Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 184
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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 184
Shape of You(4)
The impact of Episode 16 was far beyond imagination.
My ending lines were parodied on all sorts of YouTube channels and variety shows, and even major North American broadcasters organized programs featuring three-digit! rankers to cover that episode.
The situation was similar in Japan and China. They competed to analyze Mitamnan and Seol Ha-woon, inserting their straws.
“I didn’t suspect from the very first moment I saw Eldia. I simply kept all possibilities open…”
Thanks to that, I had to do additional filming. A full hour-long supplementary interview about Eldia.
“That’s a wrap. Good work.”
“Yes.”
I ran my hand through my hair at the Writer’s words.
“Oh right, Ha-woon. Have you seen this?”
The Writer showed me a tablet PC. It was an SNS timeline.
Famous Hollywood actors, world-renowned singers, and superstars from all genres had tagged me along with the ending scene from Mitamnan Episode 16.
@Zephyrol
NICE JOB, HAUN!
Even the Zephyral Mage himself had given me a shoutout.
Seol Ha-woon the Mage had become ‘someone even mages want to show off knowing.’
“This is a bit overwhelming.”
I wonder if this is too much.
“Come on. Overwhelming? Enjoy it. You worked hard during your active days, now you should be rewarded.”
The Writer patted my arm.
“For now, please wait in the waiting room for a bit. After the other kids’ interviews are done, we might need to do a little more supplementary filming.”
We already did an hour, and more?
I trudged back to the waiting room and picked up my phone.
There was an internet broadcast today that Kim Se-jin was appearing on.
[Active Four-Digit Ranker Kim Se-jin Guest Seat]
Kim Byeong-su
LIVE 63,173 viewers
Kim Se-jin Guest Seat. 60,000 viewers filled in within 10 minutes of turning on the broadcast.
─Kim Byeong-su: …First, could you please introduce yourself to the viewers?
─Kim Se-jin: Yes. Hello. I’m Kim Se-jin. I’m a four-digit ranker. I’ll probably be around 2,000-3,000 rank in the next update.
-2000th place ㄷㄷㄷ
-Seeing 2,000th rank on a personal broadcast
-Look at that casting power
─Kim Byeong-su: Wow. That’s amazing. Could I call you Seol Ha-woon’s teacher? You’ve had a connection since the 3rd preliminary round.
─Kim Se-jin: Haha. You’re too kind. Rather than teacher, I actually received help from him. I also became incredibly famous thanks to Jemal-ol, you know?
Mage Kim Se-jin has been filming some CFs recently too.
If I was helpful, that makes me feel good.
─Kim Se-jin: As for influence itself, he probably received more from Yu-yul Mentor than from me.
“Come on.”
Kim Se-jin is certainly worthy of being called one of my teachers.
I definitely learned Mana Breathing and Refinement from Yoo Yul, but I received Sequence training from him.
─Kim Byeong-su: …Mage Seol Ha-woon is really hot these days. What was your first impression of him?
─Kim Se-jin: He was extraordinary. Actually, when I first met him, I thought he was a genius.
-Agree agree
-Agree
-He was the only one who saw through the Asymmetric Technique
-Factually he is a genius
LIVE 103,173 viewers
The viewer count had already exceeded 100,000.
─Kim Byeong-su: Today’s prepared content is… you know what a tier list is, right?
─Kim Se-jin: Huh. Don’t tell me you’re ranking explorers?
─Kim Byeong-su: Hey. Then I’d be doomed too. I was thinking of a tier list of impressive ‘techniques’ from this Mitamnan that Mage Kim Se-jin personally thinks about.
Labyrinth Exploration NaN technique tier list.
As if not wanting to hurt other fans’ feelings, the top was set as S+, below that was S, and even the lowest grade was set as A-.
─Kim Se-jin: This looks fine. Should we start with the easy one? S+ is obviously…
[S+: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) – Seol Ha-woon]
─Kim Se-jin: This is number one. From the technique’s difficulty to efficiency, scale, destructive power – everything.
-Agree
-Fucking agree
-Agree
-This is fucking awesome lol
-Agree agree
-This is like the ultimate version of passive-aggressive conversation tactics lol
-Hahahaha
─Kim Byeong-su: Ah, this is… there’s no room for disagreement. It was a legendary scene.
Host Byeong-su also expresses admiration.
─Kim Se-jin: Right. I actually thought there wouldn’t be a better scene than this from Mage Ha-woon. But with this episode’s ending, he completely transcended…
─Kim Byeong-su: Ah, I saw that too. That, Seol Ha-woon Style Conversation?
─Kim Se-jin: Yes. That one.
─Kim Byeong-su: The ending really gave me chills.
─Kim Se-jin: It was scary. Both Seol Ha-woon and the internet reaction.
-Hahahaha it was so fucking thrilling when Eldia got destroyed
-Agreed, the haters’ reactions were also screwed
-Agreed lol the attitude change was really disgusting
-From “Seol Ha-woon go die” to suddenly “go die” praise lol
-lol back then all the other fandoms gathered and got completely wrecked
─Kim Se-jin: The next S+ rank is, similarly, Seol Ha-woon’s Magic Bullet Storm.
