Chapter 189 Den of Demons
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Den of Demons
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Thump, thump!!!
The window shook.
Jeong Yoo-shin swallowed dryly.
What kind of creature was it this time?
It was really difficult to live peacefully in Labyrinth City.
Jeong Yoo-shin took a few more steps, then stopped dead.
He saw the outline of the strange being on the window.
It was a giant crow that was flapping its wings, its red eyes shining brightly.
And that wasn't all.
A white rat was clinging to the crow's talons.
"Lin?"
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately recognized the white rat.
Lin was pressed against the window, bumping it with her snout.
Jeong Yoo-shin's shoulders slumped.
'What in the world is going on?'
To come knocking on the window while riding a crow in the middle of the night.
Thump, thump!!!
Lin bumped the window again, knocking on it.
Jeong Yoo-shin went and opened the window.
Then the crow flapped its wings and came inside.
Lin jumped coolly from the crow's talons and landed on the floor.
The crow, as if its business was finished, circled the room once, and then quickly disappeared out the window.
"Jik jik!!!"
Lin, her eyes shining brightly, clung to Jeong Yoo-shin's leg and rubbed her body against it.
"Lin, you little rascal. What in the world is going on? And what's with that crow?"
"Jik jik!!!"
Lin scurried onto the bed and gestured with her hands and feet. Her eyes were sparkling, as if she had had a great adventure in Labyrinth City.
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a deep sigh, picked Lin up by the scruff of her neck, and looked her over.
She was clean for someone who had been gallavanting outside.
Had she washed up somewhere?
A scent similar to the shampoo Ingrid and Karin used wafted from her.
Had she been staying at another woman's house?
On top of that, she had been eating well, as her white fur was shiny and glistening.
Lin flailed her front paws in the air, as if telling him not to grab her by the back of her neck.
"Jik!!!"
"Alright."
When he put her back on the bed, Lin sniffed and inspected the bed.
"Why are you sniffing? There's nothing else. Let's just go to sleep. Come on."
Jeong Yoo-shin laid back down on the bed and slightly opened the blanket.
"Jik?"
Lin tilted her head for a moment, and then she wiggled her plump bottom before jumping into Jeong Yoo-shin's arms.
Jeong Yoo-shin patted Lin and fell asleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning.
Jeong Yoo-shin took Lin to Ingrid.
Lin snuggled into Ingrid's cleavage, settled in, and chirped.
She had the happiest expression he had ever seen.
"D-Did you give Lin a massage?"
At Ingrid's question, Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"Lin came in late last night... I'm sorry. I'll be sure to do it starting tomorrow."
"Alright."
Ingrid answered with a strangely disappointed expression.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately left the inn, went about his usual routine, and finally finished his spar with Mick at the Swordsman's Guild training ground.
In the evening glow…
Jeong Yoo-shin was spread eagle on the training ground with the Swordsman's Guild members, including Mick.
Jeong Yoo-shin carefully watched the panting Mick.
He had gotten to know Mick because they had been hanging out a lot lately.
Mick, who was from a rural village, had lost his parents at the age of 13 and had joined a mercenary group.
He had done various jobs with the mercenary group at the western border of the Eastern Alliance until he was 18, and then he came to Labyrinth City.
He had done odd jobs in the city and worked his way up to become an intermediate-rank explorer.
In a way, it was a life similar to Jeong Yoo-shin’s.
Mick currently had an imprint that made him speak lewdly.
Jeong Yoo-shin had asked if Mick had any intention of removing it, but the latter had shaken his head.
He had said that it would be too costly if he carelessly removed a negative imprint just because he didn't like it.
"Isn't an imprint that makes you say lewd things something you could just remove?"
Mick gestured with his hand.
He had the money to remove it, but he wouldn't.
He said that he would wait until he got a worse negative imprint later.
"Is that so?"
'Right.'
"By the way, Mick, are you going into the labyrinth soon?"
Mick nodded.
"I'm trying to find party members. How is it these days?"
One of the guild members shook his head and answered instead.
"It's not easy these days. Especially for explorers like Mick who don't have a fixed party."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Haven't high-level monsters appeared on each level of the labyrinth? It means that several parties have to cooperate to take them down. But how can parties that don't know each other cooperate? Fixed parties are at least better. How can you trust an unknown party with no recognition and fight shoulder to shoulder with them?"
"..."
When Jeong Yoo-shin heard that, he thought that it made sense.
"So the strengths of clans that can bring along several parties are becoming more prominent. Tsk. The Explorer's Guild is in an uproar right now. Most of the clans are running around with their eyes lit up, trying to recruit decent explorers."
"I see."
Come to think of it, it was a natural thing.
He didn't know about the clans full of high-rank explorers, but the small and medium-sized clans would have to increase their size to survive.
Should he join a clan?
But who would accept him?
That was his biggest problem.
The fact that he had spat on Astaroth's face had already spread throughout the Explorer's Guild.
He had no regrets, but it was true that it was inconvenient.
