How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 111: Joo Bak-kom

The blonde woman was shining alone.

It seemed as if a divine light, pushing away the darkness, surrounded her body.

"Don't you know who I am better than anyone else?" the blonde woman said with a smile.

Jeong Yusin's expression hardened.

"Please, speak clearly."

After rolling around in the labyrinth city so much, it was hard to trust anyone. Especially someone he was meeting for the first time.

Wasn’t the guy he just fought, Rett, also someone he met frequently in the labyrinth?

The woman made a bewildered expression.

"I am the Earth Mother Goddess. I govern fertility, mercy, and abundance."

‘Is that so?’ Jeong Yusin tilted his head inwardly.

Her words had a certain persuasiveness to them.

Her aura was somewhat similar to Mion’s.

Glance.

Her chest was enormous. It was the biggest he’d ever seen. Was this what they meant by the goddess of fertility and abundance?

"How dare you!!!"

The blonde woman covered her chest with one hand and glared with an angry expression.

But no matter how she tried, her breast sagged, and her side boob bulged out like well-melted cheese.

No.

Even so, it was hard to be convinced that this woman was the Earth Mother Goddess. She could easily be a wicked, lewd goddess of breasts.

"Ha! You claim to be a goddess, but what should I believe you with?"

The woman was once again taken aback. She kept covering her chest while brushing her side hair repeatedly.

"Did I not save you? I think that sufficiently shows my abilities and intentions. To be exact, I entered your inner world, and time did indeed stop."

Inner world.

It felt dark in there. But that was a side note.

"I was fighting just fine."

Jeong Yusin’s natural response caused the woman’s mouth to slightly open. Her luscious lips and red tongue were faintly visible.

"...What?"

"I was fighting just fine."

"Didn’t your finger get cut off and your bones shattered? And that sword from that Rett kid was aiming for your throat."

"Sometimes that happens in a fight. Besides, I’ve been stabbed in the throat before, and I didn’t die. It’s the mystery of the human body, I guess? Anyway, that’s how it is."

"..."

The woman closed her mouth and glared at Jeong Yusin, her eyes sharp.

‘That haughty look from the lady—my spine is shivering.’

"So, why did you call me?"

It was fascinating and surprising, but he wanted to get to the point. There were things he needed to resolve, and staying here talking with this woman wasn’t helping.

"I want to give you a blessing."

"Why?"

"..."

The goddess glared at Jeong Yusin once more.

"Shouldn’t you overcome your crisis?"

Jeong Yusin tilted his head.

"I did fine on my own. I don’t think anything will change by having gods interfere now."

He had been outmatched in swordsmanship during his battle with Rett. So what? It didn’t matter.

If he had prepared better, he was confident that he would have killed Rett by any means necessary.

Even if not, he was determined to endure and take the lead by sheer force.

‘A weak brat like him, only good at using a sword.’

"...So, you don’t want it?"

The blonde woman asked.

"Let’s see what you can offer."

"Ha! Everyone else is bowing down and expressing their gratitude, but you’re different."

The woman cleared her throat and stretched out her hand.

Pwaaah!!!

Light flashed, and a small bonfire appeared before Jeong Yusin.

But it didn’t stop there; five different shapes emerged around the bonfire.

Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.

"...What is this?"

Golden symbols.

Flames burning blue.

Green bubbles.

A giant rusted bell.

And a pink heart.

He’d never seen them before. But they felt familiar and comforting.

It felt like symbols he had known for a long time. At least some of them did.

"These are the marks you possess," the blonde woman said.

"Ah."

Jeong Yusin stared at the marks around him.

‘As expected.’

The golden symbol was Sacred Weapon.

The blue flames were Revenger.

The green bubbles were Venom Protection.

The old, rusted bell was Death’s Pardon.

The heart was Virgin Female Corruption.

Jeong Yusin reached out and touched the golden symbol. He felt a warm energy. He also realized that the marks were responding to his gestures.

Perhaps it was the lifeline mark, but it felt more appealing to him. No matter how others thought or treated it, to him, it was a lifeline.

Why?

Because he had survived the Valley of Death with this.

The blue flames approached slowly.

Jeong Yusin smiled and stroked the blue flames. They weren’t hot; in fact, they were pleasantly cold. The flames also responded to his hand, swaying.

Revenger was there with him. At every critical moment, it had been with him. He could call it a comrade.

