[{"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-773":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},1328143,1764,"Chapter 773: Clarifying Positions (8)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-773",773,"\u003Cp>Ibaekho’s answer was a little different from what I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t imagined he’d admit it so casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I thought he’d try to deny it more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then again... maybe it’s not that strange.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he hadn’t shown up at all, that would’ve been one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the fact that he came here himself meant he assumed I suspected him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since he wasn’t completely sure, he must’ve come one last time to check for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the kind of guy he is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the last time I’ll ask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely held back the urge to smash his skull open right there and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you kill them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though I was convinced Ibaekho was the culprit, I still couldn’t begin to guess his motive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had Ibaekho harmed my comrades?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth that came from his mouth was truly absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really don’t know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not in the mood for jokes. Just answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know, right? That everything I did was for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was beyond laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you seriously saying... you killed them for me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked again, barely keeping the fury in my gut from bursting out—and Ibaekho nodded without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I happened to overhear something about the [Record Stone]. That you'd realize your true path after losing three comrades, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if you think about it, that means three of them had to die. For you to awaken, I mean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You son of a bitch...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you killed them... because only one had died in the war?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? Nah, not exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To my surprise, Ibaekho shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The record said three would die, right? So even if I did nothing, three were gonna die no matter what.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"James Carla.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He interrupted me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He got hit hard by that black mage, right? Even the High Priest couldn’t heal his arm. So I chose him. If three are fated to die, wouldn’t it be best if the one least helpful to your future was the one who went?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I didn’t expect that woman to show up. Seriously, why was she even there at that hour? Were you two... like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh... whatever it was, she ruined everything. You figured it out because of her, didn’t you? Because I stabbed her big and loud right in the gut. I thought you'd recognize the wound, since you were with her outside the wall. I was gonna clean everything up before leaving, but she made too much noise before dying, and I had to bolt.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyway, I’m sorry it turned out like this. I really didn’t expect it. I had good intentions, you know? When she died, even I was like ‘shit.’ I thought if I just took out James Carla, the other one would die by accident somehow. But this way, guess it’s just fate—three had to die. Man, what bullshit, right—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Ibaekho talk like he was the one wronged, I couldn’t take it anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOOOOM—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hammer came down, targeting the top of his skull—and slammed into the rooftop with an earthshaking crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh... you’re really mad, huh, hyung?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversation is for people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing? He’s no longer a person to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s just a dangerous animal that needs to be put down the moment I see him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwooooosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I swung my hammer again, Ibaekho sprang into the air and hovered in the empty sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hyung, just one last question.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, just answer this one thing, please?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it really impossible for us to make peace?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Peace?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not an apology—peace?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was joking with me. Treating me like a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. I mean, we’re both Koreans, right? Maybe just let it go with a big heart—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leapt high and swung my hammer, but he jumped even higher and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Geez... they say unlucky bastards get a nosebleed just from falling on their back. Guess that’s me. Whatever... lately, I’ve been seeing new possibilities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, right. You don’t know yet, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Until now, I thought you were the protagonist of this story. But now... maybe not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood silhouetted against the moon, looking down at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So with that, I’m done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With this lame rival role that only exists to make the protagonist shine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Honestly? It was boring as fuck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t fully grasp what he was saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one thing was beyond clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「———— has cast [Star’s Extinction].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My relationship with him...is now beyond repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the blinding white light faded and I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the center of a massive crater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho was nowhere to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From outside the crater, I saw soldiers running toward me, alerted by the commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a sigh and slowly pushed myself up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ugh, my whole body aches...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously, there’s not a single spot that doesn’t hurt. What kind of bullshit cheat skill is that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stats are through the roof, and I still got wrecked by one essence strike?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"B-Bjorn...? A-Are you alright?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What in the world happened...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pulling myself together, I gave the field commander a rough explanation about a surprise attack. Finished giving something like a statement. Then I returned to my comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, whom I’d left behind at the palace, had also joined us in the meantime. Apparently, Astarotta had given permission for Amelia, Ainard, and Auyen to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You’re saying Ibaekho was the assassin?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that he had killed James Carla and Versil Gowland, Amelia was visibly shaken—something I hadn’t seen in a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when I told her he’d attacked me as well, her face turned deadly serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...We’ve gained a dangerous enemy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood her concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had to correct one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He didn’t just become an enemy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was too stupid to realize it sooner, that’s all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho never saw me as anything more than a tool—just something to use as he pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, I kept up our relationship because I saw some use in him too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now it’s clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which means now we deal with things realistically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyway, from now on, none of us know what Ibaekho might do. We need to look out for each other.