Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 188

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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 188

Still life(4)

PD Im Hyeong-uk arrived at the address sent by the informant named ‘Yoo Seok-hoon’.

An abandoned amusement park shrouded in darkness. A chilling wind swept through the rusted steel frames.

“What’s… why is this place so ominous.”

Whooooosh.

The wind caressing the back of his neck gave him goosebumps. He belatedly felt grateful that Yoo Yul was with him.

Wait a minute.

Could this mentor be targeting my feelings like this?

Im Hyeong-uk’s face hardened with serious contemplation.

“…Mentor, is this perhaps a staged act?”

“That guy over there.”

Yoo Yul gestured ahead with her chin. Among the amusement rides stood a man wearing a hood. Deep burn scars marked the lower part of his face, and his left arm and right leg were metal prosthetics.

He spoke.

“Nice to meet you.”

His voice was like dying embers, as if even his vocal cords had been burned. It was the voice of a villain straight out of a movie.

“Please, sit down.”

He pointed to a metal chair. Im Hyeong-uk swallowed dryly and sat down. Yoo Yul stood behind him as if to protect him.

Im Hyeong-uk was certain.

This person likes me. It might even be love beyond simple affection.

“I’m PD Im Hyeong-uk. I’m part of the production team for Mitamnan. This is mage mentor Yoo Yul.”

Im Hyeong-uk introduced them first. The man only nodded slightly, showing no particular reaction.

“I’m Yoo Seok-hoon.”

Captain Yoo Seok-hoon. According to his claims, the former superior of Seol Ha-woon and Seo Ji-hyuk.

“Can I trust you people?”

He was suspicious of them.

Im Hyeong-uk tapped his chest lightly.

“Consider yourself lucky it’s me. I’m someone who values facts. Just because Seol Ha-woon is doing well now doesn’t mean I’ll suppress an issue. There are plenty of replacements anyway.”

If Seol Ha-woon fell from grace, that would also be a story. Kang Hyeon would rise back to first place.

Yoo Seok-hoon seemed to contemplate for a moment, but soon twisted one corner of his mouth.

“Do you know about the last operation where Seo Ji-hyuk died?”

“…I heard the details are classified, but I was told it was an operation to rescue children.”

“It wasn’t just a few children. It was hundreds. There was a villain who selectively kidnapped and exploited children with magical talent.”

A villain who used children like living batteries.

His name was Gustav. Korean name Gu Dong-po.

“It was a bastard named Gustav.”

“…Yes. I see.”

Yoo Seok-hoon paused briefly and suddenly looked at the carousel.

“Ji-hyuk was… a delicate comrade. He didn’t fit in battlefields filled with blood and death. He was like a brush. He was the kind of friend who would give a letter supposedly written by a doll to a child who lost their doll in a bombing.”

He smiled bitterly as he said this.

“He was a comrade everyone loved.”

He shifted his gaze to the empty air. His voice suddenly turned cold.

“But Seol Ha-woon… was a human who fit perfectly in the space called a battlefield. He was cold enough to cut down even his comrades if necessary.”

Yoo Seok-hoon raised his right arm. Creak creak. It was the friction sound of metal, not flesh, rustling.

“That day we lost many things. I lost my arm and leg, and Seo Ji-hyuk lost his life.”

“…How, exactly?”

Im Hyeong-uk asked. Yoo Seok-hoon raised his head. His artificial eye, dyed white, reflected the moonlight.

“Seol Ha-woon leaked our operation.”

“…What? Why?”

“Why…”

Yoo Seok-hoon repeated those words. A stain-like smile spread across his lips.

Im Hyeong-uk swallowed.

“Yes. The reason. There must have been a reason.”

“…Because it was the most ‘efficient’ way.”

Hatred flickered in Yoo Seok-hoon’s murmur.

“Seol Ha-woon used us as bait to kill Gustav.”

He ground his teeth.

“These are the communication records Seol Ha-woon used right before the operation. They were encrypted, but I recovered them. There are clear traces of communication with forces other than our allies.”

