How a Black-Haired Barbarian Survived the Labyrinth in Another World
Chapter 152: Drew

Jeong Yusin opened his eyes.

Sleeping while leaning against the wall in full armor was always a struggle, no matter how many times he did it.

It was probably worse today due to all the thoughts weighing on his mind, keeping him awake.

He rubbed his eyes and stood up.

The party members were sitting around the now-dying campfire.

"..."

No one spoke. Yesterday, there had been a small argument about whether or not they should save Mari.

Since then, no one had said a word. Were they respecting the leader’s opinion? Or was there dissatisfaction? He couldn’t tell.

He sat down in front of the campfire, pulled out some jerky and biscuits from his bag, shoved them into his mouth, and drank some water.

“Karin, how much of the request has been completed?”

“...The bone collection is almost done, but the magic stone request is finished. We traded some food yesterday and got a decent amount of good magic stones.”

I see.

Not bad.

“How far is the Jeon Iseok?”

“It’s about a five-hour walk.”

“Got it.”

The party finished their meal, packed their bags, and headed down the corridor.

There was no conversation.

Only awkward silence.

Karin seemed to know who Mari was, probably from hearing about her from Ann and Tarman. But she didn’t say anything else.

Delia seemed clueless, but quickly fell silent, sensing the tension.

Barion, as usual, said nothing.

The party moved forward.

After about two hours of walking down the corridor, Jeong Yusin sensed something was off.

The strong smell of blood filtered through his helmet.

As they walked a little further, the floor of the corridor was covered in bloodstains.

There were torn robes and scattered bodies. Skeleton bones were also scattered around, suggesting there had been a battle.

"..."

Seeing the black robes, Jeong Yusin felt an eerie sense of fate. He had hoped to never encounter this, yet here it was, right in front of him.

He walked down the corridor as if entranced.

What might be ahead?

It was a cruel thought, but he would feel more at ease if he could just see Mari's corpse.

As he moved forward, more bodies appeared.

Humans, beastmen, dwarves, elves—various races littered the floor. They were all wearing black robes.

“Delia.”

“Hmm...?”

Delia flinched.

“What was that Death Night clan again? What do they do?”

“They’re a group that desires immortality. From what I heard, they gathered to resurrect lions and overcome death.”

That was more detailed than what he had heard at first.

“...But I heard they’ve never done anything harmful. They’ve been known to be a quiet group, just conducting research. That’s what the rumors say.”

Jeong Yusin opened his mouth, then closed it again.

One thought crossed his mind.

Mari.

Could it be?

Did she want to resurrect Kaal?

He had snapped back to reality and heard that his lover had died. How devastated must she have been, to come all the way here without saying a word?

He understood, but it was still a reckless act.

“Barion, do you know why Mari came all the way here?”

Barion took out a pen and paper and wrote something down.

‘She was grieving over the death of her lover, Kaal. But I didn’t know it had gotten this bad.’

Jeong Yusin touched the hilt of his longsword.

‘As expected.’

His suspicions were correct.

The smell of blood grew stronger.

What could it be?

They walked a bit more and reached a wooden door.

“Skah.”

Karin looked at Jeong Yusin.

He felt a strange sense of unease.

The world is entangled with cause and effect. Since we can’t understand all the connections, we call it coincidence.

But the labyrinth is different.

It’s chaotic.

Something new constantly emerges.

It’s malicious and experimental.

This couldn’t happen without someone’s interference.

It felt like the labyrinth wanted something from him.

Jeong Yusin nodded.

If left alone, Barion would probably go by himself.

It seemed he was finding it hard to resist moving.

“Let’s go. We’ll rescue Mari and get out of here quickly.”

The party members’ faces brightened in an instant.

Delia took the lead with determination, and Jeong Yusin followed behind.

Bang!!!

They kicked down the wooden door and entered the room.

Inside, there were about five people wearing robes.

Had his ominous suspicions been right?

Mari and another person were there.

And a red orb sat in the center of the room.

The worst-case scenario.

“Mari!!!”

Jeong Yusin shouted.

Mari flinched, turned around, and looked at Jeong Yusin.

“Skah...?”

Mari’s face was pale, and dark circles were etched beneath her eyes.

“Oh no.”

The person standing next to Mari removed their hood and revealed their face.

Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.

A man wearing glasses.

Diego Perez.

Wasn’t he the mid-level priest who had been teaching at the orphanage in the temple when Mion was away?

He had always been thorough with his lessons, so Jeong Yusin thought he was a good person.

Now, the back of his head tingled.

What the hell was this guy doing here?

Diego twisted his head to the side.

“Could it be Skah?”

“...”

“Judging by your reaction, I think I’m right. If it weren’t for the helmet, I almost wouldn’t have recognized your voice.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Diego adjusted his glasses.

“You saw /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ us with the Death Night clan. Do you really not know?”

“...”

“And Barion is here as well. Nice to see you.”

Diego smiled, waved his hand, and then pointed at the red orb.

“Look at this red orb. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“...”

“Inside it lies the one who resurrects the dead and grants immortality.”

“That’s a trap. It’s a passage to another world.”

Diego gave a rotten smile.

“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s better than those useless elemental gods, right? They’re so pathetic, pretending to be gods while they can’t even bring a single person back to life.”

Diego spat as he continued.

“Ah, I’ve really devoted so much time. For our god, for our living hope, for the Earth Mother. But isn’t it funny? I’ve believed with all my heart, and yet my younger sibling was killed by a damn mercenary group. While they were coming to see me from the countryside, all the way to the labyrinth city. And do you know what’s even more amusing?”

“...”

