How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World – Chapter 143

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Jeong Yoo-shin stared at his reflection, his eyes wide.

His strong eyebrows remained, but his sharp eyes had softened, becoming warm and gentle.

His nose was high and straight.

His skin was taut and smooth, as if coated with honey.

His features, which had become hardened from his ordeals in the labyrinth, had softened considerably.

He looked more like his mother than his father now.

Could it be?

Was this the blessing that the Earth Mother Goddess had spoken of?

That goddess…

Was she serious about his face?

But it was a bit much to call such an external change a ‘blessing’.

Jeong Yoo-shin closed his eyes. A vast amount of mana surged through him.

He had almost forgotten about it due to the natural flow of his mana.

‘So I kept the increased mana.’

Even if she was a bit of an airhead, she was still a real goddess, huh?

Karin chuckled.

“Judging by your expression, you seem to have figured it out. That’s right. The goddess must have intervened during the imprint removal. She said that she had to borrow some mana because she was lacking in energy.”

Mana?

‘Did she mean the mana in my body?’

“Is that so? You seem to know a lot about it. Have you made up with Mion?”

“…We never fought in the first place!”

Karin replied while blushing.

In fact, she and Mion had had a long talk in the park last night while Skar was asleep.

Mion had removed the sensory sharing spell she had cast on her breast while apologizing for her rash actions.

They had cleared the air.

But she still felt a pang of guilt. She had slept with Skar first, after all.

Karin rubbed her eyes.

“I’m tired from staying up all night. I’m going to take a nap.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of the inn, so get some rest.”

“Thanks.”

He saw Karin off and then went downstairs.

Tarman still looked dazed.

“A-Ah, Skar?”

Tarman stammered.

“What?”

“Is it alright for your face to change so drastically? I’m worried that one day you’ll come back looking completely different, and I won’t recognize you.”

“Tarman.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s just get to work. People don’t just change their appearance so easily.”

Tarman had many rebuttals to that, but he eventually held his tongue.

“Yes.”

Jeong Yoo-shin put on an apron and started serving customers.

He also went to the kitchen and greeted Anne.

Anne, who was holding a frying pan, looked surprised when she saw him.

“S-Skar?”

“What?”

“It’s really you, isn’t it? You surprised me. You look so different.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Can you prepare a potato salad and some rye bread?”

“Yes.”

Jeong Yoo-shin diligently served the food.

A man dressed as a merchant stared at Jeong Yoo-shin with his mouth agape.

“Barbarian? Are you the owner?”

“Something like that.”

“Did you change your business model?”

“No. We’re still an inn.”

“And you don’t give massages at night? Isn’t that a bit of a scam?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Heh! I’ve traveled to many cities, but I’ve never seen a barbarian as handsome as you. Your dick must be busy every night.”

A vein popped on Jeong Yoo-shin’s forehead.

‘This low-life scum.’

His tone was like that of a third-rate underling from some back-alley gang.

“Eat quietly and leave. While I’m still being nice.”

“Gasp!!! Alright!”

The merchant, intimidated by Jeong Yoo-shin’s fierce glare, buried his face in his food and began to eat.

Jeong Yoo-shin moved briskly.

He didn’t have a moment’s rest from morning until lunch.

The number of customers should have decreased, but…

It instead increased.

He was overwhelmed by the endless stream of customers.

“Hey, black-haired oppa! I’ll have tomato soup and a ham sandwich!”

“I’ll have the roasted potatoes and steak.”

“Cream pasta.”

“Yes, coming right up.”

The three female novice explorers who had just ordered put their heads together and whispered.

“Is this that value-for-money restaurant?”

“Yeah. I heard it was run by a barbarian and was dangerous, but I guess that wasn’t true.”

“Isn’t that the famous barbarian innkeeper? He’s so handsome. I could just eat him up.”

As evening approached, the number of explorer customers began to dwindle.

