Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 148

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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 148

 

Spear Ghost(11)

 

─Seo Ji-woo : Hwa-rim!

 

The live broadcast continues. Offender Seo Ji-woo waves her hand as she approaches Yoon Hwa-rim’s fortress.

 

─Yoon Hwa-rim : Ji-woo~!

 

Yoon Hwa-rim also runs over in one stride and hugs her tightly.

 

These two are consistently close. As fellow mages, you’d expect some competitive psychology, but maybe it’s because their fields are completely different.

 

─Ryu Yeon-hwa : How about a party?

 

And Ryu Yeon-hwa encounters Lee Sin-hye and Kang Hyeon while heading to the base.

 

─Lee Sin-hye : Sounds good.

 

─Kang Hyeon : Let’s do that.

 

Lee Si-ah becomes anxious in real-time even while watching the broadcast.

 

“…It can’t be.”

 

Only Seol Ha-woon is isolated in the Eastern Region. But the Defense Wave will come rolling in fairly. While the western teams will have multiple bases sharing the pressure, it means Ha-woon has to handle the east alone…

 

─Lee Sin-hye : That’s a base, right?

 

Lee Sin-hye discovered the castle wall.

 

─Ryu Yeon-hwa : Yes. It appears so.

 

─Lee Sin-hye : …You can tell just by looking that it’s that person.

 

The camera shows the scenery ahead. A very well-built village. Watchtowers rise up to monitor the surroundings, and the ‘owner of the base’ is captured on screen atop the towering castle walls.

 

─Kate : Nice to see you.

 

With her as the last scene, the broadcast ends. This episode’s ending roll.

 

Well, it was about time Kate got one too.

 

-The ending scene is so cool.. Amazing..

 

-It’s just one line saying “nice to see you” but what’s so special?

 

-Wow, it’s amazing how it’s already over

 

-Really felt like 30 minutes

 

[Weekly Vote Rankings]

 

１. Kang Hyeon

 

２. Kate

 

３. Lee Jun-ho

 

４. Seo Ji-woo

 

５. Seol Ha-woon

 

６. Ryu Yeon-hwa…

 

“Oh!”

 

In the weekly vote rankings that are announced every week from now on, Seol Ha-woon is in 5th place.

 

Lee Jun-ho slipped again.

 

What about Jun-ho’s side. The mental anguish of going down must be quite significant.

 

“…Ah, but Kate.”

 

Her firepower on SilTalk was definitely strong, and now it’s showing in the results.

 

I can’t help but feel a sense of crisis. She’s the one we have the biggest conflict with these days.

 

[Next Episode Preview]

 

Just then, the Episode 13 preview comes out.

 

Yoon Hwa-rim : Ah, don’t worry~ I’ll protect all of you~

 

Yoon Hwa-rim smiling brightly, and the faces of civilians who trust her.

 

Ryu Yeon-hwa : Ah, by the way. Did you manage to communicate with the S-rank mercenary?

 

Kate : Nothing special happened. It ended well.

 

Kate casually lying in response to Ryu Yeon-hwa’s question.

 

Ryu Wei : I tried making one for now. How is it?

 

Jo Woon : We built it together with the adjutants.

 

Defenders showing off their bases, and Offenders looking around as if fascinated.

 

It’s still peaceful so far.

 

But.

 

Swooooosh──!

 

A sword is swung, and half the screen splits apart.

 

Lee Jun-ho : Ha, there really are a lot of them.

 

It’s Lee Jun-ho. He shakes the blood off his sword and looks up at the distance. Grotesquely shaped monsters are swarming.

 

From this point, the atmosphere gradually darkens.

 

The enemies are coming──!

 

Boom— Boom— Boom— Boom—!

 

Along with drum sounds, urgent music sweeps through as if it would burst your ears.

 

Fire──!

 

Arrows rush forth piercing through the monsters, and Seol Ha-woon on the castle wall is caught in the angle. Behind his back, countless magic formulas coalesce.

 

Artillery fire that looks like missiles, or perhaps bombs, pours down.

 

Kuguuuuuuu——-!

 

A mesmerizing sight to behold, the mental visualization of war that only Seol Ha-woon possesses among countless mages.

