Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 122

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 122

In the house(9)

I returned to the seaside after completing some work in the control room.

“Oh~”

A rather shrimp-like submarine had been built. Truck said while beeping excitedly.

─It’s just the design like you said. With such shoddy welding, diving would be difficult no matter how shallow the sea is. There’s no engine or fuel either.

“That’s sufficient.”

I stretched out my hand while gripping the air. Duct tape extended with a whoosh.

“This tape is all-purpose, you see.”

First, I wrapped the exterior joints thoroughly with tape, connected four yacht engines and attached them near the tail, and hung lights on the front section.

The blue tape connected all the parts into one.

─Are you insane.

She seemed dumbfounded by this ramshackle submarine, but I went inside and installed the yacht’s steering wheel as the control panel. I also stuck the 〔Xenon Battery〕 as both magic stone and fuel. The battery wrapped in tape glowed vividly.

This battery seems to be fuel made from condensed magic stones after all.

“It’s ready.”

Preparation complete.

─What’s ready.

This is the effect of Lv.3.

■ Lv.3 : The tape also serves as a circuit.

Now this tape doesn’t just stick things together. As long as my mental visualization reaches it, it also serves as a ‘circuit’ that connects everything. Whether it’s electronic circuits or mana circuits, anything.

“Let’s go.”

─…Are you really planning to ride this?

“Of course. Robot. Float this on the water.”

〔Confirmed〕

The robot lifted the submarine with its iron arms and placed it on the water. The steel hull rocked with a clatter at the seaside.

I entered inside through the submarine’s top hatch. Truck and Robot followed behind.

Thud! Thud! The interior shook with Robot’s footsteps.

Honestly, I didn’t expect this one to come along.

“Departing. Please prepare yourselves.”

I gripped the steering wheel. The 〔Xenon Battery〕 flashed blue.

Setting sail.

Whoooosh.

Into the water, the hull submerges. Water bubbles form beyond the thick window.

Whooooshhhh—-

─Huh. This can’t be.

Truck muttered in a daze. It must feel like all its engineering knowledge was being denied.

“This is magic engineering.”

─…What exactly did I learn.

“If you try hard, Truck, you’ll be able to do it too. This tape was originally yours anyway.”

─Mine?

“Yes.”

I turned on the lights while descending the submarine. When the light illuminated the darkness, zombies that had sunk to the bottom became visible.

─…There are many. The gate must have been open for quite a long time.

Hundreds, no, almost thousands. They were spread out like some gray carpet.

“Where is the purification waterway?”

─Wait a moment.

Truck looked at the radar. The small screen taken from the yacht flickered green.

─Go straight down in this direction.

“Yes.”

Going down. Of course, this is my first time operating a submarine, but it’s not really a submarine anyway. It’s just a combination created by Truck’s design and my mental visualization.

“I can see it. The purification waterway.”

I found the waterway. Zombies were packed tightly in between the gaps.

“Entering.”

I turned off the lights just in case. The submarine interior was plunged into darkness.

Even with my eyes, I can’t see well, but finding gaps and slowly entering…

Bang!

The stern was caught. I shook the steering wheel violently.

Kraaaash!

As if grabbed by something, we couldn’t move forward.

─It’s zombies.

“Yes. They seem to have gills or something.”

─Why are you so calm?

“I always prepare Plan B.”

I turned on the laptop.

The Den Water supervisor’s authority I had transferred through hacking. Among them was the ‘forced drainage system’ as well.

─Hey. That can only be used in emergency situations.

Truck also chimed in from right beside me, fidgeting.

“I know.”

I had deliberately installed bombs there.

Magic explosives still connected to my nervous system. The medium is the supervisor’s remains. Human bones contain magic power, you see.

…It’s a fact I didn’t want to know either.

I lowered my finger with a mental visualization signal. Click.

Rumble.

The explosion sound was faintly transmitted, and when the control room computer detected that impact, I activated the forced drainage system.

〔 Emergency : Forced Drainage System Activated 〕

Rumble rumble rumble──.

The purification waterway opened wide and the current swirled rapidly. The drainage facility’s characteristic whirlpool formed very large. The submarine was sucked into the waterway like a tree leaf.

