The next morning at dawn.
Jeong Yusin opened his eyes. His body was stiff from the intense training, making it difficult to move.
“Hoo.”
He wriggled like a worm on the bed and finally managed to get up.
He opened the window, taking in the cool summer morning air and looking down at the street.
The street was quiet, with no people walking around yet.
After getting dressed, he went downstairs.
In the inn’s hall, Tarman was bustling about.
“Have you woken up?”
Tarman bowed his head to greet Jeong Yusin.
Tarman’s face looked somewhat gloomy.
“Yeah. Tarman, did you sleep badly last night?”
Tarman awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“I slept well.”
“If you’re tired, tell me.”
“Haha.”
Tarman chuckled weakly and continued sweeping the floor busily.
When Jeong Yusin entered the kitchen, Ann was moving around busily.
“Need some help?”
“Ah! You’re awake? No, it’s fine. I can handle this alone.”
Ann’s face also appeared somewhat dark.
Is something wrong?
Jeong Yusin tilted his head curiously and walked through the kitchen into the yard.
In the yard, he stretched a bit. He had taken off his shirt because it was summer and he sweated easily. Moreover, he didn’t have many extra clothes left.
‘I need to do the laundry.’
Between training and studying, he would leave in the morning and return at night, leaving no extra time.
Ann was taking care of the kitchen, but it wasn’t easy to also ask her to handle the laundry, especially something personal like underwear.
‘I should set aside some time soon to do the laundry.’
Jeong Yusin looked around the yard.
To the left was Darmong’s house, and on the right was a storage shed. In the corner was a small well, and there was a clothes drying rack on the side.
Seeing the house reminded him of Darmong.
How is he doing?
“Yusin, it’s serious.”
Muttering to himself, he slapped his cheeks a few times to wake up and began running around the yard.
“Hooop. Hooop.”
As he inhaled and exhaled, the heat slowly built up in his body, and stray thoughts faded away. Focusing on his breathing, he stepped lightly.
As sweat began pouring down his body, he stopped running and swung his sword instead.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Jeong Yusin’s sword cut through the morning air.
Yesterday, he had spent the whole day sparring with Ashur, and now he mentally reviewed those experiences while swinging his sword around in the air.
Sweat poured down his entire body.
His muscles grew increasingly stiff, and he stopped swinging his sword to catch his breath.
When would he be able to learn advanced techniques like parrying?
Anxiety filled his heart.
Shaking his head, Jeong Yusin dismissed those thoughts.
He continuously summoned the Sacred Weapon until his mana was depleted.
“Hooou. Hoo.”
Jeong Yusin knelt on the ground, panting heavily.
Summoning continuously until he reached his limit drained all his mana, leaving his body too weak to move.
“Ah…”
Turning his head, he saw Ann standing there.
“Is breakfast ready?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming.”
He dried himself off with a towel hanging on the drying rack, put on some clothes, and headed through the kitchen to the dining hall.
Ann and Tarman sat together with Jeong Yusin at a table.
“I… need to say something.”
Ann hesitated before speaking.
“What is it?”
“It seems like the inn isn’t turning a profit.”
“How bad is it?”
Ann began to explain.
Jeong Yusin crossed his arms and listened carefully.
“…We’re barely breaking even, avoiding losses.”
“So, the revenue is stable, but the cost of food is rising, reducing the profit from food sales. The lost profits are currently being covered by the money made from alcohol sales, right?”
“Yes.”
Jeong Yusin rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment.
“Food quality should not be compromised. I don’t know much about cooking or running an inn, but there are some things I want to maintain.”
‘Because this is Darmong’s inn.’
“It’s okay if profits aren’t high. If it results in losses, I’ll try to find ways to compensate. It’s tough at the start, but please bear with it a little longer.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Ann and Tarman answered simultaneously.
Taking the opportunity to ask another question, albeit one difficult to bring up — this was also a sensitive topic for both Tarman and Ann.
“…This might be a sudden question, but how is Mari doing?”
The priest who served the Earth Goddess.
The girl who was assaulted by hobgoblins and became pregnant.
She suffered a mental breakdown and was recuperating at the temple.