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand. Once things settle, we’ll need to secure a better location. Somewhere harder to infiltrate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. We don’t know when, where, or how he’ll strike next.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it wasn’t a topic we could act on immediately. So we didn’t dwell on it long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way... those three are still in the palace, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, for political reasons. Harin Suevi chose to stay of her own will, too. Said she’d keep watch in case Countess # Nоvеlight # Peproc wakes up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made sense from Astarotta’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wouldn’t let Elthora, the traitor marquis’s son, or Ragna, a royal bloodline, roam freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll need to talk to her about Ragna later...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I quietly exhaled, Amelia patted me on the shoulder and stepped outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get some rest first. I’ll smooth things over with the others.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe I was falling short as a clan leader, but I was genuinely grateful for that kind of kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I did want to know what Misha, Elwen, and the others had been through since the teleportation event...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Later...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, I just wanted rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Amelia left, I lay down on the military cot and closed my eyes. My body and mind screamed in exhaustion, but sleep never came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brown Rotmiller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>James Carla.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Versil Gowland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time those three crossed my mind, waves of emotion surged through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sadness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mere thought of him filled me with choking fury and regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragna Litaniel Peproc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marquis’s final request kept circling in my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would the royal family do to her now? And if they tried something, how could I stop it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warriors of my tribe who died following me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A war still ongoing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The king, still in slumber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bizarre group called Hirkumuta.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurell Gaviss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them haunted me, tightening their grip on my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I didn’t sleep a wink before dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still... maybe because my eyes had been closed for a while? Or maybe thinking things through over and over had helped me settle my thoughts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure, but I felt slightly better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not enough time to sleep now anyway, so I decided I might as well get up and start the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Biioooooorn!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar’s shout rang out from a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It echoed loudly and drew closer by the second...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Biioooorn!!! Wake up!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without knocking or warning, the tent flap burst open and Ainard stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s huge...! Really huge!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the news she brought, one of the many questions that had been eating at me all night was finally answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, halfway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The war is over...!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...To be exact, a truce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noun: Truce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Definition: An agreement between warring parties to stop fighting for a period of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we’re speaking purely from a dictionary standpoint, this situation barely qualified as a “truce.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a forced one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like before when they fortified Viphron, Noark had locked themselves in again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the marquis dead, the Urae gone, and the front in District 4 steadily collapsing, it must’ve been their only option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, it’s funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Noark’s side, it was like swallowing bitter medicine—they had no other choice but to hide in their bunker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the royal side interpreted it completely differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Viphron lost, and now District 4 taken too, they feared the capital would be next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the nobles, supposedly educated, were shaking with fear—let alone the clueless civilians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Still, even without that, the situation is pretty serious.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember what happened after Viphron fell?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They shut the Labyrinth down, refusing to send any more resources to Noark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prices skyrocketed. People starved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal family knew it too—that’s why they suspended war taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that the war had “paused,” even temporarily...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No mining for a whole year, the treasury covering the shortfall... they must be running on fumes.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no idea what would happen next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...But it wasn’t a problem I needed to solve right this second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chief!! The Chief is back—!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once things had calmed down, I collected our fallen comrades and returned to the Sanctuary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re back! What’s happening outside? Is the war really over?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shabin Emure, who’d taken care of things while I was gone, bombarded me with questions the moment she saw me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew the exact situation because of my status—but ordinary people only had rumors to go on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shabin, who never left the Sanctuary, couldn’t possibly know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why the war ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How it ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Who had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But... Rotmiller isn’t with you? Is he in the back somewhere?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could force open my stiff lips, I looked down at my palm. Even though I hadn’t washed it, the ink had faded—just barely visible now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even faded, I could still read it clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he’d scrawled in haste atop that cart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Be kind to Miss Shabin. She’s a good woman.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.\u003C\u002Fp>",1876,"2026-06-05T19:33:19.606Z",1,"novelbin.me","cce73b43eed38981a195a27ac77487683568e1a8d708418975e4005152dbef1e","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-594","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-593",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]