Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 168

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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 168

 

As world caves in(4)

 

Five days ago.

 

On a day when the aftereffects of the Labyrinth had not yet subsided, Kate returned to her home.

 

It was to meet Elder Magnus, the shadow power behind Hailford.

 

A space that even Kate could not easily enter without permission. She sat face to face with the elder whose eyes still gleamed sharply.

 

This private meeting was ironically made possible thanks to Kate’s greatly increased recognition from her appearance on Mitamnan.

 

“Miss.”

 

Magnus traced his fingers over the evidence Kate had collected. A few faded photos and small recording devices. These were traces from Percival’s final Labyrinth.

 

“What do you want.”

 

Elder Magnus looked at her. Sadness was detected in his eyes that held the weight of years.

 

Kate faced him without wavering.

 

“…The truth.”

 

Silence flowed. Magnus gave no answer.

 

“You handled the aftermath, didn’t you, Elder Magnus.”

 

Percival, who was said to have perished in the Labyrinth. It was this very elder who confirmed his death.

 

“Elder. Do you know a person named Seol Ha-woon.”

 

Kate said. Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge that seemed ready to cut.

 

Magnus seemed to ponder that name for a moment.

 

“Seol Ha-woon…”

 

Soon he reached into the air and opened a drawer somewhere. A small orb floated up from inside.

 

“…No secret can be hidden forever, I suppose.”

 

The elder placed the orb on the table. With a rolling sound, it rolled toward Kate and stopped.

 

An orb containing preserved magic formula data. Nearly impossible to hack or forge, it’s record documents accepted as top-tier evidence even in court.

 

Kate silently picked up the orb. She played the data inside it.

 

─From now on, what you say will be recorded.

 

At some point, Magnus from years ago asks someone.

 

─Did you kill Percival?

 

And the voice of someone answering Magnus’s interrogation.

 

His voice, devoid of any emotion.

 

─Yes. I killed him.

 

Kate slowly closed her eyes.

 

─Colonel Percival had to die there.

 

─…How did he die?

 

─He was buried under nuclear weapons.

 

At that moment the air seemed to freeze. Kate’s hand trembled slightly.

 

“…Why.”

 

Her voice barely choked out.

 

“The family just stood by.”

 

There was no disturbance on the elder’s face. Rather, as if he had been waiting for this question for a long time, he answered calmly.

 

“Sometimes… death can be more beneficial, Miss.”

 

The meaning was clear. If Hailford’s prestige had been damaged because of Seol Ha-woon, the family would have eliminated him.

 

However, as a result, Percival was elevated to a Labyrinth hero, and the family’s honor was greatly enhanced.

 

“For Hailford’s honor, you condoned Seol Ha-woon?”

 

Anger mixed into Kate’s voice. The elder easily deflected her anger.

 

“For Hailford’s honor, we acknowledged Percival’s death.”

 

Magnus manipulates human psychology. The old serpent knows all too well what words will move which people and how.

 

Now not only anger about Percival’s death, but even rebellion against the family would be focused on Seol Ha-woon.

 

“…”

 

Kate stood up from her seat. Watching her back as she turned away, Magnus let out a quiet breath.

 

The choice was Kate’s to make.

 

Either way, it would ultimately result in an ending beneficial to Hailford.

 

* * *

 

Earth’s final day, D-5

 

Kate had been gripping the steering wheel for over four hours. The endlessly stretching road had now changed to an urban area.

 

“…It’s similar.”

 

The broken structures reminded her of the Florida scenery she had once visited.

 

Kate glanced at the passenger seat. With the backrest almost fully reclined, Seol Ha-woon was in deep sleep. Like a still frame.

 

She suddenly thought about the message Yoon Sa-hyuk had sent.

 

You must not die in this Labyrinth.

 

There was a problem outside.

 

However, if there was a problem with this Labyrinth, it wouldn’t be limited to just me.

 

Kate looked to the side.

 

Seol Ha-woon.

 

Could this human also die here?

 

Creak. She gripped the steering wheel tightly.

 

──Then.

 

An ominous alarm rang in her mind. A cold sensation like a blade grazing her nape. No, an even more destructive distortion of wind pierced through space.

 

It was sniping.

 

Silent killing intent flew through the car window. As if the world had slowed down, it rushed precisely toward Kate in the driver’s seat…

 

Swish!

 

The bullet was caught by someone’s hand.

 

It was Seol Ha-woon. The sequence’s Danger Detection and Absolute Reflex had activated.

 

Having awakened at some point, he sat up abruptly while clutching the bullet.

 

Only faint wrinkles formed between his brows, with almost no change in expression.

 

Broken glass fragments poured into the car, and he withdrew his hand while turning his head. He stared impassively at a point outside the window where the sniper attack had come from.

 

His eyes opened with a blue glow.

 

“Keep driving.”

 

He reached into the back seat and picked up the sniper rifle.

 

Click. Steel was loaded.

