[{"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-639":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},1328016,1764,"Chapter 639: Strategy (3)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-639",639,"\u003Cp>Most of the research on the new types of essences had actually been completed back when I was still in the underground first floor, but despite that, I handed over all the essences I had to Raven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In my view, all wizards were perverts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, they get a thrill from uncovering the unknown, but they also genuinely enjoy the research process itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s like chewing gum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some people spit it out as soon as the sweetness is gone, but others just love the act of chewing and go on all day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll do my best to research this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than expecting something new to be revealed from additional research, I decided to think of it simply as entrusting the essences to Raven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it would be great if some research results came out eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, by the way, what was that thing written in the letter? You said you had something to tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right, how could I forget? It’s the essence of the Hiphramagent that Ainard obtained during the expedition. I think I figured out the latent ability we hadn’t been able to fully understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After returning to the city, I compared the numerical data we collected then with other existing data and found some similarities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what exactly is this latent ability?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven crossed his arms, puffed out his small chest, and said...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know the grade 3 monster called ‘Lamansis’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked me with an overly confident tone, but honestly, I didn’t get it. How can someone that short look down on me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe the answer to this mystery lies in how far his chin is tilted back—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s natural not to know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s he talking about now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, the ‘Lamansis’ is—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A rare monster that appears in the 9th floor rift?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven shrugged as if his words were taken away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the tilt of his chin had decreased compared to earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You knew... about that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled at how cute his behavior was, then Raven returned to his usual tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you only know half of it! The Lamansis can’t be found through normal means even in the 9th floor rift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that makes sense. It’s a monster you can only encounter by using Gavrilius’s hidden arrangements within the rift, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nodding like a social barbarian, I replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, the usually talkative Raven went quiet again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tilt of his chin, previously tilted way back, decreased even more so that the feeling of looking down on me vanished entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that state, Raven carefully spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By any chance... Baron Yandel, do you even know what that arrangement is...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I answered with a tone implying it was a natural question, and Raven’s eyes opened wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his expression, I understood something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell me... you don’t know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As usual, my silence served as the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? He looked down on me like that without knowing that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Well! Of course I don’t know! Could such high-level info be in a book...? Even the data on essence abilities is so valuable! And historically, only a handful of people have possessed this essence... why are you looking at me like that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly realizing, our positions had reversed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was looking down with arms crossed, and Raven looked somewhat dejected, staring at the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Raven strained to raise his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...So, what exactly is that arrangement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a wizard would still be curious about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After explaining the hidden piece within the 9th floor rift, Raven described the passive skill of the Lamansis as a sort of reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I already knew about it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is just part of social life.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time I listened carefully without cutting him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lamansis’s latent ability is called [Best Friend]. The name might sound trivial, but looking deeper, it’s quite a peculiar ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than calling [Best Friend] a peculiar ability, it’s more accurate to say it has unusual activation conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to our guesses, it’s a support-type ability. It grants a very strong blessing to one nearby target and to the user themselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“However, this latent ability cannot be activated at will. It’s not active normally. A special condition must be met...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such as...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know the details. But in records of past owners, it overwhelmingly activated between male and female pairs... Also, they had the common trait of having spent a very long time together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That makes sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To activate [Best Friend], the essence’s owner must max out affection with one target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when I got this essence, I fed it to a female companion and bought flowers daily to raise affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, it was an essence the player character couldn’t use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system prevented players from gaining affection toward NPCs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So does that mean I can now use this essence directly?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a gamer, my curiosity was piqued, but I had no intention of using [Best Friend] myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no slot for it to begin with...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And from an efficiency standpoint, it’s much better to feed it to companions and raise affection...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Saying it out loud makes it sound pretty trashy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, after knowing the passive skill, I just felt it was a bit of a burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to put it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a good skill with performance above its grade once activated...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But is triggering it even possible?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In-game, maxing affection to 100% is not easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it’s almost impossible between same-sex pairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When raising affection, it always locks once at 90%, and only after certain sweet events between opposite sexes can it rise slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ainard...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t imagine Ainard in that kind of relationship with another man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including me, it’s just male friends all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I guess it only activates between lovers of opposite sexes is my guess... Hey, I’m trying to explain here, why are you thinking about that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I was just wondering how to activate that ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That makes sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s quite a complicated problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’d be a shame to waste the skill...