Chapter 175 To the 10th Floor
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: To the 10th Floor
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In the 6th level of the labyrinth.
Silence hung in the Corridor area's resting place.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked from the woman in the pendant to Sarteurang.
A short-haired, big-breasted beauty had turned into a muscular man?
It was a story that made no sense at all.
"What kind of imprint is it?"
At Jeong Yoo-shin's question, Sarteurang smiled faintly.
"Gender Reversal imprint."
Gender Reversal?
It was an imprint he had never heard of before.
"G-Gender Reversal? What's that?"
"Think of it as the male and female genders being swapped."
Jeong Yoo-shin put a hand to his forehead.
He felt dizzy.
How in the world could a dick appear and disappear under the sky?
Did that even make any sense?
It was an imprint just as bizarre as Personality Excretion.
The darkness of the labyrinth was truly deep. Deeper than he had imagined.
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately shook his head.
'No.'
When it came to imprints, he was no slouch either.
Female Corruption imprint.
And it was the worst of the worst, targeting only virgins.
The enemy of virtuous virgins who protected their chastity.
If he returned to the modern world with this imprint, wouldn't he be thrown in jail immediately?
'There are all sorts of strange imprints in the world.'
Jeong Yoo-shin fiddled with the pendant before handing it back to Sarteurang.
"You've been through a lot."
"It's nothing."
Another question came to Jeong Yoo-shin’s mind.
"Why do you wear makeup? Are you longing for the old days?"
Sarteurang smiled brightly.
"Are you curious?"
Jeong Yoo-shin thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"On second thought, it might be a sensitive question. Please pretend you didn't hear it."
"A shame."
After finishing their meal, the party members spread out their blankets and laid down.
They didn't set a watch.
It was because of Sarteurang's alarm magic.
Sarteurang filled Varg's dog bowl with water and chanted a spell.
"O Naiad, goddess of the water spirits. Hear the prayer of your faithful servant, Sarteurang, and with the power of purity... embrace this place."
[Aqua Sanctuary]
When the chant was finished, the water in the dog bowl emitted a brilliant light.
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately felt his body relax.
His tired body, heavy from rushing down the levels, felt much better.
Jeong Yoo-shin untied his boots, loosened the seams of his leather armor, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
8 hours later.
The party members, including Jeong Yoo-shin, woke up, cleaned up the area, and left the resting place.
Under Varg's lead, they smoothly passed through the Corridor hallway, reached the 6th-floor transfer stone, and arrived on the 7th floor.
They walked straight down the Corridor hallway and stopped at a resting place to take a short break.
"Huh?"
In the center of the room, a single jar was placed.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at it closely.
'What's this?'
The jar, placed on a stone pedestal, looked similar to the holy water font at the entrance of a cathedral.
He had thought it was a normal resting place, but there was another strange object in the room.
He was about to say that they should just go for another resting place, but Sarteurang clapped his hands.
"Ah! I know this. This is 'that', isn't it?"
Lena, who was behind Jeong Yoo-shin, popped her head out.
"Is that the jar with remains that sometimes appears in the Corridor area?"
"That's right. We're lucky, aren't we?"
Sarteurang smiled and fearlessly approached the jar.
Lena also passed by Jeong Yoo-shin and walked quickly.
Jeong Yoo-shin, Varg, and Mick also approached the jar and stood with them.
He looked inside the jar.
Clear water.
And underneath, a skeleton that looked like it had been dead for a long time was submerged.
'Skull water?'
For some reason, it reminded him of Wonhyo Daesa*.
Lena examined it closely for a while, then nodded.
"I'm sure of it. This is one of the 'mysteries' of the labyrinth that I've only read about in books. I heard that it's a very rare 'mystery'."
"That's right."
A mystery…
Jeong Yoo-shin's brow furrowed.
He had no good feelings about the objects that existed in the labyrinth.
There was the unholy text carved on the leather board that he had seen in the watchtower in the Forest area.
