[{"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-796":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},1328173,1764,"Chapter 796: Skull Island (3)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-796",796,"\u003Cp>The moment the cave door shut and we were cut off from the outside—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sconces on the wall ignited all at once, expanding our field of view. Not that it lit up the whole area—anything past ten meters ahead was still pitch black...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rieate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven tossed a light orb into the darkness and looked intrigued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it really doesn’t light up. Magic still works, so it’s not being suppressed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked genuinely curious about the mechanism, but I didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m not a scholar. I’m a player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to figure out the mechanics behind a field effect? What a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Your character has entered a special area.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Field Effect – Catacoma is now in effect.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Debuff: Severe Wound Aggravation applied.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Defeating monsters in this area will reduce a random stat by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Countdown timer removed.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Only the light of the dead can banish the darkness.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside this cave, light magic, torches, anything—none of it works to pierce the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even tried using necromancy-style items due to the “light of the dead” keyword, but all of them failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the only thing that can serve as a light source is the torches mounted to the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granted, those didn’t extend beyond the immediate area, but that wasn’t a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because monsters were about to start spawning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ooh! Look! A skull-head over there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait! Hold it, Ainard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Ainard tried to charge forward at the sight of the monster, I stopped her quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? What’s the problem, Bjorn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From now on, all monsters will be handled by Ilia Adnus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard still looked confused, but the Guildmaster immediately understood and gave a dry smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re offering me up as a sacrifice, I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What sacrifice? You’re not even dying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. I shall willingly volunteer myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ugh. We all know what’s going on here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He keeps using words like “sacrifice” just to make it sound more dramatic, doesn’t he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t say for sure, but Ilia Adnus drew his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A sword...? Isn’t he a bowman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, he uses a bow too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be exact, he’s a hybrid. His skill set isn’t very dependent on weapon type.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhk—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guildmaster advanced toward the monster walking in from the shadows and cut down four of them with a single strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t anything surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mobs in this zone average around Grade 7.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The combat itself isn’t difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem is what comes after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's natural regeneration has decreased by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's strength has decreased by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's flexibility has decreased by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's fire resistance has decreased by 1...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more mobs you kill here, the more your stats decrease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, that doesn’t mean you can just skip them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ooh! Look, more torches lit up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catacoma is designed so you can only proceed by continuously defeating monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, one thing’s for sure. Losing strength first really sucks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? What do you mean by that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Raven who answered Ainard’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every time you kill a monster here, a random sub-stat gets reduced.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sub-stat...? What the hell is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Things you gain from essences or Gavrilius’s blessings. Strength, agility, resistances, that sort.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What? That actually decreases?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard, who had been ready to charge in earlier, looked horrified. The Guildmaster gave a bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But someone has to take the hit, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I respect you, Adnus...! Taking that burden for your comrades! You are a warrior worth trusting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Haha, thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To me, it looked like a bad comedy skit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Burden,” my ass. It’s not even permanent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you leave this area, all accumulated debuffs vanish instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, that doesn’t mean you can completely cheese the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if it’s fine now, you should brace yourself mentally. Everyone I’ve talked to who went through this said it was an experience they never want to repeat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I guess if your stats drop to average human level, that emptiness must hit hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably. We mages wouldn’t really know though.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Then shouldn’t the mages just do the killing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha, who had been listening, tilted her head. Raven avoided her gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I heard that mages lose mana here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Then wouldn’t that make them just as miserable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven didn’t respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rare sight, really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Misha had managed to shut Raven up with logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right, enough chit-chat. Let’s move.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a funny moment, but as the leader, I couldn’t let time be wasted. I cut them off and kept the expedition going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's fire resistance has decreased by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's tenacity has decreased by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's soul power has decreased by 1.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Ilia Adnus's soul power has decreased by 1...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we continued the dungeon crawl and the Guildmaster racked up more kills, his complexion grew steadily worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where earlier he was slicing down four at once, he now struggled to take down even one at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which is exactly why I didn’t assign this role to Auyen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strategy requires a certain minimum stat threshold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bjorn. Shouldn’t we help him out a bit...? He looks like he’s struggling. I mean, couldn’t the Guildmaster just land the final blow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard spoke up with concern, but I shook my head firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just watch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fewer variables, the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone tries to help and accidentally lands the finishing blow, it defeats half the reason we came here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the only thing I could do for the exhausted Guildmaster was this—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good work. Let’s keep moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing the correct path to minimize wasted movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catacoma isn’t a straight corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s more like a crystal cave—a winding maze. If you get lost here, your stats get wrecked and you won’t be able to handle the boss fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, for an expedition with tons of sacrificial lambs, that wouldn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s the door!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ooh! We finally made it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s that thing in front of it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, the dungeon crawl brought us to the boss room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'317 mobs...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the total number of monsters the Guildmaster had killed by the time we got here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Okay, over 300. That meets the requirement...