episode_0052

I went to Boron’s smithy.

“I’m here.”

Boron was spaced out, staring blankly into the air.

Jeong Yushin waved his hand in front of Boron’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“···Ah. You came?”

“Why are you so dazed?”

Clang!! Clang clang!! Clang!!

The sound of a hammer came from beyond the wooden door in the corner of the smithy.

Jeong Yushin smiled contentedly.

“Working so hard. You’ve got a really good assistant.”

“Hehehe.”

Boron suddenly laughed.

‘Is it that good?’

Jeong Yushin laughed along.

“Keuheuk!”

Boron choked up. Thick tears welled up in his eyes.

???

“What’s wrong?”

Boron stood up without answering and went into the room where the hammering sound was coming from.

Jeong Yushin followed. He felt a wave of heat. Einhofer was hammering a sword that was glowing red.

He seemed to have lost a little weight, but it wasn’t too worrying.

Clang!! Clang clang!! Ting!!!

The sword warped.

“Oops. My hand slipped.”

Boron quickly ducked his head.

Crash!!!

The hammer flew off, hitting a pile of weapons and armor stacked in the corner, creating all sorts of noise.

“Just stop it already!”

“Master, I think I’m almost there if I do it a little more.”

Einhofer replied.

“We’re going bankrupt! Look at all those junk heaps! When are we going to make money!”

Boron shouted.

“I just need to do a little more.”

“Heok!”

Boron clutched the back of his neck at Einhofer’s reply.

“Einhofer.”

Jeong Yushin greeted him.

“You came.”

Einhofer smiled and accepted Jeong Yushin’s greeting.

His face and body were drenched in sweat, but his eyes were shining like stars.

The beautiful appearance of someone making an effort.

“I’ll cheer you on.”

“Thanks.”

He dragged Boron, who had collapsed to the floor, out of the room.

Boron looked much older in the meantime.

Jeong Yushin took money out of his pocket and handed it to him. It was payment for the longsword he had taken on credit last time.

“I’d like to buy a hard leather armor.”

“···You’re not thinking of repairing the light armor?”

“I brought it along for now.”

“Show me.”

He took the tattered light armor out of his backpack and showed it to him.

Boron clicked his tongue.

“This is completely unusable. Have a new one made.”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Why not?”

“I used most of it to run the inn.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Jeong Yushin briefly explained what had happened last time.

“···Even so, leaving the inn to Barbaroi.”

“Let’s stop. I’m really sick of hearing about cats and fish shops and whatnot.”

“I didn’t say anything. I just thought you’d made a fish farm. You know, something to take out and eat when you’re bored.”

Boron scratched his head and replied.

‘That’s the same thing. This bastard.’

Jeong Yushin’s expression crumpled like Einhofer’s failed works.

“Don’t you want to do business?”

“Okay, okay. Why can’t I say anything? Tsk.”

Boron clicked his tongue and took out a leather armor from the corner.

It was a simple leather armor that only covered the shoulders and torso.

“Huu, 30 silver coins.”

“Heo.”

Money was flowing out quickly.

“Well, you should take a helmet too.”

Boron naturally brought a steel helmet as well.

Jeong Yushin looked over the helmet and asked.

“What is this small pot?”

“It’s a helmet.”

It was a helmet similar to a kettle helm.

“It just looks like a steel hat.”

“It’s a useful item. It has a wide field of vision. There’s a leather strap inside the helmet so you can tighten and tie your chin. It’s comfortable and doesn’t shake. Just give me 10 silver coins.”

Isn’t this leftover junk?

Jeong Yushin sighed and took out silver coins from his pocket and handed them over.

“Bring some liquor next time you come.”

“Did you leave liquor with me?”

“…”

Boron glared at Jeong Yushin.

“I’m kidding. I’ll buy a good bottle next time.”

“You better.”

Jeong Yushin equipped the leather armor and kettle helm and left the smithy.

Unlike Barbuda, the pot lid shape gave him a wide field of vision. It was also easier to breathe.

* * *

The next evening.

Jeong Yushin checked his equipment and went down to the inn’s first floor hall.

