[{"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-678":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},1328055,1764,"Chapter 678: Dream (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-678",678,"\u003Cp>The unending dream continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oppa, I came again today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyunbyul visited almost every day, telling me various stories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I looked into it separately, hoping it might help you come to your senses. Honestly, I doubted if I could find you... but I got really lucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this dream world, Hyunbyul hadn’t been pulled into the game, and after hearing about me from my mother, she often came to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A discharged soldier named Ibaekho. I posted on the [Dungeon and Stone] community you frequented, and somehow, I managed to find him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I asked if I could meet him, he first asked if I was a girl? When I said yes, he said he’d meet. But his behavior is kind of... like a guy crazy about girls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I got sidetracked. Anyway, the important thing is he wasn’t pulled into the game world either. Ah... are you disappointed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disappointed? Not at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one in this dream world had been pulled into the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sent a letter to my Canadian friend despite everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I sincerely wondered if I was really crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fortunately, as of yesterday, the results came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many drugs they gave me or the torment they put me through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am not crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are many strange parts that don’t quite fit a dream, and plenty of unnecessarily realistic elements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, this is a dream world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might sound weird, but that’s somehow very advantageous to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Thinking back, even the police were strange.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they treated me like a lunatic and I caused a ruckus, Team Leader Kang still visits occasionally, hoping I recover soon, speaking kindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oppa, when you get better, let’s go to Namsan together. You liked the night view there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyunbyul, despite being just an ex-girlfriend, treats me with utmost care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My son... it’s my fault, my fault... If only I hadn’t done that, none of this would have happened...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mother, whose words always hit my sore spot, was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She kept spilling words I wished for deep inside my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really was a dreamlike world, wasn’t it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe that’s why.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back now, this might have been bigger than the effects of drugs or anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That this is reality, and that I’m not crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, people tend to just stay where they are once lying on an electric blanket, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But now I have to get up.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking the letter from my Canadian friend as support, I steeled my weakening will and began planning my escape again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I analyzed the hospital’s layout and the staff’s tendencies and schedules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, I pretended to take treatment obediently to lower their guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was while preparing diligently like that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Hansoo, although you haven’t told anyone... I think what you say might be true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Team Leader Kang came for a visit under the pretense of questioning and suddenly said this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For me, who was faking improvement, it was an awkward situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Isn’t that all just made up? I sincerely believe it now...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry... I’ve been wondering if it’s right to say this now that you seem to be improving... but could you please watch this video just once?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, like asking a favor, Team Leader Kang pulled out his phone and played a stored video.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What is this...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the police station where I’d been questioned before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camera showed the monitor on the desk...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you see? The words on this monitor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were unknown logs displayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The resolution was poor, making reading the text difficult, but luckily Team Leader Kang read it aloud for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Synchronization completed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Character information and logs are recorded and sent to the administrator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Messages like: ‘Initiated adulthood ceremony successfully,’ ‘Equipped new gear,’ ‘Comprehensive item level increased by...’ and so on—just like game messages—were densely written. Even updated in real time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sometimes character info appeared, and at one time, the character’s name was ‘Bjorn Yandel.’ It matches the name you mentioned, Mr. Hansoo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For me, who judged this place a dream world and was planning an escape, this situation was suddenly puzzling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But... so what does that mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, furrowing my brows, and Kang replayed the video that had paused briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please look closely around this monitor. Yes, right here. As you can see... no cables are connected to the monitor. Not even a power cord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh... that’s true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind got confused for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth does this mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a scientifically inexplicable situation. Because of this, I think even more that your story might be true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...So you’re saying I’m not crazy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I don’t know that yet. But one thing’s for sure... the situation is very suspicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Suspicious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I tilted my head, Kang glanced around and lowered his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This monitor was lost from the evidence room shortly after being brought here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like someone tried to destroy evidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth is going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Team Leader Kang’s words left me confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had finally come to fully believe this world was a dream, yet he showed me such a video?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where’s the line between truth and falsehood?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did they send Kang to show this so I’d believe, since I refused to believe this place was real?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If that were true, why did the Canadian friend’s reply ever arrive?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every contradiction solved creates another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head hurt more and more, but I tried to think simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, faith is what matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I can choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The execution day is four days from now...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My escape plan was completed, and the date set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, I would escape this hospital and get outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I’d have to think about how to escape this dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Somehow, I think [Dungeon and Stone] might have the method...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that’s just my guess, not certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the hospital allowed everything except playing [Dungeon and Stone], which felt suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they said it was because it would interfere with treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Clearing [Dungeon and Stone] again. That might be the trigger.