Chapter 234 To the 20th Floor

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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: To the 20th Floor
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A quiet inn.


Jeong Yoo-shin glared at the elf sitting opposite him.


His head was throbbing.


Was this a dream or reality?


He must have misheard.


"Child hunting?"


"Children love."


The elf quickly corrected him.


Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms and leaned back deep in his chair.


"..."


A strange silence passed.


Jeong Yoo-shin and the elf had a brief staring contest.


As the atmosphere became strange, Armin swallowed dryly.


Jeong Yoo-shin slowly opened his mouth.


"Case."


"It's Kenneth."


"Right. Kenneth, I'm very confused. From now on, think carefully before you speak."


Although it was close to a threat, the elf Kenneth's expression didn't change one bit.


"Alright."


"Do you have a Children Love imprint?"


Kenneth nodded.


"Of course."


This wasn't easy.


Jeong Yoo-shin was starting to think that he was a dangerous guy.


"What's the effect of the Children Love imprint?"


"It makes me want to protect children so they can grow up well."


"Is that all?"


"Isn't it?"


Kenneth's nonchalant reply.


Wasn't he a dangerous guy?


Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.


"By elf standards, aren't I also a child? Does it make you want to protect me and cherish me? Am I lovely?"


"..."


A quiet silence passed once again.


Not only the elf Kenneth, but also Armin, Karin, and Eru were staring blankly at Jeong Yoo-shin.


Kenneth barely managed to open his mouth.


"There's no clear standard, but usually..."


"Usually?"


"It’s children before they hit puberty. The standard for the imprint's activation is based on physical growth."


"What if it's a precocious child?"


"I judge and take action on that. The imprint doesn't decide everything."


Did he mean he wasn't completely swept away by the imprint?


"By the way, what do you mean by 'take action'? Tell me more."


"I run a small orphanage in the Southern District. I gather the abandoned orphans in the city and provide them with a place to stay and food."


"The temple is also doing that."


Kenneth let out a deep sigh and then shook his head.


"It's a complicated problem. The orphans here are mostly children of explorers. The temple withholds its judgment because it doesn't know whether the explorers are simply missing or completely dead. Financial problems also play a part. You could say it's a time when the children are in limbo."


True.


Kenneth's words had a point.


If you died in the labyrinth, it was the fate of an explorer to have their body be hard to find.


If the entire party were to be wiped out, the outside world wouldn't even hear the news of it.


He could guess what kind of fate their remaining children would face.


"Were there that many orphans?"


"There are many. They just don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stand out."


The elf straightened his back and continued.


"Master Skar, I came because I need funds to run the orphanage. I can't act as a priest, but I can use simple healing and detoxification magic. So I'd like my pay to be double that of the others."


Kenneth's confident demand.


Jeong Yoo-shin was starting to like this elf more and more.


He could find out the detailed circumstances by having Granny investigate.


Jeong Yoo-shin smiled and extended his hand.


"Alright. I'll be in your care, Case."


"It's Kenneth."


◇◇◇◆◇◇◇


Jeong Yoo-shin chatted with the party members for a bit and then stood up.


"I'm going to the monster dismantler shop for a bit. Kenneth, make yourself comfortable."


"Got it."


He left the inn and slowly walked the night streets with Beatrice by his side.


He was in a good mood because he had gotten a pretty good party member, but there were still some things that needed to be resolved.


Now that he had to enter the labyrinth…


That meant…


Beatrice had to go to Aldein.


But there was one thing that bothered him.


Lately, his conversations with Beatrice had been decreasing.


Should he say ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that her silent times were getting longer?


'Skar.'


When he entered the Southern District park…


Beatrice spoke to him for the first time in a long time.


Jeong Yoo-shin stopped walking and sat on a bench.


'I've been thinking about it.'


"What were you thinking about so much?"


'Do you, by any chance, want to go back to your original world?'


Beatrice hit the nail on the head.


"..."


Jeong Yoo-shin closed his mouth for a moment then opened it.


"Yes."


'You haven't told Mion or Karin, have you?'


"That's right."


'Actually, after hearing Armin's question, I thought about it for a long time. What kind of imprint do you want? Since I know where you came from, I could figure out your purpose.'