Tarman approached.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. Don’t leave dinner out. I have to stand guard in front of the labyrinth until dawn.”

“Okay. Please wait a moment.”

Tarman hurriedly ran into the kitchen and came back with a bundle.

“I prepared this in case you get hungry tonight.”

A lunch box.

“Thanks. Contact me right away if anything happens.”

“Okay. Have a good trip.”

Jeong Yushin left the inn, accepting Tarman’s greeting.

A summer evening as the sun began to set.

He walked down the street, feeling the cooling breeze.

He headed to the entrance of the labyrinth, against the flow of people returning to the city after finishing their adventures.

“Ska, mixed-blood Barbaroi. Confirmed.”

The guard captain returned Jeong Yushin’s tag.

When he arrived at the guard post at the entrance of the labyrinth, the guard captain was sitting at his desk.

“Nothing special. Just keep your eyes open and make sure there’s nothing strange about the people entering and exiting the labyrinth.”

The guard captain was a human male in his 40s with a sparse beard.

The guard captain scratched his greasy hair.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is that so? It’s strangely familiar. You’re well-equipped. Leather armor and kettle helm. You’re a friend who knows something. It’s comfortable to wear in the summer.”

“I see.”

“Did you bring anything else?”

“I brought a lunch box.”

“I’ll take a look for a moment. Some of the applicants have been caught drinking liquor, so.”

“Yes. Feel free to look.”

Jeong Yushin put the bundle on the table.

The guard captain cleared his throat and opened the bundle.

“···You’re a friend who’s loved by his wife.”

The guard captain said after looking at the contents of the wooden lunch box.

The wooden lunch box contained steak sandwiches cut into easy-to-eat pieces.

Jeong Yushin scratched the back of his head.

“I don’t know.”

“Isn’t it a good time?”

“I’ve never been married.”

The guard captain’s eyes widened.

“···Then? Could it be a married woman? You crazy Barbaroi.”

Why is a married woman suddenly popping up?

“It’s a misunderstanding. A friend who works at the inn packed it for me.”

“Your friend is so devoted. Is she a childhood friend?”

“No.”

“I see. Speaking of childhood friends, I used to live in the countryside···.”

The guard captain looked at the sky with dreamy eyes and began to ramble about his memories.

Jeong Yushin propped his chin up and listened to the guard captain’s story with one ear and let it out with the other. When he chimed in and added appropriate interjections, the guard captain got excited and babbled even more.

“···So I told that childhood friend.”

Thump!!!

“Captain.”

A mole beastkin opened the door to the guard post and entered.

“What is it? It’s the most important part.”

“One of the people on duty today is missing, so I came.”

“He’s here.”

The guard captain pointed to Jeong Yushin.

“A mixed-blood Barbaroi? Follow me.”

“Put him in a tough spot. He’s a heinous guy who sleeps soundly with his childhood friend, a married woman, and lives leisurely.”

Jeong Yushin turned his head and stared blankly at the guard captain.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m kidding. Take this lunch box quickly too.”

‘He’s out of his mind.’

Jeong Yushin clicked his tongue inwardly, slung the bundle over his shoulder, and followed the mole beastkin.

“You know that there are entrances and exits to the labyrinth’s transfer zone, right?”

“Yes.”

“You just have to watch the exit side. I’ll tell you where to stand.”

Jeong Yushin followed the mole beastkin and looked up at the labyrinth.

A black stone monument.

It was so long and huge that it could easily steamroll any building.

It looked even more majestic in the moonlight.

The entrance was in a place where the moonlight shone.

The exit was in the shadow of the stone monument, where there was no light.

Dozens of torches were placed a little away from the exit magic circle.

That wasn’t enough, so there were also crystal balls that emitted bright light.

Guards in plate armor and people with autonomous weapons stood around the torches.

There were about 40 people.

The mole beastkin led Jeong Yushin to the front of the exit magic circle.

“It’s a group of four.”

The mole beastkin continued.

“You can sit on the floor, but you can’t lie down. Of course, you can’t sleep either. You can eat food, but you can’t cook. And of course, you can’t copulate.”

