Chapter 296 Cooperation
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Cooperation
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After briefly sorting out the situation.
Jeong Yoo-shin decided to introduce his new acquaintances to those waiting outside.
The big-breasted girl sat down.
"How are you going to explain us?"
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin.
"Right."
That the 'Skars’ from other dimensions had crossed over to this place.
Even if they were people of Labyrinth City, wouldn't it still be hard to understand?
'Still, I have to try.'
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been agonizing for a moment, opened his mouth.
"I have to explain it exactly as it is. And I'm warning you, don't treat them like you treat me. I'd like you to at least show some respect."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's serious gaze, the 'Skars' nodded.
Jeong Yoo-shin called the women and the Mage Tower elders in.
Karin, Mion, Vivian, Cian, and Lin, who had been waiting outside, came flocking in.
Karin stepped forward first. Her gaze was fixed on the wolf beast-person with bushy black fur.
"Skar, who are these people?"
"They’re my alter egos. Mes from other dimensions."
Karin’s red wolf ears twitched
"Hmm. That's difficult."
The wolf beast-person looked at Karin's face and smiled softly.
"It's not that difficult. You can just think of us as other Skars who received different imprints and formed different ties than the handsome friend here."
"Like a doppelganger?"
"Similar."
At the polite answer of the black wolf beast-person, Karin's cheeks turned slightly red.
"Ah. Yeah. Thanks. I understand."
Cian made a gentle smile.
"Is that so? As expected of Labyrinth City. There are many fascinating things here."
Vivian quietly stared at the guy wearing the robe, and the robe guy, perhaps noticing Vivian's gaze, also looked at the dark elf.
"..."
There was no particular conversation, but there seemed to be something connecting them.
At that time…
The white mouse Lin slowly crawled onto the table and looked at the black mouse guy lying spread out.
"Squeak?"
Lin hesitated, mustered her courage, and called out to the black mouse guy, but the the latter didn't even pretend to hear her.
"..."
Lin took a step closer and poked the black mouse guy's shoulder.
"Squeak squeak?"
But instead of answering, the black mouse guy just turned his head away.
"Squeak..."
Lin drooped her shoulders with a sullen expression.
Jeong Yoo-shin's face immediately became fierce.
"Mouse guy, what did I just say? I told you to show some respect."
The black mouse guy glared at Jeong Yoo-shin, then looked at Lin as if it couldn't be helped.
"Squeak."
"Squeak?!"
At the guy's answer, Lin's eyes sparkled, and she grabbed the black mouse guy's front paw tightly and shook it.
"Squeak squeak!"
Lin, with an excited smile, squeaked happily.
Only then did Jeong Yoo-shin's expression relax.
To think two cute little mice were getting acquainted with each other on the table.
'Cute.'
The other Skars also looked at Lin and the black mouse guy with slightly relaxed faces.
The robe guy stopped watching and approached Matthias and Radament.
The two Mage Tower elders flinched.
How should they describe it?
He was a robed man spewing streams of sinister energy.
The only thing he had similar to Skar was his black hair.
His eyes looked sharper, and his personality seemed worse.
"Did you just think that I'm a human with a dirty personality?"
The robe Skar immediately hit the nail on the head.
"N-Not at all. We just tensed up because your mana was unusual."
Radament replied while stroking his goatee.
The robe guy observed Radament's hand and smirked.
"Old man, your hands are trembling? Or is your beard trembling?"
"Hoooooo!!! Hoooooo!!!"
He felt like his heart was being gripped. Radament immediately abandoned his resolute attitude and breathed roughly.
'We’ve definitely just met for the first time!'
Standing in front of this robe man, he felt naked.
Should he say that it was like looking into the abyss?
He knew it instinctively. This was a man buried deeper in darkness than the original Skar.
"You're Mage Tower elders, right? I heard from that pretty boy-like guy over there. That there was a problem with your magic tool analysis. So I'll help you a bit."
"R-Really?"
"Of course."
The robe guy smiled once again.
A gloomy yet evil smile.
Seeing the robe Skar's smile, Radament felt a chill as if his spine were freezing.
This was like…
'Doesn't it feel like holding hands with the devil?'
"Uh..."
Radament stuttered. Looking into the robe guy’s red eyes, he couldn't keep his wits about him.
Matthias stepped forward as if to divert the robe Skar's attention.
"Fascinating. Are you a Skar with deep knowledge of magic?"
The robe Skar's eyes narrowed like a snake.
"Deep knowledge? What a joke."
The gazes of the people, including Jeong Yoo-shin, focused on him.
The robe Skar spread his arms wide as if enjoying the people's gazes.
"I am the master of magic. The pioneer of the demonic path. The one who explores the esoteric and the knowledge of the abyss, and looks into the movement of the stars and the chaos of the outer universe."
Matthias's eyes bulged.
"M-Mystic!"
The robe Skar red eyes flashed as he gave them an insidious smile.
"It's not the exact answer, but it's close. That's me."
The people in the inn made surprised expressions, but…
The rest of the 'Skars' didn't have very impressed expressions.
