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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Karin stared with trembling eyes at the scene inside the window.
Thanks to Astaroth’s stealth magic, she could watch without being seen, but that was all.
Someone must have brought a soundproofing magic tool, because she couldn’t hear anything from outside.
But that didn’t matter.
Her mother’s face was melting.
It was a face she had never seen before, which made the shock even greater.
‘Mom.’
Even if she didn’t have a man she liked, how could she hit on her own daughter’s lover?
Rage welled up inside her.
“I-I have to go in.”
Karin stammered.
If she saw her boyfriend (?) having sex with her mother, her own sexuality would be forever warped.
“Why do you have to go in?”
Astaroth asked.
“Why? Because my mom…”
“Karin, you’re an explorer now. Not the daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative. Are you in a position to just go in whenever you want?”
Karin closed her mouth at Astaroth’s words. It was an irrefutable argument.
Astaroth released her magic and stepped back. Karin also quickly moved away from the window.
Ingrid, who was inside the room, quickly turned her head and looked out the window.
“Ugh!”
She gritted her teeth.
She had sensed Astaroth’s faint aura. Had that mischievous girl been spying on her?
A sense of unease crept in within her.
Ingrid, regaining her composure, looked up at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Skar, thank you. You’ve been a great help.”
“Is that so? You suddenly screamed, so I thought something was wrong.”
Ingrid blushed.
“Not at all. It felt good. It was a massage I’ll never forget. I hope we can meet again.”
“Yes. Alright. I’ll see you later.”
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded at Ingrid’s polite dismissal and left the room.
He stood in the courtyard for a moment and looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled in the night sky.
Was another connection of his leaving Labyrinth City?
‘If I survive, we’ll meet again.’
He shook his head and walked away.
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The next morning…
Jeong Yoo-shin and Karin sat across from each other in the quiet inn.
“Karin, you look tired.”
Karin, her eyes vacant, sat at the counter while resting her chin on her hand.
“W-Well, something came up.”
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded inwardly.
Of course.
Her mother was leaving Labyrinth City. It was only natural that she would be sad.
He understood.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up.
“If you’re tired, get some rest. I’m going to the Explorer Headquarters.”
“To see if there are any party applicants?”
“Yeah. And I’m going to stop by the smithy.”
“Really? Alright. Let’s meet at the smithy around lunchtime. Which smithy, by the way?”
Jeong Yoo-shin told Karin where Boron’s smithy was and left the inn.
He walked slowly down the street.
He had gone to the magic tool shop late last night and replaced the magic stone in the ring that sealed the Female Virgin Corruption imprint.
Waking up the dwarf shop owner had cost him extra, a painful expense.
But…
‘I can’t brand an innocent virgin with a pentagram.’
Now that the Female Virgin Corruption imprint was sealed, he had one less thing to worry about when looking for a party.
With his worries gone, his heart pounded with anticipation for new encounters.
‘What kind of people will I meet?’
Good people?
Bad people?
Or strange people?
Finding a new party was always difficult. The human heart was like a labyrinth. Its true nature was only revealed in times of crisis.
Perhaps that was why he was more attached to the companions he had struggled with.
He also understood why clans existed.
The reason they stuck together, despite the fleeting nature of labyrinth parties.
Even with the proliferation of various imprints, explorers instinctively knew…
What mattered wasn’t the imprints, but the character of the person.
That was why Karin was so precious to him.
They had overcome multiple crises together, so he believed that they could overcome any future hardships.
Her presence alone was a comfort to him.
Jeong Yoo-shin chuckled.
‘Shall I go?
To find new companions.’
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“Uh… I’m sorry.”
The heavily armored human warrior looked troubled at Jeong Yoo-shin’s party invitation.
“Why?”
“Sigh. Skar, you caused a lot of trouble.”
“What trouble? I’m a fresh intermediate-rank explorer.”
The human warrior stared blankly at Jeong Yoo-shin’s face. He was handsome. And skilled. But there was one major problem.
‘He seems insane.’
He was surprised that the guy had survived after spitting on Astaroth’s face. But that was as far as it went. He didn’t want to get involved any further than that.
‘A reject party prospect.’
It was more accurate to say he was an explorer half-consumed by madness.
An explorer addicted to drugs was a better prospect. At least they would function properly with a dose.
“Skar, this is hard for me to say, but someone has to…”
The man paused, collected his thoughts, and then continued.
“The rumor that you spat on Astaroth’s face has spread like wildfire. It’s safe to say that no ‘normal’ explorer would want to join you. Anyone who applies to your party is likely to have some kind of issue.”
