How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 6: Demon Dismantling Center

"Late in the evening, Darmong sat at the inn's counter, resting his chin on his hand. The few remaining customers had already left, and those staying for the night had already gone to bed.

Clunk!

The door opened, and Jeong Yushin staggered in with a wobbling gait.

Like an octopus, he flopped down into the chair across from Darmong.

“Darmong, give me a drink,” he slurred.

“It’s past business hours.”

“I can’t sleep like this.”

Darmong clicked his tongue and retrieved a bottle from the shelf, pouring a small amount into a glass. Jeong Yushin, with trembling hands, took the glass and poured it down his throat. The fire of the alcohol spread down his esophagus and filled his stomach. As the warmth spread, the pain that had been gnawing at his body subsided a little.

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‘Will I be able to wake up tomorrow?’

Jeong Yushin thought seriously.

“Tonight’s on the house. From tomorrow, it’s two silver coins per drink.”

“Two silver coins for this little glass?”

“It’s expensive liquor.”

‘It just tasted like soju.’

Jeong Yushin smacked his lips and got up from his seat.

“Then I’ll head to bed first.”

He was too tired to chat any longer.

“Alright.”

Jeong Yushin entered his room and collapsed onto the bed.

“Ugh.”

He let out a strange sound and passed out cold.

A month passed.

Jeong Yushin’s routine was monotonous.

He woke up, spat out the fur of a bear-man beast he had in his mouth, and had breakfast.

Then, he headed to the monster dissection workshop.

After draining the blood of the monsters delivered that day, he skinned them and removed their flesh and innards.

The monsters varied in size. Some were small, like goblins, while others were massive, easily surpassing six tons.

Jeong Yushin looked at the enormous monster carcass and clicked his tongue.

“How on earth do you catch a monster like this?”

The decadent elf supervisor gave a simple answer.

“Skill.”

After a brief break for lunch, he went back to work in the afternoon.

In the evening, he changed out of his work clothes, washed the blood off in the shower at the dissection workshop, and then gathered with the others to eat.

The location was unusual—it was in the corner of the dissection workshop’s front yard.

Meat sizzled on the grill.

The meat was leftover from the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ monster dissection, and the charcoal was sourced from the nearby forge.

For almost a month, they had grilled meat and eaten this way every evening.

The dissection workshop staff shared the alcohol they had brought.

“Here, new guy, have a drink.”

The senior dissection worker, Malron, handed him a bottle.

“Thank you.”

It was a dwarf-made strong liquor. After just one sip, his stomach felt warm.

“Is the work manageable?” Malron asked, looking at Jeong Yushin.

Jeong Yushin looked at his hands.

His hands were covered in scars and hardened calluses.

They were no longer soft and supple like before.

Moreover, during today’s work, he had nearly lost a finger. If not for the elf supervisor’s healing magic, he would have had to rush to the doctor with a nearly severed finger in his hand.

After seeing Shimus’s spirit magic, he thought he’d be less impressed, but he was wrong.

Magic was always fascinating.

Jeong Yushin raised his head.

“Yes. It’s manageable.”

Malron laughed loudly.

“I like you! How about we go have a drink somewhere else?”

“No.”

The elf supervisor interjected sharply.

“The new guy is to head back to the inn as soon as the meal is over. Darmong is waiting for him eagerly, like a newlywed waiting for his bride.”

“Yes.”

The elf’s mouth twisted into a slight smile.

“Heh. To think Darmong is waiting so eagerly.”

The elf suddenly burst out laughing.

???

He was laughing at his own words.

Jeong Yushin and Malron watched in silence as the elf laughed.

Malron snapped out of it and clicked his tongue.

“What a waste. We should have a drink next time when we get the chance.”

“Sounds good.”

Jeong Yushin took a piece of the sizzling meat and chewed it. Even though it was only seasoned with coarse salt, the meat filled his mouth with a savory flavor, with no gamey smell.

‘Alcohol and meat. This is the real deal.’

Two months passed. The routine remained the same.

Except for a few changes.

First, the elf supervisor started calling him by name. Though it was a fake name.

“Ska, there’s no need to overthink it. You can’t eat the gargoyle. Just gently peel off its skin.”

Jeong Yushin tried to stab his knife in, but the skin was so tough that it wouldn’t go in.

Seeing this, Malron stepped in.

“No, don’t use too much force. Do it gently, like on your first night with a virgin. Nice and gentle.”

Slap!!

The elf supervisor slapped Malron’s cheek.

Thud.

Malron fell sideways, holding his cheek, staring at the supervisor with a bewildered expression.

“Malron, are you seriously using such a vulgar analogy?”

“Sorry.”

The three men fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, the elf supervisor started chuckling.

“Heh, first night with a virgin, huh. I can’t take it.”

Eventually, a loud laugh erupted. Malron, rubbing his cheek, also laughed. Jeong Yushin couldn’t bring himself to laugh.

‘Is this elf crazy?’

What part of that was funny?

He gave up thinking about it.

Jeong Yushin shook his head and focused on the gargoyle.

Another change was in Jeong Yushin’s insight.

When he looked at the wounds on a monster, he could identify the vital points.

There were many battle wounds, but the fatal ones were always the same.

He brushed the gargoyle’s chest. There was a small hole in the spot where the scales were missing.

A vital point.

This was the third time he had dissected a gargoyle, and each time there had been a hole in the same place on its chest.

He asked Malron and got confirmation.

He also guessed why Darmong had sent him here.

Money aside, wasn’t it to help him improve his insight?

The tsundere bear-man wouldn’t admit it, but still.

The last change was in his body.

