How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World

“Finally!”

Yoo-shin appeared like a beggar as he shouted in front of the village gates. 

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about the hardships of the past three days. 

His father’s survival guide had been of no help whatsoever.

[Dad, show me how to make a fire.]

[Ah! It’s simple to make a fire. Watch closely.]

His father casually scratched the surface of a dry stick with his hand. 

As soon as a beam of light touched the stick, smoke began to rise. 

He tossed some kindling onto it, crossed his arms, and stood there as a fire sparked to life as if on cue.

[See? Easy.]

“It’s not easy.”

His father’s ‘manly’ survival guide had plenty of other tips, but none of them had helped. 

Yoo-shin had spent his nights sleeping in trees and his days walking. 

Luckily, there had been no monster attacks, possibly due to the many soldiers patrolling the roads. 

He didn’t know for sure.

Yoo-shin ran a hand through his greasy hair and approached the village guard.

“Coming from Arentsville?” 

The guard with wild hair asked.

“Yes.”

“That’ll be five copper coins.”

Yoo-shin handed over the coins and was about to enter the village when the guard raised his hand to stop him.

“Did you encounter anything strange on your way here? We’ve heard reports of slave hunters appearing near the roads lately.”

A flash of memory from his first arrival in this world crossed his mind. 

Even if he told the guard he had been transported to another world, there was no guarantee the guard would believe him. 

Plus, he’d have to fabricate a backstory, but with no solid details, he’d be caught in a lie. 

Maybe it was better to just deny everything?

“No, nothing unusual.”

“Hmm, alright. You’ve got a fine sword there—let me take a look.”

Yoo-shin handed over his weapon.

The guard drew the sword and examined it in the sunlight.

“Most slave hunters come from the Western Empire. Do you know how they hunt?”

“I don’t.”

A sinking feeling began to settle in Yoo-shin’s gut. 

Maybe he should’ve told the truth?

The guard continued to inspect the sword as he spoke.

“They don’t hunt in groups. Ah! You do know what hunting grounds are, right? This is the Eastern Alliance. Slave hunters infiltrate one by one, like rats, pretending to be innocent. They act as if they know nothing, pose as pilgrims, and deceive people while preparing their hunt.”

Yoo-shin remained silent.

“When they infiltrate individually, it’s hard to tell who the hunters are, right? So, they mark their swords with a special symbol. Like this.”

The sunlight reflected off the sword, momentarily blinding him. Then, he felt a cold touch on his neck.

“Lucky me. Follow me, you scum.”

The guard dragged Yoo-shin into a building tucked away in a corner of the village square.

“Captain, I’ve got one.”

Inside were two people—an older man who was reviewing documents and a figure wearing a gray robe that completely covered their body. 

The older man looked up when the guard spoke.

“A black-haired one, huh? Been a while since we had a Barbarian. Looks like a weakling, probably a half-breed. We’ve already gathered most of the information we need. Take him to the nearby woods, interrogate him, and dispose of him.”

“Wait, no! This is a misunderstanding. You’ve got it all wrong!”

“Oh? What part did I misunderstand? The fact that you’re a half-breed?”

“No. The part about me being a slave hunter!”

The older man rubbed his chin for a moment.

“Gut him slowly. Make it painful.”

“Wait, wait! I was captured by slave hunters too! A red-haired wolf beastman named Karine saved me!”

Both the older man and the guard froze for a moment.

“You…”

Finally, they were starting to believe him. 

Maybe his heartfelt plea had reached them?

“A Barbarian crying? This is… truly rare.”

The older man stared at Yoo-shin with wide eyes.

Damn it.

“I wasn’t crying. I was just… a bit misty-eyed from frustration.”

“That’s called crying. Finish him off. Tsk.”

“Captain, it seems like this man was saved by that person. Shouldn’t we confirm it?” 

The guard suggested.

Yoo-shin jumped at the opportunity. “Yes! Please let me meet Karine. She’ll verify everything right away.”

The middle-aged man sighed. 

“Karine is the daughter of the leader of the Beastman Union. She’s not someone you can just demand to see. Besides, she’s been gone for quite a while. Let’s just make this easy.”

“Are you really going to execute an innocent man like this?”

“It takes at least four soldiers to escort you, but they’re all out on patrol. There aren’t enough people in the village. Do you think money magically appears from the ground to pay for this? No. Do you think the paperwork for this kind of thing writes itself? Also no. How many people have to suffer just because of you? Barbarian, let’s make this easy.”

The middle-aged man’s face reddened with frustration as he spoke.

The guard scratched his head and glanced at Yoo-shin. “The captain’s got a point.”

“I’ll take him with me.”

A voice echoed.

The figure in the gray robe spoke up.

“Really?” The captain’s mood instantly brightened.

“Yes. I need to meet with Karine anyway, and I can help with your work too. I’ll take care of him.”

“Seamus… Thank you.”

The captain said, unable to suppress his gratitude.

The person called Seamus pulled back his robe, revealing a middle-aged man with streaks of white in his hair. 

When he met Yoo-shin’s eyes, he smiled.

“It’s been a while since I’ve traveled with a Barbarian.”

“Thank you. I don’t know how I can repay this favor.”

The captain jumped up and bowed deeply. 

“It’s only natural as a servant of the Spirit Church.”

Seamus replied and waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s head out immediately.”

———-

“Barbarian, don’t get any ideas.”

The captain warned and grabbed Yoo-shin while Seamus went to gather his things.

“I’m not planning anything. But where are we going?”

