Surviving the Game as a Barbarian
Chapter 533: Escape Plan (6)

Thump!

My heart pounded in my chest, but my mind remained calm.

‘Corpses.’

Human corpses.

And the Elder, standing right behind me, said that these corpses were the secret of their village.

Thump!

A cold sweat trickled down my back, but I forced myself to think rationally.

He wouldn’t have shown me this if he didn’t have a reason.

He wasn’t going to kill me just because I had discovered his secret.

“You’re surprisingly calm.”

“There must be a reason why you showed me this.”

Of course, there was a chance that he had lured me here to kill me.

But it didn’t feel that way.

“You’re perceptive. As you guessed, I thought showing you this might clear up some misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings…”

I looked around the basement.

Piles of corpses, stacked like firewood.

It was definitely suspicious.

The numbers didn't add up. Even if he had killed all the Silver Lion Clan members, there wouldn't be this many bodies.

“So, who are they?”

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

I gave him a suspicious look, and the Elder slowly explained.

“Your team isn't the first group of explorers to visit this island. There were others before you.”

“But you acted like we were the first.”

“No, we didn’t.”

Was he playing word games with me?

I frowned, about to retort…

“You were the first… living explorers.”

…when he continued.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. These bodies were already like this when I first saw them. Twisted and mangled… and they haven’t decomposed at all. As if time has stopped.”

“So you’re saying you found them after they fell from the sky during the rainy season?”

“No. I ‘found’ them, but they didn’t fall from the sky during the rainy season. It happens… periodically.”

The Elder bent down and picked up one of the corpses by its head. He looked at the half-rotted face and said, his voice emotionless,

“Every ten to fifteen years… sometimes every thirty to forty years… bodies fall from the sky. I suspect it’s related to dimensional collapses.”

“Dimensional collapses?”

“Yes. The timing is similar, and one of the journals I found mentioned a dimensional collapse.”

He pulled out a notebook from his pocket and handed it to me. He said I should just read the last page.

The other pages were too damaged to read.

I opened the notebook and read the last entry.

[…The world is collapsing and twisting. Now I understand why the others called it a disaster. This isn’t a disaster.]

[…Mulk is dead. Iliya is dead. Sir Swalky is dead, and Ms. Quiriane is dead too. And I… probably won’t last much longer.]

[…No, I will survive. I have a duty to deliver their message.]

The journal ended with a declaration of resolve.

I understood why the Elder suspected dimensional collapses. The last entry in the journal was about a dimensional collapse. It was certainly suspicious.

But that wasn’t the point.

“Why did you gather these bodies in the basement? And why did you keep it a secret?”

“It’s a long story.”

The Elder gestured, and the monster warriors quickly left the room.

Why did he dismiss them? They couldn't even understand our conversation.

I didn't question it.

“These bodies were important to me. They proved that time flowed outside, and I could sometimes learn about the outside world from the documents they carried.”

“And?”

“I started researching them. Hoping to find a clue about escaping this place. But my hopes were dashed. I tried everything, but they were just… ordinary corpses. That didn't decompose.”

After his final experiment, attempting to send the bodies back to the labyrinth to alert the outside world, had failed, the Elder had given up on his research.

And he had gathered the bodies and stored them in the basement.

He had given up for now, but he still held on to a sliver of hope that they might be useful someday.

But…

“And then you arrived. You were my last hope.”

“So you decided to keep this a secret?”

“I knew you would be wary of me because of my appearance. I didn't want to make things worse by showing you this. I was planning to tell you eventually, but I wanted to be careful.”

But Amelia had trespassed and discovered the truth, so he had decided to be honest.

That was his story.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Well…”

It wasn’t an implausible story.

But there were still some inconsistencies.

He hadn’t been surprised when I told him about the outside world.

And he had already known about the time flow.

His story explained most of my questions…

‘But it feels… contrived.’

It was a common tactic in any world.

The best way to hide the truth was to reveal part of it.

And the biggest question remained unanswered.

“So you’re saying you had nothing to do with the Silver Lion Clan’s disappearance?”

“That’s correct. Why would I harm them?”

Damn it… what should I do now?

If he had just attacked me, I would have retaliated and been done with it.

But the situation was more complicated now.

‘Should I believe him, or not?’

I hesitated for a moment, but the answer was obvious.

‘No way.’

The only people I could trust in this world were my companions.

So…

‘…That’s it.’

I knew what I had to do.

“I won’t hold you responsible for your companion’s trespass and your… overreaction. We’ll just let bygones be bygones. What do you say?”

