[{"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-298":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},1327660,1764,"Chapter 298: Evil Spirit (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-298",298,"\u003Cp>I felt strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t sympathy or regret for smashing her head with my mace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an unsettling feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t look well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you know her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head at Amelia’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I asked her something I was curious about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happens to those kids when they grow up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no other option? They could work at the Lord’s Castle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible. They’re here because they made a promise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Promise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To do whatever he tells them to in exchange for being raised.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re saying that using them for chores and as bait for looting is considered ‘raising’ them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Children who survive hell grow up strong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly remembered what the chieftain had said to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You know, don’t you? Only those who survive become strong warriors.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a similar context.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An environment where you had to be strong to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord intentionally put the children in that environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the mortality rate decreases as they get older and stop being used as bait. And the treatment they receive from their assigned team also improves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said that if they survived for about three years as bait, they would be acknowledged for their talent and start receiving combat training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if an unclaimed essence dropped during a hunt, they could even absorb it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They become usable assets as soon as they become adults.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if they want to quit after becoming adults?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That won’t happen. They’re brainwashed from a young age. By the time they become adults, they’re completely loyal to the Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what if they come to their senses and quit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia frowned and then answered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ll be re-educated. To be loyal again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry too much. No child would join the Lord without knowing that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation ended there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I continued thinking about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of life did the player who possessed ‘Zencia Nayfrin’ have to live?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t kill evil spirits in Noark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…But they wouldn’t let her go free.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Lord’s perspective, an evil spirit had possessed the body of a valuable asset he had raised for years, feeding her essences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would have made the evil spirit, whoever it was, live as ‘Zencia’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it meant ‘re-educating’ her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Anyway, she would have had to start looting as soon as she arrived, whether she was exposed or not. Then maybe the fact that she treated everyone like NPCs was also a defense mechanism…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, why am I even curious about this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Stop thinking about it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter what kind of environment that player had to survive in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tried to kill me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I just did what I had to do.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all there was to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phew, I feel better now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, Amelia. Let’s go. We have work to do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… why are your emotions so unstable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because I’m a barbarian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dismissed my unsettling feelings and continued using my secret technique, ‘Those who come are not good’, to lure looters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after a few more days…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, another subspace ring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I was casually organizing the equipment we had looted from another team when…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the ground suddenly shook as if there was an earthquake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I was quite flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, I didn’t even consider this possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rift had opened on the 3rd floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>___________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rift opening on the floor you’re currently on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was sudden, it wasn’t something to be surprised or amazed by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something that could happen at any time during exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We didn’t enter the labyrinth for normal exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And besides, there weren’t any essences I could absorb in the 3rd-floor rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, in the first place, I couldn’t even absorb essences unless I removed the Corpse Golem essence since all my slots were full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re saying there are Numbered Items and rift stones?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t take them back to the future anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I could sell them and use the money to live here…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s stop getting ahead of ourselves and confirm first.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly made a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening a rift and being able to enter it were two different things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amelia, where is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Guide could sense the location of a rift when it opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then where did it open?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was hours away, we wouldn’t be able to enter it, no matter what we did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So there wouldn’t even be a need to—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five minutes north.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, it’s right next to us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should have opened here from the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last time we were on the 5th floor, it opened in a completely different area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you waiting for! Let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia asked as I was about to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re going in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, we are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have to enter a rift if you can.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Essences, items, whatever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had experience points that you could only obtain in rifts…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wait a minute.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amelia, have you ever been to the 3rd-floor rift?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once, a long time ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, so you’ve already gotten all the experience points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder she wasn’t enthusiastic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I haven’t! So let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve practically succeeded in impressing the Lord! Nothing will change even if we miss out on a few loot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what if something happens if we go to the rift…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t cause any trouble! And we’re companions! Just help me out this once! I’ll just get the achievement points and come out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Fine, follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia sighed and then started guiding me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She probably didn’t change her mind because of the word ‘companion’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She probably judged that it was better to endure a few days of annoyance than to ruin her relationship with her ‘collaborator’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she was a rational woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She’s surprisingly compatible with barbarians.