[{"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-509":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},1328186,1764,"Chapter 509: The Tomb (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-509",509,"\u003Cp>It resembled a Frogman in its basic form. Its belly was round, as if filled with air, and its fingertips had suction cups. Even its face was similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, its skin was gray, not green, and it wasn’t carrying a harpoon, the Frogman’s trademark weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And most importantly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Wings?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pair of wings, oddly shaped as if they were cut out of paper and glued on, were attached to its back—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Keureuk!!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creatures, clinging to the side of the ship, flapped their wings and leaped onto the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they weren’t just for show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emily, what’s their rank?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Below 7th-grade. I don’t sense any threat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could make a rough estimate based on experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Below 7th-grade…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at the fifteen monsters on the deck and gave my team an order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t attack yet! We need to gather information first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar, who had been about to charge at them, flinched and stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good, she was obedient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I activated [Wild Release], increasing my Threat level, and stepped forward. The unidentified monsters immediately attacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their attack pattern was completely different from what I had expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t have teeth or claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they weren’t carrying any weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So how were they attacking?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They crouched down, their hindquarters raised, and…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…thorn-shaped projectiles, crackling with electricity, shot out from their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were below 7th-grade, so they didn’t do any damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blocked most of them with my shield, and the ones that got through didn’t even scratch my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What the…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t because of a status effect like paralysis or shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just… surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel… that attack…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil trailed off, and Erwen finished her sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It looks like Fulminas’s [Thunder Thorn]…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fulminas was a 3rd-grade lightning-type monster that appeared on the 3rd and 4th floors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this creature was using another monster’s signature skill?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Could it be a high-variant?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dismissed the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All fifteen of them had used the same skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A monster that uses other monsters’ skills…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what about its other skills?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I observed them without attacking, and I made a surprising discovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s… Iron Falcon’s [Iron Feathers].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I know that one! It’s the Sea Worm’s [Bubble Shield]!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… that’s a 7th-grade skill, not 6th-grade…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three of its active skills were from different monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was curious about its passive skills, but it wasn’t easy to find out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swung my hammer, intending to capture one…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Attack missed due to [Putrid Slime].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and it dodged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So its passive was from the Frogman?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did look similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had gathered enough information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough. Kill them all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar, eager to be the first to slay the newly discovered monster, charged forward as soon as I gave the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was a problem…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「McGuffin slain.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t feel the usual surge of experience points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was below 7th-grade, I should have felt something—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「No. 9999 Beginner’s Luck activated.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped thinking and looked at the spot where the monster had been standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…An essence!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It actually dropped an essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Bersil! Put it in a test tube!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave Bersil an order, my mind racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So it has the Frogman’s [Putrid Slime] and one of the Sea Worm, Iron Falcon, and Fulminas’s active skills?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…This could change everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had obtained a green essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would have to examine it later, but I had a feeling it was the Iron Falcon’s [Iron Feathers].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a green essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bersil, how many test tubes do we have left?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty-seven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t Melbeth give us twenty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I brought my own, just in case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What should I do with the used test tubes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep them. It’ll be easier to organize them later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After settling the test tube issue, I asked my teammates,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you notice anything… when we killed that monster?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, you mean the lack of experience points?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Was it the same for everyone? I thought it was just me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So none of us had received any experience points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This floor is strange…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster that used other monsters’ skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it didn’t give any experience points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a little disappointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If all the monsters on this floor were like this, it meant there were no new skills to be obtained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then another thought occurred to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A monster that uses other monsters’ skills… this will cause a commotion if it gets out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This might be a bigger deal than I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be much more useful for creating OP builds than any new skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like a customization feature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I could just absorb the Steel Giant’s active skills without the passive…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many essences with useful active or passive skills that were held back by their low stats or other drawbacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But if I could combine those skills with [Gigantification]…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would significantly increase a character’s potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Orc Hero’s passive skill was just a bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hero’s Path], which increased Physical stats as HP decreased, wasn’t a bad skill… but it was a 5th-grade essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And its base stats were low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless you were combining it with [Gigantification] and [Unification], there were better options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…I wonder if there are any monsters like that…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe this creature was just an anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other monsters might have new essences, or this might be the only new species on this floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is interesting.