Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 576
Chapter 576: Return (2)
Fox, Wolf, Goblin, Queen, Butterfly, then me and Auril Gavis.
A total of seven people were present as an unsettling static electrified the air in the Round Table room. Honestly, though, how else could they have taken a bomb like that? The people here were old hands who had been sucked into an unknown world and remained stuck there for at least a few years each.
“Go…”
“…home?”
It was because they had stayed in this place for so long that they knew even better than most. Opening the Gate of the Abyss to return home was close to impossible.
That was why they had accepted their lives here and tried to live as well as they could.
And yet, now…
“Why? Do you not like that reward?”
The situation had changed.
The cause of all this, Auril Gavis, was the one who created Dungeon and Stone.
Now, that man was declaring he would make the impossible possible. If we played his game and won, he would give us a way to return home as a reward.
“Hmm, I thought that would be enough by way of compensation.”
It was an offer that any player would have helplessly run to accept like a moth driven to a flame, yet the members of the Round Table were calmer than expected.
To be fair, who were these guys but the very same individuals who had survived in this brutal and deadly world? If something tantalizing was set in front of them, they knew better than anyone that the safest response was suspicion.
“…I want to hear what the game is first.”
“If it’s something we’ll learn only after joining, then I will not…”
Rather than wag their tails and come running, they decided to collect information first to make the right decision.
At their questioning, Auril Gavis magnanimously answered, “Learn only after joining? That won’t do. The game I have prepared is very simple.”
That was quite odd. From the way he spoke, he just sounded like any ol’ friendly, neighborhood grandpa, but he didn’t feel like that to us at all.
When Auril Gavis paused, the faces of the members were hardened, masks still off their faces. What game would it be? He wasn’t so senile that he would tell us to get up and kill each other right here and now, right?
The old man interrupted my thoughts to say, “It’s a quiz.”
It was a game that no one here could have expected.
“A…quiz?”
“It’s no different from the type of quiz you’re thinking of right now, so don’t look at me with such suspicion,” he chided.
“I wasn’t—I’m just curious how it will proceed…”
“Ah, I haven’t told you that yet. You simply need to get the right answer to the questions I will be giving you. True or false—it’s a simple quiz where you need to select between those two.”
“A yes-or-no quiz…” Goblin echoed under his breath as if something was bothering him.
Auril Gavis added more to his explanation. Well, I didn’t know if it was additional information or not.
“The quiz will proceed until only one person is left. Ah, also, you can give up in the middle of it.”
“Heh…?” Butterfly seemed to take that as a challenge, a sentiment that was shared among all the other members. Not even getting eliminated, but giving up, and in a yes-or-no quiz. Just what did he mean by that?
“Are you saying a situation might arise where we would need to give up?”
To Queen’s pointed question, the old man gave a vague answer. “Who knows?
Maybe you will come to that decision. I respect your free will.”
Respect? Bullshit. We had been dragged here while playing a game in the comfort of our own homes.
My desire to curse him out was overwhelming, but I held back. Nothing would change even if I did.
“In any case, I think I can end the explanation there, so if you want to join, do say it now.” The old man went on to ask who would be joining the game, and the others were quick to decide.
“Are you being truthful by saying that there is no penalty for giving up or getting eliminated?”
“Don’t worry. Didn’t I tell you before? This game is compensation for me taking off your masks.”
“If what you say is true…I will try.”
Queen, the last one still contemplating her options, finally joined the game, and with that, all the members were now a part of the game.
Oh, except for me, of course.
“Sorry, but you can’t join this game,” he said, turning to me. “But don’t be too sad.
You can’t return using this method in the first place, right?”
It was more like he had no intention of letting me do so. He needed me to continue growing so that I would open the Gate of the Abyss sometime in the future.
“Heh…so Lion is different from us? That’s spicy.”
The look in Butterfly’s eyes intensified as she looked at me, but Auril Gavis clapped his hands to gather their attention.
“Let’s not waste time and get to it.”
For the first time, I realized that two paddles, one with “O” and one with “X,” had been placed in front of everyone. This really made it look like we were playing a minigame or something.
…This old man is definitely planning something.
I had to wait and see just what he was scheming.
“Alright, then the first question.”
As the game began, I immediately understood why this old man told us it would be possible for us to give up in the middle of it.
“Fox is a wizard.”
Someone let out a strangled gasp.
“If correct, put up the ‘O,’ and if not, the ‘X,’” Auril Gavis instructed.
This wasn’t a quiz about getting the right answer.
As soon as the first question was announced, unease filled the room once more.
Although she tried her best to school her expression, Fox couldn’t fully hold back her shock.
“Uh…” Because he knew of her situation, Goblin seemed even more nervous as he glanced at Fox’s reaction.
It seemed that Queen also realized the hidden nature of this game. “Hmm…”
Well, it didn’t seem like the other two had caught on yet.
“Heh…can’t we just put up the same paddle Fox puts up? It’s her question.”
“Hoh, not a bad method.”
And so, everyone’s attention was on Fox. She took a moment to think over her options before raising a paddle.
“It’s the ‘O.’”
“So you were a wizard. You did fit the image. Hey, Master? Isn’t it time to confirm it?”
At Butterfly’s question, Auril Gavis nodded. “Congratulations. You were all correct.
Then, we’ll move to the next question. Goblin is a paladin.”
It was then that Wolf and Butterfly also realized what was happening.