On top of that, he had an Incubus imprint.
Of course, he hadn't told anyone except for the people he was close to. He was controlling the lustful energy now, but what if a woman was accidentally exposed to it?
Just imagining it was terrible.
"Mick, is there no way?"
They were both freelancers. Could Mick, who had a certain amount of experience, have a clever solution?
Mick stroked his chin.
Just then…
One of the guild members chimed in.
"Skar, can't you just join our clan? Now is a good opportunity."
Jeong Yoo-shin thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'd like to look around a bit more."
"Is that so? Actually, picking party members is more exciting than entering the labyrinth. I understand. But it’s a shame, isn't it?"
One of the guild members smiled slyly.
"It's true that Skar's price is quite high. Although only we know about it for now."
"..."
'Wow.'
Jeong Yoo-shin was embarrassed by the guild members' compliments and turned his head.
"Mick, is there no way?"
At the second question, Mick gestured with his hand.
'It's a good time. It's time for the small clans to gather. It wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by and see if there are any decent party members there.'
Was there such a thing?
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin and fell into thought.
Besides directly applying for a party at the receptionist, there were other routes.
His knowledge had increased.
"Where is that small clan meeting held?"
'The Explorer's Headquarters.'
The Explorer's Headquarters was huge. It had several floors, so it would be a suitable place for small clans to gather.
"When is it?"
'Tonight.'
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled slyly.
It was an opportunity to find out how the small clans interacted with each other.
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In the evening.
Jeong Yoo-shin sat across from Karin and finished his dinner.
"I'm going to the Explorer's Headquarters for a bit. I might be late, so you can go to sleep first."
"Alright."
Karin answered nonchalantly, and then she blushed.
It was because it felt like she was having a normal conversation with her husband.
"Where's Ingrid-nim?"
"She had some business and stopped by the inner castle for a bit."
"Oh? I see. Where's Lin?"
Lin popped her head out from between Karin's cleavage. She waved one front paw with a drowsy expression.
"Jik."
"I see. Alright."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched Lin's head with his finger, then he stood up and went up to his room on the second floor.
He put on a white linen shirt and brown cotton pants, and hung the silver plaque symbolizing an intermediate-rank explorer around his neck.
Finally, he put on a sword belt around his waist and fixed the blue longsword made by Boron and Einhorfer to the belt.
"This should be enough."
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been posing in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, nodded and left the room.
Seen off by Karin, he left the inn and walked down the street to the Explorer's Headquarters.
When he entered the headquarters, he saw a countless number of explorers moving around.
It was chilly outside, but this place was hot with the explorers' heat.
Mick was sitting at a table near the entrance.
"Shall we go?"
Nod.
Jeong Yoo-shin followed Mick and approached the receptionist.
"Ah! You're here. Are you participating in the small clan meeting?"
At the receptionist's question, Mick nodded.
"I understand. But what about the barbarian next to you?"
"I'm also participating."
"Ah. I understand."
At that moment…
The surroundings suddenly began to buzz.
"Th-The Crystal Rose clan is here!!!"
When someone shouted, Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head.
Explorers of old-fashioned beauty entered the headquarters entrance. Their clothes were similar, and their hair color was all as bright as white crystal.
"Crystal Rose...?"
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
It was a clan name he had never heard before. Besides the fact that their outfits were uniform, they were all handsome men and beautiful women.
Should he say that they had no ugly people?
Someone else shouted.
"H-Huk!!! Th-The Hellfire clan is here too!!! W-What day is it today?!"
Once again, another group, this time composed of red-haired people, appeared at the headquarters entrance. Strangely, all of them had sharp eyes and fierce expressions.
'What?'
Did clans unify their outfits and hair colors?
But it was a bit strange that even their eyes and the atmosphere they gave off were similar.
"The Guardian of Order clan is here too!"
The last group entered the headquarters.
These people had platinum blond hair and a noble impression. Should he say that they had a quiet and kind appearance? As expected, this side had also unified their outfits in a golden color.
The three clans gathered in the central hall of the Explorers’ Headquarters.
Crystal Rose.
Hellfire.
Guardian of Order.
All the explorers looked at the clans with eyes of envy.
But the clan members just looked around at the explorers, then they went up the stairs as if there was nothing to see.
"By the way, that's really amazing."
"They're top-tier clans. It's hard to join them."
"Still, the fact that they've gathered like that must mean that breaking through the labyrinth isn't easy, right?"
People began to whisper among themselves.
Jeong Yoo-shin's heart pounded.
He grabbed one of the people talking and asked.
"How do I get in there?"
The explorer whose shoulder was grabbed by Jeong Yoo-shin made a dumbfounded face.
"You can't get in. Unless you have the imprint."
"What do you mean, imprint?"
"Did you just become an intermediate? What was your impression of the clan members you just saw?"
"They seemed similar."
"That's right. They all have the same imprint."
"Please explain further."
The man scratched his head. He had a look of complete annoyance, but he glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin's hair and opened his mouth.
