Surviving the Game as a Barbarian Chapter 571: Last Community (1)

A customization room filled wall-to-wall with dozens of costus and even more masks.

As soon as I opened my eyes there, I dressed in my usual navy suit and placed the lion mask atop my head.

There was no wasted movent or ti in the process.

I’d grown far too accustod to it by now.

After coming here every month, I could almost find and put on the clothes and mask with my eyes closed.

“The last... huh.”

There was a bittersweet feeling—a mix of regret and sadness.

Even though recently, the information from the Round Table hadn’t mattered much to like before.

“...”

For so reason, I couldn’t tear myself away.

After fully dressing, I stood dazed for a while, scanning the displayed masks and costus.

Then a thought suddenly ca to .

Honestly, I had almost forgotten.

“The fate that most resembles you...”

When a new mber first enters the Round Table’s Observer role, instinctively they choose the mask closest to their own fate.

Then why was mine the male lion mask?

Better than goblins or orcs, certainly, but why did I pick this mask?

‘I was actually more of a tiger person.’

Since quite so ti had passed after choosing this mask, I wondered if there were clues, but nothing ca to mind.

So I just moved on.

Why is the fox a fox?

Why a goblin?

What’s the deal with the deer antlers?

It’s not even a deer mask—it’s just a plain mask with antlers attached.

“...No idea.”

With no more ti to linger, I took my leave and stepped out into the hallway, passing over the red carpet I’d walked countless tis, pondering.

What masks would my comrades have picked if they ca to the Round Table?

‘Ainard would probably be a golden dog...’

I thought about all the Clan Anabada mbers, including Alia and Elwen, as well as forr comrades Raven, that dwarf, and Rotmiller’s masks.

Without aning to, Misha was the last.

‘Misha...’

Was much easier than the others.

Though for a feline race, it might not be a fitting mask.

‘More like a dog than a cat...’

Not an ordinary dog, of course.

The dog mask displayed in the farthest, least visible corner, scarred all over, seed right for her.

The problem was, I probably left so of those scars myself.

‘Enough.’

I stopped my musings there.

“Ah... you ca after all. I was relieved. I feared I wouldn’t even get to say goodbye.”

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...

‘I’d be upset if even one was missing.’

Fortunately, all the masks I’d seen every month had arrived.

Deer antlers, crescent moon, fox, clown.

From the original founding mbers present since I first ca to the Round Table,

To the goblin I t on returning, the queen who infiltrated under GM’s special order, and the recently joined mysterious trio: Black Mask, Wolf, and Butterfly.

Everyone sat in their places, looking at .

“...”

Were they waiting for to say sothing for this last eting?

I didn’t know.

Ignoring all those gazes, I headed straight to my seat, keeping the concept to the end.

Boom—!

Usually, after the door closes and I sit, the eting starts, but today was different.

Instead of jumping straight into the eting, everyone chatted.

“This really is the last... feels like a bolt from the blue.”

“Right... from next month, nothing like this anymore.”

“Well, at least we can sleep well. Every ti on this day, the next day was tough.”

Their murmurs carried deep regret.

Even the queen, a staff mber, showed so emotion.

“...It’s unfortunate. There’s still so much we haven’t figured out.”

The queen’s brief show of feeling prompted the goblin, who glanced around cautiously, to ask.

“Um... then why not just not shut down?”

“That might be difficult. There are reasons on our side too.”

“What kind of reasons... could you tell us?”

“Sorry, Crescent Moon, it’s hard to say. But just one thing... This is an incident beyond our will.”

“...Is it really pressure from the royal family?”

“No comnt on that, Fox.”

As expected, the queen was the focal point of the conversation—being staff, she likely knew a lot about this incident.

Of course, so expected sothing else.

“...But it seems that person won’t co?”

“That person?”

“The Master. I hoped the Master might show up today.”

Wolf mask murmured, and the queen nodded in agreent.

Indeed, he was interested in the Master.

While focusing on the discussion, I saw the goblin timidly raise a hand.

“Do you have sothing to say?”

“Well... since this is the last ti... how about introducing ourselves?”

A proposal so strange everyone looked at the goblin in disbelief.

But the goblin continued, unfazed.

“It’s fate we t like this. If we part now, who knows when we’ll et again. We might help each other outside... or even make a new space out there—.”

“Goblin, stop it.”

Fox cut off the goblin’s rambling.

“This place exists only because anonymity is guaranteed. Who’d openly reveal their real nas?”

“That’s true... but it’s sad...”

“Heh, still cute you think that. I don’t mind revealing myself since everyone already knows... Ah, Goblin, that applies to you too, right? Hehe, isn’t that a clever plan? A proposal where only you don’t lose out!”

“Ah, no... that wasn’t my intention...”

Goblin flustered at the clown’s taunt.

Surprisingly, the queen stepped up to defend him.

“Goblin, no need to explain. Everyone knows that wasn’t your intent.”

“...Really?”

“Yes. You’re just sad, that’s all.”

Her voice dripped with lingering regret.

It wasn’t a graduation ceremony, but still.

He was genuinely kind-hearted. Or maybe just a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) good person? He was practically the weakest mber at the Round Table.

‘Isn’t it about ti to start?’

Though it was the last eting and everyone was wistful, they hadn’t gathered just to socialize.

But—

“Then let’s stop talking—”

Just as Fox finished her chatter and was about to start the eting,

“Wait.”

Crescent Moon, one of the founding mbers, interrupted.

