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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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In the forest, a short distance from the watchtower…
The guide Mars’ sudden announcement brought puzzled looks to the faces of the party members.
“A wooden box? There can’t be…”
Iron Mask muttered.
Jeong Yoo-shin subtly raised his fist.
“Are you possessed by an evil spirit?”
Mars, who had just emerged from the bushes, flinched and retreated while waving his hands.
“No! I’m not! You lunatic!”
“It could be a treasure chest.”
Kubo interjected.
A treasure chest?
“A treasure chest in a place like this?”
“I’ve heard that they appear occasionally in the labyrinth. No one knows how they’re created, though.”
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin.
Ah.
He had forgotten.
Lionel had mentioned it briefly when they were trapped in the Ingrave City tower with Karin’s party.
He had said that chests sometimes appeared in the labyrinth.
But was he really that lucky?
Did that make sense?
His past experiences made him suspicious.
“Do we really have to open it? We need to get to the 7th floor. What if we get injured and our schedule is delayed?”
Mars shrugged.
“So what? It’s not like we landed in the outer area. We might find a decent magic tool.”
“Hmm.”
“And I learned lockpicking at the Guide’s Guild. A wooden box like this? I can crack it open in no time!”
Mars exclaimed enthusiastically.
“How much is a decent magic tool worth?”
Kubo scratched his beard and then answered Jeong Yoo-shin’s question.
“The best magic tools you can find on this floor are usually worth 10 to 15 gold coins.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
The same price as the refrigeration magic tool he had bought!
“Crazy. That much?”
“There’s a reason people are so eager to enter the labyrinth. The opportunities for making money expand significantly once you become an intermediate-rank explorer.”
“Sigh. We won’t have space for it with all the water and food we’re carrying, though.”
“…”
The party members stared at Jeong Yoo-shin silently.
“What?”
“You’re already worried about space in your backpack before even knowing if there’s anything valuable inside? After objecting just a moment ago? You have no shame.”
Jeong Yoo-shin blushed slightly at Kubo’s words.
It was true.
He was a bit embarrassed that he had counted his chickens before they hatched in front of his party members.
“Kubo, are you possessed or something?”
“No, you lunatic. I can’t say anything around you.”
Kubo recoiled in disgust as Jeong Yoo-shin threatened him.
“Let’s go check it out.”
Jeong Yoo-shin took the lead. They knew there were no enemies nearby, but he had to be prepared to protect his party members if anything happened.
It definitely wasn’t because of greed.
The party slowly approached the watchtower.
They pushed through the overgrown bushes and saw a clearing and a small watchtower.
They passed the moss-covered stone walls and reached the watchtower.
It was in better condition than the watchtower he had seen during his previous labyrinth trip.
Some kind of symbol was engraved above the entrance. It was worn down and difficult to decipher, but it looked like a military insignia.
He exchanged glances with his party members, and then…
He secured his shield to his wrist before opening the old wooden door.
Creak.
The wood creaked, and the cool air trapped inside the watchtower escaped.
Mars was right.
There was a large wooden box in the center of the watchtower.
“Are you really going to open it?”
Kubo asked again, sounding worried.
“Priest, have a little faith in me.”
Mars put down his pack, took out his lockpicking tools, and slowly approached the wooden box.
He examined it, then inserted a lockpick into the keyhole and started fiddling with it.
“…”
The party members watched Mars silently.
Click.
Clack!
After struggling for a while, Mars’s face brightened as he heard a click.
“I opened it!”
“Oh!”
Mars grinned and slowly lifted the lid of the box.
Just then…
Twang!
The sound of a released spring echoed from inside the box, and Mars’s head snapped to the side.
Swish!!!
A bolt shot out from the box, grazed Mars’s cheek, and embedded itself in the wooden door of the watchtower entrance.
“Hiek!”
Mars let out a strange cry and fell back on his butt.
“Mars!”
“You idiot!”
The party members rushed over and surrounded Mars.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
Iron Mask asked urgently.
“Uh… No. I’m fine.”
Mars said as he wiped the blood from his cheek. He looked dazed.
“The bolt might be poisoned. You should use an antidote.”
Jeong Yoo-shin took out an antidote and handed it to Mars.
Mars opened the bottle with trembling hands and poured the antidote onto his cheek.
“Ouch!”
Mars recoiled.
‘Such a wimp.’
Seeing him trembling reminded Jeong Yoo-shin of the fearless Lin. It was even more noticeable because they were both of the rat-type.
“Do you have a healing potion?”
“I do.”
Mars regained his composure, took out a healing potion, drank some, and then poured some on his wound.
Once the situation was under control, Jeong Yoo-shin stood up and looked inside the box.
“What’s this?”
There was only a single glass bottle filled with a black liquid inside the box.
“What is it?!”
Mars jumped up and approached the box, but Jeong Yoo-shin pushed him back.
“Kubo, there’s a glass bottle inside. Looks like a potion.”
“Really?”
“But the color is a bit unsettling.”
Kubo’s expression changed, and he hurriedly approached the box and looked inside.
“This is…?”
“What?”
The party members gulped, seeing Kubo speechless.
Was it a jackpot?
Or a dud?
“This is Inferno Oil.”
Jeong Yoo-shin and Mars tilted their heads, but Iron Mask seemed to know what the black liquid was.
“Ah. Is it that ‘burning water’?”
“That’s right. I heard that’s what humans call it.”
Iron Mask crossed his arms and examined the bottle.
“This is strange. Isn’t this black liquid only found deep underground or in the deepest parts of the ocean? How could it be found in the labyrinth? And it’s so well-preserved too…”
“I don’t know. It’s the labyrinth, so just accept it.”
Kubo also looked at the bottle and then commented.
“Though I heard that only magic tools and scrolls appear in these boxes.”
