How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 32: Truce

Joo Hyuk grabbed his sword.

'Just block two places: the neck and the heart.'

He was well aware of his lack of skill.

There was only one method.

Give up the flesh, and take the bone.

Muttering to himself, he looked at Karin.

At that moment, Karin's ears perked up.

"You're lucky. Barbarian."

Karin smirked and took a few steps back, letting go of her dagger.

Her gaze shifted beyond Joo Hyuk.

Joo Hyuk also let go of his sword and took a few steps back.

He turned his head and looked toward the cave's exit.

In the distance, a torch flickered.

Someone was approaching.

Seeing Karin stand still, he figured at least they weren’t enemies.

After waiting for a moment in the open space, three people emerged from the outside.

Their faces were familiar.

They were members of Karin's party.

Gilsian spotted Karin and ran toward her.

"Karin!!"

"Is it just our party? Where are the others?"

"A new monster has appeared on the fourth floor. A high-level scout party has gone out to stop it, but since it will take some time, our party and Captain Hans's team came first."

"I see. What kind of monster is it?"

"It looks like a centipede."

"Is that all?"

"I couldn’t get a good look, had to come quickly."

"Tch."

Karin clicked her tongue and glared at Joo Hyuk.

Joo Hyuk met her gaze.

'Karin, what are you going to do?'

Would she call the party to deal with him?

Or would she bury the conflict and pass quietly?

Karin let out a long breath through her nose and turned away.

She chose to put the dispute aside for now.

"Looks like Hans’s party was sent to another area. Let's go to the city. We can meet up there."

"Understood."

Gilsian answered and took the lead.

Joo Hyuk grabbed his belongings and stood at the back of the party.

Roynel sneaked up beside him and whispered softly.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes."

He decided to put the dispute with Karin aside for now.

The party was back together, and that was enough to accomplish his goal.

At least for now.

Joo Hyuk suppressed his emotions.

Karin's sharp and obsessive aura seemed to soften with the return of the party members.

It was different from when they had been alone, detached from the group. Perhaps she # Nоvеlight # had found some semblance of ease.

Maybe Karin had been anxious, too.

'Let’s just do what we have to do.'

He adjusted the heavy load on his back and followed the party.

The party left the open space and descended a slope.

As they went lower, the view of the city gradually disappeared, and only the towering castle walls could be seen.

After leaving the open area, they reached the ground. In the distance, the majestic castle walls came into view.

Ahiman, standing next to Joo Hyuk, muttered something in an unintelligible language.

His eyes were fixed on the city, and a flush crept across his face.

Joo Hyuk asked him.

"Is something enjoyable happening?"

Ahiman turned to look at Joo Hyuk.

His eyes had turned completely black.

"Umtahushi Soryohumta."

'What is he saying?'

"Enjoyable? Yes. Understood."

Roynel, who had been walking right ahead, turned and gave Ahiman a quick glance before speaking.

"Don’t mind him. Mystics can be like that sometimes."

"Why is that?"

"They say it happens when their connection with the gods deepens. When divine power settles in their body, their tongue gets twisted. Not sure about the details. You can ask Ahiman later."

"Got it."

Ahiman continued staring at Joo Hyuk.

Joo Hyuk had nothing more to say, so he gave Ahiman a thumbs-up and smiled.

Karin’s party walked across land barren of any vegetation.

The city was farther than it seemed, and it took quite a while to arrive.

As they got closer to the castle walls, the huge gates came into view.

Karin’s party stood before the massive gates.

"Wow. That’s huge."

Joo Hyuk was stunned by the size of the gates, his mouth slightly agape.

The gates were so high that one had to crane their neck to see the top.

Made of metal, the gates were slightly open.

Gilsian stopped just before entering the gates.

Karin, standing behind him, asked.

"Why?"

"...Never mind."

Gilsian mumbled and walked through the gates.

Once inside, the gothic-style architecture filled the area.

Sharp, angular stone buildings.

Between the buildings, narrow alleyways stretched out like spider webs.

The city was eerily quiet, and not even a rat could be seen on the wide main road.

"This is strange."

Roynel muttered.

"What's strange?"

"Hobgoblins."

Roynel’s face, illuminated by the torch, looked tense.

