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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Reverse World Barbarian Who Hid His Face
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He roughly pulled Densi by her leash and arm, dragging her along.
"Ugh! W-why are you doing this?!"
"Quiet. Just follow me."
As soon as he realized Densi was afflicted by the Puppet's Curse, he sought out the Temple.
"—Would it be alright if I periodically checked Mr. Balkan's Blessing from now on? For free, of course."
He recalled one of the small 'favors' Seraph Adeline had offered him after he'd heard her 'request' at the Temple the other day.
At least Seraph Adeline didn't seem like the type to tamper with the contents of Blessings or Curses, so he'd gone to the Temple hoping she might be able to check Densi's Curse as well.
"The Temple of Abstinence is closed!"
A bolt from the blue struck. The Temple had closed its doors.
In front of the Temple, where he'd arrived in a hurry, explorers were swarming out of the Temple district, grumbling and complaining.
"What! Why can't we go in?!"
"We apologize, but it's due to internal circumstances. Explorers who came to have their Blessings and Curses appraised, and those seeking healing, please return next week!"
Some argued, but the Priests and Paladins guarding the Temple were resolute in their response.
"Those guys blabbing out front. How many months have they been here?"
"Dunno. From their gear, they look like first or second-floor explorers."
"Tsk, tsk. Don't they know the Temple holds a pacification ritual once a year when the New Year approaches? It can last up to a month, and they don't even know that."
"We forgot too, that's why we came to get our Blessings checked."
"Ah, right."
Those who appeared to be more experienced explorers snickered at the lower-ranked explorers loitering in front of the Temple doors.
Densi, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, subtly glanced at him.
"See? I told you the Temple wouldn't be open this week. Didn't you know?"
"...I didn't. I haven't been in the Labyrinth City for long either."
"Eh? Really? I thought you were at least a second or third-floor explorer, given how you single-handedly massacred those Goblins."
"Massacre, my ass."
How many times had he almost had his head caved in by those Goblin bastards? Just thinking about them still made his teeth chatter. But that's beside the point.
"Densi. You didn't eat something bad, did you?"
At the sudden question, Densi's expression subtly shifted.
"Huh...? Well... I'm not exactly well-off enough to eat three square meals a day, but I'm not dumpster diving for food scraps either..."
"And you haven't been rolling around in any strange places?"
"My sleeping spot has always been on stable weeds... so if 'strange' means 'smelly and weird,' then yes, it's strange."
"Are you sick anywhere, or hurt?"
"...Are you, perhaps, worried about me?"
"Heh—"
Densi parted her lips slightly and looked up at him, then started giggling.
"Hehe. That's touching. But don't worry too much, Master. I, Densi, am a healthy woman who's never even caught a cold in my life."
Densi puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips, speaking proudly as if revealing some great accomplishment.
Perhaps it was her pose, but his gaze naturally fell upon Densi's attire.
Her fashion sense was such that, by Earth's standards or even this world's, she could practically be called a loose woman.
Her breasts, not even restrained by a bra, hung precariously, barely covered by a scrap of cloth.
Micro-shorts that exposed the flesh beneath her buttocks, and a black string that slid over her pelvis, doing nothing to function as underwear.
Indeed, it was quite remarkable for her to walk around in such attire and never catch a cold.
'A Curse couldn't be contagious... could it?'
He asked a few more questions after that, but he still couldn't figure out where or how Densi had gotten the Curse.
However, with Densi also afflicted by a Curse, one hypothesis was now confirmed.
'The Outlaw Zone. There's definitely something there.'
"Hehe. I don't know what's suddenly gotten into you, but did you drag me to the Temple because you were worried about me? Is this some kind of master's concern?"
Densi suddenly seemed delighted, chuckling to herself.
"But unfortunately, I got more injuries coming here. Look at this. You pulled so hard my neck is all red."
Densi stepped closer to him and slightly pulled down her leash.
A sudden rush of her scent hit him, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to Densi.
Her neck, red from the friction of the rough leash.
Below her reddened neck, he saw pure white skin, a collarbone line, and breasts of a moderate size that were more exposed than covered by the single piece of fabric wrapped around them.
"Whoa."
"It's similar to a graze, yet different, a fresh sensation, ugh. This, in its own way..."
Since entering the Labyrinth, he'd been tired and had many things to think about, so his libido hadn't been an issue. But the sudden stimulation snapped him wide awake.
So he immediately slapped his cheek with a loud *smack*. Of course, his hand didn't reach his cheek. Only his helmet rang loudly, making his head throb.
'Snap out of it, Nam Su-jin. What are you doing? Is this really the time to be drooling over a woman's chest?'
This was a time when he was busy growing and had many things to worry about. What good would it do to lose control over a mere sexual urge? If he let himself go now, what would happen later? It's a truth of life that if you let loose early, things get easier later. You know that, don't you? No matter what kind of world this is, now isn't the time to be thinking about women. So please, just look away.
But it wasn't easy.
It had already been a month of abstinence. He had a conscience, so he couldn't release his urges at Diana Ordia's inn. That would be like defiling Diana's kindness with his lust. But it was too hard to hold back. Let only the man who can resist his urges with Diana in front of him cast the first stone.
"Don't thrust that monstrosity at Big Brother."
"Ugh—"
Her chest was abruptly pushed back. When he came to his senses, he saw that Jeremy had grabbed Densi by her hair and pulled her away from him.
Thanks to that, he was finally able to avert his gaze.
He'd come to the Temple to check the Curse, but the Temple he was at was closed.
'For some reason, what Densi received seems closer to a Blessing than a Curse... Is it the difference between a ten-thousand-level and a thousand-level?'
