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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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The 7th floor of the Forest area. A wide clearing.
The sight that greeted Jeong Yoo-shin as he stepped out of the red portal was hell.
“Kyaaagh!!!”
“My leg!!!”
“Don’t fall back!!! Hold the line!!!”
“Damn it! Paul!”
Dozens of explorers were huddled together while fighting off a swarm of monsters.
The monsters were mostly Mushroom Men, half-rotted dogs, giant green slimes the size of a grown man, and spiders.
There were also monsters attacking from the rear.
They were small corpses with mushrooms riddled with holes growing on their backs.
He remembered encountering them before. Spikes had shot out from those holes.
It was a chaotic battlefield swarming with all kinds of monsters.
The explorers who were instantly killed by spikes to their vital points were the lucky ones.
He saw an elf dissolving inside a slime while struggling in vain.
There was a human surrounded by dogs being torn apart alive.
And there was a beast-person being dragged away into the bushes by a giant insect.
A horrific scene unfolded before his eyes.
“Shit.”
He took a stance, his sword and shield at the ready.
He was momentarily stunned by the gruesome sight, but…
Ironically, it was the blood and screams that brought him back to his senses.
A Mushroom Man lunged at him with its arms outstretched.
It was slow…
But its immense strength had almost killed him several times before.
Swish!!!
He sidestepped and swung his arming sword horizontally.
The blade flashed…
Thwack!!!
And the Mushroom Man’s head flew through the air.
Plop!
Fluid from the severed neck splattered onto his armor.
As he swung his sword to shake off the fluid, his party members emerged from the red portal one by one.
“Wh-What?!”
Mars, flustered, pulled back the string of his un-nocked bow.
The red portal closed behind Kubo and Iron Mask.
“Help me!!!”
“Kyaaagh!!!”
“Die!!! Die!!!”
The party members stared blankly at the chaotic battlefield, momentarily stunned by the screams and roars.
Iron Mask was the first to regain his composure.
“Skar!!! What’s going on?!”
“I don’t know!”
Jeong Yoo-shin replied while shoving a Mushroom Man away with his shield. Iron Mask quickly scanned their surroundings and pointed…
…Towards a group of huddled explorers. They weren’t far, but they were surrounded by monsters.
“We’ll join those explorers! I’ll clear the path! Skar, cover the rear!”
“Alright!”
Jeong Yoo-shin and his party quickly changed formation.
Iron Mask took the lead, followed by Kubo and Mars.
Jeong Yoo-shin took the rear.
“Let’s go!”
Iron Mask charged towards the group of explorers, his greatsword slung over his shoulder.
Jeong Yoo-shin ran behind while fending off the monsters that attacked his party members.
A half-rotted dog lunged at Mars.
“Gah!!!”
Mars, who had been running, froze.
“Run!”
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly stepped forward and swung his shield, striking the dog’s head.
Crack!!!
The dog collapsed, its skull crushed.
He didn’t stop there. He kicked the dog’s body.
Thud!!!
The dog flew through the air and collided with a group of spider monsters that were rapidly approaching them.
Just as he was about to move…
Swish!!!
The sound of something tearing through the air rapidly approached them amidst the screams and shouts.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s head instinctively turned.
‘Here it comes.’
Spikes fired by the baby corpses were flying towards him.
Could he block them all?
He didn’t know. He had to try. He had to protect his party.
He gritted his teeth and raised his shield.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three spikes pierced his shield. The force behind them made his wrist ache.
But…
He couldn’t stop here.
Jeong Yoo-shin swung his arming sword fluidly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Five spikes simultaneously struck his sword.
The impact reverberated through the hilt and into his wrist.
It was so strong that he thought his wrist bones might break.
Crack!!!
Jeong Yoo-shin gritted his teeth.
His arming sword bent at an unnatural angle.
“Fuck!!! Boron!!!”
He had complained about his swords breaking easily, and this was how Boron repaid him?
He had no choice but to block the remaining spike with his body.
Thump!!!
The spike struck the armor on his chest and bounced off.
Jeong Yoo-shin stumbled, then regained his balance and continued running after his party.
He threw away his mangled arming sword and drew the longsword from his back.
