22. Temple Lessons and Swordsmanship Training
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Temple Lessons and Swordsmanship Training
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Jeong Yoo-shin recounted the events in the labyrinth to Dalmong.
He glossed over the goblin extermination as Zeke would have already told him about it. The important part was what happened afterward.
The slave hunters.
He explained everything: him being captured in the forest, him being rescued by Karin, his near-death experience at the hands of the village guards after taking the slave hunters’ equipment, and finally, his encounter with Simus.
He had thought he was free of the slave hunters after entering the Labyrinth City, but he was mistaken.
He had found the same symbol on Ditto’s dagger.
Ditto tried to kill him at the relief center, and he only barely survived thanks to his imprint ability.
He didn’t know why the slave hunters were targeting him. All he knew was that they were operating within the city.
He told Dalmong everything.
Dalmong listened in silence without touching his drink.
“It might be dangerous for me to stay here.”
He got straight to the point.
If the slave hunters were still after him, they would eventually find out where he was staying and they might target the inn.
“Did you tell the Explorers Guild?”
“No. I don’t know who to trust.”
“And you trust me?”
Jeong Yoo-shin grinned in response.
Dalmong chuckled.
“Good. The Explorers Guild is a large organization with various factions. Some of them might have dealings with the slave hunters. Hmm.”
Dalmong stroked his chin for a moment.
“Aldein is the right person for this.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
Aldein Ashwood.
The monster dismantling shop manager.
Why did he suddenly bring up the decadent elf’s name?
“What does he have to do with this?”
“Didn’t you know? Aldein was quite infamous in the eastern district in his younger days.”
“Infamous for what?”
“Being a scoundrel.”
Dalmong, a high-ranking explorer who had seen it all, had just called Aldein a scoundrel. That meant he wasn’t just an ordinary troublemaker.
“Then why is he working at the monster dismantling shop? Did he reform?”
“He became a new man.”
“How?”
“Through Sir Simus’ fists.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s jaw dropped.
“So you’re saying the scoundrel Aldein was beaten senseless by Sir Simus and became a changed man?”
“That’s right.”
“Huh.”
He was surprised by this hidden story.
“The point is this: most criminal organizations are concentrated in the eastern district. Aldein was quite influential there, and even now, after his reformation, he probably still has some connections. We can ask him for information about the slave hunters.”
“Oh!”
“But there’s a problem.”
“Oh?”
“Aldein is currently away on a business trip. He’ll be back in about a month. Wait until then.”
“You’re saying I shouldn’t enter the labyrinth for now?”
“Not for a while, yeah. You’ve earned some money. It’s not a bad idea to recover and assess the situation. Sir Luke is probably aware of this as well. Just stay here for now. Anyway, you have nowhere else to go, right?”
“That’s true, but I feel bad for imposing myself on you.”
“Don’t. I’m doing this because I want to.”
He felt reassured.
So connections mattered even in this world. No, Dalmong was a bear beast-person, so it should be called “bear-nections.”
He didn’t know what the slave hunters were planning, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
If he went around poking his nose into their business, he would probably end up as another corpse with a knife in his back.
The only thing he could do…
…was to train and learn.
To desperately strive to become stronger.
Once he was strong enough, he could crush any conspiracy that came his way.
“Is there a place where I can train?”
Dalmong thought for a moment.
“Training? There’s a courtyard behind the kitchen. You can use that.”
“Thank you.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day, Jeong Yoo-shin woke up early, ate breakfast, and went to the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple.
He didn’t want to laze around in bed under the pretense of recovering.
He would learn while he had the chance.
He realized that opportunities for training and learning were rare.
He went to the temple, checked in with the attendant, and went to the classroom on the first floor of the orphanage building.
“Eek! He’s back. That scary man.”
“Shh! Be quiet, Emma. He’s a barbarian!”
“Eww. He’s going to rape us…”
As soon as he entered the classroom, the orphaned children whispered and slandered him.
They were more wary of him than the last time.
‘Whatever.’
He would just focus on the lessons and leave right after.
He sat down and stared at the blackboard. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet.
“Excuse me, Mr. Barbarian.”
A small child approached him hesitantly.
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
‘Damn it, don’t talk to me.’
