[{"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-300":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},1327664,1764,"Chapter 300: Evil Spirit (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-300",300,"\u003Cp>The memory of the first day suddenly came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[An ‘evil spirit’ has possessed the soul of Orm, son of Kadua.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chieftain had beheaded the nameless player next to me with his terrifying axe, and that was when my days of survival began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I didn’t know back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the whole world was my enemy, and I had to be wary of everyone I met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I thought they were NPCs. I wouldn’t have done it if I knew.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like Zencia, who considered everyone as NPCs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t understand their hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I could now accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It was you…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pity in the chieftain’s eyes as he looked at ‘Orm, son of Kadua’ was sadness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Isn’t it disgusting? To pretend to be human when you’re an evil spirit.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anger the citizens expressed when they executed the evil spirit was fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an evil spirit to suddenly possess the body of a loved one and turn them into a completely different being…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could there be anything more horrifying?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s natural for them to hate us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I would feel suffocated if Misha, Raven, the bear-like man, Erwen, or Ainar was possessed by an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn, it’s time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s already that time? Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowly got up from my seat in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still felt like a rock was weighing down on my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What’s the point of being sentimental now? Nothing will change.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emotions are just emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, so…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s just finish what I have to do and get out of here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone door, which hadn’t budged, finally opened, and we continued exploring the rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White Armored Guardian, Green Armored Scout, Silver Thread Prophet, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new type of monster appeared in each room, and my experience points kept increasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And essences also dropped occasionally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could it be that I hadn’t memorized all the hundred or so essences obtainable in the Hundred Colors Temple?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know what ability this essence has?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalton and his two companions asked for our advice whenever an essence dropped, and Amelia surprisingly answered kindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the Blue-White Palace Judge’s essence. It has a high Strength stat for an archery or projectile-related essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I see. Aimburn, what are you going to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strength… I wanted to increase my bow’s draw weight, so this is good. I also like the ability. I think I can use it well. I’ll take it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aimburn took one this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Kalton and Jarku had each taken one earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already absorbed three 6th-grade essences just by following us, but I wasn’t jealous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t need them in the first place…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha! Thank you! This is so easy thanks to you guys!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’re welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and they wouldn’t be enough to repay me anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it wouldn’t change the fact that he would die in the labyrinth someday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, it seems like this is the last one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We reached the boss room after clearing the rift for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jewel in the statue’s hand wasn’t glowing, so we must have been the fastest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But how do we open the door?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move aside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia smashed the statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a sudden outburst, but one of the fastest ways to progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door would open with an angry voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who did she come here with to know this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was suddenly curious about Amelia’s past as the stone door started to open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This is the resting place of noble sacrifices.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Intruders will pay for their sins with blood.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell, you’re just a 5th-grade monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an intro I had seen countless times in the game, so I just listened while munching on jerky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ca, can we go in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He, he just spoke! Is, is he not a monster?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalton and his two companions looked nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it was understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guardian of the Hundred Colors Temple was a ‘High-Grade Variant’ with a random essence on top of its 5th-grade level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘High-Grade Variants’ rarely appeared below the 3rd floor, so they probably hadn’t experienced a monster talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn, how long are you going to stand there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, I was just thinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, I was suddenly reminded of the ‘Crimson Fortress’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Vampire I met back then was also a 5th-grade ‘High-Grade Variant’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I met him when I didn’t even have a single essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, but this boss was much stronger than that Vampire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were cursed, and this boss had various buffs stacked on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I wonder what essence it has.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone door closed behind us with a thud as we entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A forest…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the previous rooms, which were made of marble, this room had grass and trees with fruits growing on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a large dome-shaped room with an artificial garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were five doors on the circular outer wall, including the one we came through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we failed, one of those doors would open, and another team would get to challenge the boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that wouldn’t happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You guys stay back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But we’re supposed to be the guardians… are you two okay…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll call you if I need you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, then that’s settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left the passengers on the bus and headed towards a hut in the center of the forest with Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did our presence trigger something?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaboom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A knight in gray armor, riding a horse, fell from the sky and blocked our path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Knight of Doom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was riding a horse, it wasn’t a large type. It had a normal human physique, about 180 centimeters tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was much smaller than the giant soldier we encountered earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t an enemy to be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In most games, the smaller enemies are more dangerous in the later stages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight swung his weapon, something between a spear and a greatsword, in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greedy dogs of the Empire. I shall punish you today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geez, he’s still spouting nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily, do you know what he’s talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, so that’s how it is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a step forward, activating [Gigantification] to match his size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at that moment…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neigh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the 7th-grade beast-type monster the Knight of Doom was riding, the Spirit Horse, charged towards us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, the Spirit Horse was just a trash mob that I could kill with one [Swing]…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But its stats are boosted here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spirit Horse shared the Knight of Doom’s stats in the boss room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it wasn’t a monster I could kill in one or two hits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, and I couldn’t even use [Swing] right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had been cursed on our way here, and [Swing] was sealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was a minor problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would I even bother dealing damage when we have a much more efficient damage dealer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaboom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blocked the knight’s spear with my shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a heavy blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I understand why cavalry was so powerful in the Middle Ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There weren’t any superhumans who could use [Gigantification] back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can endure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouted, standing my ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, she’s already gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue Aura flashed, and the horse’s head was severed before I could even finish my sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Aura really is OP.