Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 288

The second knock didn’t come. As if the first knock was just a notification, the door opened immediately without even asking for permission.

Creak.

An old man entered.

His hair was a thick white, and his skin was covered in wrinkles. However, he didn’t give off the typical frail feeling of an old man. His gait was steady, and his back was straight without any hunching.

And above all…

“Hmm.”

The atmosphere.

Without saying a word, the unusual aura naturally flowing from his movements and eyes spoke volumes. This old man was dangerous.

“Judging by your attire, you must be from Earth.”

The old man briefly murmured, scanning me from head to toe.

“How did you get in here?”

My mind went blank for a moment. What should I say?

Looking at their attire, they definitely seemed to be evil spirits from another dimension.

“……”

I chose silence for now. Rather than rashly opening my mouth, I decided to let him speak first, hoping to grasp the situation even a little. Well, that was the plan, but…

“Amazing. Three Rank 3 essences already. It’s only been a little over a year since you were summoned here.”

This old man was reading my information even though I hadn’t uttered a single word. Damn it, where did he get such an ability?

“This is quite intriguing; it’s been a while since I’ve felt this curious. Never mind how you got in, tell me this first. Who exactly are you?”

“……”

“Are you just going to keep staring like that?”

Even though he should be wary of a stranger’s uninvited visit, the old man instead urged me on with a friendly voice.

‘Hah, what should I say?’

Should I just come out and say I’m from the future? The thought briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it. I didn’t know anything about him, so revealing my information wouldn’t be wise.

Right, so…

“I’ll ask the questions first.”

“Oh ho, so you’ll answer my questions as well?”

“To some extent.”

I took the initiative by exploiting his curiosity. Just as I was confused, he must be curious about who I am. I’ll use this to get as much information as possible.

“Go ahead.”

As soon as the old man gave his permission, I immediately asked this question first.

“What’s your name?”

“Heh heh, a name, you say……”

The old man chuckled as if it was a disappointing question, but for me, a name was very important. I had the advantage of being from 20 years in the future. Even if the name was unknown now, who knows what it might be in the future? If I’m lucky, I might be able to find out what kind of life this person leads just by their name.

“You seem to know your manners, wanting to introduce yourself first.”

The old man smiled, seemingly pleased. And then…

“I am—”

Just as he was about to open his mouth.

“……”

The old man frowned and shut his mouth tightly. However, his expression was only distorted for a moment.

“My apologies. There’s something outside that requires my attention, so it seems we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”

The old man, speaking with a refined tone, suggested an unexpected proposal.

“It would be rude to just leave you here. Hmm, what to do… How about you come with me?”

I pondered for a moment and then agreed. What else could I do alone in this room? If I followed the old man outside, there was a chance I might get more information.

“Good, you’re quite resolute for a skinny fellow. Anyway, if you go out like that, you’ll attract the attention of the other members. Put this on.”

The old man waved his hand, and clothing suitable for this era appeared in mid-air. But was that not enough?

“Ah, it would be better to cover your face as well.”

The old man instantly created a pure white mask and handed it to me. What was that convenient ability? Was it something that could only be used in this spiritual world?

Thinking that, I put on the clothes and placed the mask over my face.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“No, it fits perfectly and is comfortable.”

“Heh heh, I should probably keep masks like this on hand. Some people might not want to show their faces.”

“……”

“Well then, let’s go.”

After that, I left the room and followed the old man. As we walked, the old man told me a few things to keep in mind.

“No matter who you see inside, don’t be surprised or act like you know them. No, if possible, just keep your mouth shut like you did earlier and observe.”

“What if someone speaks to me first?”

“That’s unlikely to happen, and even if it does, I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”

Well, if that’s the case. I stuck close behind the old man, constantly scanning my surroundings. The more I did, the more a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.

The room I was in earlier was like that, but it felt similar to the mansion where the ‘Round Table’ was located.

‘It’s the same with no windows.’

Of course, the details were different, such as the decorations on the walls, the location of the rooms, and the width of the hallways. But…

‘It’s too much to just call it a coincidence; something feels off.’

Instead of dismissing it as just a feeling, I carefully scanned my surroundings. How long had it been?

“We’ve arrived.”

The old man, who had been walking down the hallway, stopped and slowly opened a large door.

‘What is this place?’

Surprisingly, there was a round table beyond it.

***

The round table room where I had gone in and out countless times wearing a lion mask. If you looked closely, there were quite a few differences from that place. First of all, there was no gem on the round table that could distinguish truth from lies, and the room was a bit smaller. But…

‘It’s similar.’

Aside from that, it was almost identical. The patterns engraved like a band around the edge of the round table, the picture frames with unknown meanings hanging on the walls. Most of it matched the round table from 20 years later.

So, how did this happen?

‘Could this old man be the ‘Master’?’

The Master. The unidentified figure who created the ‘Guardian of the Round Table,’ whom I had only met once in the past. Perhaps the old man standing before me was that very person. Well, it was also possible that one of the people here had modeled this place after it.

‘Anyway, let’s think about that later.’

