Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 653
Chapter 653: Event (2)
The awaited fourth day when our efforts would be graded finally came.
The spectator seats were abuzz, filled to capacity with audience members from the moment the early morning breeze began to blow. The onlookers took in their view of the middle of the stage and were greeted with huge drapes covering the buildings that had been built over the past three days. The structures were hidden away to draw their attention and curiosity.
“Hmm, it seems that Baron Yandel’s building is pretty large.”
The representatives of each house being graded today were seated together. The man sitting to my right initiated a conversation with me.
“I’m greatly looking forward to this. Let’s see what kind of building those veteran warriors have constructed!”
I couldn’t detect any hostility or sarcasm in his voice. Rather, it seemed as though he still considered me an opponent yet didn’t really care either way about winning the contest, just that he wanted to use the opportunity to get a little closer to me.
“It’s fate that we met like this, truly. Do visit our house later. I will give you a proper welcome when that day comes.”
“…When I get the time. By the way, Viscount Kiembrota, I don’t think you’ve visited the buildings here after the first day.”
“Haha, I am quite busy with work, so it’s difficult to find the time for leisure…”
Nice lie. It just meant that he wasn’t that eager about it.
To be fair, he wasn’t alone in the sentiment. Even among the other representatives, only one of them personally came over to oversee the construction process. Not that I didn’t understand it myself.
“Still, the manager I chose in my stead told me the work was done well, so I am looking forward to it. Ah, of course, with how skilled the other houses in attendance are, I don’t have my hopes up.”
Every one of them was taken up by the habit of dumping all the work on their subordinates. That way if they lose the contest, it wouldn’t be their fault but instead the fault of their underlings.
“You’re quite modest, Viscount Kiembrota,” a voice remarked. It was the noble to my left, who had apparently been irritated by our conversation. “At least you know you’ll avoid last place.”
Surprised, the viscount asked, “Count Ranglestern? What do you mean by avoiding last place…?”
Ah, right. Him.
He was the only one among the other representatives to stay on the scene like me and oversee the construction process. Naturally, that meant he saw my building as well.
“Did you not hear the news, Lord Viscount? House Yandel built a building that is far from the theme of the contest.”
It seemed the viscount had heard, as he only shot the count an annoyed expression in response.
I sighed. Why were there so many people who made a point of annoying me when I wasn’t even doing anything?
When I ignored him, the count seemed to lose interest as well and turned away from the conversation. The viscount sitting to my right also looked annoyed at the interference, judging by how he focused his attention back on the event.
“Alright, then we will now reveal the first building!”
An explanation about how the buildings would be graded was given, and it finally came time to begin revealing the buildings.
“Waaaaah!”
The cheers of the crowd swelled as the first building was unveiled. The host went into a back-and-forth conversation with the main craftsman who began to present their building, including what the traits of the building were, why it was built the way it was, and how much detail was put into it. They also talked about the realistic cost of living in the building and even boasted about the internal stability.
“The judges will now give their scores!”
The judging process followed immediately after and was divided into three main categories: 25 percent from the construction experts, 25 percent from the noble judges committee, and 50 percent from a random selection of one hundred civilians seated in the crowd. Each category was marked according to its designated percentage, and a high score of one hundred points could be obtained if they received maximum points across the board.
The points of the first building were announced. “A total of 71 points!”
The visually stunning house was the one I viewed as my biggest competition, but the score they received was lower than I expected.
The reason for it was very simple. The building didn’t score highly with the commoners.
“I don’t understand! Look at it!” objected the craftsman who had created the floorplan and oversaw the construction of the building. “What reason do you have to not like the building so much that you gave it a low score?”
One of the commoners who had voted replied, clearly startled by the craftsman’s anger. “Uh… It’s just… The building is great… But I feel like it’s too far from what I need… It’s expensive as well…”
The craftsman clicked his tongue in disbelief. “Hah! Don’t make me laugh!” However, he didn’t try to argue with the spectator votes.
He knew it as well. If he acted up in front of so many attentive eyes, he would be the one to face the ire of his superiors. Regardless, his response made him look terrible.
“Tsk. With how much the commoner vote is worth… it will be difficult to get a fair score.”
Anyway, the first building’s score seemed to shock those watching. The count, whose building was up second, clicked his tongue as he mumbled, “What do those lowly creatures know… I don’t know what the prime minister was thinking when he proposed this scoring system…”
Well, I thought it was a pretty good system.
The reason the common vote was worth so much was to “gamify” the event. The contest was the first big event to be held after all those incidents, after all. From the perspective of the palace, rather than hold a fair contest, it was more important to make a play for the hearts of the citizens.
Anyway, I should tell the marquess when I meet him later that this guy talked bad about him.
Heedless of the grumblings of each house, the event continued on as the scores were declared one by one. The count was second up, showcasing a beautiful yet realistic mansion, and received 76 points. A baron house went after and received 71 points. And the fourth one to showcase their building, the viscount…
“69 points!”
