Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 548

A large hamster that speaks human language.

Even in this fantasy world where magic and different races exist, it’s a peculiar being.

After all, monsters don’t communicate.

Occasionally, there are creatures that speak, but most just repeat set phrases.

And in that sense.

[Let go! I said let go! You crazy traitors!]

…What is this guy?

My brow furrows without me realizing it.

That’s because the language this guy is spouting is ‘Ancient Language’.

Unfortunately, I had recently encountered a ‘monster’ that used ‘Ancient Language’.

But is that really a coincidence?

As that suspicion grew deeper.

“Yandel, what’s wrong?”

“Is there perhaps a problem?”

What’s with their reactions?

Immediately feeling a sense of unease, I voiced my question.

“Surely you guys can’t hear what this guy is saying at all?”

“…Huh? Saying?”

“I didn’t hear anything like that. Just an unpleasant screeching.”

“Ah! Me too!”

Ugh, what kind of phenomenon is this?

As I looked down at the increasingly suspicious hamster, it had stopped struggling and was now looking up at me.

[You…! Can you possibly hear me?]

What, can you hear my voice? Is that it?

I couldn’t find a reason to answer.

Therefore, I applied pressure so strong that the hamster couldn’t struggle and attempted to converse in Ancient Language.

“You.”

[Ugh…! Let go…! You barbaric fool… Do you even know who I am…!]

No matter how grandly it speaks, I have no idea who it is.

Right, so…

“What’s your relationship with the village chief?”

I asked directly.

My judgment was that I needed to confirm first whether this guy was a spy sent by the village chief.

[……?]

However, since the creature seemed completely clueless, I mentioned another name of the village chief.

“Cornelius Bruengrid. Do you not know anything about this name? He’s a monster who uses Ancient Language just like you.”

If I got a negative answer here as well, I planned to call in an expert and start the interrogation.

[You impudent fool! This body is not a monster…!]

“Enough, just answer the question.”

I briefly squeezed the hand holding it, and the creature urgently opened its mouth.

[I, I don’t know! I don’t know! So don’t squeeze! I’m gonna! I’m gonna throw up…!]

“You don’t know, that’s unfortunate. Then from now on, I’ll have to find out myself.”

[Find out… yourself…?]

You’ll find out when you experience it yourself.

I called Amelia, who was next to me, and she took out her dagger and checked the blade’s condition.

Seeing that, did it get a glimpse of its future?

[W, wait a minute!]

“Did you remember something already?”

[A, Ancient Language…! If you’re talking about a ‘monster’ who uses Ancient Language, there’s one guy I can think of! That… the one who rides a dragon! Are you talking about him?]

…Rides a dragon?

Well, the village chief’s alias during his human days was ‘Dragon Knight’.

“Emily, wait a moment.”

I pulled Amelia back and continued the conversation that had finally opened up.

“You, tell me in detail. About that guy who rides a dragon.”

[I, I don’t know much either…! But he came here once before. That monster with blue skin and huge eyes! He had a lot of subordinates, and he used Ancient Language!]

It seems like it’s the village chief.

Blue skin and huge eyes. There probably isn’t another race with those characteristics that also uses Ancient Language.

‘That village chief bastard lied again.’

He told me that they couldn’t go outside, so they didn’t know what was out there.

Now it turns out it was all a blatant lie.

“When did they come?”

[It was so long ago that counting is meaningless.]

“Whether it’s meaningless or not is for me to judge, so tell me in numbers.”

[I, I don’t know exactly! After those monsters last visited, the sky opened tens of thousands of times…!]

The sky opened.

This expression seems to refer to the ‘rainy season’…

If that’s the case, then it makes sense that counting was meaningless.

‘If the rainy season was 10,000 times… that’s about 833 years in outside time.’

But it opened tens of thousands of times more?

That means the village chief visited this place thousands of years ago.

So, let’s stop the calculations here.

“What do you mean by riding a dragon?”

[It’s exactly as it sounds! Whenever he came here, he always brought a lot of subordinates on that huge dragon!]

“Always, does that mean he came here multiple times?”

[He used to come often back then. But his visits stopped at some point…]

“What did the village chief do here back then?”

[It was the same as you guys! He just randomly pulled out the books I had carefully organized and messed them all up! Really—!]

“Wait a minute, you organized the books?”

[…I did?]

What is this guy?

So far, what he’s said doesn’t seem like a lie.

Honestly, now I’m more curious about this guy’s identity than suspecting him of being the village chief’s spy.

“Why did you organize the books?”

The most important part of understanding a person is their ‘motivation’.

I asked about this, but unfortunately, the answer I got was very ambiguous.

[Th, that’s…! Because it’s something I have to do…!]

“What…?”

[Organizing books… that’s what I have to do. It’s been like that since I was born here!]

“So… organizing books is the reason you exist?”

[It’s not that grand of a reason… but it’s definitely something I have to do.]

It didn’t seem like he was trying to hide something.

So I persistently questioned him several more times, but the answer never changed.

[…Ugh! You idiot! Do you think there has to be a reason for everything! It’s just like that! It’s just like that! I have to organize the books!]

So why do you have to organize them?

When I asked again, this hamster seemed confused, as if it was a topic he was considering for the first time, and eventually, he burst out in anger.

‘No matter how I look at it, it seems like he doesn’t understand his own actions.’

There doesn’t seem to be anything more to gain from questioning a guy in this state.

Therefore, let’s move on to the next step.

“So, isn’t there anything else here?”

[……?]

“You know, like a special book or a treasure. Or a strange monster. Or a hidden space… Or something you want to hide from outsiders.”

