Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 173
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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 173
As world caves in(9)
Late night at the broadcasting station. PD Kim A-rang is monitoring this unusual labyrinth. In Main PD Yoon Sa-hyuk’s office, together with Yoon Sa-hyuk.
For her, it’s worrying and puzzling enough to bite her nails. Should this kind of labyrinth be allowed on broadcast? Can both of them be safe?
She’s more worried about Seol Ha-woon than Kate. If something goes wrong…
Kim A-rang bit her lips.
Anyway, there seems to be a significant connection between Seol Ha-woon and Kate. That’s why only Yoon Sa-hyuk and herself are handling this monitoring.
Then.
“PD Kim. Go rest now.”
Yoon Sa-hyuk gestured.
“Pardon?”
Kim A-rang looked at the wall. It was exactly 10:03. A 3-minute error. It was still working hours.
“I’ll handle it alone from now, so go rest.”
Yoon Sa-hyuk was strangely serious.
“No. Still-”
“You haven’t slept once since the labyrinth started. That’s an efficiency problem. Your vision will narrow, so how can you monitor properly?”
“…Yes.”
From D-7 to D-3. She hadn’t slept for almost five days. It would be a record if it was a record.
“Then I’ll head in first.”
Kim A-rang got up from her seat. Orthostatic hypotension hit her hard and she barely managed to lean against the wall.
PD Yoon was looking at the monitor with no interest.
“PD Yoon.”
“Yeah?”
At least he answered.
“…The labyrinth we’re handling. Could the Labyrinth People inside come out?”
Then PD Yoon Sa-hyuk tilted his head slightly. Seol Ha-woon from the screen flashed on his rimless glasses.
“It all depends on how you think about it.”
“Depends on how you think about it? If problems arise from this-”
“PD Kim.”
Yoon Sa-hyuk cut her off.
“Don’t worry.”
He looked at her and smiled. It was a rare expression.
“I told you I’d take full responsibility for everything. PD Kim and the other PDs won’t suffer any losses. I’ll take it all on. Whatever it is.”
Yoon Sa-hyuk doesn’t speak empty words. He doesn’t blame his subordinates. Despite his robot-like personality, that’s why people always follow him.
“…Yes. Good luck.”
“Yeah.”
Kim A-rang went outside.
Normal monitoring was in progress on the lower floor.
“Wow, I’m jealous of PD Kim~ What, did you get a promise for the next position when PD Yoon gets promoted?”
Im Hyeong-uk slyly raised his head. He looked like a poisonous toad full of envy and jealousy.
“I haven’t slept for 120 hours, you know? Try it if you can keep up.”
“…You just be the main PD then. I can’t give up my work-life balance.”
Im Hyeong-uk playfully waved his hand. Kim A-rang also chuckled.
Last week, the broadcasting station announced the expected bonus plan.
Everyone secured at least 3,000% of their monthly salary, with confirmed reward vacation and special trips.
When the granary is full, generosity flows, which is why everyone working overtime looks happy.
Mitamnan devoured the entire world. Just being part of the production team for such a program was now an incredible career achievement.
“PD Kim. Look at this.”
Just then, the junior PD approached.
1. Kang Hyeon
2. Seol Ha-woon
3. Kate
4. Lee Jun-ho
5. Seo Ji-woo
6. Jo Woon
7. Ryu Yeon-hwa
8. Yoon Hwa-rim
9. Im Hae-jun
10. Lee Jong-soo…
“Just came out?”
“Yes. Look at Seol Ha-woon, Seol Ha-woon.”
Seol Ha-woon is in 2nd place. Surprisingly, the vote difference with Kang Hyeon isn’t that big either.
The junior writer also quickly ran over, rubbing her hands together.
“PD Kim, how did you write the script so well?”
“Script… the one from the defense?”
“Yes~ The ‘I realize it’ part.”
Kim A-rang also happily took out her smartphone.
Let me check the view count.
│Seol Ha-woon, Doomsday High-Altitude Defense System│Episode 14 Clip│Labyrinth Exploration NaN│
150 million views · 3 days ago
“It reached 150 million?”
Seol Ha-woon easily surpassed Mitamnan’s previous highest view count ‘Mountain Peak Descent’.
With this, Seol Ha-woon holds the #1 view count for all of Mitamnan. Though Kang Hyeon still has the most total views.
“Even I think I made that one well.”
Kim A-rang played the video.
──Doomsday is sometimes deployed on battlefields… My formula mimics that. Beyond mimicry, I embody and realize it.
The genius mage that was once Kim A-rang’s dream. She gave Seol Ha-woon the kind of lines she used to fantasize about for hours every day when she was young.
She looked at the comment section.
alphaaaoa7: WTF WAS THAT??? Man just pulled a whole military defense system out of his magic hat?? Insane.