"So that's why you were quiet for a while?"


'You want to get a Transference imprint, right?'


"That's right."


He needed the ability to cross worlds and return to his original world.


'Are you going to leave the people who like you and go back?'


Beatrice's voice, for some reason, sounded lonely.


A cool wind blew, ruffling Jeong Yoo-shin's hair.


Jeong Yoo-shin smiled and stroked Beatrice.


"I can just come back. Why are you so worried?"


'Skar, you have no intention of coming back, do you? How long do you think I've been watching you?'


Beatrice's tone changed in an instant.


An even lower voice echoed sharply in his head.


Jeong Yoo-shin felt a sense of unease rising.


What was wrong?


Why was she suddenly bringing this up?


Did she get too attached?


Come to think of it.


He didn't know what other imprints Beatrice had besides the Death Blade imprint.


No way.


It's not a Yandere imprint, is it?


Jeong Yoo-shin gave a stiff smile and slowly stroked Beatrice.


"Beatrice, that's a long way off. We don't even know if I can get such an imprint, right?"


'...'


Beatrice didn't answer.


"Beatrice?"


'Take me to my brother.'


"Alright."


Jeong Yoo-shin got up from the bench and headed to the monster dismantler shop.


A dark night.


A bonfire was burning in the yard of the monster dismantler shop.


At a place where they would sit and grill meat after the dismantling work was over…


Aldein and a pale-faced man were sitting there.


Vlad.


The man Ingrid had said was a vampire.


Jeong Yoo-shin inwardly clicked his tongue.


He had come prepared to fight Aldein if necessary.


Because of the recent conversation, it had become difficult for him to trust Beatrice.


He had thought that he had built up enough affection.


But now, he couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.


However…


Two strong men whose skills he didn't know were sitting in one place.


Shit.


Jeong Yoo-shin swallowed dryly and slowly approached Aldein.


"Director."


"You're here?"


Aldein turned his eyes from the bonfire and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.


"Give me my sister."


"Yes."


Jeong Yoo-shin untied Beatrice from his waist and handed her to Aldein.


Aldein took the single-edged sword and stroked it.


"..."


A tense silence fell around the bonfire.


Aldein slowly raised his head.


"Skar."


"Yes."


"Why’s your expression so stiff?"


"..."


Just as Jeong Yoo-shin was about to open his mouth.


Aldein's expression hardened.


Jeong Yoo-shin stared into Aldein's eyes.


Do I have to fight?


Can I kill Aldein?


As he stood there while quietly calming his mind…


Suddenly, Aldein grabbed his head.


"Oh, my head."


"...What did Beatrice say?"


"She says she likes you too much. She wants to stay with you."


"...Is that so?"


"By the way, are you going into the labyrinth?"


"Yes."


"She says to come and get her when you get back. What do you want to do?"


"That's fine."


"How many floors are you planning to go to?"


"I'm planning to go to the 20th floor this time. Since I need to get promoted to intermediate-rank middle."


Aldein rubbed his forehead.


"Yeah? That's really fast."


Vlad interjected.


"He's a talented friend, so it's only right for him to go up quickly. I saw him fighting the kin of the Outer God in the sewer last time, so I expect him to easily rise to the intermediate-rank high."


Aldein clicked his tongue.


"Tsk. Intermediate or whatever, you die if you mess up in the labyrinth. If you twist your ankle while fighting and get your head cut off, it's over that day."


Aldein turned his head and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.


"Skar, don't be careless. How strong you become is a secondary issue. In the end, the one who survives is the strong one."


"Yes."


"Go. You must be tired. Thanks for putting up with my sister's whining. I'll be in your care in the future as well."


"I understand. Rest well. I'll be on my way."


"Alright."


Aldein replied, waving his hand.


Jeong Yoo-shin also said goodbye to Vlad and left.


Vlad watched Jeong Yoo-shin's retreating back and then smiled faintly.


"He's a really amazing friend."


"..."


Aldein silently picked up a branch and poked the bonfire.


Vlad took a small booklet from his pocket.


"I did some research on that friend."


"Why?"


"This is really... troublesome."


Vlad opened the booklet and read it one by one.


"His tracks in Labyrinth City are clear. I know up to the point where he first met Ingrid's daughter around the pilgrimage road, but I can't see his movements before that. No one knows either."


