Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 259

Clan 3

“……”

“……”

Even after the light of the jewel went out, the silence continued.

The gravity of the situation hit hard as the truth was confirmed through the Clown’s mouth.

‘So, the outside world was indeed okay.’

What will happen to the city once the community ends?

Rumors will undoubtedly spread uncontrollably.

‘Damn those Noark bastards.’

Hearing the truth from the clown’s mouth made the intentions of Noah’s Ark’s side clearer.

The post wasn’t a personal, reckless confession.

It was a deliberate scheme to spread this information within the city using the community.

‘That’s why the Clown so easily spilled the beans.’

The clown often hid behind a frivolous mask and spoke in emotional voices, but he wasn’t a fool.

For example, he was silent during all of Noark’s previous plans.

Although he was one of the top members of Orcules, he never used that information here.

[An assassin will soon be sent to Bjorn Jandel.]

The most recent information he shared was a similar case.

He hinted that Noark was sending an assassin; however, in reality, it was a conspiracy orchestrated by a major clan.

And the reward for this information was simple.

“By the way, you seem to be quite diligent, Deer Horn.”

The Clown manipulated Dee Horns to take action in reality.

“Pssit, I didn’t expect you to send the knights like that.”

He had taken the first step in tracing back Deer Horns’ identity.

He probably judged then.

Even if the assassination attempt on Bjorn Jandel failed, this was more important.

“Annoying bastard.”

Perhaps the Deer Horns retrieved the knights halfway through, realizing the clown’s intentions too late.

The longer the tail, the easier it is to catch.

“It’s fun watching you two fight, but save that for later! Clown, can I ask you a question?”

As the Clown and Dee Horns were about to start a power struggle, SoulQueen skillfully changed the atmosphere by posing a question.

“So, who is that old man? The one who disappeared with over ten thousand people using mass teleportation. I heard he guided people outside.”

“That is……”

The clown trailed off, then laughed awkwardly.

“Pssit, it’s a secret. It’s no fun if I just tell you.”

He clearly didn’t know the old man’s identity.

Acting like he knew, but clearly didn’t.

With my seasoned lion instincts, I made a sharp remark.

“That old man wouldn’t have revealed his identity.”

I gave the clown a disdainful look, as if to dismiss his pathetic trick.

The Clown flinched as if caught in a lie.

He seemed to think, ‘How does he know that?’

On the other hand, SoulQueen looked at me with a curious expression.

“Hmm, does that mean you know who that mysterious old man is, Mr. Lion?”

No, there’s no way I could know.

I met her gaze and remained silent.

A signature gesture saying, ‘Bring me something interesting if you want to know.’

SoulQueen grumbled.

“Tch, then can you at least tell me what you’re interested in?”

Oh dear, that would limit the variety of information.

I could only say one thing.

A line I had used in a similar situation before.

“I don’t know.”

The lion himself doesn’t know.

“What I’m interested in.”

SoulQueen gave me a look as if to say, ‘What kind of person is this?’

‘Okay, I think I’ve covered my quota for today…….’

I pretended to be disinterested but listened closely to the conversation that followed.

The gathering, which had been temporarily halted, resumed.

“Then, I’ll go next.”

The second turn was taken by Goblin.

As usual, the Goblin brought up information related to the religious order.

“A few months ago, there was an oracle. I finally found out who it was.”

What? Suddenly?

I didn’t expect it to come up here, so I kept my composure.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had something useful. Pssit, so who is it? And what relic did they receive?”

The clown, who had shown a keen interest in the oracle and relic, adjusted his posture.

Is this the first time something like this has happened?

The Goblin, with a confident posture, spoke.

“Bjorn Jandel. The barbarian recently called the ‘Giant’ in the city is the one who received the prophecy.”

Things are getting interesting.

***

“Bjorn Jandel.”

Even I have to admit, his name has been the hottest recently.

“He received the oracle……?”

Having suffered greatly at my hands, he laughed in disbelief.

“Hey, are you sure about this? How can a non-human receive an oracle?”

“Well… I found it strange too, but there have been a few such cases in the past. There were actually non-humans who received oracles.”

“They all made a significant mark in history.”

Dee Horns added, supplementing the Goblin’s explanation.

“So stop doubting Goblin without knowing anything. Didn’t the jewel glow green anyway?”

“That’s……”

It’s not always accurate.

He clearly wanted to say that, but the Clown couldn’t finish his sentence.

He himself was an example of that.

“Alright, Clown, let’s stop. This time it’s 100% confirmed. I saw and checked it myself.”

Huh? Saw and checked it?

That changes things.

At first, I thought Goblin had simply gathered and spread information.

But to have seen it himself?

‘…So he was among them?’

When the third vine was cut, there were five people around me.

Three escort knights and Misha.

And……

‘Sven Parab.’

The deputy commander of the second holy knight order of Leatlas.

Naturally, the list of suspects narrowed down to one person.

It was almost certain that the goblin was a holy knight.

‘Incredible. I didn’t expect him to be that guy.’

There was a significant disparity between the Goblin’s image at the round table and that dignified holy knight.

Well, it isn’t as extreme as mine.

‘…Maybe this turned out well after all?’

After the Clown and SoulQueen, I discovered the true identity of Goblin. One day, this information may prove immensely useful.

“So, what was the relic? Given it’s from the Goddess of Stars, it’s likely related to fate, right?”

“Actually… I don’t know. I can’t just go around asking everywhere…”

The Goblin admitted he didn’t know the relic’s power and ended his turn.

Next up was SoulQueen.

“On the day we were rewarding the explorers who returned alive from the Palace of Glory, the royal palace sent an official document to the Mage Tower.”

“An official document?”

“Yes. It was a request to repair the labyrinth portal. Upon checking, it was in a very unstable state.”