What the hell was that? This guy turned a military defense system into magic? Crazy.
“Everything’s sorted in English these days?”
“Yes. Global views are much higher than Korean views now.”
justomeguy: Okay, the “efficiency” argument is officially dead. Bro didn’t save mana, he was just charging up his ultimate move this whole time.
The ‘efficiency’ meme is officially dead now. This guy wasn’t saving mana, he was just charging his ultimate this whole time.
katefan01: Chills. Absolute chills when that shield deployed at 0:55.
I got real chills when the shield deployed at 0:55.
“…It’s good news. I’m going to sleep.”
“Ah, yes! Please get some rest quickly!”
“Yeah. Go back to work.”
Before she knew it, Yoon Sa-hyuk’s way of speaking had rubbed off on her. Kim A-rang returned to the duty room and lay down on the bed.
“Let’s just sleep for 4 hours.”
Just sleep for 4 hours and then again….
Before she knew it, her smartphone was in her hand.
[Hey A-rang, did you see this? An Oxford professor wrote a paper about Seol Ha-woon]
It was because of this college classmate.
She was just going to check her messages and sleep.
Click. She pressed the link.
Revisiting Modern Armament Imagery: The Seol Haun and the Potential for Systemic Manifestation by Oxford University Chair Professor of Comparative Miraculous Studies Alistair Finch The mage Seol Ha-woon, who appeared in the explorer competition program Labyrinth Exploration NaN that has been causing social phenomena worldwide recently, is creating significant ripples in the modern formula studies field, particularly in the mental visualization research area. His formula manifestation method, especially the utilization of mental visualization based on modern firearms and military systems, demands a fundamental reexamination of an area that has long been undervalued in academia. The existing perspective has evaluated such realistic mental visualization as having clear limitations in terms of formula diversity, development potential, and magic power efficiency, citing that it merely amounts to simple imitation. In other words, there was a general perception that magic power was limited to implementing the physical forms and functions of individual equipment like firearms or explosives, making it difficult to develop into higher-dimensional formula systems….(omitted) However, Seol Ha-woon directly challenges this conventional wisdom. He has shown unprecedented ability to implement not just firearms, but multi-layered defense similar to THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and precision guided strike ‘systems.’ This suggests that modern firearm mental visualization can implement not just simple physical imitation, but also the technological principles, operational systems, and even strategic concepts they contain according to the mage’s will, and is evaluated as opening new horizons for reality-based mental visualization. Therefore, this study seeks to re-explore the potential possibilities of realistic mental visualization through the Seol Ha-woon phenomenon and reevaluate its academic and practical implications….
Her eyes slowly closed while reading.
A smile lingered on her lips, but the thought that came just before falling asleep was unexpected.
PD Yoon Sa-hyuk.
Could that person be a Labyrinth Person?
* * *
Earth’s Last Day D-2
Kate made her way through the maze-like underground floors. She dealt with Dale failures as soon as she encountered them. They were monsters with whom conversation was impossible.
She acquired a tablet from a relatively intact specimen—a Dale with six legs and ten eyes—and charged it by connecting broken wires.
[Current Location: Space Center Lowest Floor]
Fortunately, a freight elevator was not far away.
“….”
Her throat was parched. Her magic power was almost depleted too.
Kate took a brief rest before moving again.
Avoid combat as much as possible. Recalling memories of urban warfare with Seol Ha-woon, she spread her magic power like radar to detect presences and carefully advanced along routes without Dales.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
Seol Ha-woon-style Intent Concealment. Kate reached the corner where the elevator hall was visible.
The area was quiet. No Dales were visible either.
However.
“You’ve arrived.”
A Dale revealed himself from some shadow. It was a Dale with only one eye.
Kate frowned.
“You’re intact. Why didn’t you just put on an eyepatch and go upstairs?”
“I could have done that, but I willingly chose to be the supervisor of this underground floor.”
Kate suddenly felt pity for this cloned being.
“Sympathy is unnecessary. It’s our calling.”
One-Eyed Dale gestured upward.
High ceiling. There, hundreds of pairs of eyes were shining like a swarm of bats.
“…Oh no.”
She had let her guard down. She thought they couldn’t do such things since their base was human.
“You have been marked for disposal, and we have been given the mission to eliminate you.”
Snap. The moment Dale snapped his fingers, the Dales on the ceiling came pouring down. Kate transformed her knife into a spear.
Whooooom─!
She swung the spear at the Dales trying to cling to her. Slicing through malformed bodies and striking grotesque skulls.
Fierce close combat. However, her limbs’ strength gradually depleted against the countless numbers….
Whirr.
The sound of the freight elevator moving. One-Eyed Dale flinched and turned his head in that direction.
Ding.
The moment it arrived and the doors opened, gunfire erupted with flashes of light.
Swoooosh!
