20. Did You Think It Was Over
-------------------------------------
Translator: JayM
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Did You Think It Was Over?
-------------------------------------
He opened his eyes to see an old man looking down at him.
The old man smiled benevolently and extended his hand.
Jeong Yoo-shin reached out and took the old man’s hand.
Slap!
The old man swatted his hand away.
‘What’s his deal?’
The old man pointed at his mouth and mumbled something. Jeong Yoo-shin focused all his attention on his ears. Like a rusty motor, they creaked back to life.
“Three silver coins.”
‘Luke Wiseman.’
The Spirit Teacher who served the Wind Spirit God.
A member of the Labyrinth City’s highest council.
“I apologize for my rudeness last time.”
His voice was raspy.
“Forget it. I expected to see you again soon, but for us to meet like this… It must be the guidance of the Wind Spirit God. Three silver coins.”
“Put it on my tab. I don’t have any money on me now. What happened? The last thing I remember is being in the labyrinth.”
“The labyrinth investigation team found your party. You were unconscious for three days. You’re the only one who’s regained consciousness for the moment.”
“What investigation team?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. You know there’s been an influx of newbies lately, right?”
“Yes.”
“Too many newbie parties have entered the labyrinth, but not many came back. So we sent an investigation team to see what was happening.”
“When will the others wake up?”
“I don’t know. The goblin and the mage should wake up soon, but the dwarf might take a while. He was hit in a bad spot.”
A question popped into his mind.
“Where’s the gnome?”
“Gnome? Weren’t you a four-person party?”
“There were five of us. We had a gnome navigator named Ditto. Didn’t you see him at the relief center?”
“No, there was no one like that.”
Was he still wandering around the labyrinth?
In the worst-case scenario, Ditto might have gone mad already, lost in the labyrinth’s darkness.
Or he was dead.
And the symbol on the dagger Ditto had dropped…
It was familiar.
“It’s late, so sleep here tonight.”
“I don’t have money for lodging.”
“It’s free. Get some rest.”
Luke left the ward.
He lay in bed as he looked out the window. The stars were shining brightly.
He realized he was on the second floor of the relief center.
It was a large ward meant to accommodate dozens of people. But all the other beds were empty, and only a single candle flickered weakly by his bedside.
The empty ward felt eerie.
‘Are the other party members on the first floor?’
He lay there, lost in thought. That strangely familiar symbol. He had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where.
As he stared blankly at the ceiling, he heard footsteps.
Tap. Tap.
He turned his head towards the sound.
He saw nothing.
He raised his candle and looked around.
Nothing.
The footsteps stopped.
“What the…?”
A chill ran down his spine. He looked around the silent ward.
“Were you waiting for me?”
Ditto’s face suddenly appeared before him.
“Agh!”
He nearly dropped the candle in surprise.
Ditto chuckled at his startled reaction.
A low, chilling chuckle.
‘Wasn’t he still in the labyrinth?’
Jeong Yoo-shin asked,
“How did you get out?”
“I got lucky. There was a newbie explorer party passing by.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yes. Very good. Things don’t always go as planned. But I have a question for you.”
“Hold on.”
He raised the candle, holding it close to Ditto’s face. Ditto frowned and pulled back slightly.
“What are you doing?”
“Just checking if you’re injured.”
“Hmph. It’s only the second level, even with that unexpected event. I wouldn’t get injured so easily. What about you?”
‘Confirmation.’
“Me? Don’t even ask. I can barely move. I just woke up.”
Ditto glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin’s hand. The hand holding the candle was trembling slightly.
“You do look exhausted. You should rest.”
“Yes. It is a bit late for a hospital visit.”
The human and the gnome stared at each other in silence.
“…”
After a moment, Ditto chuckled and put his hands behind his back.
“Well, I’ll be going. Get some reeeest!!”
Ditto’s dagger lunged towards his throat.
Jeong Yoo-shin twisted his body. The dagger plunged deep into his shoulder. A searing pain shot through him.
“Ugh!!”
Light erupted from the blanket covering him.
“[Sacred Weapon]”
A long, pointed spike of light burst through the blanket and pierced the gnome’s chest.
“Gah!”
Ditto collapsed on the floor. As the spike of light vanished, blood gushed from the wound.
