Chapter 171 The Indomitable Carry Machine and New Friends
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Indomitable Carry Machine and New Friends
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"Skar... Skar...!"
As his body was shaken roughly, light returned to Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes.
Karin was shaking his shoulders with a tearful face.
"I-I'm sorry! I tried to protect it...!"
That was nonsense.
The collapse of the inn was something Karin couldn't have prevented.
And…
He was just thankful that Karin was alive in all this chaos.
If the inn had collapsed and Karin had been crushed to death inside, he would have lost his mind.
Jeong Yoo-shin managed a smile.
"Karin, don't say that. I'm relieved just knowing you're safe."
Thinking about it, it felt like what was bound to happen had happened.
When the Eldritch Wave phenomenon occurred, an earthquake had struck the city.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been in the inn hall at the time, had clearly heard the sound of the wooden pillars cracking.
But after the earthquake was over, he had completely forgotten about it while cleaning the inn hall, kitchen, and warehouse.
Dalmong, who had been busy putting out fires in the kitchen, had no way of knowing about it.
"Skar...!"
Karin hugged Jeong Yoo-shin again with a touched look in her eyes.
Jeong Yoo-shin patted Karin on the back and smiled.
'Right. I have money anyway. I have 1000 gold coins, so what's there to worry about?'
It was a waste of money, but he was thankful that he had the means to somehow resolve this predicament.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"500 gold coins."
"What?!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth fell open.
A dwarf with a bushy beard crossed his arms and glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin.
"I said 500 gold coins."
"No... You're crazy... What do you mean by that?!!! Is 500 gold coins the name of your dog?!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the dwarf as if he were about to kill him.
A moment ago, after comforting Karin, he had gone to Boron and asked him to introduce him to a member of the construction guild.
Boron had readily agreed.
The dwarf guild member introduced by Boron had just finished drawing up an estimate and had quoted the cost of restoring the inn.
Jeong Yoo-shin plopped down onto the ground.
"Sir, please save me just once. Where in the world am I supposed to get 500 gold coins?"
"Who's your sir?"
"Ah, please. Really...! Someone's going to die!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin begged and pleaded, then he suddenly burst into anger.
The dwarf looked at Jeong Yoo-shin with a fed-up expression, then was startled.
It was because the black-haired bastard was slowly crawling over and grabbing his trouser leg.
"Barbarian, wh-what is this?! Let go! My pants are coming off!"
"Please!!!"
The dwarf's face turned beet red as he spoke.
"You bastard!!! A huge two-story building that can accommodate 20 people and hold over 300 is half-destroyed. The right pillars supporting the second floor are all broken. The central pillar is barely holding on, but it's precarious. The way I see it, it was only a matter of time. We have to replace everything. Not just the first floor, but the second floor has to be completely rebuilt too. And the large warehouse in the yard has to be rebuilt, and the well, which has become a shithole because the contaminated water from the broken sewer has mixed with the groundwater, has to be restored to its original state. And you're saying 500 gold coins is too much?"
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin became a mute who had eaten honey*.
The dwarf let out a deep sigh and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
"The cost of materials and labor is already soaring. Seriously, don't do this. There are hundreds of people lined up in front of our guild in Labyrinth City right now."
"...I'll find a way to get the payment somehow. Please build it as sturdy as possible."
"Good. You're a capable barbarian. I was about to introduce you to a loan shark in the Eastern District if you couldn't manage."
"..."
"I'm kidding."
It didn't sound like a joke at all.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up, approached the inn building, placed his hand on it, and sighed.
He didn't know what to say to Dalmong.
Still, was it fortunate that he still had half his gold left?
At that moment…
Creeeeak!!!
The inn suddenly began to shake.
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly took his hand off and stepped back.
"Wh-What?!!!"
Ruuuumble!!! Kra-boooom!!!
The creaking sound grew louder, and then the central part of the inn collapsed.
Dust spread out, then settled after a moment.
And then the sight was revealed.
Two-thirds of the inn had collapsed.
The dwarf coughed and dusted off his head.
"Barbarian! Didn't it collapse because you carelessly touched the building?! The central pillar is completely gone. That's an additional 300 gold coins."
The dwarf said while dusting himself off.