"Let’s find a place to rest. It’s been too long."

Karin said.

Karin's party entered an alley and found a small house to take shelter in.

The inside of the house was quiet.

Dust had piled up on the table and chairs. Still, someone must have used the fireplace recently as remnants of firewood scattered around.

The party members started tidying up and sat around the fireplace.

Joo Hyuk unpacked his gear and pulled out a blanket to cover the window.

"We’re not lighting a fire this time."

Karin said.

Joo Hyuk nodded and fixed the torch he had received from Gilsian inside the fireplace.

"Will we use alarm magic?"

Ahiman asked. His words were clear, though there was an excited tone to them.

"We will, but someone needs to keep watch. We never know."

"Understood."

In front of the dimly glowing fireplace, the party members began eating in silence.

Whether it was exhaustion or tension, or each person lost in their thoughts, no one spoke.

Joo Hyuk also rummaged through his belongings and pulled out food.

The menu consisted of jerky and biscuits. These were things that Dalmong had packed.

Joo Hyuk picked up a biscuit.

The shape of the biscuit was a bit unusual.

‘A bear?’

He chuckled softly.

Roynel suddenly spat out his food.

The party members all turned to look at Roynel.

Roynel coughed a few times, as though he had choked.

"Heh. Nothing, nothing."

At Roynel's words, the party members turned their heads and continued eating.

Roynel started giggling.

Was he going mad? Laughing at a time like this?

Joo Hyuk asked indifferently.

"Is it that funny? Let’s all laugh."

Roynel quickly stopped laughing.

"Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not that funny."

A moment later, Roynel resumed laughing quietly.

Joo Hyuk asked.

"What's so funny? Let’s laugh together."

"You wouldn’t understand."

'Is he joking?'

A chill ran down Joo Hyuk's spine.

He looked around, and the atmosphere felt off.

Gilsian was staring intently at the bear-shaped biscuit in Joo Hyuk’s hand.

"Would you like one?"

Joo Hyuk waved the biscuit at Gilsian.

"...I’ll take just one."

Gilsian quietly stepped over and quickly snatched the bear-shaped biscuit.

Seeing this, Ahiman spoke.

"Ingkaritu Ahuyam."

"Yes. Here, one for you."

Joo Hyuk handed Ahiman a bear-shaped biscuit as well.

Even in this situation, they were still after the bear biscuits. These people really had a strong focus.

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Maybe it was because they were mid-tier scouts.

Or perhaps they believed they would meet Hans’s party soon.

Since they had reached the fifth floor, they naturally assumed Hans’s party would be here too.

Joo Hyuk stopped his thoughts and took a bite of the biscuit, chewing slowly.

It was sweet, likely because Dalmong had added a lot of honey.

Joo Hyuk glanced at Karin.

Karin seemed to be deep in thought, staring down at the ground.

"Karin, would you like one?"

Joo Hyuk offered the biscuit.

"No thanks."

Karin looked up, coldly refusing.

‘She’s really mad.’

He didn’t think he said anything wrong, but it seemed his words had hurt her pride quite a bit.

His heart was big enough to offer his hand first.

Joo Hyuk licked the bear-shaped biscuit and said.

"Chomp chomp. It's sweet. Really not interested?"

Karin glanced at Joo Hyuk's licking tongue.

Her face turned slightly red.

Why was she giving in to this man?

Just hours ago, they were glaring at each other, ready to kill.

But now, looking at his tongue, her boiling anger calmed down.

This man’s scent was also different from others.

It was comforting and familiar.

And seductive.

She surely thought there must be some trick involved.

Could it be a mark?

Karin’s expression stiffened slightly.

‘No matter what, I won’t lose. I’m the daughter of the Beastman Union’s representative. I will overcome this.’

Karin steeled herself.

"Give it to me."

Karin snatched the biscuit from Joo Hyuk’s hand and popped it into her mouth.

'That was the one I licked.'

Joo Hyuk turned his head.

Roynel was staring at him intently.

"Would you like one?"

"No, I don’t like sweet things."

Dinner ended.

The group drew lots to decide the watch duty.

Lastly, the alarm magic.

Ahiman closed his eyes and began the incantation.

Strange words flowed from his mouth.

