How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World – Chapter 152

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Jeong Yoo-shin opened his eyes.

Sleeping upright against a wall while in armor was always a chore.

Perhaps it was worse just now because he had been troubled by various worries before falling asleep.

He rubbed his eyes and stood up.

His party members were sitting around the extinguished bonfire.

“…”

No one spoke. They had a small argument yesterday about whether to rescue Marie.

It had been like this ever since. He didn’t know if they were respecting his decision as the leader or if they were dissatisfied.

He sat down by the bonfire, took out some dried meat and biscuits from his backpack, stuffed them into his mouth, and drank some water.

“Karin, how much of the request have we completed?”

“…We have a few more bone fragments to collect, but the magic stone request is finished. We traded some of our food for a lot of good magic stones yesterday.”

Was that so?

Not bad.

“How far is the teleportation stone from here?”

“About a five-hour walk.”

“Okay.”

The party members finished their meal, packed their belongings, and continued down the hallway.

There was no conversation.

Only an awkward silence.

Karin, having heard the story from Anne and Tarman, seemed to know who Marie was. But she didn’t say anything else.

Delia seemed clueless, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.

And Barion was naturally silent.

The party continued forward.

After walking for about two hours, he sensed something was wrong.

The strong smell of blood filled his helmet.

A little further on, he saw that the hallway floor was stained with blood.

Tattered pieces of robes and corpses were scattered everywhere. There seemed to have been a battle here, as skeleton bones were also scattered on the floor.

“…”

He felt a strange sense of destiny upon seeing the black robes. He had hoped so desperately not to encounter them, but they had appeared before him as if to mock him.

He walked down the hallway as if in a trance.

What lay ahead?

It was a cruel thought, but he felt like he would be at ease if he could at least see Marie’s body.

A little further on, he saw a few more corpses.

Humans, beast-people, dwarves, elves— various races were scattered about. They were all wearing black robes.

“Delia.”

“Y-Yeah…?”

Delia flinched.

“What did you say that Night of Death clan was?”

“I heard that they’re a group that seeks immortality. More specifically, they’re people who have gathered to resurrect the dead and overcome death.”

It was a more detailed explanation than the one he had heard before.

“B-But I heard that they’ve never caused any harm. That’s a fact! They’re known for being a group that just gathers quietly and conducts research.”

Jeong Yoo-shin opened his mouth, then closed it.

A thought crossed his mind.

Marie.

Could it be…

That she wanted to resurrect Karl?

She must have heard that her lover had died after she regained her sanity. How heartbroken must she have been to come to a place like this without a word?

He understood. But at the same time, he thought that this was a foolish act.

“Barion, do you know why Marie came here?”

Barion took out a pen and paper and scribbled.

[I knew she was grieving over the death of her lover, Karl. But I didn’t know it was this bad.]

Jeong Yoo-shin fiddled with the hilt of his longsword.

‘As expected.’

Was his guess correct?

The smell of blood grew stronger.

What could it be?

He walked a little further and arrived at a wooden door.

“Skar.”

Karin looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.

He felt a strange sense of unease.

The world was governed by cause and effect. We call it coincidence because we can’t grasp all the causal relationships.

But…

The labyrinth was different.

It was chaotic.

Something new was always being created here.

Malicious and experimental.

This couldn’t have happened without someone’s intervention.

He felt as if the labyrinth wanted something from him.

Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.

If he left this alone, Barion would go by themselves.

Seeing them fidget, he could tell that they were having a hard time stopping themselves.

“Let’s go. Just rescue Marie and get out of here quickly.”

The party members’ faces brightened for a moment.

Delia bravely took the lead, and Jeong Yoo-shin followed behind her.

Boom!!!

He kicked open the wooden door and entered the room.

There were about five figures in robes inside.

As expected, his ominous premonition was correct.

He saw Marie and another person.

…And a red sphere was in the center of the room.

The worst-case scenario.

“Marie!!!”

Jeong Yoo-shin shouted.

Marie flinched and turned to look at him.

“Skar…?”

Marie’s face was pale. She had deep dark circles under her eyes.

“Well, well.”

The person standing next to Marie took off their hood, revealing their face.

Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.

A man with glasses.

Diego Perez.

Wasn’t he the intermediate-rank priest who had taken over the orphanage classes when Mion was away?

He had thought he was a good person because he had taught so diligently.

His head throbbed.

Why was this man here?

Diego tilted his head.

“Could it be Skar?”

“…”

“Judging by your reaction, I assume so. I almost didn’t recognize you with your helmet on. If it weren’t for your voice…”

“What are you doing here?”

Perez pushed up his glasses.

“You saw us with the Night of Death clan and you still don’t know?”

“…”

“Barion is here too. It’s good to see you.”

Diego smiled, waved, and then pointed at the red sphere.

“Look at this red sphere. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“…”

“The one who raises the dead and grants eternal life is sleeping inside.”

“That’s a trap. It’s a gateway to another world.”

Diego gave a rotten smile.

“Is that so? It doesn’t matter. It’s better than those incompetent elemental gods, isn’t it? It’s ridiculous that things that can’t even save a single person are called gods.”

Diego continued, spitting.

“Ah, I’ve been so dedicated for so long. For our god, our living hope. For the Earth Mother Goddess. But isn’t it funny? After believing in her with all my heart, my younger sister was still killed by some damn mercenaries. While she was on her way to Labyrinth City from the countryside to see me. You know what’s even funnier?”

“…”

Jeong Yoo-shin remained silent.

Diego looked like he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“When I heard the news, it was dawn, a time when I should have been reading the scriptures and meditating.”

