Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 242

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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 242

Dangerously(8)

I got up from my seat and followed the man and woman. My curiosity was piqued.

“Why did you board this train? Oh, my name is Jane.”

The woman asked as we walked down the corridor.

I answered briefly.

“To get to Zone 6.”

“…Pfft.”

Jane chuckled. I frowned.

“Why are you laughing?”

“This train doesn’t go to Zone 6.”

The man answered instead. His tone carried deep fatigue.

“I’m Ilron.”

“What do you mean the train doesn’t go to Zone 6?”

“After being on this train for 3 years, you naturally come to know. For now, come this way. We’re also looking for that method.”

Ilron stopped in front of a door. It was a space with a nameplate that read [Freight Car].

He knocked with a peculiar pattern.

Knock knock. Knock. Knock knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock knock.

Then the door opened from inside. First came warmth and noise completely different from the silence outside.

There were many people inside. They had complete faces, not eggs.

“Oh, looks like a newcomer? It’s been quite a while.”

Everyone looked at me with curious expressions.

It wasn’t a simple freight car.

A massive dwelling made by tearing out and connecting several train cars. The walls were messily covered with train parts, blueprints, and maps showing the movement routes of the ‘eggs’.

In one corner, children seemed to be sitting together listening to lessons, while cooking was in full swing on the other side.

“This is the freight car. This place is the humans’ space.”

Ilron said.

“We hide from the eggs here and research ways to get off this train.”

So ‘eggs’ must be the official name after all.

“Are the eggs dangerous?”

“Yes. Eggs turn people into eggs. They start moving when night falls.”

“What’s the exact definition of night?”

“From 6 PM to 6 AM. For 12 hours, they roam the train to increase their own kind. We’re fighting against them by gradually expanding this freight car space.”

Listening to their explanation, I asked the most fundamental question.

“Can’t you just get off when the platform stops?”

Ilron smiled somewhat sharply.

“So we should earn another 2 million won in Zone 5? We came here to reach the end of this maze. We can’t retreat.”

The people who made it this far seem to have a strong desire to clear the maze itself.

“Then what about the children?”

“…They’re the natural result of love. They started appearing one by one after our population exceeded a hundred. This freight car has been a society for over ten years.”

Ilron guided me to what looked like a command room.

“Please come in.”

It was a familiar space to me. Field tents were exactly like this.

“First, your name?”

“Seol Ha-woon.”

“Yes. Mr. Seol Ha-woon, please check the validity period of your ticket.”

The validity period was 72 hours after issuance.

“During that time, the eggs probably won’t be able to touch you… but since you seem to have the same goal as us, may we ask for your help?”

“Tell me what kind of help first.”

“Yes. We’ve already secured the route information for this train. It only repeats circulation. It never reaches its destination.”

Ilron spread out a map and pointed to a specific part with his finger.

“The ‘railroad switch’ is the problem.”

There was a fork in the road at a specific part of the train’s tracks.

“We need to change tracks at this fork to reach our destination. So, we’re planning to separate the freight car from this train at the junction.”

* * *

The Reincarnation Gate opens…

Time remaining 334 : 17 : 19

Thu—du—du—du—-!

Mana stakes rushing from the turret pierce through the monsters.

Thu—da—da—da—-!

The sound is refreshing. The destructive power is tremendous. The stakes tear through the monsters’ outer shells like paper and penetrate through the ones behind them. It literally shatters flesh.

“This is insane.”

Kim Woo-hyeon kept exclaiming in admiration while operating the turret. Seol Ha-woon had made some kind of tank. They say he’s a battlefield mage, and his combat power really is tremendous.

“Wow! Woo-hyeon, this is really good?!”

Yoon Hwa-rim also shouted while firing the turret right next to him.

Thududududu───-!

Kim Woo-hyeon’s turret shot out in long bursts, but Yoon Hwa-rim’s fired in small bursts like a machine gun.

It even reflected the user’s mana properties.

“At this level, it’s almost an artifact.”

Yoon Hwa-rim smiled brightly. Not just the power, but the control felt so good.

Kudddddddeuk─-!

Just then, Ryu Yeon-hwa’s wind came rushing in. As he waved his hand, a tremendous airflow collapsed the ground like a blade. The monsters on top fell underground.

Yoon Hwa-rim said to him.

“Mr. Ryu! You use the turret too if you’re low on mana!”

“…I’m still fine.”

Thus, there was mage support on top of the castle wall, while more direct combat unfolded below the castle wall.

Shwaeaeaeaek──-!

The broadsword cuts down the charging monsters. Kang Hyeon moves at high speed, slicing through space.