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, who wasn’t emotional, was susceptible to a barbarian’s mindless ‘Do it for me’ tactic. It was more rational for her to just give in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tadat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, we soon reached the portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, think about it one more time…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think about what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I jumped into the portal without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…we were in a white temple when I opened my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A high ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White marble pillars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a hundred statues lined up along the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘We must be the first ones here since there’s no one else.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowly looked around after confirming that there were no other explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t to figure out where we were, but out of pure curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there was only one rift on the 3rd floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hundred Colors Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not white, but a temple with a hundred colors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For reference, it was a place you had to visit at least once during your playthrough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The experience points were incredible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, do you know about this place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To some extent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then there’s no need for me to explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hundred Colors Temple had three characteristics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1. Elite monsters that didn’t appear in normal fields, like the Corpse Golem, swarmed the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could get first-time kill experience points no matter what you killed…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2. Unlike ordinary rifts, you had to compete with other explorers instead of cooperating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one team could enter the boss room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if they failed, the opportunity would pass to another team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, but that didn’t mean Amelia and I had to compete with other teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3. Five portals opened on the floor when a rift was generated, and those who entered through the same portal became a team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the most annoying part in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would you do if you found a rift while exploring as a 5-person team, but two people had already entered?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two of your companions would be left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this team of explorers who just entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, there were already people here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The portal, which had been floating in the air, closed after spewing out three explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like they had left their teammates outside…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is bad! Lemud and Hans didn’t get in!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, nice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Calm down! They might be separated from us, but Lemud and Hans can handle the 3rd floor even if they’re alone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A human swordsman, after calming his panicked companions, approached us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings. You two came together?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man smiled kindly despite Amelia’s curt answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, we’ll be spending some time together. It’s fate that we met, so let’s introduce ourselves first. I’m Kalton Drek.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalton then cautiously asked me,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn, are you a barbarian?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a natural question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was wearing a full set of plate armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My entire body was covered in metal, so he couldn’t even see if I had any tattoos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does that have to do with anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I asked back defiantly. Kalton quickly apologized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I apologize. I was just curious, but I guess that was rude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like he thought I was just a large human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it’s usually the narrow-minded people who are sensitive to trivial questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kalton, come here for a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, the fairy called Kalton over as soon as we introduced ourselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can’t hear them.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…they whispered to each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like they were discussing something…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says we’re suspicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can hear them from this distance. Unless they’re using magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she has good hearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I should be careful not to whisper in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what are they saying? They look serious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then eavesdropped on their conversation through Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They’re just casually introducing themselves. And they’re exploring the 3rd floor as a two-person team on Day 13, and one of them is even wearing a mask. They might be looters.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fairy pointed out the suspicious aspects, and Kalton said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But there’s nothing we can do. We can’t just attack them. Let’s just keep an eye on them and see what kind of people they are.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did their discussion end there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! I apologize! My friend is worried about his companions who were left behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalton laughed heartily and approached us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he gave the other two a chance to introduce themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, then this friend here, who’s from the fairy tribe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll do it. Aimburn Berta Garcia. As you can see, I’m an archer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aimburn briefly introduced himself, only revealing his name and weapon. It seemed like he didn’t want to give us any more information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, the barbarian warrior was next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! Nice to meet you all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior, who hadn’t even been included in the whispered discussion, approached us with a bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he introduced himself without any hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Yandel, the third son of Jarku!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…………What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind went blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I heard correctly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, is it difficult for humans? Just call me Yandel Jarku!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…he was my biological father.\u003C\u002Fp>",1827,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","55da5bf7df084adda7e26a1acaffbe30fc63878e86da6f63a082d55826251a06","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-43","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-42",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]