He pulled out a small data chip from his pocket and held it out to Im Hyeong-uk.

“Seol Ha-woon pretended to be a spy and colluded with the enemy.”

His voice trembled.

“At the most crucial moment, he betrayed both sides simultaneously.”

“…”

Im Hyeong-uk silently looked back at Yoo Yul. She raised an eyebrow.

“You’re the PD. Make your own choice.”

Perfect trust, leaving it to me.

I’m certain.

This person truly loves me.

* * *

Inside a shabby inn room.

Im Hae-jun lay on the hard floor, staring at the status window floating in the air.

[Money Held: 13,150 Caring]

Right now it’s only thirteen thousand, but that’s fine. If I succeed just once, I can take 30% of Seo Ji-woo’s money.

“Ji-woo noona, do you need to earn a lot of money?”

Since 30% will be mine.

Snooore.

Instead of an answer, there was snoring.

Seo Ji-woo had fallen asleep on the bed.

The reason for booking only one inn room was lack of money. The jewels and axe would need another day or two to sell.

Snooore.

“Sleep well.”

Im Hae-jun endured the present for a glorious future.

Then.

Hissss!

From the darkness, a suddenly unpleasant sound. Im Hae-jun’s eyes snapped open.

Did I hear wrong?

Hissss!

No.

Hissss!

Im Hae-jun quickly sat up.

“N-noona. Noona, wake up.”

He shook Seo Ji-woo on the bed.

“…Ah, what… so noisy….”

Seo Ji-woo mumbled like she was talking in her sleep.

Hissss!

“N-Noona! I think there’s some weird creature here!”

Only then did she open her eyes with an annoyed expression.

“Do you want to die for real? Let me sleep.”

“No, that’s not it, I just heard a really ominous sound!”

“Be quiet and sleep before I set your curly head on fire.”

Seo Ji-woo closed her eyes again.

He had no choice. Im Hae-jun jumped up and turned on the lamp. The room became bright.

Hissssss!

That strange sound again.

Im Hae-jun looked at the corner of the room.

A long, writhing form—a snake!

“…Gulp.”

A chill ran down his spine.

“Ah damn, turn off the light… Huh?”

Seo Ji-woo, who had gotten up at some point, also looked in that direction.

“It’s a snake.”

Seo Ji-woo was calm, but this wasn’t an ordinary snake.

It had two heads.

The two heads moved independently, flicking their tongues. Even their eyes glowed an eerie red.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”

Im Hae-jun, unable to hold back any longer, let out a high-pitched scream.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

Seo Ji-woo flicked her finger and wove blue magic threads. She threw a snare that precisely wrapped around both heads of the two-headed snake.

“…Wow. It’s a two-headed snake. A white snake at that.”

She lifted up the captured snake and observed it. It was a rare specimen with a body white as snow.

“Th-throw it away! No, just kill it, please!”

Im Hae-jun was terrified.

“No way. My grandfather used to say snakes like this are incredibly expensive.”

Seo Ji-woo put the two-headed snake into a glass bottle.

“I said throw it away!”

“Look!”

Seo Ji-woo thrust the glass bottle right in front of Im Hae-jun’s face.

“Gah! You bit—kyah!”

Im Hae-jun had a fit.

“Wow~ Now you’re calling noona a bitch?”

“D-don’t do that for real. I said it’s scary.”

“Look!”

Seo Ji-woo thrust the glass bottle forward again.

“I said it’s scary! Don’t do that, you bit—”

“Look!”

This time she opened the lid of the glass bottle.

“Ahhh!”

The next morning. Seo Ji-woo and Im Hae-jun revisited the appraisal shop.

“Where did you catch such a precious thing again?”

The appraiser looked at the two-headed snake in the glass bottle with admiration. Seo Ji-woo grinned.

“In the forest. How is it?”

“If you’re asking how it is… each scale is like fine silk, and its form is truly mystical. And such perfect white color too. A two-headed snake like this is something you might see once in a lifetime.”

“What’s the appraisal value?”

