52. A City Not Easily Understood
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: A City Not Easily Understood
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Jeong Yoo-shin went to Boron's smithy.
“I’m here.”
He saw Boron staring blankly into space, seemingly lost in thought.
Jeong Yoo-shin waved a hand in front of Boron's face.
“What’s wrong?”
“...Ah. You’re here?”
“Why are you so dazed?”
Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!
The sound of hammering echoed from beyond a wooden door in the corner of the smithy.
Jeong Yoo-shin then smiled warmly.
“He’s working so diligently. You found yourself a good assistant.”
“Hahaha.”
Boron suddenly laughed.
'Is he that happy?'
Jeong Yoo-shin thought as he laughed along.
“Sob!”
Boron then began to whimper. Large tears welled up in his eyes.
???
“What’s the matter?”
Boron stood up without answering and went into the room where the hammering sound was coming from.
Jeong Yoo-shin followed after him. He felt a blast of hot air. He saw Einhorfer hammering away at a red-hot sword.
He seemed to have lost some weight, but it wasn't enough to be overly concerning.
Clang!! Clang!! Ting!!!
The sword crumpled.
“Oops. My hand slipped.”
Boron quickly bowed his head.
Crash!!!
The hammer flew and collided with a pile of weapons and armor in a corner, creating a cacophony.
“Stop it already!”
“Master, I think I’m almost there.”
Einhorfer replied.
“We’re going to go bankrupt! Look at that pile of junk! When are we going to make any money at this rate?!”
Boron yelled.
“Just a little longer.”
“Ugh!”
Boron clutched the back of his head at Einhorfer’s reply.
“Einhorfer.”
Jeong Yoo-shin greeted him.
“You’re here.”
Einhorfer smiled and returned the greeting.
His face and body were covered in sweat, but his eyes sparkled like stars.
It was the beautiful sight of someone working hard.
“I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks.”
Jeong Yoo-shin dragged the slumped Boron out of the room.
Boron looked much older than he was moments before.
Jeong Yoo-shin took some money out of his pocket and handed it to him. It was the payment for the long sword he had taken on credit before.
“I’d also like to buy a hard leather armor.”
“...Aren't you going to fix your light armor?”
“I brought it with me.”
“Show me.”
He took the tattered light armor out of his backpack and showed it to Boron.
Boron clicked his tongue.
“This is completely useless now. Make a new one instead.”
“I don’t have the money.”
“Why not?”
“I used most of it on running the inn.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
Jeong Yoo-shin briefly explained the previous incident.
“...Even so. To entrust an inn to a barbarian…”
“Let’s stop. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the same cat and the fish shop joke.”
“I didn’t say anything. I was just thinking he built you a fish farm. You know, the kind where you can just grab a fish whenever you're hungry.”
Boron replied as he scratched his head.
'It’s the same thing, this bastard.'
Jeong Yoo-shin thought, his face crumpling like Einhorfer’s failed works.
“Don’t you want to do business?”
“Alright, alright. You won't even let me speak. Tsk.”
Boron clicked his tongue and pulled out a set of leather armor from the corner.
It was a simple leather armor that only covered the shoulders and torso.
“Sigh, 30 silver coins.”
“Huh.”
The money drained away quickly.
“Here, you need a helmet too.”
Boron naturally brought out a metal helmet as well.
Jeong Yoo-shin examined the helmet and asked.
“What’s this small pot?”
“It’s a helmet.”
It was a helmet similar to a kettle helm.
“It just looks like a metal hat.”
“It’s a useful item. Wide field of vision. There's a leather strap inside the helmet so you can tighten it around your chin. It's comfortable and it doesn't wobble. Just give me 10 silver coins for it.”
‘Is this just him getting rid of old stock?’
Jeong Yoo-shin wondered.
He sighed, took the silver coins out of his pocket, and handed them over.
“Bring some alcohol next time.”
“Didn’t I leave some alcohol with you?”
“…”
Boron glared at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“I’m joking. I’ll buy you a good bottle later.”
“You better.”
Jeong Yoo-shin equipped the leather armor and kettle helm and left the smithy.
