How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 3: Misunderstanding

“Wow, finally!”

Jeong Yushin, who had become a beggar in appearance, shouted in front of the village.

Thinking about the hardships of the past three days, tears welled up in his eyes.

The survival guide his father taught him had been of no help whatsoever.

[Dad, teach me how to make fire.]

[Aah, this is how you make fire. Watch carefully.]

His father stood up, scraping the outer surface of a dry log.

As the rays of light passed over the log, smoke began to rise. His father threw some straw onto the log and stood back, folding his arms. After a moment, flames rose, as if they were waiting for it.

[See, easy right?]

"It’s not easy."

His father’s tough-guy survival guide included many other techniques, but none of them helped.

At night, he had to climb trees to sleep, and during the day, he kept walking. Thankfully, there had been no monster attacks. Perhaps it was because there were so many soldiers patrolling the road? He wasn’t sure.

Jeong Yushin brushed his matted hair aside and approached the village guard.

“Are you from Arentzville?”

The scruffy guard asked.

“Yes.”

“Five coins.”

“Here you go.”

As Jeong Yushin was about to enter ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the village after handing over the coins, the guard raised his hand to stop him.

"Did anything unusual happen on the way here? I’ve heard that slave hunters have been appearing around the roads recently."

The memory of his first arrival in this world flashed before his eyes. Even if he said he had transferred to another world, there was no guarantee that the guard would believe him. Besides, he’d have to make up some story about his identity, and since he didn’t know much, it would be easy for his lie to be exposed.

Wouldn’t it be easier just to deny meeting them?

“No, nothing happened.”

“I see. You seem to have a pretty nice sword. Let me take a look.”

Jeong Yushin handed over his weapon.

The guard drew the sword and held it up to the sunlight.

“Most slave hunters come from the Western Empire. Do you know how they hunt?”

“I don’t.”

A sense of dread slowly started to creep up on him. Should he have just told the truth?

The guard continued to examine the sword while speaking.

“They don’t gather in one place to hunt. Ah! Do you know where the hunting grounds are? This is the Eastern Union territory. They sneak in one by one, pretending to be harmless, pretending to be pilgrims, tricking people while hiding, getting ready for the hunt.”

Jeong Yushin remained silent.

“When they gather individually, it’s hard to tell who’s a hunter, right? That’s why they carve a mark somewhere on their sword. A mark that looks like this.”

The reflection of the sword in the sunlight dazzled him, and for a moment, he had to close his eyes.

Thud.

He felt a cold sensation on his neck.

“Today’s your lucky day. Follow me, you scum.”

The guard grabbed him and dragged him into a building at the corner of the village square.

“Captain, I caught one.”

Inside, there were two people.

A middle-aged man looking over some documents and a person wrapped entirely in a gray robe.

At the guard’s words, the middle-aged man looked up.

“A black-haired one. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a barbarian. Judging by his weak appearance, he must be a half-blood. Most of the information has already been given to him, so it’s not really necessary. Take him to the nearby forest, interrogate him, and dispose of him.”

“No, wait! It’s a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!”

“Where did I misunderstand? Is it that you’re a half-blood?”

“No, it’s the part where you think I’m a slave hunter.”

The middle-aged man briefly stroked his chin.

“Cut him open and kill him. Make it as painful as possible.”

“Wait, wait! I was also captured by slave hunters! The red-haired wolf beastman named Karin saved me!”

Both the middle-aged man and the guard froze.

“You...”

Did they finally realize it? Had his honest plea reached their hearts?

“A barbarian crying. This... is truly rare.”

The middle-aged man looked at Jeong Yushin with astonishment.

Damn.

“I wasn’t crying. My eyes just got a little moist from frustration.”

“That’s what they call luck. Send him off quickly. Tsk.”

“Captain, it seems like he’s the one that was saved by that person, Karin. Shouldn’t we verify this?”

At the guard’s words, Jeong Yushin shouted in agreement.

“That’s right! Please let me meet Karin. She’ll confirm it immediately.”

The middle-aged man sighed.

“Karin is the daughter of the representative of the Beastman Alliance. Someone like you doesn’t get to meet her. Besides, she’s been gone for quite some time. Just go quietly.”

“Is it really okay to kill an innocent person like this?”

“You’ll need at least four soldiers to take him in. But all of them are out patrolling the roads. There’s no one left in the village. And can money just sprout from the ground? No. Will this paperwork for the trip just take care of itself? No. How many people must suffer just because of you? Barbarian, just go quietly.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes reddened as he spoke, growing agitated.

The guard scratched his head and looked at Jeong Yushin.

“I think the captain’s right.”

“I’ll take him with me.”

The person in the gray robe spoke.

“Really?”

The middle-aged man seemed relieved.

“Yes. I need to meet Karin anyway. I’ll help the platoon leader with his tasks. I’ll go.”