"Haha. You seem like a Skar who just entered puberty."
"You'll definitely kick your blankets properly later*. Grrrrr."
"I em the wun who luhks intu the cheos of the uhter universe. Blegh."
"Squeak."
Sarcasm popped out immediately. The mystic guy's cheeks turned a little red.
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at the mystic guy with a displeased expression.
"Don't scare people, ugly guy."
The mystic guy slumped his shoulders.
"...I just told the truth."
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the sullen guy and opened his mouth.
"Anyway, since you say you have deep knowledge of magic, you can help the Mage Tower elders. But I have no intention of forcing you. Rest if you want to rest."
"I understand."
The mystic guy replied while slumping down at the table.
The big-breasted girl also sat down and placed her heavy chest on the table.
"Haa. I'm tired."
Seeing that, Cian, of course, but also Karin and Vivian approached the female Skar with sparkling eyes.
Karin stuck her head out over the table and looked at the woman's large breasts.
"Hey, Skar. What imprint did you get? You completely became a woman?!"
The big-breasted girl glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin and opened her mouth.
"It's a TS imprint. An imprint that reverses male and female genders."
Jeong Yoo-shin interjected.
"Male-Female Reversal imprint?"
"To be more precise, it's Male and Female Gender Reversal. You must have seen it once, right?"
"In the past."
As soon as the dry Q&A ended…
The women sat next to the TS Skar and made a fuss.
"Your skin’s so clear. It's fascinating."
"Right. I'm jealous. Um, how do you take care of your skin?"
The big-breasted girl scratched her cheek, perhaps finding this warm welcome awkward.
"I-Is that so? I don't really know…"
"Uuuugh! She's an innocent beauty!"
When the TS Skar and the women started squealing and chatting pleasantly…
The wolf beast-person, the mystic, and the handsome middle-aged man gathered and approached Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin immediately noticed what they wanted.
"The rooms are on the 2nd floor. You can just grab any room and use it."
"Let's do that."
After the conversation that lasted for quite a long time ended…
The Mage Tower elders, Vivian, and Mion waved goodbye as they left the inn.
"See you later."
Mion said farewell as their representative.
"Yes. Priestess Mion-nim, I’ll visit you tomorrow. Let's talk about what we couldn't talk about then."
A shadow briefly cast over Mion's face.
"Yes."
Jeong Yoo-shin saw the people off, tidied up the inn, then went up to the 2nd floor and entered his room.
"Hoo."
Jeong Yoo-shin, who threw himself on the bed, let out a deep sigh.
Four people and one animal.
It wasn't a good situation, but…
He thought it was a relief that he didn't treat his acquaintances poorly by forcing his unreasonable demands on them.
'Maybe they aren't such bad guys.'
Honestly…
He didn't hate them. Because they were forms of another 'Skar' who had struggled to survive in the environments they were each placed in.
'I'd like to talk with them a little more, but…'
He would have to keep his distance and watch them more for now.
Jeong Yoo-shin closed his eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
3 days passed.
The 'Skars' wandered around the familiar yet new Labyrinth City.
Jeong Yoo-shin left the 'Skars' alone.
They would be curious about the subtly changed environment.
'There might be another reason, though.'
During that time, Jeong Yoo-shin met Mion and cleared up the misunderstanding about the dimensional travel magic tool.
"Priestess Mion-nim, I had no intention of leaving somewhere without a word. It was a mistake that the magic tool activated."
"...Is that so?"
Mion was quiet, then she gently held Jeong Yoo-shin's hand.
"I’m really, really sad and hate letting you go, Skar-nim, but I won't stop you. You must miss your family, right?"
"..."
"Just please tell me beforehand at least. I want to prepare my heart first."
Jeong Yoo-shin gently embraced Mion's slightly trembling shoulders.
"Mion, if I can go, I think it’ll also be possible to come back. Don't worry too much. I won't leave without a word."
At his soothing voice full of sincerity, Mion's face brightened.
"R-Right?"
"Yes, of course."
Like that…
The piled-up misunderstandings were resolved a couple of days ago.
When Jeong Yoo-shin finished his reminiscence while sitting in the counter chair…
The inn door opened, and the Skars came flocking in.
The guys sat side by side across the counter, perhaps having something to say.
"Skar, you have a good reputation in Labyrinth City?"
The big-breasted girl said with a smile.
"I made an effort."
Jeong Yoo-shin replied with a smirk.
'Is it finally over?'
The expressions of the guys who had finished investigating him from behind were relaxed like a warm spring day.
The bloodthirsty tension they exuded when they first met had already disappeared.
"Was it true? You drove out an Outer God and protected Labyrinth City several times?"
"I had the help of other people."
The handsome middle-aged man interjected with a soft smile.
"Is that all? To sponsor abandoned orphans, and even act as a shield and advisor for the powerless small and medium-sized clans. Excellent."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his cheek.
Even though it was definitely praise for him, he felt embarrassed.
"Stop with the praise. I just did what I had to do."
The wolf beast-person guy smacked his lips.