Received the worst score yet and fell to last place. When he did, the count didn’t miss the opportunity and consoled him while putting me down at the same time.
“Don’t worry too much. You’ll be able to save face when the next building is revealed, no?”
He spoke as if it was already a foregone conclusion that I would come last.
Yet again, I didn’t respond to him. The results would speak for themselves.
“And now, the final building! The person everyone here has been waiting for! The Giant! It’s the building of Baron Yandel!”
“Woooo!”
“And this time, the baron himself will be talking about the building rather than leaving it to a craftsman… Please welcome His Lordship with a round of applause!”
When it was announced that I would be going onto the stage personally, the crowd clapped and cheered louder. The count glanced at me with furrowed brows as if I were some kind of clown.
“I don’t know how the grandeur of nobility has fallen to this state…”
He looked at me like I was a tryhard. I had seen that look before while I was just going about my life. Anyone who reacted like that was someone I needed to keep as far from me as possible. Those people had no positive energy about them.
“Welcome, Lord Baron! From what I heard, you played a major part in designing this building. Could we get a brief statement before we begin looking into the building?”
“We’ve worked hard to build something that is closest to joy.”
“Oh! I see! I’m truly looking forward to it. Then we won’t drag this out any further. Reveal the building!”
With the shout of the host, the drape’s ties were undone, and the hidden building was revealed.
“Wahoooo… Ah?”
Sure enough, the cheering stopped as soon as they saw the building. It was a far cry from the fancy buildings we saw before it, after all.
“Haha…! From the outside, it looks quite simple and exudes a sturdy aura! However, surprisingly enough, there are two buildings here! Did you perhaps choose quantity over quality?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah, I see! Certainly! As the results of this contest will determine who will take over the construction of one of the districts of Ravigion, construction speed is quite an important factor in the judging process…!”
What was with this host? Why was he playing off of me so well? Was he a fan of mine, or did the marquess give him an order to make me look good?
Ignoring my growing suspicions, the host tried to forcibly lift the energy on the stage as he continued, “We’re looking forward to what the interior looks like! Let’s all enter the building together! Oh! I see a lot of rooms already on the first floor! It seems that the living room is a bit smaller than usual—”
“Sorry, but that’s the hallway, not the living room.”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, wouldn’t it be laughable to call this a living room to begin with?”
“Y-yes… That is true… Ah, then let’s look at the first room!”
As the recording magic crystal relayed the view of the interior live to the audience, the cheers altogether disappeared.
“Ha… Haha! It’s quite a cozy room, isn’t it? The structure is very interesting as well. Usually, most small rooms like this don’t have a bathroom attached to them… Could we perhaps hear why you—”
“I’ll explain everything at once at the end.”
So the host did get instructions from the marquess. He started sweating even harder every time I refused his help. Even so, he seemed to have accepted it.
First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor…
As we went through each floor and its rooms, the host no longer tried to keep the excitement going. Still, I had to commend the way he refused to let go of hope to the very end.
“Th-then it’s time to look at the second building! I’m looking forward to seeing what sort of secret this one holds—”
“Oh, there’s nothing secret there.”
“Pardon…?”
“It’s the exact same building, so you don’t have to enter that one.”
“I… I see.” The host clenched his eyes shut when his final ray of hope was trampled on mercilessly. However, he didn’t forget his duty even then. “Then could we hear the presentation you said you would give us?”
I slowly took a look around. The great expectations of the audience members had turned into an equally great shock. The nobles looked as if they had expected nothing less. And the host just looked at me with eyes that asked me to not make any more of a mess of the situation.
Tap, tap.
It was the perfect opportunity for a reversal.
“This house is small. Even if you live alone, you can’t keep many things here. And forget a child, even living with your partner will be difficult. No garden or even a terrace to enjoy the air, and the kitchen is also so cramped, you’ll have a hard cooking.”
I drew their attention by openly declaring its weaknesses as a way to raise their curiosity. After all, who knew what I would say next?
“However!” Even without a sound amplification device, I shouted loud enough for everyone to hear, “I will say this here. This is the house closest to joy!”
“…Could we hear the reason you believe that?” the host asked.
“A world where everyone can be happy does not exist.”
In truth, even with modern-day technologies and advancements, it was still impossible to create a system where everyone was happy.
“This house is a house made for a future of happiness!”
I introduced my building with more passion than ever before.
“A house where you can dream of happiness that you might not have right this instant! Even if not everyone can be happy, this is a house where you can hope for a ‘chance’ of being happy in the future.”
Twenty-four homes in a single, four-story building.
“It’s name, Happiness Mansion!”
To put it simply, it was a studio apartment complex.
***
After giving a basic description of Happiness Mansion, I began selling its appeal: a realistic building price and its estimated monthly rent.
That, and about how the small, singular-room apartments actually had efficient setups for all the necessary furniture.
“With that price, it’s cheaper than staying for long periods at the inn…”
“More importantly, that wasn’t a wall…but a closet…?”
“My goodness! The closet has a table in it!”
Perhaps because their first impression of it was so terrible, people quickly changed their minds as soon as the strong points of the building were revealed.
