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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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In front of the Ingrave city gate.
The two parties stood facing each other in silence.
“…Ret, what do you mean?”
Iron Mask asked.
Ret shrugged and spoke.
“Exactly what I said. There’s a group of elite goblins gathered near the main street. Let’s join forces and break through.”
“Where is your party headed? It’s difficult to cooperate if our destinations are different.”
“Us? We’re going to the Forest area. Unless you’re going to the Sewers, you have to pass through the main street to get to either the ‘Forest’ or ‘Corridor’ areas. Are you guys going to the Sewers area?”
Iron Mask shook his head at Ret’s question.
“No. We’re also going to the Forest area.”
“Good. Since we’re going in the same direction, let’s join forces.”
“You said there was a group of elite goblins gathered near the main street. How can I trust you?”
At Iron Mask’s question, Ret chuckled and crossed his arms.
“If you don’t believe me, scout ahead. That rat beast-person seems like a guide.”
“…”
Iron Mask fell silent and pondered.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood still as he held the torch and observed the situation.
Ret.
The man who had joined an intermediate-rank explorer party as a porter and was the sole survivor.
And on top of that, he had obtained the Genius Swordsman imprint.
There were incredibly lucky people in the world.
People who bought an apartment, and then the announcement of a new subway line right in front of their building caused the property value to skyrocket, earning them millions while sitting idly.
People who bought stocks at rock bottom, and then a bull market started, allowing them to effortlessly multiply their money.
Ret seemed to be that kind of person.
The protagonist of an inspiring story who fell, but instead of breaking his nose, he landed on a soft cushion of money.
But…
That was Ret up until now.
No one knew what the future held.
If he had lost his sense of discernment due to his luck and made even a single mistake, it would be the end.
Such suspicion was warranted.
Because Jeong Yoo-shin’s own party was rather unusual.
A man wearing a suspicious iron mask and reeking of medicine.
A dwarf in briefs.
And a rat beast-person, who, thankfully, hadn’t stolen anything yet.
There would be reservations about extending a hand of cooperation to this kind of party.
Especially for a novice explorer like Ret.
Nevertheless, Ret didn’t seem to mind.
‘Something smells fishy.’
Contrary to Jeong Yoo-shin’s thoughts, Iron Mask nodded.
“…Let’s scout ahead first. We’ll decide whether to trust your party later.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Mars, can you scout the main street?”
“I can.”
“I’ll leave it to you. Skar, can you accompany him?”
“Of course.”
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.
“Hey, wait a minute!!!”
Ret suddenly shouted, raising his hand.
“What is it?”
“Skar. Skar. I thought I’d heard that name somewhere before. Are you Skar, the half-blood barbarian?!”
‘My name has spread far and wide.’
It wasn’t surprising, considering he had first met Ret at the Explorers Guild in the southern district.
“That’s right. Do you have something to say to me?”
“Trying to slip away quietly? You’re quite the sly one. Do you think hiding your face behind a helmet can hide your preferences? Are these people your ‘females’?”
Ret said while looking at Jeong Yoo-shin’s party members.
The dwarf, the rat beast-person, and Iron Mask all fell silent.
“…”
A chilling silence descended.
Jeong Yoo-shin suddenly spoke.
“You son of a bitch.”
“What?”
“You bastard! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Are you out of your mind?”
Jeong Yoo-shin grabbed the hilt of his sword.
Following his lead, Ret and his party members also gripped their weapons.
A sudden tension filled the air.
Someone placed a hand on his shoulder. It was Iron Mask.
“Skar, calm down. There’s nothing to be gained from fighting here.”
“…Hoo.”
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at Ret for a long time, then released his grip on his sword.
“Ret, apologize. Insulting my party members like this… As a leader, I can’t overlook that.”
“Sorry, sorry. I went a bit too far.”
Ret said dismissively while waving his hand.
‘Fuck.’
He wanted to beat Ret half to death for crossing the line without warning, but he suppressed his anger.
“But isn’t it true? I heard barbarians are obsessed with holes. I don’t think Ret said anything wrong.”
One of Ret’s party members spoke up.
A woman with pink twintails, wearing a robe and carrying a staff. She seemed to be around Ret’s age.
“Wh-What?”
As Jeong Yoo-shin stammered, another female party member stepped forward.
“That’s right. Do you expect us to say nice things about barbarians, given their reputation? Don’t be ridiculous.”
The woman with short, navy blue hair said while glaring at him. Judging by the dagger and small crossbow she was carrying, she seemed to be a guide.
Ret waved his hand and stopped his party members.
“Now, now. Let’s stop here. There’s no point in fighting any further.”
“Ret, but…”
The pink-haired robe wearer grumbled.
Ret smiled and stroked her hair.
“Irene, thank you for standing up for me, but we need to overcome this crisis together.”
The pink-haired woman called Irene blushed and nodded.
“A-Alright.”
“…”
Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at the two of them flirting.
Ret turned his head and looked at Iron Mask.
“So, now that I’ve apologized, how about scouting ahead?”
He still wanted to cooperate? What was going on in this guy’s head? Something definitely smelled fishy.
“…Mars, Skar. I’ll leave the scouting to you.”
Iron Mask said while looking at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“…Alright.”
Jeong Yoo-shin reluctantly replied and followed Mars.
Jeong Yoo-shin and Mars entered the city gate.
They hid in the alleys and carefully made their way down the main street while concealed in the shadows.
Mars moved ahead and Jeong Yoo-shin followed while hiding in the alleys and covering the torchlight with a blanket.
Mars, who had been moving smoothly, suddenly stopped and signaled Jeong Yoo-shin.
‘Retreat. Extinguish the torch.’
