Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 519

The air briefly grew heavy with Lee Baekho’s sudden muttering, but the moment didn’t last long. Lee Baekho regained his usual energy as if nothing had happened, and I followed suit, not mentioning his words any further. However, deep down, I was thinking, ‘…I wonder what it would have been like.’ I now know something about Lee Baekho’s past. A few years before I opened my eyes in this world, his identity was exposed due to a betrayal by a colleague. And that’s how he became who he is now. Like me, he was methodically [strategically] conquering the labyrinth, but his team disbanded, and he had to go it alone. A severe level of distrust in people was a given. ‘Well, from a local’s perspective, calling it a betrayal is a bit funny…’ Still, if he hadn’t been betrayed back then, what would Lee Baekho be like now? “Huh? Hyung, why are you staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong again?” “I was just looking. But did you do something wrong? Why are you acting guilty?” “…Hyung, come on! There’s no way I did. Haha.” “……” “By the way, hyung, can we talk for a bit, just the two of us?” Lee Baekho glanced at Hyunbyul as he said that, and Hyunbyul sighed at his gaze. “It’s not like you two are dating or anything.” “Haha, are you jealous, noona?” “…I’ll come back later.” Hyunbyul left the room without much grumbling, as she always did. Come to think of it, I was a bit surprised. Now that I think about it, she doesn’t say much even if I call her ‘noona’ or ‘nunim’ [older sister, a term of endearment]. Has she realized that no matter how much she says, nothing will change? “Hehe, hyung, now it’s just the two of us? Well then, now that the nuisance is gone, let’s have some quality time–” “You’re dead. Don’t play those kinds of jokes.” “Yes, sir.” “So, what was so urgent? You were the one who sent Hyunbyul out first.” “Ah, that? It’s not really urgent or anything…” “Then what is it?” It was awkward to keep standing, so I sat on the sofa and rested my chin on my hand. Lee Baekho followed suit, sitting across from me and asking, “Hyung, are you really trapped in the labyrinth?” “Yeah.” “For the labyrinth to stay open even after it’s closed, it’s a really amazing place. Have you found a way out?” “Not yet.” “Hmm, thinking about it again, isn’t this a big deal? How about I come to rescue you?” “What are you going to rescue? Just do your own thing.” “Hehe, I knew you’d say that, hyung. Actually, I can’t go either.” “Are you outside right now?” “Yeah. I thought there would be some amazing discoveries everywhere outside, but I can’t even see a single rat. If I had known, I would have just looked for hidden areas myself.” “I’ve been curious, but why did you go outside?” “I didn’t expect you to find the hidden area so quickly.” So that was the reason. It felt a bit strange that he, who was more interested in the labyrinth than anyone else, had left the kingdom at this time. “Hyung, how is it there? Give me some information.” “Not for free?” “Come on… hyung, you must be curious about what’s outside the walls too. Let’s share, shall we?” “You said there wasn’t even a single rat outside?” “How long will that last? My gut is telling me? There’s some huge secret hidden out there!” Lee Baekho’s words sounded like he was selling snake oil, but deep down, I agreed with him. There was something hidden outside the walls. I still didn’t have a clue what it was, though. “Okay, deal.” “As expected, you’re generous, hyung!” After that, I told him a lot of information about the first basement floor. Mutant monsters and new types of monsters. The summoning book in the library that contained information like an encyclopedia. The floating objects on the sea, and so on. However, I didn’t mention the village chief. I had no pangs of conscience. Even though it was a deal, I hadn’t received anything yet, and besides, he wouldn’t tell me everything he found out outside the walls either. ‘Well, if I discuss the village chief with him, I might learn something new…’ Ha, why is it so hard to trust this Lee Baekho? If I reveal everything and cooperate, I feel like I’ll get backstabbed someday. But he’s too good of a card to throw away. “Okay, that’s it.” “Huh? What about the tree island? I was listening so intently.” “It’s currently being explored. I was taking a break when I got dragged here, you know how surprised I was?” “Still, it’s a relief. Actually, I was really flustered when Hyunbyul noona asked if you were really dead with a face that looked like she was about to cry.” I guess he heard the news about me from Hyunbyul since he was outside the walls. He doesn’t seem to read the bulletin board much either. “Hyung, I’ll be going now.” “Huh? There’s still plenty of time left?” “That’s true, but I think it’s better to leave you two alone for today.” “What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely not understanding, and Lee Baekho grinned at me. “Spend time with Hyunbyul noona today. Even if she pretends not to… or was she being obvious? Anyway, she seemed really surprised.” “Ah…” “Then, this little brother will take his leave.” “Baekho, wait a minute.” I called out to him as he was about to leave, and Lee Baekho tilted his head. I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth. It might be unnecessary meddling. “It’s not about being smart.” “…Huh? Did I hear you wrong?” I continued, looking at Lee Baekho, who was making a dumbfounded sound. “Having a lot of secrets doesn’t mean you’re smart.” “…Then what does it mean?” “It just means you’re scared.” You too. And me too. Because we always think of the worst-case scenario first. *** Lee Baekho left a bit early, and soon after, Hyunbyul re-entered. “Did you talk well?” “Yeah.” “But you guys broke up early today?” I answered casually to her casual question. “He told me to be with you?” “…Muts? What! What is he saying!” “Why are you so flustered? It’s not like he’s not saying nonsense every day.” “That’s true… not every day… yeah…” Even as she said that, Hyunbyul was fanning her face with her hand as if she was hot. