[{"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-291":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},1327648,1764,"Chapter 291 Big Shot (3)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-291",291,"\u003Cp>Big Shot (3)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ironically, human relationships are all like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who's more desperate usually becomes the underdog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhhhh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I refilled my Sprite and drank it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man seemed eager to continue the conversation…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…but no way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have Coke too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, you must be homesick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhhhh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My whole body trembled at the refreshing taste of carbonation, something I hadn’t had in a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I decided to stop abusing my drink privileges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He knows what Sprite and Coke are, so he must have been to our world. But how did they get here? They didn’t open the ‘Gate of the Abyss’…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various questions filled my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I could just figure out how they did it, could I go home without climbing the floors?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was just a thought, I wasn’t that desperate. Honestly, my biggest concern these days was whether I even had to go back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had already adapted to this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was a bit inconvenient, it was a livable place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, even without carbonated drinks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, seeing you so happy makes me happy too. Do you want another one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I’m good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gabis tilted his head and then asked me the same question as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s my turn now, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He coughed awkwardly as I rebuked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem, ah, I apologize. I got carried away. You’re right, it’s your turn, so ask me anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell, he didn’t even answer my questions properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said firmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No more questions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you mean ‘huh’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How shameless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the point? I can’t even tell if you’re telling the truth or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man looked indignant as I pointed out his underhanded tactic of using a lie detector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’ve never lied!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, that’s right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just didn’t tell me the important parts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His actions actually made me trust him more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s still unfair, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old man could just change the subject when it was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t even stay silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What do you want me to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pretended to think for a while and then spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about I ask ten questions, and then you ask one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man exclaimed in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, was that too much?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly made an excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the first place, I’m taking a huge risk just by talking to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Risk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know how this will change the future.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a line that implied the risks I was taking and the value of information from twenty years in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Hahahahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gabis burst into laughter as if he had heard something truly funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so hearty that I felt offended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t telling a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, sorry for laughing suddenly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cleared his throat and composed himself as I just stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just… I didn’t expect that. Well, it’s understandable from your perspective, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gabis continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t change anything with the Fragment of Records.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind momentarily short-circuited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even after regaining my composure and thinking about it again, I couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I just asked him directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean I can’t change anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, is that a ‘question’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly wanted another sip of Sprite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, I’m just kidding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gabis chuckled and answered my question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s difficult to explain the concept of time and causality to you now, so just know this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The order isn’t important. The history of the universe only happened once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t understand what he meant by the history of the universe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I understood what he was trying to say, even if I didn’t know the principle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, this old man was saying…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re saying that no matter what I do here, the future won’t change?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. Once a timeline has been observed, it can’t be changed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Simply put.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter what you think or do here. No matter what conversation we have. It’s already happened in the past.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding and accepting were two different things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood the theory…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what about Dwarkey?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letters I left at the sanctuary?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter what I did, nothing would change?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There’s no way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to take his words with a grain of salt. This old man wasn’t omniscient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even know I had cleared the original game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t seem to believe me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, you’ll understand when you finish what you have to do here and return. What it means to be called by fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gabis then changed the subject and returned to our original conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So about fairness… ten questions is a bit much. How about three for one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geez, he’s taking advantage of me while I’m confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I focused on the negotiation, deciding to think about the history of the universe later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three is too few. How about five for one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Aren’t you being too shameless? Although information from twenty years in the future is valuable, the things I know are no less valuable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gabis frowned as if his pride was hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I could understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you asked a hundred players from Earth, all of them would be interested in the information Auril Gabis had and think it was more valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then don’t do it if you think that way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The value of water is relative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To a thirsty person, a drop of water is more valuable than a hundred pounds of gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five questions for one. Take it or leave it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave him my final offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s when…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These damn bastards…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the old man’s expression hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was nervous, thinking I might have crossed a line, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, I apologize. I wasn’t talking about you. It’s just that those guys I saw earlier are breaking the rules again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, it wasn’t because of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even seemed worried that I might have misunderstood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems like I have to go now. How about we continue this conversation next month? I’ll think about the fairness issue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was sudden, I didn’t show my disappointment. If I did, our negotiation might fall apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded as if I wasn’t in a hurry, and he waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I was lying in bed in my room when I came to my senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[00:00].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked the time, midnight on the 15th, and then lay down and tried to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, sleep didn’t come easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless thoughts, worries, and anxieties flashed through my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the sun still rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Nothing has changed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I got dressed and headed towards the library as soon as I woke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the future wouldn’t change no matter what I did?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That it was meaningless since it had already happened in the past?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That couldn’t be a reason for me to just stay still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a chance that Auril Gabis, that old man, was mistaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The probability was zero if I didn’t do anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She’s not here today.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I went to the library, but Raven wasn’t there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did this kid go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she get in trouble for electrocuting someone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…She didn’t come after all.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited until the time Raven usually went home, but she didn’t appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Damn it, this is making me worried.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I regretted not finding out where she lived, but I continued to visit the library. Raven finally appeared the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you come for the past few days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had something to do. What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven answered vaguely and sat down, starting to read a book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you keep turning your head?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, you are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And your hair is a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll go to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I strode towards Raven and moved her bangs aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I barely managed to control myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So that’s why she was hiding it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a large bruise around Raven’s eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who did this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, how do I get her to talk?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was sighing…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Raven looked at me cautiously and muttered, as if trying to comfort me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Don’t worry about it. I just came home late and my mom found out I was at the library.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the fact that this child was beaten up by her mother…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Came home late…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was always on time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then how did she end up coming home late?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you wait for me and come home late?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven remained silent, and her silence was a clear answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, she did say ‘no’ belatedly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget about me, tell me about the labyrinth. We were talking about it before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Where did we leave off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Doppelganger Forest. We talked about how doppelgangers are good at playing dead. But that’s not very interesting, so tell me something else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told her stories about the labyrinth, as if entertaining a child, and then it was time for Raven to go home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll be going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you… coming tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If nothing comes up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven left the library after hearing my answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I also left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Should I follow her?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I started following Raven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t want to get involved in her family matters…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But she didn’t do anything wrong.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, this was crossing the line.\u003C\u002Fp>",1609,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","e04c1046756f522926d28079c23668fed8d2e4451e84e3f210b2e58e05a058f1","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-292","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-37",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]