Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 564

The time that had begun to reverse slowly returned to the past and stopped at a certain point.

“Could you possibly take the lead, Baron?”

That was the moment when Jerome asked me to take the vanguard.

“Alright, but in exchange, give me priority on up to four of the second-acquired achievements.”

“Four… I understand. For the Baron, that much is not a waste at all.”

After a brief negotiation, I began to lower myself under the tree where the village chief had disappeared.

It was a completely incomprehensible scene.

In this situation, to go down there so thoughtlessly?

[It’s the destiny I showed that child. There was no divine revelation on this path of fate. So you go down there without any suspicion.]

‘Ah…’

Certainly, now that it’s put that way, it makes sense.

The reason I could feel a sense of unease from Jerome was largely due to the presence or absence of a ‘divine revelation.’ Knowing that something was about to happen, I was able to observe everything around me with excessive sensitivity.

Whoosh-!

Anyway, the moment I went down under the tree.

Suddenly, the world turned black, and the scene changed as if I had closed and opened my eyes.

[There’s no time, so I’ll just go over the important things.]

The place was a cave.

In the center was a portal stele [a stone pillar or slab, often used as a monument or marker], and I was lying unconscious next to it. And the village chief was approaching me, starting some unknown ritual.

[It’s a hidden space below the basement you went to last time. You came down to the village and fought hundreds of enemies for a long time, waiting for support, but no one came, and when you ran out of strength, you were eventually captured and brought here.]

A hidden space beneath the basement full of corpses.

‘…To think such a place was hidden.’

At that time, the situation was so urgent that there was no time to look into such things.

‘So, what’s going to happen to me now?’

[Just watch. It’ll be over soon.]

2x, 3x, 4x.

Time flowed quickly, as if the video playback speed had been increased.

Soon, when the time magnification returned to normal, black smoke was flowing out of the village chief’s body.

Swishhhhh-!

The smoke flowing from the village chief’s body gradually flowed into my body, and soon the village chief collapsed.

And…

Swoosh.

I, who had been unconscious, opened my eyes and got up.

‘I’ got up from the spot, blankly clenched and unclenched my fist, and opened my mouth with an unfamiliar voice.

“Finally…”

At that moment, the scene changed once more.

The place was not the village but the center of the island, where the darkness of the labyrinth was deeply settled. There, ‘I’ was talking with Jerome Saintred.

“Now, give me ‘that’ as promised.”

“……”

“Are you having second thoughts now? If so, I hope you give up quickly. If you don’t give it up, you won’t be able to live properly with that body even after you go outside.”

“Certainly… the royal family would have that kind of power.”

“If you know that, then hurry—”

“Wouldn’t it be better to make sure they don’t know at all?”

“What? You don’t mean… !”

“The dead tell no tales.”

The conversation ended at that point.

When the scene changed again, a drop of blood splattered before my eyes.

“Aaaaargh-!”

Everywhere I looked had turned into a battlefield.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by hundreds of monsters, and the exploration team was fighting hard, but it was clear that they were gradually being pushed back.

It was all because of the village chief who had taken over my body.

“T-to think he’d be this strong…”

“Baron…! Kill Yandel Baron!”

The village chief who had taken over my body had nothing to protect.

He didn’t care how many monsters died, and the Barbarian character, whom I had diligently raised to protect my comrades, swept through the battlefield like a destruction tank.

And how long had it been?

When it was clear to anyone that the victory had completely tilted.

“……Ugh!”

I, who had been massacring the exploration team members, suddenly stopped moving.

I was about to smash a mage’s head in after breaking into the rear magic corps.

“L-Le, Iven…”

A comrade who had narrowly escaped death looked up at me with fearful eyes, grabbed the floor, and ran away.

And seeing this.

Clang.

‘I’ threw the hammer far away with jerky movements.

I threw away my shield and loosened the armor covering my upper body.

And a comrade who was watching me nearby aimed his weapon at me with wary eyes.

“Are you… back?”

Amelia’s question, who had escaped with her comrades after being released from confinement during the battle.

My answer to that was very short.

“Emily… kill… me…”

The comrade who heard such a request could not answer or act. The blade that had been calmly aimed at any enemy was shaking greatly today.

