39. A Dangerous Fellow
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: A Dangerous Fellow?
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A week passed.
Shocking news swept throughout the Labyrinth City once again.
The Explorers Guild made the announcement first.
Three out of the five high-ranking explorer parties had returned. Twelve out of the twenty intermediate-rank explorer parties had returned.
Hans’ party was still missing.
Some of the returning explorers had passed through the black portal. They testified that the black portal transported them to a random level.
That explained why they hadn’t received any support from the other investigation teams when they were trapped in the tower.
Most of the bodies of the missing rookie and intermediate-rank explorers had been found on the fifth level.
Many had been crushed beneath the rubble of the collapsed tower.
Most of the bodies were headless, but they had been identified through their identification tags.
Then the Labyrinth Magic Tower made their announcement.
A new “phenomenon” had occurred in the labyrinth.
The appearance of new monsters on random levels.
The Magic Tower called this event the “Eldritch Wave.”
The reason was simple.
When the otherworldly energy lurking in the depths of the Great Labyrinth erupted and settled on a particular level, otherworldly monsters would appear.
The earthquakes had been caused by these eruptions.
But now that the “phenomenon” had become a “law”…
They predicted that there wouldn’t be any more earthquakes. At least, that was what the Magic Tower claimed.
The Eldritch Wave moved slowly between levels.
That was why the human-faced centipedes, which were initially found on the fifth level, had appeared on the fourth level as well.
The news sparked much discussion in the city.
People sought out the returning explorers for more information.
The long-lived races simply nodded, unsurprised. They believed this change was inevitable.
They had thought it strange that the Great Labyrinth had remained unchanged for nearly three hundred years.
They believed that evil manifested itself in different forms throughout history.
The evil sealed by the Sage Ezras was still lurking in the depths, changing and evolving as time passed.
Jeong Yoo-shin summarized the announcement in a single sentence:
‘It was just a random level-up burning event.’
His first three labyrinth expeditions had all been affected by this event.
He had thought life was just being unfair to him, but it seemed like there was a legitimate reason for his misfortune.
He accepted it and moved on.
There were two ways to deal with the Eldritch Wave:
Wait until it subsided.
Or use the transfer stone to return to the city.
The unrest in the city subsided after a few days.
Now that the unknown had a name, people were still wary, but they weren’t terrified anymore.
Driven by the need to earn a living, explorers began to return to the labyrinth.
The city quickly returned to normal.
The Knights went back to the inner city, and people resumed their daily lives.
Two days after the labyrinth closure order was fully lifted…
Karin’s party gathered at Dalmong’s inn early in the morning.
Five people sat around a table.
“It’s strange. It felt like a dream.”
Lionel, who had returned to his elven form, muttered, his eyes unfocused.
“What do you mean?”
Jeong Yoo-shin asked.
Lionel looked at him.
“I enjoyed flapping my wings and waddling around as a duck. After living all my life as an elf, experiencing the world through the senses of a duck was… enlightening. I transcended my elven self and saw the world through the eyes of nature. It was a new perspective. It’s… hazy. I don’t know if I was a duck, or if the duck was me.”
It was absurd.
Not Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream, but a duck dream?
“So what are you trying to say?”
He asked cautiously.
“I’m leaving the party.”
“What?”
“I’m returning home to raise ducks. I don’t need wealth or fame anymore. Those things are meaningless to me now.”
“Well, I’ll be…”
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
A sudden epiphany, talk of oneness with nature, and a party resignation announcement.
Karin nodded.
“I understand. Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“Chirp.”
Maya, Ahiman’s disciple, spoke.
“My master is also leaving the party. He wants to… study lizards.”
“I see.”
Karin nodded.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at Gillian. Her eyes, no longer vacant, were calm and clear.
“I’m going back to the temple of the Light Spirit God. It might take a while.”
Why did she phrase it like she was going on a long journey?
He was curious.
“Isn’t there a Light Spirit God temple in the city?”
He asked.
“No. The Temple of Light is outside the city.”
“I see.”
Interesting.
“Alright.”
Karin accepted Gillian’s resignation as well.
The party meeting ended.
He didn’t think it was a final goodbye.
He would likely see them again. At least he should be able to see Lionel again as long as he remained in the Labyrinth City.
They chatted and drank.
Dalmong approached them.
“Karin-nim, Sir Luke requests your presence.”
Karin tilted her head.
“Why does that old man want to see me?”
“He said he’ll explain everything at the temple.”
Karin sighed and stood up.
“Alright. I’ll be going then. Take care, everyone. See you later.”
“Okay.”
“Visit my duck farm sometime.”
“Chirp.”
Karin waved her hand and left the inn.
The party leader was gone, but the others didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.
