[{"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-538":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},1328215,1764,"Chapter 538: Rainbow (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-538",538,"\u003Cp>The Necklace of Garphas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Numbers item obtained as a prize along with the title “Knight Crusher” at the first noble family banquet I attended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, since I acquired it so early, I hadn’t dared to use it even after several years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wearing this necklace requires solid financial backing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But judging by how many magic stones we’re gathering now...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think we can collect the targeted amount within a month or two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, thinking about it, there’s nothing on the first basement floor that can definitely upgrade specs better than this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In some ways, it can enable growth even more intense than essences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So for a while, magic stones will be the key...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even right now, I could see magic stones piling all over Chief’s Island. If we pick them all up after the rainy season ends, it might drastically shorten the time...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that’d be too risky, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Wait a minute.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought suddenly struck me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“White Hext, come here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing special, just a few questions. You said you arrived at Giant Island on the first day of the rainy season, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, it was the first day of the rainy season.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember that too. Anyway, were there many monsters on Giant Island then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes, but?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hext, looking unsure of the intent behind my question, recounted how he witnessed scenes of ‘monsters that leave corpses’ and ‘regular monsters’ fiercely biting each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I listened carefully and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that strange?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the monsters were fighting so fiercely, shouldn’t there have been plenty of magic stones on the island?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we arrived on Giant Island, we only saw monster corpses and no magic stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pointing this out, Hext showed a realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that you mention it, you’re right. I hadn’t thought about it then... There should have been magic stones left like on the island with the village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you first come out of that cave after entering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About ten days after the rainy season ended. At that time, we didn’t even know when it would end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My doubts grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where on earth did all those magic stones go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, if this system was true, the sea floor should be full of magic stones too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monsters were still falling into the sea and disappearing as light even at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the sea should have piled up mountains of magic stones over such a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There wasn’t much under the sea back then.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, maybe I should check the sea myself sometime?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the thought came suddenly, before acting I sought the mages’ advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Certainly... I also had many questions about that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go down to the sea immediately to check!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But there are so many monsters down there...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does that matter now? We might discover hidden laws of this world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait! There’s a way to check without diving in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The excited mages, who looked like they’d jump into the sea at once, stopped at Versil’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s check with the magic stones we have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Versil took out a magic stone, tied it with string, lowered it under the ship, and observed changes using various spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, we learned one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why we didn’t know this earlier, I don’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...They’re disappearing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re only shrinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic stones immersed in the sea vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the experiment, many hypotheses and questions were raised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could the silver color of the sea be because magic stones are absorbed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, there isn’t enough evidence yet to confirm a correlation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. If magic stones were absorbed, mana should be detected in the seawater, but this seawater doesn’t have that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... but if magic stones dissolve only in seawater, what happened to those on land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I used to enjoy intellectual debates like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But maybe living as a barbarian lowered my immunity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um... Baron, what do you think about what we just said?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh... my head...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I listened, the more a headache came, so I excused myself and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, the mages will handle research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, I avoided the mages and spent time chatting with comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some time passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the seventh day of the rainy season, the number of monsters falling from the sky sharply decreased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[23:59]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After 11:50 PM, no monsters fell at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm... maybe the clock is off by ten minutes?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought crossed my mind, but I decided to lift the barrier as scheduled. If a monster fell on deck, the ship would be damaged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better safe than sorry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick tock, tick tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second hand moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Focusing on it, I noticed the surroundings quieted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around, everyone had taken out their watches and was watching them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like right before New Year’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tick tock, tick tock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one can stop time from passing, and the moment everyone silently awaited arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[00:00]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The end of the dreadful rainy season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s twelve o’clock!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s really over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explorers clustered on deck murmured, and I hurriedly gave new orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lift the barrier!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the mages removed the umbrella-like barrier over the ship, a sense of openness filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did I feel like my sight was clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the voyage, the barrier was covered in blood from monsters dying on it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, mister!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I headed to the bow to enjoy the breeze, Elwen on the lookout called to me urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look! Look over there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up toward the lookout and saw Elwen pointing somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, I moved my head in the direction she pointed and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, not just me—everyone who heard and looked was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the wide silver horizon...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...A rainbow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a rainbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if blessing the day after the rainy season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colorful spectrum that cheers the spirit just by looking at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because we saw it on a ship covered in monster blood, the contrast of those vivid colors felt even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we couldn’t just stare blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are explorers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rainbow or hellscape from another world—whatever looks suspicious, we run over to see if there’s money to be made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auyen! Record the direction of the rainbow properly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes? Ah... yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, we checked the spot where the rainbow appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timing was suspicious after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘An anomaly only visible if you’re out at sea when the rainy season ends.