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a [Dungeon and Stone] player, I couldn’t help but feel excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What awaited us beyond the sea?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my fists, anticipation building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t be careless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unknown was both an opportunity and a danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Set sail!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the deck was cleared, we resumed our voyage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This area seemed to be the habitat of the electric frogs. They kept jumping out of the water and onto the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time, we used Distortion magic to hunt them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Bersil Gowland has cast the 6th-grade Space-Time magic [Greater Distortion].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were a new species, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And their byproducts would fetch a high price at the Mage Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Bjorn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re bored, go clean the deck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have something to say!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we were sailing, Ainar suddenly asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are we going to call them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call them…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t thought about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How were monsters named?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Erwen, do you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… well…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erwen didn’t know either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither did Bersil, even though she was a mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never thought about it… Doesn’t the first person who discovers them get to name them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… I guess so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, who had been assisting Auyen with the navigation, approached us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nanari.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Nanari? It sounds cute.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She really liked cute things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We’re naming a monster, not a pet. Emily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…But it’s the discoverer’s prerogative.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like everyone was interested in naming the new monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, they were all explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be a good motivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I decided to let them have their fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me what you think. We’ll vote and decide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A vote… that’s fair. I’ll go with Nanari. And I’ll give 10,000 stones to anyone who votes for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re voting, not buying votes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Whatever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a brief debate about fairness, but everyone eventually suggested a name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ultima Thunder! How about that?! Doesn’t it sound strong?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s not even 7th-grade. How about something based on its characteristics? It uses Sea Worm, Iron Falcon, Fulminas, and Frogman abilities…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sea Falcon Frogman!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sea Falcon Frogman! It’s perfect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was speechless, but the others seemed to like it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! That’s good! It sounds strong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s catchy. And it describes its appearance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I still prefer Nanari. I’ll raise the bribe to 20,000 stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few more suggestions, it was time to vote.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the result…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seven votes for McGuffin. Three votes for… Sea Falcon Frogman. Two votes for Nanari. And one vote for Kiruru.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? That’s strange. There are only seven of us, but there are thirteen votes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, Bersil, you didn’t know? It’s in the clan rules. The Clan Master’s vote counts as the same number as the clan members.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That’s not very democratic!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered my voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Democratic? What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil realized her mistake and stopped talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, players had to be careful with their words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t a world where democracy existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, it’s decided. From now on, they’re called McGuffins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so the newly discovered monster was named.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McGuffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a random name, based on its seagull-like wings and frog-like body, but it didn't matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was better than ‘Sea Falcon Frogman’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone, back to work!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave the order, and Erwen returned to the crow’s nest, while Amelia and Auyen went below deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil resumed collecting the floating objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ainar, go clean the deck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What about Misha? She’s not doing anything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha has… other duties…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misha… you’re in charge of dealing with any monsters that appear on deck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Woo! I can do that too! Let me do it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quiet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone returned to their respective positions, and I wandered around the ship, checking for any problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then Bersil called me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, can you come here for a moment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you find something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I approached her, and she was surrounded by the objects she had collected from the sea. She handed me one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a painting. I think it’ll fetch a high price in the city. What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A painting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. It looks like a seascape, but the paper isn’t wet. It’s completely dry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A piece of art from the labyrinth… it would definitely be valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the painting and examined it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a crude sketch of a man, a woman, and a little girl smiling brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… what’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you… know them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I knew this painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the family portrait of Hans A, the one I had discarded in the labyrinth years ago during my first expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>",1689,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","8894484e32f022b820a30cda7c83cee8733dca2f162b50f4bf56a2d40265db6a","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-510","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-508",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]