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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Reversed World: Barbarian Who Hides His Face
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Joy Hog's party was a four-person explorer group primarily active on the 7th floor of the Labyrinth.
The reason this 7th-floor party had come down to the 5th floor and entered the Hobgoblin Village was simple.
The request to retrieve a Hobgoblin Shaman's staff, which had recently come to their party, was quite lucrative.
The 5th floor of the Labyrinth was special in many ways.
5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30.
Floors that were multiples of five, where fountains existed, had unique environments and unusual difficulties compared to other levels.
‘They can be ridiculously difficult, or so easy they make you yawn.’
The 5th floor, where they currently stood, was the former.
It was strangely vast, chaotic with five different monster villages mixed together on a single level.
Consequently, it was much wider and more complex than other levels, making it difficult to clear.
Perhaps that's why the quest completion reward was greater than the bounty for most 7th-floor monsters.
Systematically pushing through all five monster villages on the 5th floor was not easy, even for 7th-floor explorers, so everyone used shortcuts.
‘If we didn't have a fountain warp scroll, we wouldn't have even taken this quest in the first place.’
In truth, it was hardly a shortcut. On floors that were multiples of five, this was the standard approach.
They tore the fountain warp scroll and teleported to the fountain at the edge of the level.
Seven reformed explorers were guzzling healing water from the fountain, but no major trouble arose.
Joy Hog's party finally headed towards their destination: the Hobgoblin Village.
The party consisted of their leader and Dwarf Tanker, Joy Hog.
Hitholys, the Cat Beastkin Priest.
Ramel Lois, the Harpy Mage.
Jubel, the Cow Beastkin Swordsman.
And behind them was Gregor, the Great Warrior Lizardgirl from the 3rd floor, who had joined the party as a porter this time.
The Beastkin Swordsman Jubel spoke to Gregor.
"Watch closely. And tell everyone you meet. Tell them how badass our party is."
"Yes!"
"Kerr-rur-kekekelek-kek!"
A Hobgoblin Shaman, having spotted them, appeared and let out a loud roar.
At that, the entire Hobgoblin Village began to tremble.
Hobgoblins from the 3rd and 2nd floor caves headed towards the storerooms at the end of each level to arm themselves.
The Hobgoblins on the 1st floor immediately joined the battle.
"If we waste time, armed hobgoblins will pour down from the upper floors! We need to finish this quickly before the situation gets complicated!"
At the Dwarf Warrior Joy Hog's shout, the Harpy Mage Ramel Lois nodded and raised her wand.
"I'm casting! Protect me!"
Her lips moved silently as she began her incantation. Hot energy gradually gathered at the tip of her wand.
The Hobgoblin Shaman didn't stand idly by either. A burst of light from its staff spread throughout the Hobgoblin Village.
And the hobgoblins became even more ferocious and aggressive.
A considerable number of hobgoblins, easily numbering in the dozens, charged madly, fearless of death.
Wham!
However, those facing them were also seasoned explorers.
"This isn't so bad, is it? Just a bit harder than the 1st-floor goblin den!"
*This is tough. The 1st floor? Compared to the 5th floor, it's a playground for babies. I think we took on the wrong quest.*
"This is my first time attacking a Hobgoblin Village, and it's easier than I thought! If I'd known this, I should've just challenged it back then instead of skipping with a scroll!"
*Total BS. I thought using that scroll back then was a brilliant idea. If we'd come when we were weaker, we would've died for sure. I should keep skipping the 5th floor from now on.*
Joy Hog and the Cow Beastkin Swordsman Jubel bluffed to each other, tirelessly swinging their swords and blunt weapons while protecting the priest and mage.
The priest provided them with buffs and heals, and the mage's incantation gradually neared its end.
"Everyone, move back! Fireball!"
The 7th-floor mage's wand glowed, and a massive sphere of flames plummeted onto the hobgoblins' heads.
As the smell of burning flesh and smoke cleared, all that remained was the bewildered face of the Hobgoblin Shaman.
"Look at that bastard. He's completely flustered."
"Don't underestimate the power of a 7th-floor mage."
"Yeah, yeah. You're so great."
The Hobgoblin Shaman, having lost all its forces, had little it could do.
The monster began to flee disgracefully, and the Cow Beastkin Swordsman Jubel swung her sword, dispatching it and seizing the staff.
"That was easy, wasn't it?"
"Right? Much easier than I thought. Were hobgoblin swarms always this weak?"