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s definitely worth trying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the important thing is to succeed on the first try...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Just in case, one more time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While waiting for the execution day, I kept running simulations to find any shortcomings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, two days, three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When only one day remained before execution day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Patient Lee Hansoo! You have a visitor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone came to visit the hospital where I was admitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought it would be one of Hyunbyul, my mother, or Team Leader Kang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to my surprise, it was an unknown old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dressed in a suit reminiscent of a gentleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A luxurious cane, not looking like a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Holding a cane doesn’t mean he’s a wizard, though.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately analyzed the stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A habit formed in Rafdonia—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must be Hansoo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, the old man who looked like a pure white person spoke Korean very naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought the young person behind him was an interpreter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe just an attendant?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know, but one thing was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, but... who are you, sir?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, I felt uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would someone like this come to see me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked wealthy and high status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the fact that someone unrelated could visit me made me suspicious...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man removed the fedora hiding his face and placed it on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His previously hidden face was revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No introduction needed anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Auril Gavis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heartbeat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The one who made the [Dungeon and Stone] you played.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t expected even this old man to show up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because this concept is ‘a dream,’ I really couldn’t predict the development—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s sharp, unfathomable gaze fixed on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An overwhelming presence just from his look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems you already knew me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, whether this world or the other, I can’t hide anything from this old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you see another me in that world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another you...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I guess you haven’t found that out yet...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe I’m just too used to modern life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the old man smack his lips awakened old instincts throughout my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have to keep my wits about me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, get to the point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lowering my voice, I met the deep eyes directly, and the old man smiled strangely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A somewhat satisfied smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m the only person who knows you’re not crazy. And I have the ability to help you get out of here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But judging by your lack of reaction, you must already have an escape plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha, this old man probes so naturally, like breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get to the point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered my voice further and spoke firmly, and he slowly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he got to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll ask directly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man had one thing he was curious about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you meet that child?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is that child?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I guessed, I pretended not to know, and the old man shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Forget it. I’ll rephrase.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Now you’ve got me curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How were you able to return? The Abyss Gate never opened, did it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...If you’ve come this far, I suppose you’ve already investigated everything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you mean the records you told the police and doctors? I checked that long ago...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man, who had been speaking calmly, suddenly clamped his mouth shut and burst into loud laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! Ahahahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you really believe this world is a dream world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tone was mocking, so I didn’t want to answer. But if I kept silent, I’d gain no information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you don’t think so, old man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hansoo, no matter what you believe, this is unquestionably reality. Even if it’s different from where you came from.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Different from where I came from? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This world has no ‘cheat mode’ like you said. That’s why only you could open the Abyss Gate and cross to Rafdonia. But...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trailing off, the old man continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That doesn’t mean this place isn’t real.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hard to believe, but it’s all real. Your begging mother, your devoted ex-lover.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just hard to believe—it was unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then... provide proof.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when I dared to challenge him, the old man just smirked and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need for that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not because you don’t have any proof?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to push it, but he didn’t respond as I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Believe whatever you want. You probably think this is a dream. If you want to go back there, there’s no need to convince you otherwise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha... saying that now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stress level spiked, but since I was close to escaping, I couldn’t hit back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, I’ll be leaving. Good luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man got up smoothly, as if his business was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of \u002FN_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t\u002F course, he could have left right there, but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling uneasy, I stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there something else you want to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh... I didn’t stop him because I had business, just because I couldn’t let him leave like that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it had come to this, I decided to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do I wake up from the dream?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want me to return anyway, shouldn’t you just tell me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man, who had been staring at me through repeated questions, smiled again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to return, it will happen whether you want it or not. But since you’re still here...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem to have grown fond of this place despite what you say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell? Even now, I only want to go back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I’ll handle the hospital and police matters. So you can do whatever you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever he says, I will never be confused.\u003C\u002Fp>",1967,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","52cf92d30bf039457ce2b99e4e4da0d5bdd1853111e9921464078b8847be0fde","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-679","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-677",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]