“What is it?”
He tried to sound as friendly as possible.
“Mister, do you really eat little girls’ livers?”
“No. Now go back to your seat.”
“Mister, do you really… attack little girls?”
“No.”
“Mister.”
“The teacher’s here, so go back to your seat.”
“Ah! Teacher Mion!”
The little girl scurried back to her seat.
Mion, who had just entered the classroom, was as beautiful as ever. As she stood at the lectern, her radiant blonde hair and white cleric robes seemed to brighten the entire room.
The only disappointment was that her loose-fitting robes concealed her figure.
“Hello, everyone! It’s been a while.”
“Hello, teacher!!”
“Shall we begin?”
Mion taught the class skillfully.
Jeong Yoo-shin focused intently throughout the lesson.
He tried to memorize every word Mion wrote on the blackboard.
Even during breaks, he remained seated at his desk, reviewing the words and tracing the characters in the air with his finger.
“Alright, that’s all for today. Good work, everyone.”
“Yes, teacher!”
The class ended, and it was already lunchtime. The children talked to each other and laughed as they headed towards the student dining hall. Jeong Yoo-shin went to the temple dining hall.
He sat in a corner, finished his simple meal, and left the temple right after.
His next destination was the Swordsman’s Guild.
He had a rough idea of its location, having asked Dalmong about it this morning. One of the officially recognized Swordsman’s Guild branches was located in the southern district of the city.
The monthly fee was thirty silver coins.
An exorbitant sum. If he took these lessons, he wouldn’t be able to afford decent equipment.
He took a deep breath.
He could feel his heart pounding beneath his thin linen shirt.
He had to become stronger. The recent attempt on his life by the slave hunters had heightened his sense of urgency.
‘I’ll just have to tighten my belt for a while. Opportunities to gain both strength and literacy at the same time are rare. Especially when someone else is providing for you. This is a golden opportunity.’
He walked south from the temple.
“A building with a sword and shield on the gate. Found it.”
He stood before a dark stone building.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, steeling his resolve.
He pushed open the wooden revolving door and entered. The pungent smell of sweat assaulted his nostrils.
People with sharp, menacing features walked about inside the building.
As he approached the counter, he saw an elf man sitting there with his arms crossed.
“What do you want?”
“I’m here to learn swordsmanship.”
“Thirty silver coins a month.”
“Here you go.”
He winced inwardly as he handed over the pouch of silver coins.
The elf man opened the pouch and counted the coins one by one.
“Confirmed. You’re only learning for a month?”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do after a month? Just so you know, you won’t learn much in that time.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
A moment of silence.
The elf and the human stared at each other.
The elf looked into Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes and chuckled.
“You've killed someone before. Interesting.”
“It wasn’t an elf.”
The elf’s eye twitched.
“Haha. You little… I’ll teach you myself.”
“Who are you to call me ‘little’? Your service is terrible. I’ll find someone else.”
“I’m the guild master here. If you don’t like it, then get out.”
Jeong Yoo-shin froze.
“Oh, you’re the guild master. But why would someone of your stature…”
“None of your business. Follow me. Killa!!”
The elf man stood up and shouted. A bald man burst through a door and rushed over.
“You called, Master?”
“This is a newbie. I’m going to teach him.”
“What? But you have a lot of work to do.”
“You’re here, aren’t you? As the vice guild master, who else is going to assist me with my work?”
The bald man’s face crumpled.
“This isn’t ‘assisting.’ It’s practically taking over.”
“So you’re not going to do it?”
“Ugh. Fine. You there, barbarian newbie, learn well. You’re quite lucky.”
The bald man glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin, gave him a word of advice, and then went back inside.
“Follow me.”
He followed the elf to the courtyard behind the guild building.
It was a large space, reminiscent of a military training ground.
People were running, rolling around, and swinging their swords, their bodies glistening with sweat.
“You’re using a long sword, right?”
“Yes.”
His main weapons were a shield and a one-handed sword, but he had lost them in the labyrinth. He couldn’t afford replacements, so he had to use a long sword.
The elf went to a corner and returned with two wooden training swords. He threw one to Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
“Here I come.”
He charged forward as soon as he gripped the sword.
