Chapter 240 Why?
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Why?
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20th floor, Mountain area.
A huge castle gate existed between the sharp, cliff-like mountain ranges.
In front of the gate was a transfer stone, and a mysterious person in a robe and a gnome stood before it.
"Nops, go back to the city now."
At the mysterious person's words, the eyes of the gnome called Nops widened.
"Od-nim, are you planning to go alone?"
"That's right."
"I’ll assist you to the end."
"I’m fine, but you’re in danger."
"I’m also an intermediate-rank high explorer."
"The abyssal magic is getting stronger again. Didn't you see it on your way here? The monsters are getting stronger."
The gnome Nops scratched his head.
"That... is true."
The mysterious person took off his robe.
It was a form with only white bones remaining. Only a green glow quietly burned.
"Tell Lilith-nim and the Labyrinth Council. That the magic coming up from the abyss is getting stronger."
"Um... I understand. Od-nim, take care."
The gnome bowed his head in farewell and entered the blue portal.
The skeleton stood there for a moment and looked up at the huge castle gate.
Suddenly…
The half-barbarian he had seen at the Mountain area shelter came to his mind.
'It was definitely Ragna's sword.'
He was sure…
It had been a long time since he had seen it, and even its appearance was different, but the aura it gave off was similar.
Hellblade.
A greatsword that burned with the magic of the abyss.
He had heard that Ragna had passed it down to his son, but unfortunately, the son had disappeared in the labyrinth along with the sword.
After that, Ragna had wandered the depths of the labyrinth like a madman for a long time. Of course, there were other reasons too.
But…
The greatsword that had disappeared with Ragna’s son had returned?
Was it a trick of fate?
Or…
Was a new change happening in the labyrinth?
Od shook his head and cleared his mind of useless thoughts.
'It doesn't matter.'
The skeleton stepped into the red portal.
Something was happening in the depths of the labyrinth, and there were still many things he had to find out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Jeong Yoo-shin looked down at Armin.
The sight of him flailing and crying was pathetic, yet cute.
On the other hand, the incubus Eru's gaze toward Armin was growing colder.
Jeong Yoo-shin thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
"Eru."
"Yes."
"I have something I'm curious about, but I don't know if it's okay to ask."
"You can ask me anything."
Somehow, Eru seemed more loyal than before.
"Why the cross-dressing...?"
"Ah!"
Eru gave a shy smile.
"My mother recently got a job at the Arachne Sewing Guild. She started working in the women's clothing department, and I've been trying them on once in a while to help her."
"I see."
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.
Before entering the labyrinth, he had seen Eru open a sewing book and study.
It wasn't that strange of a story.
"Your mother must be a very passionate person."
"She had always been interested, but Vivian-nim's introduction played a decisive role in her getting the position."
Was that so?
Did Vivian get Eru's mother a job at the Arachne Sewing Guild?
He had never visited the sewing guild in person, but since several high-ranking people like Ingrid and Vivian mainly used the clothes from the Arachne Sewing Guild, he had concluded that it was a quite reputable guild.
"That's great."
Armin, who had heard the whole story while he had stopped struggling, went limp.
"M-My pure love…"
Armin, as if he had lost the will to live, buried his face in the floor.
Jeong Yoo-shin took the now soundly asleep Karin into her room and came out.
Because Karin had become smaller, he had to buy her new clothes, but he didn't know where to start.
He couldn't go to the market himself and buy children's clothes and underwear. He didn't know what kind of looks he would get if he did it.
'I'll have to ask Mion first.'
His sharpened senses, his explosively strengthened telekinetic ability, and his mind that had become vulnerable to the labyrinth's madness were all things he had to look into.
Jeong Yoo-shin inwardly made a resolve as he left Karin's room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning.
Jeong Yoo-shin borrowed a spare maid's uniform that Eru had brought and dressed Karin in it.
"My legs feel chilly, it's strange."
Karin muttered while holding the fluttering skirt tightly.
Jeong Yoo-shin handed her a small robe he had gotten from the market.
"It's cute. It suits you well."
"R-Really?"
At that moment…
Armin came out of Eru's room while yawning.
"Hwaaaam. Good morning."
Jeong Yoo-shin narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you coming out of Eru's room?"
Armin wagged his tail.
"I can't do anything with my feet like this, can I? Eru helped me."
Jeong Yoo-shin saw Eru, who had come out of his room, and said one phrase.
"You've worked hard."
Eru bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you."
Jeong Yoo-shin took Karin and Armin, left the inn, and headed for the Earth Mother Goddess' temple.
He had guessed what kind of imprints they had gotten based on their appearances, but he wanted to be sure.
