Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 156

Lion (3)

A newbie wearing a goblin mask.

Strictly speaking, I’m the newbie, and he’s more of a returning user, but…

Sorry, but if you’re back after a long time, you should know what’s changed, right? Or at least listen carefully to the patch notes the seniors told you about.

‘S-stop…’

The moment the goblin struggled to speak, I immediately erased my killing intent. However, if I ended it like this, I’d just be seen as a jerk with a bad temper.

[Is that all you’ve got?]

I recalled the last words I left before leaving last time and decided on today’s line.

Consistency is key in roleplaying.

‘I had hoped for something more, since a new one had arrived.’

I quickly muttered, filled with disappointment.

As if I had expected a little more since a new one had arrived, but it was as I had predicted.

As if I wasn’t just bullying him, but trying to gauge his level.

‘How boring.’

I took my eyes off the goblin mask as if that was my only purpose. Then, I quickly scanned the clown, the fox, the crescent moon, and the deer antlers one by one.

Implying that my disappointment would grow if they only came up with boring stories again today.

‘Hehehe, don’t worry, Lion. This time, I’ve brought something that might interest you.’

I didn’t answer.

I just sat there, resting my chin on my hand, waiting quietly.

Thinking to myself.

‘Clown, if he’s saying this, it must be really important information?’

Is this why everyone bosses around their subordinates so much?

It was when I was trying to act indifferent.

Click.

When the time came, the door to the round table closed.

Meaning there were no more members to join.

However, before the meeting officially started, there was one thing I had to do.

‘Goblin, get a grip.’

‘This guy is funny too. Always acting so great.’

‘Hehe, compared to back then, Mr. Lion was being considerate, and yet he’s in this state! Haa! Don’t make me feel ashamed because of you.’

The fox and deer antlers chuckled in agreement with the clown’s words.

‘Indeed… It wasn’t as bad as back then.’

‘Yes. This time, I could endure it too.’

I felt a little embarrassed as I saw them glance at me as if to thank me for holding back.

It was for a simple reason.

‘That was my maximum output…’

That’s the maximum killing intent I can freely turn on and off.

I had practiced countless times after seeing the head of the Carlstein family use killing intent in reality, but once I went into serious mode, I couldn’t turn it off at will.

Still, well, it’s a good thing they interpret it as consideration.

Is this why people need to look the part?

‘I-I’m sorry. I’m okay now.’

Anyway, the goblin was slowly regaining his senses.

He avoided my gaze as soon as our eyes met, as if the earlier incident had left a trauma.

‘He definitely seems weaker than the other four.’

Just look at the fox mask.

He endured my true killing intent for much longer, and he was only wary and cautious of me, not as fearful as the goblin.

‘Then, who should go first?’

The fox spoke first, looking at the clown.

The clown shrugged his shoulders.

‘The best things are enjoyed last, right? How about Mr. Goblin goes first?’

‘Ahem, sure, why not.’

The goblin cleared his throat as if to make up for his earlier disgrace and began to reveal his information.

‘Everyone knows that the High Priest of the Stars, Ludwig, went missing.’

‘So?’

‘The culprit was Orculius. He kidnapped him and was using him.’

Could it be, is this guy a priest?

Is that why he knows?

I had such thoughts, but the light emitted from the round table’s gem was red.

‘Hehe, it seems like more than half of you already know about it?’

I felt a bit bitter.

It hasn’t even been two weeks since I delivered the letter.

Like Baekho, those who should know already have some idea of the situation—

‘You’d better get used to it quickly. You can’t satisfy those two with ordinary information.’

Huh?

‘I didn’t know about it. Perhaps this incident might give the temple more power over the royal family.’

Listening to the fox and crescent moon, it seemed like they didn’t know about this information.

‘So, the red light turned on because the clown, deer antlers, and I knew about this?’

I clicked my tongue without realizing it.

But was I the only one being watched all this time?

The clown, noticing my gaze, stood up and got annoyed at the other three.