He raised the sword above his head.
A downward strike.
Clack!
He couldn’t hit him. The elf’s wooden sword was pointed at his throat.
“Gah!”
He lost his balance, gasping for air.
The elf hadn’t moved frantically like him. He simply took a step forward from his ready stance.
“Pathetic. You have no fundamentals.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Again. If your opponent is holding a sword in a ready stance, deflect it.”
Jeong Yoo-shin held his wooden sword at shoulder level and slowly approached the elf.
The elf chuckled at the sight.
He was close enough...
Now.
He swung his sword, aiming for the elf’s wooden sword.
Clack!
The elf deflected his attack. The elf’s sword touched Jeong Yoo-shin’s exposed neck.
“You’re swinging too hard. Relax your body. Again.”
He attacked repeatedly, but all of them were blocked. The elf’s occasional counterattacks stung like fire.
Time passed. He was drenched in sweat. His mouth was dry. He rolled across the ground, covered in dust.
His hand trembled as he gripped the wooden sword.
At some point, the other people in the training ground had stopped what they were doing and started watching them.
“The guild master is giving him personal training? That’s rare.”
“Look at the newbie’s face. He won’t be back tomorrow. Heh.”
The elf stuck his wooden sword in the ground and leaned against it.
“Again, barbarian. You lack spirit.”
A muscular man watching from the side clicked his tongue.
“I was wondering when we’d get the guild master’s ‘spirit’ lecture.”
Jeong Yoo-shin took his stance.
The elf clicked his tongue.
“Straighten your back. Raise your sword higher. Step back further with your left foot.”
He adjusted his stance as instructed.
“Short, concise swings.”
Whoosh!
Clack!
Jeong Yoo-shin’s wooden sword clashed against the elf’s.
“Close-quarters combat is a mind game. Remember that.”
The elf deflected his attack.
Crack!
The elf’s sword struck Jeong Yoo-shin’s neck.
“Ugh!!”
He knelt on the dirt floor.
The elf rested his wooden sword on his shoulder.
“Want a refund?”
“…No.”
The onlookers, who had formed a circle around them, started chattering.
“He’s not bad.”
“The guild master can be a good teacher sometimes. Not bad.”
“This newbie has spirit. Keep it up!”
The elf spoke sternly.
“Why are you speaking informally? Want a refund?”
“No, sir.”
“Boo. Stingy guild master.”
“Yeah, the newbie can speak informally if he wants.”
The elf yelled,
“Get out! What are you all staring at?!”
The onlookers dispersed while grumbling.
Only the elf and Jeong Yoo-shin remained in the training ground.
“Run thirty laps around the training ground and then go home. I went easy on you today because it’s your first time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up, his body covered in dust and sweat. He shuffled around the training ground, forcing himself to run.
He felt like he was dying.
His heart screamed in protest.
His muscles twitched and spasmed uncontrollably.
He wanted to collapse and rest.
But he endured, thinking of the thirty silver coins he had just paid.
He ran and ran until the moon and the stars appeared in the sky.
The surroundings were quiet. Most of the lights in the Swordsman’s Guild building were off.
Only the elf remained, watching him run with his arms crossed.
Thirty laps.
He completed them all.
He didn’t know how he had done it.
Whether he had waddled like a baby or crawled like a worm, he had done it.
“Gasp… Cough…”
He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, with his face buried in the dirt. The elf then approached him.
“Be here tomorrow morning.”
“Gasp… Cough… I can’t.”
He refused.
After a long silence, the elf spoke.
“…Why?”
“I have literacy lessons. From morning ‘til the afternoon. At the temple. Gasp.”
“Alright. Then I’ll see you at lunchtime.”
“Cough… Thank you for your instruction.”
“Get going.”
The elf turned and left.
He lay on the ground for a while, catching his breath. Then he slowly stood up.
“Worth every penny. Very good.”
He wasn’t sure if it was training or abuse, but he had pushed himself to the limit.
He somehow made it back to the inn that night.
He chuckled slightly when Dalmong, looking alarmed, asked if he had been attacked.
He explained that he had been training at the Swordsman’s Guild.
He returned to his room, cleaned himself up, and laid down on the bed.
Sleep claimed him instantly.