[{"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-143":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},1327763,1764,"Chapter 143 Awakening (6)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-143",143,"\u003Cp>Awakening (6)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Awakening (6)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In survival, choice and focus are important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What to give up, and what to choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more rationally you solve this dilemma, the higher your survival rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, I failed to do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keugh, keuheok!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three injured people and one top-grade potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best course of action was to give the entire bottle to Rotmiller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I should have treated myself with the high-grade potion and given the remaining top-grade potion to Dwarkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I had done that, Dwarkey would have died.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was difficult to make a rational choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I knew it in my head, my body gave half of the potion to Dwarkey without a moment’s hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both of you, please hold on! We’re going to get out of this damn place alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the certain future disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I couldn’t give up on Dwarkey, I could no longer guarantee Rotmiller’s life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a potion would have been enough if I had given it to him right away, but the problem was that I was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, it’s high risk, high return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made an irrational decision that could lead to the death of the entire team because I wanted everyone to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjo, Bjorn…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I approach Rotmiller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I keep checking his pulse and breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hope he holds on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this man dies, all five of us will die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘10 minutes.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bastard Dragonslayer will also wake up in about that much time. And right now, the only one who’s in good condition is the dwarf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he can’t hold him back, it’s game over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, right! The stone chamber! Bjorn, what was that stone chamber?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarf, who was watching over Dwarkey, looks at me. And he asks about the identity of the stone chamber that we spent 12 hours searching the labyrinth for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words are filled with hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elixir? Potion? Is that what’s inside? Ah, if that’s the case, you would have taken it, right? Then could it be a healing spring or something like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That stone chamber isn’t for something like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what is it! We searched so hard to find that place! There must be something there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarf asks, hoping for an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know that it’s best not to answer this kind of question…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…but after a brief pause, I open my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That stone chamber is a trap room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Trap room…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, if you open the chest, you’ll be sent back to the starting point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was planning to use it to escape through the portal if the bastard and the priest appeared at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there’s no chance of winning in that situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ye, yes! Then! Let’s use it to go back! That would work!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hikurod Murad, get a grip. Even if we can go back to the tower, nothing will change.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Potions won’t magically appear just because we go back to the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the first place, even going back is impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were just a matter of looting an empty room, it might be different…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to head towards the portal while injured?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest of Karui, who’s probably changed his class to a high priest with divine power, will be guarding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, right! The priest! Wasn’t there an old man who looked like a priest with that guy? Let’s find him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think that guy was also following that man out of necessity. If that’s true—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop it, Hikurod.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can I stop! Two of them are dying, we have to do something!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarf shouts in despair at his own helplessness, and I say calmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s nothing we can do now. We can only watch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really… is that really all we can do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are three possible outcomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either everyone lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone dies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or someone dies, and someone survives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemingly eternal seconds pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What… happened to him…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwarkey regains consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>___________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dwarkey! Don’t talk!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, just stay quiet. We’ll give Rotmiller a potion as soon as he—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwarkey asks again, looking at us as we shower him with words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it’s more important than his own life…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…he repeatedly asks about it as soon as he opens his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hesitate for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I tell him the truth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My contemplation doesn’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s not dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But thanks to you, we overcame the immediate crisis. Leave the rest to us and get some rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, I can’t do that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwarkey shakes his head desperately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ti, time… we don’t have ti, time…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you hear me? We’ll give Rotmiller a potion as soon as he—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th, this… can’t be he, healed with… a po, potion…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief silence falls, and I calmly accept the reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know what method Dwarkey used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it’s Dwarkey who knows his condition best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s Dwarkey who desires life more than anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So there’s no point in denying it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean! It’s a, a top-grade potion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right! You, you know, right? What kind of item this is. So, so stop saying weird things—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Misha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwarkey opens his eyes and looks at us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hikurod, and… Bjorn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just calls out our names one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I, who spent my childhood in hospitals and witnessed countless deaths, can tell…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…what Dwarkey is about to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me. I’ll convey it to Rotmiller.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A candle that has burned out flickers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if wanting to leave something behind in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if wanting to become a memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emitting the brightest light at its final moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have something to say to you guys.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tremor in Dwarkey’s voice disappears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_____________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mother loved the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unknown thing that I had only heard about, never seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t understand it when I was young, but I gradually learned as I grew older.