37. Your imprint is...
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Your imprint is…
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Mion stood up.
“I’ll see you in class, Mr. Skar.”
“Yes.”
Jeong Yoo-shin watched her leave.
A gust of wind lifted the hem of her loose white robe, revealing the tight-fitting black habit underneath and accentuating the curves of her buttocks as she walked.
Childbearing hips that could bewitch any man.
Pinch!
“Ow!”
Ahiman bit his ear.
“What was that for?”
“Chirp.”
The lizard pointed at the fountain with its tiny hand.
Lionel, in his duck form, was approaching two other ducks at the fountain.
They looked like a couple.
Lionel waddled towards the female duck.
‘What is he doing?’
Sensing something amiss, Jeong Yoo-shin stood up.
Poke.
Lionel poked the female duck’s rear with his beak.
The female duck quacked loudly, startled. Seeing this, the male duck glared at Lionel and flapped its wings.
“You idiot!”
Jeong Yoo-shin yelled and ran towards Lionel, grabbing him.
The duck couple took flight and left the fountain.
“Quack!”
“Why did you poke another duck’s wife in the ass?! Are you crazy?”
He carried the struggling duck back to the inn. He was afraid of what this crazy duck might do next.
“I’m back.”
Dalmong greeted him from behind the counter.
“Welcome back.”
A female elf and a small girl in a robe were standing in front of the counter.
“Honey.”
The elegantly dressed female elf approached the duck.
The duck froze like prey caught in a predator’s gaze.
“Lionel Arkrein, if you’re going to have such a strange imprint, you should at least stay in your room. Why are you wandering around?”
The duck’s head drooped.
The female elf crossed her arms and glared at the duck.
The duck shrunk under her oppressive gaze.
“We’ve been married for over a hundred years, and I still can’t understand your childish behavior. Our family took you in, a penniless wandering elf, and even gave you our family name. And that’s not all. We provided you with financial support and even a beautiful, virtuous wife like myself. I thought you had matured and become a proper member of the Arkrein family after all these years of careful instruction, but I was mistaken. You have no manners or dignity.”
Lionel’s head nearly touched the floor as his wife’s words bombarded him.
‘I didn’t know Lionel was a househusband.’
He felt a bit sorry for Lionel, seeing him being scolded like that.
But it wasn’t his place to interfere in their marital affairs, so he just watched.
“You’re an embarrassment. Come with me. We need to have a talk.”
The elven woman bowed her head slightly to Jeong Yoo-shin and Dalmong, and left the inn.
The duck, its head drooping, waddled after her.
“Master.”
The small girl in a robe approached him.
She held out her hand to the lizard perched on his shoulder.
The lizard obediently crawled onto her hand.
She gently stroked the lizard and bowed her head to Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Thank you for taking care of my master, barbarian.”
“Don’t mention it. I just stayed by his side as a fellow party member.”
The girl closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“My master asked me to convey his gratitude to you.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
“How?”
“I have the Animal Communication imprint. My name is Maya. I’m a novice explorer.”
“When did you get that imprint?”
Maya tilted her head.
“…On my first expedition.”
‘This damn gacha labyrinth.’
Maya bowed her head again.
“It’s still chaotic outside, so I’ll be going now.”
“Yes. Take care.”
He bowed his head in return.
Maya left, leaving him and Dalmong alone in the inn.
He felt both relieved and a bit wistful.
He suddenly chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“When we were at the park… Lionel…”
He recounted the incident. Dalmong listened with a smile.
The streets were filled with tension and anxiety as the sun set, but Jeong Yoo-shin smiled.
He drank and chatted with Dalmong until evening.
Late at night, he said goodbye to Dalmong and returned to his room.
He laid down on his bed, his head resting on his arm, and stared at the ceiling.
They had failed their mission, but they survived in the end.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a failure.
The human-faced centipedes.
The missing explorers.
And the black portal.
They had gathered all the clues they could find.
But the pieces didn’t fit together. It was difficult to draw any conclusions from them.