He arrived at the Earth Mother Goddess' temple and was guided by the receptionist to Mion's room.
After a knock…
Mion came out.
"Skar-nim!"
Mion came over and held Skar's hand.
"Priestess Mion-nim, has everything been alright?"
"Yes. By the way, these people are...?"
Mion's gaze turned to Karin and Armin.
"This is Karin and Armin. They each got an imprint."
"Hmph?"
Mion looked down at Karin and hummed.
Karin's face immediately crumpled.
"You've gotten smaller, Karin-nim. How cute."
Mion's additional words. Karin instinctively covered her flat chest.
"Kuk!"
Karin glared at Mion with a resentful expression, but Mion just covered her mouth with a small smile.
"Skar-nim, are you going to check your imprint first?"
"Yes."
"Then please kneel on one knee before me."
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Mion and knelt on one knee.
Mion placed her hand on Jeong Yoo-shin's head and muttered something.
A moment later.
Mion smiled brightly as she opened her mouth.
"Skar-nim, you've gotten a good imprint this time."
A good imprint?
Jeong Yoo-shin raised his head.
"What kind of imprint is it?"
"It's the Mana Accumulation imprint."
Mana Accumulation.
Mion gently stroked Jeong Yoo-shin's hair and continued.
"The Mana Accumulation imprint makes the mana adaptation, commonly known as leveling up, stronger. But the amount of mana needed to level up increases a lot."
"By the way, how much stronger does it make you?"
"According to the records, when a person with the Mana Accumulation imprint levels up, it’s known to be similar to leveling up about five times normally."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
He hadn’t felt anything after his 4th level up.
He had thought that he would definitely level up after subjugating the ogre in the Mountain area.
But if he had received the Mana Accumulation imprint, then it made sense that he hadn't leveled up yet.
Of course, there was no case where he became dramatically stronger just by leveling up.
But if someone asked if he didn't feel it at all, that wasn't it either.
His reflexes, strength, stamina, and magic had already risen to a level incomparable to before.
Should he say that he was taking one step at a time into the realm of a superhuman?
Mion also checked Karin and Armin's imprints.
"Karin-nim has gotten the Body Regression imprint. It's the same imprint that Skar-nim got last time. Armin-nim has gotten the Human-faced Dog imprint."
All their new imprints were revealed.
Armin, as if he had no particular thoughts, just nodded his head.
"Is that so?"
"I thought you'd be disappointed."
"This isn't the worst. Besides, it's also convenient for running."
Armin moved his four feet and hopped around Mion's room once.
Karin stared blankly into the air as if she was thinking about something.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up from his seat.
"Then Priestess Mion-nim, I'll be back later."
"Yes. I'll be waiting."
Karin hesitated for a moment and then looked up at Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Skar, I'll stay with Mion for a bit and then go."
"Yeah? Alright. Should I come and get you later?"
Mion stepped forward.
"I’ll escort her to the inn later."
"I understand."
Jeong Yoo-shin went to the reception desk, paid the fee, and left the temple.
Armin trotted along the street well. He sometimes hopped around.
He must be very excited.
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a breath. White steam flowed out and scattered into the air.
Was it winter already?
Almost a year had passed since he had entered Labyrinth City.
Would he be able to see Dalmong this winter?
It would probably be difficult for him to come with his newborn baby in the winter.
Would he come in the spring instead?
Jeong Yoo-shin walked the streets with various thoughts.
"Skar-hyungnim, what’re you thinking about?"
"A baby."
"...?"
"There's something. By the way, why do you keep calling me hyungnim?"
"Because you're Skar-hyungnim, aren't you?"
"Don't call me hyungnim."
Armin mumbled and then pouted.
"Are you embarrassed because I look like this?"
"That's right. Walk a little further away. I'm afraid people will see."
"Hyungnim!!!"
Armin clung to Jeong Yoo-shin and bit his pant leg.
"Mumu-mung!!!"
'He's not even a dog.'
Jeong Yoo-shin lifted Armin with one hand, tucked him under his arm, and walked slowly.
"When are you going to remove the imprint?"
"I don't know. When are you thinking of entering the labyrinth again?"
"After I take care of a few things."
He had to solve two problems.
Find a weapon or a party member who can deal with large monsters.
And find out what was happening to his mind.
Although he had to take care of the dwarf bastards first.
Jeong Yoo-shin, on a whim, immediately turned his feet.
"Hyungnim? Where are you going?"
"I have to go and take care of the dwarf bastards. To think that they'd pass off a strange item to me. I almost died, you know?"
"P-Please let me go! I'll go to Eru!"
