How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 137: Are you kidding me with this?

East District's shopping district.

A place more dazzling at night than during the day.

It was a place that could only be seen deep inside, after passing through the gates of the East District.

The busy street was full of various monsters.

Harpies and killer bees were flying around, handing out flyers from the sky.

A venom spider with green spots on its back was swinging lights with its web.

Cobalts, goblins, and slimes were marching in a line, following the orcs.

Jeong Yusin stopped walking.

Watching people walk around in the skins of monsters, he realized one thing.

‘These bastards.’

He had experienced peeling off flesh at least once.

An indescribable emotion surged through him.

What should he call it?

Was it the feeling of a butcher walking among pigs?

He had never felt this way before.

‘Why am I feeling this way?’

As he tried to calm his restless heart, two figures approached.

A tall dark elf with long silver hair.

A girl with orange hair tied in twin tails.

A black horn was attached to the left side of the orange-haired girl’s forehead.

Her height was similar to his.

For some reason, she gave off a mischievous vibe.

The orange-haired girl got a little closer.

"Hello, little barbarian. Lost your way?"

Her voice was clear, contrasting with her lazy eyes.

Jeong Yusin tilted his head.

‘What’s this? Is she possibly swooning over my looks again?’

He couldn't ignore the stares he had felt as he walked down the street.

He was a cool, handsome guy wearing sunglasses, so of course, people would be drawn to him.

Jeong Yusin ran his hand through his hair.

He decided to atone for his sinful beauty and intentionally made his voice as nasal as possible.

"Yeah. Do you happen to know where the ‘Orc Barrel’ tavern is?"

The orange-haired girl smiled.

"I know it well. Want me to take you there?"

"Astharoth, we’re on a tight schedule. We can’t waste time here."

The dark elf, standing behind, spoke with a concerned voice.

The orange-haired girl, called Astharoth, shrugged her shoulders.

"So what? I’ll just take him there for a moment. We’re going to have to work for months anyway. Let me do this."

"...Fine. I understand."

The dark elf sighed reluctantly.

"Alright, let’s go, kid."

Astharoth smiled again, revealing a sharp fang.

"Yes."

As he walked with the girl named Astharoth, Jeong Yusin could feel the tension in the air.

‘This isn’t normal.’

The dark elf and Astharoth.

Both gave off an oppressive feeling, the kind you couldn’t quite gauge the depth of.

It felt like staring into an abyss.

Strong.

If he had to compare, it was a similar vibe to Ingrid.

Jeong Yusin muttered to himself.

‘Got it. Astharoth.’

Passersby glanced at Jeong Yusin and the girl as they walked down the street.

Many eyes were on them, but the three of them didn’t seem to care.

The group passed through the noisy red-light district and stopped in front of a building.

"This is the ‘Orc Barrel’ tavern."

"Thank you, miss."

Jeong Yusin bowed slightly in gratitude.

Astharoth crossed her arms and locked eyes with him.

"Kid, don’t kill too much, alright?"

Jeong Yusin trembled.

"Wha...what do you mean by that? I’m a good boy, I don’t do murder or anything like that."

Astharoth looked at him with a bewildered expression and opened her mouth.

"Kid, good kids don’t carry three swords on their body. And there’s blood all over those two scimitars. Do you really think your murderous gaze is hidden by those sunglasses?"

"..."

Jeong Yusin paused for a moment before raising his hand and subtly lowering his sunglasses.

"Did I get caught?"

"Try at least making an effort to hide it. Anyway, I’m going. See you next time."

Astharoth turned away and waved her hand.

Jeong Yusin tilted his head.

‘See you next time?’

She seemed to expect they’d meet again.

‘Is that really the important part? Get a grip, Yusin.’

Jeong Yusin slapped his cheek and opened the tavern door.

Ding-dong.

The wooden door opened smoothly, and the doorbell rang.

He stepped inside and looked around.

Dim lighting.

People quietly conversing.

An old man was polishing glass cups with a rag behind the antique wooden bar.

Jeong Yusin slowly approached the bar counter.

"Grandpa, is there someone named Max here?"

