[{"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-510":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},1328187,1764,"Chapter 510: The Tomb (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-510",510,"\u003Cp>Hans A.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My first companion, and the first person I killed in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to him, I had been able to evolve from a helpless newbie to a seasoned explorer. And it was because of him that I had met Erwen and come this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe it’s because his name was Hans… he’s surprisingly persistent.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His portrait…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first thing I had discarded after looting his body. Was it some kind of cursed doll that kept coming back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, you threw it away in the labyrinth…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? When did Amelia get here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Explorers had sharp ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Maybe this is where everything that disappears from the labyrinth ends up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil offered a theory, but it was something anyone would have thought of after hearing my story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! That’s interesting! So I can find my lost boots now? They were my favorite!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re lucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a minute, Gowland. If your theory is correct, then what are those? I don’t think there are that many wardrobes and tables in the labyrinth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia pointed at the floating objects, and Bersil hesitated, unable to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s… strange… Why…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flaw in her theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, it was Auyen, the navigator, who provided the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those… might be furniture from large ships.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Large ships?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard that Space-Time magic wasn’t as advanced when the 6th floor was first explored. So the ancient explorers couldn’t summon ships like we do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, so…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They built their ships on the starting island and then left them on the 6th floor. It’s a well-known fact among navigators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…How is that possible? Did they just abandon their ships after using them once?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, they used magic. Space-Time magic wasn’t as advanced as it is now, but it still existed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen didn’t know the details, but he said there was a spell that automatically guided the ships back to the starting island, regardless of their location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So they used the fact that time still flows on the 6th floor even when the labyrinth is closed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. But that led to many thefts and disputes. And shipwrecks were also common—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. Thank you for the information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut Auyen off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was getting too excited. He needed to focus on navigating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just focus on steering the ship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah… yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Erwen, stop eavesdropping.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ainar, your cleaning has stopped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I redirected my teammates’ attention back to their respective tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter what was floating in the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The important thing was that we could find items that had disappeared from the labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bersil, keep collecting the floating objects. There might be treasures among them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hans A’s family portrait might be useless now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who knew what we might find?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Numbered Items, high-grade equipment…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be countless lost treasures in this sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the equipment we had to abandon in Ice Rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm, so it’s not a garbage dump… it’s a tomb. Filled with valuable artifacts.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why there were so many explorers waiting in front of the stone tablet, even with Verzak roaming the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was worth the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘New monster essences, byproducts, and lost treasures…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered how much we would earn after returning to the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was thinking that, Erwen shouted from the crow’s nest,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mister! Land! I see an island!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I hoped it wasn’t another 1st-grade monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, it really was an island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, calling it an island was a bit of a stretch…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t a monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It looks like a temple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single structure, supported by two pillars, was floating on the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We circled the island, but there was only one entrance. And we couldn’t see inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was shrouded in shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Explore, of course. That’s why we’re here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water around the island was shallow, so we transferred to a smaller boat and unsummoned the main ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then we slowly rowed towards the island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…This is a strange place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we approached the entrance, the shadows receded, revealing the interior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The visibility is about 5 meters.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wide staircase led downwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like it was designed for something much larger than a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that was convenient for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Character has cast [Gigantification].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A staircase I could use even while using [Gigantification]?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump, thump, thump—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the lead and descended the stairs, ready to tank any damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after a while…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s deep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had descended at least 200 steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t make sense spatially, but I decided not to think about it. There was no point in questioning the laws of physics in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally reached the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh… it smells like dust.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A musty smell filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The visibility was low, but the surroundings gradually became brighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if someone had flipped a switch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My teammates flinched, looking around for enemies, and then they all stared at the surroundings in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ceiling was incredibly high, as high as the staircase we had just descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And giant bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this…? A library…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It resembled a library, but there was a key difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each book was as large as a person, requiring both arms to carry. And the bookshelves, filled with thousands of these giant books, were even larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! They’re not that heavy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the books themselves weren’t that heavy. An explorer could easily lift one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Frenelin, can you open one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar took a book from the shelf and placed it on the floor, opening it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s blank…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the books were just decorations?