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this just a natural phenomenon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the rainbow we saw now was different in shape from a usual one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A normal rainbow forms an arc or curve...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swaaaaaaah-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one rose straight up like a cylinder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a game effect signaling a hidden secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Current position is 21 degrees. From Rock Island, 34 degrees! Distance... unknown!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen quickly regained focus and started saying technical terms I didn’t quite catch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I understood was that at least the direction was correctly measured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But distance is unknown...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made me hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I turn the bow now and head toward the rainbow, or continue to the original destination?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I pondered this...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? The rainbow’s disappearing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rainbow far away slowly faded and soon was no longer visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took about five minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It can be observed only for five minutes after the rainy season ends...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought we’d found something significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I didn’t turn the bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey? Bjorn? Aren’t you going to chase the rainbow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard seemed doubtful of my decision, but it was the right one as a leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We hadn’t yet properly explored Giant Island, Tree Island, or the Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First priority was to level up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having checked the direction, we could sail at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auyen, how far to Giant Island?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About three hours left!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maintaining course for about three hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we finally arrived at Giant Island, the first thing we did was stare in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phew, no wonder I wanted to come straight here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Magic stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands of magic stones were scattered along the coast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason for returning to Giant Island was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the only island among others where a portal stele had been found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That gigantic giant we saw last still bothered me, but I figured there’d be more secrets uncovered exploring here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever secrets were hidden on the island, my heart started pounding when I saw the magic stones spread along the coast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, compared to Chief’s Island, the density of stones was lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Giant Island was several times bigger than Chief’s Island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we could gather all the magic stones fallen across this island?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Insane...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone might fill our target amount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So we hurriedly got off the ship and started literally scooping up unowned magic stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just after the rainy season, the island was full of monsters...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Since they survived the rainy season, all of them are tricky.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least Grade 4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there were new entities armed with strange essence combinations, making battles extremely difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we were also steadily growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prime example was Muul Armin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin cast [Hypersensitive Skin].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The target’s damage taken increases by 30%.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin cast [Eternal Weakness].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The target’s physical stats decrease by 30%, and all curse effects increase by 1.5 times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His class was curse-specialized necromancer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His active skills were curses, and his summons specialized in that field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Spirit Parasite].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did almost no damage but sucked MP with a chance each time it struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Corrosive Hound].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A summon that lowers enemy resistances with each bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Vengeful Suicide Bomber].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summons that fly and explode, applying all kinds of curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s also why I gave him the Inmyeonjo essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its passive skill [Mother Bird] is exclusive to necromancers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Summons within range have been dismissed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Recover 80% of consumed soul power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reduce cooldown of that summon skill by 80%.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This essence is essential for necromancer builds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this one essence, Muul Armin became at least five times stronger than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grade 2 core essences have that kind [N O V E L I G H T] of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Vengeful Suicide Bomber].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Vengeful Suicide Bomber].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Vengeful Suicide Bomber].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Muul Armin summoned [Vengeful Suicide Bomber]...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using restored MP and reduced cooldowns, he madly summoned suicide bombers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they had no damage setups, the damage was minimal, but repeated explosions stacked curses nonstop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Having a well-grown debuffer makes hunting much easier.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muul Armin fit perfectly in this situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His class shines more fighting a strong single enemy than many weak ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good job, Muul.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good job? That’s undeserved praise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, he seemed to have more trouble dealing with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Always using utmost respect, calling me ‘Baron.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is he already drawing boundaries because he thinks he owes me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so, I might be a little disappointed, but I decided to observe more to be sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And time passed like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, two days, three days...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Busy days filled with gathering magic stones across the island and fighting monsters nonstop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[00:00]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third day after the rainy season ended, bad news came while we happily gathered magic stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magic stones... are disappearing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unowned magic stones scattered across the island started decomposing one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like food buried underground rotting away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s strange... mana is definitely decomposing, but we can’t trace where it’s going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever the reason, it was truly unfortunate for us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But luckily, there was good news too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Versil, how many magic stones have we gathered so far?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well? Based on exchanging at the checkpoint... it seems like about 1 billion stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough ammo for the necklace gacha.\u003C\u002Fp>",1945,"2026-06-05T19:33:16.156Z",1,"novelbin.me","2f9f86009f2d9d050753b7b9d1f1a80935889369699526606fab1499846e6285","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-539","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-537",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]