The old man, who had his hair slicked back, placed the glass on the counter and looked down at Jeong Yusin.

"Who are you?"

"I’m a friend of Max. I came to discuss business."

The old man smiled faintly.

"The smell of blood is overwhelming."

"Don’t worry, I didn’t spill my own blood."

"At least thirty people. No, thirty-one. You killed them all in one blow, huh?"

The old man’s words made Jeong Yusin’s expression turn cold.

"...Where is Max?"

"Room 4 on the 3rd floor. Irlil, show him the way."

"Yes."

A cat beastman approached and stood before Jeong Yusin.

"Follow me."

"Let’s go."

Jeong Yusin followed the cat beastman up the tavern stairs and stood in front of the door to Max’s room.

"Is it here?"

"Yes."

Jeong Yusin opened the door and entered.

Inside, a huge, muscular man was sitting on the couch.

He was over 2 meters tall.

His hair was a brown mess, almost the color of earth.

He was shirtless, with muscles rippling all over his body, radiating heat.

‘Is this Max?’

An ex-mid-level explorer.

His imprint was the "Health Strength" imprint.

It was said that as stamina increased, so did one’s body size and muscle mass. He looked exactly like that.

Jeong Yusin ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) sat down on the couch opposite Max.

"Good evening, Mr. Max."

"Who are you?"

Max asked in a low voice.

"You don’t need to know who I am."

In response, Max picked up a bottle of alcohol and filled a glass.

Chug.

"Kid, I’m not in the mood to talk right now."

Jeong Yusin sunk into the couch.

"Max. Max. Max. Max, you bastard."

"..."

Max silently took a drink and downed it in one go.

Clink.

After setting the glass on the table, Jeong Yusin grabbed the bottle and leaned forward, refilling Max’s glass.

"Boss, I’ve never seen such a foolish doorman in my life."

"Was it Hui? That guy was a bit off his rocker from the drugs. He really messed up in the end."

"And you’re kidnapping pharmacists from the western district? What are you planning to do if things go south? Are you drinking like nothing happened after causing this mess?"

"..."

Max emptied his glass without answering.

Jeong Yusin picked up an apple from the plate and stuck it with a fork, offering it.

"Here, have some snacks."

Max silently accepted it and chewed the apple loudly.

"You eat well."

"I’ve always eaten everything well since I was young."

"That’s bragging. You pig."

"..."

Max glared at Jeong Yusin, then sighed deeply.

"Ugh. Do we really have to do this here?"

"Then where else should we do it?"

"..."

Max took a cigar out of his pocket, lit it with a flint, and tried to light it with a shaky hand.

Click-click.

The spark didn’t take.

Jeong Yusin stood up, grabbed a candle, and held it to the cigar.

Whoosh.

The end of the cigar glowed red as Jeong Yusin sat back down next to the candle.

"Ugh."

Max exhaled smoke.

Jeong Yusin tapped the wooden table with his fingers.

"Drinking, eating apples, smoking a cigar. I bet our friend, the middle-aged guy who smokes a single cigarette before he leaves, is really envious."

Max stared at him with confused eyes.

"Jungu? An explorer?"

"You don’t need to know. You’ll be gone soon too."

Max scratched his head and spoke.

"...Did the butcher, Sky, kill all my subordinates?"

"Yes. Do you know me?"

"Black hair. Red scimitar. The guy who slaughtered all those slave hunters?"

"That’s me."

"Really cruel."

"You shouldn’t have been selling drugs from the start. Forcing people is even worse. That’s why I came to find you."

Max turned his head and looked out the window.

"Yeah. Nothing ever goes as planned. Business, life... it’s all the same."

"..."

"In the East District, why are all these monster-like things crawling around? How many people are trying to tell us what to do? Tch. I’ve wasted my life."

Max, with a cigar in his mouth, looked down at Jeong Yusin.

Jeong Yusin noticed Max’s trembling hand starting to steady.

The boy and the man sat silently, staring into each other’s eyes.

"..."

One.

Two.

Three.

The two men laughed.

Max swung his fist.

