[{"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-725":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},1327952,1764,"Chapter 725: Limited Time (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-725",725,"\u003Cp>Astarotta, who received the ‘request’ to bring Raven, gave instructions to another guardian knight stationed outside the audience chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a way, it was subcontracting the subcontractor...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s staying not too far away, so he should be here soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I had no reason to look down on that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if subcontractors subcontract, and those subcontractors subcontract again, the person at the top never changes...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like I’ll get to talk a bit more.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t about to waste leftover time meaninglessly, so I immediately started a background check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Astarotta, what is your official title?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need to know so I can make plans too. But surely you wouldn’t disobey the king’s order to cooperate no matter what—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Commander of the Guardian Knights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, so that’s it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she is the next generation ‘King’s Knight’ after the old royal knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If your curiosity is satisfied—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nah, there’s no way it ends here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the identity of the sword you carry? It looks very sharp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There she goes rolling her eyes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need to know your abilities exactly so I can plan accordingly—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It is the sword given to the Commander of the Guardian Knights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How powerful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t lose to the Creation Legendary Sword. Ah, though you’re a clan leader, you probably don’t know well about the Creation Legendary Sword?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve collected all the Creation Legendary Swords several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I know their power better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many members are in the Guardian Knights?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, I slowly raised the level of my inquiry, digging into key information about the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astarotta seemed unsure if this was okay, sighing deeply every time I mentioned the king, but she spoke freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any children?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Guardian Knights cannot have families.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, then you must be careful with birth control?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t mean... never even once in your life...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, I uncovered information I hadn’t even known from the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, it was about time for Raven to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had heard enough, and curiosity struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How far does the king’s name reach?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her now-obedient attitude was a malfunction caused by excessive loyalty to the king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A kind of bug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even during the background check, I kept my boundaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the life-support device underground the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or the prison deeper below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or discussions related to the king’s lifespan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how dense she might be, she wouldn’t answer such questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would definitely refuse, and once she refused, I’d know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Refusal is not difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yeah, using bugs is also part of the player’s skill.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For that reason, I tried never to cross the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a broken machine that starts working when struck, I judged it would only harm me if it suddenly normalized after too much shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m curious.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she won’t reveal information about the king, how far can I go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I ordered her to drop her pants in front of me, would she actually do it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m curious, but...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somewhat disappointing yet fortunate, I never got to satisfy that curiosity directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Yandel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven has arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From what I heard, Raven had been doing quite well, despite feeling frustrated and uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, compared to that, I’m not much different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering the ongoing war, this kind of comfort probably places him among the top in the entire city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve put on weight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What are you saying...? I have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh... Of course, being stuck in a room all day...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After briefly exchanging greetings with Raven who returned to the audience chamber, I straightforwardly explained the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in a barbarian’s lengthy way, but maybe because we had spent so much time together?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven summarized it in one sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean... we have to kill the prime minister...? Us...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It just turned out that way. And we’re not the only ones. The royal family will support us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“T-That’s somewhat reassuring... But was the prime minister really the mastermind of the rebellion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s what they say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the goal clearly set, Raven started ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ asking many questions about the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, I couldn’t answer any.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had been trapped inside the room all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The outside situation will be explained to you by Elizabeth from now on. We waited for you to hear it together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elizabeth...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Astarotta Berun. Call me Berun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... Yes... Lady Berun. Hello...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astarotta ignored Raven’s greeting and began briefing, and those of us who knew nothing about the outside were surprised at every explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Half the city was taken?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not taken but occupied illegally by rebel forces, and it’s not half, more like a third. At best, in Rabigion, districts 13, 7, and 8, and only district 4 in Commelbi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the king’s indifferent reaction, the city’s situation was dire beyond words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone who needed to know already knew the prime minister was the rebellion’s ringleader, and he had crossed into enemy lines to command directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was practically a civil war now, and it looked like it could drag on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So my comrades are in district 7, which has become enemy territory...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More precisely, the barbarian sanctuary. Nothing has changed since the last information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This situation is much more troublesome than I thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, are you planning to reunite with your comrades first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even just getting to district 7 isn’t easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To get there, you must pass through district 5 or 8, which border it...