[{"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-647":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},1328024,1764,"Chapter 647: Coming Out (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-647",647,"\u003Cp>I had known for a long time that Hyunbyul suspected my true identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she had even openly asked Ibaekho that question when I wasn’t around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[She kept asking if you really are Bjorn Yandel.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, when I pressed her, Hyunbyul’s reasons boiled down to three main points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...I know exactly when you came here.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Among the explorers who arrived at that time, none had grown as much as Bjorn Yandel.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...You often talked about games to me, too. Saying Shield Baba is the best, and all.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shield Baba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many clues pointed to my identity being Bjorn Yandel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still, it wasn’t convincing enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why aren’t you answering, oppa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be impossible to come at me like that without certainty if she had met ‘Bjorn Yandel’ directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could Hyunbyul have gained such confidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? You’re scanning me up and down again, trying to think of a way to run away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was she just testing the waters?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought so, but knowing Hyunbyul’s personality, that was unlikely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah, but I can’t just bash the head of the evil spirit either...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That awkward stalemate continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I gave you plenty of clues, so you can’t possibly not know who I am... Is it really so hard to take off your mask in front of me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally made a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, there weren’t just one or two people who knew Bjorn Yandel was possessed by an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Hyunbyul wasn’t someone I couldn’t trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped closer quietly to avoid making noise, pressed close to Hyunbyul, and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How exactly did you find out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I removed the invisible mask I wore on my face and asked my question, Hyunbyul chuckled and shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be honest, I wasn’t certain until the very end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she did something so risky?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had investigated me, she would also know about the secret security agent who was carried off after spying on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t look at me like I’m pathetic. At least I wore a mask and prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, by the way, what was that mask for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you already notice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you really Black?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A truly shocking truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of how she entered the Round Table, why hadn’t I known this until now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, I expected some kind of reaction while wearing the mask. And I got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I reacted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. You still do, you know? When surprised, you close your eyes for a moment first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I really have such a habit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know, but I should be careful from now on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, thanks to that reaction, I got a bit more courage. Otherwise, I might have just turned and run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Why go to such lengths?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You scared me and pressured me harshly, asking who I worked under. With a look like you were ready to kill someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was because I worried I might corrupt her...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, it doesn’t mean I disliked that...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyunbyul looked up at me resolutely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you were the one who crossed the line first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, I had nothing to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter the reason, it’s kind of funny to get mad just because someone tries to find out your identity after you forced them to do the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of blaming Hyunbyul, I decided to do something more productive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like, for example—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So how did you get into the Round Table? Did you get help from the GM?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I asked for help, thinking it would help uncover your identity and found a way to join.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the info from the Round Table? Did you get all that from # Nоvеlight # the GM, too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. I found all that out myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled the information the Black Mask had spilled at the Round Table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two pieces stood out the most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Besides opening the Abyssal Gate, another way to return to Earth is dimensional magic.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It was exactly this method Auril Garvis used to come to Earth.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, now that I think about it, there were other pieces too...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Bjorn Yandel and... Misha Kalstein... were they really dating as rumored?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t information, but a question asked to me at the end, so I skipped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...She was almost certain from that time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, how could Hyunbyul, not even an explorer, have gotten such high-level info?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you before. Lady Peprok trusts me a lot. I help her with everything and get a lot of chances to gather information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed possible to get such information with trust, and knowing Hyunbyul’s skill, she probably handled it well on her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded in understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oppa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Hyunbyul declared solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m different from scoundrels like Ibaekho.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bit abrupt, but I understood what she meant from her explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no intention of leaning on you like he does. So don’t cause trouble and behave yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she looked at me firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll find a way to take you back no matter what.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just hearing that was reassuring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I don’t really want to go back...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should I say that...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To sum up, I didn’t say it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not at the beginning, and now especially, I had no desire to return to reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I said it clearly, it would just cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I’ll say it later, later.