[{"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-727":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},1327954,1764,"Chapter 727: Traitor (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-727",727,"\u003Cp>“He’s saying, ‘Why are you here?’ using only his eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand, I thought maybe this guy had some talent for acting; on the other, I understood how he felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was me who hadn’t shown my face outside for days, caught by the king against my will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must have been totally unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, maybe they got info about me showing up in District 5 before coming here...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If so, maybe they’d be even more shocked?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, probably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like, why the hell is the guy who should be in District 5 here instead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s been a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smirked, and he seemed to snap out of it, barely moving his tight mouth muscles to reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Pshhht. I’ve been getting plenty of reinforcements recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered casually as usual, but I could clearly tell he wasn’t that relaxed inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Makes sense—summoned creatures at a certain level respond and act according to their summoner’s will without separate commands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“P-Pshhht...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he let out an awkward laugh, the chimera he was riding retracted its aggressively extended front leg and started backing away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are you going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked while smashing the nearby corpse soldiers with a single hammer blow, and he stammered in reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well... I think ambushing at night and stuff is cowardly... Pshhht... L-Let’s meet again sometime!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does he even know what he’s saying right now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know, but a warrior’s instinct for seizing opportunities caught something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Necromancer,’ who should have been at the very rear, appeared at the frontline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I don’t know why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe just to show off...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, that’s not important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I could smash this bastard’s skull right here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm, that wouldn’t be bad at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, let me rephrase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just “not bad” — it’d be the best case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this guy’s on my kill list too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t just leave! Come here for a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waved my long hammer, calling him, but the chimera turned its back and started fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, just for a moment! Come here! Just to talk—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite repeated persuasion, the four-legged chimera only accelerated away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I- I’m busy, so...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just wanted to talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He really has sharp instincts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Behel—laaaaaa!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then used [Giant Growth] and charged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, since I had left the gate, no one else was blocking the corpse horde...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ll handle it. I’ve bought enough time to prepare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, I wasn’t completely useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though [Giant Growth] was meant to increase stride length, it had an unexpected effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just running with heavy footsteps, the combat-modified corpses were trampled and exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the distance still didn’t close easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had movement skills like [Leap], it would’ve helped a lot, but sadly my Shield Barbarian’s movement mechanisms weren’t equipped for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I stubbornly followed his big body, and he used every trick to shake me off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Abet Nekrafeto cast [Corpse Explosion].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blowing up corpses to spray poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Abet Nekrafeto cast [Curse of Stone].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Applying CC.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Placing a huge corpse monster to block me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And casting strange smoke to obscure vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did everything he could, but stopping a Shield Barbarian over 70% combat-ready was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it...! This isn’t fair!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a way, such praise was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being an unstoppable tank was a disaster for ranged fighters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} give up and stop! If you stop now, we can talk it out! I swear on the honor of a warrior—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t lie! You’re just trying to negotiate with your body!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh, how did he know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, I gave up on coaxing through talk and silently moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no rush anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just running like this was slowly closing the gap. Looks like his movement mechanism was as lacking as mine...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kinda funny.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used to be much more imposing back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, just seeing my face makes him turn and run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lot of time has passed since then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the silent chase continued, the distance steadily shortened, and from his mouth came complaints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Argh! Bjorn Yandel...! Why the hell are you here in the first place?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s that about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doesn’t sound like just being flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do something, will you! You’re just letting that monster rampage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse collector shouted as if to comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, no support magic came, no hero appeared to save him, and his frustration grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep ignoring me! This is your fault! Bjorn Yandel was in District 5, so they tried to distract by stirring up District 9!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, so that was the reason?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lucky coincidence, but my appearance in District 5 interfered with their plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, why is that our fault? If you’re blaming someone, blame the commander or vice-commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar voice suddenly came, and I looked up to see a woman flying low on a broom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witch of Screams, Liranne Vivian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And from the start, we told you to stay back and not show off. But I remember you insisting on leading the charge!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Is that important now? Why are you just showing up? Any magic would do — stop that guy already!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh...? No way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witch of Screams refused with a disgusted expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you remember? How am I supposed to stop a monster that reflects every spell I cast?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must have been talking about the now-vanished ‘Essence of Gacha.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it didn’t matter much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I got a way better defensive skill now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Character cast [Scales of Greed].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I activated Dragon Mode in advance just in case. This skill doesn’t have a ‘reflection’ mechanic, but that’s fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, that didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I now had the effect of [Aegis Dragon Armor] that builds stacks proportional to accumulated damage and can explode all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She might as well help by hitting and building stacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, enemies facing me would find it terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the fact—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, let’s join forces, bro.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Join forces?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’d have to squeeze on one mount, which is a bit much... but this isn’t a time to be picky, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a Barbarian listening, I wanted to scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These so-called elite Orculus guys already thinking of running? We’d be like dogs chasing chickens, watching roofs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I threw a hand axe from the pocket dimension with all my might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely remember using it in practice, but thanks to some practice here and there, it flew strongly to the target spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kyaa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian narrowly dodged the hand axe thrown while reaching out to grab my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse collector urged, and Vivian reached out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I threw another hand axe, and she instantly activated a shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it didn’t matter much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a normal axe throw without skill help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who can tell the difference with my overly developed strength?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, the shield shattered uselessly on the axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kyaa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The axe handle hit Vivian’s temple, making her scream and fall off her broom to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cursed but kept moving forward without tending to the comrade who fell behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, where do you think you’re going?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I have no choice! Mages can be replaced, but I can’t!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shut up and get over here! Get on! You bastard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those who will live, live...! Pshhht...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I was dumbfounded by how pathetic that sounded while chasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! You damn son of a—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian screamed her resentment, but the corpse collector didn’t turn his chimera’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I keep chasing the corpse collector?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or should I make sure to catch at least this one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, I stopped in front of Vivian, who sat down nursing a broken ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha, unbelievable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d just seen such a shocking scene that my legs went weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Surrender.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What are you saying? It’s not surrender but defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian ground her teeth as I silently approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, her hatred wasn’t directed at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Bro, can you just let me go? I’ll definitely kill that bastard... okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes were 100% sincere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought maybe letting her go would benefit me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Can’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I refused firmly, raising my hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, really...! I’d do whatever you ask... okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian tried to use her looks and gender as a weapon, but unfortunately for her, she picked the wrong opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was born and raised in South Korea, so I know what true gender equality is, K-Barbarian style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I lower my hammer now, wouldn’t all the men who died until now be wronged?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssslip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men and women are equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proof: if you get hit with a hammer, your skull breaks no matter the gender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your comrades!! You want to get to where your comrades are!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I paused with my hammer raised, and Vivian slowly opened her tightly shut eyes to look at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...No, it’s nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to feel me out even now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you have something to say, say it quickly. We don’t have time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I... I can take you safely and comfortably to your comrades! And help in many ways! You don’t need a mage, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have a mage already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Especially if it’s about catching that damn bastard, I’d even give my soul...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do I do with this...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I quickly smashed the corpse collector’s skull and chased him, I might be able to follow...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me think ten more seconds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I mulled over this, Vivian suddenly shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...B-Betrayer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tilted my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can tell you which of your comrades is a traitor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Guess I have to hear this first.\u003C\u002Fp>",1608,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","f787ce4a72348e017f3dc23f7f54dfd455d8f892b2efd0e83a5e480ff15b9570","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-728","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-726",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]