Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 530

A dagger with the Silver Lion Clan’s emblem.

Why was this here?

The moment I asked myself that, a possibility immediately came to mind.

[If you’re talking about the Silver Lion Clan, they left the island not long after you guys did. And they haven’t returned yet.]

The possibility that what the village chief said last time was a lie.

Maybe… the Silver Lion Clan didn’t just fail to return; maybe they crossed a point of no return.

By someone’s hand.

“…….”

“…….”

Judging by her expression, Amelia seems to be thinking the same thing as me….

“Was there anything else besides the dagger?”

“That’s all. As far as we’ve checked so far.”

“I see….”

It’s hard to draw a conclusion right now.

A single dagger could have been left behind by mistake, or the monsters could have secretly taken it. Or, they might have sold the dagger to the monsters.

In short, if you want to cling to hope, you can do it as much as you want.

But….

“This is getting complicated.”

When variables arise, you should always assume the worst.

“As you saw, that guy is dangerous.”

The village chief’s power is beyond what you’d call a monster.

He instantly killed a Hiphrumant with a single flick of his sword. But if that sword came flying at me, could I survive unscathed?

Since I didn’t know, I checked this first.

“…Who knows that I took this dagger out?”

“No one knows yet. I found it when I went to check if Pnelin had caused an accident.”

“Is it possible to put it back in its original place without being noticed?”

We didn’t need many words.

“If it’s now, yes.”

“Please do.”

“Understood.”

Amelia, who received my request, carefully tucked the dagger back into her clothes.

She already knows everything too.

That confronting the village chief at this time is too risky.

‘Since we have to be trapped in this village until the rainy season ends.’

The village chief has a secret.

That much is clear.

But we are not ready to handle it yet.

***

The day after Amelia safely returned the dagger to the smithy.

“From today, investigate the whereabouts of the Silver Lion Clan. As secretly as possible. Don’t tell Ainar, or Bersil, or Erwen.”

“Yandel, what about you?”

“I’m going to meet the village chief.”

After giving Amelia a new task, I headed to the village chief’s mansion.

“You came earlier than I thought.”

“There’s not much to do besides rest.”

“I’d like to offer you tea, but there’s nothing like that in this village. Have a seat.”

Is it because I saw the Silver Lion Clan’s dagger?

Even though we’re just having a normal conversation like before, my muscles are tensing up without me realizing it.

Thump-!

It feels like I’m facing a psychopath. However, I acted as naturally as possible, trying not to show it.

Actually, this kind of acting is my specialty.

“So, what do you want to talk about? Seeing that you called me separately, it doesn’t seem like you just called me for a chat.”

“Hmm, it’s ambiguous. But if you call it a matter, it’s a matter.”

The village chief then looked at me and said.

In his unique, indifferent voice.

“Bjorn Yandel. I’m curious about you.”

“…What?”

“Is it strange? To be interested in an explorer who might be able to get me out of here?”

“It’s not that….”

It was a slightly embarrassing topic, but I quickly assessed the situation.

The Silver Lions are the Silver Lions, and this is this.

“Is there a reason why I should tell you just because you’re curious?”

I slightly adapted the answer I heard yesterday and returned it in my own way.

“Didn’t you say before not to be curious about strange things and just focus on what you have to do?”

I deliberately spoke rudely, but the village chief surprisingly didn’t show any displeasure.

“That’s true too.”

No, rather, he accepted it too easily, which made me feel more embarrassed.

“Then how about we answer each other’s questions? You must have a lot of questions about me too.”

Hmm….

A one-on-one truth game….

“Okay.”

I didn’t hesitate for long.

This world isn’t designed to be easy enough to get what you want without risk.

‘I’m used to this kind of situation now anyway.’

I quickly took the initiative.

“Then can I ask the first question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you still have the essences you had when you were human?”

It was the most important question in the current situation.

Brungrid’s essences he possessed in his lifetime were quite famous.

Like other famous heroes, his essence combination was passed down to later generations as a secret.

Well, not all of the essences he had are known.

But if I know this, I can roughly know how strong he is.

“That’s not the case.”

Hmm, he doesn’t?

“Then what was that shining sword yesterday?”

“Now it’s my turn.”

“…Go ahead.”

Since there are things to be gained from the other person’s questions, I didn’t force it and passed the turn.

