Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 111

Baby Barbarian (4)

It’s not uncommon for barbarians to team up with humans.

No matter how high their physical stats and combat prowess, they need allies from the second floor onwards.

In fact, forming a team and heading to the second floor after just two or three months is the standard practice.

‘The problem is, it’s almost impossible to find the right kind of people.’

Fairies, Dwarves, Beast-human, etc.

The situation is somewhat better with other races.

They are less naive than Barbarians, who have only ever honed their ‘combat skills’ in the sanctuary…

And their hearts aren’t sold as expensive magical ingredients.

Less than a third of the Barbarians who underwent the coming -of-age ceremony with me are left.

Was it really ‘monsters’ that did them in?

‘That’s unlikely.’

That reasonable doubt made me listen more intently to their conversation.

However…

“Then I’ll take my rest now, take care.”

“Wasn’t it my turn next?”

Everyone went to sleep in turn, and the subject of the baby Barbarian did not go any further than it had begun.

Just those three lines of dialogue were enough for me to roughly understand what kind of people they were.

‘It doesn’t seem like they plan to do anything tonight.’

They’re probably planning to exploit him fully before killing him on the last day.

That would be much more efficient.

‘…What should I do?’

I was conflicted.

As a Barbarian myself, I had no intention of ignoring a baby Barbarian in distress and just walking away.

But I couldn’t follow them around indefinitely, waiting for them to show their true colors.

‘Should I just go and kill them all?’

I chuckled to myself and shook my head.

While that was the easy and straightforward solution, it wasn’t the best.

The problem is that there is still no evidence that those three are plunderers, but it didn’t matter. Because I was confident that I could persuade Misha or the baby barbarian with plausible words.

But…

‘That would just lead to the same problems repeating.’

Sometimes you only realize things the hard way.

‘Since training was the main goal anyway, I can afford to invest a day…’

After deciding on a plan, I woke Misha up.

“Misha.”

“Hmm…?”

I made a hand gesture to shush her and moved us to a place where we wouldn’t be overheard.

Then I briefly explained my plan.

Misha, rubbing her eyes, listened without interruption.

“Hmm… so, you think those guys might be plunderers, nyang?”

“Yeah, I was hoping we could take a little time to check.”

“I don’t mind, nyang. If it’s a Barbarian, I can’t just consider them a stranger, nyang.”

“…Not a stranger, you say?”

“Oh, no! I didn’t mean it like that… Maybe it’s someone I’ve met before, nyang.”

She seemed to be referring to the young warriors I’ve been guiding into the labyrinth for months now. …….

Well, it could be one of them.

I’ve advised them countless times to be wary of humans, but some lessons aren’t fully grasped until experienced firsthand.

“All right then, let’s get dressed.”

We had preparations to make for the plan.

****

I put the mace, the Litinium breastplate and the shield into the bag.

‘As for the weapon… I’ll just say I lost it.’

After finishing my preparations, I did a final check of my current state. Without the helmet, there was nothing that screamed ‘metal gear,’ perfectly mimicking a baby Barbarian.

Additionally, there was a barefoot Beast-human beside me.

“Uh… this is uncomfortable, nyang…”

For the sake of a flawless plan, we swapped our usual gear for a beginner’s equipment set from Jencia.

But since then, Misha kept fiddling with the chest area of her gear.

It was becoming a distraction.

“What’s the matter?”

“Huh? It’s just that the chest area is too tight…”

“The chest area?”

When I glanced over, Misha hit me in the solar plexus.

Judging by the way it chilled me to the bone, the cold condensation had done its job.

“What are you looking at, nyang? It’s definitely not because I’m fatter than her!”

I hadn’t said anything of the sort.

The complaint was unexpected; I was merely looking because it was an issue I hadn’t considered. The size of her usual armor was the same anyway.

When I pointed out the inconsistency, Misha calmly responded.

“The one before might have been small too, but at least it didn’t have a metal plate, nyang.”

Well, that makes sense.

