Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 490

The Stone of Honor.

A massive stele located at the center of the Hero’s Plaza in the imperial capital, Karnon.

It was said to have been created when the first dimensional labyrinth was formed. Over the long years, the great achievements of heroes who have appeared and disappeared are densely recorded on this stele.

‘Wasn’t the last one 600 years ago…?’

For the record, these achievements aren’t written by people.

The monument, made with forgotten ancient magic, has a close connection to the labyrinth. When a noteworthy achievement is accomplished within the labyrinth, it automatically inscribes the record in an empty space.

‘…That was the setup, right?’

It’s a bit bewildering.

In fact, the Stone of Honor was just a common decoration in the game. It never activated during my 10 years of playing.

I only thought of it as a device to show the world’s lore.

But….

‘To think this was a real, working device.’

Escorted by the knights, I arrived at the plaza and blankly raised my head to look around.

The outskirts of the plaza, controlled by the knights, were filled with crowds of onlookers. As expected of the citizens of the imperial capital Karnon, there were many nobles, and most were dressed impeccably.

“Bjorn Yandel! It’s Baron Bjorn Yandel…!”

“Waaaaaaaah-!”

It felt like being a monkey in a cage.

However, I made an effort not to show it and quietly looked up at the stele.

The record at the very top was this:

[The last Great Sage, Diplun Groundel Gavrilius, and his companions defeated all the monsters in the Crystal Cave and opened a hidden area.]

According to history books, four portals leading to the second floor of the labyrinth appeared at that moment.

The next ones were similar.

[The brave warrior of the beastmen, Emon Mulmarin, and his companions defeated the Sea Dragon and discovered a new island.]

When an explorer defeated a boss monster for the first time, a new island that had not existed before appeared.

[The great navigator Ordel Pickma and his companions defeated all the monsters in the Great Sea and opened a hidden area.]

When someone perfectly cleared the 6th floor, two paths leading to the 7th floor appeared.

[The human explorer Rudel Limenin and his companions reached the abyss, and the souls of all the monarchs awakened.]

The summoning of the Floor Lords also began after the first person reached the 10th floor, and after defeating the Floor Lords, rifts began to appear on that floor.

The Iron Hero, Juggernaut.

Wasn’t he the first person to defeat a Floor Lord?

Anyway, the important thing isn’t that.

From a gamer’s perspective, this Stone of Honor is like a patch note [a record of updates or changes in a game].

Whenever there’s a change in the labyrinth, this stone records it, praising it as an achievement.

And that means.

[The great warrior of the barbarian tribe, Bjorn Yandel, and his companions defeated the Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror, and opened a hidden area.]

This really means a new area has opened.

Is this a good thing or not?

I couldn’t easily make a judgment and was blankly looking at the stele when.

“Baron Yandel! Could you look this way for a moment?”

A man who looked like a public official made such a request to me, and the moment I turned my head without realizing it.

Click-!

A flash went off from the video recording device the man was holding.

“Please smile! It’s a moment that will be recorded in history books forever!”

History books, huh….

‘Well, this isn’t so bad, I guess?’

From my perspective, where I need to build as much support as possible, this kind of event is positive.

Having finished calculating the pros and cons, I used [Giantification], stretched out my arms, and shouted.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

As expected, the flash went off once more.

Click-!

This should be an A-cut [a perfect or ideal shot], right?

***

「Your character’s fame has increased by +10.」

「Your character’s fame has increased by +10…….」

「…….」

***

Having my name on the Stone of Honor.

This was a much bigger deal than I had thought.

Only later did I find out that the royal photographer, who was directly under the royal family, made me pose in front of the stele countless times until he got the A-cut.

[I think the photo taken during the day is the best!]

After taking the photos, I was called by the royal scribe and had to undergo an interrogation, or rather, a questioning.

No, if I hadn’t been a noble, it would have definitely been an interrogation.

[Ah, yes… you can’t say. Is that what you mean?]

[Experience and knowledge are an explorer’s assets. Why should I give that away for free?]

[…Well, according to the labyrinth laws, we can’t force you, Baron, but could you reconsider for the sake of the kingdom, and even our descendants?]

[Well, it seems like none of the other seniors gave all the answers either?]

[Th, that’s…]

[I’m hungry. I’ll be going now!]

When I came out in the evening, the whole world around me had changed.

When I first gained fame and was given the nickname ‘Little Vulcan.’

