[{"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-244":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},1218386,1604,"Chapter 244: Core....","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-244",244,"\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's dark...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where am I?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew, and yet... somehow I didn't. This strange, fractured place felt like it could be somewhere I belonged-and yet was utterly foreign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-SEEZZEEE~!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A jagged sound pierced the silence, fragments of broken echoes, just out of reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head darted toward it, but all I met was darkness, thick and endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the echoes of that unsettling noise remained, bouncing back and forth like a taunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's cold...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shivered, an icy sensation clawing its way over my skin, and only then did I notice: I was bare, without a thread to cover me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But despite the absurdity of it all-wandering naked through a realm of shadows-I kept moving forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My feet, numb with cold, pressed onward, dragging me deeper into the pitch-black void. I should have felt terrified, each step painful and hollow, yet strangely, I wasn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, there was a quiet comfort in the darkness, like an invisible hand guiding me gently forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Riley...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faint, yet clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart stirred, recognizing it. Riley? Yes, I thought hazily, that's right... my name is Riley... Riley Hell?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning, I searched for the source of the voice, feeling it wrap around me like a fragile warmth, almost pulling me back from the comforting pull of the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My feet hesitated, the desire to keep following this familiar, comforting path faltering as the voice lingered in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Riley... come here...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice behind me called again, soft yet insistent, nudging me to turn back. My feet, rooted in place, finally started to move-but just as I shifted, another voice, barely a whisper, echoed in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Don't go.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped, curiosity gnawing at me, and turned back toward the dark expanse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's when I saw it—a figure standing there, shrouded in shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath caught. It wasn't just anyone-it was... me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.... not quite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This reflection was an uncanny version of myself: golden blonde hair, deep blue eyes, all the same features, yet there was something deeply unsettling about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything about this reflection was drained of warmth. Its gaze, ice-cold and calculating, seemed to carry an age and wisdom that felt foreign, beyond anything I'd experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...Going back... is a mistake...] it said, its voice an eerie replica of my own. [Trust me...] It looked straight into my eyes, the cold detachment of its stare cutting through me. There was an unsettling familiarity in its presence, as if it was more than a reflection-like it was a fragment of something hidden deep within me, an echo of something I should already know by now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Riley!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice behind me grew stronger, piercing through the dark void and stirring something deep within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A memory, hazy yet familiar, surfaced from the depths of my mind, tugging at my heart. [Ignore it.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reflection-myself-spoke, its tone calm yet commanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a slow clap, it silenced the echoes of the voice calling me, leaving nothing but an eerie quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unsettling stillness wrapped around me, thick and cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...You hate pain, do you not?] it asked, tilting its head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a peculiar softness in its words, a twisted empathy that felt like it shouldn't belong\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It extended its hand toward me; fingers open in invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Come... I'll remove it for you.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every instinct in me screamed not to trust this strange, hollow version of myself, but my hand, almost moving on its own, reached out to take his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold grip around my fingers was both jarring and... somehow soothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sleep for now...] it whispered, its voice low and coaxing, like a lullaby that drew me into a darkness even deeper than before. [I'll take care of the rest.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the words washed over me, my mind faded, slipping back into a slumber I hadn't realized\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note: Emergency Measures have been Applied!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[.... User.... Status... stabilizing...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...Data Support...... disrupted....] [Tut$rial wi^^] now@#@!@#!@!#] [???????????????]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-----\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lancelot's voice trembled as he took a step back, eyes widening at the sight before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man standing in front of him exuded an intense invisible form of authority upon which Lancelot couldn't fathom....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lancelot's mana raised up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each flare of energy radiating off him with a searing heat that burned with the brilliance of the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His once simple white cape had transformed into a flurry of three pairs of ethereal wings, each feather glinting like polished steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword he held pulsed with an overwhelming, otherworldly power, the blade glowing with a heat that distorted the air around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every instinct in Lancelot screamed at him to unleash his full strength if he wanted even a chance of surviving this encounter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unexpected shift of his opponent's aura was like nothing he had encountered before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Desperately, he attempted to re-establish his connection to his queen, to convey a warning or\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>request aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the moment he tried, a searing, unbearable pain gripped him, forcing him to his knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a sensation so excruciating, so alien, that it was as if his very soul was being torn apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What... is happening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind raced with questions as he gazed up at the young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his opponent didn't even spare him a glance; his cold, emotionless eyes seemed focused somewhere distant, as though seeing beyond the confines of the white dome they stood in. Then, in a low, tired voice, the young man muttered to himself, his words carrying a heavy\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It's been a while...\" His tone was devoid of emotion, yet there was an almost imperceptible trace of something tragic, something lost, beneath the surface. Lancelot couldn't look away; this young man-this anomaly-felt almost otherworldly, like an entity born of both despair and wisdom, far beyond his understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"White Knight...\" the young man said, his gaze finally falling on Lancelot with an indifferent expression. \"I suppose... I-no.. he chose Alice this time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lancelot's mind raced, struggling to make sense of the cryptic words that had slipped from the young man's mouth-Alice... the Red Queen...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Could they be connected?