[{"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-246":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},1327923,1764,"Chapter 246 Branch Point (6)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-246",246,"\u003Cp>Branch Point (6)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mistake did I make for her to act like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought didn't even cross my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Misha had been watching me the longest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barbarian who read books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barbarian who could navigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barbarian who pretended to be stupid but was actually cunning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barbarian who always knew things that others didn't, as if it were natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must have been many suspicious things about me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…but that day’s incident must have made her realize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew the most about me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Is there a reason to do what the enemy wants?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I kept avoiding the question with a barbarian-like excuse, it must have seemed strange to Misha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew that I only acted stubborn when there was a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you don’t answer, I’ll kill that cat girl.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt a deep sense of despair when I heard those words from that Baekho bastard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha might have even sensed that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That I was desperately holding back from answering because I was cornered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Disappear? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I pretended not to know anything as Misha cautiously approached me and expressed her anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why would I suddenly disappear?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, no, that’s… because of a nightmare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha changed the subject, using a dream as an excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like she thought it might really happen if she voiced her anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nightmare? You can sleep next to me if you’re scared!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, I’m not that scared! Geez! Just go to sleep if you’re going to tease me, you old barbarian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha then left the room, saying what I was talking about, and I let out a silent sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest felt tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Suddenly disappear…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew why she said that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I had secretly entered her room and read the book on her desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a book I had read at the library before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A book that listed the patterns and habits of evil spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Evil spirits are skilled at acting and cunning. And they don’t cling to relationships. If they’re in a situation where their identity might be revealed, they choose to sever all ties and disappear.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a passage I could relate to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, if my identity was revealed, I would be doomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, I would try to distance myself from those around me, and if that didn’t work, I would eventually have to change my identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if even that option was blocked…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I would go to Noark.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noark was a city made up of such people. Criminals or evil spirits who couldn’t stay in Lafdonia would hide in the sewers, and Noark would take them in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even the Clown bastard joined Orculus as soon as he was revealed to be an evil spirit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lay in bed and blankly stared at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind was racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If they find out I’m an evil spirit…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How would they react?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would they feel betrayed and angry?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I don’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least Misha was more anxious about me disappearing than about me being an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That damn Baekho bastard.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally admitted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was afraid of them finding out about my true identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than the guillotine I might be dragged to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was more afraid of everything I had built collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was just a sandcastle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took out a magic tool from my subspace pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A magic tool that allowed you to have a private conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll make sure you have nowhere to go. Hans Krisen is an evil spirit! I have proof in my backp—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For reference, it also had a recording function, so the dwarf I met in the Doppelganger Forest used it to corner Hans G.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pressed the button on the bottom of the magic tool, and the conversation they had back then replayed vividly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What are you so worried about? They’re just NPCs.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But they’re still companions I’ve been with—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That’s funny. Do you think they would still think that way if they knew your identity?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hans G couldn’t answer the dwarf’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The one your companions considered a friend was the real Hans. And as you know, the real Hans is no longer in this world.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re evil spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what kind of relationship we build here, it’s a precarious one based on lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But… I consider them to be my real companions.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hans G answered that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what about his actual actions?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ho… w, why…?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I, I’m sorry.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the dwarf, who was in danger, forcefully revealed his identity, Hans G burned the warrior’s body with flames and sided with the dwarf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew it deep down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That they could never go back to the way they were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That his companion, who was once precious, would now consider him as an ‘enemy’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pressed the button again and turned off the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly remembered Takelan’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The day will come when you’ll feel the same way.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that moment of despair ever came to me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…it would be even more horrifying and miserable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another two days passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There wasn’t anything special during that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No more clues about the large clan that was suspected to be behind the assassination attempt appeared, and the incident ended vaguely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing more to investigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, but the number of guard knights increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sent more forces after it was proven that there was a faction that held a grudge against the royal family and was targeting me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, it was a bit excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha, I can’t even go anywhere like this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were already three knights closely guarding me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was only inside the house, and there were over thirty knights standing guard outside. And if I went out, they would all follow me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, and I even had a food taster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll try it first in case it’s poisoned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A knight who specialized in Poison Resistance tasted the food first at every meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th, there’s no need! I, I would never do anything to Bjorn…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s better to be safe. Hmm, it’s delicious. As expected, Lady Kaltstein is a great cook.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th, that’s not comforting at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Misha didn’t seem happy about the food taster at every meal…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…it was actually more reassuring to see her being so inflexible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I don’t have to worry even if Noark sends assassins.