Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 735

When the Lion Mask first appeared at the Round Table, Abet Necraphaeto was incredibly shocked.

‘The person who recommended me here is your mother. But hey, is there a problem?’

His unyielding words and actions, even in a gathering of top-tier players, were remarkable.

And….

‘Please, stop. Any more, and I’m in danger too….’

The skill to back it up was undeniable.

‘……!’

The Lion Mask seized control of the Round Table in an instant with suffocating killing intent, and no one dared to challenge his opinion.

He was truly a force of nature.

Like the Mongol army that ravaged the West with overwhelming force, the Lion Mask conquered the Round Table in an instant.

However, his true terror wasn’t just his ‘force’.

‘If three people catch a Bandemon, it’s guaranteed to drop an essence.’

‘A new relic has appeared in the world through the oracle of the Star Goddess.’

‘The Resurrection Stone is real.’

The Lion Mask knew information that no one else knew, as if it were common knowledge.

It was puzzling how he could know such information so casually, as if he led a group of considerable size.

A being shrouded in mystery.

‘……Cool.’

Abet Necraphaeto admired him.

In a way, it was an emotion close to longing.

Wasn’t that so?

He tramples if he wants to.

He treats everyone as if they were insignificant insects.

Then, when he gets bored, he throws bait and enjoys watching their reactions.

To Necraphaeto, he looked cooler than any villain he had liked as a child.

‘If… if I were to….’

‘If I were to abandon everything and go under the Lion Mask, would you accept me?’

That was why he said those words at the final Round Table meeting.

Orcullis was a decent group, but it felt lacking compared to the Lion Mask.

If he could join him, he felt like he could become a truly ‘special’ person.

Well, the answer he got to that proposal was a rejection.

‘An insect! Puhuhuhu…! Surely, everyone looks like that to the Lion Mask, right?’

He wasn’t that disappointed.

It was just that he hadn’t caught his eye yet.

He had the expectation that if he built up more infamy and became a worse human, he might reach out to him first.

But….

‘Bjorn Yandel….’

That barbarian who not only interfered with everything he tried to do but also gave him the strange nickname of ‘Toy Collector’.

‘…Is the Lion Mask?’

The first emotion that arose was ‘denial’.

That couldn’t be.

He must have heard some strange rumor and was saying such things.

Beeeep-!

Even while thinking that, he was also convinced.

The truth he had been turning away from with blurry eyes began to appear clearly.

‘The Lion Mask is Bjorn Yandel.’

The words the ‘Queen’ had said to the Lion Mask when he returned to the Round Table after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus.

As a result, the red light was turned on, but this meant that there was enough circumstantial evidence.

‘A new relic has appeared in the world through the oracle of the Star Goddess.’

The fact that the Lion Mask knew the information of the Leatlass Church before anyone else.

It made sense if it was Bjorn Yandel.

Because he was the one who received the oracle.

‘The Clown is a corpse collector.’

This was the same.

When he first confronted Bjorn Yandel, he wore a mask and openly revealed that he was the ‘Clown’.

‘Maybe somewhere… Ugh!’

The fact that he suddenly unleashed killing intent on him at the meeting that day was not the amusement of a bored absolute being, but revenge.

Tuk- Tuk-

Without needing anything else, he was convinced the moment he saw that gaze looking down at him.

‘You’re persistent.’

The Lion Mask he had admired was Bjorn Yandel.

***

His expression was exactly as I had expected.

At first, he denied reality, then he felt betrayed by the plausible circumstances….

‘…….’

In the end, he fears the imminent death.

Squeeeze-

When I released [Giant Form] and pressed down on his upper chest with my foot, he grimaced in pain, but then smiled like a madman.

It wasn’t just because of the shocking truth that I was the Lion Mask. After all, his head was only half left, so there was no way he could be sane.

‘Ugh… disgusting.’