─Aaaaah.

Truck let out a scream.

“Hold on tight.”

It was so human-like that I unconsciously said such words. Truck actually reached out and grabbed the submarine’s railing.

〔Please be careful, Seol Ha-woon.〕

Robot supported me from behind.

“You be careful too.”

〔Please be careful.〕

─Aaaaah.

Truck keeps screaming, and Robot supports me from behind. The interior shakes like crazy, spinning round and round.

─Aaaaah.

〔Please be careful.〕

“This is funny.”

I burst out laughing.

* * *

The submarine entered a stable state. We were probably deep underwater in the sewage treatment plant now. Zombies had poured in too, but since they couldn’t swim, they all sank to the bottom.

─It’s absurd that this actually works.

“Isn’t it interesting?”

I’ve ridden submarines quite a few times. Eight times, or maybe nine.

─I suppose so. Munch munch.

Truck was chewing on something, and I was chewing on an energy bar. The robot was also charging with a xenon battery.

Intermission mukbang. It was mealtime.

“Ow, my legs…”

After finishing eating, I lay down on the hull.

I stared blankly up at the ceiling. Strangely, I felt cozy and safe.

─What happened to your legs?

Truck suddenly asked. She seemed to have become curious about me.

“My body was damaged in an accident during an operation.”

─…I see. You seem to have suffered a lot too.

“But I’m still alive. The real suffering was…”

Suddenly, a film-like scene flashed through my mind.

A door.

That day, my last memory.

A metaphysical door whose form was hard to even recall.

“…done by someone who was dead.”

─Hmm. That’s true. Let’s start going up now.

“Yes.”

I gripped the steering wheel.

Slowly, very slowly, we ascended. With my already poor condition, this speed was perfect for avoiding decompression sickness.

The change in water pressure tickled my ears.

─At this rate, it’ll take about 30 minutes.

Should I get some sleep until then?

“I’ll rest for 30 minutes. Please handle the steering.”

─Alright.

Truck gripped the steering wheel. I turned on my dream bubble and closed my eyes.

─We’ve arrived.

I woke up to Truck’s words.

“Yaaawn.”

I sat up while yawning.

The water surface was starting to become visible, but it was complete sewage water. The dark blue floating debris bobbing around was disgusting. Was there a gas mask somewhere?

Pop! The submarine emerged from the filth like a bubble.

“Robot. Let’s get out.”

〔Confirmed.〕

I opened the door. The robot went out first and lifted us up.

“Ah, I got wet.”

Some unidentifiable filth had gotten on my pant legs. I didn’t even want to know what it was. With the hygiene maintenance function, it would be clean in 30 minutes.

“Robot. Please retrieve this submarine again.”

〔Confirmed.〕

─Why bother?

“You’ll need it when you go down, Truck. I made a shortcut, so we should use it on the way back too.”

I had attached a xenon battery too, so it should be usable until then.

─…Thank you.

The robot placed the submarine on the metal floor.

Clatter clatter clatter. Truck led the way through the sewage treatment area, finding the path.

─Here it is. The inter-hull elevator.

“Let’s go.”

We got on the elevator. Destination: Den Mexico.

Whirrrrr.

Whirrrrr.

Whirrrrr.

We ascended endlessly.

“Truck. Do you have enough food supplies?”

─Including what was already there, I can sustain life for over 24 months. Now I just need parts and materials.

“I hope there are parts.”

─There are. On the Cosmos Ship.

“There aren’t any.”

─…

Truck turned to look at me and spun her wheels threateningly with squeaking sounds. Like an angry cat.

I chuckled.

Thunk.

The door opened.

It was a place like the casino’s garbage dump. The robot stepped forward without being told.

“Good. Very praiseworthy.”

Beep. The robot made a pleased sound.

Thanks to that, we safely reached the lobby.

“Oh!”

I spotted a “Desktop” near the counter.

I hurried over, but,

“…Ah, what the hell.”

The usual light was gone. It had already been used. By Kang Hyeon, or Seo Ji-woo.