“…Mari is doing well. Thanks to Priest Mion, we were able to ‘handle’ the hobgoblin child. The last time I visited her, I heard she was gradually recovering, but lately, I’ve been busy with other things…”.
Ann trailed off.
Is that so.
“You shouldn’t reduce your pay.”
Jeong Yusin said something casually and scratched his head. He glanced at Tarman and continued.
“Tarman, do I come across too generous?”
“Yes, if you keep handing out so freely, there’ll be nothing left.”
‘If you’re not careful, neither of you will be left.’
He almost said it but swallowed it back down.
Tarman’s small eyes, resembling beans, were reddening. Ann’s eyes were also tearing up.
Silence enveloped the table.
In the stillness, there was something tingling in the heart.
“Let me repeat again, I’m not saying I’ll completely abandon running the inn. I’ll think about it on my side, so don’t worry.”
Jeong Yusin held his fork and added.
“Yes.”
Their faces brightened a little as they responded.
After chatting a bit, they finished eating and got up.
“I’ll be back later.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, please come back safely.”
With farewells from the two, he left the inn.
Walking against the crowd heading towards the Labyrinth, he reached the Temple.
After checking in at the reception counter to confirm his attendance, he entered the orphanage.
“Uncle, hello.”
A little child came running up to greet him.
“Hey.”
“There you are, uncle.”
Jeong Yusin sat down and opened his pouch to take out writing tools.
“Can you not ask questions for a bit?”
“Hhmm…”
The child pouted.
‘Really now.’
“Alright, stop crying. What is it?”
“I saw someone just like you yesterday.”
Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.
“What?!”
“Wah! Uncle, you’re scary.”
“Not scared, but I am surprised. Did that person hurt you?”
“No, they looked around the orphanage and disappeared.”
‘This is serious. These lunatics. This is really dangerous, isn’t it?’
The sense that lawless elements from the Labyrinth city were slowly creeping in gave him the chills.
Is this a warning that they are targeting me?
If that’s the case, it’s highly malicious.
Jeong Yusin rubbed his forehead.
“Huff. Be careful. They’re dangerous people.”
“Why?”
In front of the child, he couldn’t use words like rape or semen preservation.
“Be cautious. Don’t follow anyone who offers you food. Understand?”
The child tilted his head.
“If they offer you food, they must be good people, right?”
“No, they are people who entice you and then eat your liver.”
“Uuuh…uuu.”
The child’s eyes welled up with tears.
‘Oh no, I’ve had enough. Cry and grow up, I don’t know what else to do.’
Jeong Yusin scratched his head as he looked down at the child who was on the verge of tears.
“Uncle! Why are you making the child cry?!”
A feisty girl with blue hair interjected.
“I was just telling him to be careful.”
“You could’ve just spoken carefully. Why talk absurdities about eating livers?”
“Huff, sorry.”
The blue-haired girl hugged the distraught child and gently stroked their head.
“Shh, don’t cry.”
The blue-haired girl consoled softly.
With tears brimming in his eyes, the child sniffled and clung tightly to the blue-haired girl.
“Uuuu… Riley-nee.”
“Yes, yes. Good children don’t cry.”
Creak.
The door opened, and a meticulous-looking male priest entered.
Diego Perez.
An intermediate priest who served the Earth Goddess.
As soon as Diego appeared, the children murmured.
Most of them were complaints about how Miss Mion hadn’t come today.
“Everyone, please be quiet.”
When Diego tapped the podium, the children immediately went silent.
“Miss Mion couldn’t come today because she isn’t feeling well.”
“Is that true?”
“Aw…”
The classroom filled with the children’s worried voices.
“Quiet.”
Diego looked around the room and said,
“She says it’s not serious and that she’ll be better soon, so please don’t worry.”
After finishing his speech, Diego glanced at Jeong Yusin for a moment.
Is that so.
Jeong Yusin sighed and picked up the book.
Still, it felt heavy on his heart.
He resolved to visit her later and apologize.
‘Never even dating, and straight to a belly massage? According to the manual, a kiss should come first.’
Regardless of Jeong Yusin’s feelings, Diego’s lessons proceeded kindly and meticulously.
The children quickly focused on Diego’s class.
Contrary to his stern appearance, he was a diligent young priest.
“Excellent. Mr. Scar has corrected all the parts I pointed out.”