"But was it the Soft and Fluffy Clan? Those guys seemed quite reluctant to meet you..."
"I hugged them and got healed a bit."
"Ah... That can't be helped."
Everyone nodded their heads.
'Once again, they're similar to me in things like this.'
Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head and looked at the mystic guy.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"You lived well. You worked hard."
The robe guy said while turning his face away sharply.
The big-breasted girl giggled.
"What's with the sudden tsundere attitude?"
"Even if I tell him honestly, he’ll still have something to say. But Skar…"
The robe guy frowned and continued his words.
"You had a lot of conflict with the Eastern District?"
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
"This and that happened."
"There were so many trash guys, were there a few times you acted soft?"
"I took in the guys who could be saved for the purpose of rehabilitation."
The guy’s red eyes flashed as he grinned.
"Those guys, they seem to be quite displeased with that? They're trash-like guys. You have to trample them firmly so they can't get back up again. I'll appropriately clean them up for you while analyzing the magic tool at the same time."
"You? Did you have that much power?"
"...It's awkward to say this with my own mouth, but you're the weakest among us."
At the robe guy's reply, veins popped out on Jeong Yoo-shin's forehead.
"What? Follow me to the roof. Let's sort out the hierarchy a bit."
The big-breasted girl smiled broadly.
"Handsome Yoo-shin, that ugly guy’s right. You're the weakest."
Jeong Yoo-shin made a reluctant expression.
"...Really?"
"That's right."
The middle-aged man nodded and continued.
"So 'we' talked, and since we came here anyway, we planned to do something meaningful."
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
"What thing?"
"There are various things, but first is to make you stronger. You haven't forgotten, right? 'Our' resolve."
The ‘Skars’ stared intently at him. Stinging gazes.
Their desires burned like flames in their pupils.
How could he not know?
'As expected. They were all 'me' after all.'
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth slowly opened.
"I’ll definitely survive."
The 'Skars' smiled and nodded.
The handsome middle-aged man smiled brightly.
"Shall we start with equipment first? I heard that there's an auction house in the central area, have you been there by any chance?"
"No."
"Good. Let's go there tomorrow and see if there are any usable weapons. If not, let's go to the workshop in the western underground area and prepare some equipment."
At that time…
The big-breasted girl raised her hand high.
"Ah! I can't go. I promised to go shopping with your girlfriends."
Jeong Yoo-shin was at a loss for words.
"..."
'They even go shopping together? Since when did they get so close?'
The robe guy also made a troubled expression.
"Actually, I'm a bit busy too. The Mage Tower grabbed my ankles and begged me not to leave."
The middle-aged Skar grinned.
"Then I’ll accompany you."
The wolf beast-person guy raised his hand and pointed at himself.
"Grrrrr. What about me?"
The big-breasted girl poked the wolf beast-person's side.
"What do you mean what? Watch the inn. And keep an eye on Lin and the black mouse guy to make sure that they're safe."
"I understand."
Jeong Yoo-shin and the 'Skars' looked at each other and ended up laughing.
They were all on the exact same wavelength.
It would have been very troublesome if they were enemies.
'It's a relief things worked out well.'
The big-breasted girl stretched her arms up.
"Ugh!!! It's roughly over. I should get some rest."
At that moment…
Pop!!!
A button hanging on her tightly swollen black shirt popped off and hit Jeong Yoo-shin's face.
The 'Skars' kept their mouths shut and watched the sight.
"..."
The TS Skar giggled and stuck out her chest.
"Wow? This works. What? Is it your first time seeing a person's breasts?"
"Put them away."
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned and replied.
The TS Skar just gave him a cat-like smile and pushed her upper body forward. Her large breasts spread out completely on the table.
"Why’re you acting so naive?"
"I'm saying this just in case, but I have the Female Virgin Corruption imprint."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's confession, the big-breasted girl backed away faster than light.
"What?!"
"Hmm."
"Grrrrr!!!"
"Kiyayaaa."
The 'Skar' guys made bizarre sounds and moved away from the counter.
The middle-aged Skar made a hollow smile.
"Perhaps we fell into the world of the most unusual guy."
The 'Skars' each nodded and agreed.
Jeong Yoo-shin made an aggrieved expression.
"I sealed it, you know!"
"We have to believe what we want to believe. Don't come near me."
"I thought he was handsome for some reason, but he was actually the one sucking the most honey among us."
"Female Virgin Corruption. That's crazy. I'm so fucking jealous."
While Jeong Yoo-shin and the 'Skars' were bickering…
A warm spring breeze came into the inn and gently stroked their hair.
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T/N - Damn, did that hierarchy also include mouse Skar? Because if that’s the case, then the MC is pretty pitiful, but it’s also pretty hilarious. I wonder what imprints the other Skars have that they would treat the MC as the weakest Skar? Though they probably don’t know about his latest imprint synergy. I doubt the rumors have that much info on the MC.
Also, let’s go! A full Skar party entering the labyrinth. Is the labyrinth ready for them? I can’t wait!
*This means it’ll keep him up at night later in embarrassment.