Shing.
The blade, drawn from its bluish scabbard, gleamed.
Although he needed both hands to wield it with its full power, this wasn’t the time to be picky.
A mangled dog lunged at them again, this time aiming for Kubo. He couldn’t let that happen.
Jeong Yoo-shin swung his longsword with one hand.
From top to bottom.
Swish!!!
The sharp blade sliced through the dog’s neck like butter.
He blocked the headless corpse with his body, sending it flying, and continued running.
‘Sigh, fuck.’
“From now on, you’re the Dog Decapitator!”
Jeong Yoo-shin declared to his sword as he ran.
Kubo, his face pale, looked back.
“Skar!!! Are you alright?!”
“Don’t worry about me and run!!!”
He saw Iron Mask wielding his greatsword at the front.
With each swing, three Mushroom Men were torn apart.
He pushed through the monsters with overwhelming strength and reached the explorers.
“We’re here!!!”
He moved slightly to the side, not wanting to interfere with their fight.
“Who are you?!”
A man in plate armor shouted, his eyes wide.
“We came through the portal! We were suddenly transported here!”
Iron Mask replied. But the man said something unexpected.
“Spread out and maintain formation!”
“Why?!”
“If you’re driven mad by pain, you’ll endanger those around you!”
“Then just take the rearguard!”
“Alright! Rearguard, go over there! Tell them Matt sent you!”
The man pointed.
A group of robed people were gathered there.
Other heavily armored warriors and ranged attackers were supporting them.
Jeong Yoo-shin handed his shield to Kubo and sent him to the rearguard formation.
Kubo looked bewildered before leaving.
“Why the shield…?”
“Shove it in front of Mars!”
“Alright.”
Kubo and Mars left, and Jeong Yoo-shin and Iron Mask remained.
They stood a short distance away from the man named Matt, maintaining their formation.
There was no time to breathe.
He swung his longsword relentlessly.
The screams, the poisonous spores, and the coppery smell of blood kept his frayed nerves on edge.
Thump!!!
“Shit!!!”
A Mushroom Man struck Jeong Yoo-shin’s chest, denting his armor slightly.
Jeong Yoo-shin stumbled back. Then he raised his sword and charged again.
Slash!!!
He swung his sword vertically, severing an arm…
Thump!!!
And then he rammed his body into the Mushroom Man, pushing it back. He raised his sword and plunged it deep into the creature’s head.
Squish!!!
The Mushroom Man shuddered, its head impaled, and then stopped moving.
Shing!!!
He pulled out his sword, kicked the Mushroom Man’s body, and charged towards the next one while swinging his sword.
Amidst the pain and the fighting…
A strange heat surged through him, making his mind race.
It felt like he was exploring the labyrinth again, like before.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes began to gleam.
His elf master’s teachings and the trajectory of Ret’s sword flashed through his mind.
He relaxed his shoulders and steadied his stance.
He sliced off the arm of an approaching Mushroom Man and severed its head.
The severed head flew through the air, landed on the ground, and rolled.
Just then…
The monsters began to swarm towards Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s swordsmanship became faster and faster.
Clang!!! Clang! Clang!
He deflected the incoming spikes…
Squish!!!
And crushed the arm-sized maggots crawling at his feet with his walker boots.
Lost in a trance, he slashed, stabbed, struck, and kicked.
Jeong Yoo-shin didn’t realize it, but he was moving beyond simple swordsmanship, developing his own style.
He wielded his longsword with both hands, then picked up an axe dropped by a dead explorer with one hand and mercilessly hacked at a Mushroom Man’s body.
Slash!!!
He was splattered with thick, poisonous fluid, but it didn’t matter.
His imprint ability…
[Venom Protection]
His body, which had felt heavy from the poison, became lighter.
Jeong Yoo-shin continued to push forward.
Matt, who had been holding the line at the front, finally had a chance to catch his breath and moved to Jeong Yoo-shin’s side to support him.
Iron Mask also joined them while wielding his greatsword.
“Hey! Who is this guy?! Is he possessed by a god or something?! He’s fucking amazing!”
Matt, finally having some breathing room, shouted to Iron Mask.
“He’s Labyrinth City’s chaste barbarian!”