Unlike the barbute, the kettle helm's pot-like shape provided a wide field of view. Breathing with it on was also easier than the former.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next evening.
Jeong Yoo-shin checked his equipment and went down to the inn's hall on the first floor.
Tarman approached him.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. Don’t save me any dinner. I have to be on duty in front of the labyrinth until dawn.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Tarman hurried into the kitchen and returned with a cloth-wrapped bundle.
“I prepared this in case you get hungry at night.”
A lunchbox?
“Thanks. Contact me immediately if anything happens.”
“Understood. Be safe.”
Jeong Yoo-shin left the inn after receiving Tarman’s farewell.
The summer evening sun began to set.
He walked down the street while enjoying the cool breeze.
He headed toward the labyrinth entrance as he walked against the flow of people returning to the city after their adventures.
“Skar, half-blood barbarian. Confirmed.”
The guard captain returned Jeong Yoo-shin's explorer tag and spoke.
When Jeong Yoo-shin arrived at the guard post at the labyrinth entrance, the guard captain was sitting at his desk.
“You don’t have to do much. Just stand here with your eyes open and make sure there's nothing unusual about the people entering and exiting the labyrinth.”
The guard captain was a human male in his 40s with a patchy beard.
He scratched his greasy hair.
“Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Is that so? You look strangely familiar. Well equipped, I see. Leather armor and a kettle helm. You know what you’re doing. Comfortable to wear in the summer.”
“I see.”
“Did you bring anything with you?”
“I brought a lunchbox.”
“Let me take a look. A few of the volunteers were caught drinking alcohol, so…”
“Yes. Feel free to check.”
Jeong Yoo-shin placed the cloth-wrapped bundle on the table.
The guard captain cleared his throat and opened it.
“...A man loved by his wife, I see.”
The guard captain commented after looking at the contents of the wooden lunchbox.
Inside were steak sandwiches that were neatly sliced for easy eating.
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched the back of his head.
“I don’t know about that.”
“Aren’t these your good times?”
“I’ve never been married.”
The guard captain’s eyes widened.
“...Then? Don’t tell me it’s a married woman? You crazy barbarian.”
Where did the married woman come from all of a sudden?
“It’s a misunderstanding. A friend who works at the inn packed it for me.”
“A very devoted friend. A childhood friend, perhaps?”
“No.”
“I see. Speaking of childhood friends, I once had one back in the countryside…”
The guard captain started rambling about his past with a wistful look in his eyes.
Jeong Yoo-shin rested his chin on his hand and let the guard captain’s story go in one ear and out the other.
He offered appropriate responses and interjections, which encouraged the guard captain to talk even more.
“...So I told my childhood friend…”
Clatter!!!
“Captain.”
A mole beast-person opened the door to the guard post and entered.
“What is it? This is an important moment.”
“One of the guards on duty tonight is missing, so I came here.”
“He’s right here.”
The guard captain pointed at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“A half-blood barbarian? Follow me.”
“Put him somewhere tough. He’s a despicable fellow, living comfortably with his married childhood friend.”
Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head and stared blankly at the guard captain.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s a joke. You should take this lunchbox with you, too.”
'He’s a strange one.' Jeong Yoo-shin thought, clicking his tongue inwardly as he slung the cloth-wrapped bundle over his shoulder and followed the mole beast-person out.
“You know there’s an entrance and an exit to the labyrinth’s teleportation circle, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be watching the exit side. I’ll show you where to stand.”
Jeong Yoo-shin looked up at the labyrinth as he followed the mole beast-person.
The black stele.
It was so tall and massive that it dwarfed most buildings.
It looked even more magnificent under the moonlight.
The entrance was where the moonlight shone.
The exit was in the stele’s shadow, devoid of light.
Dozens of torches were placed some distance from the exit magic circle.
As if that wasn't enough, there were also crystal balls emitting bright light.
Guards in plate armor and others in their own chosen armor stood around the torches.
There were about 40 of them.
The mole beast-person led Jeong Yoo-shin directly in front of the exit magic circle.
“Groups of four.”
The mole beast-person continued.
“You can sit on the ground, but you can’t lie down. And of course, no sleeping. You can eat, but no cooking. And naturally, no mating.”
