Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 197

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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 197

Still life(13)

Dungeon Exploration NaN Production Monitoring Room.

On the giant display board, the real-time caring rankings of the currently ongoing life game were listed in a long row.

“Please. Just earn a little more, please.”

“Yeonhwa, let’s just avoid last place. I didn’t have any expectations for you anyway….”

The numbers fluctuated up and down by the minute, and joy and sorrow crossed the faces of the PDs and writers.

“As expected, Ji-woo is in first place.”

“Hyeon’s side isn’t to be underestimated either. Wow, how did he set up a restaurant and make almost this much in daily sales-“

“But isn’t Jun-ho the dark horse this time? I didn’t expect him to turn out like this in the beginning….”

“Jun-ho is just someone you trust and watch.”

“Below… Huh?! Wait, what’s that!”

Everyone’s gaze fixed on a certain name.

Seol Ha-woon.

His caring suddenly shot up like crazy. The number that was 3 million caring went up with a whoosh.

Seol Ha-woon: 10,532,000 caring

“What the, crazy! Did he win the lottery?!”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

“Mal-ol-haem! Mal-ol-haem! Mal-ol-haem!”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

“Ah, stop screaming.”

“Crazy! I said Mal-ol-haem would win this time too!”

The monitoring room is a cauldron of excitement.

“There’s not much difference from Ji-woo either?”

“B-but she’s still not in first place.”

“Don’t you know Seo Ji-woo? If she picks up a pebble while walking, it’s worth 1 million caring.”

Writers and PDs alike. Since this life game is a low-risk, easily put ‘Daily Life Dungeon’, the staff are also enjoying mini-games.

It’s betting.

Who will be first place, who will be in the top 5, and who will be in the top 10, etc.

They bet real money.

Even for the person who gets the closest to the overall ranking, PD Yoon Sa-hyuk personally put up prize money and gifts.

“Please just end like this.”

“There’s still time left though?”

“But why is only Seol Ha-woon preparing for war when everyone else is living daily life.”

High-fives and sighs mix together from here and there.

“Sigh. What is this, a racetrack….”

Kim A-rang sighed as she watched the scene.

“Who did PD Kim bet on?”

It was Yoon Sa-hyuk. Kim A-rang let out a hollow laugh.

“I didn’t bet. I don’t gamble. I don’t do stocks either.”

After getting burned badly by stocks once, it’s savings only.

“What about you, PD Yoon?”

“I bet on Seo Ji-woo.”

“Seo Ji-woo is the safe bet… Could you please make them quiet down a bit? We still need to do monitoring.”

“Haha. It’s night. Take a break.”

Yoon Sa-hyuk told her to rest while placing his hand on Kim A-rang’s shoulder.

“…Well. Yes. I’ll get some sleep.”

“Alright.”

Kim A-rang went outside and took out her smartphone. She searched for ‘Seol Ha-woon’ on the explorer forum.

Kim A-rang’s hobby these days is searching for Seol Ha-woon.

Now she has no choice but to admit it.

Seol Ha-woon is her PD pick.

No, I’m using Seol Ha-woon to feel vicarious satisfaction.

Because he’s the genius mage I once dreamed of becoming.

│Analysis of Seol Ha-woon’s Unique Magic Control – A New School of Techniques?│

Currently researching Seol Ha-woon’s combat videos. His magic efficiency and precision transcend imagination. I’ve taken detailed notes on all the techniques he’s used.

@AttachedImage

│Studying Seol Ha-woon Style Techniques…│

The forum overflows with photos of detailed analysis and notes on the techniques Seol Ha-woon showed on the broadcast.

Like researching a new academic field, countless people have started analyzing his Mental Visualization.

│Will Seol Ha-woon found a school?│

If he rejected Zephyrell recruitment, he might establish a school

─Even if he founds a school, you can still go learn from him?

─There’s a rumor that when he refused Zephyrell, he said he wouldn’t join any other school either. He definitely has bigger plans. Establishing a school with new ideology seems reasonable….

My talent was insufficient so I dropped out midway, but Seol Ha-woon can go all the way.

Kim A-rang smiled as she scrolled down.

* * *

Hyeon’S Kitchen

I drove and arrived at the restaurant. I looked at Arkal in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go speak with them first.”

“Sure.”

Arkal looked at the restaurant sign visible through the window with a strangely expectant expression. He was already licking his lips slightly.

