Jeong Yusin smiled and extended his hand.
“It’s been a while. I heard you got a job at the blacksmith’s shop; didn’t expect to see you here.”
Ainhofer shook Jeong Yusin’s hand.
“Yeah.”
“Have you completely quit being an explorer?”
“I have; I’m getting old and my skills are declining, so I felt the wall.”
Boroni scratched his nose bridge.
“What? Do you two know each other?”
“Yes, we were in the same party last time.”
“Is that so? That’s surprising. Anyway, what do you need?”
“A helmet and armor. I prefer the lighter type of armor.”
“Aren’t you going to use a shield?”
Jeong Yusin thought for a moment and replied.
“It’s not necessary this time.”
“Got it. Assuming it’s obviously iron for the helmet, and Light Armor would be perfect. I’ll need to take your measurements to make it fit well, so come into this room. Ainhofer, you come too; I’ll teach you how to measure.”
“Understood.”
Jeong Yusin and the two dwarves entered a room tucked away in a corner of the blacksmith shop.
Inside the room, there was a large wooden table and a bookshelf. The bookshelf was tightly packed with rolled papers.
Boroni brought a wooden chair, groaned as he stood in front of the bookshelf, gathered a few rolled papers, and spread them out on the table.
The papers had armor diagrams on them.
“This is the Light Armor blueprint. There are a few more options. Take a look and decide on the one you like. I’ll make sure to take precise measurements so don’t worry about the fit.”
Boroni indicated the remaining paper rolls.
“I understand.”
Jeong Yusin carefully examined the blueprints on the table. While flipping through the rolls, his hand paused when he saw one particular blueprint.
Jeong Yusin’s eyes gleamed.
‘Pretty good.’
It was leather armor with segmented iron plates covering the chest, abdomen, waist, and back. There were also shoulder plates called spaulders, as well as iron plates that could be attached to the thighs, shins, and arms.
Overall, it was a practical design that didn’t significantly reduce mobility while still protecting vital areas.
“How much is this?”
Boroni approached, crossed his arms, and inspected the blueprint.
“It’s an excellent armor set. Usually costs 5 gold coins but…”
Boroni glanced up to look at Jeong Yusin.
“One gold coin is all you need.”
“Ho-ho-ho-ho.”
Jeong Yusin brushed his hair off his forehead and glanced at the ceiling.
“One gold coin, you say? There’s no way I could afford that.”
“We have installment payments.”
‘Really, living is similar everywhere, isn’t it?’
Installment payment, huh?
Still, I should refuse. It’s too expensive. One gold coin would cover three months of training at the Swordsmanship Guild.
He was about to refuse when Ainhofer came into view.
Ainhofer was dressed humbly and had his fists tightly clenched.
Eyes met with Ainhofer.
“Don’t worry about me.”
As if reading Jeong Yusin’s mind, Ainhofer replied calmly.
‘That’s what I should say.’
Despite having a corrupted engraving, like Dito, this dwarf stayed on the righteous path.
He’s a respectable man—different from myself.
Unable to continue eye contact, Jeong Yusin turned his head to face Boroni.
“Let’s make a deal: if you give me discounts on future weapons and armor, I’ll buy this Light Armor.”
“Agreed.”
Boroni answered immediately.
It appears that running the blacksmith shop is quite tough.
‘Farewell, my love.’
Jeong Yusin nervously pulled out a gold coin from his pouch and placed it on the table.
“Ho-ho-ho-ho. Pretending not to have it when you clearly do? How deceitful of you.”
Boroni grinned as he picked up the gold coin.
I had a hunch when you bought that expensive alcohol.
‘Bravo, you’ve advanced far, Barvaroy.’
For several months, his orders had been overflowing.
Recently, after hiring a cheap assistant who had a corrupted engraving, a labyrinth closure order was suddenly put in place.
All pending orders over the months were canceled, leaving him with nothing but idle days; but today, a good customer has arrived.
“And the helmet?”
He can’t miss this customer.
Boroni’s eyes widened when he asked.
Jeong Yusin wanted to pull his hair out.
‘Shit! Swallow this bile!’
“I’ll take the same helmet as last time.”
“There’s a new one that came out recently. Take a look.”
Boroni darted out of the room and returned momentarily with a helmet in hand.
It was a Barbuta-style iron helmet, but it featured something new: a visor to cover the mouth.
“How’s that? Isn’t it great? Normally 30 silver coins, but as a favor, I’ll do it for 20.”
