Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Fox, Goblin, Clown, Queen, Stag Antlers, Crescent Moon.

And me. The seven members who had maintained the Round Table for so long now had new company.

"Oh, you're Lion? Nice to meet you!"

A Wolf mask with a boisterous voice.

"..."

A black mask with no distinguishing features.

"Hello..."

And a Butterfly mask with a youthful voice.

As I looked around, Fox helpfully explained the situation.

"Haha! I've been busy since the Master disappeared, but I finally remembered this place."

"Pfft, I thought you were dead. You're surprisingly resilient."

"Aha! Clown's venom is as potent as ever!"

Okay, so Wolf was a returning member.

I gave Fox a look, and she continued.

"These two... I'm meeting them for the first time today."

So Black Mask and Butterfly were newbies.

I could trust Fox's judgment. She had been at the Round Table the longest.

But there was something else that bothered me.

'Newbies at this point in time...'

It was suspicious.

The last newbie had been Queen, who had joined without an invitation, thanks to the GM.

No one had received an invitation from the 'Master' in years.

"Anyway, it's fate that brought us together, so let's introduce ourselves! I've already met Queen..."

Wolf extended his hand for a handshake, but I ignored him and went to my seat.

"Haha! Right! Introductions aren't that important!"

Wolf awkwardly returned to his seat.

"..."

Black Mask remained silent, showing no interest in me.

"...Ahem..."

Butterfly Mask coughed awkwardly and avoided my gaze.

And then...

Thump-!

The door closed, signaling the start of the gathering. A strange silence filled the room. The existing members were also surprised by the sudden appearance of the newbies.

Gulp.

Goblin's nervous gulp echoed through the room.

"Now that Lion's here, shall we continue our conversation?"

Queen, sensing the awkward atmosphere, spoke up.

"We know about Wolf, but I'm curious how these two got here. Butterfly, and... what should I call you?"

Black Mask answered curtly,

"...Black."

It was a low voice, but definitely a woman's.

"Black... Alright. So, Black and Butterfly, how did you get here? Did you meet the 'Master'?"

"Ehehe..."

Butterfly giggled awkwardly, while Black Mask replied coldly,

"Why should I answer that?"

Butterfly chimed in,

"Yeah, Black's right. Asking about each other's identities is against the rules... isn't it? Hee."

She giggled again, not holding back.

"Just because you're wearing a Queen mask doesn't mean you're a real queen, you know. Hehe."

"...What did you say?"

"Uh? Nothing!"

Queen's face flushed red, and she glared at Butterfly.

It was an interesting scene.

'Wow... she's not as naive as she looks.'

But the other members seemed to agree.

Clown burst into laughter.

"Haha! That's a good one! We have an interesting new member!"

"Thank you..."

"Pfft."

"Hehe..."

It seemed like Butterfly and Clown were on the same wavelength.

'Do all frivolous people get along?'

I didn't understand their world.

"Just a word of advice, you only need to be careful what you say to Lion here."

"Oh, really?"

"Aren't you going to ask why?"

"It's obvious, isn't it...? He looks dangerous..."

Butterfly glanced at Queen.

I could almost hear her unspoken words.

'Unlike you.'

"...Ha!"

Queen scoffed, seemingly offended.

Butterfly ignored her and said,

"So when are we starting...? I've been looking forward to this..."

The other members looked at me.

They were waiting for my approval.

They were asking if I was okay with the newbies joining the meeting.

Of course, I didn't have the authority to kick them out.

"This should be interesting."

I was curious too.

Who were these new members?

"Haha! I'm excited. It's been a while."

"..."

"Hehehe... So who goes first? I'm a little nervous..."

I wondered who they were.

___________________

Wolf, a returning member.

Black Mask, shrouded in secrecy.

Butterfly, with her innocent demeanor.

All three of them were suspicious.

Wolf was less suspicious than the other two, but...

'A returning member after all these years...'

It wasn't a coincidence.

He didn't seem interested in the Master's whereabouts.

"So, Wolf, you're back after all these years, but you're not curious about the Master?"

Queen, thinking along the same lines, asked Wolf directly.

"Haha! He's probably doing well, wherever he is."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"...Shouldn't we decide on the order first? Ah, by the way, I don't want to go first."

He was acting suspicious.

It seemed like Auril Gabis had sent him.

'Black Mask and Butterfly are the most likely candidates.'

There weren't many ways for newbies to join the Round Table anymore.

Either they were invited by the GM, like Queen... or they had an old invitation code, like me.

'Or maybe Queen brought them in and is pretending not to know them.'

It was all speculation for now.

Therefore...

"Let's just go with the traditional order. Wolf goes first, next to Lion. Pfft."

I would observe them.

Until they made a mistake and revealed their true intentions.

"Traditional order? What are you talking about? We didn't have that before—?"

"Wolf, things have changed while you were gone. If you don't like it, you can leave."

Clown's blunt words made Wolf hesitate.

"Hmm..."

"Pfft, you can't leave, can you? So you're not just a casual visitor? Did someone tell you about this place?"

Clown was also trying to extract information.

"Haha! It's good to see you all again. I can't just leave now. And it's not that difficult to go first. I should adapt to the new rules."

