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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Jeong Yoo-shin woke up with his head in his hands.
He had a pounding headache from the hangover.
It was only natural, considering he and Dalmong had shared a bottle of high-proof dwarven fire liquor last night.
He endured the nausea and changed his clothes. He put on the linen shirt and pants he bought at the market and the work boots he received as a gift.
Dalmong was waiting for him when he went downstairs.
“Coming down as leisurely as a bear, I see.”
“It’s my first leisurely morning in three months.”
Dalmong brought him food.
A sandwich filled with meat and potato soup.
It was incredibly delicious. The soup had quite a bit of bear hair in it, but he treated it like willow leaves floating in cold water. He considered it to be Dalmong’s thoughtful way of preventing him from overeating and getting indigestion as a result.
Jeong Yoo-shin picked the bear hair out of his teeth and stood up.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Alright.”
He stepped outside and walked down the street.
The inn where Jeong Yoo-shin was staying was in the southern district of the city. It was the commoner’s district, neither poor nor wealthy.
It was the area where people who made their living in the Labyrinth City resided.
After walking for about thirty minutes, he saw a fairly large wooden building.
The Explorers Guild branch.
He had seen it several times on his way back from work, but he had never entered it before.
So it was familiar yet unfamiliar to him.
He pushed the wooden revolving door and went inside.
The building was relatively empty. The explorers were either already leaving or had already left.
As he approached the counter, he saw a female receptionist.
“How can I help you?”
“I heard there’s a class for new explorers. Can I register?”
The woman smiled brightly. She was a dog beast-person with floppy ears and a cute smile.
“Of course! May I see your ID?”
“Here you go.”
“Yes, Mr. Skar. I’ve confirmed your ID. The class fee is five silver coins.”
He took out the silver coins and handed them over.
‘Cute.’
The receptionist explained the class schedule and content in a friendly tone. He felt a sharp glare coming from a human woman at the next counter, but he ignored it.
His first task was complete, so now for the second.
He left the Explorers Guild branch and headed for the blacksmith district in the west. He showed the note Marlon had given him to various people and asked for directions. After wandering around for a while, he finally found the shop.
“Ten silver coins for a long sword.”
Marlon’s cousin, Boron, said.
“What?!”
His hand trembled. That was a whole month’s wages!
“I heard I could get a discount.”
“I am giving you a discount. It’s normally fifteen silver coins.”
He had no retort to that. Moreover, Boron’s brows were deeply furrowed. He felt that he was on the verge of being kicked out.
“How much is this shield?”
“That’s five silver coins.”
“Then I’ll take the sword and the shield. Both of them.”
“What about a helmet?”
“Huh?”
“A helmet is the most important part. This one is five silver coins.”
The dwarf brought out an iron helmet. It had a T-shaped slit for vision, and the opening was very narrow. It resembled a barbute.
Their eyes met briefly.
Boron sighed deeply.
“Listen. If it weren’t for my cousin’s introduction, I would have kicked your ass out already. Don’t haggle or look for cheap stuff in front of a dwarf blacksmith. It’s insulting.”
So that was why he was grumpy.
“I apologize.”
Jeong Yoo-shin apologized sincerely. The dwarf, seemingly appeased, grumbled,
“One of the reasons new explorers have a high mortality rate is the lack of armor. Especially head protection. It’s uncomfortable, restricts vision, and the sound echoes inside, disorienting them. It’s cumbersome and expensive, so they don’t use it. Then they get hit in the head and die. A truly rookie ending.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
“I’m glad you understand. What other armor do you have?”
“I have hard leather armor and gauntlets.”
“Good. Here’s a scabbard and a whetstone on the house.”
Jeong Yoo-shin took the equipment the dwarf handed him. He strapped the long sword to his waist and held the shield in his left hand. Putting on the helmet drastically narrowed his field of vision. The dwarf was right.
“I’ll come back again.”
“Don’t.”
Jeong Yoo-shin left the blacksmith shop while the dwarf saw him off.
The walk back to the inn with the helmet on was an ordeal. He nearly bumped into people several times due to his restricted vision. But he kept it on. He needed to get used to it.
“I’m back.”
Dalmong was sitting at the counter.
“Welcome back. You already got your equipment?”
“Yes.”
“Buy the rest after the class. You chose a good helmet, though.”
“The class starts tomorrow.”
He was able to quit his job at the monster dismantling shop at just the right time, neither too early nor too late. Was it luck? Or was it part of Dalmong’s plan?
Did Dalmong perhaps have a journal hidden in his room filled with a detailed training plan for him?
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
Surely not?
Still, his curiosity got the better of him, so he asked.
Dalmong gave him a condescending look.
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Oh, right.”
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Early the next morning, he went to the Explorers Guild building.
There were a lot of people inside.
The quest board was crowded and all the tables in the corner were occupied.
The counters weren’t as empty as yesterday, so he had to line up.
Bang!
Someone slammed their hand on the reception desk. It was the young man who had been standing in front of him in line.
“Why do you keep pushing this class on me?!”
“It’s for new explorers. It covers important information about survival and exploration…”
It was the human woman who had glared at him yesterday. She spoke calmly, but her eyes, magnified by her round glasses, were cold.
The young man interrupted her.
“Do I look like an idiot? You’re trying to sell common knowledge for five silver coins? You have no shame. I may be a new explorer, but I’m not clueless. Stop trying to rip me off and just do your job.”
