[{"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-361":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},1327531,1764,"Chapter 361: Interrogation (3)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-361",361,"\u003Cp>In a way, it was like a cliche from a detective novel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All circumstantial evidence pointed to the culprit, but the most crucial physical evidence was missing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was my situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What kind of gift is this?!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might have worked before the prejudice against evil spirits set in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, I needed solid evidence to prove my innocence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, it would only make me look more suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say this: I am a woman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her goal was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although she didn’t know why it was happening, she wanted to figure it out by changing the conditions and experimenting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, there was only one thing I could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I…! Ugh, my voice…! It seems like I can’t speak because it’s a lie—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop messing around!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh… I wasn’t messing around, I was trying my best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it really this difficult to get past this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just say anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m really not an evil spirit. Believe me, Raven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second hand stopped again as I repeated the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Raven didn’t miss the opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a man. What the… it really works.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, so when it malfunctions, it affects everyone, not just me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another thing I learned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick, tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disc resumed working as soon as the second hand started moving again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a man… hmm, it’s not working now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re doing something, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is she looking at me so suspiciously?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it was true that I was the cause…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had to deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is unfair! You brought a defective product and you’re blaming me?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Defective product? Is it normal for it to stop working when you speak?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was definitely suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would have also been skeptical if I were in her shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t just admit it, could I?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised my voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t do anything!! It’s true! Believe me!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If ‘Distorted Trust’ couldn’t distinguish between truth and lies, it meant that the one who shouted the loudest was more likely to win the argument—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Just shut up, you’re being loud.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…but why is she glaring at me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is scary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I instinctively shut my mouth, and Raven also stopped talking, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were about to say something. Just say it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like the primordial era, when there was no magic or science.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A time when words were enough to build trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What a wonderful world.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean you ‘returned’? What were you doing before that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tell you everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then explained what had happened on Parune Island after the two of us were left alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How we defeated ‘Stormgush’ together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How the essence dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you used that to pull the Lighthouse Keeper towards you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I combined it with Bion’s [Transcendence].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s probably true. Continue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I also told her about the ‘Fragment of Records’, the treasure the Lord of Noark had, before moving on to the next incident, and Raven surprisingly accepted it easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard of it. I didn’t know that was the treasure Drowus stole. The legend says it can change the past, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not a legend, it’s true. Well, I couldn’t change history, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll understand if you listen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How the Fragment of Records activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How I woke up in the past twenty years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s unbelievable, but it does explain why only your equipment was left on the island.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like she was starting to get suspicious, but she didn’t interrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nibels… Enche?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven tilted her head when I told her about borrowing the identity of ‘Nibels Enche’, whose ID card I obtained after killing the looters on the island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Oh, does she remember?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly had a glimmer of hope, but reality is reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That name sounds familiar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, she was only five back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could she remember?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Okay, then next…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time for Dwarkey to make his appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then told her about how I tried to change his fate, but realized that history would always flow in its original direction, no matter what I did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The things I did… they had already happened in the original timeline.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There has been research on time since ancient times. It’s the single-dimensional timeline theory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never mind, please continue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then explained in detail about going down to Noark, spending six months there, and my efforts to save Amelia’s sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, of course, I left out anything related to evil spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was in Noark when I returned. It was a month before the present. I met Amelia and Erwen, and Erwen believed me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the reason you didn’t reveal your identity was because you found the royal family’s announcement suspicious… right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, though.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the end of my story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what would Raven’s judgment be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched her with a mixture of anticipation and worry, and she said firmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a ridiculous story, like something a child would believe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a somewhat expected reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a mage, not an ordinary person. She was knowledgeable, so it was only natural for her to find my story unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have any proof?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I had prepared for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why do you think I haven’t told you about our encounter yet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of thing works better in a dramatic situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Proof… of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said the name Nibels Enche sounded familiar, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, but?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course it would. We met twenty years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I explained in detail, watching Raven’s confused expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our first meeting at the library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How I saved her when she was about to get beaten up for electrocuting people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how we met every day at the same time and talked about various things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That person… was you…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven’s eyes widened in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems like you finally remember who Nibels Enche was.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She might have forgotten his name, but she still remembered him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven didn’t say anything for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just stared at me with confused eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is impossible… How can this be…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand how you feel. But it really happened. You must also remember our conversations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vaguely. Just that there was someone like that… I was really busy after entering the Magic Tower. And then ‘that incident’ happened…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What incident?