How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 21: Level up

"Jeong Yusin lay on the relief center bed after a chaotic morning.

Dito’s body had been removed. The blood splattered on the floor had been cleaned up completely. There was only the lingering smell of blood.

He had intended to ask to change his spot, but the fear of the charges stopped him.

Jeong Yusin spent the dawn wide awake. As the sun rose, he went downstairs to check on the condition of his party members. Unfortunately, Del and Ainhopper were still unconscious.

Carlton, in poor health, said he would stay a bit longer at the relief center.

Before leaving, Jeong Yusin bowed deeply to Carlton.

"I'm sorry. I think I went a little crazy yesterday."

The shock of the unexpected assassination and his first murder mixed together.

On top of that, the overwhelming fatigue and Luke's threats added fuel to the fire.

In short, he wasn't in his right mind. He had tried to kill Carlton.

Apologizing was the right thing to do.

No matter the reason, they had fought together as party members.

They had shed blood and sweat in the same place.

Carlton, with a faint smile, patted Jeong Yusin's shoulder.

"It's alright. Honestly, I should be the one apologizing. I should have told you earlier. Pathetic."

For the worthless explorers, there was one more option besides retirement and heading to the labyrinth.

Illegal work.

From distributing banned items to kidnapping, assassination, and theft, there was a wide range of jobs.

Since the pay was decent, many worthless explorers were involved in these illegal activities.

After hearing Carlton’s explanation, Jeong Yusin nodded.

"Then, Dito too?"

"That's right. He must have gotten an assignment somewhere. Pathetic."

He tasted bitterness in his mouth. He wanted to ask more, but Carlton's condition seemed dire. He looked like he could collapse at any moment.

"Then I’ll go first. Let's talk later after you get some rest."

"Alright. Pathetic."

As Jeong Yusin left the relief center, he saw a crowd basking in the morning sunlight. The relief center was close to the transition zone of the Great Labyrinth.

"Sigh."

Jeong Yusin sighed and walked in the opposite direction of the crowd.

He had lost all his equipment and belongings.

All he had left was his body.

The investigation team had saved his life, but they seemed to have no obligation to return his belongings.

The only thing he had earned from this labyrinth trip was 3 silver coins.

That too, as debt.

He trudged to the inn where Dalmong was.

"I'm back. Dalmong."

Dalmong's face peeked out from the kitchen.

"You've returned alive. Wait a moment."

Jeong Yusin sat at an empty table.

A moment later, Dalmong came out from the kitchen, holding a tray of food.

"Eat. You look half-dead."

Jeong Yusin looked down at the food on the tray.

It was a creamy soup full of meat, buttered rye bread, and a wooden cup filled with steaming milk.

"I..."

"Just eat."

Encouraged by Dalmong’s strong insistence, Jeong Yusin began to eat. Only after the warm food entered his stomach did he realize that his body had been cold and numb.

He swallowed the soup and tore off some bread, putting it into his mouth. He ate slowly, fully feeling the warmth of the food.

Dalmong silently watched him.

After finishing with the warm milk, Jeong Yusin deeply bowed his head.

"Thank you. Dalmong. I’m alive."

Why had he said he was alive?

He muttered words he couldn't understand himself.

"Yeah."

"Boss!! Two servings of breakfast here!"

Two humans sitting at a different table called out loudly.

Dalmong stood up and said.

"Get some rest for now. We’ll talk at dinner."

"Yes."

Looking around, there were quite a few people bustling about. It was strange but somewhat understandable to see explorers, who had gotten up early, stopping by here.

'It was delicious. No hair.'

Now that Dalmong's shedding was over, more and more people would gather.

He went upstairs and opened the door to his room.

The room was gloomy.

It hit him hard that he had lost both his belongings and equipment in the labyrinth.

The only thing left on his body was a tattered hard leather armor.

The remaining items were a longsword and 2 silver coins he had saved as backup.

