How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 4: Explanation

"Barbaroi, wake up."

"Huff!"

Jeong Yusin quickly jumped out of his seat. Seeing the daylight, it was morning.

"Was I sleeping?"

"Yes. You were sleeping quite soundly."

"Hah."

Jeong Yusin scratched his head and pulled out some jerky from his bag.

Simus also pulled an apple from his robe, showing it to Jeong Yusin before munching on it.

"I was in the forest."

"Yes."

Jeong Yusin thought that the old priest was talking more than usual today, while chewing on the jerky.

Simus opened his mouth again.

"Lady Karin has gone to the Great Labyrinth."

"I know. The squad leader told me."

"After going to the Great Labyrinth, where do you plan to go? Where did you originally intend to go?"

Jeong Yusin tilted his head.

His tone suggested that he was certain he wasn’t aligned with the slave hunters.

"I'm not going anywhere. The Great Labyrinth is my original destination anyway."

"I see."

Simus chuckled lightly.

The two packed their things and left the abandoned ruins.

On the last day of their journey, in the afternoon of the seventh day, Jeong Yusin arrived at his destination.

"Wow."

The city seen from the high hill was enormous.

As Simus had mentioned the night before, the claim that this was the second capital of the Eastern Alliance wasn’t an exaggeration.

Countless roads leading to the city and masses of people that looked like ants.

The city walls, towering like modern buildings.

The river flowing majestically from the north wrapped around the enormous city wall and flowed south.

It was a whole different level compared to the cities Jeong Yusin had seen from a distance.

"This is a really big city."

At Jeong Yusin's admiration, Simus laughed.

"Don’t you hear people saying you're not good with words?"

"Sometimes."

"You really resemble her."

"Who?"

"No one. Never mind."

Simus took the lead. They thought they'd be stuck for hours at the city gates due to the massive crowd, but that concern proved unnecessary.

"Hey, Simus!"

The gatekeeper of the city shouted when he saw Simus. The gatekeeper was a bear beastman, his face marred by a large scar that made him look rather intimidating.

The bear beastman ran up and bowed sharply to Simus.

"Welcome to the Labyrinth City. I'll report to the committee right away."

"No need for that. We only intend to see Lady Karin for a moment and leave."

"Understood!"

The bear beastman looked disappointed and coiled his body in a sad manner. Jeong Yusin thought he resembled a bear playfully trying to charm honey.

"Who is this person, though?"

The bear beastman pointed at Jeong Yusin.

"I have one thing to confirm with Lady Karin regarding this Barbaroi."

"Is this related to the slave hunters?"

"Yes."

"Leave this troublesome matter to me."

The bear beastman slapped his chest proudly.

"You filthy human! What are you hiding? Speak now!"

The enormous bear beastman glared at Jeong Yusin, growling, and the crowd's attention immediately shifted toward them. People murmured, and a few guards ran up, holding their spears tightly.

Simus waved his hand dismissively.

"No need for that. This is something I’m doing willingly."

"Understood. Please, come in."

The bear beastman immediately changed his attitude. The inspection at the gates proceeded smoothly. The elf with glasses managed the inspection, and his dark circles indicated how tired he looked.

"Barbaroi."

The elf spoke.

"Yes."

"Just remember one thing."

Jeong Yusin tensed at the elf's serious words.

"Marriage hunting is prohibited in this city."

"Excuse me?"

Did I just hear that right?

Jeong Yusin tried to clear his hazy mind and asked again.

"Don't look so shocked. I respect the culture of the Barbaroi, but actions that cause chaos in this city are not welcome. Frankly, it’s not a virtue worth encouraging."

The elf scrutinized Jeong Yusin’s eyes, as though seeking his agreement.

"Yes... yes, I understand."

The elf sighed deeply.

"For example, don’t kidnap another man’s wife, spend three full days with her, turn her into a mess, then go to the husband and say, 'Hmm, your wife lost consciousness during intercourse, so she’s not suitable to be my wife, so I’ll return her.' Don’t do that."

Jeong Yusin grabbed his dizzy head.

Barbaroi. What kind of crazy people are these?

He barely managed to speak.

"Yes. I won’t do marriage hunting."

"Another thing."

Is there more?

"You shouldn’t have sex without explicit consent from the woman."

"Yes."

Why is this elf talking about such obvious things?

"Don’t grab random women and force yourself on them, then say, 'Well, this female was wiggling her hips and seduced me, so I couldn’t help it.' That’s what I’m saying."

"Yes. But is that marriage hunting? It sounds more like... rape."

The elf scowled.

"If you directly translate the Barbaroi’s term, it’s 'female hunting.' But how do people who learned such vulgar terms even use them? They tone it down."

"Yes. Female hunting. I won’t do it."

"Say 'marriage hunting.' It sounds more proper than mindless female hunting. Now, go."

Jeong Yusin stumbled out of the inspection area. Simus was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a wall.

"Would you like to rest for the day?"

"No. Let’s go quickly."

"Lady Karin might not recognize you."

Jeong Yusin shuddered at Simus's nonchalant tone.

He shook his head.

"That Karin beastman has my artifact."

"Artifact?"

"Yes. Something like flint."

"Did you give it to her?"

"No. She just took it."