Shwiiiik──-!

With one sword strike, the necks of three or four monsters fell, and Kang Hyeon slid past the pouring blood and flesh while approaching his next target.

There was no waste in his concise movements. Clean like a butterfly. It was swordplay that was even elegant at first glance.

Kwaaaaaa──-!

In contrast, Lee Jun-ho’s movements were large. His long sword soared as if to reach the sky, smashing the monsters.

“Hup!”

Half-moon curves, pulling cuts that crushed an entire area, pushing strikes that shattered enemies’ bodies….

Lee Jun-ho’s long sword gracefully executed such destructive sword techniques.

Because those two were perfect swords, Lee Jong-soo gladly took on the role of shield.

“Keu──-!”

He blocked the castle gate. He took the wave of rushing monsters with his whole body. The muscles of his entire body swelled hard with mana, and his roar echoed across the battlefield.

Kerrrrrr──-! Grrrrrrrrrr───-!

The monsters tried to climb over the wall, but the mana inherent in the castle wall itself made them slip. They repeated climbing up and falling down. It was a defensive spell that Seol Ha-woon had planted in advance.

However, their numbers showed no sign of decreasing. From the darkness of the forest, new monsters kept crawling out endlessly.

“Not much left!”

At Kang Hyeon’s shout, everyone checked the time. Lee Jun-ho looked at the timer displayed above the gate and yelled loudly.

“There’s still 200 minutes left! What do you mean not much left!”

“Ah, seriously Kang Hyeon, why are you like this!”

Too much encouragement actually lowers morale.

“…Sorry.”

Kang Hyeon swung his sword while reading his teammates’ expressions.

Shwaeaeaeaek-!

His sword cuts down the monsters. Their numbers are countless, but it’s truly fortunate that we have mages.

Kwa─da─da─da─!

The turret spits fire without rest, and Woo-hyeon’s buff makes his body feel light.

Jun-ho is right.

A mage is essential for any party.

Whiiiiiii──-!

Ryu Yeon-hwa created a whirlwind, lifting the monsters on the other side into the air. Yoon Hwa-rim added a guided missile function to increase the turret’s accuracy.

“Upgrade complete!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yoon Hwa-rim’s stakes curved cleverly, capturing and killing the monsters.

As time passed, the battle became a war of attrition.

A fight between tireless monsters and explorers with limited stamina.

“Kang Hyeon! Jun-ho! Don’t go too far forward!”

Lee Jong-soo shouted from the castle gate entrance.

“We need to fight with our backs to the fortress! Let’s make the most of it!”

Fortunately, the explorers have a fortress. This temple that Seol Ha-woon left behind is not just a simple barrier. It’s a base that alleviates stamina consumption, a psychological support, and a geographical advantage.

Tang—! Tang—! Tang—!

Watching the turret’s artillery fire, the warrior and swordsman retreated momentarily.

“…There are damn too many of them.”

“Still, it’s manageable.”

Kang Hyeon gripped his sword and smiled faintly.

“That’s right. Je Mal-ol left us something really good.”

Lee Jun-ho swung his long sword with a whoosh! The monsters’ blood on the blade scattered in the moonlight.

* * *

I continued alone on the train. As they said, when 6 PM came, the eggs began moving from their positions.

─Can you hear me.

Jane’s voice echoed from the radio.

“Yes.”

─Yes. Please continue moving forward for now.

Just then, an egg conductor approached. He asked me for my ticket, and I showed it to him.

“Have a good trip. 64 hours remaining.”

64 hours. That’s the valid time for the ticket.

I wonder how he makes a voice when he has no mouth.

─By the way, Ha-woon. Aren’t you curious about how the murderer appears?

“I think I have a rough idea.”

─Oh. What do you think?

“Experience points.”

I heard Jane’s breath catch slightly from the other side of the radio.

“A being that invested more experience points in themselves than they could handle.”

Simply put, it’s qi deviation.

Qi deviation ‘demon’, and murderous ‘demon’.

─Ooh~ We were expecting the same thing. You’re smart.

I walked down the corridor in silence. Then I stopped in front of a vending machine.

─What are you doing?

“….”

─Yes?

“By any chance, are there no problems with the items sold here?”

─Uh… No. There are no problems. Actually, we get our food supplies from the train too.

No problems. Indeed, even checking with the sequence’s eyes, there seem to be no issues.

I inserted bills into the vending machine. Thunk. I picked up the item that came out of the dispensing slot.

─Is there something you want to buy?

“I bought it.”

I unwrapped the ice cream.

“Let’s continue.”

Tap. Tap.