 

“To the right.”

 

The command was concise. Kate turned the wheel and pressed the accelerator deeply. The car body shot forward with a roar.

 

Whiiiiiing!

 

A fierce wind rushed through the broken window. Seol Ha-woon firmly secured the rifle against the window frame. Inside the swaying car, his shoulders and arms maintained perfect alignment with the barrel like iron.

 

As he placed his eye to the scope, a faint human silhouette fleeing in the darkness was captured.

 

Distance approximately 800 meters. Wind blowing from the left side.

 

“One more right turn. That intersection up ahead.”

 

Even as the car roughly changed direction, the crosshairs in the scope persistently tracked the fleeing target.

 

“Slow down.”

 

Kate stepped on the brakes and the car’s speed decreased. Seol Ha-woon briefly held his breath.

 

All his senses became extremely sharp, and his thoughts accelerated. Blue magic power rippled in the depths of his pupils, predicting the target’s movement.

 

Click.

 

He pulled the trigger.

 

Bang—!

 

The gunshot echoed through the cramped car interior. Seol Ha-woon didn’t take his eye off the scope.

 

The target suddenly jerked violently and collapsed to the ground. There was no further movement.

 

“….”

 

Seol Ha-woon put away the sniper rifle. Clink, a hot shell casing fell. He nudged it with his toe and said.

 

“Let’s get out.”

 

A car is the easiest target to hit.

 

From now on, it’s urban warfare.

 

* * *

 

│US University Update│I’m taking a major course at Cornell and Seolhaun’s technique came up ㅋㅋㅋ It was featured prominently when discussing technique circuit efficiency ㅋㅋㅋ─Wow really? At Cornell?─Isn’t that copyright infringement?└They properly cited the source too. This professor is also a Seolhaun fan. He said he’s envious that I can vote─Cornell is super famous, isn’t it? ㄷㄷ

 

Lee Si-ah has been frequently searching for reactions in the mage community regarding Seol Ha-woon lately. While looking up Mal-ol-haem’s status, she’s consuming Seol-addiction rather than national pride.

 

│Seol Ha-woon’s formulas seem well-crafted│There are tons of mages copying Seol Ha-woon these days. Even rankers seem to find it worth referencing from an efficiency standpoint??─They’re all copying. Mal-ol must be pissed lol└Why would he be pissed? He was destined to be copied once he appeared on Mitamnan anyway. And they can never match Mal-ol no matter what.─Copycats only make the original stand out more

 

│About Seol Ha-woon and Jemalopta, let’s explore Seol Ha-woon’s ‘Jemalopta Style’.arabia│If you ask who the hottest sorcerer in South Korea is these days, no one would disagree that it’s Seol Ha-woon right now. Setting aside his actual skills, his character and buzz factor make him a superstar that’s truly rare to find on the Korean peninsula. In fact, if you compare Google search volumes, he gets way more searches than even Eneksil, who became a mage most recently. So today, I’m going to write an analysis of the sorcery school that Seol Ha-woon is developing, the ‘Jemalopta Style’, from the perspective of an industry sorcerer. The characteristics of the Malopta Style can be broadly divided into three aspects. 1. Extreme efficiency – No waste. He doesn’t waste even a grain of rice worth of mana, dedicating it all to spell design. Especially the ‘volley fire’ spell circuit diagram that appeared in the last broadcast was pure art itself… Firing hundreds of magic bullets with no mana leakage, and the circuit order is perfect. 2. Razor-sharp precision – Seol Ha-woon feels like he calculates down to decimal points. His spell deployment and strike points are incredibly accurate. When other sorcerers roughly cover areas, Seol Ha-woon precisely hits only the necessary coordinates. Even among rankers, sorcerers with this level of brain power are rare. 3. Insane error correction – This is the really crazy part, but even when spells get tangled or variables arise during deployment, there’s absolutely none of that. Originally, spells getting tangled isn’t just the sorcerer falling over by themselves. Errors occur when enemies attack or when your mental image gets disturbed. But when such situations happen to Seol Ha-woon, he just naturally corrects and deploys. It’s not that errors don’t occur, but he fixes them in real-time moment by moment. This is truly innate talent, and it’s so fast that I can’t understand it… Right now, Seol Ha-woon is producing 50 units of power with 10 units of mana, and amazingly, he’s still developing. His mental image itself is like a machine-like human. So, can Seol Ha-woon become a mage? Probably several mages have put him in the mage candidate pool. Reaching this level at the late age of 27 is remarkable in itself. Looking at his military service reputation where everyone said he was a tough person, he must have worked incredibly hard, right? However. I also think that Seol Ha-woon’s characteristic obsession with efficiency might be because his mana pool is small. The size of your mana pool depends most importantly on when you learn mana breathing. But since Seol Ha-woon first learned mana breathing from Yul at Mitamnan, his mana pool inevitably had to be small… ─I’m also an active sorcerer and I really feel like I found my path thanks to Ha-woon Ham… I was just living day to day at a temp agency, but when I acted crazy and dove deep into Ha-woon Ham’s techniques, I could see a way forward… Even when doing raids, my pay doubled. He’s a lifesaver ㅠㅠ ─Yeah. If you think of Seol Ha-woon as an idol like those day laborers above, that’s possible ㅎㅎ But the sorcery world isn’t the entertainment industry. Seol Ha-woon won’t become a mage, let alone a ranker. I’m willing to bet on it. └Idiot └ㅎㅎ Can’t argue back, and all you can do is curse. ─Do you think Seol Ha-woon will be eliminated next week? └How would I know. I hope he doesn’t get eliminated.