The Explorers Guild and the Magic Tower would make an announcement soon, so all he could do was wait.
He had planned to have his imprint checked out today, but he wasn’t able to since he had to take care of his party members.
But he had no regrets.
He had spent the day with his party members, walking around the park and momentarily forgetting the horrors of the labyrinth.
He could postpone the imprint confirmation for a day.
He closed his eyes. Images of the duck and the lizard swirled in his mind. Then, darkness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He woke up.
“Where…”
He sat up and looked around.
A familiar place.
The place with the convenience store and the open manhole. The place where he had been before he was transported.
“A wolf?”
A red wolf approached him.
It walked cautiously, its eyes wary.
“What the…? Stay back.”
He stepped back.
Was it going to bite him?
He didn’t want to level up like that.
The red wolf stopped and lowered its body, its tail wagging.
“Whimper. Whine.”
It whimpered and nudged him with its head.
“You want me to pet you?”
The wolf nodded.
He slowly approached and held out his hand.
The wolf sniffed his hand, and he gently pushed it away.
It was being too affectionate.
The wolf whimpered again. He felt sorry for it, so he petted it and scratched its chin. The wolf, seemingly delighted, wagged its tail and licked his cheek.
And then…
He woke up.
In his room at Dalmong’s inn.
“A dog dream?”
He muttered, still dazed.
His mouth and cheek were wet and sticky with drool.
He felt a surge of energy within him.
A warm sensation spread through his body, invigorating his muscles and bones.
‘Level up.’
His body understood it before his mind did.
‘I leveled up that easily?’
He looked down at his body and grinned.
It was a gain, regardless of how it happened.
He got dressed and went downstairs.
Karin was sitting at a table with her arms crossed.
“You’re up early.”
“Karin? How are you feeling? I was worried because you suddenly ran off yesterday.”
“I obtained a strange imprint, so I went to the temple to have it removed. It was nothing, so don’t worry about it.”
“I see.”
He nodded.
It was best not to pry further.
Karin looked at him.
“What?”
“You… you have some drool on your face.”
“Oh.”
“Here, wipe it off. You’re such a mess.”
She handed him a handkerchief.
“Thank you.”
He wiped his mouth with the handkerchief. Karin watched him, mesmerized.
‘Is this expensive?’
He handed the handkerchief back to her.
“Thank you.”
“Y-Yes.”
A brief silence.
“Do you have anything to do today?”
“Yes. I have some errands to run.”
“What kind of errands?”
“I’m going to the temple to have my imprint checked.”
“I see.”
He suddenly remembered something he had been wondering about.
“Karin-nim.”
“What?”
“Did you… level up?”
“You mean magic adaptation? Yes. Did you?”
“Yes. Isn’t it a bit strange? It seems too fast.”
Karin crossed her arms and looked away. After a moment, she spoke,
“The new monsters must have been carrying a lot of magic power. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement from the Magic Tower and the guild, but I heard most of the investigation teams leveled up.”
So that was it.
A life-or-death burning event*.
Level up if you survive, lose your skin if you die.
“Where’s Dalmong?”
“He went to buy ingredients for breakfast.”
“When did you arrive?”
“Why are you so curious? Stop asking so many questions!”
Karin suddenly snapped.
‘With that temper, who would want to marry you?’
He clicked his tongue inwardly and kept quiet.
Thump.
Karin placed a leather pouch on the table.
A clinking sound came from inside.
His eyes lit up.
“This is a gift. A mix of gold and silver coins.”
“Thank you. I’ll be eternally grateful.”
He grinned, grabbing the heavy pouch. A sense of peace washed over him.
“Want a belly kiss?”
“No.”
Karin’s face flushed slightly, but she firmly refused.
Clatter!
The inn door opened.
Dalmong entered while carrying a bag.
“Oh, Skar, you’re awake?”
“Yeah.”
Dalmong opened the bag, which was decorated with embroidered bears, and took out some food.
Bread, cheese, and sausages from the market.