"Ah, that's unfortunate."

Simus stroked his chin. Even this monstrous priest seemed to covet artifacts. Jeong Yusin found Simus's human side amusing and quietly laughed to himself.

"Well, it’s not a great magical tool, so I’m not too disappointed."

"No, not the magical tool."

"Hmm?"

"Then what are you disappointed about... Ah!"

Jeong Yusin realized it.

Simus chuckled.

"If Lady Karin doesn’t recognize you, I was going to deal with it myself."

"Deal with it?"

A cold sweat ran down his back.

"Even a villain like a slave hunter has a chance for redemption. I was planning a leisurely journey for both redemption and obedience, but it’s unfortunate."

"..."

Jeong Yusin wanted to meet Karin quickly and clear up the misunderstanding.

"I don’t really remember?"

Jeong Yusin’s mouth fell open at Karin’s indifferent words.

"Wait a second!"

They had managed to pass through the outer gate checkpoint and arrived at the inner city gates, where only the high-ranking individuals could stay. Perhaps Simus’s message had reached ahead, as Karin was standing just outside the inner gate.

"You saw me back then! The three elves together!"

Jeong Yusin hurriedly continued speaking.

"Hmm."

A smile full of confidence and sharp eyes.

Jeong Yusin hadn’t been able to see her clearly when they first met, but now ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) he could.

Her tall frame, complemented by a heavy chest, strained under her thin linen shirt, while her thick thighs pressed her leather pants tightly, revealing her shape. Her tail, a soft reddish color, swayed gently.

It was like fire.

Not just her tail, but the whole of her.

"You took my artifact. The one that produces fire."

Jeong Yusin, struggling to suppress the overwhelming feeling, spoke boldly.

"I don’t remember at all."

How could she not remember? Did she suddenly get dementia?

"Is that how you ask someone to remember? Maybe you should kneel. Then I might remember."

Karin’s tail swayed lazily. It looked like a wolf playing with prey it had already captured.

Jeong Yusin bit his lip tightly.

Pride?

He discarded it. He’d rather smash his head here than go on a journey of redemption, atonement, and obedience with a middle-aged man.

Without hesitation, he knelt and bowed his head.

"Should I lick your feet?"

A cold glare descended from above.

"Enough. I thought you were hiding something big, but it’s nothing. Boring. Simus, this person is not a slave hunter."

Simus clicked his tongue.

"That’s unfortunate. You could have been good company for my journey. By the way, can we talk separately?"

Karin tilted her head.

"What about?"

"I want to speak in a place without people."

"Understood. Barbaroi, get up and go."

Jeong Yusin got up and gave a small bow.

"Yes. I hope you both have a good time."

"Sure."

"Shit."

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Though he was annoyed by Karin’s sarcastic tone, he didn’t show it.

"Simus, have a good journey."

"Take care. I hope we can meet again."

Jeong Yusin left them behind and exited through the inner gate. He had planned to go to an inn he had seen earlier while passing through the outer district.

"Damn."

He walked around for a while, but he couldn’t find the inn he had seen before. Reluctantly, he entered a different one nearby.

"We don’t accept Barbaroi."

At the innkeeper’s cold refusal, Jeong Yusin asked.

"Why?"

"Why? Hah!"

The innkeeper seemed ready to rant, uncrossing his arms and placing his hands on his hips.

"Only your kind would break into women’s rooms in the middle of the night, rape them, and turn them into a mess. Every black-haired barbarian who’s come to this inn has done the same. And then what? 'Isn’t it fine as long as we’re both happy?' Get out before I call the guards!"

Jeong Yusin felt dizzy from the innkeeper’s tirade.

‘These crazy Barbaroi.’

Seeing the innkeeper’s expression, he knew no words would get through.

A rat beastman sitting nearby, sipping alcohol, snickered.

"Oh, the innkeeper is really fired up. Could it be because you’re a young Barbaroi?"

"No. I just believe in the laws and justice of this city."

At the innkeeper’s words, the people drinking around him burst into laughter.

Jeong Yusin ignored the laughter and left the inn.

The city was vast, and there were many inns, but not a single one welcomed Barbaroi.

After being turned away from the twentieth inn, Jeong Yusin stepped outside, and the surrounding area had already darkened. Streetlights lit up, and he could see people who had finished exploring the labyrinth entering taverns, chatting loudly. A sudden bad feeling crept over him.

‘Am I screwed?’

He had expected it would be difficult to adapt in a strange world with limited knowledge, but the reality was worse than he imagined.

He had no way to adapt because his appearance made it impossible to blend in. The bad reputation built by the crazy Barbaroi was like a towering wall blocking his path.

"Still, it doesn’t make sense that out of all these inns, there’s not one that will accept me."

With hope, he wandered the streets. But after the thirtieth rejection, he leaned against a wall, feeling defeated.

The night had deepened, and people were heading home.

‘This is the last time.’

Resolved to sleep on the streets, he kept walking. Soon, he saw a shabby inn at the corner of a street.

The sign was unreadable.

Thinking about it, it was strange.

How could he, who didn’t know how to read, speak the language of this world naturally?

‘Now’s not the time to worry about that. I’m about to end up on the streets.’

Jeong Yusin opened the wooden door and entered the inn.