[{"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-615":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Surviving the Game as a Barbarian",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":9,"created_at":14,"updated_at":14,"volume":15,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},1327992,1764,"Chapter 615: Homunculus (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-615",615,"\u003Cp>A temple I barely reached after running day and night for several sleepless days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple was eerily silent, not much different from when I left it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barracks set up for a long stay and the cooking facilities were intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the people were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth had happened here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no signs of battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the pot still contained thick stew, as if cooking had been in progress—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...The door’s open?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did I notice the temple door, which should have been closed, was wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be connected to the recent events?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cautiously moved toward the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Bjorn Yandel...!!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Hamsik?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I turned toward the voice, Hamsik flew at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Why did you come only now! I was scared to death...!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first time I’d seen him so startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had no time to calm down and listen carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly happened here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“I-I don’t know! Suddenly, light burst from the temple, and everyone seemed out of their minds, getting up and entering that temple!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean they went in on their own...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they fallen under some charm or mind control? That would explain the absence of battle traces...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Yes! Again, their eyes were strange, staggering as if they didn’t even see me next to them!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Calm down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“......”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you were the only one who stayed sane in that situation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Yes.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you see the expedition members who crossed the river with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to stay calm, I asked, and Hamsik’s voice steadied slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Ah...! They entered the temple a few days ago, carried by some strange flying object...”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flying object? Could that be the drone I saw before?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So were they unconscious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“No, their eyes were open. Like the others, their souls were completely gone, though.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, what kind of range is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“...Hmm?”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, just talking to myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Obviously, the source of the mind control was the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that it affected even across the river was unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I was safe inside the bunker with dimensional rupture, why was Hamsik unaffected?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because he was classified as a ‘monster’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know, but focused on getting information from Hamsik.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you haven’t gone inside the temple and don’t know what’s there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“I was just waiting because I thought you’d come! Not because I’m scared!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“......”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Hamsik was just a witness, not someone actively investigating the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that was all I could learn from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest I’ll have to find out by going in myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no choice but to go on foot now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Character has entered the 7th Records Archive.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple’s interior was very simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering the open stone gate, stairs appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going down further, a heptagonal hall appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the stairway I came down, there were six stone gates on each face...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All but one are closed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“More than that, it feels creepy.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the hall was a desk-like structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, more like an altar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its surface looked and felt like stone, with seven rectangular grooves carved in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guess something’s meant to be placed here, but I don’t know what yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“I said it feels creepy.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, do we get something for breaking these one by one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Hey... do you... not hear me...? Right...?”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While sorting my thoughts, Hamsik’s anxious voice caught my ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally I would have joked pretending not to hear, but since my comrades were kidnapped, there was no time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hear you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“...Then why won’t you answer?”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have to have something to say first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Huh...?”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s creepy about it? Do you want me to sympathize?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“No, not really...”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. Be quiet for a bit. I need to think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, Hamsik understood and stopped rambling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, I could quietly focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The size fits perfectly...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately took out the golden book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the one looted from Hamsik’s house after clearing Library Island, also mentioned briefly in the chief’s ghost story notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I carefully placed the golden book into one of the grooves; it fit perfectly with no gaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Could this be a coincidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled the phrase from the chief’s notebook:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The golden book won’t help you with your goal.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I interpreted that as the golden book having no relation to ‘escape.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My goal was always escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then why was such a device appearing while conquering Rainbow Island, the core of escape?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Nothing is happening...?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not, it looks like something will happen only when all slots are filled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Ah...”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, be quiet for now. I have more to think about.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had gotten the golden book only after clearing Library Island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where would the others be found?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The simplest guess is that each island cleared grants one.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Library Island, Stone Gate Island, Tree Island, Giant Island, Chief Island, Rock Island, and Rainbow Island—the seven islands in this layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this theory wasn’t without contradictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stone Gate Island, with guardian statues and a final ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) crack opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though cleared, the golden book wasn’t found in the reward room reminiscent of Hamsik’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, maybe because I haven’t seen the true ending yet...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what about Rock Island or Chief Island?