"The Crystal Rose clan can only be entered by people with the Crystal Rose imprint."
"Crystal Rose imprint?"
"That's right. It's considered a top-tier positive imprint. If you get that imprint, your beauty becomes outstanding, and your aging also slows down. Your mana increases by nearly 10 times, and you can use special magic. It rarely conflicts with other imprints. Your hair color also changes beautifully, and I heard that your disposition also becomes old-fashioned."
Isn't that a cheat imprint?
But one question came to mind.
"Doesn't each person have one special imprint?"
"No. Of course, since there are various imprints, it's rare for them to overlap. But it's not completely non-existent. You just saw it, didn't you?"
"I see."
'Does that mean there are other people with the Incubus imprint besides me?'
In a way, it was a natural thing.
"It's better to consider the people with that imprint as an exception. Most of them just join a normal clan."
Is that so?
In terms of wuxia, it seemed like a gathering of the orthodox sects, like the Nine Schools and One Sect or the Five Great Families.
Jeong Yoo-shin's heart began to pound even more hotly.
Even if it was a small clan, there must be some talented people, right?
He was looking forward to this meeting.
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately urged Mick.
"Let's go. There must be talented people like that in the small clans too, right?"
Mick made a strange face, looked at Jeong Yoo-shin, and then turned around.
Jeong Yoo-shin followed Mick out of the hall again.
But they didn't go up the stairs.
Instead, they went down the stairs that led to the basement.
'What?'
Shouldn't they be going up like those brilliant, golden spoon clans?
He had definitely heard that it was a clan meeting.
When he went down to the basement, a large corridor came into his view. Large doors were lined up on each side of the corridor.
Mick walked across the corridor and stopped in front of a door.
'Skar.'
"What?"
'Don't get your hopes up too high.'
What shouldn't he get his hopes up about?
Mick opened the meeting room door.
In the huge room, various people were gathered and chatting.
The people briefly glanced at Mick and Jeong Yoo-shin, then looked away.
"Oh!!! Skar!!!"
A naked dwarf recognized Jeong Yoo-shin and waved as he approached them.
The dwarf priest with the Naturalist imprint, Kubo.
Jeong Yoo-shin had definitely heard that he was active in the Iron Mask party.
"Kubo? What in the world is going on here?"
Kubo shrugged.
"Didn't you know? I'm a member of the Naturalist clan."
What did he say?
Jeong Yoo-shin was so dumbfounded that his mouth fell open.
"You mean there are more exhibitionists besides you?"
Kubo frowned.
"Ahem! That's a bit harsh. Were you born with clothes on? You weren't, were you!?"
That was true.
Should he say that he had a bad feeling and it was a bit strange?
Kubo raised one hand and pointed to the other side.
There, a group of men and women in their underwear, like Kubo, were gathered.
An elf man wearing rainbow-colored underwear saw Kubo and Jeong Yoo-shin and gave them a slight wave.
"I have to go. Today's meeting is important."
Kubo grabbed Jeong Yoo-shin's hand and shook it, then he wiggled his plump bottom and walked away.
Mick led Jeong Yoo-shin and sat down in a corner.
Jeong Yoo-shin's vision was shaking.
'Ah. Where in the world am I right now?'
His head was spinning.
Just then, a group of muscular men wearing red hats opened the door and entered.
"I see a lot of new faces here today."
"Yes, sir!"
What the fuck?
Jeong Yoo-shin came to his senses and looked around at the people again.
Those wearing strange beast-person doll clothes.
Those drooling with ball gags in their mouths.
Suspicious people in black robes, holding strange vials and whispering to each other.
There were also those who glanced at others and giggled quietly to each other.
Boom!!!
When the door closed, a young man got up on the stage.
The young man smiled faintly and spoke.
"Good evening."
"..."
The chattering explorers all fell silent.
"We will now begin the 465th Small and Medium Clan Meeting."
The young man spoke again.
"Ah! I almost forgot. I'm Granny, the representative of the Grandma's Love clan. I look forward to working with you."
Clap, clap, clap, clap!!!
"Asshole!!! Attention!!!"
"Waaaaaaah!!!"
The people gathered in the meeting room clapped.
Jeong Yoo-shin stiffened.
The cool clans he had seen on the ground floor flashed through his mind.
The orthodox sect.
The unorthodox sect.
And the demonic sect.
His throat was dry. His fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably.
He realized where he had stepped into.
Amidst the applause and cheers.
Jeong Yoo-shin clutched his head and screamed inwardly.
'This is the demonic sect. Fuck!!!'
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T/N - Lol. The MC got his hopes up too much. You’d think he’d learn to temper his expectations by now. Though I am curious about those top guilds. To think that they were able to form guilds only with people who have the same specific imprint. That’s quite the odds.
Also, Lin is back! She’s so cute. Nothing better happen to her or I’ll find the author’s address and send him razors. (Joking. I’m not really going to do that. International mail is way too expensive for me.)