He had gained some muscle on his previously thin frame, and his jawline had become a little sharper.

His stamina had increased significantly compared to before.

The steady carnivorous diet, the intense labor, and the consistent lifestyle had brought about this change.

Swoosh.

Finally, the knife pierced the skin. But the real challenge began now.

It was a delicate task to slowly cut the skin with consistent force to create boundaries.

His arms were shaking, and his face was drenched in sweat.

If he used too much force, the knife would veer off course, and the boundaries would become distorted. If he peeled off the skin following the distorted lines, the shape would be off, and the merchants would lower the purchase price. It would be a loss for the dissection workshop.

But he couldn’t ease up either. If he didn’t put enough force, the knife wouldn’t move forward, and the work would slow down, ultimately leading to a loss for the dissection workshop.

“Phew.”

After struggling for a while, he finally created the boundaries.

Jeong Yushin wiped the sweat from his forehead. The rest was easy. He just had to slide the knife between the skin and the flesh and gently scrape it off.

It was similar to the work of inserting a needle between a toe and pulling out the toenails.

After completing all the steps, Jeong Yushin sat down.

“Slow.”

The elf supervisor’s words made Jeong Yushin scratch his sweat-soaked head.

“Still, this should be enough for one person’s share.”

At the elf’s next words, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Wow, to think you’re skinning a gargoyle after two months. You’re a newbie with talent. My insight wasn’t wrong.”

Malron puffed his chest proudly.

“Why are you so proud? It’s my insight that discovered Ska.”

‘They didn’t expect much from me anyway,’ Jeong Yushin grumbled inwardly.

Three months passed.

There were no noticeable changes.

He became more accustomed to the dissection work.

His muscles had grown, and his stamina had increased further.

If there was any gain, it was that he learned the elf supervisor’s name.

Aldein Ashwood.

Darmong had reluctantly told him.

It sounded crazy, but sometimes this tsundere bear-man could be cute.

It was probably the influence of the eccentric sense of humor of the one-eyed elf supervisor.

The night after skinning the twin-headed ogre, the elf supervisor approached.

“Ska, today’s your last day. Take this.”

Jeong Yushin looked up from chewing the meat on the grill.

Aldein handed him leather gauntlets and leather boots reinforced with iron.

“Thank you.”

“Here are ten silver coins. I added a little more.”

“Wow! Thank you.”

“Thank your thanks to Darmong.”

Aldein turned quickly and went back to his spot.

“Hey! New guy, too bad. It’s not much, but take it.”

Dwarf Malron handed him a bottle of dwarf liquor and a note.

“My cousin runs a forge. If you mention my name, they’ll give you a discount.”

“Thank you, Malron.”

“Yeah. A dungeon explorer... you’re a friend dreaming a hard dream. Stay strong.”

“Yes. I’ll work hard.”

Malron smiled, gave Jeong Yushin a pat on the back, and returned to his seat.

After dinner, the dissection workshop staff left, giving Jeong Yushin words of encouragement.

“Ska, if you quit exploring, come back.”

“Yeah. If you lose an arm, come back and I’ll take you.”

“You guys! Stop saying crazy stuff. Ska, honestly, I thought the city guards would come find you for a rape charge, but that never happened. I admit it. You’re a good barbarian who doesn’t rape. I hope we meet again with smiles.”

‘You’re the craziest one.’

Jeong Yushin smiled and saw them off. The last one, Aldein, escorted him out.

“If you need help, call me.”

“Yes. Anytime.”

He walked toward the inn under the evening streetlights.

It was tough, but he felt proud.

He had earned ten silver coins in a month. After working for three months, with all the money he had collected, he now had over thirty silver coins—a small fortune.

And with the gauntlets and boots, he could save on equipment costs and start exploring the labyrinth with relative comfort.

A tune hummed involuntarily.

As he entered the inn, Darmong was there.

“I’m back.”

“I heard today’s your last day.”

“Did Aldein tell you?”

“Yes. Here’s your ID.”

Darmong handed him a metal plate. It felt warm, as though it had been kept close to his body.

“So, are you planning to buy equipment and head straight into the labyrinth?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a class for new explorers at a nearby branch. Go take that class first.”

“Yes?”

“The great labyrinth is a dangerous place. Preparation must always be thorough. Don’t rely on luck.”

Darmong gave a bitter smile.

“Darmong, were you an explorer?”

“Did you just figure that out?”

“I had my suspicions. Well, I’ll take the class first.”

Jeong Yushin decided to follow the bear-man’s advice.

There was another reason too.

The countless monster corpses he had seen at the dissection workshop.

Even though they were corpses, their grotesque, bizarre, and massive forms had overwhelmed him several times.

Courage alone wasn’t enough.

He had to gather information and prepare for the worst. But he was skeptical about how helpful the class provided by the explorer guild would be.

If he paid five silver coins for the class and it turned out to be useless?

He’d be so pissed.

How hard had he worked to gather that money?

Originally, he planned to listen to the talks of the explorers at the tavern or buy drinks for senior explorers to get information.

But he had just discarded that plan.

He abandoned the doubts about the class and the plan to gather information through alcohol.

He trusted the bear-man.

The reason he had been sent to the monster dissection workshop.

To make him aware of the dangers of monsters and instill vigilance.

At the same time, he had earned money, built stamina, and honed his insight.

This was his first arrangement. If he believed that, the explorer guild’s class would be his second arrangement.

Darmong smiled. When he reached for the liquor on the shelf, Jeong Yushin stopped him.

“I got a bottle of dwarf liquor. Let’s drink with this.”

“Sounds good.”

In the quiet corner of the inn, two glasses clinked together, filled with liquor.