[{"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-609":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},1327986,1764,"Chapter 609: Mystery (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-609",609,"\u003Cp>According to the expedition leader, starting from about 200 meters above, the gusts of wind were too strong to ascend using levitation magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They even tried casting illumination magic to try and reveal the view, but the wind was so fierce that the magic dispersed quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when the illumination magic briefly flared, one member of the expedition said they saw something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was definitely something looking down at me from the darkness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That expedition member couldn’t clearly describe the appearance, shape, or size of the thing, but was strongly certain they had seen something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The wind was so strong that it was hard to see properly ahead. We have to consider the possibility that they were mistaken...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expedition leader seemed skeptical of the member’s account, but I was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I don’t fully believe it either...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s check again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Check again... you mean...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Go back up and use the illumination magic properly this time. Then we should be able to see something clearly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...The members are quite exhausted. Can we let them rest sufficiently today and continue the investigation from tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From tomorrow, huh...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I were honest, I wouldn’t want to waste any time, but I’m a barbarian commander who inherited the spirit of a great leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giving the permission coolly, the expedition leader’s face, which looked like it might collapse, began to regain color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I hope he wasn’t deliberately hiding his face with magic to rest.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, I had such a suspicion, but trusting my subordinates with a broad heart is also part of being a commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the investigation resumed only after the entire expedition team rested fully until the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw it too...! Something was looking down at me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another similar eyewitness account emerged within the expedition, and this time, the form of it was faintly captured in a video recording orb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opinions among those who checked the orb were divided, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s hard to distinguish clearly because it’s so dark around it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be caused by refraction of the light orb magic...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I disagree. Do you see here? This is the eye, this is the nose... if you look thinking like this, the outline emerges...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eek! Really! That’s not a human figure!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Creepy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, it felt less like experts tackling a new floor and more like a ghost club exploring a haunted house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...The recording orb is ambiguous.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked the video myself, but it was difficult to say much based on that alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still, there’s now more than one eyewitness.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not one, but two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is statistically significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the claim that there is something inside gains credibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something is hidden within those gusts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it’s not what they call a “person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pondered deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because now what I have to do next became clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do I get up there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A way to break through the gusts and reach the unknown something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From now on, I must come up with that method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Expedition leader. From now on, you have full authority to investigate that place at your discretion. You may deploy others as needed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expedition switched to automatic investigation mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told them to try anything that came to mind, even if it seemed foolish, but to report every result to me without fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Though I doubt that old man will come up with a creative investigation method.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, maybe they’ll bring back something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, I said I would take a moment to organize my thoughts and returned to my cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Seems like things aren’t going well?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, want to hear about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat Hamsik up from reading a book and shared the current situation as a kind of complaint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had hoped for some advice, but sadly, Hamsik only has listening skills, no advice function.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yeah, that’s tough.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Then what do you want me to do?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, maybe because he reads books often, he’s gotten a lot more prickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used to be much gentler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is he going through puberty?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hamsik turned his attention back to his book, and I lay down on the bed to sort my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I break through the obstacles and ascend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moving a team of over a hundred through the gusts up several hundred meters wasn’t easy to imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But precisely because of that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It probably won’t be by just using magic to ascend. Hmm... maybe I have to meet some condition to trigger an event?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thoroughly gamer-derived speculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since this is the world ofDungeon and Stone, that perspective helps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An event, huh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, the first hypothesis that came to mind is this:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the rainy season ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rainbow-colored pillar of light shone so strongly it was visible anywhere on the first underground floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pillar lasted about five minutes before disappearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, I thought it was simply a landmark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What if I’m at that spot when it happens? Will a new event trigger?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pretty plausible hypothesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, that condition itself was quite hard to meet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The nearest island is four weeks away.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Stone Gate Island, lined with guardian statues, sank under the sea, so the nearest island is the Library Island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the magitech propulsion device cuts travel time significantly, but it doesn’t really matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what, the rainy season will end before we arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Simply put, if I want to be at the pillar when it forms, there’s no choice but to endure the rainy season head-on...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assuming my hypothesis is all correct, thinking inversely, it’s meaningful that Rainbow Island is isolated like a remote island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, or maybe not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll keep investigating until then, and if no method appears, I’ll try it once.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the conclusion for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, two days, three days, four days...