[{"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-575":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},1328106,1764,"Chapter 575: Return (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-575",575,"\u003Cp>A plain white mask with no distinguishing features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore a dull-colored robe that covered his whole body, and his only exposed skin—the wrinkled hand—was heavily creased with age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh... who’s that old man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Mask and Butterfly exchanged questioning looks at the unfamiliar visitor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Queen—also seeing him for the first time—was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was their first meeting too, she seemed to realize who the old man was through intuition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Master...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolf immediately recognized the unwelcome guest’s identity and jumped up, rushing out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long time no see, Wolf. How have you been?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks to you, I’ve been fine as always. But Master, what brings you here? You could’ve given some notice...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their words clearly indicated a connection between the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What you say is true. Just came to see your face one last time. I have some business here too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Business... you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolf’s eyes showed curiosity about that, but the Master didn’t elaborate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The listeners were left curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way... would you mind stepping aside for a moment? I want to greet the others too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...! Sorry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing the Master’s hint, Wolf quickly apologized and returned to his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone watching might have thought the place belonged to Wolf, not the other way around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While watching this, the Master’s gaze shifted to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Karma is a truly mysterious thing. How does it feel to see the end?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the first time we met at the roundtable, he no longer intended to hide that he was Auril Gavis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t really surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Master of the Roundtable is Auril Gavis.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolf had already revealed that information here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that info probably came with this old man’s permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump, thump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why show up here again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their close relationship, if the Master wanted to send a message to me, he could have just sent Wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calculating inwardly, I accepted the conversation naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not particularly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, is that so? I thought you might feel a little regret. After all, this place is basically something you created, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that’s true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, not the roundtable itself but the truth game system was his creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phit, phit??!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The roundtable... was made by that man...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What followed was the reaction of those listening nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One word, two words, three words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, of course it was 20 years ago... Back then, there were only evil spirits from other worlds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the conversation with the Master went on, intense reactions burst out all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was a roundtable even 20 years ago...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, but evil spirits from other worlds...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ugh, so irritating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s the case, couldn’t they just have this talk quietly between themselves?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought so, but decided to ignore it for now. Just dealing with this old man alone was enough to give me a headache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t I say? I had business here, and I wanted to see faces after a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man said that, then turned his gaze to another member.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good to see you, Miss Fox. How have you been?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Ah, ah... I’m fine... It’s been a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, I was a little disappointed. Back when there was nothing, you followed so well, and now you don’t even consider me a benefactor. Heh heh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How... do you know that...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fox was visibly flustered when this was mentioned, and the others’ eyes shone with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to ask for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man had some way to eavesdrop on everything said here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...he’s always been listening to these talks.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill ran down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d long known he was sinister, but I hadn’t expected his tastes to be so foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What chilled me most was that despite this, he came through the door casually mentioning masks he’d never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A habitual liar to the core...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh... that’s not it...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to make excuses. I really am fine, so don’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, that claim was probably true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this old man, Fox was worthless. Even if she bled and died right in front of him, if there was no reason to save her, he’d just watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the silent Queen joined the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you... really the Master of the Roundtable, that is... Auril Gavis?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I have one question. Wolf said you have the power to prevent the community’s shutdown... Is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the truth. In fact, I’m the one who weakened your authority in the first place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it so casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Queen waited a long moment before asking again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What did you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, Auril Gavis let out a spiteful [N O V E L I G H T] laugh and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said the device had a problem, but the device I gave that friend is perfectly fine. It just felt that way because the authority I transferred to him was gradually revoked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Taking back authority... how is that possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I didn’t hand everything over to him intact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A concise, clear answer that left no room for response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be too sad. I’m just taking back what was originally mine. Besides, haven’t I been using it well all this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now then, let’s end this topic here...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis silenced the Queen neatly, then walked over and placed his hand on the roundtable’s jewel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jewel turned into particles of light, flowing through Auril Gavis’s fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With this, my business is done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the other members who watched blankly, I knew what that meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty years ago, Auril Gavis said he lost most of his authority over this space when he created the roundtable’s jewel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, based on that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You came to reclaim your authority.