Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 222

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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 222

Child of Beginning (11)

Alister Winter, chair professor of MIT’s Department of Magical Studies in America, stands by the laboratory window, gazing down at Boston’s skyline at sunset.

“….”

He is lost in deep contemplation. The image of the young mage he saw on Labyrinth Exploration NaN today refuses to leave his mind.

A mage who substituted his lacking physical abilities with magic power─ in other words, a true mage who handles magic power like his own limbs.

Professor Winter has lived his entire life adapting to the times. He has observed for quite a long time how the profession of mage has changed.

In the 60s and 70s, during the post-war era called Old School, mages focused mainly on refinement and pursued only the pure essence of magic power.

It was too dangerous a goal. That many people died because of it. Countless talents perished in the process of raising magic power purity.

Back then, that was the only method.

If you couldn’t establish your own mental visualization, you couldn’t manifest any formula.

However, the emergence of standardized magic and the establishment of mage theory and magical studies as an academic system turned the paradigm upside down. Modern mages no longer required the same self-destruction as the Old School.

They cultivated auxiliary circuits rather than refinement, which placed serious strain on the body. They also valued the skill of learning and handling various standardized formulas as much as constructing their own mental imagery.

Professor Winter himself had raised numerous disciples in line with such trends, and he took pride in contributing to the development of modern magical studies.

However, Seol Ha-woon stood apart from all the above modern trends.

He was a replica of the distant past.

Without being swept away by the currents of the modern mage world, he had restored the elegance of the past even more powerfully.

His formulas were closer to essence than technique, touching purity rather than flashiness.

“What are you thinking about?”

A presence stirred beside Alister.

“…You’ve come.”

The old professor looked at him without surprise.

Mage Tae-woo. Alister, now approaching seventy, had first seen this person when he was thirty, but unlike his own aging, the man remained young.

Truly, he was a human who suited the profession of mage too well.

“What are you thinking about?”

Tae-woo asked again. Alister touched his wrinkled lips and answered.

“I’m thinking about the emergence of a new mage.”

This Labyrinth Exploration NaN’s Moon Age Village was nothing short of torture for the elderly him, but he endured it for the pleasure of appreciating Seol Ha-woon’s formulas.

“I’m pondering the alias of a new mage. Someday I’ll have voting rights.”

Then Tae-woo gripped the railing. His gloved hands squeaked.

Alister asked back.

“Seol Ha-woon will become a mage, won’t he?”

“In what aspect do you make such a prediction?”

“The everyday utilization of magic power.”

‘You see as much as you know.’

This is the absolute principle of this field. What some mages would question as nothing special was a quiet shock to Alister.

“Replacing all daily life with magic power….”

Making tea with magic power. Installing landmines. Opening doors. Turning book pages. Writing.

The acts that Seol Ha-woon demonstrated on the broadcast, which seemed like mere daily activities, are realms that mages who limit magic power use only to formulas can never reach.

It means he’s fundamentally different from textbook students who only learned standardized formulas step by step.

“Don’t you know, Mage?”

Alister looked at Tae-woo. Tae-woo silently met his gaze. Alister soon understood the meaning of those eyes.

“…You’re currently evaluating him.”

Tae-woo was both the Mage of Time and Space and an association examiner. He didn’t like the association, but precisely because of that, he took on that role.

Tae-woo said.

“I wanted to hear Professor Alister’s opinion. You’re the most objective professor I know.”

Since Tae-woo became an examiner, there hadn’t been a single mage candidate with unstable mentality.

Probably because he had eliminated them ‘in advance.’

Tae-woo could erase the beginning of humans.

It was a method of annihilating existence too perfectly.

“Yes. I affirm it. For now. A mage who has endured refinement has the qualification to become a mage, and the mental strength.”

“….”

Even at Alister’s answer, Tae-woo remained silent.

Whoooooosh──

A breeze blew for a moment. The sunset light rushed in hotly. As if swept away by that cluster of light, Tae-woo had disappeared at some point.

Alister smiled bitterly and muttered.

“Your curse remains the same, Mage Tae-woo.”

* * *

I opened my eyes in the inn room. Nearly 8 hours had passed.

〔00: 05: 17〕

Over 7 hours, I had slept deeply for the first time in a while. Thanks to that, my mind became incredibly clear.

“Oh. You’re awake.”