It was a terrible trap that would get you possessed by an evil spirit as soon as you saw it.
And what about the red sphere he had seen in the Corridor area?
Wasn’t that one a passageway to another world?
He had almost died because of it.
They were all objects that would open up a path of suffering just by looking at them.
Jeong Yoo-shin stepped back.
"Can't we just go? Do we really have to dally here with this 'mystery' or whatever?"
Lena shook her head.
"I've heard that if you 'purify' and drink the water in this jar, it has the effect of temporarily increasing your strength and stamina. For about a day or two. It's too good to just pass up."
At Lena's answer, Jeong Yoo-shin stuck his head out again and looked inside the jar.
At a glance, the water in the jar was clear.
But he had no intention of drinking it. There was a skeleton at the bottom, after all.
"What happens if you drink it without 'purifying' it?"
Sarteurang wagged his index finger.
"You're not supposed to drink it."
"You'll get a stomachache."
At Sarteurang and Lena's answers, Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head. It wasn't that big of a risk.
Still, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"Let's just go. Is there really a need to touch something in the labyrinth? In the first place, who among us can use 'purification' magic?"
Lena smiled and pointed at Sarteurang.
"It's alright. Sarteurang-nim is a priest who serves the water elemental god. Simply put, he's a 'purification' magic user."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his mouth.
Seeing their sparkling eyes, it seemed like someone had to drink it.
It was as if they had completely forgotten the purpose of the labyrinth investigation team.
At least for this moment, all that remained was a thirst for knowledge of the unknown.
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms and fell into deep thought.
'Stamina and strength.'
Even if it wasn't him, there was another person who should drink the water.
'No, there are two.'
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced at Mick.
Mick had already taken a bone out of his backpack and was playing with Varg.
Varg, unlike his usual solemn tone, was wagging his tail and playing tug-of-war with Mick over the bone.
Seeing him drooling from his snout and pulling on the bone, he looked more like a dog than a wolf.
While he was watching Mick and Varg.
Sarteurang chanted a spell.
[Purification]
A sacred light extended from Sarteurang's hand, lingered on the water jar, and then disappeared.
Was it cleaned?
Seeing Sarteurang's relaxed appearance, he realized…
'The holy magic was successful.'
Lena took a wooden cup from her backpack, scooped up some water from the jar, and handed it to Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Skar-ssi, please try it."
Lena said, her eyes sparkling.
Jeong Yoo-shin took the wooden cup with a reluctant face.
Skull water that temporarily increased strength and stamina.
Wonhyo Daesa's red ginseng skull water.
It was a buff you usually couldn't get even if you wanted to.
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his eyes and drank it.
The water from the jar was cold and refreshing.
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but it even tasted sweet to him.
"Phew."
"How is it? Do you feel like your strength and stamina have increased?"
Jeong Yoo-shin moved around and tilted his head.
It felt like his fatigue had been relieved, and it also felt like he was overflowing with strength.
"I'm not sure. Why don't the others try it too?"
"You're right. Mick, Varg-ssi, come here."
Mick and Varg, who had been playing tug-of-war nearby, approached her.
Lena took out a wooden bowl and another wooden cup from her backpack, filled them with water from the jar, and handed them over.
The two of them took the water and drank it without a word.
"Hut?!"
The eyes of Varg, who had been lapping up the water, widened as he shouted.
The party members watched Varg with anticipation.
"I almost forgot."
Varg approached the water jar and lifted one leg.
Pssssss.
Urine splashed on the side of the font.
"..."
The party members watched Varg silently, then turned their heads.
"To think that I would forget to mark my territory. Mick, you have a knack for handling wolves."
At Varg's words, Mick just shrugged as if he was dumbfounded.
Lena and Sarteurang also drank the skull water.
Although they were both rear guards, there was no reason not to drink it when they could get a free strength and stamina buff.
They stored the remaining water in a pouch.
"Ah! They say that this also strengthens your virility."
Sarteurang said with a smile.
