How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 87: Stop the action

Morning at the Inn.

Among the bustling guests,

Jeong Yoo-shin and Cheol-ga-myeon made eye contact.

"Let's sit down for now."

They sat at a corner table in the inn.

The quick-witted Tarman came over and placed drinks on the table.

A juice made from a blend of raspberries and peaches with honey.

It was always prepared since Luna liked it so much, wagging her tail like a helicopter.

Jeong Yoo-shin tilted the wooden cup and gulped it down.

"Ahh. That's good. You should drink too."

"Sure."

Cheol-ga-myeon picked up the cup and poured the juice into the hole in his mask. The way he drank it skillfully showed it wasn’t the first time he’d done this.

Jeong Yoo-shin tried to catch a glimpse of his face beneath the mask, but it was clear that he didn’t want to show it.

He folded his arms and quietly observed Cheol-ga-myeon before speaking.

"Cheol-ga-myeon, how did you know I was staying here?"

Cheol-ga-myeon put the wooden cup down and tilted his head.

"Hmm? Everyone in the southern district knows you're staying here."

Jeong Yoo-shin furrowed his brows.

So it wasn't just one stalker?

He’d felt the gazes of merchants and villagers every time he passed through the street, but he hadn’t expected it to be this much.

"Why, of all people, did you invite me to your party?"

"Do you remember the day we fought together?"

Of course, he remembered. They had fought against monsters summoned by Hans, including a half-ogre with a stone fist and a frog beastman named Cork.

"Even though it was a hastily formed party, we worked well together. And."

Cheol-ga-myeon paused for a moment before continuing.

"Your courage and devotion left a strong impression on me. That’s why I invited you to our party."

Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his cheek.

The courage part, sure, but devotion? That was a grand word.

But,

He did feel a connection with this man.

Whether they truly meshed well would become clear with more time, but at least he wasn’t being treated differently just because he was a barbarian.

Jeong Yoo-shin tapped the table with his fingers and fell into thought.

There was something essential he needed to know to continue.

"Where exactly are we heading in the labyrinth?"

"Up to the sixth-floor forest area. If there's time, we’ll go to the seventh."

"Cheol-ga-myeon, weren’t you a beginner explorer?"

"I heard there's such a thing as a 'used newbie.'"

"Is that you?"

"You don’t have to gain all your experience just in the labyrinth city. Call me a prepared talent."

Jeong Yoo-shin nodded at Cheol-ga-myeon’s words.

Had he been trained outside of the labyrinth city? He was thorough.

"Who’s in the party?"

"Just a typical setup. You and I are the vanguard. One guide and one priest."

Jeong Yoo-shin fell into deeper thought.

Not bad. Coincidentally, they were heading toward the forest floor, too. The party members seemed decent.

However,

There was one last issue.

No matter how he thought about it, the features that Prince 5 had mentioned about Prince 1 and the ones that Cheol-ga-myeon had displayed were similar.

Should he ask about it?

Or should he leave it alone?

It wasn’t something to discuss in the noisy inn.

'No choice.'

Jeong Yoo-shin stood up from his seat.

"Follow me to my room. I need to talk for a bit."

Cheol-ga-myeon’s voice grew cold.

"What’s that supposed to mean, Barbaroi? Why should I go to your room?"

"We need to talk. I’m not trying to do anything to you."

"If you have something to say, say it here."

Hah. He thought Cheol-ga-myeon had no prejudice against barbarians, but

It seemed the labyrinth city had messed with his head a bit.

It couldn’t be helped.

A new approach was necessary.

Jeong Yoo-shin twisted his mouth and made a strange sound.

"Uwaja."

"What are you saying all of a sudden?"

Cheol-ga-myeon’s voice was filled with confusion. He even pulled his chair back and distanced himself a little.

"Your brother. O-waja. Wagu."

"...Is that so? Did you know?"

The sharp Cheol-ga-myeon immediately understood what Jeong Yoo-shin was referring to.

Jeong Yoo-shin straightened up.

"Should I address you formally from now on?"

"I heard that in the labyrinth city, rank doesn’t matter to explorers. Just speak comfortably."

"Is that so? Fine then."

"..."

Cheol-ga-myeon stared at Jeong Yoo-shin for a moment before speaking again.

"Now that I think about it, I’m the older one here. Shouldn’t I be speaking more formally? This feels uncomfortable."

"How old are you?"

"27."

"That’s only a four-year difference. Don’t make things awkward, friend."

"Huh."

Cheol-ga-myeon sighed deeply.