With this, SoulQueen stopped speaking, and soon the gem emitted a green light, signaling approval.

However, the members were not convinced.

“Even though this is the second round, isn’t it too scummy? Pssit, who would use such trashy information?”

“Well? It might look different depending on one’s rank. If the repairs had been delayed, dimensional collapse could have occurred.”

Despite the Clown’s sneer, SoulQueen remained unfazed and countered with words.

This time, even Deer Horns sided with the Clown.

“It’s not like the dimensional collapse will happen soon, and the information that the repair is finished is a bit lacking.”

Indeed, they couldn’t gain much from this information.

My situation was a bit different.

‘…If the repairs are done, the experience duplication bug must be fixed.’

Tsk, now I’ll have to speedrun to gain portal opening experience.

Just to be sure, I’ll confirm this during my next labyrinth entry.

“I have nothing more to say. I genuinely believe this information is not inferior to what we’ve heard today.”

Despite objections from the members, SoulQueen stood firm and eventually passed.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could do that…”

Goblin, who had faced many rejections, seemed impressed by this approach.

But knowing and achieving are different matters.

Even if Goblin tried, the result wouldn’t be the same. Barbarian-style coercion isn’t for everyone.

You need confidence that you’re the best.

‘This woman is really unique.’

Anyway, next up was Deer Horns.

Deer Horns reported that one of the royal treasures was stolen when Carnon went up in flames.

I hadn’t heard of it before, but judging by his reaction, it seemed quite significant.

I’ll have to investigate this later.

“Your turn, Crescent Moon.”

Finally, it was Crescent Moon’s turn.

He had been unusually quiet throughout the meeting, making me curious about what he would share.

But, it turned out to be nothing special.

“The fairies have decided to replace the next pure-blood successor due to internal circumstances. They’re looking for a suitable candidate.”

It was the internal affairs of one of the six races, useful for understanding the current affairs in the city but…….

Just ordinary information.

However, I couldn’t take my eyes off Crescent Moon.

He was staring intently at me.

“Next time, I’ll bring something more interesting.”

This time, he had nothing valuable, but he clearly hadn’t given up on the ‘Stone of Resurrection’.

Not bad.

Actually, today’s information wasn’t that bad for me.

‘But if they’re choosing a new pureblood candidate, could they possibly consider Erwin? If that’s possible, it would be a huge win.’

As I was sorting my thoughts, I felt gazes directed at me.

Ah, it’s my turn now.

Instead of the few pieces of information I had prepared, I decided to share something else.

“The Stone of Resurrection can revive up to two people.”

So, keep working hard.

****

The Stone of Resurrection.

Until I mentioned it, it was regarded as a legendary item, but now it has become a reality.

Naturally, information about this item is valuable.

However, members who didn’t need it desperately might express dissatisfaction.

It’s not related to how to obtain it, just that it can revive up to two people.

I had already exploited this information twice.

But…

“……”

“……”

The members remained silent.

It wasn’t the atmosphere for complaints.

“Two people… I see…”

Crescent mumbled dazedly at my words, as if he had just lost a loved one.

Crescent Moon, who seemed to have recently lost a loved one, muttered blankly at my words.

His voice carried a great longing.

A brief silence followed.

“Thanks to Crescent Moon, we wasted a turn today,” 

The Clown, lamenting that my turn was wasted on the ‘Stone of Resurrection’, suggested moving on to the next round.

However…

“I have nothing more prepared. I’ll end here. I wouldn’t have come if not for you, Mr. Lion.”

Crescent Moon didn’t even look at the clown, instead apologized to the members and left the table immediately.

The Goblin, in a similar situation, also excused himself.

“I’ve had all my questions answered… I have nothing to offer, so I’ll be off.”

After Goblin left, Deer Horns also felt that continuing with only four members was burdensome and decided to leave.

Indeed, it’s tough with just four.

Excluding the speaker, one could only pass with information unknown to two or three people. Additionally, with each round, the amount of information one could obtain will decrease.

“So, what do you say? Should the three of us continue?”

“I don’t mind.”

The Clown and SoulQueen were willing to continue.

Ultimately, the choice was mine.

‘If we proceed with just the three of us, precious information might come out…….’

I was tempted, but decided against pushing my luck.

I might accidentally reveal that I’m just a hollow shell.

So the gathering ended after the first round.

“If there were anything interesting, it would have come out already.”

Following my Lion persona, I arrogantly turned and returned to Lee Han-soo’s room.

I spent some time browsing the posts, and when it was time to log out, I returned to my original body.

“Ah, this isn’t my house.”

The inn room in Zone 7, borrowed under Caron’s name and face.

As soon as I opened my eyes, the worries I had set aside came rushing back.

‘Is Caron doing alright?’

Caron was my alibi.

If the GM has targeted today, he would be watching Caron from afar, checking if he was a player.

“Hm.”

I wanted to check on him immediately.

But going to Caron’s location now could mess things up.

So, I exercised patience.

And then, almost sleeplessly, the next morning arrived.

“Bjorn!”

As promised, Caron and I met again at the sanctuary.

The duration of the appearance change was 30 days, so we put on masks to return to our original forms.

“Haha, judging by those dark circles, you must have had an absolutely fantastic night?”

Oh, that was the excuse I made.

“…Thanks to you.”

I roughly covered it up and asked Caron about everything that happened yesterday. I couldn’t afford to forget anything later.

…Honestly, I was just insanely curious.

Though I had entrusted it to him, I had spent the night filled with endless worries and imaginations.

“Oh, yesterday, huh?”

So, what exactly happened yesterday?

See you on Monday! By the way, you can join here and binge-read all my advanced chapters, with new updates every day. Your support is the only way to keep the website running, so please consider supporting if you can. Thank you! 🙂