I was momentarily stunned by the familiar round table, but I quickly regained my senses. What did this round table matter right now? The important thing was the people sitting at this table.

‘Four people.’

There were a total of four people in the room. Three men and one woman. They all stared at me as the door opened. And then…

“Who is that person behind you?”

They showed great interest in me, who was even wearing a mask. In some ways, it was a bit similar to when I first participated in the round table.

‘Geez, those eyes.’

It was as if they had thorns in their eyes. Every time their gaze fell on me, my skin tingled, and a prickling sensation arose. That uncomfortable time continued.

“It’s none of your concern who this person is.”

Unlike when he spoke to me, the old man cut them off with an imposing and strong tone, and in the quickly settled atmosphere, he went straight to the point.

“I heard there was some discord while I was away.”

“……”

“Of course, I believe you all aren’t foolish enough to forget the rules of this place.”

“……”

“But I should hear what happened. What’s going on?”

The old man spoke as if he were scolding children, and an awkward silence filled the room at his question. They avoided eye contact, as if they were trying to see who would take the lead. The first to step forward was a middle-aged man with a large build.

“…I’ll say this in advance, we have no intention of fighting each other. But this person keeps instigating strange ideas.”

At the man’s accusation, a black-clad figure who had been sitting silently frowned.

“Why is it a strange idea to want to kill the king?”

“Ha, do you think I don’t know why you want to kill the king? Don’t even think about dragging us into your personal greed.”

“Kagureas. Have you not found a way for decades and still hold onto the hope of returning?”

“Of course. Just like everyone else here. Ah, I guess we should exclude you from everyone now.”

“That’s ridiculous. If you want to return, shouldn’t you help me even more? The royal family, who holds a great secret, should be the end of all questions.”

“…It’s too dangerous to touch him. There’s no guarantee that the royal family is even hiding a clue to our return.”

It seemed like I knew why they were in conflict. The hardliners who wanted to kill the king to get clues, and the moderates who thought it was too dangerous and wanted to find another way. The conversation between the evil spirits from another dimension 20 years ago was quite interesting, so I listened intently.

My mind went blank at the middle-aged man’s next words.

“It doesn’t matter what you do on your own. Whether you create a group called Orculius or not. It won’t be directly related to me.”

What? Create Orculius?

‘……Is he the ‘Leader’?’

The appearance of an unexpected big shot. Suddenly, the old man’s words from earlier came to mind. He had said not to be surprised no matter who I saw inside? The leader of Orculius was someone who deserved such a warning. He was a famous figure shrouded in mystery, with nothing known about him. I never thought I’d meet such a person here—

“But not with Ruinjenes.”

At that moment, the middle-aged man looked at a figure with the appearance of a child and continued to speak. My mind went blank again for a moment.

‘Huh? If it’s Ruinjenes…’

Belbeb Ruinjenes. The real name of the ‘Destruction Scholar,’ who was the head of a large school but fell into a criminal after dabbling in forbidden magic.

“I won’t stand by if you try to persuade him with such nonsense.”

“Do you really believe he can complete dimensional magic?”

“I do. Much more than your absurd plan to kill the king.”

I clenched my fist tightly as I watched the kid calmly sipping his tea, regardless of whether they were talking about him or not.

Slurp-

Really, is this kid the Destruction Scholar……?

***

The leader of Orculius. And the Destruction Scholar.

‘Hah, what a lineup……’

Now that I knew the identities of the two big shots, I naturally became interested in the remaining two. But…

‘I’ve never heard of the name Kagureas before.’

I had never heard the middle-aged man’s name before today. As for the woman, she had been silent the whole time, so I had no information about her. What kind of people were these two?

“I understand the situation, so stop it.”

At that moment, the old man opened his mouth and quieted the room. He didn’t particularly exude charisma, but these people were flustered by his one word.

“Everyone, leave. There’s something more important today, so let’s talk about this matter later.”

“More important?”

The woman, who had been listening the whole time, opened her mouth for the first time at the old man’s words.

“Is it perhaps related to the person behind you?”

“That’s right.”

When the old man readily agreed, the gazes once again focused on me. Was I more important than them? That was the kind of look they were giving me. However, everyone was just watching the old man’s reaction, holding back their words.

“Who is that person? It seems like it’s the first time you’ve brought someone here. And why are they wearing a mask that has no meaning here?”

The woman asked again, and the old man answered. It was the same answer as before.

“Mind your own business.”

“……”

“Now, will you please leave?”

When the old man issued the order to leave again, the people in the room, led by the woman, got up one by one and left the room. And then…

“Heh heh, finally, it’s just the two of us again?”

After everyone had left, the old man smiled with the same kind expression as before, as if he were taking off a mask.

“Then let’s continue the conversation we were having earlier. Where were we?”

“…We were in the middle of saying your name.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

He laughed like the old man next door, saying that I would be like this when I got older. And he introduced himself without hesitation.

“Since you’re from Earth, it might be a familiar name to you.”

“……?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Auriel Gavis.”

Auriel Gavis. The author of the ‘Chronicles of Rifts’ and the name of the game developer who created [Dungeon & Stone].