The Elder offered a truce, and I smiled brightly and said,

Or rather…

“I’m glad we cleared up the misunderstanding.”

“Yes, I’m also glad… Huh?”

I swung my hammer as I smiled.

Thwack!

A satisfying thud echoed through the room as my hammer struck his forehead.

Blood trickled down his face from the wound.

And for the first time…

The Elder showed emotion.

“…Why?”

It wasn’t anger or sadness.

It was just… confusion.

I looked into his fish-like eyes and answered.

There were too many inconsistencies in his story.

He had been stalling.

I had a feeling he was planning to betray us.

But I didn’t need to give him any of those reasons.

One sentence was enough.

“Your eyes are creepy.”

“…………?”

“So I hit you. Is there a problem?”

A barbarian didn’t need another reason.

______________________

Was the Elder my enemy, or my ally?

If he was my enemy, what was he planning?

What was the truth, and what was a lie?

Those questions were no longer relevant.

My single act of violence had clarified the situation.

The Elder and I were now enemies.

So I would kill him.

And if I failed…

‘…we’ll escape this village.’

It was a simple plan.

But the Elder still seemed confused.

“There was no reason for you to resort to such drastic measures.”

“Oh, really?”

“You care about your companions a great deal. And yet, you’ve put them in danger. It’s not like you.”

I didn’t know how well he knew me, but I wasn’t interested in his opinion.

So…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I roared and swung my hammer again.

Kwang!

He blocked my attack with his sword, but he didn't seem surprised. My message had been delivered.

He spoke, his voice cold,

“There are consequences for making the wrong choice.”

His words weren't intimidating. He looked like a fish out of water.

Did he need a dose of his own medicine?

I mimicked his fish-like expression and repeated his words.

“There are consequences for making the wrong choice.”

His response came after a brief pause.

“…You’re insane.”

Well, flattery wouldn't save him now.

Clench—

I gripped my hammer with both hands, and his sword started to give way.

‘His Strength is lower than mine.’

He seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

He stopped pushing against my hammer and smoothly deflected it to the side.

Kwang!

My hammer slammed into the ground.

And at the same time, his sword glowed with a bright light.

Whoosh!

It was the same attack he had used to slay the Hippermachant.

It looked like Aura…

‘…but there are so many similar skills in this labyrinth.’

I hadn’t been able to identify it yet, but it didn’t matter.

「Character has cast [Iron Fortress].」

「The effect of [Evolved Hide] is increased by 1.5 times.」

After all…

「75% Resistance against sword-type weapons.」

…it was just a sword attack.

Kwaaang!

The sword that had pierced the Hippermachant’s head like tofu bounced off my shield harmlessly.

The shield’s condition was…

‘…maybe a few scratches?’

Right, fear was always worse than reality.

It wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

Well, there were still some problems.

Whoosh!

His Agility was much higher than mine, and he was dodging most of my attacks.

「Character has cast [Eye of the Storm].」

Even with [Eye of the Storm], which was especially effective in close quarters, my hit rate was only around 30%.

Thud-!

And even when I landed a hit, it didn’t do much damage.

‘His Resistance is low, but his Regeneration is high.’

The wound from my first attack had already healed.

I quickly reassessed the situation.

‘I can’t kill him alone.’

I gave up on defeating him in a one-on-one fight.

Therefore, my next course of action was…

“Elder, do you know the two things that make people angry?”

I asked a random question to distract him…

“……?”

…and then, as he was wondering what I was talking about…

Clang!

…I threw a Molotov cocktail at the pile of corpses.

And…

Whoosh—

…as the flames spread…

Ttadat.

…I charged towards the stairs.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

The stairs were empty. The soundproofing must have been good.

I climbed the stairs, smashing the ceiling as I went, to prevent the Elder from following me easily.

Rumble!

The ceiling started collapsing, as if it had been designed to do so.

Thump!

I ignored the falling debris and continued climbing.

And after about 30 seconds…

Kwang!

…I burst through the trapdoor and emerged into the living room. My teammates and the monster warriors were facing each other, waiting for me…

“Something must have happened! We have to go down and—”

[We have to check on the Elder—]

…and they all stared at me, dumbfounded.

Only Bersil managed to speak.

“Uh… Yandel? What’s going on—?”

It was obvious, wasn’t it?

I didn’t have time to explain. I had to act quickly before the Elder caught up.

So…

To make sure everyone understood, regardless of their age or intelligence…

Crack!

I smashed the nearest monster warrior’s head with my hammer and shouted,

“We’re escaping!”