Explorers usually came in droves in the evening, so he was puzzled by the quietness.

‘Is something going on?’

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

It was just one of those days.

‘Not every day can be a good day for business.’

As he was resting at the counter, Karin came down from the second floor while yawning.

“Yawn. What? Not many people today.”

“Yeah.”

Karin tilted her head for a moment, then clapped her hands together.

“Oh! Right. The Labyrinth City Council is changing, right?”

“What does that have to do with the lack of customers?”

“Hear me out. You know how normal explorers usually enter the labyrinth in the morning, right?”

“Right. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Monster-person explorers enter in the afternoon.”

“Ah.”

He had forgotten. He had always entered the labyrinth in the morning or early morning, so it had slipped his mind.

“So?”

“I heard that the schedule is changing with the new council.”

Jeong Yoo-shin immediately understood.

“Monster-person explorers in the morning, and normal explorers in the afternoon?”

“Right. And since it’s summer, I heard that the other explorers are gathering in the evening and entering the labyrinth then.”

“But Ingrid is still on duty, isn’t she?”

“Her term is almost over. They’re just getting used to the new schedule in advance. The Explorer’s Guild is also managing it that way. I don’t know the details, though.”

I see.

Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin.

Should he go to the Explorer Headquarters in the Central District, register his party, and check out some requests now?

He didn’t want to waste time doing nothing.

“Let’s go register our party and check out some requests.”

“Really? Okay.”

Jeong Yoo-shin and Karin left the quiet inn and headed towards the Central District.

After walking for a while, they arrived at a massive building made of white marble.

“It’s been a while.”

Jeong Yoo-shin muttered while looking up at the building.

The Explorer Headquarters.

A massive crowd was gathered in front of the building, making the Southern District’s guild branch look like a small-town community center.

As they entered, they were greeted by a vast, open space that dwarfed even a sports stadium, with a high ceiling that stretched up to the fifth floor.

‘Are these all intermediate and high-rank explorers?’

On one side of the first floor, dozens of reception desks were packed with explorers.

On the other side, hundreds of tables were filled with explorers who were chatting and laughing.

Just then…

Someone saw Jeong Yoo-shin and their eyes widened.

“Oh my!”

“What?”

“Is that a barbarian?!”

“Huh?! Really?”

A few female explorers stared at Jeong Yoo-shin from head to toe, their mouths agape.

“What? He’s so handsome!”

At that, the other explorers began to look at Jeong Yoo-shin.

“Wow!”

“Crazy.”

“Who is he? Is he new?”

While Karin glared at the female explorers, her ears twitching, Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at the reception desks.

“Karin, let’s get in line quickly. That one looks the shortest.”

“Alright.”

They waited in the shortest line, and soon it was their turn.

“We’re here to register a party.”

“Y-Yes.”

The female receptionist blushed and stammered as Jeong Yoo-shin smiled and spoke to her.

“I-I’ll check your IDs.”

“Ah! Here.”

The receptionist took the silver card Jeong Yoo-shin handed her and stared at it intently.

“Skar. You’re Skar.”

“Yes.”

“You’re forming a party?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any preferred classes?”

“No. One vanguard and one or two rearguards should be fine.”

“Alright. Please wait at seat 127, and we’ll process your request.”

“Alright.”

Jeong Yoo-shin and Karin left the reception desk and went to their assigned table where other explorers were sitting.

Behind the tables was a massive request board that was comparable in size to a stadium scoreboard with thousands of requests pinned to it.

‘The scale is no joke.’

Jeong Yoo-shin rested his chin on his hand as he read the requests one by one.

After reading about sixty requests…

Someone approached Jeong Yoo-shin.

It was a bald, burly man in his thirties.

“Are you Skar?”

Jeong Yoo-shin looked up at the bald man.

“Dick? You recognized me right away?”

“You have a similar vibe to when you were younger, so I took a guess.”

“Really?”

Dick.

