episode_0002

“Wow.”

Green skin, child-like stature, grotesque face.

It was a goblin.

The goblin was lying dead on the road, its body dismembered. There seemed to be about a dozen of them, but none were alive. Judging from the circumstances, it was right to assume that Karin and her party had killed them.

He continued on, avoiding the tragedy displayed on the road. After walking for about 10 more minutes, the narrow path finally came to an end.

Leaving the forest, a vast plain unfolded.

Perhaps because it was on a fairly high hill, he could see the horizon at a glance. A gentle breeze caressed Jeong Yushin’s hair once. Looking down, people were walking along the main road in twos and threes.

If I just follow that main road, I should find a village or two.

Not bad.

Jeong Yushin approached the main road. People who looked like merchants, people armed with various weapons, wandering gypsy troupes with various musical instruments.

The races were diverse, and the appearances were diverse as well.

He couldn’t come to his senses at the unfamiliar sights he was seeing for the first time in his life.

He stood on one side of the main road, blankly watching them pass by.

A cat demi-human passing by spat out a word.

“Hey, are you drunk or something? Get a grip. Tsk, young one.”

A human walking next to the demi-human grinned.

“Oh. How did you know if that human is young or old?”

The cat demi-human purred.

“If they have no beard and no wrinkles, they’re young. Don’t ignore me.”

“Heh. How do I look?”

“You looked a little younger last night, but you look a little older today. Shave your beard.”

The two exchanged trivial conversations and passed by Jeong Yushin.

Jeong Yushin smiled faintly and stepped onto the main road.

* * *

That evening, Jeong Yushin arrived at a village.

It was small in size, but because it was close to the main road, it was quite crowded with people, even just looking from the village entrance. Soldiers in regular army uniforms accounted for a large portion of them.

A soldier guarding the village gate said with a smile.

“Welcome to Arentsville, the main road village.”

“Hello.”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

“The toll is 5 copper coins. The inn is full, so you’ll have to eat there but sleep outside or rely on the residents.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Jeong Yushin took out copper coins from his pocket, paid, and entered the village.

The inn was right next to the village’s central square. The sounds of musical instruments, singing, and boisterous chatter echoed outside the building, making it easy to find.

As he entered the building, a rush of heat enveloped his face. Seeing the diverse people talking, he felt dizzy for a moment.

“Hey, black-haired young man!”

A woman in her 30s carrying food shouted.

“Yes?”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Sit anywhere. One more meal here!”

Since the seats were full, joining a table was essential. Jeong Yushin sat at the nearest seat. Two short men who looked like dwarves and a rabbit demi-human were already sitting at the table.

They didn’t pay attention to Jeong Yushin and ate, drank, and talked. They were talking about something serious, but it was difficult to understand what they were saying.

I need to gather information. Jeong Yushin sighed inwardly.

Quickly giving up on gathering information.

He turned his head and admired the people playing instruments in the corner.

Thump!

“Alright! Food’s here.”

The same woman in her 30s from before slammed the food on the table.

There was white wheat bread, soup with tomatoes and potatoes, a sizzling piece of meat, and yellow alcohol in a wooden cup.

“How much is it?”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

“10 copper coins.”

Jeong Yushin took out copper coins from his pocket and handed them over politely.

“You’re a polite young man.”

“Thank you.”

“Cute. Enjoy your meal.”

“Yes.”

Of course, I have to be polite.

Just yesterday, I almost had my neck cut off by slave hunters for underestimating this other world and running my mouth. When you don’t know anything, you have to live humbly.

As he ate the steaming soup, his tension finally eased and he felt hungry. He had filled his stomach with jerky scraps in the morning and walked for a long time, so it was natural to be hungry.

He carefully tore off a piece of bread and put it in his mouth, chewing. The savory aroma of wheat filled his mouth. He cut off a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, and the juices gushed out.

“This is really good.”

The meat’s juices suppressed the bread’s dryness and enhanced its savoriness, and the tomato soup neutralized the meat’s greasy juices with its acidity and stimulated his appetite again. Then, the bread covered the soup’s acidity with its wheat aroma.

It was truly a trinity.

Filled with emotion and gratitude, he quickly finished his meal.

With his stomach full, he drank the alcohol in the wooden cup. The honey’s unique sticky feeling and the refreshing fruit scent blended together, washing his mouth and passing down his esophagus.

Judging by the strong fruit scent, it didn’t seem to be simple honey wine. Could the brewery have its own special secret?

The question was fleeting.

“Hoo.”

He was truly satisfied.

“You, you really eat well?”

A dwarf with a brown beard sitting in front of Jeong Yushin said with a smile.

“Yes. It was really delicious.”

“The food here in Arentsville is pretty good.”

Another dwarf sitting next to him chimed in. The rabbit demi-human nodded as if agreeing.

“Is this your first time in Arentsville?”

The rabbit demi-human asked.

“Yes.”

“Judging by your appearance, it seems you’re alone. Are you a pilgrim?”

Pilgrim?

“What is a pilgrim?”

At Jeong Yushin’s question, all three of them widened their eyes.

“Are you from Barbaroi in the north?”

Jeong Yushin frowned.

The dwarf waved his hand as if flustered.

“Calm down. There was no intention to disregard you. I assumed since people from the north aren’t familiar with these religious stories.”

“Yes. I understand. But what is a pilgrim?”

“How much do you know?”