"Keep my status a secret. And we’ll talk about the rest later."

His tone became much more relaxed.

"Why?"

"I came straight here after a night shift. I’m really tired."

I see. No wonder Prince 5 couldn’t find this guy no matter how hard he tried.

Of course, there were probably deeper reasons, but he’d need to listen to more of Cheol-ga-myeon’s words to find out.

"I understand. How long until everything’s ready?"

"It’ll take about five days. Before then, I’ll meet with the party members. How about three days from now, in the evening? We’ll meet here again."

"Sounds good."

Jeong Yoo-shin agreed, and Cheol-ga-myeon nodded once before standing up and leaving the inn.

Jeong Yoo-shin didn’t see him off but stayed seated, watching his back.

The first prince, suffering from a terminal illness.

He had stepped down from the throne and come to the labyrinth city.

Though Jeong Yoo-shin hadn’t brought it up,

there were a few things he could infer.

The labyrinth’s seal seemed to be his only lifeline.

In some ways, he was a person in a similar situation as Jeong Yoo-shin.

He felt a sense of camaraderie, being someone who longed for something that didn’t exist in this world.

And,

Despite his limited time, he was still capable of rational conversation, which Jeong Yoo-shin liked.

A prince, huh?

It seemed like he often found himself involved with people of high status.

Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head and stood up.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

It was time to prepare to enter the labyrinth.

Once he made up his mind, there was no reason to delay.

He moved quickly.

He went to find Mion, got her permission, and then headed to Boron’s blacksmith shop in the western district. Of course, he didn’t forget to bring a bottle of alcohol.

"Boron, I’m here."

"Ska! You came?"

For some reason, Boron’s face seemed cleaner than usual. The last time he’d seen him, he’d looked like he was on the verge of death.

"Did something good happen?"

"With the Alkion metal you gave me, I made quite a profit!"

Boron smiled widely and gave Jeong Yoo-shin’s knee a pat.

One of the items taken from the criminal, Oswald, was high-quality iron. He had asked a man with a big nose to send it, and it seemed Boron had used it well.

"I made the longsword you ordered. We used the rest of the Alkion metal, and all the repairs to the light armor are done."

"I see. Where’s Ainhofer?"

There was no sound of a hammer.

"He went to a family gathering. He has to make several decorations for the upcoming Blue Moon festival, and they’re short on hands."

"I see."

Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.

"But Boron, don’t you do anything with your family?"

"..."

At Jeong Yoo-shin’s question, Boron tightly shut his mouth.

Had he asked something he shouldn’t have?

"My apologies for the careless question."

He apologized honestly.

"...You really know how to hit a sore spot, Barbaroi. Fine. I’ll get your equipment ready."

"Yes."

Boron went behind the counter and brought out the equipment.

The light armor was neatly repaired.

And,

A longsword with a blue glow.

Jeong Yoo-shin’s mouth dropped open.

It was a sword with an elegant feel to it. It gave off a mesmerizing aura.

It was completely different from what he had expected. He had thought it would just be a regular sword.

"A beautiful sword."

Boron grinned.

"Ainhofer and I worked hard on it."

"I see. Ainhofer’s skills are improving day by day."

"He’s serious about this work. He even saves time from sleeping and eating to hammer the iron. If his skills don’t improve, that’s a problem. He’s my proud disciple."

Boron’s eyes were filled with pride.

"Didn’t you used to say he was the one ruining the shop?"

"I? Never said that."

Jeong Yoo-shin stared at the pretending Boron and placed the bottle of alcohol on the counter.

"Can I take a look at the sword?"

"Of course. It’s yours now."

Jeong Yoo-shin grabbed the blue longsword.

On the scabbard was an engraving of a wolf watching the moon.

Swish.

A pure sound rang out in the blacksmith shop.

The cold blade reflected Jeong Yoo-shin’s face.

‘It’s wider than an average longsword.’

This was a blade specialized for slashing. But the tip was sharp. This meant it was a longsword balanced for both slashing and thrusting.

In other words, it was designed for both unarmored and armored combat.

He swung the sword around.

The center of gravity was in the handle. This meant it was easy to handle and allowed for unpredictable movements.

This wasn’t knowledge learned from someone else. It was something he had naturally picked up as he fought while wielding swords.

A satisfied smile appeared on Jeong Yoo-shin’s face.

Thanks to the generous clown, Oswald, he had gotten a good longsword.

"Hmm?"

There were characters engraved on one side of the blade. He couldn’t read them.