─Kim Byeong-su: Ah~ This is the one that was inspired by Zephyrell, right?
─Kim Se-jin: Yes. Actually, even now Zephyrell is developing a new formula by referencing this formula.
─Kim Byeong-su: Huh? Then what happens to Mage Seol Ha-woon? What about, the copyright?
─Kim Se-jin: Don’t worry, he’ll be registered as the second author. Since the original body is Zephyrell’s formula.
[S+: Magic Bullet Storm – Seol Ha-woon]
─Kim Se-jin: Next is Archer Kate’s Destructive Spear Throw. It’s a formula that summons cold weapons with magic power and throws them…
[S+: Full Power Spear Throw – Kate]
─Kim Se-jin: Next is Yoon Hwa-rim’s Area Enhancement. It’s a formula that gives buffs to the entire area, clearly S rank. And the Silence Barrier that appeared in this labyrinth is also S-.
─Kim Byeong-su: Wow, was that so difficult?
─Kim Se-jin: Of course. Formulas are actually similar to games. The more area-of-effect the skill, the much more difficult it is and consumes more magic power. Mage Yoon Hwa-rim has very solid fundamentals.
[S: Area Enhancement – Yoon Hwa-rim]
[S-: Silence Barrier – Yoon Hwa-rim]
─Kim Byeong-su: Next is Seo Ji-woo’s formula.
─Kim Se-jin: Yes. Mage Seo Ji-woo’s ‘Net Binding’ using lines is S+ rank. Beyond simply manifesting lines, it’s a formula that precisely subdues multiple targets. Amazing. It has high utility in all aspects.
[S+]THAAD – Seol Ha-woonFull Power Spear Throw – KateNet Binding – Seo Ji-wooSangsan Descent – Jo WoonMagic Bullet Storm – Seol Ha-woon[S]Whirlwind Wave – Ryu Yeon-hwaArea Enhancement – Yoon Hwa-rimUltra-high Speed Chain Enhancement – Kim Woo-hyeon[S-]Silence Barrier – Yoon Hwa-rimWindbreak – Ryu Yeon-hwa[A+]Multiple Magic Bullet Volley – Seol Ha-woonFirearm Manifestation – Seol Ha-woon ….
─Kim Byeong-su: Yes, it’s organized like this. Are there any missing formulas?
─Kim Se-jin: Ah, there’s one more left. Something very important.
─Kim Byeong-su: What is it?
─Kim Se-jin: Mage Seol Ha-woon’s ‘Duct Tape’.
Kim Se-jin grinned broadly.
Actually, Kim Se-jin is a model for Magic Hat like me. He’s also the PPL for this broadcast.
-It was an ad lol
-Stealth advertising?
-Ah this is that thing he used in the labyrinth lol
─Kim Byeong-su: Ah~ This is the one that was also used in this labyrinth?
─Kim Se-jin: Yes. It looks like just tape on the surface, but the essence is different. It’s not simple form manifestation, but manifesting ‘functional materials’ with magic power and even adding additional effects to it. Especially the function of connecting broken circuits and conducting magic power is… truly amazing. I’ll give you a few too, Byeong-su.
─Kim Byeong-su: Thank you. Ah, this is PPL everyone. Not stealth advertising. It’s upfront advertising. Magic Hat team who helped with casting Mage Kim Se-jin, thank you so much.
Crack. When Kim Byeong-su breaks the orb, a roll of duct tape comes out.
After trying this and that with each other, it’s full-scale advertising time.
─Kim Byeong-su: Let’s watch an advertisement.
This Magic Hat advertisement is also a first reveal. I’m curious what the reaction will be.
“Yes! I finally bought the limited sale formula!”
“You.”
Boom. Seol Ha-woon appears blocking the way.
“Yes?”
“That formula book, where did you get it?”
“…Yes? Just, right now… I waited in line and bought it.”
“Waste of time.”
Smack!
The formula book rolls on the ground, and Seol Ha-woon close-up.
Seol Ha-woon slaps the man’s cheek.
Smack!
A moment of silence.
Formula book purchase, don’t wait anymore!
Magic~ Hat!
“Is this right?”
Does this kind of advertisement work? No matter how I think about it, I don’t understand, I thought, but just then.
-lololololol
-What the hell lololol
-lolol
-lolol
-lololol
-lol
-lolol
-lol
There are many laughs. They seem to find it quite funny.
“Does this work on kids?”
No, I’m young too.
Am I really a fuddy-duddy?
That can’t be.
* * *
│Seol Ha-woon ‘Duct Tape’ formula orb initial stock highest ever….│
“Ah, damn it!”
Yoon Il-young, heir to Seokhon Group, threw his smartphone. The screen cracked like a spider web.
Retina. Seol Ha-woon’s formula that flowed to that kind of small company is a huge hit from day one.