With no special means available at the moment, there was no way to investigate that Curse further.
They eventually returned to the Explorer's Guild. On the way, they had a casual chat about recent events.
"Anya can be revived."
Jeremy said she had spent a fortune to cast a preservation spell on Anya's head.
Her expression wasn't very good, indicating a significant financial drain.
But her eyes were shining, filled with hope.
"At the very edge of the mid-levels. I heard a rumor that a miracle of resurrection lies dormant on the 19th floor."
Jeremy seemed to have finally obtained the information after persistent inquiries. It was no wonder her eyes looked a bit hollow.
Whether that information was true or not, her... no, *her* goal from now on would be the 19th floor.
"Master. Sign here!"
As soon as they arrived at the Explorer's Guild and sat down at a table, Densi handed him a piece of paper.
A quick glance revealed it was a slave contract. The space for the master's imprint was empty.
"Originally, Deluna's imprint was here. It disappeared when she died."
The paper used for slave contracts was special; it was said that signatures or imprints would vanish instantly if the party died or the contract was broken.
Densi's imprint was still present in the slave section below.
"Anyway, as long as my name is written in the slave section, I remain in slave status. It's a hundred times better to become Master's slave than to fall back into being a slave for some other scumbags."
When he actually saw the document, he felt a strange sensation.
Is this really right? How could *he*, once a modern man, treat someone like a slave? This was immoral and inhumane.
'Fuck that.'
He'd completely discarded that mindset ever since he'd slaughtered Deluna's party. He needed to survive, even if it meant this.
[Currently Bound Slave: Densi (LV.7)]
He glanced at his Status Window for no particular reason.
Although he'd been backstabbed by her in the past, and she was a dim-witted slave who'd brought back a strange Curse without even realizing it, he now felt certain she wouldn't do so again.
"Densi... is my slave..."
As he pressed his thumbprint onto the slave contract using the inkpad Densi had prepared, a strange light flowed from the paper, and it duplicated into two sheets.
And each sheet neatly settled into his and Densi's hands, respectively.
"Heh..."
Densi hugged the document tightly, a peculiar expression on her face.
With this, the situation was roughly sorted out.
"Now, let's settle up."
At the mention of money, both of their ears perked up. Indeed, money was the topic that people naturally paid the most attention to.
Especially for low-ranked explorers like them right now.
For the Goblin subjugation reward: 1 silver coin and 6 copper coins.
Deluna had been an explorer undergoing rehabilitation, but it was recognized that she was a repeat offender who had reverted to being an outlaw, so there was a bounty of 4 silver coins.
The total haul this time was 5 silver coins and 6 copper coins.
"I admit I don't have much of a share! I didn't directly fight Deluna's party, and I only helped a little at the very end when we were leaving the Labyrinth. It's a shame, but I don't have to take it!"
Densi couldn't tear her eyes away from the silver coins, her face filled with greed, as she took a step back from the table.
"As for me..."
Jeremy fell silent. She already seemed to be in a tight financial spot.
"I can't say I contributed as much as Big Brother. I was just a nuisance from the start. Even if you just give me a minimum share... I'd be grateful to receive it."
She bowed her head deeply and took a step back, suggesting an 8 to 2 ratio. Of course, he would get the 8.
He quietly looked at the money laid out on the table.
Honestly, he thought he'd carried this Labyrinth expedition from beginning to end.
He definitely had the right to take all this money for himself.
'But would it be the same for the next Labyrinth expedition, or the one after that?'
Why did most mid-to-high-ranked explorers travel in parties? The reason was simple.
Because solo, one would inevitably hit a limit someday.
Like trap mechanisms that couldn't be disarmed alone, or formidable monsters.
A difficult time would surely come if they didn't stick together as a party.
'Investing a little for that time wouldn't be bad, would it?'
Yes. This was an investment.
An investment in a Spearman with an EXP efficiency buff, and an Archer/Guide with an unknown but impressive +25 total bonus stats potential.
He wasn't exactly well-off either, but he had the money he'd extorted from Zelbin, and he earned money from the inn too.
'And original investment strategy says, buy low.'
You have to buy when it's even cheaper. And this stock is at its lowest point right now.
Help received after success doesn't leave much of an impression, but help received when struggling is remembered until one's dying breath.
Here, looking a bit further into the future...
"You two. You'd better do well later, seriously."
He made a show of it as he re-divided the shares.
"Whoa...?"
"Heh. I'm telling you, I definitely have an eye for the Master I serve!"
Jeremy's dumbfounded voice and Densi's confident voice echoed from the table.
***
The Eastern Explorer District.
The masked woman, who had walked from the dazzling line of weapon shops that resembled a department store, entered a desolate weapon shop where only flies buzzed.
"Hey, owner."
"Yes? What can I do for you?"
The woman, who had been rummaging through boxes filled with cheap, undispalyed weapons, realized something was amiss and called out to the shop owner.
"Did you happen to see a crude-looking Great Helm that was in here?"
"Huh? Hmm... Ah! You mean that cheap Great Helm?"
"...What? No, I said 'crude,' when did I say 'cheap'—"
The woman's voice sharpened for a moment, but...
"It's sold. Some gullible idiot... no, I mean, a very good male customer bought it for a very high price. *Kukhu!*"
Her mouth snapped shut at the owner's subsequent words.
"...Really? It sold? Who bought it? Do you know?"
"Hmm. Well, he was a tall man with an incredibly good physique. He was wearing a helmet, so I don't know his face, but he looked like a novice explorer... But why are you suddenly asking about that?"
The woman gave the owner a crooked look, then snickered and said,
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking that whoever bought it got it for an absolute steal."
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