Eteu also seemed to have finished preparing to leave, as his bundle had grown thick.

“Yes.”

I got up from the bed and thinly spread magic particles. I slightly twisted the formula of 【Clean Wave】, letting water droplets flow between my face, clothes, and matted hair.

Swoooosh.

Clear water briefly enveloped me and disappeared. In that instant, grease and clothes were neatly arranged.

“Wow. What’s that?”

“It’s the same formula I used to clean this room yesterday.”

“It looks completely different though?”

“I just applied it differently.”

“Ooh, then could I also perhaps….”

Swoooosh.

I gladly cleaned Eteu’s body as well.

“You’re truly amazing, Master.”

“I’m not amazing.”

When you perfectly understand one formula, such applications and modifications become possible.

With the trait 【Right Eye, Right Ear】, I accurately observe formulas and accept them with magical intuition to twist them more conveniently and diversely.

I’m an undeniable genius. However, not all geniuses are amazing.

Rather, if all parents in this world were amazing, that would be amazing, but I’m still just a half-wit receiving help from the system.

〔00 : 00 : 00〕

Click.

The locked door opened.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, yes.”

We approached the one-eyed robot at the tavern counter.

〔Congratulations. This is proof permitting entry to District 2.〕

The robot extended its metal arm and offered a key card made of stiff material.

As I received it, I asked Eteu.

“Was this the only way to enter District 2?”

“No. There are other Quests too. You could obtain entry tickets without necessarily going through here, but this is the fastest and most reliable route.”

“Hmm. True.”

Thanks to that, I rested while completing the Quest.

“Also, you’d better purchase plenty of bottled water if possible. From the next district onward, obtaining clean water will be much more difficult than now.”

I additionally purchased ten bottles of cold water from the robot.

“Then let’s go. Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

Eteu walked. I also followed behind him, tapping my staff.

Suddenly, a curiosity arose.

“Are there no more newbie hunters around this area?”

I’m using Gitburmi, but there’s no sign of an attack, let alone any human traces.

“Well… Master completely crushed them all. There were no other forces here besides those guys. Zone 1 is quite vast too. Everyone’s scattered around. It’ll take some time for hitmen to arrive.”

“Ah.”

I see.

I was wasting magic power.

Anyway, after walking for a few hours like that, the surrounding scenery changed noticeably.

The sky was dyed a gloomy ash-gray color, and black grass that looked like coal dust had been sprinkled covered the road surface.

[Area Discovered: Dark Lands]

The rustling sound of dry leaves breaking was unusually loud, and the chilling wind that penetrated through clothes was eerie.

“This way, Master. Please be careful.”

[Area Discovered: Dark River]

A river. It was a black, murky waterway that looked like sewage had been collected. A disgusting oil film floated on the surface, and unidentifiable floating debris was visible.

“Do we have to cross that river?”

“Yes. It’s dirty here, but it’s not deep.”

Eteu glanced at my legs.

“Oh right. Can you by any chance swim…?”

“There’s no need.”

I became a mage to avoid moving my body.

I floated the fountain pen I acquired in the Life Labyrinth into the air.

【Fountain Pen】

◆ Grade: Epic

◆ Overview: Though it looks like an ordinary fountain pen, unknown magic power dwells at the tip of the nib.

◆ Akashic Ink: Consumes magic power to draw reality in the air. The drawn entity continues to exist in reality as long as magic power is supplied.

Scratch scratch.

After drawing the frame of a boat with the nib, I took out duct tape.

Now I don’t need to tear this tape by hand anymore.

If I apply magic power first to the area where I want to attach the tape, then materialize the duct tape, it adheres much more naturally.

Riiiiip!

Like this.

I floated the completed boat on the river water.

“Let’s go. Get on.”

“Ah, yes.”

Swoooosh!

We sailed, creating waves in the water.

After advancing for about 30 minutes like that, Eteu stretched his hand toward the riverbank.

“That’s the place.”

I looked in that direction. A colossal statue stood on a ridge that looked like a mountain had been carved away, and below it was a square entrance.

We got off the boat and approached.

“You put the entrance ticket into the statue’s mouth.”

I put the entrance door into the statue’s mouth. The statue swallowed it whole like an ATM eating a card.

─Child.

Suddenly a quiet voice echoed from the statue’s mouth.

─You are a chosen child.