Mana bullets came rushing in. It was precise shooting aimed only at vital points.
The seemingly endless Dales died instantly, and when the space was adequately cleared, ‘he’ walked out.
“…A comrade has come.”
Seol Ha-woon. One-Eyed Dale looked at him with a bitter expression.
“Miss Kate.”
Seol Ha-woon called to Kate.
She remained vigilant as she stepped over the Dale corpses, and the one-eyed one whispered in her ear.
“Do not trust him. He is no different from us.”
For a moment, Kate stumbled. It wasn’t anything serious. Her legs just gave out.
Thud. She properly scraped her knee.
How embarrassing.
“….”
Seol Ha-woon stared blankly before extending his hand.
“….”
Kate got up by herself and stood in the elevator.
The elevator doors closed and went up.
Whirrrr.
Seol Ha-woon leaned against the wall. Kate also brushed her hair. The two rested for a moment without saying anything.
Ding.
The elevator opened. Dale corpses were scattered outside as well.
“Let’s go.”
Seol Ha-woon took the lead, but was limping again before long. This time it was his right leg.
Kate asked unconsciously.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. It was nothing serious.”
Kate felt a strange sense of déjà vu watching his back. Sometime, she had seen such a back before.
…Percival’s back in military uniform.
Kate bit down hard and overtook Seol Ha-woon. She was tired of being the one walking while looking at someone’s back.
“It’s over there.”
Seol Ha-woon pointed to the massive gate at the end of the corridor. Walking with a limp, he opened the entrance with Dale’s terminal.
“Let’s go in.”
He seemed to be in a hurry for some reason.
Kate maintained her tension as she entered the rocket hangar.
A rocket the height of a high-rise building, housed within the vast dome interior. Even craning her neck up and up, she couldn’t see the end of its scale.
Boom….
Rumbling flowed in from outside. It was the sound of shells hitting walls and vibrating.
“The Scavengers will swarm in soon.”
When Doomsday comes, everyone dies. So in desperation, they’ll try to occupy this center by bringing all kinds of weapons.
Tap tap. Tap. Tap.
Seol Ha-woon operated the console panel of the rocket launch pad.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Internal lights turned on like spotlights.
[ Power activation confirmed. ]
[ System check in progress. ]
[ This will take a moment…. ]
“…We’ll have to wait.”
Seol Ha-woon sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. Kate also sat down opposite him.
“….”
She quietly glanced at Seol Ha-woon. His forehead was damp with cold sweat.
“…What are you thinking about?”
Seol Ha-woon’s closed eyelids trembled slightly.
“I’m thinking that I don’t want to lose.”
He continued in a quiet voice.
“No matter what happens… I don’t want to be defeated by that malice.”
“…What do you mean?”
Seol Ha-woon smiled faintly. Kate still couldn’t understand his words. She just looked at him.
He was a person who was remarkably unbreakable. No hatred, no resentment, no anger could ever break him.
Kate couldn’t understand him, but she was getting to know what kind of person he was….
Earth’s final day H-24
─Power stabilization complete.
“!”
Kate opened her eyes at the system announcement. She must have dozed off for a moment.
─Beginning passenger authentication procedure.
“You need to place your card key and palm here.”
Seol Ha-woon, who was already awake, pointed to the panel.
Kate was JANE. Seol Ha-woon was EREN.
These were the names of the Labyrinth People who had been plundered by Jeremy, the original card key owner.
Seol Ha-woon completed the authentication procedure on the panel first.
Kate also placed her card key and palm in turn.
[ ID : JANE ]
[Analyzing DNA base sequence….]
[Gender : Female]
[Species : Human (Homo sapiens)]
[Estimated remaining lifespan : 98.7 years]
“…98 years?”
She didn’t really want to live that long.
Kate let out a hollow laugh.
“….”
She suddenly became curious about Seol Ha-woon’s expected lifespan. Glancing at him walking ahead, she pressed the ‘EREN’ record on the panel.
[ID : EREN]
[DNA base sequence analysis complete]
[Gender : Male]
And then, the next line.
[Species : Clone (Clone – Type S)]
Clone.
Clone?
Kate stared blankly at the text on the panel. She blinked several times, but her retina showed the same thing. She hadn’t seen it wrong.
“What the….”
In her ears, the words that one-eyed Dale had just spouted entered like noise.
‘Don’t trust him. He’s no different from us.’
Belated questions poured into her mind.
Seol Ha-woon’s perfectly fine legs. How had he been able to move his legs?
At first, she had unconsciously accepted it as just another rule of the Labyrinth….
But from the beginning, hadn’t it been impossible?
“Kate.”
Suddenly Seol Ha-woon called her. Kate’s gaze creaked like a rusted machine.
“Please follow me.”
His blue eyes pointed toward the rocket entrance.
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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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