Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 167

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

Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 167

 

As world caves in(3)

 

I was walking down the road when I discovered a repair shop. There was no one inside, but an SUV was parked there.

 

Just as I was about to take a closer look.

 

“…It’s for display.”

 

A person appeared from the roof. It was a mechanic covered in dust.

 

He jumped down with a hop.

 

“It’s a model. How curious. Someone came looking for a car yesterday too.”

 

Yesterday.

 

If someone suddenly came looking for a car, it wouldn’t be a coincidence.

 

“Could you describe their appearance?”

 

“Well. They never took off their gas mask, so I’m not sure, but it was definitely a woman.”

 

I looked at the mechanic. He seemed to have just finished repairing the roof and was wiping his wrench with a cloth.

 

“7 days… no, 6 days left now, yet you seem so calm.”

 

“Someone like me, well. Where else would I have to go anyway.”

 

A detached person. He’s dressed like a mechanic, but his atmosphere is like a zen monk.

 

Someone who seems to know something.

 

“By any chance, is there no way to stop the doomsday timer?”

 

“No.”

 

It was a definitive statement.

 

“What’s the reason?”

 

“Doomsday’s main server is in the deepest underground that humanity can dig. But the entrance was buried during the nuclear war. Now, even if we poured all the energy that can be generated on Earth, we couldn’t dig it out.”

 

“…I see. Is there anywhere I could obtain a vehicle?”

 

The mechanic ran his hand through his hair.

 

“You’re asking the same thing again. The highway gang boss did bring a car once, asking for repairs.”

 

“Highway gang… who’s the boss?”

 

“The boss is Aken, and the sub-boss is Zaken. Both are black and huge. Aken handles operations, and Zaken is in charge of force… this feels like déjà vu.”

 

The mechanic chuckled.

 

“Thank you. Well then, I’ll be going…”

 

I was about to leave but hesitated.

 

“Do you happen to know about Project Noah’s Ark?”

 

The [Project: Noah’s Ark] that was on the laptop in the bunker.

 

The mechanic tilted his head.

 

“Well? All sorts of projects have come and gone through me, but Noah’s Ark… I’d guess it’s probably an android or human-related project.”

 

* * *

 

A night with a full moon. A desolate checkpoint where steel frames and scrapped cars were erected like barriers on the collapsed highway, with searchlights sweeping back and forth in all directions.

 

Kate hid herself in the darkness.

 

“…Hey. Do you believe in that doomsday stuff?”

 

“Would I believe it? That’s just, you know. To make the remaining people commit suicide.”

 

Two guards at the entrance chatter with each other.

 

“Right?”

 

“Of course. Damn. It’s just a dirty trick to reduce mouths to feed when food’s already scarce.”

 

Passing them, she approaches close to the ramshackle building presumed to be the highway gang HQ.

 

She had identified the space rocket launch pad as her primary destination and infiltrated to obtain a car as transportation.

 

“Where is it? Is there really an intruder?”

 

A voice was heard nearby.

 

“There is. If you find them, kill the bastard immediately. Five guys have already been taken out.”

 

Kate held her breath.

 

“They probably already passed through. And isn’t it good that five guys died? We get to eat meat today…”

 

When the patrol passed, she moved a little closer and hid behind a scrapped car.

 

Just a little more movement and she’d be there.

 

Thud─ Thud─

 

Then, a sound approaching from the side. Footsteps crushing glass shards scattered on the road surface.

 

Kate took a deep breath. She prepared for a possible battle. A mana dagger materialized in her grip.

 

Thud─

 

The opponent’s footsteps stopped. Kate frowned.

 

Why aren’t they approaching?

 

Just as she was thinking.

 

“──Found you!!!!”

 

The guy shouted first.

 

“Damn-”

 

She hurriedly threw her dagger. The blade pierced the guy’s throat, but bullets came pouring from all directions with a rata-tat-tat! Kate slid while launching daggers. She killed three or four more who were shooting.

 

Weeeeeing—

 

A siren wails throughout. Searchlights focus on her.

 

Kate circled to the outskirts, avoiding the lights. She hid behind the guardrail of the collapsed road. Her instant acceleration was comparable to most felines.

