [The character’s reputation has increased by +10…] […]