Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 112

Baby Barbarian (5)

Drrrrrr!

The baby Barbarian’s snoring served as background noise while I pretended to sleep. How long had it been?

Rustle, rustle-

From the direction of the campfire came the sound of movement. They seemed to be having some sort of secret conversation…

I had a pretty good idea what the conversation was about.

[What are we going to do?]

[What else? We kill them now.]

[Who first?]

They’re probably trying to figure out who to kill first.

If they were truly despicable, they wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity.

It’s a double event, after all.

The heart of a Barbarian, valued at 1.8 million stones, and they have a chance to acquire two.

[Let’s leave the woman for last. And deal with the barbarians first]

I could guess what they must have concluded.

They’re probably going to kill me or Caron first.

So, I focused even more on my hearing.

Thud.

Small footsteps, slowly approaching.

Two were heading towards me, while another moved towards Caron.

‘They plan to take us out in one go.’

Not a bad choice.

Though they would have to split their forces, attacking simultaneously would minimize any variables.

But the outcome would be the same.

Thud.

The moment the footsteps of the two stopped right beside me.

I abruptly sat up.

“Hungry… Huh? What are you doing there?”

“Huh!”

The spearman and the leader clutching the hammer gasped in surprise. Glancing to the side, I saw the archer aiming at the sleeping baby Barbarian.

Pretending not to notice, I innocently asked.

“Ah, did you guys wake up because you’re hungry too?”

As I rubbed my stomach, thinking they thought I hadn’t seen the archer, they exchanged glances before smiling awkwardly.

“Yeah, that’s right. We were just hungry. Want to join us for a meal over there?”

“Is it meat?”

“…Of course. There’s some jerky in my backpack over there.”

“Jerky!”

“Keep it down. Aren’t others sleeping?”

“Got it……”

Nodding in agreement, I was about to lead the way when suddenly:

Thump-!

I felt an impact on the back of my head.

It seems the leader tried to hit me with his hammer…

“Huh?”

There was no way my head, which remained intact even after an orc warrior’s axe blow, was going to be damaged by that.

“What’s this?”

Turning around nonchalantly, I saw the frozen expressions of the two men.

It’s understandable.

After all, they had hit me on the head with a hammer, and I hadn’t so much as groaned or staggered.

“Uh, uh…”

The leader was too stunned to attempt another strike.

He must be overwhelmed with confusion by now.

It would make sense for him to think I had been concealing my true nature…

But the truth was likely too despairing for him to accept.

I smiled and said,

“Ah, did your hand slip?”

“Uh, uh-huh?”

“Even if you’re hungry, how can you make such a mistake?”

My words didn’t make much sense, but surprisingly, the leader awkwardly laughed and nodded.

“Ah, ah! My apologies.”

Apologies? Bullshit.

Do they really see a true Barbarian as a fool?

“I just made a little mistake—”

Thump-!

“…there.”

Thud.

I didn’t have a mace, so I just punched him straight in the face.

The outcome was as expected.

The leader fell to the ground with his facial bones caved in.

“Uh…?”

The spearman next to him still hadn’t grasped the situation, just staring at me.

“Ah, my hand slipped because I was hungry, too.”

I said, sounding genuinely sorry, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to accept my apology.

“Royce! What are you doing, shoot him already!”

The spearman, taking charge in place of the unconscious leader, commanded.

Whish-!

Soon, the archer released the arrow he had been aiming at me.

But there seemed to be a communication error.

He was supposed to shoot me, yet the arrow flew towards the baby Barbarian, Caron.

Thwack-!

Luckily, having woken up from the spearman’s shout, Caron twisted his body, avoiding a fatal hit.

“Kugh, Royce! What are you doing!”

Caron quickly stood up and grabbed the archer by the throat.

“Gah, gack!”

“Speak, speak! Why did you shoot me? Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Gack, it’s just… this… gack!”

“Not going to talk!!”

It seemed I didn’t need to pay attention to them anymore.

As I shifted my gaze to the spearman, I saw him slowly retreating into the darkness.

Despite the chaos, his determination to leave his comrades and find a way out was commendable, but…

No, that’s not going to work.

“Nyang, so they were really plunderers.”

Misha, who had watched the whole thing from the beginning, slammed the nape of his neck with the back of her blade.

****

“What the hell is going on?!”

Caron asked in confusion.

However, there was no way the archer, who fainted from strangulation, could answer.

“These people are plunderers.”

I kindly explained everything, from the high price of a Barbarian’s heart to our suspicion of their intentions, and why we decided to intervene.

But…

“What? That can’t be! These are my companions…”

Our naive baby Barbarian couldn’t bring himself to believe it. Or more accurately, he didn’t want to believe it.

“Caron, son of Tarson, grow up.”

“…Are you trying to insult me? I am already a warrior!”

“Then why do you refuse to face reality?”

Caron clenched his mouth shut at my question.

He must know.

That everything I said was the truth.

“…”

The barbarians I’ve seen were not inherently unintelligent. They simply lacked education beyond combat skills and were too naive due to their secluded life in the Sanctuary.

“This vile archer shot an arrow at you. If you hadn’t ducked in time, it would have hit your neck instead of your shoulder”.

I said this as I removed the arrow from his shoulder.

Despite the considerable pain, Caron made no sound.

So, I continued speaking.

“These people are plunderers. Scum of the Labyrinth who tried to kill you and steal your heart.”

“…I want to hear what they have to say.”

Was he holding onto a sliver of hope that there had been some misunderstanding?

Caron requested a conversation with the trio, and I had no reason to refuse. After disarming them and gathering them in one place, I woke one up.

