Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 490: Declaration of War (1)

I had asked about the third option out of curiosity and spite, but my decision had already been made.

I didn’t know what the other door offered…

But nothing could be more valuable than my three comrades.

‘And I don’t think I can defeat him alone…’

I glanced at him, a strange unease washing over me whenever our eyes met.

It felt like looking at a completely different being.

“You’ve made your decision.”

“Yes, I’ll be taking this door.”

I started walking, and he just watched me, saying nothing.

He seemed to respect my choice.

Step.

I stopped in front of the door and turned to him.

I couldn’t just leave without asking.

“What would have happened… if one of us had betrayed the others?”

It was a hidden piece I had never encountered before.

I had managed to clear it, but I was still curious.

Thankfully, he answered readily.

“According to the established order, my avatar would have gained power.”

“…So that’s how it works.”

That’s why he had tried so hard to make us betray each other.

I was starting to understand the design of this space.

We had to fight the boss alone in the end, and the difficulty increased if there was a betrayal.

‘And if we lost the boss fight, it would have been game over.’

In the game, you would have needed a high level of affinity and trust to clear it this way.

Anyway, it had answered many of my questions.

But I decided to ask one more.

“What… are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

It wasn’t my first time having a conversation with a monster in the labyrinth.

[It’s been a while since I’ve seen a living being. Where did you come from?]

Cambormere, the Vampire Duke of the Blood Citadel.

[Greedy dogs of the Empire! I shall punish you!]

The Knight of the Apocalypse in the White Temple.

[If no one knows the lie… what’s the difference from the truth?]

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The Doppelganger.

There had been many similar encounters, but they had all felt scripted.

They would lose their minds and attack me after a few lines of dialogue.

But this one was different.

He seemed to have his own will.

‘And he said something strange earlier…’

He had said that if there had been a betrayal, his ‘avatar’ would have gained power.

I couldn’t be sure, but I had a hunch.

Just like [Dungeon and Stone] was based on this world…

The labyrinth was also based on something.

I cautiously voiced my theory.

“Are all the monsters in this labyrinth… copies? Are you the original?”

He stared at me in silence.

I felt a surge of anticipation.

It felt like I was about to uncover a hidden secret.

But…

“Perhaps.”

He shook his head after a long pause.

“You might find out someday.”

That was the end of our conversation.

Thump!

The stone door opened, and I felt a gentle push on my back.

______________________

「You have perfectly overcome the great terror within the labyrinth.」

「No. 12 [Trust] is permanently bound to you.」

「The Nameless Pilgrim will vanish from the labyrinth forever.」

「Special Condition - Distorted Memories permanently deleted.」

「A hidden area has been unlocked.」

「This is the first time this achievement has been accomplished.」

「Your great feat will be recorded on the Stone of Honor for eternity.」

「The labyrinth has closed.」

「Character is being transferred to Lafdonia.」

______________________

A warm light touched my closed eyelids.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the gloomy sky.

“…….”

I was back.

I always felt a sense of relief whenever I saw the city sky.

But it didn’t last long.

“…It’s Bjorn Yandel.”

“I heard he was going to slay a Floor Lord… I wonder how it went…”

“Did he really succeed with only five people…?”

The explorers started whispering as they recognized me.

I quickly regained my composure and headed towards the checkpoint.

Amelia was waiting for me.

She had left the raid location to interrogate the captives.

“…I’m glad you’re safe. I was worried when you didn’t come back before the labyrinth closed.”

She let out a sigh of relief as she saw me.

But then her expression turned serious.

“Casualties?”

She didn’t know what had happened, so she was more concerned about the casualties than the outcome of the raid.

I could only say this:

“None. Or rather… there won’t be any.”

“There won’t be any…? What do you mean?”

“…It’s complicated.”

I wanted to see them with my own eyes before I could relax.

“Just wait.”

Amelia nodded, even though she was probably curious too.

And after a while…

My teammates started appearing one by one.

Erwen was the first.

“M-Mister…”

She ran towards me and then collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

“This… isn’t a dream… is it…?”

“Don’t worry. It’s reality.”

“What… what happened…?”

She had been expecting to die, so she must be confused.

“I’ll explain everything later.”

Bersil Gowland appeared next.

“Why are you so late? I was worried.”

“S-Sorry… I-I don’t understand… B-But this… isn’t a dream… is it…? I-I died…”

She was also confused.

Amelia tilted her head.

“Died…?”

“As I said, it’s complicated. I’ll explain everything later.”

“…Alright.”

I calmed Bersil down, and then, after a long wait…

Ainar finally appeared.

“B-Bjorn…!!!!”

She shouted from afar, her voice echoing through the plaza.

I finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew…”

It was finally over.

We had all survived.

“…W-What is this?! Is this a dream?! I-I died—!”

I quickly covered Ainar’s mouth with my hand.

“…Mmm! Mmm! Ugh!”

“Be quiet. Everyone’s staring.”

“…….”

“Let’s move. I’ll explain everything later.”

We left the checkpoint and headed towards the street. As always, the area in front of the checkpoint was crowded with explorers’ families and friends.

“Bersil, is it okay if we go to your house in Commelby?”

“I don’t mind. It’s safer to talk there.”

“Alright.”

We went to the Public Transfer Station and took a carriage for nobles to Commelby.

That was one of the disadvantages of living in the commercial district.