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I delay, nothing would change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether I return or not, Hyunbyul must find a way back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But how did the marriage proposal go? I don’t know what happened in there while you were waiting to meet him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah... about that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I explain this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head ached, so I just told the result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I refused the proposal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ask him about the details later. He seems to tell you everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed... lately you’re more like a friend than a subordinate, huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyunbyul said that and hurried up the conversation, worried we’d be noticed if we talked long here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, take this first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What’s this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we’re seen meeting privately, it won’t be good for either of us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...So what is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tore a piece of paper in half and gave me one half, then wrote something with a pen on the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Got it?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The writing on her half appeared on mine, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I feel like I’ve seen something similar in an old fantasy movie...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People think alike. Anyway, it takes a day for this to erase once written, so it’s inconvenient for long messages.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we can use it to communicate meeting times and places when we need to talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was some magical item I’d never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curious, I asked its name, and Hyunbyul scratched her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s called Love Paper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, that’s really its name. I heard a mage made it for dating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, Love Paper...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If translated literally to the late 21st century, maybe “Love Note”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s all you have for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s it. But I have one last thing to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spit it out quickly. I’m scared someone will come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around nervously, Hyunbyul hurried to say—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t get too close to Lady Peprok.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That woman hides a very big secret. Not just that she’s the marquis’s illegitimate child. Something very dangerous might happen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dangerous situation...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Understood. I’ll keep an eye out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s all for today. I’ll contact you later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyunbyul disappeared deeper into the alley, and I quickly left for the sanctuary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief! Something came for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suspicious package arrived in my name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sender indicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from the contents, it was easy to tell who sent it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black hair and black eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cheap doll without particular features, but its legs were painted black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was so dumbfounded I pulled out the paper Hyunbyul gave me to say something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the blank paper appeared hieroglyphics no Rapdonia resident could understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>... I want to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several days passed after the royal council meeting, but surprisingly, no huge fallout occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because of the location?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News about Ragna and my marriage proposal,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And my shocking confession there,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did not spread to the city or the public at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, no secret lasts forever, and the news will slowly leak until those who need to know find out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But this side is the real mess...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after the council ended, the labyrinth closure policy was enforced citywide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, the explorers’ public opinion was poor, and extremists protested in the square, getting arrested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, the commoner residents of Rabigion were more terrified than ever, evident just walking the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, given the Noark invasion, Viphron incident... now the labyrinth is sealed too, it’s no wonder.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without that, closing the labyrinth dealt a huge blow to the economy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The value of goods would skyrocket exponentially, and consumer spending would shrink drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the royal family kept issuing tax cuts and new policies to reassure people daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how effective that is, I don’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I’ll just focus on my own duties.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that in mind, today I left the sanctuary to meet Melbes’s sect leader, an old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We met alone, and I told him everything about the royal council meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I knew it wouldn’t help me much, other noble families in Melbes had different situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Thank you. The information the baron shared today will surely help navigate the upcoming chaos. I will never forget this favor and repay it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being a royal council attendee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought maybe that’s why all nobles covet this title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just attending and listening gives influence over other nobles, which equals power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, and as I said before, I won’t be getting married.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry about that. Honestly, we’re grateful you pushed back the marquis’s proposal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not immediately, but I will make sure the entire Melbes moves in your favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. This contract will be handled so the Yandel baron family gets it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a bit surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just attending the royal council instantly pushed aside the dwarven count family that had handled construction business for over a thousand years, letting me take their place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, this will make it easier to bring up the topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, sect leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard the Yandel baron family will be awarded the contract... isn’t the current situation too chaotic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the sect leader’s expectant look, I spoke bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that we can’t enter the labyrinth anymore, there’s plenty of time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I worked at a company, I learned the laws of the world studying stock charts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want to make big money with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes crisis can be opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>",1803,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.084Z",1,"novelbin.me","76ec44b46f6d58828b02f0de60600e37420981630d517240ec87a8e8b67eb955","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-648","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-646",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]