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another glance, I immediately initiated the fight with the gatekeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing the mid-boss was a bit of a hassle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Elwen could’ve just one-shot it with a fully charged arrow...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that would’ve caused issues in the next phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Adnus! Kill it now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh...! I’m trying! I’ve just taken on too many curses...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah, just hurry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We whittled it down carefully until it was near-death, then held it in place so the Guildmaster could land the finishing blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as a result—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「You have slain the Gravekeeper, Alleton. EXP +6」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Bonus for defeating a rare variant. EXP +1」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guildmaster successfully landed the final hit, and the mid-boss vanished into light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also a hidden piece here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「A Cursed One has slain the Gravekeeper.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「The curse of the vengeful spirit will not spread.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, when the Gravekeeper dies, the debuffs from the character with the most curses get shared with the entire party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the standard method is to rotate who lands the kills to balance the curse stacks. That’s what I used to teach back when I sold info.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that woman didn’t even know a hidden boss existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No reason to tell her that letting one person take all the curses prevents the spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No essence drop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too bad? It would’ve been trash anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, it’d sell. It’s rare. Might be worth researching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, right. She was always into that kind of thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever. Let’s just go in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We passed through the door that had opened after killing the gatekeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because all twelve of us are inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The layout of the cave resembled the island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walls, ceiling, floor—all made of bones. Even the sconces were made of skulls, with candles burning inside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss room was similarly designed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only unusual feature was the massive skull mounted on the front wall—much bigger than the one we saw at the cave entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ooh! Raven! What kind of monster is that? Looks super strong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No idea. Monsters that big are rare even in the labyrinth... maybe it’s not a monster at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hrm... Too bad! I was hoping to fight it later!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We advanced cautiously, formation intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elwen, begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my command, Elwen closed her eyes ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ and focused. I didn’t take my eyes off her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「All accumulated energy has been consumed.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「The empty vessel is filled with unknown power.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment [Chaos Circuit] activated—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now. Everyone else, out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my words, everyone except the selected few quickly exited the boss room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Me, Amelia, Ainard, Misha, Elwen, the Guildmaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These six would take on the boss this time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because they were elites, but because I wanted them to get the EXP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There wasn’t going to be any real combat anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thoom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble-rumble-rumble—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the others left the room, the door slammed shut and the chamber shook as if from an earthquake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[GROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRR—!!!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same howling we heard when we first entered the cave echoed once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clatter-clatter-clatter—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss, with its dramatic appearance, rose up from the sea of skulls on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Elwen Fornaci di Tersia has cast [Focused Fire].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[GROOAAARR... huh...?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three entire phases were skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Skull King’s normal fight is pretty tough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the battle drags on, the soul orb it carries gradually depletes—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That orb is its life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 80% HP, it casts a massive curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 60%, it summons adds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 40%, it uses an instant death move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at 20%, it enters an invincible recovery state with buffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King’s soul reservoir has fallen below 20%.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King casts [Soul Absorption].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three phases skipped. Phase 4 began immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that Phase 4 was hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elwen in infinite MP mode had more than just [Focused Fire].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Elwen Fornaci di Tersia summons [Spirit King of Darkness, Diclore].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOM—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elwen poured all her firepower into the boss. The soul orb drained faster than it could replenish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King has absorbed all available souls.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「All of Skull King’s powers are significantly amplified—」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King’s soul reservoir has fallen below 20%.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「No souls available for absorption.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment [Soul Absorption] ended, HP hit 20%, triggering the final phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King casts [Eternal Liberation].」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every boss monster has some kind of berserk mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one’s easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King gains immunity to all damage.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Soul orb rapidly depleting.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All you have to do is survive—my specialty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Skull King’s soul orb is nearly depleted.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one minute of berserk rampage, the Skull King finally stopped moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t technically dead, but the raid was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a civilian could walk up and shatter a glass orb on a frozen monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'About two minutes total since summoning...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one minute for recovery and one minute for berserk, it could be said we cleared it in seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good work, Elwen. As promised, Adnus, finish it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I shall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guildmaster approached the immobilized Skull King and shattered the soul orb to end the raid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「You have slain the Skull King. EXP +7」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Bonus for defeating a rare variant. EXP +1」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No essence dropped, but I didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main dish was something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「A Cursed One has slain the Skull King.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「A fragment of a long story has been completed.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Skull King’s bones scattered into shimmering light, the entire chamber began to shake again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble-rumble-rumble—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh... What now? Wasn’t that the end?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed lightly at Ainard’s muttering and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations, Ainard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? For what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of answering, I looked toward the massive skull mounted on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you wanted to fight that thing later, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s time for the hidden boss.\u003C\u002Fp>",1969,"2026-06-05T19:33:19.606Z",1,"novelbin.me","f5499571e4d3fe2aad55701700b07167405489a2f2593406dc445eafff052a5e","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-797","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-795",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]