Chapter 187 Swine Master
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Swine Master
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Around lunchtime.
The people froze stiff as they saw the barbarian who had fallen from the sky.
Kila stepped forward.
"What is your business?"
His tone was stern. The aura of a swordsman, not the second-in-command who suffered under Ashur, emanated from him.
"Didn't I just say? I'm here to find someone."
The black-haired man's eyes shone sharply, but his answer was calm.
Gulp.
The guild members all swallowed dryly.
They had heard that after being driven to the north, the barbarians had been living quietly there.
Since no unfortunate news had been heard from them since, they had thought the barbarians had turned over a new leaf.
But was that not the case?
Jeong Yoo-shin calmed his trembling heart.
This one was different from the barbarian he had seen last time.
They looked similar, but there were differences.
A long scar ran across one of his eyes, through his long, salt-and-pepper hair.
He kept it out in the open, even though he could have worn an eyepatch like Aldein.
The man's one good eye shone as he looked down at Jeong Yoo-shin.
"We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"
"What about?"
"It's a bit much to do it here. Let's go somewhere with no people."
"..."
Was he crazy?
To say ‘let's go to a secluded place with no people’ to him, even though he must have heard the rumors about them.
Jeong Yoo-shin was about to refuse, but then he noticed something strange.
The man's gaze was fixed on Jeong Yoo-shin's finger, or more precisely, on the ring.
The ring that the barbarian grandpa had given him.
Did it have some special meaning?
Shing.
Kila drew his sword and stepped forward.
"How ridiculous. When Guild Master Ashur is here, you come through the front door, but when he's not, you jump over the fence? Do you think I'm a joke?"
The man shook his head.
"Not at all. I've been in the labyrinth for a long time, so I've forgotten my manners for a moment. I'm sorry."
The Swordsman's Guild’s members' eyes widened as they looked at the black-haired man.
A barbarian was apologizing?
Even Vice-Guild Master Kila was so surprised that his mouth fell slightly open.
"Uh... I understand. Please come through the front door next time."
"I will."
"It ends so warmly? I was sure a bloody fight was about to break out."
When one of the guild members muttered that, everyone glared at that guild member.
The black-haired man looked at Jeong Yoo-shin again.
"Is your name Skar? I won't harm you, so follow me. We need to talk about the ring you have."
Kila stepped forward again.
"Skar, you don't have to go if you don't want to."
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been thinking for a moment, shook his head.
"I'll go."
He didn't want to cause trouble for the Swordsman's Guild.
The man smiled.
"That's right. Then shall we go?"
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded calmly.
No matter how strong this barbarian was, if they fought to the death, couldn't he win somehow?
At least, he had that much faith in himself.
The two men left the training ground.
Kila let out a deep sigh as he watched Jeong Yoo-shin's retreating back.
"Skar, what are you getting involved in again?"
A small murmur echoed through the quiet training ground.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Jeong Yoo-shin sat down and looked at the strawberry sherbet in front of him.
Strawberry sherbet in a beautifully crafted glass.
"Eat up. It was delicious."
The barbarian man sitting across from him recommended it with a casual expression, then he lifted his glass and chugged his own strawberry sherbet.
'What is this...?'
Currently, Jeong Yoo-shin and the barbarian were sitting in a corner of the cafe in the central district.
They had placed a table in front of the cafe, so the people passing by on the street could see them clearly.
Jeong Yoo-shin could feel their furtive glances. A few people had flustered expressions and went around him and the barbarian man.
Jeong Yoo-shin was just as flustered.
A warrior-like man who reeked of iron and sweat had suddenly taken a seat at a cafe and ordered strawberry sherbet.
The barbarian man licked his lips and raised his hand.
"Owner, one more strawberry sherbet here."
"Y-Yes!"
The owner, whose face had turned deathly pale, rushed into the counter.
Jeong Yoo-shin took a sip of his strawberry sherbet and then put it down.
"So why did you call me all the way here?"
"You met that old man, Ragna Helblade, right?"
Jeong Yoo-shin remembered him.
He was a man who cried a lot for his large size.
"Yes."
"I heard that he gave you a few gifts, though they weren't much."
"That's also right."
The single-edged sword with the 'Gale' spell embedded in it, the elixir called Mage's Tears, and a small magic stone.
They were decent items.
"And he must have given you a ring."