Seo Ji-woo asked, licking her lips. Im Hae-jun grumbled beside her. Dark circles hung under his eyes like a panda’s.

“How expensive can a snake be….”

Then, the appraiser took a deep breath and said,

“You could easily get 500,000 to 600,000 carings for this.”

“…Excuse me?”

Im Hae-jun froze on the spot. Seo Ji-woo laughed and clapped her hands.

“Hae-jun~ Hae-jun, Hae-jun!”

She patted the dazed Im Hae-jun’s shoulder.

“What did I tell you? I said just trust noona, right?”

“….”

A moment of silence.

Im Hae-jun looked up at her quietly, then lifted the corners of his mouth into a grin.

“Noona~”

“You were calling me a bitch earlier.”

“Hey~ That was just being cute~ And I was the first one to discover the two-headed snake~ It was me~”

* * *

Sizzle sizzle. I grilled meat from the morning. The thickly cut pork was perfectly cooked.

“…It’s really delicious.”

Surprisingly delicious.

It’s a breed of pig that can only be raised in this city, and this itself is loot. I need to eat well until I go back.

Munch munch.

I thought while eating the meat.

An inside enemy….

There are too many suspicious aspects for me.

First, I’m the only security guard. There is a separate security team, but I heard they were all replaced long ago.

This means there might not be just one inside enemy.

Of course, my purpose is just to make money, but big jobs come with big money. This level of effort is worth it.

I opened an academic journal. These were scraps of paper that students had thrown away.

[Professor Arcal Demonian’s Magic Circuit Stabilization Research]

[Study on Methods to Amplify Control of Magic Power Holders Using Rune Characters]

[Mage Columnist Exion: Thoughts on Professor Arkal Who Has Failed to Show Clear Results for the Past 3 Years…]

Professor Arkal is the legitimate heir of a prestigious magic family. In terms of bloodline alone, he’s similar level to Tae-woo and Tae-yul.

A scion of a family recognized throughout the worldview. But his individual abilities are endlessly embarrassing compared to Tae-woo and Tae-yul—a pride-obsessed person.

Knock knock.

Just as I finished eating the meat, a visitor came. It was teaching assistant Silo again.

He looked even more tired than yesterday.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, Seol Ha-woon. About this month’s magic problem… Professor Arkal has summoned you. He says to come to his office right now….”

We stood in front of the professor’s office. Even the door was different. A heavy main gate with golden decorations. It was gleaming.

“Don’t be too nervous. Though you don’t seem nervous anyway.”

Silo gave a bitter smile. I re-imprinted newspaper articles and academic journal contents related to Arkal as a sequence.

Knock knock.

“Professor. Security guard Seol Ha-woon is here.”

─…Tell him to come in.

An irritated voice came from inside.

Silo opened the door. The interior was as lavish as expected. Books packed the bookshelves that filled the walls, and carpets were laid on the floor.

Professor Arkal himself sat at a massive desk, ostentatiously scribbling with a feather pen.

A typical display of pretentiousness.

“Silo. You may leave.”

“Yes.”

Still moving his pen, he asked.

“Security guard. I heard you solved this month’s problem.”

“Yes. I happened to solve it by chance.”

“How strange. It wasn’t a problem someone like you should have been able to solve.”

His tone was blatant. It was a way of speaking that provoked anger.

“….”

I thought about the enemy within.

Actually, in situations like this, it’s more reliable to identify ‘who isn’t an enemy’ rather than ‘who is an enemy.’

In that regard, this Professor Arkal is definitely not a spy.

A person completely wrapped up in aristocratic pride and elitist consciousness is actually that much more transparent inside. It means he’s not the type to do bothersome and undignified things like betrayal or collusion.

Arkal frowned.

“Answer.”

Once, I despised people like this.

I hated their arrogance and narrow-mindedness. I found their cowardice in using position and authority instead of ability disgusting.

“Yes. It was a difficult problem.”

“Hmph. I’m sure it was. Since you didn’t actually solve it yourself. Why don’t you tell me about the content too?”

