[{"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-565":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},1328092,1764,"Chapter 565: Destination (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-565",565,"\u003Cp>The time that began to reverse slowly went back to a certain point in the past and then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Jerome asked me, “Baron, would you lead the way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right, but for the second achievement gained, give me priority on up to four.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four, huh... understood. For the baron, that’s not too much to ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief negotiation, I started slipping under the tree where the chief had disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a scene I couldn’t understand at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going down there so thoughtlessly in this situation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That’s the destiny I showed the child. In this timeline, there was no oracle. So you go down without any suspicion.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That explanation made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unease I felt from Jerome was mostly because of the presence or absence of an “oracle.” Knowing something was about to happen, he had become hypersensitive to everything around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, the moment I went down under the tree—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the world darkened, and as if blinking, the scene changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There’s no time, so I’ll point out only what matters.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place: a cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center stood a portal stele, and I was unconscious, lying next to it. The chief approached me and began some unknown ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s a hidden space beneath the basement you went to before. After you descended to the village, you fought hundreds of enemies for a long time, waiting for reinforcements that never came. Exhausted, you were finally captured and brought here.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hidden space beneath a basement full of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I never imagined such a place could be hidden.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation had been so urgent at the time that there was no chance to look around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So what happens to me now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Watch. It will be over soon.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2x, 3x, 4x.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time flowed rapidly like a sped-up video.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, when time returned to normal speed, black smoke was billowing from the chief’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssshhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smoke flowing from the chief seeped slowly into my body, and soon the chief collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I awoke from unconsciousness and stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Me’ stood up, opened and closed my hand absently, then spoke in an unfamiliar voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Finally...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the scene shifted once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place was no longer the village but the island’s center, darkened by the depths of the labyrinth. There, ‘I’ was talking with Jerome Saintred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, as promised, give me ‘that.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you developed regrets now? If so, I hope you abandon those thoughts quickly. If you don’t give it up, you won’t be able to live properly with that body outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surely... the royal family must have that kind of power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you know that, then hurry—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wouldn’t it be better if you simply didn’t know at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? You don’t mean...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The dead don’t speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation ended there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the scene changed again, blood droplets splattered before my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaagh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battlefield unfolded everywhere I looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of monsters surrounded us, and the expedition fought hard but was gradually pushed back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all because of the chief who had taken over my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I didn’t expect him to be this strong...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron...! Kill Baron Yandel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chief who had taken my body had nothing to protect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t care if a few monsters died, and the barbarian character he had carefully raised to protect his comrades rampaged like a war machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how long had that been?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time anyone could say the tide had completely turned...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Ugh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly stopped moving while slaughtering expedition members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to strike down a mage’s head as I broke through the rear mage squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Re-Even...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A comrade who had barely escaped looked at me fearfully and scrambled away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Me’ threw the hammer far away with jerky motions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I discarded the shield and loosened the armor covering my upper body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A nearby comrade watching this raised a weapon toward me with wary eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re... back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, who had been imprisoned during the battle but had escaped with comrades, asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My answer was very short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily... kill me...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The comrade who heard that couldn’t answer or act. The blade that was usually steady trembled greatly today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you can’t do it, get out of the way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerome, realizing the situation, drew his sword and approached. I glared at him for a long time then smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no idea what he was thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Me’ closed my eyes and lowered my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It’s his will...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Amelia bit her lip to restrain Elwen,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An aura-enshrouded blade struck my neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it didn’t pierce deeply at once, so it was repeated many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sword striking countless times as if chopping wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, a scream echoed across the suddenly silent clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, no, no...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone among my comrades shouted and ran over, pouring potions on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Potions don’t revive dead characters, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You...! If only it weren’t you...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Calm down, Tersia.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-You’re just going to let this pass even after seeing this—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you kill the enemy properly if you’re that agitated?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Calm down and focus only on avenging Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clan Anabada gathered and pointed weapons at the expedition, which had suffered fatal damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think rationally. Without us, do you think you could handle those monsters?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerome tried hard to persuade, but it was futile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, many within the expedition deserted their positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The baron was... a hero. Even at the end, he tried to save us...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To abandon such a person like garbage, and end up like this... how is this serving the royal family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Meland Kaislan, draw my sword for the justice I believe in! Those who share my will, stand behind me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Traitor! Kill the traitors...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the climax of the situation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Not that way. Look over there.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the goddess’s guidance, I shifted my gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a figure moving quietly alone, paying no attention to the chaotic scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Misha...?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha approached my corpse and pulled something from her bosom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first time I’d seen the real thing, but as soon as she brought it to my body, the distinctive effect erupted, making it instantly recognizable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why it was in Misha’s hands, I didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That is...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Resurrection Stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resurrection Stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An item with the fraudulent ability to revive the dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With absurdly strict acquisition conditions, even I had only ever used it once in nine years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why... does she have it...?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I was dumbfounded, but the answer about its source came quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Ibaekho.