[{"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-493":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},1327713,1764,"Chapter 493: Declaration of War (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-493",493,"\u003Cp>Kwaaang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I charged through the hole in the wall, running down the empty passage. And when I reached a dead end, I swung my hammer again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwaaang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, the path was blocked, but it wasn’t a big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The building’s structure meant there was always a way up or down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smashed through the ceiling and climbed upstairs, arriving at a strange place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lighting was dim, unlike the brightly lit hallways I had been running through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And inside the cages were… people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, demi-humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all had the same tattoo in the same spot, regardless of their race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Slaves…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They just stared blankly into space, even after seeing a giant barbarian burst through the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a strange feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So slavery still exists…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slavery was illegal in Lafdonia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Criminals used to be legally enslaved, but slavery had been abolished about a hundred years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most heinous criminals were executed, and those who had been enslaved for minor offenses or debt were granted their freedom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, most of them died soon after, unable to pay their taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke to a young boy who seemed to have some life left in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flinched and pressed himself against the back of the cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored his fear and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you end up here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the thugs who had followed me answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…S-Stop this, Baron Yandel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? What was he going to do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored him and looked at the boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thug’s shout seemed to have had an unexpected effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Giant…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy muttered my title and then approached the bars, his eyes wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say the Giant is a hero… that he saves people and punishes villains… Is it true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sort of.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Did you come to save us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I answered honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just happened to find you. Now tell me. How did you end up here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy hesitated, glancing at me and the thug, and then he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mother… couldn’t pay her debts. So I have to pay them instead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened to your mother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She… died because she couldn’t pay her taxes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the fairy next to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at the woman in the same cage, and the boy whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Riley… she couldn’t pay her debts either. Even though she could have, some bad people stopped her. So she was brought here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…She said she would escape and come back for me… but after she was taken away a few times, she stopped talking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s why he was the only one who still had some light in his eyes. The others must have been brainwashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A person’s will could be easily broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ve gathered enough information…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned my gaze towards the thugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one in front flinched, as if he had been caught bullying a weaker kid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a step forward and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gulped and raised his shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I haven’t killed anyone yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had beaten them up, but I hadn’t killed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you think that is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Because you don’t want to make enemies of us. That’s what the higher-ups think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why they had been so passive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew I wouldn’t kill them unless they attacked me first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had been rampaging through the black market, they would have received different orders. They would have been told to subdue me, even if it meant killing me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So my plan was to establish dominance and then negotiate with their leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me what you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plan B was Plan B for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were always unexpected variables in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re ready to talk to the Bar—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I punched him in the jaw before he could finish his sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flew backwards like a baseball, crashing into the wall and collapsing to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s tougher than he looks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down at him and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was aiming to kill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other thugs flinched. They hadn’t expected that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you didn’t want to make an enemy of us, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Yes, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised my hammer, and his expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop this, Baron. You’ll regret it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a strange thing to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why would I regret it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swung my hammer down with all my might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the ones who should be regretting this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how it works, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation was over. The thugs didn’t say a word, their eyes fixed on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a step forward, and they retreated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was waiting for the right moment to charge…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…when I heard a sound behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy steel door at the end of the hallway was opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several thugs emerged, escorting a middle-aged man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough, Baron Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Mel, the current head of the Shadow Trading Company.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, he was the owner of the black market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave his subordinates a look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is he doing? Is he still alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…He’s still breathing, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mel then turned to me and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron Yandel, may I heal my subordinate before we begin our conversation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you really think a Baron of Lafdonia would accept a request from a rebel group?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, rebel group… You think too lowly of us, Baron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should I think highly of those who break the law?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded, as if he understood my point, and then he said coldly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone, leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His subordinates were shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s too dangerous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Mel didn’t change his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t say it again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t dare argue with him and started leaving the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mel approached me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he incredibly strong? Or was this just a clone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped in front of me and turned his back to me, kneeling down. He pulled out a potion and poured it on the injured thug’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sizzle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thug’s mangled face bubbled and hissed. His body, which had been motionless, started twitching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A high-grade potion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, it is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t figure it out, so I asked him directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m saving my subordinate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re risking your life for that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. He’s one of my men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had met countless leaders, but this was the first time I had encountered someone like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re risking your life for a single subordinate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Value is subjective. Just like you changed your mind after seeing those slaves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’re a strange one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall we move to a more suitable location for a conversation? This place isn’t exactly… pleasant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and walked away, and I followed him, still dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We entered a small room after passing through several doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is one of the private rooms for our customers. I’ve dismissed all the customers, so we won’t be interrupted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat down at the table in the center of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he looked at me expectantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you afraid?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t seem afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I don’t have a choice. If I harm you, my family and this place will be destroyed. I’m not that reckless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And this isn’t reckless?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I die, that’s the end of it. Someone else will take my place. It might take some time, but everything will return to normal. The bottom always collects the filth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, of course, you’ll just leave empty-handed after venting your anger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was surprisingly bold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We hadn’t talked for long, but I could already tell…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t someone I could easily intimidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn’t want to waste any more time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what do you want to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you’re the one with something to say. You came here for a reason, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, now I didn’t know what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to just tell him what I wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give me the names of your clients.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the main reason I had come here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Some mages… are placing requests on the black market.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone was trying to buy barbarian hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[They’re also after… your heart…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had even placed a bounty on my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I-I swear… I just received a request from the black market… I don’t know who the client is…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And someone had hired the Sawtooth Clan to sabotage our raid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… that’s why you came here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just answer the question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Giving you the names of our clients is a difficult request.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re refusing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I’m a merchant. This will hurt my business, but it’s better than making an enemy of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll gather the information and send it to you today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He readily agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an unexpected development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had thought I would have to negotiate for a long time, even after all the commotion I had caused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, one more thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made one last request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Release the slaves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t just leave them here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, you seem to believe in human dignity, Baron Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You ask a lot of questions. It was a yes or no question, wasn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Can I think about it for a moment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened them after about three minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright. I’ll release all the slaves, and I won’t be involved in the slave trade anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That was a quick decision.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to sound nonchalant, but he answered readily, as if it wasn’t a secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a business I’ve been wanting to quit for a while now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There have been too many problems with the buyers. They often mistreat the slaves, and it almost caused a major incident a few times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had wanted to quit, but he couldn’t find a good excuse. It was a profitable business that had been passed down through generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now that you’re here, Baron Yandel, no one will object. It’s a good thing, actually.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, is that all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I’ll leave as soon as I receive the information and the slaves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll have to hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He summoned his subordinates and gave them instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By dawn, I had received the information about the clients and the slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mel Asmond.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked him before leaving,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you giving in so easily?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just looked at me for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you know about my family, Baron Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had cleared the black market episode in the game, so I knew about his family. They had been the rulers of this place for generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not what I asked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heroes always die young. There’s no reason for us to get involved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, he thought I would die soon if I kept acting like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He’s an interesting one.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mel Asmond, the owner of the black market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a feeling we would meet again.\u003C\u002Fp>",1866,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","0e66366d3f42b1a36a2ec21a03a4e4cd77ddfa4875f7dfe8b8170d0d30d47640","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-494","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-492",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]