 

Thump thump thump.

 

Her heart beats like crazy. Infiltration against such a large number of humans, an entire group, is rare even in simulations.

 

As Kate, with sweaty palms, was devising a strategy.

 

[Kate.]

 

“…?”

 

NaN’s message appeared before her eyes.

 

[This is PD Yoon. For this matter— there was no other way—]

 

Crackle. Crackle. The message shook and cut out intermittently.

 

[Don’t die— due to your labyrinth collision—]

 

Crackle! She frowned at the constantly noisy sentence.

 

What the hell is labyrinth collision.

 

[Absolutely do not die—]

 

[However, the labyrinth will not be stopped— this is confirmed by Lord Magnus of Hailford—]

 

Confirmed by an elder? Doubt and shock filled Kate’s eyes.

 

Elder Magnus shouldn’t be someone a mere broadcasting station PD could meet with.

 

Click!

 

The unfamiliar sound of steel engaging a trigger.

 

“…”

 

Kate slowly turned to look. A shotgun barrel was already aimed at her.

 

“Stop. Move even a little and your head explodes.”

 

Sub-boss Zaken. A 2-meter tall giant, bald black man.

 

“Gas mask. Slowly.”

 

Kate removed her gas mask. Zaken let out a hollow laugh.

 

“…What’s some kid doing here?”

 

His weapon was a heavily modified shotgun. At this distance, the buckshot would hit no matter how he fired.

 

His remaining magic power was around 25%. An extremely efficient countermeasure was needed.

 

“Hey! I caught one! Everyone come here!”

 

Zaken shouted while aiming at Kate.

 

“The little one’s all alone. Skills seem decent, but what were you trying to steal?”

 

“…”

 

“Or is this some kind of initiation? Did you want to join Highway? Say something.”

 

Kate remained silent, and time passed.

 

No matter how long he waited, no one came.

 

“What the hell are you bastards doing?! I said get over here!”

 

The moment Zaken frowned and shouted once more.

 

Rustle, the belated footsteps of someone approaching.

 

“I’m here.”

 

It was an unfamiliar voice.

 

Zaken’s eyes widened. He immediately rolled his body defensively, but a more precise aimed shot shattered his head.

 

Bang!

 

Brain matter and skull fragments scattered everywhere.

 

“…”

 

Kate looked at the man who had suddenly appeared. Unmistakably a soldier. Her gaze drifted to his left knee.

 

“How was it.”

 

Seol Ha-woon asked as he approached her side.

 

“Is the real thing somewhat different from simulation?”

 

He hit the mark precisely.

 

She had experienced similar scenarios dozens of times in simulation. The privilege of only the highest-level elites, learning situations ranging from thousands to hundreds of millions of cases per session.

 

But things went wrong twice. First, getting caught was absurd. She thought she had perfectly concealed her presence.

 

“There were mirror fragments mixed in with the glass shards on the floor. They probably placed them there intentionally.”

 

Seol Ha-woon answered her unspoken question. Kate lowered her eyes. Among the scattered car window glass pieces, there were glittering mirror fragments.

 

“That’s how the enemies detected you. Terrain isn’t just walls or mounds. Very small elements on the ground, even the direction of wind and position of sunlight can either kill you or save you.”

 

Kate found herself nodding unconsciously, and Seol Ha-woon let out a hollow laugh.

 

An educator’s nature, they said. No wonder he said that—now he ended up teaching.

 

Seol Ha-woon asked.

 

“Did you locate the vehicle?”

 

“Yes. The car keys are probably in the enemies’ HQ, in the boss’s office.”

 

“HQ… that ramshackle building?”

 

It was a hideout that looked like it was built by dragging pieces of highway guardrails and road fragments together.

 

Kate examined his appearance carefully.

 

“…By any chance. Didn’t you receive a message?”

 

“What message did you receive?”

 

Kate hesitated. Seol Ha-woon crouched down again as if to say never mind.

 

“Let’s enter the HQ.”

 

“There are still gang members outside—”

 

“I killed them all. Thanks to you drawing their attention, it was rather easy. Follow me.”

 

Seol Ha-woon moved forward first, and Kate watched his retreating figure.