"No... Crazy."
Jeong Yoo-shin was so dumbfounded that he just stared blankly at his own palm.
"Don't go in carelessly if you don't want to see it completely collapse. It's dangerous."
"Shouldn't you have told me that sooner?"
"It's common sense, isn't it?"
"..."
From a distance, Delia approached them, saw the almost completely collapsed inn, and then plopped down onto the ground.
"No. I just got my imprint removed, and my family's heirloom... In the inn. My ancestor's... Ah."
Delia muttered, only speaking in fragmented words as if she were gradually losing her mind.
Jeong Yoo-shin entrusted the half-crazed Delia to Karin, sent her to the temple, and quickly ran to the monster dismantler shop.
"Skar-nim!!!"
"You're here?!!!"
"Hey, come out!!! Skar-nim is here!"
When he went to the monster dismantler shop, people flocked to him.
Their faces were familiar. They were Saul's former subordinates and the monster dismantler shop’s employees.
The people surrounded Jeong Yoo-shin and each thanked him.
"Skar-nim! Thank you!"
Thanks?
Jeong Yoo-shin stopped in his tracks.
"What are you thankful for?"
"Didn't you remove our slave imprints, give us jobs, and even pay our housing costs and wages in a lump sum?"
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
'I did that?'
A sense of unease suddenly began to creep up on him.
Snout's story suddenly flashed through his mind.
'The chains that bound you, I have cut them.'
Was that what it was about?
Jeong Yoo-shin looked around at the people and managed a smile.
"I-I'm busy right now, so I have to go. Seeing you all working hard makes me happy too. Where is Boss Aldein?"
"He's in his office!"
"Let's talk again sometime. Well then…"
Jeong Yoo-shin pushed through the people and went into Aldein's office.
"Aldein."
Aldein was leaning back leisurely in his chair while stroking a red single-edged sword.
"Oh! You're here?"
"The new workers who just came in were telling me some strange stories."
"What stories? Ah! That?"
Aldein smiled faintly and continued.
"I used the money Saul had accumulated to bestow some grace on those friends."
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth twitched slightly.
"H-How much did it cost?"
"There are about 120 of those friends, so it cost a pretty penny, right? I removed the slave imprints carved with magic from them, cleaned up the place where the fight had happened, and paid my subordinates' salaries. All in all, it probably cost about 300 gold coins."
Jeong Yoo-shin staggered and plopped down onto a chair.
1000 gold coins had disappeared, just like that?
On top of that, he was now 100 gold coins in debt too?
Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at Aldein, then stood up.
"The inn collapsed, and it'll cost 800 gold coins to rebuild it."
Aldein's eyes narrowed.
"That seems too expensive."
"It also includes the cost of rebuilding the warehouse in the yard and repairing the sewer to restore the well. I heard that the cost of materials and labor has been skyrocketing lately."
"...Good luck. I know Dalmong retired as an explorer and spent a lot of his money on the inn, so take it in stride."
Aldein seemed to have no intention of spitting out any money.
"...I'll tell the construction guild member to come here and get the money. Please tell them I'll figure out a way to get the remaining 100 gold coins."
"That much is nothing. Alright."
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up and left the room.
He walked absently, and when he came to his senses, he was sitting in the garden of the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple.
He stared blankly at the blooming flowers and butterflies, then pinched his cheek.
'Is this a dream?'
A string of bad luck, and all of his money had disappeared in an instant.
As he was clutching his dizzy head…
Karin and Mion carefully approached and sat next to him.
"Skar-nim, I heard everything from Karin-nim. You can stay at the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple until the inn is rebuilt."
"Skar, if it's really not possible, I'll talk to my mom and..."
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"Thank you, Priestess Mion-nim. And Karin, if I do that, wouldn't you be disqualified as an explorer?"
"But…"
"I don't want to go that far."
No matter what anyone said, Dalmong's inn was his responsibility.
'There must be a way.'
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Three days passed since the earthquake.
A rumor spread through Labyrinth City.
"Did you hear? They say that a huge, never-before-seen monster has appeared on the 10th floor of the labyrinth."
"How big of a monster could it be? It's still just the 10th floor, right?"