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed quickly on the ship anchored in the calm zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some, it was a busy time; for others, it was peacefully boring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“C-Caught it! Expedition leader!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most active among the busy were the expedition members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under my orders, they tried outrageous experiments daily, repeatedly failing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, today’s experiment was drone deployment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan was to tie a video recording orb to an arrow, shoot it, track its location, and review the footage — a pretty reasonable plan, actually...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Play it! Hurry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you just staring blankly—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It... won’t operate. Seems to be damaged by the impact from the fall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expedition leader’s face hardened after investing three whole days preparing for this plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Repair?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The circuits are not just tangled, they’re completely broken. It looks difficult.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SighI felt sorry for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to tell them to just rest already, but since they always came up with pretty decent plans, I just watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No wonder he was recommended for the position...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expedition leader was appointed on Gahwin’s recommendation and fit the role better than expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I was a bit surprised when they said they’d explore the sea simultaneously.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, the expedition leader did conduct deep-sea exploration simultaneously, and the most impressive plan was to attach weights to the video orbs and sink them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan was to remove the weights after a timer-triggered magic, form an air layer, and return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was the durability of the recording crystal orb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many protective magics were layered, it shattered from the high pressure when retrieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...If I return, I will definitely create a recording crystal orb that functions under any environment without breaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, maybe that’s how all civilization advancements start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They say failure leads to success, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If only that existed, exploration would be much easier.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, but even without it, things were comfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were enough talented people around who would be treated like aces anywhere, so I didn’t have to step in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was the typical figure passing the boring time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m bored, better go patrol.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking around the closely docked ships, I noticed the number of people on deck was noticeably low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood fewer guards were needed since no sea monsters had appeared...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But even so, this few?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I approached a crew member working on something on deck and asked, only to hear an unexpected answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone’s hiding inside their rooms. They’re afraid of being seen by the expedition leader if they come outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t the count give the expedition leader authority? He can pull anyone from anywhere if needed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh... I wasn’t even coming out of my cabin because it was stuffy. Just happened to run into him then...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing an actual victim, I realized it wasn’t just a rumor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling somewhat sorry, I quickly left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After checking all four ships and returning to our own...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Biyoorn!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call me commander—.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Save me! I want to rest...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard threw his spear down on the floor and ran over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Geez, how expensive is that spear?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost coughed blood seeing the emerald spear rolling on the floor, but first dodged Ainard’s tackle and checked the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia clicked her tongue at Ainard, who had just rolled forward. Looks like he was lightly training with her...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing surprising about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Training again today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t do anything on my own.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether on Chief’s Island or during the voyage, Amelia found spare time to train Ainard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just understand it’s because of his fighting spirit. When he’s back to normal, he’ll do well even without orders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True. But aside from that, I plan to keep managing him until then. Planning to stop me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way. Take good care of Ainard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was rather grateful to Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was taking care of what I should be doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like she’s getting attached to the others too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a good sight in many ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since she helped Ainard voluntarily, not because I ordered her to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to rest, swing your spear. If you hit me even once, training’s over for the day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be-Behel—ra...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard started swinging his spear with renewed motivation, and after watching the sparring from a short distance, I left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About three days left until the rainy season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We held a leadership meeting after a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I declared one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The investigation ends today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expedition leader, upon hearing my words, looked at me with a dumbfounded expression unbefitting a mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I thought he’d be happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’m sorry to disappoint you. After all this time, we didn’t find anything—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, I wasn’t trying to scold him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it seemed like a misunderstanding, I quickly continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not disappointed. From the start, I think you did your best with what you could. Without you, we wouldn’t have uncovered this much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm words unlike a brusque barbarian commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, I wouldn’t have been like this, but I sincerely acknowledged the expedition leader’s skill and effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it showed in my eyes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expedition leader bowed shortly in response, then cautiously asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the investigation is stopping because of the rainy season?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re half right, but also half wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re stopping because of the rainy season, yes, but we’re not moving to avoid it. Rather, we need time to prepare, so we’re ending the investigation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then looked at all the leadership, not just the expedition leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We will spend the rainy season here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To do that, perfect preparation was necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>",1909,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.084Z",1,"novelbin.me","48b163e1237ca47d876384f76593fa8c94937c170ceab01c5efade8d50c9396d","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-610","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-608",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]