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bersil, you and Ainar examine the books. And Ainar, protect Bersil if anything happens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left Ainar and Bersil with the bookshelves and explored the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a cylindrical space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curved bookshelves lined the walls, reaching all the way to the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I don’t know what this is for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stone slab that looked like a table stood in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the opposite end of the staircase, there was a large stone door between the bookshelves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I examined everything carefully, but I couldn’t find anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It seems like you have to use this somehow…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There didn’t seem to be any monsters or traps, so I let my teammates explore the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after a while…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yandel, I found a book with something written in it! But it’s in ancient language, so you should come take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, my ancient language skills were finally useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rushed over to Bersil, and a book was open on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a picture on one page, and text on the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The picture looks like a 9th-grade Wall Mole… but I can’t read the text.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil was right. The picture was of a Wall Mole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The text next to it confirmed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Habitat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a description of its name, abilities, and behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s like an encyclopedia. Is this the only one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. All the other pages are blank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem… thoughtful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just thinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This book alone was incredibly valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven, the history buff, would have been ecstatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An explorer prioritized practicality over knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How can I use this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could I do with this discovery?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why was it here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An explorer’s job was to experiment and find answers, not to study and theorize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone, gather around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I summoned my teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you find something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not exactly, but I have an idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An idea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia tilted her head, but it was faster to show her than to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I wasn’t even sure if it would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I placed the book on the stone slab in the center of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after about three seconds…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’re wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia spoke, and at that moment…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swaaaaaaaaaa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…the stone slab started glowing blue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in [Dungeon and Stone], that usually meant danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn! The stone door! It’s opening…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ran towards the door and shouted,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get ready for battle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My teammates quickly got into formation, their faces grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tense silence filled the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One second, two seconds, three seconds…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, after four seconds…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster emerged from the slightly opened door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Squeak—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…It was a Wall Mole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Squeak!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>______________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first monster we encountered had been a 1st-grade Tol-Lafupa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So we were all wary of what might emerge from the stone door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Wall Mole…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single 9th-grade monster?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay alert. There might be more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said that, but I was also disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But my disappointment quickly turned into understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…I see how it works.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had placed a book about the ‘Wall Mole’ on the stone slab, and a ‘Wall Mole’ had appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a coincidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Erwen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I called her name, and she immediately fired an arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she understand my intentions without any explanation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[……!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wall Mole, which had been waddling towards us, died without a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swaaaaaaaaaa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 9th-grade magic stone dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beginner's Luck didn't work here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that I would have absorbed it anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone door closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! Yandel! Look!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…a staircase leading to the second level of the bookshelf appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a surprisingly straightforward progression, even for [Dungeon and Stone].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So we have to summon monsters and climb up…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked the book before going upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The picture and the text are gone…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So we couldn’t reuse the books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I discarded the blank book and climbed the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then a thought occurred to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Can’t I just climb up without using the stairs?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was a barbarian. I had to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I climbed up the bookshelf, using my height to reach the railing of the third level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the books on the shelf wouldn’t budge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So I can climb up, but I can’t take the books.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was curious what was at the top…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I decided to save it for later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We still had a lot to do here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone, find a book with a picture in it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My teammates started searching the bookshelves, and it didn’t take long for us to find another one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it had two monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 8th-grade Nightfla…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I know this one! It uses the same ability as the vampire we met in the Blood Citadel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and a McGuffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What does it say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It already has a name… we wasted our time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all curious about the McGuffin’s entry…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s see… the name is…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and I froze as I read the first line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh? Bjorn, what’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainar approached me, concern etched on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bersil also asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yandel? Is there a problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t answer and just said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“McGuffin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The book also calls it a McGuffin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What? But you named it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what was strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What a coincidence…? They have the same name…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an understandable reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was much easier to believe it was a coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Habitat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached the etymology section and read…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…Bjorn, son of Yandel, the first explorer to enter the 1st Basement Floor: Archives, named this creature after its discovery.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…and I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was going on?\u003C\u002Fp>",1898,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","0bee775fec96ad70ac183141e25c691cb45ab12f5fd48a1c538a664c2de5a4a1","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-511","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-509",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]