Chapter 236 Sprint
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Sprint
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Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the greatsword that had broken in two.
The middle part had snapped, making it shorter.
"No. This is crazy."
What in the world happened?
He had heard what the dwarf blacksmiths had said.
This was a weapon from the deep labyrinth. Made of black iron, it wouldn't even melt in their smithy furnace.
He had even swung it and struck the ground himself.
But it had broken in half this easily?
Jeong Yoo-shin threw off his helmet and collapsed to the ground.
"My 200 gold coins!"
Kenneth came over and looked at the cross-section of the broken blade.
"This is strange. The cross-sections of the broken parts don't match."
Jeong Yoo-shin raised his head.
"What do you mean by that? None of the dwarf blacksmiths noticed."
Kenneth shrugged and pointed at the cross-section.
"Look here. The grain is different. There are traces of a broken sword being forcibly put back together. It seems like a very skilled blacksmith deceived the others."
"Really?"
"That's right. Skar, don't look at me with such suspicious eyes. My father was a blacksmith, so I know a little. By the way, this is strange. Did you buy it at an auction?"
An auction?
"I didn't buy it at an auction, I bought it directly. But was there an auction house in the city?"
"Of course. There's one auction house in the central area. All sorts of things come out of there, so you should go and check it out when you have time."
After speaking, Kenneth smacked his lips.
"And next time, buy it at an auction. Who can you trust to make a direct deal with in Labyrinth City?"
"Hoo."
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a sigh and was about to throw the rest of the sword on the ground, but Kenneth waved his hand to stop him.
"Don't throw it away. It contains precious black iron. It seems to contain other minerals as well, but I don't know what they are."
"Alright."
Jeong Yoo-shin summoned the golden coffin and put the broken blade inside.
What was left was the hilt part.
Although it was a broken sword, because the blade part had been originally long, it was now about the same size as a regular greatsword.
'I'll have to use this.'
It was better than nothing.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up and slung the broken sword over his shoulder.
He had felt a sense of fate when he first saw this sword.
Was it a misunderstanding?
'It was a broken fate.'
He suppressed his bitter heart and prepared to leave.
Armin was squatting in front of the Mountain Troll's corpse and had taken out a small glass bottle.
"What’re you doing?"
"Ah! The request list I received this time included collecting the blood of a Mountain Troll!"
"Let's do it later. We have to go to the shelter first."
"Ah, I understand!"
Karin took the lead as they walked.
As they travelled straight across the sloping field, they could see a few groups of explorers on the mountainside in the distance.
Because of the wide-open view with only wild grass and small rocks here and there, explorers were often visible.
It was quite the sight to see them moving ceaselessly, as if they each had a set route.
Karin, not to be outdone, increased her speed, and the party members also quickened their pace.
Had they walked for about 30 minutes?
The sky grew dark, and from the east of the mountain range, something even darker began to slowly rise.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Jeong Yoo-shin’s spine.
It became quiet, as if a silence had descended on the plateau for a moment.
Beyond the mountain range. From the very place where it had started to grow dark, he felt a 'gaze.'
His heart began to pound rapidly.
He knew it intuitively.
The thing rising over the mountain range was the 'hideous thing.'
"Run!"
Even before Karin could shout, the party members were already running across the plateau.
"Guak!!!"
Armin tripped on a stone and fell.
Before Jeong Yoo-shin could turn his head, Kenneth quickly lifted Armin, held him, and ran.
Jeong Yoo-shin and his party members ran across the plateau like madmen.
As the sky grew darker, his spirit screamed…
To never look up.
It felt like the 'hideous thing' floating above the mountain range was telling him that it would tear apart the mind of a weak person like a piece of paper.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who was running hard, was engulfed in a strange sensation.
It was strange.
He was clearly running while looking at the ground.
He was running with all his might.
So why did he feel so slow?
It was frustrating.
'Look up.'
He heard a faint whisper in his head.
"Bullshit!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin ran while spitting out a curse.
