[{"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-368":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},1327538,1764,"Chapter 368: Black Star (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-368",368,"\u003Cp>Click, click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked the chat rooms first, using the mouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was one of the first things I always did when I logged into the community.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Long Live Korean Independence] - 0 users online.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Korean chat room where I first met Lee Baekho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, there was no one there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, it would be nice to meet him and talk, but…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I moved to the free forum. The forums were usually flooded with posts after the community opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the best time to catch up on the events of the past month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-I heard the captain of Orculus took him down with four others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-They’re saying the Chief of Staff, who was acting commander during the expedition, is the most likely candidate to take over the vacant position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[these99: The weakness of [Wall of Thousand Gold] has been revealed, so the rear isn’t a safe haven anymore.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[└SecureId7: It’s still a safe haven. They barely lost anyone. The only difference is that there will be more patrol teams.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[stevencastle: Wait, isn’t the Chief of Staff that Eltora Terserion guy?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[└OP: Yeah, the Prime Minister’s son.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[└stevencastle: Damn it, I’m never going to the 3rd Corps. I’ve never had a good experience with that guy.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, the forums were mostly filled with posts about the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Anyone heard about the Blood Spirit Marquis?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-She killed that Lighthouse Keeper guy from Orculus, is it true? I heard the Blood Knight, the Corpse Collector, and the Wailing Witch were also there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[marcelone: It’s confirmed information. It wasn’t a solo kill, she worked with the Golden Mage.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[└OP: Wow, really? They used to be companions, I guess they’re not on bad terms.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[marcelone: There are a lot of speculations because the enemy was so strong. It doesn’t make sense for even the Blood Spirit Marquis to have killed the Lighthouse Keeper, who was a support class, against those opponents.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, there are people who are suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there were doubts even here, then there might be an investigation going on outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click, click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I continued reading the posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after some time…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I received a message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sender: Ghost master.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sender was ‘Ghost master’, the GM’s nickname, but I wasn’t surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>System messages and announcements were usually sent under that name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>90% of the messages in my inbox were from the GM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can’t help but feel nervous.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clicked on the message, knowing it was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as expected…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I apologize for the late reply, things were a bit hectic last time. Let’s meet if you’re free.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I had received an invitation from the GM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had expected him to contact me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was actually stranger that he waited this long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Honestly, I thought he would contact me immediately after the last session.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had revealed his identity at the Round Table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And SoulQueens would have told him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But he waited until the next session…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were two possibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to meet me after carefully considering the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or he wasn’t in a position to receive messages while the community was active.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it wasn’t important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So what should I do…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I contemplated, staring at the message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think the GM would ban me even if I refused his invitation. After all, I had acted like a big shot while wearing the Lion mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t want to make an enemy out of me, especially since he almost died after banning Lee Baekho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Let’s just meet him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed the message window and entered the secret chat room’s password.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘0720? Is it some kind of anniversary?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a thought, but it wasn’t something I had to worry about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swaaaaaaaaaa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monitor flashed, and I opened my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was in a luxuriously decorated study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faint scent of books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a familiar place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had been here once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was when the rumors about dimensional collapse were spreading. I had come here to get information from a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Elfnunalove]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man with that strange nickname.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know he was the GM back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it must be the same for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while, Elf Noona. Or should I call you Lion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored his probing question and sat down on the sofa across from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled fakely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your tone has changed a lot. Or is this your true self?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve become quite taciturn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll ask you directly. I don’t believe in fate. What do you want from me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I want…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you think I want something from you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your first meeting with me might have been a coincidence, but the second one definitely wasn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, that’s how he interpreted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really was a coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were the one who invited me to the chat room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I did. But looking back, it was strange. You specifically asked about the Tarutein School and the mage, Shanel Pergang, in your post.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t help but think that you were trying to lure me in. You deliberately posted something I would be interested in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy is funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would I even gain from that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a bit creepy, now that I think about it. You knew that much about me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a ridiculous leap in logic, but I didn’t bother refuting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You didn’t call me here to talk about this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you avoiding the question?