‘Hey, isn’t there an unspoken rule anymore? We weren’t supposed to say things like, “I didn’t know about that,” so openly.’

‘Sorry. I felt sorry for the goblin for some reason.’

‘We used to let it slide when it was just us. But there’s a new person here, right? Let’s all be careful now, okay?’

‘Y-yes, I will.’

Ah, so there was a rule like that.

I guess if it kept going like this, it would be obvious who knew what information and who didn’t.

This part had been bothering me, but thanks to the clown, it was resolved.

‘But it doesn’t feel like he did it just for me…’

Something like this happened once during the last meeting as well.

[Crescent Moon, don’t be too discouraged. What you said, most people wouldn’t know.]

Back then, the clown was the first to act like this.

Which means.

‘Did he judge that the information could be used to deduce his identity?’

It’s not certain, but it seems possible.

However, if that guess is true…

‘The clown is either someone from the temple or someone from the underground city. One of the two.’

The latter seems more likely.

I can’t imagine the clown working at the temple.

Well, he might be roleplaying on purpose like me.

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

I refocused on the meeting and listened to the information the goblin revealed next.

Was he shocked that the red light appeared in the previous information?

‘The Goddess of the Stars has given a divine revelation.’

The next information immediately turned green.

However, was this something even the clown didn’t know?

‘I want to buy information on who received the divine revelation.’

‘I don’t know that either…’

‘Hehe, even the paladin doesn’t know about it. It seems the temple is really keeping it a secret?’

‘We agreed not to say that!!’

‘Ah, my apologies. But it’s all information everyone knows anyway, so why are you being so sensitive?’

The goblin mask glanced at me at those words, and the clown laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.

‘Do you think he even cares about you?’

The goblin mask just huffed, looking displeased, unable to refute anything.

I nonchalantly made a note in my head.

[Goblin Mask = Paladin.]

Anyway, the meeting continued after that.

The next turn after the goblin was the fox next to him.

‘Double Numbers will be listed at the Sky Auction House next month.’

Double Numbers.

In other words, Number items between 11 and 99 will be auctioned.

But was the clown’s request to follow the rules effective?

There wasn’t much conversation after the information was revealed, but the air grew heavy.

As if they were looking at each other as rivals.

‘Hah, I need to break through the Sky Auction House soon.’

The Sky Auction House is in the capital, Karnon.

And to enter Karnon, I need to gain more fame than I have now or raise my explorer rank and accumulate contribution points.

It’s something that will take at least a year.

‘I don’t have the money to buy Double Numbers in the first place. I should give up this time.’

I cleanly gave up any lingering feelings.

I don’t even know what kind of items they are, and if I ever get that much money, it’s right to use the ‘Garpas Necklace’ I got from the count’s banquet first.

‘The royal family is planning a subjugation of Noark.’

Following the fox, the deer antlers spoke, and a green light appeared. So, Baekho’s words were true that a subjugation force would be formed.

I should stay away from that area, as he advised.

Next was the crescent moon’s turn.

‘Items believed to be the equipment of the Dragon Slayer, one of Orculius’s members, have appeared on the black market. Although the Dragon Slayer Sword was not there, something must have happened to him.’

This time, a green light turned on immediately.

I barely maintained my composure, still resting my chin on my hand.

Appeared on the black market?

I only took the Dragon Slayer Sword?

I was initially flustered, but the situation quickly became clear in my head.

‘It’s right to assume that what Baekho said was true.’

The Dragon Slayer lost his memory.

Probably because of that drug back then.

The person who gave him the drug must have collected the remaining equipment and sold it on the black market.

‘Now it’s finally the clown’s turn.’

Since it was going clockwise from the goblin, it was finally the clown’s turn. The anticipation was palpable in the gazes that gathered, as he had laid the groundwork earlier.

‘Hmm, would you like to go first, Lion?’

‘You seem quite confident.’

‘Of course. If I say something boring that everyone here already knows, you might not come next time, Lion?’

