Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Matherkin Lillgrams.

'I didn't expect to see him here…'

My first reaction wasn't surprise or curiosity.

It was confusion.

"But… the Elder killed you…"

"Excuse me…?"

He looked at me, puzzled by my mumbling.

I continued,

"I saw a dagger with your clan's emblem at the village forge."

"Why was it there?"

"I… I'm not sure. But my teammates traded some items with the villagers before we left the island. We gave them some useless trinkets and received a lot of magic stones in return."

His testimony matched the Elder's explanation.

It only made me more confused.

'…Was the Elder innocent?'

Then what was the meaning of my actions?

Had I overreacted?

I shook my head, dismissing the thought.

I would make my judgment after hearing his story.

"Tell me what happened after we left the island."

"Yes? Ah… Yes! Understood!"

He had rushed towards us with a hopeful expression, but my cold demeanor made him freeze up. He answered my questions obediently.

"We left the island two days after you did."

His story wasn't that interesting.

They had left the island, hoping to find something… but after their encounter with the 'natives,' they had been scared and decided to go to the library island.

Just like us, they had felt the need to level up.

But…

"It was a new species. It had grotesque wings and a slime-like body… but it also had strange limbs protruding from its body."

It was a monster I had never seen before.

The Silver Lion Clan had been wiped out, and their ship had been destroyed. But just as Matherkin thought he was about to drown…

He had woken up on the library island.

His backpack had been caught on a rock, allowing him to breathe.

"After that… I decided it was too dangerous outside… so I came here… and waited… for someone to return…"

He had rationed his food and endured the loneliness, hoping for someone to find him.

That was his story.

"I see."

It wasn't a particularly sad story.

He had abandoned his teammates as soon as they were wiped out.

'…It's a plausible story.'

Knowing Matherkin Lillgrams…

It was a decision he would have made.

But…

'…That's enough information gathering.'

I had heard his story.

Now it was time to verify its authenticity.

"Bersil."

I gave the mage an order, and she cast the Verification spell.

Unfortunately, it failed. His Magic Resistance must have been quite high. I didn't dwell on it and took out an item from my subspace pocket.

'It's a shame to use it here… but…'

He was too suspicious.

"Matherkin Lillgrams."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to verify your claims."

I didn't ask for his permission.

He didn't have a choice.

Click—

I activated 'Distorted Trust.'

I hoped it would reveal any hidden secrets.

But…

"Let's start with a simple question."

Something unexpected happened.

"Tell me your name."

It was a simple test question, just like in the Doppelganger Forest.

"……."

"……."

Why wasn't he answering?

______________________

Tick, tock.

The second hand of the compass-shaped device ticked rhythmically.

A tense silence filled the room, the air growing heavier with each passing second.

But…

Swoosh.

My warrior's body calmly carried out its duty.

I unconsciously reached for the hammer strapped to my back.

It was a purely instinctive action.

Phew…

I felt calmer now that I had my weapon in hand.

"Answer me, Lillgrams."

I asked again.

"What's your name?"

He averted his gaze.

His eyes, unnaturally fixated on the right side, looked strange and unsettling.

Therefore…

"Last chance."

I didn't just reach for my weapon.

I drew it.

"What's your name?"

"……."

So he was going to remain silent?

'I'll break his limbs first, just in case.'

I tightened my grip on the hammer.

And just as I was about to swing…

"…Ah."

He finally spoke.

"Dis… covered…"

It was a short sentence, but his tone seemed different.

And I was right.

"Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered."

He repeated the same words like a broken record, his eyes darting around nervously. His voice was filled with anxiety and fear.

He was clearly panicking.

"Discovered. Discovered. Discovered. Discovered—"

"…What are you?"

I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.

His words changed.

"What should I do?"

"……?"

"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?"

It was a strange feeling.

I was the one holding him by the neck, and yet… I felt uneasy.

"What should I do? What should I do? What should I—"

He suddenly stopped talking.

And…

"…Ah."

He looked up at me, his eyes no longer fixated on the right side.

He was looking straight at me.

And then he spoke, his voice calm and clear,

"I understand."

As if he had finally realized something.