“Okay.”

The mole beastkin left and returned to the guard post.

Jeong Yushin briefly scanned the people gathered at the torch.

A frog beastkin wrapped in a robe.

A masked man with a greatsword on the floor.

And.

“An ogre?”

He had seen one once at the monster dismantling center. He remembered that the skin was so tough that it was difficult to peel off. The size was smaller than the ogre he had seen at the dismantling center.

“Half. Barbaroi.”

The ogre, wearing a piece of cloth embroidered with the guard’s insignia, said.

So that’s why it was small.

Still.

“Your mother must have had a hard time.”

“You’re a rude guy. My father was human.”

“Your father had unique tastes. I acknowledge that.”

“I’m kidding. Actually, both of my parents are human. I received an ogre engraving, so I changed like this. Call me Stone Fist.”

“Ska.”

“Were you that butcher Ska? The guy who came into the eastern district and killed all those slave hunters?”

“···Butcher?”

“···You killed them so brutally and you’re tilting your head? The guys down below were sweating like crazy cleaning up the dismembered and torn corpses. That’s why I got that nickname.”

Jeong Yushin frowned at the ominous nickname he had been given.

“They were guys who deserved to die. And judging by the way you’re talking, are you a member of the underworld too?”

“That’s right. There isn’t a guy in the eastern district who isn’t involved in the underworld.”

“That’s not true.”

Suddenly, the frog beastkin interjected.

He thought he would croak, but he had a surprisingly dignified voice.

“Croak. A mid-level priest who serves the water spirit god. To get back to the story, there are people who live in the eastern district without belonging to a clan. For example, people like me.”

“Is there a temple that serves the water spirit god in the eastern district?”

“That’s right. To be exact, it’s in the underground of the eastern district.”

This was another fact he didn’t know.

There’s an underground in the eastern district.

“Why is there an underground in the eastern district?”

“Some of the people who received monster engravings were vulnerable to winter and sunlight. So it was created.”

I see.

He nodded involuntarily at the information about the labyrinth that was being revealed one by one.

Then, someone jeered from afar.

“You monsters are getting along well.”

When he turned his head, he saw a bull beastkin standing there. There were various others around him, such as dog beastkin, rabbit beastkin, and rat beastkin.

“···Just ignore them.”

The half-ogre Stone Fist said.

“Why should I be angry? You’re the one who received the monster engraving, right?”

“…”

Then, the bull beastkin opened his mouth again.

“Barbaroi, you’re included too. You crazy cock monster.”

“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? You should just eat your fodder quietly. Moo-er. Get lost. Ptooey!”

The bull beastkin stared blankly at Jeong Yushin at the sudden outburst.

Veins popped out on the bull beastkin’s forehead.

“···Are you out of your mind, you young mixed-blood? Get up. Let’s talk with our horns.”

The bull beastkin stood up abruptly and said.

“Moo. I don’t want to. Moo.”

“···You crazy bastard!”

“Stop!”

One of the guards cut in and shouted.

“That’s enough. We didn’t put you here to fight.”

“Yes.”

“Hmph!”

The bull beastkin snorted and turned his body.

“···He was a friend with a spicy tongue.”

When Jeong Yushin sat back down, the half-ogre Stone Fist said.

“He was a man who spoke his mind coolly. He’s different from when I first met him.”

The masked man said with a smiling voice.

“If we’ve met twice by chance, it’s fate. Call me Iron Mask. Can I call you Ska?”

“Yes. Call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

He was a man he already knew. He looked no different from when he first saw him.

Four men of different races gathered around the torch and sat down.

The lukewarm summer night breeze shook the torch and passed by.

“Let’s go back to the bar massacre.”

Wasn’t it over?

This half-ogre. He was a really persistent friend.

“That guy kidnapped and killed young children. That’s the price.”

“He deserved to die.”

Iron Mask nodded.

“Was that so? Tsk. They were pathetic bastards.”

The half-ogre Stone Fist crossed his arms and nodded.

His mouth was itching, so he blurted out.

