Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 223

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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 223

Lonely(1)

I looked around the village. The texture of the road surface that I felt with each step was quite alien.

“Master. Try not to eat anything if possible.”

It was obvious advice, but in this maze, Eteu would be more of an expert than me. There was no reason to ignore his counsel.

I looked around at the village people. Exaggerated smiles hung on their lips.

-The weather is really nice today, isn’t it?

-Oh my, the smell of bread baking is wafting from the bakery across the street. What kind of delicious bread came out today? 

-On a day like this, we should all bake and eat pie together~

Monotonous and emotionless voices seemed to buzz and echo in the air.

“A hint will appear soon.”

“There are hints too?”

“Yes. There’s no maze without an exit.”

Just then, a sentence appeared before my eyes.

 HINT 

Something that doesn’t exist in this village

“Oh, it’s here.”

“Something that doesn’t exist in this village…”

The central fountain, the houses lined up around it, the grass field, the grass and trees draped like a backdrop.

The park was clean without a single fallen leaf.

Everything was in its place, but it felt hollow somewhere, a landscape filled with an indescribable sense of unease.

Why was that.

“I’ll take a look around.”

Eteu sprang into action.

I simply closed my eyes.

“Haah…”

With a deep breath, I sank my consciousness inward.

Sequence.

It was a passage that expanded my consciousness, going beyond mere amplification of the nervous system. It was the skill of handling magic power like fingers, and the sixth sense that pierced through the hidden side of existence.

Tssssst──-

Magic power spread beneath my feet. A blue shadow clung to the ground and advanced.

Magic power synchronized with my senses became my other eyes, ears, and skin, exploring the space.

Step. Step.

The footsteps of residents walking through the village.

No, so what I’m saying is~ the weather today is really~

The flow of sounds generated from conversations.

Rustle rustle.

The swaying of natural objects fluttering in the wind.

Even the very faint waves generated from all of those things were transmitted clearly. The information detected by magic power flowed into my central nervous system.

I stood in one place and surveyed the village. I groped through everything in this place with hands of magic power. I dominated the surface from a single point.

─Um, Master? Are you alright? Why did you suddenly close your eyes…

Eteu’s voice from beside me sounded distant. Like it was echoing from somewhere in a wide cave.

-Heh heh heh. Chess is really difficult.

-Our granddaughter, you see…

In a corner of the village, old men sat on park benches chatting. Their tone was like a recording.

Giggle giggle giggle.

The laughter of children playing in the playground under the sunlight was dry.

My magic power passed by them and reached some dining hall.

In the kitchen, a chef smiled and opened the refrigerator.

Squeal-! Squeeeal-! Squeeeeal-!

There was a pig that wasn’t dead inside. The chef casually took out the pig and cut its neck.

Thud! Blood droplets formed on the chef’s lips, and the pig’s severed neck let out a scream.

Thud! He cut the hind leg. The leg separated from the body wriggled like live octopus.

The pig wouldn’t die.

My magic power soon headed toward some unknown household. On their dining table was a pie.

It was a sardine pie. A grotesque dish with fish arranged in a star shape inside the pie.

The sardines buried in the bread blinked their eyes. Their mouths also wriggled.

The sardines wouldn’t die.

Next was the village library. The wooden library’s bookshelves had an uneven design. The books inserted there also had pages sticking out randomly.

As if the books themselves were ‘growing’.

 HINT 

Something that doesn’t exist in this village

I roughly got the idea.

All the scenes above were clues.

“…”

I slowly opened my eyes. Sharp pain struck my temples, but it was bearable for a while.

“Eteu. Come here.”

“…Yes?”

Eteu, who had been investigating with his face buried in the pond, returned.

“I think I know the answer.”

“Oh. Already? There are still 18 hours left.”

“Yes. Let’s verify it first.”

I fired a mana bullet. Three village residents chatting not far away. I poured bullets at them.

Whoooosh—-

Dozens of bullets rushed like a downpour.

“Wh, what?!”

Eteu was shocked, and the bullets accurately penetrated the village residents’ bodies.

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt.

“What are you doing-“

“Watch carefully.”

I gestured toward them and twisted my lips.

“They don’t die.”

Creak. Creeeak. The necks of the village residents hit by mana bullets snapped.

Two had their eyes gouged out, and one had their heart pierced, but they were still alive.

“Wh, it’s really true?”

Their bloodshot eyes fixed on us. Their lips moved mechanically like machines.

-The village festival will start soon, won’t you dance with us? It will be very enjoyable.

-I heard they’re doing a very interesting play at the newly opened theater. Shall I get you tickets?