The room went so quiet that it was difficult to believe that a game was being played. In the silence, people raised the paddle with the “O” on it, and this process repeated for a while.
“Queen has never stepped foot into the labyrinth.”
‘O’ was the answer to the third question.
“Wolf is the captain of a clan.”
‘O’ again for the fourth.
“Butterfly is a member of Noark.”
And as expected, ‘O’ was the answer for the fifth question as well.
At this point, I nearly questioned why ‘X’ was even an option to begin with.
“Alright, then it’s time for the sixth question.”
With the first round over, the old man’s gaze moved back to Fox, and everyone knew what the look meant. We had all already noticed that this wasn’t a simple game of yes or no. It was a game to expose its members that was disguised as a yes-or-no game. With the true nature of the game revealed and one round now cleared, it was obvious the difficulty of these questions would increase.
“I will say this one last time: I respect your free will, so if you wish to give up, you can tell me whenever.”
Respect our free will…
Although I dismissed it as a cruel joke before, the weight of those words was different this time. He had even given the members a sort of “taste-testing” stage, so to speak. Any doubt as to whether he knew our true identities was erased from our minds. The quality of information we would have to reveal would begin to increase with every passing turn.
“What happens…if we give up here?”
Auril Gavis immediately answered Queen’s question. “Nothing. Oh, but since we’ll have to continue with the game, you’ll need to leave us. One observer is enough.”
“What guarantee is there that we can return home?”
“What do I need to say here for you to believe me? Faith is the only method of erasing doubt.”
“If you can produce any sort of decent proof—”
“If you can’t believe me, then there is only one thing for you to do: leave. So, how about it?”
Everyone could tell that those were the words of a scammer, but Queen couldn’t afford to get up and leave.
Auril Gavis chuckled. “I knew you would do that. In truth, this is the only way for you to return home, correct?”
Queen didn’t respond.
“Lighten up. It’ll all be worth it if you remain until the end and become the victor.
Ah, or shall I give you some time to think while I go have a chat with our friend?
About if I should proceed with this or not, you see. Just like the old days whenever something happened—”
“It’s fine… Continue.”
Queen showed her displeasure by cutting off his words, but Auril Gavis merely continued with the game with palpable glee.
Thanks to everyone only quietly moving their paddles, it only took about three minutes to go through another round.
“Fox has killed an innocent adventurer to steal their money.”
“Goblin has received an oracle from Reatlas before.”
“Wolf is currently residing in District 7.”
“Queen is a noble.”
“Butterfly is a member of Orcules.”
I didn’t know why Fox was the only one who was asked that question about the past, but the second round finished in a flash.
“…Hey, Master? I’ll stop here!”
Butterfly gave up.
“I get the feeling that my name will be said in the next round for some reason. Well, it’s nothing that needs to be hidden…but it’s a little, well, you know? I’m not even sure that you can really send us back home either.”
“I understand your decision. Then could you leave for now?”
Butterfly nodded at the request to leave and then gave a bright farewell after turning to the rest of us. “Let’s meet up together outside sometime!”
Her early-twenties appearance made her seem quite lively as she spoke. Yet, and maybe this was because I learned through this game that she was a member of Noark and of the criminal organization Orcules…
Why do those words sound like a threat?
I couldn’t ignore this feeling of danger. Even though I didn’t know who she was, there was no way she was a normal person.
“…will also stop here.”
Whatever the case, it seemed that seeing Butterfly quickly putting up the white flag and leaving made her regain her senses, as Fox also declared she would leave.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect you to make that choice, Ms. Fox. Weren’t you more desperate than anyone else before?”
“I was…but after dying once and coming back, even that felt meaningless to me.
Right now, my current life is important enough.” After giving that honest answer, Fox sent a cut nod to Auril Gavis. “Still, I was thankful back then. No matter what your intentions were, if you didn’t take me in, I wouldn’t be alive today.”
“…Don’t mention it. Even if not for me, you would’ve done well by yourself, Ms. Fox.”
“Then could I give a short goodbye before I leave?”
“Do as you wish.”
At that, Fox turned and looked everyone in their eyes.
Wolf, Goblin, Queen, and then me.
“I guess we ended up with fewer people somehow. It’s a shame. I didn’t think we’d separate without saying farewell like this.”
“…Neither did I,” Queen was slow to admit.
“Still, it’s good that we can see each other’s faces. It feels like we’re actually, finally speaking person-to-person.”
“Is… Is that so?”
“Yes. At least for me, though I admit I was startled at the start. Whether you end up going home or not, I hope you live a good life. I mean it.”
Queen remained silent for a while at Fox’s words of blessing. It was obvious what she was thinking. She must have been wondering what would lead Fox to say that.
But in the end, she would realize that there was no hidden agenda.
The answer came soon after in a whisper. “…Thank you.”
Fox gave Queen a bright smile before turning her gaze to another person. She glossed right over Wolf, with whom she had only a distant connection, and landed on Goblin for only a moment. However, maybe she figured she could talk to him on the outside, as she didn’t leave any parting words to Goblin and then looked over to me.
“I had something to say to you. May I?” When I gave a small nod to let her proceed, Fox quietly said, “If your life really is as boring as you say, why don’t you take off your mask and make a friend?”
Uh…
“Then your life here might become more interesting too.”
Why did she assume that I had no friends? I had no way of knowing why, but I smirked when I heard what she said next.
“It did for me.”
Well, that was a bit touching.