I let out another loud snore. The very image of a mighty savage, dead to the world after a hard day’s work. Zzzzzz! Was I overdoing it? A flicker of worry, but then I heard a low chuckle from the other side of the fire. “Truly, a strange people.” Good. It was working. My performance as a simpleton was apparently convincing enough, thanks to the natural advantage of my race. This widespread perception of barbarians as dull and guileless was proving incredibly useful. It was why I’d committed to the role, even when it meant feigning ignorance about the evil spirits. As the old saying goes, hide a dagger behind a smile. Use their perception of your innocence as the weapon that slits their belly. That sounded a little dramatic, like something a teenager would think was profound. Still, the point stood: it’s best to keep your true thoughts hidden. Just like now. Zzzzzz! I let my head loll to the side, scratching my stomach as if in a deep, oblivious sleep. Anything for realism. All the while, my ears were strained, every ounce of my attention fixed on the older man’s movements. If you give an enemy an opening this wide, and they have any sort of scheme in mind, they’ll make their move. Then again, maybe he really was just going to sleep. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could fall asleep myself. “Alaric. Time to change shifts.” Ah. Right. I hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. “Don’t get complacent just because the goblins haven’t shown,” the man grunted, his voice laced with the weariness of experience. “They’re cunning little bastards.” Perhaps he still had his doubts. He watched me stand and stretch before he lay down on the hard stone, looking just as comfortable as he had before. In less than five minutes, he was breathing the slow, steady rhythm of sleep. A wave of disappointment washed over me. He just… went to sleep. What the hell had I been doing for the last two hours? Damn it. Was I just being paranoid because I’d only met him today? I’d sized him up and decided he was trustworthy, yet I hadn't been able to relax for a second. If I’d known it would be like this, I’d have been better off keeping watch alone. At least then I might have caught a little real sleep. “Hoo…” I was bone-tired, the exhaustion settling deep in my muscles. Having the man sleeping soundly beside me only made the drowsiness worse. Still, it was my turn. I focused my mind, fighting to keep my eyes open, to push back the crushing weight of exhaustion. But then, a voice broke through the fog. “Alaric, get up.” “I didn’t sleep.” “Tell that to the drool on your chin.” I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth and found it wet. “Well, at least when you sleep standing up, your nose doesn’t get stuffy.” So I really had dozed off. Even if it was just for a moment, with only ten minutes left in my watch. My heart hammered against my ribs. But before I could start berating myself, there was something else I had to do. I apologized, my voice clear and frank. “I’m sorry.” This wasn’t part of the barbarian act. I was serious. Our night watch agreement was a trade. He’d provided a safe watch for me, and I’d failed to return the favor. An apology was the least I could offer. I had no desire to become the kind of person I despised most. “No harm done,” he said, his expression untroubled. “Fortunately, nothing happened. It’s no big deal.” “Thank you. You can sleep more if you want. I’ll take another watch.” “No, I can’t do that. It’s your turn. Get some rest. I’ll take over.” He could have been angry, but instead, he just offered a friendly smile. Not wanting to argue, I went back to my spot and sat down. Again, sleep wouldn’t come. This man, like the other adventurers I’d met, was far too trusting. Was it normal to entrust your life to someone you’d just met? Did they all have this much nerve? Whichever way I looked at it, the whole thing felt like bullshit. And so, just as I had before, I started snoring again. Zzzzzzzz! I couldn’t help it. I was sorry, but the man’s kindness was starting to set off every alarm in my head. Zzzzzzzz! That overly friendly demeanor of his reminded me of a con man. The way he’d said there was no need to find another person for the watch. The way he hadn’t even mentioned the foul smell in the cave. And just now, not only did he not blame me for sleeping on my shift, he’d actually refused my offer to make up for it. Of course, it was possible I was just a paranoid bastard and he was genuinely a good person. But in my experience, the kind ones were the most dangerous. It was always them, the ones with the friendly smiles, who ended up stabbing you in the back. The old me would have been on high alert by now. Don’t make the same mistake twice. Not if you have even an ounce of intelligence. Zzzzzzzz! Maybe I should just call this off, break our agreement right now. The thought barely had time to form before I heard it. Click. A small sound, sharp and out of place. A backpack buckle? A belt? The heel of a boot? My mind couldn’t place the source, but the barbarian’s body I inhabited didn't need to. It responded with pure instinct. Danger. Was this the killing intent they talked about in stories? Goosebumps erupted across my skin. My eyes snapped open. “You’re awake.” The old man was still smiling, a strangely cheerful look on his face. And in his hands, held high above his head, was his two-handed hammer, still caked with goblin blood and gore. This son of a bitch. Move! My body, trained since birth for combat, reacted faster than thought. I was already rolling sideways before my brain had fully processed the command. CRASH! The hammer smashed into the stone floor right where