He was a member of the Swordsman’s Guild and an intermediate-rank explorer.

He had gotten to know him during their training in the forest. He was also the one who had offered to let him join his clan.

Dick grinned.

“Skar, are you interested in joining our clan?”

“I don’t know yet. I want to form my own party this time.”

“Is that so? Alright. Take your time. We’re always looking for skilled vanguards.”

Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.

“Have you seen my skills? It’s hard to judge from just sparring.”

Dick scratched his head.

“Well, Skar, rumors about you have been spreading. Are you really that oblivious?”

Rumors?

What rumors could there be about him?

“What rumors? I don’t remember doing anything special.”

“The Forest Troll subjugation had spread like wildfire.”

Dick continued.

“Did you really set your arm on fire and crush the troll’s head with your fists?”

“That’s right. Although the rumors seem to be a bit exaggerated.”

Dick nodded.

“Those who are interested know about it. The rumor spread after that Iron Mask guy reported it to the guild.”

The explorers who had been listening quietly to them began to whisper.

“Hoooo. Is he crazy? Was that real?”

“I told you, Temia. There are no sane pretty boys. To do such a crazy thing in the ‘Forest’ area…”

“He’s amazing. He didn’t succumb to madness after doing such a crazy thing. Did he use a high-quality Pain Relief Cream?”

“By the way, is that beast-person woman Karin?”

“That’s right. Ingrid’s daughter. She’s so beautiful. I’ve only seen her from a distance before, but to see her as an explorer here… It’s an honor.”

Jeong Yoo-shin looked around.

The explorers’ gazes were fixed on him and Karin.

Was this what it felt like to be a super rookie?

He felt his shoulders straighten and his nose lift.

Jeong Yoo-shin grinned and spoke.

“With such a good reputation, it should be easy to find party members.”

Dick looked troubled.

“Well, about that…”

Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.

“Why?”

“Why? Because you’re reckless. Explorers generally prioritize safety. Of course, it’s different for close-knit clans, but if you’re looking for temporary party members who are more individualistic, it might be difficult.”

“Ah.”

Had he been too reckless?

“And there’s Karin’s status.”

Karin’s eyes narrowed at Dick’s words.

“I’m just an intermediate-rank explorer.”

“Even so, many explorers witnessed your actions during the last labyrinth investigation. They’re bound to be wary of you. Explorers want to be companions, not servants.”

“…”

Karin closed her mouth.

Jeong Yoo-shin facepalmed.

He instinctively knew.

This…

‘Finding party members is going to be harder than I thought.’

As he was rubbing his forehead, the receptionist approached them.

“Skar, there are currently no applicants for your party. Would you like to wait a bit longer?”

“No. We’ll come back later.”

“Alright.”

Jeong Yoo-shin and Karin stood up.

Dick smiled and patted Jeong Yoo-shin on the shoulder.

“Take your time and look around. I’m sure you’ll find good party members.”

Jeong Yoo-shin sighed deeply.

“Sigh. I hope so. I want to believe that.”

Just as he was about to give up and leave the guild…

Someone started coming down the stairs from the second floor.

Every explorer in the guild stopped talking and looked up at the girl descending the stairs.

Orange twin pigtails.

A sharp horn protruding from the left side of her forehead.

A playful, crooked tooth.

‘Hmm?’

Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.

Wasn’t she the girl he had seen in the Eastern District before he dealt with Max?

Was she a girl?

He wasn’t sure.

It was hard to tell because of her wise eyes.

What was her name?

“Astaroth.”

Dick muttered, his face stiff.

“Do you know her?”

“Know her?! She’s an executive of the new Labyrinth City Council! She’s the one guarding the labyrinth entrance in place of the Monster Queen, Lilith!”

“…Really?”

That flat-chested girl was an executive of the Labyrinth City Council?

As he was whispering to Dick, Astaroth saw Jeong Yoo-shin.

Astaroth grinned.