When I made great contributions in the Noark War.

When I became a vice-baron and then a baron.

Even then, it felt like the world around me had changed overnight, but it was nothing compared to this time.

“I, it’s Bjorn Yandel…!”

I was just walking down the main street, but all sorts of people were sticking to me.

From afar, a child on someone’s shoulders was shouting my name, asking me to call it out even once, and there were people who ran up and hugged me, going beyond just shaking hands.

‘What the….’

It’s not like this hasn’t happened before, but it was clearly different from then.

This was the imperial capital, Karnon.

The upper class who had obtained citizenship in the imperial capital looked at me with interest but didn’t look up to me, and the nobles were even less so.

But what about now?

“A giant! It’s a giant!”

“The great giant who will lead a new era…!”

“May there be endless light in Lapdonia!”

People belonging to the higher classes were shouting excitedly like extreme fans.

Thinking about it, it made some sense.

Those with the qualities of a hero and a hero are different.

“To think that such a hero would be born in the era I live in.”

The Great Sage Gavrilius.

The Abyss Seeker Limenin.

The Great Navigator Pickma.

The Iron Hero Juggernaut, and so on.

It was fair to say that it was the value of the names of the seniors recorded on the Stone of Honor. To be a person of the same era as them, who are still talked about in history?

Just being in the same space would make you feel like you were sharing a historical moment.

So, I gave fan service as much as possible.

“Honey! The Baron called our child’s name…!”

“This child will grow up to be great! Definitely!”

It was called the Barbarian Pope Mode.

In the end, this state continued until I arrived at the station, and even after getting into the carriage, I couldn’t close my eyes because they kept following and shouting.

And then, I arrived at the mansion.

“Waaaaaaaah!!”

I don’t know when the news spread this far.

The people gathered in front of the house were shouting like it was a festival, and it only ended after the knights from Mozlan visited and controlled the crowd.

“Hoo… it’s finally a bit quiet.”

As I sighed and slumped onto the sofa, Erwen, who was slightly opening the curtains to look outside, approached me.

“It seems like they’ve all gone to sleep.”

“It’s crazy. If today was like this, how bad will tomorrow be?”

“Still, it’ll calm down sooner than you think. People are surprisingly… quick to forget.”

“Like when I was reported dead?”

“…Yes.”

Soon, Erwen sat opposite me, and as if waiting for it, Auyen brought tea.

“Ah, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Commander.”

Auyen’s voice and eyes were different from usual.

He was always polite, but today, it was like an unknown respect was pouring out of him.

“It must be fate that I met the Commander, repented for my sins, and followed you. I will be of even the slightest help on the path the Commander takes from the lowest place.”

Does this guy think he’s a porter in a hero’s party?

It was a bit funny, but I didn’t say anything.

“Then, have a peaceful night.”

After Auyen left, Bersil and Amelia entered the room together.

“I’m sorry. You can’t even rest at home because of me.”

“No. I’m glad I didn’t go back and waited. In this situation, it would have been hard to come back tomorrow, right? I’m tired anyway.”

“That’s… true.”

Honestly, I still can’t believe it.

Everyone is talking about achievements and heroes, but is this something that should be recorded on the Stone of Honor?

In the first place, it was just that a hidden piece was activated by chance, and I ended up doing the first try, and it was just lucky that it succeeded.

In fact, if you were to talk about difficulty, the Ice Rock expedition was several times harder.

Actually, countless people died back then.

‘If you were to talk about difficulty, that was much harder….’

“Anyway, so did you get some sleep?”

“No… I couldn’t fall asleep. Don’t worry about it. This schedule is only for 7 days anyway, right? Actually, if you exclude the last day, it was a resting schedule.”

Well, that’s true.

Usually, when you come back from the labyrinth, you’re so tired that you pass out, but I’m still relatively fine.

Only Ainar is sleeping soundly among us.

“So, I looked into it diligently during the remaining time…”

Bersil started, placing ‘No.12 Trust’ on the table. It was the item I had given him before going to Karnon with the knights.

“It’s soul-bound right now.”

“Bound?”

“Yes. But it’s a bit unique, it’s multi-bound. It seems like only me, Ms. Pnelin, Ms. Tersia, and Mr. Yandel can use it.”

As if showing an example, Bersil put the bracelet on Amelia’s wrist, but the bracelet didn’t fit and fell off.