"Alright. Be careful. Don't get caught somewhere. I can't save you."
"Don't worry!"
Armin slipped out from under his arm and ran to the inn.
Jeong Yoo-shin watched Armin's retreating back, then turned his body and headed for the western smithy street.
"Yo! Barbarian, what is it? Did you bring the money already?"
The dwarves who were gathered on the smithy street saw Jeong Yoo-shin and greeted him.
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately glared at them.
"Money, my ass. You bastards, you screw people over like this?"
The dwarves had a dazed expression.
"W-What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
[Eternal Ark]
Jeong Yoo-shin summoned the golden coffin and took out the broken black iron greatsword.
"Look at this. The sword broke in half after I cut off one troll leg."
"What?!"
The dwarves who ran the smithies heard the commotion and gathered one by one.
Jeong Yoo-shin took out the rest of the blade.
"The cross-sections don't match here."
The dwarves stuck out their heads and observed the black iron greatsword.
"Hah. You're right."
"Are you saying there was a scammer with this level of skill?!!"
"It's really seamless."
What were they admiring?
Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged.
"You shouldn't scam people. Let's just forget about the 200 gold coins."
The dwarves raised their heads.
"No... didn't you already buy the sword? And we were also scammed."
"Who sold this?"
"..."
The dwarves looked at each other and kept their mouths shut.
"I asked who sold it."
"It... was one of the Crystal Rose Order clan."
The Crystal Rose Order clan was one of the highest-ranking explorer clans in the labyrinth.
It was also a clan that only explorers who had obtained the Crystal Rose imprint could enter.
"Was it really a Crystal Rose Order clan member?"
"To be precise, it was a porter for the Crystal Rose Order clan."
"And you guys just believed that?"
"There was no reason not to believe it. Even if it was a lie, what does it matter? In any case, isn't it an armament made of black iron?"
"It broke. A person almost died, and you bastards are so shameless."
When Jeong Yoo-shin growled, the dwarves kept their mouths shut and only rolled their eyes.
"Anyway, 200 gold coins is too much, let's make it 100 gold coins."
"No, that's a bit... alright."
The dwarves were about to say a few words, but when they saw Jeong Yoo-shin's hand twitch, they immediately agreed.
"And can you fix this?"
"We can't. It seems like we'll have to melt it down and make it again."
"But you couldn't melt it on this street. Then don't you have to go to the underground workshop in the western city?"
"That's right."
Jeong Yoo-shin clicked his tongue a few times and then put the greatsword back in the coffin.
"Tsk. Good luck. I can't let it slide so gentlemanly next time. Believe it or not, I'm a swordsman. What's a swordsman's pure love? It's a sword."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin took a pouch of gold coins from his pocket, put it in the dwarf's chest, and patted it.
"But if you dwarf blacksmiths trample on my pure love, then I can't be a gentleman. Do you understand?"
The dwarves stared blankly up at Jeong Yoo-shin.
Their bodies trembled, and their mouths went dry because of his glistening eyes.
"A-Alright."
"Your stomach must be burning, so have a drink with this money. Let's see each other with a smile later."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at the dwarves who were silently and diligently nodding, then turned his body and walked away.
When he returned to the inn, two faces he hadn't seen in a long time were sitting at a table.
The Labyrinth Council member and Spirit Teacher, Luke Wiseman.
And the barbarian with a vertical scar on his eye. He didn't know the man’s name, but he remembered the guy clearly. He was the barbarian who had run away after eating strawberry sherbet last time.
At the unexpected combination, Jeong Yoo-shin was silent for a moment.
"It's been a while."
Luke smiled and waved his hand.
Jeong Yoo-shin approached the table and sat down.
"What is it?"
"It's an urgent matter, so I'll get straight to the point. The emperor has sent over a hero."
At Luke's words, Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
A hero?
‘Don't tell me the person the crown prince had asked them to accept was a hero.’
"So?"
"I'd like you to form a party with the hero."
Several questions flashed through his mind.
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head and then opened his mouth.
"Me? Why?"
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T/N - Damn, the clues are so obvious, the author may as well hit me with a mallet. So the MC’s father is actually Ranga’s son, which means the MC is also Ranga’s grandson. I wonder if Ranga has an inkling about this? Well, judging from his actions so far from the time they first met to the time he gave the MC the ring, he probably does. Also, called it! 😂
Then there’s the sword. It falling to the MC’s hands is actually quite poetic. I wonder if he’ll also find the other half of the broken greatsword?
Lastly, that’s a pretty good long term imprint. It needs the MC to go to the labyrinth often, but he would do that anyway to get back to his original world.