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

Late in the evening, Daramon was sitting at the inn counter, resting his chin on his hand. The few guests had already left, and those staying overnight were already asleep.

Clunk!  

The door opened, and Jeong Yoo-shin staggered in. He wobbled like an octopus and sat across from Daramon.  

“Daramon, give me a drink.”  

“We’re closed.”  

“I can’t sleep like this.”  

Clicking his tongue, Daramon pulled out some liquor from the shelf and poured a small glass. 

Jeong Yoo-shin grabbed the glass with trembling hands and gulped it down. The heat spread down his throat and unfurled through his stomach. As the alcohol took effect, the pain throbbing through his body eased a little.  

‘Will I be able to get up tomorrow?’ Jeong Yoo-shin pondered seriously.  

“This one’s on the house. Starting tomorrow, it’s two coins per glass.”  

“Two coins for this tiny glass?”  

“It’s expensive liquor.”  

‘It just tastes like regular soju though.’

Jeong Yoo-shin thought as he smacked his lips and stood up.  

“Well, I’ll head to bed now.”  

He was too exhausted to engage in more conversation.  

“Alright.”  

Jeong Yoo-shin went to his room and threw himself onto the bed.  

“Huhhhhh.”  

With a strange groan, he passed out immediately.

———

A month passed.  

Jeong Yoo-shin’s routine was monotonous.  

He spat out the fur of the bear beastman that had gotten into his mouth as he woke up.  

After eating, he headed straight to the monster dissection shop.  

His job was to drain the blood of the monsters that had been delivered, then skin them and extract their flesh and innards.  

The variety of monsters was vast. Some were as small as goblins, while others had bodies weighing over six tons with ease.  

Jeong Yoo-shin stuck out his tongue at the sight of a giant monster corpse.  

“How do you even catch something like this?”  

The elf supervisor gave a simple answer.  

“Well.”  

After a brief lunch break, the afternoon was spent working again.  

In the evening, he would change out of his work clothes, wash off the blood in the shower room attached to the dissection shop, and gather with everyone to eat.  

The dining spot was unusual—a corner of the front yard of the monster dissection shop.  

Meat sizzled on a grill. 

It was leftover monster meat, and the charcoal had been procured from a nearby forge.  

For nearly a month, they had been grilling meat like this every evening.  

The workers at the dissection shop shared the alcohol they brought.  

“Here rookie, have a drink.”  

Senior dissector Malon handed over a bottle of alcohol.  

“Thank you.”  

It was dwarf-style fire liquor, and it was quite potent. Just a sip made his insides feel hot.  

“Is the job manageable?”

At Malon’s question, Jeong Yoo-shin looked down at his hands.  

His hands were full of scars and calluses. The soft, tender hands were gone.  

Today, he had almost lost a finger while working. If it hadn’t been for the elf’s healing magic, he would have been holding a half-severed, dangling finger while looking for a doctor.  

Even though he thought he wouldn’t be very impressed after seeing Seamus’s spirit magic, he was wrong. Magic was amazing.  

Jeong Yoo-shin lifted his head.  

“Yes. I can handle it.”  

Malon laughed heartily.  

“I like it! How about we grab a drink somewhere else for a change?”  

“No.”  

The elf supervisor interrupted.  

“The rookie goes straight back to the dorm after dinner. Daramon is waiting eagerly for him like a newlywed wife.”  

“Yes.”  

The elf’s mouth twitched.  

“Keh. The idea of Daramon waiting eagerly!”  

The elf suddenly burst into loud laughter.  

???  

‘He’s laughing at his own words?’

Jeong Yoo-shin and Malon stared blankly at the laughing elf.  

Malon smacked his lips as he came to his senses.  

“That’s a shame. Let’s have a drink sometime when we get the chance.”  

“Sounds good.” 

He picked up a sizzling piece of meat and chewed it. Even though it was seasoned with nothing but coarse salt, the rich, savory flavor filled his mouth without any gamey aftertaste.  

‘Meat and alcohol. This is what sex is.’

——— 

Two months in, his routine remained the same except for a few changes.  

First, the elf supervisor had started calling him by name, albeit a pseudonym.  