"That's right."
"Do you know the meaning of the ring?"
"I don't."
He answered simply and drank some more strawberry sherbet to quench his thirst.
The man smiled slyly, then turned his head and looked at the street.
Since Jeong Yoo-shin didn't have anything to say either, he quietly crossed his arms and watched the street.
It was currently around noon in early autumn.
People in expensive clothes, different from the southern district, were walking around busily.
The barbarian slowly spoke.
"That ring symbolizes the tribal chief."
Strangely, Jeong Yoo-shin suddenly felt that his throat was parched.
He opened his mouth and repeated the man's words.
"Tribal chief."
"Yes."
"Why did the leader of the barbarian tribe come to Labyrinth City?"
"I'll tell you slowly later. You know that the representatives of each country have decided to gather in Labyrinth City this time, right?"
"So?"
"I want you to attend as the barbarian representing this generation."
Representative?
What kind of nonsense was that all of a sudden?
"Are barbarians that great? It's just one tribe."
"You probably don't know because you're a half-breed, but at least in Labyrinth City, we are quite the renowned warriors."
Jeong Yoo-shin looked up blankly at the barbarian's face.
He felt sorry for this naive barbarian who seemed to not know how the world worked.
"How shameless. They're calling you guys dick outlaws these days. For raping men and women of all ages in the name of a bride hunt."
"The tradition has been corrupted. It was originally different."
'Hoh.'
Is this the 'true' barbarian or something?
"A bride hunt is the act of courting a woman who is fit to bear your child. Politely. For example, like this."
The man cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
"You go to the woman you like and politely ask them 'Won't you give your sticky womb the opportunity to bear my baby-seed?' Of course, if you bring flowers or a gift, the success rate increases."
"..."
Or not?
Was it at least better than just going up and raping them?
Either way, it wasn't normal.
"Why do you have to do a bride hunt? Are there no barbarian women?"
"There are. But their numbers are small."
Barbarians.
So they were a male-dominated tribe.
He felt like he understood why the tradition of a bride hunt had been created.
"Let's get back to the point. I won’t attend the meeting."
"Why not?"
"I have neither the will nor the ability to lead anyone. And if it's that urgent, can't the barbarian grandpa go instead?"
"He left the city for a while because of some business. I don't know if he'll be back in time. Or he might have gone straight back to his northern hometown."
"Still..."
"The burden of a generation is borne by that generation. We can help, but we cannot lead."
'This guy…'
The way he distinguished between generations…
The fact that he had been in the labyrinth for a long time…
He seemed a bit different from the barbarians he had heard about while living in Labyrinth City.
Should he say that he was like the barbarian grandpa?
Since he looked old, it seemed fine to consider them to be of the same generation.
What was his identity?
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and cleared his mind of the question.
'It probably doesn't matter.'
His interest was the labyrinth.
To be precise, it’s to obtain a transfer imprint.
If he worked hard in the labyrinth, the heavens might be moved and give him a transfer imprint.
Jeong Yoo-shin took the ring off of his finger and held it out to the man.
"Take it."
The man shook his head and stood up.
"No. I believe Grandpa Ragna had a reason for giving you that ring. I have a guess as to what it is, but I don't want to misinterpret the tribal chief's reason, so I won't say it. Please keep it for now."
"Where are you going?"
"To the northern district. As you said, I'm going to educate the dick outlaw bastards."
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned back in his chair.
"Good luck."
The man waved his hand and slowly walked down the street.
Jeong Yoo-shin watched the man's retreating back for a while, then he stood up.
The owner cautiously approached him. A careful expression. Did he have something to say?
"Um... customer."
"What is it?"
At the polite question, the owner's face relaxed a little.
"You have to pay before you go."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin had to pay for the one-eyed barbarian's share as well before he could leave the shop.
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A week passed by in a flash.
Jeong Yoo-shin's routine was both complex and simple.
He would wake up in the morning, finish his training, and then learn how to handle lustful energy from Eru.
After finishing his meal, he would immediately put on his bag and go to the library to read.
Around lunchtime, he would leave the library, have a simple lunch at a cafe, and then roll around at the Swordsman's Guild.
He trained endlessly to increase the peak of his evolved body.
The Swordsman's Guild’s members also took turns sparring with Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Huck... Huuuk...!"
