[{"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-604":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},1327981,1764,"Chapter 604: Legion Commander (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-604",604,"\u003Cp>The aura isn’t meant to be used like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that arrogant remark, the Chief swung his sword, proving firsthand that his words were no exaggeration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the power of the essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cut with nothing but a highly honed skill and a single sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aimed at his target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely than anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk, still couldn’t kill it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the radiance of the pure white aura faded, surprisingly, the Archbishop was still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was sliced nearly in half along the sword’s path, but from the cut surfaces, writhing tentacles squirmed toward each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if trying to reattach themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What will you do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the sight was rather stomach-turning, the Chief asked me coldly without flinching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, was my job done here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you delay any longer, you won’t be able to leave through the portal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to decide quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the Chief completely failed, he would have taken the portal without looking back, but this situation was too ambiguous to call failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step by step, I passed the Chief and approached the Archbishop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced open the nearly fused body and tore a scroll inscribed with high-level fire magic, setting it aflame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No hesitation at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come to think of it, you did clash with the Archbishop once before, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chief seemed to misunderstand something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t hatred that made me not try to save the Archbishop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I simply thought it was futile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No matter what we did, it’d be hard for him to come back.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Archbishop becoming Karui’s priest was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he became Karui’s priest, he could never revert to a normal cleric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such a major event forcibly fixed at the moment of entering the rift?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The [Dungeon and Stone] I knew wasn’t like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the game seemed irrational when I knew nothing, the more I played, the more I realized that what seemed unfair was only due to my ignorance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flare!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Archbishop’s body ignite, I reflected on recent events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I messed up.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could sugarcoat it as ignorance, but it was a clear mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the mental contamination happened, seeing both the Chief and the Archbishop unharmed, I had doubts but didn’t dig deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, they weren’t right in the head from then on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...That flower too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a flower here that lowered mental contamination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, the Archbishop, who initially accepted it well, began to say he could hold out and even yielded to us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In hindsight, that was a warning sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What if we had given the flower to the Archbishop and cared for him thoroughly?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that’s a pointless fantasy now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless we come back to this rift, we’ll never know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still, I gained knowledge.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were the country I knew from gaming days, I’d add this info about the underground first floor rift:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, are we done with checks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Not yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced once at the shrinking portal and looked down again at the Archbishop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The writhing tentacles wrapped in blazing red fire gradually ceased moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think something will happen if the Archbishop dies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My honest answer made the Chief chuckle bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s strange to say, but you really aren’t sane.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should I take that as a compliment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, interpretation is yours to make...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chief, playfully responding, suddenly fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to ask why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have defeated the Tempted Priest.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the burning Archbishop stopped moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Special Condition — Third Record Achieved.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Archbishop’s body dissolved into a halo of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[A No.???? Crown of Agony has been generated.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An item of unknown purpose dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it really happened like you said.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a crown worn on the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flowers’ colors were black and white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not split half-and-half but alternately placed one by one...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know what this is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I thought it was a Numbers item, but no such crown form existed among Numbers items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, what is it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Investigation later.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the crown first and checked the portals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, there was still time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red portal remained fully intact, and the blue portal was now less than a third of its original size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As advice, choose the blue portal. From now on, I’m basically a nonentity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonentity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll be brief. The way I used mana for the aura just now differs greatly from the original owner of this body. Because of that gap, my body is completely wrecked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...So it wasn’t unconditional power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somewhat relieving yet chilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It means if properly tuned, I could show such power anytime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Anyway, not a problem to think about now...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summarizing the Chief’s words:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can go through the red portal, but then I have to face all the trials alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is that really possible?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once infinitely holy priest had become corrupt and needed killing, the mage was incapacitated and sent out first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strongest knight lost his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the portal was lucky, nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly far from a textbook clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was my first time challenging the rift, no surprise there...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m leaving this place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had failed the underground first floor rift conquest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a moment passed, just enough to close and open my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I opened them, I was already back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in the ruined, humid air of the Great Demon Mirror’s center, but where the guardian statues were gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Captain!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I exited the portal, everyone called me by their own titles and approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks for the concern, but we’ll talk later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I appreciated their greetings, I had things to check first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir! How could you throw me like that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elwen was unharmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her shrunk height returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Gahun?