Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 226

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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 226

Lonely(4)

I advanced through the snow mountain, creating rest stops at regular intervals.

Inside rectangular camps, I placed black tea bags and small stoves, connecting each camp with ropes.

It was to create a connected path for the follow-up teams.

Then, I paused briefly around the mid-slope of the snow mountain. My Sequence detected a strange sensation.

“….”

I closed my eyes, taking in scents and listening to sounds.

Whiiiiiii….

Wind was swirling uselessly in an empty space beneath the ground.

I touched the nearby ground with my magic power.

Pasasasat──-!

The snow piles shattered, revealing cracks.

Crevasses. Quite cleverly hidden, and very numerous. One wrong step would mean immediate forced return.

I floated my fountain pen. I drew dense grid lines inside the crevasses and materialized them.

A net barrier.

In this manner, I carefully dealt with the crevasses as I advanced through the area. It took quite some time, but it was rather enjoyable.

“Like a coloring book.”

That’s how it felt.

Beep. Beep.

The fox cried from inside the snowmobile. It seemed hungry. I tore off some raw meat and gave it to the creature.

Chomp chomp chomp.

Watching the fox tear at the meat pieces, I turned my gaze to the snow mountain scenery.

Before I knew it, I seemed to have reached near the peak as my view opened up completely.

I stood upright and took a deep breath. Crystal-clear, cold air seeped deep into my lungs.

This wind contained mana mixed within it.

As someone who became a mage, I couldn’t just pass by such a heaven-sent training environment.

Just as I was about to deepen my mana breathing.

Pusssss───-!

Behind me, some cave shattered with a sound as a magic entity emerged. A form that looked like eternal snow grotesquely clumped together. It was an ice golem.

Beep!

The fox hid behind my back.

I floated bullets in the air and deployed simultaneous fire.

───-!

Hundreds of shots struck, but the creature was unharmed. Its outer shell itself was made of magic power.

“Hmm….”

Quite a strong mob.

This thing might be tougher than the District 3 families.

Thud!

The golem swelled its entire body and took a step forward. Ice fragments scattered from its massive form.

Pusssst─!

At that moment, my Sequence activated.

Extended time. Accelerated thinking.

I think of a way to smash this creature.

To enhance the power of formulas, a ‘medium’ is often necessary. There are definitely realms that cannot be reached with simple magic power alone.

This is why I carry this walking stick [AC-0308] around.

I gathered magic power into the walking stick. I manifested a special type of manual firearm.

A lever-action rifle. The motif was a symbol of the Western era, the Winchester model.

The cold steel material, heavy weight, and rough wooden stock fit perfectly in my hands.

I also materialized the bullet as a real entity. A bullet containing my [concept] in high-density magic power. Its purpose was destruction alone.

I loaded that single round into the chamber.

Click!

I pulled the lever to load it. Magic power spread throughout the entire barrel and condensed.

I shouldered the stock with one hand and placed my index finger on the trigger.

Fire.

──-!

There was no recoil whatsoever. It was a rifle designed that way from the start.

However, the feel was overwhelming.

A streak of flash blazed from the muzzle. The torrent of magic power penetrated straight through the ice golem and exploded from within.

Kwaaaaak──!

The golem crumbled with holes riddling its entire body.

[Experience + 5,912]

[Acquired: Ice Golem’s Core Crystal]

[Acquired: Ice Golem Fragments]

I try to minimize direct ‘actions’ as much as possible. Because my body hurts. It’s not just painful, but there’s a high possibility of breaking.

Solving most of daily life with magic power is for the same reason.

However, precisely because of that, my actions carry even greater destructive power.

It’s such an obvious logic.

Directly loading and firing a gun produces much greater power than manifesting magic power in the air to fire.

It’s the difference between ‘medium’ and ‘process’.

“…Ow, my knees.”

I got back on the snowmobile and descended the snow mountain.

At some point, the snow beneath my feet had melted. The blizzard disappeared, and instead the ground rustled dryly. Sudden heat warmed the inside of my clothes.

I got off the snowmobile and surveyed the environment.

It was a desert. Even the sky visible in the distance seemed withered and twisted.

“…Are you okay.”

I looked at the arctic fox.

It was chirping away, oblivious to everything. It seemed it could still endure for now.

I used experience points to create an ice box and put the baby fox inside.

“Stay inside there.”

Then I walked again, leaning on my walking stick.

Isn’t there some vehicle around. While looking around searching, I suddenly spotted a funny-looking creature.

A camel.

A wild camel.

“Whiik-“

When I whistled low, the creature that had been munching on cactus in the distance looked at me.

“Come here. Come this way.”

