Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 464
C464: Proof (4)
The hidden reward for defeating Riakis is straightforward.
After the raid, if you step into the flames at the cabin, your mental resistance greatly increases, and your character is transported to the Witch’s Forest.
And then…
[Achievement Unlocked]
Condition: Defeat the Lord of Chaos, Riakis
Reward: Mental Resistance +50 (Permanent)
If you open the achievement window again, you will see that ‘???’ has changed.
It was a very unique hidden piece in [Dungeon & Stone].
The fact that it’s an achievement reward that requires you to go to a specific place, and the fact that it’s a time-limited reward if you don’t visit later.
Above all…
[Your mental resistance permanently increases by +50.]
The phrase ends carelessly in one line.
No mention of unknown powers inhabiting the body.
No blessings bestowed by hidden beings.
The usual phrases that pop up when you discover hidden pieces are completely absent.
So, I tried various experiments wondering if I missed something, but the result was the same.
So I just thought there was nothing hidden…
[Error Occurred]
Where am I?
This definitely isn’t the Witch’s Forest.
[Unable to locate character]
[Character log transmission temporarily suspended.]
Who is this girl?
Tap, tap, tap.
The campfire burned and dimly lit the place.
Despite looking around, the girl did not answer my first question.
Just when the girl was breaking her silence.
“[…Elise Groundia.]”
It sounded like a voice in my head, not through my ears.
The voice itself was surprisingly ordinary.
But…
“…What the fuck—?”
The words came out of my mouth with goosebumps all over my body.
That’s how famous the name was.
“Ah, sorry for swearing. I’m a barbarian. I get like this when I’m too shocked.”
I took a deep breath and scrutinized the girl.
She didn’t seem to be joking around.
But that didn’t mean I could just accept it easily.
Is she really the Earth Witch?
It’s just too hard to believe.
Yet, I decided to coolly acknowledge it.
After all, why shouldn’t I believe it?
Wasn’t the witch supposed to be alive?
After all, a girl I met in such a place couldn’t be just any girl.
So…
‘This could actually be a good thing.’
If she really is the earth witch, I might get a chance to have a long conversation and gather valuable information—
[You must not open the Gate of the Abyss.]
Huh?
What on earth does that mean?
Before I can ask, it happened:
Whooosh—!
A strangely eerie wind blew, and the space mixed like clearing fog.
I reached out desperately towards the blurring witch.
But in the end, what my fingertips meet is—
“…Jandel, what in the world are you doing?”
—Amelia’s angry face.
[Character position confirmed]
[Resuming character log transmission]
We returned to the Witch’s Forest.
After a moment of feeling like I was possessed by a ghost, I checked with my companions to see if they had experienced a similar phenomenon.
“…A field covered in fog? What are you talking about?”
“We just came out here!”
So, they experienced nothing of the sort…
“Guess I must have been seeing things.”
Since I didn’t fully understand what happened myself, I gave a vague explanation.
Amelia glanced at me suspiciously, but didn’t probe further.
[23:50]
After checking the time, we decided to end the exploration here and spent the time freely relaxing.
“Hey, Bjo—!”
“Pheneline, don’t bother him. He looks like he needs to think.”
“Oh… alright…”
Although it was only a few minutes, thanks to Amelia, I could peacefully organize my thoughts.
The event I just experienced was definitely not a dream.
That girl I met must be the earth witch.
There was no doubt about it.
But…
‘Do not open the door to the abyss.’
What was that supposed to mean?
And why did it only happen to me?
Auril Gavis was the same, and for some reason, everyone seems to have bizarre expectations of me.
‘…Is it just because I’m an original-clear user?’
Phew, I think hard every day, but why does it feel like there’s always more to consider?
[The labyrinth has been closed]
In the end, I didn’t find the answer to my thoughts until the labyrinth closed.
[The character is moving to Raphdonia]
As usual, the city’s sky was blurry.
“Wait, is that him…….”
“It’s Baron Jandel…”
Returning to the Dimensional Plaza, explorers who recognized me whispered. By now, it’s basically routine, so I pay them no mind and look around.
“…This time was really dangerous.”
“At least no one died. Let’s hurry and get some rest.”
The explorers from the 7th floor looked particularly tired.
Their equipment was in terrible condition.
‘Was there some incident?’
Must’ve been some big incident…
I’ll ask about it later.
I don’t even have to go to the Round Table for that kind of intel anymore—I can just ask Vercil in person.
The more fame I get, the less I need the Round Table.
‘Still, that clown bastard and the GM’s side chick are there, so I can’t skip it entirely.’
I slowly started walking towards the checkpoint.
In the past, I’d have rushed to line up as soon as possible, but not now.
“Bjorn! Here! Here!”