I chuckled and nodded my head.

I had no intention of playing along with his silly jokes, so it meant to just go in the original order.

‘Well, then, I guess it can’t be helped? The story you have to tell might be more fun!’

The clown shrugged his shoulders flippantly.

And he stretched, bending his body in a bizarre way, and casually tossed out.

‘A binding magic that can accommodate up to six people will be created within three years.’

Silence followed the words he spoke in a playful voice.

And everyone shifted their gaze to the center of the round table.

‘It’s a green light…’

Meaning the clown’s words were true.

Or at least, the clown believed they were true.

‘Crazy, I didn’t think something like that was possible.’

‘Guilds, royal families, clans… Everything will change.’

Ignoring the unspoken rules the clown had mentioned, the members were all expressing their shock.

And it was only natural.

This meant that the basic team composition would change, and the activity range of explorers would be much wider…

‘Six people can enter the final floor?’

This meant that the possibility of clearing the game had increased several times over.

Five and six people are fundamentally different.

Whether it’s 10x mode or 100x mode, it meant that combinations and synergies that were impossible in the existing game would become possible.

However, within all of that, the clown was only staring at me.

As if he didn’t care about the other members’ reactions.

‘So, what do you think?’

The eyes hidden in the small hole met mine.

The emotion contained within was very clear.

‘This is like a child wanting to be praised.’

I chuckled and opened my mouth.

Honestly, within the limits of not harming my roleplaying.

‘This is, somewhat interesting.’

One praise sticker earned.

***

It is said that praise makes even whales dance.

Well, if you get whipped hundreds of times, you’ll dance too, but…

There’s a huge difference in efficiency.

What truly makes people passionate is the future.

Because it’s a reward they’ve been eagerly hoping for and anticipating.

‘Ahem, then it’s your turn, Mr. Lion?’

The clown, who received the praise sticker, awkwardly avoided my gaze and changed the subject.

Then, as if they had been waiting, all eyes turned to me.

Thanks to the clown dropping a bomb earlier, everyone’s eyes were sparkling.

‘…This is troubling.’

Actually, I had prepared a few pieces of information to reveal here today.

But…

‘The quality of the information has gone up too much.’

Perhaps because of the words I left behind last time, everyone is revealing their trump cards.

The clown is clearly going all out.

Information about a six-person binding magic?

A result that I wouldn’t have obtained if I hadn’t adopted the mysterious concept.

‘Hah, it’s a good thing, but…’

The pressure is increasing.

What should I talk about?

Of course, it’s not like I don’t have information that can meet the expectations that have risen to the sky…

‘If others find out about this, it will affect me too.’

The problem is choosing information that is useless even if others know it, like the information about Bandemon.

Besides, while everyone is talking about outside matters, bringing up the labyrinth seems out of place.

‘Hmm, that’s probably the best.’

I carefully calculated the impact this information would have and made a decision.

And…

‘You were curious about the divine revelation earlier.’

I said, looking at the clown.

As if to give him a reward for making things interesting for me.

‘I have no intention of talking about the reason—’

I cut off the clown’s words, who had misinterpreted my intentions, and muttered.

‘It was a divine revelation accompanied by a sacred object.’

‘Huh?’

‘A new sacred object has appeared in the world due to the divine revelation given by the Goddess of the Stars.’

The clown, who had been momentarily stunned as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have, regained his senses. Then, he looked at the gem with the green light and cautiously asked.

‘…Could you tell us what kind of sacred object it is?’

His voice was cold and subdued, unlike his usual playful tone.

‘So, what’s important to you is the sacred object, not who received the divine revelation.’

I smiled gleefully and replied.

‘If you bring something interesting again.’

‘Hehe, I’m glad you’ll come again.’

The clown laughed flippantly as usual.

But I could feel it.

That I would hear more interesting information when I came next time.

I have no idea what it will be…

‘I’ll look forward to it.’

When that time comes, I will probably say this.