[{"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-661":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},1328038,1764,"Chapter 661: The Outsider (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-661",661,"\u003Cp>A vast circular corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we kept walking along the path opposite the wall painted with a magic circle, the corridor gradually narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... I honestly don’t care at all about the outside...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why don’t you go explore with the other companions, and just head back for today...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-this is ridiculous! Let me go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought there was no answer if it went on like this, but the GM’s tone, who had been dragged along almost like a kidnap victim, gradually grew harsher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, of course, from a barbarian’s point of view, that was cute too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a chick chirping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yurben Havelion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I released the arm I was holding and looked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Why do you look at me like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just give me a little time. After all, meeting like this is fate in a way, isn’t it better if we get closer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s for social purposes, I can always make time anytime...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You say you can make time anytime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as you get sent back, you lock yourself up in the magic tower and never come out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s a bit strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you whining so much to be sent back? You’re a wizard, aren’t you curious about the outside world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I only question what I can handle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a pretty impressive principle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want a long and thin life, there’s no easier or faster way than to close your eyes and plug your ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Maybe that’s how this guy has survived so long.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That one sentence made me feel like I understood the GM better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that I’m going to just let him go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But help me out a little, huh? At least for Versil’s sake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you listen quickly, it sounds like begging by using his friendship with Versil, but from the GM’s point of view, it sounded like a threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I promise. If something dangerous happens, I’ll throw myself to stop it. Okay? And it won’t take more than a few days; I just want to check and come back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you say it like that...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I threw in the carrot, the GM grudgingly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, that problem was settled now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, let’s keep moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the agreement, we walked along the corridor again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corridor, which had been narrowing little by little, stopped narrowing at a certain point, and after walking some more in that state, the corridor gradually widened, revealing a sloped path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swooooosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going up along the hill, I felt the wind and gradually light seeped in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt somewhat different from the nature I’d felt in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Character has entered a forbidden area.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having come completely outside, I took a deep breath and slowly glanced around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far off, a sunset half-hidden by the mountain range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stream dyed red by the sunset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Birds perched on trees chirping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That must be Rafdonia...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the far distance opposite the sunset, a massive fortress wall stood tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so high and so wide to the side that, like the Great Wall, its end was invisible...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s my first time seeing the exterior.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had never gone outside the fortress walls while playing the game, so seeing Rafdonia from this angle felt very unfamiliar—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Havelion, what are you doing now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just taking a look. I saw some unfamiliar letters I’ve never seen before...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfamiliar letters?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tilting my head, we approached the cave entrance we had just exited, and on the smooth wall, there was a scratch mark that looked like it was carved with a knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Was here.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Daehan Geona Ibaekho.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha... why am I feeling embarrassed for this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost let out a hollow laugh, but held it back and opened my mouth, pretending not to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It doesn’t look like an ancient language, but it’s unusual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. It is unusual. It feels somewhat familiar, though...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM didn’t seem to know much about Hangul, which is understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think even I wouldn’t recognize a language if I suddenly saw Hebrew or something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While looking at the scribble Ibaekho had left, the GM quietly gave me advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you plan to leave your name or something, it’s better not to. It would be proof that you came outside. The royal family might interpret it as treason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I didn’t even think about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s fortunate then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the GM nod, I quickly turned my back and wet my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why do I suddenly want to leave a mark too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the clown’s words, the outside world beyond ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the fortress walls has a structure similar to the dark continent’s 7th floor labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, where exactly are we now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guess I need to find a reference point first...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If that’s the Dragon Mountain Range... then maybe we’re near the Great Forest?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s true, we can roughly estimate our location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Forest is located in the southeast of the dark continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since we seem to be even further east than the Great Forest...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe this is around the eastern Great Forest?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it’s all speculation; I can’t be sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere is totally different from the labyrinth, so I’m not sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Anyway, I’ll figure that out gradually...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So... where to now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the GM asked about the next plan, I answered without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, toward the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The city... you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why that expression?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, I thought you’d want to head straight into the forest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well... honestly, I’m curious about that forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it’s risky for just the two of us to go too far, and first, there’s something I want to check around the fortress walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep using detection magic and follow me. This is an unknown world. Anything could happen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I’ll just memorize the coordinates, just in case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving behind the forest that looks peaceful enough to be the Great Forest of the dark continent, we headed east.