“May I make a suggestion?”

“...A suggestion?”

“We don’t know what will happen next, but this might really be the last ti. So...”

Crescent Moon looked around and put forth the idea.

“How about we change the rules this once?”

“...Change? What do you an?”

“Take turns asking and answering questions. Everyone probably has questions they want answered.”

“Hmm...”

Everyone gave a strange look to Crescent Moon’s suggestion.

It didn’t look like they welcod it.

Feeling this mood, Crescent Moon quickly added one condition to the changed rule.

“Of course, you don’t have to answer anything uncomfortable. And then we go back to normal. How’s that?”

Silence followed Crescent Moon’s proposal.

In the quiet atmosphere, one person with no reason to be shy stepped forward.

“Pfft, isn’t that condition way too weak? Who’d answer then? They’d just spill whatever info they prepared.”

Everyone thought the sa.

If there’s no penalty, there’s no reason to follow the condition.

Accepting the condition only benefits the asker. Others might not care about the answers.

“My earlier proposal... please forget it.”

Eventually, Crescent Moon admitted his idea was short-sighted and withdrew it. Fox, sensing the mont, took the role of moderator at the right ti.

“Then first up is Deer Antler... will you go?”

“Sure.”

The first turn was the royal knight Deer Antler.

His information was brief and clear.

“It is very unlikely that the community shutdown is related to the royal family.”

“Speculative info... You know we’ll need convincing reasons for that, right?”

“The royal family planned to send the exploration team to the basent floor and use the community to share information. If they intended to close it, they wouldn’t have made such plans.”

“So you just didn’t know it was confidential?”

The question implied whether the royal family had plans unknown to the rest. Deer Antler showed visible displeasure but did not answer.

It was indeed possible.

“Judgnt is yours.”

Deer Antler left the decision to the mbers, who accepted it.

A simple reason.

“Exploration team? I knew there was control, but I never expected the royal family sent them underground...”

So didn’t even know about the exploration team.

Only Wolf showed his displeasure, but Clown, from Noir Arc, probably knew nothing either.

Still, getting the okay was a bit surprising.

‘Maybe because it’s the last eting? They’re unusually lenient today.’

Anyway, moving on.

Next was Fox.

“According to reliable sources... the exploration team has already joined Baron Yandel and is exploring together.”

Fox’s info concerned exploration, which to was inevitable.

We’d been stuck underground for months.

So there wouldn’t be any new news to share here.

“But... isn’t that a rather worthless piece of info?”

However, the queen interrupted, and others nodded in agreent.

So the second piece of info was...

“Bjorn Yandel has consud the Essence of Bellarios.”

Sigh, it’s co to this.

It felt like my personal information was leaking, but I wasn’t upset.

With so many witnesses, news would spread as soon as the exploration team returned.

Well, I brought it up knowing that.

“Bellarios was... a grade 3 monster.”

“Has he already gotten several grade 3s?”

“Do you know what color he consud?”

“Pfft, what would a barbarian care about besides getting tougher?”

“I hear even auras don’t affect him anymore... Magic is no longer his weakness.”

I realized Bjorn Yandel had beco famous.

Seeing the usually indifferent mbers mutter and toss comnts was surprising.

“Then... let’s move on.”

Fox quickly resud the eting, not wanting more talk about .

“Haha! Then I’ll go next.”

Next was Wolf.

Auril Gavis, who had once been the Round Table’s Master, an old user who suspiciously supported and defended that old man and released related information.

“Auril Gavis is currently staying outside the castle walls.”

His info again involved that old man.

‘Outside the castle walls... Ibaekho’s guess was right.’

Though brief, the info was trustworthy given the source.

“Then next is...”

After Wolf’s turn, the eting continued without incident.

“Recently... a prophecy was delivered. In the form of a precognitive dream.”

“Pfft, another prophecy from you—.”

“In that dream, Bjorn Yandel dies.”

Goblin gave this already over prophecy as if it were breaking news.

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

Though shocked, people’s heads seed to be covered in question marks, Goblin fell silent and ended his turn.

Yes, that’s how you lower morale.

After that, all the info was short.

“Ghost Busters will never be revived.”

The queen made it clear in her turn.

Crescent Moon ntioned dwarves’ plan to newly create a world-ending weapon.

Butterfly, Black Mask, and Clown also gave moderate info, perhaps saving energy.

“Well... now it’s the last.”

Finally, my turn ca.

As always, eager eyes were on .

But I ignored them all, staring at one point.

“...”

Crescent Moon looked at with the most earnest eyes.

I sohow found it hard to et that gaze.

[Take turns asking and answering questions.]

Crescent Moon’s rule change was all because of . Since it was the last ti, soone would have wanted to ask sothing.

‘I thought about it... but can’t bring myself to speak.’

In fact, I had decided on the first piece of info I’d give even before coming. Sothing I had to say before the eting ended.

So I forced my reluctant mouth open.

“The Resurrection Stone is...”

The mont I ntioned it, Crescent Moon’s eyes flickered.

Of course, it was brief.

“...Only usable shortly after death.”

“...?”

“It can only be used when the corpse is still present.”

The light of hope in one man’s eyes faded.

At the sa ti, I heard again in my mind what Ibaekho said earlier.

[But isn’t it a bit hypocritical? You’ve always tricked and deceived others, just like Nyang-i.]

Misha, Ibaekho, anyone.

Maybe none of them had the right to be angry at .