Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 736

The question of suddenly becoming curious about me. When I nodded and affirmed without a moment’s hesitation after receiving that question, he, in turn, wore a flustered expression. From my perspective, I wondered why he was acting like that. ‘Well, I asked because I was curious.’ Would I have wasted my precious time asking if I wasn’t curious? I didn’t understand why he was flustered, but the expression that followed was even more perplexing. “……” When our eyes met, he avoided my gaze as if he was somewhat embarrassed. “…Are you blushing right now?” I unintentionally made a disgusted face, and he, noticing this, hurriedly blurted out an excuse. “…O-Of course, I am! Because no one has ever asked for my, my real name before!” A line that felt like, ‘Y-You’re the first one!’ I almost swung my hammer out of disgust, but I barely managed to hold back with superhuman patience. “So, what’s your real name?” “……” “Aren’t you going to answer?” “…T-Threatening me won’t work! I’ve already accepted death!” Ha, this bastard is being annoying again. As I was looking at him with that thought in my mind, he subtly avoided my gaze again. “So… this isn’t because I’m giving in to threats. Do you understand?” What, he was going to say it anyway. As I stared at him in disbelief, a name in English pronunciation flowed from his lips. “…Jester Arlecchino.” “Are you American?” “Yes. My father was an immigrant from Italy.” Talking about his father’s background was TMI [Too Much Information], but well… I guess it’s not bad that he’s opening up? “I see. How long have you been here?” “…It’s been 19 years now.” “That’s a long time.” “Psh… Don’t pity me. I like this world in the first place! Even if someone offered to send me back, I wouldn’t want to go!” Uh… I wasn’t pitying him at all. I don’t want to go back either, in the first place. Still, since the topic came up, I asked. “What do you like so much about this world?” “I’m strong here. And this is a dreamlike world where you can do anything to the weak.” Even if he said that, it didn’t really resonate with me. It’s not like a psychopath, but more like a chuunibyou [a Japanese term for someone with delusional, often grandiose, behavior] kid cosplaying as a psychopath. “Hearing that, it seems like your reality was miserable.” He couldn’t answer, as if he had been hit right on the mark. I chuckled and continued. “Ah, I’m not teasing you. It wasn’t much different for me either.” As I spoke honestly to form a bond, a question formed in his eyes. “…Huh? You?” At his incredulous question, I chuckled again. “Then, do you think a guy who spent nine years playing 2D games had a great reality?” “Ah…” He let out a small breath as if he understood, then cautiously asked me. “But are you really ‘Elfnuna’? The one who posted numerous guides and information on Stone Iven?” “Yeah, that’s me. I only found out how famous it became after coming here. But why did it become so famous anyway?” “W-Well, isn’t it obvious! Who among the people who played [Dungeon & Stone] hasn’t seen your posts!” “Uh… is that so…?” Even if he said that, I still couldn’t feel it. The stat summaries, skill summaries, and drop rates were just statistics I made for my own gameplay, and I shared them for others to see because it felt like a waste of time to keep them to myself. It wasn’t that big of a deal, I guess? “In the first place, when I posted them, the views were really low?” “That’s because the number of users was small in the first place.” “But everyone here seems to know about it?” “Being dragged here means that you were serious about the game.” Ah, that’s true too. Clearing the game, even with cheat mode, means that they were still hardcore players who enjoyed the game to some extent. There’s a very high chance that they’ve seen my posts while looking for information. “Besides, the reason why the nickname ‘Elfnuna’ became so famous is also due to the environment.” “Environment?” “Since everyone came after playing the cheat version… if a user who cleared the original mode entered this world, everyone would say that ‘Elfnuna’ is the only one.” “……” “By the way… it seems that the rumor was true after all. Seeing how you’ve become this strong in just a few years.” What is he talking about, not knowing anything. I said firmly. “That rumor is only half true.” “…Huh?” “It’s true that I came after clearing the original difficulty, but I didn’t receive any special perks.” “…But how, then?” “Well, because I played the original mode for nine years?” I had more knowledge than the users who played the cheat version, after all… This is a realm of knowledge naturally acquired, not something that can be called a special perk. “Enough about me, keep talking about yourself.” “…I don’t have any obligation to do that, do I? Psh.” Ah, this guy is doing it again. He’ll end up opening his mouth anyway. “Was your starting point Noark?” “No, it was District 5. I was the son of a general store owner. Psh… How ridiculous it was for them to call me son, son, not knowing that I was a demon possessing their son’s body!” Ugh, look at how talkative he is. “Okay, when did you become an explorer?” “About a month after. I got some simple equipment with my parents’ help and went into the labyrinth.” A month, huh… No matter how I think about it, his situation is better than mine. I had to finish a bloody coming-of-age ceremony as soon as I opened my eyes and immediately enter the labyrinth. ‘……Well, it’s better than starting in Noark, though.’ Anyway, it seemed like the floodgates of answers had been opened, so I quickly went through the important questions. “When was your first kill?” “Hmm… I wonder when it was…? Ah! It must have been about five months after!” “What was your relationship with them?” “They were my first teammate I met through the explorer’s guild! Ah, they were such a nice friend…” “Then why did you kill them?” “They tried to rape me in the labyrinth.” ……Huh? “Uh…?” I was momentarily stunned by the unexpected shocking motive for the murder. *** A moment of silence followed. But did that strange silence press the laughter button? “Pshshsh, what’s with that face? Pshshsh!” “Just to confirm, was the other person a woman?” “How could that be? They were a much stronger friend than me. So, I pretended to be helpless and quickly stabbed them in the neck with a dagger! It’s a shame. If it were now, I would have made them an undead and made them wipe my poop for the rest of their life!” “……” “Well, thanks to killing them back then, I learned one thing for sure.” “…What is it?” “The answer is…! Killing people makes you money, psh!” Trials make people stronger, they say. It seems that he learned the truth that I learned from Hans A in his fifth month. “Well, after that, it was simple… I showed off things that everyone would want to take, and waited until they revealed their greed. Then, when they were careless… bam!” “……” “Thanks to that, I was able to grow quickly, and after becoming stronger, I didn’t need to use such troublesome methods. I could just kill them!” I think I know how this guy ended up like this. If he was like this from the beginning, there’s no way he wouldn’t have killed anyone until his fifth month. His first companion gave him a strong shock and trigger, and the countless people who fell into the trap and revealed their greed after that must have become his ‘conviction’. “……” I don’t feel sorry for him. I just thought about it once in my mind. What if this guy’s first companion wasn’t like that. What if they were more decent people like Erwen, the dwarf, or Raven…. What would have happened then. “Pshshsh….” It was a meaningless assumption. What’s the point of dwelling on the past? Even serial killers who are recorded in history had a time when they were babies who couldn’t even catch a bug. “Anyway, to summarize, you were exposed as a demon, and then you received an offer from Orculius.” “Pshshsh, well! You could summarize it like that!” At first, I thought he was embarrassed, but surprisingly, he enjoyed telling his story. He even told me the details of things I didn’t ask, and thanks to that, I was able to understand him much better than before. “When did you start using that annoying way of speaking?” “Hmm… I originally only used it inside the Round Table. It was to hide my identity.” “But you use it outside now.” “Ah… it seems like it happened at some point. I wonder when I started using it outside…” After pondering for a moment, he speaks as if he remembered. “Ah! It seems like it was from when you appeared at the Round Table!” I was speechless at the unexpected timing. “……” It seems that the appearance of the Lion Mask really pressed this guy’s chuunibyou button properly… “Then what is your goal?” “Goal… you mean…” He trails off as if he had heard an unexpected question. “You said you don’t want to go home… and it doesn’t seem like you hold a grudge against the royal family like the leader… but it doesn’t seem like you’re satisfied with the present either.” Even after my words, he pondered for a long time before opening his mouth. “I don’t have one.” “You don’t have one?” “Well, if I had one, it would be to die in a cool way?” Okay, so that’s what it is…. “Last question.” “Pshshsh… Is it already the last one? I was a bit hesitant at first, but now I feel a bit sad.” “What was the meaning of what you said earlier?” “What do you mean by what I said earlier?” “I’m talking about when you said that the world is too much to live honestly, that’s what I’m talking about.” “……Well? It’s just as it sounds? Isn’t the world too harsh and brutal!” He seemed to stiffen for a moment, but he playfully brushed off the last question, and I didn’t bother to ask again. ‘It might be a kind of defense mechanism…’ In fact, people who seem strong, have high self-esteem, and are individualistic often have weak mentalities. And this guy seemed to be in that category. Just like how a clown wears a smiling mask to hide the sadness hidden inside. “Hoo! Still, it’s a relief! It’s a bit of a shame that there are no spectators… but the person who’s killing me is a hero of the city, a demon, ‘Elfnuna’, and someone who cleared the original mode!” This guy is smiling confidently behind his clown mask until the very end. And I didn’t like that. ‘Now, what should I do… This is a bit disappointing as it is…’ After pondering for a moment, I made a suggestion to him. “You said your goal was to die in a cool way, right? Isn’t it a bit disappointing to die like an extra here?” “…What are you trying to say?” “I’ll create the best stage you desire. So, follow me.” “……Hahaha, are you trying to persuade me?” “I don’t think there’s any loyalty in Orculius, right?” “…Pshshsh, that’s true.” Upon receiving my suggestion, he frowned excessively and made a troubled expression. Ah, of course, it was meaningless. Because his answer was as good as decided. “Well… fine! I was a bit let down knowing it was you, but it’s the Lion Mask!” “Is that a yes?” “…I’m also curious about the expressions of the leader and other members when they see me betraying them and turning into an enemy!” He spoke like a hedonist, but I felt an emotion that humans can’t help but emit in his voice. Relief. Hope. The deep joy of surviving. And…. “That would be quite fun—” The betrayal when he realized that it was a false hope. Crack-! “……Huh?” His head half-crushed by the hammer, he looks up at me with eyes that can’t understand at all. The fragile expression that had been hidden by the mask all this time. “Hoo, the feeling is amazing.” Yeah, this is it. “Wh… Why…” As he desperately asks for the reason, I answered. “It’s fun.” Especially since it wasn’t a cool death at all.