Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 228

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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 228

Lonely(6)

Crude oil stone absorbs oil. It doesn’t matter what kind of oil it is.

Crude oil stone—that is, oil of the source .

Also, all natural materials contain mana, and petroleum has a high concentration of it, so it can serve as a ‘medium’ for formulas.

Moreover, my mental visualization pairs very well with oil, so it will amplify the overall power of my formulas.

“…The capacity is large.”

More than half of the petroleum that had pooled on the desert sands was contained in the crude oil stone. As befitting an S-grade magic stone, its volume was very vast.

I sighed and wiped away my sweat.

“It’s hot.”

There is no night in this desert. Only the intensity of the sunlight changes slightly. I need to build a shelter before it gets even hotter.

I erected the framework of a building with my fountain pen. I designed a dwelling of appropriate size with added experience points and attached ice golem crystals.

“Haah…”

It became cool. Exactly 3,137 experience points were consumed.

For reference, there are several principles to the ‘experience points’ that are the core system of this labyrinth.

To list only what I’ve figured out, first: forming intelligent beings is not cost-effective. This means the difference in experience points needed between beef and a cow is insurmountable.

Next, experience point consumption varies depending on the environment.

In District 3 ‘The Line’ built over a water source, a bottle of drinking water cost about 50-100 experience points. But in this desert, 250ml of water costs over 600 experience points.

Experience points are the spoils of this labyrinth, so I don’t want to waste them either. I need to save as much as possible while investing in implants.

Squeak!

The fox came out of the icebox. I petted the creature that clung to my knee and looked outside.

Crunch crunch.

A camel was chewing and eating a cactus.

“Doesn’t that guy have friends?”

It’s the only means of transportation in this desert. It endures the blazing sun that would melt even metal as if it’s nothing.

Crunch crunch.

While listening to the ASMR of cactus chewing, suddenly.

“…Cactus.”

Camels eat cacti. Where there are cacti, there are camels.

The causal relationship is that camels come to eat cacti. Also, cacti are common in deserts.

Then?

[150 experience points will be consumed.]

I threw the experience point orb gathered in my palm into the sand. A cactus grew.

“The cost-effectiveness is decent.”

Thanks to striking oil, I can afford to spend this much experience points.

I generously scattered orbs containing cacti around the cabin.

[150 experience points will be consumed.]

[150 experience points will be consumed.]

[150 experience points will be consumed.]

[150 experience points will be consumed.]

[150 experience points will be consumed.]

[150 experience points will be consumed…]

All kinds of cacti grew, breaking through the barren road surface.

From round cacti like snowmen, to pillar cacti as tall as adults, to giant cacti with branches stretching out like arms. The area around the dwelling transformed into a cactus field.

Crunch…

Even the camel that had been chewing cacti paused. I spoke to the creature whose eyes widened as it looked around.

“Try calling some friends.”

The follow-up teams will probably need camels too.

* * *

Wheeeeee~! Kaaaaa~!

The rectangular camp in the snowy mountains. Kate opened her eyes to the differently echoing snoring sounds.

Wheeeeee~! Kaaaaa~!

She glanced at Im Hae-jun and Seo Ji-woo, who were practically singing, then looked out the window.

The blizzard had almost stopped.

“Get up. It’s time to leave now.”

She shook Seo Ji-woo and Im Hae-jun awake. Both made drowsy sounds and barely managed to sit up.

“…Ah, I’m sleepy.”

Im Hae-jun’s eyes became as plump as lips.

Seo Ji-woo tilted her body sluggishly while muttering.

“I think we could sleep a bit more… Since they left the camp for us, it’s polite to use it…”

Kate made the two stand up.

“Let’s go. We don’t have time.”

“Ugh.”

“Ahhh.”

She practically dragged them outside.

Kate sat in the driver’s seat of the snowmobile. Seo Ji-woo took the passenger seat, and Im Hae-jun slid into the back seat.

Vroooom.

Kate’s driving was skilled. She had actually wanted to drive since yesterday.

Swoooosh—!

Cutting through the snow, they smoothly advanced through the quietly sleeping snowy mountains.

“Yaaawn… But he really is our master… Even made us a shelter… There was something similar to this in Jiri Mountain too…”

Im Hae-jun’s still half-asleep voice mixed with the snowmobile’s engine sound. Kate drove the snowmobile looking only ahead.

She has a competitive spirit. No matter how much this is a broadcast, this place is a labyrinth, and linear labyrinths like this are ultimately competitions.