"No one knows how strong it is. Weren't there a lot of people who died during that Eldritch whatever thing? So I heard that the guild is forming a separate labyrinth investigation team to check it out this time."
The eyes of Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been sitting in the park eavesdropping on the refugees' conversation, lit up.
'This is it!'
He immediately stood up and ran to the Explorer's Headquarters.
There were many explorers at the headquarters, but there was no line at the reception desk.
Because of the rumor that had spread this time, everyone was just talking to each other instead of trying to enter the labyrinth.
Jeong Yoo-shin approached the receptionist and presented his silver plaque on the counter.
"Can I see Vice-Guild Master Nelia-nim?"
"You're Skar-nim. Do you have an appointment?"
"No. But, if you tell her my name, the Vice-Guild Master will allow it."
The receptionist thought for a moment, then stood up.
"I understand. Please wait a moment."
Jeong Yoo-shin waited with his arms crossed.
A moment later…
The receptionist approached him.
"Please follow me."
Jeong Yoo-shin followed the receptionist and stood in front of a door on the 4th floor.
"You may go in."
He opened the door, went inside, and saw Nelia doing paperwork at a desk.
"Skar, it's good to see you. Please have a seat."
Nelia said while gesturing to the chair across from her.
Jeong Yoo-shin sat down and immediately spoke.
"I want to participate in the labyrinth investigation team."
Nelia tilted her head and put down her pen.
"Is that so? But why did you come alone?"
"I will be participating in the investigation team alone."
Jeong Yoo-shin said while sitting up straight.
The situation was too complicated for the entire party to apply for the investigation team right now.
Karin and Delia's equipment were half-buried in the inn.
Since they couldn't carelessly enter the inn right now, they were in a bind.
Barion was too busy helping the refugees gathered in the southern park to participate in the party.
Nelia let out a deep sigh.
"To suddenly come and say you'll participate in the investigation team alone, what do you mean by that?"
"The inn collapsed. My comrades' equipment are all half-buried underneath. I don't think we'll be able to get it out for a while."
"...I see. I understand. Please wait a moment."
Nelia rummaged through some documents, took one out, read it carefully, and then nodded.
"As it happens, there's a party in the labyrinth investigation team that's missing a vanguard. Would you like to meet them?"
"Yes."
"If you go down to the 1st floor and wait, a receptionist will guide you to them. If you decide to join the party, please come back and see me. I'll explain the reward and the goal of this labyrinth investigation team."
"I understand."
Jeong Yoo-shin left the room, went down to the 1st floor, and sat down at a table.
After waiting a little, a woman in her twenties wearing a loose-fitting robe approached him.
She was an intellectual beauty with blue hair and cold eyes that suited her well. She was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and holding a long staff.
"Barbarian, is your name Skar by any chance?"
"Yes."
The mage bowed her head.
"I'm Lena. I've heard a lot about you from Bryn."
"Bryn?"
She was the friend who had helped him fight the spider monster in the Forest area last time.
She was also most likely the daughter of a Chancellor from the Lionel Kingdom.
"We were classmates. I'm also from the Labyrinth Academy."
"Aren't you an intermediate-rank explorer? Bryn is still a student. The timing doesn't seem to match."
"Please speak comfortably. Bryn has been held back several times, so I graduated first."
"Ah… Is that so?"
"I heard you're joining the investigation team as a vanguard. Let me introduce you to the party members first."
Lena said before turning her back.
'New friends again?'
It would be nice if they were normal.
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and cleared his mind of pointless thoughts.
He wasn't in a position to be picky right now.
In fact, he had to grab even a trash party by the scruff of their necks and drag them along if he had to.
The eyes of Jeong Yoo-shin, the indomitable carry machine, burned.
'I will definitely succeed.'
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T/N - There we go. The MC finally joins the investigation team. For bonus points, the author even made it so that only the MC can sign up for the team and he has to temporarily join another party. The mention of the huge monster on the 10th floor also is a not-so-subtle foreshadowing that the MC’s party will have to fight it at some point. So the stage is all set for the next dive!
*A Korean idiom that describes someone who is usually a talkative person but has become unexpectedly silent in a given situation. Similar to the English phrase “cat got your tongue”.