Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

As soon as the gathering began, the man, donning his Stag Antlers mask, stepped out into the hallway. He hurriedly made his way to the room where the Round Table was located.

Unlike usual, the Round Table was empty.

“Thankfully, I’m the first one.”

Glancing around, the man approached a specific seat.

It was four seats to the left of the seat Lion always occupied.

Unlike the early days of the Round Table, now that there were empty seats, everyone sat with at least one seat between them.

Assuming all seven members were present, he could secure the second turn no matter what.

‘The first turn is a bit troublesome…’

The quality of information shared in the first round often set the tone for the entire session.

Yes, the second turn was the most ideal.

The third or fourth seats weren’t bad, but he would have to make direct eye contact with Lion.

The later turns were too much pressure.

Well, Clown always sat in the last seat because he enjoyed the attention.

‘That’s just his nature.’

He didn’t know it, but the seat he had chosen was secretly the most popular among the members.

Maybe that’s why…

“Oh! Stag Antlers? You’re here today?”

Goblin Mask entered the room and greeted him, then sat down one seat away.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

It was the seat that would be the third turn when the gathering began.

“By the way, did you have something urgent to attend to last time?”

Stag Antlers simply brushed off Goblin’s question.

“Personal reasons.”

“Really?”

It seemed like Goblin was just making small talk, as he didn’t seem to care about his short answer.

Stag Antlers cautiously asked,

“Anything interesting happen?”

“…Huh?”

“Last session. I was wondering if there were any major incidents while I was gone…”

Stag Antlers’ tone was unusually humble for someone addressing Goblin.

It was almost rude.

It was an unspoken rule of the Round Table not to disclose information from previous sessions to those who weren’t present.

But…

‘Maybe Goblin will tell me.’

After all, why had he rushed here?

He wanted to get a head start and gather some information before the other members arrived.

And Goblin was the first one he encountered.

He was in luck—

Step.

He heard footsteps from the doorway.

Another member had arrived.

‘It’s Fox.’

If she was here, she would probably stop Goblin from answering my question.

He sighed, but then…

“I overheard your conversation.”

“…..”

“Don’t worry, nothing happened. Or rather, nothing could have happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lion didn’t attend the last session.”

“Lion wasn’t there…?”

“Yes. So Clown and Queen left after sharing their information, and the session ended there.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t do that again. Once someone breaks the rules, it’s no longer a rule.”

Her voice was laced with a hint of displeasure.

“…I’ll be careful.”

Fox’s gaze shifted to Goblin as Stag Antlers readily agreed.

“You too, Goblin.”

“Huh? W-why me?”

“Don’t answer his questions. Or rather, be careful what you say.”

“…Haha! You’re so strict, Fox… Be careful… yes, be careful… Hahaha!”

Goblin laughed awkwardly, and Fox, after checking the empty seats, sat down in the fourth seat.

“C-Crescent Moon will be the first one to go, right?”

“If he’s coming, that is. He doesn’t seem to like the last seat.”

“…Hmm, but Lion isn’t skipping again, is he?”

“We’ll find out if we wait.”

“H-haha, right…”

Stag Antlers looked at Goblin and Fox, who were chatting, and felt a strange sense of dissonance.

Fox seemed to be comfortable with Goblin, while Goblin seemed to be uncomfortable with Fox.

But he didn’t dwell on it.

He had more important things to think about.

‘Lion’s absence…’

In a way, it was a good thing.

He had been disappointed that he had to miss the last session, but it seemed like it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.

He hadn’t missed out on anything important.

But one thing bothered him.

[Lion is Bjorn Yandel.]

Queen’s words from the last session.

It had been dismissed as a false accusation, but it had been a hot topic for a while.

There were many circumstantial similarities between Lion and Bjorn Yandel.

‘…Well, it’s probably just a coincidence. There are too many differences for them to be the same person.’

First, Bjorn Yandel was only a 4th-grade explorer.

And Lion had joined the community about 20 years ago.

They couldn’t be the same person.

But…

‘What is it? This feeling that I’m missing something…’

Stag Antlers glanced at Goblin, who was talking to Fox.

“I wonder when Crescent Moon will be here. Clown and Queen will probably be late again.”

“They’ll be here when they’re ready. But… Goblin, why do you only use honorifics with Queen?”