 

Though the magical beasts are swept away by that ultra-high firepower, the waves are endless.

 

Seo Ji-woo: Hwa-rim!

 

Each moment becomes far more tense and intense.

 

Yoon Hwa-rim: These people, we have to protect them!

 

Between the defense teams being edited in sequence, a mysterious ‘watch’ ticks like a timer.

 

Tick. Tick.

 

General!

 

Jo Woon: I will… protect them.

 

Jo Woon, covered in blood from head to toe, speaks with determination. Resolve dwells within him.

 

Tick.

 

Lee Jong-soo: Damn it, I’ll definitely pull through…!

 

Lee Jong-soo dripping with sweat. His face fills the screen in close-up.

 

Tick.

 

Kang Hyeon: Just a little more, just a little more…

 

Kang Hyeon swinging his sword. The flesh and blood of magical beasts mix into the graceful flow of his butterfly-like sword dance.

 

Tick.

 

Lee Jun-ho: This is driving me crazy.

 

Lee Jun-ho drenched in purple blood. Has he reached his limit? One of his arms trembles intermittently.

 

Grrrrrrrr…

 

The dark night sky echoes with the gloomy roars of magical beasts.

 

On the castle wall of the base, Kate gazes toward the horizon.

 

Tick.

 

Kate: I can’t sleep anyway…

 

Just as the preview is coming to an end, suddenly.

 

Tick.

 

Seol Ha-woon’s walking stick.

 

His symbol falls to the ground. Slowly, even in slow motion.

 

Thud… Thoom…!

 

The walking stick settles completely, and Seol Ha-woon stands beside some sickbed.

 

A cold and desolate camera angle that reveals no emotion.

 

Voices rushing toward him.

 

Royal Inspector! This is terrible!

 

An echo reverberates. Like a bell tolling, ding, ding, ding.

 

Royal Inspector!

 

A tone filled with despair. A cry like a scream.

 

Royal Inspector…

 

The sounds fade away.

 

The screen focuses on Seol Ha-woon as the vanishing point, and everything else is blurred.

 

In such breathless silence…

 

Seol Ha-woon turns his head.

 

His profile, his blue eyes flash for a moment.

 

With that scene as the last.

 

[To be continued next week]

 

“Ah, seriously, what is this!”

 

Lee Si-ah grabbed her head.

 

How are we supposed to wait until next week when they release a preview like this!

 

She hurriedly browsed through various communities.

 

│Is this preview for real?│

 

│Damn, they’re making people’s blood run dry│

 

│Ah, should I skip the next episode? No matter how I think about it, it feels ominous…│

 

First, all the Seol Ha-woon fans are dying. People saying they probably can’t go to work or school this week are popping up everywhere.

 

There are even high schoolers. You should be studying.

 

│Reasons why Seol Ha-woon gets eliminated.│

 

│Still, he’ll probably make a really cool exit at the end of Justice?│

 

│Being alone in the east, there’s no answer to this│

 

Next, the neutral communities all have similar thoughts. Most are expecting Seol Ha-woon’s elimination.

 

Lee Si-ah is anxious too.

 

First, there were too many civilians at Justice’s base, and above all, he’s isolated alone in the east.

 

Reasons why Seol Ha-woon gets eliminated in this labyrinth 1. Offenders gravitating toward the west. No matter how much of a Justice he is, he needs offenders to do anything, but right now only Im Hae-jun is going east. 2. Too many useless civilians too. No matter how much they supply food with snack boxes, what about the rest? What do they really do with the elderly and weak? 3. Trouble with S-rank mercenaries hasn’t been resolved yet. It’s not like he fought head-on like Kate did, so while Akiman is uncertain, Smeshion seems to have some ulterior motive.

 

After the main broadcast ends, speculators always appear in large numbers. Community activity really starts from this point. They talk about nothing but these things almost all day until just before the next episode airs.

 

The problem is, there are as many people who get it right as there are people who get it wrong.

 

Lee Si-ah read various speculation posts while biting her nails.