They had to avoid cooking with fire as long as the threat of earthquakes remained.
Jeong Yoo-shin went to the kitchen, brought back some plates, and arranged the food on the table. They then sat down to eat.
The meal ended in silence.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up.
“I’m going to the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple.”
“Alright. Be careful. There are still guards patrolling, so don’t get arrested.”
“Oh.”
He clutched his head.
‘Right, I’m a barbarian.’
“Want me to go with you?”
Karin asked.
“Really?”
“Yes. I have nothing else to do.”
“Thank you.”
They left the inn and walked down the street.
The guards eyed him suspiciously, but they let him pass when they saw Karin with him.
They arrived at the temple.
He went to the cleric at the reception desk and said he wanted to have his imprint checked.
“One silver coin.”
He paid the fee.
The cleric wrote something on a piece of paper and said,
“Mr. Skar, Priestess Mion will be confirming your imprint for you. Please wait here, and someone will escort you to her.”
“Yes, I understand.”
He nodded.
“Skar, do you know Mion?”
Karin asked.
“Yes. We met by chance. She’s the literacy teacher at the orphanage.”
“Hmm.”
Karin crossed her arms, a frown on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
A male cleric approached them.
“Please follow me.”
“Alright.”
He followed the cleric and Karin followed behind him closely.
“Why are you following us?”
“Why? Can’t I come?”
The cleric turned to Karin.
“Karin-nim, are you in the same party as this gentleman?”
“Yes.”
“I see. You may come as well.”
The cleric nodded and continued walking.
They walked down the hallway and arrived in the same room as before.
The cleric knocked three times.
“Priestess Mion, I’ve brought Mr. Skar.”
“Enter.”
They entered the room.
“Mr. Skar, welcome. Now then… Hmm?”
Mion stopped mid-sentence and looked at Karin.
“Karin-nim?”
“Mion.”
They stared at each other in silence.
A strange tension filled the room.
‘What’s going on? Do they know each other?’
He crossed his arms and watched them.
Karin spoke first.
“Mion, are you allowed to wear such tight-fitting clothes? It doesn’t seem to comply with temple regulations.”
Mion was wearing the same tight-fitting black habit he had seen before, not her usual loose white robe.
“Karin-nim, are you allowed to wear such revealing clothes? It’s embarrassing for the daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative to be wearing such… indecent attire.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“That’s what I should be saying to you.”
Another silence.
“Do you two know each other?”
He asked.
“No.”
Karin turned away.
“We’ve met a few times, that’s all.”
Mion looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Mr. Skar, let’s confirm your imprint.”
“Sure.”
He approached Mion, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands together.
‘Thong confirmed.’
The plump mounds of her buttocks, barely contained by a thin piece of fabric, were clearly visible through her tight habit.
He bowed his head and muttered,
‘Thank you. Thank you.’
He closed his eyes and offered a prayer of gratitude to the Earth Mother Goddess.
He could feel Karin’s sharp gaze on his back, but his heart was at peace.
Mion muttered something, but he couldn’t hear her.
About three minutes passed.
His heart pounded with anticipation for his new imprint.
What would it be?
He had worked hard. He fought against otherworldly monsters, overcame dangerous situations with his wits, and even saved his companions.
He deserved a good reward.
“Eep!”
Mion suddenly made a strange sound and took a step back.
He looked up.
“What is it?”
‘Please, let it be a cheat imprint.’
“W-Well…”
Mion stammered, her face flushed.
“What is it? Tell me, Teacher Mion.”
At his urging, her face turned as red as a tomato.
“Y-Your imprint is…”
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T/N - The MC dreams of playing with a red wolf, then he wakes up with drool on his mouth and cheeks with Karin being present when he goes downstairs. Coincidence? I think NOT!
Also, for those who had been waiting ever since I dropped a clue on Chapter 26, rejoice! You’ll get your answer… in the next chapter >:D
*Burning event - This seems to reference events in MMOs that let you level up your characters very fast in a short amount of time.