The gnome writhed on the floor like a dying insect.
Jeong Yoo-shin threw off the blanket and slowly stood up.
If he hadn’t used the candle to illuminate Ditto’s face…
If he hadn’t managed to complete the Sacred Weapon incantation in time…
If he had missed due to the pain…
He would be the one lying dead on the floor.
“I thought that symbol looked familiar.”
Ditto’s dagger, the one he had picked up during the fight with the Goblin Warrior.
He didn’t have time to examine it closely during the chaotic battle. But now that he thought about it, he realized that it was the same symbol that had been engraved on the slave hunter’s bastard sword.
Many questions swirled in his mind.
Had Ditto lied about the fear imprint?
If his target was Jeong Yoo-shin, why did he shoot Kelton in the back instead of him?
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Ditto who was lying on the floor and choking in his own blood.
He had to ask this one question.
“Why me? Why go to such lengths to kill a nobody barbarian like me?”
“…F-Fuck… you.”
Ditto died with those words.
The blood flowing from Ditto’s wound reached Jeong Yoo-shin’s feet.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s body trembled.
He had killed someone.
He had crossed the point of no return.
He could never go back to his previous life.
He received the baptism of original sin under the starlight.
The sole witness to this murder was the lone flickering candle.
The reason?
Survival.
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Ditto and closed his eyes.
The baptizer and the baptized were one and the same, but the blood belonged to the gnome.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Chaos erupted at the relief center that night. The cleric on night duty, who was dozing on the first floor, was startled awake by the sound of Jeong Yoo-shin coming down from the second floor while covered in blood. He immediately called the guards.
A grim-faced guard captain arrived and took Jeong Yoo-shin to the guard post, which wasn’t far from the relief center.
He treated his wound with ointment and bandages, then was handcuffed and taken to a small room inside the guard post.
“We just confirmed the gnome’s death. He was your party member?”
The guard captain sitting across from him asked.
“Yes. His name was Ditto. He was the navigator of our reject party.”
“Why did you kill him?”
“He tried to kill me.”
“We only found a dagger on him. No other weapons.”
“Sacred Weapon.”
“What? You were a cleric?”
“No. It’s my imprint ability.”
“How ordinary. Show me.”
“I can’t use it right now. I’m out of magic power.”
“Are you a newbie explorer?”
“Yes.”
The guard captain scratched his head.
“I don’t understand. Why would he try to kill you? Did you do something in the labyrinth?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything. The other party members can confirm that.”
“You never know. Tell me everything. Everything that happened in the labyrinth. We’ll decide what to do after that.”
Jeong Yoo-shin calmly recounted the events in the labyrinth.
After what felt like enough time for a cup of tea…
“…That’s all. I lost consciousness after that and was rescued by the labyrinth investigation team before being taken to the relief center.”
The guard captain stroked his chin.
“Strange. Very strange. Based on your story, I don’t see any motive for the gnome to kill you. Tongtong!”
The guard captain shouted towards the door. After a moment, the door burst open, and an otter beast-person with a friendly face entered.
“Yes, Captain!”
"Go to the relief center and wake up a member of the barbarian's party who has recovered, then bring them here.”
“Yes, sir!!”
The otter beast-person scurried off.
A short while later, Kelton entered the room.
He looked haggard as if he had aged ten years.
“What is it? Idiot.”
“We need to corroborate his story. Tell me what happened in the labyrinth.”
Kelton licked his dry lips.
Like a true mage, he recounted the events calmly and in detail. The guard captain listened intently, as if mesmerized.
“…We won the fight, and Skar collapsed. A little while later, the investigation team arrived. I lost consciousness after that, so I don’t know what happened next. Idiot.”
The guard captain looked at Skar with newfound respect.
“Impressive. A newbie explorer single-handedly defeating a Goblin Warrior, a monster usually found on the fourth or fifth levels. Even for a barbarian, that’s remarkable.”
“I didn’t do it alone. The other party members helped.”
Kelton smiled faintly at Jeong Yoo-shin’s humility.
The guard captain cleared his throat.
“Anyway… what could have possibly possessed that gnome?”
He hesitated. Should he mention the symbol on the dagger?