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I can’t go around buying cream buns and flirting daily just to activate [Best Friend].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Better to just consider this skill nonexistent.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I decided to seal [Best Friend] in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it’s an essence already performing well without the passive skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, thanks, Raven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to thank me. I ended up not really helping much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But at least we found out the latent ability isn’t a negative one. That alone eased my worries.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... I guess that’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t tell if he wants gratitude or just wants to be humble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know, but after finishing the main topic, we spent time chatting casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then somehow, since I was there anyway, I ended up sitting in that chair I often sat in before and became a test subject again...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even had a meal in the mage tower cafeteria because I got hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, it’s already this late. It must be dark outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are no windows, so I wouldn’t know. Oh, by the way, Raven, can I borrow your communication crystal for a bit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you trying to contact?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to contact the holy land. If I get through later, could you tell them for me that I’m sleeping in your lab tonight and going straight to tomorrow’s schedule?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...There’s no research you need today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He really is clueless when it comes to important things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But just do as I say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay? Sure... that’s not difficult...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven looked at me with curious eyes and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly is going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not wanting to stir up trouble by bringing up the marriage topic, I only told half the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Just?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just don’t want to go home today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me stay here overnight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was too lazy even to find an inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, after sleeping roughly on a blanket, Raven woke up first and nudged me awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Get up. How long are you going to sleep? You might miss your schedule. You said you had an important appointment today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was it uncomfortable sleeping here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all. The floor was warm, just perfect. Oh? Did you already wash up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Well, of course. Do you expect me to get up dirty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm... I always looked worn out and unwashed when leaving the lab...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe he got sensitive after becoming a soldier?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, thanks for letting me stay overnight. I’ll come again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, don’t come. You just make me tired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? You were asleep early yesterday too, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not what I meant. I have to research, so hurry and go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pushed by Raven’s pressure from the morning, I left the mage tower like being kicked out, then took a carriage from the nearby station to my destination—Eldorado Karnon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaders of the six races forming the great city of Rapdonia—human, dwarf, elf, barbarian, beastfolk, and dragonkin—gathered for the racial conference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is my first time coming here despite being chief for a long time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conference building was one I’d passed many times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its six columns supporting the roof made it look like a Roman temple, quite eye-catching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Got some time to spare.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been kicked out early, I went to a nearby restaurant to eat and pass time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was in Karnon, the meal cost much more than expected, which surprised me...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, what could I do? When you’re hungry, you have to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They probably won’t pay for this meal.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing, patting my belly, I entered the building where the conference was held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Baron Bjorn Yandel, are you here alone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there a problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No... none. Please come in. The others are waiting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards at the entrance were all from other races, but strangely no barbarians were among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Are they guarding their own mercenaries separately?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t heard that from the previous chief...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could they have forgotten to tell me? But if it was him, it wouldn’t surprise me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After encouraging the guards, I walked in and saw the heavyweights gathered at the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Representatives of each of the six races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surprised me was that two familiar faces were among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader of the dragonkin—the Dragon Elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like the beastfolk sent a pure-blood noble from the Red Cat tribe this time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head of the Kalstain family and Misha’s...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Strictly speaking, not her biological father?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, the man listed as her father in the genealogy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long time no see. I never imagined I’d see you again at a place like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. I’ve known your lack of imagination for a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I guess you still hold a grudge against me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s really no grudge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, I was just a clueless kid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, this guy isn’t someone who can casually speak informally anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough with the private talk. Bjorn’s son, Bjorn, please have a seat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elf representative spoke, and I slowly scanned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was a gathering of heavyweights, I didn’t feel uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a very simple reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They use a round table here too...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conference room had a large round table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the empty seat that seemed to be mine, resting my chin on one arm and tapping the armrest with my index finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was my first conference,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, confidence began to rise inside me.\u003C\u002Fp>",1929,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.084Z",1,"novelbin.me","04fe500f0391223d232b347f4d06e8e625d7ecaedad3c034a6d70304c182573f","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-640","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-638",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]