[{"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-690":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},1328067,1764,"Chapter 690: Mystery (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-690",690,"\u003Cp>After Ibaekho’s suggestion, we began serious research on the armor we had just obtained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two high-level mages, gamer-born Ibaekho and me, and two local top-tier explorers all gathered around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the armor had emerged from a mystery box, once several people started investigating it, progress came quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the first conclusion was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This definitely seems to be a Numbers item.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...A Numbers item? I’ve never even heard of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Neither have I, but there’s no doubt this is a Numbers item. The whole classification system was originally based on whether a specific magical reaction occurs or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is that possible...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you look at labyrinth history, not all numbered relics existed from the start. There was a time with no ‘numbers’ at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! A time without numbers? Was there really such a time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Numbers appeared only after a certain emotional archivist compiled 10,000 relics into a book.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe this armor is a new Numbers item no explorer has found since the labyrinth’s creation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A new Numbers item?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspect there are others like this armor. I’d like to call them ‘No Numbers,’ or ‘Mystery Numbers’...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM, eager to coin a proper term, was unfortunately beaten to the punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The official term is Secret Numbers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arua Raven discovered and named it first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, it’s upsetting to have a name stolen after finding something first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said it bluntly, but instead of sulking, the GM showed a scholarly gleam in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have there been more such relics?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hesitated but answered honestly since this information might help us now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just one other found in the labyrinth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we see it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unfortunately, I don’t have it right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone seemed curious about that item, and I only said it was found during the first-floor exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A ‘Secret Numbers’ from the initially opened area... Maybe many undiscovered Numbers items exist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought so too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the walls and even in the recently explored first basement floor, places long untouched by explorers are now revealing themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the Secret Numbers info, here’s what else we learned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa, it’s a bound item?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The armor was already bound to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bound imprint... so it can’t be returned, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM screamed in despair upon learning this, but what could be done?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just ignored it while fiddling with something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, explain it. Are you sure it’s bound?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. When someone else tries to wear it, shape adjustment doesn’t activate, and if forced to wear, it turns into ordinary armor with no effect. A classic bound imprint pattern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sounds like the vague wave pattern we discussed earlier is related to the owner’s imprint circuitry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, very likely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to being bound, it had an ‘indestructible’ option and one directly affecting wearer stats:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All regeneration speed increased.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The GM named this the armor’s main feature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A very rare trait. It’s not just for mana, soul power, or divine power, but literally all ‘regeneration.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only mana-like resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘regen speed increase’ also affects natural regeneration, and if I use other skills consuming special resources, this trait should still help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if it’s a Numbers item, shouldn’t it have a proper name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since calling it just ‘armor’ was dull, we gave it a name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I want to come up with a cool one—.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aegis Dragon Armor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s called Aegis Dragon Armor. From now on, that’s its name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I suggested it, Ibaekho nodded approvingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nice name. The color too; it really feels like part of a set.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Ibaekho approved, Jaina tilted her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I get ‘Aegis,’ but why Dragon Armor? It doesn’t use dragon hide or have dragon heart inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a tough question for such an offhand comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, honestly answering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just ‘armor’ sounded too plain...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I see...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaina looked confused, but the men all nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guys seemed to prefer ‘dragon armor’ over ‘armor’ or ‘plate mail.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Women really don’t understand what guys like.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, with the name ‘Aegis Dragon Armor’ finalized, a new discovery came through this process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...How coincidental. I tested it with Aegis Barrier, and it really resonated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s a true set item with the shield?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Both Aegis Dragon Armor and Aegis Barrier... are resonance relics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resonance relics mean set items that grant extra effects when equipped together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, No. 7611 ‘Necromancer’s Deception’ and No. 7612 ‘Necromancer’s Arrogance’ skull belts provide a resonance effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When either activates, an additional 50% HP recovery triggers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, learning it was a set updated existing info.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what’s the resonance effect between the armor and shield?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... looks like the regeneration effect itself is the resonance effect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All increased regen options are part of the Aegis set resonance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, so it has a passive effect too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes... appears to have one passive and one active ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning the armor has one passive and one active option...