-There are many new books that came into the library. If you want to gain wisdom, please be sure to stop by.

Then they stood up.

I fired at them again. This time I tore their mouths and severed their legs.

However, the residents crawled on the ground using their severed limbs. Even the flesh separated from their bodies moved on its own.

-Have you tried the sardine pie? It’s sweet and fragrant.

-There’s no place like this for observing the stars in the night sky. Shall I lend you a telescope?

-I heard the hot spring water behind the village is so good, how about going there once to relieve fatigue?

Now it wasn’t just them, but the entire village had targeted us.

“Um, Master?”

Eteu stepped backward. 

“I think we unnecessarily made enemies.”

-If you have any lost items, please inquire at the police box. A kind police officer will help you.

-The playground is always filled with the laughter of children. Peaceful, isn’t it?

-The bonds between neighbors are truly our village’s greatest pride. We help each other in times of need.

The residents approach us, surrounding us.

I looked around at them and continued speaking.

“What doesn’t exist in this village is.”

Even if you kill them, they don’t die. The same goes for pigs and sardines used as ingredients.

The books in the library, even the trees used for pages, grow without dying. The forest is lush, but since no tree leaves wither and die, not a single fallen leaf lies anywhere.

The answer is clear.

“Death.”

“But, what about it?”

I fired Mana Bullets randomly in all directions to buy time. The residents’ bodies were torn apart by the bullets, but they didn’t stop.

More horrifying than zombies. A feast of blood and flesh that would probably be completely censored on the actual broadcast.

I said to Eteu.

“So we need to die.”

“…What?”

Eteu turned to look at me in shock.

“No way…”

He forced an awkward smile.

I nodded seriously.

Eteu’s complexion turned ashen.

“No, what! I’ve been to District 2 five times, and there was no illusion maze like this. You just find hints and eventually get out-“

“Yes. It’s an illusion. So we need to wake up.”

-Daaaaarknesssss… descendiiiiing… acrossssss…

-Villaaaage… peopleeeee… alllllll…

-Weeeee… welcoooome… youuuuu… tooooo… thiiiis… villaaaage…

The residents’ voices stretched out grotesquely. Most of their bodies were shattered to pieces, but the fragments approached like living creatures.

Fingers, fingernails, arms, legs, even internal organs moved persistently with life.

“But, what if you’re wrong?”

Eteu seems afraid of death.

Of course, I am too.

“You, you could be mistaken!”

Eteu’s words are certainly right.

However, the subject thinking “I could be wrong” must not be ‘me’.

Such is the way of a mage.

Judging phenomena is not a mage’s role.

As one who walks the path of magic power, as a mage who constructs their own concepts, what must be believed are the facts about the world.

The information I collected through Sequence isn’t just the visible clues.

The nature of magic power this village holds. It’s subtly different from reality. The trembling and fluctuation of particles are evidence of ‘fakeness’.

“Since I observed correctly, I’m absolutely not wrong.”

My judgment isn’t merely a mage’s claim, but a fact based on magic power.

Not to be boring, I add a word for the viewers as well.

“I am right.”

“…What?”

“Go ahead first.”

“Wh-where are you telling me to go-“

“I’ll follow soon.”

Snap. I flicked my finger. An adhesive bomb exploded on Eteu’s back. His torso and limbs were dismembered.

-Newwww… beginniiiing… startiiiing…

-Misssssed… peopleeeee… spreadiiiing…

-Pleaseeeee… comeeeee… quicklyyyy…

I also raised my finger and placed it against my temple.

Click.

I pulled back the hammer with my thumb. Magic power gathered around my finger.

I’m not afraid.

Death has always been by my side only as much as I feared it.

Bang!

I opened my eyes. There was no expected pain, and instead a status window filled my vision.

[Intermediate Monster ‘Undying Village’ Defeated]

[Experience + 20,590]

Apparently, the entire village was a monster.

“Huh, huh, huh…?”

Right next to me, Eteu was sprawled out.

The illusion was broken, and now everything around us was a maze made of asphalt. 

“Let’s go. To District 3.”

I spoke as if nothing had happened. Eteu stared at me blankly before getting up.

“Ah… yes, yes. Understood, Master.”

We walked through the maze again.

Before long, a door leading outside appeared. Next to it was an oval portal rippling with magic power.

“Oh, Master. This is the entrance to District 3. District 3 is a city called ‘The Line’…”

Eteu looked at the portal next to the District 3 entrance and gulped.

“This is that portal. If you buy a ticket with experience points, you can return home.”

I stared intently at the portal.

[Ticket Purchase Available: 1,000 Experience Points]

I looked back and forth between it and Eteu.

