[{"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-513":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},1328190,1764,"Chapter 513: Natives (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-513",513,"\u003Cp>Three bodies hung from the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Erwen, cut them down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We lowered the bodies and examined them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The wounds are clean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judging by the cuts, the weapon was a sword. About this long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It seems likely that they were killed by other explorers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mage and the assassin, both experts in their respective fields, agreed that the wounds were inflicted by a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… there are monsters that use weapons, aren’t there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The navigator, a non-combatant, naively voiced his opinion, but no one took him seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Monsters have never displayed this kind of behavior. Lokrob, you’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you? Monsters attack explorers on sight, but they don’t show any interest in dead bodies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah… Now that you mention it, that’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil’s explanation was convincing enough for Auyen to immediately agree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened here…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know. Maybe there was a conflict within the Silver Lion Clan? Or maybe these explorers betrayed them. One thing’s for sure, it wasn’t a monster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil’s theory wasn't conclusive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was always the possibility of a new species with unknown behavior patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mental contamination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They might have been driven mad. Monsters don’t do this, but humans driven by madness are capable of anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That possibility couldn't be ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the leader, I had to take every precaution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bersil, cast Tranquility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We prepared for the worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soul Barrier was the most effective spell against mental contamination, but it consumed a lot of mana. Tranquility was a good alternative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you maintain Tranquility indefinitely?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, don’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, I would give her further instructions if necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up at the tree where the bodies had been hanging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I turned to Misha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Yes?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was your first impression when you saw the bodies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… well…? It seemed like… a display… Like they were showing off their kills…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily, you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It felt more like a warning to me. They were hanging right at the entrance…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same as you. It felt like a warning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I said that, I heard a strange sound next to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong, Misha?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to end the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t interested in who had killed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a monster, that much was certain. But even if it was another explorer, it didn't make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘We’ll find out eventually.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we wanted to know what was going on, we had to explore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the explorer’s motto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s move.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We entered the jungle, Auyen diligently mapping the area as we went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after a while…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eek! The tree… it’s moving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We encountered our first monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't the ‘Diamond’ that Wyte had told us about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A new species.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its name and rank were unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was definitely a plant-type monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moving trees weren’t classified as beasts or nature spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whiiiish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vine lashed out like a whip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That seemed to be its basic attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact against my shield wasn't that strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering it was a basic attack, it was probably around 5th-grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too early to let our guard down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mages were known for their weak basic attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trrrrrr-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The branches trembled, and glowing orbs started falling from the leaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orbs, initially small, grew rapidly as they fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by the time they reached the ground, they had grown several times larger and taken on a distinct shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seedria!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 5th-grade plant-type monster, Seedria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was small and made cute noises, but it was still a 5th-grade monster, on par with the Troll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Beep, beep…!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had summoned Seedria, so its skill had to be [Growing Seed].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about its other skills?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We continued fighting the seven Seedria, and soon we saw another skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rat-a-tat-tat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana orbs rained down like bullets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the [Mana Barrage] of the 4th-grade aquatic monster, Palpupura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pffff-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the dust-like particles… that had to be [Charming Powder].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Overall, it’s around 4th-grade.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We waited for it to use more skills, but it didn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still wasn’t sure about its passive skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no point in dragging the fight out any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swung my hammer with all my might, splitting the giant tree in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did we kill it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the body didn't dissolve into particles of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Did it have a resurrection passive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I cautiously approached the tree…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Kyu?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny creature emerged from a knot in the wood and stared at us before scurrying away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the main body! Erwen, don’t let it escape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen immediately fired a [Fire Arrow].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow struck its target and exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Squirrel slain.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two items remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A magic stone, probably around 4th-grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「No. 9999 Beginner’s Luck activated.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…an essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_________________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What should we do with it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a new species. We’re taking it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil collected the essence, and I thought for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This essence probably won’t be very useful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s true… We don’t know its essence yet, but its skills weren’t that powerful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha chimed in, agreeing with Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a little unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been avoiding the other teammates throughout the expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is she finally opening up?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t much of a conversation, but it was a good sign. She wasn't completely shutting us out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I played along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, you never know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Parasites often have hidden abilities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some parasites could enhance their host’s skills or even grant them new ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll have to check its abilities in the Archives later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does it matter? They probably already have a name for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We might be the first to discover it. I’ll name it Nanari.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure, go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a feeling there would be a monster named ‘Nanari’ eventually, anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… Nanari is a good name, but… it summons Seedria and uses the Palpupura’s skills, so… how about Seedpura…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil, what are you doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s Nanari. We’ll call it Nanari until we confirm its official name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made the final decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia seemed pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So that settles the name…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After collecting Nanari’s essence, we resumed our exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…This island is creepy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen’s comment was met with unanimous agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jungle itself was normal enough, and the darkness wasn't a problem for experienced explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the details were unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh… I stepped on it again…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we walked through the bushes, we kept stepping on something soft and squishy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we looked closer, we found chunks of flesh and bone scattered among the bushes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is disgusting. Why is there so much of this…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least it doesn’t smell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was true, but the sight itself was grotesque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if someone had taken different monsters, mashed them together, and then scattered the remains throughout the jungle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why is there an eyeball sticking out of that…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We continued mapping the area, carefully avoiding the… remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Battle stations!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster ambushed us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the ‘Diamond’ that Wyte had told us about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Diamond slain.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle itself wasn't difficult, but we spent about 40 minutes testing its abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And finally, we identified its essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Impure].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reduced the maximum number of essences by one, but increased the power of all active skills by 50%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I was expecting a high-grade passive, since its active skills are all 3rd-grade.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the passive itself was only 5th-grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a little disappointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If it had a good passive, it would have been a great essence.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hellfire] was a powerful skill, even if its base stats were low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘New combinations are interesting, but it’s going to be difficult to find the right ones…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mister!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen suddenly shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another monster? We had just finished a battle…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not a monster! It’s people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was important information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four of them. They’re running this way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they coming towards us? I don’t sense any other presences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, they’re not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why are they running?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…They were captured by the monsters on this island… and they just escaped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go. I’m curious what happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We quickly regrouped and followed Erwen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We should be able to intercept them soon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We changed our formation to pursuit mode and increased our pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There they are!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen stopped, and we saw a group of explorers running through the jungle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their expressions were a mixture of emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprise, fear, relief, hope…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, as they recognized me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re saved!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Help us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They dropped their weapons and ran towards us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was my least favorite type of explorer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood their desperation, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What were you running from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A… a monster! A monster on this island…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they chasing you? I don’t sense anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-No, I don’t think so!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why were you running?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We were captured… by the monsters… and we just escaped…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I released my grip on his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay alert, even if there are no monsters nearby.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We switched back to exploration mode. There was no need to maintain battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… tell me. What do you mean by ‘captured’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s… exactly what it sounds like… There’s a village… a monster village on this island…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A colony?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-No, it’s different… It’s difficult to explain…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explorer stammered, unable to articulate his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman next to him spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron, those monsters were different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Different how?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They communicated with each other using a complex language system. One of our mages said it sounded like ancient language… Ah! That’s not important.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shook her head and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The village… it was huge. There were houses, and… families… children…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like… natives…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Natives…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was an interesting concept.\u003C\u002Fp>",1616,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","0aec6df4f274997b84157cc13f1dde4126411fcaab0d61b8712db5949957d2db","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-514","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-512",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]