“Fucking bastards.”
Manager Kim Jung-soo who once worked under him. That pathetic face flickered before his eyes.
“Ah… I’m going to get another earful from that old fart.”
Yoon Il-young pulled at his hair. How much more scolding would he get from this incident, oh damn.
Yoon Il-young looked at the manager standing in front of him.
“Manager Jeong.”
“Yes, yes sir.”
“It’s fine. Don’t be nervous. You think big corporations are big corporations for nothing?”
Yoon Il-young spoke, trying to appear nonchalant.
“Hey, what about that famous theoretical mage in this field, the one in America. What was his name? Copy something…”
“Yes. Are you referring to Mage Copyfield Jemo? We have connections with him.”
“Oh, right! Copyfield! I like the name already. Contact him right away and tell him to copy that duct tape or whatever it is.”
“…”
Manager Jeong hesitated. Yoon Il-young frowned.
“Ah, what now.”
“…Well, sir. This duct tape is also sold based on Mage Seol Ha-woon’s reputation… I’m not sure if just copying the formula would be competitive in the market…”
“Hey. Reputation is temporary. Once the broadcast ends and six months pass, everyone forgets anyway. In the end, what matters with formulas? Performance. We just need to copy that duct tape and make it better. Release it cheaper.”
Yoon Il-young caught his breath for a moment and sneered.
“And that high school dropout… no, did he even graduate high school?”
“Ah… according to our investigation, he didn’t.”
“Holy shit! Then he’s a middle school graduate, a middle school graduate!”
Yoon Il-young chuckled.
“Why are you trembling so much over some middle school dropout who got lucky and had a brief moment of fame?”
“…”
Manager Jeong kept his mouth tightly shut. Yoon Il-young ruffled his hair in frustration.
“Ah, what now! Got something to say?”
“No…”
Honestly speaking, Manager Jeong was afraid of Seol Ha-woon.
Anyone who watched the ending of episode 16 would think the same. Those blue eyes that seemed like they could really kill someone without anyone knowing if things went wrong…
“Whatever. Go and call that mage over.”
From Yoon Il-young’s perspective, it wasn’t simply a matter of profitability. He needed to move as quickly as possible to crush latecomers like Retina.
Even though this industry seemed to have high barriers to entry, there were often cases where companies suddenly rose up after securing just one good mage.
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
“Yeah. Whether it’s Seol Ha-woon or whatever Ha-woon. We just need to crush them all from the start so we can be comfortable…”
* * *
The filming day after almost two weeks.
Everyone looked better, having recovered during the fairly long vacation. Especially Yoon Hwa-rim and Seo Ji-woo both had tanned faces.
They had been uploading tons of Instagram posts from the beach.
Still, it was much better compared to before the regression when they were rolling around battlefields, mad with revenge.
It looked good.
The guy who left first would think the same.
“The vacation was long, wasn’t it? There are only two labyrinths left now… I’m sad.”
Yoo Ji-in pretended to cry. Im Hae-jun’s face actually looked almost tearful.
“But just as we met suddenly, parting will inevitably come too. That’s life…”
Yoo Ji-in’s comments were particularly long today. I examined her outfit.
Predicting her coordination was difficult. She was so normal.
“That’s right. Life.”
She suddenly spoke with a serious expression.
“The theme of the labyrinth you’ll face today is… life.”
Life? Everyone looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“More precisely, it’s the game of life.”
Yoo Ji-in added.
“You will now enter a labyrinth where you each live your own lives. Inside, there’s only one goal: earn as much money as possible within the given time. This labyrinth might take quite a long time, so you’ll need to be well prepared.”
It might take quite a long time.
It might be a labyrinth where time itself is ‘extended.’ The kind where three days inside equals one day outside.
“Now then. Are you all ready?”
As soon as she finished speaking, my vision went dark with the familiar sensation of teleportation.
Life Game
I opened my eyes. An old fluorescent light flickered above my head.
It was an unfamiliar space.
I got up and looked around the interior.
A narrow and shabby… duty room.
An old calendar hung on the wall, and on a small table sat a half-eaten cup ramen container.
A translucent status window appeared before my eyes.
[Player: Seol Ha-woon]
[Money Held: 0 Caring]
[Current Job: School Security Guard (Low-rank)]
[Special Notes: None]
“Security guard?”
I first got up and went outside.
A wide school campus spread out before my eyes. Elegant stone buildings, green grass fields, and…
Ding-dong-dang-dong-
The familiar school bell sound.
However, it didn’t seem like an ordinary school.
Students walking around the campus wore various colored cloaks instead of uniforms. I could feel faint magical energy from the building’s watchtower. There was even an airship flying in the sky.
Presumably… a magic school in an arcanepunk worldview.
I had become a security guard at such a place.
“…They could have at least made me a professor.”
I frowned while looking down at the dusty security uniform.
Of course, there’s no hierarchy in jobs, but still, considering my destiny, wouldn’t being a professor be better for making money than being a security guard…
That’s what I was thinking.
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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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