my head had been. I used the momentum of my roll to spring to my feet, my posture already set for a fight. “Eh!” The man’s surprise attack had failed, and a look of pure bewilderment crossed his face. I didn’t give him time to ask why. I charged. “W-wait!” Was he going to make an excuse? Claim he didn’t mean it? That it was just a prank? If so, it was a pretty damn funny one. Just how stupid did he think barbarians were? The heavy rim of my shield caught him squarely on the chin. But humans were sturdier than goblins. He staggered back, spitting blood, but he didn’t fall. So I hit him again. Thwack! Smash. “Kaaaha!” The hammer clattered from his hands and hit the floor with a heavy thud. His nose was a swollen, bloody ruin. Oh, does that hurt? Probably. But I didn’t care. Right now, I needed to be the kind of bastard who didn’t care about things like that. So, one more time— “S-stop! Wait, I can explain!” “Smash.” After another shield blow to the face, the man finally crumpled to his knees. In game terms, he was incapacitated. Which meant we could finally have a conversation. “Uncle.” “Please, I was wrong! Spare me!” Already begging for forgiveness? Quick on the uptake, but not very wise. Forgiveness wasn’t what I was interested in. “Why?” “I… I got greedy! For the mana stones! I was just going to knock you out and take them. Believe me!” Believe him? Not a chance. If I were overflowing with that much love for humanity, I’d have had a few more friends. “The shield! I was going to take the shield, too!” he added quickly as I slowly raised it again. This is why I don’t trust people. They lie so easily, weaving one falsehood into another without a care in the world. “Why the shield?” “Barbarian gear… it’s good quality. I figured I could sell it when I got back to the city.” He wasn’t wrong. Most of the starting equipment barbarians received was comparatively valuable. The sheer weight of steel in them was higher than average. My shield alone was a solid slab of it. But to kill someone for it? When I thought about it, it wasn't entirely unbelievable. But… “Bullshit.” He was still hiding something. “The truth. Why?” I pressed my foot onto the man’s chest, just as I had with the goblin. “Ugh!” Deep, primal fear bloomed in his eyes. But this bastard had just tried to kill me, and surprisingly, I felt nothing. It was like they say about slaughtering a cow—you just learn not to look it in the eye. You ignore it. Just as I was thinking of ending this, the man gasped out another word. “Hea-heart!” “Heart?” That was unexpected. I looked at him, my eyes demanding an explanation. With a resigned expression, he spoke. “A barbarian’s heart… it sells for a high price.” “Why?” “I-I don’t know for sure. They say it’s an ingredient for some new magic potion!” “I see.” Now the motive was clear. To this man, I was no different from a goblin. A difficult catch, but one that promised a huge reward. “Why attack now, instead of when I first went to sleep?” “I have to sleep, too.” Of course. If possible, it’s better to get your rest and earn your money. I’d mistaken his caution for a twisted kind of efficiency. “I’ve told you everything, so please… forgive me.” “Forgive you?” I couldn’t help but laugh. Forgive him? The man who was about to carve out my heart and sell it for potion ingredients was now asking for forgiveness? If I’d been a fraction of a second slower, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to beg for my own life. “Please…” Well, everyone wants to live. I suppose this was inevitable. At least he was trying to be polite about it. However. “You have to pay the price for what you did, uncle.” The people I hate most are the ones who do whatever they want and then dodge all responsibility. Therefore… “I’ll give you everything I have! I don’t have much now, but if I can just get back to the city—” I don’t believe you. In that respect, what was the difference between him and a goblin? A goblin was an enemy from the start, but with this man, there had been a chance for something else. That alone made him worse. Of course, that was just an emotional response, and I don’t make choices based on emotion. Or at least, I try not to. “I’m probably going to meet countless people like you from now on. They’ll all say the same thing. Should I forgive every single one of them?” Forgiveness is a dangerous word. A decision made with a soft heart often comes back as a dagger in the back. I know that better than anyone. So this time, I have no choice. In this brutal world, a mistake wouldn’t just leave a scar on my heart; it would threaten my life. “I’m sorry, uncle. I don’t think I can do that. I’ve been stabbed in the back far too many times.” “Oh, no! No! I’m different!” Come to think of it, the goblin had said the same thing. Or at least, that’s what I’d read in its eyes. So, what comes next? I raised the shield high with both hands. This time, unlike before, I paused for a moment. But the hesitation didn’t last long. As if some unseen force were pulling my arms down… “Oh, no, please!” I brought the shield down with all my might. Crunch. After the sound of cracking bone, there was only a dull silence. < Achievement Unlocked! > Condition: First Human Kill. Reward: Mind permanently increased by +1. I didn’t turn away from what I had done. I accepted it. About a day had passed since I entered this game world. I had killed a man. And in return, I received one large hammer, a set of shoulder pauldrons, a pair of leather boots, a compass, a knife, a pocket watch, a waterskin, a backpack, a blanket, some herbs and bandages, one potion, six days’ worth of rations, and thirty-two Rank 9 mana stones.

Chapter 7: A dagger behind a smile