Chapter 280 I Know Who You Are
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: I Know Who You Are
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20th floor.
Inside the central building of Dwarven Hold.
The red-haired middle-aged man stared at Jeong Yoo-shin.
'A tough guy.'
He thought that there might be more to this barbarian than what the rumors alluded to.
Vales, an executive of the Hellfire Clan, trusted his intuition. It was the intuition of someone who had survived in Labyrinth City for quite a long time already.
"...Ahem! I'm late with my introductions. I'm Vales, an executive of the Hellfire Clan."
Jeong Yoo-shin had a blank expression.
A self-introduction so suddenly?
"Your name’s Vales. So what’re you going to give me?"
"What do you want?"
Vales asked back.
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"I'll listen to what you can give me first and then choose."
Vales's face crumpled.
'This bastard…'
To probe so rudely from the very beginning…
"Hah. At that age, you're already spouting nonsense like a merchant? And is it reasonable to pursue personal gain in the face of a potential threat?!"
Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at Vales's face and then spat out his piece.
"The seal is clearly cracked, but does it make sense to grab the knight commander by the collar and shake him down just for you to go to the next floor?"
"..."
Vales closed his mouth. He had nothing to say to that. Because it was the truth.
Still, he hadn't actually grabbed the knight commander by the collar.
Jeong Yoo-shin waved his palm.
"Vales, if you don't like it, get out. I'll only share the information I have with the people here."
Vales took a deep breath for a long time, then he turned his head and looked at Cain.
"Knight Commander, you've called a friend with a sharp tongue."
Cain shrugged.
"He's a guy who curses at me too if things go wrong. Don't tremble just because you heard a few words from him."
Vales sighed inwardly.
Both the knight commander and that half-barbarian were excellent at getting on people's nerves.
'Although the barbarian seems to be better at it…'
Moreover, this man…
Vales kept thinking that he wasn't in his right mind.
At that moment…
"10,000 gold coins."
Someone sitting at the round table suddenly said.
Jeong Yoo-shin opened his eyes wide and looked at the person who had just spoken.
It was an elf woman with long hair sparkling like crystals.
"I'm Ellaris, an executive of the Crystal Rose Clan. I think it's a reasonable amount we can offer to you right now."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his mouth.
10,000 gold coins.
And that was an amount offered by a mere executive, not their clan leader.
Indeed, a clan that was at the top of Labyrinth City was…
'Terrifying.'
However…
Right now, there was something he deemed more important than money.
"Not enough."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's reply, the elf woman's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Not enough? Then would magic tools or high-grade equipment do?"
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head once again.
"That's not enough either."
Ellaris crossed her arms and quietly looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
"...It seems you want something else, barbarian."
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled and nodded.
"Correct."
"..."
In the silence…
People racked their brains.
What in the world did this half-barbarian want?
Gold coins or expensive equipment. Even at the proposal that an ordinary explorer would jump at with their eyes lit, the barbarian maintained a calm appearance.
Then, someone clapped their hands.
"Ah!"
It was Ellaris, who had introduced herself as an executive of the Crystal Rose Clan a moment ago.
A small blush bloomed on the elf woman's face.
"B-Barbarian, I heard you like s-sleeping around. Don't tell me you want a woman?"
A few women sitting at the round table swallowed dryly.
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth opened slightly.
The elf woman let her gaze wander here and there and then continued.
"That... I heard a rumor. That y-you have quite a vicious taste... To think that you would do this here."
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and cut off the elf's words.
"No. I'm not that kind of person."
"Ah... I see."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's polite rebuttal, the elf woman nodded, but her expression was still subtle.
"Haa."
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a deep sigh and scanned the people in the room.
Good equipment and gold coins could be obtained over time. Because he had no intention of stopping his labyrinth trips here.
If he diligently took requests and picked up and sold loot, he would naturally accumulate wealth.
In other words, they weren't difficult to obtain.
The really difficult thing was…
'Moving people's hearts.'
He had already grasped their tendencies. It was revealed in their words and actions.