“…”
The receptionist’s eyes flashed with malice.
“Request confirmed. Exterminate ten goblins and collect ten low-grade magic stones. Is that correct?”
“Yeah.”
“You can submit the requested items here or at the guild exchange in front of the labyrinth. Have a nice day.”
“Tsk.”
The young man clicked his tongue and returned to his party members who were waiting for him. Two men and two women. They all looked like new explorers.
After the young man left, Jeong Yoo-shin stepped up to the counter and presented his metal tag.
“I’m here for the new explorers class. Please mark me as present.”
Her glare was so intense that he went straight to the point.
“Yes, Mr. Skar. I’ve confirmed your attendance. Please proceed to the basement.”
Clack!
‘Seriously.’
The receptionist placed his metal tag on the counter. She didn’t do it hard enough to be considered slamming it down, but it wasn’t gentle either. The sound grated on his nerves.
A subtle way of venting her frustration, he supposed.
He understood her anger, but taking it out on others wasn’t right.
Jeong Yoo-shin picked up the tag and put it in his pocket.
He missed the bright smile of the cute dog beast-person from yesterday.
He left the counter and went down to the basement.
Three people were waiting there.
A mole beast-person.
A young male human in his early twenties.
And a plump female dwarf.
“Hello.”
Jeong Yoo-shin greeted them first. None of them responded. They just stared blankly at his face.
‘This is awkward.’
“Are you a barbarian?”
The human asked cautiously.
“Yes.”
“Ah! I see. It’s the first time a barbarian has ever greeted me first, so I was a bit taken aback. The name’s Jackson.”
He was starting to dislike barbarians more and more.
“I’m Skar.”
The other two finally spoke, introducing themselves.
“Tig.”
“I’m Alon.”
The mole beast-person was Tig and the dwarf was Alon.
Their names were easy to remember.
As they chatted, someone came down from upstairs.
A silver-haired woman with tanned skin.
She wore a tank top and loose-fitting pants for ease of movement.
Her muscular physique and toned six-pack were clearly visible.
The woman stood before them.
“Is this everyone?”
She scanned the four of them with a languid gaze that matched her drowsy voice.
No one answered.
“Am I talking to myself?”
“I don’t know if this is everyone, but we’ve been waiting here for a while now.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Skar.”
“I’m Ursula. The branch guild manager here.”
It was surprising that the guild manager, even if it was just of a branch, was the one teaching the new recruits herself.
Ursula scratched her head in annoyance.
“Damn it. I heard we had a lot of new explorers this time, but is this all there is?”
No one answered. They didn’t know anything about it. The fact that there was an influx of new explorers was news to him.
“Sigh. Can’t be helped. Let’s begin.”
Eight hours passed.
Despite her initial lax attitude, Ursula conducted the class thoroughly and diligently. They were encouraged to ask questions, and she patiently repeated her explanations until they understood.
“Tomorrow, we’ll cover the types of monsters found on the shallower levels of the labyrinth and how to deal with them. You don’t need to bring your weapons. You’ll be provided with one in the underground training area. Any questions?”
Jackson raised his hand.
“Will you be teaching the class from now on, Manager?”
“No. I’m only teaching you guys until tomorrow. Another instructor will take over after that.”
“I see.”
“Don’t be disappointed. They’re as capable as I am.”
“Understood.”
Ursula turned and went back upstairs.
Jackson wiped his forehead.
“I’m honestly surprised that there’s so much to learn.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I learned a lot today. Some things were quite surprising. Especially the reason why so few people have reached the deeper levels of the Great Labyrinth in the past thousand years.”
Tig nodded at Alon’s words.
“Right. Party disbandment due to negative imprints. Shocking.”
Imprints.
Abilities granted to those who entered the Great Labyrinth and came out alive.
They sounded great at first, but the reality was different.
There were three types of imprints.
Positive imprints.
Neutral imprints.
Negative imprints.
Positive imprints enhanced the owner’s talents or granted them new abilities.
Neutral imprints were either beneficial or detrimental, depending on the owner’s needs and preferences.
For example, there was an imprint that caused excessive hair growth. It was useless for beast-people but desirable for bald humans or dwarves.
Finally, negative imprints.
These had adverse effects on the owner or the city.
Those with negative imprints might suddenly develop a craving for blood or mutate into monsters.
Ursula hadn’t explained negative imprints in detail. She only gave a few examples.
“It’s totally like a luck-based gacha game where you’re screwed if you get a bad pull.”
“Huh?”
Alon questioned Jeong Yoo-shin’s mumbling.
“Nothing. Good work, everyone.”
He brushed it off and left the basement.
Dalmong was sitting at the counter with his chin resting on his paw again when he returned to the inn.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back.”
Jeong Yoo-shin sat across from Dalmong.
“Dalmong, I have a question.”
“The reason I look hairy isn’t because of an imprint. It’s because it’s shedding season.”
This damn perceptive bear.
“How did you know what I was going to ask?”
“New explorers all think the same thing. It’s gotten predictable. Go eat.”
“Yes, sir.”
He went to his room, ate dinner, and then lay down on the bed.
“What should I do if I get a shitty imprint?”
Saying his thoughts aloud made them sound even more foolish.
Survival came first, not imprints.
He should just sleep.
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
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T/N – If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