「Starting download…」

「Current location: Cosmos Ship B Sector – Casino Ship Den Mexico」

I downloaded it anyway. The structure of the casino ship entered my mind.

Luxurious guest rooms and gaming halls, secret rooms, and most importantly, the one and only VVIP room.

The hotline was connected to the casino’s VVIP room.

“Let’s try going to the VVIP room.”

I walked while leaning on my walking stick.

[ VVIP Exclusive Elevator ]

Finding the means to get to the VVIP room wasn’t difficult, but it was closed as expected. The security lock blinked with red light.

─Can you hack it?

“Just a moment.”

I plugged a cable from my wrist.

「Hacking level is too low.」

“…It won’t work.”

Even hacking isn’t invincible.

I need to find another way.

I rummaged through the downloaded memories.

“Jackpot prize 7,777,777 credits, VVIP membership… Is that correct?”

─Probably so.

If there’s a VVIP membership, I should be able to enter that VVIP room too.

“Follow me.”

I returned to the casino lobby again. I looked around at the rows of slot machines, grabbed one, and hacked it.

「Hacking successful」

It worked!

If I stretch the jackpot probability to 100%…

「Hacking level is too low.」

100% won’t work. Ah damn, who took that desktop? Level 4 would probably do it.

“1% is the best I can do.”

─You’d have to spin 100 times for once… That doesn’t seem feasible. It would be quite noisy too.

Even with formulas to reduce the slot machine’s clanging sounds, there would be limits.

“…I know one guy who has good luck with objects.”

I don’t want to rely on luck either, but if it’s that guy, we might be able to finish this quickly.

Not luck but object luck. A guy whose life has been too miserable to simply call it luck, so perhaps he’s compensated with object luck for that gap.

─You mean the comrade trapped in the safe?

“Yes. But there’s no way to get him out right now.”

There’s absolutely no method to help him escape from the safe.

I’d rather not play the role of drawing aggro myself. It’s too dangerous for someone with a limp.

─The casino ship has gravity reversal devices installed. For riot suppression. Casinos always have that kind of risk.

“Gravity reversal… Can you manipulate it?”

─The server room was open. About 5 minutes should be possible.

“Then, yes. I have a good idea.”

I quietly tore off some duct tape. I set it to double-sided and stuck it to the ground.

I set the side stuck to the ground a bit stronger, and the top side where people would walk with moderate friction.

“Do you understand?”

─Of course.

Truck’s wheels switched with a whirring sound.

─I don’t need that tape. Just in case, I upgraded myself to be able to walk on the ceiling.

“Good. Robot. You come here.”

I called the robot over.

“When gravity reverses, you just need to carry me. I’ll climb on your back.”

〔Confirmed.〕

“And…”

─Crackle. Is anyone there?

Suddenly a sound came from the terminal. I startled and pulled out my terminal.

〔 Available communication personnel: 0 〕

It shows 0 for me, but a communication is coming through.

“…Ah. Terminal enhancement?”

I wondered who would do that, but it seems he did it.

“This guy is really stupid too.”

His nickname isn’t Kang-tongi for nothing.

…Unless it’s ‘acting’, that is.

─Yes? Who is this?

“You’re Kang Hyeon, right? Can you hear my voice?”

─Ha-woon… hyung?

─What? Seol Ha-woon?!

“Shh. Listen carefully. I’ll rescue you. First, keep drawing aggro inside the safe until we give you a signal…”

I’ll skip the operation briefing.

* * *

“It’s done.”

I finished the tape work in the casino lobby.

A track connecting from the safe to the lobby, from the lobby to the slot machines, and from the slot machines to the VVIP room.

─Good. Then I’ll go to the server room too.

“Yes.”

I picked up the terminal.

“Are you ready?”

─Yes.

“Okay.”

I climbed tightly onto the robot’s back. I applied duct tape too, so I shouldn’t fall off easily.

“Robot. My life depends on you now.”

〔Confirmed〕

The robot’s eyes flashed red. Unnecessarily, excessively solemn.

“Relax.”

〔…〕

No response.

I guess it doesn’t want to relax.

“Fine, whatever. Do as you please…”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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