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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Silence fell over the resting place.
“Skar…?”
Karin’s bewildered voice broke the silence.
Ignoring her, he drew his longsword.
Shing.
The cool blade emerged from the scabbard engraved with a blue wolf emblem.
He shouldered his sword and stood to the side of the resting place entrance.
“The kind don’t come, and those who come aren’t kind.”
An old saying that held true even in this other world.
“Why are you spacing out? Get in position.”
Jeong Yoo-shin told his party members.
The dazed party members drew their weapons and formed a formation.
Creak.
The wooden door slowly opened, and an uninvited guest appeared.
A human man with a thick beard.
Judging by his grimy clothes and greasy hair, he was an explorer who had been wandering the labyrinth for a long time.
His only weapon was a longsword hanging from his waist.
A wok-like pot was strapped to his back, the kind you would see in a Chinese restaurant.
The man entered the resting place and looked around at Jeong Yoo-shin’s party.
“You’re here?”
He was momentarily stunned by the man’s casual tone.
This bastard…
Was he insane?
Normally, if a party was already occupying a resting place, the late party would leave.
If the situation was desperate, they would ask for permission to stay together.
Seeing the man’s nonchalant behavior, he couldn’t help but be wary.
Jeong Yoo-shin moved and stood in front of his party members.
“Who are you?”
“Me?”
The man pointed at himself and then rummaged through his pockets.
“Ah, wait a minute. It’s here somewhere. Found it.”
After searching for a while, the man took out a gold card and threw it to Jeong Yoo-shin.
The latter deflected the flying card.
Clang!
The man looked dumbfounded as the gold card fell to the floor.
“Hey, if you deflect it like that…”
Jeong Yoo-shin slowly approached and looked down at the gold card.
A gold card.
A high-ranking explorer.
The name…
Fin.
No last name.
Jeong Yoo-shin kicked the gold card back towards the man.
“What’s a high-ranking explorer doing here?”
The man named Fin smiled and shrugged.
“It’s nothing. I just have some magic stones, and I was wondering if you had any food to trade it with. If you don’t have food, anything useful will do.”
Despite his grimy appearance, he exuded an air of confidence. Jeong Yoo-shin could tell from his words and actions.
He was an explorer who wandered the labyrinth alone, without a party.
He looked suspicious from every angle.
As he was about to refuse…
Karin stepped forward.
“Are you Fin, the labyrinth wanderer?”
Fin scratched his head.
“That’s me. From the Guide’s Guild, I presume? You’re quick.”
A title he had never heard of before.
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
A labyrinth wanderer?
“What’s that?”
Fin casually approached Jeong Yoo-shin. Completely defenseless. His longsword was still in its scabbard.
“People who wander the labyrinth.”
“Aren’t we all?”
Jeong Yoo-shin asked back.
Fin looked at Jeong Yoo-shin. His gaze was observant, as if studying him.
“People who stay in the labyrinth for a long time without going outside. You could say that they’re labyrinth wanderers.”
“Why?”
Fin scratched his greasy hair.
“Well… It’s a hassle. It’s a lot of work to leave the labyrinth, prepare, and then come back in.”
‘This bastard.’
He was definitely not sane.
Fin unbuckled his sword and threw it on the floor.
“Relax. You can hold a sword to my throat if you want. I’m just here to trade.”
Fin not only unbuckled his sword, but also raised his hands.
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced at his party members.
They understood his gaze and gave a small nod. Barion also gave him an okay sign.
Karin stepped forward.
“I heard about you at the Guide’s Guild. A ‘harmless’ labyrinth wanderer. Your description matches.”
Fin beamed.
“I’m quite famous.”
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded and stepped back.
“Alright.”
Since his more experienced party members had agreed, he had nothing more to say. And Karin had also confirmed his identity.
He relaxed his guard slightly.
Fin approached the bonfire and sat down.
“Let’s get back to what we were talking about. People are the same everywhere. Once you get attached, there’s no place like the labyrinth. That’s another reason I stay here.”
“…”
Jeong Yoo-shin was speechless.
Was he this confident because he was a high-ranking explorer?
Or was he completely insane?
It was even more absurd because he didn’t seem to be lying.
Fin took out a pouch from his backpack and opened it.
It was filled with magic stones of various sizes.
“Let’s trade for some magic stones.”
The party members stared at the pouch, mesmerized.
He was a smooth operator, a better salesman than any door-to-door salesman.
They had plenty of money and had brought a lot of supplies. But Jeong Yoo-shin had no intention of selling essential items like potions, bandages, and medicine. Those were a matter of life and death.
Fortunately, Fin didn’t seem interested in those items.
“Do you have any dried meat? I’d like to trade it for some magic stones.”
“Here.”
Jeong Yoo-shin took out some dried meat from his backpack and handed it to him.