Their individualistic tendencies were quite prominent in his eyes.
He didn't want to blame them though. Because he was the same.
Jeong Yoo-shin's gaze stopped right at Vales.
A questioning look appeared in Vales's eyes, and soon his face turned white.
"You...! No way?"
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
"What is it all of a sudden?"
"Not a woman, but a man?!"
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
"No."
"N-No?"
"I said no."
Jeong Yoo-shin raised his hand and stroked his face a few times to control his expression.
"Let's stop the jokes here. My condition is one. Everyone here, grant me just one favor."
"That's excessive."
At the elf woman's words, everyone nodded.
Jeong Yoo-shin pointed to the door with his finger.
"Then leave."
"..."
"I said leave. Or should I leave instead?"
When Jeong Yoo-shin shot up from his seat, people made urgent expressions.
"L-Let's hear what that favor is first."
"No. Promise first. To grant my favor first."
At that moment…
The blond man who had been quiet all this time opened his mouth.
"We cannot grant inhumane or illegal requests. Especially, conditions like offering women or men are not allowed."
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the blond man.
'Was it the Guardians of Order Clan?'
He thought he knew what the man was worried about.
"It's not something like that, so relax. And I'm not asking for excessive money or equipment either."
Curiosity appeared on people's faces.
Money, sexual desire, equipment.
Was there anyone in Labyrinth City who didn't want any of those?
What in the world was this half-barbarian thinking?
Vales scratched his chin and opened his mouth.
"Barbarian, do you want a way to become stronger?"
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"That's also a problem for me to take care of on my own. I don't particularly need your help for it."
The people sitting around the round table were now even more confused.
"..."
Vales thought deeply and then shrugged.
"Alright. I don't know what favor you'll ask, but we'll grant it for now."
"We agree too."
The people accepted Jeong Yoo-shin's condition.
"Ahem! Then I'll start by explaining about us meeting the Outer God Eros..."
Jeong Yoo-shin continued his story for about 30 minutes.
"..."
When Jeong Yoo-shin's story ended, people were silent.
"That's hard to believe."
The elf woman spat out.
Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged.
"It's hard to believe, but it's true."
Vales stroked his forehead and sighed.
"Hoo. To summarize, you're saying that an Outer God is trying to invade the labyrinth, taking advantage of Ezdras's seal becoming loose?"
"Yeah."
"And that Outer God is the Outer God of Change, Changeling. And the source of the information is another Outer God, Eros?"
"That's right."
"And you expect us to believe that?"
"If you don't want to believe it, then don't."
"Hah."
Vales looked up at the ceiling as if he had nothing to say to that.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked around at the people.
'Now.'
It was his chance to reveal his condition.
"Here's my favor. Everyone, stay on the 20th floor until the seal is restored."
"...!"
Only then did the people realize…
This barbarian…
Wanted them to stay here.
If one said it was difficult, it was indeed difficult.
But if one said it was easy, it could also be considered easy.
"Barbarian, do you know how to restore the seal?"
At Vales's question, Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"I don't know. Yet."
"You're confident. But why’re you going this far?"
"Because I can."
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had finished answering, stood up and looked down at Cain.
"I'll go first and rest a bit. Keep your mouth shut so that what I said doesn't leak out. Let's have a talk later."
Cain nodded with a tired expression.
"Sure. Rest well. See you later."
Jeong Yoo-shin said farewell to the Mage Tower elder Matthias and the barbarian Torgel with his eyes and left.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Jeong Yoo-shin left the building and walked down the central street with his hands behind his back.
He had made a request to the clan members sitting at the round table, but if they still left the 20th floor, he had no intention of stopping them.
Because people's hearts weren't moved so easily.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood in the central plaza and looked at the street on the opposite side.
Under the magically sparkling lights…
He saw a few explorers who had entered the 20th floor.
They were exhausted and looked tired.
There were also parties who noticed the suspicious signs and quickly headed for the 20th-floor transfer stone.
Jeong Yoo-shin asked the guards for permission, sat on a stone chair placed in a corner of the central plaza, and looked at the cracked dimensional rift.