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The clerics are treating him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, Gahun seemed safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know the severity of his injuries, but it was just physical. With multiple clerics attending, it wasn’t impossible to save him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone asked me then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is the commander? Where is he?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jillan Evost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother of Baron Evost and vice-commander of our exploration force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why hasn’t he come out yet—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I interrupted the vice-commander and explained why the Chief had not yet emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Count Saintred died.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By his own will, apparently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said there was no more natural opportunity to exit than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Better that way. I was thinking about heading back to the city soon, but I needed a plausible reason.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I thought it absurd, but it was a serious matter from the Chief’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t just commit sudden suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being killed by monsters is no easy thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s hard for others to [N O V E L I G H T] accept, and even if they do, it remains a dishonorable stain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chief didn’t want to discard the life he built as Jerome Saintred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That means—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The opponent was Karui’s priest, armed with powerful authority enough to easily defeat the Hierarch. We bought time to escape but were ultimately defeated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Chief, dying honorably against a formidable opponent everyone could understand was best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Karui’s priest? Could that be related to Archbishop Hestia’s absence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll explain later. But there’s something else I’m curious about...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at not only the vice-commander but all gathered members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much time has passed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly 30 days today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A month...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder it felt like we’d set up a whole new base rather than just a day or two passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still, that’s not bad.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A month is a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially underground first floor, where time flows continuously unlike the surface floors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it wasn’t the worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They said everyone except Elwen and me was trapped here for over half a year.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, we saved about five months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, but from my perspective, that was a definite loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d only spent about a week inside the rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, tell me what happened inside—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is this guy so impatient?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Check something first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pointed at one spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something I’d wondered since waking up, though it had been pushed down the priority list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was that stone gate always closed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. When five people entered a month ago, the portal disappeared and the gate closed with it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I woke up in the middle of this stone chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The portal open like a side door spit me out, then vanished immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I’m sure we cleared the guardian and escaped, so why isn’t the exit open?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a bolt from the blue for me, who firmly believed the exit would open after clearing the rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What? Because I didn’t choose the red portal? Does that mean we have to start over from the guardian statues?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless hypotheses swirled in my head, confusing me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rrrrrrrr—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mocking my impatience, the firmly closed stone gate slowly began to open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the open gate was a sealed room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three large statues about the size of figurines lay on the floor, and in the center floated a shimmering portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The portal must be the exit...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wizard who followed me and the other soldiers peeking from behind showed eyes full of hope and desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, they’d been here for over a month, so the weariness was understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Raven! I grant you authority. Lead the mages and investigate this place. Find out the portal’s nature, what these statues are, and if anything else is hidden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And vice-commander! Gather all heads of departments. I’ll explain what happened inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though clearly stepping beyond his authority, no one objected to my actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only some politically aware individuals cast worried glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, Raven was among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this okay?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exchanged silent looks, a brief conversation: ‘Don’t worry, just do your job.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left the chamber, and while the vice-commander prepared the meeting, I reunited with my comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, I didn’t mention the rift during this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why hide it...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not hiding, just lazy to say it twice. You’ll come to the meeting to hear it anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that... your call?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia pointed out I was only the temporary leader of the 4th squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll see soon enough. So how was it here? Nothing special?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While hearing their stories and passing the time, preparation finished, and we moved to the meeting hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large military barracks with 30 seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, Baron, you’re here. But what about them...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vice-commander looked at my comrades, trailing off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I brought them so they could listen together. Is there a problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s fine. The meeting’s purpose is to hear what happened inside. But please understand that I cannot offer seats.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without titles, nobles are nobles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They made it clear they would kick us out once the meeting started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s fine. Standing and listening isn’t hard, right? You’re fine with that too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, I entered the tent, noticing two empty seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two vacant seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the commander’s seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the other was mine, opposite the vice-commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An obvious fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My seat today was already decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I sat down, the officers’ gazes rippled like waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vice-commander was no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Explain what this means, Baron?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked, trying to stay calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does it mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled and answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You already know, Vice-Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What this means.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to unleash my true Barbarian Legion Commander mode.\u003C\u002Fp>",1903,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.084Z",1,"novelbin.me","1937ffe11a5da7a6049e2fd6617da5a96d94a5e620b2da5e9e3f2f7262968f7f","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-605","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-603",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]