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are things that… you want even more because you can’t have them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are things like that in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I don’t know, because it’s not allowed to me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…it appears even more dazzling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You guys were like that to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was lucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than I deserved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met good people, and I explored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We shared many stories and comforted each other. The empty space that I thought would never be filled was finally filled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, I had to say it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you all… for being my companions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Words that I couldn’t say because I was embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Words that I always put off, promising to say them later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But words that would be buried in my heart forever if I didn’t say them now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwarkey looks ahead with blurry eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waaaaah! Don’t say that! Please, Dwarkey…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman he loved is crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s not what he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifts his gaze to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m the one who should be… thanking you for being my friend. For joining… the team I made.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His precious friend is smiling at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s grateful for his friend’s sincerity, even though his beard is trembling as he smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he feels sorry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They promised to visit the blacksmith’s together someday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He won’t be able to keep that promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifts his gaze again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liol Wobu Dwarkey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lastly, it’s his rival and the companion he admires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior who always fights until the end and protects everyone, unlike himself, the coward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s looking at him with calm eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I apologize. I misjudged you. You were a better mage and companion than anyone else. And the choice you made was noble and honorable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior, who was always stingy with praise…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the warrior who never spoke empty words…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…says,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was an honor to be with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feels overwhelmed with emotion and a sense of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was acknowledged by him for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was told that it was an honor by the great warrior who lived a heroic life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, who was just a half-assed mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a part of his journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, it should have been enough…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But why…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feels frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feels wronged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feels scared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feels empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what death is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being erased from someone’s next page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have anything else to say? I’ll leave you alone if you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior speaks, and Dwarkey finally realizes the reason for this emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waaaaah! Dwarkey! Don’t die! Please!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are people who shine in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To me, that person was you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hasn’t said those words yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It would be greedy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tries to suppress his selfishness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he knows that this might be his last chance…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…her journey doesn’t end today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouldn’t become a dark shadow in her life that continues. If he truly cares for her, that’s the right thing to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Dwarkey opens his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Do you have something to say to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing someone who’s leaving can leave behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re… perceptive. Please don’t ignore it anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior doesn’t ask back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He probably already knows what he means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s too smart and wise to be called a barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An, swer me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwarkey smiles brightly, having finally received an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But is this all the time he’s allowed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…He’s awake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior’s eyes turn cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fading heart pounds at this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A being he couldn’t defeat even at the cost of his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can… we win?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, I’ll save everyone and get us back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Dwarkey lets go of all his anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also dismisses the worry that his death will be meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this reliable warrior said so, then it will definitely happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, let’s just let go of everything…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and close his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sounds fade away, and the darkness deepens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his thoughts slowly fade, he thinks to himself…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had lived a heroic life…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and if his life were to be recorded in a book, even briefly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…what would be the last sentence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rather fitting phrase comes to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it might not be a very suitable expression for a mage’s death…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s not bad.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liol Wobu Dwarkey, the mage of Team Misfits…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…after protecting his precious companions from the Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos, a member of Orculus…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…died a heroic death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Achievement Unlocked」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Condition: First companion character death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reward: Mental stat permanently increases by +1.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>_________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is no paradise where you run away to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thought became stronger after learning about his identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s a member of Orculus, a group that even looks down on the King. Although we didn’t exchange names, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I judged that even the city wouldn’t be safe if he wanted to retaliate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New Plan A.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made a plan to defeat him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the ‘Guardian of Balance’ was active.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I judged that this was our only chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what was the result?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My warrior’s heart beats faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New Plan A has failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We still have to fight him, but I couldn’t save everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no paradise even where we ran to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That there’s no such utopian place in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike my faintly beating heart…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…this guy’s heart is no longer beating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hikurod, we need to prepare to fight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I use the mace as a cane and get up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who are left behind have their own roles to fulfill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I catch my breath and look towards the passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s getting up from between the petals of the shell that opened wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s time to end this goddamn fight.\u003C\u002Fp>",1962,"2026-06-05T19:32:49.064Z",1,"novelbin.me","aab71309d29b81b2ebb335b6aa7b46b9d0f5e3e255eca3f76e3ea65669b1a40d","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-144","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-142",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]