How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World

Karin looked through the window with trembling eyes.

Thanks to Astaroth’s invisibility magic, she was able to watch without being noticed, but that was all.

Somehow, there was no sound coming from outside, as if some soundproofing magic was at work.

But Karin didn’t care about that at all.

Her mother had a melted expression on her face.

It was a sight she had never seen before, and the shock was overwhelming.

‘Mom.’

Even if there were no men who caught her eye, how could she make advances on her daughter's lover?

Anger surged up.

"We... we should go in."

Karin stammered.

If she witnessed her boyfriend (?) mating with her mother, it would be a moment that would ruin her entire understanding of relationships.

"Why should we go in?"

Astaroth asked.

"Why? Because... mom..."

"Karin, you're an explorer. You're not the daughter of the beastmen's representative. Do you think you can just meet anyone because you want to?"

Karin fell silent, unable to refute Astaroth’s logical reasoning.

Astaroth dispelled the magic and stepped back. Karin quickly dropped from the window.

Ingrid, who was in the room, swiftly turned her head to look outside the window.

"Tch!"

Ingrid gritted her teeth.

She could faintly feel Astaroth's lingering presence. That sly one had been spying, hadn't she?

An uneasy feeling slowly crept up within her.

Once Ingrid regained her composure, she looked up at Jeong Yu-shin.

"Sky, thank you. You've been a great help."

"Is that so? I thought something went wrong when you suddenly screamed."

Ingrid blushed and smiled.

"Not at all. It felt good. The massage was unforgettable. I hope we can meet again sometime."

"Yes. Understood. I’ll see you later."

Jeong Yu-shin nodded, acknowledging Ingrid’s soft invitation, and then left the room.

He stood for a moment in the yard, looking up at the sky. The stars sparkled in the night sky.

Was another bond leaving Labyrinth City?

‘If I survive, I’ll meet them again.’

He shook his head and moved on.

The next morning.

Jeong Yu-shin and Karin sat across from each other in a quiet inn.

"Karin, you look exhausted."

Karin sat at the counter with half-lidded eyes, resting her chin on her hand.

"Well... something happened."

Jeong Yu-shin nodded inwardly.

After all, it must have been lonely for her mother to leave Labyrinth City.

He understood that.

Jeong Yu-shin stood up.

"If you're tired, take a break. I’m going to check on the explorer’s guild."

"To see if there are any party applicants?"

"Yes. Also, I’ll stop by the blacksmith’s."

"Okay? Got it. Let’s meet at the blacksmith’s around lunch. Where is it?"

Jeong Yu-shin explained where Boron’s blacksmith was to Karin, then left the inn.

He walked slowly through the streets.

Last night, he had stopped by a magic tool shop to replace the magic stone for the ring that would seal the Succubus Female Corruption Mark.

Waking the sleeping dwarf shopkeeper had cost him a bit extra, but it was a painful expenditure.

But,

‘Still, I couldn’t carve the forbidden mark into a pure maiden’s body.’

Having sealed the corruption mark, he no longer had to worry about recruiting a party.

With that problem out of the way, his heart beat faster in anticipation of a new meeting.

‘What kind of person will I meet next?’

Will they be a good person?

A bad person?

Or maybe someone strange?

Finding a new party was always difficult. People’s hearts were like labyrinths; they only showed their true selves in times of crisis.

Perhaps that was why the bond with those who shared such trials felt stronger.

Now, he understood why clans were formed.

Even though labyrinth parties were often fragile and broke apart, they stuck together through clans.

Even in the flood of countless marks, explorers instinctively knew what truly mattered.

It wasn’t the marks, but the person’s character.

That’s why Karin was more precious.

Having gone through trials together, he had faith that even if more challenges arose, they would overcome them.

Her mere presence was a comfort.

Jeong Yu-shin smiled faintly.

Shall I go?

To find new companions?

"Uh... I’m sorry about that."

The heavily armored human warrior gave a troubled look at Jeong Yu-shin’s offer to join his party.

"Why?"

"Sigh. Sky, you caused some trouble."

"What trouble? I’m just a fresh, eager mid-tier explorer."

The human warrior stared blankly at Jeong Yu-shin’s face. He was handsome and skilled. But there was one major problem.

‘I don’t think he’s sane.’

The fact that he survived after spitting on Astaroth’s face was shocking enough. But that was it. He didn’t want any further involvement.

‘A deadbeat party, at best.’

It was safe to say Jeong Yu-shin was a half-mad explorer driven by his insanity.

A drug-addicted explorer might be an okay recruit since they'd function well once the drugs kicked in.

"Sky, I really hate to say this, but I have to."

The man paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, then continued.