Venom Protection seemed hesitant, unsure whether to come closer. They hadn’t been together long, so it was uncomfortable. He left it be.

The rusted bell-shaped Death’s Pardon remained silent, standing where it was.

The heart slowly approached.

It was a suppressed, sealed mark. A mark he had intended to erase.

As the heart slowly approached his leg, rubbing against it, he looked down and smiled bitterly.

"Sorry."

Perhaps because they had been through some time together, he reached out and patted it.

The woman watched this and opened her mouth.

"Skah, I’ll give you one choice."

"What is it?"

"Choose which mark you want to receive my blessing on."

Jeong Yusin pondered deeply.

A blessing.

Did that mean his mark would become stronger?

It wasn’t exactly a random thought. He had heard of such a thing before in passing.

If the woman’s words were true, which choice would be the best?

"Can I ask something?"

"Ask away."

"Can Revenger and Death’s Pardon be connected?"

"Tell me more."

"Can I recover my life if death is ‘certain’?"

"You’ll reach that point if you get stronger through Mass Adaptation and consistently use Revenger. If you receive my blessing, you could do it right now."

Hmm.

That sounded like the best choice for now.

"What benefits would strengthening Sacred Weapon bring?"

"Your casting speed will increase, and you’ll be able to materialize the weapons in your inner world more clearly. Moreover, if you go further, you can give your Sacred Weapon a special ‘ability.’"

"What kind of ability?"

"Abilities that exist in magic swords or artifacts."

"Such things exist?"

"They do. But people don’t know. To reach this point, you’d need to train for a very long time."

"I see. Understood."

Jeong Yusin sat down before the bonfire and thought quietly.

Should he strengthen Sacred Weapon?

Or should he strengthen Revenger?

He left Death’s Pardon for later. It was obviously just an extension of the pardon period. It was useless for now.

And to think of death against someone like Rett?

‘My pride won’t allow it.’

He also pushed Venom Protection and Virgin Female Corruption marks to the back for the same reason as Death’s Pardon.

The answer was clear.

If he wanted to live, he would strengthen Revenger; if he wanted to kill, he would strengthen Sacred Weapon.

Jeong Yusin thought for a while and then made his decision.

When he lifted his head, the woman was sitting across from him, quietly staring into the bonfire.

Looking at her like this, she did look somewhat like a goddess. Her atmosphere was similar to Mion’s, and for some reason, it made her seem more trustworthy.

"Are you ready?"

The woman asked.

"Yes."

"Come here."

She stood up and said. Jeong Yusin also got up and walked toward her.

"Place your hands together in front of me and kneel on one knee, then say which mark you want to receive my blessing on."

After taking the position as the goddess had instructed, Jeong Yusin spoke.

"Sacred Weapon."

The woman frowned slightly.

"Not Revenger?"

"..."

Jeong Yusin lowered his head without answering. Then, with a sigh, the soft hand gently stroked his head.

A divine energy passed from his head to his toes, then disappeared.

"...It’s done."

Already?

Jeong Yusin raised his head and then froze, looking at the woman’s lower body reflected in the bonfire.

Her lower half was clearly visible.

She had on a simple flowing cloth, so it was essentially a semi-see-through outfit.

A round, plump mound was covered by a purple lace T-panty, and a familiar symbol was faintly visible on top.

"...Huh?"

"Ah!"

The woman hastily covered her lower abdomen.

‘...Why?’

For a moment, doubt crossed his mind as the woman hurriedly spoke.

"Then, will you keep this a secret from Mion?"

"What for?"

"Isn’t Mion your faithful follower? There’s no reason to hide it, right?"

"..."

The woman fumbled, unable to answer.

Jeong Yusin furrowed his brow.

‘What’s the deal?’

It was already strange that she was showing interest in him.

What could be so beautiful that she would give him such a blessing?

If she were truly the Earth Mother Goddess, it would make sense to bless her followers.

Moreover, she was dressed and looked too indecent for a goddess.

Though it might be blasphemous to think so...

‘Does she remind me of Ingrid?’

She gave off a similar vibe to ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Mion but seemed more mature and somewhat repressed.

Jeong Yusin shook his head. It wasn’t his business. She probably just wanted to give him a blessing.

Honestly.

He had been dragged into his inner world unexpectedly during the fight and was disoriented.

"Can I ask one more thing?"

"What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of Transmigration? For example, someone from another world coming to this one?"