This guy is surprisingly transparent too.

I got out of the car first and entered the restaurant. Kang Hyeon, who was busily cooking in the kitchen, spotted me first.

“Ha-woon hyung!”

Kang Hyeon waved his other hand while holding a frying pan in one hand.

“Oh, Mal-ol-haem!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Yoon Hwa-rim and Lee Jong-soo also came running over.

I felt strangely happy to see them.

But showing that happiness feels embarrassing and awkward. Because this kind of daily life isn’t familiar to me.

“Yeah. Is the room ready?”

“Yes. Ah~ I barely managed to postpone the reservation. I’m only doing this because it’s Mal-ol-haem.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll spend a lot of money before leaving.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah. Wait. I’ll bring him.”

I returned to the car and opened Professor Arkal’s car door.

“Let’s go.”

“Right.”

Arkal stepped out of the car onto the road surface with dignified steps. When he gestured, the VIPs from the car behind also got out.

They were all wearing expensive suits, clearly high-ranking officials. Most were nobles of similar age to Professor Arkal, but none had higher status than Arkal.

“Welcome.”

Yoon Hwa-rim, who had an amazing nose for money, had already rushed out and guided them using awkward archaic language.

After confirming that the noble party including Professor Arkal had entered the room, I called Yoon Hwa-rim.

“You do takeout too, right?”

Those two guys who resembled Erica and Im Hae-jun. They’re probably racking their brains over homework right about now.

I should give them some food too.

“Of course~”

“Boss knows everything. Hahaha.”

I looked around the interior of the restaurant.

There were incredibly many customers.

“You guys seem really busy?”

“Extremely. Ex~tremely busy.”

Lee Jong-soo shook his head back and forth.

“…The cooking is fine since Kang Hyeon is really good with knives and has infinite stamina, but the hall is especially tough. We’re using about three part-timers, but hiring more feels wasteful… We need to make money after all.”

“Really? Then.”

I took out a small monkey doll from my pocket, the ‘Automatic Monkey’.

Now that I have several surveillance drones, there’s no particular use for this guy.

“I’ll lend you this. Use it as a serving robot.”

“Huh? How much is this? It looks expensive?”

“I’ll just lend it to you. For free.”

“As expected, I was right! Boss is the best! But how do you use this?”

I infused mental visualization into the monkey doll. It was specific images and movement patterns for ‘serving’.

“Done. If you make it serve like this, it’ll do it on its own.”

Ooh-kee-kee! The small monkey doll climbed onto Lee Jong-soo’s shoulder.

When Lee Jong-soo gave it three plates of food and said table 3, it delivered the food quite skillfully.

“Oh~ That’s interesting.”

Just then, a newspaper delivery person came in through the restaurant entrance, placed a newspaper on the counter, and left.

“You read newspapers too?”

“Ah, I keep reading them in case there might be other money-making opportunities.”

I casually looked at the headline.

Master Detective Kate Hailford… Solves Another Cold Case! – Reporter Ryu Yeon-hwa

Kate had become a detective, and Ryu Yeon-hwa had become a reporter.

“Everyone’s living diligently.”

* * *

A detective hat with front and back protruding somewhat comically. Trench coat. Horn-rimmed glasses. Pipe cigarettes.

Dressed in the classic famous detective outfit, Kate looks around the interior of the old castle.

A locked-room murder case where a priest died on the top floor that was firmly locked so no one could enter.

However, all the clues were neatly organized in her mind. The culprit’s movements, the evidence left behind, and even the motive for murder.

Kate slowly turned around. People suspected as suspects were lined up with tense faces.

As a hired detective, it was now time to reveal the full story of this locked-room murder case.

“…Puff.”

Kate smoked her pipe cigarettes.

“The culprit is, cough!”

A cough came out. Cough cough. After calming down by patting her chest.

“The culprit is.”

She slowly looked around at everyone in the room. Then, she pointed her finger at the youngest servant.

“It’s you.”

“Wh-what?!”

“What?!”

“N-no! It’s not me!”

A male servant in his twenties. He vehemently denied it.

“Then. Why are your fingernails like that?”

Kate coldly questioned back.

“My fingernails, why…”

He suddenly hesitated.

“Your fingernails. They’re discolored.”