Still, thanks to adjusting my strength at the end, he didn’t die instantly in one blow. Well, originally, I was thinking of just sending him off cleanly in one go, but….

‘No, no matter how busy I am, I have to loot.’

If I kill this guy like this, I won’t get much.

At best, maybe just the ‘Staff of the Underworld’ that he’s still holding tightly in his hand?

‘That’s why top explorers are annoying.’

When wandering around the lower levels of the labyrinth, it was enough to just kill them and then search their bags or strip their equipment, but top explorers usually have sub-spaces [extra-dimensional storage].

In this guy’s case, given his nature as a necromancer, his sub-space would be much larger.

‘Hey, are you listening? Huh? Can you hear me?’

I asked him several times, but instead of an answer, he just stared blankly into the air and chuckled.

‘Tsk.’

With no other choice, I took out a potion from my sub-space and poured it on his head.

Chiiiiiiiiiiik-!

What, can’t this bastard even feel pain?

Even though the potion was bubbling and creating steam, he just stared blankly into the air without any movement.

The scream that burst from his mouth was when his deeply gouged head was about half-healed—.

‘Pshshshshsh! Pshshshshshsh! Psh, psh, pshshshshshsh!!!!’

He thrashed his body up and down as if having a seizure, letting out laughter that sounded like a scream.

‘……What is this?’

I felt a chill for a moment at the completely unexpected bizarre sight, but it was simply a happening caused by his head returning to normal.

‘Kkeue, kkeueue! Kkeuah… heueue!!’

As if proving that it was simply a malfunction of the brain, the scream changed to a normal one.

‘Okay, that’s enough.’

Tuk tuk.

I gently tapped his cheek with my hammer and said.

‘Can you hear me now?’

‘……Uh, ah, ugh.’

Well, it seems his brain hasn’t recovered enough to speak.

‘If you can hear me, blink once.’

…Blink.

‘Why are you only blinking one eye? It’s creepy.’

Blink, blink.

‘It’s not your will? Hmm… okay.’

Well, that’s not important.

‘Now, from now on, I’m going to release the owner’s seal on the sub-space. Begin.’

I quickly got to the point for the guy who looked like he desperately needed rest, but sadly, he expressed his refusal with his eyes.

Blink, blink, blink, blink.

His left eyelid rapidly opened and closed repeatedly.

‘You’d rather die than give it up?’

‘Uh, aheo… uh, uh…!’

‘I can’t understand a word you’re saying, so speak with your eyes.’

When I spoke irritably, his eyes blinked like crazy. It seemed like he wasn’t planning to just die, but….

‘Then what is it? What, do you have something you want to say?’

…Blink.

‘Okay, then I’ll pour some more potion on you. But when you can talk, you’ll hand over the sub-space without complaint as payment for the potion, okay?’

Uh-huh.

‘Answer.’

…Blink.

For some reason, he blinked once slightly late, which made it seem like he didn’t like my offer, but it must have been my imagination.

If you could make a mute person speak, that mute person would think that giving a fortune would not be a waste.

Yes, this is a reasonable and fair deal.

Crack-!

In case he might run away again if his head got better, I crushed both of his feet once more.

Chiiiiiiiiiiik-!

To fulfill the contract, I poured a little more high-grade potion on his head, and his screams intensified.

However, was his broken head gradually being sealed?

‘……Aaaaaaak! Kkeueheut… Aaaak!!’

The corpse collector began to let out a much more textbook scream than before.

Chiiiiiiiiiiik-!

After about 10 minutes had passed, he calmed down to some extent and was able to have a conversation.

‘Th…that….’

‘Sub-space.’

‘……?’

‘You have to keep your promise. Before we talk, hand over the sub-space.’

‘Ah, no, where is that—.’

‘I just wasted my time.’

As I spoke emotionlessly and slowly raised my hammer, he frantically waved his hands and shouted.

‘I, I’ll give it to you!’

Geez, you should have done that sooner.