I move through this train with one hand holding my walking stick and the other eating ice cream.

─Yes. The dining hall will appear soon, so be careful. The way the eggs eat is quite disgusting…

* * *

Time remaining 64 : 17 : 19

The fortress had become a battlefield.

Kang Hyeon precisely pierced only the monsters’ vital points, and Lee Jun-ho stood on a pile of corpses, cutting down the necks of approaching ones. Lee Jong-soo’s shoulders guarding the castle gate were already covered in blood and dust.

Everyone had become noticeably duller compared to the beginning.

“…Tsk.”

Ryu Yeon-hwa clicked his tongue and gripped the turret. The wind blades he created had now lost their initial power.

With little magic power remaining, it’s more efficient to use it refined through the turret.

Thung… Thung… Thung…!

The firing intervals of the turrets controlled by Yoon Hwa-rim and Kim Woo-hyeon had also noticeably lengthened.

“3 minutes!”

Lee Jun-ho shouted. As if his voice was a signal, the monsters’ offensive intensified. They tried to leap over the castle wall using their own kind’s corpses as stepping stones.

“Block them!”

Kang Hyeon swung his sword, cutting them down in mid-air. Flesh and organs poured down like rain.

“2 minutes!”

Kuuuung─!

At some point, a giant monster appeared and rammed with its entire body.

“Kuheoeoek!”

Lee Jong-soo held out from inside the castle gate, but he too seemed to have reached his limit as his limbs trembled.

“1 minute!”

Some of the monsters finally crossed over the castle wall.

Kraaaaaaa! Kyaaaaaaa!

They rushed toward the Reincarnation Gate.

00 : 00 : 15

Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho hurriedly returned inside and blocked their path.

They swung their swords, blocking the claws and teeth of those trying to destroy the gate from all directions.

Charrrrrreuk!

The sword blades cut through the monsters.

Their stamina was completely exhausted.

“…Ha.”

Lee Jun-ho’s face contorted. Kang Hyeon shed sweat mixed with blood and knelt on one knee.

“Time…”

00 : 00 : 02

00 : 00 : 01

00 : 00 : 00

Then, all sounds in the world stopped.

The monsters that had been rushing toward them stood still in place.

Srrrrr…

They began to scatter and disappear like dust. Like ash rustling in the wind.

“….”

In the quiet silence, the explorers stared blankly at the now empty temple courtyard.

The Reincarnation Gate.

The gate that had been firmly closed all this time slowly opened with a creaking sound.

“…This is tough.”

Lee Jong-soo slumped down on the spot and muttered.

Yoon Hwa-rim swept back her sweat-soaked hair.

“How did Malolham do this alone?”

“…That guy specializes in this.”

Lee Jun-ho said that, but he was still incredulous.

No, fuck, he really did this all by himself?

[Opening the Reincarnation Gate.]

Sunset light came streaming through from beyond the door.

“Phew… it’s really over.”

“…Can we go in?”

Beyond the Reincarnation Gate was actually dark. Nothing could be seen from outside.

[The Reincarnation Gate will close in 30 minutes.]

“30 minutes… Ah. But I want to take one of these turrets. That won’t work, right?”

Yoon Hwa-rim licked her lips while looking at the turret on the castle wall.

“It would be amazing if I attached it to my cart…”

Yoon Hwa-rim looked back and forth between her cart and the turret. The cart that was once a trauma had now become part of her mental visualization.

In other words, Yoon Hwa-rim’s cart had become a ‘summoned creature’ she could command at any time.

“Hmmmm…”

But thinking of the next explorers to come, the turrets should be preserved too. She’d have to get permission from Seol Ha-woon as well.

“Hwa-rim noona. This one’s broken.”

Kim Woo-hyeon pointed to the turret he had used.

“This much should be okay, right?”

One out of six turrets.

“Ummmm…”

Right, thinking about it, taking one wouldn’t cause any loss in combat power.

We only used exactly three of them anyway.

“…Alright. Let’s take it. I’ll tell Ha-woon oppa later.”

She detached the turret and mounted it on the head of her cart. The turret itself was broken, but Yoon Hwa-rim had quite a talent for this kind of analysis and repair.

Probably circuit overload from magic power overuse.

“…I was thinking about offensive functions.”

This is the perfect weapon. I’ll definitely install it even if I have to borrow from Jemallot.

“Guys. Everyone load your stuff on the cart!”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Everyone loaded their bags onto Yoon Hwa-rim’s cart.

“Let’s go in.”

Entering the Reincarnation Gate!

Text appeared before their eyes.

5th District

DEATH OR ALIVE

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————