It was then.

“If you can’t do it, get out of the way!”

Jerome, who had recognized the situation, drew his sword and approached, and I stared at him for a long time before chuckling.

I couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

‘I’ closed my eyes and lowered my head.

And…

“No way… !”

“…It’s his wish… !”

While Amelia bit her lip and restrained Erwen.

Swoosh-!

The blade wrapped in aura [a magical energy or power] struck my neck.

However, it didn’t go in well at once, so it was repeated several times.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh-!

The sword was swung countless times like chopping wood with an axe.

A scream echoed over the strangely quiet clearing.

“No, no, no, no…”

Someone among my comrades screamed and ran to pour potions on my body.

Of course, there was no reaction.

Potions don’t have the function of reviving dead characters.

“You…! If it weren’t for you… !”

“Calm down, Tersia.”

“Y-you’re just going to let this go even after seeing this—!”

“If you’re so agitated, how can you properly kill the enemy?”

“……”

“Calmly, coldly, focus only on avenging Yandel.”

The Clan Anabada gathered and aimed their weapons at the exploration team, which had suffered fatal damage.

“Think rationally. If we’re not here, do you think you can handle those monsters?”

Jerome tried hard to persuade them, but it was futile.

In the meantime, many members of the exploration team defected.

“The Baron… was a hero. Even at the end, he tried to save us… !”

“To abandon such a person like a worn-out shoe, and to end up like this… what’s the point of this for the royal family!”

“I, Meland Kaislan, will draw my sword for the justice I believe in! If you share my will, stand behind me!”

“It’s treason! Kill the traitors… !”

That’s when the situation reached its peak.

[Not that way, look over there.]

Following the goddess’s guidance, I moved my gaze.

There was one person who was moving quietly alone, without paying any attention to this chaotic situation.

‘Misha…?’

Soon, Misha approached my corpse and took something out of her pocket.

Swishhhhh-!

It was the first time I had seen it in person, but I recognized it immediately thanks to the unique effect that burst out as soon as it touched my body.

I don’t know why this is in Misha’s hands.

‘That’s…’

The Stone of Resurrection.

***

The Stone of Resurrection.

An item with the fraudulent ability to resurrect the dead.

It was the very thing that even I had only obtained once in nine years due to its absurd acquisition conditions.

‘Why is this… with her…?’

At first, I had such a blank question, but the answer to the source came quickly.

‘…Lee Baekho.’

It was a well-known fact that this guy possessed the Stone of Resurrection.

I don’t know how he got it, though.

Anyway, at the same time as my resurrection, I opened my mouth in the stopped time.

“So, I don’t die after all.”

[Yes, you don’t die.]

Why Lee Baekho gave the Stone of Resurrection to Misha.

I have a rough idea of the purpose.

However, the goddess coiled in my head is different.

“Leatlass… why are you trying to help me?”

The goddess answered briefly to my question.

[…Because that ending is not right.]

What kind of ending did this goddess, who sees fate, see to say such a thing?

I couldn’t help but wonder, but I ended my questions there.

It’s not a situation where I can force an answer, and there were more pressing matters to resolve.

Yes, like this situation right now.

Flash-!

The world turned black and then bright again.

And I was lying unconscious in the cave I had seen earlier.

“What are you trying to show me again?”

[I’m not trying to show you anything. This is your current state.]

…What?

I frowned as if to tell her to explain what she meant, and an answer came back from my head.

In a small voice.

[I… don’t have the ability to stop time…]

Ah, that’s right.

Even while I was watching like a video, real time was flowing.

[But all your comrades are safe. They’re just in custody…]

It seems that she was trying to take post-measures, as the goddess told me the general situation.

It was a very simple situation.

When I fainted after emitting light, my comrades were greatly flustered, and then they were suddenly subdued?

That’s how I was led to the village chief by Jerome.

“Then send me back quickly! I have to escape before that ritual is over!”

[It’s not difficult to send you back… but even if you open your eyes now, all your abilities will be sealed.]

“…What?”

It was absurd.

In short, it meant that escape by force was impossible.

“Then what am I supposed to do in this state?”

