[{"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-729":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},1327956,1764,"Chapter 729: Traitor (3)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-729",729,"\u003Cp>The commander of Orculus, Ricardo Luhenpraha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A holder of a unique class essence ability called [Silent Spell].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an overwhelmingly strong performance in PvP, even I find facing him a huge burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I’m much stronger now than before...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Back then, it was mostly due to trickery working.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s a tough opponent who would force me to fight with all my might if we met again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s with Amelia right now...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, even more...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Bret Chi, El, Dis Detran]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 4-7... El... battle has started...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Battle has started...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest tightened and for a moment I struggled to breathe. I wanted to jump on the military platform and rush to District 4 right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on the other hand, my mind weighed the reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I take the military platform to District 3, and from there to District 4...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would take at least three hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the minimum time assuming I run without any battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, optimistically, Amelia might hold out well until then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I already know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s just wishful thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s practically impossible to survive that long facing such monsters in the middle of enemy territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I made a quick decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can’t go myself.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I start now, it’ll be too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not giving up, but stating a fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 4-7... Two intruders, starting escape.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Point 4-7, request for pursuit support.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What can I do to help without going there myself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Astarotta.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you request the 5th wall garrison? We can’t wait until morning. Ask them to start as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’ll pass on the message, but I doubt they’ll give a good answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, tell them to start as early as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Astarotta stepped out briefly to contact the District 5 garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you going to do...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven asked cautiously, watching my stiff expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure if this would work, but I stated my plan briefly and clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to draw their attention.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Barbarian style.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I better prepare myself properly then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though vague, Raven seemed to roughly understand what I was about to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Do it well. It might be tougher than ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Ha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven sighed but showed determined eyes at my warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After anxiously eavesdropping on communications, when Astarotta returned, I told her my plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m worried it seems far from the plan to kill the prime minister... but that’s not my concern. The responsibility’s yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean you’ll help?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just follow orders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither friend nor comrade, but those short words gave me great psychological comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I guess the King of Apocalypse left me a great gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what about this woman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What to do with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Oi, bro! Stop it already! I won’t get any strange ideas, okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, Vivian kept up her tone, making me smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’ll take her. Need to keep listening to what’s going on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you’ll \u002FN_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t\u002F at least put some safety measures in place, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh... Sis...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not your sister, stop that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! R-Raven! Safety measures? Hehe... No need at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. It’s not dangerous. As long as you don’t think weird thoughts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Raven took out a small pill about the size of a thumb from a pocket dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, swallow it with water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it? I need to know...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tell you after you take it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, but it’s for humans... I need to know what—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, I think she’s daydreaming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven’s glance was perfectly timed support fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay! Okay! I’ll take it! I’m taking it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Threatened, Vivian swallowed the pill Raven gave her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glug!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good, but something felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why is she so scared of me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think I gave off that intimidating vibe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Put the hammer down! Please! You’re scaring me to death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, now I remember I smashed the head of some ‘Lighthouse Keeper’ guy in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssslip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lowering my hammer calmed her down a bit, and her voice returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Alright? Now tell me. What is that? Poison or something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way. You think I’d feed you some boring poison?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, I thought it was definitely poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a cliché.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evil groups feeding poison to brainwash martial arts masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just a normal magical device.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magical device...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know the magic engineer? She made it and sold it to the military, so it’s safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I mean, what kind of magical device is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our roles clearly defined, the conversation continued with Vivian’s voice noticeably more subdued than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Raven pulled out a remote and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See this button?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I press this, what you swallowed will activate inside your stomach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple, kind explanation left Vivian speechless, but I nodded in understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying it’s not poison does make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because putting a bomb vest on a hostage is a modern tactic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Much more sophisticated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm... Don’t you understand? So, if I just press this button—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it! Just put that thing into the pocket dimension quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I silently watched Vivian’s reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t look like an act, so she seemed to fully believe Raven...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘At least I don’t have to worry so much about betrayal...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having neatly resolved that concern, I shared the detailed plan with Raven and Astarotta.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Astarotta reacted without objection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sure talk a lot about making a mess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that means the royal family permits it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The king ordered it. Not permission exactly, but no plans to stop it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting Astarotta’s okay was a relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left the building feeling lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crossing the gate linking District 8, I thought,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This one’s making me nervous.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had more time, I might’ve made a better plan, but this was all I could think of now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Raven, get ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Ah, yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven’s first preparation was summoning a giant fireball into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flare—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s make a proper mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Behel—laaaaaa!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can’t help but rush out here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve seen a medieval town burn twice in my life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once years ago, from Orculus’ terror in Hwangdo Karnon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flare—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burning city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than fast, the flames spread like pouring gasoline on a fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssshhhhhh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a metaphor—literally pouring gasoline on a burning house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Arua Raven cast 4th-rank offensive spell [Water Cannon].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thick water beam sprayed like a firetruck’s hose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Arua Raven cast 6th-rank auxiliary spell [Element Conversion].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water transformed into oil by linked magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Arua Raven cast 4th-rank auxiliary spell [Wind Direction Control].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creating an appropriate wind, the entire street was quickly engulfed in flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, the heat was almost scorching my skin...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Fire Orb activated.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「All derived fire-type continuous damage within 15m radius reduced by 50%.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back, I’ve been using this well for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the flames now spread naturally enough without adding oil, I focused on increasing speed instead of careful oiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Good... choice.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting fire in Noark-held District 8 to draw attention was the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was going well, I wasn’t sure, but it had one advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Grrooooorrrk......]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Gruk......]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the corpses count as fuel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse collector, heavily funded by Noark, had scattered corpse armies across District 8, and the fire quickly melted those long-prepared corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Top-tier creatures resisted fire, and the Noark troops stationed there tried to extinguish the fire...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch! Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they were just physical obstacles to be removed by force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how things were going, I wondered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t the royal family set the fire earlier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you asking because you don’t know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you did, would you ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...A normal person would know that even if you burn it down to reclaim it, nothing’s left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>District 8 isn’t a strategic stronghold, so the royal family wouldn’t want to reclaim it by burning the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well... I wouldn’t have thought of burning it either if the situation were different.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I got permission from Astarotta, I could be held responsible later for setting the city on fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, using Vivian to sneak quietly through enemy lines to meet the comrades was the best option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What’s the use of regrets?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When does the world ever go as you want?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking corpses and Noark’s corpse-hopeful soldiers burning in flames, I moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind me, Vivian shouted after hearing radio chatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The troops in District 5 heard and are sending reinforcements! The vice-commander won’t come because he must hold the front!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tch... I pulled some aggro but not enough for all that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. What about District 4 news?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I kept an eye on the battlefield and updated news about Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No news of the battle ending yet, and they’re still chasing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phew... okay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still chasing means...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Not enough aggro yet?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I wasn’t too worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drawing aggro was my specialty as a barbarian warrior, and the one I’d done most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... Yandel? Why are you smiling like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven’s worried voice made me grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just had a good idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d think about the aftermath later.\u003C\u002Fp>",1522,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","4f504e4f318fb8813d08382b9ee56b0127d4983c41014dd81bab5807440d5d18","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-730","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-728",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]