“Karine went to the Great Labyrinth, so you’ll have to go there too. It’ll take about a week on foot.”

“Is it okay to just tell me all of this so freely?” Yoo-shin asked.

The captain bristled. 

“I’m not telling you anything freely! And watch your mouth in front of Seamus. He holds a high position in the Spirit Church.”

“How high of a position?”

“You’ll find out yourself. Why should I tell you everything?”

“…”

Just then, Seamus returned with his belongings.

“Let’s head out.”

“Are we leaving right away?” Yoo-shin asked.

Seamus shrugged. “Is there something else you need?”

“Aren’t you going to tie my hands or something? I could try to escape.”

The room burst into laughter. 

The captain and the guards roared, and even Seamus chuckled softly.

“Barbarian, if you want to try, be my guest. I admire your confidence.”

* * *

Seamus and Yoo-shin soon left the village. 

Yoo-shin was allowed to keep his backpack, but his sword had been confiscated. 

While they didn’t bind his hands, they clearly didn’t trust him enough to carry a weapon.

Yoo-shin walked along the road, while Seamus mumbled to himself as if in deep meditation. 

Occasionally, Seamus would pull a strange-looking necklace from his robe and kiss it gently.

Seamus didn’t speak to Yoo-shin unless it was necessary. 

His earlier comment about how it had been a while since he traveled with a Barbarian seemed ironic now. 

Yoo-shin, too, had nothing to say, so the two of them traveled in silence.

In the morning, Yoo-shin would glance at the wildflowers growing by the roadside. 

At midday, they rested in the shade of a massive old tree rooted by the road. 

In the evening, they gazed out over the wide plains, watching the setting sun disappear beyond the horizon.

This strange, silent journey was interrupted on the fourth day after leaving the village.

It happened one evening, while they were chewing on jerky by a campfire in the corner of some ancient ruins on the high plains.

Seamus suddenly lifted his head. 

“Monsters are coming.”

“What?! What should I do?” 

Yoo-shin panicked.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a few goblins.”

Seamus stood up.

“Kee-kee-kee.”

“Kraaaa!”

Around thirty goblins had emerged, just at the edge of the firelight.

Seamus smiled as he got to his feet.

“Looks like they got overconfident seeing only the two of us. Usually, they’d just shoot arrows from the darkness. You stay put.”

“Kieeeeek!”

With shrill screams, dozens of goblins charged all at once.

As Seamus threw off his gray robe, a black priest’s outfit was revealed underneath. 

When Seamus clenched his fist and took a stance, an intense aura surrounded him.

BANG!!

One of the goblins charging from above had its stomach burst open with a loud, drum-like sound, leaving a gaping hole.

Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.

Seamus’s punch was so fast that he missed the moment of impact. And the power of that punch created a massive hole in the goblin’s stomach. 

It was unbelievable.

CRACK!!

Seamus’s low kick fell like a whip and struck a goblin’s shoulder, sending it crashing to the ground. 

It was smashed beyond recognition.

Ten goblins that had charged from the front suddenly hesitated. 

They seemed to realize something but it was already too late.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With a few light jabs, Seamus shattered the goblins’ skulls. 

The remaining goblins shrieked in terror and tried to flee into the darkness.

“Stop.”

Seamus spoke in a calm voice, and the goblins froze in place, unable to move.

Yoo-shin realized that the ominous aura he had sensed from Seamus earlier was now binding the goblins.

Seamus raised his index finger and made a single slash motion through the air.

The heads of the frozen goblins fell cleanly to the ground.

Yoo-shin stared in shock, his mouth wide open.

“Unbelievable.”

Now he understood why Seamus hadn’t bothered tying his hands or taking other precautions. 

When Seamus said ‘try to escape if you can,’ it wasn’t a bluff. 

For someone who could decapitate monsters as easily as taking out pocket change, handcuffs or restraints were meaningless.

The only reason Yoo-shin was still alive was because Seamus didn’t want him dead.

“Ugh!”

The sight of the slaughter and the smell of blood made Yoo-shin’s stomach churn. He quickly lifted his water pouch to his mouth.

Gulp. Gulp.

“Phew.”

“Barbarian.”

Seamus’s voice snapped Yoo-shin out of his daze.

“Y-yes, sir!”

Seamus chuckled softly.

“I need to wash my hands. Pour some water for me, will you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Yoo-shin tilted his water pouch, pouring water over Seamus’s hands.

“Barbarian, are you shaking?” 

Seamus asked with a slight smile.

It was true. 

His hands were trembling, which made the water pouch tremble, and as a result, the stream of water coming from it also shook.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“Yes. I’m sorry—no, I won’t apologize.”

“Heh, a barbarian trembling like this… You live long enough, you see everything. Go to sleep.”

Seamus shook off the water from his hands and returned to the campfire.

Yoo-shin’s body continued to shake.

‘What exactly is a barbarian?’

He stumbled toward the campfire and sat down. 

The smell of blood still lingered in the air.

He thought back to the night Karine had left him alone in the wagon with the scent of blood hanging thick.

Shhhhh.

A strange wind brushed past Yoo-shin, and the smell of blood dissipated.

“It’s a wind spirit. It carries the scent of blood away, so you can sleep for a bit. We’ll need to leave early tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to move the campsite?”

“I’m sure.”

“Yes.”

If he says jump, you jump. 

Yoo-shin pulled his blanket over himself and closed his eyes.

His heart was still pounding from the horrible scene he had witnessed earlier.

‘Will I even be able to sleep?’ 

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