“Skaro, don’t overthink it. You can’t eat a gargoyle anyway. Just peel the skin off gently.”  

Jeong Yoo-shin tried to stab the knife into the gargoyle, but its skin was so tough that the blade didn’t penetrate at all.  

Malon was unable to watch any longer and stepped in.  

“No, no. Don’t force it. Insert the knife gently, like you would on a virgin’s first night.”  

Smack!!  

The elf supervisor slapped Malon across the face.  

Thud.  

Malon collapsed, holding his cheek with a confused look.

“Malon, even if you’re using a metaphor, why would you use such a crude one?”  

“I’m sorry.”  

The three men fell into a brief silence.  

Suddenly, the elf supervisor chuckled.  

“Heh. A virgin’s first night? Ah! I can’t hold it in.”  

Finally, he burst into loud laughter. 

Malon was still rubbing his cheek and joined in. 

Only Jeong Yoo-shin didn’t laugh.  

‘Is this elf insane?’  

What part of that was even funny?  

He gave up trying to figure it out.  

Shaking his head, Jeong Yoo-shin refocused on the gargoyle.  

Another change was his newfound skill. By examining the wounds on a monster, he could identify its vital points.  

While there were many battle scars, there was always only one fatal wound.  

He brushed his hand over the gargoyle’s chest. There was a small hole in the spot where there were no scales.  

A weak point.  

This was his third time dissecting a gargoyle, and all three had holes in the same spot on their scale-less chests.  

He had confirmed with Malon that this was indeed the gargoyle’s weak spot.  

He also had a guess as to why Daramon had sent him here.  

It wasn’t just about the money. Maybe he wanted him to develop a sharper eye for detail.  

That tsundere bear beastman would never admit it though.  

The final change was his body. His once lean frame had gained defined muscles, and his jawline had become more pronounced.  

His stamina had improved immensely thanks to a consistent diet of meat, hard labor, and a steady routine.  

Finally, the knife pierced through the gargoyle’s skin. But the real challenge began now.  

The next step was slowly cutting along the boundary with even pressure, which was no easy task.  

His arms trembled, and his face was drenched in sweat.  

If he applied too much pressure, the blade would slip and ruin the cut. 

If he skinned along an irregular boundary, the hide would look odd, and merchants would reduce their purchase price. This would ultimately hurt the dissection shop’s profits.  

But he couldn’t apply too little pressure either. If the knife didn’t move forward, the process would slow down, again leading to losses for the shop.

“Hoo.”

After struggling for a while, he finally completed the boundary.  

Jeong Yoo-shin wiped the sweat from his forehead. The rest was easy—he just had to slip the knife between the skin and the flesh and gently scrape it.  

It was similar to the process of pulling out toenails by carefully inserting a needle between the toes and claws.  

Once the entire process was done, Jeong Yoo-shin collapsed onto the spot.  

“Too slow.”  

At the elf supervisor’s remark, Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his sweat-soaked head.  

“But at least you’re barely pulling your weight.”

The elf continued, making Jeong Yoo-shin smile.  

“Wow. You can skin a gargoyle after just two months. You’re not only persistent but talented too. My judgment is never wrong.”  

Malon stuck out his chest with pride. 

“Why are you so proud? It’s my keen eye that discovered Skaro.”  

‘Neither of you expected much from me anyway.’

Jeong Yoo-shin grumbled inwardly.

* * *

In his third month, there were no significant changes.  

He had become more accustomed to the dissection work. His body had gained more muscle, and his stamina had also improved.  

One small achievement was learning the elf supervisor’s name: Aldain Ashwood. 

Daramon had gruffly revealed it to him.  

As strange as it sounded, there were times when that tsundere bear actually appeared cute. 

It was probably due to the influence of the one-eyed elf supervisor with his bizarre sense of humor.  

The night after skinning the twin-headed ogre, the elf supervisor approached him.  

“Skaro, today is your last day on the job. Take this.”  

Jeong Yoo-shin paused. With a piece of grilled meat halfway hanging from his mouth, he looked up. 

Aldain handed him a pair of leather gauntlets and iron-soled leather boots.  