Still, this is a little weak by itself.
Because of that, I even utilized the negative strategy I had prepared beforehand.
I mean, this was a contest, right? Since I was the one going last, I couldn’t directly lower the points of the others, but I could change their perception enough to raise my score over the others ever so slightly.
“How many people do you think would be happy if they lived in the houses shown before this?”
“…Won’t most people living in it be happy? Honestly, if I could, I would want to live in those houses.”
“Well, I don’t know the exact count, but over 90 percent of the people in this city won’t be able to. They will be crushed under the monthly rent, and they’ll need to earn money even if they get injured. Because they’ll need to pay their taxes.”
“Ah…!”
“And look at the structure as well. They’re wasting so much space. Even if they look good, they’re homes that are uncomfortable to live in, and there isn’t any storage space for them either. They’ll immediately become messy as soon as you start having a few more possessions.”
“Hmm…”
“And what about the cost of maintenance? If you want to keep the exterior clean and the lights clear, you’ll need additional spending. Do you want to live in those houses while paying all that? Even though they all look like they’ll collapse if you tap just one or two pillars?”
The more I took logical strikes at the buildings showcased before mine, the quicker the opinions of the audience began to change.
“That’s true… A building like that will lower how much money you’d need for maintenance.”
“It’s not a house we’ll be living in, anyway.”
“Maybe those lowly people will find happiness in a building like that.”
Even the noble judges seemed to shift their opinions.
“We’ve done an internal durability test, and it is quite the sturdy house.”
“I’ve looked at the construction plan, and it’s built upon a very strong foundation.”
“You won’t need to worry about it collapsing even in an earthquake.”
“A fancy exterior will only invite that much more weakness in its structure. This building won’t have to worry about any of that.”
“If you can just maintain it properly, it’ll easily last a hundred years.”
As the public opinion shifted, even the expert builders began to nod and agree with my points. However, it seemed that someone couldn’t just sit idly by.
“How much time are you going to give him?” the count demanded. “Let’s get on with the judging!”
The host regained his senses and began to ask for the final score.
“Th-the results are in!”
As the points were added together, Baron Yandel’s final score was decided. Although it hadn’t been declared yet…
Ba-dump!
My heart beat with joy.
The air felt fresh, and my heart felt calm.
I didn’t feel any uneasiness. Truly the perfect—
“A total of 72 points! Second place!”
“…Huh?”
“The winner of this contest, taking first place with 76 points, is Count Ranglestern! Congratulations…!”
Damn it.
***
I did believe that sometimes, it was more valuable to be second place than to be first. Second place allowed that person to truly look back and internally understand why they lost.
I think I was overwhelming in the commoner vote but looks like the rest was the problem.
The judging nobles and the craftsmen. I’d be willing to bet they didn’t have an emotional response to my philosophical reasoning. They were the type who were usually quite stubborn, to begin with.
“Second place… I will say, you seem to have worked quite hard for this. It is only a one-point difference with the joint third place, though. In any case, your speech was truly surprising, Lord Baron. Of course, not everything will go as you’d like.”
With that, Count Ranglestern thoroughly slammed me with his words before he went up to the podium to receive the reward for coming first in the contest.
I felt like a fire was burning in my heart, but I wasn’t seething over it. I mean, in a way, I succeeded in my original goal?
Since I got second place… I won’t need to worry about this.
I was a little sorry for that count who smiled like the victor, but the District Seven contract would come over to me in the end. That was what the prime minister had promised me, after all, that if the House of Baron Yandel produced a good enough result that didn’t draw negative attention from the others, I would receive the contract.
So, the final winner was me in the end.
I sighed.
But why was I still so annoyed by that guy? And they could’ve just called the first-place house up. Why did we have to go up with him?
I grumbled inwardly and glared at Count Ranglestern standing in front of the marquess.
A light…?
Then suddenly, a bright light flashed from the spectator seats.
There was no moment to register that something was off. My body instinctively reacted before I could think.
Ba-dump!
My heart began to race, sensing the threat.
…Magic.
Only then did my mind recognize the situation for what it was.
Danger.
Not to me, but to them.
I didn’t know what was going on.
But I need to stop it.
It didn’t take long for me to make my decision. The instincts of the shield barbarian overtook my body.
[You have cast Scales of Greed. Your mana resistance is above 500. All magic damage taken will be decreased by 50%].
I cast all my skills and jumped in front of them.
Boom!
An explosion boomed out as I enveloped the targeted person with my body.
Pshhh!
Heat seared down my back.
“…A-an attack!”
The shout brought my sense of time back to normal speed.
The knights nearby belatedly ran up and set up a blockade, and I let out a groan I had been holding in.
“Ouch…”
It hurt more than I expected. As I relaxed my tense arms, the marquess seemed to only then come to his senses as well.
“You…” He looked at me in a daze. “Why did you save me?”
It wasn’t something someone who just got saved should say. But I didn’t have much I could say to him either.
“Uh…”
Why did I block that?