Chapter 22
Jeong Yushin told Darmong about what had happened in the labyrinth.
He had probably heard about the hobgoblin subjugation from Zeke, so Yushin went over it briefly and moved on. What mattered was what happened afterward.
Slave hunters.
Jeong Yushin explained what had happened before he came to the labyrinth: how he had been captured by slave hunters in the forest, how Karin had rescued him, how he had nearly been killed after being caught by the village guards while using equipment he had taken from the slave hunters, and finally how he had met Simeus.
He had thought that entering Labyrinth City meant he had cut ties with the slave-hunter group, but that had been a mistake.
He had found the same emblem as the slave hunters’ on Dito’s dagger.
Dito had tried to kill him at the shelter, but Jeong Yushin had barely survived using his Engraving ability.
He didn’t know why the slave-hunter group was targeting him. The only thing he knew was that the group was operating in the city.
He told him everything.
Without so much as touching his cup, Darmong silently listened to Jeong Yushin’s story.
“It may be dangerous for me to stay here.”
He got to the point.
If the slave-hunter group was still targeting him, they would find out where he was staying and might eventually harm the inn.
“Did you tell the Explorers’ Guild?”
“I didn’t. I didn’t know whom to trust.”
“But you trust me?”
At Darmong’s question, Jeong Yushin silently gave a crooked smile.
Darmong, who had been facing him, let out a short laugh.
“Good. The Explorers’ Guild has many factions because it’s so large. Some of them might be doing business with the slave hunters. Hmm.”
Darmong stroked his chin for a while before speaking.
“Alden is just the man for dealing with scum like that.”
Jeong Yushin’s eyes widened.
Alden Ashwood.
Director of the Monster Dismantling Facility.
Why had that decadent elf’s name suddenly come up?
“What does he have to do with this?”
“You didn’t know? Alden was famous in the eastern district when he was younger.”
“For what?”
“For being a complete bastard.”
Darmong was a seasoned high-ranking explorer. The word ‘bastard’ coming from him meant Alden had been no ordinary thug.
“Then why is he working at the monster dismantling facility? Did he reform?”
“He became a new man.”
“How?”
“By Master Simeus’s fists.”
Jeong Yushin’s mouth fell open.
“So you’re saying that Alden the complete bastard got beaten half to death by Master Simeus and became a new man?”
“That’s right.”
“Huh.”
He was amazed that such a backstory had been hidden all this time.
“The point is this. Most criminal organizations are concentrated in the eastern district. Alden was quite famous there, and even after reforming, he should still have some influence. If you ask him, you might be able to get information about the slave-hunter group.”
“Oh!”
“But there’s a problem.”
“Oh.”
“Alden is away on a business trip. He’ll probably return in a month. Wait for him.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t enter the labyrinth?”
“For the time being. You’ve made some money, so it wouldn’t be bad to rest up while keeping an eye on the situation. Lord Luke must be aware of what’s going on too. Stay here for now. You don’t have anywhere else to go, do you?”
“That’s true, but I feel bad about imposing on you.”
“Don’t feel bad. I’m doing this because I want to.”
That was reassuring.
So connections really did matter in another world too. No, wait. Since Darmong was a bear beastman, I suppose it was bear connections.
He didn’t know what the slave-hunter group was plotting, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
If he went around turning the city upside down in search of the slave-hunter group, he’d only end up as one more stabbed corpse in the street.
The one thing he could do.
Training and learning.
He had no choice but to struggle with everything he had to become stronger.
He just had to become strong enough to crush any conspiracies.
“Is there somewhere I can work out?”
Darmong thought for a moment before answering.
“Training? There’s a yard behind the kitchen. Use it.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
The next day, Jeong Yushin got up early, finished breakfast, and went to the Temple of the Earth Mother Goddess.
He didn’t want to laze around in bed under the pretext of recovering.
Learn when you have the chance.
He had realized that opportunities to learn and train didn’t come often.
He stopped by the temple, had the administrator mark his attendance, and went to the first-floor classroom in the orphanage building.
“Huh?! He’s back. It’s that scary man.”
“Shh! Be quiet, Emma. That man’s a Barbaroi!”
“Eek. I’m going to get raped..”
The moment he entered the classroom, the orphans whispered among themselves and spoke ill of Jeong Yushin.
Unlike the last time he had come, the atmosphere was more wary.
‘What do you want me to do about it?’
He would just learn what he needed to learn without fooling around and then leave.
He sat down and stared only at the blackboard. The teacher had not arrived yet.
“Hey, Mr. Barbaroi.”
A small child fidgeted over and spoke to him.
Jeong Yushin’s expression tightened.
‘Damn it. Don’t talk to me.’
