[{"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-728":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},1327955,1764,"Chapter 728: Traitor (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-728",728,"\u003Cp>The art gallery in District 4 that I had visited alone several times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abandoned and unmanaged after Noark’s invasion, there a woman was putting paintings from the walls into a pocket dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... Emily?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not stealing them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I leave them here, people who don’t know their value might damage them recklessly...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m definitely not keeping them to hang in my house later. If someone asks for them back, I’ll return them right away. Understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes, I understand. But what I wanted to say was actually something else...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Auyen’s words, Amelia cleared her throat awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well... it’s nothing special... Ah! And I’m not rushing you! It’s just... I was wondering what your plans are...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that question, Amelia put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m still thinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For now, we’re holding out. There’s no urgent need to act. Bear with the frustration a little longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no! I’m not frustrated at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good to hear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia continued walking the darkened gallery, putting art into the pocket dimension, and Auyen assisted her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not taking that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those works are trash. The artist was said to have done awful things with little girls while alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Let’s burn them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After using the remaining works as kindling, Amelia leaned back and rested, and Auyen didn’t bother her further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long silence passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time went on and darkness crept outside the window,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen spoke in a hushed voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’m sorry, Emily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An incomplete sentence, but Amelia immediately understood and chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean back when we got separated?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes... If I hadn’t fallen behind then... we wouldn’t be hiding apart like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day the main force abandoned them and retreated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen at the frontline couldn’t dodge an arrow in the chaos and fell behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia turned back right away to save her, succeeded, but ended up separated from the clan members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, they moved cautiously to avoid enemies and arrived at this gallery in District 4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Sorry for holding you back...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not something to apologize for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You say thanks in such situations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite saying this, Amelia smiled somewhat wryly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Thanks, not sorry...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would never have said that when she was full of bitterness before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking so, a strange loneliness blossomed inside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just longing for people, but a feeling directed at a particular someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I wonder if I caused any trouble in the meantime.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worrying so, Amelia realized this was the feeling called ‘missing someone,’ and it was different from what she felt for her real older sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She instinctively rose from crouching behind the wall with the least light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward the window where the bright moonlight shone best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She usually didn’t like such places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old habits die hard: she felt comfortable in darkness and irritated in bright places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Not bad at all.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bathed in warm moonlight, Amelia quietly murmured,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily Raines.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new name she created so as not to be a nuisance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, just living openly with that name was satisfying enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was I always this greedy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amelia Rainwails.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in a long while, she uttered her real name aloud and thought,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was time to end the life hidden in shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the thought came, she noticed a strange bodily sensation and quickly activated her ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Self-replication.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ability she’d used like her own body for a long time didn’t activate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Punishment for greed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew exactly why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Character has entered the range of [Silent Spell].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「All Essence skills are sealed.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Betrayer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that word, my body stiffened and my ears pricked involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it’s a human instinct to form a ‘society.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...It’s a bit late to be chasing now anyway.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave up chasing the corpse collector here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But warned him, just in case he tried anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you talk nonsense, it’ll end painfully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t an empty threat, and luckily, he seemed to get it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Of course. But it’s okay! I’m not lying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then prove it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without wasting words, I got straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing my personality, Vivian swallowed once and began with the core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arua Raven! That old mage you used to know is the betrayer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh, Raven was the betrayer...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My grip tightened on the hammer the moment I heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because of betrayal feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waste of time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he think I gave up chasing to listen to this nonsense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, I’ll settle it quickly and follow—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw it! I saw it myself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saw what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought hearing more nonsense was a waste, but surprisingly, her mouth moved faster than my hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Hwangdo Karnon was burning! She was there looking at that woman and said, ‘I never thought I’d be betrayed like this...’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Do you have some drug or something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! I know it sounds strange! But wait! Put down the hammer! I can explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten seconds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nine, eight...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring her, I started counting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian understood and hurried into her final statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but she [N O V E L I G H T] used a first-rank dark magic called [Future Sight]. I wasn’t alone; many dark mages helped, and with tremendous support, we barely succeeded...