Chapter 6: No more ordinary days (6)

Chapter 6: No more ordinary
days (6)

I
searched the girl’s backpack.

There
wasn’t anything valuable. Bread crumbs, a blanket, and her dagger
were all I could find.

I
tied a blanket around me and covered myself. The t-shirt was
completely tattered so I just threw it away.

“You
might want to focus on your stomach,” she said, “because a
man’s stomach is attractive, but if it’s out in the open, it’s an
easy target for the guards, and frankly, they’re just trying to get a
look at you.”

I
didn’t understand, but it seemed that a man’s stomach was a turn-on
for women in this world.

I
took her advice as much as possible and wrapped myself in a blanket.

I
felt a little like a caveman tribal chief, but it was the best I
could do.

The
dagger looked pretty good, too. It’s a bit heavier than the goblin
knife, but much sharper.

I
decided to put the axe on my belt and use the dagger as my primary
weapon for the time being.

“Aww.
This is all she has⋯”

As
I was preparing to leave after finishing my disguise, she was
rummaging through the corpse of the maiden.

“Come
here.”

I
commanded, tugging on the enchanted rope that had become a leash, and
she stopped and came running to me.

“Boo,
you called.”

This
is why training is so important. The selfish, sex-crazed woman was
transformed into a human being after about two hours of manners
training (physical).

I
looked down at the brat, who had begun to notice me, and asked.

“What
were you doing?”

“Well,
I was looting the corpse. The living have to live off the dead and
life is pretty tight, so I figured I could use some of the dead
money.”

“You’ve
been saying at great length that you took money out of her pocket.
Give it to me.”

“Yes,
yes.”

She
grunted and politely cupped her hands together. In her palm were four
silver coins.

I
don’t know how much they’re worth, but I take them. It can’t hurt to
have money.

“⋯I
guess you two weren’t close?”

“⋯⋯No,
we just worked together on a couple of projects.”

“⋯⋯Well,
you two are pretty good together when it comes to that sort of
thing.”

“Women
are good at working together when they have a common goal.”

“Bragging.
Asshole.”

It
didn’t seem like she was going to attack me to avenge her co-worker.

I
held still, raising my fist and placing it on top of her solar
plexus.

As
soon as my fist touched the underside of her small chest, her eyes
squeezed shut and her shoulders shook.

“Hmph,
hmph, hmph.”

She
hadn’t even been hit yet, and she was breathing hard, bracing herself
for the pain to come.

“Hmph,
hmph, hmph.”

I
pressed down lightly without much force, but she let out a harsh gasp
as if she’d been stabbed.

“Ugh,
ugh, ugh.”

“Sassy.”

“Yes,
yes!”

I
quietly lowered my fist, satisfied that it had the effect I wanted.

I
patted her on the shoulder as she shook.

“Don’t
feel bad. Let’s be good, okay?”

“Hmph,
yes, yes!”

“Okay,
lead the way.”

She
grabbed her raggedy backpack and did as I asked, heading toward the
escape portal.

I
followed behind, comfortably holding onto the leash.

***

It’s
definitely different than when I’m alone in the labyrinth.

“Come
on, let’s take a break, can’t we rest?”

For
one thing, I could take a break.

When
you’re tired, you rest. Something so simple and common sense was not
easy to do in the Labyrinth where emergency absurdities run rampant,
especially when you’re alone.

It
had only been a few hours ago that I’d been attacked by goblins while
trying to force myself to rest.

I’d
been forced to march half-heartedly and without sleep, but now I
didn’t have to.

“Time
to get moving again.”

“Already?
What kind of stamina do you have?”

Of
course, I hadn’t completely let my guard down. The right level of
tension was essential.

-Aaaah!

Another
advantage was the increased ease of combat.

“Crunch-!”

An
arrow that flew through the wind struck a goblin in the head.

With
an archer slave, when we find a goblin, I don’t even have to get into
melee combat, she can just shoot an arrow from a distance and the
battle is over.

“Kerrrrr,
kerrrrr!”

“Kekekekeke-!”

“Ha,
I killed one!”

Often,
when more than one appears, one will die first, making the
one-on-many battles much less taxing.

-Puuuuk!

A
swiftly swung dagger pierced the goblin’s heart with a single stroke.