What will the village chief ask as his first question?

As my curiosity grew, the village chief slowly opened his mouth.

“How old are you?”

It was a completely unexpected question.

“Age…?”

“Was it a difficult question?”

“…Twenty-four.”

I felt a bit bewildered, but I answered honestly.

‘Why did he ask about my age? Is he trying to make me lower my guard before asking an important question later?’

I felt a bit uneasy, but it wasn’t bad to pass the turn with information like age.

“You’re much younger than I thought. But to have that skill and even establish a noble family at that age. You’re truly amazing.”

I just ignored the flattering praise that tickled my ears and started my turn.

“If it’s not the essence from your human days, does that mean you got that ability on this island?”

Those who call themselves ‘humans’ are very unique individuals.

They have passives and actives innately.

This is the same characteristic as other monsters.

But….

“That’s right. All I had was time, and as you saw, this island is full of monsters.”

They can absorb essences despite that.

However, they cannot level up, and the number of essence slots varies innately from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 7 for each individual?

‘…It’s really ambiguous whether I should see them as monsters or not.’

Honestly, like elves, dwarves, barbarians, and beastmen, it’s not unreasonable to see them as just one race.

The races of Lapdonia also have their own characteristics.

Elves summon spirits, barbarians become stronger through spirit imprints. Dwarves receive buffs on their equipment, and beastmen strengthen themselves using soul beasts.

And in that sense.

‘They are born with a set level and start with one race-specific essence innately.’

Depending on the point of view, this can be classified as a ‘unique characteristic of the race’.

But….

‘Mana stones came out.’

I saw the bodies of the monster warriors who died in this battle disappear into light.

And if you look at this, they are monsters….

‘What does it matter. This.’

I soon finished my biological consideration of whether I could define them as monsters.

It was almost the village chief’s turn.

“Can you tell me about when you first entered the labyrinth?”

“…Why are you curious about that?”

“To understand you as a person.”

“It would be long to tell you everything?”

“The thing I have the most of is time. But, you might not. It’s okay if you summarize it.”

“…If that’s the case.”

After that, I told him a few episodes from my first exploration, and I got my turn again.

‘Okay, what should I ask this time?’

I was quite worried.

I’d like to ask how the Silver Lion Clan’s dagger came out of the smithy, but….

There’s a high chance I won’t get a proper answer.

It’s not like there’s a broken trust working, and if I unnecessarily raise his guard, it will be more difficult to find out the truth.

Therefore, I decided to ask this question next.

“Tell me about the Immortal King.”

“The Immortal King…?”

Isn’t he a self-proclaimed ancient hero?

If it’s true, I’ll be able to hear the secrets of the ancient times through him, and even if it’s a lie, I can use it to approach the village chief’s identity.

“I’m talking about the first king of Lapdonia.”

“Ah, you must be talking about the Lord? But, it would be quite a long story to tell you everything, would that be okay?”

“I have nothing but time right now.”

“Hmm… it’s too broad, I don’t know what to say first. The Lord was a very lucky person.”

“…Luck?”

“That’s right. The Lord was an ordinary person. But… he had the most talented magician in the world as a friend.”

“You’re talking about the Great Sage.”

The village chief nodded and continued.

“The Great Sage had foreseen the destruction long ago and was preparing for it. He persuaded his friend, who was the Lord, and poured the family’s entire fortune into preparing for that day. They said the foolish Lord was doing foolish things. The gossips of the entire continent laughed and mocked him.”

But after the end of the world was realized, the story changed 180 degrees.

“The kings of neighboring countries, the best swordsmen on the continent, the magicians of Incaroon… they all took what they could and headed there. And they knelt down, begging to be allowed to enter.”

The Lord and the Great Sage screened those refugees with very strict standards.

And….

“That’s how Lapdonia was born.”

“Wait a minute, then what about Noark?”

“……?”

“I’m talking about the city under the ground. There was also a portal to the labyrinth there.”

“Ah, you must be talking about the underground shelter. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard of its existence.”

Hmm… a shelter….

“Sorry for interrupting. Please continue.”

“…Anyway, as many people were trapped in the city, supplies were quickly consumed. And then, the Great Sage finally created a portal that connected to another dimension.”

That was the labyrinth.

A mysterious land full of monsters.