“Thank you.”
“With this, we can move on to the next book.”
“Really?”
Jeong Yusin asked.
“That joy is reserved for the next time.”
‘This priest has a knack for annoying people.’
Still, it was enjoyable to look forward to learning something new. There was a pleasure in gaining more knowledge, and it was also necessary.
When lunchtime came, the lesson ended, and the children left the classroom.
Jeong Yusin packed away the writing tools in his pouch.
“Mr. Diego, thank you for your hard work.”
“Mr. Scar, thank you for your hard work.”
“By the way, I heard a rumor that a Barbaroy entered the orphanage yard, is it true?”
Diego’s eyes widened.
“Really?!”
‘So you didn’t know.’
“Yes. One of the orphanage children said they saw him.”
“Let me verify this. Do you know the name of that child?”
“Sharon.”
“Understood… Could it be the evil once driven out is returning?”
Diego turned away, muttering the last part quietly, which Jeong Yusin didn’t catch.
Jeong Yusin left the classroom after Diego and headed toward the temple dining hall.
Standing in line at the temple cafeteria, he took his food and sat down.
The menu consisted of vegetable soup seasoned with herbs, rye bread, and diluted wine.
Jeong Yusin took a spoonful of the soup and a bite of the bread.
Suddenly, something soft was crunched in the bread, and a strong fishy odor rose.
‘What on earth is this?’
Hastily, he looked inside the bread. A half-eaten fish head was protruding out.
Oh.
Jeong Yusin clamped his hand over his mouth.
Placing fish in the bread like this? It felt as though he had unexpectedly stumbled into a minefield.
Was it an assassination attempt?
Looking around, he noticed that the other priests were enjoying their meals without any issue.
“Praise the Earth Goddess for her bounty. There’s fish in the bread.”
“Is today something special? This rare delicacy is quite luxurious.”
Jeong Yusin frowned, not daring to spit it out and pinched his nose while chewing and gulping down the contents with a swig of diluted wine.
“By the way, hasn’t Priest Mion skipped the morning mass again today?”
“Yes. For a few days, she was up all night in the archives looking for divine magic, and it seems she’s gotten sick. Sir Cain from the knight’s order even came yesterday but couldn’t meet her.”
“Oh well, something serious. We should offer prayers.”
Jeong Yusin got up from his seat.
Unsure if it was due to the fish bread or the guilt over Mion’s illness, the food was not settling well in his stomach.
After leaving the dining hall, he arrived at the temple courtyard.
Just then, a group of explorers emerged from the temple.
Two humans.
One dwarf.
One num.
A total of four in the party.
They looked exhausted but were smiling.
“KRAAHHH! Finally got the Strength Enhancement Brand!”
The human male swordsman who had a longsword strapped to his back raised his arms and shouted.
“Huhu. I’m also glad to have acquired the Spell Casting Acceleration Brand.”
The female human who seemed to be a mage smiled and spoke.
“Haa. The Wall Scaling Brand, it’s completely useless.”
The dwarf priest sighed as he scratched his head.
The party members were all chatting merrily, except for one person who stood quietly.
The human swordsman spoke toward the silent num.
“Your new brand was the Heavy Feet, right?”
“…Yes. It makes running harder, and my footsteps are louder, making it difficult as a guide.”
The num slightly nodded weakly in response.
“It’s fine! We can get it removed!”
“Right, it’s not that bad a negative brand. Don’t worry about it.”
The party members consoled the downcast num.
The num’s face gradually relaxed.
“Right. I was probably thinking too much. We can remove it.”
The human swordsman patted the num’s shoulder.
“One step at a time, don’t worry too much. Let’s first go eat and rest. I’m really exhausted.”
“I need to clean up. It’s been a week of not bathing and I’m practically reeking.”
The dwarf priest grumbled.
With that, the party members chatted and left the temple.
Jeong Yusin watched them from afar.
The Strength Enhancement brand… I envy it so much my stomach hurts.
What about the Spell Casting Acceleration brand?
‘I can get good brands too.’
Jeong Yusin smacked his lips.
Moreover, their friendly teammates were also enviable.
If only I had good teammates.
How wonderful would it be to have strong allies to break through the dark labyrinth with together?
‘Stop.’