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giant Island had the colossal giant, but Rock and Chief Islands had nothing notable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The chief’s already dead, so no connection to clearing.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much I thought, no clear answers came, only growing anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I ended this worry for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting the golden book back into the pocket dimension, I approached the firmly closed stone gates and examined them carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How can I open the other gates?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No clue yet, but it felt too soon to worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least one gate was wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting there would probably lead to clues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way to rescue my kidnapped comrades was surely beyond that gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go, Hamsik.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without wasting time, I moved toward the open gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond it was something smooth blocking the view, not a portal, but more like an air curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pushing carefully inside, my hand slid through a soft, squishy sensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like immersing a hand in liquid, but I didn’t get wet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little sticky, but with no other choice, I went in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My toes touched the ground, and a strange sight spread before me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A prison...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place I arrived at was a prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not like the underground prison below the Explorer’s Guild, but closer to a modern prison structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or more precisely, a futuristic prison?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drdrdrdrd—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drones flew in the corridors where guards would pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the hall, a large mechanical wolf made of machine parts was sleeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various monsters, with dazed eyes, were being led somewhere by the drones...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Am I invisible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like an invisible man, the drones, monsters, and mechanical wolf ignored me and went about their tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“W-what is this place...?”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like I’d know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, I turned to check the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smooth curtain I passed through was attached to the wall, so going back and forth freely was possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, my hand fits in well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least I secured a retreat path just in case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Bjorn Yandel...”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Hamsik, perched on my shoulder, called me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to ignore him thinking he’d fuss again, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“This place... feels familiar.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was impossible to ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Maybe... a place I came to before losing my memory.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“...Be quiet, I’m thinking.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this what it means to get back what you gave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I kept my mouth shut to not disturb Hamsik’s concentration and continued exploring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No point rushing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d tell me if he remembered anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I walked around, I realized I’d misunderstood something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drones, the mechanical wolf, the dazed monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t ignore me because I was invisible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They do see me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drones hovering nearby paused, zoomed in on me through their lens-eyes, then quickly went back to ignoring me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hah... I’d rather just fight outright.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had attacked immediately, I wouldn’t have had to bother with all this thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Is that too barbarian of me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Whatever, let’s just follow them.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying pensive Hamsik, I followed the monsters lined up under drone control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Hey, go down there.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hamsik suddenly tapped my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Hurry!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden suggestion surprised me, but I left the line and took the stairs next to us down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some time...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Here.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Descending a flight resembling an emergency exit, Hamsik stopped me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Look carefully at the wall.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice wasn’t teasing, so I obeyed rather than ask why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Touching the wall, I felt a hidden groove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took out a dagger, inserted it in, and pushed; a tile fell off the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“There really is something...”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the space hidden by the tile was a mysterious card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not plastic like commonly used now, but metal with some weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Don’t know.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You told me about it but don’t know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“I only recall fragments of memories. At some point... I hid this here.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hamsik said it was very important to him but didn’t even remember the card’s use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pocketed the card into the dimension, closed the tile, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where to now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Further down... there should be something further down. I always kept going down here.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Hamsik seemed to know something, I didn’t press him and descended the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some time...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s nowhere left to go down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Then this must be it.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, I reached the bottom and cautiously opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, it wasn’t locked...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the door was a totally different atmosphere from the prison above ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dome-like space reminiscent of a soccer stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the first thing I thought was a factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zzzzzzt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster stopped while riding rails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mechanical device above it glowed, and the monster vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, a single magic stone lay alone in its place...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zzzzzzing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rail began moving again, carrying the stone into a box at the end of the rail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the box was full,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drrrrr.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The box slid along another rail, moving somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t see where.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Hey! Over here! Over here!”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned quickly at Hamsik’s shout, and immediately froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zzzzzzing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the moving rail was a familiar face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Raven?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven was standing dazed on the rail, being moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward the device that transformed monsters into magic stones.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-06-05T19:33:18.084Z",1,"novelbin.me","b849548da9540267fac1caea608c94b72a228e7e74b3a5b0d1161e7d51c25a83","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-616","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-614",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]