“Haha… Did I?”

Come to think of it, he was the one…

He was the one who first brought it up at the Round Table.

That Bjorn Yandel and Lion might be the same person?

His reasoning was that the timing of Bjorn Yandel’s death was too coincidental…

But he had been ridiculed back then.

“I don’t know… I just feel like I have to use honorifics with her… her title is ‘Queen’, after all…”

Stag Antlers interjected.

“Hey, Goblin.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you still think Bjorn Yandel could be Lion?”

“Uh… suddenly?”

“Yeah, I’m just curious.”

“Hmm…”

Goblin looked confused, but he answered.

“No, I don’t think so anymore.”

His answer was clear and firm.

Stag Antlers was convinced.

“I see… Well, it’s impossible for someone who was summoned 22 years ago to be the same person.”

“Huh? Ah… right, that’s true…”

Stag Antlers tilted his head at his ambiguous response.

“…Hmm? Is there another reason?”

“Well… I don’t think Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit.”

“Ah, that’s why.”

The news about Bjorn Yandel not being an evil spirit had spread throughout the city.

It was a strategic announcement by the royal family, and it was actually false.

So his reaction was understandable—

“No, that’s not it either…”

What? That’s not it either?

Stag Antlers looked at him expectantly, and Goblin, after glancing at Fox nervously, spoke.

“I can’t say much… but Bjorn Yandel isn’t an evil spirit. He can’t be. Yes, I’m sure of that.”

He then closed his mouth, refusing to answer any more questions, and Stag Antlers didn’t press him further.

‘…Come to think of it, Sven Parab was also on the expedition force.’

Maybe he had sensed something.

Evil spirits were relatively good at recognizing each other.

He couldn’t ignore Goblin’s judgment, especially since he had experienced it firsthand.

‘So… Bjorn Yandel really isn’t an evil spirit.’

Stag Antlers dismissed the issue.

The strange feeling he had been having had disappeared, and besides…

“You’re all early.”

Crescent Moon arrived and sat down in the first seat.

The other members soon followed.@@novelbin@@

“It’s nice to see you all again.”

Queen arrived fifth and sat down in her usual seat.

And…

“Pfft.”

…Clown.

As soon as everyone except for Lion was seated, their gazes naturally turned towards the empty seat.

It was a ridiculous situation.

A group of powerful figures, waiting for one person to arrive?

“I hope he comes today.”

Clown’s wish was granted.

Step.

They heard footsteps from the hallway.

A faint sound, but it silenced the entire room.

Step.

Stag Antlers unconsciously tensed his shoulders.

It was strange.

Step.

It was just the sound of footsteps.

He couldn’t even see him yet.

But why did he feel so much pressure?

He briefly wondered if Lion was using some kind of intimidation tactic…

But he knew that wasn’t the case.

Step.

The footsteps themselves weren’t special.

Anyone could make that sound.

But the reason everyone was silent…

Step.

…was because they knew.

Even if the sound was ordinary…

Step.

The owner of that sound wasn’t.

Step.

The footsteps echoed through the hallway, and then he arrived.

“Pfft, you’re here—”

Clown stood up to greet him, like a loyal subordinate, but Lion ignored him and walked towards the empty seat.

And…

“…..”

…he sat down and rested his chin on his hand.

‘…I have to be careful today.’

Stag Antlers gulped nervously.

He wasn’t embarrassed.

He knew he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

“…..”

“…..”

Everyone could feel it.

______________________

The heavy silence made me want to lie down and take a nap.

‘Ugh, I’m so sleepy…’

I rested my chin on my hand, stifling a yawn.

Should I have just skipped today?

I was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

‘And why is it so quiet today?’

I had been waiting for them to start talking, but the silence continued.

“…….”

“…….”

What are they doing?

I thought they would bombard me with questions about my absence last time.

I finally spoke, unable to endure the silence any longer.

“How long…”

“……?”

“…are you going to keep doing this?”

“……!!”

I’m sleepy, let’s just start the meeting.

Goblin quickly answered.

“Y-yes! W-we should start! T-then, C-crescent Moon will go first… I-I think…”

Hmm, I thought Fox would be the first one.

He seemed nervous, his voice trembling, but at least the attention shifted to Crescent Moon.