After deducting the medical fees at the relief center, he was in the red with a deficit of 1 silver coin.

"I don't care."

After eating warm food, drowsiness started to overcome him.

'I should just sleep. Honestly, the relief center was too cold.'

He took off his armor and changed clothes.

Jeong Yusin threw himself onto the bed, rubbing his body into the soft bedding, and fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes to the morning air, he saw the asphalt road.

"...Where is this?"

It was a familiar place.

Turning around, he saw the neon sign of a convenience store glowing in the distance.

It was the place just before he was transported to the other world.

Had he returned?

"Ahahaha."

The sudden return left him dumbfounded.

What had all the hardships been for?

He sank down in despair.

Had it all been a nightmare?

He looked up again at the convenience store.

This wasn’t right. He had to run to the convenience store, buy snacks, and head home.

He shook off the strange feeling and stood up.

He wanted to buy a bottle of cola and drink it all in one go. He missed the refreshing feeling hitting his throat and the sweet taste of sugar.

And how about the spicy and hot broth of ramen?

His mouth watered.

"Potato chips. I’ll eat every type. Just wait."

He walked toward the convenience store.

On the way, Jeong Yusin noticed an open manhole. The lid was gone.

Drawn by something, he approached.

Looking down, he couldn’t see anything. Naturally, it was pitch dark in the sewer, especially since it was night.

"Get up."

A voice rose from the sewer.

"What!"

Jeong Yusin jumped back in shock. A strange sensation gripped his body. A twisting feeling started deep within his stomach and spread throughout his body.

"Get up."

Black fog slowly rose from the sewer.

Jeong Yusin immediately turned around and ran toward the convenience store.

But the black fog was faster. It grabbed hold of him.

"Let go!! Let go of this!!"

He struggled with all his might, but the fog slowly tightened its grip around his body.

It twisted and crushed his whole body.

Screaming in pain and agony, Jeong Yusin’s eyes snapped wide open. A familiar ceiling entered his view.

Was he at home?

No.

It was Dalmong's inn.

Bang!!

The door burst open, and Dalmong entered.

"Skah! What’s going on?"

"Ah... I had a nightmare."

At Jeong Yusin's hesitant answer, Dalmong crossed his arms.

"Hmm. Anyway, come downstairs. We have a guest."

Dalmong left the room.

'A guest?'

Who could be visiting?

He looked down at his body. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

But in contrast, his body was filled with strange vitality.

His body had changed. He felt it in his instinctive realm.

‘It could be a new imprint. But I didn’t feel the release. Maybe because I lost consciousness?’

He had questions but had to deal with what was more urgent.

He wiped his body with a towel and left the room.

When he went downstairs, he saw unfamiliar people.

A tall, handsome blonde man.

A mysterious and beautiful elf woman.

A female beastman with sharp ears and a piercing gaze.

And finally, a girl priest in white clothes.

A typical harem party.

The inn’s people were staring at the women in awe, unable to take their eyes off them.

The harem party was sitting at the same table as Dalmong.

The blonde man waved his hand when he saw Jeong Yusin.

"This way! Barbaroi!"

Jeong Yusin swept his sweaty hair aside and walked over to the table. The blonde man smiled broadly at him.

"Are you alright? I heard screams from upstairs?"

His friendly tone made Jeong Yusin scratch his head.

He couldn’t figure out who this person was to be acting so familiar.

"A nightmare. But I’m fine now."

"Ah! Did you know?!"

"What do you mean by 'know'?"

"Level up! After killing so many goblins, it’s no surprise you leveled up."

Dalmong interjected.

"Explorers call it leveling up, but it’s actually called magic adaptation. When you kill monsters, the unique magical particles they have accumulate in your body, and this changes your physical condition. Strength, coordination, reflexes, magical sensitivity... various abilities improve."

Jeong Yusin was taken aback.

It was a new term he had never learned in the explorer /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ guild.

