[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian":3,"chapter-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-130":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Surviving the Game as a Barbarian",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1327750,1764,"Chapter 130 Kaltstein (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-130",130,"\u003Cp>Kaltstein (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaltstein (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does the master truly want from me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This has been a constant question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have a guess, but it’s not at a level where I can be certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, Plan B.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I planned to have Misha come out in front of everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s the thing the master would dislike the most in the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Right, the best way to hinder someone is to prevent them from doing what they want to do.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as a result of having a barbarian-style conversation…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I was finally able to hear his unfiltered true intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know you used that item.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Spirit Ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a Numbered Item that allows you to make a guaranteed contract with the Glacier Beast Skadi when you activate the hidden piece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It wouldn’t be strange for the chieftain to know about it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a possibility I had already considered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t think I used ‘that item’, there would be no reason for him to treat Misha like an outsider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the master isn’t certain either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That item? What are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A twenty-five-year-old Red Cat beastman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The probability of naturally making a contract with Skadi with those conditions is practically 0%…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ‘close to’ and 0 are different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he’s testing me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He has suspicions but no evidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your acting is clumsy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clumsy my ass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve fooled countless people so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you talking about? Speak in a way I can understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m talking about ‘that item’ that allows you to make a contract with the Glacier Beast Skadi. You can’t deny knowing about it, can you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master stares at me with a look that says, ‘don’t lie, I know everything’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does he think barbarians are idiots?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s such an item? Then why didn’t you give it to Misha?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because it’s a very valuable item. There’s no way I would give it to someone who’s not even my child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I hear those words, I involuntarily look at Misha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, she looks like she’s about to cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I decide to comfort her later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I continue acting like a clueless barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Valuable item? Then it’s even stranger. How could I possibly have such an item?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, maybe you obtained it by chance from that Magic Tower you frequent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the, damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does he really know everything?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body stiffens involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I decide to glare at the master to make up for my mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Did you even investigate me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a barbarian who’s pissed off by his crossing the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This shouldn’t make my previous action seem too awkward—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you, your acting is clumsy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bullshit, I believe in my acting skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t budge and ask back in annoyance,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what is that item? What is it that you’re bothering me so much for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You keep denying it. It’s an item that shouldn’t be known to outsiders. If you admit it, then I’ll tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no inconsistency in the master’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’s just testing me, it’s only natural that he can’t tell me the name of the item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why does it feel so strange?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I feel a strong sense of dissonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My intuition, honed from defeating countless bastards who tried to exploit me, is telling me that something is wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does that item even exist? Or do you actually have another purpose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, I ask again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I focus all my senses on observing the master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A momentary hesitation, a change in his facial muscles. Where is his gaze directed, and how does his voice sound?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course it exists. What other purpose could there be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I observe every moment of his brief answer with suspicious eyes, although I’m not an expert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I instinctively realize it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master is lying right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha, so this was it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, the last question I had is answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could have tested me in other ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be honest. If you’re keeping quiet because you’re worried about this child, I’ll take care of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is the master even saying these contradictory things?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything makes sense now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his goal wasn’t Misha, but ‘that item’ itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No wonder he kept saying ‘that item’.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally understand the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master invited me to the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Misha was his real daughter or not didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t seem like the type to be very devoted to his children anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a different goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An item that guarantees a contract with a Spirit Beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I really knew about this item…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…he wanted to find out about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it would be information of immeasurable value to beastmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he showed me Misha’s pitiful situation, which he judged to be my Achilles’ heel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was probably planning to use it for negotiation or blackmail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I swear on my honor as a warrior, I don’t know anything about such an item.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I throw out my trump card that I’ve been saving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior’s oath, the number one reason why I chose to be a barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of bewilderment appears in the master’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confirming that, I add one last blow before missing the timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’ll definitely find out what that item is. So just wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I mutter as if suppressing my anger and check the master’s expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes are filled with deep disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geez, he’s the worst actor here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget everything we talked about today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leave the Kaltstein mansion after the master’s announcement. Misha has been dazed since earlier, and I don’t bother talking to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have things to think about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Phew, at least it didn’t go to the worst-case scenario.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were two reasons why I readily agreed when I received the invitation from the Kaltstein family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1. Misha’s defection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the master was planning to put Misha in a large clan, I had to stop him. Erwen, Ainar, and now even Misha, whom I finally raised, leaving?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a horrifying thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2. Avoiding suspicion of being an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the master knew the secret behind Misha’s awakening, I had to visit at least once to explain it properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t expect him to only know half of it and call me because of that, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gatekeeper, who recognized us, opens the main gate as we pass through the garden. The bald guy from before must have gone to rest after receiving treatment, as it’s a new face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did he recognize me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, goodbye.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gives a brief bow as we make eye contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mansion where Misha lived from childhood to adulthood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The well-maintained garden is colorful, and the fountain sprays water gracefully, sparkling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mansion itself is no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a grand and elegant building, unlike the inn I’m staying at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the dark malice surrounding the mansion is unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like when I first saw this place, it feels like I’m looking at a dungeon filled with monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I realize once again…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, she survived in this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For all those years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You did well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pat her on the back and say that, and Misha comes to her senses and shakes her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, no. You’re the one who did well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, that’s not what I meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you must have been the one who had the hardest time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckle and pat her on the back again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ack! That hurts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, now she’s back to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve come to your senses, lead the way. I don’t know the way back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha, really… what would you do without me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wouldn’t have come to a place where I don’t know the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We chat idly as we walk through the beastman district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We see heartwarming scenes everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Daddy, look! It’s that barbarian from before!