There’s no reason to unnecessarily waste time and resources.

But Seol Ha-woon, who values efficiency, deliberately left these camps behind when he departed.

Kate is only now beginning to understand his intentions and principles of action.

He always considers what comes ‘after’ him.

He prepares for when he might fail. He includes even his own failure as a variable.

His purpose is only one thing: mission completion. That is, conquering the labyrinth.

Therefore, these camps are a kind of insurance for other followers in case he fails.

Ironically, Seol Ha-woon trusts himself only as much as he doesn’t trust himself. His self-confidence might perhaps stem from such self-distrust.

Because of this, he can abandon even himself at any time for the sake of the mission. He’s that cold and desolate a person.

Someone who has succeeded in objectifying and instrumentalizing himself more than anyone else…

“Looks like we’ve come down from the snowy mountains?”

Seo Ji-woo, now wide awake, pointed ahead. The snow beneath their feet disappeared, revealing dirt and gravel.

“Let’s get off.”

“Right. Hey Hae-jun. Get out.”

The three got off the snowmobile. Seo Ji-woo and Im Hae-jun immediately stepped toward the next area, but,

“Wait. Not yet.”

Kate briefly stopped them.

“Before we leave, we need to replenish our drinking water as much as possible.”

Since they don’t know what kind of environment awaits them ahead, full preparation is necessary.

Kate scooped clean, unmelted snow into empty water bottles. Im Hae-jun and Seo Ji-woo, understanding the situation, helped her.

* * *

I finally crossed the damn desert. The sunlight grew thin and the terrain changed dramatically.

This time it was like some kind of peach blossom spring. Unrealistically towering mountain ranges. Damp moss sprouted underfoot, and thick fog hung heavily in the air.

It was a scenic beauty reminiscent of the murim.

“…This won’t be easy.”

There’s a good reason why murim is called murim. Magic power that has accumulated and condensed in nature over long years distorts space itself.

In distorted spaces, natural barriers or subspaces form, and humanity’s primal fears and superstitions gather, sometimes manifesting strange beings like monsters and demons.

I need to stay alert.

“Let’s keep going together. Is that okay?”

I asked the camel. The camel silently chewed on grass blades and moved forward. The mist particles touching my body felt heavy.

Shiiiiiii…

A sound like someone whistling. Magic power spreads like a spider web through it.

The path ahead wavers. Space melts like paint.

A magic phenomenon. A formula formed by nature.

Who is it who is it who is it who is it who is it who is it who is it who is it.

A whispering voice echoes through the valley. At the same time, two hands appear as if trying to cover my eyes.

Sharp, black nails protrude from the fingertips, covered in flesh and grime.

Disgusting.

“Haa…”

I took a deep breath with my eyes closed.

Magic power is ultimately a pattern. Magic power alone cannot accomplish anything; its arrangement and alignment create phenomena. It’s a transparent flow and a predictable law.

Therefore, if you can observe it, you can break it.

I opened my eyes. Magic power was captured in my blue-tinted retinas. Even the tiniest flows swimming through the air were clearly caught.

It’s not simple visual information. The unique vibrations contained in magic particles, the minute waves caused by their floating, and even the reverberations left through interaction with space—all of it is woven together like a mosaic in my consciousness.

Passsss-!

I condense magic power in my grip. Blue light ripples as I craft a solid, sharp stake of magic power.

Thunk!

I drove it into the center of this phenomenon.

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!

The anomaly screams and scatters.

Stakes are a very effective method for dispelling natural formulas formed in space.

“Let’s go.”

The camel moved again. I examined the flow of magic power in this place and moved forward.

Thunk!

I used telekinesis to float a stake and drove it into a twisted pool of magic power.

Thunk!

I marked each path I took like signposts.

In terrain where magic power surges this densely, my formulas don’t disappear easily either. It means the stakes will last quite a long time.

Thunk!

I create my path while climbing the mountain range.

Thunk!

Then, the mist thinned and a desolate landscape was revealed.

Dozens of old stupas were gathered together in disorder like tombstones. Dry fallen leaves scattered between them, and behind them stood a massive temple.

The temple from Moon Age Village came vaguely to mind, but this seemed like a decent place to rest.

“…Ah, my head.”

The time I’ve been walking is probably less than three hours.

But not only is the accumulated fatigue severe, the pain rising from my left knee is intense.

It’s the price for overusing magic power while driving stakes and being excessively exposed to the magic power of this environment.

Without the camel, I probably couldn’t have walked properly.

Squeak!

The fox rubbed against my feet.