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this reaction. I felt a bit mischievous. “Were you that worried?” I asked with a teasing smile, and Hyunbyul narrowed her eyes and glared at me. “…Are you trying to pick a fight?” “Uh… no? More than that, why does that become a fight?” “Seriously… you’re hanging out with weirdos like Lee Baekho, that’s why you’re like this.” “……” I was just joking for a moment, but how did I end up being scolded like this? I didn’t know, but I quickly changed the subject. “More than that, how are you? Are there any problems with the things you were doing?” “Yes. I’m doing the same as always. I’m gradually gaining the trust of Countess Peprock while working under her.” “What’s the countess like?” “…She’s a kind person. She’s also innocent. Recently, she’s been a bit of a nuisance, though.” “A nuisance?” “Are you asking because you don’t know? It’s about Bjorn Yandel.” “Ah…” It was never my intention, but somehow I ended up doing similar things twice. “Well, it’s still a relief. I also saw the post on the bulletin board, and there are quite a few people who believe it? The number of views was also very high. At this rate, the news will spread throughout the city within a few days.” “That’s a relief.” “Yes. It’s a relief. If the possibility of survival had been presented a little later, the confiscation of assets and the establishment of the Yandel family would have been completely stopped?” Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. It’s truly a stroke of luck–. “…I said it was a relief because your boss won’t be a nuisance anymore?” “Hmm, is that so?” Hah… now she’s openly suspecting me and throwing bait. When I meet her outside later, I’ll have to show her what a true barbarian is. So she can never suspect me again. “Oppa, what were you thinking just now?” “Nothing?” “No… you had a very ominous look in your eyes.” “Now you’re even judging me by my eyes?” I cut her off firmly before Hyunbyul could notice, and after that, we spent time reading books and chatting. And how much time had passed? “Oppa, it’s time to go now.” “Ah, okay. It’s already that time.” It was almost time for the Round Table to open, and the meeting naturally came to an end. I left the chat room and returned to Lee Han-soo’s room. I checked the bulletin board one more time while waiting, and entered the Round Table just as the entry time was about to end. A navy suit and a lion mask. At first, it looked ridiculous, like I was wearing a mascot costume, but now that I’ve gotten used to it, it seems to suit me quite well. Okay, so I’m all dressed up… Thump, thump. I walked down the hallway and arrived at the Round Table, where all the members except me were already seated… “Hey, is that even possible? It must be a lie.” “Well, I don’t know. Looking at the comments on that post, they say that Didi could be the one, right?” “Hehe, I know! Didi is that player with the weird concept, right?” “That’s right, he’s a weirdo, but he’s not someone to ignore.” “Indeed, he was someone who knew a lot suspiciously… Ah!” When I arrived, the people who were chatting among themselves stopped talking and greeted me with their eyes. Ah, except for the clown, of course. “Hehe, welcome again, Mr. Lion.” The clown even stood up from his seat and bowed like a medieval nobleman. I glanced at him once and ignored him, taking my seat. ‘Today’s first turn is Paravne.’ As I sat down, I noticed that a goblin was next to me, which was unusual. Did he want to go first today? I was curious about the reason, but well, I’d find out when it was his turn. “Then let’s begin.” Without saying much, I said one word, and the meeting began immediately without any delay. “I believe everyone has read the post that was uploaded on the bulletin board today. The story written in that post is highly likely to be true.” “…And?” “…This is my turn’s information?” At the goblin’s words, all the members sighed as if they were dumbfounded. “It’s not even saying it’s true, but that it’s highly likely, what is that?” “Hehe, then I’ll go next. The goblin’s brain capacity is highly likely to be 3kb!” “Hehe, Clown, you saw that in the post, right? It was really funny. Wasn’t that person really pathetic?” “He, heh, heh…” The clown awkwardly laughed at the butterfly’s response. However, he must have expected that there would be a barrage of objections and ridicule. “Then, from now on, I will give the reasons why that post is highly likely to be true.” The goblin continued, unfazed, and the members tilted their heads and focused. “…Reasons?” “Oh, so there was something more?” “Well… even if he’s thoughtless, there’s no way he’d just bring that out as information.” As their attention was drawn, the goblin explained the reasons he had organized. “I’ve been good at using the internet since a long time ago. I like arguments, and my specialty is digging up personal information.” “…But what does that have to do with the reasons?” “I checked and analyzed all the posts and comments left by the poster until before today’s meeting. I found the clues that were casually dropped, trusting in anonymity, and combined them in my own way.” “…And?” “I couldn’t find out exactly who it was, but the poster is a member of the Hectz Clan.” To be honest, I was really surprised. The members were like, ‘What the hell is this guy talking about?’ but at least I knew that what he said was correct. ‘…That’s possible?’ It was a talent of the goblin that I hadn’t known about. “I don’t know what to say about this.” “If it’s the Hectz Clan, they’re one of the 60 explorer forces that went down to the hidden area with Bjorn Yandel this time…” “Queen, what do you think? You have a deep relationship with the GM, so you must know something?” The queen nodded, looking bewildered, at the deer’s question. “…It’s hard to believe, but the goblin’s guess matches ours.” “Is that really true?” “Yes. But… I don’t understand. We were able to make that guess because we restored and read the deleted posts…” “Was it a post about personal information? Those deleted posts?” “There are quite a few, and they’re all related to the Hectz Clan. They would periodically praise the clan for having good welfare, and then delete them before the community closed.” Huh… what kind of clan advertisement is this? It was absurd, but as the queen’s testimony continued, the members’ gazes towards the goblin also changed a little. “Hehehe… that’s a relief. It’s been proven that my investigation results are true.” …Goblin, what the heck is this guy?