He halted his thoughts. Thinking about it any further would only hurt his stomach. There was much he still needed to do. With that, Jeong Yusin hurriedly made his way to the swordsmen’s guild.
“You’re dripping with lust.”
Ashur spat out abruptly with an irritated face.
Jeong Yusin’s chest clenched painfully as he ran hard on the training ground.
Perhaps this was the sharp insight of a long-lived Swordmaster.
“Don’t bother with facial expressions. You’re completely transparent. Stop daydreaming and focus on training.”
‘Why are you so picky?’
Jeong Yusin frowned.
“Take another sand pouch.”
Jeong Yusin staggered over and strapped the pouch Tarman had handed him around his ankle.
“Run.”
“Yes.”
He ran for quite a while in the sweltering sun.
His whole body was soaked in sweat and dust, and his breath was so short that his consciousness started to waver.
“Khhh… Huhuuu…”
He was close to developing some form of madness.
“So, that’s the face I was looking for. That drained-out look.”
Ashur grinned as he spoke.
‘Are you insane?’
Jeong Yusin glared at Ashur.
Ashur threw a steel sword.
Thud.
The steel sword fell to the training ground floor.
Jeong Yusin shakily picked up the sword with trembling hands and stood up.
“Come here.”
Ashur’s eyes gleamed.
The sparring match between the two men continued well into the night.
KACHOOONG!!!
KAHHH!!!
Ashur jumped back as the swords clashed.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Huuhuueeeeuu. Whoa!”
Jeong Yusin collapsed on the ground immediately.
Even a slight bout of madness might emerge at this point.
“Right, that’s the look I wanted. The depleted look.”
Ashur said with a smile.
“Are you crazy?”
Jeong Yusin glared at Ashur.
Ashur threw the steel sword.
Thud.
The steel sword fell to the training ground.
Jeong Yusin shakily picked it up with trembling hands and stood up.
“Come over here.”
Ashur’s eyes were gleaming.
The sparring match between the two persisted until late into the night.
KACHOOONG!!!
KAHHH!!!
Ashur took a step back after their swords clashed.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Huuhuueeeeuu. Whoa!”
Jeong Yusin immediately collapsed on the ground.
As if madness was about to surface.
“Correct, that’s the face. The drained face.”
Ashur spoke with a smile.
‘Are you really crazy?’
Jeong Yusin shot Ashur a glare.
Ashur tossed him a steel sword.
“Clang.”
The steel sword hit the training ground floor.
Jeong Yusin, with trembling hands, managed to barely grab the sword and stood up.
“Come on.”
Ashur’s eyes glimmered.
The practice between the two men continued deep into the night.
Clang!!!
Clang!!!
Ashur gracefully stepped back as their swords clashed.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.”
“Huuuuugh. Whoa…”
Jeong Yusin instantly collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
Seemed like even a little madness would surface.
“That’s the look I wanted. The expression after being drained.”
Ashur grinned and pointed out all Jeong Yusin’s mistakes as he lay there panting.
Jeong Yusin listened intently to Ashur’s words, even while catching his breath.
“By the way, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“One Barbaroy person was spotted near the orphanage of the Earth Goddess. Feeling threatened, what should I do?”
“There’s really nothing you can do.”
“…”
“It’s getting late, you should head back.”
Ashur smiled faintly and said.
Jeong Yusin struggled to his feet and left the training grounds.
Watching Jeong Yusin’s retreating back gradually disappear, Ashur muttered softly.
“Are the guys finally circling back? It’s amazing they managed to hold out for so long.”
Jeong Yusin quickly walked back to the inn.
Upon opening the wooden door, he glanced around the inn’s hall.
Neither Ann nor Tarman were there, probably already off work.
He grabbed some snacks left on the counter, quickly ate them, and made his way to the second floor, entering his room.
He took off his clothes, dried himself with a towel, and lay down on the bed.
Putting his arm under his head, he closed his eyes.
No matter what happens with the Barbaroys, he was too tired to care right now.
Training was getting increasingly tough and, by night, his mind would always go blank, and sleep would come easily.
He decided not to worry more about those people since he had returned safely.
“Ah-haaaam.”
Crackle.
A sound came from under the bed.
His yawn abruptly stopped.
Something was there…
Under the bed.