How long had he run like a madman?
"We're here!"
As Karin's voice burst out from ahead, he raised his gaze just a little.
A small brick building was visible between a steeply sloping canyon.
It was a building that looked like a cathedral or a temple. It was certain. That was the shelter.
Karin arrived first, throwing open the cathedral door, and Jeong Yoo-shin and the rest of the party members rolled inside.
"Haaaaak!!!! Haaaaak!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin clutched his chest and gasped for breath.
He had clearly not raised his head to look at the sky.
But a sound as if something was gnawing at his brain echoed in his head.
"Close the door!!!"
A shout was heard from the other side of the building.
Without even checking who had shouted, Jeong Yoo-shin shot up, pulled Karin, who was staggering at the door, inside and closed the door.
Thud!!!
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned against the door as if collapsing.
Someone was continuously pouring a dark and secret language into his ear.
His stomach churned, and his vision flashed. As if colorful paint had been smeared over his vision.
Jeong Yoo-shin took off his helmet and slapped his cheek.
Slap!!!
His lip burst, and blood flowed down.
It wasn't enough.
He slapped it several more times.
Only when his cheek was swollen did his mind clear up a little.
"Uweeeeeeek!!!"
Armin knelt and vomited. Kenneth went over and patted Armin's back.
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Karin to check her condition.
Karin was quiet with a pale complexion, her eyes closed.
Only when Jeong Yoo-shin gently stroked her shoulder did she open her eyes.
"Skar? I'm fine."
"That's a relief. I was worried because you were the last to come in."
Karin gave a faint smile.
"I'm a guide. I have to open the way first."
How reassuring.
He realized once again that she wasn’t the Karin of the past anymore.
"Ahem!!!"
They heard a cough from the other side.
When Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head, he saw a middle-aged gnome standing there.
"Judging by the looks of you, is this your first time here?"
"That's right. It's our first time in the Mountain area."
"I thought so. The expressions of explorers who first set foot in the Mountain area are all similar. Even if you don't raise your head to look at the hideous thing, you’ll still be overwhelmed by its presence."
The gnome grinned and took a small glass bottle from his pocket.
A greenish liquid sloshed inside it.
"It's a potion that calms the mind. Want a drink?"
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"No, thanks."
He couldn't just accept a potion from a gnome of unknown identity. He didn't even know what a mind-calming potion was.
"Suit yourself."
"Nops, step back."
At the voice from the other side, the gnome called Nops immediately stepped back.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked in the direction the sound had come from.
The brick building was already dark, and the other party was in the shadows.
When Jeong Yoo-shin narrowed his eyes, he saw that the person was completely wrapped in a robe. Their voice was also submerged in darkness, making it difficult to tell if the person was male or female.
The mysterious person in the robe seemed to have no intention of stepping out of the shadows.
The gaze of the mysterious person under the robe briefly rested on the broken greatsword before leaving.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared at the mysterious person and then stepped back.
To have come all the way to the Mountain area with just two people.
Should he say that they had guts?
No.
He should say that they were skilled.
Jeong Yoo-shin suppressed his curiosity.
'Enough.'
If that mysterious person and the gnome didn't pick a fight, he didn't need to get involved with them either.
There was a more important problem.
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Armin.
Karin and Kenneth were patting Armin's back and taking out a water pouch to wash his mouth.
"Armin."
"Haaaaak!!! Haak!!!"
He seemed to have received a considerable mental shock, as he was in a state of panic.
"Armin, look at me."
Jeong Yoo-shin knelt on one knee and lifted Armin's chin.
What should he say to get him out of his panic?
He thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
"Get a grip. What would Eru think if he saw you like this?"
A faint reason returned to Armin's pupils.
"Haaaup!!! Kuuup!!! I-I've come to my senses!"
"Good."
Jeong Yoo-shin let go of Armin's chin.
Karin and Kenneth looked at Jeong Yoo-shin with surprised faces.
"Skar, why did Eru suddenly come up?"
