[{"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-27":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},1327625,1764,"Chapter 27","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-27",27,"\u003Cp>Rift (1)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In various different ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps by reading a book, or looking back on your past, or having an honest conversation with a friend for the first time, or having a dream you truly desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By envying someone else's good fortune, or witnessing someone else's misfortune, or realizing the degree of your lust for someone or something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any inspiration that comes from experience contributes to your growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The me of today is no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, mental growth is probably just a small part of that, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One shortbow, a pair of metal gaiters, three low-level potions, a dozen regular torches What's this, a portrait? Family, maybe? Anyway, let's throw it away\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adding them all up, it's over 800,000 stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sifting through the backpacks of the yellow-hair's party, I smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this is how it's always been for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going through some shit doesn't mean growth will inevitably follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With this, there'll be three more pieces of armour.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But growth will never come without going through some shit first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, now I'm starting to see what I should do next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Im walking through a cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Ainar in tow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bjorn, where are we going now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"South, to where the gnomes are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a total eight-hour break, four hours rest for each of us, Ainar has also cheered up a little bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she's still far from her usual liveliness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bjorn, we can go faster. You don't have to worry about me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you in such a hurry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I I want to become stronger. Even just one day, even just one hour earlier.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looks like I don't have to worry about Ainar anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you have a clear goal, dark emotions will only be your nourishment, not poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hm, is the reverse also true?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think the same.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halting in place, I look back on the steps I've taken so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coming-of-age ceremony, entering the labyrinth, becoming night friends with Hans, Erwen, the Goblin Forest, 4:2 battle with the crossbow party, etc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking about it now, I didn't make any big mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found and chose the best option in every given situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it means I've only ever focused on escaping the trial at hand each time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you stop all of a sudden?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, let's keep going.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I do have excuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no tutorial or system log.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I opened my eyes, somebody got his head cut off before my eyes, and from then on, a procession of events that were too far removed from normal reality continued to unfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, I had no choice but to act as passively as possible, putting my safety first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But is that all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bjorn? You don't look so good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have I always chosen the best option?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bullshit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, all I did was react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How capable I am, to have taken the best course of action every time after something had already happened!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I really want to survive, I need to be more proactive in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I can make some different choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn't my uncle, a diehard gambling addict, also say so?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of playing on a board made by others, throw the dice on a board you've made yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, time for a change of plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ainar, do you really want to become strong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I suddenly stop again and ask, Ainar expresses her bewilderment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\" What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Its asking for commitment. There definitely is a way to become stronger. But it comes with risks. What will you do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High risk, high return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How will she respond to this proposal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching me for a moment, Ainar gulps, her eyes brightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, I'll do it. If we don't become strong, we'll all die anyway!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, that's true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's how the game had been set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar, who'd expressed her consent, shouts again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am now a warrior!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weren't you one already?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pfft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at that barbarian-like attitude that seems so inefficient, but sometimes becomes more efficient than anything else, I understand her a little bit better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, how do I get stronger?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The easy way is also the slow way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are so many things in this world that can only be called natural disasters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter which path you take, you might fall into the abyss anytime, without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for me who's prone to living an interesting life, it could be much more frequent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We'll enter a rift.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Offence is the best defence. Whoever strikes first has the advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, I'm going to take the initiative and plunge into danger headfirst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As someone famous had said\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain that doesn't kill me, will make me stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh! I see!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar heard my plan and exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then asked carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\" But what's a rift?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could she be this ignorant despite being a native?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Couldn't she crack open some books once in a while?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uhm come to think of it, she still couldn't read the letters properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rift In short, it's a labyrinth within the labyrinth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I skipped over the finer details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wouldn't understand anyway even if I explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A labyrinth within the labyrinth?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I say that [Dungeon & Stone] is like few games these days?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to explain to another modern person, I would've used the phrase instant dungeon[1].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On each floor, a portal can sometimes open at a random location. When you enter it, you see a new space, which is not on the second or third floors.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah! Are you talking about the Frostlord's Palace?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, she'd heard about it, at least.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frostlord's Palace is a space accessible from the rift on the eighth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I remembered, how much effort did I spend trying to get the Frostlord's essence\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But is it possible with just the two of us? I heard that even the chieftain almost died when he ventured there in his youth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right. We're on the first floor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A total of four types of rifts can be opened from the first floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty is far, far easier compared to the rifts on the other floors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the standard of us two, I'd have to give them a challenge rating of maybe seven stars?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was seven stars out of five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But how can we get into a place that appears randomly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry. There's a way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was an old pro of nine years at the game, solidly into the ranks of the deceased'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd found hundreds of hidden pieces in this brutal game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bjorn, I will only trust you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of heading further south, we turned east.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, I'd wanted to hunt gnomes, kobolds, and stone golems on the second floor of the southern route, at the Blackrock Mountain'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stone golem's suppression' is painful, but as long as you prepare for it in advance, they don't have any other strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, who knew how long it'd take to reach the eighth floor if I kept playing it safe, and if I even would?