Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 720

The time I spent talking with the Founding King wasn’t that long, but for some reason, it felt familiar.

After thinking about why, the answer came to me quickly.

‘His way of talking is kind of like Baek Ho’s.’

It’s hard to put into words, but the two are similar.

It’s not just their rude and frivolous way of speaking, but also that unique look in their eyes, as if they don’t see people as people.

Perhaps people with a clear ‘goal’ have that kind of look.

Just like the look I’m probably giving the Founding King right now.

“Is that insolent look your answer?”

At those words, I forced my head down and lowered my gaze.

The truth that you have to fight to not be taken from you.

That truth is still engraved in my heart, but sadly, this time I couldn’t be as strong as I was with Baek Ho.

Because I don’t know what this bastard’s ‘purpose’ is.

A battle of wits can only happen after you know each other’s cards.

So, that means…

“…What do you want from me?”

Let’s hear him out first.

So I can at least get a glimpse of what his ‘purpose’ is and what cards he holds.

“How boring.”

But was he perhaps expecting me to be more rebellious?

As I took a step back and showed my tail between my legs, the guy behind the silk tapped the throne.

“Well, fine. I don’t dislike smart guys either.”

No matter how I look at it, I can’t get used to his way of speaking.

He sounds more like a back alley thug than a king of a country.

Of course, that’s not what’s important right now.

“So, what do I have to do? Do I just not open the ‘Abyss Gate’?”

I asked casually.

Because I had some idea about the ‘King’s’ purpose.

It was just a little probe, but…

“What? Puhahaha! Puhahahahahaha!”

What is this?

I didn’t expect him to burst out laughing like this in my face.

“……”

As I stared at the silk with a serious face, the Founding King threw out an apology that didn’t contain even a shred of sincerity.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. It’s just so funny how you talk like you know everything when you don’t know anything. But come to think of it, you’ve always been like this.”

“……”

“Because you don’t know anything. You’ve been taking steps while rolling your eyes like that to survive. Sometimes you’ve made mistakes and lost something. And then, at some point, you probably developed an obsession with things you don’t know.”

To some extent, it was a convincing story.

Though it was annoying how he talked like he knew everything.

Ah, was the Founding King feeling like this too?

Well… judging by how he laughed just now, it doesn’t seem like he was annoyed.

‘Enough, let’s get to the point.’

I wanted to say those words more desperately than ever, but I barely managed to hold back.

From what I can see, this guy is quite talkative.

Or maybe he’s just unusually high-strung today.

Either way, there was no need to interrupt him and risk upsetting him.

“Bjorn Yandel. You don’t know anything. How this world is surviving. And how much sacrifice I’m making for that world.”

I just listened to him talk while creating a character information window for the Founding King in my head.

‘Okay, need for recognition +7.’

I was going to give him +6 at first, but considering he was saying those things to someone he just met, I gave him +7.

And…

“…What exactly do you mean by sacrifice?”

At this point, I asked back as if agreeing with him, to show that I was listening to the conversation.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but ask because I was so curious about the content, but sadly, he cut me off with a single word.

“Even the most delicious food has parts that you can’t eat.”

Right… so he’s going for the mysterious route?

I didn’t ask any further and quietly inserted another stat into the character information window.

[Founding King]

Need for recognition +7, Chuunibyou [a Japanese term for someone who acts like a melodramatic teenager] +4

Hmm, I feel like the aura of a shitty essence is already starting to creep up, but it must be just my imagination.

There’s no way the final boss’s essence would taste like shit, right?

“…For some reason, you have a bad look in your eyes.”

He suddenly lowered his voice.

Anyway, with that, I should probably add +3 to his perception…

“I wasn’t thinking anything!”

I quickly explained away the Founding King’s suspicion while thinking to myself.

What would happen if that guy found out about the information window I was using?

‘……Death, probably.’

Yeah, there’s no doubt about it, it’s death.

Usually, guys with a cool-guy complex will immediately freak out about something like this.

[Founding King]

Need for recognition +7, Chuunibyou +4, Cool-guy complex +4

Okay, so three stats have already been checked…

“Whatever… It’s not something I can’t understand. From your perspective, I probably look like the mastermind behind everything.”

“…You mean you’re not?”

“That’s a meaningless question. Would you believe me if I said no?”

A word that felt somewhat self-deprecating.

In response, I delivered a line based on the stat window I had created so far.

“Of course, I wouldn’t believe you right away. But… if you were really sacrificing yourself for this world…”

“…If I was?”

“That’s… I think that’s amazing.”

“……”

“Before judging whether the method is right or wrong, it’s not something anyone can do.”

A crucial line to stimulate his need for recognition +7.

The response to this came after a slight pause.

“…Tsk, it’s not something I did to be recognized by someone.”

Come on, anyone can see that he’s happy.

‘Should I have made it +8 instead of +7…?’

While I was pondering that, the Founding King opened his mouth.

“The conversation has strayed for a moment.”

It seems he realized that the conversation had gone off on a tangent…

“You can lead a horse to water, but whether it drinks or not is up to the horse.”

“……”

“Yandel’s son, Bjorn. I have a proposal for you.”

Why does he keep waiting every time he says a word?

Can’t he just keep going?

“I’ll hear your proposal.”

As I answered, the figure behind the silk moved and spread out his palm.

“Five times.”

“……”

“If you listen to my ‘request’ just five times, I won’t interfere with whatever you do.”