The statue continues speaking as if smiling.

─Ahead lies a path to a new world. All you need to do is move forward…

Rumble rumble. The door opened. I went inside.

Keruk keruk. Krik krik.

Suddenly, ominous sounds came from inside.

[Area Discovered: Nilbog’s Nest]

[Danger Level: High]

Nilbog.

I searched through my memories with Sequence. It was among the memorization list that DK had me learn during the previous in-camera scouting.

Nilbog: Classified as a subspecies of goblin, it’s an aggressive entity that mainly inhabits dark environments where light is blocked. It has a peculiar body structure with blood vessels protruding outside the body without outer skin, causing revulsion.

“Um, I don’t know much from here either. This is a random maze-“

“It’s fine.”

I focused Sequence on my optic nerves.

My vision brightened. I caught sight of nilbogs wandering around.

They’re grotesque since they’re goblins with skin and muscles exposed outside their bodies.

The scientific name Nilbog itself is goblin spelled backwards.

They’re much stronger than actual goblins, so to avoid trouble, the only method is to quietly massacre them all.

“From now on, I’ll quietly massacre them.”

“…Do ‘quietly’ and ‘massacre’ go together?”

“Shh.”

I quietly silenced Eteu who was making a retort, and deployed a silenced bullet.

Swoosh!

The fired bullet blew off one nilbog’s head. While the remaining ones hesitated, I began firing consecutively.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

I dealt with all the nilbogs on the straight path, but a fork in the road remained.

Left and right.

Eteu turned his body to the right.

“The right looks good. The smell of blood is stronger.”

“Smell of blood?”

“Yes. It’s a characteristic of the maze. There are more mobs on the correct path.”

Indeed, Eteu was quite a good guide.

I climbed the right stairs as Eteu suggested. I occasionally saw nilbogs but killed them the same way.

We advanced like mountain climbing.

“Ugh, damn.”

At the peak we reached, Eteu pinched his nose. I also frowned likewise.

A foul smell wafted.

It was the smell of rotting corpses.

“It’s a nilbog nest.”

It’s a characteristic of the nilbog species. They gather the corpses of humans they’ve killed in a circle to make a nest, and give birth to children there.

“Let’s hurry. Ugh, the smell.”

Eteu dry heaved. I also felt nauseous, but my gaze was naturally drawn toward the nest.

Inside the nest. A reddish, tangled current flickered in my pupils.

My trait ‘True Eyes, True Ears’ was reacting.

I reached my hand in that direction.

Whirl!

The red spirit was absorbed into my magic power.

[Nilbog’s Blood Stone seeps into your magic power.]

■ Grade: Rare.

■ Description: A mysterious red spirit gem formed when the placenta condensed with the life force essence of ‘Nilbog’ assimilated with magic power over long years. A faint warmth and lifelike pulsation can be felt.

■ Blood vessel elasticity increases. Blood circulation becomes very smooth. Magic power quality slightly increases.

■ Understanding related to blood, muscles, and the body overall increases.

■ Can be used as a semi-permanent magic catalyst.

A semi-permanent catalyst. I wasn’t sure of the details, but my magic power seemed strengthened.

“Let’s go for now.”

“Yes.”

After dealing with the nilbogs, the inside of the passage was a puzzle section.

Matching patterns carved on walls, stepping on floor plates in order, finding hidden levers, etc. Most were puzzles, but I could handle them.

Puzzles requiring observation can be easily solved with Sequence.

[Puzzle Solved: Secret of the Ancient Pattern]

[Puzzle Solved: Exit from the Shadowless Room]

[Puzzle Solved: Path Following the Stars’ Trajectory]

The final puzzle, when I correctly matched the solar and lunar eclipse cycles.

Kuguuguung.

The stone door opened with a thunderous roar. Blinding light poured out.

Beyond it was….

[Area Discovered: Village #29,371]

There was some strange village.

The sky was a pale gray, and the neatly arranged houses all had identical white bodies and gray roofs.

The residents wandering inside looked somehow unnatural. Awkward smiles were fixed on their lips.

[Escape from this village within 20 hours.]

“This is the Second Zone.”

Eteu said.

“It’s the Illusory Maze. There are estimated to be tens of thousands of spaces like this… Try not to talk with the residents if possible.”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Let’s move quickly.”

Thud. I stepped my walking stick into the village.

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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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