Chapter 170 Starting from Zero in Another World or Something
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Starting from Zero in Another World or Something
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Jeong Yoo-shin had a dream.
The familiar park in the Southern District.
The resting place between Dalmong's inn and the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple.
It was a place where children sometimes played and traveling musicians would stop to perform.
It had also been used as a refuge when an earthquake hit the city.
Whenever he had something to think about, he would often sit on a bench in the corner of the park.
Jeong Yoo-shin was standing right in front of the park's fountain.
He looked around.
The sky was dark, and there was no one around.
He looked up at the statue in the center of the fountain.
It was a human figure wearing robes embroidered with the symbols of each elemental order.
He held a staff in one hand and a thick book in the other, and was characterized by his long hair and gentle impression.
A halo, signifying divinity, was carved behind his head.
Saint Ezdras.
The person who, long ago, had drawn all the evil into this place and sealed it in the labyrinth.
Jeong Yoo-shin didn't know the rest of the story.
He just knew that he was a saint of the elemental orders.
For his excuse, he hadn't been interested because he was too busy trying to make a living.
It was the same now. Incidents kept popping up, so he had no time to be still. He had also accumulated a lot of karma by getting involved himself.
But…
'Why?'
Why was he having this dream now?
Was there any reason for him to be left alone here while looking up at the saint's statue?
Ruuuumble!!!
The ground began to shake.
A red light began to mix into the dark sky.
"Wh-What?"
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a flustered voice.
Chunks of flesh began to rise from around the park like tumors.
The green trees withered, and black filth spewed from the fountain.
Amidst the increasingly horrific scenery.
Jeong Yoo-shin suddenly looked up at the saint's statue.
"..."
Crack!!!
Half of the statue's face crumbled away.
Stone fragments scattered, and a bizarre sight came into his view.
"...!"
Jeong Yoo-shin's body froze like ice.
He even forgot to breathe.
The half-face only had reddish muscles remaining, as if the skin had been completely peeled off.
The 'something' in the form of the saint was looking down at Jeong Yoo-shin with bloodshot eyes.
"Wh-What?!"
Jeong Yoo-shin staggered backward.
A sense of fear that he couldn’t describe with words crept up his spine.
Jeong Yoo-shin turned and fled.
He had to get out of here immediately.
He moved his feet diligently with an almost obsessive thought, but the filth and chunks of flesh that were overflowing from all around grabbed his feet.
Jeong Yoo-shin thrashed around and shouted.
"Fuck!!! Let go of me!!!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He opened his eyes.
"Huck! Huck!"
A familiar ceiling.
His own room.
The morning sunlight was streaming in through the window.
He calmed his panting breath and looked around.
"Hoo. Fuck."
There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Still, it had been a terrible nightmare. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
On his chest, Lin was curled up while snoring.
She must have come in from wandering around somewhere again.
He gently stroked Lin's white fur. The soft touch helped to calm his troubled mind a little.
He thought as he petted Lin.
What in the world was that dream?
It was definitely an ominous dream.
Suddenly, the words Barion had scribbled the previous evening came to his mind.
'The evils of the labyrinth also affect the city.'
He couldn't just dismiss such a warning.
Could it be that some kind of change was about to happen in Labyrinth City, like the last Eldritch Wave?
'I need to prepare as soon as possible.'
He got up, changed his clothes, put the drowsy Lin in his front pocket, and went down to the first floor of the inn.
"Karin."
Karin was sitting alone at the counter while wiping a glass. Aldein's subordinates hadn't come in. Jeong Yoo-shin had told them it was a holiday today.
"You're up?"
Karin carefully placed the wiped glasses on the cupboard.
She probably didn't need to be so meticulous.
Karin finished cleaning up and tied her hair back.
"Wait a minute. I'll make you breakfast."
"I'll buy it outside. I heard a new food stall opened in front of the general store, and it's really delicious."
"...Really? Alright."
Karin thought for a moment, then nodded.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up and went out into the street.
He walked down the main street, which was quite deserted as there were no people.
He looked around at various things and arrived in front of the general store.
The owner of the general store recognized Jeong Yoo-shin and waved.
