Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 256
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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 256
Free(7)
Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep—
Kang Hyeon opened his eyes to the sound of the alarm. On his chest, clutched tightly in both hands, was last night’s earnings.
He had placed it near his heart in case someone might steal it.
“…Haaaam.”
He got up while yawning.
His body was quite stiff. He thought there wouldn’t be any problems with his stamina, but this completely new type of customer service work was more exhausting than training.
Following his routine, he took care of his meal first, then came out to the goshiwon corridor.
“Oh, Hyeon.”
Lee Jong-soo raised his hand while brushing his teeth.
“They say it’s chaos outside.”
“…Outside?”
Kang Hyeon peered out the corridor window.
“There’s nothing there. It is dark though. Since there’s no sun.”
“No, not that outside. Outside the Labyrinth.”
Lee Jong-soo said, waving his non-functioning smartphone.
“Why?”
“I don’t know either. I didn’t listen because I didn’t want spoilers. But they said some legendary scene from that show came out.”
“…Who said that?”
“Shin Hye noona. She watched the live broadcast yesterday and moved in right away. Don’t you have a ticket?”
“….”
Kang Hyeon was conflicted. He was getting curious about the live broadcast, but he shook his head.
“Later. I need to earn money first.”
“Hey hey hey!”
Just then, Lee Jun-ho popped out from the corner of the corridor.
“They say platform ticket prices dropped! It’s 300,000 won now?!”
“Huh? Really? They said it was several hundred thousand. Isn’t that a trap?”
Lee Jong-soo’s eyes widened.
“Nope. The platform contacted directly. Seems like they’re discounting because they have no customers.”
300,000 won. It was about a quarter of what they had expected.
“Oh~ Then we have some leeway. We can also watch the live broadcast-“
“No. That’s exactly when we should go right away.”
Kang Hyeon gripped the 200,000 won.
“If the follow-up team takes it easy, the advance team will have a harder time.”
The person who took the biggest risk burden had endured it.
So we also had the duty to follow behind as quickly as possible.
“This is eerie….”
District 5, Apartment Complex.
Yoon Hwa-rim muttered while driving the cart.
“There are three confirmed killers, so we just need to avoid them.”
Seo Ji-woo in the cart’s passenger seat kept watch around them. In case a killer might appear.
Whoooooosh-
“But Hwa-rim, the wheels are incredibly soft?”
The smoothly moving cart was quite fascinating.
“Yeah. There’s also a propulsion device underneath. So it’s amphibious.”
“Ooh~”
Yoon Hwa-rim’s cart keeps evolving day by day.
Besides the driver’s seat, a passenger seat and back seat were added, and while the cargo space got smaller, an expanded subspace was installed, and most importantly.
“Does this turret look good?”
An attack function was also added to the head section.
“How did you make it?”
The mana circuits are intricately well-woven, and it gives off a very strong vintage feeling. It’s a high-quality artifact that Seo Ji-woo’s luck would work on.
“It’s even better when you use it. The firepower is really insane… But I need to get permission later.”
“Permission?”
“Yeah. I borrowed it from Ha-woon oppa. He’ll give permission, right…?”
Yoon Hwa-rim muttered nervously.
“What if he won’t give permission even if I offer copyright fees? Should I say I’ll just die? I’m already too attached to it.”
“Come on. Is he the type of person to stop something like that….”
“Oh, wait!”
Yoon Hwa-rim stopped the cart.
Over there, between the parks in the apartment complex.
Swish— Swish—
A killer wielding a scalpel while walking appeared!
The two quickly ducked their heads.
“Never make eye contact.”
According to eyewitness accounts, the moment eyes meet, it covers 100m in 1 second. It’s dangerous even inside the cart.
“…Did it pass?”
“Don’t lift your head.”
Seo Ji-woo quickly grabbed Yoon Hwa-rim’s arm and pulled her down.
