Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 237
Awl (2)
Killing intent.
The determination to kill someone.
Usually, it just ends with a chill, but here in this mind world, its effect is amplified dozens of times over.
Since it’s not transmitted through the body, in severe cases, it can cause extreme shock to the soul, resulting in permanent aftereffects in reality.
“Mental contamination.”
Players named this phenomenon as such.
In this state, the affected person may develop permanent speech disorders, such as stuttering, and in severe cases, the mind can collapse and fragment.
Therefore…
“You’re like an insect.”
I focused my intent even more on the clown.
The clown, drooling, asked,
“W-why…”
The reason is simple.
The clown is a necromancer.
It would take a long time to recover the summons lost in this battle, and until the barrier of Noark is lifted, he can’t come to the city to harm me.
But…
‘Orcules.’
The group to which the dragon slayer who killed Dwalki belongs.
Eventually, this guy will also be an enemy I have to eliminate.
If I can take him down now, it would be wise to do so.
“…Ugh!”
The prolonged release of killing intent caused a sharp pain in the back of my head. This technique consumes mental energy, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
I might end up sleeping all day tomorrow.
Maybe even sleep for two days straight.
But the more I push, the stronger the pressure becomes.
This guy must be considering ‘Bjorn Jandel’ as an enemy and planning revenge by now.
‘It’s best to take him down here.’
This guy is more dangerous than the dragon slayer.
Unlike the former who lost his memory, he holds clear hostility towards ‘Bjorn Jandel’.
If I don’t take him down this time, he will surely harm me and my comrades someday.
“…!”
Not just the clown, but everyone present can feel the thickening killing intent.
‘Damn it.’
As the time filled with killing intent continued, a sudden throbbing sensation spread through my brain.
I’ve experienced this before.
My mental power has been completely drained from using the killing intent.
“P-please… stop…”
I felt like I was just a little bit short.
I squeezed out the last of my killing intent, feeling disappointed.
How many more seconds did I last?
“…Hup!”
The clown, as if emerging from water, took a deep breath.
Then he coughed and vomited stomach acid.
“Hack, khek, urgh…!”
Though the clown was in a miserable state, I wasn’t in good shape either.
I felt like I could pass out just by closing my eyes.
“Why… why…”
The clown, seemingly regaining his senses, struggled to get up and looked at me.
His breathing was a bit rough, but there didn’t seem to be any issues with his speech functions.
Yeah, he didn’t get close to mental contamination.
‘Sigh, as expected…’
It was an anticipated result.
Even in the past, when I unleashed killing intent on the fox, my mental power was depleted before reaching that point.
For someone who had killed countless people, the clown probably had a stronger mental barrier than the fox.
‘It seems my killing intent is much stronger than before, but it’s still not enough.’
Feeling bitter, I closely observed the clown’s eyes.
In his trembling pupils, there was more confusion than resentment. Fear stemming from not knowing the reason behind my actions.
“…”
I continued to stare at the trembling clown.
Now, what should I do next? Was I supposed to have a convincing reason since the preemptive strike failed?
There was no such dilemma.
It’s a pointless worry.
Because I’m not Bjorn Jandel; I’m Lion.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
It’s not that my killing intent ended due to mental exhaustion.
I stopped out of pity.
I convince myself and turn away indifferently as if I no longer care.
And then…
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
“I expected you to be somewhat useful from the rumors.”
As if I was merely testing him.
****
The plan to defeat the clown with killing intent failed.
But I didn’t have much regret.
Even in this case, there were advantages.
Isn’t there an old saying to keep your enemies close?
‘Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to milk him for all he’s worth.’
The clown is an executive of Orcules.
Since Noark is their base, I could continually obtain valuable information if I use him well.
“Um… are you okay?”
The queen, who had been observing silently, cautiously approached the clown and offered her hand.
But did it hurt his pride?
Thud.
The clown slapped her hand away in frustration, grabbed the chair, and stood up on his own.
He looked at me.
Despite the disgrace he showed in front of the other members, he didn’t seem to care.
His gaze was fixed only on me.
And then he uttered something incomprehensible
“…Lion, are you perhaps ‘him’?”
Huh?
Who is ‘him’?
It’s not like it’s a character whose name must not be mentioned.
“…..”
I stayed silent because I had no idea what he was talking about.
As always, I figured that staying quiet would get me halfway there.
