[{"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-504":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},1328181,1764,"Chapter 504: The Age of Exploration (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-504",504,"\u003Cp>Do you know what’s most important when lying?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not eloquent speech or a carefully constructed reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s your expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-This is… a m-misunderstanding…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how logical your words are, they won’t be convincing if your face says otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just testing you… but it seems like it really is human blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some professional liars could control even the slightest twitch of their facial muscles, but thankfully, this wasn’t one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I-It’s a misunderstanding—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just tell me what happened. I’m listening.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…He’s stronger than he looks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t work if the target’s Magic Resistance and Mental Power were too high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it was understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might be the leader of a small, unknown clan… but he was still a leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What should we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter who we interrogated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were plenty of witnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Try him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pointed at the archer, who looked nervous, and Bersil cast the spell again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It worked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a feeling it would work on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Y-Yes, Baron…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me. What happened here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The archer’s face turned pale, and he glanced at me and his leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to crack the whip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you were lying about the misunderstanding?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered my voice, and the clan leader bit his lip and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jason, it’s okay. Tell him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Yes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The archer, relieved to have received his leader’s permission, finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that he hadn’t been completely lying about the misunderstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had indeed discovered this place first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then a team of six explorers had appeared, and that’s when the trouble started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did they try to steal your discovery?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-No, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just tell me what happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explorers had realized that the clan had found something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or at least, the clan thought they had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they had captured the explorers to prevent them from revealing the information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-There was an accident…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An accident?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One of them… attacked us and killed one of our members…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fight had broken out, and the explorers had been killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the bodies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We disposed of them with dissolving liquid after taking their equipment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s why I had smelled something strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I’m telling the truth! Please believe me! They attacked us first—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was he talking about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you were planning to just let them go if they hadn’t resisted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-That’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trailed off, unable to continue the lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clan leader spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what if we did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think those six would have been any different? If we had been outnumbered, we would have been the ones who were killed and robbed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, he wasn’t wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the only difference. No one can blame us. Not even you, Baron Yandel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared to use that logic against me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I can just kill you all right here and now? No one will blame me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I used the same logic against him, and his eyes widened in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you do that, your reputation—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Are you going to spread rumors as a ghost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bjorn Yandel, the Giant, wasn’t as noble as the rumors made him out to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, that’s enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ended the conversation and called for a meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one item on the agenda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What should we do with them? Speak your mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I say we kill them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen was the first to speak, her opinion clear and unwavering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha, what about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Well… I think… it’s better to… kill them…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I agree with Carlstain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha and Bersil voted for execution, while Auyen and Ainar voted for sparing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I also vote for sparing them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia’s vote was unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I had to ask,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to punish them, it’s better to leave it to the guild. It’s the proper procedure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had never expected such a by-the-book answer from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She avoided my gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think it’s better for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Better for me…? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hesitated for a moment and then answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, don’t take this the wrong way. You’re in a very unstable state right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Unstable state?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have they harmed you? Or tried to kill you? No. They’re not a threat to you, even if you let them go. And yet, you’re looking for a reason to kill them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A reason to kill them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she think I was a psychopath?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily, you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I should have said yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes weren’t filled with accusation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were filled with worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Three votes for execution, and three votes for sparing them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, the choice is yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To kill, or to spare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had never imagined I would seriously contemplate such a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was probably… the reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why Amelia had intervened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was genuinely worried about ‘Lee Hansu’, the person who had been trapped in this warrior’s body for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Archer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked him one last question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you, or any of your teammates, ever looted before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No, sir. We’re not that kind of clan. We just… lost our judgment for a moment…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bersil, take their testimonies and record them with the crystal. Emily, search their belongings and find the victim’s ID. And collect any other evidence that might be useful for the guild.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll leave it to the guild to decide whether they’re looters or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a hassle, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the right thing to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t cause any more trouble until the labyrinth closes. The guild will be investigating thoroughly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“O-Of course!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, that settled that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what was inside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A… stone tablet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A stone tablet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to see it for myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Amelia and Bersil were gathering evidence and testimonies, I approached the wall and examined the crevice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t big enough for me to fit through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is discrimination against barbarians…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made my decision and swung my hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwaaang! Rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wall crumbled, and a passage appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! It looks just like a portal stone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will a portal open if we touch it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stone tablet stood at the end of the passage, about ten meters away. I approached it and touched it, but nothing happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I knew it was too easy. There must be another condition.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it seemed like we were on the right track.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no hidden chambers like this in the Crystal Cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And the broken wall isn’t regenerating…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why destruction was the key to finding hidden pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If everything else regenerated except for one spot, that spot was usually the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We examined the area around the tablet, and then Amelia and Bersil rejoined us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had finished gathering evidence and testimonies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I released the captives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-You’re letting us go…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. And don’t cause any more trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked confused, but he gathered his teammates and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil spoke cautiously,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure about this? They might spread rumors about us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had considered killing them to prevent that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They found this place before the 3rd day. It’s not exactly a well-kept secret. They might think they’ve made a great discovery, but… anyone could have found it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s… true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So let’s stop worrying about them and focus on this. Can you use Mana Detection to see if there’s anything hidden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We tried various methods, including magic, but we couldn’t find anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, I think we should give up. There’s nothing here—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn! There’s something written here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We found an unexpected clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar had been digging around the tablet, and an inscription had appeared beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, a warrior’s intuition is as good as magic. That’s why barbarians are superior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored Ainar’s nonsense and bent down to read the inscription.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s in ancient language.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. I can read it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-You can…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, I hadn’t told them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Show, don’t tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I read the inscription aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One star, one sun, one moon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On this land we look upon, all are equal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will look up to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil and Erwen’s expressions changed as soon as I finished reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, this is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the same as the inscription on the Witch’s statue!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same inscription we had seen in the Witch’s Cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar didn’t seem to remember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh? The Witch’s statue? What are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a long story.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We dug around the tablet, but we couldn’t find anything else. We restored the area and left the hidden chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is troublesome. We didn’t find any clues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia seemed frustrated, but I didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No clues?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘One star, one sun, one moon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was practically a giveaway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re going to the 2nd floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We might be able to enter the rift if we hurried.\u003C\u002Fp>",1499,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","5933887312e199d2c0cec1ad839bd1f8213e6f1877ba34989fd4bc58ae2e7ab2","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-505","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-503",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]