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

“Are you a barbarian?” 

The bear beastman behind the counter asked.

“Do you have a room?” Yoo-shin asked desperately.

“Yes, we do.”

The bear beastman stood up. 

He looked twice as large as the guard captain Yoo-shin had seen at the city gate. His slow approach made him look like a massive ball of fur rolling towards Yoo-shin.

Yoo-shin took a small step back.

“How much is it?”

“Five copper coins, including breakfast.”

Yoo-shin pulled five copper coins from his bag and handed them to the bear beastman.

“Wait a moment.”

The bear beastman raised his arm to stop him.

“What is it?”

Yoo-shin was about to blurt out, ‘I’m a good barbarian who doesn’t commit crimes,’ when the bear beastman interrupted.

“There’s one rule you need to follow if you stay here.”

Yoo-shin gulped nervously. 

The massive furball’s serious expression made him tense up.

“What is it?”

“If you find hair in your food or bedding, don’t complain.”

Of course.

The innkeepers at the other places had mostly been human. 

He had seen a few dwarves, but there hadn’t been any beastmen—certainly not one as furry as this.

“I understand. Here are the five copper coins.”

Finally, the bear beastman accepted the coins and handed him a key.

“Your room is on the second floor, third door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

Gratitude poured as rain from Yoo-shin. He felt like he had found a light in the darkness.

He climbed the stairs and opened the door to his room. 

It was sparsely furnished with just a bed, a desk, and a chair. 

There were no lights, so the room was dim.

Yoo-shin unpacked, took off his leather armor, and realized just how much he stank after his long journey. The smell of sweat and grime was overwhelming.

“Phew.”

He poured water from his canteen onto a cloth, wiped his body, and then lay down on the bed.

“Finally.”

Now, it was just the beginning.

Tomorrow, he would head to the Adventurer’s Guild, get his exploration license, gather some equipment, and dive into the labyrinth.

His heart raced at the thought.

The labyrinth was said to offer a chance, however small, to gain something called an ‘imprint’—an ability that could make him stronger. 

If he was lucky, he could quickly gain power.

Since arriving in this world, his desire to grow stronger had only intensified. 

After being knocked around by circumstances, he had realized one thing: if he stayed weak, his choices would continue to shrink until he met a miserable end.

With a mix of excitement and determination, Yoo-shin drifted off to sleep.

———

“It’s huge.”

Yoo-shin stood in awe before the massive building.

The Adventurer’s Guild.

Built with white marble, the building resembled a temple.

He was glad he had left the inn early. 

There was no need to ask for directions—he had simply followed the crowd of people carrying gear, all headed in the same direction.

Inside the building, dozens of counters were staffed by guild members, all moving with precision.

Yoo-shin joined the long line. 

The guild staff worked efficiently, and the line moved quickly.

“How can I help you?” 

A woman at the counter asked when it was finally his turn. 

She smiled, not even stopping to wipe the sweat from her brow.

“I’m here to get an exploration license.”

“Is this your first time?”

“Yes.”

The woman raised her hand and pointed to the far left.

“Please head to the leftmost counter. That’s where new adventurers receive their licenses. Also, this counter is for intermediate adventurers only, so be mindful in the future. Have a great day!”

“Thank you.”

Yoo-shin made his way to the relatively quieter counter on the far left and stood in line.

“How can I help you?” 

“I’m here to get an exploration license.”

“Understood. That will be ten silver coins.”

“Here you go.”

Yoo-shin handed over the silver coins.

“Got it. Do you know how to read and write?”

“I don’t.”

“In that case, please provide your personal information verbally, and I will write it down for you.”

*Well, this was bound to happen.*

‘Would they believe me if I told them honestly that I was suddenly dropped into this world?’

‘Or would they think I was insane and report me to the guards?’

He didn’t want to test his luck.

Even if they did believe he wasn’t from this world, it would still be a problem. 

Would it be far-fetched to imagine that explorers digging into the depths of the labyrinth could just as easily dissect the body of someone from another world? 

He didn’t know, but he had to imagine the worst. 