Jeong Yoo-shin lowered the sword and showed it to Boron.

"What’s this inscription on the blade? Is it some new magic or a phrase wishing for luck?"

"Oh, that’s Dwarven script."

Boron answered with a smile.

"Oh! What does it say?"

Jeong Yoo-shin’s voice naturally rose with excitement.

A sword inscription straight out of Norse mythology? His heart raced with the romance of it.

"It says, 'The sword made by Boron and Ainhofer. The owner is Barbaroi Ska.'"

"..."

Jeong Yoo-shin’s shoulders slumped.

Was this really it?

His romantic fantasy.

He had hoped for something like ‘Once swung, blood dyes the land,’ just like Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s sword, but...

Jeong Yoo-shin grabbed Boron and asked him to engrave something more impressive next time.

"What... What is this?! It’s too scary!"

Boron’s face turned pale, and he trembled.

"Then why did you engrave this?"

"Most stolen weapons go through a blacksmith, right? Dwarves mostly run the blacksmiths. Any honest blacksmith who sees your lost weapon would contact you. Plus, it’s good for publicity."

‘Hmm.’

It looked like just advertising to me.

It felt like Boron was trying to boast to other blacksmiths.

"Tsk. Fine. Please engrave something cooler next time."

"Ugh... You keep losing your weapons and breaking them. What kind of inscription do you want?!"

Jeong Yoo-shin left the blacksmith shop while Boron sent him off, fussing behind him.

Next, he needed to prepare antidotes and healing potions.

He walked toward the southern district and stood in front of a small building.

It wasn’t a very large building.

It had a simple, homey atmosphere made of stone and wood.

Ding dong.

When he opened the door and stepped inside, a fox beastwoman sitting at the counter stood up.

"Ska-sama."

"Edell, how’s your health?"

"Much better. Thank you."

She certainly looked healthier than the last time he saw her.

"I’m here to buy healing potions and insecticides."

Insecticides.

A medicine for dealing with monsters in the forest area. He had learned about it through Mion’s private lessons.

"Are you heading to the forest area?"

The clever Edell immediately understood his intentions.

"Yes."

"I see. Please wait for a moment."

Edell swayed her golden tail as she rummaged through the shelf.

"Here they are."

A few moments later, red and yellow potions, along with some pills, were placed on the counter.

"The yellow potion is a stamina potion. It recovers your physical strength. The white pills eliminate parasitic monsters and eggs in the forest area. And..."

Edell began explaining about the potions and pills in a calm voice.

About ten minutes passed, and all the explanations were finished.

Jeong Yoo-shin packed the potions into his backpack and then opened his coin purse.

"Thank you. How much do I owe you?"

"It’s free."

"That won’t do."

"No, thanks to you, Ska-sama, I was able to obtain valuable herbs and reopen the shop. How could I live with my head held high if I didn’t do this?"

Edell stubbornly refused.

"Then I’ll accept it for free this time."

"Okay. Please come by often. Luna often asks when Ska-sama will stop by."

"I see. I’ll visit soon."

Jeong Yoo-shin smiled and left the shop.

Finally, he went to the swordsmanship guild to meet Ashur.

"I’m heading to the forest area."

"I see. When you get back, I have something to say, so don’t die."

"Yes. I’ll try my best to stay alive."

"Go ahead."

Ashur sent him off surprisingly coolly.

Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.

"Hmm. Something’s off."

Was he really letting him go so easily?

"What? Something to say?"

"No. Nothing."

He shook his head, brushing off his unease. If he delved into the thoughts of the stalking elf, his paranoia would only get worse.

Three days later, evening.

Jeong Yoo-shin sat at a corner of the bustling inn.

All preparations were complete.

As he waited for Cheol-ga-myeon, he noticed many familiar faces around.

Mostly people from the southern district.

They were gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves.

He almost thought of joining them but decided against it.

Hadn’t the famous White # Nоvеlight # Chef in the food industry said something like that? Don’t pretend to be friendly with customers for no reason.

He quietly sat and waited, when suddenly,

"Whiiiiiii."

A whistling sound echoed, and Jeong Yoo-shin felt something leave his pocket.

A pickpocket?

Without a second thought, he reached out and grabbed the thief’s hand.

"Stop right there, you little shit. What are you doing?"

The gray-furred rat beastman was sweating profusely in his grasp.

"I... I’m sorry. This... wasn’t intentional."

What did he say?

The bustling evening inn.

Jeong Yoo-shin’s gaze turned cold.