Jeong Yusin also swung his fist in return.

[Sacred Weapon]

Attribute enhancement.

Half-Ogre Gauntlet.

The light enveloped Jeong Yusin’s hand, and their fists collided in the center of the tavern.

Boom!!!!

Crash!!!

Bang!!!

The impact of their fists shattered the windows and sent objects flying around the room.

Boom!!!

The two of them leapt out through the tavern’s windows and landed on the busy street.

People on the street stared at Jeong Yusin and Max with wide eyes, but no one ran away. freeweɓnøvel.com

Max grimaced and shook his hands.

"Slaughterer, you really are unreasonable. You take my punch with that body?"

Jeong Yusin silently drew the red scimitar.

The cold blade gleamed in the starlight and lights.

‘What impressive strength. My hands are still shaking.’

His hand on the hilt trembled slightly.

His opponent was overwhelmingly stronger in terms of raw power.

Taking a hit head-on would be a one-time thing.

The difference in their physiques made a strength contest the worst possible strategy.

The solution?

Use his smaller body’s agility to evade Max’s attacks.

While planning his approach, Max charged forward and swung his fist.

A downward blow.

Boom!!!

The wind pressure made Jeong Yusin’s hair fly.

Jeong Yusin dodged, avoiding the punch.

Boom!!!

With Max’s tremendous strength, the road cracked, and stones and dust scattered into the air.

‘Good thing I wore sunglasses.’

If any of that dust had gotten in his eyes, it would’ve been over.

Jeong Yusin gripped the sword’s hilt tightly.

Now that Max’s punch was buried in the ground, it was the perfect opportunity.

A vertical slash.

Swish!!!

The red scimitar sliced through Max’s wrist.

Whoosh!!!

Blood splattered, but Max didn’t flinch.

The feeling from the scimitar was shallow.

The muscles were solid, and part of his strength had diminished.

‘Max is an experienced explorer skilled in various martial arts and wrestling. If he grabs me, it’s over.’

The sweet-nosed friend’s explanation echoed in Jeong Yusin’s mind.

Max brought his arms together and stepped forward.

After two exchanges, he had clearly identified Jeong Yusin’s weaknesses.

Despite his massive body, he quickly closed the distance and swung his fist.

This time, he didn’t throw his full force into it. Instead, he focused on quick, short jabs.

Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang!!!

Jeong Yusin dodged them with quick steps.

Though Max’s fists hit empty air, the pressure felt like explosions, shaking the air.

‘His strength is no joke. If I get hit properly, I’ll die.’

Jeong Yusin’s black hair whipped around as he swung the scimitar.

Whenever he saw an opening, he jabbed and slashed.

Max’s arms were slowly getting covered in blood.

Their fight was like that of a butterfly and a bear.

Jeong Yusin, gracefully avoiding Max’s punches and swinging the red blade, while Max relentlessly threw punches.

Despite the pain, Max continued to relentlessly throw quick punches, waiting for an opening to grab him.

People on the street watched, clearly entertained by the fight, holding their breath.

Even while moving this way and that, one question lingered in Jeong Yusin’s mind.

‘Should I use the Storm Sword or not?’

Was his life in danger right now?

No.

But there was no other way to deal with him.

Dragging it out like this would only increase the risk.

Using Sacred Weapon would only leave him open for more openings.

What should he do?

Jeong Yusin suddenly stopped walking.

Something flashed in his mind.

Can he do it?

He didn’t know.

But he had to try.

Max swung his fist quickly.

Boom!!!

As Jeong Yusin was dodging, he tripped on a stone and staggered.

"Ah!!!"

"Kid!!!"

"Watch out!!!"

People watching screamed.

A rabbit beastman, who had been hawking, closed his eyes tightly.

A slime, wriggling on the street, shuddered, and the harpies flapped their wings.

"It’s over."

Max’s cold voice echoed from above.

Then, his fist came crashing down toward Jeong Yusin’s head.

Boom!!!!

In that life-or-death moment.

Jeong Yusin, still staggering, smiled slyly.

"You think you’ve got me?"