How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World-Chapter 90: A Strange Encounter

Whoosh.

A torch flared up in the dark cave.

Jeong Yushin raised the torch high and scanned the surroundings.

The party members, surrounding Jeong Yushin, pulled out their weapons and stood back-to-back, keeping watch in all directions.

The rat beastman, Mas, sniffed the air and peered into the darkness before speaking.

“There’s nothing.”

The Iron Mask slung his greatsword over his shoulder.

“Understood. Mas will lead the way, and Skar will follow behind, lighting the way with the torch. The priest stays in the center. I will take the rear.”

Starting from the front, the formation was Mas, Jeong Yushin, Kubo, and Iron Mask, all standing in line.

Jeong Yushin adjusted his backpack and stood behind the rat beastman.

It was a clean order with no need for additions. Once again, this wasn’t just any ordinary bloodline.

“We’re lucky. The portal to the second floor is close.”

The rat beastman, Mas, put away the map and spoke.

Thud Thud.

The uneven floor. The humid air.

The party moved quietly, advancing through the darkness.

The first floor of the labyrinth.

No need to be careless, but there was no need for major concern either.

If the torch fell, they would go insane in the darkness, but there were enough spare torches. As long as they stayed cautious, they could progress safely.

Jeong Yushin and his party walked for a few hours through the darkness.

“Stop.”

The rat beastman, who had been leading, suddenly stopped walking.

“...”

The entire party gripped their weapons and stared into the darkness.

“It’s a trap.”

“Everyone, stay alert. Skar, stay close to the rat beastman.”

The Iron Mask gave the order from the back.

“Understood.”

Jeong Yushin, holding the torch, moved to stand next to the rat beastman.

The rat beastman took a few more steps, then stopped and knelt.

“It’s a foot trap. There are wooden spikes smeared with filth.”

“Tsk.”

Jeong Yushin clicked his tongue at the rat beastman’s words. It was a simple trap that had been left unattended.

To think such traps, usually only seen in the outskirts of hobgoblin territories, had appeared on the first floor... it seemed there hadn’t been many people around.

Jeong Yushin glanced over ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) at Mas, who was dismantling the trap.

Thanks to one of Mas’s engravings, “Quick Hands,” the disarmament was quick.

“It’s done.”

Mas finished disarming the trap and stepped back.

“Good. Return the formation to its original state and move forward. Since there’s a trap, there’s a possibility that hobgoblins are nearby. Stay vigilant.”

Under the Iron Mask’s smooth command, the party continued forward through the darkness.

After walking for another hour, they reached the far end of the first floor of the labyrinth.

A large stone tablet was placed in the center of a massive cavern.

It was the portal to the second floor.

“We’ll rest here for a bit.”

The party members set up their spots around the torch.

Jeong Yushin leaned his back against the wall and loosened the straps on his walker.

He didn’t feel much fatigue.

It wasn’t too heavy thanks to the magic backpack dropped by the assassin. The time spent training in the swordsmanship combination also helped.

Jeong Yushin lifted his helmet’s visor and took a drink from his canteen. The lukewarm water slid down his throat and into his stomach.

He calmly breathed in and looked over his party members. Particularly, the Iron Mask.

The leader of the party.

The first prince, hiding his identity.

A man who never spoke about himself.

Whenever there was a hint that someone might ask, he would either change the subject or remain silent.

There was no room to talk about the fifth prince.

It was clear that he didn’t want to discuss the past.

Why was that?

He tried to reason through it, but it wasn’t easy.

After all, he wasn’t royalty or living a limited life. He felt some sense of shared experience, but the Iron Mask seemed to think differently.

So far, there had been no strange commands from the Iron Mask. He hoped it would stay that way.

‘I should watch him a bit longer.’

Reaching a tentative conclusion, Jeong Yushin took out some jerky and started chewing.

Two hours later.

After a sufficient rest, Jeong Yushin and his party stood up.

With the portal to the second floor right ahead, there was no rush.

That said...

There definitely weren’t many people around.

For about two hours, they had been waiting at the entrance to the portal to the second floor, yet not a single other party had passed by.

“Let’s head out.”