Indeed, after a moment, the clown murmured as if organizing his thoughts.
“…No, that can’t be. You are not him.”
Even the deer horn spoke up as if he knew something.
“Yes, ‘he’ cannot attend gatherings due to restrictions.”
The queen, who had been watching with interest, also opened her mouth as if there was no need to hold back.
“…This place is more advanced than I thought? Yes, he definitely can’t be here. This chat room only opens at three o’clock.”
Because it’s three o’clock…?
Wait, this sounds like someone I know.
‘…Could it be that they’re talking about Lee Baek-ho?’
That hypothesis suddenly came to mind, but there was no way to confirm it.
One of the few drawbacks of being the Lion.
Even if I’m curious, I can’t ask first.
Especially if it’s basic information everyone else knows.
Gotta maintain the Lion’s dignity.
‘Anyway, I’ll look into this later.’
It was time to step in.
Since they already knew it wasn’t true, there was no need to remain silent.
I smirked and threw out a remark.
“Yeah, I’m not ‘that guy.’”
As if to reward them for their cute effort in trying to figure it out.
Not ‘him,’ but ‘that guy.’
I didn’t know who he was, but I chose words that subtly put him and me on the same level.
But was this strategy effective?
“Who exactly are you…?”
Despite getting beaten up, the clown looked at me with eyes full of astonishment.
There was no trace of resentment.
He probably didn’t even think about being hostile.
“Are you curious about who I am?”
At my question, the clown swallowed and nodded. Then he flinched, as if he didn’t want to.
Ah, but he didn’t correct his answer.
He seemed genuinely curious about who I was after getting beaten up once…
I shrugged slightly.
It was a gesture that everyone except the new member, the queen, would understand.
“What does that mean?”
The queen asked, and the clown answered like a subordinate.
“It means he’ll tell us if we bring interesting information.
“Oh, right. The concept of this secret chat room was like that, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Speaking of which, who exactly is ‘he’ that everyone was talking about?”
The goblin asked casually, but the queen ignored it as if she hadn’t heard.
At that moment,
“Are you serious about revealing your identity…?”
The clown asked blankly, and I didn’t bother to answer.
I just stared at the clown.
As if to say, even if it was something related to my identity, if they could entertain me, I might reveal it.
As if the situation itself would be amusing to me.
“I’ve been observing for months, but I still can’t understand.”
The deer horn spoke, looking at me with a tired expression.
“I don’t know how long you’ve been in this world, but you’re broken, seriously broken. At this rate, you won’t be able to live a proper life when you return.”
He was surprisingly sweet, worrying about someone else’s life.
But that’s that and this is this.
I ignored him without even glancing in his direction, which made him shut his lips in frustration.
The queen then stepped in.
“By the way, this is quite interesting. Can I also hear your identity if I bring information? I’m curious too.”
“As long as you can entertain me.”
The queen smiled at my response.
“Look forward to it. I know quite a few interesting stories, you know. Hehe.”
Hmm, that makes me somewhat expectant.
This woman is just as enigmatic as I am.
‘Since she joined during these circumstances, it seems she came through the master’s recommendation, unlike me…’
At first, I didn’t pay much attention due to disciplining the clown, but I’ll have to watch her closely from now on.
“Then, should we get started…?”
As no one spoke, the silence naturally took over. Eventually, the goblin spoke first, roughly organizing the chaotic situation.
“Indeed, the door has been closed for some time; we can’t stay like this forever, and crescent moon hasn’t arrived.”
“Not attending during this time means he probably didn’t escape his fate.”
Everyone seemed to think crescent moon didn’t survive this incident.
Hmm, he was the most proactive among us.
“So, who will go first this time?”
Normally, the fox would have taken the role of moderator, but due to her strange condition, the goblin took the lead.
“I’ll do it later, it’s my first time and I need some time to adjust.” Queen declined to go first
“Very well. Who will go then?”
“If no one steps up, I’ll go first.”
The first speaker of the meeting was the deer horn.
“Since the subject of ‘him’ came up earlier, let’s talk about him. He was released into the world five days ago.
“What? Are you talking about him…?” The clown, who didn’t seem to know, was shocked.
“Um… to be fair, shouldn’t you first tell us who ‘he’ is…?”
The goblin seemed perplexed, and the deer horn showed no change in his expression.
In fact, had he even been paying attention?
Whoom.