 

Trailer analysis survival prediction list: Yoon Hwa-rim, Jo Woon, Kate. Kate appears openly in the trailer. She’s looking into the distance from the castle wall, and you can see Min Seok-jae and Kellynic in the corner. Seeing how they reconciled amicably with those two suggests they survive, and based on how Jo Woon and Yoon Hwa-rim appear in the stronghold scenes in the trailer, they seem likely to survive too. Retirement prediction: Seol Ha-woon, Liu Wei. This defense labyrinth has two people in the ending credits: Kate and Seol Ha-woon. So one of them will definitely be eliminated, and it seems like Seol Ha-woon will be the one to go. Seol Ha-woon even appears at the end of the trailer. Looking at the hospital bed in the trailer, who’s lying there? Even though the bed is on the short side, no legs are showing. That means they’re short. So who could it be? Im Hae-jun, right? Im Hae-jun, the only offender who went to Seol Ha-woon, retires, and Seol Ha-woon has no way to break the crystal, so he holds out until the end and dies gloriously in battle. He’ll probably exit by buying time for civilians to escape, or holding out one more turn in an impossible situation, something like that. It’s such an obvious elimination storyline that it’s probably the producers’ trick to blindside viewers who think it won’t be an elimination because it’s too obvious lol…

 

It’s a speculation post that catches and combines every tiny detail – moments barely glimpsed in the live broadcast, the smallest details in previews, etc. – and the prediction that Im Hae-jun will be retired seems way too real.

 

No matter how skilled Seol Ha-woon is, it would be difficult without an Offender.

 

“Haah.”

 

Of course, there’s no way to know the answer until next week.

 

Even knowing that, I keep looking.

 

│Next Episode Chills Prediction│

 

│Next Episode Labyrinth Prediction (Fucking Chills)│

 

│Why Won’t They Show Seol Village’s Full View?│

 

│Fuck Chills Seol Ha-woon Really Seems Like Elimination? Found Evidence│

 

“What keeps giving you the damn chills.”

 

This is why Mitamnan is popular these days.

 

Making people think about nothing but Mitamnan all day like this…

 

* * *

 

Whoooosh… Rumble!

 

Inside the abandoned hospital where rain pours down and thunder echoes.

 

I looked into the camera’s viewfinder.

 

[Excuse me! Excuse me! Do you happen to have any food?!]

 

A strange phenomenon… no, an explorer who suddenly appeared in the footage begging for food.

 

It was Seo Ji-woo.

 

Seo Ji-woo was inside the camera.

 

“…Trapped in the camera.”

 

Or rather, sucked into it. Seo Ji-woo seemed to have fallen victim to that type of ghost object.

 

[Wh, who are you?]

 

[Nearly gave me a heart attack…]

 

The film crew, who had been greatly startled, calmed down.

 

I closed the viewfinder.

 

[Ah. I’m… an explorer.]

 

[Ah…]

 

[…Huh? Excuse me?]

 

The film crew all stopped, but Seo Ji-woo didn’t.

 

[…]

 

[Hello?]

 

Seo Ji-woo’s voice leaked out from the camera.

 

I opened the viewfinder again.

 

[An explorer? But why that beard…]

 

Only then did the film crew resume. Seo Ji-woo had a fake beard on her face.

 

[Ah. I picked this up here. I was wearing it because my face was cold.]

 

The missing film crew and Seo Ji-woo who hadn’t been seen until now.

 

I examined them carefully.

 

First, the film crew would all be souls.

 

Whether they’re spirits or vengeful ghosts is still unknown. Trapped in this camera without accepting their death, or without realizing it, they’re reenacting the time of their disappearance.

 

If I had to guess, did they resume the moment I opened the viewfinder?

 

[You were wearing a beard because you were cold?]

 

[Yes. It’s surprisingly warm.]

 

Seo Ji-woo took off the beard.

 

How did she get inside this thing?

 

[Ah… you look fine. Then for now… does anyone have food?]

 

[No. I don’t have any.]

 

[Me neither.]

 

I examined the camera body closely.

 

It’s an ENG camera. The kind journalists would use, a product that looks quite expensive.

 

The information window doesn’t activate. However, the Sorcerer’s Eye should be able to recognize how to use objects even without information windows.

 

More precisely, I should be able to interpret the magic power plastered all over this camera.