The woman placed her hand on her cheek and thought for a moment.

"...No. That hasn’t happened. Though there were a few missing persons cases that were suspected to be due to ‘transmigration’ long ago."

‘Does she know nothing? Just has ridiculously big boobs...tch.’

"Does the Transmigration mark exist?"

"It does."

The goddess answered firmly.

Jeong Yusin nodded. Now he had confirmation. The next step was to survive and enter the labyrinth.

"Time is running out. Prepare yourself and make sure you survive."

"Yes."

Jeong Yusin nodded and looked at the goddess.

Her personality was a bit frustrating, but she had helped him.

‘Am I lucky?’

The goddess stretched out her hand. Jeong Yusin’s body stiffened.

For a moment, several facts flashed through his mind.

The fact that the goddess knew his name.

The familiar symbol on her lower belly.

The fact that she had asked him to keep this from Mion.

Perhaps.

He didn’t have enough evidence. It might have been an overblown assumption, a delusion. But he had to check.

Jeong Yusin stepped forward quickly and grabbed the goddess’s arm.

"Huh?!"

The goddess’s eyes widened, looking up at Jeong Yusin.

"Boy, what are you doing?!"

"Earth Mother Goddess."

"Wh-why?"

Jeong Yusin grabbed her soft belly roughly.

"Huff?!"

The woman flinched, her body trembling.

He didn’t stop. He pressed firmly on it. She shook, and her plump chest pressed against Jeong Yusin’s body.

Jeong Yusin leaned in close to her ear.

"Does Mion have the ‘Descent’ or ‘Possession’ mark?"

"Ah?! Get away!!!"

The woman pushed Jeong Yusin with all her might.

He was pushed into the darkness and fell.

As he continued to fall, he rested his hand on his chin.

"Is it right? Or not?"

He had wondered why the usually gentle Mion would do something so out of the blue.

If he assumed the goddess had acted, things made a bit more sense.

Though the most fundamental part still remained a mystery...

‘Why has she been so kind to me?’

She had treated him like a soft, docile cow.

Soon, tiny Jeong Yusins appeared and muttered beside him.

‘Hmm. Confirmed.’

He finished his thoughts. He had no intention of expanding on mere assumptions.

‘If I don’t understand human hearts, how can I understand the heart of a goddess?’

There were many questions, but they were left aside. This wasn’t the time for such concerns.

It was time to return to the brutal reality.

His fingers had been severed, bones shattered, and he had to face a world where he’d fight while a sword was buried in his throat.

‘It feels like a dream.’

Was it a midsummer night’s dream?

Or was it real?

He closed his eyes as he fell through the darkness, then opened them again.

Rett’s sword was right next to his throat.

‘As expected.’

The enormous pain he felt in his left arm heated up his brain in an instant.

He twisted his neck slightly. As long as the carotid artery wasn’t hit, it would be fine.

Whooooosh!!!

As Rett’s sword stabbed his throat, he felt sharp pain.

"Grrrk!!!"

With a flash of light, blood filled his throat. From afar, the afterlife appeared to beckon.

His life was hanging by a thread, but Jeong Yusin smiled brightly instead.

He dropped the sword and clenched his fist.

He had already thought of how to use the mark.

[Sacred Weapon]

What did he want?

What should it be?

Half-Ogre Power Gauntlet.

He visualized it and imbued it with power. From deep within his soul, he felt the golden symbol vibrate.

In an instant, all the magic power was sucked out.

He could see Rett smirking. Did he think he had died because his throat had been pierced?

‘Foolish bastard.’

Jeong Yusin stepped forward and threw a straight punch.

The perfect cross-counter.

Bwaaaack!!!!

An incredible sound swallowed the street.

Jeong Yusin’s fist, surrounded by platinum-colored brilliance, landed under Rett’s chin. His jaw, cheekbone, and zygomatic arch were shattered all at once.

Crash!!!

Rett spun and flew through the air, crashing to the ground.

"Gck...!!! Grrr!!!"

Rett writhed as he struggled to get up. His broken teeth mixed with the thick blood and fell to the ground.

Jeong Yusin, silently watching the scene, smiled and spat the blood that had come up his throat onto the ground.

"Kaaak! Spit!!! Rett, are you a genius? You lowly bastard... hit you with a punch, and you can't even move."

One of the brave onlookers who had stayed around muttered in a daze.

"Wh...who’s the villain here?"