The
dagger itself was of good quality, it was much sharper than the axe
I’d been using, and it could cut through a goblin’s muscles without
much effort but it paled in comparison to the axe.

The
feeling of the blow piercing the goblin’s skin was off.

Still,
it didn’t matter. It’s the only thing I can use right now.

‘By
the way, do I feel a little lighter?’

It
was a strange sensation that I’ve felt since I woke up from the sleep
potion.

It
was more than just a feeling.

I’d
gotten used to killing goblins and being violent, but this felt
different.

It
feels like my body has grown again. To put it in a slightly game-like
way, level up.

It’s
a world where there are goblins, potions, beastmen, and women who
love men.

Now
I wouldn’t be surprised by anything.

“If
this continues, the status window will appear.”

Ding!

[Sync
80% complete.]

“⋯er⋯”

I
can’t believe this is actually happening.

***

Startled,
I peered into the translucent status window in front of me.

[Sync
81% complete.]

The
number went up by one.

I
saw what it said⋯which
I assumed meant that the synchronization was 81% complete.

“⋯⋯”

I
don’t know much more than that.

I
was surprised by the suddenness of it, but that’s to be expected
after dealing with goblins and potions.

It
wasn’t as shocking as I thought it would be.

I
was just a little curious. At the same time, it piqued my interest a
bit.

I
don’t feel like I’ve done anything, and I’m already at 81%.

I
thought, “What will I be able to do when I get to 100%?”

I
stared at it for a while and saw no sign of 82%. It seemed that the
condition to increase the sync rate wasn’t just for time to pass.

I
thought to myself, “Since most of what I do in the Labyrinth is
killing monsters, I’ll have to kill monsters to increase my sync
rate.”

In
the end, the task is the same. Kill the monster and head for the
escape portal.

I’m
about to move on again, but while I’m looking at the status window,
she is doing something to the goblin’s face.

-Pfft.

I
grabbed the leash and tugged, and she came scurrying back.

“You
bastard, what are you doing?”

“⋯Ah.
I’m cutting off the goblin’s ears. If I bring the
evidence of my hunt to the Explorers’ Alliance, I can get paid.”

“Really?”

“⋯?”

Ignoring
her “I can’t believe you don’t know this basic common sense”
look, I told her to go back to work.

As
I silently watched her cut off the goblin’s ear, I suddenly
remembered all the goblins I’ve killed.

“⋯How
much do they usually pay for this?”

“About
20 silver coins for 10 goblins.”

I’ve
stopped counting since then, but I think I’ve killed at least thirty
of them.

I
didn’t have that kind of knowledge, so I couldn’t help it, but it was
a bit of a waste.

‘Yeah.
Knowledge. I need knowledge.’

There’s
so much I don’t know about this world now. I don’t know about
labyrinths or monsters, or even basic things like the relationship
between men and women or goblin ears.

This
ignorance will pile and it will surely catch up with me one day.

I
took this opportunity to ask Cachile a few questions to clear up my
doubts and gather a little information about the world outside the
Labyrinth.

I
didn’t ask a lot of questions and didn’t get a lot of answers, but I
did get the bare minimum.

Soon,
we were nearing the escape portal.

“Ker-er-er-er-er-er-er.”

“Ker-er-er-er-er!”

The
final battle.

***

“No,
is this⋯
right⋯?”

She
opened her mouth in a daze, overwhelmed by the battle being waged by
the man in front of her.

‘⋯That’s
a real man?’

-Pooh-pooh!

Tough
and rough, muscles flexing with every punch and swing of his fist and
dagger, blood pulsing as if feverish with the excitement of battle.

“Krrrrr!”

A
thick arm grabbed the writhing goblin by the hair and ripped its
throat out.

-Chaaah!

The
goblin’s blood splashed on the man’s helmet, and the goblin fell limp
and died.

‘Were
goblins always that weak?’

No.
Goblins were clever and troublesome creatures.

Small
and lithe, with great strength for their size, cunning with a knack
for surprise, their pack mentality allowed them to fight in large
numbers.

Their
overwhelming numbers make them difficult to defeat, especially in
their lairs, also known as goblin nests.

This
is why goblins are often the first gateway and wall for novice
explorers.

They
don’t appear in the middle of the first floor for nothing.

The
man wiped his helmet, checked for blood, and clicked his tongue.