"Skar, is there anything you want to buy?"
"No. I came out to buy breakfast."
"Is that so?"
The general store owner sighed and glared at the food stall across the street.
There was a long line, so he didn't know what kind of food they were selling, but it seemed popular.
"To just set up shop right in front of our store, they've got some nerve."
"Is this your first time seeing them?"
"I heard that they're a pretty famous food stall from the Eastern District."
"Hoh."
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin. Were they really going all out because it was a seasonal business?
He was looking forward to it.
The general store owner stroked his half-bald head and crossed his arms.
"Skar, when you think about it, aren't you a business owner too? The Southern District's commercial area is being threatened, so you can't just treat it as someone else's problem."
"No one's doing business in front of my inn."
"That's because..."
The general store owner swallowed the rest of his words.
'That's because you're a barbarian.'
If you messed with him, instead of filling your pockets with coins, he would fill your holes with semen.
Unless you had a heart of steel, you wouldn't think of bothering a barbarian who was just minding his own business.
"Ahem! Anyway, I'm saying I'm uncomfortable. Not just me, but the people who make a living doing business here feel the same way. I'm already worried because the prices of goods have been soaring lately, tsk."
"Why are the prices going up?"
"The large clans are buying up a huge amount of supplies. It's like they're competing with each other… It seems like something unusual is about to happen in the city."
"Well, now…"
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched the back of his head.
The general store owner gave Jeong Yoo-shin a subtle glance.
"Is it alright for you to be so carefree? My store almost collapsed during the last earthquake. How's your inn?"
"My inn is fine. You should have built it a bit sturdier. Why…?"
Jeong Yoo-shin was speaking nonchalantly, then closed his mouth.
The general store owner glared at Jeong Yoo-shin and spoke.
"Skar, why is it that when I talk to you, my chest feels strangely tight?"
"I wonder…"
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced at the now shorter line at the food stall and stood up.
"I'll stop by from time to time."
"Do that."
He left the general store and stood in line at the food stall across the street.
A savory smell wafted over.
The owner of the food stall was a cat beast-person with a scar over one eye.
He was busy cooking something.
At a glance, it was a type of fried food.
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes widened as he observed the cooking more closely.
"Th-This is?"
Fish and potatoes coated in flour and fried in oil.
Commonly known as fish and chips.
But the appearance of the fish was a bit different. Instead of frying white-fleshed cod, he was using a fish that looked like a carp.
And it was whole.
'Why are you frying the head too?'
A culture he couldn’t understand.
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned and stepped back.
He had heard that a delicious new place had opened up, but now he saw that it was a strange food stall that fried fish whole.
His appetite completely disappeared.
'Should I give up?'
"Jik? Jik jik."
Lin opened her eyes, sniffed the air, and looked around.
"Jik jik!!!"
Lin raised her front paw and pointed at the fried fish. Seeing her eyes sparkle, it seemed like she really wanted to eat it.
The cat beast-person looked up, saw Jeong Yoo-shin, and flinched.
"Wh-What can I get for you?"
The cat beast-person asked politely.
"Two of those fish and two orders of chips, please."
One for Karin, and the other for Lin. He decided to just eat the chips himself.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The cat beast-person quickly started cooking.
He put the flour-coated fish into the bubbling oil and also fried the thickly sliced potatoes he had prepared in advance. He seemed to be using a separate heating magic tool, as there was no need for firewood.
Lin stretched her body, as if she were about to jump into the fryer, and stared at the fish.
"It's ready. H-Here's the sauce."
The cat beast-person quickly finished cooking, wrapped the fried food in a bag, and handed it over.
"How much is it?"
"It's free. You can just take it."
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"I can't do that."
"It's 25 copper coins, but if you think it's expensive, I can give you a discount."
The cat beast-person said while glancing at Jeong Yoo-shin.
It was definitely expensive. But he couldn't just take it.
"Here you go."
Just as he was about to take the copper coins out of his pocket.
Rumble!
The earth began to tremble.
Jeong Yoo-shin, the cat beast-person, and the people on the street flinched.
Ruuuuuumble!!!
The road began to shake, and the buildings began to sway.
"Wh-What?!"