‘B, but you have to keep your promise to talk to me for a little while….’

‘Don’t worry about that part.’

If he really handed over the sub-space willingly, I had the generosity to wait for him to leave his last words.

‘I, it’s done.’

At the same time as the owner’s seal was released, a light burst from his heart, and a translucent bead popped out.

It looked ordinary at first glance, but if you looked closely, you could see dozens of layers of very small magic circles overlapping.

Wow, it’s not a bracelet, but a sub-space implanted in the body, so it must be quite expensive….

‘You’re carrying good stuff.’

‘……I, I was lucky to get it.’

Is it the truth of the world that bad guys live well?

‘Ah, to open the sub-space, you’ll have to get it re-implanted by a mage later….’

‘I know, you don’t need to explain.’

‘…….’

‘Okay, then I’ll give you 10 minutes from now.’

While cutting off the time, I was curious.

What would this guy say during the given 10 minutes?

Would he beg for his life while pretending to repent?

Or would he make some kind of deal?

The answer was completely different from my expectations.

Before opening his mouth, he seemed to focus for a moment, like a broadcaster waiting for standby.

‘Pshshsh….’

He laughed like when he wore the clown mask.

And….

‘……Laughing?’

As if he could hear my thoughts, he continued to speak.

‘Why, did you perhaps think I would tremble and beg for my life?’

Uh….

It would be a lie to say no, but it’s a bit of a blow to my pride to admit it.

So, when I remained silent, he laughed again.

‘Pshshsh… I was really surprised! Bjorn Yandel, not only are you a player, but you were the Lion Mask!’

‘…What the hell are you trying to do?’

When I couldn’t stand his theatrical tone and asked, he laughed again.

‘Huh? I’m just realizing that I’m about to die and having a last conversation, you know?’

Wow… this guy is really consumed by his concept.

Honestly, I thought it was fake madness all this time, but now I see that he was real.

And when I saw the real madness, I was at a loss for words.

‘…Do you have no attachment to life?’

‘Of course I do! But there’s no way you’d let me live if I said that, right?’

…That’s true.

Still, isn’t it normal human psychology to at least try?

‘Psh, I’m different from those ordinary people.’

‘How are you different?’

‘The law of the jungle is the law of nature. I have no intention of complaining about it.’

‘So? Why did you ask for time to talk?’

‘Well, wouldn’t that be more fun?’

Oh, I see….

It seemed like his head wasn’t fully healed yet.

Yes, that’s why he’s spouting such nonsense 10 minutes before he dies—.

‘Pshshsh….’

At that moment, I felt a familiar emotion in the clown’s grinning eyes.

‘……Huh?’

Fear, despair, regret, disappointment….

Such dark emotions that are bound to arise in a living being facing death.

‘Why? Are you disappointed? Because I didn’t cry and beg?’

Looking closely, his body was also trembling slightly.

Only then did I realize.

‘You’re pretending to be okay.’

‘…What are you talking about? I’m really okay. I was weak, and you were strong. So you deserve to enjoy the rights of the victor.’

‘Isn’t it better to be honest at the end?’

He was a guy who deserved to die, but I gave him sincere advice while looking at him.

Everyone wears a mask.

That’s not wrong.

But even so, wouldn’t it be better to take off the mask at the end? That was my thought, and it was the only kindness I could offer him in this situation.

But….

‘Psh, shsh….’

Even with my advice, he forced a fake smile on his lips.

But maybe my advice touched him a little.

‘…Isn’t it too much to live honestly? Ah! Of course, that wouldn’t apply to strong people like you. Psh!’

Those words sounded much more sincere than the words about the law of the jungle, the law of nature, and having no intention of disobeying.

‘Ha, I’m going crazy….’

I should have just killed him earlier.

Even while thinking that, I ended up asking him.

‘…Hey, what’s your real name?’

Corpse Collector, Abet Necraphaeto.

‘Pshshsh, are you suddenly curious about me?’