 

Of course, not everyone likes Seol Ha-woon. There are quite a few antis too.

 

Especially the so-called intellectual elites really hate him.

 

Presumably for stuffy old-fashioned reasons like how someone who didn’t receive elite education like them is arrogant, presumptuous, and conceited.

 

@ekaius People these days like Seol Ha-woon as if worshipping him. It’s quite strange. It’s like they’re treating an idol rather than a mage.They give a person who rose from the bottom some ragged narrative, arbitrarily project themselves onto him, and want to console themselves?This trend of getting excited just by seeing the surface without knowing anything about mages isn’t very pleasant.The public probably doesn’t know. That the advantage of excellent efficiency is actually a trick to hide a tiny mana pool.Strong mages don’t need to obsess over efficiency. They just need to overwhelm opponents beyond what they can handle. That’s a real mage.Seol Ha-woon calculates this and that and acts ‘efficiently’ because he lacks magic power, but the public doesn’t know.It’s understandable not to know. But they shouldn’t worship him excessively. Comparing him to rankers and whatnot, but Seol Ha-woon lacks fundamentals. He has no foundation. That’s an objective fact.He’s essentially a heretic who joined midway without proper education.I understand. The public wants such people to succeed. Those who received elite education from childhood are spoiled rich kids who are annoying, while a handsome long-haired man who’s a former soldier and orphan deserves to be a hero.From the bottom to the top.Zero to hero.Underdog myth.It’s attractive as a fairy tale. But the world isn’t that easy and simple. The wall Seol Ha-woon will face is closer than expected, right?Someday it will be revealed what’s real and who’s fake.. I hope everyone won’t be too shocked then.(praying emoticon)

 

“His way of talking is really fucking annoying….”

 

This person has a very disgusting tone, but he’s supposedly a certified four-digit active mage. Perhaps because of that, there are quite a few agreeing comments.

 

─Sigh.. I’m getting tired of this hero-making too..

 

─Magic school teachers already know. That Seol Ha-woon’s efficiency is just part of squeezing everything out.

 

─Elites aren’t elites for nothing. This trend of making elites out to be villains.. I’m sick of it.

 

└It’s the harm of democracy. This is what happens when foolish masses gain power.

 

─But wasn’t it just that there were no situations to pour out magic power?

 

└Probably even if such a situation came, he wouldn’t be able to prove himself.

 

└Oh. Then do you predict Seol Ha-woon will be eliminated this week?

 

└ Haha, let’s just wait and see.

 

Lee Si-ah left the most cost-effective comment.

 

─Inferiority complex?

 

She was immediately blocked.

 

She hit a nerve.

 

“Pfft.”

 

Meanwhile, he just uploaded another post.

 

@ekaius Disadvantages when mental visualization is limited to modern weapons.1. Clear limitations.2. Significantly low development potential.3. Limited variety of formulas.Guns, cannons, mines, grenades, etc.. Mental visualization based on reality seems to have a high floor, but it’s ultimately an illusion. Because the ceiling is too low.

 

Did Seol Ha-woon hit him once?

 

Lee Si-ah closed the shitpost. Instead, with very pleased eyes, she looked at the Gold Rookie card inscribed with Seol Ha-woon’s magic signature.

 

Since framing this card and keeping it nearby, Lee Si-ah hasn’t had trouble sleeping.

 

She was always energetic and became confident in everything.

 

Who am I?

 

Seol Ha-woon Rookie Gold Card owner.

 

“Finally, today….”

 

Lee Si-ah took a deep breath while watching the last commercial on TV. She forcibly suppressed her trembling nervousness.

 

“Let’s see.”

 

They say mages are very jealous, and it seems like a fact. Posts criticizing Seol Ha-woon always go up after the live broadcast ends.

 

Seeing formulas with excellent efficiency, they say he has no choice but to ‘insist’ on efficiency, disparaging his small magic capacity and calling him rat-woon and such bastards are many.

 

Probably because of the damn spoiler that Seol Ha-woon will eventually be eliminated.

 

Lee Si-ah placed her itching fingers on her laptop.

 

“Just watch today.”

 

I believe in Seol Ha-woon.

 

Just as he’s proven so far, he would shut the mouths of the haters this time too.

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