Still, compared to their earlier complaints, it was quite manageable.
No joke, seriously. There were fewer hobgoblins than expected.
"I heard that hobgoblins on the 5th floor, unlike other levels, just breed like rabbits all day, so there are tons of them..."
Just as they were relishing their surprisingly easy victory and replaying the fight in their minds.
Clang! Clang!
"What... was that?"
The familiar sounds of battle echoed from somewhere.
"Kerr-rur-rur-ruk! Kek-kek!"
"Kekekek-kek!"
Simultaneously, the continuous cries of hobgoblins. And there weren't just one or two of them.
Question marks hovered above Joy Hog's party's heads.
Something was off. They had clearly dealt with the Hobgoblin Shaman, so where were those cries coming from?
"J-Jubel, look—"
Gregor, with a horrified expression, pointed somewhere.
Only then did everyone in Joy Hog's party look where Gregor's finger was pointing.
"Holy shit."
The same word burst from everyone in the party's mouths.
"Kekekekekek!!!"
"Die! Die, you motherfucking bastards!!!"
They had momentarily forgotten in their easy victory.
In hindsight, it made no sense that the goblin village had so few forces.
The reason the Hobgoblin Shaman was flustered, the reason the hobgoblins from the 2nd and 3rd floors hadn't come down even after the battle was over.
CRACK!
Hobgoblin Village, 3rd Floor.
There, a battle was still raging.
***
A fist flew towards his right cheek.
He ducked his head to the left, dodging it.
But then a heavy pain struck his left cheek. He had been hit by a hobgoblin's punch.
At the same time, agonizing bites tore at his sides, elbows, and legs.
These damn hobgoblins had latched onto his limbs, excluding his arms, tearing at his body and draining his stamina.
Even if he dodged one, he'd get hit by two or more. There were just too many of them, it was unavoidable.
"Die!"
CRUNCH!
Still, he wasn't just taking hits. He swung his battle axe, taking one hobgoblin's head.
Red blood splattered, momentarily obscuring his vision. He wiped the blood from his eyes, and his vision turned red.
The green goblins, mixed with red blood, appeared brownish.
"These pieces of shit..."
At first, it was somewhat manageable. These bastards had found him hiding and were consumed by lust.
So, it seemed they were trying to fight in a way that would capture him alive. That's when he reduced the most hobgoblin numbers.
‘Ten? Twenty?’
He didn't remember exactly, but he'd swung his axe with full force at least thirty times, sending a dozen or so across the River Styx.
But at some point, their demeanor changed. They started swinging their fists and weapons as if truly trying to kill him.
The only saving grace was that the weapon storeroom was narrow.
It was difficult to swing spears or swords freely, and with dozens of hobgoblins packed tightly into the cramped space, there wasn't even room to properly swing a fist.
Because of this, the hobgoblins couldn't even think of grabbing swords or spears.
The ones with hammers or axes, which were less restricted, he had killed long ago.
In this chaotic mess, it would be difficult to rummage through the blood-soaked floor and corpses to find blunt weapons again.
Thanks to that, the hobgoblins resorted to clinging to his breastplate and legs, frantically scratching or biting at his joints.
He gritted his teeth and endured.
CRACK! SMASH!
He raised his right arm high and continued the battle, slamming his axe into hobgoblin heads like a game of whack-a-mole.
Just then.
Screeeech—!
Immense pain shot up from his quadriceps. Along with a feeling as if the outside of his thigh had gone hollow.
It felt like lava was flowing through his thigh.
His head instantly grew hot, and his heart pounded wildly.
Even without looking down, he knew what kind of injury he had sustained.
This insane hobgoblin had bitten into his left thigh with sheer biting force.
His left foot trembled uncontrollably as if seized by a cramp. Sensation gradually faded.
Splosh!
He immediately lost his balance and fell onto the blood-soaked ground. Hobgoblins swarmed over him in a massive assault.
He curled up as much as possible. With a trembling left hand, he pulled a healing potion bottle from his waist and poured it into his mouth.
*Damn it. Good thing I pulled it out of my backpack right before the fight.*
Hiss—
*Is it working? I don't know. But I'll trust it's at least emergency treatment.*
He immediately pushed up, putting strength into his right leg.
"Ugh...!"
*Damn it. Endure. Stand up as if you feel no pain.*
As he rose, the hobgoblins that had been piled on top of him like a sandwich tumbled off.
He systematically slammed his axe into the ones that had fallen from his back onto the ground.
