Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 394

My head is throbbing. My stomach churns, my lips are parched, and my throat feels dry and rough. But more than the discomfort, a question arose first. ‘But, why am I like this?’ James Kala, the vice-captain of the Sawtooth, took a deep, ragged breath, like someone who had been holding it, and opened his eyes. “Haaah… !” The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. It was made of luxurious wood with beautiful patterns carved into it, and next to it was a dazzling chandelier hanging from the ceiling. As he tried to figure out where he was with his muddled mind, a man’s face appeared before him. “You seem to have come to your senses.” It was Jun, the paladin of the Tovera Church. When he first saw him, he thought, ‘Wow, is there such a handsome paladin?’— “Ah… !” Remembering the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness, James abruptly sat up. And, thankfully, he quickly asked the paladin, who had avoided a collision, “How did the match… how did the match end?” At his question, the paladin awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth. “Don’t you already know?” “Then, as expected…” “Yes, we lost. He was truly strong in many ways. That person.” Unlike the paladin, whose voice didn’t even hint at regret, James Kala couldn’t help but sigh. “Is it difficult for you to accept, Kala?” “It’s… not that. It’s just… I’m at a loss for what to say to the Alminus Merchant Guild and the Explorer’s Guild, who supported me…” “Wouldn’t it be okay to just tell them honestly?” “That we were beaten by four people and now have to give the captain position to some barbaric human? How can I possibly say that… No, why are you laughing?” “Ah, my apologies. The word ‘barbaric’ was just too striking.” At those words, James Kala admitted his mistake. He realized how it would look for him to say such slanderous things from a losing position. It would seem like he was trying to belittle him with insults, just like the hateful types he had met countless times since becoming vice-captain. “Is it still difficult for you to acknowledge him, Kala?” “That’s…” He trailed off, then answered in a bitter tone. “It’s not.” It was a sincere statement, not a pretense. The word ‘barbaric’ had come out first, but that was only because the first impression had been too impactful. “That man… he’s a smart person.” At Kala’s murmur, the paladin agreed without objection. “Yes, he is.” “Looking back, we were played by him from the start. He acted like he looked down on us. But the reality was completely different.” “That’s right. It’s embarrassing, but even I didn’t think we would lose until the very end. It’s clear that I still lack training.” James Kala wholeheartedly agreed. If they hadn’t laughed off the words ‘the man of the Blood Spirit Lord’ when they first heard them, but had investigated more thoroughly, this might not have happened. “The problem is, I don’t know how the others will take it. Ah, where are Sir Kaislan and Senior Akuraba right now?” “They’re in other rooms. They were unconscious until a while ago, but I don’t know about now. Their injuries were a bit more severe than yours, Kala.” “…It would be better to go see them directly.” After that, the two split up and headed to their individual sickrooms. They had already been fully healed by the priests, and all that was left was to wait for them to regain consciousness? As he sat and waited, Titana Akuraba soon opened her eyes. “Looking at that expression… it seems we lost, huh?” Unlike James, she didn’t ask a long question. She just looked at him with a troubled gaze for a while, then asked where the others were. “Akuraba, you’re awake too. Is there anything that feels uncomfortable?” “Yes, thankfully. But… where is that man?” “I don’t know. Maybe he’s giving us time to sort things out until we’re all awake.” “Seriously, that man being that considerate?” As Akuraba spoke casually, the somber atmosphere lightened a bit. As they chatted, Kaislan also came to his senses. “…That man! What happened to that man!” It was time for a serious discussion. *** “So, we lost…” A deep regret, and an inexplicable anger, were thickly laced in his mutterings. Soon, the knight Kaislan clenched his fist tightly. “I cannot accept it.” “The fact that we lost?” “No, I’m not so foolish as to deny that. However, the fact that we lost and that he takes the captain’s hat are separate matters.” “Oh my, are you going to break a promise that was even notarized in front of the Marquis?” At the mention of the Marquis’s name, Kaislan flinched for a moment, but it wasn’t enough to break his stubbornness. “Then, will you all just accept it? There are thirty of us! Not just any thirty, but the best talents who will carry the future of this city! And you’re going to entrust their lives to someone who only has strength? For the sake of the greater good, I cannot stand by and watch that!” At his sharp cry, James Kala couldn’t help but rub his throbbing forehead. He hadn’t realized he was dealing with someone so hopeless. “Sir Kaislan, are you claiming that you are better than that man in other areas besides strength?” “It’s not just me, it’s all of us. Wouldn’t we be better than some guy who came from who knows where?” “I see. Then, could you tell me in which areas that is the case?” “I don’t understand why you’re looking at me like that. Didn’t we all have an in-depth discussion about what an ideal commander is? No one mentioned strength except for that man.” “That’s right.” “Wasn’t it something we all knew? That a commander’s strength is the lowest priority of all qualities.” Even to James, the knight’s words weren’t wrong. A commander is someone who wields a fine sword, not necessarily someone who is a fine sword themselves. But… ‘The result can’t be changed since the Marquis notarized it. It’s better to draw a line now.’ After finishing his political calculations, James opened his mouth. “I don’t think that man’s qualities are inferior to ours.” “…What?” “It’s not great to say this from a losing position, but he wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than the four of us.” James truly thought so. If they had had time to coordinate beforehand, and if they had fought seriously from the start, the winner would have been different. But… ‘It’s meaningless now.’ “We lost in a single match, and he won. Do you know why that difference occurred?” The knight just looked at him with a displeased expression and didn’t answer. Therefore, James didn’t wait any longer and continued. “It’s because we lacked information. I realized it when we fought. He already knew too much about us. What kind of essences we had, even what kind of equipment we used.” “So, is that why you think he’s suitable for the ideal commander you were talking about? Get a grip! He just got information from the Marquis!” “Isn’t that the scariest part? We didn’t even know who was coming here until we arrived, but the Marquis did.” At James’s words, Kaislan didn’t say much. “Alright, I understand your point. You’re just going to watch that man stand above us. Is everyone of the same opinion?” Soon, Kaislan’s gaze moved to the 9th-floor explorer, Titana Akuraba. But… “Even if you look at it that way, I’m not much different.” The expected backup didn’t come. “…Why? Are you afraid of the Marquis?” “I won’t say it’s completely absent. However, there’s a bigger reason than that.” “Another reason?” “Yes. I don’t think that person is particularly worse than us.” As Kaislan narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t understand, Akuraba shrugged and continued. “What impressed me wasn’t his backing, but his inherent meticulousness.” “Meticulousness…?” Kaislan exhaled as if he had heard something he couldn’t believe. “Yes. Meticulousness. For example, how was he at the banquet? He acted like he didn’t know about us, even though he did, and he acted arrogantly, leading us to take the bait.” And that wasn’t all. It was the same even after the battle began. He saved all kinds of essence abilities until the very end, only using them when they could show the most optimal efficiency. A prime example was James Kala. He was defeated so easily, and the remaining three had to bear even more of the burden in the beginning. “And this… it’s a bit much to call it judgment, but his senses during the fight were nothing short of amazing.” “…He was a natural.” It was as if he was burning himself, but when they came to their senses, they were also engulfed in that fierce fire. In that situation, he smiled contentedly. “I thought it was a battle style based on instinct at the time, but now that I think about it, it seems like he was making decisions based on thorough rational judgment.” “If that’s really the case, it’s truly amazing. To think that giving up one eye and hitting Sir Kaislan with a hammer was a rational decision.” “The front line collapsed from that point, so from his perspective, the benefits were much greater.” As James Kala and the paladin exchanged words of praise, Kaislan gritted his teeth. He couldn’t understand it at all. ‘What are these guys?’ They should know how important the position of expedition leader is, yet they were acting like this. He even began to suspect that they had made some kind of secret deal with the Marquis while they were unconscious. However, whether he worried or not, the conversation continued. “Actually… the thing I valued the most was his determination to achieve his goal.” Ha, this time it’s determination? Kaislan couldn’t help but scoff, but the paladin continued without any reaction. “As Kala said, he wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than the four of us. But even so, he started the fight with such arrogance and boldness.” His bones were shattered countless times, his insides were cooked, and an arrow was stuck in one eye, making him one-eyed. However, he never fell. If he set up a wall of fire, he would burn his skin and go over it, and he would spit out blood he made by biting his tongue. Even when his shoulder was dangling because his shoulder blade had collapsed, he swung his hammer. “Is there anyone here who can do that much?” “……” “It’s embarrassing, but I haven’t seen anyone who can fight without a shred of doubt in such a state.” That process couldn’t have been enjoyable for that man either. It must have been painful. Even if he had given up there, everyone would have understood. That’s how much he had reached his limit. “Usually, when people reach that point, a gap forms in their minds. ‘Okay, that’s enough. I’ve done enough.’ They start making excuses to compromise and convince themselves.” But he didn’t. How was that possible? The paladin, as a servant of God, found the cause in faith. “It’s faith. That he would never fall. Because he had strong faith in himself, he was able to not collapse, and he overcame the trials and achieved victory.” “So, Sir Jun also agrees that he should be the commander.” A somewhat sarcastic mutter. However, the paladin spoke without a hint of doubt. “Yes. If I had to follow someone’s back among these people, his back is the most trustworthy.” “……” “Even in the moment when everyone collapses, he will be the one standing firm.” It seemed like the paladin was completely smitten with that man. James Kala was worried about the Marquis, and Akuraba seemed to have her pride hurt by breaking her promise. “Just admit it. We lost. In the first place, even when a person who had fainted recovered and returned to the front lines, he didn’t even complain? I was too busy fighting at the time, but that’s practically cheating.” “The reason he was silent was probably because he thought that was the only way we would accept it.” With the opinions of the three aligned, Kaislan could no longer do anything about it. ‘It’s a relief. If that guy had refused to accept the result and asked the Marquis for a rematch, the Marquis wouldn’t have let it slide, given his personality.’ James Kala, who had avoided being caught in the crossfire, let out a sigh of relief as he looked at Kaislan, who had his mouth shut. Of course, there were still some elements of unease left. “Since everyone else is, I won’t say anything more. However, just know that this is a mistake. As I said before, only strong discipline and strong control can create a strong group. I can’t believe he has that level of leadership.” A stubborn attitude that refused to acknowledge the other party until the end. Just by looking at him, it seemed like he would cause trouble at any moment… If that place was inside the labyrinth, it could turn into a big problem. But… Knock knock. A knock came from outside the door. “Ah, it seems everyone’s awake.” The moment a man entered through the door that had been flung open before they could even give permission. James Kala shook off even the smallest bit of unease. “Now that you’re my subordinates, let’s speak casually.” The man, who had never used honorifics in the first place, muttered those words shamelessly. He fixed his gaze on one spot and tilted his head. “What’s with you, knight? Why are you glaring like that? Did you get hit in the head too hard?” It was truly amazing. He didn’t know exactly when it started. The knight, who had been shouting about the importance of leadership with veins popping out of his neck. “Answer me, I’m asking if you have a problem.” “Uh, no…” He had lowered his eyes before he knew it. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.