With this kind of effect, even Wonhyo Daesa would chug this skull water in broad daylight.
But Jeong Yoo-shin's dick didn't even flinch.
Should he say that it didn't even make a dent?
Come to think of it, he hadn't had sex in a while.
He was so busy with life that he didn't have time for it.
The party left the room and walked down the corridor again. The party's steps were light thanks to the unexpected gain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Four days had passed since they had entered the Corridor area.
Jeong Yoo-shin and his party members stood in front of the transfer stone that led to the 10th floor.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked around at his party members.
"..."
Everyone was silent.
A strange tension had settled among them.
It was because they hadn't encountered any monsters from the 6th floor to the end of the 9th floor after their first encounter.
The high-level monsters of the Corridor area that Lena had told him about before they camped were nowhere to be seen.
The ethereal monster, the Wraith, which was immune to normal physical attacks.
The Skeleton Knight, armed with sturdy armor, and the Skeleton Quarreler, which fired powerful crossbows.
The Skeleton Golem that was made up of a huge pile of bones.
It could be considered lucky that they haven’t met any danger thus far, but the party members were veterans.
They had immediately realized that the situation was strange.
And now, with the 10th floor ahead…
Jeong Yoo-shin made a bitter smile.
He had gotten to know his party members over the past four days.
Especially the mage, Lena, who was Bryn's friend.
Lena was a very academic person.
She seemed to want to explore the labyrinth itself rather than obtain valuable items from it.
And she liked to talk about the mysteries of the labyrinth.
Whenever they camped, Lena would quietly approach him and talk about monsters.
Jeong Yoo-shin was a man of few words.
But the questions he threw out from time to time made Lena's face light up.
"Skar-ssi, you don't seem like it, but you have a very sharp eye."
"What do I seem like?"
"A warrior who handles women well...? Like a gentleman, but if you get on his wrong side, you'll be on a leash and dragged around for the rest of your life?"
"..."
At the sudden slander, Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at Lena, then realized…
'Ah. She's Bryn's friend.'
She was too honest.
So that's why those two were close.
After that, they continued to talk about various things.
During the conversation, Lena's true feelings slipped out.
"If it wasn't dangerous, I'd want to stay in the labyrinth forever."
A chill ran down his spine. He could feel an obsession close to madness.
"When the investigation is over, let's go to the library in the central area. I go there sometimes too. Why don't you come with me, Skar-ssi?"
Jeong Yoo-shin managed his expression and nodded.
"S-Should I?"
Lena had also asked Jeong Yoo-shin about the old goblin corpse they had seen at the 5th-floor Ingrave.
"That goblin, what do you think of it?"
"What would I know?"
Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged and replied.
If he had to say it, he would say that a boss monster had appeared on the 5th floor. Like a game, perhaps?
Of course, he couldn't be sure.
Returning to the present.
Even Lena was silently staring at the transfer stone to the 10th floor with a grim expression.
Mick clutched his shield, approached the transfer stone, and placed his hand on it.
Whoosh.
A red portal and a blue portal were created.
As a labyrinth investigation team, if something strange had happened, they had to investigate it.
Jeong Yoo-shin loaded his crossbow and placed his hand on the hilt of his bastard sword.
Mick stepped into the red portal.
Jeong Yoo-shin also immediately stepped into the portal.
In the red light…
Jeong Yoo-shin felt a floating sensation and gripped his weapon tightly.
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T/N - Damn, that’s quite an intense set up. If I were them, I wouldn’t continue to the 10th floor. Not meeting any monsters for 4 floors straight in a labyrinth dungeon is too eerie.
Also, the skull water bit took a lot of space in this chapter. I wonder if it’ll be relevant later?
*Great Master Wŏnhyo (원효대사) was one of the most important philosophers and commentators in East Asian Buddhism and the most prolific scholar in Korean Buddhism. As for the reason he was mentioned here, his story of mistakenly drinking water from a human skull and gaining enlightenment is pretty well-known in Korea. Check it out!