Gilsian still looked uneasy, his body trembling.

Joo Hyuk closed his eyes.

From the corner of his mind, he heard scratching noises, but it was much more bearable than before.

When the incantation ended, Ahiman opened his eyes.

"It’s done."

Joo Hyuk wrapped himself in his cloak and flopped onto the floor. The wooden floor smelled musty, but it wasn’t damp or cold.

‘Not bad, I guess.’

He reassured himself and closed his eyes.

The rustling sound made Joo Hyuk open his eyes.

He got up and saw the party members packing their things.

The party members looked exhausted.

Though they had laughed for a moment yesterday, lying down with his eyes closed, the tension and fear slowly crawled up their backs and squeezed their hearts.

They had crossed the black portal for the first time.

Fortunately, they had reached the fifth floor, but things felt different.

The heavy air and silent atmosphere of the underground city rang an alarm in their minds.

The party members, including Joo Hyuk, turned restlessly, unable to sleep soundly.

The party members, with bloodshot eyes, finished packing their gear and gathered around the fireplace to eat.

Roynel spoke up.

"Shouldn’t we consider other paths?"

His voice was raspy, probably from breathing in dust.

"The teleporter in the central zone is the quickest route."

Karin replied.

"We also need other plans. The teleporter there isn’t the only one."

There were three teleporters on the fifth floor.

The one in the central zone led to the 'Hallway' area.

Further into the city, another teleporter led to the 'Forest' area.

Finally, another teleporter, located underground, could take them to the 'Sewers' area.

Each of these three zones was governed by different 'rules.'

The nearest teleporter was in the central zone. But Roynel had another suggestion.

"Where are we going?"

"The 'Forest' area isn’t bad either. If we quietly pass the outskirts of the city, we can safely move on to the next tier."

Gilsian interrupted.

"Did you forget? We’re an investigation team sent by the guild and the council. We’re obligated to find out what’s happening in this creepy city."

Ahiman nodded as if agreeing with Gilsian.

"Gilsian’s right. Karin, Roynel, don’t forget your mission. Rushing isn’t always the best choice."

Karin scowled and alternated her gaze between Gilsian and Ahiman.

"Do you sense something? Tell me."

Gilsian fiddled with his helmet.

"To be honest, I felt a power similar to the mystic’s magic."

Ahiman added his voice.

"Though it’s different, it’s definitely a power from another realm."

Karin sighed.

"I see. Then let’s walk slowly through the city and find out more. Is everyone ready?"

The party members nodded.

Karin’s party left their camp and entered the streets.

The dark and desolate streets were completely silent.

They wandered around the streets for hours but didn’t come across anything of note.

After spending a full day, they had scoured the southern district of the city.

They found nothing.

Hans's party was nowhere to be found.

Karin’s party returned to their previous shelter.

After hours of tossing and turning with their eyes wide open, they headed back out again.

As time passed, the faces of the party members, except for Ahiman, grew increasingly grim.

It wasn’t common for hobgoblins to appear on the main street. Many explorers passed through here. But this silence was strange.

"This is too quiet," Karin murmured.

No one answered her. But their thoughts were all the same.

The strange silence didn’t end when they reached the central district; it only grew heavier.

‘We’re really in trouble now.’

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Joo Hyuk’s neck.

This didn’t feel right.

‘Something big’s coming? Oh, please.’

He knew dangerous things were ahead. Still, he had chosen to participate as a porter.

Why?

‘How could I resist gold coins?’

He also wanted to know what was really going on in the labyrinth.

He trusted the strength of the mid-tier scouts.

He trusted their experience in exploring the unknown.

After weighing the conditions, he made his decision.

He figured they wouldn’t die with the high-tier scout party involved, but now things were looking bad.

The careful calculations began to unravel the moment they were swallowed by the black portal.

Soon, the party members arrived at a large square.

The Central Plaza.

A statue with a collapsed upper half stood proudly in the center of the square.

Surrounding the statue were hundreds of people and hobgoblins, all looking up at the underground ceiling.

The explorers who had disappeared until now.

The hobgoblins who hadn’t been seen.

They were all there.

‘Ah.’

Joo Hyuk didn’t know what it was, but one thing was clear.

‘We’re screwed.’