 

Suddenly.

 

She felt an impulse to thrust a spear into his back.

 

However, she had to separate public and private matters. The smoldering hatred had to be suppressed for now.

 

For some unknown reason, Seol Ha-woon’s legs were intact. Therefore, the current Seol Ha-woon was in his prime.

 

Compared to when he was active, his physical abilities and reflexes might be lacking, but he had regained mobility, and more importantly, had secured far more lethal mage capabilities.

 

He was sufficiently worth using.

 

* * *

 

Inside the Highway gang’s HQ.

 

Before splitting up with Kate, I taught her the basics of assassination.

 

“Stab the neck. Right here precisely.”

 

The upper cervical vertebrae. The most lethal area connected to the brain. One stab and they die without even making a sound.

 

“However, it’s not about ‘stabbing’ but striking accurately and forcefully with the concept of ‘crushing’ bone and all.”

 

I turned my neck to show Kate the exact location. Kate placed her finger on it.

 

Her touch was meaningful. It seemed like she wanted to stab right now.

 

I chuckled softly.

 

“If you understand, let’s go.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Maintaining thorough intent concealment, we split into two groups and cleared the 1st and 2nd floors.

 

We quickly regrouped at the entrance to the 3rd floor.

 

“The 3rd floor only has one entrance.”

 

Multiple presences could be felt beyond the door. There were no windows or anything else, so this was the only way to enter.

 

“Should we throw in some explosives?”

 

Kate suggested.

 

“No. If the car keys get damaged, that would be a disaster. Please provide backup.”

 

“Backup?”

 

As she tilted her head in confusion, I kicked the 3rd floor door with my left foot.

 

Thwack!

 

It opened with a crash.

 

Kate’s face went blank, and the guys on the 3rd floor frantically grabbed their guns.

 

There were quite a few. I expected 15, but there were exactly 23.

 

Bang! Bang! Bang!

 

I fired my revolver first. The heads of the three closest guys exploded.

 

“You son of a bitch!”

 

“Where the hell did this bastard come from…”

 

They also cursed and fired their assault rifles, but at that moment.

 

Sequence activated.

 

Thought accelerated, and time slowed down.

 

My body still couldn’t keep up with this amplified perception, but it didn’t matter. I just had to give direct commands to my brain.

 

Ultra-high-speed movement, forcibly controlling the body by dominating the nervous system with magic power.

 

Ta-da-da-da-da-

 

Bullets floated slowly, and I walked calmly between them.

 

There was no need to rush. Just step by step, moving forward carefully, one shot to one guy’s head. One shot to another guy’s head.

 

When six bullets were spent, I emptied the cylinder and reloaded.

 

Again, one shot, one shot…

 

After drawing bullet trajectories in advance for 20 men.

 

Click.

 

I snapped my fingers as a signal to end the sequence.

 

The stopped time began to flow again.

 

Bang— Bang— Babababang——!

 

Twenty heads exploded almost simultaneously like fireworks. Bullets fired by the falling corpses poured into the air.

 

“…”

 

Kate entered belatedly. She looked incredulously at the bodies missing their heads.

 

─Hey, hey there!

 

A voice echoed from the only office on the 3rd Floor.

 

─J-just try coming in. I’ll blow this whole building to smithereens. The detonator is in my hand right now!

 

I calculated the resonance of that voice. Beyond the wall, I predicted the position where the bastard stood.

 

─You fucking bastards. Do you want to go to the moon too? Say something!

 

I looked at Kate and pressed firmly on a point on the office wall. Kate nodded and formed a Long Spear.

 

─You son of a bitch! But even if you die, you can’t go! I won’t let you go. Hahahahahaha!!!

 

Shwaaaack!

 

The Long Spear penetrated the wall. The bastard’s laughter was cut off at the same time.

 

Walls are merely cover.

 

They’re not shields.

 

I opened the door. The bastard was clutching the detonator with his head pierced through.

 

I kicked the corpse aside and sat in the office chair. First, I opened the laptop.