 

My vision turned blue. Various parts of the camera were captured in the sequence.

 

“…Button.”

 

The REC recording button.

 

I took out paper and drew a talisman.

 

An Exorcism Talisman. After placing it on the corridor floor where they were filming, I pressed the REC button.

 

Click.

 

The talisman disappeared.

 

[Huh? What’s that?]

 

There was a reaction from the camera.

 

[This. Wasn’t this not here before?]

 

The camera director zooms in on the talisman. The Exorcism Talisman I just sent is placed in the exact same position.

 

I figured out the transmission method itself. Seo Ji-woo probably went through a similar process.

 

Ironically, she’s trapped in the camera because she’s an excellent mage.

 

[It’s a talisman…]

 

[That was already there. There are lots of talismans here.]

 

[Oh really?]

 

I shouldn’t reveal my identity yet. Not only this film crew, but even Seo Ji-woo could be fake.

 

I need to be careful even if Seo Ji-woo is real.

 

Spirits can turn into vengeful ghosts for any reason. The most dangerous spirits are those who cannot accept their own death.

 

Information I read at the used bookstore.

 

If the entire filming crew realizes they are spirits and turns into vengeful ghosts, then conversely, Seo Ji-woo would be in danger.

 

[Well… I’m Reporter Lee Tae-young.]

 

[I’m Seo Ji-woo.]

 

[Yes. Ms. Seo Ji-woo. But why aren’t you going outside…]

 

Seo Ji-woo gave a bitter smile.

 

[Probably, you all won’t be able to get out either now.]

 

[Excuse me?]

 

[Try going once and see.]

 

But Seo Ji-woo’s reaction is somehow strange.

 

[No matter how much I walked and walked, only this hospital kept appearing. I even thought it might be a barrier.]

 

“…Hmm.”

 

Seo Ji-woo herself seems to be mistaken, thinking she’s trapped in the hospital rather than the camera.

 

[Ah… yes. I see.]

 

[Haha… yes. We have work to do.]

 

The filming crew moved while looking at Seo Ji-woo like she was crazy.

 

[Let’s just finish filming.]

 

The reporter stood in front of the elevator, and the camera director filmed him.

 

[This is the elevator of the abandoned hospital.]

 

B1: Morgue

 

1F: Lobby, Reception, Outpatient Clinic

 

2F: Internal Medicine, Dining Hall, General Ward

 

3F: ICU, Special Treatment Room

 

4F: Operating Room

 

5F: Psychiatric Ward

 

6F: Experiment Lab, Laboratory

 

[This elevator that would have operated actively in the past-]

 

[That doesn’t work now either.]

 

[…Excuse me, Ms. Seo Ji-woo? We’re filming, so please understand.]

 

Rattle rattle rattle rattle.

 

Just then, Truck came. In the cargo bay was a container filled with lunch boxes.

 

One lunch box is mine, and the rest are…

 

[Ah, I’m hungry.]

 

For the one crying about being hungry.

 

Since there’s a dining hall on the 2nd floor, I first took the stairs up.

 

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

 

I entered the dining hall and sat down.

 

I opened one lunch box and ate.

 

Hihehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

 

The remaining lunch boxes, I passed to a corner of the dining hall.

 

However, rather than sending them directly, a ‘story’ is needed.

 

The spirits captured in this camera are somehow special. Not only do they have no weapon marks, but they’re actually mistaken that they’re alive and breathing.

 

So, to avoid any suspicion, I need to provide plausibility and authenticity.

 

I attached a sorcery talisman to the container lid.

 

A mysterious talisman that Seok-yul bought for me. It’s said that food doesn’t spoil for a very long time

 

On the outside of the container, I wrote letters like lacquer paint.

 

YouTuber group ‘Funeral’

 

This way, it looks natural as if someone who came before forgot and left it behind.

 

I filmed it with the camera and sent it as is.

 

Constellation Seol Ha-woon sponsors ‘Container Full of Lunch Boxes’.

 

Such a message was drawn in my mind. It’s funny for no reason.

 

Hihehehehe

 

“Shut up for a bit.”

 

Thud─!

 

I struck the road surface with my walking stick. The thing fled in surprise.

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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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