[{"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-697":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},1328074,1764,"Chapter 697","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-697",697,"\u003Cp>“Haha... You’re still the same. Thanks for your concern, but there’s no need. What can change just because an ant worries about a person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis smiled kindly, but his words struck like a bone. Seeing Ibaekho unable to keep his expression and forcing an awkward smile, it was clear Ibaekho had lost this exchange completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, I think it’s best to end today’s meeting here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... Elder? I have one question I’d like to ask...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s late today. If there’s a chance someday, I’ll answer the questions you meant to ask now then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Does that mean we can meet again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. You’re a model student. I’m always watching closely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>GM seemed less disappointed hearing that there’d be another chance, and Auril Gavis, smiling warmly at GM, led us deeper into the cave. Step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about a minute, we reached a spacious cavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many are these?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone gasped the moment we arrived. It was no wonder — the cavern walls were lined neatly with dimensional monuments, hundreds at least, large enough to play soccer in here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well... this should do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis pointed with his finger to the dimensional monument we would use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... do you know where that leads?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I’d prefer to leave it as a later surprise, but since you seem uneasy, I’ll tell you. Riding it will bring you back to that first place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘first place’... you mean the spot where the magic circle was destroyed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>GM’s face relaxed at knowing the destination. But is this one of those ‘can’t spit on a smiling face’ moments? I thought GM might have aimed for that. Though they laughed and joked earlier, this grim old man would definitely spit behind their back with that smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh! As the portal opened, Auril Gavis gave us a look to hurry, and Ibaekho spat on the ground. Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You unlucky damn old man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like he didn’t want to stay in one space any longer, he was first through the portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go next. In case Baekho causes trouble again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second was Parmel Harbae, third Aures... then Jaina and GM followed through the portal, leaving just Auril Gavis and me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to pretend anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stopping by the portal, Auril Gavis looked at me steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What, you want me to go quickly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said grumbling, and Auril Gavis smiled kindly again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh heh, of course not. When have I ever looked at you like I’m signaling something? I just thought you had something to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s unlike you. If you have something to say, just say it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, but he definitely wouldn’t tell the things he didn’t want to say. I glanced around, took GM as a reference, and politely opened my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder, I have just one question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You always seem to have questions whenever you see me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you have so many secrets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh heh... Tell me. What do you want to ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of place is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis looked somewhat surprised at my question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why that, of all things? There are more important questions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already asked those several times, but never got a proper answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I complained, deciding not to waste time anymore, and Auril Gavis suddenly burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What? Ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ahahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this old man crazy? What’s so funny here? I couldn’t understand at all, but at least his mood had improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha... Sorry. An old memory just came to mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An old memory...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, recently there have been many things I’m sorry about to you, so I’ll answer what you asked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, thank you so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be sarcastic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he finally seemed willing to answer, I decided not to provoke him further and waited quietly. This question seemed important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This place is somewhere outside the castle walls.] Somewhere outside the castle walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s a place very meaningful to me.] Auril Gavis’s meaningful place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place even has a structure very similar to the first-floor Crystal Cave. What exactly is this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall we walk for a bit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my questions grew, Auril Gavis suggested as if to take a stroll, and I nodded readily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Auril Gavis who went ahead, he suddenly spoke something like a Zen koan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A lie you want to believe, or a truth you want to disbelieve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you had to choose one, which would you pick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered why he asked this suddenly, but this old man surely had a reason beyond nonsense. I thought carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled a similar balance game on the internet once: curry that tastes like feces, or feces that tastes like curry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was different from this Zen koan, but strangely made choosing easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I choose the latter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You prefer the truth you want to disbelieve?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because it’s still the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I see...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis showed an ambiguous reaction but said no more. I had answered sincerely after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis stopped before a stone door blocking the cave passage. When he placed his hand on it, it opened automatically as if enchanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unexpected space opened before my eyes. It reminded me of the universe. A straight staircase stretched upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be careful not to fall as you go up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, Auril Gavis strode ahead without explanation, and I silently followed, observing around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long had passed? Steadily climbing the stairs, I realized why I was brought here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To show me that thing on the altar at the top of the stairs...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll recognize it once you go see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I wondered what he meant, at the stair’s end, I finally understood: hundreds of fragments floated above the altar, surrounded by a thin veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fragments of Records...