How much time had passed?
"Skar."
At the sound coming from above his head, Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head.
It was a blond woman wearing plate armor.
The hero Cian was standing next to him.
"Cian, why’re you out instead of sleeping?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I was walking the streets for a short stroll."
Cian awkwardly sat next to Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Muscle pain?"
"No. That... Because the tail won't come out…"
Cian blushed and said evasively.
"Haven’t you changed your clothes since then?"
"..."
Cian silently nodded.
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
So…
Underneath Cian's plate armor was a cow bikini?
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin and Cian sat on the chair and watched the dimensional rift.
Cian tilted her head.
"It's strange."
"What is?"
"When I saw Ezdras's seal, my heart fluttered. Actually, it still does."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his cheek.
Come to think of it…
He hadn't told Cian yet.
"Cian, when you were asleep, I had a few words with Eros."
Jeong Yoo-shin explained everything that had happened with Eros.
When the story ended, Cian's eyes widened.
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
"Is that so? Hearing your words, now I understand to some extent."
"..."
"I wondered why I felt regret when I saw the weakening bonfire, but now I understand. The reason I came here was to restore Ezdras's seal. As expected, it was the guidance of Lux Aeterna-nim that brought me here."
At Cian's muttering, Jeong Yoo-shin made a bitter smile.
The reason Cian had come to Labyrinth City…
He didn't want to say out loud that it was actually just the crown prince passing the buck.
Or…
It could be a move made by the Emperor of the Empire above the crown prince.
At that moment…
Rumble.
The ceiling of the cave began to shake.
It was a sudden earthquake.
The explorers on the street were flustered and began to run around in confusion.
Jeong Yoo-shin and Cian's gaze was fixed on one place.
In the air above the central plaza, the dimensional rift began to make a strange sound.
Creak.
It was a sound like glass slowly breaking.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A heavy wave spread from between the dimensional rift which shook the city.
Jeong Yoo-shin and Cian immediately stood up.
High-ranking people ran toward the central plaza.
Cain, who had appeared in the central plaza at some point, gritted his teeth and drew his sword.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!!!"
"Yes!!!"
When Cain's command fell, numerous knights raised their longswords and halberds and surrounded the central plaza.
Clang!!!
With the sound of glass shattering…
Space broke apart…
And a huge finger suddenly popped out of the rift.
The people of the city stared blankly at that sight.
At the same time, a sticky blue liquid fell like a waterfall from between the dimensional rift.
Splaaaaaaash.
People were at a loss for words.
What in the world was that blue liquid?
"Hehehehe."
A gloomy laughter flowed from between the dimensional rift and shook the whole city.
Those with guts collapsed on the spot, and those who were scared fainted as they were.
The finger disappeared, and something's 'eye' was revealed from between the dimensional rift.
It looked as if it was peeking through a crack in a window.
Hellfire, Crystal Rose, Guardians of Order, all the clans realized then…
That Skar's story was true.
A voice flowed from between the dimensional rift.
"Finally, Ezdras's seal has weakened."
"Who are you?!"
Vales, the executive of the Hellfire Clan, shouted while holding a greatsword.
"How dare a mere mortal try to know my name?"
At the booming voice, the buildings of the city shook.
"..."
People trembled in fear in silence.
At that moment…
Jeong Yoo-shin stepped forward.
"You're Changeling, The Outer God of Change, you bastard."
"..."
A sudden curse.
A silence different from before swept the street.
People looked at the half-barbarian with bulging eyes.
Whether they agreed with him or not…
Jeong Yoo-shin gripped his axe and took a step forward.
"No need for long words. I'll send you back to the other world."
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T/N - Well, that was quick. He just told them about it too. They didn’t even have the time to make any sort of countermeasure, though granted, I don’t think they can make any sort of plan against an Outer God. Now let’s see how the MC handles this. My money’s on Lux Aeterna intervening.
Also, I found it funny that about a third of the chapter was dedicated to slandering the MC’s reputation among the top clans. 😂