"Hoo, hoo."
*This is fucking hard. I have no leeway. Honestly, just holding and swinging the axe is my limit now.*
His vision flickered. Like lightning flashes. His breathing grew increasingly ragged.
His head, hot with pain, cooled instantly, while his heart, conversely, pounded fiercely and grew hot.
‘Ah. It's here.’
This excitement, felt after so long.
He was now standing at a crossroads of life and death.
He continued a battle where a single misstep could lead to death.
[◆ Blessing of Desperate Struggle]
– You have reached the crossroads of death. Adverse conditions are met.
– Stamina +2, Strength +2, Agility +2
He felt all his body's movements instantly quicken and strengthen. His breathing returned a little.
But there was no dramatic effect. The enemy numbers were still high.
Even though he had invested all his free points into stats every time he leveled up, the tide of battle was still unfavorable.
‘So what am I supposed to do?’
What he had to do was clear.
Just swing the axe. Swing it, keep swinging, and cut down the enemies.
That was what he had to do now, and only by doing so could he survive.
He fell into a trance, swinging his axe.
"Kerr-rur-rur-ruk!"
"Keh, kek! Kek!"
As he continued the slaughter, he gradually realized he was swinging his axe wider.
Space began to open up. Only then did he take in his surroundings.
"Kek-rur-ruk—"
"Keh, kek..."
He still couldn't discern the monsters' expressions, but he instinctively knew those were faces of terror.
The hobgoblins were recoiling in fright, gradually retreating from him.
For a moment, he stared blankly at the floor. He was standing on a pile of hobgoblin corpses. There were at least fifty bodies strewn on the ground.
His greaves were drenched in blood, and hobgoblin blood had risen to his shins, forming a river of gore.
Every step he took produced a squelching sound.
The axe and his hand felt stuck together. It didn't slip in the blood, as if they had become one.
Splosh— Splosh—
He walked across the blood-soaked ground, swinging his axe. Excruciating pain shot up from his left foot.
He gasped for breath, his stamina draining as if he might collapse at any moment, yet he neither swayed nor showed it.
He couldn't show them even a hint of carelessness. If there was even the slightest opening, they'd go wild and charge again.
"Kek! Kekekekekek!"
His bluffing had an excellent effect. Despite their overwhelming numbers, the creatures that had failed to take down a single prey began to flee the storeroom in terror, one by one.
CRASH!
The hobgoblins that had begun escaping the storeroom one after another were struck by fireballs and burned to death. It happened in an instant. The sound of swords swinging followed.
‘Explorers.’
The explorers who came to deal with the Hobgoblin Shaman. He had forgotten them in his trance. They didn't seem to be outlaws, but he had to prepare. He *should* have.
"Ah..."
His body wouldn't move an inch. He didn't fall or collapse; he just stood frozen, unmoving.
His eyes slowly closed. He didn't have the strength to twitch a finger.
Explorers registered in his awareness. He had to respond, but...
It was a strangely familiar feeling.
***
"What in the...?"
Joy Hog's party, upon arriving at the 3rd-floor storeroom of the Hobgoblin Village, stared blankly at the horrifying sight.
Everything was stained crimson. The walls, the floor—as if they had always been red.
Only the ceiling looked like a brown canvas splattered with red paint.
Only then could they guess that this space had originally been brown.
The floor was littered with blood-soaked hobgoblin corpses. A quick glance made it hard to estimate their number.
‘The battle wasn't easy for no reason.’
All the hobgoblins from the 3rd floor had been gathered here.
The hobgoblins from the 2nd floor had also noticed the commotion directly above them and rushed over, and...
‘If this many forces had coordinated with the Hobgoblin Shaman?’
Their party would have suffered catastrophic losses.
‘No, for that matter... would they have even made it out alive?’
Even as a 7th-floor party, they gulped, imagining the battle that must have taken place in this small space.
The result of the fierce battle was before their eyes.
In that crimson space, a man stood, trampling hobgoblin corpses.
His blood-drenched helmet, breastplate, and axe were completely covered in gore, as if they had always been red.
His body was no different.
His limbs, covered in goblin claw marks, teeth marks, and other wounds, were dripping blood.
It was impossible to tell whether it was goblin blood or the man's own.
But even without distinguishing that, Joy Hog's party and Gregor recognized the helmeted man before them instantly.
"...He's an employee from the Cozy Winter Night inn, isn't he?"
Because they were regular customers of Diana's Inn.
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