“…I should have chosen a different seat.”

Crescent Moon sighed, seemingly burdened by the first turn, and then he began the meeting.

“I’ll go first.”

His information was about the fairy tribe.

Or rather, about Erwen.

He received a green light for revealing that the Blood Spirit Marquis had expressed her intention to leave the Pureblood Order.

For reference, the Pureblood Order was a special forces unit of the fairy tribe, and Erwen was currently on leave.

That’s why she had said she would submit her resignation.

Thump, thump.

So the first piece of information was something I already knew.

“…The expedition force led by Bjorn Yandel was created with the intention of sacrificing them.”

Stag Antlers, who was second, received a red light for revealing that the expedition force was a suicide mission.

Fox, Goblin, and I already knew.

He seemed flustered and tried again…

“…The royal family offered Bjorn Yandel a promotion in exchange for completing the mission.”

He received a green light this time, but there was no feedback.

Normally, they would have commented on it, something like, ‘So he’ll become a Baron instead of a Viscount? And he can even pass down his title to his descendants!’ 𝐑ÃꞐɵ𝐛Ɛṧ

Come to think of it, it was the same with Crescent Moon’s information.

‘They’re unusually quiet today.’

Well, the expedition force was something only we knew about. The others would have been shocked.

It was strange, but it wasn’t important.

I was too tired to care.

Thump, thump.

So the second piece of information was also useless.

‘I should have told Fox and Goblin beforehand. Then they would have received a red light too.’

I clicked my tongue, and then it was Goblin’s turn. He was trembling as he spoke.

I thought he would talk about the expedition force, but he didn’t.

Maybe it was because of Fox’s warning.

Well, he could have at least shared something useful…

‘It’s just some boring internal affairs of the church…’

That was typical of Goblin.

He occasionally brought valuable information, but most of the time, the quality was low.

But he received a green light, so the turn passed.

‘So the third one is also useless…’

Something was strange today.

Normally, they would have objected and asked for more information, even if it was a green light.

Thump, thump.

I didn’t want to take the initiative, so I just let it slide.

Goblin was on our side now.

‘Now it’s Fox’s turn.’

I wasn’t expecting much from her either.

She had been with me in the labyrinth, and…

“…The large clans are planning a boycott. They’re upset that the royal family created a special forces unit without consulting them.”

That was something I had already been informed of.

Fox had been the Vice-Captain of a clan for a long time, so she had a wide network of contacts.

She was now sharing that information with me.

‘So the fourth piece of information is also useless.’

I hope the next one is better.

Thump, thump.

I looked at Queen, and our eyes met.

But she seemed uncomfortable with my gaze.

Swoosh.

She quickly looked away and spoke in an uncharacteristically hesitant tone.

“…The GM unbanned Lee Baekho.”

It was clearly the GM’s doing.

He was trying to show me that he had fulfilled my request.

Damn it, just give me some information.

Thump, thump.

It was information that everyone except for me would receive a green light for, so the turn passed.

“…It’s my turn. Pfft.”

The sixth turn arrived quickly, perhaps because everyone was just sharing information without any banter.

Right, Clown was always the wild card.

I listened intently, despite my drowsiness.

But…

“You all know that the Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos, is dead…”

He started cautiously, but his information was also disappointing.

“Bjorn Yandel, that bastard, the royal family said he was on a secret mission for them… That was all a lie.”

It wasn’t just useless, it was troublesome.

‘Damn it, now I have to explain this to Fox and Goblin. They believed the royal family’s story.’

Anyway, Clown’s information received a green light.

And then it was my turn.

“…..”

“…..”

All eyes were on me.

It was a familiar pattern.

There was an unspoken rule at the Round Table ever since I joined.

If they brought interesting information, I would evaluate it and reward them with information of my own.

So, what about this time?

Did they really bring something interesting?

Thud.

I placed my hand on the jewel and spoke.

Normally, I would have filtered my words and softened my tone…

But I was annoyed.

“Everything you just said…”

I was being 100% sincere.

I had endured countless yawns and listened patiently to their stories.

“It was all garbage.”

“I would have been better off sleeping.”

The jewel glowed as soon as I took my hand off it.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

It was strange.

“So you really didn’t know?”

“…..”

“The green light means…”

I was bored.