[{"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-687":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},1328064,1764,"Chapter 687: Mystery (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-687",687,"\u003Cp>[Dungeon and Stone] is a hardcore type game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without making mistakes, characters you carefully raised die repeatedly throughout play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this news wasn’t that surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho’s team’s archer, Layton Briot, had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something that could easily happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fought fiercely with the Bon Dragon and was later teleported to a random coordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surviving alone on the ninth floor is never easy, especially when injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaina Flier, the healer, would have died right there too if she hadn’t been lucky enough to meet me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, hearing such news so suddenly was inevitably shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What do you mean...? Briot is dead...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM asked again with a shocked expression, but the Old Doom Grandpa calmly stated the facts without emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found his corpse on the way here. It seems this area was too harsh for him to survive alone after using all his strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“T-That’s....”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM was speechless at the news of the companion’s death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How ironic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Doom Grandpa, who spent far more time with him than us, seemed not to care at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, since Briot is dead, my conclusion is that the only one left to hang cloth on trees to pass on news is Ibaekho and his friend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I see...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Briot’s fate is sealed. So, what’s the situation here? And what’s that structure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-We don’t really know. It suddenly appeared when we arrived....”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, very interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We briefly looked at the Old Doom Grandpa, who was excitedly heading toward the structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed my eyes for a moment and silently mourned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Layton Briot...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging from how he traveled with Ibaekho, he probably wasn’t a good guy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I should offer my condolences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there’s no romance at all in this desolate labyrinth, that would be too sad—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Briot always wanted to quit everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned my head at the sudden voice and saw Jaina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, he got what he wanted. Now he doesn’t have to do anything anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Is she a psychopath too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought flashed through me, but seeing Jaina’s expression made me chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it sounded sarcastic, it felt like her own way of mourning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your comrades are lucky. When they die, there’s someone who will mourn them more than anyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why don’t you just defect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I joked, and Jaina hesitated, then smiled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t. I need a lot of sacrifices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sacrifices? You can just kill the raiders or those Noark bastards and get enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You do know I’m one of those Noark bastards, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, good point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks for the suggestion, but I’ll pass.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fair enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t serious anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the clan found out I took Karui’s priest, I’d have the ‘Trinity Church’ as my enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just thinking about the royal family gives me a headache. That’s not something that should ever happen...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So now it’s just Rex Aures and Ibaekho left to arrive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, the Old Doom Grandpa and GM started investigating the new phenomenon, while the rest waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, two days...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third day, Rex Aures appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked like a total wreck, beyond mere tatters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“H-Haha... I-I survived...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just looking at him, you could tell how much suffering he’d endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he saw us, he relaxed and fell asleep, while Jaina cared for and healed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you weren’t the one who hung the cloth...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Embarrassingly, no. I barely escaped the monsters and stepped into the ancient land, and right then—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut off Rex Aures’ story sharply and shared a look with the party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Isn’t it strange? By all indications, Ibaekho hung the cloth to pass on the news, but he hasn’t shown up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Definitely odd. At first, we thought he might’ve been hanging cloth in other places the first few days...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I also think it would be rational for him to have returned once by now to check things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Rex Aures joining us, doubts grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it wasn’t him either, only Ibaekho remains — but where the hell is he and what is he doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While discussing this, the Old Doom Grandpa suggested a possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe Ibaekho already went inside there first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed with a finger to the newly appeared structure to the left of the monument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like an entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We investigated from outside but still don’t know what’s hidden beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since we don’t know what awaits, we decided to gather everyone before making a move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Certainly... If it’s Ibaekho, he might’ve gone in alone, saying he’d check briefly before we arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s reckless, but somehow I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The party nodded in agreement with the Old Doom Grandpa’s explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ironically, he shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s definitely strange. No matter how you see Ibaekho, from my point of view, he’s the most cautious person here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Despite appearances, Ibaekho never does anything reckless. Sometimes I get frustrated because he’s overly cautious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That Ibaekho?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Confidence and caution are two completely different things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But wasn’t it Lord Ruingenes who said he might’ve gone in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. By process of elimination, no other possibilities come to mind. If such a cautious person did enter there, then he must have had a very good reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well? Bjorn Yandel, what do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind was tangled in many thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Old Doom Grandpa’s guess is right, once you go in, it’s hard to come back out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Makes sense. If he could freely come and go, he would’ve shown up at least once by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s wait one more day, just one day, then decide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave a one-day grace period, but Ibaekho still didn’t appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now it’s time to decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Havelion, do you have any idea what’s down there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, looking down the stairs covered in dark vision that obscured view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>GM shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never heard of anything like this existing in the Primeval Land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, same here...