"It's an earthquake!!!"
"Be careful!!!"
People panicked and didn't know what to do.
Ruuuuuuuuuuuumble!!!
The shaking grew stronger.
Crack!
When the pavement began to crack like a spiderweb, the general store owner, as well as the people in the inns and shops, rushed out.
The people, their faces pale and their expressions bewildered, screamed as they looked around.
"Uwaaaak!!!"
"Something's falling from above!!! Move!!!"
"Dad!!!"
Ruuuuuuuuuuuumble!!!!!
Creeeeak!!!
The general store building creaked and was about to collapse.
"No!!!"
The general store owner, who couldn't even keep his balance amidst the shaking, tried to crawl into the store.
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly ran and grabbed the general store owner.
"It's dangerous!"
"My family’s inside!!!"
The general store owner shouted urgently.
'Fuck!'
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately rushed into the general store.
When he went behind the counter, he saw a door.
He kicked the door open and went inside, and under a table, two women were clinging to each other while trembling.
He threw the table aside, tucked the two women under his arms, and got out of the general store.
Ruuuuuuuuuuuumble!!!
The earthquake was still going on.
The shaking was getting stronger.
People were losing their balance and rolling around.
Jeong Yoo-shin ran and placed the family in front of the kneeling general store owner.
"Honey!!!"
The general store owner hugged his wife and daughter tightly.
Jeong Yoo-shin also kept his balance and looked around.
Soon, the pavement split open, revealing a deep chasm. Below, the sewer and flowing water could be seen.
Jeong Yoo-shin barely managed to get out of the way and waited for the earthquake to stop.
Rumble.
After 30 minutes, the earthquake subsided.
"M-Mom!!!"
"S-Save me!!!"
Tilted buildings and fallen people were everywhere.
In the meantime, there were many people desperately calling out their family's names amidst the chaos.
It was a sudden pandemonium.
Jeong Yoo-shin couldn't just stand by and watch, so he moved busily and rescued people who needed help one by one.
People who looked like explorers also stepped up, searching through the collapsed buildings and rescuing the injured.
Thanks to many people working together to help, the rescue was finished quickly.
"Skar! Thank you for saving my daughter and wife!"
"Thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness!"
The rescued people bowed their heads repeatedly and expressed their gratitude.
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and maintained his modesty.
"It was the right thing to do. And other explorers also helped with the rescue, so please thank them as well. Well then…"
He had saved everyone he could.
There was nothing more he could do.
Jeong Yoo-shin pushed away the people who were trying to hold him back and quickly ran toward the inn.
During the last earthquake, a strange sound had come from the rafters and pillars.
The scream of the wood, as he called it. The memory of that sound still lingered in his mind, and for some reason, a sense of unease began to creep up on him.
He jumped over the cracked and broken main road and barely arrived at Dalmong's inn.
"Uh...?"
"Skar!!!"
Karin ran and threw herself into Jeong Yoo-shin's arms.
But he couldn't pay attention to her.
Over Karin's shoulder, he could see the half-collapsed inn.
One side had completely collapsed, either because a main beam had fallen or a pillar had given way.
"No... Crazy."
A hollow voice escaped Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth.
His legs gave out, and he plopped down onto the ground.
The fried fish in the paper bag spilled onto the floor.
The part that had completely collapsed included his own room.
Was this just a bad day?
No wonder he had a bad dream.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who suddenly became a refugee, stared at the inn with his mouth agape, his mind gone.
Is this the 'starting from zero in another world' genre or something?
"Heh heh. What the fuck. Ah, fuck."
Or not?
He didn't know.
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T/N - Well, now. There’s the deux ex machina that’ll push the MC to accept the investigation team invitation. I’ll be honest here though, this really shouldn’t be purely the MC’s problem. This is Dalmong’s inn, not his. But seeing as Dalmong is taking his sweet time with his family, I guess the MC has no choice here. He’s too indebted to the bear. Though Dalmong is the one who’s going to owe the MC a lot at the end at this rate.
Also, that dream was pretty creepy. I know it was foreshadowing for the earthquake, but I wonder why he had that nightmare in the first place? Is it because of the Outer God’s influence on him?