“…”
He had expected some backlash, but wasn’t this a bit too bleak?
‘Yoo-shin, this is your karma. Accept it.’
‘You idiot, you could have just corrupted the female, but you had to act like a moralist.’
The darkness of the labyrinth again.
Slap!
He slapped himself to regain his composure.
Even if it wasn’t a reject party, he had to be prepared for someone with a negative imprint to show up.
The man continued.
“The reputation of a temporary party is its biggest disadvantage. It might be better to form a fixed party. If you expand your connections through a fixed party, you can build a foundation for a clan. Think about it carefully.”
“Thank you. But are you sure you don’t want to join my party?”
“Setting everything else aside, I don’t think I’d live long if I traveled with you. This is an explorer’s intuition.”
The man left after offering his advice and a final insult.
Jeong Yoo-shin sat at the table and stared at the request board.
Thousands of requests were pinned to it.
He sighed. There were so many fish in the sea, but he couldn’t catch any because he didn’t have a party.
“No luck today. My life’s a mess.”
Jeong Yoo-shin grumbled, stood up, and headed towards the smithy.
Sitting around wouldn’t solve anything, so he might as well do something.
If he was feeling down, then he should go shopping.
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He walked through the city and arrived at Boron’s smithy in the Western District.
“What?”
“Hiccup! Skar, you’re here?”
Karin, her face flushed, staggered towards Jeong Yoo-shin and clung to him.
The smell of alcohol wafted from her.
Boron peeked his head out from behind Karin and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Hmm? Who are you? Karin said…”
“What’s wrong with you? It’s me, Skar.”
“…Really?!”
Boron’s eyes widened, and he examined Jeong Yoo-shin’s face.
“Crazy! What the hell did you eat to change so much?”
“Various things. But what happened to Karin?”
He had come to get his equipment, but Karin got drunk instead.
Boron scratched his head.
“Well, Karin saw me drinking and suddenly asked for some, so I couldn’t refuse.”
“Even so, how could you let her drink so much?”
“She’s a valuable customer, so I treated her to some good alcohol. Don’t blame me.”
He was about to say something, but Karin shook her head in his arms.
“Mmm! Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked Karin’s hair and sat her down on a chair.
“Where’s Einhorfer?”
Boron pointed to a door. It was the room where he kept his equipment blueprints.
“He’s studying.”
“So suddenly?”
“It’s about time he started taking on custom equipment requests and not just off-the-shelf items. He needs to learn everything from taking measurements to sourcing materials.”
“I see.”
“That kid is a hard worker. I’ve never seen a dwarf work so hard in my life.”
“He must have earned a lot of money. Did he remove his negative imprints?”
Boron shook his head.
“No. He said that he doesn’t plan to remove them yet. What did he say? Something about how his desire to move forward grows stronger whenever he feels his limitations. That’s what he said.”
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled.
As expected of Einhorfer. To have grown so much despite his Stamina Drain and Tremors imprints.
“Amazing” wasn’t enough to describe him.
“That’s good.”
He left Karin and went into the blueprint room.
The scent of old paper filled his nose.
Einhorfer, who was wearing glasses, was scribbling something in the middle of a mountain of blueprints.
He was so focused that he didn’t even notice Jeong Yoo-shin enter.
Was he drawing a blueprint?
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms and watched Einhorfer.
This wasn’t the same Einhorfer he had first met.
The brave dwarf who had fought alongside him in a reject party.
The comrade who had been forced to change his path because of his negative imprints.
The blacksmith who had gritted his teeth and hammered steel with his eyes filled with tears was gone.
Now, he exuded the aura of an expert.
A smile naturally appeared on Jeong Yoo-shin’s face.
Einhorfer, who had been engrossed in his blueprints, finally looked up.
“Skar.”
Did Einhorfer recognize him right away?
They had gone through thick and thin together in the labyrinth.
They had supported each other in this smithy, a crying dwarf and a crazy man. It would be strange if he didn’t recognize him.
It was a bond that they had sustained.
“It’s good to see you.”
“You’ve changed a lot. I should have visited you during the festival. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine as long as we’re meeting now.”
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to get some equipment.”
“Is that so? What parts do you need?”
Boron opened the door and interjected.
“Disciple, let’s talk outside. It’s too hot here. And dusty.”
“Alright.”
Jeong Yoo-shin, Karin, Boron, and Einhorfer gathered at the counter in the smithy.
Boron spoke.
“The materials we have right now are Raikis leather, half a mithril steel ingot, and six Morias mountain steel ingots.”
“Did Karin tell you what she needed?”