The symbol was easily recognizable. Even the village guard on the Pilgrim’s Road recognized it.
Why would anyone engrave such a conspicuous symbol on their weapon?
What was the benefit?
Would the guard captain believe him?
Could he even trust the guard captain?
He didn’t know.
There were too many unknowns, so he decided to keep it simple.
“The symbol on his dagger was… noticeable. Perhaps Sir Simus would recognize it. You should ask him.”
The guard captain’s eyes widened.
“Are you talking about Sir Simus, the one who serves the Wind Spirit God?! You know him?”
“He accompanied me on my way to the Labyrinth City. He won’t pretend to not know me.”
“I can’t call a Spirit Teacher for something like this. Besides, he has a penchant for wandering around, so it’s not easy to meet him. Is this symbol that important? Answer me truthfully.”
“Well…”
Just then, the door opened, and someone entered.
The guard captain jumped to his feet.
“Sir Luke! What brings you to this humble place?!”
“There was a commotion at the relief center. It’s fine. Don’t mind me.”
“But…”
“I was on duty tonight. Have some consideration for my reputation.”
“U-Understood.”
Luke looked at Kelton and the guard captain.
“Both of you, leave us. I have some questions for this barbarian.”
Kelton and the guard captain stood up and left the room.
Luke sat down in the guard captain’s chair.
“I’ve heard everything from the guard.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about that symbol. If your answer isn’t satisfactory…”
Luke crossed his arms and leaned back on the chair.
“…I’ll kill you.”
A cold, indifferent gaze bore down on Jeong Yoo-shin.
‘Shit. Is it okay for a cleric to have that kind of look in his eyes?’
He gulped.
Jeong Yoo-shin haltingly recounted the events that had transpired before he arrived in the Labyrinth City.
Luke listened without moving a muscle.
When he finished his long story, Jeong Yoo-shin fell silent.
After a while, Luke slowly spoke.
“Simus is my first disciple.”
He wasn’t surprised at that.
‘No wonder their eyes are similar.’
“Yes.”
“Three months ago, my disciple told me about a young barbarian. He said he was an interesting individual. I didn’t realize it was you. You’re lucky.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll spare you. This time. If you use my disciple’s name again, you’re dead.”
“…”
“I’ll be watching.”
Luke stood up. Jeong Yoo-shin remained seated. A gust of wind swept through the room as Luke left, brushing past Jeong Yoo-shin.
The wound on his shoulder was healed. High-level healing magic.
“Ha…”
He stood up and left the room. The guard captain was standing outside stiffly.
“You’re free to go.”
“Huh?”
“Sir Luke cleared you of all suspicion.”
“Alright.”
He stepped out of the guard post, and the cool night air enveloped him. Kelton was waiting for him outside.
“It seems everything worked out. Idiot.”
“Indeed. Ha… Let’s go, mage.”
Under the starry night sky…
In the quiet stillness, the two men walked back to the relief center.
“…Did Ditto try to kill you? Idiot.”
Kelton asked, his eyes fixed on the relief center building.
“Yes.”
“I see. Idiot.”
Kelton’s brief reply was laced with a bitter sadness.
Kelton stopped and looked up at the sky.
The sighs and resignation of an outcast who was abandoned by his peers lingered under the starlight.
“You must have been very close to Ditto.”
Jeong Yoo-shin put his hands behind his back and moved closer to Kelton. A faint magical energy began to gather in his hand.
“No, not really. Idiot.”
“They say there’s no cure for male menopause. Stop staring at the stars and live a little.”
Kelton suddenly started chuckling.
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled faintly and looked at Kelton.
Kelton said,
“Barbarian, you’re the first person I’ve met who’s perfectly suited for the labyrinth. Idiot.”
Then he added,
“Don’t stand so close. You’re scaring me. Idiot.”
Jeong Yoo-shin stepped back. The magical energy in his hand dissipated.
The two men continued walking.
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but he tried to focus on the fact that he had survived.
That was enough for tonight.
-------------------------------------
T/N - So ends the MC's second labyrinth run. I mean the fact that the slave hunters were able to track him wasn't really surprising. There was a report about it and everything since it was an official operation of the Eastern Kingdom. Still, kinda weird that they would go so far just to kill him. The plot thickens…