“Hey…”

“It’s hilarious. This is how they repay my devotion? This pathetic… blasphemous…!”

Diego gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, then calmed down.

“Sigh. It doesn’t matter anymore. From the moment the first explorer brought back the red fragment, he promised me eternal life and resurrection. I don’t need those pathetic elemental gods anymore.”

Diego placed his hand on Marie’s shoulder.

“Marie agreed. Now step aside, barbarian. Don’t interfere.”

“Priest Diego, I’m not a theology major, but I’m pretty sure you’ve lost your mind. There’s no such thing as a sweet deal in the labyrinth. Marie, come here. Anne and Tarman are waiting for you.”

Marie’s eyes trembled violently for a moment.

“No. Marie is with me. Barbarian, go on your way.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

Jeong Yoo-shin gripped the hilt of his single-edged sword.

Diego’s eyes were filled with madness. He had crossed a point of no return.

Persuasion was impossible.

He would close the distance with the Gale Sword and cut his throat.

The man next to Diego raised his torch to the red sphere.

“Shit!”

Jeong Yoo-shin drew his single-edged sword and charged.

Clang!!!!!

“What…?”

The Gale Sword was deflected just before it reached Diego.

Diego, surrounded by a transparent barrier, fiddled with his necklace and smiled.

“Priests who frequent the labyrinth always have a lifeline. And rumors about you have spread throughout Labyrinth City. Aren’t you underestimating me?”

At that moment…

Flash!!!

The red sphere reacted with the torch and emitted a blinding light.

“Skar!!!”

His party members were running towards him from behind.

An overwhelming amount of light filled the room.

He instinctively closed his eyes.

And then he felt a floating sensation.

He then felt the ground beneath his feet and opened his eyes.

“What the…?”

His mouth dropped open at the strange sight.

Faintly burning stars and the vast expanse of space stretched out above him.

He looked around to see his party members standing there, dumbfounded.

Had they all come?

“Hahahaha!!! O Chaos, who walks among the stars!!! I have come!!! My sister… Huh…?”

Diego, who had been laughing maniacally, stopped and looked around, bewildered.

A slimy mass of flesh wriggled and rose from the ground, surrounding them.

It was as if they were trapped in a cage made of flesh in the middle of space.

People emerged from the flesh-covered ground.

Humans, elves, dwarves, beast-people, and even monsters he had never seen before. They were all emaciated and naked, bound in chains.

They were writhing, their faces contorted in agony as if being tortured.

“Aaaah.”

“K-Kill me.”

“M-Mercy!!!”

They all cried out in pain.

Diego looked around and muttered.

“Chaos… What is this…?”

A giant egg rose from the ground again.

Should he call it an egg?

It was more like a pulsating mass of flesh, covered in a glistening red membrane.

“What…?!”

Diego stared at the egg blankly.

The egg twitched.

Rip!!!

A tentacle shot out from the red egg.

Rip!!!

The egg tore open, revealing dozens of eyes.

A creature whose very existence was a blasphemy against the creator…

An unholy being that shouldn’t exist in this world had arrived.

“Kikikikikikiki.”

The egg let out a strange laugh.

Diego stammered and retreated.

“Ah…? What is this…?”

This wasn’t it. This wasn’t the gentle, soothing voice that had comforted his sorrow.

One of the men in black robes behind him cried out.

“We’ve been tricked!!! It’s another one!!! The Sweeper of the Abyss! We’re all doomed…!”

“Kikikiki!!! F-Foolish. Mortals.”

The giant egg monster called the Sweeper laughed while waving its tentacles.

Diego turned to run, but a tentacle quickly shot out and grabbed him.

“L-Let go of me!!!”

Diego struggled.

The tentacle gripped Diego’s arms and legs.

As the grip tightened, Diego’s screams grew louder.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Rip!!!

Diego’s body was torn in half, and blood and guts spilled out.

Splat!!!

Marie, who was standing right next to him, watched Diego’s death with wide eyes.

Jeong Yoo-shin drew his sword and ran.

He didn’t care about the Sweeper of the Abyss or whatever it was.

[Mind Protection]

[Light]

[Sacred Barrier]

Barion quickly cast a series of spells. They poured out divine magic continuously, as if not wanting to leave a single drop of mana.

As a small light appeared in the dark space, the egg-like creature’s eyes narrowed.

A tentacle aimed for Marie, who was closest to it.

Jeong Yoo-shin jumped in, grabbed Marie, and rolled on the ground.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The tentacles narrowly missed Jeong Yoo-shin and slammed into the ground.

“Barion!!!”

Jeong Yoo-shin quickly turned around and ran towards his party.

Dozens of tentacles flew towards him from behind.

“Skar!!! Be careful!”

Delia raised her shield and took a stance.

Thump!!! Thump!!! Thump!!!

The tentacles struck the shield, and Delia was pushed back.

Jeong Yoo-shin placed Marie next to Barion.

“I-I’m sorry… I… really…”

“We’ll talk later. Barion, take care of her.”

Barion nodded.

Jeong Yoo-shin drew his sword and took a stance.

He didn’t know what this monster was, but he had to kill it to survive.

How was he supposed to fight a monster he had never seen before?

He racked his brain, but no answer came.

Jeong Yoo-shin raised his sword high above his head.

“Fucking hell, I just have to kill it. Alright, let’s do this! Come at me! You tentacle-dicked bastard!!!”

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T/N – Yeah, at this point, I’m willing to believe that some god or even the labyrinth itself is fucking with the MC. The guy was determined to leave despite fate baiting him with Marie, but he still got pulled in.

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