[{"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-658":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},1328035,1764,"Chapter 658: The Outsider (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-658",658,"\u003Cp>For thousands of years, it was known that no living creature could survive beyond the city walls due to the witch’s curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that, I don’t know much either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the day the royal army descended underground to annihilate Noark,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a mysterious wizard suddenly appeared, rescuing the Noark forces and helping them escape outside the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that very day was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Year 154 of the Great Renewal, June 2nd.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players mixed within the Noark faction first announced the news inside the community, and it quickly spread throughout the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there are two curious points here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are reasonable suspicions of systematic information control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the loose-lipped jester revealed almost no information about beyond the walls in the round table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, if I were to pick at least one thing—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[After coming out beyond the city and visiting various places, I realized: although the terrain and structure may differ slightly, this land closely resembles the 7th-floor Dark Continent!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the jester, the continent where the last stronghold Lapdonia stands has terrain very similar to the 7th-floor Dark Continent...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If that’s true, then the hypothesis might also be true.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[A hypothesis that the labyrinth is not a passage connected to another dimension, but a dimension created by someone?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Crystal Cave, the Rock Desert... maybe they were created based on places that actually existed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The round table members voiced various opinions upon hearing this, and some of those guesses turned out to be true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was uncovered through direct exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Most of the places inside the labyrinth were modeled after real locations.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having witnessed countless circumstantial and physical evidence during adventures close to exploration, I have no doubt about this premise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That makes it all the more strange.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All ancient continental maps have been lost; no data remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there are still some records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[We are one of the few families still insisting on Central Naming conventions.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s natural to feel unfamiliar. Families like ours with blood from the Eastern Continent remaining this strongly are now rare in this city.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...It’s Southern-Central style naming.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among Lapdonia residents, there are still those who remember their ancestors and family history to maintain their identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to look far; even our barbarians are like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to records, the barbarian race lived fighting monsters in the rugged northern and southern parts of the continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the problem is...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They said it took over two years to get from the north to Lapdonia.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the distance conveyed in the records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in the labyrinth’s Dark Continent, it takes only one or two months to cross from end to end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then where does this discrepancy come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, that’s actually the lesser issue.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vampire uncle on basement 1 told me,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There were only humans in that era...?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no other races in ancient times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if that is true, all history and records of this world are fabricated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth is the truth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What secrets are hidden in this world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now, I just thought I had to do my own work, so I didn’t try to uncover much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the situation has changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Noark bastards have invaded desperately and even occupied one district inside the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal family’s response is also somehow suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Now I must know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must have the information they have to prepare for the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t it the same when playing a game?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t know, you can only get hit unfairly...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yandel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ending my thoughts there, I headed back to where the others were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wahaha! Did you see that? My spear is stronger than arrows!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I pulled it back cautiously because I was worried you’d get hurt! Again! Let’s do it again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Where did you go, sir?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, let’s rest for today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day after the welcome party that lasted until late at night,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I woke up near sunset and led three guides to the sewer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, by the way, the guides were Amelia, Elwen, and Versil...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow... it’s really been a while since I was in the sewer. So, sir, why are we here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We came to find something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! So that’s why you called the three of us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Anabada members, Amelia and Elwen are most specialized in searching, and Versil is the only mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I ask what you are looking for? Knowing that will help me assist actively.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Versil’s question, I honestly revealed the reason we came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today we will search here for a path connected to beyond the city walls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beyond the city walls...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded to confirm, and the previously flustered Versil calmed down and asked cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Are you planning to go outside the city walls?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I thought if I go out once, I might be able to judge what is true and what is not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For now, only you three know. Understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they weren’t people to spread rumors around, I gave a brief warning and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no way the hidden path connecting to the outside world would be in the sewers where vagrants hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, we must go deeper in the sewer to the old Noark underground fortress—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, who led the way, silently signaled to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elwen also nodded slightly while looking at me, seeming to feel the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Slowly.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Step back.