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The notion rattled him deeply, setting off alarms in his mind. If there was any link between this anomaly and his queen's sworn nemesis, then everything had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission, his orders, even his purpose here-it all suddenly felt like it was hanging by a\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>fragile thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wings flaring wide, Lancelot tried to steady himself against the searing pain that tore through his body, forcing his armor to groan under the strain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mission was clear: he had to inform his queen of this new threat. Every instinct screamed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that facing this young man head-on was futile; survival meant finding any way to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With fear gnawing at his heart, he gathered his strength, raising his sword high as he summoned every last spark of energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fierce white light blazed along the length of the blade, radiating with the heat and intensity\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>of a miniature sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Lancelot hurled the blade toward the young man, pouring half of his\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>entire mana reserves into the attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sheer radiance from the weapon lit up the dark space, casting long, warped shadows as it\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>tore through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This has to work, he thought, feeling his energy wane even as he watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No being, no matter how powerful, should be able to shrug off a strike like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade blazed a fierce arc across the chamber, an eruption of searing white-hot light\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>designed to incinerate anything in its path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man's eyes flickered to the attack just as it was about to strike, the coldness in his\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>gaze remaining unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't even flinch, as if such an attack was nothing more than a fleeting nuisance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FLASHH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lancelot's hope faded to dread as the young man raised a single hand, his fingers lightly\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>brushing against the edge of the incoming strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FOOOSH~~~!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Lancelot's horror, the blade's immense energy was halted instantly, caught between the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>young man's fingers like an extinguished flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light faded, leaving only the faintest whiff of smoke curling up from his fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Questions battered through Lancelot's mind as he struggled to comprehend what had just\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could the young man so casually catch his sword, let alone erase the very authorities embedded within it? It was unthinkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike mere magic, authorities were divine principles, the laws of existence themselves, granted by beings who had ascended to the highest stages of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were not spells or skills that could be broken by willpower alone-they were universal\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>truths made manifest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sword carried the combined authorities of fire and death, woven into its very essence, an undeniable force that even the highest beings respected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No human, no matter how mysterious or anomalous, should have been able to nullify it so\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>completely. Unless...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless he is... a being on par with the ascended....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shiver ran through him as he tried to stammer out words, grasping for any answer, any last attempt to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Y-You—\" he managed to choke out, his voice fraught with dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SWOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quiet, almost indifferent sound-a blade returning to its scabbard-was the only thing that\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>reached Lancelot's ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, in an instant, the world around him fractured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His vision split into two...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Struggling to hold onto his senses, his gaze fell one last time on the young man, who was now\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>walking away, his back turned as though Lancelot had been little more than an obstacle in his\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man moved steadily, making his way toward the dungeon's core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No... Lancelot's thoughts flared with helplessness, fear clawing at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'He can't... if he reaches the core...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man stretched out a hand, and with an almost casual gesture, crushed the dungeon\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>core as if it were made of fragile glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cracks spread like veins across the core's crystalline surface, splintering until the entire dungeon trembled, groaning under the sheer weight of its own imminent collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his vision dimmed, Lancelot's consciousness began to fragment, slipping into a dark, hazy\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even within this creeping void, he couldn't escape the suffocating grip of fear-a primal,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>unshakable dread that clawed at him, refusing to let him sink into oblivion peacefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he began falling down, he saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man stood before him, his back straight but marred by a horrifying sight-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>thousands of eyes began to open along his spine and shoulders, each blinking into existence\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>like stars in the abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes bore down on him, unblinking and cold, as if dissecting his very soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lancelot's last shred of will was only nothing but fear...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man tilted his head, In a voice laced with eerie calm, he murmured, \"I suppose... a\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>little gift wouldn't hurt.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lancelot could comprehend the words, darkness expanded from the young man's mouth, a void of infinite depth that twisted and warped the air around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It moved with unnatural fluidity, coiling toward him with a predatory hunger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, it surged forward, engulfing Lancelot, pulling him into a maw of consuming\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>blackness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my vision cleared, I blinked, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Iron walls, dimly lit\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and uncomfortably close, loomed around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold, heavy chains ran down from my wrists, binding my hands tightly in magical cuffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slight hum of mana pulsed faintly from them, locking me down to the rickety wooden stool beneath me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every movement sent a jolt of pain through my body, stiff and sore from whatever had happened before this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where... am I?\" I muttered, my voice rough. \"Finally awake, I see,\" a voice murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking up, I saw Professor Amelia standing just a few feet away, her eyes wide and wary as\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she adjusted her glasses with trembling hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The professor I'd known for her composed, almost strict demeanor was now looking at me as\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>if she were cornered by some wild animal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Professor....?\" I called, confused and more than a little concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My words didn't seem to calm her-instead, she took a step back, her wand rising in a\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>defensive stance as her gaze stayed locked on me, a mixture of apprehension and dread in her\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"D-Don't you dare move!\" she stammered, her voice cracking. \"J-Just... stay still.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'WTF?'\u003C\u002Fp>",2056,"2026-06-03T14:40:38.925Z",1,"novelbin.me","33f41ded3982bff881d128cbc42b9db4bd9b8b07399848edc2b389c6e568168f","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-245","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-243",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-cover.jpg"]