"There's something."
Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged.
He couldn't just reveal the know-how of a top-tier motivational speaker.
It was his livelihood. And it was also related to Armin's private life.
Jeong Yoo-shin sat down with his party members.
It wasn't an atmosphere for conversation.
Karin took an hourglass and a map from her pocket and placed them down.
The sand in the glass bottle slowly flowed down.
"When it all goes down, an hour will have passed."
"I see. You're trying to measure the time that 'hideous thing' is in the sky, right?"
"That's right."
Karin replied without taking her eyes off the map.
The sight of her using all her strength to plan a route even after going through that ordeal was admirable. He decided not to disturb her any further.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at Armin.
"Armin."
"Yes."
Armin's complexion was pale, but his expression wasn’t consumed by fear like before.
'I think I'm the problem.'
Jeong Yoo-shin swallowed a bitter smile.
He hadn't told anyone, but a strange auditory hallucination was still continuing in his head. His vision was also repeatedly expanding and shrinking as if smeared with paint.
He didn't show it.
"What's the biggest summon you can create?"
"An Iron Golem."
"How many?"
"A total of two."
"Alright. You ride one. We'll use the other in battle. The battle time might get longer. We'll have to hurry."
"I understand."
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at Kenneth.
He had nothing particular to say to the elf. The latter had been doing well so far.
Honestly, he was surprised.
To take down a Mountain Troll in one shot with a single arrow…
It seemed that the giant iron bow wasn’t just for show.
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall.
'This isn't easy.'
Was the madness, which he had thought had disappeared after getting the Body Regression imprint, being stimulated and slowly returning?
Jeong Yoo-shin endured the auditory hallucinations silently without showing any outward sign of his struggle.
How much time had passed?
Around the time the auditory hallucinations disappeared.
Thump. Thump.
They heard the sound of footsteps.
The gnome and the mysterious person.
Jeong Yoo-shin opened his eyes and looked at the gnome.
"Aren't you that famous Skar?"
The gnome said with a smile.
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.
"That's me. The living conscience of Labyrinth City."
The gnome rolled his eyes before he barely managed to open his mouth.
"Uh... The hideous thing has retreated. Are you really alright?"
"I'm fine. By the way, the hideous thing has disappeared? How did you know?"
The gnome took an hourglass from his pocket and shook it.
"The time the hideous thing is in the sky is exactly 4 hours."
"That's right. It's about 4 hours."
Karin interjected.
The mysterious person in the robe looked down at Jeong Yoo-shin for a moment and then turned around.
"Nops, let's go."
"Alright."
At the mysterious person's words, Nops quickly moved his feet and waved his hand.
"If we survive, let's meet again."
Creeeeak.
The huge wooden door opened, and the two went outside.
At that moment…
A white bone was briefly visible from the swaying hem of the robe.
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes widened.
Don't tell me that person was a monster?
He wondered if he was seeing things.
No.
It was plausible.
Since a person with a monster imprint could enter the labyrinth.
He shook his head and cleared his thoughts.
'There's no need to get involved with them. I have my own problems.'
Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head and looked at his party members.
"Armin."
"Yes!"
Armin, who had come to his senses, closed his eyes and chanted a summoning spell.
[Iron Golem]
[Iron Golem]
A moment later, there was a flash of light, and two golems about 3 meters tall appeared.
Boom!!!
Boom!!!
"Karin."
"It's at least 4 hours to the next shelter."
Jeong Yoo-shin put on his helmet and slung the broken greatsword over his shoulder.
"Alright. Let's go."
16th floor, Mountain area.
A foggy plateau.
Jeong Yoo-shin's party, who had left the shelter, began to run.
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T/N - Damn, that amplified madness will most likely be a problem later when the MC and his party are fighting. Gotta hand it to the MC, he has willpower in spades to endure that without a peep.
Also, lol at Armin getting motivated with Eru’s name. I can’t wait for his reaction when he discovers that the latter is actually a boy.