[{"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-521":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},1328198,1764,"Chapter 521: One on One (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-521",521,"\u003Cp>After Goblin’s turn, the others quickly followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Royal Military Strategy Department believes that Noark orchestrated Lafdonia’s recent victory and their advance beyond Dragon’s Mountain Range. Noark’s core members are nowhere to be found.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stag Antlers, the second to speak, pointedly looked at Clown, a member of Orculus, as he spoke, as if expecting an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Blood Spirit Marquis, who entered the hidden area with Bjorn Yandel, is still alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crescent Moon, the third, made everyone tilt their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, considering the previous information, it’s highly likely that she’s alive, but… how can you be so sure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the Pureblood within her hasn’t returned to the tribe yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, there was that method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Fairy Tribe is already certain of her survival and is preparing a rescue team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft, isn’t the Blood Spirit Marquis a traitor to the tribe? They gave her the Pureblood and raised her, and she just threw it all away for a man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I don’t have to answer that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft, so sensitive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clown and Crescent Moon growled at each other, but it was just a brief interlude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the turns continued, they lost interest in each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fox, it’s your turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the fourth turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rested my chin on my hand and listened intently. I was curious what Bersil, disguised as Fox, would say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, I had given her a quest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I’ll look into it too. So can you gather some more information?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had instructed her to investigate the rumor about Misha Carlstain being a traitor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How would she approach it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha Carlstain isn’t a traitor. Not to Bjorn Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had directly contradicted Butterfly’s previous statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would definitely get a red light for this—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah, so that’s her plan.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jewel glowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swaaaaaaaaaaa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bright red light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe… this is interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Butterfly grinned, looking at Fox with an amused expression. Okay, so the bait had been taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She probably sat next to Butterfly for this reason.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure if this would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was a good attempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft, what’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the other members demanded an explanation, Bersil spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems like my conviction wasn’t strong enough. I thought I had enough evidence… Anyway, I’ll try something else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil revealed a different piece of information and received a green light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turn passed to Butterfly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would she take the bait?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you don’t believe me, Fox? Or is there a reason you don’t want to believe me? How amusing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had taken the bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha Carlstain rejoined Bjorn Yandel’s team because she was instructed to do so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Instructed… by who?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Lee Baekho.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no one else who would do something like that. I would have to ask him about it as soon as I saw him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wait a minute…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my anger towards Lee Baekho intensified, I suddenly made eye contact with Butterfly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickly looked away…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What’s her deal?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a coincidence that she had brought up Misha Carlstain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there really no ulterior motive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It was a strange timing…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold wave of suspicion washed over me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Butterfly had revealed this information at the Round Table, which meant she didn’t care if it became public knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe she even wanted it to be known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If that’s the case…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must have anticipated that Bjorn Yandel would hear about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I calmed myself down and thought about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When Bjorn Yandel finds out that Misha Carlstain is a traitor…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He’ll either kick her out…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…or he’ll turn against Lee Baekho.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would that be a desirable outcome for Butterfly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe my suspicions were unfounded. Maybe she had just revealed a random piece of information to get her turn over with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m more cautious now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If someone is trying to manipulate me…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just had to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would be the ones who got impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You had to aim before you fired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Character is being transferred to the Archives.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Butterfly’s turn, the meeting continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[There’s an inscription in ancient language beneath the stone tablet on the 1st floor. It says…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Queen revealed the clue to the hidden area, followed by Black Mask, Clown, and Wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then it was my turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because of the recent events…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other members seemed more interested in my information than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I betrayed their expectations and revealed another useless piece of game information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first round ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The second round wasn’t very interesting either.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard some news about the outside world, since I was trapped in the labyrinth… but there wasn’t anything useful or relevant to my current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And Butterfly didn’t mention Misha again.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meeting ended without any further revelations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I returned to Lee Hansu’s room, browsed the forums for a while, and then logged out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t in the city, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to rest and conserve my energy for tomorrow’s exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[00:00]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Day 36 of the labyrinth expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I woke up in my sleeping bag and looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bonfire was still burning, illuminating the cave… or rather, the inside of the giant tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same campsite we had set up before I was summoned to the community.