Fin took the dried meat and grinned.
The party members gathered around Fin and began to chat.
“Fin, how’s the Corridor area these days? Anything to watch out for?”
Delia asked casually.
Fin stretched his legs and stroked his chin.
“Hmm… Things to watch out for in the Corridor area…? I guess that includes recent events?”
“That’s right.”
“The most dangerous new trap is probably the teleportation trap. If you land in a place swarming with monsters, it’s hard to get out alive. Oh! And there’s another thing. There’s a strange phenomenon where the floor gets filled with mana, and a monster I’ve never seen before pops out. I almost died back then.”
Fin said with a theatrical shudder.
An Eldritch Wave?
“The most recent thing is the red sphere. It’s an unusual object. I don’t even know if I should call it an ‘object.’”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyebrows twitched.
“Tell me more.”
Fin grinned.
“Barbarian, finally interested? You’ve been pouting all this time. Have you finally opened up?”
“Cut the crap.”
“Do you have a Tsundere imprint or something?”
“Is there such an imprint? I didn’t know that.”
“There is. No, there was.”
Fin looked up at the ceiling with a nostalgic expression.
“Where was I? Ah! The red sphere.”
Fin stroked his chin and then spoke again.
“This is just my guess. Take it with a grain of salt. The red sphere is a gateway to another world.”
“…”
“I’ve seen it a few times from a distance. A red light flashes, and then a space is consumed. I’ve never seen an explorer survive it. It seems to be a trap that activates when you bring a torch close to it. Mystics and those with similar influences are sometimes drawn to it.”
A cold sweat ran down Jeong Yoo-shin’s back.
If he had approached that red sphere with a torch, he would have been done for.
“Tell me more. What do you mean by ‘similar influences’?”
“Those who have been ‘watched’ by the gods from beyond this world. I don’t know the details. Mystics are so secretive, so it’s hard to ask them.”
“…”
Fin looked around at the silent party members and then grinned.
“Let’s not talk about such gloomy things and eat. I’m in a good mood after getting some decent food, so I’ll cook for you.”
Fin took out the pot from his back.
He then took out a few branches, set them up around the bonfire, gathered a few bricks, and quickly made a makeshift stove before placing the pot on top of it.
The party members stared at him blankly.
Then he took out another pouch from his backpack and opened it.
Jeong Yoo-shin was shocked by the contents of the pouch.
‘Fish heads?’
Why would fish heads be in a pouch?
And a pungent smell filled the air. They smelled like they were about to go bad.
He put water in the pot, added the fish heads, some dried meat, and some herbs he had never seen before, and then brought it to a boil.
A fishy smell filled the resting place.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared at the boiling fish heads in the pot, dumbfounded.
‘Shit.’
He was a wild man.
Fin grinned, took out a bowl from his backpack, and handed it to Karin and Delia. He hesitated when he saw Barion, then casually offered them a wooden bowl.
“Can you eat, Priest?”
Barion shook their head.
“Is that so? You must have a hard time.”
Fin handed the wooden bowl to Jeong Yoo-shin.
“I’m fine. I’m full.”
“Skar, are you crazy? Refusing such a delicious-looking soup?”
Delia said to Jeong Yoo-shin.
‘Crazy.’
Why were the people of Labyrinth City so obsessed with fish?
Fish sandwiches, fish jelly, and now fish head soup.
“Skar, eating a warm meal in the labyrinth is a luxury. Think of it as a nutritional supplement.”
Karin advised while swallowing hard.
‘Karin, you too?’
Was this how Caesar felt when he was stabbed by Brutus?
His heart ached.
He took the wooden bowl with a trembling hand.
Splat!
A fish head and some thick soup fell from the ladle into the bowl.
A pungent smell wafted up to his nose.
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at the fish head.
He turned his head to see Fin munching on his food.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared at Fin intently.
“…”
What sin had he committed to be dropped into another world, forced to explore a labyrinth, and then eat fish head soup?
‘Should I quit being an explorer?’
A strong sense of futility washed over him, and his body went limp.
His party members were enjoying their meal.
“Skar, this fish soup is really delicious! Hurry up and eat.”
Delia urged him, her eyes sparkling.
Jeong Yoo-shin reluctantly scooped up some soup with his spoon and put it in his mouth.
Slurp.
The salty, fishy soup went down his throat.
“Shit.”
A pungent, fishy taste lingered in his mouth, refusing to go away.
A taste that made him want to curse.
Murderous intent welled up inside him.
Fin, who had been eating, looked at Jeong Yoo-shin with surprised eyes.
“Barbarian…?”
“Sigh. It’s an interesting taste. It’s so good that two people could eat it, and a third would die.”
“You have a good palate. Have some more.”
“I don’t want to die. I’m good.”
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and put down his bowl.
“Really? Then I’ll eat your share.”