Their faces were flushed from a day of drinking, and the snacks Dalmong had brought added to their merriment.
They chatted idly.
The topic of magic items came up.
He remembered this topic. They could be obtained from the fifth level onward. Gillian had mentioned it when they were trapped in the tower.
He was curious.
If there were various magic items, were there any that could suppress the effects of imprints?
Or perhaps some kind of magic could do so?
“I have a question.”
He said to Maya.
“Yes?”
“Is there a way to suppress an imprint?”
Maya tilted her head.
“Yes, there is. Did you obtain a negative imprint?”
He blushed slightly.
“Please don’t misunderstand.”
He told Maya about his negative imprint.
The others, who had been chatting amongst themselves, stopped and listened.
He blushed even more, realizing that they were all listening intently.
He trusted them. They had faced death together, after all. But it was still embarrassing to talk about something as personal as the Female Virgin Corruption imprint.
“…So I’m looking for a way to suppress this imprint.”
He finished his explanation.
Maya nodded.
“The Female Virgin Corruption imprint, I see.”
Gillian moved her chair slightly further away.
“…Please keep your voice down.”
He whispered while looking around.
“Alright.”
Maya replied absently, resting her chin on her hand while lost in thought.
The lizard chirped and nudged her neck.
Maya clapped her hands.
“Ah! Usually, magic items are used to suppress imprints. There are also rituals and spells that can do it, but they’re not very effective. Why don’t you visit the magic item shops in the central district?”
“Where are they located?”
“Hmm… it’s a bit complicated to explain. Want to go together tomorrow?”
“Will you be alright near me?”
He was worried. If she developed any affection for him, it would be a disaster.
Maya chuckled.
“Barbarian, I didn’t realize you were so full of yourself. Get a grip.”
“Oh… right.”
He had just embarrassed himself again.
He wanted to disappear.
He looked down at the table as if searching for a hole to crawl into.
“Besides, I already have someone I like.”
Maya smiled and stroked the lizard.
The lizard froze.
“I see. Then I’ll accept your offer.”
He bowed his head.
It was already evening when he saw Lionel, Gillian, and Ahiman off.
He leaned against the entrance of the inn as he watched them leave.
Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream.
Lionel’s duck dream.
‘Would I understand Karin if I became a beast-person?’
‘Would I understand Lionel if I became an elf?’
He thought of Del.
The elven archer who had become a goblin.
His former party members disappeared down the street.
He stretched and went back inside the inn.
It was an early summer evening in Labyrinth City.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning, he and Maya went to the central district.
They passed the Explorers Guild headquarters and the central plaza.
There were more well-dressed people here than in the southern district.
They walked for a while.
They entered an alleyway lined with wooden buildings. The faint scent of old wood filled the air.
“This is it. Magic Item Shop Street.”
“There are a lot of them.”
He was impressed by the sheer number of shops and their haphazard signs.
“I have a shop in mind. Please be on your best behavior.”
“Don’t worry.”
Maya skillfully navigated the complex alleyways.
He followed her.
She stopped in front of an old, elegant wooden building and looked at him, her gaze warning him not to do anything stupid.
He nodded.
Cling.
She opened the door, and a bell chimed.
The shop smelled of old paper and herbs.
Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with unfamiliar spell books.
People in long robes browsed the shelves.
Maya led him to the counter.
A dwarf with a neatly trimmed mustache sat on a stool behind the counter while reading a book.
“Maya, what brings you here?”
The dwarf looked up from his book, then his eyes widened when he saw Jeong Yoo-shin.
“A barbarian?”
He asked in surprise.
Jeong Yoo-shin, having nothing to say, shrugged and got straight to the point.
“I’m looking for a magic item.”
The dwarf frowned.
“Are you looking for something to… enlarge your penis? We don’t sell those here.”
“I don’t need that.”
“Then what? We don’t have anything for infinite stamina either.”
“Sigh. I don’t need that either.”
“Are you sure? We also don’t have the ‘108 Sex Positions’ and ‘Magic Item Compendium for Driving Women Wild.’”
“No.”
“And we don’t have the book ‘50 Ways to Seduce an Innocent Priestess.’”
Hmm.
No. He couldn’t be tempted. He had to stay focused.
“I’m not looking for… those. I heard you have magic items that could suppress imprints.”
“What kind of imprint?”
“The Female Virgin Corruption imprint.”
The dwarf frowned.
“So you just want to sit around and effortlessly seduce virgins? You have no shame. A barbarian should at least pretend to hunt for his brides.”
‘As if I chose this imprint.’
Jeong Yoo-shin’s face crumpled.
Maya interjected,
“It’ll be difficult anyway since he needs ‘affection’ for it to work.”