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…I was only gone for four hours, but I’m exhausted…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed my eyes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after a while…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard a rustling sound next to me. Amelia’s clone, who was on watch duty, approached the source of the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you want some water?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes, please. Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was Bersil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the slight difference in our wake-up times, she must have stayed in the community until it closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is… Yandel asleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be awkward to talk now, so I just closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the next morning…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we were preparing for our next exploration…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil approached me, her face pale with exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, can I talk to you for a moment? Privately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pretended not to know what she was going to say, but it was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha Carlstain… there’s a suspicion that she rejoined our team because she was instructed to do so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the reason she had come to see me first thing in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instructed…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m not sure. I mean, I’m sure… but I don’t know the details.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was trying to cover up the fact that she had already heard about it at the Round Table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I hadn’t known the truth, I would have been suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem! Anyway, the important thing is… I have something else to tell you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s possible that time is flowing normally outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn't expected her to report this right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had she decided to tell me immediately, even if it meant arousing my suspicion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was commendable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your reasoning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…The Elder. There are a lot of things that don’t make sense about him. He’s from thousands of years ago… And he’s been here for a long time too, hasn’t he? The only way it makes sense is if time is flowing normally in both places.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her reasoning was surprisingly sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…If I hadn’t known the truth, I would have been convinced.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she had been preparing her excuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s been over a month outside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, pretending to be ignorant, and Bersil shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, that’s not it. I mean, I don’t think so… I think the ‘rainy season’ was the turning point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that fifteen days had passed in the city was the biggest clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she hadn’t prepared an excuse for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, her theory about the time flow was the same as mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rainy season had ended on Day 21.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the community meeting had been held on Day 35.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If time flowed at a 1:1 ratio after the rainy season, it would all add up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If my theory is correct, the next labyrinth opening will be on Day 50.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The 1st floor will close again on Day 57, and no one will be able to enter. And then the rainy season will start again on Day 64.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That matched the Elder’s description of the rainy season’s cycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Bersil shared her shocking(?) information, we held a clan meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time is flowing normally in the city…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was surprised, but they didn’t doubt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had told them about the community meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Ainar and Auyen, who didn’t know I was an evil spirit, were oblivious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! That’s amazing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-This is bad! What if we’re trapped here forever… like the Elder…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their reactions were mixed, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The information sharing was just the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to decide on our next course of action.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clan Master, what do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have to choose. Do we focus on our own exploration, regardless of the other explorers? Or…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do we help them and build a larger group to find a way out of here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were all explorers, so we didn’t need a long explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We started voting immediately, and the votes were evenly split.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m in favor. We need to find a way out, even if it means sacrificing short-term gains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I agree. It’s not just about escaping… if we leave them alone, most of them will die…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia and Auyen voted in favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m against it. I don’t think they’ll be much help…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me too! They’re explorers! They should be able to take care of themselves! And it’ll be too troublesome!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen and Ainar voted against it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think we should at least meet with them. We can confirm the information and hear about what’s happening outside. We can decide whether to help them later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think we need to go out of our way to find them… We can decide when we meet them…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil and Misha were neutral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was I always the last one to vote?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't understand, but I voted for what I thought was the best option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We should return to the rocky island.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The library, the rainy season, the giant tree…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering the high difficulty of the end-game content, having more people would give us more options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And we might be able to slay that giant bird if we have enough people…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We continued exploring for about ten days and then returned to the rocky island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Day 53.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We set up camp at the starting point and waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Day 54, Day 55, Day 56…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By Day 57, I was starting to doubt if anyone would even come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-Bjorn! Portals! Look!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of portals opened in the sky, and new explorers poured in.\u003C\u002Fp>",1801,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","5053bcddcfa955dadd4fb83233f3c14c9074cead0ea32b3546135cd91e746503","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-522","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-520",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]