[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-184":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game",{"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},1218326,1604,"Chapter 184: Light and Darkness 4","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-184",184,"\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Although I haven't seen many masters in my life, I believe your case is a bit special compared to the others...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were fixed on the cold floor, a defeated look plastered across his face as he sat across from me, completely ignoring my situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weight of the darkness chaining me down seemed to mirror the heaviness in his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remained seated, bound tightly by the chains of darkness that continued to sap my strength. My body was stiff, but my mind raced as I observed the odd scene unfolding before me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo, normally composed and diligent, was mumbling incoherently, lost in his own world of frustration and despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been roughly ten minutes since I was yanked into this unknown place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden kidnapping had been a whirlwind, but the moments that followed were even stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first five minutes, I had watched my two classmates, Theo and Susan, vent their frustrations on the hard stone walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They screamed, punched the walls, and cried out in anger, their emotions spilling over like a dam breaking under pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Susan, normally so composed, had tears streaming down her face, while Theo's knuckles were red from striking the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other half of those ten minutes was spent like this, with me sitting in silence, bound and helpless, as Theo rambled on and on, seemingly forgetting my presence entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha...\" Theo laughed bitterly, running a hand through his disheveled hair. \"The fact that she managed to keep a monster like you in place... it means she's really serious about her decision....\" His voice trembled slightly, and I could sense the tension gnawing at him from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at him, trying to suppress my rising frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For five long minutes, this guy had been spouting random nonsense, ranting and raving like someone on the edge of a breakdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words had started as an incoherent mess, but little by little, I pieced together the puzzle of what was really going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I got kidnapped for a main event.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not by any ordinary means, but by Oz-the mystical, enigmatic familiar of Dorothy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note: [Skill: Abyssal Chains] currently binding user stats]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note: User status currently in state of constant stasis]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note: All active skills locked!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note: Passive skills will now have their effects reduced by 90%]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system notifications flashed in front of me, one after another, confirming the grim reality of my situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Abyssal Chains binding me were enough to suppress my abilities, but seeing the full scope of my constraints spelled out in the system made it all the more real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stats locked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skills disabled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passive abilities barely functioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as though I had been stripped down buck naked. I feel like I'm back to where I started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Act 2 Chapter 5: Heroine] is currently taking place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo's constant muttering only solidified what I had already pieced together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His rambling, peppered with mentions of Dorothy, confirmed my suspicions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't need a detailed explanation anymore; I knew enough to put the puzzle together. Although there was something about Theo's connection to Dorothy that nagged at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone, his frustration-it was as if they had a deeper relationship that I wasn't privy to, a backstory that I never encountered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game never covered this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no mention of Theo being anything more than a background character and an occasional side character in one of Rose's routes, a face in the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, here he was, emotionally invested in something beyond the main script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A missing part of the story-the part the devs never bothered to write in. And now I was stuck in the middle of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this wasn't exactly the time to be pondering lost chapters and hidden narratives. Dorothy chose me as the heroine for this act...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought alone nearly made me burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all the absurd and unexpected things that have happened so far, this one took the cake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heroine?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was almost too ridiculous to take seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, here I was, bound in chains and caught in the middle of a scheme I didn't fully understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo's mumbling drew me back to the present, his voice tinged with frustration and helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did we do something wrong?\" he kept repeating under his breath, like a broken record. His gaze was downcast, and the weight of the situation seemed to crush him from all sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corner, Susan quietly sobbed, her head buried in her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her small frame shook with silent tears, making her seem even more fragile in this cold, claustrophobic room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere was thick with tension, but there was no point in comforting her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were all trapped here, after all. No words could change that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I wasn't exactly worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we followed the scenario of the game, I knew I'd get out of this place even if I did\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>absolutely nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the way it always worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of locking the heroine in a room like this was to use her as a human shield in case everything went sideways for the antagonist-Dorothy and her familiar, Oz, in this case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a failsafe, a way for them to buy time or ensure their escape when things got too dire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, I was their insurance policy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Who was she even preparing me for?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Dorothy found herself backed into a corner-when her plans began to crumble-I would likely be teleported out of this place, no doubt into the middle of whatever mess she had\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>created.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exact moment when Dorothy would need to sacrifice her \"heroine\" shield would be the moment she lost everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here's the thing... 'I can't let that happen.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After everything that's happened so far, there was no way I could just let go of Dorothy now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fate might dictate that her downfall is inevitable, but the fact that the scenarios kept shifting\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>proved otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe the final outcome would still be painful, but... there was nothing wrong with trying,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't stand idly by and watch her fall into ruin without doing something-anything-to change the course of events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey...\" I called out to the depressed Susan, huddled in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice was steady, despite the chaos swirling in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't reply, didn't even flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She chose to ignore me, too wrapped up in her own world of misery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn't mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was patient. \"Do you two want to save her?\" I asked again, my tone sharper, more direct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence in the room seemed to thicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of Susan's shaky breaths, which had been the only thing cutting through the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>tension, suddenly quieted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her glistening tears halted, and wide eyes slowly turned in my direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo was the first to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head snapped up, and he stared at me like I'd just said the most ridiculous thing he'd ever\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His emotions churned just beneath the surface-anger, disbelief, confusion-it was all there\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>in his gaze, raw and unfiltered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel the turmoil brewing within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for now, I ignored him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My focus was on Susan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, she met my eyes. Her gaze was different. Unlike Theo, who was brimming with frustration, her eyes were filled with something else\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>entirely-hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smallest spark of hope, buried deep within the sadness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What do you mean?\" Her voice was soft, hesitant, but it carried a weight that wasn't there\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want to save her, right?\" I pressed, leaning in slightly. \"President Dorothy, I mean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>||\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|||||\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long, drawn-out pause followed. followed by eyes who looked at me filled with skepticism\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room seemed to hold its breath as Susan's expression shifted, her eyes widening further, lips parting slightly as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, finally, she nodded, her voice a mere whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all I needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adjusting my position as I sat upright, I ignored the pounding headache and the nausea that\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>came with the chains, which were relentlessly siphoning off most of my strength. Every breath felt heavier than the last, but I had to push through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chains weren't just a physical burden; they drained my mana too, leaving me with little to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>work with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could probably summon Raijin to help me, but with the amount of mana I had left, he'd only\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>be able to last a minute or two at most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A minute wasn't enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since I had no idea how long the effects of these chains would last, trying to break free\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>with brute force or mana was out of the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to conserve what little strength I had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Susan watched me carefully as I sat up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her legs were trembling, but despite that, she approached me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her movements were hesitant at first, but as realization dawned on her face, she quickened\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"C-Can you save her?\" Her voice trembled with a sliver of hope, something fragile yet\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>desperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met her gaze, steady and unwavering. \"Yes, I can. And I will.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relief and excitement began to bloom on her face, and she stepped forward with renewed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>urgency. \"T-Then-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But,\" I interrupted, my voice firm, \"you're going to have to try and kill me first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Susan and Theo froze, their faces twisting in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like I'd just spoken pure madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And maybe I had.\u003C\u002Fp>",1593,"2026-06-03T14:40:38.925Z",1,"novelbin.me","8391790a3e9c82e05d7193dfc529b12b22baea6297b51240ab1aef07958008e5","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-185","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-183",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-cover.jpg"]