Chomp chomp. It completely ignored me and just kept chewing cactus.

I took out bottled water from my subspace pocket.

“Look at this. It’s water, water.”

Then it raised its neck and hurriedly approached with its mouth open.

Glug glug glug.

I gave the camel water while climbing onto its back.

“Let’s go, friend. Forward.”

The camel seemed to roughly understand and advanced through the desert. A long shadow stretched over the hot sand.

Hot.

Impossibly, suffocatingly hot.

This coat I’m wearing right now should definitely be a unique item with temperature control installed.

I took out my fountain pen again and floated a large cloud above my head.

“…It’s hot.”

Clop. Clop.

After traveling with the camel for several hours.

In the distance, an oasis appeared. The camel instinctively changed course toward it.

But actually, an oasis isn’t such a great place. It’s called an oasis, but in reality it’s just a water puddle that’s rotted beyond repair.

[1,000 experience points consumed.]

I used experience points to purify the oasis. Right next to the waterside, I quickly built a cozy cabin with my fountain pen.

[1,000 experience points consumed.]

“…It keeps increasing.”

The amount of experience points needed is changing.

Anyway, I installed multiple layers of cooling formulas inside the cabin. The catalyst was the ‘Ice Golem’s Core Crystal’ I obtained in the snowy wasteland.

“Done…”

It became cool like an air conditioner.

I lay down on the cold floor. The baby fox that had crawled out of the ice box at some point curled up on my forearm.

Even the camel outside quietly came in and claimed a spot.

“…Just don’t poop or pee inside.”

Whether it understood or not, the camel settled down comfortably.

It compactly folded its massive body like a loaf of bread, only lowering its long neck to the floor, snoring softly… softly…

I matched the breathing of these animals.

I quietly closed my eyes.

* * *

“Hmm… honestly, I don’t really see the need to go to Zone 4.”

Meanwhile, Seo Ji-woo and Im Hae-jun met Kim Dong-ha at The Line Multiplex Gym.

“What are you talking about? We’ll be perfect once Warrior comes?”

Ridiculously enough, Kim Dong-ha had gotten himself a monthly rental in this District 3. And quite a luxurious one at that.

“No. I mean. Listen carefully, guys. If you earn experience points here, you get stronger.”

Kim Dong-ha showed off his biceps. His muscles bulged.

Im Hae-jun narrowed his brow.

“Ugh, disgusting.”

“But the experience points you can get in Zone 4 are way less compared to District 3. You guys need to think rationally too.”

“…Hey. The goal is to clear the maze.”

Seo Ji-woo frowned. Kim Dong-ha sighed as if frustrated.

“Sigh… guys. I’ll be honest with you. Listen carefully.”

Then with a serious face, as if about to reveal some massive secret of this labyrinth or truth of the world.

“Je Mal-ol will take care of everything.”

“…”

“…”

Seo Ji-woo and Im Hae-jun’s faces soured.

“We can leave the maze to Mal-ol and grow on our own. Do you think this kind of labyrinth will come again? Huh? I can feel myself getting stronger in real time!”

“Dong-ha! Haven’t you finished working out yet?! We need to go soon! It’s zen time!”

Kim Dong-ha’s party members called for him from the gym entrance.

“Ah yes. I’m coming. Going right now~ Hey, you guys think it over!”

Free riding.

There’s someone who openly wants to free ride.

“I believe in Mal-ol! You guys should believe too!”

Kim Dong-ha left spouting nonsense.

Im Hae-jun whipped around to look at Seo Ji-woo.

“Ji-woo noona. Let’s just earn experience points too.”

“You want to free ride too?”

“No. Earn experience points so we can go to farther zones more comfortably.”

He looked up at Seo Ji-woo with sparkling eyes.

“Honestly, is there anyone who can earn experience points like us? Who was first place in Life Labyrinth! It was Seo Ji-woo!”

“You hit me in the back of the head back then.”

“…”

He was momentarily speechless.

“And you know what. Everyone thinks I’m lucky, but I’ve never really chased after luck.”

Seo Ji-woo continued with a serious face.

“Luck just followed wherever I went.”

“…”

Im Hae-jun’s eyes narrowed menacingly.

This is ridiculous. What kind of new bragging is this. I want to hit the back of her head again.

“…Must be nice. Noona has it good.”

“In that regard. The place I want to go is over there.”

Seo Ji-woo pointed to the steel door leading to Zone 4.

“It means there might be good fortune in that place.”

“Sigh… Then let’s go. What about Kate noona?”

Seo Ji-woo raised her pinky finger.

“She’s already in Zone 4. It seems like she went much faster and farther than us.”

“Really? We should hurry too then.”