Jeong Yusin stayed silent.

Diego wore a look on his face that he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“When I heard that news, it was early morning, and I was meditating, reading scriptures.”

“Hey...”

“Isn’t it hilarious? This is how my devotion is repaid? By desecrating the very divine that I worshipped?!”

Diego ground his teeth, his eyes red, but then fell silent.

“Phew. It’s not really relevant anymore. From the moment an explorer brought the red shard, he promised me immortality and resurrection. I don’t need those pathetic elemental gods anymore.”

Diego placed his hand on Mari’s shoulder.

“Mari agreed. Now, step aside, Barbarian. Don’t interfere.”

“Diego, I’m not a theology major, so I don’t fully understand, but it’s clear you’re mentally unwell. There’s no way such sweet offers exist in the labyrinth, right? Mari, come here. Ann and Tarman are waiting.”

Mari’s eyes momentarily wavered.

“No. Mari stays with me. Barbarian, go your own way.”

“You’re impossible to talk to.”

Jeong Yusin grabbed the handle of his one-edged axe from behind.

Diego’s eyes were wild with madness. He had crossed a point of no return.

There was no persuading him.

Using the Gale Blade, he quickly closed the distance and aimed for Diego’s neck.

A man nearby holding a torch brought it close to the red orb.

“Damn!”

Jeong Yusin drew his axe and lunged.

Clang!!!!

“What...?”

The Gale Blade bounced off just in front of Diego.

Surrounded by a transparent barrier, Diego fiddled with a necklace and smiled.

“A priest constantly going in and out of the labyrinth always carries a lifeline. Besides, your rumors have spread throughout the labyrinth city. Do you really think so little of me?”

At that moment.

Flash!!!

The red orb reacted with the torch and emitted an immense light.

“Skah!!!”

The party members rushed in from behind.

The room was filled with blinding light.

Instinctively, Jeong Yusin closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he felt a strange floating sensation.

The ground was still beneath him.

“What is this...?”

His mouth dropped open at the strange sight that greeted him.

Faintly burning stars and the vast universe stretched out above him.

Looking around, the party members were standing there, just as dazed as he was.

Had they all arrived?

“Hahaha!!! Oh, Chaos! I’ve arrived!!! For my little sister... huh?”

Diego, who had been shouting madly, stopped and stared blankly.

Sticky flesh rose from the ground, surrounding them.

It was as though they were trapped in a cage made of flesh in the middle of space.

The bodies, covered in thick, viscous fluids, rose from the ground.

Humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen, and strange creatures Jeong Yusin had never seen before. All were emaciated, naked, and chained together.

Their faces were grotesquely twisted in pain as they struggled.

“Aaahhh.”

“Kill... kill me.”

“P... please, have mercy!!!”

They all cried out in sorrow, their voices full of anguish.

Diego murmured as he looked around.

“Chaos... What is this...?”

Another massive egg rose from the ground.

Should it be called an egg?

It was better described as a lump of flesh, pulsating, surrounded by a shiny red membrane.

“What...?!”

Diego stared at the egg in shock.

The egg wriggled.

Boom!!!

Tentacles shot out from the red egg.

Thooorrk!!!

The egg tore open, and dozens of eyes appeared.

The sight alone was a blasphemy against creation.

An abomination that should never exist in human civilization had arrived here.

“Kikikikiki.”

The egg made an eerie, unnatural laugh.

Diego staggered backward.

“Ah...? What is this...?”

No, this wasn’t right. This wasn’t the soft, calming voice that once soothed his sadness.

One of the black-robed humans standing behind shouted loudly.

“We’ve been deceived!!! It’s not the same one!!! It’s the Sweeper of the Abyss!!! We’re all doomed...!”

“Kikikikiki!!! Foolish. Foolish humans.”

The enormous egg creature, called the Sweeper, laughed, shaking its tentacles.

Diego tried to turn and run, but the tentacles shot out swiftly and caught him.

“Let... go!!!”

Diego struggled.

The tentacles grabbed his arms and legs.

As the pressure increased, Diego’s screams grew louder.

“Ahhhhh!!!”

Crack!!!

Diego’s body was torn in half, spilling blood and guts.

Thud!

Mari, who had been standing next to him, opened her eyes wide and watched Diego’s death.

Jeong Yusin ran forward, sword in hand.

Whether it was the Sweeper of the Abyss or anything else, he didn’t care.

[MIND PROTECTION]

[LIGHT]

[SACRED BARRIER]

Barion quickly cast his magic. He unleashed holy magic in rapid succession, sparing no magic.

As a small light appeared in the dark space, the eyes of the egg-like creature narrowed.

The tentacles focused on Mari, who was closest.

Jeong Yusin jumped in, grabbed Mari, and rolled them both to the ground.

Thwack!!! Thwack!!! Thwack!!!

Tentacles barely missed them, embedding into the floor.

“Barion!!!”

Jeong Yusin quickly turned around and ran toward the party.

Dozens of tentacles followed, speeding toward his back.

“Skah!!! Be careful!”

Delia raised her shield and took a stance.

Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!!

The tentacles slammed against Delia’s shield, pushing her back.

Jeong Yusin laid Mari down next to Barion.

“Sorry... I... really.”

“We’ll talk later. Barion, I’m counting on you.”

Barion nodded.

Jeong Yusin raised his sword, getting ready.

He didn’t know what kind of monster it was, but if they wanted to survive, they had to kill it.

How to fight a monster like this?

He racked his brain but couldn’t come up with an answer.

He raised his sword high above his head.

“Damn it, just kill it! Alright, let’s do this! Come on, you tentacle bastard!!!”