“Then, it’s time to part ways.”

“…What?”

“You should leave now.”

Anyway, Eteu lacks the capability to proceed beyond District 3 of this labyrinth.

I condensed 10,000 experience points into orb form.

“This is the guide fee.”

“…”

Eteu blinked his eyes blankly.

I don’t know how much 10,000 experience points is worth. But since killing even one goblin only gives about 10, it must be quite a lot from Eteu’s perspective.

“However, buy a one-way ticket. Don’t come back again. This is the last chance I’m giving you.”

“…”

Eteu seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon nodded with a determined expression.

“Yes. Thank you, Master.”

Eteu took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Whoooosh-

A reagent bottle filled with liquid formed in his palm.

“It’s medicine made from experience points. It will help my child…”

Eteu looked at me with a bitter smile.

“I think I was about 6,000 short until now. Since the ticket is 4,000… it’s exactly right.”

“4,000?”

Mine was 1,000. Don’t tell me he’s lying to buy a round-trip ticket.

“…Ah. Every time you buy a ticket twice, the price doubles.”

I see. I almost misunderstood.

I nodded.

“Yes.”

Eteu bought one ticket. I also confirmed the single ticket clutched in his hand.

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“…Thank you. Master is my benefactor. I hope we can meet again later… though that won’t be possible. Yes.”

Seeing my expression, he quickly corrected himself,

“Please go all the way to the end. I think Master can make it. Fighting.”

He stepped into the portal.

Swoosh.

At that moment, Eteu disappeared.

Silence descended.

“…”

As expected, I’m someone who’s comfortable being alone in many ways.

“Hmm.”

I walked over, leaning on my walking stick, and opened the door next to the portal.

Creeeeak-

From beyond it, countless voices of people came rushing in first.

The Line

I examined the area carefully.

Ahead lay a straight path, but on both sides, skyscrapers faced each other like canyon cliffs.

I understood the name “The Line.”

“A newbie?”

Someone spoke to me as I was looking around. It was a hairy man.

“Where are the nearby inns?”

He chuckled.

“You’re a newbie alright, but not an ordinary one. Over there.”

The hairy man pointed to the right. There were many motels.

Copy Changer Motel

Omalian Motel

Haierseo Motel…

I entered any motel to rest for a while.

The man at the counter said,

“300 experience points per night.”

I detected trembling in his voice that tried to sound nonchalant.

There was room for negotiation.

In this new environment, my senses are sharper than ever. It means my sequence is naturally activated.

“200.”

I reduced the number.

“300-“

“200.”

Without further ado, I put out a 200 experience point orb, and the counter clerk handed over the key without much protest.

Room 307.

I entered the room.

It was very dirty. I had a staring contest with a cockroach stuck to the wall for about 5 seconds.

Of course, it didn’t matter.

I swept through the room once with a clean wave.

“…I should be getting paid for this.”

It became as clean as a new house.

I sat on the bed. Looking at the ticking clock, I recalled the method Eteu had used to utilize experience points.

‘You can do anything with experience points.’

It probably wasn’t a lie. The way experience points work is definitely different from my magical mental visualization.

In that case…

I opened my palm.

What I wanted with the experience points I currently possessed was a materialized implant.

An integrated circuit that would help me manage the magic power flooding my nervous system more easily, reducing the side effects of sequences.

Tssssssst─!

A very small semiconductor-like substance condensed.

[Experience Points Consumed: 29,129]

All my experience points were consumed.

I placed my finger on that Tylenol-sized object.

Fidget fidget.

“…The material.”

It’s somehow familiar. I’ve had a similar texture before, no, I still have it now.

I took something out from my chest.

It was the gem string Yoo Yul had given me.

Honestly speaking, I’ve never seen this kind of material before. Both Yoo Yul and I call it a ‘gem string’ for convenience, but it’s definitely not a gem.

It might be a material that Tae-yul herself created. Or perhaps its very existence is magic.

However, its material is similar to this implant.

“…”

Suddenly I had questions about Tae-yul, but that was something to think about later.

“Whew.”

I took a deep breath and placed the implant on the back of my neck. At that moment, the integrated circuit burrowed into my skin. It was a sensation I’d never felt in my life.

“…Haaaaah.”

My retina turned completely blue.

Heat rose in the back of my head and my vision became blue-tinted, but then it cooled down again.

Then.

Thud──.

I detected a presence. It was the sound of footsteps coming up this way.

Not those of an ordinary guest.

They were trying to minimize sound as much as possible, but precisely because of that, they were more unusual.

They were probably the “family” guys Eteu mentioned, who had targeted 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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