"The rumor that you spat in Astaroth’s face has spread like wildfire. No ‘normal’ explorer would want to join you. Anyone willing to join your party is probably flawed in some way."

"..."

It wasn’t unexpected, but wasn’t that rather bleak news?

‘Yu-shin, that’s your reputation. Deal with it.’

‘Idiot, you could just corrupt a female and be done with it, but here you are acting like a moralist?’

More darkness from the labyrinth.

Smack!!!

Jeong Yu-shin slapped his cheek to shake off the thoughts.

It seemed inevitable that some explorers with negative marks would try to join his party.

The man continued.

"The downside of temporary parties is exactly this, the impact of reputation. It might be better to form a fixed party. If you gradually expand your network through a fixed party, you could lay the groundwork for a clan. Think about it slowly, even now."

"Thank you. But, really, are you sure you don’t want to join my party?"

"Leaving aside everything else, if I travel with you, I don’t think I’ll last long. That’s the gut feeling of an explorer."

The man offered some advice along with his curses, stood up, and left.

Jeong Yu-shin sat at the table and stared at the job bulletin board.

Thousands of requests were tacked up.

With so many fish, it was frustrating that no one was catching them.

"Today’s a bust. Oh, my life."

Grumbling to himself, Jeong Yu-shin stood up and headed for the blacksmith’s.

Sitting around doing nothing was pointless; it was better to be doing something.

If he was feeling down, a little «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» shopping might help.

Jeong Yu-shin arrived at Boron’s blacksmith in the western district.

"What’s this?"

"Ugh! Sky, you’re here?"

Karin, with a flushed face, staggered toward him and clung to him.

A strong smell of alcohol wafted up.

Behind Karin, Boron stuck his head out and stared at Jeong Yu-shin.

"Mm? Who is it? I’m sure Karin said..."

"Why do you look so surprised? I’m Sky."

"Really?!"

Boron’s eyes grew wide, and he scrutinized Jeong Yu-shin’s face.

"Crazy! What on earth have you been eating to change this much?"

"I’ve eaten various things. But why has Karin turned out like this?"

Jeong Yu-shin had come for equipment, but Karin was clearly drunk and causing a scene.

Boron scratched his head.

"Well, Karin saw me drinking and suddenly asked for some too, so I ended up giving her a few drinks."

"Even so, how could you let her drink this much?"

"I treated her with good wine since she’s a special guest. Don’t complain."

He was about to say more, but Karin shook her head at him from his arms.

"Ugh! Don’t be mad."

"I’m not mad."

Jeong Yu-shin patted Karin’s head and sat her down in a corner.

"Where’s Ainhofer?"

Boron pointed to a door on the side, a room where the equipment blueprints were stored.

"He’s studying in there."

"Suddenly?"

"Yeah, now that he’s making custom equipment requests instead of using pre-made ones. He’s learning everything from measuring sizes to gathering materials."

"I see."

"That guy is a real hard worker. I’ve never seen a dwarf work this hard in my life."

"Has he removed his negative mark?"

Boron shook his head.

"No, he says he doesn’t plan to remove it yet. What did he say? Every time he feels the limits, the desire to push forward grows stronger. That’s what he said."

Jeong Yu-shin smiled.

That was Ainhofer for sure. Even with a physical decline mark and tremor mark, he had grown this much.

He was beyond impressive.

"That’s good."

With Karin still seated, Jeong Yu-shin got up and walked into the blueprint room.

The smell of old paper filled the air.

In the middle of a mountain of blueprints, Ainhofer, wearing glasses, was scribbling something.

He was so focused that he didn’t even notice Jeong Yu-shin’s entrance.

Was he drawing up blueprints?

Jeong Yu-shin crossed his arms and watched Ainhofer.

This wasn’t the Ainhofer he had seen before.

The brave dwarf who had fought by his side in the deadbeat party.

His comrade who had been forced to change paths because of the negative marks.

The blacksmith who had hammered steel with tears in his eyes was no longer here.

What stood before him now was a professional.

Jeong Yu-shin couldn’t help but smile.

Ainhofer, who had been studying the blueprints, snapped back to reality and looked up.

"Sky."

He recognized him immediately.

They had struggled together in the labyrinth.

They had comforted each other in the blacksmith’s forge when they both thought they might break.

It was strange that he hadn’t recognized him.

A bond that had supported his spirit.

"Good to see you."

"You’ve changed a lot, huh? We should’ve met at the festival. Sorry about that."

"It’s fine that we’re meeting now."

"What brings you here?"

"I came to get some equipment."

"I see. What parts do you need?"

Boron opened the door and interrupted.

"Let’s talk outside. It’s too hot and dusty in here."