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how long had it been?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This map is ridiculously huge.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sunset had completely disappeared beyond the mountain range, and the night sky was full of stars, but we still hadn’t reached the fortress walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe halfway there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I thought we’d get there in a few hours.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since we were on high ground and the fortress walls were so tall, this was an odd experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a mirage?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how far we went, it never felt like we were getting closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s stop here for today. We’ll spend the night here and move again tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the fortress walls were no longer visible at night, we prepared to camp here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we moved in the wrong direction, it would just waste more time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It’s been a long time sleeping in a blanket.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying inside the sleeping bag and looking up at the starry night sky, the GM spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe night made him a bit sentimental?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t tell the exact change in mood, but it was clearly the start of the small talk I wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You used to be an explorer, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Though it’s been over seven years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Why did you stop exploring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just... a lot happened. It was also a time when I felt my own limits...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He summed it up as “a lot happened,” so it seemed he didn’t want to talk about the details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe it was something he couldn’t talk about carelessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As soon as I stopped exploring, I locked myself up in the magic tower for seven years...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know his full story, but I’m not completely ignorant about his past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I did some background research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There must be a reason he became a recluse...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My intuition says the cause isn’t him, but external factors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal family, or maybe Ibaekho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, lying here like this somehow feels comforting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of mood change is that? You hated this place like hell earlier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I still hate it. But this one thing is comforting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one knows I’m here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did I understand why he said he felt comforted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed to be under surveillance by the royal family too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time, he was ambushed by Ibaekho right after briefly leaving the magic tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city has more enemies, it seems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So I must never say that Ibaekho is outside...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I carefully avoided saying anything disadvantageous and continued light conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About lovers...? I’ve had relationships considering my age, but none ended well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t one to be good at romance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sect I first joined? Actually... I don’t want to talk about it. Sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, when faced with a lie or an awkward topic, he chose to confront it head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe that incident is his taboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll have to investigate that later.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sect he originally belonged to was completely disbanded by some incident, and he founded the current sect afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, detailed records of ‘that incident’ were hard to find.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was treated as top secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I know is that the incident was related to forbidden magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll have to ask Uncle Kyle later; he knows a lot about forbidden magic.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, we talked about trivial things until falling asleep, and through that small talk, I realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Me, Ibaekho, and this guy are similar in many ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither on the player’s side, nor the royal family’s, nor Noark’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you sleep well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My whole body aches.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, drink some water. That should help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What does that have to do with the ache?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We got up, quickly ate, and headed toward the fortress walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We finally arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arrived? No, this is just the beginning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around sunset again, we reached near the fortress walls and moved along the outer wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s in even the few historical records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Rafdonia, located at the edge of the continent, was a territory relying mainly on trade.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which means...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be a sea near Rafdonia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A transparent barrier formed along the outer wall that you could feel even if you tapped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We followed this all night and reached Districts 10 and 9, which could be called the eastern side of Rafdonia, before dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s too dark to see anything. Better to wait till sunrise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must be tired; just rest until then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem started after waking up from that nap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron...? Wake up! W-what is that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Let’s get closer first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After snapping out of sleep, stunned by the distant view, we hurried toward the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of us were speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to piece things together as best as we could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘First.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the cliff at the continent’s edge, the sea stretched widely along the ridgeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One problem was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It was gray.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea was gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the sea, but the sky too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waves rippling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clouds painted in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything beyond the canyon looked like a black-and-white photo, frozen without color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring blankly at the scene, the GM muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...The world has never really been whole.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1861,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","cf155379ccf07e46078b3d99ecf371dd722153a184506a85a3577d7f951f9310","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-662","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-660",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]