Chapter 286 Home
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: Home
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Cian, who had been walking down the street with Jeong Yoo-shin, stopped in her tracks.
"Skar, can I go to the inn in the central area and pack up my things?"
"Want some help?"
"No. I can do it myself."
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.
"Take your time and pack up comfortably."
"Thank you!"
Cian turned her around and ran toward the central area.
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head as he watched Cian's back.
He thought he knew the former hero’s feelings.
She would go to the inn to pack her things up, but…
She must also want to say goodbye to the friends who were once her party members.
Luther and Sebastian's personalities weren't that good, but they weren't to the point of needing to be killed.
'They didn't particularly cause me any harm either.'
Resolving to throw a small welcome party for Cian…
Jeong Yoo-shin walked toward Dalmong's Inn.
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When Cian arrived at the inn in the central area, Sebastian and Luther were packing their things already.
Cian approached Luther.
"Priest-nim."
Luther, who was standing in the hallway, opened his eyes wide and looked at Cian.
"Hero-nim? D-Don't tell me you changed your mind?"
"No."
When Cian shook her head in denial, Luther's face darkened.
"Is that so? By any chance, if an order to return comes from the Empire, what’re you going to do? Is this the end forever?"
Cian gave him a bitter smile.
"I'll have to think deeply about the return issue. And please don't be too disappointed. The party has disbanded, but we can still meet from time to time."
Only then did Luther feel relieved.
"I see. You’re right, Hero-nim. It's not like we've completely parted ways."
Just in time…
Sebastian, who had finished packing all his things, came out of his room.
"Hero-nim?"
"Sebastian."
Sebastian hesitated and then mustered his courage to open his mouth.
A question had popped up in his heart. It felt like if he didn't ask it now, he would never be able to do so for the rest of his life.
"B-By any chance…"
"Ask comfortably."
"A-Are you dating Skar?"
At Sebastian's question, Cian's face turned red.
"Ah... Um. Something like that?"
"...I see."
Sebastian barely managed to answer.
He had realized it from Cian's expression even before her answer.
As expected…
'They had sex.'
Why didn't he know about it?
Even though he was the most handsome guy in the party…
The barbarian was the man who took the lead and fought against the Outer God.
'And his cock was big too.'
It would be strange if a romance didn't blossom between the two.
Their relationship must have grown rapidly closer starting from the massage.
His heart throbbed.
'I liked her first!'
'A woman who has been embraced by a barbarian once can never return…'
Seti's words flashed through his mind.
Sebastian felt a deep sense of defeat and eventually lowered his head completely.
"I'll see you around later, Cian-nim."
Cian smiled and patted Sebastian's shoulder.
"Shall we? Give my regards to Seti too. She seems like a good woman, and you two look good together."
Until the end…
It was an appearance that showed not even a hint of interest in what he was thinking.
Sebastian hid his pained expression and opened his mouth.
"I understand, Hero-nim."
'Goodbye, my first love.'
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Jeong Yoo-shin, who had returned to the inn, sat at the counter and sipped his drink.
Had about an hour passed?
Cian opened the inn door and came in.
"Skar, did I make you wait too long?"
"No. I was surprised that you came faster than I thought."
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Cian and held her hand.
The latter’s heart pounded.
"Ah."
To think that she would be living under the same roof with this person.
'It feels like a dream.'
Cian shook her head and came to her senses.
Not today.
"S-Skar? I'm sorry. Today is 'that day'."
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had tilted his head for a while, gave her an embarrassed smile and stepped back.
"That day? Ah! Right. Rest comfortably. If there's a room you like, feel free to use it."
"Th-Thank you."
Cian felt embarrassed, somehow feeling like she was telling him her menstrual cycle.
She went up the stairs, unpacked her things in the room right across from Jeong Yoo-shin's room, changed her clothes, and came down to the dining area.
Jeong Yoo-shin set the food he had prepared in advance on the counter.
"It's modest, but I prepared it as a welcome greeting."
Tomato soup with a moderate amount of potatoes and meat, and freshly baked white bread.
It was simple food, but it was a good meal to warm the body in the cold winter.
Above all, she was grateful to Skar for preparing this much for her.
Cian sat across the counter while chatting with Skar about this and that, eating food, and drinking alcohol.
How much time had passed?
The drunk Cian smiled.