At least until he gained enough power to protect myself, it seemed safest to hide his origins. 

Thankfully, he already had an appropriate cover.

Yoo-shin opened his mouth.

“A barbarian from a nameless village in the north where I’ve lived my entire life.”

The clerk nodded.

“Lastly, what is your name? Oh! You can use an alias if you prefer—this is an option for barbarian only.”

“Why should I use an alias?” 

Yoo-shin wasn’t ashamed of his name, but if using a false name would raise fewer suspicions, he was prepared to think of one. 

However, the fact that the clerk was encouraging an alias in the first place seemed odd.

Upon hearing Yoo-shin’s question, the clerk’s face turned pale.

“Well, I don’t know much about barbarian culture, but I’ve heard a few things. It’s said that a barbarian only shares their true name with someone they intend to be with for life or a close friend.”

“Ah.”

With that, several phrases began to connect in Yoo-shin’s mind, and he realized the full implication.

In the world of barbarian, revealing one’s name to a woman likely meant something along the lines of claiming her to be a permanent ‘female companion,’ with all the twisted, barbaric rituals that implied—making a woman a ‘semen-soaked prize’ as some sort of sadistic game.

In other words, revealing one’s name was a brutal and twisted marriage proposal. 

A declaration of intent to conquer her by any means necessary and turn her into a permanent vessel for the barbarian’s desires.

It was essentially a declaration of rape.

“Uh…”

Yoo-shin felt dizzy, and his lips went dry. 

As he licked them nervously, the clerk’s face grew even paler.

“I have a boyfriend!”

Yoo-shin didn’t want to deal with this situation any longer. He quickly got to the point.

“Alright, I’ll use an alias. Call me Skaro.”

“Skaro. That’s a good name.”

The clerk said, hastily writing it down with trembling hands.

After completing the registration, the clerk handed Yoo-shin a small metal token. 

There were some characters engraved on it, but Yoo-shin couldn’t read them. 

It was probably his alias.

“You don’t have to come to this main Adventurer’s Guild branch every time. There are guild branches all over the city, and you can use any of them. The main branch offers higher rewards, but the branches are more convenient for new adventurers. The main branch primarily deals with veteran and elite adventurer parties, so they may not pay much attention to beginners.”

The clerk spoke quickly as if eager to get rid of him.

“Understood.”

Yoo-shin left the guild.

Regardless of the misunderstanding, he felt a sense of accomplishment at having completed this important task.

“Now, I just need to get my gear and supplies.”

He had a few copper coins and two silver coins left, which he thought would be enough. 

He already had the hard leather armor he took from the slave hunter, so all he needed was a sword and a shield. 

The guard had confiscated his old shield yesterday.

But he was wrong.

“Five silver coins for just this?” Yoo-shin was shocked.

The dwarf’s expression soured.

“Yeah. That’s the cheapest longsword I’ve got. The shield’s three silver.”

The dwarf pointed to a round wooden shield as he spoke.

Eight silver coins in total. 

Since one silver coin was worth 100 copper, that meant he needed 800 copper coins in total.

Yoo-shin let out a hollow laugh.

“What’s so funny, Barbarian? How much do you have?”

“I’ve got two silver coins.”

“Get lost. Tsk.”

Yoo-shin had visited several blacksmiths, but the prices were all about the same. 

Dejected, he trudged back to the inn. 

It was around midday, and the smell of food wafted through the air from the kitchen.

The bear beastman was sitting at the counter.

“Lunch is two copper coins.”

“Are you looking for any workers by chance?” 

Yoo-shin asked hopefully.

“Workers? A barbarian working at an inn? That’s like leaving a cat in charge of fish. You want to make money while having your fun, too? No shame, huh? Get lost.”

The bear beastman replied coolly. 

However, Yoo-shin remained calm, explaining his situation. 

He told him that in order to explore the labyrinth, he needed to buy a sword and shield, but they were too expensive. 

He asked if there were any jobs available, even if not at this inn, and requested help.

The bear beastman crossed his arms at Yoo-shin’s plea.