It was such a filthy problem. Excessively pedantic.

It was a problem like a flesh golem, combining your narcissistic desire to appear genius with your arrogant lack of interest in education.

I could have said that.

If I had been seven years younger, I definitely would have said that.

My past self was too rigid a person.

“It was an excellent problem.”

“….”

Arkal’s eyebrows twitched.

I am not the Seol Ha-woon of old. Now I understand the importance of goodwill and relationships.

“A good problem?”

His pretense of asking back as if it were nothing was quite honest.

“Yes. I was amazed while solving it.”

I need to change my approach.

From now on, I’ll butter this person up completely.

“…When I was serving in the military, I once studied mana operation and spell structure through self-study.”

I lowered my voice and continued.

“That’s when I first saw Professor Arkal’s papers. It was a new world for me.”

Arkal’s expression changed. His ears seemed to perk up as if showing interest.

“From that day on, I have respected Professor Arkal.”

I had an allergy.

Actually, it wasn’t really an allergy.

Just one phrase would have sufficed.

You are a good person.

At least you have good qualities.

I should have said such things not only to Percival, but to all the superiors I had worked under.

“Though I’m merely a security guard, the reason I insisted on this Magic School wasn’t because it’s prestigious.”

I imposed standards that were too high, standards that even I couldn’t reach, on myself and others.

“I wanted to meet Professor Arkal.”

They came to dislike me, I came to dislike them, and in that vicious cycle I lost allies and gained enemies.

In the end, I even lost the person precious to me.

“You were my role model, Professor. A lighthouse illuminating the path.”

I should have said such things hundreds, thousands of times. That way I should have protected him.

“…Hmm.”

Professor Arkal let out a light breath.

He finally put down his feather pen. He leaned back deeply in his chair. With his arms crossed, he looked me over carefully.

“I was your role model?”

“Yes.”

I will put this professor forward instead of myself. That way is safer and more efficient for me.

“I also read the paper you published last time on circuit emission.”

Arkal is a high-ranking professor. If I butter him up as an ally, he’ll be useful in various ways.

“…Did you understand it? You?”

Every single word he says reeks of bloated ego.

Bear with it. If I endure, he might become endearing.

“I clung to it desperately. Because it was Professor Arkal’s paper.”

“…Hmm.”

I opened my palm. Crackle! Lightning surged.

“Particularly the part about controlling the instability of lightning magic was marvelous.”

I praise plainly. Restrained enough not to feel like flattery, but telling him exactly what he most wants to hear.

“…Ha.”

Arkal chuckled.

“Living long enough, I meet people like you too. Well, the world is wide after all. If you know me that well, you’d be capable of solving my problems.”

Then he suddenly stood up.

“Follow me. I’ll show you my workshop.”

“…Yes.”

Looking at him, I held back laughter.

Fortunately, he seemed like a much easier person than I had thought.

* * *

“…That aristocrat fell for it completely. Doesn’t seem like much was said.”

The junior writer muttered while eating a tangerine. Kim A-rang grinned.

“With that kind of flattery, who’s doing it matters. You, imagine PD Yoon Sa-hyuk praising you to the skies.”

The junior writer’s body trembled.

“Wow. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I’d go crazy.”

“Right? You wouldn’t think of it as flattery at all.”

Seol Ha-woon has that kind of aura. His appearance gives the image of ‘someone who would never say empty words,’ and he actually is that kind of person.

Professor Arkal must have felt it immediately too.

“Ha-woon also seems to be trying to change.”

Seol Ha-woon’s own cute effort to make allies.

He’s trying to break away from his active-duty self.

“That’s fortunate.”

“Exactly~”

Kim A-rang smiled lightly and stood up. Her expression immediately soured.

Im Hyeong-uk’s seat was empty.

“But where is PD Im wandering around after leaving everything to the newbie?”

“Who knows. I heard he went for a drive with Yu-yul Mentor.”

“You must be crazy.”

Kim A-rang shook her head from side to side and made a resolution.

When I become the main character, I’m going to mess you up first.

—————
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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