He immediately understood, lowered the torch, and stomped on it.
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned against the alley wall and waited.
How much time had passed?
It didn’t take long for Mars to return.
Mars approached Jeong Yoo-shin and whispered to his ear.
“That swordsman was right. A group of high-ranking goblins is camped near the main street. At least 100 of them.”
100? And high-ranking goblins at that.
“…Is there no way around them? There are alleys everywhere.”
“Do you know what it means when those goblins have come this far into the main street? There are probably even more of them swarming the outskirts of the city.”
‘Like cockroaches…’
If they were just ordinary goblins, he would have relied on his Revenger imprint and fought, but with so many high-ranking goblins, victory was uncertain.
And he had to consider the safety of his party.
‘Stop.’
He shook his head, stopping his train of thought.
He wasn’t the leader. He could offer his opinion, but he didn’t think Iron Mask was foolish enough to need his unsolicited advice.
Grab!
Jeong Yoo-shin suddenly grabbed Mars’s hand.
“Wh-What the—?!”
“Let’s go back. And stop picking my pockets.”
“A-Alright.”
Jeong Yoo-shin and Mars returned to the gate.
“The leader of that party was right. A large number of high-ranking goblins are camped on the main street.”
“See? I told you we should join forces.”
“…”
Iron Mask looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Skar, what do you think?”
A sudden question.
Jeong Yoo-shin made eye contact with Iron Mask.
He was asking for his opinion in front of everyone despite their recent conflict.
“It’s difficult to go around the outskirts. There are even more goblins there. It’s like avoiding a wolf’s den only to enter a lion’s den. We either exterminate them or break through.”
“See? I told—”
Iron Mask waved his hand, cutting Ret off, and continued his conversation with Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Breaking through is difficult. It’s at least 100 against 4. And it’s a wide-open street. Even if we were capable of taking on 100 each, we’re done for if we’re surrounded. What other options do we have?”
“It’s true that breaking through is difficult. We could wait and join forces with another party.”
“What about luring them out in small groups and eliminating them?”
“There are variables, but it’s not a bad idea. If it goes according to plan.”
“So, we wait and break through together.”
Iron Mask reached a tentative conclusion.
“Hey, why are you thinking so hard? Just charge in and wipe them out.”
Ret finally interrupted.
“How?”
“I have the Genius Swordsman imprint. I can easily handle this many.”
“Then why did you ask for our help?”
“I’m fine, but my girlfriends are in danger.”
Ret said with a smile.
“Can we trust you?”
“That dwarf over there is a priest of the Fire Spirit God, right? Let’s ask him. Hey, dwarf.”
“What?”
“How are your party members? Swear on the Fire Spirit God and tell me.”
“How dare you place a god under an oath? You’re a blasphemous man.”
“A devout dwarf priest is still sticking with them? They must not be bad people.”
Ret shrugged.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who was dumbfounded, felt his strength drain away.
‘This guy’s brain must be made of mush. Is he overly confident? Or does he have some other motive?’
Was the Genius Swordsman imprint that powerful?
If it were him, he would have left his party members behind and wiped them out alone.
“Then let me ask you this. How can we trust you?”
Ret scratched his head.
“Barbarian, isn’t it ridiculous to be talking about trust on the mere fifth floor of the labyrinth? We join forces if it’s beneficial. Otherwise, we go our separate ways. Don’t do it if you don’t want to.”
Iron Mask stepped forward.
“Ret, we need some time to discuss this amongst ourselves.”
“Take your time.”
Ret said while stepping back.
Iron Mask gestured, and Jeong Yoo-shin and his party members gathered in a circle.
“What do you think?”
Kubo, the dwarf priest, cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem. Although I’m suspicious, that swordsman wasn’t wrong. We have two choices. Exterminate the goblins or wait here and join forces with another party.”
The rat beast-person crossed his arms.
“But is there any guarantee that the next party will cooperate with us? Honestly, our party looks a bit… unusual, doesn’t it?”
“…”
The rat beast-person guide’s words struck a nerve, and the party members fell silent.
“Kubo, how about putting some clothes on? You don’t look good right now. Honestly, you’re the most suspicious one here.”
“Hey, barbarian, just because you’re wearing a helmet doesn’t mean you can speak so carelessly. You’re the most suspicious one here if you take off that helmet.”
“I’m a kind barbarian.”
“…Take your hand off me first, then talk.”
“S-Sorry.”
Iron Mask intervened.
“Stop. Let’s do this. In my opinion, it’s not a bad proposition. We’ll cooperate, but we need to be cautious.”
“…What do you mean?”
“We need insurance.”
The meeting ended, and Iron Mask and his party members approached Ret.
“So, have you made a decision?”
“Of course. We’ll cooperate.”
“Good thinking. There’s no need to waste time here.”
“I have one condition.”
“…What is it?”
Ret frowned and crossed his arms.
Jeong Yoo-shin suddenly stepped forward and spoke.
“Hand over one of your party members.”
“…What?!”
Ret’s eyes widened.
“What did you say?!”
Ret asked in a trembling voice.
“I said hand her over. One of your women.”
Jeong Yoo-shin pointed at Ret’s party members.
“We’ll keep her safe. How about it?”
“…”
In front of the gate.
In the silence of the two parties.
All eyes were on Jeong Yoo-shin.
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T/N – Wow. Couldn’t the MC have worded that differently? He complains so much about how he keeps getting lumped together with the other barbarians, yet he keeps saying stuff like this.
Also, I don’t like Ret and his party members. I hope they get eaten by the goblins later.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
LMAOOOOOOOOOO
Bro is NOT beating the allegations with this one lol.
Omg…