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Astarotta, those are now frontlines with fierce day-and-night battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Difficult. Even if you pass districts 5 or 8, district 7 is completely in enemy hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the two of us were talking, Astarotta suddenly interrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn Yandel, here’s some advice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think about what’s most important.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hah, advice, huh? I listened anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a royal lackey, she advised me to obey the king’s orders first rather than care for my comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Between her dazed behavior earlier and this, is something wrong with her head?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Advice not even worth listening to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were the case, she’d have stayed holed up in the audience chamber for a week. Why would I have accepted that condition?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I skipped the advice without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More importantly... I have to go outside first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there were things I couldn’t understand just by words, I planned to go out immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While talking with Raven again, Astarotta interrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you go out like that, you’ll be found out quickly. I didn’t say this before, but most people think you’ve been seriously injured in the collapse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about hiding your face with a helmet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That advice at least seemed thoughtful, but my answer was ‘No.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This huge body can’t be hidden with a helmet, and I’ve worn iron masks twice in my life already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll just go as I am.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the news that I’m safe can reach my comrades.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Astarotta looked like she didn’t understand this decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, she looked disdainful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the king who told you to act freely, so I won’t say more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then don’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But do you really think you can kill the prime minister with that mindset?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was flat, showing no worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the meaning hidden behind the question was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I fail the king’s condition, worse things will happen. Can I handle that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry about that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fragments of records, time travel to the past, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, I believe in fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The marquis is already a dead man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was fate set since the Ice Rock expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I left the Apocalypse Palace, my first impression was: funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because only when heading to the main gate did I see the palace’s exterior for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow... I’ve only heard about it, but it’s really magnificent...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps we are the first to enter from underground and leave through the main gate in all history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep the windows closed and be quiet until we leave the palace. It must not be known that you came out of Apocalypse Palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage leaving the palace carried Raven, Astarotta, and me, and the driver was one of the guardian knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But is it really okay for you to leave the palace like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weren’t you the one who asked me to come along?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that’s true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, when I asked if all the guardian knights inside the palace could be summoned, she said only she could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry about it. It was the king’s order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm... but the war’s ongoing; is it okay for the commander of the guardian knights to be absent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled coolly at my question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place isn’t easy enough to allow traitors a foothold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s good to hear...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I’m still not sure if traveling with her is the right choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least her combat power seems certain...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if I’m with her, the king will know all my whereabouts immediately. That could reduce my ability to act proactively in unknown situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still, I don’t know much about the current situation yet. It’ll be easier with her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage left Apocalypse Palace, passed by the twelve palaces around it, and entered the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was able to see the scene along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The war really hits home now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had visited the Palace of Glory, the most familiar of the twelve palaces, several times for titles, promotions, and victory ceremonies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-This is Ure...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grand palace was nowhere to be found, only ruins piled high like a mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many soldiers were clearing debris, and dead bodies appeared whenever a rock was lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Identification?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A detailed investigation is required, but for now, a seal of the Count of Nartuil was found on the clothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We must treat him with utmost respect in case he is indeed the Count of Nartuil!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing through the narrow path made among the ruins, I heard vivid on-site conversations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Did many nobles die in this incident?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that time, the military headquarters gathered many nobles. Civilians say half the nobles died in jokes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half the nobles...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, half of the titled nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone explained how serious the current situation was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe the marquis calculated all this and gathered everyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not maybe. The intelligence bureau is confident of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, but here’s another question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We know the marquis is the mastermind, but why did he make me stay in prison for two days?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wouldn’t the marquis rather I get caught and die there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked Astarotta that, she replied,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I don’t think the prime minister expected you to die trapped there either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, honestly... I can’t imagine myself dying trapped there...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘With half the titled nobles dead, it must be chaos. Some noble houses may vanish... But will the succession ceremony wait until after the war? It’ll probably be younger.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking through the slightly opened window at the ruined palace, Raven muttered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...There won’t be any left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? What did you say? I didn’t hear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just... no matter how this war ends, the world we knew will be completely different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice sounded somewhat fearful, and I nodded without realizing it.\u003C\u002Fp>",1868,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","4e11f739245c11c957a3fd4b5c643345fc7ba203727b808e78a3809e7f26b228","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-726","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-724",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]