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven hesitated at my question and then snapped at me coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t need to know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, I was so nice to her when she was young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did she turn out like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, but she was even more rude back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least she was using honorifics now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, do you believe me now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven didn’t answer and just pursed her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick, tock, tick, tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ticking of the disc’s second hand echoed in the silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like less than two minutes were left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, even though it stopped working whenever I spoke, I hadn’t been talking non-stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick, tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the pointless time passed…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter what I want to believe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amelia Rainwales, you answer me. Is his story true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven, as if belatedly realizing that she could verify it through a third party, shifted her gaze to Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick, tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Amelia’s answer was flawless, even though ‘Distorted Trust’ was active.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everything Yandel said is true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, although I had left out a few truths, the experiences themselves were facts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fact that he and I went to the past twenty years ago, and the things we experienced there, they all happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the final blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was hard to believe, there was no way she could deny it now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Okay, I think she’s convinced…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was feeling relieved when…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Raven spoke in a strained voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That… doesn’t prove that you’re not an evil spirit…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why? Wasn’t this enough to convince her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was she still so persistent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Don’t tell me… there’s another reason why she suspects me, besides the royal family’s announcement…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mouth went dry at that thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amelia Rainwales.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll ask you one last question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Ask away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia nodded, and after a brief pause, Raven spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was firm and unwavering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If there’s anything you’re unsure about, or if you don’t know for sure, please just say you don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Bjorn Yandel an evil spirit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia didn’t answer Raven’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, she couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, how could she?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t lie in front of that damn Numbered Item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only option was silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy silence fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in that silence…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick, tock, tick, tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second hand ticked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it didn’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second hand stopped, and the light emanating from the disc faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect of ‘Distorted Trust’ had ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the suffocating silence continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It happened sometimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment of silence could be a more powerful answer than a thousand words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It doesn’t matter what I say now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia finally muttered, but Raven didn’t speak. And she didn’t reactivate ‘Distorted Trust’ and ask the same question again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She probably didn’t have enough charges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Raven…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just… don’t say anything. Please… not now…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven looked at me for a long time, standing in front of the cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed to be organizing her thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could it be that she couldn’t?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m the Vice-Captain of the 3rd Magic Corps, and I have pride and a sense of responsibility for my role. I would never betray or deceive those who trust and follow me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven started muttering to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… I have to report this. It’s not just treason against the nation, it’s betrayal and deception against those who believe in me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear who she was talking to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not me, Amelia, or Erwen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t do that. No, I can’t…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven clenched her fists as if trying to organize her tangled thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then she turned around and walked towards the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud, thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked precarious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, this is going to be a big problem if you let her go like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia advised me, but I couldn’t hear her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would come back with reinforcements next time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could I say to stop her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My companion, who had tried to believe me, had finally realized the truth and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart ached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I had a thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I wasn’t an evil spirit, if I had been born in Bjorn Yandel’s body and met them as an ordinary person…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would have happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…That’s bullshit. We wouldn’t have even become companions.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dismissed the meaningless thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the guilt I felt towards Raven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the time for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I guess we have no choice but to go with Plan B.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the situation had become this dire, I had to focus on surviving, regardless of my reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just my life that was on the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia and Erwen were also my responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the troops arrived and the cage opened, I would block their path with [Gigantification] and buy time. And then I would break through the floor and escape into the lake instead of going to the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could use the water spirit to breathe...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And then…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was finalizing Plan B when...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven stopped, and then she slowly turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why… did you save me…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…she asked, looking at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if she couldn’t understand that one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…If you hadn’t used [Gigantification], your identity wouldn’t have been revealed. Why… did you still save me? Even at the cost of… that injury.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Right, that’s what she was curious about.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t blame her for asking, but I felt a pang of bitterness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Raven wouldn’t have asked that question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was probably…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…because I’m an evil spirit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I’m an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My sincerity was being doubted, and the time we spent together was being denied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Lee Baekho must have felt this way too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel the emotions he must have felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wall around his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suspicion that words were meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, there’s a reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I still spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I knew there was something else—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I might seem like a monster who stole another person’s body…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if everything seemed like a lie…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though I shouldn’t be saying this…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were in danger, Raven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I saved you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only reason.\u003C\u002Fp>",2096,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.065Z",1,"novelbin.me","69b29e0cbc8fbf9c9aba19c094f50f555133163ce135f66e433db7d579dacb6e","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-362","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-360",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]