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stick to the point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was a spell to predict the success of this incident, and it failed! We saw Karnon burning but not the king’s assassination—only some random scenes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...So you’re saying Raven betrayed me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! That’s why I said I saw it myself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe I can listen a bit more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thirty seconds added.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...No, I’m serious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the time to prove your claim.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Prove it in thirty seconds? How...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that’s for you to figure out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just figured if she couldn’t, I’d prove equality with my hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I counted silently, a brief silence fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seems she was at a loss on how to convince me in thirty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifteen seconds passed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian spoke when half the time was up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter how I think, I can’t prove it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you gave me more time, maybe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Definitely not within thirty seconds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll just say why you shouldn’t kill me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wizard’s judgment was impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good reasoning. Thirty more seconds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tired of counting aloud, I switched to counting silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian kept throwing out her gambits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re heading to the Barbarian Sanctuary, right? I can get you there without any noise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m confident I can go alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it might get a bit noisy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No reason to accept help from an enemy unnecessarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding that attitude, Vivian quickly gave another offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Communications.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can eavesdrop on the upper Noark comms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just knowing general movements would help, not just strategies, but also if something happens to your comrades, you’d know immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s all. If you don’t need this, I have nothing else to offer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay... what’s your choice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she spoke boldly before, now I sensed deep fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, who’s indifferent before death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing that, I was influenced greatly by that guy’s choice back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On hold for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t stay here forever, so I carried Vivian like luggage toward the fortress wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, I planned to consult Raven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before that, one thing was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That story about the betrayer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell anyone. Understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes! My lips are sealed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sealed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment danger came, she spilled secrets without asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I returned, Raven and Astarotta waited just outside the slightly opened gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It looks like things have settled here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had to. Most of the corpses lost power as soon as you chased them off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, maybe they were too busy fleeing to control them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief greeting, Raven’s gaze shifted to my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that woman... she is, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you know her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I would’ve known even if I didn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha... Hello? Long time no see. Sister...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Sister?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Not really? I thought she was older than you, Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven was momentarily speechless at the bold question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call me by my last name. I never allowed anyone to call me otherwise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha... understood. Raven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a place to talk openly, so we went into a nearby building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There wasn’t much to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chased and caught the corpse collector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She persuaded me she could help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving out the betrayal story, it boiled down to those two sentences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, the question is? Use her or just take her out cleanly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. I wanted your opinion, so I brought her alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm... then let’s first verify the conditions she offered?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven approached Vivian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you can access the Noark upper communication network? Show us. Maybe you’ve lost access.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Hehe, no way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So prove it. We need to know how important the info is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian took out a black crystal ball, connected to the network, and it worked fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Jibne, Terea, Didivar.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are they saying now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Military coded words. Even the intelligence unit probably can’t fully decode it yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder she connected so easily. They thought we couldn’t kill her even if we saw it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not that stupid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, try to decode it. What does it say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 5-3, royal forces, gathering observed...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Vivian’s words, Raven and I quietly exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We both immediately knew where 5-3 was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I asked to move forces tomorrow morning to draw attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Eavesdropping... might be useful.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, we had to check the function, so we asked for ongoing translations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 13-2, small-scale battle, support requested.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 5-1, enhanced guard, troop support requested.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 13-2, sweep complete, 31 enemies killed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 4-7... huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Vivian translated the radio chatter like a translator, she suddenly flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped closer to warn her to stay focused, and she opened her mouth with a troubled expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 4-7, two intruders detected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does that mean? Why did you flinch just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, and Vivian cautiously answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“4-7 means District 4... and those two intruders seem to be... Yandel’s comrades.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Then ‘El’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ricardo Luhenpraha. That’s a code word for our commander...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>",1695,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","823b34f7e8d58b0962c47ad50daa4ab52c577d5c0733377119e49bad87f5ef4f","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-729","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-727",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]