“…Let’s go in.”

I entered the temple with my companions.

Right now, I need healing.

* * *

The desert oasis.

The Kang Jun-su—Kang Hyeon, Lee Jun-ho, Lee Jong-soo—party had recovered quite a bit of stamina. They had also made and put on heat-resistant suits using experience points.

“Jun-ho. Did you fill all the water?”

Kang Hyeon looked at Lee Jun-ho crouched by the oasis. There were many water containers beside him.

“Yeah. I think this will do. It’s 45L, so each of you take 15L. It’s individual portions, so drink sparingly.”

Everyone divided the water containers into their duffel bags.

“Then let’s move.”

“Wait!”

Lee Jong-soo stopped the two. He made a small flag using experience points.

│Kang Jun-su Party│

Then he attached it to Kang Hyeon’s bag, who was in the lead.

“Having something like this makes it easier to see from behind.”

Lee Jong-soo was grinning.

“To think I abandoned Dong-ha for this… well, I didn’t abandon him.”

Kim Dong-ha and Lee Jong-soo had done a comedy cross in District 3, but the moment Jong-soo spotted Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho, he turned around.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Hyeon spread out the map. Their current location was marked with a blinking light.

“This way.”

They advanced through the desert with the Kang Jun-su flag fluttering.

[Experience + 19]

[Experience + 18]

[Experience + 20]

In this great nature, experience points increase just by moving forward or enduring.

Of course, it’s minimal compared to Zone 3.

“But should we have gathered some more in Zone 3 before coming? Like Dong-ha.”

“No.”

Kang Hyeon shook his head at Jong-soo’s words.

“Why?”

“We don’t know how long this labyrinth will be maintained.”

Kang Hyeon looked back at Jong-su and Jun-ho while taking out a return ticket.

“I find this ticket itself suspicious.”

“Why the ticket?”

“…I read somewhere that labyrinths are no different from living beings. They don’t want to perish either.”

Just as Labyrinth People deceive themselves into thinking they’re real, labyrinths also desire their own continuation.

“What if this labyrinth has a time limit? Doesn’t it seem like the ticket is stalling for too much time?”

Zone 3, and the tickets too. This labyrinth has too many elements that allow explorers to settle down.

“Since we know too little about this labyrinth, we need to prepare for every possibility.”

Meanwhile, the direct sunlight intensified. The desert heat poured down madly, but fortunately they now had sufficient water.

They walked on the hot sand.

Half a day passed.

“Haa, haa…”

“…Isn’t there another shelter?”

They quickly became ragged again.

They searched for other traces that Mal-ol-haem might have left behind, but the desert was too vast. Far too vast.

“Without a mage, this is really.”

Lee Jun-ho gritted his teeth.

From now on, he’s going to slap anyone who says mages aren’t necessary. Modern party structures weren’t established for nothing.

“Let’s rest here for a bit.”

Kang Hyeon finally stopped too. The three people first used experience points to form a tent. Then they dug the surrounding sand like a pit and hastily constructed a temporary hideout by setting up a framework.

“Food first…”

They grilled and ate pork belly, then lay down.

Blocking the sunlight made them moderately sleepy.

“How many hours should we sleep?”

Lee Jong-soo asked. Kang Hyeon looked at his wristwatch and answered.

“Just 3 hours.”

“…Alright.”

All three of them closed their eyes.

─Tick.

Kang Hyeon woke up exactly three hours later and roused the other two, and they all got up with sweat-soaked bodies.

“But this place is kind of a shame to leave.”

Lee Jong-soo scratched the back of his neck while looking around the hideout.

Lee Jun-ho nodded as well.

“Right?”

If it had been a competition, they would have destroyed it. There’d be no need to do favors for other kids.

But we already received help from Seol Ha-woon. So we should show this much kindness to the next people too.

“…This way it’ll be more visible from far away too.”

They hung a flag on the ceiling of the hideout.

Kang Jun-su’s Hideout

Use as you please

They also assembled the framework more solidly and dug the pit inside a bit deeper to make it more comfortable to lie down.

“…Just in case.”

They also left an emergency bottle of water beside it.

“That’s good. Let’s go then.”

Lee Jun-ho gestured ahead with his eyes.

Kang Hyeon turned back briefly as he left the hideout.

A shelter they’d made quite well, though not as good as an oasis. Leaving behind the kindness he had received for someone else.

It doesn’t feel bad.

I understand why that guy left the camp behind.

A smile flickered at the corners of Kang Hyeon’s mouth.

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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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