“Why should I trust you?”

“Here, I have a fresh labyrinth explorer’s license. How about using this as collateral?”

Yoo-shin pulled out the small metal token from his pocket and handed it over.

The bear beastman examined the token.

“Skaro, do you know what it means for an explorer to hand over their ID?”

“I’m new, so I’m not entirely sure.”

The bear beastman clicked his tongue and slipped the ID into his pocket. 

Seeing this, a chill ran down Yoo-shin’s spine.

“Uh, innkeeper? Now that I think about it, offering up my explorer’s license seems a bit foolish. Could I get it back?”

“I’ll find you a job. Now go eat. And by the way, my name’s Daramon.”

Daramon. It was a strangely cute name for such a large, furry bear beastman. His refusal to return the ID wasn’t as cute though.

Lunch was free and delicious, though it was filled with a fair amount of hair. 

Yoo-shin ate it as if he were picking bones from fish.

* * *

Finding a job happened faster than expected. 

The next morning, Daramon called for Yoo-shin.

“A monster dissection facility?” 

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Daramon raised an eyebrow when Yoo-shin agreed without protest.

“It’s hard work.”

“Don’t worry. How hard could it be?”

“I’m not worried. Just don’t start crying later.”

“If I cry, can I quit?”

“No.”

Daramon’s firm response made Yoo-shin chuckle, but a creeping sense of doom started to rise within him. 

He ignored it.

“Can you read?”

“No.”

Daramon marked something on a piece of paper and handed it to Yoo-shin. 

It was a map of the city with a circle drawn on the far west side—on the outskirts of the outskirts.

“I’ve marked the location. Just follow the map, and you’ll find it. The place reeks of blood, so you won’t miss it once you get close. Tell the supervisor there that I sent you, and they’ll know what to do.”

“Thank you.”

“Save your thanks for later.”

Yoo-shin left the inn and followed the directions to the monster dissection facility. 

As Daramon had said, the further west he went, the stronger the smell of blood became. 

Eventually, he arrived at a large building made of red bricks.

He knew instantly that this was the place. 

People were unloading carts filled with strange animal corpses and bringing them inside.

Yoo-shin followed them into the building, where the air buzzed with the noise of workers busy at their tasks.

“Excuse me, where can I find the dissection supervisor?” he asked, stopping a passing dwarf.

“Are you new?”

“Yes.”

“A newbie!! Boss, we’ve got a new guy!!” 

The dwarf suddenly shouted. 

The room immediately fell silent, and Yoo-shin could feel all eyes on him.

“A newbie, huh?”

“No way, must be someone just checking the place out. No way, no way.”

People murmured as a few cautiously approached.

Yoo-shin felt uneasy and instinctively took a step back.

Thud!

He looked down to see the dwarf holding his leg tightly with a firm grip.

“Boss!!”

“I heard you. I’m coming.”

A man who had been working nearby walked over slowly.

He was an elf in a bloodstained work outfit, with a black eye patch over his left eye. 

His languid gait and disheveled appearance gave off a sense of decadence. 

With blood-soaked hands, the elf brushed back his blonde hair. 

“So, you’re the one Daramon sent?”

“Yes.”

Yoo-shin felt like a mouse caught under the gaze of a cat.

“Alright. Malon, you’ll be in charge of training the newbie.”

“Yes, understood!” 

The dwarf still held Yoo-shin’s leg tightly.

The elf turned to leave, but before walking away, he said, “If you’re planning to run after one day, go now.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, but just so you know, that was a joke. You can’t leave.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Daramon recommended you to me, and I trust him, which is why I accepted you. If you run, it’ll be hard for me to keep trusting Daramon. So don’t break my trust, Barbarian.”

‘That’s a lot of weight to carry.’

Yoo-shin had only asked Daramon for a job, but it felt like he had been initiated into some martial arts sect.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry, even though the boss talks like that, he’s actually a good guy. Come on, newbie, follow me.”

‘Well, it can’t be that bad, right?’ 

Yoo-shin thought to himself as he followed the dwarf to the locker room.