[{"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-685":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},1328062,1764,"Chapter 685: Butterfly (5)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-685",685,"\u003Cp>When the flash faded and my vision returned—though I wasn’t even sure if I could call it “returned”—my eyes opened to a blurry, hazy scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, gathering all the sensory input I had from my body, I realized—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoooosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was sinking underwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwoong—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I regained my senses, my body hit the maximum depth, sending a heavy vibration through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, that stings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp pain blossomed in my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like something sharp had pierced it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Startled, I quickly turned my head to check beside me, and saw a monster clinging tightly to my shoulder, biting down like a goby fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Uh, that thing is...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 5th-grade fish-type monster, a Hoppfish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even through my blurred vision, I recognized the monster biting my shoulder—and naturally realized where I was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this monster only appears in two places:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 6th floor sea, and the Dreamfall Waterfall in the 9th layer Stargrave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to guess which it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Character has entered a special zone.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Field effect — Dreamfall Waterfall applied.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additional info popped up, and the rough cause-and-effect situation formed in my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bone Dragon’s ‘Dispel’ succeeded in teleporting me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was incomplete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like everyone else got teleported to random spots... and I alone ended up here...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, I worried about the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For classes like Ibaekho’s solo-ready type, maybe it’s possible—but for mages or priests, surviving alone on the 9th floor is almost impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s enough worrying.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, I should focus on surviving myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I swung my arm and shook off the Hoppfish biting my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s go.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dragged my heavy body forward, still underwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finding the right direction was easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current in Dreamfall Waterfall always flows toward the center of the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I just floated the boat on the water, it would inevitably drift toward the waterfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if I walked in the opposite direction, I would eventually reach land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the presence of the Hoppfish, the land wasn’t far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splash, splash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I carefully stepped on the ground that swallowed me up to my ankles each time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, obstacles kept appearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Seriously losing my mind here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step woke nearby monsters sleeping under the water, and they aggroed on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoooosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried swinging the Demon Crusher out of annoyance, but it didn’t help much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowed by water resistance, hitting underwater monsters was too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would nimbly retreat when I swung, then approach and bite me as if nothing happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn bastards...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I gave up trying to shake them off and focused on moving forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some clung to me, biting and gnawing, but I ignored them and just kept walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Puhhaaaat!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was still near where Hoppfish spawn, I soon reached land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well... sort of soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Whew, I really thought I was done for.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the end, I almost suffocated underwater, but thankfully managed to get out just in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was time for revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack! Crack! Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smashed the monsters that dared to follow me onto land with my hammer until they lay sprawled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haa, haa, haa...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After fighting fiercely with the Bone Dragon and then struggling underwater, I was so exhausted I couldn’t even move a finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I lay flat on the ground, taking a rest while organizing my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, the most important question in a crisis:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should I do next?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No deep pondering was needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘First, I need to regroup.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alone, I had to cautiously explore the 9th layer and reunite with the scattered party members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the top priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A secondary goal would be to find clues or a way to escape the Stargrave while doing so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing the urge to lie down and rest more, I forced myself to get up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was relatively advantaged at survival in the 9th layer, but everyone except Ibaekho wasn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So as the easiest one to move, I had to try harder—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I tried to take a step, I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no idea why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Jaina?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d already found the first party member.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was no more than five meters from where I had been lying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why didn’t I see her before?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought that, but also understood why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I wasn’t in a state to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jaina!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ran quickly to check her condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a distance, she looked like a corpse, but thankfully she was still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swiftly, I removed the thick coat she always wore tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Underneath was her teal chest armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. 2,578 Sky Breastplate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not an item that boosted stats, powers, or regeneration, but ranked highly in defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I always called it her “life jacket.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s what kept her alive.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ironically, though, it was also causing her death at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breastplate’s chest area was deeply dented, pressing hard on her lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by that, her ribs were probably all broken too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Shit... how do I get this off?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was quite a tricky situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To treat her, I had to remove the armor first, but in her current state, that was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is to save you. Understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told unconscious Jaina what I was about to do and asked for her understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slid my fingers into a small gap in the armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaaaah!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled hard, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° tearing the armor apart from both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the armor had been in normal condition, it would have been impossible, but since it had been severely crushed earlier, its durability dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The armor slowly opened and then suddenly ripped apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Will it be repairable?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought crossed my mind, but I chose not to care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not, I’d just buy a new one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked like I had saved quite a bit of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ciiiiiik—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After removing the armor that would surely block healing, I immediately poured a potion on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bubbles fizzed visibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seeing that made me feel the pain, but she was so close to death that she didn’t even react to the healing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I poured another potion and kept checking her condition nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ciiiiiik—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the creepy sound of fizzing continued for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh... uuh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaina seemed to regain some consciousness as faint groans escaped her lips, and she began to writhe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I noticed—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She has a tattoo on her side.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tattoos on explorers aren’t unusual, but Jaina’s was somewhat unique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, it was very small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the size of a thumb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was crude, like drawn by an amateur, and the color had faded as if a long time had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Could she be from Noark?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I was in Noark, the slum’s pinnacle, I’d seen kids with such crude tattoos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None were by their own will but forced by others—well, rather, by a moment of indulgence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the tattoo under Amelia’s eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff... huff... huff...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About ten minutes passed as Jaina kept twisting her body and groaning roughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she started breathing heavily and muttering to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was so soft and slurred at first I couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded like chanting in a dialect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more I listened, the more I realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still didn’t understand the words, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“uck......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the language of this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...So she was an evil spirit after all.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was the ‘evil spirit language’ Ibaekho joked about daily, unconsciously slipping out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But somehow, I doubted that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff... huff...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching for a while, her muttering stopped, and her breathing gradually normalized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From experience, it was now the right time to talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you feeling a little better?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook her shoulder lightly and her eyelids fluttered open weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What... what happened...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wow, even upon waking she tried to understand the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, those types survive longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it’s because she’s from [Dungeon and Stone].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you remember?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The boat... got hit... then I passed out...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You passed out, so the plan went as intended and the multiple teleport magic was cast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Bone Dragon’s interference made the spell incomplete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Incomplete...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seems like everyone was teleported randomly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I landed in the middle of Dreamfall Waterfall, barely swam to shore, and found you unconscious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That happened...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s your body? Can you stand? We want to move soon, since we’ve been here too long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please... help me a little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I helped Jaina up, but she couldn’t stand, so I carried her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oof...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’ll be easier if I just carry you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staying in one place too long wasn’t good, so we started moving with Jaina on my back, talking as we went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are you headed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the Primordial Land. Since it’s central, everyone will likely wake up and head there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the Primordial Land connects every area, so depending on the situation, we can quickly get to the destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, try to avoid fighting as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you regain strength, do some detecting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Sounds like some kind of tool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t want to, just recover fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’ll be easier for me, too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so began the two of us traveling together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because it was just the two of us, her speech was much more coherent than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe because she knows if I abandon her, it’s over.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know, but she even gave me a somewhat humble thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Thank you for saving me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to thank me, heal me well in battle later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like Aures gets more healing spells even though you’re both injured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s just your imagination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, I’m not so sure...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, you were an evil spirit too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked casually at a totally unexpected moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt her grip on my shoulder tighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guess that’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing my muttering, Jaina stayed silent for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why bother hiding it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just being with Ibaekho is enough to make you a traitor to the palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe that pushed her to admit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...How did you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard you muttering in ‘evil spirit language’ while you were unconscious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her reaction to my proof was surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me...? That can’t be...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Usually, people who talk in their sleep don’t know they do it—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, that’s not it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It just... doesn’t make sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doesn’t make sense?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hesitating a long while, she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m an evil spirit, but I have no memories of that other world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was that supposed to mean?\u003C\u002Fp>",1768,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","ba75792e83e46cd84e90c36f41768f51bab357bdb055cd8000452ac123ba0e7e","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-686","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-684",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]