“I don’t know anything.”

“You’re really honest. Perhaps your father or mother is from the north?”

“I guess that’s possible.”

Jeong Yushin stroked his chin.

Certainly, his father was a huge, burly man with intense eyes and shaggy hair.

A man who took showers in ice water at -40 degrees Celsius, saying ‘Ah, that’s refreshing’ with a hearty smile.

The man who kicked a wild boar in the side and sent it flying when he encountered it in the mountains. The sight of the wild boar soaring through the air was still etched in his memory.

In contrast, his mother was the epitome of a woman. Quiet and demure. Always with a gentle smile, stroking his head or hugging him tightly.

His father and mother were a well-suited pair.

[Y-you know, Yushin is watching.]

[Let him watch.]

[Hnnng.]

His father grabbing his mother’s cheeks with one hand and giving her a deep kiss, and his mother sticking out her tongue with her cheeks bulging out from the pressure of his hand.

A fond memory of their marital bliss….

“Damn it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think my father is a barbarian.”

“I see.”

“So, what is a pilgrim?”

“It’s a pretty old story. So…”

The dwarf continued the story for quite some time.

Jeong Yushin drank the last mouthful of alcohol.

He organized the dwarf’s story from just now in his head.

In the old days when monsters filled the world, a person from the Spirit Church moved from west to east, gathering all the evil spirits and sealing them in a large city in the east.

The man from the Spirit Church was hailed as a saint, and the path he walked was called the ‘Pilgrim’s Path.’ The path Jeong Yushin walked was that ‘Pilgrim’s Path.’

Those who believe in the Spirit Church wanted to personally understand the history of the Spirit Church and the heart of the saint by walking this path alone.

People saw them as pilgrims.

Now, various people are walking this path for their own reasons, so the original meaning has faded.

Still, there are countless followers of the Spirit Church, so a considerable number of believers still walked the path of pilgrimage.

The dwarf and his party finished their story and got up from their seats.

“Black-haired young man. We’ll be going first. We need to sleep before we sober up, you know?”

“Yes. Thank you for the kind words.”

“Then.”

They left the inn. The inn was quiet. It was because the dwarf’s story was quite long.

Jeong Yushin crossed his arms.

The word ‘Great Labyrinth’ came up in the dwarf’s explanation.

The very city at the end of the Pilgrim’s Path where the saint of the Spirit Church sealed all the evil spirits.

It was said that you could gain mysterious abilities if you entered and exited the Great Labyrinth.

At the very least, you could gain the ability to become stronger or move faster.

At most, your gender could change, or your race could change.

In rare cases, you could gain talents you didn’t have or ancient arcane magic that has now disappeared.

Because these abilities are engraved on the soul as ‘imprints,’ people also called it the ‘Imprint Labyrinth.’

“Good.”

If I’m lucky while exploring the labyrinth, I might be able to find a way back home. Even if I don’t, it’s okay. At least I can get stronger. If I get stronger, I can be less wary and feel less threatened while quickly finding a way to return.

‘I’m going to the Great Labyrinth.’

Jeong Yushin decided on his future plans and went outside the inn.

The central square was filled with campsites. He walked a little further and left the square.

Most people were huddled together, covering themselves with blankets and sleeping against the wooden fence.

Jeong Yushin also found a spot in a quiet place and leaned against the wooden fence.

It was chilly, but he could bear it because of the alcohol. He untied the blanket that was rolled up and fastened to the top of his backpack, covered his body, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Jeong Yushin opened his eyes at dawn.

A night without a roof was grueling. Thanks to the alcohol, he was able to sleep a little, but one blanket was not enough to endure the cold dawn.

Crack.

As he got up from his seat and stretched, the bones in his body made strange noises.

People were already packing their bags and going to the inn. A dog demi-human, his fur drooping with morning dew, grumbled.

“This damn outdoor sleeping is always new, no matter how many times I do it.”

“Be grateful you had a wooden fence to lean on.”

A clergyman who seemed to be a companion replied.

“I admit it. Outdoor sleeping all the way to the next village. Haa.”

Outdoor sleeping all the way to the next village.

I don’t know how long it will take, so I want to replenish my supplies if possible.

Jeong Yushin entered the inn, which was wafting with delicious food smells.

“It’s one copper coin.”

The landlady he saw last night put a wooden bowl on the table.

It was steaming oat porridge.

“Thank you. Do you happen to sell jerky or dried rations?”

“Yeah. How much do you need?”

“How long does it take to get to the next village from here?”

“Well, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the Great Labyrinth.”

“If it’s the Great Labyrinth, you can just follow the main road. It’ll take about three days to get to the next village.”

“Then, please give me three days’ worth of dried rations.”

“Alright. Cute.”

The landlady smiled slightly and left her seat.

Jeong Yushin put the hot porridge in his mouth. Perhaps because it contained meat and potatoes, the chewy texture was excellent. As he ate the warm food, his cold body thawed.

“Here, three days’ worth of food. Including breakfast, it’s 21 copper coins.”

The landlady approached when he had finished the porridge. The dried rations were carefully wrapped in large leaves. Jeong Yushin took out copper coins from his pocket and handed them over.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks. Come again next time.”

He scraped up all the porridge and left the inn. People were chattering and leaving the village.

Jeong Yushin didn’t hesitate like before. The place he had to go was clear.

The Great Labyrinth.

He walked in the direction where the sun was rising.