“Alright. Follow me.”

Seo Ji-woo went out to Zone 4 with Im Hae-jun.

Whoooosh!

In the snowy wasteland where cold wind whipped around. In that place that somehow reminded them of past nightmares.

“Ugh so cold, ack!”

Seo Ji-woo tripped over something on the road before going far.

“Damn it. What the.”

She touched her knee and looked back at the culprit. It was some kind of stone.

“What’s this.”

Seo Ji-woo was about to pass by casually, but Im Hae-jun’s eyes sparkled.

“Even when Seo Ji-woo trips, there’s always a good reason!”

Im Hae-jun picked up the stone that tripped Seo Ji-woo.

As expected, it wasn’t an ordinary stone! Pure white magic power was shimmering on its surface!

“Noona! This, this isn’t a stone but some kind of jewel!”

“Oh, really?! Let me see!”

Both fixed their gazes on the jewel.

* * *

Im Hae-jun believes in Seo Ji-woo’s luck. Therefore, he double-checks even the tiniest things that Seo Ji-woo alone would just pass by.

It means they’re quite a good combo, more than expected.

─Im Hae-jun : Holy shit! It’s an Ice Crystal! This is definitely an expensive jewel!

─Seo Ji-woo : How much!

─Im Hae-jun : 50,000 experience points!

─Seo Ji-woo : Ohhh!!!!

“Are those guys filming Life Labyrinth or what.”

Kim A-rang was monitoring the Maze Labyrinth while also investigating her own ‘questions’ on the other hand.

│Where is the truth behind Kim Yoon-jun’s murder case…? Incompetent police or meticulous criminal.│

The death of mentor Kim Yoon-jun. Not only that, but the Mitamnan cast members killed by an unidentified criminal.

Those incidents were strangely concentrated during Mitamnan’s ‘vacation seasons’.

Then could the criminal possibly be among the Mitamnan cast or staff…

However, the more important question is ‘why’.

Why did the criminal kill them.

Kim Yoon-jun, Lee Ji-yeon, Kim Hyeok-jin, why on earth?

─Im Hae-jun: What are you going to do with 50,000 won, noona?

─Seo Ji-woo: Let’s get some thick outerwear first. I’ll buy yours too.

What if, really what if.

PD Yoon Sa-hyuk is a being from the labyrinth?

Could he be the culprit?

“Um, PD?”

The junior writer tapped Kim A-rang’s shoulder.

“A visitor is here to see you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kim A-rang stood up from her seat.

“Take over for a moment.”

“Yes~”

Outside the monitoring room stood an unfamiliar man.

As Kim A-rang approached, he held out his ID first.

“Hello. I’m Inspector Lee Young-ho from Gangnam Police Station.”

“Mm~ Yes. I’m PD Kim A-rang.”

“It’s nothing major, but I came to ask a few questions regarding Mentor Kim Yoon-jun…”

Well, it seems the Kim Yoon-jun murder case really has no answers. If they’re coming back to us again after going in circles.

“About Mentor Kim Yoon-jun’s casting process.”

“The casting process?”

“Yes. Who cast Kim Yoon-jun—”

“But you came alone? Don’t police officers usually work in pairs?”

Lee Young-ho gave a bitter smile.

“We’re really short-staffed these days… There are mountains of other cases under investigation. For now, could you just tell me who had the most influence in the process of casting Mentor Kim Yoon-jun?”

Mentor casting.

Well, there’s nothing much to think about.

“Almost everything was handled directly by Main PD Yoon Sa-hyuk. PD Yoon also had the final decision authority.”

The contestants had auditions, but all the mentors were Yoon Sa-hyuk’s sole decisions.

“I see.”

Inspector Lee Young-ho quickly wrote something in his notebook.

Kim A-rang watched him intently, then asked bluntly as if spitting it out.

“Are you perhaps suspecting PD Yoon Sa-hyuk?”

It was quite a sharp jab, but Inspector Lee Young-ho showed no sign of being flustered and just lowered his head.

“No? He has an alibi. It’s just… you know, when you keep poking around at this and that, something might come up.”

Then he turned the question back to Kim A-rang.

“Do you suspect PD Yoon Sa-hyuk, PD Kim A-rang?”

Kim A-rang suddenly hesitated to answer. However, at some point, ‘that hypothesis’ wouldn’t leave her mind.

Before sleeping, when waking up, while eating, even in her dreams, Yoon Sa-hyuk’s face wouldn’t disappear.

“…Yes.”

Inspector Lee Young-ho’s brow trembled slightly. He looked at Kim A-rang without saying a word.

“I am suspicious. Of PD Yoon Sa-hyuk.”

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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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