38. This May Not Be So Bad
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: This May Not Be So Bad?
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“…Virgin… imprint.”
Mion mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
He couldn’t hear her.
“What kind of imprint? Please speak clearly, Teacher Mion.”
“F-Female Virgin Corruption imprint!”
Mion blurted out.
What?
Jeong Yoo-shin’s legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground.
“Female what?”
He spoke informally without realizing it.
“V-Virgin Corruption imprint.”
“Hahaha.”
He stared blankly into space.
“Skar! You were hiding this from us?!”
Karin exclaimed in shock.
“…I just found out myself. There’s nothing to hide.”
He replied weakly.
“Actually, there’s one more. The last one.”
Another one?
Wait.
He looked at Mion and asked cautiously,
“Teacher, can someone obtain two imprints simultaneously from a single labyrinth expedition?”
“No. You only obtain one imprint per expedition. And the probability of obtaining one isn’t very high.”
He struggled to recall his memories.
He had obtained the Sacred Weapon imprint on his first expedition.
So he had obtained the Female Virgin Corruption imprint on his second expedition?
He remembered fighting the Goblin Warrior with the reject party and then losing consciousness.
They had been rescued by the labyrinth investigation team afterward and brought out of the labyrinth.
‘Ah.’
That was when he most likely received it.
Luke had been there when he woke up.
‘That old man… He should have told me if he saw the imprint. He just ignored it.’
Had Luke deliberately messed with him because he had treated him like a senile old man before?
It was karma, but it felt unfair.
Mion, seemingly realizing something, nodded slowly. Karin looked pale, as if in shock.
Fear overshadowed his curiosity.
What kind of terrible imprint was the last one?
He asked hesitantly,
“Do I really need to know?”
“This one is a good imprint.”
“What is it?”
“The Revenger imprint.”
Mion, trying to regain her composure, explained calmly,
“It heals you whenever you inflict damage on someone who has attacked you, physically or magically.”
She continued,
“‘Healing’ means it increases your magic power, stamina, and physical regeneration. But it’s not a complete recovery. There’s a limit to how much it heals, and it doesn’t regenerate lost limbs.”
Mion had regained her composure.
So he healed when he retaliated against an attacker?
It was literally a “revenge” imprint.
There were limitations, but he was grateful nonetheless.
He asked,
“What if I hurt myself? Do I become a target for revenge?”
“Self-harm is an exception.”
“How do I know if the Revenger imprint is active?”
“I heard your eyes glow with a golden light.”
“I see.”
“Oh, and I’m a rear guard, so I don’t know the true value of the Revenger imprint. You should ask a frontliner about it.”
He thought of Ashur, the Sword Master.
‘I should ask him.’
He had obtained the Virgin Female Corruption imprint and the Revenger imprint.
It felt like someone had force-fed him a mixture of honey and shit. Bitter and sweet.
He stood up.
Karin and Mion took a step back.
“What’s wrong?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“We’re not. You’re overthinking it.”
He took a step towards Karin.
“Eek!”
Karin took two steps back.
“The Virgin Female Corruption imprint isn’t that bad.”
Mion said, taking a step towards him.
???
What?
It felt like he had been hit in the head with a hammer.
He stammered, speechless from her outrageous statement.
He finally managed to speak,
“What do you mean? This is a terrible imprint. Remove it.”
Mion replied,
“Please reconsider. You have to learn to live with this level of negative imprint.”
What was she talking about?
Were there even worse imprints?
“Compared to the worst imprint I’ve seen, this is nothing.”
“What’s the worst imprint?”
“Sigh.”
Mion placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath.
Her action made him nervous.
“An imprint that turns you into… the underwear of the person you love.”
“…”
“It was… a big deal.”
Mion’s face flushed as she fanned herself with her hand, embarrassed by her own words.
After a moment, she regained her composure and continued,
“Skar, what I’m trying to say is… there are many terrible negative imprints out there. If you keep removing every negative imprint you dislike, you might not be able to remove one when it really matters.”
She paused and smiled at him.
A sad smile.
“Why don’t you wait and see? You never know what the future holds.”
Their eyes met.
He nodded.
“Alright. If you don’t mind, could you explain the Female Corruption imprint in more detail? I’ll be careful.”
“It’s the Female Virgin Corruption imprint. Please be mindful of the terminology.”
“Yes.”
“Virgins react sensitively to the saliva, breath, scent, and touch of the person with the imprint, and they eventually become… s-sex slaves. A-As proof of their corruption, a pe-pentagram appears on their womb.”
Mion’s face flushed again, and her hands trembled.
He understood.
Even he was embarrassed listening to this. It must be mortifying for her to explain it.
“B-But don’t worry, Mr. Skar. The Earth Mother Goddess’ temple has a secret technique. I won’t be corrupted, even if Karin might be.”
Mion then fired the first shot.
A vein throbbed on Karin’s forehead.
“I have my own methods!”
Jeong Yoo-shin sighed deeply.
Regardless of their preparations, he had to make his own precautions.
He couldn’t just go around branding random virgins with pentagrams and turning them into sex slaves.
“It sounds dangerous.”
“It’s alright. There are two important conditions for the Female Virgin Corruption imprint to activate.”
“What are they?”
“The target must have some degree of ‘affection’ for the person with the imprint, and they must be a ‘virgin.’”
Hmm.
‘Wait a minute.’
Silence fell over the small room.
They stood there, speechless.
Karin glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin, feeling her gaze, glanced at Mion.
“Eep!”
Mion clutched her chest and fidgeted, then glanced at Karin.
Karin looked down at the floor, then glanced at Mion.
Mion then glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin.
They exchanged glances in silence.
‘Do they… like me?’
He puffed out his chest slightly.