“Understood.”
The mole beast-person left and returned to the guard post.
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced at the people gathered around the torches.
A frog beast-person in a robe.
A man in an iron mask with a great sword resting near him on the ground.
And…
“An ogre?”
He had seen one once at the monster dismantling shop. He remembered having a hard time skinning it because its hide was so tough. Though this one was smaller than the one he had seen.
“Half-ogre. Barbarian.”
The ogre, who was wearing a piece of cloth with the guard insignia embroidered on it, spoke.
So that was why he was smaller.
Still…
“Your mother must have had a hard time.”
“You’re rude. My father was human.”
“Your father had unique tastes, I’ll give him that.”
“It was a joke. Actually, both my parents were human. I received an ogre inscription and was transformed into this. Call me Stonefist.”
“Skar.”
“You’re that butcher Skar? The one who came into the eastern district and slaughtered all those slave hunters?”
“…Butcher?”
“…You tilt your head after killing them so brutally? The guys below sweated buckets cleaning up the dismembered and torn corpses. That's how you got the nickname.”
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned at the gruesome nickname he had been given.
“They deserved to die. And judging by the way you talk, you’re one of those underworld guys, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. There's no one in the easterndistrict who isn’t involved with the underworld.”
“That’s not true.”
The frog beast-person suddenly interjected.
Jeong Yoo-shin had expected croaking, but his voice was surprisingly deep.
“Croak. I’m a mid-level priest serving the Water Spirit God. Getting back to the story, there are people in the easterndistrict who don't belong to any clan. For example, people like me.”
“There’s a temple serving the Water Spirit God in the eastern district?”
“That’s right. To be precise, it’s in the underground of the eastern district.”
This was another fact he hadn't known.
There was an underground area in the eastern district.
“Why is there an underground area in the eastern district?”
“Some people who received monster inscriptions are vulnerable to winter and sunlight. That’s why it was created.”
I see.
He nodded involuntarily at the information about the Labyrinth City that was being revealed to him bit by bit.
Just then, he heard someone sneering from afar.
“Look at the monsters playing nicely together.”
He turned his head and saw a bull beast-person standing there. Around him were dog beast-people, rabbit beast-people, rat beast-people, and various others.
“…Just ignore him.”
Stonefist, the half-ogre, said.
“Why should I be angry? You’re the one with the monster inscription.”
“…”
Then the bull beast-person spoke again.
“That includes you too, barbarian. You crazy dick monster.”
“Why are you picking a fight with me all of a sudden? Just chew your cud quietly. Moo. Now scram. Ptooey!”
Stunned by the sudden outburst, the bull beast-person stared blankly at Jeong Yoo-shin.
The veins on the bull beast-person’s forehead bulged.
“…You little half-blood brat, have you lost your mind? Get up. Let’s talk with our horns.”
The bull beast-person said as he jumped to his feet.
“Moo. No. Moo.”
“…Crazy bastard!”
“Stop!”
One of the guards intervened and shouted.
“Cut it out. You’re not stationed here to fight.”
“Yes.”
“Snort!”
The bull beast-person snorted and turned around.
“…You’ve got a sharp tongue.”
Stonefist, the half-ogre, said as Jeong Yoo-shin sat back down.
“You’re a refreshing speaker. Different from when we first met.”
The iron-masked man said in a voice tinged with amusement.
“If we’ve met twice by chance, it must be fate. Call me Iron Mask. Can I call you Skar?”
“Yes. Call me whatever you like.”
He had met this man before. He looked pretty much the same as when they had met the first time.
Four men of different species sat around the fire.
The lukewarm summer night breeze rustled past the torches.
“Let’s go back to the tavern massacre.”
Wasn’t that over already?
This half-ogre. A really persistent fellow.
“That guy kidnapped and killed young children. That was the price he paid.”
“He deserved it.”
Iron Mask nodded.
“Is that so? Tsk. Those bastards.”
Stonefist folded his arms and nodded.
Jeong Yoo-shin couldn't help but blurt out,
“I am the righteous man of the Labyrinth City, its acting conscience. That’s what I am.”