"What? Even Barbaroi should know this much. It's not a strange phenomenon that only happens in the labyrinth. Weird."

The blonde man looked at him like he was some rare animal. Jeong Yusin ignored him, still curious about something else.

"So, does leveling up cause nightmares?"

At Jeong Yusin's question, Dalmong answered.

"The effects during leveling up vary so much that I can’t say for sure. Some people do have nightmares, but it’s rare. Usually, it's just a change. The common feature is a strong vitality and a feeling of omnipotence after the change."

‘Damn. Leveling up is a hassle.’

But still, he felt good. He had gotten stronger. The strong vitality he had felt from his body earlier still lingered inside him.

"But who are you?"

At Jeong Yusin's question, the blonde man gave him a bewildered look, pointing to himself.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Don’t you know me? Don’t you know our party?"

"Yes."

"Haahhh."

The blonde man put a hand to his forehead.

‘What a tiresome guy.’

Bang!!

The blonde man pulled out a leather pouch from his chest and placed it on the table.

A muffled sound came from the pouch.

"To put it simply, we are the rising star of the explorer guild, 'Golden Dawn.' I’m Zeke Lionel, a mid-level explorer! Remember that."

‘A party with a name. Is it an official party?’

"Yes. But why are you here?"

"...You should at least show some respect. I saved your life."

"Saved my life? Were you part of the labyrinth investigation team?"

"Yes. This is our reward from the guild."

Zeke pointed to the leather pouch.

Seeing the heavy pouch, Jeong Yusin’s heart started racing.

He touched the pouch with trembling hands.

"...Is this all silver coins?"

"No, not all of it."

"Ah."

A regretful sigh escaped him.

He wanted to open the pouch right away and count the money, but there was something he needed to do first.

Jeong Yusin stood up and bowed his head.

"Thank you. If it wasn’t for ‘Golden Dawn,’ I wouldn’t have survived."

Zeke waved his hand.

"It was nothing."

"Should I share some of the reward with you?"

The words came out of his mouth without thinking.

"No. We received it from the guild. By the way, the other party members also received their rewards, so there’s no need to share."

"But why did you give me a reward? I’m happy, but I don’t understand."

"Because you hunted over 100 hobgoblins and even took down a hobgoblin warrior."

"But I didn’t have any proof of the hunt?"

"We testified for you."

"I see."

Jeong Yusin accepted it. Honestly, he didn’t care. All that mattered was the heavy leather pouch.

"Ah! I almost forgot to tell you the reward amount. 40 silver coins and 48 gold coins for the bounty."

"Ugh. Thank you."

Jeong Yusin hugged the leather pouch and rubbed his face. The three women stared at him with an expression of disgust, but he didn’t care at all.

The rough texture!

He was so happy.

‘Damn!! This is life.’

He had lost his backpack and all his equipment, barely saving his life when rescued from the labyrinth. He had felt so desperate.

Now, he wasn’t worried about working to get more gear.

The girl priest stood up.

"Let’s go now. I think we’re done here."

Zeke smiled wryly and stood up.

"Shall we? Then we’ll meet again later. Dalmong, and you too, Barbaroi."

"Take care."

Zeke and his group left the inn.

Jeong Yusin stayed seated, still rubbing the leather pouch. Dalmong smiled lightly at him.

"That good?"

"Yes. I thought I’d have to work for a year, but this is a relief. Also, I have something to tell you."

"Yeah? Then let’s talk after closing time."

"Should I help you?"

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"No. Wait a bit. Have a drink."

"Hehe. Sure."

Time passed, and one by one, people started leaving. Some went upstairs to their rooms, and others seemed to have come just to eat.

Once everyone had gone, the inn door was locked.

The only ones left were Jeong Yusin and Dalmong.

"So, you have something to say?"

Dalmong, sitting at the table, spoke up. Jeong Yusin picked up the bottle of liquor and poured some into Dalmong's glass.

"Yes."