“Shimus...”

The middle-aged platoon leader seemed almost speechless, touched by the gesture.

When Shimus, the man in the gray robe, pulled back his hood, his appearance was revealed. He was a middle-aged human with some white in his hair.

He smiled when his eyes met Jeong Yushin’s.

“Well, well, it’s been a while since I traveled with a barbarian.”

“Thank you. I don’t know how to repay this favor.”

The platoon leader immediately stood up and bowed.

“As a follower of the Spirit Church, it’s only natural.”

Shimus waved his hand dismissively, then continued.

“We should leave now.”

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Shimus and Jeong Yushin left the village immediately.

Jeong Yushin was allowed to take his belongings, but his sword was confiscated. Though his hands and feet weren’t bound, it seemed they didn’t want him carrying any weapons.

Jeong Yushin walked along the road. Shimus muttered something to himself, occasionally taking out a strangely shaped necklace from his chest and kissing it.

Aside from when absolutely necessary, Shimus didn’t speak to Jeong Yushin. His earlier claim that it had been a long time since traveling with a barbarian seemed meaningless now.

Jeong Yushin didn’t have anything to say either, so they walked in silence.

For breakfast, Jeong Yushin casually admired the wildflowers growing along the road.

For lunch, they rested under the shade of a large old tree beside the road.

For dinner, they gazed at the vast horizon of the plain, watching the setting sun on the other side.

The journey remained strange and silent until the fourth day after leaving the village.

It was that evening, while sitting in a corner of an abandoned ruin on the highland and chewing on jerky, when something unusual happened.

Shimus looked up.

“Monsters.”

“Eh! What should I do?”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a few goblins.”

Shimus stood up from his seat.

Chikik!

Kreee.

About thirty goblins, having gathered, approached the light from the campfire.

Shimus, smiling, stood up.

"Looks like they let their guard down because there are only two of us. Normally, they just shoot arrows from the darkness. You stay still."

Kyaa!!

The goblins all screamed and charged together.

As Shimus threw off his gray robe, his black priestly attire became visible. He clenched his fist and assumed a stance, and a strange, intense aura enveloped him.

Bang!!

The sound of a drum came from the goblin’s stomach as it was pierced by something. A large hole appeared, and the goblin fell.

Jeong Yushin’s eyes widened.

The punch was so fast that he missed it entirely.

And the destructive force that made a hole in the goblin’s stomach.

Whooosh!!

Shimus’ low kick landed like a whip, striking the goblin’s shoulder. The goblin was slammed into the ground, crushed.

The ten goblins charging straight ahead froze. They seemed to realize something, but it was already too late.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The priest’s light jabs cracked the goblins’ skulls. The goblins screamed and tried to flee into the darkness, but...

“Stop.”

Shimus spoke calmly.

The goblins froze in place, unable to move.

Jeong Yushin realized that the strange, dangerous aura Shimus had been emitting was what had trapped the goblins in place.

Shimus raised his finger and cut a line through the air.

The goblins’ heads cleanly fell off, dropping to the ground with a thud.

Jeong Yushin gaped at the scene.

“Crazy.”

It immediately dawned on him.

The reason they hadn’t bound his hands and feet.

Shimus’ words earlier, telling him to try running if he wanted to.

When Shimus could slice off monster necks as easily as pulling out coins from a pocket, handcuffs and restraints didn’t mean a thing.

The only reason he was still alive was one thing:

Shimus didn’t want his head.

“Ugh!”

The sight before him, the smell of blood, made Jeong Yushin’s stomach churn. He quickly brought the water pouch to his mouth.

Glug, glug.

“Phew.”

“Barbarian.”

At Shimus’ words, Jeong Yushin snapped back to his senses.

“Yes, yes, sir.”

Shimus smiled faintly.

“You should wash your hands. Pour me some water.”

“Yes.”

Jeong Yushin poured the water from his canteen into Shimus’ hands.

“Barbarian. Are you trembling?”

It was true. His hands were shaking, which caused the canteen to tremble, and the water spilled out.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I won’t apologize.”

“Ha, a barbarian trembling. This will be an interesting journey.”

Shimus shook his hands to dry them and then returned to the campfire.

Jeong Yushin trembled.

What in the world was a barbarian?

He limped toward the campfire and sat down. The smell of blood lingered in the air.

He remembered the day Karin left. The night he spent alone in the cart, smelling the blood.

Shhh.

A strange wind brushed past him, and the scent of blood seemed to vanish.

“The spirit of the wind, huh? I’ve sent the smell of blood up, so it’ll fade a bit. We’ll have to leave early tomorrow.”

“Don’t you think we should move the camp somewhere else?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Well, if he said so. He wrapped himself in the blanket and closed his eyes.

His heart was still pounding from the horrifying scene.

‘Will I be able to sleep?’