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis thus regained his former power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. Now I can do anything here. In other words, this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his wrinkled hand waving through the air, the masks of all members except me were forcibly removed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if an invisible hand pulled, the masks fell onto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ph... phit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the true faces hidden beneath the masks were revealed, and chaos broke out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some covered their faces with both hands; some crouched so their faces weren’t visible; others stared blankly into space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not all reacted passively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some immediately logged out as soon as their masks came off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two of them at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Despite appearances, shy ones, huh? I guess showing their real faces to everyone isn’t a problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to vanish without a word was the Jester.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did he look like again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think he was white, but he disappeared so fast I didn’t get a good look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, he seemed a little chubby...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And the next to vanish... Black Mask.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spot where Black Mask had sat was now empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even escaped faster than the Jester, so I didn’t see him at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So before more left, I quickly scanned the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...W-what is this madness?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Queen shouted in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had the typical appearance of a foreigner with blue eyes and blond hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not exactly a stunning beauty, just very average-looking, probably in her early thirties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The members exchanged surprised and suspicious glances at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Somehow... her face looks familiar...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was probably not just my imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Queen acts as the guide to check if newcomers are real players or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next was Goblin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly handsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, extremely handsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could be an actor or something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin was dark, so I thought Southeast Asian, but he was actually a typical Latin American handsome man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Short for Latin American handsome?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Latin American handsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A palindrome—what an absurd coincidence...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...But that’s not the point.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rolled my eyes, pretending not to care, and checked all the members’ bare faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew appearances in the community didn’t matter, but I was honestly a bit curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of people they really were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Butterfly is Asian. Fox looks younger than expected. Wolf is just an ordinary middle-aged man...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A secret roundtable meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A conversation among veterans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet their faces beneath the mysterious masks were so ordinary. None looked particularly strong or ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m probably no different.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would imagine Lee Hansu to be someone who could smash heads with a hammer and smile bloodily even after having limbs torn off?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d be the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them escaped staining their hands with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those people all died long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... why did you take off the masks...? I-I’m a bit... no, honestly very uncomfortable... Ah! I’m not angry or anything...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goblin timidly spoke, and Auril Gavis promptly replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, weren’t you curious? About what kind of people you talked to every time? Since it’s the last time, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to take off masks and mingle once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah... I see?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goblin nodded dumbfoundedly, then glanced at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have to hear what he meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But... why didn’t you take off Investigator’s mask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes... that’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis removed everyone’s masks without consent, except mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh heh, I’m a bit cautious dealing with that friend! Don’t want things to go wrong by being rude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... I see?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goblin awkwardly nodded after hearing the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was kind of funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he just nodded silently after that, why ask at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that was very Goblin-like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange silence filled the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis said nothing and seemed to enjoy the moment, while members kept glancing at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They seemed to want me to say something, so eventually I spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So... is that all you wanted to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a prompt to say if there was more business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke indirectly for once, but it seemed my meaning got through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. There’s one thing left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One thing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a question for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead. Ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said so, gladly willing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d listen first and decide whether to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are many listeners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis scanned around with a sly voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But still, it would be a little cruel to just kick you out now. I forced you to reveal your face, so at least you deserve some compensation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing “compensation,” I tensed up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way this old man was truly sorry enough to give any real reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had to be some hidden motive...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I just gave compensation, it wouldn’t be fun. Let’s all play a game.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, his words got longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A game... you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, a game. Don’t you all like games? By the way, the reward will be given to the one winner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Can you tell us what the reward is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Goblin even heard what kind of game it was, he asked about the reward first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis coolly answered without delay or deferral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll send the winner home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere changed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1822,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.709Z",1,"novelbin.me","eea444807171b2562303c35698a805b44d9027b3075677be250fc7eeb2581f41","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-755","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-754",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]