Kubo shook his head at Iron Mask’s question.
“No. All sorts of things appear. People only talk about magic tools because they’re the most valuable.”
Mars spoke with a grim expression.
“Sometimes, explorers say that the items in the boxes could be the belongings of deceased explorers.”
‘Shit.’
A chill ran down Jeong Yoo-shin’s spine.
He glanced at the bottle in Kubo’s hand, then looked away.
“Let’s stop here and rest. We’ve been walking for a while now.”
The party members put down their packs and sat around the torch.
Jeong Yoo-shin took off his helmet and loosened his walker boot straps.
As he was catching his breath, Mars grinned and took out a glass bottle.
“Hehe. Tired of dried meat? I brought a special treat.”
“A special treat?”
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at Mars’s bottle and his eyes widened.
“…Eel jelly?”
“That’s right!”
Mars grinned and held up the bottle.
Pieces of fish floated in the whitish jelly.
Kubo’s eyes lit up.
“Mars! You know what’s good!”
“Here, try some. Don’t you get tired from exploring the labyrinth? This will give you energy!”
Mars opened the bottle and offered it to the party members. He had even carved small branches into makeshift forks, seemingly prepared.
“…”
A strange fishy smell emanated from the open bottle, filling the watchtower.
‘Shit.’
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
“You guys enjoy it. I’m good.”
Mars patted his chest.
“Skar, I brought this for you and Iron Mask.”
“Really?”
“Because you two are the vanguards. Don’t you run out of stamina in the labyrinth? This will give you energy. I emptied my pockets to buy this for you.”
‘Did you really have to empty your pockets?’
Jeong Yoo-shin couldn’t believe that such a grotesque food existed, even if seafood was rare.
‘Just close your eyes and eat it. It’s food prepared by a party member. He even emptied his pockets to buy it. Do you really want to hurt his feelings by refusing?’
‘You idiot, who’s the voice of conscience? You eat it all, you devil!’
An angel and a devil fought in his head.
Iron Mask shook his head.
“I’ll eat it later. Save mine.”
“Really? Alright. I know it’s hard to eat with your mask on. Then Priest Kubo will have some first, and then Skar.”
Kubo grinned, took the bottle, stabbed a piece of eel with his makeshift fork, and swallowed it.
Chew, chew.
Kubo savored the eel and nodded.
“Delicious! I already feel energized! Look! My muscles are bulging!”
The naked dwarf flexed his arm.
Mars rubbed his hands together and grinned like a sycophant.
“Hehehe. It’s also good for your virility.”
Kubo ate a few more pieces and then handed the bottle to Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Skar, eat up. I’m the rearguard, so I only had a few bites. The jelly is the best part. Just slurp it down.”
“…”
Jeong Yoo-shin took the bottle with trembling hands.
He glanced up to see Mars watching him with sparkling eyes.
He couldn’t refuse after Mars had spent his money on food for him and Iron Mask.
He picked up a makeshift fork and stabbed a piece of eel, pulling it out of the bottle.
‘Holy shit.’
The slimy eel came out along with the jelly.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eye twitched.
‘Sigh. I can do this.’
He held his breath, put it in his mouth, and chewed.
Gulp.
He swallowed and closed his eyes.
The slimy fish, the soft jelly, and the spices that enhanced the pungent fishy smell assaulted his senses.
“Th-This is… great.”
Jeong Yoo-shin gave a trembling thumbs-up.
Mars beamed.
“Have another one!”
“You son of a bitch!”
Kubo and Mars’s faces hardened at the sudden outburst.
“Fuck. This is so fucking delicious! My dick is already hard! Mars, come here. Let’s have a quiet chat in the bushes.”
As Jeong Yoo-shin stealthily approached…
“S-Stay away.”
Mars, horrified, backed away while dragging his butt along the ground.
Jeong Yoo-shin sealed the bottle tightly and handed it to Iron Mask.
“Here, Leader. Have some.”
“Skar, your tone is a bit strange.”
Iron Mask chuckled, took the eel jelly, and put it in his backpack.
The party members sat around the torch, chatting. Mostly, it was Mars and Kubo praising the eel jelly.
After resting for about two hours, they stood up, packed their belongings, and left the watchtower.
“The teleportation stone should be just a little further ahead.”
Mars said while putting his map away.
The party members pushed through the bushes and continued forward.
They walked for six hours straight.
Since they had landed near the teleportation stone in the Central area, they hadn’t encountered any monsters.
However, they did come across several mold-covered, dismembered explorer corpses along the way.
Each time, the party’s atmosphere grew heavier.
Even the laughter and chatter during their rest couldn’t completely dispel the oppressive atmosphere of the labyrinth.
“We’re here.”
Mars muttered in a low voice.
The laughter and chatter from a few hours ago felt like a distant memory to then now.
The party’s atmosphere was heavy.
They pushed through the bushes and saw it.
A wide clearing with sparse weeds.
And in the center, the teleportation stone.
Jeong Yoo-shin took the lead and approached the teleportation stone.
He turned and looked at his party members.
“Ready?”
“…”
No one answered.
They simply gripped their weapons and met his gaze.
That was enough.
He placed his hand on the teleportation stone, and two portals appeared.
Whoosh.
A red portal and a blue portal.
He stepped into the red portal.
His vision turned red, and he felt a floating sensation.
Thud!
He landed on the familiar dirt floor.
“Kyaaagh!!!”
“H-Help me!!!”
He immediately looked around at the sudden screams.
“What?!”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
Hell unfolded before his eyes.
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T/N – Hey guys! Just a heads up that the paid chapters mass release this coming Saturday is a go! So do keep an eye for it.
Of course, something is happening. Of course, the MC just happen to teleport right where the action is. I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point. 😅
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
thanks you always