"Skar, are we in the same party from now on?"
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"No."
Skar cut her off flatly. The flustered Cian's eyes widened.
"Wh-Why aren't we in the same party?!"
Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged.
"Why, you ask…? Because Cian’s an intermediate-rank low. I'm an intermediate-rank mid now."
"Eh?!"
The drunk Cian made a rare cute voice.
"Cian, rank up. Then we can work in the same party."
"Wh-What does that...?"
Jeong Yoo-shin took his time and explained the criteria for explorer promotion.
"...Do you understand now? You can only satisfy the promotion condition if you reach a floor with party members of the same rank. It means that you have to become an intermediate-rank mid like me so that we can work more easily. We also have to prepare for cases where we take in other party members from outside later."
"What?!"
Cian felt like the sky was falling.
"Diligently carry out city requests, form a party, and satisfy the promotion conditions."
Cian, who had been at a loss for words for a while, made up her mind and nodded.
"Alright. I'll definitely show you I can get promoted. It won't take that long!"
"Good. Don't worry about city requests."
"Hmm?"
Jeong Yoo-shin grinned.
"There are many small and medium-sized clan members who need a helping hand. I'll arrange requests that are as easy as possible."
"Thank you!"
"Don't mention it."
Jeong Yoo-shin thought as he filled Cian's glass.
'Come to think of it, Karin was also an intermediate-rank low, so these two can form a party together.'
He had no worries about things dragging on.
Because it was also about time when Karin, who had finished her training, would return.
And he was planning to take a break before returning to the labyrinth anyway.
Jeong Yoo-shin carried the drunk and collapsed Cian on his back and took her to her room.
He wanted to mutter that he could suck her armpits as much as she wanted, but he held back.
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The next evening.
Jeong Yoo-shin woke up from his sleep.
It was partly because he had been drinking with Cian until dawn.
But he had slept longer than he thought, perhaps because his fatigue from rolling around in the labyrinth hadn't completely dissipated.
Or it could be that drowsiness was washing over him during the process of his body rapidly mutating.
A note written by Cian was placed by his bedside.
'I'll go to the Earth Mother Goddess's temple for a bit.'
Jeong Yoo-shin put down the note, changed his clothes, and came down to the inn.
Two men were sitting across the inn counter, sipping their drinks.
Mage Tower elder Matthias.
Barbarian Torgel.
He knew the reason why Torgel had returned to the inn.
'It must be because of that black iron greatsword.'
But he didn't know why even Matthias had come here.
Whatever, he would know if he asked them.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had finished his thoughts, slowly approached the two and sat in the counter chair.
"Torgel."
"Skar, I've waited a really long time."
Torgel's eyes were sunken. A firm resolve to not yield anymore was plastered on his face.
"I bought the black iron greatsword at the smithy street in the Western District. It was about 200 gold coins."
Torgel's eyes popped out.
"Th-That greatsword was only 200 gold coins?!"
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned and cut Torgel off.
"Because it was a fraudulent item."
"Wh-What do you mean by ‘fraudulent item’ all of a sudden? What does that mean?"
"It broke in half while I was using it."
"What?!"
Torgel shot up from his seat.
"It wasn't originally split in two, but it broke while you were using it?!"
"Right? A blacksmith I know told me that someone highly skilled seamlessly patched the broken greatsword back together."
"Where's the other half?"
"It's probably stuck in the corner of the closet?"
Torgel collapsed.
"Skar, that greatsword is the treasure of the barbarian tribe."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
He had roughly guessed it. Because it was the first time he had seen Torgel show such a violent reaction.
"Hellblade, the sword that burns the magic of the abyss. Originally, the next chief had it. Hoooooo."
Torgel stopped talking and let out a deep sigh.
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
"Wasn't I the next chief?"
"There was a next chief under Ragna-nim."
"What happened to him? Did he die?"
"No. He went missing. In the labyrinth."
Jeong Yoo-shin's complexion turned reluctant.
"That means he's dead."
"Don't speak carelessly."
Torgel glared at Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin's expression naturally became fierce.
"You're the one who brought it up, why’re you getting mad at me? Is that greatsword so important? It's stuck in the corner of my room, so take it."
The position of the next chief he had received along with the ring…
He had no lingering attachment to it anyway, as it was a position temporarily thrust upon him by old man Ragna.