“Thank you.”  

“And here are 10 silver coins. I put in a little extra.”  

“Whoa! Thank you.”  

“Thank Daramon, not me.”  

Aldain turned around and went back to his seat.  

“Hey rookie, it’s a shame to see you go. It’s nothing much, but take this.”  

Dwarf Malon handed over a bottle of dwarven fire liquor and a note.  

“My cousin runs a forge. Mention my name, and you’ll get a discount.”  

“Thank you, Malon.”  

“Yeah. Exploring the labyrinth, huh? That’s quite a tough dream you’ve got. Best of luck.”  

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”  

Malon grinned and gave Jeong Yoo-shin a firm pat on the back before returning to his seat.  

After dinner, the dissection shop employees left one by one, offering Jeong Yoo-shin some parting words.  

“Skaro. If the exploring thing doesn’t work out, come back here.”  

“Yeah. Even if you lose an arm, we’ll still take you.”  

“Hey! Don’t say crazy things like that! Skaro, I honestly expected the city guards to come for you on charges of assault by now, but you’ve kept out of trouble. I have to admit, you’re a good guy. Not a rapist barbarian after all. Let’s meet again with smiles.”  

‘You’re the craziest one here.’

Jeong Yoo-shin laughed as he saw them off. 

Aldain was the last to bid him farewell.  

“If we’re short on hands, I’ll call you.”  

“Yes, anytime.”  

He walked to the inn with the streetlamps keeping him company.  

It had been tough, but he felt proud.  

Earning 10 silver coins a month meant he had saved more than 30 silver coins over three months—a substantial amount.  

On top of that, receiving the gauntlets and boots had saved him from spending on equipment, allowing him to start his labyrinth exploration with a good foundation.  

He started humming to himself.  

When he entered the inn, Daramon was there.  

“I’m back.”  

“I heard today was your last day.”  

“Aldain told you?”  

“Yeah. Here’s your ID.”  

Daramon handed him a metal ID plate. It was still warm and it appeared as if he had been holding onto it for a while.  

“So, you’re planning to buy equipment and head straight to the labyrinth?”  

“Yes.”  

“There’s a course for new explorers at a nearby branch. Take that course first.”  

“What?”  

“The Great Labyrinth is a dangerous place. You should always be well-prepared. Don’t rely on luck.”  

Daramon gave a bitter smile.  

“Daramon, were you an explorer?”  

“You just figured that out?”  

“I had a hunch. Alright, I’ll take the course first.”  

Jeong Yoo-shin decided to follow Daramon’s advice.  

There was another reason too.  

He had seen so many monster corpses at the dissection shop.  

Even though they were just corpses, their grotesque, massive forms had overwhelmed him several times.  

Courage alone wouldn’t be enough.  

He needed to gather information and prepare for the worst. Still, he was skeptical about how useful the guild’s course would be.  

If he paid 5 silver coins for a pointless course? He’d be furious.  

‘Do you know how hard it was to earn that money?’  

His original plan was to sit in a bar, listen to explorers’ stories, and buy senior explorers drinks in exchange for information.  

But he abandoned that idea.  

He set aside his doubts about the course and gave up the plan to gather info over drinks.  

He decided to trust the bear.  

There had to be a reason Daramon had sent him to the dissection shop.  

Maybe it was to instill an awareness of the dangers of monsters and make him more cautious.  

In the process, he had also earned money, built his strength, and sharpened his judgment.  

If that was Daramon’s first plan for him, then the course at the explorers’ guild was likely the second.  

Daramon smiled and reached for a bottle of liquor on the shelf, but Jeong Yoo-shin stopped him.  

“I got a bottle of dwarven fire liquor. Let’s drink this.”  

“Sounds good.”  

In a quiet corner of the inn, two glasses filled with fire liquor clinked together.

————

Translator’s note:- This was so wholesome. I never expected this development.

If you like the story, please don’t forget to leave a review on NU and a comment. It would mean a lot.

Also, please note that despite the fact that this novel is rated +19, the explicit scenes appear late in the story. It focuses on world building and character development in the beginning, and isn’t some regular cliche shit. 

Happy reading!