The
aura of a beast that had survived the wilderness made him no ordinary
rug male, but a single, dominant male.

‘Looks
like he came up from the depths of the first floor⋯and
all by himself.’

-Pfft!

After
a moment’s thought, she snapped out of it as something fell in front
of her eyes, it was a goblin’s corpse.

The
man had thrown the goblin’s corpse with one hand.

Throwing
a goblin lightly with one hand was no easy task. On average, a goblin
weighs around 40 kilograms.

The
act of lifting it could be done by anyone with some strength.

Throwing
it so lightly was something that only a blessed and trained explorer
could do easily.

Nam
Soo-jin did this as naturally as breathing due to her long experience
of working hard and her excellent body, but she had no way of knowing
that, and she just fantasized about it.

What
level of explorer is he? Second floor? 3rd Floor? He may not know it,
but she was confident that he was stronger than her.

“Pick
the ears and put them in your backpack.”

“Yes.”

Despite
the commanding tone, she reflexively ducked her head.

There
was no reason to do this.

It
wasn’t even a formal slave contract with magic involved.

She
could have refused at any time, and she could have escaped at any
time but for some reason, she didn’t feel like it.

Every
time she looked at him, her legs shook and her bruises throbbed.

She
still remembered the words he said as he placed his heavy fist on her
chest.

–
Let’s be good, okay?

The
effect of the etiquette lesson that had been drilled into her brain
for such a short period of time kicked in.

“What
are you doing?”

A
strong, masculine command, not at all like a typical male.

“Yes,
yes⋯”

Without
realizing it, she had created a third option: submission.

***

The
white portal shimmered and glowed.

I
squinted a little, my eyes adjusting to the slightly darker interior
of the labyrinth.

Still,
the white light is a welcome sight.

It
almost brings tears to my eyes to think of all the trouble I’ve been
through these past few days just to see that portal.

“Just
touch the escape portal and your body will be sucked in by itself. Be
careful, there’s a bit of floating.”

With
that, I stepped into the escape portal.

The
escape portal would take me to the entrance of the Labyrinth in
Valerus City.

I
carefully touch the portal.

Whoosh.

A
slight feeling of floating.

“⋯er?”

It
feels strangely familiar. I wonder when I’ve felt this sensation
before, and an unforgettable memory comes to mind.

‘The
hospital! When I touched the magic circle in the hospital!’

I
woke up immediately after touching the magic circle and found myself
in a goblin lair.

I
wondered if I could return to the modern world but what I saw right
after dashed my expectations.

Instead
of the nostalgic modern world, I saw a strange landscape that looked
like a medieval fantasy world.

“Ahhh.”

I
let out an exasperated sigh.

To
be honest, I was harboring some hope.

That
this was all a terrible nightmare, that I could cross the escape
portal, wake up from the nightmare, and return to the modern world.

It
was a life of hard work with no way to see the future, an ordinary
day repeating itself every day.

I
was living happily with my sister, finding small pleasures in it all.

I
looked down at the goblin’s blood and flesh splattered body.

–
Tsk!

The
sound of the goblin’s death and cutting flesh is still clear in my
ears.

In
the back of my mind, I remember fighting to convince my body and mind
that this wasn’t real, that it was just a dream.

The
weight of my dagger and axe hung from my waist.

I
killed people with my own hands, not anyone else’s.

I
felt the coolness of the helmet as I strapped it to my face.

The
coolness of the helmet brought me back to reality.

“Haha.”

Although
I had been denying it in my heart, I think my mind had realized the
cruel reality.

There
will be no more ordinary days from now on.

This
strange world has become an undeniable reality.

From
now on, I have to survive alone in this harsh world.

“⋯I’ll
do it, I’ll do it.”

I
clenched my fists and glared at the flickering portal.

The
magic circle and labyrinth portal I had seen in the hospital. I was
sure there was some connection between them, since I felt the same
sensation when I traveled through them.

–
The Labyrinth is a place of mysteries and secrets.

Cachile
said the portals only exist in the Labyrinth.

If
so, I would have to enter the Labyrinth again someday to learn more
about the portals.

I
steeled myself once more.

The
Labyrinth. Portals. Magic circle.

To
uncover the secrets of this mysterious phenomenon, return to Earth
and find my missing sister.

“I
must survive in this world.”