Karin crossed her arms and said,
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Who would have affection for a barbarian?”
Her sudden jab deflated him.
“Why do you assume there wouldn’t be?”
“I’ll ask you the same question. Why do you assume there would be?”
‘Right. Of course. Affection isn’t the same as love. Get a grip, Yoo-shin.’
He shouldn’t assume that a woman liked him just because she smiled at him.
His shoulders slumped.
“…I’ll be going then.”
He bowed his head dejectedly.
“Yes. Take care.”
Mion gave him an awkward smile.
Karin looked at him and said,
“Wait for me at the temple entrance. I need to talk to Mion.”
“Yes.”
He replied curtly and left the room.
Click.
The door closed.
Karin glared at Mion and growled,
“Put your nipples away. Why are they so perky? Are you already corrupted?”
“Eep!”
Mion covered her chest and retorted,
“Y-You were the one rubbing your tail against Skar’s waist! Like some… hussy!”
“It was just a natural touch. I’m the daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative. I’m not that easily corrupted. Skar licked my belly before, and we even kissed this morning, yet I’m still perfectly fine.”
Mion froze, as if in shock.
Then she started trembling.
“H-How?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know? I’m not telling.”
“I… I see. But what about this? Skar touched my breasts. He caressed them with his strong hands, so gently and tenderly. You haven’t experienced that yet, have you?”
Karin’s smug expression crumbled.
“W-What?”
“Hmph.”
Mion lowered her hands from her chest and stared defiantly at Karin.
Their initial concern about the corruption had turned into a petty competition about who had received more attention from Jeong Yoo-shin.
They glared at each other in silence.
Karin gritted her teeth.
“I won’t lose.”
“Me neither.”
Karin turned around and left the room.
Despite their different appearances and races, they shared the same thought.
The imprint didn’t cause indiscriminate corruption. It required affection. Their initial doubts had vanished from that.
They had affection for him.
The problem was that they now had a rival.
And that Skar, wary of his imprint, would likely distance himself from women.
They knew he would.
They had seen it firsthand.
They quickly formulated plans to prevent the corruption and reassure Skar, so they could continue to enjoy his touch. Their plans were filled with a certain… possessiveness.
Bang!
The door closed behind Karin.
Mion placed a hand on her chest and sighed.
There were imprints far worse than the underwear transformation imprint, but she had kept quiet about them when she saw the look on Skar’s face.
She wanted to protect this kind-hearted, mixed-blood barbarian from this selfish city.
And from that annoying red-haired bitch as well.
She gritted her teeth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Jeong Yoo-shin and Karin left the temple and returned to Dalmong’s inn.
Karin crossed her arms as she stood at the entrance.
“Skar, have you ever touched Mion’s breasts before?”
Her sudden question made his head spin.
“N-No.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He had brushed against them, yes, but he hadn’t… fondled them.
“Hmm. Alright. I’m leaving.”
“Yes. Take care.”
He said goodbye to Karin and entered the inn.
“Dalmong.”
“What is it?”
“…I obtained these imprints.”
He sat at the counter and explained everything to Dalmong.
After what felt like enough time for a cup of tea…
Dalmong crossed his arms after hearing his explanation.
“Hmm…”
“Should I leave the inn?”
“I’ll talk to the other guests. It’ll probably be fine. They’re all men.”
“Alright.”
“Go upstairs and rest.”
“Yes.”
He returned to his room and laid down on his bed.
He wondered if he should start looking for a new place to stay.
He had obtained a terrible imprint. He didn’t want to be a burden on Dalmong’s business.
He had received money from Karin, so he could afford to find a new place.
But would anyone else accept him?
He couldn’t think of a solution.
There must be a place where barbarians could live in this city.
But he had no idea where to look.
His head throbbed.
He had been feeling disoriented since leaving the labyrinth.
His mind drifted, and he fell asleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Knock, knock!
He woke up to the sound of knocking. The room was dark. It was evening.
He got out of bed and opened the door.
Dalmong was standing there.
“The other guests said it’s fine. You can stay.”
“Thank you.”
The door next to his burst open, and a one-eyed rat beast-person peeked out.
“You’re the only barbarian who’s been quiet for nearly four months. Be proud of yourself.”
He scratched his head at the unexpected praise.
“Ah, yes.”
“It’s a miracle, really. Do you… like men?”
“I like women.”
“Good. Don’t change.”
The rat beast-person closed the door.
Dalmong shrugged.
“Honestly, they trust me more than they trust you. But your behavior influenced their decision.”
“Thanks.”
He felt a warmth spread through him.
He had diligently tried to act like a normal person despite all the prejudice against barbarians.
And now he was being rewarded for it.
He smiled. Dalmong smiled back faintly.
Dalmong left, and he lay back down on his bed.
He couldn’t sleep. His mind drifted, and his thoughts returned to his imprints.
He thought that there were some really strange imprints in this world.
An imprint that turned you into the underwear of the person you love…
He rested his head on his arm, lost in thought.
‘Becoming Mion’s thong…’
Hmm.
He briefly thought of a certain overprotective brother, then dismissed the thought.
Being able to nuzzle his face against Mion’s soft, plump…
He caressed his cheek.
‘Hmm… that may not be so bad?’
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T/N - Tada! There we go! The real reason why Mion and Karin have been acting like women in heat near the MC. I like how it’s not indiscriminate since the target needs to have affection towards the MC and be a virgin. I’ve also been wondering about how intense the affection needs to be because Delia, the elf-turned-goblin archer from the MC’s 2nd labyrinth run, seems to have some goodwill for the MC as shown by her holding his hands when she was thanking him for saving her. Does that mean that Delia got affected by the imprint?
Also, damn, I want to turn into a pretty girl's underwear too! What an enviable imprint…