The Iron Mask, with his backpack strapped on, spoke to Jeong Yushin.

“Understood.”

Jeong Yushin raised the torch and placed his hand on the stone tablet.

Then.

Whoosh.

A blue portal and a red portal appeared in front of the stone tablet.

Swoosh.

Jeong Yushin drew his Arming Sword and stepped into the red portal.

A brief feeling of weightlessness.

He landed on the hard cave floor.

Jeong Yushin quickly turned his gaze to assess his current position.

No one was there.

One by one, his party members emerged from the red portal behind him.

Jeong Yushin and the Iron Mask exchanged a glance and nodded.

“There’s nothing unusual.”

“Good. We’ll look for a campsite on the second floor and set up camp.”

The rat beastman, Mas, pulled out a map and examined it.

“Hmmm. We’re lucky. We’ve teleported near the portal to the third floor.”

“Where’s the campsite?”

The Iron Mask asked.

“It’s near too. About 30 minutes away.”

“Good. The formation stays the same. Let’s go.”

They continued into the dark cave.

True to Mas’s word, after about 30 minutes of walking, they discovered a small cavern in the cave wall.

The party entered and began unpacking their gear.

Jeong Yushin took out a blanket and covered the entrance to the shelter to block out the light.

The party gathered around the central torch and took out their food to eat.

The Iron Mask didn’t eat but sat down, gently stroking his greatsword.

The rest of the party, chewing on their rations, were awkward, their bodies and minds stiff from the tension of the first day in the labyrinth.

After finishing their meals quietly, they sat together, staring blankly at each other’s faces.

“How will we handle the night watch?”

“Kubo, the priest, will use alarm magic.”

Jeong Yushin asked, and the Iron Mask answered.

“Good.”

Jeong Yushin unpacked all his gear and leaned back against the wall.

The dwarf priest, Kubo, held his hand close to the torch and muttered something.

“Great spirit Ifrit, hear the prayer of your faithful servant Kubo Heavyhand, and with the power of flame, illuminate this place.”

[Fire Sanctuary]

When Kubo’s incantation ended, the torch flared brilliantly.

It was a divine magic, filled with a sacred aura, different from the alarm magic used by Ahiman.

Jeong Yushin stared at the torch, burning with golden light.

“...Sacred light in the dark labyrinth. Truly beautiful.”

The Iron Mask, leaning against the wall, murmured.

“...”

To be able to get lost in such a sentiment while staring at the torch in the pitch-black labyrinth, he must have a strong stomach.

Jeong Yushin turned his gaze away from the Iron Mask and began preparing for sleep.

He loosened his scabbard so he could draw his sword at any moment.

Since he had to stand guard and block the path, he chose a spot facing the entrance of the shelter.

With his helmet on, he closed his eyes. His neck was sore, but it couldn’t be helped. A single blow could mean his end.

Suddenly.

A memory of fighting the assassins flashed through his mind. Had he thrown his helmet? He couldn’t quite remember.

‘I was crazy.’

He had likely been in the darkness for quite a while back then. The madness had been terrifying.

He closed his eyes again and tried to sleep.

“Skar, wake up.”

Jeong Yushin immediately opened his eyes.

“Did I sleep long?”

“Not really. About six hours. Now put away your sword.”

Jeong Yushin lowered the sword that had been facing the Iron Mask and stretched.

The party members appeared calm, their faces showing they had rested well through the night.

“Kubo’s alarm magic has that effect. It helps calm the mind and restores energy.”

The Iron Mask said, leaning back against the wall.

Jeong Yushin nodded.

He had just thought Kubo was just some priest wearing regular underpants, but now he had a new respect.

“Iron Mask, aren’t you eating?”

“I already did.”

The Iron Mask replied flatly.

Jeong Yushin took off his helmet and pulled out some rations.

Dried fruit and honey-filled biscuits baked by Teddy Bear, a preserved food for the labyrinth.

Jeong Yushin showed the bear-shaped biscuit to the Iron Mask, then popped it in his mouth and chewed.

It was sweet enough to make his teeth feel like they might rot.

The rat beastman sniffed the air and suddenly looked startled.