Jencia and Misha.

They both have the body of an agility-focused character, but if you look hard enough, you’ll find differences.

For example, their skeletal structure.

Misha is quite tall, after all.

Though I haven’t measured, she must be around 170 cm.

Her somewhat cold demeanor had initially led me to believe she was the prickly type.

“It’s just that the chest is tight, and everywhere else is actually too loose, nyang. Got it?”

“Got it.”

I wasn’t sure what she wanted, so I just agreed vaguely.

Sensing my lack of understanding, Misha sighed deeply.

“Sigh, how would you know anything about a woman’s body, nyang?”

“Right, you’re absolutely correct.”

“Are you going to keep responding so disinterestedly, nyang?”

“If you’re ready, let’s go.”

It wasn’t the time for trivial conversations, so we moved back to our previous spot.

Deliberately making a lot of noise as we went.

“Bethel—RAAAAAAAAH!!”

“Kyah! Why are you suddenly screaming, nyang!”

“I just felt like it!”

“What?”

Misha looked at me incredulously, but the effect was significant.

“Who’s there!”

A shout came immediately from beyond the darkness.

“Hey! There’s someone over there!”

I naively shouted and ran towards the source of the sound.

Soon, the limits of the labyrinth’s visibility ended, and four explorers sitting around a campfire came into view.

Three humans and one soundly sleeping baby Barbarian.

“Stop, don’t come any closer.”

The three humans were already awake and on guard against us.

“Royce, wake that one up first.”

Royce, the archer, nudged the baby Barbarian awake with his foot.

“What’s up? Is it a monster?”

“No, explorers.”

“Explorers? But why wake me? I was sleeping so well…”

“Didn’t I tell you before? You should be as cautious of explorers as you are of monsters.”

“Ah! I remember! But… this one is our kin, right?”

As the archer spoke, the baby Barbarian noticed me and waved enthusiastically.

“I am Tarson’s son, Caron!”

“I am Thor’s son, Béyon!”

Taking the opportunity, I approached for a handshake and even bumped shoulders. Glancing around, the expressions on everyone’s faces were quite something.

Not only the three humans but even Misha, who had been briefed earlier.

‘What in the world are these Barbarians doing?’

They looked at us with exactly that kind of gaze.

Sensing their stares, the baby Barbarian reassured them by turning to his companions.

“Lower your weapons! Thor’s son Béyonis not a bad explorer!”

“Right! I am not a bad explorer!”

Following our words, the archer and the spearman’s gazes shifted to one man.

Apparently, this guy is the leader…….

He sighed and nodded, prompting everyone to lower their weapons. It seemed maintaining their guard any longer would be foolish.

“So, Barbarian—”

“I am Thor’s son, Béyon.”

“Right, Thor—”

“Thor is my father’s name.”

“Cough, Béyon—”

“We’re not that close yet, so I’d prefer if you used my full name.”

After being interrupted three times, the leader looked quite frustrated but managed to muster a smile and spoke to me again.

“So, Thor’s son, Béyon?”

“Speak.”

“If there’s nothing else, we’d be grateful if you’d leave us. As you can see, we are resting”.

The leader’s words were reasonable and sensible.

It’s customary and polite for explorers not to approach each other unless necessary.

But…

What does that have to do with anything?

Currently, I am a big and precious baby Barbarian, unaware of such trivialities.

I exclaimed as if it were a fortunate coincidence.

“Resting, you say? What a coincidence! We were just looking for a place to rest ourselves!”

“And… what does that have to do with us?”

“Since we’ve met, it’s fate. Let’s rest together! Like, night companions? Yeah, isn’t that a thing?”

“Night companions?”

Their expressions contorted as if they heard something they shouldn’t have.

It’s not hard to understand why.

The culture of seeking night companions is limited to the first floor.

They probably never imagined a Barbarian on the second floor would propose such a thing.

“Sigh…”

As if not sure where to begin, the leader massaged his forehead.