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You two barbarians. Are you looking for a night friend? With three of us, we can get more sleep \"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Screw off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I was just asking \"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Im going to crack your skull open in three seconds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we crossed the first floor, some other people tried sticking to us besides the monsters, but they were all filtered out by Ainar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did she really need to be that harsh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I hate humans more than idiots.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that Ainar had evolved beyond the level of mere distrust for humans and into a state of hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff! Puff! Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We finally reached our destination after traveling for nearly twenty hours, smashing down the monsters that blocked our way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The time was around 4 am.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could once again feel how large the first floor was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that it took more than a day to get from the west end to the centre was enough to prove it, disregarding how treacherous and maze-like the paths were in the first floor that was designed like an anthill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bjorn, isnt this the entrance to the first floor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, the word \"entrance\" was ambiguous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most entrance points tended to favour one side, either north or south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First of all, there was no light here, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crrrackle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding a burning torch, one of the regular ones I'd looted from the yellow-hair's party, we entered the dark zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long was it after that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You hunted a gnome. EXP +1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You hunted a blade wolf. EXP +1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After completing our eighth battle, Ainar exclaimed in wonder as if it were a miracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All four types of monsters appear here! I never knew there was such a place at the centre of the first floor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was common knowledge for most adventurers, but this was not a place they usually visited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By analogy, was it perhaps comparable to a convergence point where warm and cold oceanic currents met?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the zone where we now stood, blade wolves from the east, ghouls from the west, gnomes from the south and goblins from the north all appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's strangely empty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This area was not popular with the adventurers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a simple reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if all four types of monsters appeared, that only increased the challenge and the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't like the monsters were any less in number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, the most fatal disadvantage is the bad price-to-performance ratio, because you have to spend money on torches.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, no one came here except for those who crossed it to save on travel time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But old experts like me, liked this kind of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn't it suspicious?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a natural fit for hiding stuff from the game producer's point of view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But, why are we here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait a bit. It'll come out soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After an hour of wandering around in the dark, changing directions again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually I got to where I wanted to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, we're here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An opening about 30m in radius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the middle of that open space, uncommon on this first floor which was structured like a maze-filled anthill, stood a monument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\" What is that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A monument. To honour the first discoverer of this labyrinth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cautiously approached, and read the inscription at the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In commemoration of that great first step taken by the last of the great sages, Diplan Groundel Gabrilius].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The content of the text was the same as it'd been in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it was highly likely that this place was the same as the hidden piece' I'd found in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ainar, what happens next is a secret. Do you understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I get it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It needs to be an oath, not just words. If this news spreads, we may both be in danger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\" I will swear on my honour as a warrior.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowly loosened the pouch on my waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goblin, gnome, ghoul, and blade wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana stones of the four types of monsters that appeared on the first floor, as well as the mana stone of a deathfiend, a level eight monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I started placing them all in front of the great sage's monument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It'll start soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the preparations for forcibly opening the rift were in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instance dungeons[2] of [Dungeon and Stone]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, the rifts, have cooldowns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the first floor as an example. It takes at least three cycles, three months in city time, for a rift' to reopen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it's rare for a rift to reopen immediately after three months, and most times a rift opens randomly every five to six cycles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maximum, maybe eight cycles? Something like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep in mind, this is all a result of my own investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I'd been working hard to get the Frostlord's essence, I'd needed to know more about rifts'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It isn't efficient to just wander around waiting for the rift to open, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there something wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaking off my old memories, I place the deathfiend's mana stone in my hand in front of the monument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the rift' had opened within the last three cycles, that is, if it's still in cooldown, there will be no response\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the mana stones I'd put down disappear in a flash of light, and the monument starts shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's really happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vibrations intensify, and a black portal opens in front of us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh, um. I get it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hurriedly throw myself into it, with Ainar close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hey, the team might get filled up in the next ten seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The character has entered a rift on the first floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look around and check our surroundings while Ainar collects herself from where she'd hit the ground, ass-first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A red sky that seems to herald the end of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A murder of crows flying overhead, and a black fortress looming forebodingly in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Needless to say, this is one of the four rift types on the first floor, the Blood Citadel'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the eighth-grade mana stone I'd offered as a sacrifice belonged to deathfiend, it's only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After we wait for a while, another portal opens in the air and spits a person out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the decisive reason why I'd planned to delay coming here until later, even though I knew not only how to definitively open the rift', but also the optimal strategy to conquer it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I'm more afraid of adventurers than monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh heh heh! I finally managed to get in!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wouldn't it be nice to have a five-man team with guaranteed confidentiality?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you enter this way, you must clear the rift with some random adventurers who enter on a first-come, first-served basis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In gaming terms, auto-matching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling a bit nervous, I check out our first team member.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ooh! It's reassuring to have two barbarians! Lucky! My name is Hikurod Murad! As you can see, I'm a dwarf, hahahaha!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chatterbox dwarf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how skilled he might be, it doesn't look bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a little luck, maybe the rest would also be like this\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pfft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or am I getting too big for my britches again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck, just come, whoever you are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'm not going to hold on to any hopes or expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new colleague has joined your journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more team members are added soon after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Editor's Notes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[1] (instant dungeon). This is different from (instance dungeon). The former is shared across all users whereas the latter spawns different instances of a dungeon for different sets of users. Shared vs sharded universe, writ small. The labyrinth here is the former, rifts apparently the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[2] (indun) is a short form forinstancedungeons.\u003C\u002Fp>",2480,"2026-06-05T19:32:48.785Z",1,"novelbin.me","c23847f98af2a059237ad2055cb94860fe245d90beec8ff91b1af4122978d8a9","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-279","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-278",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]