“Hey! What’s that?!”

“What?”

“That’s... isn’t that from Bamfing’s shop?”

Bamfing.

A Teddy Bear beastman. He owned a bakery. He helped them carry wheat sacks once.

“Is that a famous shop?”

“His baking skills are so good that no one doesn’t know about it. Even important people in the central district can’t get enough of it...”

“Really? If there are any leftovers, give me some later.”

“Really? You better save some!”

The rat beastman’s eyes sparkled.

The party finished their meal and headed deeper into the dark labyrinth.

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Four days later.

“Finally...”

Jeong Yushin murmured with a trembling voice.

A wide hill outside the cave.

Far in the distance, a dark city could be seen.

The fifth floor.

The city of Ingrave.

The last floor they reached with the Karin party.

Now, they just had to cross the city to reach the portal to the forest area.

He had heard that higher-level hobgoblins roamed the area, but as long as they moved carefully, it would be fine.

They had been lucky these past four days, dropping close to the portal to the next level.

They hadn’t encountered many hobgoblins.

A few low-level ones had appeared, but they had been scared off by arrows from the rat beastman, Mas.

The dwarf priest standing beside Jeong Yushin had a bewildered look on his face.

“I’ve never reached the fifth floor this easily in my entire life. Is this even possible?”

“It’s all thanks to the blessing of the spirit god, isn’t it?”

Jeong Yushin answered smoothly.

“A barbarian like you talking about spirit gods. Heh. I know it’s rude to say this, but it feels a bit sacrilegious.”

‘The sacrilegious one is your outfit.’

The dwarf, who walked around mostly naked except when he slept, was criticizing him.

Jeong Yushin barely restrained the urge to slap the dwarf’s butt.

“Let’s go. We’ve been lucky so far, but we still have to cross Ingrave city.”

The Iron Mask came closer and said.

The party slowly descended the high hill and walked toward the city.

A few more hours passed.

They stood in front of the large city gates.

Through the gates, part of the dark city could be seen.

Carrying nothing but a single torch, it would be no easy task to navigate through it.

Of course, it wouldn’t be as difficult as having to fight for their lives like with the Eldritch Wave.

Still, they couldn’t afford to be careless in a labyrinth where a single wrong step could lead to death.

“Wait!”

The rat beastman, Mas, shouted. The party immediately pulled out their weapons and watched their surroundings.

“Hobgoblins?”

The Iron Mask asked.

“No. This is...”

The rat beastman hesitated.

Just as Jeong Yushin was about to ask what was going on, a group of adventurers appeared from behind the city gates.

A party of one male human and three female humans.

Jeong Yushin narrowed his eyes.

The face of the male human looked familiar.

‘...I’ve seen him somewhere. Ah!’

He remembered. The guy was around the same age.

Early twenties.

Blue hair.

The man with the seal of the genius swordsman.

The one he had briefly seen when the exploration party was recruiting.

He had heard they were looking to form a harem party, and it seemed they had achieved their goal.

The blue-haired man in leather armor slowly approached.

Jeong Yushin immediately stepped forward and blocked his path.

The blue-haired man smiled and waved his hand.

“Hey. Calm down.”

“...”

Jeong Yushin tightened his grip on his shield, silently.

They had been hiding near the city gates, only to be spotted by the guide, and now he was telling them to calm down.

Jeong Yushin was about to say something but stopped. He wasn’t the leader of this party, so it was better to keep his thoughts to himself for now.

The Iron Mask stepped forward.

“Who are you? Why are you hiding near the city gates?”

The blue-haired man smiled.

“I’m the adventurer, Ret. I wasn’t hiding, I was just resting. Don’t misunderstand.”

“...Is that so? I see. We need to get inside the city, so we’re looking for a path...”

The blue-haired man, Ret, interrupted the Iron Mask’s words.

“By the way, I have a suggestion.”

“What kind of suggestion?”

The Iron Mask asked with a slightly irritated tone.

Ret smiled and extended his hand.

“Let’s team up.”

“...”

The Iron Mask closed his mouth and stared at Ret.

Between the two torches burning at the city gates, a strange silence descended.