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spirit Horse collapsed and disappeared into particles of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time for Phase 2.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_________________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knight of Doom had three phases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phase 1, where he rode the Spirit Horse summoned with the [Servant] skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Phase 2, the ground battle after the Spirit Horse was unsummoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For reference, the Knight of Doom started using random 5th-grade or lower essence skills from Phase 2 onwards…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Why isn’t he using any skills?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited, but he didn’t use any essence skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So we just continued the boss fight normally, and then Amelia stabbed him in the neck, triggering Phase 3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Immortality is will, and a promise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knight of Doom was resurrected, boasting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the effect of the passive skill [Chivalry].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A high-risk skill that destroyed all your equipment and recovered HP proportionally to the time you had been wearing them when you received a fatal blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I thought it was a strange skill at first.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knight of Doom became weaker from Phase 3 onwards since he didn’t have any equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was the same for ordinary players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you had similar specs, you would be injured and out of MP by Phase 2.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, for us…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t lose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knight of Doom suddenly grew in size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was a bit dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Don’t tell me, it’s [Gigantification].’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, I didn’t expect him to have the Orc Hero essence as a ‘High-Grade Variant’ characteristic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No wonder he wasn’t using any other skills.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I understood why he didn’t use any skills in the previous phases. [Gigantification] couldn’t be used while wearing equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the stat increase was incredible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t afford to lose…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster, now in [Gigantification] state, started charging at me like a madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it wouldn’t work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What are you going to do even if you get bigger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re still weaker than me in terms of stats and size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grabbed his fist and then hugged him tightly, like a wrestler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Amelia finished him off with her dagger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swaaaaaaaaaa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knight of Doom disintegrated into particles of light without even a last word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a moment that always made me nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared ahead without blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Please, drop something.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Contrary to my expectations, there was no essence floating in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no rift stone either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I saw a piece of equipment on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Numbered Item…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I froze as I saw the hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, what the hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Crazy, this dropped here?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was momentarily stunned, and then I quickly ran over and picked it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know about the grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I was certain after seeing its manly color and rough design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. 87 Kraul’s Demon Crusher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Double Numbered Item that was so expensive that you could only see it at the Sky Auction House in the Imperial City…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and the weapon I had planned to use as my graduation weapon after absorbing the Ogre essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it dropped from a 3rd-floor rift?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was beyond a jackpot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only this wasn’t twenty years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I felt a bit disappointed as an efficiency freak, it was still a lucky break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But my mind was racing as soon as I grabbed the hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn it, how do I take this back? Should I bury it somewhere and hope it’s still there twenty years later?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what if someone took it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I would be screwed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I just sell it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, I could just sell it and use the money to buy an expensive essence at the auction house before leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why I had been saving up equipment…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations. It’s a shame that an essence didn’t drop, but that’s just our greed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalton and his companions approached me and congratulated me as I was lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I actually feel relieved! I’m glad you got something!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh, it’s a bit much to call this ‘something’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s better not to tell them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like even Amelia didn’t realize it was a Double Numbered Item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to think about it later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The portal had just opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kalton asked, looking at the portal that had appeared in front of the hut,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what are you going to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll leave later. We’re going to look around for a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, there were a few things I had to take with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did they already know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re looking for Gavrilius’ Arrangement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what about those white fruits on the trees? They look strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, those…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a hidden piece, but it was more of a joke item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should I tell them not to eat it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia answered for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re called ‘Hundred Fruits’. If you eat one, the stats of one of your essences will change randomly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her explanation was brief, but accurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Hundred Fruit’ changed the properties of an essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skill remained the same, but the base stats would change to random values within the essence’s grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t something you would eat if you were sane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were thousands of detailed stats in this game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a high chance that good stats like Strength and Agility would be replaced with useless or low-value stats like Greed and Obsession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what are you going to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re leaving now. Our companions are probably waiting for us outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying goodbye to Kalton, the fairy archer approached me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you. We wouldn’t have been able to get here without you. It would have been much harder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were just lucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lucky… well, it’s true that it’s rare to meet explorers like you in a rift. Please understand why we were wary at first. We’ve been through a lot recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean a lot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a bit hard to explain. It’s not like anyone made a mistake, but things just kept going wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, really?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a hunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hesitated for a moment and then spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you had a Hans on your team, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get rid of him. Then your luck will improve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fairy archer looked at me with a blank expression and then laughed awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, you’re joking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, I was being 100% serious.\u003C\u002Fp>",2281,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","6a1d28cb490786c78ffb45bcf27af24d6e104d675cf9096ccd8119e30862e2e0","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-45","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-44",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]