This is the integrated checkpoint that only Rank 4 or higher teams can use.
At this level, most groups are clans, so there’s basically no line. Groups of 10 or more must use a different checkpoint anyway.
‘I should probably raise our clan rank soon, I don’t want to waste time at checkpoints later.’
Because the line is short and we didn’t pick up many magic stones, it doesn’t take long to get through.
So…
“Aynar, you heading straight to the pub?”
“Yeah. See you later!”
After parting ways with Ainar, I headed directly home.
‘Right, I have to deal with this house by the end of the month…’
Even though I’m home, which is a place to relax, I have to think about the tasks I need to handle next
I’ve literally just returned from catching Riakis.
“I’m going to wash up first. You guys take care of yourselves and get some rest.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Mister.”
“Get some rest, Jandel.”
I wash off all the grime from our expedition, then collapse onto my bed.
“Phew…”
Time to sleep.
I’ll need to get up early tomorrow.
***
The next morning at 6 AM.
Trying not to wake Amelia and Erwin, I quietly washed up and went out to the streets.
“Yawn.”
I’m so sleepy.
‘I went to bed around 2 p.m., so I’ve slept about 15 hours…’
Thanks to the 15-day exploration ending at the 3rd floor, it’s a bit better, but my body was still tired.
Phew. Usually, the day after an exploration is “stay home and relax” time…
“It’s an honor to have you aboard, Baron Jandel.”
Soon after reaching the public station, I boarded the noble’s carriage and headed to the capital, Carnon.
It had been a while since I took a carriage to the capital.
When meeting the marquis, the marquis paid, and when attending a royal event, the royal family covered the costs.
‘I might as well sleep on the way.’
Thinking I saved 700,000 stones despite the slight inconvenience made me comfortable enough to drift off to sleep.
[13:10]
It was a little after noon when the carriage arrived at its destination.
Chew, chew.
As I made my way to the manor’s gates, stuffing my face with jerky, a rabbit-eared guard approached me.
There were no problems with him not recognising my identity.
“Welcome to the house of Lirivia, Baron Jandel.”
The guard, welcoming me to the baroness’s estate, led me inside.
I was struck by the extreme hospitality.
‘…So this is the dignity of a noble house.’
Every little part seemed to contain unseen efforts.
Even if I buy land, erect a building, and call it House Jandel someday, it would take a long time to match this level of detail.
“Baron Jandel, it’s been a while.”
Following the guard, I arrived in a room where the baroness I had met during the ceremony entered.
“Long time no see. Baroness Lirivia. Your home is quite nice”
“Hehe, thank you for your kind words. But it seems you’re not nervous?”
“Should I be?”
“No, not really. It means that you seem comfortable. And honestly, I can’t imagine Baron Jandel being nervous.”
“I do get nervous. When my life is at stake.”
“Such words make you sound like a true explorer.”
A veteran of high society, Baroness Lirivia has excellent communication skills. She kept the conversation flowing even though I was basically just answering her questions.
“Oh my, time’s running short. I have some work to do as host for today’s meeting, so I’ll be going. I also have to greet the other families”
“So, where should I go?”
When I asked, she tilted her head and laughed.
“You don’t need to worry about that, Baron. When the time comes, someone will come to guide you. Until then, please make yourself at home.”
“…Got it. See you later, then.”
About 30 minutes after the rabbit Baroness spoke, the guide came.
“The heads are waiting for you.”
We soon arrived at a large study that instantly reminded me of the Round Table.
It’s no wonder, a round table was placed at the center of the study.
‘Does this world not have meetings without a Round Table?’
The thought made me laugh, but I controlled myself.
I couldn’t leave a first impression of being a weirdo..
“……”
Without looking around, I noticed that everyone in the room was looking at me.
Everyone seemed curious about the new member.
‘If they were this curious, they could have at least said hello during the promotion ceremony.’
But apparently they didn’t come because they feared drawing attention.
Recalling what the rabbit Baroness had said and seeing this scene, I can’t help but think: They really are a bunch of shy herbivores.
“Pardon me, Baron Jandel, but could you stand over there for a moment? It won’t take long.”
“All right.”
“Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s open with our first agenda item.”
The rabbit Baroness, sitting at the head of the table, acted as the moderator for the meeting.
“Today’s first agenda item is Baron Jandel’s admission. In keeping with our council’s principle of equality, anyone may freely speak before we vote. Once a majority is reached and the motion is approved, we will accept that result graciously.”
So this is the vibe here.
No wonder they’re using a big round table where everyone can face each other.
“There’s something I’d like to ask Baron Jandel first.”
As soon as the meeting started, a fairy man with a mustache raised his hand. His blue hair indicated which family he was from.
“Go ahead.”