[……]

“Nothing?”

At my subtle question, the hamster cried out in disgust.

[…N, n, n, nothing!!!]

A strong denial can sometimes be a strong affirmation.

“I knew it…”

[…!!!]

“There is something, isn’t there?”

I couldn’t help but start drooling.

***

A similar type of conversation repeats.

[I said there’s nothing, what are you talking about!]

The hamster repeats the word ‘nothing’ like a parrot.

And…

“Ah, so you’re just saying you’re going to look.”

I don’t even listen with half an ear, like a barbarian.

[H, how many times do I have to say it for you to understand! There, there’s nothing like that here!]

“Hey, who said I was going to take it? I’m just saying I’m going to look. It’s annoying how you keep doing that.”

[……]

Ugh, why is it so hard to trust what people say?

I judged that he wasn’t the type to listen if I spoke nicely.

Therefore…

“Hey.”

I lowered my voice and spoke, and the hamster flinched and looked up at me warily.

[……?]

“Am I your friend? Can’t you read the situation?”

[…No, it’s not that, but there, there’s nothing… I, really…]

“Ah, then try saying something else.”

[Something… else…?]

“Yeah, for example, do you know how to get out of here?”

[………I don’t know.]

“Or the village chief’s weakness or secrets?”

[……]

“Then what do you want me to do? I need a reason to do something, right?”

[A reason…?]

“Yeah, I need to get something out of this to let you go or whatever. Or should I check if you produce essence?”

[……]

Huh, look at him shutting his mouth because he has nothing to say.

Is it that precious?

Having confirmed that yelling doesn’t work, I changed my strategy.

“Hey, then tell me about yourself.”

[……?]

“What are you? Why are you here, and where did you learn to speak human language?”

[Ah, that…]

Perhaps this topic was better, he answered my questions very kindly.

Well, there was no substance to it though.

“To summarize, you’ve been here since you were born and you could speak human language?”

[Y, yeah… That village chief! That guy called the village chief was the first strange creature I saw.]

“Does the village chief know about you?”

[Probably not. I tried to approach him and talk to him when I saw that he could communicate… but that idiot didn’t understand what I was saying.]

“Just like the others except for me?”

[By the way, what are you! How can you talk to me, and why aren’t you scared?]

What, why is he suddenly being so cocky?

“Why are you asking me what you should be explaining?”

[……]

“Enough, tell me about that. People being scared? Do you have that kind of ability?”

[…I don’t know. Everyone was just like that. That guy called the village chief also took out his weapon and swung it as soon as he saw me. You guys weren’t much different… so I tried to scare you away…]

“And you got caught like this.”

[……]

“But why am I okay? I just see you as a normal rat.”

[A rat, a rat! I’m not that!!]

“Then what are you? Do you have a species name?”

[Th, that’s… not really…]

“Then what about a name? Do you have a name?”

[…I don’t need a name.]

“Geez, that’s why people who don’t go out into society are like this… Names exist for everyone’s convenience. So, let me give you one.”

[…Give me one?]

“Yeah.”

I felt a little sorry for the guy who had lived alone in the library for over thousands of years without even a name, so I thought hard and gave him a name.

“Hamsik.”

[……?]

“Hamsik, from now on, that’s your name.”

[……]

“Why? Is there a problem with the name?”

[N, no… there isn’t…]

“I’m Bjorn, son of Yandel. Yandel is the family name, and Bjorn is the given name. Just call me Bjorn.”

[B, Bjorn… Got it.]

Okay, so we’ve introduced ourselves.

I was about to continue the conversation that had been interrupted.

[Then… are we friends now…?]

Hamsik suddenly asked that question.

A cautious yet somewhat anxious voice.

I tilted my head, and Hamsik mumbled, avoiding my eyes.

[But… I know that a relationship where you call each other by name is called friends… that’s what I know…]

“Where did you get that knowledge?”

[I don’t know. I just knew it since I was born. Just like the language system I have.]

“Is that so?”

I thought he was a guy with many questions, but regardless of that assessment, I also had this thought.

‘I know how to handle him.’

I released him and then helped him stand up.

And facing each other, I stretched out my arm forward.

“Hamsik, please take care of me.”

[……?]

“Why, you said that if you introduce yourself, you’re friends, right? Usually, when you become friends, you shake hands. Ah, do you not know what a handshake is?”

[N, no! That’s not it!]

Hamsik shyly stretched out his fluffy hand and said.

[I, I also… p, please take care of me…?]

How much did he want a friend?

I don’t know, but with this, the friend contract was established.

Right, so…

“Okay, then tell me. Where is it? That treasure you were hiding?”

[……!]

It was time to get the friend fee.

***

Hamsik looks up at me with betrayed eyes and takes a step back.

Hey, between friends, don’t be like that.

“Hamsik, I’ll tell you in advance, there are no secrets between friends.”

[B, but…]

“Don’t you think of me as a friend?”

[Beeeep……]

Hamsik makes a beeping sound as if he’s in trouble at my question.

I didn’t push him further and just waited.

And how long had it been?

[A, alright… I’ll show you… b, but don’t touch anything inside! Okay?]

“Ah, of course.”

Perhaps he felt relieved after making the decision.

Hamsik raised his index finger high like a dance singer, as if showing off his abilities to his new friend.

And at that moment.

Swoooosh.

The books on the bookshelf slide out one by one, half-hanging from the shelf.

‘Is it a format where a secret space appears when you select and pull out specific books?’

As I was blankly watching with that thought, the books’ movements stopped.

And.

Thud thud thud thud thud-!

The closed stone door opened, revealing a hidden space.