One type of magic stone, ‘Metric Acid’, causes gradual illness and death when ingested orally, and even with autopsy, traces cannot be found with this labyrinth’s technology level.

It also matches the priest’s cause of death.

However, it discolors when it touches skin and nails.

Therefore, the discoloration of his nails was the most important evidence that he had touched poison.

“…”

The man’s face turned deathly pale.

“You probably applied Metric Acid to the tableware. Isn’t that right?”

Kate let out a light breath.

The man trembled all over as if struck in a vital spot, then fell to his knees.

“That priest… was really a bad person…”

Watching him finally confess his motive for murder, Kate smiled bitterly.

[Acquired: 300,000 Caring]

“Thank you. You truly are a master detective! Thanks to you, a case that was about to become unsolvable has been resolved!”

The client kept bowing with a moved expression.

“It’s nothing. I just did my job.”

Kate answered indifferently while adjusting her detective hat. She also smoked her pipe cigarettes.

“Puff.”

Her insides felt like they were burning, but this was how Sherlock Holmes was.

Historical accuracy is essential.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“Yes.”

Kate came outside and got in her car.

Her own car with a square design that she liked. It’s quite a precious vehicle to her.

She agonized countless times over whether to buy it or not, but bought it because a car was essential for a detective.

If possible, she’d like to take it to reality too.

Vroooom.

Like this, she’s making caring by working as a detective. Keeping her daily life busily occupied.

But whenever she has free time or her thoughts stop, like when she gets caught at a traffic light like now.

Seol Ha-woon comes to mind.

Ah, not that Seol Ha-woon.

So, not the ‘current Seol Ha-woon’.

The other Seol Ha-woon… the phrasing sounds a bit strange.

Right, Irochi Seol Ha-woon.

In Kate’s opinion, both Irochi Seol Ha-woon and Seol Ha-woon existed simultaneously in this world.

Irochi Seol Ha-woon lived for only a brief moment before returning. He willingly gave up his own life.

The faint smile he wore as he sent himself away still lingers in my memory.

What became of his end?

Will I be able to confirm it in future broadcasts?

If he appears, I wanted to watch him from the very beginning.

‘Please, do not be defeated by malice.’

The words Irochi Seol Ha-woon spoke before leaving. Advice not to be defeated by malice.

She always reflects on those words before falling asleep, or during her alone time. As she learns more sequences, her memory improves, so she can recall not just the words from that day, but the situation and even the atmosphere.

However, what she still cannot understand is.

“What kind of malice?”

Whose malice was it?

“Did Percival harbor malice?”

Kate hasn’t found that answer yet, but she intended to keep moving forward.

“If so.”

Only one problem remains.

‘Why?’

* * *

Late at night, on the way back to the Demonian Mansion. I’m driving. Arcal in the back seat looks satisfied, his face flushed.

He had drunk an incredible amount of expensive wine.

“Seol Ha-woon.”

Suddenly he called my name.

“Yes.”

“…These days.”

Despite being so drunk, Arcal’s voice didn’t slur. He was remarkable in many ways.

“I think it’s quite fortunate.”

It was sudden praise. I listened quietly.

“That you came to me…”

Though it might be words brought on by alcohol, this prideful man acknowledged me.

A faint smile spread across my lips as well.

“Of course, it’s thanks to me sharing my knowledge.”

In the end, it’s still his doing.

“Indeed… that’s true.”

However, this side of Arcal makes me think about many things.

“We’ve arrived.”

In the meantime, we arrived at the mansion. The servants came out first to support Arcal.

“Good work.”

“Yes.”

I got out of the car. I looked around the Demonian mansion.

There are many watching eyes.

I’m not talking about the servants or maids.

The Corrupted Council bastards are watching this place. All sorts of formulas like suggestion and wiretapping are crawling everywhere.

They’re ready to attack Arcal whenever there’s an opening. Arcal is exposed to the greatest danger.

I stood still and thought.

“…Fortunate.”

I suddenly muttered those words.

Had there ever been a boss who called someone like me, a bastard like me, fortunate?

Perhaps it wasn’t their problem after all, but mine.

If I had respected them just a little more. If I had trusted them just a little more…

“…”

It can’t be helped.

I took out the sack of magic stones from the trunk.

With these magic stones, I plan to fortify the Demonian Grand Mansion into a fortress.

It’s a service. My financial backer can’t die on me.

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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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