“What is it?”
Even so, he answered as kindly as he could.
“Mister, do you really take out and eat girls’ livers?”
“No. Now go back.”
“Mister, then do you really pounce on girls?”
“No.”
“Mister.”
“The teacher’s here, so go back to your seat.”
“Oh! Teacher Mion!”
The little girl hurried back to her seat and sat down.
Mion, who entered the classroom, was still beautiful. When she stood at the lectern with her brilliant blonde hair and white priestly robes, it felt as though the entire classroom brightened.
The only disappointing thing was that her loose clothing hid her figure.
“Hello, everyone! It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Teacher!!”
“Now then, shall we begin class?”
Mion led the class skillfully.
Jeong Yushin focused throughout the lesson with fire in his eyes.
He tried to imprint every single character Mion wrote on the blackboard into his mind.
Even during the break, he didn’t get up from his seat. He sat at his desk, constantly reviewing words and tracing strokes through the empty air with his finger.
“That’s all for today’s lesson. Good work, everyone.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
After class ended, it was lunchtime. The children laughed and chatted as they went to the students’ cafeteria. Jeong Yushin also went to the temple cafeteria.
He sat in a corner, finished his modest meal, and left the temple.
His next destination was the Swordsmanship Guild.
He had gotten a rough idea of its location from Darmong that morning. One of the swordsmanship guild branches officially recognized by Labyrinth City stood in the southern part of the city.
Tuition was thirty silver coins a month.
That was an enormous sum. If he took these lessons, he would have to give up the chance to obtain good equipment.
Jeong Yushin pressed a hand to his chest.
He could feel his heart pounding through his thin linen shirt.
He had to become even a little stronger. The recent ambush by the slave hunters had heightened his sense of danger.
‘I just need to tighten my belt a little more. It’s rare to be given time and money at the same time. It’s even rarer to have someone else’s protection. This is a golden opportunity.’
He walked a little farther south from the temple.
“A building with a sword and shield carved into the gate. Found it.”
He stood before a building made of dark-colored stone.
Jeong Yushin clenched and unclenched his fists in front of the building, steeling himself.
When he opened the wooden revolving door and entered, the stale smell of sweat stabbed at his nose.
Sharp-featured, rough-looking people were moving around inside the building.
When he approached the counter, a male elf was sitting there with his arms crossed.
“What do you want?”
“I came to learn swordsmanship.”
“Thirty silver coins a month.”
“Here they are.”
He endured the ache in his stomach and handed over the pouch containing the silver coins.
The male elf opened the pouch and counted the coins one by one.
“I’ve confirmed the payment. But are you only going to study for a month?”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do with only a month of training? I’m telling you now, that much won’t be enough to make you useful anywhere.”
“You’ll have to see for yourself.”
Silence fell for a moment.
The elf and the human looked at each other.
The elf looked into Jeong Yushin’s eyes, then gave a short laugh.
“This guy’s killed someone before. What a funny bastard.”
“It wasn’t an elf.”
The elf’s eyelid twitched once.
“Ha ha. You bastard. I’ll teach you.”
“Who are you to keep calling me one bastard after another? The service here is pretty poor. Call someone else.”
“I’m the guild master here. If you don’t like it, get out.”
Jeong Yushin’s body stiffened in surprise.
“Oh my. So you’re the guild master. But why would someone so important be doing this?”
“That’s none of your business. Follow me. Killa!!”
When the male elf rose from his seat and shouted, a bald man burst through the door and came running out.
“Did you call, Guild Master?”
“He’s the new recruit. I’ll teach him.”
“What? But, Guild Master, you have a backlog of work.”
“You’re here. If you, the vice guild master, don’t do it, who will assist me with my work?”
The bald man’s expression crumpled.
“That’s not assistance anymore, is it? I’m practically handling it all.”
“So you won’t?”
“Ugh. All right. You there, new Barbaroi, learn well. You’re lucky.”
The bald man gave Jeong Yushin a sidelong glance, offered one last admonition, and went back inside the room.
“Follow me.”
Jeong Yushin followed the elf to the guild building’s rear courtyard.
It was a spacious yard that reminded him of a military drill ground.
All sorts of people were sweating as they ran, rolled, and swung their swords.
“You’ll be using a longsword, I assume?”
“Yes.”
A shield and one-handed sword had been his main weapons, but he had lost them in the previous battle. He could no longer afford to replace them, so he had no choice but to use a longsword.
The elf brought two wooden practice swords from a corner and threw one to Jeong Yushin.
“Let’s see your skill.”
“Here I go.”
The moment he gripped the sword, he charged.
He raised the sword over his head.
A downward slash.
“Thunk!”
