Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 501: The Age of Exploration (2)

I hadn’t revealed everything to him either.

We had both shown our hands, but only partially. That was enough for now.

“So am I your enemy, or your ally?”

I answered without hesitation.

“A collaborator, I guess.”

“…Collaborator?”

“Yes, collaborator.”

He seemed curious about my choice of words. Well, it was better to be clear about this.

“I’ll help you return to Earth.”

“And I’ll help you whenever you need it?”

“Something like that.”

“Not bad. But what if our opinions clash?”

He sounded unusually cautious, and I chuckled and shrugged.

“Then we’ll part ways. It’s not a big deal. I’d rather avoid that, but like you said, you never know what might happen.”

“…You’re very… casual about this.”

“That’s why you can do whatever you want with your Plan B. I’ll be doing the same.”

Preparing for the worst-case scenario was a natural instinct.

And I believed that someone who didn’t do that was a terrible collaborator.

“Collaborator… I like it. Let’s do that.”

He extended his hand.

It was a little embarrassing, but I shook his hand.

“…Hyung, I just got goosebumps.”

“Don’t mention it. Me too.”

We both chuckled after the brief handshake and sat back on the sofa.

“We should have done this sooner.”

“Right?”

It felt strangely… good.

______________________

We continued our conversation.

The main topic was the ‘hidden area’, of course.

“Hyung, tell me. What did you do?”

“I don’t know. It seems like a special condition was met, but I don’t know what it was.”

“Really? That’s a shame. But it wouldn’t matter much even if you knew. You can only be inscribed on the Stone of Honor once.”

“Oh, really?”

“Ah, you didn’t know? You really don’t know much about this game besides the stuff you can learn from playing it…”

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

I had practically lived in the library for a while, but that was just common knowledge.

“…It’s almost time. I should be going now.”

We chatted for a while, and then it was time for Lee Baekho to log out.

“Why don’t we meet up in the city sometime?”

“I’d like that, but I can’t for now. I’m going outside for a while.”

“…Outside? You mean outside the walls?”

“Yes. I finally figured out how to get out. I’ve been searching the city’s underground tunnels for ages.”

Wait a minute, that sounded like valuable information.

I asked him to tell me, and he nodded reluctantly.

“It’s difficult to explain in words. I’ll send you a letter before I leave. With the instructions.”

“Thanks.”

This is why you needed a veteran by your side.

I had unexpectedly obtained the information I had been seeking for so long.

A way to escape the kingdom.

So, back to the main topic.

“But why are you leaving?”

“I think Auril Gabis is out there.”

“……?”

“So I’m going to look for him. He’ll have the answers to most of my questions.”

Right, I should have asked him about Auril Gabis too. He would be more honest now that we were on better terms.

‘Well… I can ask him next time…’

“I’ll be going now, hyung. See you next month!”

“Okay. Let me know if you find him.”

“Sure.”

Lee Baekho left, and I sat on the sofa, staring at the fireplace.

Hyunbyul returned after a while.

“You’re late.”

“You think I would just sit here and wait?”

Oh… she hadn’t?

I had assumed she had been waiting outside the chat room because she always came back immediately after leaving.

“Anyway… you look happy.”

“Huh?”

“You look like you’ve solved a problem.”

“Ah… really?”

She was surprisingly perceptive.

I didn’t deny or confirm it, and she chuckled and lay down on the sofa.

I didn’t know where to look.

“Hyunbyul…? You’re wearing a skirt…”

“So? I’m wearing stockings.”

“Uh…”

R-Right?

So it was okay?

I felt strangely convinced, and she chuckled.

“You’re so considerate. Now, of all times.”

She pulled out a book and started reading.

“…What’s that? Where did you get it?”

“Don’t you know? It’s all the rage these days.”

“……?”

“You know how you can buy clothes and stuff in the community with GP?”

“Yeah, I know.”

Ghostbusters had microtransactions. You could buy clothes, furniture, and other decorative items. Of course, I had never used them.

“This book is one of those items.”

“So it’s blank?”

“No, it’s not. It’s written by one of the forum users. It was so popular that they decided to publish it.”

“Wow… that’s interesting. Is it good?”

“Do you want to read it? I have the previous volumes.”

“Sure.”

She handed me a book, and I started reading. It was a modern fantasy novel, quite engaging from the beginning.

But I couldn’t focus.

‘…This is driving me crazy.’

Why was she fidgeting with her feet?

“I’m stretching. My legs are numb.”

“…Did I say anything?”

