Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

A giant hamster speaking human language.

Even in this fantasy world where magic and different races exist, such a thing is remarkable.

After all, monsters don’t communicate in words.

Some rare ones speak, but mostly just repeat preset phrases.

And in that sense...

“Let me go! I said, let me go! You crazy rebels!”

...What the hell is this thing?

I furrowed my brow without realizing it.

That’s because the language it was speaking was ‘Ancient Tongue.’

Coincidentally, I had recently met a monster that used Ancient Tongue.

But was it really just coincidence?

My suspicion deepened.

“Yandel, what’s wrong?”

“Is there a problem?”

What? Their reactions?

Feeling the awkwardness, I immediately voiced my doubt.

“Don’t tell me you can’t understand a word it’s saying?”

“...Huh? Words?”

“We didn’t hear any words. Just unpleasant screeches.”

“Me too!”

Tsk, what kind of phenomenon is this?

Looking down at the increasingly suspicious hamster, it suddenly stopped struggling and looked up at me.

“You...! You can understand my words?”

Can it really hear its own voice?

I found no reason to answer.

So I pressed the hamster harder, making it unable to resist, and tried to speak in Ancient Tongue.

“You.”

“Ugh...! Let me go...! You barbarian... do you even know who I am...!”

It spoke boldly, but I had no idea who it was.

So...

“What’s your relation to the chief?”

I asked directly, deciding the first thing to check was whether it was the chief’s spy.

“...?”

But it looked completely clueless, so I mentioned the chief’s other name.

“Cornelius Brüngrid. Don’t you know that name? A monster like you who also uses Ancient Tongue?”

If it said no here too, I planned to call in an expert for interrogation.

“You insolent thing! I’m not a monster...!”

“Enough. Just answer the questions.”

I tightened my grip briefly then released, and it spoke hurriedly.

“I-I don’t know! Don’t press me! I feel like throwing up...!”

“I see. That’s unfortunate. Then I’ll have to find out myself.”

“Find out yourself...?”

You’ll know soon enough.

I called Amelia over, who pulled out a dagger to check its blade.

Seeing that, maybe she pictured her own future.

“W-wait!”

“Did you remember something?”

“Ancient Tongue...! If it’s a ‘monster’ using Ancient Tongue, there’s one I can think of! The one who rides a dragon!”

...Rides a dragon?

The chief’s human-era nickname was ‘Dragon Knight,’ after all.

“Emily, hold on a moment.”

I led Amelia back and continued the opened conversation.

“You. Tell me more about that one who rides a dragon.”

“I-I don’t know much...! But I once came here before. That monster with blue skin and huge eyes! Lots of subordinates, and it used Ancient Tongue too!”

Sounds like it’s talking about the chief.

Blue skin, huge bulging eyes, a species using Ancient Tongue — there can’t be others like that around.

‘The chief was lying to me again.’

He told me they couldn’t go outside and didn’t know what was out there.

Turns out it was all blatant lies.

“When did they come here?”

“Long ago — so long ago it’s meaningless to count.”

“I’ll decide if it’s meaningless or not. Give me a number.”

“I don’t know exactly! But the skies have opened tens of thousands more times since those monsters last came!”

The sky has opened.

That phrase seems to mean ‘rainy season.’

If so, it makes sense counting is meaningless.

‘If the rainy season happened 10,000 times... about 833 years by outside time.’

And it opened tens of thousands more times?

Meaning ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) the chief came here thousands of years ago.

So I stopped calculating.

“What do you mean by riding a dragon?”

“Literally! Whenever they came here, they brought a big dragon with a bunch of followers on it!”

“So, they came multiple times?”

“They used to come often. Then they stopped coming.”

“What did the chief do here back then?”

“Same as you! Messed up all the books I had worked hard to organize! Really—!”

“Wait, you organized the books?”

“...Yeah?”

What is this thing?

What it said so far didn’t sound like lies.

Honestly, I was more curious about what it really was than suspecting it as the chief’s spy.

“Why did you organize the books?”

The key to understanding someone is their motivation.

I asked that, but the answer was vague.

“Th-that’s... because I have to...!”

“What...?”

“Organizing books... that’s what I have to do. I’ve done it since I was born here!”

“So, organizing books is the reason you exist?”

“N-not that grand... but it’s something I have to do.”

It didn’t seem like it was hiding anything.

I asked repeatedly, but the answer never changed.

“Idiot! You think you need a reason for everything? It’s just like that! Just like that! I have to organize books!”

So why do you have to organize?

When I asked again, the hamster seemed confused like it had never thought about it before, then exploded in anger.

‘Looks like it doesn’t even understand its own behavior.’

No use pressing further.

Time for the next step.

“So, is there anything else here?”

“...?”

“You know, like special books, treasures, strange monsters, hidden spaces... Or something you’re hiding from outsiders.”