Wow…

‘Five times, huh…’

Well, it’s much more motivating than being a slave forever…

Thump-!

It was obviously a poisoned chalice.

***

The carefully thrown dice roll across the unfolded board.

Not a description, but literally.

Roll, roll, roll-

The total of the two dice that stopped was 12.

Seeing this, the Founding King behind the silk slowly recited without any excitement.

As if he had predicted the numbers on the dice.

“A double.”

“…Again?”

Is this some kind of manipulation?

“Move the piece.”

“Yes.”

At the Founding King’s urging, the knight sitting across from me carefully moved the piece.

“Thus, you have once again arrived in my territory. I will build a hotel. And since it’s a double, it’s my turn again.”

After that, the Founding King threw the dice that the knight had picked up back onto the floor, and a total of 7 came out, landing him in Seoul.

My hometown, where I was born and raised, full of hotels.

“Let’s see, the toll is…”

“I will use a discount coupon.”

“Ah…”

This bastard is really playing this game like a jerk.

‘A discount coupon comes out here?’

While feeling unfairly treated without realizing it, I also felt a sense of clarity as I looked at myself.

‘What am I doing right now…?’

It’s not really a question I’m asking myself because I don’t know.

Right now, I’m playing a board game with the Founding King.

Because there was no other choice but to drink the poisoned chalice.

[If you listen to my ‘request’ just five times, I won’t interfere with whatever you do.]

That day, the Founding King made that proposal to me, and I accepted it.

Since he wouldn’t make five requests at once, I decided to pretend to listen to his requests and then backstab him later.

But sadly, the Founding King made his first request (?) as soon as he finished speaking.

[Then stay here for a week and keep me company.]

On the first day, it really was just keeping him company.

The Founding King showed a strong interest in my otherworld exploration stories, and I told him stories, leaving out the unnecessary parts.

But did he lose interest quickly?

The Founding King said the stories were boring and got a board game from somewhere.

From what I can see, it seems to be a modern artifact made by torturing the evil spirits that were dragged here…

“This is getting boring too. Bring it out.”

“Do you have a specific book in mind?”

“Bring them all, since I don’t know what the guest likes.”

On the third day, the Founding King put away the board games and brought out ‘comics’.

It seems like this was also a modern artifact made by torturing modern people, and there were roughly hundreds of them just by looking at them, showing how much blood was squeezed out of them.

‘But the content is kind of subtle.’

Some of them were comics I had never seen before, and some were comics I knew the content of.

Well, in the latter case, the art style was crude and the content was sloppy, as if they had only referenced the setting.

It seems like a captured aspiring comic artist had roughly copied famous comics.

Up to this point, it was heartbreaking, but I could let it go.

However, the problem was when I found ‘that’ among the hundreds of comic books.

“This art style is…”

A very familiar art style.

It was hard to think of it as a copy, so it was even harder to believe, that very art style.

Even the title and content were perfectly consistent with the comic I knew.

“Oh? You know it? I heard from other evil spirits that it was a very famous comic artist.”

“You crazy…!!!”

This time, I couldn’t hold back.

“The person who drew this! What happened to the person who drew this?”

I asked, unable to hide the anger that was boiling up from my core, but the Founding King behind the silk just picked his nose nonchalantly and answered.

“After seeing the man who the protagonist considered a brother forcibly rape the woman the protagonist loved, he tore him to pieces on the spot?”

Ah… that part…

Honestly, I admit that I’m angry…

Ha, how did that artist get involved in this kind of game?

‘Even if I go back to Earth, I won’t be able to see the ending.’

Anyway, on the third day, I spent the whole day reading comics, and when I was hungry, I had the knight bring me food.

“I’m starting to get hungry.”

“I will bring the meal.”

“Two bowls of somen [thin wheat noodles], one plate of sweet and sour pork, and for alcohol, bamboo leaf wine.”

“Yes.”

I don’t know for sure, but I think this is how martial arts fans feel when a waiter brings out carbonara or an elder jumps.

‘Bamboo leaf wine in a fantasy setting…’

Ha, the [Dungeon & Stone] I know wasn’t like this.

Well, whatever.

I’ve already taken the elevator and played a board game, so I don’t want to stress about this anymore.

It’s not like these are the things I should be worried about right now anyway.

“I’m tired from laughing and playing all day. See you tomorrow.”

As the third day ended, the Founding King also left to sleep, and I was left alone in that room.

Day 1 was stories.

Day 2 was board games.

Day 3 was comics.

At first glance, it seemed like the Founding King was taking an incomprehensible path, but in fact, it wasn’t that difficult to read his intentions.

‘……The important thing is time, isn’t it.’

Keeping me company is just an excuse.

The Founding King’s real purpose must be to keep me here and stall for time.

The point here is one thing.

Why is the Founding King trying to stall for time?

The answer to that question came the next day.

“Well, it’s already the fourth day.”

While eating a muffin with bacon, egg, and tomato for breakfast, the Founding King said.

“I’m bored, let’s watch TV today.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the knights rushed in and unfolded a large screen on one wall.

Beep-!

As the Founding King pressed the remote control button, the screen lit up and a video started playing.

Kwaaaaaang-!

A ruined city with blood flowing like a river.

A battlefield where countless people were wielding swords, shooting arrows and magic.

[Aaaaaaaah-!]

[S, save me…]

In the midst of that chaos filled with screams.

[Get a grip, Gowland! If we stay like this, we’ll all die!!]

I saw my companions.