“In horror movies, people usually get caught at times like this.”
Swish— Swish—
The sound of the scalpel echoing right next to them. It gives them goosebumps.
Swish— Swish—
The rustling presence gradually moves away.
Swish— Swish—
The two let out sighs of relief.
“Phew… Oh right. Ji-woo, there’s also Bungbung Unit 2.”
“Unit 2?”
“Yeah.”
When Yoon Hwa-rim pressed a button, a small single-person cart separated from the side of the cart.
“Wow, it’s cute.”
It’s like it gave birth to a baby. The appearance is completely mini too.
“Every time I see it, some function gets added? How do you upgrade it?”
“Hehe. You just need to make the core of the formula that becomes the source well. This is called a ‘source circle,’ and if you write the source circle from the beginning considering expandability and versatility, formula upgrades become easy and compatibility increases.”
Yoon Hwa-rim, the study-abroad elite’s professional moment. She swept her hair back while being conscious of some camera somewhere.
“Ooh… That’s cool?”
“It’s basic. If you code it roughly at first, it becomes a ‘spaghetti circle’ and becomes incredibly hard to modify later.”
“…That’s not part of the school curriculum, right?”
“Yeah. It’s university-level, but Ji-woo, you probably don’t need to know it.”
For Yoon Hwa-rim, this was an effort to build a foundation.
However, Seo Ji-woo had already secured the highest-tier talent called ‘Line’.
To put it metaphorically, Yoon Hwa-rim had been cultivating the soil to grow fruit and only now planted the summoned creature called Cart, while Seo Ji-woo was already a tree that had grown enormously.
“If you don’t know your aptitude, go to university first, right? That’s exactly me. Scholar-type mage suited my disposition too.”
Yoon Hwa-rim acknowledges the talent gap between Seo Ji-woo and herself. She doesn’t feel particularly jealous. She knows the effort Ji-woo has put in.
If Seol Ha-woon lives in the library, Seo Ji-woo lives in the training room. She’s one of the top combat-type mages among her peers.
“Oh right. But you watched this episode’s broadcast too, didn’t you Ji-woo?”
“…Yeah. I watched it.”
Seo Ji-woo suddenly became gloomy.
The replica Seol Ha-woon. The sequence of the fake Seol Ha-woon that pierced through the entire world.
“He was just like Ha-woon oppa.”
Glass cannon. Battlefield mage.
The most representative nickname being called in mage communities these days is purist.
“Even if he’s a Labyrinth Person, he’s still Ha-woon oppa, right?”
“…I suppose so.”
Watching Seol Ha-woon’s choice, Seo Ji-woo thought of Seo Ji-hyuk.
Was her brother’s decision similar to Bok Mal-ol’s?
“I can’t imagine it, I can’t imagine….”
Yoon Hwa-rim glanced at Seo Ji-woo’s expression and stopped talking.
Seo Ji-woo briefly thought about Gustav. She thought about the desert, Seo Ji-hyuk’s final mission.
She had done her own investigation. Though there were limits to personal information gathering, she had found quite a good means this time.
“Hwa-rim. Do you know AroRoyal?”
“…Arrrrrr?”
“No. AroRoyal.”
“Ah~ AstroAl?”
“Ah, right. AstroAl.”
“I know~ My dad got an invitation. But I have to go wait in person for membership.”
“…Really?”
Enviable. Yoon Hwa-rim’s father is a famous businessman, and her mother is a high-ranker mage.
Seo Ji-woo scratched her cheek and muttered.
“The owner there is a mechanical penguin, and they say it’ll do anything if you pay.”
“Really? Ji-woo, should I ask about yours too?”
“…I’d be grateful if you would. For now, let’s split up here. You take him with you.”
Seo Ji-woo pointed to Im Hae-jun in the back seat. He was sprawled out sleeping at some point.
“Okay~”
“Alright. See you later.”
Seo Ji-woo got off the cart and transferred to the single-person Unit 2.