“What?!”
Matt’s eyes widened as he exclaimed.
“That’s him?!”
It seemed that Matt already knew about Jeong Yoo-shin.
After an hour of fierce fighting, they finally eliminated all the monsters.
Because Jeong Yoo-shin had spearheaded the defense, holding back the swarm of monsters, the ranged attackers and priests in the rear had been able to fight safely.
The battle ended as he severed the last Mushroom Man’s head.
Jeong Yoo-shin stumbled and collapsed to the ground. His backside was soaked with blood and guts, but he was too exhausted to care.
In the clearing that was littered with corpses…
The few remaining explorers began to search for their companions.
“They took Aeron!”
“Ah… Kelsey.”
“Ugh! Nia!!!”
There were many casualties and missing persons.
The explorers who held intact corpses in their arms and wept were the lucky ones.
Some stood frozen before the half-dissolved remains of their companions.
Others, their faces blank, meticulously collected the scattered pieces of their companions’ bodies.
It was a horrific scene.
Leaving the grieving explorers behind, the party leaders gathered. There wasn’t enough time to mourn. They had to take care of the survivors.
A male dark elf in light armor.
A female dwarf in heavy armor wielding a double-headed axe.
Matt, the human male in plate armor.
They were all leaders of intermediate-rank parties.
The female dwarf spoke with a grave expression.
“Including myself, only two members of my party survived.”
A near-total loss.
The leaders were speechless.
“We lost two. Three of us remain, including myself.”
Matt said.
“I hate to say it, but four of us survived, with one casualty.”
The dark elf replied casually with his arms crossed.
Jeong Yoo-shin tallied the numbers from each party leader’s report.
Two survivors from the dwarf’s party.
Three survivors from Matt’s party.
Four survivors from the dark elf’s party.
Although all members of Iron Mask’s party had survived, he didn’t speak up.
The dark elf frowned.
“Why were we attacked by so many monsters? Does someone have a monster-attracting imprint?”
Matt shook his head.
“Huris, if someone had that kind of imprint, we would have noticed when they entered the labyrinth. Something else is going on.”
Huris, the dark elf, rubbed his eyes in frustration.
“We’re cursed. Tsk.”
Matt frowned at the dark elf’s nonchalant remark.
Even the dwarf’s party, which had suffered a near-total loss, was silent, but Huris’ party, which had only suffered minimal casualties, was complaining. It irritated him.
‘These damn dark elves.’
He prided himself on being a seasoned intermediate-rank explorer, but he still found the dark elves’ characteristically selfish remarks hard to tolerate.
“Sigh.”
Matt sighed deeply.
But this wasn’t the time for arguments.
The situation was serious. They had to work together to find a solution.
At least, that was what Matt thought.
“We have to figure out the cause and prevent it. If we’re attacked again, we won’t be able to hold out.”
Huris, the dark elf, growled.
“Matt, don’t be ridiculous. We need to get out of the labyrinth now. Do you think we’ll find an answer by sitting here and having a meeting?”
“We’re in the outer area. It’ll take a long time to reach the teleportation stone. Of course, we should head towards the teleportation stone. But if we just run blindly, we’re more likely to be attacked again. We need to know the reason.”
“We would have already packed up and left by then.”
Jeong Yoo-shin watched the party leaders bicker and glanced at Iron Mask.
“Do you have something to say?”
Iron Mask asked. Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged.
“Isn’t this… I know what this is.”
Jeong Yoo-shin and Iron Mask spoke quietly, but the party leaders’ gazes immediately fixed on Jeong Yoo-shin’s face.
Jeong Yoo-shin slowly spoke.
“It’s a precursor to an Eldritch Wave.”
“…What?!”
Everyone in the clearing gasped in horror.
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T/N – And mass release, start! You guys are in for a real treat this time.
Of course, it’s the start of an Eldritch Wave. The MC’s party just got a quest to prevent it, so by the MC’s luck, they enter the labyrinth just as the wave is starting.
Gotta admit though, the MC is getting better with his sword skills. At least he ain’t biting monsters’ necks anymore, though I wouldn’t mind a return to that if the fight is desperate enough. It’s just so metal!
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