"Alright."

Jeong Yu-shin, Karin, Boron, and Ainhofer gathered at the blacksmith’s counter.

Boron spoke up.

"We currently have Rykis leather, half a mithril steel ingot, and six Morias mountain steel ingots."

"Did Karin tell you?"

"Yeah. Karin’s equipment request is already finished. Now it’s just you."

Jeong Yu-shin patted Karin’s head as he thought.

He still hadn’t decided which area to enter. But he couldn’t just sit idly by. As Karin had said, it was better to focus on getting the necessary gear first.

Indeed,

It would be better to focus on mobility, right?

A light armor with a leather base and plate over vital areas seemed like the best fit.

The chainmail he had tried last time wasn’t bad either.

Jeong Yu-shin explained his thoughts.

Boron stroked his chin.

"Are you planning to focus on mobility? Have you abandoned the idea of using plate armor?"

"After taking a hit from a forest troll, my gear broke apart."

Boron gave him a bewildered look.

"People die if they get hit by a forest troll. Is the gear the problem?"

"I survived, didn’t I?"

Boron scratched his head.

"That’s weird. You should’ve died. How did you survive?"

Jeong Yu-shin frowned.

"Why are you so curious about these strange things? Are you trying to offer me a sacrificial ceremony? Let’s drop it. The service here isn’t great."

"Heh, calm down. I won’t say anything more."

"Clearly, with the materials we’ve gathered, you’re not in a position to make full plate armor, right?"

"True. But the materials Karin picked are known for their cost-effectiveness among mid-tier explorers. They're relatively cheap but still produce decent quality gear. From the way they’ve been selected, it seems she did her research."

"I see."

Ainhofer nodded in agreement.

"Rykis leather is famous for its toughness. It’s great for a leather armor base. The plates made from Morias mountain steel are also highly durable. If used, they’ll block most fatal blows."

"Then, let’s go with light armor for the protection."

"What about the other equipment?"

"I’ll think more about it later and make a request then. We can use the remaining materials for that."

"Got it. We'll store the extra materials once we finish making your gear."

"How much will it cost to make Karin’s and my gear?"

Boron’s eyes lit up.

"I’ll do it for 10 gold. How’s that?"

Jeong Yu-shin sighed in disbelief.

"Ugh. Boron, we brought all the materials ourselves, and you’re charging 10 gold for labor? Do you have no conscience?"

"Heh! With such expensive materials, would you expect someone like us professionals to take care of it? Don’t worry, we’ll deliver it on time, no mistakes. What kind of shop does this? Just relax, and we’ll take care of everything."

"Still..."

"Still what?! Do you want to see your apprentice starve to death?!"

Boron yelled.

Ainhofer shook his head.

"Sky, if you need, I’ll cut the price."

Boron’s eyes grew wide.

"You crazy apprentice! How can you act like this when your master is working so hard? Ah! My neck!"

Jeong Yu-shin nodded.

"Fine. Let’s settle at 10 gold."

"Why didn’t you say so earlier? Sky, are you going to keep messing with people’s emotions? Just pay and be done with it."

Squeak!!!

Suddenly, Boron’s face snapped around.

Jeong Yu-shin and Ainhofer stared blankly at Karin.

Karin was fiddling with her hands.

"Is this dwarf constantly talking nonsense to our Sky? What’s that about? You little bitch?! Want to die?!"

Boron touched his cheek in a daze.

"Uh..."

"Sky, carry me."

"Okay. Then, Boron, here’s the gold."

Boron touched his reddened cheek and took the money from Jeong Yu-shin.

"It'll take about a week. I'll contact you when it's done."

"Understood. Thank you."

Jeong Yu-shin left the blacksmith with Karin in his arms, leaving a dazed Boron behind.

They chatted a bit on the way back, and by the time they realized it, it was evening.

Karin, heavily drunk, couldn’t keep her head straight.

When they arrived at the inn and were about to enter, someone was lying at the entrance.

A blonde woman in plate armor.

Her face couldn’t be seen because she was lying face down.

Her armor was covered in dust, and her hair was greasy.

‘What’s this?’

Jeong Yu-shin decided to lay Karin on the bed and think it over, walking past the woman.

Halfway there.

Thud!!!

The woman raised her arm and grabbed Jeong Yu-shin’s ankle.

His body stiffened.

The woman looked up and spoke.

"Food... food, please."

"...Money?"

"..."

The woman fell silent.

Jeong Yu-shin looked down at the shabby woman.

"Guest, you need to pay for your meal. Please let go of my leg."

"I... I’ll join a party. Food, please."

A party?

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyes widened.

‘What’s this...?’