“Hwa-rim. How do I move this thing?”
“It’s the same as driving, but try putting your fingerprint there.”
“It has fingerprint recognition too?”
“Of course. There are lots of good standard spells these days~”
Whirr. When she injected mana, it glowed blue in the shape of a fingerprint.
Amazing. Should I learn some spells like this too?
“I’m going.”
“Okay~ Let’s communicate through the radio there~”
Seo Ji-woo attached a mana lamp she made to the ceiling of Unit 2.
This wasn’t a simple light emission spell but a transistor implemented with mana.
Seo Ji-woo’s talent is ‘Line’, and electrical circuits are ultimately collections of minute lines.
She had woven a kind of mana semiconductor that amplifies and maintains light with an extremely small amount of mana….
Vroooom.
Driving skillfully with one hand, she rested her other hand on her chin.
“Hmm….”
Seol Ha-woon keeps coming to mind.
He’s definitely hiding something. He knows much more information beyond just the desert’s inside story.
But….
Seo Ji-woo took out an old letter from her pocket.
Paper worn at the corners from reading it over and over. If she thinks the friend written in this sentence is Seol Ha-woon, then her brother’s feelings toward him are like this.
‘The most trustworthy person’.
Seo Ji-hyuk trusted Seol Ha-woon and Seol Ha-woon trusted Seo Ji-hyuk.
Since her brother did, she had to as well.
“…Huh? Money.”
Then she spotted money outside the window.
Whoosh! Seo Ji-woo stretched out her hand like Spider-Man. A line flew out and snatched the bill that had fallen on the street.
After driving a bit more like that.
“Oh? Money.”
She found money.
“Oh? Money.”
She found it again.
“Oh? Money.”
She found it yet again.
During the drive of just over 2 hours, Seo Ji-woo picked up a whopping 200,000 won.
Camel Building
The explorers gathered in front of the goshiwon. Seo Ji-woo, who was like the leader, looked around at them.
“So… we’re going like this?”
The party members who collected 300,000 won totaled 7 people including Seo Ji-woo, Yoon Hwa-rim, Kate, Im Hae-jun, Kang Hyeon, Lee Jun-ho, and Lee Jong-soo.
The scale had grown quite large.
“…But what are you, some kart racer?”
Lee Jun-ho looked down at Seo Ji-woo sitting snugly in Unit 2 like a game character and let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s Vroom-vroom Unit 2.”
Though smaller than a bicycle, its specs are outstanding.
“Alright. Follow me. I’ll take the lead.”
Seo Ji-woo is trustworthy. In a situation where they don’t know what’s ahead, at least they won’t fall into traps.
Vroooom-
Unit 2 moved forward while considering the party members’ speed, passing apartments and the main street.
“There it is!”
Seo Ji-woo pointed her finger. There was a bus stop on the side of the highway.
“Huh? The bus stop is better made than I expected?”
“Jun-ho. I smell Ha-woon hyung’s mana.”
“…What are you, a bloodhound?”
They all moved to the bus stop. They discovered a booklet placed on the chair.
Airport Bus 3333 to Platform
AIRPORT LIMOUSINE
This is an airport bus that will comfortably guide passengers to the Platform.
However, please be careful. The real bus is only Airport Bus 3333 to Platform. The fake buses are also very sophisticated, so please remember only Airport Bus 3333 to Platform.
There’s a murderer on the fake buses. Be careful. The only way to avoid him is to not board the wrong bus.
“Bus 3333…”
Just as Seo Ji-woo was muttering,
Vrooooom-
A bus came rolling in. They thoroughly examined the bus’s exterior.
Seo Ji-woo chuckled.
“…No, this is too obvious. It’s bus 4444.”
Airport Bus 4444 to Platform
AIRPORT LIMOUSINE
Bus 4444. This one’s a pass.