“...”

“Nothing?”

The hamster screamed loudly in disgust at my subtle question.

“N-no, no, no!!!”

Strong denials can sometimes mean strong affirmations.

“I thought so...”

“...!!!”

“You have something, don’t you?”

I started salivating unconsciously.

The conversation in similar form repeated.

“I said, there’s nothing!”

Like a parrot, the hamster kept repeating ‘nothing.’

Then...

“Ah, you just said you’ll show it.”

Like a barbarian, I ignored it completely.

“How many times do I have to say it before you understand? There’s nothing here!”

“Who said I’m taking it? I’m only going to look. Stop annoying me.”

“...”

Argh, why can’t it believe human words?

I concluded it’s not someone to reason with nicely.

So...

“Hey.”

I lowered my voice and spoke.

The hamster flinched and looked at me cautiously.

“...?”

“Am I your friend? Can’t you read the situation?”

“...No, no, I said there’s nothing... I really...”

“Ah, then tell me something else.”

“Something else...?”

“Yeah, like how to get out of here. Do you know?”

“...No.”

“The chief’s weaknesses or secrets?”

“...”

“Then what do you want me to do? I need a reason too before I let you go or whatever. Or should I check if you have essence?”

“...”

Haha, no answer, lips sealed.

Is it that precious?

Seeing threats didn’t work, I changed tactics.

“Hey, then tell me about yourself.”

“...?”

“What are you? Why are you here? And where did you learn to speak human language?”

“Ah, that...”

Maybe this topic was easier.

It answered quite kindly.

Though it didn’t have any meaningful information.

“So to sum up, you were born here and can speak human language?”

“Y-yeah... The chief! The chief was the first strange life form I saw.”

“Does the chief know about you?”

“Probably not. I tried talking to him since he came close after hearing me speak... But that dumb guy didn’t understand a word.”

“Like the others who didn’t understand you?”

“By the way, who are you? How can you talk to me and not be scared?”

Why did it suddenly become arrogant?

“Why are you asking me? Explain that.”

“...”

“Enough. Tell me, people are scared of you? Do you have some kind of ability?”

“...I don’t know. They all were. The chief drew weapons and swung when he saw me. You all were no different. So they tried to scare me off...”

“But you got caught like this.”

“...”

“Why am I fine? You look like a normal rat to me.”

“A rat? I’m not that!!”

“Then what are you? Do you have a species name?”

“N-no, not really...”

“Then your name? Do you have one?”

“...I don’t need a name.”

“That’s why some never socialize... Names exist for convenience. So let me give you one.”

“...You’ll give me one?”

“Yeah.”

Living alone in the library for thousands of years without a name seemed a little sad, so I thought hard and named it.

“Hamsik.”

“...?”

“Hamsik, that’s your name from now on.”

“...”

“What? Is there a problem with the name?”

“N-no... no problem...”

“I am Bjorn, Yandel’s son. Yandel’s my family name, Bjorn my given name. Just call me Bjorn.”

“B-bjorn... got it.”

Okay, now that introductions were done, time to resume the interrupted conversation.

“So... are we friends now?”

Hamsik suddenly asked that.

Its voice was cautious and somewhat uneasy.

I tilted my head, and it looked away, mumbling.

“But... I heard friends are those who call each other by name...”

“Where did you learn that?”

“Don’t know. I’ve known since birth. Like the language system I have.”

“Really?”

I thought it was a weird creature with lots of questions, but also thought,

‘I think I know how to handle it.’

I released it and helped it stand.

Facing it, I stretched out my arm.

“Hamsik, I’m counting on you from now on.”

“...?”

“Why, you said when you introduce yourself you become friends, right? Friends shake hands. You don’t know that?”

“N-no! Of course I know!”

Hamsik shyly reached out its fluffy paw.

“I-I’m also... pleased to meet you...?”

How badly does it want friends?

I don’t know, but now the friendship was sealed.

So...

“Now tell me. Where is that treasure you were hiding?”

“...!”

Time to pay the friend fee.

Hamsik looked at me with betrayed eyes and backed away.

Come on, don’t be hurt among friends.

“Hamsik, friends don’t keep secrets.”

“B-but...”

“Don’t you consider me a friend?”

“Piii...”

Hamsik squeaked awkwardly at my question.

I didn’t push further and waited quietly.

After a while.

“Okay... I’ll show you... but don’t touch anything inside! Got it?”

“Of course.”

Maybe relieved, Hamsik proudly raised its index finger like a pop singer showing off.

And then.

Ssss—

Books slid out one by one from the shelves, half hanging off.

‘So it’s a system where pulling certain books reveals a secret space?’

Watching in a daze, the movement stopped.

And then.

Drdrdrdrdrdrdr—!

The sealed stone door opened, revealing a hidden space.