“I’m the righteous man of the labyrinth city, the conscience in action. That’s what I’m saying.”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence lingered for a moment.

The frog beastkin rolled his eyes. The half-ogre suddenly focused his eyes on the magic circle, and Iron Mask stroked his greatsword.

When the atmosphere became strange, Jeong Yushin looked around.

Some people were chewing on jerky, while others were discussing which smithy’s weapons were useful.

Most of them brought folding chairs and sat comfortably.

Jeong Yushin looked around and opened his mouth.

“···By the way, there seem to be a lot of people for guards.”

“T, the reason is simple. It’s because there are often people who receive strange engravings. We’re standing guard like this to prevent accidents that might happen in advance.”

The frog beastkin answered Jeong Yushin’s question.

“What’s a strange engraving?”

“For example, there’s a monster engraving. There are many others besides that.”

“A monster engraving? Even if they turn into monsters, I don’t think the guards would suddenly run up and kill them.”

“It depends on the situation. There’s one problem when they turn into monsters.”

The frog beastkin glanced at the half-ogre and said.

“···When they turn into monsters, they develop a demonic nature. Some people can withstand it, while others are consumed by it.”

The half-ogre answered instead.

“Can they come back if they erase the engraving?”

At Jeong Yushin’s question, the half-ogre grabbed his chin, thought for a moment, and opened his mouth.

“Some people come back, and some don’t. If I had to set a standard, the more they experience mana adaptation, the lower the level of the monster they transform into, the higher the probability of returning to their senses.”

Mana adaptation?

Are you talking about leveling up?

To summarize.

“Are you saying that if you level up a lot and transform into an unremarkable monster, you can maintain your sanity?”

“That’s right. But it’s not certain. Once you’re consumed by the demonic nature, it’s difficult to return to your senses even if you erase the engraving.”

The frog beastkin Croak nodded and answered.

Jeong Yushin looked at the half-ogre Stone Fist.

“Barbaroi, don’t worry, my mind is fine.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

“…”

Once again, an awkward silence swirled around the torch.

Jeong Yushin also had nothing more to say, so he fell into various thoughts.

Chills.

Suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine.

Flash!

Jeong Yushin stood up from his seat and looked around. A sword was already in his hand.

Only then did some people recognize Jeong Yushin and buzzed.

“···Is that Barbaroi?”

“He’s still young?”

“He’s mixed-blood.”

“Barbaroi, what’s wrong? Did you get horny or something?”

The bull beastkin jeered again.

“…”

Jeong Yushin ignored the bull beastkin’s words.

The lackeys who were gathered around the bull beastkin laughed and continued to talk, but he listened with one ear and let it out with the other.

The murderous gaze disappeared like the wind.

‘Just which bastard.’

Jeong Yushin widened his field of vision and looked a little further away. He could see the relief center and the exchange office. A small light leaked from the relief center, but that was all.

Some of the guards were staring intently at him.

Jeong Yushin had no choice but to sit back down and look at the magic circle again.

The half-ogre Stone Fist looked down at Jeong Yushin with a sullen expression.

“Barbaroi, you should worry about your own mind first.”

“Actually, it’s a bit erratic.”

At Jeong Yushin’s answer, the three men subtly moved back.

“But I felt something similar to murderous intent. That’s a fact.”

“I, is that so.”

The frog beastkin Croak stammered and answered.

Jeong Yushin’s gaze was fixed on the labyrinth exit magic circle, but his thoughts were intricately intertwined.

Just what kind of guy is it?

Kain?

No. If he was the commander of the knights, he would have come directly and cut off his neck.

The guys from the eastern district’s underworld?

Are they the kind of guys who would boldly spread murderous intent in a place like this?

Jeong Yushin reserved judgment.

He had exchanged a few words with the half-ogre Stone Fist, and he didn’t seem like a bad guy. It might be his delusion, but he seemed like a man who had a certain line to keep.

Jeong Yushin stroked his chin and thought of various possibilities, then erased them.

‘It’s really not an easy city.’

Jeong Yushin’s eyes darkened.

The darkness of the night was also gradually deepening.