When we were in the 7th District, we could just walk home.

“Clan Master! Welcome back!”

Auyen greeted us as we arrived. The house was filled with the aroma of food.

Had he prepared a meal for us?

“Thank you. But we have something to discuss, so can you go upstairs for a moment?”

“…Of course. Please rest, and call me if you need anything.”

After Auyen left, I asked Bersil to activate the Voice Control spell. We started eating and talking.

Well, only Ainar and I were eating.

“Yandel… stop eating and tell us what happened. I was dying of curiosity!”

Right, I had to explain everything.

I swallowed my food and began my story.

“So… we had to sacrifice someone to clear the hidden phase. Even if we defeated the boss alone, we would all be revived.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I explained everything that had happened, except for my conversation with the Nameless Pilgrim at the end. Amelia looked at me with a strange expression.

“Are you… okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You must have been through a lot.”

Ah, that.

I chuckled.

“I’m fine.”

I had almost lost it a few times, but…

The outcome was good, so it was fine, right?

Anyway, I had finished my story, so it was my turn to ask questions.

“Amelia, what about you?”

Amelia’s face darkened as I asked about the interrogation.

“I couldn’t find any evidence. They said they just received a request from the black market. They didn’t know who the client was.”

“I see…”

It was disappointing, but it wasn’t Amelia’s fault.

I would deal with Count Alminus later.

But…

“And…”

“…And?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Her hesitation made me uneasy.

But she said she would tell me later, so I let it go.

“Erwen, what happened to you?”

“…Ah, me? I’m sorry. I couldn’t escape. He kept chasing me, even when I thought I had lost him. It was like he was teleporting.”

“Teleporting…”

Maybe he really did have that ability.

Something that activated when we were a certain distance away.

“But it was strange… he kept trying to persuade me until the very end. He said it wasn’t too late.”

Erwen’s story was short, but I could sense the anguish and despair she had felt.

“Erwen, you’ve been through a lot.”

“…It’s okay.”

Now it was Bersil’s turn.

“Bersil Gowland.”

“…Yes?”

“I understand why you did it, but… don’t ever do that again.”

“Okay…”

I just gave her a brief warning.

There was something more important.

“But Ainar…”

“…Huh?”

I cautiously called her name, and Ainar, who had been quietly eating, looked up.

I hesitated.

But I had to ask.

“Do you… remember what I said at the end?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember what I told you?”

To be precise, I was asking if she had heard my confession.

Ainar casually picked up a piece of meat with her fork and said,

“Ah, that…? I think you said something… but I don’t remember. I was about to pass out, so I couldn’t hear you properly.”

Hmm, was she telling the truth?

I observed her expression, but I couldn’t find anything suspicious.

It seemed like she really hadn’t heard me.

Well, she would have exploded if she had.

“Why? What did I say?”

“Nothing important.”

“Really?”

Ainar seemed to have accepted my answer, but the others were making a fuss.

“I think I know what he said.”

“Yandel is surprisingly sentimental.”

“…Why are you all doing this? It’s embarrassing.”

I ignored them and continued eating. They finally started eating too, their curiosity satisfied.

We chatted idly as we ate.

And then…

“By the way… Yandel, what’s that bracelet? Did you always wear it?”

Bersil’s cautious question made me realize something.

“What’s this…?”

There was a bracelet on my wrist.

______________________

I was momentarily confused by the unfamiliar item.

Erwen and Amelia also stopped eating and muttered,

“Uh… I didn’t say anything because I thought you knew about it…”

“I can’t believe he didn’t even notice.”

Why hadn’t I noticed it before?

“Maybe it’s the reward…? The one you get for clearing the raid with five people…?”

Bersil made a guess, but it wasn’t the reward for a normal five-man clear.

And I had chosen to revive my teammates.

‘…Could there be another reward for reviving everyone?’

Hmm… come to think of it, that made sense.

It was a hidden piece that I hadn’t discovered even after playing the game for almost ten years.

And the reward was just… survival?

That didn’t seem right.

Click.

I took off the bracelet and examined it closely.

I recognized it instantly.

But I wasn’t sure, so I handed it to Bersil.

Bersil, who had the ‘Special Appraiser’ license that even Raven couldn’t obtain, identified the item immediately.

“Th-This is… a Double Numbered Item…”

Amelia’s eyes sparkled. She loved rare items.

“Wait, a Double Numbered bracelet…?”

There was only one.

No. 12, Trust.

Was it a fixed reward?

It was the perfect item for this hidden piece…

‘…A Double Numbered Item as a fixed reward…’

What were the trigger conditions?

If I could figure that out, I could duplicate the item.

As I was thinking that…

Clang, clang.

The bell on the front door rang.

‘A visitor at this hour…?’

I stopped eating and opened the door. A group of knights, probably from Mozelan, were standing there.

“Greetings, Baron Yandel.”

They greeted me politely. It seemed like they weren’t here for anything bad.

I returned their greeting and asked what they wanted.

“…Two hours ago, a new feat was recorded on the Stone of Honor.”

A new feat?

What did that have to do with me?

“It was your feat, Baron Yandel.”

So the bracelet wasn’t the only reward.

I was stunned as I read the inscription on the stone.

[In the 157th year of the New Era, Bjorn Yandel, a great warrior of the Barbarian Tribe, and his companions, defeated Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror, and unlocked a hidden area.]

There was another hidden area?