Jeong Yoo-shin plopped down on the spot. Even though it was early autumn, sweat was pouring down from his body like rain.
The Swordsman's Guild’s members he had sparred with were in a similar state.
No matter how much he thought about it, he felt that five consecutive spars was too much.
"That's it for today! Everyone, good work."
"You worked hard too, Vice-Guild Master!"
"Phew. That was no joke. Today was pretty good too."
"This is training."
After finishing their greetings, the guild members chatted among themselves and left the training ground.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been lying down spread eagle on the training ground floor, stood up.
Kila was looking down at Jeong Yoo-shin with his arms crossed.
"Vice-Guild Master."
"What is it?"
"How strong am I?"
"If we're talking about swordsmanship, your basics are good. I can see that you're moving into the realm of application. If I had to put it in terms of the Explorer’s Guild rank, would it be mid-intermediate?"
It was an explanation that excluded imprints.
"I'd like to know if you can put it in terms of numbers."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's question, Kila tilted his head for a moment.
"Are you talking about mana adaptation? A mid-intermediate would have experienced five to ten physical evolutions."
So mid-intermediate was between level 5 to 10.
'When you think about it, am I level 4?'
He felt like he had been through a lot.
Now that he looked at it, he still had a long way to go.
"What if I have a good imprint?"
"There would still be a difference in compatibility. Skar, listen. This kind of wordplay is meaningless. No matter how strong a person is, they'll die if they get stabbed in the neck. You'll only know for sure if you fight."
'I won't die.'
Jeong Yoo-shin didn't answer that out loud and just thought it to himself.
"I understand. Still, I'm glad I seem to be average."
Kila shook his head with a dumbfounded expression.
"You're too fast. You, who didn't even know the proper grip when you joined the guild, have only been here for a little over half a year, and you've already grown this much? To be honest, it's scary."
He was a friend with a talent that even Guild Master Ashur was sometimes at a loss for words for.
Why in the world was he in such a hurry?
They say that those with a talent that would surprise the heavens have strange fates.
Jeong Yoo-shin, oblivious to Kila's worries, was grinning and scratching his head.
'My self-esteem is suddenly soaring. As expected, an isekai is the best when you're on a roll.'
"Thank you. Vice-Guild Master, please rest well."
"Yeah."
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In the slowly setting sun…
Jeong Yoo-shin, his shoulders held high, arrived at the inn with a swagger.
Karin and Eru greeted him. Ingrid seemed to be away on business for a while.
And…
There were two welcome guests.
Bryn and Lena.
Bryn was a connection he had made back when he was in the Iron Mask party.
The daughter of a chancellor of the Lionel Kingdom.
She was a decent woman, except for the flaw of being too honest. She was also a person he was grateful to for helping him in various ways in the Forest area.
Lena was a mage.
She was a woman with a good insight, as she had recognized the Lich Prince in their last labyrinth expedition.
"H-Hello."
Bryn stood up and bowed her head.
She was still shy.
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled.
"It's good to see you again. How have you been?"
"I-I've been well."
Jeong Yoo-shin chatted with Bryn and Lena, though Lena did most of the talking.
A moment later…
Eru, who had come out of the kitchen, approached them and placed food on the table.
"Eru."
"Y-Yes."
"Do I look like I could become a swordmaster?"
Karin, who had been eating a sausage, made a strange face.
"Skar, what kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden? And in the middle of a meal too? A swordmaster?!"
"Ahem! Karin, that's a bit harsh. Pour some water here."
Karin glared at Jeong Yoo-shin. Then she blushed and quietly poured water into his cup.
Suddenly, Bryn forced a smile.
"B-But if you're a barbarian, wouldn't you be a swine master instead of a swordmaster?"
"..."
A cold silence fell over the table.
"O-Or not?"
Bryn glanced at the others and muttered quietly.
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title:
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T/N - Oh, so that’s how the MC gets dragged into the war mess. Honestly, the fact that Ragna gave that ring to the MC the first time they met has me convinced that they’re related. Or at least Ragna is either close or related to the MC’s father and found the MC’s face familiar enough to connect the dots.
As for future plot, I can see the barbarians of the current generation contesting the MC’s assignment as their representative. It’s mostly because the MC is still too weak compared to them. From the sounds of it, almost all of the battle-ready barbarians are considered high-rank. The MC is improving, but he’s not there yet.