[{"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-396":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},1327566,1764,"Chapter 396: Expedition Force (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-396",396,"\u003Cp>I stared at the knight, who had been glaring at me, and then changed my expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems like I was mistaken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My softened expression made him sigh in relief, but he still looked confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, I'm glad there's nothing wrong with your head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then checked with the other three if they had any objections to me being the leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had all agreed to the bet in front of the Marquis, but you never know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additional treatment might be necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"None.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since it's settled, please call me if you need anything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, the other three, except for the knight, didn't object at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they all so cool-headed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought at least one of them would be greedy, considering their own interests and the political stakes involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I'm glad my workload has been reduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's good to hear that there are no objections. Then I'll be going.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes? Going?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I turned to leave, the four of them looked at me with puzzled expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They must have thought we would discuss something now that the leader had been decided...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm hungry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll see you later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left the room, ignoring their dumbfounded expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a kind of build-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn't going to live as Lihen Schuitz forever, and my identity would be revealed in three months anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to show them this side of me beforehand so they could understand when the time came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'He acted like a barbarian, so that's why he was like that.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I went to the Marquis's office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to report to him before leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did it go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It went smoothly. Nothing special happened.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They all agreed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They didn't have a choice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's... true. If you need anything, let me know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm counting on you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That concluded the interim report—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, and one more thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There will be a founding ceremony soon, now that the commander has been decided.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A founding ceremony?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We need a place for everyone to meet and get to know each other before entering the labyrinth. The sponsors who participated in this plan will also want to see you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll let you know as soon as the schedule is finalized.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a bit ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were only ten days left until the labyrinth opened, and they were planning to hold a founding ceremony and then immediately enter the labyrinth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was like trying to cook beans over a lightning strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I wonder why they're in such a hurry.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly wondered, but the answer was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'They probably wanted to avoid the 15th, the easiest time for information to leak to Noark.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wanted to minimize information exposure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked a few questions about the ceremony, and as expected, they said it wouldn't be a large-scale event with hundreds of people due to security concerns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay, I understand about the ceremony, but what about my teammates? Will I be able to meet them then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They'll be there. If you want, I can arrange a meeting tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then please send them to my house tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll do that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis readily agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had we finished our conversation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to wrap things up when the Marquis suddenly brought up a new topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"About the bet you made at the dinner...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis paused and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Were you really confident that you could win against all four of them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you asking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm curious. You read the documents I prepared, so you must have known their skills. I thought you were confident you could easily defeat them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But that wasn't the case. Do you know how worried I was?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood what he was asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did I make such a reckless bet if I was going to barely win?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to be honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're right, Marquis.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason for my victory was the 7th-grade Undead engraving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The special stat, 'Recovery Power', that increased healing and regeneration efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without it, my natural regeneration wouldn't have been enough to endure for so long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And most importantly...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I might have run out of MP first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recovery Power also applied to MP regeneration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It increased the amount of MP recovered by [Soul Dive].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's why I thought I could win against them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wasn't completely sure I would win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I wasn't 100% confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, that's how battles are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are countless examples of people getting knocked out by a lucky punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't understand. Why would you make such a reckless bet if you weren't sure?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, why do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shrugged and left the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'If I lost, I was planning to refuse to accept it and demand a rematch.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You always have to have a backup plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day at lunchtime, the two new teammates arrived at my house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You must be Lihen Schuitz. Nice to meet you. I'm Liard Ashid, a 3rd-grade mage from the Rengman School.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 30-something mage with a friendly face and a surprisingly tall stature for a mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're young. I'm Gruold Aldidi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 60-something ability user who looked much younger than I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Lihen Schuitz.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Are you from the military?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, why do you ask?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You speak so informally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he trying to get some respect by bringing up his age?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly wondered, but didn't dwell on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aldidi, if you came here expecting a typical explorer team, you should leave now. We'll be operating under the military for a while, and that means a strict hierarchy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's always best to establish dominance from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My firm words made Gruold Aldidi, or Didi for short, back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, of course not. I was just curious. I've been an explorer for this long, I'm used to working under younger people. It's no big deal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's good to hear. Mage...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Liard Ashid. You can call me by my first name or last name, whichever is more comfortable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I'll call you Ashid. Ashid, do you agree with him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course. In our mage society, it's natural to be treated based on your skills. And besides... this is a great opportunity for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Opportunity...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We've already been promised generous rewards just for joining the expedition force. And I heard from the Marquis yesterday... you're the expedition leader, Schuitz?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, the Marquis had already told them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems like we've found a good sponsor. We'll have more opportunities to earn achievements if we're on the leader's team. Don't you agree, Aldidi?