Wolf laughed heartily and began his turn.

"Alright, here goes."

He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.

"I came back because I recently learned something shocking. But I didn't have anyone to share it with—"

"Wolf, you talk too much."

Clown cut him off, urging him to get to the point, and Wolf chuckled awkwardly, clearing his throat. Then he lowered his voice and said,

"The Master of the Round Table is Auril Gabis."

A strange silence filled the room.

It wasn't surprising.

"Isn't that shocking? The one who brought us together, the one who shared his knowledge with us... is the creator of [Dungeon and Stone]—"

Queen had revealed the same information last month.

"...Huh?"

Wolf flinched as the jewel glowed red.

"Why...?"

"Why? Because most of us already know. Did you forget the rules while you were gone?"

"..."

"Try again. Something more interesting."

Clown, who had been shocked by the same information last month, was now mocking him.

It was amusing.

It proved that Wolf wasn't connected to the existing members.

He wouldn't have revealed old information if he had been.

'Well, it could be an act...'

"Phew... Alright, one more time."

Wolf sighed and tried again.

"The royal family is responsible for summoning players to this world. And Auril Gabis's goal is to help them escape."

He paused, waiting for the jewel to light up. As soon as the green light appeared, he continued,

"So... what do you think?"

No one answered immediately.

It was understandable.

He had openly connected himself to Auril Gabis...

"...Are you sure about the royal family? Is that reliable information?"

...and the information itself was shocking.

There were many rumors among the players, but no one had ever claimed that the royal family was responsible for summoning us.

They didn't have a motive.

But...

"Why would the royal family summon us and then try to kill us as evil spirits? It doesn't make sense."

Wolf's answer to Stag Antlers' question was firm.

"I can't reveal the details, but trust me. It's a reliable source."

"Pfft, did you hear that from the King himself?"

Clown tried to provoke him, but it didn't work.

"If you're curious, ask me next round."

"..."

"Hehe, so... next turn?"

Fox went next and shared some information about the war.

I didn't pay much attention.

I already knew most of it...

'The royal family is behind this...?'

...and I was still thinking about Wolf's claim.

'How much of it can I trust?'

The jewel had glowed green...

But that didn't mean it was true.

There was a loophole in the Round Table system.

If the speaker believed their information was true, the jewel would glow green.

Which meant...

'It could be misinformation.'

Then the question became: How did Wolf come to believe this false information?

But that wasn't important.

'Why did he reveal this information at the Round Table?'

The answer was in the information itself.

'He wants the players to turn against the royal family.'

The one who would benefit the most from this information...

'Auril Gabis gave Wolf this misinformation and sent him here.'

...was that too far-fetched?

I didn't know, but I decided to clear my head and focus on the present.

"...It's your turn."

Fox, Goblin, Crescent Moon, and Stag Antlers had all finished their turns.

It was time for the newbies.

"Black."

She was also suspicious.

___________________

"There are other ways to return to Earth, besides opening the Gate of the Abyss."

Black Mask's short statement earned her a green light. The other members bombarded her with questions, but she remained silent.

'...Other ways to return to Earth.'

There was one possibility.

'She's probably talking about dimensional magic...'

I had learned about dimensional magic from the Ruin Scholar 20 years ago. He had been researching it, hoping to return to his homeworld. He had even made some progress.

Maybe that's why Lee Baekho had teamed up with him.

But there was something else that bothered me.

'Black Mask... could she be Lee Baekho's spy?'

There was plenty of evidence to support that theory.

Lee Baekho knew about dimensional magic, and he had an extra invitation code.

'And he has a motive. He's curious about me.'

"...It's your turn, Queen. Pfft."

Queen, who usually competed with Clown by revealing high-quality information, shared some generic political news.

It was interesting, but it was clear that she was just trying to get her turn over with.

"...Hehe, it's my turn?"

Butterfly's turn.

She didn't hesitate.

"The royal family can intentionally trigger a dimensional collapse."

Wow, the newbies were revealing more impactful information than the veterans.

"...So the rumors were true."

The members were shocked, but no one questioned the information's validity or source.

They all seemed to believe it.

And they knew that asking wouldn't get them an answer.

"Pfft, it's my turn."

Clown's turn.

"Noark has begun their conquest of the 9th floor."

It was valuable information, giving the veterans a chance to save face.

It was approved without any objections, and then all eyes turned to me.

"So..."

It was my turn.

I had already decided what to say.

Therefore...

[Of course, I feel remorse. I feel responsible. I'll probably carry this burden for the rest of my life and atone for my sins.]

I remembered Auril Gabis's words and focused my emotions.

Then...

I looked at Wolf and spoke.

Whether the royal family was really behind this or not,

I spoke with conviction.

"Auril Gabis is the players' enemy."

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The jewel glowed green, confirming my belief.

The reaction was immediate.

"...Lion, do you have any evidence to support that claim?"

Wolf cautiously challenged me.

But I wasn't worried.

He didn't know what had happened while he was gone.

"...Pfft, it must be true. Lion said so."

With the green light and my reputation,

It would take a mountain of evidence to refute my claim.