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beastmen families are walking around, laughing and chatting happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn, let’s eat that too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you buying food outside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, well… because you worked hard today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We stop by a street vendor and buy snacks, then sit on a bench in the plaza. Although we could eat while walking…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, Bjorn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why don’t you ever ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ask what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We rest quietly, watching the beastmen passing by, and then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Misha asks me a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you even curious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That… whether I’m really, Father’s child…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckle and look at Misha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although she didn’t do anything wrong, she hangs her head low and stares at the ground, as if she’s the one who asked the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not curious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? Not at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, why would that be important?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, you really don’t care about me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is she talking about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m about to hit her on the back, but I stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I shouldn’t hurt her, right?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I consider ruffling her hair like in a cartoon, but I stop because it’s too cringe-worthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hand, which lost its destination, returns to my lap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look away and say to Misha,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I should at least clear up the misunderstanding since she’s my companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that it’s not important.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha Kaltstein, the 7th-grade explorer. That’s you, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter who your parents are. The fact that you’re a companion I can trust and rely on doesn’t change.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha opens her mouth wide as if she heard something amazing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she looks at me with a bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you think of that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Do you want to fight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s the case, then it’s a good thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I’m about to get up after resting enough…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha grabs my sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a secret, I’m only telling you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, just say it quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… I’m actually a half-breed. My mom told me. Before she passed away. She said she was really sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, uh, hmm…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I contemplate how to react and then just nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Why aren’t you surprised?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I already knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I didn’t know the details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that important, is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh, you insensitive barbarian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We then get up from our seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And we leave the sanctuary and enter the city, arriving at the public transportation platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as we’re buying tickets and waiting for the carriage…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, right. What about that? You made a promise in front of Father. That… definitely…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha trails off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m genuinely flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because she’s become too comfortable, or maybe because she had a lot on her mind in front of her father…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…but I didn’t even think about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That… was a lie, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sigh and nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s the point of hiding it when she already knows?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just have to handle it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, it was a lie. You’re more important than a warrior’s honor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha doesn’t say anything for a long time after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The time passes, filled with an awkward silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t tell me, she’s thinking something strange?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I’m thinking that I should say something first to break the suffocating silence…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Misha jumps up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she says something incomprehensible…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, I left something at home, so I’ll be back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What? The carriage is coming so—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You go ahead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and disappears in a flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t tell me, I’m fucked?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flip, flip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Albreniv Kaltstein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sits in his study, flipping through the pages of a book with somewhat hurried movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he finally finds the part he was looking for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[No……]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…contract with the Glacier Beast Skadi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a description where he can only read one sentence because the rest is completely torn out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All his suspicions started from this book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Compendium of Artifacts VI]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This book contains descriptions of hundreds of Numbered Items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the important thing is that the descriptions are never wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's what the Compendium is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A book of truth, whose value can't even be measured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I hadn’t known about this, I would have been genuinely happy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she told me that she had awakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, he was happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought he wouldn’t have to hide the shame of the family anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[So it’s the Glacier Beast, Skadi.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was the Spirit Beast she contracted with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be a coincidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he tested her several times, and then he came to a conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t awaken naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his prediction was correct, she received help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably from that barbarian, Bjorn Yandel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I, I can’t talk about anything related to Bjorn. I sw, swore to the guardian deity…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, she refused to talk about it, mentioning the guardian deity’s oath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s something that has no binding power, and in this day and age where traditions have faded, it holds no meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she, who had never even properly rebelled before, lied while even making such an excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be difficult to get a proper answer from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It would be better to question that barbarian.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He changed the direction of his investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And suspicious circumstances continued to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That barbarian was close to a mage from the Artemion school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrua Raven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, it was someone he remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a competitor he met while searching for another ‘Compendium’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hypothesis came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if that mage obtained the ‘Compendium of Artifacts’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she told the barbarian about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That makes much more sense.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to target the barbarian instead of the bold mage girl. Since they seemed to be practically living together, it would be much easier if he used her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘To think it was a natural awakening.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t fooled by the oath or anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That barbarian wasn’t acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a genuinely clueless expression, and he felt a sense of regret for his ignorance for her sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Interesting. So even that insignificant bloodline had some talent.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as that thought crossed his mind, someone knocked on the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his assistant, Veros.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha Kaltstein requests an audience with the master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Her? Let her in immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a short wait, the assistant left, and she entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… there’s something I couldn’t say earlier—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ll keep my promise. No one will think you’re not a member of our family anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, she didn’t react at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought she would be a bit happier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It means you’re my daughter now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words that she must have longed for, feeling a sense of lack and love-hate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was the same this time too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why aren’t you saying anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because I didn’t come here for something like that…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was genuinely surprised by her disrespectful tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this change?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could even adjust, she looked him straight in the eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father. No, you’re not even my father. Don’t you know? That we’re not even related by a drop of blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was truly surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because it was something he didn’t know, but because it came from her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mother told me before she passed away. That I’m not actually of the Kaltstein bloodline. I came here to tell you that. I hate you… but I also feel sorry for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because it was something he had never imagined?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even feel angry at her bold words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you doing this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew who Misha’s biological father was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought everything would be resolved if she died in the labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you hadn’t said that, I was planning to truly accept you as a member of the family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’s rejecting it even though she’s being given what she longed for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? Why are you throwing away this opportunity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turns her back on him as if it’s not even worth answering and heads towards the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did she have a change of heart at the last moment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turns her head slightly and says to him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just… felt like it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a statement he couldn’t understand at all.\u003C\u002Fp>",2701,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","e8f4bc28a5b21ce5a8f79fd92aa9d469b9c6bcde6295f9aa44c79a8f8ac92baa","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-131","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-129",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]