I felt a surge of unease and raised my hammer…

"What I have to do."

…when his body exploded.

______________________

The explosion itself wasn't that powerful.

My hand, which had been close to his neck, felt a slight sting.

It wasn't even a scratch. It just felt a little itchy, like an allergic reaction.

But it was enough to tear his body into thousands of pieces, scattering blood and bone fragments everywhere.

"A priest… wouldn't be of much help."

I stared at the gruesome scene, my body covered in blood and gore, and then I sighed.

'Damn it, I messed up.'

I had excuses, but the reason for my failure was simple.

I had lacked imagination.

I had always tried to consider the worst-case scenario, and yet…

I hadn't anticipated this.

'…How could I have known?'

Well, even if I had known, I wouldn't have been able to stop him.

How do you stop an emergency escape?

It was an unavoidable skill.

You couldn't bring back someone who was already dead.

It was the ultimate escape skill…

But the price was your own life.

'Enough pointless thoughts. Let's clean this up.'

"Yandel…!"

"I'm fine. Don't make a fuss. Ah, just give me a moment."

I reassured my worried teammates and then took a moment to organize my thoughts.

The situation could be summarized in a single sentence:

'Something impersonated Matherkin Lillgrams.'

Then who was the culprit?

I had one suspect.

'The Elder.'

Or rather, someone sent by the Elder.

I didn't think the Elder would panic and reveal himself so easily.

Anyway, I had a suspect, so the next step was simple.

One of the basic elements of deduction.

'Why? And how?'

Why and how had they done this?

I considered various possibilities, but I couldn't find a definitive answer.

'To convince me of his innocence? Or maybe… to keep an eye on me…?'

I wasn't sure about his motive.

And besides…

'…How is this even possible?'

There were no essences that could do this.

There were a few skills that allowed you to possess another person's body, but they were different.

The caster had to be nearby, and there was a visible connection between the caster and the target.

So…

'It's not an essence.'

If anything…

'…it's an evil spirit.'

It was more similar to an evil spirit's possession.

That thought made my hands sweat.

I discussed it with my teammates, but we couldn't find any more clues.

It was just a theory, but…

'The Elder has a way to possess other people's bodies, like an evil spirit.'

It was better to be safe than sorry.

______________________

After Lillgrams's emergency escape…

We resumed our exploration of the library.

There were two changes since our last visit.

'…The books have respawned.'

The summoning books we had used had been replenished.

The lower levels of the bookshelves had been almost empty when we left… but now they were full again. And the books we had scattered across the floor had been neatly organized.

And…

'…The staircase has been reset.'

We had created a staircase leading to the upper levels, where the 3rd-grade monsters appeared, but the library had returned to its original state.

'Hmm, what's the reset trigger? Time?'

If that was the case, I had a feeling the rainy season was the reset point… but I couldn't be sure yet.

"Yandel, it's a good thing. Now we can farm essences more easily."

"Ah… Right."

As Amelia had said, it was a positive change.

It was a shame that the staircase had been reset, but we could now farm essences indefinitely.

Well, there was a downside too.

'If it resets periodically, it'll be difficult to reach the top level.'

There was now a time limit to clearing the library.

But I decided to worry about that later.

'Let's not waste any more time.'

I dismissed my worries and focused on the task at hand.

I was actually quite good at repetitive tasks.

It cleared my mind.

「Frost Wolf slain.」

「Stone Golem slain.」

「Hobgoblin slain.」

「Ice Orc Warrior slain.」

「Yeti slain.」

「Lytoure Talisman Mage slain.」

「….」

We split into two groups: a hunting team and a searching team.

9th-grade, 8th-grade, 7th-grade…

The difficulty increased as we climbed higher, and once we started encountering 4th-grade monsters, we focused on summoning specific monsters.

We collected magic stones.

Gained experience points.

And…

"An essence!"

We hadn't found any essences for our clan members yet, but we were still getting a few essences every day, and our overall strength was gradually increasing.

And as time passed…

"That's enough for today! Everyone, rest!"

Day 85 of the expedition.

「Character's soul resonates and is drawn to a specific world.」

The day had finally arrived.