I was grateful for her willingness to help me, but wouldn’t this make things even worse?

While thinking that, I still held onto hope.

She’s a god, after all.

Yeah, she must have a plan.

“Tell me. What should I do from now on?”

I tried to be polite, forcing myself to believe.

But…

[…I can show you the way, but I can’t create the way.]

“So… you’re saying you can’t give me any advice?”

The answer came after a long pause.

[…I’ve been watching your journey. That’s why I know. Your greatest strength is not your cool judgment, nor your knowledge of everything, nor your courage not to be intimidated by any enemy.]

“……”

[The real power you have is your ‘words.’]

As someone who had solved more problems with my body than with words after waking up in a Barbarian’s body, it was an analysis I couldn’t easily agree with.

But it seemed different to the goddess.

[The veteran explorer was destined to die with the noble mage in that maze that day. But in the end, you survived. Because you bought time with your ‘words.’]

It seems she was referring to the time I swallowed the ‘Restrained Desire’ in Larcaz’s maze and negotiated with the Dragonslayer…

[Your words have power. You’ve already slightly twisted someone’s fate once. So…]

Then, the goddess finished her long introduction and gave me a TIP.

[How about… trying to solve this with words again?]

For some reason, in the form of a question.

***

Thump, thump-!

The reverberation felt from within.

I take a breath, realizing that I am alive.

“You’re awake.”

Well, his eye for detail is uselessly good.

Well, it’s natural since his eyes are so big.

I opened my eyes and raised my upper body.

“It would have been much better if you had just remained unconscious. For me and for you.”

“I guess I have to struggle a bit.”

The goddess told me to solve it with ‘words,’ which was irresponsible.

So what can I do?

I have to try to overcome the difficulties according to her advice.

In fact, as soon as I heard it, I had an idea that was worth trying.

“……You’re very calm? Even though you have no idea what’s going on.”

“Well, it seems to me that you’re the one who has no idea what’s going on.”

Did he think that all my actions and reactions were unusual?

The village chief pursed his lips and glared at me.

Since he has a brain, he realized that something was going strangely.

So, it was time to reveal one of my cards.

“Village chief, stop now. Even if you take over my body, it’s impossible to return to the city.”

“I thought you were just trying to curse me—”

“It’s not a curse, it’s the truth. I’ve actually seen that scene.”

It was time to take out the second card.

“Leatlass showed me the future.”

The village chief seemed to think for a moment, and then surprisingly believed my words.

“You fainted while emitting light, indeed… so she was involved…”

It seems that he thought this was more plausible given the circumstances.

Okay, then I’ve reduced the waste of time.

“Tell me. If you want to stop me. What did she show you?”

I slightly modified the scenario for effective negotiation.

“You take over my body and get attacked by Jerome. And you don’t win.”

“……My calculations are perfect. There’s no way I’d lose to them.”

“Then your calculations must be wrong. Or you didn’t expect to be ambushed by them.”

“That guy… ambushed me?”

The village chief’s eyes gleamed in the dark cave.

It seemed that he hadn’t calculated the possibility of being ambushed.

It was a good thing for me.

Therefore, I quickly continued my words.

“Village chief, I understand why you want to take over my body. But does it have to be my body?”

“Because that’s the sure path. You will eventually succeed in escaping this level and returning to the city.”

“Did you happen to see a record stone with that information?”

“……I didn’t expect you to know about ‘record stones’.”

It was an answer that practically meant yes.

I had a lot of thoughts about the sudden appearance of a new clue, but I decided to focus on resolving the current situation first.

“That means it doesn’t have to be me.”

“But there’s no reason to take a risk. Now that I know the result of losing, I can change my plan—”

Change what?

At this point, I interrupted him and got to the point.

“Jerome Saintred.”

The commander of this exploration team, known as the Knight of Light.

“How’s his body? He’s a bit old, but he’s a count and he’s good at using aura. Aren’t you a knight too?”

Moreover, those aren’t his only advantages.

His biggest advantage is something else.

“Above all, if you take over his body, you can escape this hellish place right away.”

The bait that would be most appealing to the village chief.

“That guy has the essence of ‘Iblis’ [a term often associated with evil or demonic power].”

That was my trump card.