[{"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-737":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},1327964,1764,"Chapter 737: Clown (6)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-737",737,"\u003Cp>A sudden question: curious about me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a moment’s hesitation, I nodded affirmatively, and in turn, he showed a flustered expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From my point of view, I wondered why he acted that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well then, since you’re curious, ask.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t have spent his precious time asking if he wasn’t curious, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t understand why he was embarrassed, but what followed his expression was even more telling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When our eyes met, he averted his gaze shyly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Are you embarrassed now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made a disgusted face unconsciously, and seeing that, he quickly blurted out an excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Of course! Until now, no one’s ever asked me my real name!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like he was saying, ‘Yes, you’re the first!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost swung the hammer right then out of irritation, but managed to hold back with superhuman patience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what’s your real name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not going to answer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Threats won’t work! I’ve already accepted death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ugh, this bastard’s being a pain again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I thought that quietly, he again sneaked a glance away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So... this isn’t because I’m giving in to threats, got it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? So you’re going to tell me anyway?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at him incredulously, and from his lips came a foreign-sounding name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Jester Arlecchino.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“American?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. My father was an immigrant from Italy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mentioning his father’s origin was a bit too much info, but well... at least he opened up, so that couldn’t be bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. How long have you been here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...About 19 years now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pish... don’t pity me. I like this world! Even if someone sends me back, I have no intention of returning!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh... I really wasn’t feeling sorry for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have no intention of going back myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, since the topic came up, I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you like about this world so much?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m strong here. And here is a dream world where I can do anything to the weak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how he said it, it didn’t really resonate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded less like a psychopath and more like a middle school kid pretending to be one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sounds like reality was rough for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t answer, as if struck right in the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, I’m not teasing. I wasn’t much different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to build rapport, I spoke honestly, and confusion flickered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked, clearly doubting it, and I chuckled again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think a guy playing 2D games for nine years didn’t have a pathetic life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed quietly like he understood, then carefully asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But are you really ‘Elfnuna’... the one who posted countless guides and info on Stone Iven?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s me. I only realized how famous it was after coming here. But why did it get so famous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, obviously! Who among the people who played [Dungeon and Stone] didn’t see your posts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, even if people said that, I didn’t quite feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I only compiled stats like attribute summaries, skill lists, drop rates for my own play, and shared them because it felt like a waste not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing that special.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I posted, the views were very low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s because the user base was small.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But everyone here seems to know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Being pulled here means they were truly into that game.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they cleared the game even with cheats, they were still experienced players who enjoyed it to some degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, the nickname ‘Elfnuna’ got famous partly because of the environment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Environment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone played on cheat servers... If someone cleared original mode and came here, everyone said there was no one but ‘Elfnuna.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway... I guess the rumors were true. To get this strong in just a few years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What nonsense, saying things he didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rumors are half true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did clear original mode, but got no special perks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Then how?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I played original mode for nine years?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, I knew far more than those who only played cheat servers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was knowledge gained naturally, not some kind of special reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m done talking about myself. Keep going with your story.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I don’t have to, you know? Pish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, this guy again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d talk eventually anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you start at Noark?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, District 5. I was the son of a shopkeeper. Pish... It’s funny how people kept calling me son when the evil spirit was eating me alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Man, he talks a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you become an explorer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About a month in. With my parents’ help, I got basic equipment and entered the labyrinth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A month, huh...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still better than me, no matter how you think about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to enter the labyrinth right after a bloody adult rite of passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Well, better than starting at Noark, I guess.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, since the conversation opened up, I quickly asked the important questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When was your first kill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... when was it? Oh! Around five months in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who was it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My first teammate I met through the Explorer Guild! Such a nice friend...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why kill them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They tried to rape me in the labyrinth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shocking motive caught me off guard, and for a moment I was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief silence followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did that strange stillness trigger a laugh button?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pishsit, what’s with that face? Pishshshsit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just confirming, was the target female?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way! She was much stronger than me. So I pretended to be powerless and stabbed her neck quickly with a dagger! A shame really. If it were now, I’d make her undead and have her wipe shit forever!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, thanks to killing her, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) I learned one thing for sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The answer is...! Killing people makes money, pish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trials make people strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seems he learned the truth I got from Hans A at five months in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, after that it was simple... I showed off things anyone would want to steal and waited for greed to show. Then when they let their guard down... bam!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I grew fast, and after getting stronger, I didn’t need that annoying method. Just killed them outright!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I began to understand how this guy got to this state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d been a decent guy, he wouldn’t have killed in just five months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first teammate shocked him and gave a turning point, and many who fell into traps and showed greed after became ‘certainties.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t feel sorry for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just thought about what might have been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his first teammate hadn’t been that kind of guy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had been more like Erwen, the dwarf, or Raven...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pishsit...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pointless hypothetical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What good does blaming the past do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even serial killers had helpless infancy once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, to summarize, you were found out to be an evil spirit, then received an invitation from Orculis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pishsit, yeah! That’s one way to put it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed shy at first, but surprisingly enjoyed telling his story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even told parts I didn’t ask about, letting me understand him much better than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you start using that damn tone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... originally only inside the Round Table. To hide my identity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now you use it outside too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah... sometime along the way, I started. When was that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered a moment, then said as if recalling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I think it was when you showed up at the Round Table!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was speechless at the unexpected timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seems the Lion’s appearance really pushed this guy’s edgy button hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what’s your goal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goal... huh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed caught off guard by the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you don’t want to go home... and it doesn’t seem like you hate the royal family like the captain. But you don’t seem satisfied now either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a while, then answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, maybe dying gloriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, that’s it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pishsit... already the last one? I felt a bit awkward at first but now it’s kind of sad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you mean when you said that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I said it was too hard to live honestly, that’s what I meant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stiffened for a moment but skipped the last question playfully, and I didn’t press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe a defense mechanism...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People who seem tough, confident, and quirky often have fragile minds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this guy looked like that type.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like clowns wear makeup to hide sorrow beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh! Well, it’s a relief! It’s a shame there’s no audience... but to think the one who’s killing me is the city’s hero, an evil spirit, ‘Elfnuna,’ and a player who cleared original mode!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy hides behind the Jester mask, smiling proudly until the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I didn’t like it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So, what to do now...? It feels like a shame to leave it like this...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pondered briefly and made an offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said your goal was to die gloriously? Dying here as some extra feels lame, doesn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll give you the stage you want. So follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Haha, are you trying to persuade me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hear Orculis isn’t exactly loyal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Pishsit, that’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned exaggeratedly, looking like he was seriously considering it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it didn’t mean anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His answer was already decided anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well... fine! I was a bit disappointed knowing it was you, but you’re the Lion Mask after all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that a yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’m curious how the captain and others would look if they saw me betray and turn enemy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it like a hedonist, but I heard emotions anyone would have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intense joy of having survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’d be pretty fun too—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the betrayal when he realized it was all vain hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hammer smashed his head halfway, and he looked up at me with utterly confused eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fragile expression hidden by the mask until now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha, feels good to hit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, this is it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wh-why....”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he desperately asked why, I answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because it’s fun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since it wasn’t a cool death at all.\u003C\u002Fp>",1686,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","73ed5e26c5d631ca7daba9859583e701538a2c229c788d52fdabd825d7e47330","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-738","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-736",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]