 

[About the Noah Project]

 

Android humanoid. They say they’re doing something with human DNA. Cloning? Anyway. They say they’ve already sent that to the moon and set it up. My hobby these days is looking up at the moon through a telescope. Now I just need to drive to the Space Launch Pad. It’s a bit annoying that I have to go with Dave, that moron who can’t even tell the difference between a telescope and a microscope, but if things go wrong, I’ll just kill him.

 

Most of the higher-ups seemed to have already made plans to go up to the Moon.

 

“Take what you need. I’ll get the car ready first.”

 

Kate, who had found car keys on the boss’s corpse, said.

 

“No. Stay here.”

 

“Why?”

 

“How can I trust you?”

 

“….”

 

Kate couldn’t offer any particular rebuttal either.

 

From the 3rd Floor office, I gathered Emergency Rations like chocolate bars and Canned Food, ammunition, three mana potions, and….

 

“…Beautiful.”

 

I took the majestically extended Sniper Rifle.

 

[VSR-9 Valkyrie]

 

■ The crystallization of cutting-edge composite materials and precision engineering. A Sniper Rifle that is very light yet boasts extreme precision. It uses specially manufactured dedicated bullets, 338 Valkyrie Magnum, to maximize range and stability.

 

With the Valkyrie slung over my shoulder, I handed one of the three mana potions to Kate. She immediately injected the mana potion.

 

“How much does it fill?”

 

“About 20% for one.”

 

“Yes. Let’s go down now.”

 

We came down to the Parking Garage that Kate had scouted ahead. A Jeep was hidden under Wrapping Cloth. I opened the hood to check its condition.

 

It was perfect. The Mechanic’s skills must have been quite good.

 

“Get in.”

 

I got in the driver’s seat, and Kate got in the passenger seat.

 

Just in case, I asked.

 

“Kate. You don’t happen to be unable to drive, do you?”

 

“Of course not. Should I drive first?”

 

I examined her condition. Her dark circles were quite deep. She had left a day earlier than me and seemed to not have slept a wink until now.

 

“I’ll go first. It’ll probably take another 12 hours to reach the destination, so sleep for 6 hours.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Kate reclined her chair back without hesitation. She seemed very tired.

 

After fastening her Safety Belt, she cleared her throat awkwardly and muttered.

 

“…Simulation and actual combat are quite different.”

 

“Simulations exclude human malice. You don’t need to be too discouraged. Experience will naturally accumulate.”

 

There’s no need to boast about having lots of combat experience, nor to be too embarrassed about lacking it.

 

It’s ultimately a type of proficiency.

 

No one is good from the start, and if you have the will to learn, you’ll definitely improve under the assumption that you ‘don’t die.’

 

“I suppose so….”

 

Kate had closed her eyes before I knew it. I blew a Dream Bubble.

 

Vroooom.

 

I stepped on the accelerator.

 

Empty roads. Darkness where not even traces of humans remain. Inside the Jeep advancing on the desolate Asphalt Road, gripping the steering wheel with one hand, I quietly think.

 

Random thoughts about the human called me. Anguish about Percival.

 

“…Nothing Special.”

 

Suddenly, sleep talk flowed from between Kate’s teeth.

 

Nothing Special.

 

It was one of Percival’s verbal habits. Whatever happened, it was always nothing special to him. He didn’t want his subordinates to worry about him. Yet he himself worried terribly about his subordinates’ ‘troubles.’

 

He was a good person.

 

At least to me.

 

“….”

 

I looked at Kate.

 

The occasional killing intent and malice I feel from her, which isn’t threatening at all, is probably.

 

Because she’s grasped ‘that incident’ to some degree.

 

“…Interesting.”

 

I might be traveling with an enemy right now.

 

However, this situation is familiar. The human called Kate is familiar. When I look at her, Percival comes to mind.

 

Strong heart. Thorough elite. Brilliant Talent. More aristocratic than anyone, but precisely because of that, even the sense of being chosen that she can’t erase.

 

Every aspect of her resembles Percival. Like a son, like Daughter resembling their parent.

 

“You really are his niece.”

 

A needlessly missed human.

 

Kate will someday far surpass Percival, but right now she’s lacking in many areas compared to him.

 

How should I put it.

 

For now, she’s nothing more than a cat that thinks it’s a tiger.

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