Then, amidst this,

“Ah, that would be perfect. Come over here, I’ve tried it, and this spot is a bit less hard.”

The Baby Barbarian nods in agreement.

The situation was a complete mess.

The leader, with superhuman patience, explained the customs among explorers.

The summary was simple.

“So, what you’re saying is… from the second floor onwards, you don’t make night companions?”

“Right, exactly. If you understand—”

Well, understanding is for those who intend to.

I opened my mouth with genuine disbelief.

“You all are so stupid! If we all sleep together, wouldn’t we get more rest?”

“Huh?”

“Use your heads. You have four, and we are two. If seven of us take turns keeping watch, each person can rest for… well, a lot more!”

An utterly Barbarian-style argument from start to finish.

Everyone looked as if they had just heard an auditory hallucination.

Ah, except for one person.

“That’s… right……! Why didn’t the explorers do that long ago?”

The baby Barbarian nodded vigorously at my argument, perhaps realizing the futility of further dialogue?

“Look here. We’ll take care of our side, so you grab your things and take—”

The leader was about to shift his gaze from me to Misha to continue his point when he suddenly paused.

It seemed he had finally noticed her face.

The irritation in his voice had faded, now replaced by a different tone.

“Cough, well, normally that would be the case, but what do you think?”

Perhaps not liking the way his gaze lingered, Misha stiffened for a moment, but after I gave her a subtle sign, she changed her expression.

“Well…? I’m not sure… But since there’s a Barbarian among you, you don’t seem like dangerous people…”

“Ha, that’s the same for us.”

“Anyway, he lost his weapon, so leaving him to keep watch alone seemed unsafe. So, if it’s alright with you, spending the night together seems like a good idea…”

“Lost his weapon, you say?”

The man looked at me with a peculiar gaze, finally realizing I was unarmed.

“Ah, the weapon? I lost it fighting monsters and couldn’t find it!”

“Is that so?”

I tell him my lame excuse, and he’s convinced.

Barbarians really are considered overpowered, aren’t they?

‘Anyway, it seems like I’ve spread enough bait…’

With a crisp voice, I made the final proposal.

“So, are we doing this night companionship or not? Make up your mind quickly. I’m getting sleepy.”

I had intended to leave if they rejected this offer.

As their refusal would likely mean I had misunderstood their intentions.

But…

“Well… it’s not a typical situation, but…”

The leader hesitated, exchanged glances with the other humans, then smiled brightly.

“It would be too heartless to send you away after hearing your troubles.”

“That’s too complicated for me to understand.”

“…If you wish, you may stay the night.”

I barely managed to suppress my laughter, seeing right through his intentions.

Everyone has their plans, after all.
***
A one-night stand that happened by accident.

It sounds strange when put that way, but anyway.

We began with a brief introduction.

“Over here is Royce, Victor, and I’m Briol.”

Royce, the archer, Victor, the spearman, and Briol, the leader and a hammer warrior.

‘… … ‘There is no Hans.’

Could it be, they are using an alias?’

But if it were an alias, the baby Barbarian would have found it odd, wouldn’t he?

Feeling a peculiar unease, Misha and I lay down together nearby.

I wanted to spread out a blanket, but that would reveal the use of an expanding backpack.

“You folks get some rest. We’ll take the last watch.”

“Wow, you guys are really nice explorers!”

“Hahaha… He is too.”

As soon as we lay down, Misha whispered in my ear.

“Bjorn.”

“Be quiet.”

“Do we really have to go this far, nyang?”

While she followed my lead, Misha seemed uncomfortable with the situation.

Understandably, even if they’re weaklings, lying down unprotected is physically and mentally unsettling.

But…

“Just bear with it a bit longer. I’ll grant you a wish later.”

“…Really, nyang? You promise, nyang?”

I threw Misha another carrot to keep her committed to the plan.

It was worth it.

For today, baby Barbarian Caron Tarson would be reborn as a warrior.

Learning to distrust humans and deal with plunderers.