At first, the whole city was planning to move to the new land.

“To realize the relocation plan, the Great Sage formed an exploration team, and I was lucky enough to join that exploration team.”

The exploration team began to explore the labyrinth in earnest.

And as the magicians realized the value of mana stones through research, the relocation plan was scrapped.

Mana stones.

A versatile substance that can become food, water, and sometimes iron.

“That’s how this city stabilized, and a foundation was laid that could last forever. The city grew bigger and bigger, and the number of portals, which was only one, increased. But if you ask what the Lord did in this process, there’s nothing much to say.”

All the achievements are the Great Sage’s, and the Lord was just the luckiest man in the world.

That was the village chief’s assessment.

‘There are a lot of suspicious things for that….’

I wanted to ask a new question, but unfortunately, it was the other side’s turn now.

“How was your second exploration?”

The village chief asked about my exploration episode again, and while being wary of what his intention might be, I told him the story.

“The Crimson Fortress… a nostalgic name. Interesting story, I enjoyed listening to it.”

“Then it’s my turn now.”

Okay, then what should I ask this time?

After a moment of thought, I decided to ask a question that could be a bit sensitive.

“How did the Immortal King gain eternal life?”

It was a question that could probe Cornelius Brungrid, while also being related to the power of the royal family.

What kind of answer will the village chief give?

I was eagerly listening when….

Knock knock.

A knock came from the front door, and an ancient language was heard.

[Village Chief, I have something urgent to tell you.]

“I’m sorry. Let’s continue our story next time.”

The village chief then issued an order to leave, and I had no choice but to leave the village chief’s house. The monster I saw as I opened the door was someone I recognized.

‘It’s Marupichichi’s dad.’

A warrior recognized in the village, who played a role similar to the village chief’s right-hand man.

“…….”

[…….]

After an awkward eye contact, I passed him and headed to my residence.

But even while walking, I kept thinking.

‘Urgent matter….’

If he came all the way here, it must be something really important….

What could it be?

***

The conversation with the village chief was suspicious in many ways.

‘…Asking about my age.’

I can’t figure out his intention at all?

In the first place, if he was that interested in me, he could have interrogated the Silver Lion Clan and heard it.

‘Could it be that I’m completely off the mark?’

Suddenly, I thought that the dagger found in the smithy was nothing special, and that they might have really gone out of the village and not returned.

But….

Clap-!

When you have such thoughts, that’s when it’s really dangerous.

Therefore, I changed the direction of my thoughts and reviewed the conversation that happened today.

‘The village chief asked my age.’

What could be the reason for this?

Is he really curious about my age?

‘That’s unlikely.’

Even if he didn’t catch and interrogate the Silver Lion Clan, the village chief could have heard that much at any time.

And that means.

‘Everything about being curious about me is a lie.’

But why did the village chief agree to such a truth game?

This is like buying a piece of bread with a gold bar….

‘Wait a minute.’

The moment my thoughts reached that point, a realization struck me.

‘Maybe… that was the purpose.’

Giving me a ‘gold bar’.

In other words, giving ‘information’ naturally under the guise of a truth game.

If that’s the purpose, many things make sense.

‘That shining sword too… now that I think about it, there was no need to show it at all.’

I didn’t know about the village chief’s power.

In short, if the village chief wanted to hide his skills, he could have hidden them as much as he wanted.

Nevertheless, the village chief killed that giant in one blow in front of me.

‘In other words, all of it was intentional….’

I don’t know what the purpose is yet.

Because of the lack of information, it seems difficult to move further towards the truth without having more conversations with the village chief.

But….

One day, two days, three days….

I went to the village chief’s house every day for clues, but the village chief’s house was empty all the time. When I asked the village monsters about the village chief, they only said he was busy.

‘Is he avoiding me? Or is it because he really has something urgent?’

That’s how the questions grew bigger as the days went by.

“Mr. Yandel….”

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t see Ms. Reinz. She usually comes back by this time at the latest, so I was wondering if she was here.”

There was a report from Bersil that Amelia was late in returning, and I tried to suppress my anxiety and waited until the next morning.

But….

“She’s not coming.”

I had no intention of wasting time by clinging to false hope.

“Everyone, get your tools.”

Amelia, who had been searching the village every day, had gone missing.