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence briefly filled the air around the torches.
Croak, the frog beast-person, rolled his eyes. The half-ogre suddenly fixed his gaze on the magic circle, and Iron Mask stroked his great sword.
As the atmosphere became strange, Jeong Yoo-shin looked around.
Some people were chewing on jerky while others were discussing which smithy's weapons were the best.
Most of them had brought folding chairs and were sitting about comfortably.
As Jeong Yoo-shin looked around, he spoke.
“…But, you know. There seem to be a lot of guards.”
“Th-there’s a simple reason for that. It’s because there are occasionally those who receive strange inscriptions. We stand guard like this as a precaution, to prevent any incidents.”
Croak, the frog beast-person, answered Jeong Yoo-shin's question.
“What kind of strange inscriptions?”
“Monster inscriptions, for example. There are many others, but…”
“Monster inscriptions? Even if someone transforms into a monster, I don’t think the guards would suddenly rush in and kill them.”
“It depends. There's one problem that arises when someone transforms into a monster.”
The frog beast-person said while glancing at the half-ogre.
“…When you transform into a monster, you develop demonic nature. Some people can withstand it while others are consumed by it.”
The half-ogre answered for him.
“Can they return to normal if the inscription is removed?”
At Jeong Yoo-shin's question, the half-ogre held his chin in thought for a moment before speaking.
“Some return, and some don’t. If I had to define a standard, the more magic adaptation they’ve undergone, and the lower the rank of the monster they transform into, the higher the chance that they’ll return to their senses.”
Magic adaptation?
Is he referring to leveling up?
To summarize.
“So, if you’ve leveled up a lot and transform into an insignificant monster, you can maintain your sanity?”
“That's right. But it’s not a certainty. Once consumed by the demonic nature, it’s difficult to return to normal even if the inscription is removed.”
Croak nodded in agreement.
Jeong Yoo-shin then looked at Stonefist.
“Barbarian, don't worry about my sanity.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“…”
Once again, an awkward silence fell over the group.
Jeong Yoo-shin also ran out of things to talk about and lost himself in thought.
A chill.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
Swish!
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up and looked around. A sword was already in his hand.
Only then did some people recognize him and murmur.
“…Is that the barbarian?”
“He’s still young.”
“He’s a half-blood.”
“Barbarian, what’s up? In heat or something?”
The bull beast-person sneered again.
“…”
Jeong Yoo-shin ignored him.
The lackeys gathered around the bull beast-person laughed and continued to chatter, but Jeong Yoo-shin let it go in one ear and out the other.
The murderous gaze vanished like the wind.
'Just who the hell was that?'
Jeong Yoo-shin thought.
He widened his view to look further ahead. He could see the relief center and the guild exchange. A small light leaked from the relief center, but that was it.
A few of the guards were staring at him.
Jeong Yoo-shin reluctantly sat back down and looked at the magic circle again.
Stonefist looked down at him with a perplexed expression.
“Barbarian, you should worry about your own sanity first.”
“Actually, I’m a bit on and off.”
At Jeong Yoo-shin’s reply, the three men subtly moved away from him.
“But I did feel something like killing intent. That’s for sure.”
“I-is that so?”
Croak stammered.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s gaze was fixed on the labyrinth exit magic circle, but his thoughts were tangled and complex.
Just who could it be?
Cain?
No. If he were the Knight-Captain, he would have come directly to slit his throat.
The eastern district underworld?
Would they be audacious enough to radiate killing intent in a place like this?
Jeong Yoo-shin reserved his judgment.
He had exchanged a few words with Stonefist, and he didn’t seem like a bad guy. It might have been his imagination, but he seemed like a man who knew where to draw the line.
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin, considering and dismissing various possibilities.
'This city is really not easy to understand.' He thought.
His eyes darkened.
The darkness of the night deepened.
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T/N - While I feel like the MC is losing it, I don’t think he would mistake something like killing intent. Not with what he’s been through. This sounds like foreshadowing to me.
Also, poor Boron. Einhorfer is going to bankrupt him, but I hope he can hold on. I’m rooting for Einhorfer as well, after all.