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the Primeval Land, nowhere in the Star Grave have I seen such an entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was especially suspicious that it appeared suddenly when it hadn’t been here before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, it’s decided.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we’re going in after all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never planned to avoid entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, we searched the Star Grave risking danger to find something ‘suspicious.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something suspicious appeared right before us; we wouldn’t just pass it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to wait for Ibaekho a bit longer, but since he hasn’t appeared, we have no choice. Maybe he’s inside already, so we’ll enter ourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s go in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to treat this as a sort of dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There would be unknown gimmicks, and traps that must be triggered if you don’t know better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that in mind, we carefully descended the narrow stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step by step, with me at the front and Rex Aures at the rear, ranged fighters lined up in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One cautious step after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dungeon without info is always like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, the first try was always about gathering information; unknown areas are dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For that reason, all five of us tied ropes around our waists, linked like a bundle of fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ropes were fixed outside with stakes like for rock climbing...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! Big trouble! Big trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before we descended far, a loud shout came from the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rope’s \u002FN_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t\u002F cut!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not my fault! I didn’t do anything! I was just following—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doesn’t sound like a lie. Looking at the rope’s cross-section, it seems cut by something sharp...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone stick close to the wall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We squeezed up the narrow stairs to inspect the rope’s end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a mistake by Aures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magical engineering rope is designed to stretch hundreds of meters, so it wouldn’t break accidentally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow slowly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We stopped descending to investigate what happened and climbed back up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t we going back much higher than we came down?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Correct. We went down 213 steps but now have gone back up over 240.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many steps we climb up, we see no exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the way back has vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Isn’t this a big problem? We’re trapped here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t panic. We all expected this before entering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“R-Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaina scolded Rex Aures as the GM approached me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since the way back is blocked, why don’t we just proceed forward as originally planned?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reasonable advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not exactly off, but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When you go down the stairs, the entrance disappears, and when you try to return, the stairs appear endlessly...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a sense of déjà vu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a place like this in one of the rifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Golden Ruins.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the entrance of that rift on the fourth floor, there was a similar effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like the walls are similar too...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this place is based on the ‘Golden Ruins,’ then just going down isn’t the solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a ‘piece’ hidden here too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the entrance is closed and you keep going up the stairs, you might trigger a special event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Better to clear that event just in case there’s something behind.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there’s no guarantee the event will happen here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying once more only costs a bit of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep close so no one falls behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? But—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, I strode forward quickly, climbing stair after stair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How long do you plan to keep climbing? There’s nothing but stairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Going back is a hassle too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At about halfway up, strange footsteps suddenly caught my attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hastily ordered the formation to halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, you’re turning back—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quiet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone is coming down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have no information on this ‘someone.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of special event doesn’t usually happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who the hell...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unknown, but the tension was high enough to signal battle readiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The approaching footsteps stopped abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did they notice us too?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air stiffened like a taut string.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swallowing reflexively, I gripped my shield tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ta-dat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of a sudden rush filled my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prepare for battle!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking the brief silence, a shout sounded as something swiftly charged from the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reflexively raised my shield, freezing in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pat-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two playful feet stopped just in front of the shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surprise! How’s that? Scared?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the innocent face, I sighed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this guy really crazy?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ibaekho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was debating whether to hit this bastard, Ibaekho poked my side and chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wahaha! You’re so surprised! Really surprised, huh? You seem really shocked. Are you okay? Scared?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Know when to joke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aw, how could I hold back? Finally reunited with my precious comrades!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seriously though, I didn’t expect you to be inside. How could you just go in without waiting for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, don’t be mad that I was just joking—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What did you just say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered my voice and asked. Ibaekho gave me a puzzled look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly checked one important thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is serious, so don’t joke around. Did you hang that cloth on the tree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now, I was almost certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ibaekho tilted his head and frowned at the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? Wasn’t that cloth hung by you, my lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That response sent a chill down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...If it wasn’t Ibaekho...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who the hell told us to come here?\u003C\u002Fp>",1893,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","c5877468a2b05490ce98c1da172d2eeb1fc577361384836e035a2ed6ca36baf8","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-688","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-686",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]