“First, let me introduce myself. I am Baron Heskaira. It’s truly a pleasure to meet a hero like you in this setting.”
“Likewise. I am Baron Jandel. Now, what did you want to ask?”
“Rumor has it you recently became the Barbarian Chief. Is that true?”
“It is.”
There’s no point in hiding it, so I gave an immediate nod.
None of the other house heads look surprised. It seems they’re already aware.
After all, the important part was what came next.
“We’ve heard much about you, Baron Jandel, so I’ll be direct. Why did you do such a thing? Were you unaware of the unwritten rule here?”
“Of course not. I was aware.”
Recognizing my cool acknowledgment, the family heads seemed intrigued.
“You knew, and yet you still did it…”
“Because that unwritten rule wasn’t benefiting me in any way.”
“…Those words can’t be taken lightly.”
“Why not?”
“We’ve been making efforts not to arouse hostility from the established noble houses. But Baron Jandel, you’ve undone our years of effort.”
“I know. We’ve shown everyone that we distance ourselves from our sanctuary and are loyal to the royal family.”
“Baron Jandel, even knowing that—”
It was time to leave my first impression with them.
“But so what.”
I interrupted the mustached Baron.
This behavior might seem rude to those born and raised in noble houses…
“What has changed, really?”
After all, I am a Barbarian.
“……”
Silenced by my question, the fairy gentleman looked bewildered and I looked around the room.
It was the perfect moment to make my character known.
“Let’s be honest—everyone here knows it, don’t they? No matter how much we pretend to draw a line between ourselves and the sanctuary, they’ll never truly accept us.”
Besides, it’s not as if that line was ever firmly drawn in the first place.
It was more like turning a blind eye, hoping no one would notice.
They simply avoided directly sitting in the seat of power in their respective tribes; nonetheless, every single noble house here maintains some sort of behind-the-scenes connection with their sanctuary.
‘The reason they were so eager to bring me on board was precisely because they can gain the support of the barbarians’
If you’re going to bow down, do it completely. If you’re going to stand up, do it quickly and decisively. That’s the way politics usually works.
How come these so-politicians seem to know less about it than I do?
“Right, then—any more questions?”
“None from me. At least… I feel I now know what sort of person Baron Jandel is.”
Once Baron Heskaira ended his turn, Baroness Rabbit continued the proceedings.
“Does anyone else have questions for Baron Jandel, or any other opinions to express?”
“……”
“If not, we shall begin the vote. Those in favor of Baron Jandel’s admission, please raise your hand to show your support.”
The vote began unexpectedly.
I had no problem with it not being a secret ballot, but I never imagined it would be done simply by a show of hands.
“……”
In the silence, the heads of each household began to raise their hands one by one, much to my astonishment, given the outdated method.
Fortunately, the results were as I expected.
“Thirty-one houses have voted in favor. Therefore, Baron Jandel’s admission is approved.”
Unanimous.
“From today onwards, an enemy of Baron Jandel’s house is an enemy of ours, and we will not abandon Baron Jandel’s house under any circumstances.”
The barons clapped their hands at the end of Baroness Rabbit’s words, but they weren’t particularly pleased.
After all, this was the first Barbarian noble house in 600 years.
Even if I had dropped my trousers and defecated in the middle of the room, the result would likely have been no different.
They had come to terms with their powerlessness and the inevitability of waiting endlessly for a change.
They would have been fine with accepting me, even if I were a senseless mass murderer, and waited until I had a son, hoping he would possess some humanity.
“Baron Jandel, you may now take your seat.”
The applause stopped as I made my way to the only empty seat and sat down, and Baroness Rabbit offered a few words of advice before continuing the meeting.
“The second agenda is regarding support for Baron Jandel’s house.”
Essentially, the outcome of this was also predetermined.
Supporting the establishment of Baron Jandel’s house was a foregone conclusion.
However, discussions continued on how much to invest, which lands to purchase, and how much support would follow.
And…
‘This much is certain, I’ve drawn the maximum support possible…’
Thanks to Baroness Rabbit’s vigorous representation, the support funds were set a bit higher than expected.
So, onto the next item.
“The third agenda is…”
Baroness Rabbit glanced at me nervously and continued.
“The formal support for Baron Jandel and Clan Anabada.”
“…Clan Anabada, that’s the clan under Baron Jandel’s command, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
As expected, the room buzzed with whispers as she finished speaking.
“We accepted that Baron Jandel’s house would benefit us, but this is a completely different matter.”
“Support for a private entity not a noble house? There is no precedent for that!”
Questions flew from all directions, and they all converged on one critical point.
“Why should we do this?”
Was there a valid reason for this action?
“That’s because—”
Before Baroness Rabbit could respond, I stood up.
‘No, I can’t leave this to others.’
After all, one must prove their own worth.