Delia grinned and took Jeong Yoo-shin’s bowl.
After the grueling meal, they traded a few items for magic stones.
They obtained quite a few.
Karin shook the pouch filled with magic stones.
“With this many, we’ll have more than enough to complete the request.”
Delia nodded.
“Let’s use the small magic stones to complete the request and sell the big ones separately. We’ll get the same amount of money regardless of the size if we submit them.”
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
“Where would we sell them though? Doesn’t the Explorer’s Guild buy them?”
“The problem is that they don’t give you a good price. If you look around shops, you can get a better deal. For example, magic tool shops pay more.”
Is that so?
When he had gone to the magic tool shop before, the owner had also mentioned that he would buy magic stones.
Delia, despite being a glutton, was a thrifty companion.
Fin tidied up and returned the pot on his back.
“I’ve got the items I needed and sold my magic stones, so I’m done here. See you later.”
“Wait a minute.”
Jeong Yoo-shin stopped Fin.
Ingrid’s request flashed through his mind. It wouldn’t hurt to ask the labyrinth wild man.
“Is there anything unusual happening in the labyrinth? Even small incidents are fine.”
Fin crossed his arms and pondered.
“No, I don’t think so. Oh! I did see some shady people wandering around. They were wearing black robes, and there were two priests with them. One was a short, blonde woman. Her name was Marie, I think? I don’t know about the other one.”
His heart sank.
Marie.
The name of a party member he had met as a novice.
She had been traumatized after being assaulted by goblins and had lost her mind. He had only heard that she was gradually recovering.
“Wh-Where are they?”
“They’re probably somewhere on the 6th floor. That’s all I know. See you later, barbarian.”
Fin shrugged and left the resting place.
Silence fell over the room.
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In the dark hallway of the corridor…
Fin walked slowly while smiling.
He had followed the lingering scent of madness and otherworldliness and found the barbarian.
It was surprising to see him suppressing his madness through a few coincidences.
And he also had a faint scent of another world on him.
He could tell what kind of path he had walked just by looking at him.
A precarious path, where one misstep would lead to ruin.
A mortal life, burning brighter than anyone else.
It was only natural that eternal beings would be captivated by him. He lived so precariously that it was hard to look away, even for a moment.
‘An interesting fellow.’
Fin fiddled with the dried meat in his pocket and smiled. He was relieved that he could avoid the tedious cannibalism for a while.
He was getting tired of wandering the lower floors of the labyrinth like a good Samaritan while being wary of the Guide’s Guild.
‘Should I go a little deeper this time?’
The wanderer slowly disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
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The party sat in silence.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared at the blazing bonfire with a heavy heart.
Marie.
What was her connection to the Night of Death clan?
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t find an answer.
One thing was for sure.
Nothing good ever came from being involved in the labyrinth.
He thought of Anne and Tarman.
‘Should I tell them?’
As he was thinking, Barion gestured.
[Skar, I shouldn’t say this, but I want to find Marie.]
Barion.
Did they have some connection to Marie?
Did they want to save her because they were priests of the same order?
Jeong Yoo-shin looked up at Barion.
“That’s a difficult task. I can’t put the party in danger because of it.”
‘…’
“Let’s hunt monsters, collect the spoils, and return. That’s my request as the leader.”
Jeong Yoo-shin finished speaking and leaned against the wall.
He couldn’t sleep, but he still closed his eyes.
Life was full of difficult things, like all things related to people.
After tossing and turning for a long time, darkness finally came.
In the resting place in the Corridor area…
Only the bonfire burned quietly.
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T/N – Well, Fin is quite suspicious. A literal goddess doesn’t know what an otherworlder is, but this labyrinth hermit knows about it?
Also, his mention of the ‘eternal beings’ watching the MC along with the red orb from before is giving me eldritch vibes.
Lastly, I’m quite curious what these coincidences that let the MC suppress his madness are exactly…
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Suspicious? He is a cannibal! Of course he is Suspicious!
I mean, fair enough 😂
kekw
I mean let’s be honest here. All powerhouses in every world are crazy and have weird quirks that people tolerate for their protection and out of fear of their power. Is cannibalism really something for skilled people like the MC to attack the guide for? especially when the Mc is a sexual machine that doesn’t give a shit about his partner’s preferences. Or when online idiots issue out death threats. Plus the guide himself said it was tedious to manage his cannibalistic impulses which implies that it’s prob an imprint or something he’s born with that he hasn’t entirely embraced that side of him.
bruh our boy needs to trust more his instinct and realize that having a good reputation doesn’t mean the guy won’t be a monster , dude was a damn cannibal for fuck sake … and the lore keeps going deeper it seems which is awesome . thx for the chapter
Bro why does this rando know about MC’s otherworldly attraction from outer gods but the goddess doesn’t even know he’s from outside her own dmned world?