The flustered Torgel waved his hand.
"N-No, that's not it. I was just trying to explain to you the value of the sword..."
Matthias, unable to watch any longer, stepped in and stopped them.
"Both of you calm down."
Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head.
"Why in the world did you come here?"
Matthias scratched his head.
"Well, I came here with a request."
A request out of nowhere…
"Do I have to do it? It hasn't even been three days since I returned to the city, you know?"
"I can’t find anyone else trustworthy to handle this. Besides, aren't you a skilled intermediate-rank mid explorer now? Just listen to the contents of the request for now."
"Tell me."
"Skar, before I tell you the details of the request, can I ask you one thing?"
"Sure."
"Didn't you swing a sword and wound the Outer God? By any chance, is that 'power' that wounded the Outer God the divinity of Lux Aeterna?"
"Yes. I received it by chance."
Jeong Yoo-shin answered nonchalantly.
Matthias stroked his beard.
"I see. You even met another Outer God, Eros. You really seem to be a person who receives quite a bit of love from the Outer Gods."
"I was lucky."
"..."
Matthias, who had been silent for a moment, opened his mouth.
"...I should get to the point. We found a strange magic tool in the 'blood' the Outer God shed. I don't know if it can be considered a magic tool, but please understand as we have no other way to describe it."
"Do Outer Gods even bleed? I'm ignorant so I don't know much, but what it shed didn't seem like blood."
"You're right. To be exact, it's not human blood. It seems similar to blood, but it's hard to define clearly. The Mage Tower’s currently investigating it."
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned back in the counter chair.
"So what in the world is this ‘magic tool’?"
Matthias tilted his head and lowered his voice.
"The tentative conclusion reached by the Mage Tower is this. The magic tool submerged in the Outer God's 'blood' contains the ability to move through dimensions."
"...!"
His heart skipped a beat.
Dimensional travel?
'A way to go back home!'
His heart pounded loudly, and his mouth went dry.
Finally…
He had found a way to return.
However…
Jeong Yoo-shin's expression didn’t change.
"And so?"
Matthias observed Jeong Yoo-shin's face for a while, and then he straightened his body to its original position.
"Do you know what kind of area appears when you pass the 20th floor?"
"The Mine Lake area."
From the 21st floor to the 29th floor…
It was known that various fish-man monsters appeared there.
If there was a strange thing…
It was the fact that most of the water in the lake contained salt.
So some scholars also called it the Undersea Cave area.
'Although I also saw it in a book…'
"I would like you to get the 'mystery' that only appears there. This is the rough content of the request."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms.
‘Was he saying that I should take the request if I want to hear more details?’
This was something he could absolutely not give up on.
"Will you take the request?"
Matthias asked.
Jeong Yoo-shin emptied his remaining glass and nodded.
"Not right now, but I’ll think about it."
"I understand. Get some good rest in the meantime."
"Let's do that."
Matthias and Torgel stood up and left the inn.
Jeong Yoo-shin raised his head and looked at the ceiling of the inn.
'Home.'
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart beat harder than before at the clue of returning that was slowly becoming visible to him.
Various thoughts swirled in his head.
He couldn't confirm whether Matthias's story was true or false.
Still, it was worth a try.
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his eyes and placed his hand on his chest.
'Let's calm down.'
He had to be cool-headed here.
Rushing in headfirst just because he saw a path was something only an amateur would do.
Since it hadn't been long since he returned from the labyrinth, he currently needed sufficient rest.
He also had to repair his equipment and check his imprints.
Putting aside whether the request was true or false…
'I’ll prepare thoroughly.'
Late evening.
Under the dark inn lighting.
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes flashed.
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T/N - Hey guys! I have a new novel I'm translating called "I Built a Savior Organization". It's a Chinese web novel about a guy with a saviour system going to different worlds to save them from their doomsdays. Try it out! Who knows, you might like it. ♥️
Oh wow. Finally, after 285 chapters, the MC has a clue on how to return home. The author is really pushing for this, huh? I honestly don’t see why the MC is so obsessed with going back home, but I guess that’s why he’s the MC and I’m just translating his story. 😛
Also, Matthias might have been sufficiently cowed by the MC, but it seems that he hasn’t given up on his theory that the MC is from another world. Well, as long as he doesn’t go against the MC, he should be safe.