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm, I suppose so...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid smiled gently and asked, and Didi coughed and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'They both seem decent.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mage Ashid,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn't talked to him much, but he seemed competent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, most mages were intelligent, but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Social skills and intelligence are two different things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'And the old man doesn't seem stubborn.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Ashid played a role in that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He subtly emphasized their subordinate status by mentioning the opportunity and the expedition leader position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you're done with the introductions, would you like to meet the other two?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid cautiously asked, and I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen and Amelia introduced themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm Erwen Fornachi di Tersia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Emily Raines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were surprised when Erwen introduced herself as the Blood Spirit Marquis, but they just tilted their heads when Amelia introduced herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'It's good that they didn't ask any unnecessary questions.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, it seems like I got lucky with the recruitment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I led them inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had ordered a lot of food, anticipating their arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, I forgot to ask. Have you eaten?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We haven't. We thought we might be having lunch together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's better to have an empty stomach when you have important matters to discuss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, so they're both hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We don't have much, but eat as much as you want. We can talk while we eat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We all sat down at the table and started eating and chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This food is delicious. Who made it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, I did. Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, thank you for the meal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my, it's nothing. Ho ho.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid and Erwen's friendly banter lightened the mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just focused on eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't like I had made the food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had bought it all from a restaurant this morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid's claim wasn't entirely a lie, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had arranged the food on the plates and set the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'If Misha were here, she would have insisted on making the food herself...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly thought of Misha, and then I sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt strange to be welcoming new teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'By the way, we haven't discussed their experience yet.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I actively participated in the conversation and started asking questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There wasn't much difference from what I had heard from the Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I last entered the labyrinth seven years ago. I was part of a clan for about five years, but it disbanded, so I've been focusing on research at the Mage Tower.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you decide to come back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Same reason as everyone else.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A better life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those reasons were much more convincing than any strange ideals or beliefs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What can you do in the labyrinth?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For a mage, it's more important to know what you can't do than what you can.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid smiled and shared his skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can only use 5th-grade or higher curse magic in a limited capacity. Support and auxiliary magic up to 4th-grade. I can use most other magic, except for those unique to other schools. Ah, I'm also knowledgeable about gathering and materials since I'm interested in the labyrinth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid was a jack-of-all-trades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might be lacking in curse and support magic, but it wasn't a major weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you're asking what I'm best at, it would be attack magic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What element?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't think I have any particular preference.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wow, he's really versatile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is the Rengman School specialized in combat magic?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, it's actually focused on curse magic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? That's interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went to a curse magic school, but his best skill was attack magic?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be a story behind it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you don't have any more questions for me, I'd like to hear about Aldidi's skills.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid smoothly passed the turn to Didi before I could ask about his story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...Was that intentional?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, even if it was, I didn't mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn't planning to pry into his personal life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a healer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Healer was a subcategory of ability users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who mimicked priests' healing abilities were called healers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who could replicate mages' firepower were called spellcasters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spellcasters who used poison were poison masters, those who used fire were flame masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who specialized in buffs were support ability users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those who specialized in curses were curse ability users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a common classification system, and it became more detailed and complex as you climbed higher in the labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I were to submit a resume to the guild, I wouldn't write 'barbarian warrior', but 'guardian'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A healer... that's a good balance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid seemed pleased with Didi's profession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen's role as an archer was well-known, and Amelia's attire, with her leather armor and daggers, made her profession obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they had heard about me from the Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I mostly have healing abilities, but I also have two support skills.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant he had buff-type skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didi then explained his essences and how he used them, and then it was our turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, we didn't need to go into detail about our essences since we weren't ability users who needed to coordinate our skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We just had to tell them our roles and what we could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Amelia's 'Aura', 'Self-Replication', and Erwen's 'Darkness Spirit' were the only special things we had to mention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think we've covered most of the important information. What are your plans for the future?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We should start practicing together. We'll need to coordinate our movements.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, do you have a training ground you usually go to?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did, but it closed down recently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I'll find a suitable place. Ah, we'll need to contact each other in writing, so can I get your addresses?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here you go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is what it's like to have a competent secretary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashid took care of all the trivial matters, so I didn't have to worry about them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We started practicing together at the training ground from the next day onwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And time flew by...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Schuitz, the Marquis contacted me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day of the founding ceremony had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'How do they get things done so quickly?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was three days before the labyrinth expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>",2123,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.065Z",1,"novelbin.me","626362a643007f406b41c89c2361830a337bc48fa2d016a1c4b819584e51bb4a","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-397","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-395",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]