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Amelia’s signal, we slipped into a side path and hid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, even my dulled ears sensed footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plop, plop—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least two people were roaming the sewer, and the sounds grew louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Vagrants?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, that’s what I thought, but if that were true, Amelia wouldn’t have tried to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We waited silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, they passed the spot where we hid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Knights?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just ordinary knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two fully armed knights, not belonging to any specific family, bearing the royal crest on their chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily, what’s going on? Why are those guys roaming the sewers at this hour?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, didn’t you know? Since that incident a few months ago, guards have intensified, and knights patrol the sewers regularly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that you mention it, I think I read in the paper. Thanks to that, the number of vagrants living in the sewers has dwindled...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, have I been neglecting the news too much lately?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, I was really surprised by the knights suddenly patrolling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like thieves who feel guilty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered if they had prepared for our arrival by posting patrols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s keep moving. The patrol here is small and doesn’t seem to search thoroughly, so we probably won’t get caught.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was unexpected, I wasn’t particularly nervous seeing the patrolling knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just trusting Amelia’s stealth skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it’s different from long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If something goes wrong, we can make even two knights blink and forget what they saw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, if we don’t want trouble, they should be more careful than us...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a device here too. Wait a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving at the path to Noark, Amelia squatted by the entrance and fiddled with something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may enter now. I carefully dismantled it so no trace remains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, so that was the device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like in movies, where they put a small paper in the door gap to check if someone entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going down the stairs, a vast underground space unlike the sewer appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The varying ceiling heights and wall structures made it feel like entering a three-dimensional maze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah, this is where it was... where I fought that Karui priest.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was her name... Elisa?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so long ago, around when I had just consumed the Orc Hero Essence, I barely remember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a formidable foe, but with the overall spec increase of team Half-Pint, we were able to defeat her...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No one from back then is here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I have brought ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Misha too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I could have chatted while telling that story—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah, wait, Amelia was there too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, back then she wasn’t an ally, more like an enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, she was kind enough(?) to let us all survive after losing the fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tersia, do you sense anyone’s presence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a relief. Same here. It seems they don’t patrol past here, so let’s speed up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After increasing our pace, we soon ended the maze section and finally arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Noark...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast hall was hard to believe was underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Versil admired the massive stone gate, much larger than the palace gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this your first time coming here, Gouland?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s my first time coming this deep. I participated in the first raid, but as you know, we had to retreat without reaching this far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah... I heard many died then...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing their conversation, I suddenly remembered a Canadian player I met in the community.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was pulled into the community the moment he got a knife in his neck during battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When I return... I promised to give news.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Funny how, despite forgetting for a while, I still clearly remember the address and words he left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because it was so impressive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong? Not coming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, I’ll come...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in old memories for a moment, Amelia quietly opened the side door beside the huge gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Versil, who was unfamiliar, tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Aren’t we entering through that door?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no gatekeeper, so it doesn’t matter. Why choose the easier path?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s true. But was there originally a gatekeeper?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was. Though not famous to Lapdonia, he was one of the strongest in Noark—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Amelia said this and was about to enter through the side door,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! I appreciate your high opinion of me!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a loud hearty laugh erupted from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elwen and Amelia, who didn’t sense the presence, turned around in surprise, and so did I.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never imagined meeting other guests here, especially such famous people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning around, I saw a man as sturdy as a barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His appearance was clearly far from stealthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reason he approached without a sound was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Dungeon and Stone is a team game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say even passing by is fate, so greetings! Former Noark gatekeeper, Rek Aures!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man, standing at the frontline tank position, was followed by his comrades, one by one revealing themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, and these are my comrades...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘One, two, three, four...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They outnumbered us, but the qualitative advantage seemed negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it seems strange that our team is losing in quality...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump-thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world is all relative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Baekho! Why so quiet today? Didn’t you say you were close to that Baron Yandel over there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...I never thought I’d run into these bastards here.\u003C\u002Fp>",1786,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","0e778f422e807df082874806907a9d5b36dec572b7114fd39a6db734d675a69a","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-659","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-657",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]