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avoid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, I can’t tell him the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think what you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So why did you call me here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I firmly took control of the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled and answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a strange question. You’re the one who called me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? What is he talking about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remained silent, confused, and he continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know how you found out my real name. But you told SoulQueens my name because you wanted to meet me, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as always, I didn’t hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s how it’s going to be…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not an idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…let’s change the strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What do you mean…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at me, his voice trailing off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also testing me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was clearly trying to get information by asking me questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I agreed, it would be a fact check for him, and if I disagreed, he could eliminate one possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t lose anything even if he was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let him be wrong.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I want something from you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a bad situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just a bluff, there were things I wanted that only the GM could do—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you could have just contacted me quietly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s no fun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He interpreted it as he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Well, I think you did it to threaten me, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, think what you want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I got back to the main topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, aren’t you going to ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Ask what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What I want from you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at me and then sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright. Tell me. What do you want from me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I answered after a brief pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unban Lee Baekho.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only thing I needed the GM’s help with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lee Baekho could access the community, I could talk to him. And I also needed to find out more about our cat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could it be that he was expecting this request?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…So that was your goal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM’s expression was surprisingly calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it wasn’t unusual for players to form groups based on nationality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So Lee Baekho told you about my identity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed convinced that we were in cahoots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no reason for me to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What… what are you two planning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no reason why I can’t tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked dumbfounded, as if he hadn’t expected this answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geez, at least listen to the whole sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you bring me something of equal value.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I continued, and he frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you… talking about interesting information?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, so he also heard about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tapped his knee with his index finger as I remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly started laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was creepy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem very confident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone had completely changed. It was cold and threatening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not completely lacking in confidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re similar then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you refusing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I have no reason to comply with your demands after you revealed my identity and are now making unilateral requests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want me to unban Lee Baekho, bring me something of equal value.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up and looked at me as if asking if I had anything else to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, at least he gave me time to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a shame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke with genuine regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That you think I’m here to make a deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tilted his head, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is he pretending not to understand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could tell he was scared of me from our first meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Your tone has changed a lot.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He maintained a polite attitude, despite my rude tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…Well, I think you did it to threaten me, but…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt threatened by my actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Then you could have just contacted me quietly.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he expressed disappointment rather than anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll give you three months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Are you threatening me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, the interpretation was up to the listener.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Even Lee Baekho couldn’t do anything to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, saying that in such a small voice only made him seem more pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was something I had to correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be precise, he almost killed me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do I seem as soft as him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember. Three months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll come find you after that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was my turn to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew… I feel alive again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I collapsed onto the bed as soon as I returned to Lee Hansu’s room, exiting the chat room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an experience I had countless times while wearing the Lion mask, but it was still exhausting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My original plan was to find out how much he knew about me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And maybe bring up Lee Baekho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, that was the plan…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…but I didn’t expect him to be this afraid of me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My thoughts changed after talking to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magitechnician, Yurven Habelión.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unidentified powerful figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like his position as the GM was a source of anxiety for him, and I was able to quickly pick up on that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But it didn’t seem like the royal family was wary of him, even though his identity was revealed.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I calmly replayed the conversation, I had a thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would be ruined if the royal family found out he was an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why was he only wary of direct threats?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Does he have connections in the royal family? Someone who can cover up the evil spirit issue?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he did, I wanted to know who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…His last words were a bit strange too…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled his question before I left the chat room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Password. You didn’t say anything about the password.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a rather unsettling experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was he asking about the password? It seemed like it meant something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…….]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t understand, so I remained silent, and he interpreted it as an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…So you’re really not connected to him?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…….]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sorry for keeping you. I’ll see you again soon.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, that was creepy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘0720…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was he trying to confirm by mentioning that number?\u003C\u002Fp>",1943,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.065Z",1,"novelbin.me","fb29add8ad87dc92f8d97343730163ca9226c242be708c0e15de9985ada92fa3","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-369","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-367",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]