“Damn!”
???
Taken aback by the sudden cursing, Boroni’s eyes grew wide.
“Shit, really, it’s amazing. Yes, completely masterwork quality! Should you be handing out such good deals, Boroni?”
Boroni burst into laughter.
“Barvaroy, what’s such a grumpy tone between us? Aren’t we friends?”
‘What kind of relationship do we have?’
Swallowing his pride silently, Jeong Yusin pulled out 20 silver coins and handed them over. Boroni smiled brightly as he collected the coins and cheerfully shouted.
“Ho-ho-ho. Great! Ainhofer, bring the measuring tape! Let’s measure our customer!”
“Understood.”
For thirty minutes, Jeong Yusin stood still, staring blankly at the air while Boroni and Ainhofer busily took his measurements and recorded them on paper.
“Done. It’ll take about two weeks to complete the armor.”
“In that case, see you then.”
“Safe travels!”
Jeong Yusin wobbled as he left the blacksmith’s shop, with Boroni waving cheerfully behind him.
On the way there, he visited the market and purchased necessary supplies.
Fire starters, healing salves, ropes, bandages, flint, thick robes, and just in case, two small recovery potions.
“Would you like a bag? The kind you can wear around your waist?”
“This is the best seller here.”
The shopkeeper placed a small leather bag on the counter.
“Would the fire starter fit in there?”
Jeong Yusin stroked his chin.
“You can tie the fire starter to the bag with a rope. If it makes moving difficult, you can cut the handle of the torch shorter.”
The shopkeeper replied indifferently.
“Oh!”
“The total comes to six silver coins. Quite a deal, isn’t it?”
“Oh.”
Jeong Yusin nervously pulled out the silver coins from his pouch and placed them on the counter.
Is this what it feels like to send your child off to war?
It was heart-wrenching.
“Here, a razor is complimentary.”
The shopkeeper added a nearby razor into the bag as if bestowing a favor.
“Hmph. Great doing business with you.”
“Come often. Just don’t visit when my daughter’s around.”
“Sure, sure.”
Walking away from the shop, he trudged along. The market street was quiet without many people.
Feeling dizzy, he briefly squatted by the roadside.
“Argh. Am I crazy? What kind of luxury am I striving for?”
Just the amount spent today included one gold coin and 26 silver coins. He had almost used up the payment he received from licking Karin’s boots.
Only 28 silver coins remained in his pouch. After paying his inn rent and the temple’s tuition fees, roughly 26 silver coins would be left.
Suddenly, his chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.
“Ah, no. Yusin, pull yourself together. This is an investment for the future. Isn’t the labyrinth investigation team serious work? Hoo. Peace of mind, peace of mind. Asura-barbar-barata! Asura-barbar-barata! Only the best smile during tough times.”
Muttering to himself made passersby shrink back and look at him as if he were a madman, then quickly walked away.
Having sat on the street for a while, closed his eyes, and practiced meditation before standing up.
There was no peace of mind, but there was something he needed to do.
It was around lunch time, and there was training at the Swordsmanship Guild.
A monthly training session that cost 30 silver coins—there was no time to hesitate.
He returned to the inn, tidied his baggage, and rushed to the guild.
“Your sword feels sharper today.”
Guildmaster Ashur praised him.
“Yes, because there’s not much time left.”
“What do you mean?”
“The time to learn the sword here—there are less than two weeks left, right?”
“You received payment from Karin, didn’t you?”
Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.
“… How did you?”
“Being the guildmaster, things I don’t hear naturally come to me? Didn’t we discuss this before?”
“But I spent all of that today.”
Now Ashur’s eyes widened.
“One gold coin and 50 silver coins all?! Aren’t you a rookie explorer?”
Ashur was shocked by Barvaroy’s extravagant spending.
Pointing his staff at Jeong Yusin, Ashur continued.
“When I was a rookie explorer, I lived on one slice of bread and one piece of jerky per day, saving up as much as possible. What’s this absurd extravagance?”
“I just ended up this way.”
Jeong Yusin’s casual response left Ashur momentarily speechless.
“Where did you spend it?”
“Let’s train. No time to waste.”
“Did you visit the pleasure district?”
“Negative.”
As Ashur was about to say something more, someone approached.
“Big Brother.”
Ashur turned his head.
“You’re here, Dellia.”
A tall female elf crossed the training grounds toward them. With long, green hair and a fresh appearance, she was a striking beauty.
