[{"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-522":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},1328199,1764,"Chapter 522: Giant Island (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-522",522,"\u003Cp>Sixty newbie explorers freshly arrived on the first basement floor. They were momentarily flustered to see us alive and well, but soon regained their composure, approaching us and introducing themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron Yandel, you’re truly alive. It’s an honor. I’m Mul Armin, leader of the Armin Exploration Team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Armin Exploration Team wasn’t one of the Big Four clans, but they were fairly well-known and highly regarded. They were famous for continuing their expeditions even during the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magnon Nias. I lead the Einperial Clan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Einperial. I’d never heard of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn, son of Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike our haphazard arrival, this cycle’s explorers were clearly divided into two groups. Mul Armin cautiously asked me,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t seem surprised to see us, Baron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspected that time was flowing outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul Armin flinched and glanced at my teammates behind me. Did he think one of them was a player?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found a clue during our exploration.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I thought about it, I could have deduced it from the Elder's story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you know we were alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magnon Nias, an explorer who looked to be in his late thirties, answered my question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must know about the evil spirits’ gathering. The information about this place was relayed to the city through them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was he talking to me like that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if we were equals. Did he not know how to address a noble?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul Armin, sensing my displeasure, quickly spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. However, considering the source, most people are still skeptical. But they acknowledge the possibility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, so I had laid the groundwork for avoiding suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time for the next step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re quite resourceful. You’ve already figured out how to open the portal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s nothing compared to you, Baron Yandel. We had several clues from the evil spirits. We connected the ancient inscription on the stone tablet to the Sculpture Temple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the two of you are collaborating?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the time being, yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy’s answers were too short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I extract information from him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul Armin, once again sensing my intentions, intervened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We met at the Sculpture Temple and decided to pool our fragments since we were short on time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We had two, and he had one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes. So we adjusted our team sizes accordingly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s why they had 40 and 20 members respectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, can you tell us about this place? We’d like to hear about it before we start exploring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, this guy was so rude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he think I was his friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sound like you’re demanding information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered my voice, and he quickly changed his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That wasn’t my intention… I just thought… it would be beneficial for us to exchange information… since we’ll be seeing each other a lot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. We can be of great help to you, Baron Yandel. Your clan is quite small, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though we hadn’t talked for long, I had already made my judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Einperial Clan might be smaller than the Big Four, but we’re just as capable. The rest of our members will be arriving next month—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy would only be a nuisance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t need your help. Go explore on your own.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flinched and stared at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, realizing I was serious…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That’s a foolish decision. What if we find the exit first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I doubt that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’ll regret this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, most people who said that to me ended up dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scoffed and then gathered his clan members, preparing to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure… we should just let them go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul Armin asked, concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well… now that you mention it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded and then called out to Magnon Nias, who was about to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Have you changed your mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just come here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I beckoned him, and he approached me with a displeased expression. He looked at me expectantly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and I punched him in the back of the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound was satisfying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What was that for?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just felt like hitting you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“………What?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked dumbfounded, but I didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was he going to do about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only glare at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s all. You can leave now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there a problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Rumors are unreliable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly gathered his clan members and left, as if he didn’t want to have anything to do with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled, and Mul Armin asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why did you do that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What opportunity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't hit him after he was dead, could I?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't dwell on those who had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I focused on the remaining explorer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mul Armin, was it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Baron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call me Bjorn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It would be an honor, Baron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what are your plans?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… was about to tell you about that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about the forum post. The one about the explorers trapped on an island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that we’ve met you, it seems likely that the post was true. So we’re planning to go there first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have to save them. And besides, we don’t have any information about this place, so it’s better than wandering around aimlessly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul was the complete opposite of Magnon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though we hadn’t talked for long, I could tell…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was trustworthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you have any advice for us, we would be grateful. It would help us protect our members. And of course, we’ll compensate you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry about the compensation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled and gave him two pieces of advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you see an island, be careful. We encountered a Tol-Lafupa near it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Tol-Lafupa…? The 1st-grade monster?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. It’s the only one we’ve confirmed so far, but we can’t be sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…So there might be more 1st-grade monsters… This place is truly dangerous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the rainy season is even more dangerous than the monsters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rainy season…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On Day 14, it starts raining monsters. And it lasts until Day 21. So you need to find a safe place to hide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told him about the monsters that appeared during the rainy season, and his face turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s what you meant… by ‘no opportunity’…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. We’ll be going now. Good luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul looked flustered by my sudden departure, but I didn't answer and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to make him feel uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step, two steps, three steps…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He should be stopping me by now…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why wasn’t he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the information about the 1st-grade monster and the rainy season not enough?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Should I make him an offer…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was thinking that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul called out to me, and I slowly turned around, feigning ignorance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up. I don’t have much time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…How about we join forces?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was exactly what I wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I just looked him up and down, my expression indifferent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. We won’t be a burden. We’ll even give you full command.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul then explained that the Armin Exploration Team was a small but elite group that specialized in finding Gavrilius’s Arrangements. They had a lot of experience exploring hidden areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already knew that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were famous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for good reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The offer isn’t bad, but what about the loot distribution?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut to the chase, and Mul hesitated for a moment before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You arrived here first, and you know more than we do, so we won’t be greedy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give me a number.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We won’t claim any of the magic stones. But we’d like half of the other loot, including essences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed friendly, but he was still an explorer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll split the magic stones evenly. But your share of the other loot, including essences, is 30%. And we get first pick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we lower our share to 20% in exchange for removing your right of first refusal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mul frowned as I firmly rejected his counteroffer. He seemed troubled by my terms, which were practically a slave contract…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to add the final touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mul Armin, the choice is yours. But remember this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked him in the eye and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Bjorn, son of Yandel, never abandon my comrades.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, at least, was the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it seemed to have had an effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I accept your terms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had just gained twenty high-level slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Armin Exploration Team’s arrival was a huge boon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were even better than I had anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four 3rd-grade explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelve 4th-grade explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A priest and three mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a luxurious lineup, considering the slave contract they had agreed to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If we work together, we might even be able to slay a 2nd-grade monster…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After assessing their strength, I introduced myself to each member of the Armin Exploration Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn, son of Yandel. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I’m Charlotte Amblot, the team’s mage…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. You should eat more. Here, have some jerky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-Thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you are?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-Brian Amblot…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amblot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…! Charlotte is my younger sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, both of you are explorers? That’s impressive! And you are?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I’m…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The introductions took a while, but it was worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is a good sign.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, there were no Hanses among them.\u003C\u002Fp>",1559,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","830001a34207ab27704fc4b7657e660e8db259123314183e9c54ee23c2065a6e","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-523","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-521",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]