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s fairly well known that Ibaekho owned the Resurrection Stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know how he got it, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, in the frozen time as I was resurrected, I opened my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, I don’t actually die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes, you do not.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why Ibaekho gave the Resurrection Stone to Misha...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was some vague idea about its purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the goddess coiled in my mind was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reatlas... why do you want to help me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goddess answered briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...Because that ending is not right.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered what ending this goddess, who sees fate, had seen to say such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curious, but I left the question there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t a situation where I could threaten to force answers, and many more problems awaited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, like this very situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world blackened and brightened again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I was unconscious again inside that cave I saw earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else do you want to show me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s not something to show. This is your present.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frowning as if to say “Explain quickly,” a small voice replied in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I... do not have the power to stop time...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, so that was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even while watching like a video, real time had been steadily moving forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But all your comrades are safe. Though detained...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still wanting to cover post-events, the goddess gave me a rough report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a very simple situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After I fainted emitting light, my comrades were greatly panicked and were then ambushed and subdued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I was led to the chief by Jerome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then hurry and send me back! I have to escape before that ritual ends!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sending you back is not difficult... but in this state, even if you open your eyes, all your abilities will be sealed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, escape by force was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What am I supposed to do in this state?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grateful for the goddess’s help, I still thought this might be the worst possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite that, I dared to hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she was a goddess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely she had a plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me. What should I do from now on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to keep my faith, I spoke politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...I can show you the way, but I cannot create the path.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So... you mean you have no advice to give me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer came after a long pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...I’ve watched your journey all along. So I know. Your greatest asset is not your cold judgment, nor your knowledge, nor your courage facing any enemy.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Your true power is your ‘words.’]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As someone who woke in a barbarian’s body and had more often solved problems with brute force than words, I had trouble accepting that analysis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But apparently the goddess thought differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[A skilled explorer was destined to die with a noble mage in that labyrinth that day. But in the end, they survived. Because you bought time with your ‘words.’]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed to refer to when I swallowed the ‘Controlled Wish’ in Larkaz’s labyrinth and negotiated with the Dragon Slayer...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Your words have power. You already slightly changed someone’s fate once. So...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goddess ended her long preamble and gave me a tip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Why not try to resolve this well with words again?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, it was phrased as a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump, thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A resonance rising from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling alive anew, I steadied my breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re awake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, that eyesight is annoyingly sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I guess it makes sense with such big eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my eyes and sat up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It would have been better if I’d stayed unconscious. For both me and you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The least I can do is struggle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goddess irresponsibly told me to try resolving things with ‘words.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what could I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to follow her advice and try to get through this somehow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, I had an idea the moment she said that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You’re remarkably calm. You don’t even know what’s going on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, it looks to me like you’re the one completely lost here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking my actions and reactions were abnormal, the chief pursed his lips and stared at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He too, being sharp, realized something was amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, around this point, I played my trump card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief, stop now. Even if you take my body, returning to the city is impossible anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought you wanted to curse me, but—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not a curse, it’s the truth. I actually saw that scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to play my second card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reatlas showed me the future.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chief seemed to think about it for a moment, then surprisingly believed me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You passed out emitting light... so she intervened...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, after various circumstances, he found this more convincing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, then less time wasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me. If you want to stop me, what did she show you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I revised my scenario slightly for better negotiation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You take my body and get attacked by Jerome. Then you lose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My calculations are ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) perfect. There’s no way I lose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then your calculation is wrong. Or you didn’t expect to be ambushed by them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He ambushed us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chief’s eyes gleamed in the dark cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he had not accounted for the possibility of an ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was good news for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I hurriedly continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief, I understand why you want to take my body. But does it have to be mine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the surest path. You will eventually succeed in escaping this layer and returning to the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you seen a record stone about that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I didn’t expect you to know about ‘record stones.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An answer that practically meant yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden bait gave me much to think about, but I decided to focus on resolving the present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case, it doesn’t have to be me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But there’s no reason to take the risk. Since you know the outcome is defeat, you can change the plan now—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Change? What change?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cutting him off, I got to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jerome Saintred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander of this expedition, nicknamed the Knight of Light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s his body? He’s a bit old, but a count, and can use aura well. You’re a knight too, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that’s not all his strengths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His greatest advantage is something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Most of all, if you take his body, you can escape this damned place immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bait that was most tempting from the chief’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he has the essence of ‘Eblus.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My trump card.\u003C\u002Fp>",2182,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.709Z",1,"novelbin.me","31ed01a9e48b7cfce845c513c96029964f702c3d118ca11e632b5f25b16c9b91","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-566","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-564",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]