In any case, the green light from the round table’s gem indicated that the information was true and that more than half of those present were unaware of it.
“How can you give away such valuable information like that?” asked the clown, perplexed.
The deer horn replied nonchalantly, “Most people who need to know will find out within a week anyway. Might as well use it now.”
“Then, can I go next?” The queen raised her hand slightly. Normally, the rule was to go in a clockwise direction from the start, but everyone permitted her to go ahead, eager to see what she would say.
“Hehe, it’s my first time in a place like this, so I’m a bit nervous,” she said, though she didn’t sound nervous at all.
“He is currently at the Mage Tower.”
His current location.
‘Sigh, this again?’
Since I wasn’t even sure who ‘he’ was, it didn’t elicit much of a reaction from me.
But it seemed different for the other two.
The moment the queen shared the information, both the clown and the deer horn looked towards the center of the round table, where the gemstone that could verify the truth lay.
“It’s true…”
“To think the first place he went upon coming out into the world was the Mage Tower. Isn’t that interesting”
I definitely needed to find out who ‘he’ was later. If these guys reacted this way, he must be someone significant
‘…If it really is Lee Baek-ho, then what the heck is he?’
While lost in such thoughts, I felt someone’s gaze.
It was the queen’s.
I don’t know when it started, but she was staring at me intently.
“Lion, you don’t seem surprised by this information. Almost as if you already knew.”
Huh, is that so?
I didn’t know who ‘he’ was, so it didn’t matter to me where he was.
“Do you have someone at the Mage Tower?” she prodded.
“Well, maybe I do.” I replied vaguely, treating her probing as a cute little game.
“Next is… me.”
The fox took the next turn.
The fox, who had remained silent since the meeting began, had failed three times in a row.
The first two pieces of information were current but known to everyone, and the third was deemed useless.
“The fact that the master of the Elkapad clan is a player is quite interesting. But isn’t this information useless? I remember that guy dying right after crossing the dimensional gate.”
“…Value is relative. For example, neither the goblin nor I know who ‘he’ is, which makes your information useless to us,” the fox countered.
The fox had a point, but this round table operated on majority rule.
“Still, we now know that such a person exists in the world, don’t we? Pssit.”
“…Does everyone share the same opinion?”
Everyone’s silence served as a better answer than words.
In the end, the fox had to try for a fourth time.
“The master of the Teburn Clan has Number Nine.”
Information about a Single Numbered item.
“The master of Teburn Clan…”
“That’s like putting a pearl necklace on a pig. Heh.”
The gemstone at the round table glowed green, and no one disagreed this time.
A Single Numbered item held that much value.
Honestly, it felt like she finally used some valuable information she had been holding back.
“I’ll go next.”
Next was the goblin.
True to his paladin origins, he shared information related to religion.
“All religious orders have decided to withdraw their support for the royal family. Within a few days, they’ll be back to their previous strained relations.”
This was information that only a key religious figure would know, so it was immediately approved.
“Pssit, now it’s my turn.”
The clown made a shocking announcement as soon as it was his turn.
“I live in Noark.”
What the heck?
Did he go mad from getting hit with killing intent?
***
Revealing his personal information.
This incomprehensible behavior caused everyone, including me, to freeze.
“…!”
Well, everyone except the queen.
“Noark, huh? You’re quite an interesting person too, clown!”
The queen spoke to the clown in an innocent voice.
But the clown’s gaze remained fixed on me.
For some reason, it reminded me of the ghost hunter.
That guy also threw bait and watched my expression just like this.
‘Is he testing my information-gathering ability?’
The thought crossed my mind.
So I carefully observed the clown’s eyes.
I could sense a hint of relief.
“Judging by your surprise, you didn’t know who I was, did you? Pssit.”
What the hell is he on about?
“The crescent moon said Lion seems to know all our identities. But apparently, that’s not the case.”
It was a kind of test.
They knew Lion was formidable, but to what extent?
Was it just personal combat ability?
Or did I possess immense power and information as well?
“So, was that entertaining enough for you?”
Trying to stack up entertainment value as well, it was a pretty efficient move.
But…
“Indeed.”
I responded with a smirk.
“That was an entertaining stunt.”
At that moment, the gemstone that had been glowing green dimmed, signaling the end of his turn.
Now, it was finally my turn.
I had already decided what information to share.
“The clown is the corpse collector.”
Who does he think he’s messing with?