“Hmm? Scath? Long time!”
The female elf carefully inspected Jeong Yusin and made a recognition gesture.
“Who is this?”
“Dell!”
Jeong Yusin’s mouth dropped open.
“…That goblin?”
“That’s right.”
Difficult adapting to the changed appearance.
“I heard you retired. Did you save up money to erase the goblin engraving?”
“That’s correct. I retired, though I couldn’t fully save up. I erased it with the help of my family.”
I don’t understand. Confusing.
“Any specific reason why you maintained the goblin engraving?”
“Explorers cannot rely on their family’s help. Especially the children from the prestigious families of the Eastern Union must stand on their own. That’s the law of the Labyrinth City. No exceptions.”
“I see.”
It didn’t make sense, but it wasn’t for me, an interdimensional traveler, to argue about it.
The idea of Karin’s spending still lingered in my mind, but I put it aside for now.
High-born figures talking about laws and exceptions mean nothing to me since it doesn’t directly relate to the labyrinth.
Just letting it be and adapting.
Dell inclined her head to Ashur.
“Big Brother, I came to say goodbye before leaving the Labyrinth City.”
“Safe travels and be careful on your way home. Want me to assign guards?”
“No need.”
“Understood.”
Dell turned to Jeong Yusin.
“Scath, truly, thank you. Thanks to you, I managed to survive.”
Dell extended her arms and firmly clasped Jeong Yusin’s two hands.
“Not at all, I merely did what I should.”
Jeong Yusin replied and discreetly withdrew his hands.
“And here’s a gift. Thank you for saving the party.”
Dell handed over a scroll sealed with a blue emblem from her bosom.
“What is this?”
“It’s an Antipoison Scroll. Range Decipher Magic.”
“I’ll put it to good use.”
Jeong Yusin tucked the scroll into his bosom. Although she was already quite beautiful, she appeared even more so now.
“Scath, see you later.”
“Yes. I’ll see you on the road.”
With a smile at Jeong Yusin’s response, Dell turned and walked off the training ground.
After Dell disappeared beyond the training field, Jeong Yusin turned to look at Ashur.
“Was she your sister?”
“She’s the youngest in our family.”
“Her age gap seems considerable?”
“Don’t ask if you want to avoid embarrassment.”
“Understood.”
“However, where did you spend that money?”
Ashur asked again, genuinely curious.
“Let’s not delve into such embarrassing matters.”
“Tch. This little rat.”
A vein popped on Ashur’s forehead.
That day, Jeong Yusin was thoroughly beaten by Ashur’s sword until evening.
A week passed.
The Labyrinth City’s closure order continued.
Rumors spread endlessly among the people on the streets, and endless inquiries piled up at the Explorer Guild.
Taverns and inns filled with more explorers sitting around gossiping.
However, Jeong Yusin’s daily routine remained unchanged.
It was a continuous flow of relentless training.
The growth of his body due to his Level Up had reached a fairly steady curve.
He had reached his limits.
He added a few new exercise routines to his dawn exercises.
After gaining Darmong’s permission, he began carrying a flour bag on his shoulder while doing squats.
Next, he carried the flour bag while running through the yard.
Finally, to rapidly summon his innate Sacred Weapon ability, he relentlessly summoned while draining all the remaining magic in his body without mercy.
“Hoo… Hoo…”
“Working hard?”
Exhausted after completing his morning routine, someone spoke from behind Jeong Yusin.
Turning around, Karin stood with her arms crossed.
“Is there something you need?”
Karin slowly approached.
“The closure will be lifted in a week. Get prepared.”
“It’s already done.”
“You’re quick. Nothing missing?”
“Nothing is missing.”
Karin came close, and Jeong Yusin noticed her nose twitching.
“Why?”
“It’s not you. Even the sweat smell wouldn’t bother me, I’m a mid-rank explorer.”
“You think too little of me.”
“And if you’re a load-carrier, you should be able to lift at least three bags of flour. If you’re going to train, do it right.”
“Understood.”
Karin tossed a white towel.
“Here, use this to wipe your sweat.”
Jeong Yusin caught the towel. It had a fluffy texture, indicating it was quite an expensive item.
“Thank you.”
After wiping his face and neck with the towel, he hung it over his shoulder.
“Shall we get breakfast, Lady Karin?”
“Let’s go.”
The two walked side by side and left the yard.
Unbeknownst to Jeong Yusin, Karin’s eyes were fixed on the towel.