“It means only those who have received the trial can use it.”

“Yes. That’s most likely the case.”

“Hmm…”

Looking at me lost in thought, Bersil cautiously asked.

“So… it seems like one of us four has to use it, what are you going to do?”

First of all, ‘Trust’ is a highly versatile item.

It’s so efficient that it’s meaningless to consider job classes, whether it’s a tank, dealer, mage, or priest.

There are three ways to use it.

1. Immunity to damage dealt by bound allies.

If a tank uses it, allies can unleash area-of-effect damage without getting hurt at all.

It solves the chronic problem of tanks, allowing for more diverse tactics.

2. Damage increase depending on the number of bound allies.

If a dealer wears this equipment, their damage will be boosted.

3. All beneficial effects granted to bound allies are doubled.

When a priest or support explorer wears it, their abilities are doubled.

‘For our case, we should exclude number 3 for now….’

In the end, there are only two remaining uses.

Give it to Erwen, who has become an Another Class [a unique or advanced job class], to increase her damage output.

Or, I can equip it to increase the party’s stability.

‘Thinking about it, there was no reason to worry.’

If there are two kinds of food on the table, the Barbarian spirit is to grab both and eat them.

Soon, I made a decision.

I would usually wear it, but when damage is needed, I would hand it over to Erwen to use.

“I’m also thinking of handing it over to Bersil or Ainar depending on the situation.”

Everyone on the team nodded as if they understood my decision.

However, Amelia’s expression was a bit off.

It’s a small change that’s even easier to notice because she doesn’t usually show any change in expression.

“Okay, now that we’re done talking, everyone go and rest. We’ll talk more about the rest tomorrow. Oh, and Emily, you stay for a bit.”

Bersil and Erwen also read Amelia’s expression and left the room without saying anything.

In the space where only the two of us remained.

Amelia, who had been standing next to me the whole time, sat on the sofa.

“…If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn’t have done the questioning.”

Well, it would be a bit disappointing for her.

The spoils she had obtained could not be used together, and she was not included in ‘his companions’ written on the Stone of Honor.

Instead of offering a shallow consolation, I brought up a realistic point.

“Think as positively as possible. It would have been troublesome if your name had been written there.”

When I went to see it today, the names of the team members, which had been omitted with the word ‘companions,’ were written in small letters like an appendix at the end of the record.

In short, if she hadn’t dropped out in the middle, her real name, ‘Amelia Rainwales,’ would have been exposed.

“I… I know that too.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s just… I’ve become a little bitter.”

“…Huh?”

The moment I tilted my head, Amelia looked at me intently and said.

“It means I can’t be by your side with my real name.”

“Ah…”

Uh, um….

As I was stammering, unable to find the words to say, Amelia changed the subject casually, as if she had just been complaining for a moment.

“Yandel, there’s information you need to know.”

“Is that the thing you said you’d tell me later?”

“Yes.”

Actually, that’s why I told her to stay, but seeing her serious expression, I feel uneasy again.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“There’s something wrong with my memory.”

“…Huh?”

At first, I thought it was nonsense, but after hearing the rest of the story, it was quite a serious situation.

“There was a moment when I was dazed after the questioning, and when I came to my senses, the video recording device was destroyed. I definitely didn’t lose consciousness.”

“So?”

“I compared the flow of time I remember with the actual time. There was a slight discrepancy.”

It was about a 10-minute difference.

For example, in my memory, I was questioned for 35 minutes, but in reality, 45 minutes had passed.

“Is there a possibility of a misunderstanding?”

“No.”

If she’s saying it with such certainty, it seems like there really was a problem.

“Besides, when I look back, there were some heterogeneous parts in my appearance in my memory. There were parts that I would have checked more thoroughly if it had been the original me, but the me in my memory was just passing over them without a care.”

“…”

“So, I thought of the possibility of an illusion magic. Perhaps someone manipulated my memory and filled it in.”

“So?”

“I still don’t know about this part. I got checked by Gowland, but that woman said she couldn’t find any traces of it.”

Memory manipulation, huh….

Who on earth is the culprit?

Is there a mage of that level under Count Alminus?

Or is it a third party?

As I was thinking hard, Amelia cautiously added one more thing.

“And one more thing. When I came to my senses and looked at everything again, all the weapons were clean.”

“…Weapons?”

“Yes, even the sword that stabbed you. It was as clean as if it had been wiped with something.”