"I heard he was caught by slave hunters."


"Didn't they all die? No one knows."


"You, Vlad, with your Vampire Lord imprint, have that much interest in a single barbarian?"


At Aldein's words, Vlad chuckled.


"He has a strange charm, doesn't he? In my opinion, he seems to be hiding something, but I don't know what it is. I barely managed to hold myself back from capturing and interrogating him."


Aldein tilted his head.


"Why did you hold back?"


"I didn't think he was a friend who would open his mouth easily. And isn't he the next chieftain that old man Ragna pointed out?"


"..."


Vlad threw the booklet into the bonfire.


"From the looks of it, he doesn't seem like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a friend who’ll live a long and healthy life. So I decided to wait leisurely. I'm thinking of making that barbarian my kin this time. What's your opinion, Aldein?"


"That Skar bastard becomes your kin? Stop with the bullshit. Ragna will come to kill you."


"In my opinion, he'd make a good vampire."


"You madman."


"Hehehe."


On a cold night.


Vlad's laughter spread through the bonfire.


◇◇◇◆◇◇◇


Two days later, in the evening.


Jeong Yoo-shin and his party members finished all their preparations.


With Karin and Armin, they stopped by the Explorer's Headquarters, received a few requests for the Mountain area, and purchased Bracelets of Unity.


Most of the supplies were all put into the golden coffin.


Emergency items such as recovery potions, ointments, antidotes, and bandages were put in a backpack and shouldered.


Jeong Yoo-shin strapped the bastard sword and the longsword to his back.


After fixing the fully loaded repeating crossbow to his thigh, he moved his body around, drawing and sheathing his swords, and getting into a stance.


It wasn't uncomfortable.


This level of preparation was sufficient.


He put on a barbute helmet with a visor and came down from the inn.


In the inn hall, the party members and Snout were waiting.


Armin stared blankly up at Jeong Yoo-shin.


Should he call it pressure?


The appearance of the heavily armed barbarian exuded the atmosphere of a very seasoned explorer.


Jeong Yoo-shin checked his party members' attires.


Kenneth was in light armor with an iron bow slung across his back.


Armin was wearing a robe over his chain mail and holding a short staff.


Karin was in slim leather armor. Two daggers and a crossbow were slung on her back.


"Snout, please take good care of Eru and the inn while I'm gone."


Snout bowed his head deeply.


"Yes! Leave it to me!"


Jeong Yoo-shin walked the night streets with his party members and arrived in front of the labyrinth entrance.


Through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the cold air, he could see the swarming explorers.


And the magic circle too.


How long had it been since he had come here?


Looking back, he hadn't been able to enter the labyrinth for a long time.


He wasn't too worried though.


According to the information from the Guide's Guild, he had heard that no abnormal phenomena had been discovered in the Mountain area.


Moreover, he had packed his supplies to the brim.


If he broke through the floors as safely as possible, he would be able to get promoted.


If he was lucky, he might even get a cheat imprint.


The line of explorers grew shorter.


Jeong Yoo-shin and his party members stood on the magic circle.


"Ready?"


At Jeong Yoo-shin's question, his party members nodded.


"No problem."


"Good."


"Ready."


Jeong Yoo-shin cracked his neck once.


"Let's go."


Flash!!!


A flash of light bloomed from the magic circle.


And Jeong Yoo-shin and his party members disappeared.






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T/N - For those who missed it, Chapter 233 was unlocked last Monday, it's just that I uploaded everything onto this site on the same day, so it might not have been obvious. My announcement is also in the T/N there. (2/18/26)

Let’s go! Another labyrinth dive. As for this chapter, I really admire the MC’s single-mindedness. Since he first started entering the labyrinth, his goal has never changed. And not even the women who keep throwing themselves at him or the madness of the labyrinth could make him hesitate. In fact, the madness just made him even more determined.


Also, another powerhouse is now interested in the MC. Though I don’t really like Vlad too much as he sounds creepy, I can’t help but imagine the MC as a vampire. A half-incubus vampire barbarian… And with the Female Virgin Corruption imprint… The more I think about it, the more it sounds like the MC would be perfect as a vampire. 😅