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just one, but hundreds drifted in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you collect all of these yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis nodded without expression. When he reached out his hand, one fragment slowly drifted toward us like a slowly orbiting star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want to read it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded silently and read the ancient language inscribed on it. But there was a problem...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A demon spirit from another world... how do I read this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some parts were undecipherable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t just ancient language, it’s just a pattern...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to interpret it. Think of it as a name for a person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, for now, I let it pass. Reading the rest of the fragments didn’t take long—they were quite short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A demon spirit from another world ‘———’ lost three companions, and only then realized the path he must take...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Wait a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this ‘———’ me...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked hastily, glancing sideways, but Auril Gavis only smiled gently and didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fragments of Records. Pieces of the ‘Record Stone’ that chronicle all time from past to present and future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know the power of this ‘Record’ better than anyone, because I experienced it once. My heart thumped recalling the past I went to through the Fragments of Records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, I caused chaos trying to change the future where someone died, but failed. The stories written in the Record Stone always come true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, some like Amelia used tricks of ‘deception’...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This time, such tricks won’t work.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I even try? I’m no naive ten-year-old. Faking death to fool my comrades was impossible. Besides, I don’t even know when it happened. My heart thumped again... three people... ‘three...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Dungeon & Stone, comrades dying is common. But why does this small number feel so huge and despairing? Heart thumping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While my heart tightened, my head cooled, thinking. Who were those three? Or rather, who should they be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the leader of a group, even the unthinkable thoughts swiftly passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knowing the ending is truly a painful thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auril Gavis, who gave me the greatest worry of my life, nodded as if understanding me. Seeing that made blood surge to my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to punch that old face right then and there. But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to hold back. Throwing a punch here would only be to my own loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So... when...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clenching my teeth until my body trembled, I asked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know when... the events written here will happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know. If the Record Stone was intact, maybe. But with just these fragments, it’s hard to estimate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So, there’s nothing here that can help me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, something like a thread snapped in my mind, and Auril Gavis continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But judging how records are written, this must also be one event.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it’s not that one person dies after another over time, but that three die during one ‘incident.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gritted my teeth and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Do you know who those three are?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a question I debated hundreds or thousands of times whether to ask. But as if he knew my thoughts, the old man answered easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No excuses, no explanations. Just “I don’t know.” Somehow, that made me both angry and relieved. If those names were known, I would have gone mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem conflicted. Are your comrades that important to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Don’t poke me. I’m really at my limit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then so be it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Showing superhuman patience, Auril Gavis said no more, and silence stretched out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart still pounded even after some time passed, and the strength in my toes wouldn’t release. But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Information.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somewhat my reason returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like you’re coming to your senses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, what is recorded is something I can’t immediately change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you show me this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I judged this was the first thing to find out. This old man, who specializes in toying with people, wouldn’t have shown it without reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reason... Honestly, it’s close to whimsy. If you had left as you were and not asked where this place was, I wouldn’t have shown it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you look like you don’t believe me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course I wouldn’t. Even if I hadn’t left, I’d suspect some dark scheme behind this. But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re clearly the former.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you preferred the latter earlier, but that was only because you wanted to be that person. You are actually the former.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I didn’t understand, but soon it clicked. ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ It was a continuation of the Zen koan: a lie you want to believe and a truth you want to disbelieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope my word about whimsy is a lie, but it’s certainly true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it sounded like a forced logic to confuse the point, I had no sharp rebuttal. Yet I still looked for distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, I don’t disappoint you. If you ask a hundred people, all will choose ‘truth,’ but in reality, when faced with the situation, it reverses...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that right, Bjorn Yandel... or rather, Lee Hansoo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, no words. I gave up trying to win this old man with words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Alright. I only started this talk for no reason. I wasn’t aiming for anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying it resignedly, Auril Gavis gazed sadly at the Record Fragments scattered like a galaxy in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know how you see me, but I’m no monster. And as Baekho said, I’m not omnipotent...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just an ordinary human, struggling and suffering hard for one thing. Just like you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, sorry to be blunt, but no matter how much he says that, he just looks like a crazy old man to me. No need to ruin the mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Since I’m here, can I see something else too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your comrades must be waiting outside. Is that alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Comrades?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re just ‘companions’ enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1944,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","6650496174619ad7144e41d95c6c6e8f99493b55d72aff2d9863f0db6accd94b","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-698","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-696",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]