“Hi, hiik!”

The chosen one was the archer.

He was merely unconscious due to lack of air, presumably suffering less damage than the others.

“Please, spare us!”

Seeing the archer kneel as soon as he saw me, I stepped back.

It wasn’t me who wanted the conversation.

“Royce, are you really a plunderer?”

“Ca, Caron…? There’s a misunderstanding. Let me explain, so first, this guy—”

“Just answer the question. What did I misunderstand?”

“That’s…”

The archer couldn’t answer Caron’s question.

It was to be expected.

There was no misunderstanding.

To save time, I tossed Caron the notebook I’d found while taking their weapons.

“What’s this?”

“Read it yourself.”

“I can’t read.”

Ah. Right.

“Then have him read it out loud for you.”

“That makes sense.”

Caron then handed the notebook he got from me to the archer. The notebook contained their whispered conversations while we pretended to sleep.

“…”

As soon as he saw it, the archer, now sweating profusely, bowed his head in resignation.
Seemingly accepting his fate.

“Well, if you won’t read it, I’ll just have to kill you.”

“…”

“And make it very painful.”

“I, I’ll read it…”

The archer began to read the entries with trembling lips.

“Why did Briol accept that guy? Don’t tell me he plans to kill him too?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s practically begging to be killed, no need to let him go.”

“I find that guy suspicious. Talking about night companions on the second floor, and no matter how dumb Barbarians are, could they really be that stupid?”

“Stupid? I agree. Haven’t we killed enough Barbarians to know? They’re just walking…”
Struggling to continue, the archer suddenly stopped speaking.

So, I broke one of his fingers.

“Did my words sound like a joke to you?”

“Ahah!”

“Continue.”

“Th, they’re just walking monsters! Their intelligence is about the same, and especially since whoever kills them first owns them.”

After finishing a sentence, the archer glanced at Caron.

Caron was trembling.

“Who said that?”

“…Victor.”

“Right, that guy… continue.”

Caron urged him to go on after confirming it was the spearman’s words.

“Besides, even if she’s not a barbarian, the reward is still substantial, isn’t it? Though she seems as naive as a barbarian, uh, her face is… well, quite pretty…”

“Continue.”

“Her face is fine, but she’s been banging a barbarian, who knows about the other side—”

“Stop!”

Misha intervened, snatching the notebook away.

After quickly scanning it, she asked the archer.

“Here, this, and this. Who said these things, nyang?”

Her voice was as cold as ice.

This was a side of her I hadn’t seen before.

The archer, trembling, pointed to the leader, and Misha decisively told me.

“Bjorn, I’ll kill this one, nyang.”

“Go ahead.”

There was no need to upset Misha further, so I had her skip over the crude remarks.

The discussion then turned to who and how they would kill us.

And…

“Caron, I’ll take care of him. He underestimated me for being an archer, it really pisses me off. He doesn’t know he’s already dead meat after the hunt is over…”

With the archer’s words, the whispered plotting came to an end.

After a moment of silence, Caron broke it with his question.

“I just don’t understand.”

His first words were filled with doubt.

“…What did I do wrong?”

He sought fault in himself.

But there was none.

It was simply that the world was too barbaric for someone who retained their innocence.

“Son of Thor…”

“It’s Jandel’s son, Bjorn.”

“I see. So you’re the famous… Good. Tell me, Jandel’s son Bjorn, are such people common in this labyrinth?”

“Yes.”

A facet of the labyrinth that wasn’t taught in the sanctuaries.

A young warrior facing it for the first time asks me.

“Then… what should I do?”

He earnestly sought an answer, as if he would follow any path I pointed out to him.

So, I replied.

“Doubt everyone, whether human or not. Just as I deceived them, hide your axe within your innocence. Even if it’s bothersome and a bit hard, always think and act.”

“…Can I do it?”

“It’s not about can or can’t. It’s something you must do.”

I stated firmly.

If one can’t distinguish between these two, they’ll forever live trapped in their naïveté.

“Remember, every time you identify and eliminate one, it’s another young warrior whose life you’ve saved.”

The young warrior pressed his lips together at my words.

“So, that’s why you…”

He seemed to finally understand my actions.

“Now, what will you do? I will follow your choice.”

I asked him one last time.

Clench.

The young warrior, Tarson’s son Caron.

He gripped his axe tightly.

And then…

Swish-!

He became a warrior in truth.

****

His axe cleanly severed the archer’s neck.

Holding a grudge, Misha crushed the throat of the leader before beheading him, and I snapped the neck of the remaining one.

Sure, there was a moment where they begged for their lives…

[Please, spare me! I’ll live righteously from now on…]

[A righteous plunderer, is that it?]

[Yes, yes! I promise… gah!]

Nothing changed.

There’s only one way to become a righteous plunderer.

“Here, take this potion.”

“Thank you.”

After roughly tidying up and handing him a potion, Caron applied it to his shoulder wound.

However…

“Why don’t you pour more?”

“If I did, it would heal completely. A scar is proof of inexperience. I want to remember and not forget.”

“If that’s what you wish.”

Knowing the Barbarian custom of valuing scars like medals, I didn’t say much.

“Thank you, Jandel’s son Bjorn. I’m beginning to understand what I need to do.”

His gaze had already changed completely.

And seeing this, I was certain.

“It’ll be tough for me, but I’ll smash the heads of every one I come across… no, I’ll seek them out. And if I see a young warrior, I’ll share today’s experience and give advice.”

With his current resolve, he could surely teach a lesson to any common plunderer.

“As you did today. For our kin.”

From now on.

Let it be known that messing with the baby Barbarian is a grave mistake.