She quickly approached them. She moved so fast that he didn’t even have time to escape.

“Kid, you’ve grown.”

An unexpectedly friendly voice came from her. Karin frowned.

“You must be Ingrid’s daughter. You look just like her.”

“…”

Karin crossed her arms and remained silent.

“How did you recognize me?”

Astaroth chuckled at Jeong Yoo-shin’s question.

“You look alike. Like when you were younger. And those eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“When you heard of my identity, the fire in your eyes was similar to that day when you asked about Max’s whereabouts, so I was sure.”

“…”

He could only remain silent at Astaroth’s out-of-the-blue remark.

“Anyway, you did as I said. Good. It’s better to kill in moderation.”

Astaroth said with a smile.

“…”

Jeong Yoo-shin closed his mouth again.

Astaroth grinned and looked up at Jeong Yoo-shin.

“Looking at you like this, you’re quite ‘charming.’”

Charming?

This wasn’t good news.

He could tell just by looking at her.

This woman…

Wasn’t she a walking time bomb?

Astaroth looked down at Jeong Yoo-shin’s hand.

“That ring… it’s sparkling. Is something wrong?”

“Huh?”

Jeong Yoo-shin looked down at the ring on his finger.

The ring that sealed the Female Virgin Corruption imprint.

The red magic stone on the ring was flickering.

A chill ran down his spine.

‘Crazy.’

It should still have some mana left.

His mind went blank at the sudden crisis.

Shit.

Was the seal on the negative imprint breaking here?

He was fucked.

“W-Well, it was nice meeting you, but I’m a bit busy right now…”

Jeong Yoo-shin decided to retreat.

But Astaroth blocked his path.

“Where are you going in such a hurry? How dare you say you’re busy in front of me? You’re quite brave. Everyone else is intimidated by me, but you’re different. You’re a ‘charming’ kid.”

Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.

Charming?

That word again.

Crazy.

He didn’t know if Astaroth was a virgin or not.

He imagined the worst-case scenario.

What if Astaroth was a virgin?

He could end up branding the representative of the Eastern District ruler with a pentagram.

What should he do?

His mind was reeling from the shock.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Meanwhile, Astaroth reached out and grabbed Jeong Yoo-shin’s hand.

“What’s wrong? Hehe. Are you nervous?”

“Please let go. I have a negative imprint that I can’t tell you about.”

Astaroth chuckled.

“Hmph. What kind of imprint could it be that you’re so reluctant to tell me about? But it’s no use. Because I…”

Unmovable.

Astaroth didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go. Her grip was like steel, making it hard to move.

The light from the red magic stone was fading.

If this continued, it would be a disaster.

Dislike…

How could he make a woman dislike him?

How?

His mind raced, but he couldn’t think of anything.

Should he tell her that he had the Female Virgin Corruption imprint?

In front of hundreds of explorers?

Social suicide flashed before his eyes.

Ah.

Fuck it.

He didn’t know anymore.

“Kyaaaaaagh!!!!!”

Jeong Yoo-shin’s throat roared.

Astaroth’s eyes widened.

“Kid…?”

“Ptoo!!!”

Splat!!!

A glob of phlegm flew out of Jeong Yoo-shin’s mouth and stuck to Astaroth’s face.

“…?”

The thick phlegm dripped down Astaroth’s forehead.

“…”

Astaroth stared at him blankly, her mouth agape.

It was an incomprehensible scene.

The entire crowd, explorers and guild staff alike, held their breath.

A heavy silence fell over the Explorer Headquarters.

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T/N – Lol. Really, MC? That was the best idea you could come up with. Let’s pray that he survives this. Judging by how she was given the same post as Ingrid, Astaroth is most likely just as strong as her.

Also, I call BS that people won’t join his party. He has such badass achievements, and people say he was reckless? If anything, they should be reassured as the MC does a phenomenal job at protecting his party members despite the odds stacked against him.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.