The slash failed. The elf’s wooden sword jabbed Jeong Yushin in the neck.
“Kheek!”
His breath caught, and his stance crumbled.
The elf hadn’t moved as hastily as Jeong Yushin. He had simply taken one step forward from the middle guard while holding his sword.
“Pathetic. You have no basics.”
“Kgh. That’s why I came.”
“Again. If your opponent is holding a sword and pointing it at you, knock it aside.”
Jeong Yushin rested the wooden sword on his shoulder and cautiously approached.
The elf gave a short laugh at the sight.
The distance was close enough.
Now.
He swung his sword. The target was the elf’s wooden sword.
“Clack!”
The elf deflected Jeong Yushin’s sword. With Jeong Yushin’s stance thrown off, the elf’s sword touched his neck.
“You’re swinging as if your life depends on it. Relax your body. Again.”
He launched sword strike after sword strike, but every one was blocked. The elf’s occasional thrusts struck him, leaving his body stinging as though it had been burned.
How much time had passed? His entire body was drenched in sweat. He was breathing hard, his breath hot and acrid. He rolled across the ground and ended up covered in dust.
The hand gripping the wooden sword trembled violently.
At some point, the people in the training yard stopped what they were doing and began watching Jeong Yushin’s lesson with the elf.
“The guild master is training someone? That’s rare.”
“Look at the new guy’s face. He won’t show up tomorrow. Heh heh.”
The elf planted his wooden sword in the ground and leaned against it.
“Again. Barbaroi. You lack grit.”
A muscular man watching nearby clicked his tongue.
“There it is—the guild master’s sermon about grit.”
Jeong Yushin took his stance.
The elf clicked his tongue.
“Straighten your back. Hold the sword higher. Move your left foot a little farther back.”
Jeong Yushin corrected his stance as instructed.
“Swing it short and clean.”
Whoosh!
“Crack!”
Jeong Yushin’s wooden sword collided with the elf’s.
“Close-quarters combat is a battle of wits. Remember that.”
The elf deflected Jeong Yushin’s sword.
“Whack!”
The elf’s sword slammed into Jeong Yushin’s neck.
“Kuhk!!”
He dropped to one knee on the dirt floor.
The elf rested the wooden sword on his shoulder.
“Want a refund?”
“···No.”
The people who had formed a circle around them began chattering noisily.
“He’s keeping up pretty well.”
“The guild master does have his good points as a teacher. Still, not bad.”
“This new guy’s got grit. Keep it up!”
The elf spoke solemnly.
“Then why are you speaking informally to me? Want a refund?”
“No, sir.”
“Boo. What a cheapskate, Guild Master.”
“Yeah, the new guy can speak informally too.”
The elf suddenly roared.
“Get lost! Why are you standing around staring until sunset?!”
The people clicked their tongues and dispersed.
Only the elf and Jeong Yushin remained in the training yard.
“Run thirty laps around the training yard, then go home. It’s your first day, so I went easy on you.”
“Yes.”
Jeong Yushin rose, his body covered in dust and sweat. He ran around the training yard with staggering steps, almost crawling.
I feel like I’m going to die.
His heart screamed that it couldn’t take any more.
Every muscle in his body broke free of his control, twitching and thrashing wildly.
He wanted to collapse and rest right then and there.
But he endured it and kept running, thinking of the thirty silver coins.
He ran and ran until the moon and stars appeared in the sky.
The surroundings were quiet. Most of the lights in the swordsmanship guild building had gone out.
Only the elf remained, watching Jeong Yushin run with his arms crossed.
Thirty laps.
He completed them all.
He had no idea how he had managed it.
He didn’t know whether he had toddled along like a baby or crawled like a worm, but he had done it.
“Haaah. Haaack.”
When Jeong Yushin was lying facedown on the ground, swallowing dust and gasping for breath, the elf approached him.
“Come out tomorrow morning.”
“Huff. Kheok. ···I can’t.”
He refused.
After a long silence, the elf spoke.
“···Why?”
“I have to study reading and writing. From morning until noon. At the temple. Huff.”
“Understood. Then I’ll see you at noon.”
“Hk. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Take care.”
The elf turned around and left.
Jeong Yushin lay on the ground for a while, gasping until he had recovered, then barely managed to stand.
“Worth the money. Excellent.”
He didn’t know whether it was training or abuse, but he had worked himself to the bone.
Jeong Yushin only barely made it back to the inn that night.
When Darmong looked at him in surprise and asked whether he had been attacked, Jeong Yushin gave a small smile. He explained that he had ended up like this from training at the swordsmanship guild, clearing up the misunderstanding.
He returned to his room, washed himself, and lay down on the bed.
As though it had been waiting for him, sleep came immediately.