“Yes. Karin’s equipment request is already finished. Now it’s just you.”
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked Karin’s hair and thought.
He hadn’t decided which area to enter yet. But he couldn’t just do nothing. As Karin had said, it was better to get the common equipment first.
Perhaps…
Was it better to focus on mobility?
He felt that light armor, with a leather armor base and plate reinforcement on vital areas, suited him better.
The chainmail he had tried on last time wasn’t bad either.
Jeong Yoo-shin explained his opinion.
Boron stroked his chin.
“So you want to focus on mobility? You’ve given up on plate armor?”
“I got hit by a Forest Troll once, and my equipment was completely destroyed.”
Boron looked at him, dumbfounded.
“People die when they’re hit by a Forest Troll. Why blame your equipment for that?”
“But I survived.”
Boron scratched his head.
“That’s strange. You should have died. How did you survive?”
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
“Why are you so curious about such strange things? Are you praying for my death? Let’s stop this. This place has terrible customer service.”
“Hehe. Calm down. I can’t say anything around you.”
“Looking at the materials, it doesn’t seem like we have enough for full plate armor anyway, right?”
“That’s true. But the materials Karin selected are known as cost-effective options among intermediate-rank explorers. They’re relatively cheap, but they can make decent equipment. Seeing how well she selected them, she must have done her research.”
Is that so?
Einhorfer also nodded in agreement.
“Raikis leather is known for its durability. It’s good for a leather armor base. And plates made from Morias mountain steel are also renowned for their sturdiness. They should be able to block most critical attacks.”
“Then let’s go with light armor for the armor.”
“What about the other equipment?”
“I’ll think about it and make a request later. I’ll use the remaining materials then.”
“Really? Alright. We’ll make the equipment you need and keep the remaining materials.”
“How much will it cost to make my and Karin’s equipment?”
Boron’s eyes lit up as he interjected.
“I’ll give you a discount. 10 gold coins. How about it?”
Jeong Yoo-shin sighed, dumbfounded.
“Sigh. Boron, we brought all the materials. Why are you charging 10 gold coins for labor? Have you no conscience?”
“Hey! Since the materials are expensive, you need experts like us to process them, don’t you? You don’t have to worry about failure. We’ll make it on time. Where else can you find a shop like this? Just relax, and we’ll take care of everything.”
“Still…”
“Still what?! Do you want to see my disciple starve?!”
Boron shouted.
Einhorfer, on the other hand, shook his head.
“Skar, I’ll give you a discount if you need one.”
Boron’s eyes widened.
“You crazy disciple! Your master is struggling, and you’re saying that? Oh! My back!”
He could stand to see Boron starve, but not Einhorfer.
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.
“Alright. 10 gold coins it is.”
“You should have said so earlier. Skar, are you going to keep playing with my emotions? Why can’t you just pay quietly?”
Slap!!!
Suddenly, Boron’s head snapped to the side.
Jeong Yoo-shin and Einhorfer stared blankly at Karin.
Karin fidgeted with her hands.
“This dwarf keeps talking nonsense to our Skar. Emotions? This bitch! Do you want to die?!”
Boron blankly touched his cheek.
“Uh…”
“Skar, carry me.”
“Ah, alright. Then, Boron, here’s the gold.”
Boron took the money from Jeong Yoo-shin while rubbing his red cheek.
“I-It’ll probably take about a week. I’ll contact you when it’s done.”
“Alright. See you then.”
Jeong Yoo-shin left the dazed Boron and carried Karin out of the smithy.
It had been a while since they had met, so they had chatted for a long time, and by the time they came to their senses, it was already evening.
Karin was so drunk that she couldn’t even stand straight.
As they were about to enter the inn, he saw someone collapsed at the entrance.
A blonde woman in plate armor.
She was lying face down, so he couldn’t see her face.
Her armor was covered in dust, and her hair was greasy, as if she hadn’t washed in a long time.
‘What’s this?’
He decided to put Karin in bed first and then think about it later, and walked past the woman.
When he was halfway past her…
Grab!!!
The woman’s hand shot out and grabbed Jeong Yoo-shin’s ankle.
The latter froze.
The woman raised her head and spoke.
“Give me… food.”
“…Do you have money?”
“…”
The woman remained silent.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked down at the grimy woman.
“Ma’am, you have to pay to eat. Please let go of my hand.”
“I’ll… join your party. Give me food.”
Party?
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
‘What’s this…?’
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T/N – Oh, I wonder who this woman is? Judging by her plate armor, she’s probably a party member candidate.
Also, I like the friendship between Einhorfer and the MC. I also genuinely respect the former’s character development.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