The dwarf nodded.
“That’s true. Wait a moment.”
He stood up and went into the back room.
They heard the sound of rummaging.
A moment later, he returned while holding a small ring.
“Found one. That took a while.”
“Can this magic item suppress the Female Corruption imprint?”
“Yes. But it has a side effect.”
“What is it?”
“It increases the wearer’s libido.”
It was a manageable side effect.
He had been celibate for over four months.
“That’s nothing.”
The wise Jeong Yoo-shin nodded readily and asked,
“How much is it?”
“Since you came here through a referral, I’ll give you a discount. One gold coin.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes bulged.
“W-What?!”
His voice trembled.
One gold coin? Was that a joke?
He wanted to rip the dwarf’s mustache off.
“Hey, what’s with that look? I’m giving you a discount here.”
He turned to Maya.
“Is this the normal price?”
“Yes. It’s a good deal.”
It was too expensive.
He gritted his teeth.
But he had to buy it.
He was already being ostracized as a barbarian. With this Female Corruption imprint, it would be nearly impossible to join a normal party.
And he also had to learn how to read and write at the temple. He couldn’t just go around branding little girls with pentagrams.
If he did that, he could be branded as a child predator and be hunted down by the City Guard.
‘Yoo-shin, you’ve become a dangerous man.’
He sighed inwardly and took a gold coin from his pouch.
“Here’s one gold coin. I’ll consider this a sacrifice to save all the innocent young virgins who might fall prey to my charms.”
“…”
The dwarf and Maya stared at him like he was crazy, so he added,
“I’m joking. Lighten up.”
“Barbarian, where’s the punchline? Besides, there are plenty of older virgins in this city.”
The dwarf grumbled.
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
They had no sense of humor.
There was no point in arguing.
He took the ring from the dwarf and immediately put it on.
“Is the imprint suppressed?”
He didn’t feel anything.
“Wait a moment.”
“Eep!”
A minute later, as the dwarf had said, he felt the effects.
His vision swam. He covered his eyes with his hand.
After a moment, the dizziness subsided.
He lowered his hand and opened his eyes.
The world looked… different.
He had forgotten.
The dwarf standing before him… looked like a female.
A short, stout body and a grumpy expression.
He wanted to push him down and carve the pleasure of a female onto his wrinkled face.
His eyes narrowed like a predator eyeing its prey.
He reached out and stroked the dwarf’s beard.
“Dwarf, is it appropriate to have such alluring facial hair? Come to the back room. We need to have a talk.”
The dwarf’s face turned pale.
[Mind Flash]
Maya chanted a spell.
Bang!
Something exploded in front of him.
His mind snapped back.
His vision blurred, and he felt nauseous.
“Ugh.”
He groaned, clutching his head.
“W-What just happened?”
His voice trembled.
He couldn’t remember anything. He just felt like he had almost done something terrible.
“Nothing happened, barbarian. Don’t be consumed by your desires.”
“Understood. I think I almost did something dangerous there, but I can’t remember what.”
“Be vigilant. Darkness lurks everywhere.”
“Yes.”
After their conversation ended, the dwarf cleared his throat.
“You should… get going now.”
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned closer to the counter.
“Gah!”
The dwarf gasped.
“Shopkeeper.”
Jeong Yoo-shin said quietly.
“…What?”
“That… last book you mentioned.”
“What book?”
“’50 Ways to Seduce a Priestess.’ If it has a title, it must exist, right? Where can I find it?”
“It’s in the eastern district. Look for it yourself.”
“Thank you.”
“Just go.”
The dwarf watched him leave, then he realized…
His back was damp with sweat.
‘A dangerous fellow.’
He shuddered as he remembered the predatory look in Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes.
Jeong Yoo-shin and Maya left the magic item shop.
“Thank you, Maya.”
He bowed his head.
“It’s my way of thanking you for saving my master. I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
Maya stroked the lizard’s head and turned to leave.
“Then I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”
“Alright. Bye.”
He watched her leave. Then he left the alleyway and returned to the southern district.
He had just spent a fortune. He felt a pang of regret, but it was for the greater good. To maintain the peace and order in his surroundings.
A peaceful daily life was more important to him than mindless sex.
But still…
‘I should visit the eastern district sometime.’
His eyes gleamed.
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T/N - Dang, dude! Lionel achieved… post-duck clarity! Eh? Ehhhhhhhh?
Also, that dwarf pissed me off a bit. The dude was looking for something to suppress his imprint, not amplify it. The bit with him accusing the MC of wanting to have women fall for him while doing nothing was completely unnecessary.
Lastly, that ring is dangerous. It almost turned the MC into an actual barbarian.