[{"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-665":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},1328042,1764,"Chapter 665: Companion (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-665",665,"\u003Cp>The uneasy companionship that started outside the fortress walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even such an uneasy alliance had its clear advantages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the journey even properly began, a treasure trove of information poured out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, where exactly is this place...? Hmm, would you like to see the map we made first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho had ventured outside # Nоvеlight # the walls much earlier than we did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the quality of the map he had made wasn’t great. It felt like a map made before the discovery of the American continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, even if I had made it myself, I doubt it would have been any better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What’s this border line here? It looks familiar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The map, still a work in progress, showed an unfamiliar border line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It resembled national boundaries on a world map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that marks the terrain matching the Dark Continent on the 7th floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...No wonder the shape of the border line felt familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the outline of the Dark Continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it fascinating? In the labyrinth, you can’t cross this coast line, but here the land continues beyond it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho’s “Isn’t it fascinating?” was so convincing that I had no rebuttal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jester said the outside world was exactly like the Dark Continent, but that was only partially true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dark Continent lies in the southeast of the continent, and the northern and western parts remain unknown, unexplored lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the circular spot marked here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that? It’s an island.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An island...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s an island on the 6th floor — you know, the one with a strange, unknown stele in the center.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean Starnels Island?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, that’s right. That island and the terrain here are very similar. The monsters that appear there are the same, too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was an odd coincidence — or maybe something unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An island that should be in the middle of the sea is attached to the continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be tied to some world secret I don’t yet know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know, but at least my knowledge was increasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then this must be the eastern part of the Great Forest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho teased me, saying, “More precisely, the southeast of the Great Forest,” but that was a minor detail I let slide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, where are we heading now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho pointed with his finger to a mysterious land outside the Dark Continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can get most of the materials that guy mentioned over there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How long will it take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About half a year on foot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant by the time we returned, a year would have passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of nonsense was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned and looked at Ibaekho, who smiled playfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. We’ll use a portal midway. We’ll probably get there in under a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Portal...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was he talking about now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s like a military elevator in Rafdonia, connecting specific points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Literally a new world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I heard about the outside world, the more I felt like a newbie again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like starting a brand-new game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, let’s get moving. We plan to reach the portal by tonight, so stick close.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Feels like boarding a bus or something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>InDungeon and Stone, ‘time’ is critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each floor of the labyrinth has a set time before the field closes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t use time efficiently, naturally, you can’t advance to the next floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In some ways, that’s an advantage of minor classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Explorers, regardless of position, must build their own ‘movement mechanism,’ but minor classes often achieve that naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike strength classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Sigh... why am I always the odd one out?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Running heavily through the forest, waves of ‘sage time’ kept washing over me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still haven’t figured out my movement mechanism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, at least my endurance and stamina stats are high enough I don’t get tired easily...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But my movement speed lags noticeably behind other classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Whiiir!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wizard GM was already flying quickly using levitation and other magic, and the healer named Jaina summoned a mount to move comfortably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Kind of embarrassing.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was struggling at the back, barely keeping up, and I could tell the whole party was moving slower just to accommodate me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unspoken act of kindness, I suppose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! It’s fascinating! It’s been ages since I’ve seen someone slower than me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did this tank class finish his movement mechanism so fast?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of focusing on getting stronger, he just focuses on speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clicked my tongue and glanced at the woman comfortably riding the mount in front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A contracted demon... so she really is Karui’s priest.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could tell her class by the mount, but it didn’t really matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They probably thought it pointless to hide the class fully anyway, so they showed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew, at least we made it before dawn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We arrived at our destination after a late-night journey and took a short break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll rest here today. There’s not enough time to recharge magic fully...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to change plans. Havelion’s here now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Havelion, come here. Better to check your mana resonance first for safety.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? Okay...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While everyone rested as they wished, GM was called over by the doom scholar for a strange ritual I couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we talk for a moment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho quietly approached and called me aside to a secluded spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you think we’re really fate? I never thought I’d be roaming around with you like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, no secrets will slip out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haa...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sighed and glared at Ibaekho, scanning the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was so much I wanted to say—from the weird way he explained how to get out—but I swallowed it for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But hey, I’ve been meaning to ask—GM still doesn’t know you’re a player, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right. He has no idea, so he’s just acting like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, if he knew your true identity, his expression would be priceless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, I’m curious too, but I can’t risk checking that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can I ask you something too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure, go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho’s casual permission gave me the courage to ask the question I’d wanted to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Noark guys came into the city, right? You said it was all to survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly does that mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since I’m outside anyway, just be honest. Is it because of the ash-colored world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, not hiding my frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho seemed to consider for a moment, then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ash-colored world... that’s a poetic yet fitting phrase.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough with that, just answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t really matter. It’s not that dangerous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not dangerous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, anyway... the reason the Noark guys desperately returned to the city is different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused and looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was he about to say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a monster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A really, really terrifying monster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He emphasized that so much I couldn’t keep up with his explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giving him a look to explain more, Ibaekho shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think it has a fixed habitat. Wherever you go, it shows up. Every time it appears, thousands die without a chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All we know is this: the more people around, especially those who stay outside the walls longer, the higher the chance it appears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that gave me a strange sense of discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like knowing something but not quite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was I overwhelmed by this feeling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I was thinking about that, Ibaekho asked me—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it kind of similar?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just like the Floor Lord—when conditions are met, it appears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s still dangerous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, very possible. But what can we do? The way home is already blocked. We’re few and only just left the city, so we have to trust that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh... no matter what I told myself, the anxiety didn’t fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because what I hate most is uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like how zero and one are totally different numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless the chance is zero percent, probability loses all meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What will happen will happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe I’d be better off not knowing...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I believe it’s better to know than to be ignorant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I grilled him about that ‘monster’ and heard an unexpected story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not exactly destructive or overwhelming...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t take damage. Not a single bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really, literally. Magic, aura, skills—all immune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thought was, does this make any sense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster you can’t even touch, no matter the method?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why it’s nicknamed the Reaper. The Reaper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From what I heard, the name suited it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since it’s a being humans can’t resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you feel? Creeped out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What to say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My curiosity was growing almost as much as my fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was instinct as a gamer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmph, there must be some way to counter it...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even monsters with gimmicks that seem impossible to catch have strategies when you keep hitting their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, not in real life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thinking that way was as natural as a reflex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What would it drop if caught...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I muttered that without thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho tilted his head, then opened his mouth wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow... you really are crazy, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where else would you find a barbarian as sane and reliable as me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. So what’s the deal with that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly changed the topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said something about an event happening in a year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... that...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We might not be able to return by then, so can you just tell me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Because we might return sooner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho cut off my follow-up question bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even from that, I could gather some information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s what made him so pissed off.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the magic circle was broken, Ibaekho got furious and tried everything to find a way back quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hinted that the ‘event’ was connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He hopes I don’t find out the details.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He probably thinks if I know about the event, I’d interfere or cause problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, it’s likely a bad event for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, I’m off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No surprise, Ibaekho ran off the moment the conversation got uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, were you done with that old man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. Synchronizing resonance doesn’t take long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing his work, GM cautiously asked for a private talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you spare a moment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, this time it’s his turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pretending I knew nothing, I followed quietly as GM led me to a secluded spot, turned on voice control, and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This may be a rude question, but...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just ask freely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is your relationship with Ibaekho?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh.How do I even explain this?\u003C\u002Fp>",1761,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","d044b3a60be646fd57bf7dca9b9cab676a8bfbe2266abd8c2b2b51356bf5194b","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-666","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-664",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]