Vrooooom-
The next bus wasn’t AIRPORT but AIRPROT, and the one after that wasn’t an airport bus but a panic bus.
After passing about four buses like that,
“It’s here!”
Airport Bus 3333 to Platform
AIRPORT LIMOUSINE
The original had arrived. Everyone got on the bus and took their seats.
“We’ll be departing now. Have a pleasant trip, everyone.”
“Yes!”
Vrooooom-
The bus driver’s driving was comfortable.
Whoooosh-
The quiet engine sound, the sound of running smoothly on the asphalt road.
Everyone quietly fell asleep.
When they opened their eyes, they were at the platform.
“Let’s go.”
The party all got off the bus together.
“At least it’s not scary with so many people around.”
Im Hae-jun said with a bright smile.
“That’s why the more party members the better-“
Whoosh! Seo Ji-woo quickly extended a line and caught Im Hae-jun’s ankle.
“Aaaahhhhh─! Ahhh! There’s something here, something here! Ahhh! Sis! Aaaahhhhh───!”
They arrived at the ticket office. Kang Hyeon knocked on the glass window first.
“Excuse me, how much are the tick-“
“Not there, over here.”
Someone else called them from the side. Everyone turned to look. A man was standing there.
“Nice to meet you. I’m called Ilron.”
“…Yes?”
“Our tickets are 300,000 won.”
The party members naturally became suspicious, but Ilron chuckled and pointed to the ticket office.
“Look at the staff member. Do they inspire confidence?”
Whoosh. Everyone’s heads turned toward the ticket office.
The staff member had no face.
“Eek, an egg ghost!”
Im Hae-jun burst out shouting, then quickly bowed his head.
“Ah, sorry. I was so startled, since you don’t have a face… Were you originally without one?”
“…Perhaps.”
Ilron, who had been blankly watching their behavior, suddenly asked.
“Are you acquaintances of Mr. Seol Ha-woon?”
Their gazes turned back to Ilron.
Im Hae-jun quickly asked back.
“You know Seol Ha-woon? Don’t tell me, did you watch the live broadcast?!”
“Live broadcast? I’m not sure what that means, but he was a great help. Please follow me.”
Seol Ha-woon. The sense of security and trust those three syllables provide is quite high.
First of all, the probability that someone using Seol Ha-woon’s name is a villain is very low.
If they were a villain, Seol Ha-woon would have already…
The rest goes without saying.
The party members paid for their tickets and boarded the train. The interior looked like a freight car, but their suspicions were instantly dispelled.
Thanks to the children.
“Hello~”
When Yoon Hwa-rim waved her hand, they giggled.
There are so many cute little ones. They’re carefree and laugh easily. If someone raises children like this, you can’t help but trust them.
Ilron said.
“Please sit and wait. I’ll let you know when we arrive…”
Clatter- clatter-
Clatter- clatter-
After several hours of travel, the train arrived at the platform.
“This is it. You can go out through there. We don’t know what’s beyond this point either, so please be careful.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“We should be thanking you. The amount you paid will be used for train development.”
“Ah~ Yes!”
Everyone got off the train.
A platform with no one around. They went out through the exit together.
“…Huh?”
They looked ahead.
An endless sea spread out under the gray sky. Countless warship wreckage floating on it. A breakwater and sandy beach stretching long as if to greet them.
Zone 6: Battlefield
The name of the sixth zone appeared.
These are fierce waves of history that individuals cannot resist.
Survive and escape.
“Escape?”
The moment someone muttered that.
Kwaaaaah—-!
Artillery shells poured down from the sky.
“Scatter!”
The party quickly dispersed. Seo Ji-woo stamped her feet and looked back toward the platform, but the platform had already disappeared.
Kwaaaaaa——!
Successive waves of air strikes and the engine sounds of fighter jets tearing through the atmosphere.
Bang, bang bang bang bang——!
Countless gunshots echoing everywhere.
It was a battlefield.
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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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