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The active was quickly figured out through experiments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Jurven Havelion cast 5th-grade attack magic [Lightning Spear].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Jurven Havelion cast 4th-grade attack magic [Storm Rush].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being armor, it was defense-related.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Jurven Havelion cast 4th-grade attack magic [Ice Sword]...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, they say the best defense is offense, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Reflects accumulated damage.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The active effect was somewhat like the essence of a gacha capsule toy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘counterattack’ mechanism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swishhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a one-time-use skeleton summoned for counterattack, a sort of summoned spirit appeared behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two features were like the gacha toy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the key difference?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Why is it so huge?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far more intimidating in scale than a mere skeleton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Is this an active summon ability?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh... but it’s moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giant Viking warrior spirit wielded a greatsword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It swung at the GM, who was attacking me for testing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it!! Block it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho shouted as the Old Doom Grandpa summoned a magic barrier to intercept the sword’s path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackling sound!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the hastily cast barrier wasn’t strong enough to block the greatsword fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get out of the way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rex Aures hurried forward with his shield—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kuhgh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blocked the greatsword and coughed up blood, ending the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant shield he held fell deeply dented, and the greatsword-wielding spirit faded away as if its purpose was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Healer Jaina rushed to check on Rex Aures, and only then did the GM, realizing how close he was to death, slump backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow... this is no joke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching all this, Ibaekho’s eyes gleamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Getting hit is definitely the trigger. So, does the reflection scale with damage dealt? Or does it activate once a certain amount accumulates?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Depending on that, our strategy might differ. But since it’s not unavoidable damage, it shouldn’t be too tough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, that’s why I was planning to study it alone later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, hey! What are you all doing? No one got hurt! Stop freaking out and get back to research.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Baekho? Didn’t you see I just spat blood—.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s stopped now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to Ibaekho’s active leadership, research resumed, and we thoroughly examined the active effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you get hit, stacks build up, and physical damage is dealt in stages proportionally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cooldown is only 5 minutes, no resource consumption. Yet, at 4 stacks, it does enough damage to shred 20 mana barriers like paper?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, yeah. Indestructible is a Numbers item feature.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But as a set, it boosts regen massively and still has one unknown passive effect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh... yeah...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To sum up, that’s roughly it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, what the hell is this busted armor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Depending on the passive, this might be a single Numbers-level item at least.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the passive is also single ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Numbers-level... then it’s basically a newly found single Numbers item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“M-Mine... originally...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the GM mumble that made my conscience prick, but so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not like I can give it back now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jurven Havelion, stop whining.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-But...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t be helped. I didn’t bind it to you intentionally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or do you think this is the end of our relationship after this expedition?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-No, not at all...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then me getting stronger is good for you too. I’m not the type to forget favors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After logically persuading, the GM was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked a bit sulky, but time would fix that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, Baron, that’s some serious gaslighting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho’s remark just went in one ear and out the other as I resumed research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We decided to check the unknown passive next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, two days, three days...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much time passed, the armor’s passive remained a mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha... if only there were monsters, we could find something out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve done everything possible without monsters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s not some special or hidden effect, we can only find out if monsters appear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So we gave up on discovering the passive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that made things worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We started researching the armor hoping it would lead us to an escape clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, back to square one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ibaekho’s deflated mood spread to everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was when a leader had to not show weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s start again, slowly, from what we can do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I encouraged them, and we resumed thorough searching of the Golden Ruins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We scoured all passages, even breaking walls physically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We also climbed the entrance stairs backward to visit Makairo’s chamber—the hidden piece of the Golden Ruins again...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Wow, this gives me goosebumps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Makairo’s corpse, which should have been inside the coffin, was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>",1577,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.642Z",1,"novelbin.me","a0b622de52cb0ad78c164cca8d6021aebe6c7850d1c5091670b33a644906dd74","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-691","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-689",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]