“No, but your expression…”

…I couldn’t think straight in front of her.

I turned away from her and continued reading.

The only sound in the room was the rustling of pages.

“Oppa.”

“…Yeah?”

“It’s almost time. Aren’t you going to the Round Table?”

“Ah…”

Damn it, this novel was too interesting.

I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

I quickly excused myself and left the chat room.

I put on my navy blue suit and my Lion mask.

It was almost time for the meeting.

I quickly got dressed and walked through the hallway. Eight members were already there.

“You’re here, Lion. Pfft.”

Clown greeted me, followed by Fox, Crescent Moon, Stag Antlers, Queen, Butterfly, and Wolf…

‘Eight?’

One of the newbies from last month, Black Mask, was missing.

Swoosh.

She entered through the other door, glanced around the room, and then sat down at an empty seat.

“Welcome, Black…”

Goblin, who was sitting next to her, greeted her, but she just crossed her arms and said nothing.

She seemed like a tough one.

Swoosh.

I went to my seat, and the door closed with a bang.

“Ten members… it feels strange. There are so many of us now.”

Queen muttered, and Crescent Moon replied in a gentle tone,

“That’s understandable, Queen.”

“Crescent Moon, are you saying you don’t feel the same?”

Wolf, the returning newbie, answered Queen’s question.

“Haha! There were over twenty of us when the Master was here! Ah, those were the days—”

“You were too busy kissing up to the Master back then. Pfft.”

“…….”

“Just like you, Clown?”

“Pfft, you seem to have a thing for fairies. Obsessed with that NPC. So when are you going to visit me? Aren’t you going to take revenge?”

“Wow! You two are enemies? That’s interesting. Call me when you fight!”

“Pfft! Of course, Butterfly.”

Ugh, this was chaotic.

Swoosh.

I looked at Fox, and she, sensing my gaze, took control of the situation.

“Shall we begin…?”

“Haha, let’s. We’re not here to chat.”

The commotion died down, and all eyes turned to the person sitting next to me.

It was the traditional starting position.

“It’s Queen’s turn first? That’s unusual.”

“I know. I didn’t expect them to sit so close together.”

Queen, who was sitting three seats away from me, sighed and began the first turn.

“It’s a hot topic these days, isn’t it? I’ll talk about that. The Stone of Honor was created by Diflun Groundel Gavrilius, the Last Sage.”

The jewel glowed green. The information was true, and less than half of the members knew about it.

But there were immediate objections.

“Who cares who created it? Pfft.”

“Heehee, that’s right. It’s not like he’s a mage.”

“And besides, everything mysterious is somehow connected to him.”

Queen, who had anticipated the objections, didn’t react emotionally and just added more information.

“Then how about this? There are credible records that suggest the Stone of Honor itself has a hidden piece, Gavrilius’s arrangement.”

A hidden piece…

“That’s not bad.”

The members seemed satisfied, and the turn passed.

“The Tribal Council will be held next month. And the Mage Tower Master will be representing the humans.”

Crescent Moon also finished his turn without any problems.

‘The Mage Tower Master… representing the humans…’

I didn’t even know about the Tribal Council, and he already knew who the human representative would be.

‘It must be because of his connections.’

Except for the barbarians, all the other races had connections to the royal family. The other families in Melbeth were receiving support from their respective tribes. Ȑ𝔞Ɲ𝙤ＢĚS

“Misha Carlstain has joined Clan Anabada.”

It was Fox’s turn.

I flinched as I heard the unexpected name, but I wasn’t upset.

‘It’s not like it’s a secret. She probably thought it was okay to reveal it.’

And she wasn’t wrong.

The information wasn’t particularly valuable, but no one objected.

Bjorn Yandel was a hot topic these days.

“So she finally…”

“Isn’t she… his companion? Something must have happened.”

“Pfft… Fox, you’re good. I didn’t even know that.”

Fox’s turn ended, and it was Goblin’s turn, followed by Black Mask and Stag Antlers.

But there wasn’t any shocking information.

I was starting to get bored…

“Hehehe, my topic is similar to Fox’s…”

…when Butterfly spoke, and my body reacted before my mind could process her words.

“Misha Carlstain.”

What?

What was she going to say?

I listened intently, and Butterfly grinned.

“She’s a traitor.”

I heard her words, but I didn’t understand.

A traitor? From whose perspective? Lee Baekho’s?

As if she had read my mind, she added,

“Ah, from Bjorn Yandel’s perspective, of course.”

What the hell was she talking about?

I looked at the jewel.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

It glowed green.