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar left for the sanctuary after breakfast, and Erwen went out to meet her sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I did the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’re going out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s time for me to get back to work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time for me to get back on my feet and take care of the things I had been putting off after resting for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Work? Are you going shopping again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s something else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I usually went shopping during our maintenance time, that wasn’t my goal today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I had earned a lot of money this time…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There’s no reason to shop now when the value will increase if I just wait.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The price of equipment had already started to plummet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demand had decreased because most of the explorers, who were the main customers, had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, the price of food had increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People had started hoarding because they were worried that the supply of magic stones might decrease from next month onwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s just hold onto the cash for now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The currency here wasn’t just a piece of paper based on a social agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had real value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was a world where people lived off of magic stones, an all-purpose material that could be turned into iron or wheat by alchemists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The value of currency wouldn’t decrease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless the value of labor hit rock bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I wonder if Hikurod is okay…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly thought of the dwarf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blacksmith’s workshop seemed to be doing well recently, but it would be empty in this situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt sorry for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had invested all his assets to open the shop, and then this happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll visit him later when I have time…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly got dressed and left with Misha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A carriage prepared by the knights was waiting outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it felt excessive…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I got in the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t like I was paying for it, and it was much easier for them to escort me this way, so what could I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Grand Temple of the Leathlas Church.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage started moving as soon as I told the coachman our destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Leathlas Church? Why are we going there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha seemed uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could understand her feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The religious forces here were practically the natural enemy of evil spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Tsk, it seems like she hasn’t completely dismissed her suspicions.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Misha had read books about evil spirits and said meaningful things to me for a day or two, it had all disappeared soon after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I thought she had concluded that it was just her imagination and that I couldn’t possibly be an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…It’s better to just ignore it and not provoke her in this situation.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, I just continued the conversation normally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m planning to ask for a priest if there are any left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A priest? Do, do you want to leave the te, team?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But we already have five members… Ah! Don’t tell me you’re going to…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, what is she talking about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sighed and said firmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not leaving the team, and no one else is leaving either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Then why a priest…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha trailed off, still confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told her about my future plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s time for us to prepare for the 6th floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh-huh, 6th floor? Right, I see. But what does that have to do with this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to form a clan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time for our 5-person team to graduate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a small group was classified as a clan if it had more than five members. Because it had to be divided into at least two teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clan? So we’re going to be moving with 10 people from now on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, I guess that would be the case eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Since Erwen can navigate, we just need one priest for now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We would also have to recruit another explorer with a special role from the 6th floor onwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So a total of eight people for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘At our current level, we should be able to reach the 5th floor without any problems even if we split into two teams of four.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I wasn’t too worried about this part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it didn’t work, we could just meet on the 2nd floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it would take time to gather depending on the starting location, and it would be even slower because of the penalty on the 4th floor…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s not like we’re a large clan.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A day or two difference wasn’t significant for a small clan, unless their goal was to control hunting grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real problem was something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When will the labyrinth return to normal?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the timing wasn’t right, I was planning to wait for a few more months. In the first place, we needed that much time to prepare for the 6th floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage stopped in front of the Grand Temple while I was organizing my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the knights waited in the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I entered with just the three close protection knights and Misha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain Krovitz is currently out on business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t Paal Krovitz, whom I knew, who greeted me, but another paladin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His name was Sven Parab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the vice-captain of the 2nd Paladin Order of the Leathlas Church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an honor to meet you, Viscount Yandel. What brings you to our church today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly told him about my future plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That I was planning to form a clan, and if possible, I wanted to take a priest with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To summarize the result, I was immediately rejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, even if you’re a Viscount, that would be a bit difficult.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither the ‘Giant’ title I recently obtained nor my status as a Viscount worked at the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were just basic requirements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed achievement points to recruit a priest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Phew, why is this so inflexible, just like the game?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked about the ways to increase achievement points since it was within my expectations, and I received a detailed answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Most of them are similar to the game.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, it seemed like the only answer was grinding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tsk, I should have done it beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Parab, was it? Thank you for today. I’ll come back later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, we’re always waiting for the hero’s visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said goodbye to Parab and turned around after finishing my short business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just as I was about to open the door and leave…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「The activation condition for the Star’s Blessing has been met.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the last vine that was blocking the karmic connection with the Dragonslayer broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s truly one mountain after another.\u003C\u002Fp>",2198,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","a294b066e85f387088977d888995cc6870e3b9e53cc888924d57f37957d71710","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-247","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-245",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]