Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 262
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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 262
Reminiscence(2)
Flutter.
Seo Ji-woo tore off the September page of the calendar with a hollow laugh.
“Wow… a whole month really passed.”
Before they knew it, it had become October. The sky outside the window was dyed in autumn colors, and the chilly wind made them put on outer clothes.
“Time flies so fast.”
She muttered as she came outside.
This was a boarding house. The detached house had quite a few empty rooms, so four explorers—Seo Ji-woo, Im Hae-jun, Lee Jong-soo, and Lee Jun-ho—were living together.
“Oh, you’re up early?”
Seo Ji-woo spotted Im Hae-jun. He had just woken up, his eyes in a =_= state as he put on his socks.
“…The boss is coming early today.”
Everyone had gotten jobs. Im Hae-jun at the ironware shop, Kang Hyeon farming, Seo Ji-woo and Kate as miners.
They had to earn money to survive. They couldn’t resort to robbery.
Im Hae-jun yawned and asked.
“Haaaaam. Noona, what do you think though, really. If it’s been like this for a month, honestly shouldn’t the production team contact us? Send us back! Send us baaaaaack!”
“Wipe your eye boogers first, you fool.”
“…Ah.”
Im Hae-jun rubbed his eyes and stood up.
“Anyway, I’m going.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
Im Hae-jun walked through the alley with familiarity. It had been his commute route for the past two weeks.
│Seol Hardware Store│
Seol Hardware Store. An abbreviation of Seol Ha-woon Ironware Shop. Just the kind of naming sense typical of that guy.
“I’m here for work~”
Im Hae-jun opened the door.
“You’re here.”
Seol Ha-woon greeted him.
“Yes, boss.”
“Just dismantle everything in the back yard. They’re things brought in from the town center.”
“Yes~”
The town center existed. The village residents could freely come and go, but the explorers couldn’t leave this place. Because of the ‘distortion of existence’ felt at the village boundary.
“Let’s see.”
Im Hae-jun went out to the back yard. There was a car.
A scrapped car, whether it was a Tico or Taco.
“…Looks like a drama prop.”
Reply 1997 or Reply 1988. It was something you’d only see in dramas set in the old days.
Im Hae-jun picked up his tools.
Clatter. Clatter. Thud. Thud. Bang! Bang!
He sweated profusely dismantling the car until noon.
“Boss, I’m done!”
Seol Ha-woon came out. He glanced over and nodded with satisfaction.
“Now deliver all the raw materials loaded on the handcart to Back Mountain. They’re made with magic stones, so be careful.”
“…Yes.”
─Hey, Mr. Seol!
Just then, a customer arrived. Seol Ha-woon walked over with a limp, leaning on his walking stick.
Im Hae-jun pulled the prepared handcart like an ox.
“Ugh, so heavy… Jong-su hyung should be doing this kind of work.”
He was about to go up the mountain road when.
Beep!
“Ah!”
A horn sounded at the roadside.
“Hae-jun looks busy~”
“…You scared me.”
It was Yoon Hwa-rim in the cart. She lifted her sunglasses with her finger and smiled.
“Want to ride Yoon Taxi?”
“You’re going to charge me.”
Yoon Hwa-rim had become a taxi driver. This village wasn’t incredibly large, but there were still various places to go, so she charged money to give people rides.
“I’ll give you a free ride just for today. I made a lot of money~”
“Oh yeah!”
Im Hae-jun put down the handcart and got in the passenger seat.
“I got oil on me, is it okay to sit?”
“It has an automatic cleaning function installed.”
“Oh! As expected of Yoon Hwa-rim…”
A hook that came out from the back of the cart caught the handcart.
“Let’s go~!”
Vroooom——
The two arrived at Back Mountain.
“You’re here.”
The explorers were already gathered. Kate, Lee Jong-soo, Lee Jun-ho, Kang Hyeon. They were all building a large watchtower based on the formula blueprints invented by Seol Ha-woon.
“Take one each.”
Everyone picked up steel frames made of magic stone components from Im Hae-jun’s handcart.
“Hyung. What should I do?”
Im Hae-jun wiggled his fingers.
“Hae-jun. You just hold the ladder. Don’t do anything else, just hold the ladder.”
That was Kang Hyeon’s answer.
As they focused on their work, the day eventually grew dark, and work supervisor Kate glanced at her analog wristwatch.
“Shall we head down now? We’ll do the rest of the work tomorrow.”
The ‘time’ had come.
“Sounds good.”
“Let’s hurry down.”
The explorers who agreed came down to the boarding house together. As if by appointment, they gathered in front of the TV.
“It’s starting!”
Lovers in Paris
The hottest drama of this time slot.
─That man is my person. That man is my boyfriend, why can’t I say it…
The moment when a legendary line that would go down in history was delivered.
The explorers were extremely immersed in the drama’s protagonists.
November
I ran a hardware store. I repaired bicycles and cars, made and sold artifacts, and studied formulas.
However, since I had no materials to research, I looked within myself. I further materialized the theories and concepts I had learned while exploring new possibilities.
If I had to express it, it was ‘magical meditation.’
“Hyung.”
One day, Kang Hyeon came to visit Seol Hardware Store. Covered in dust, he smiled brightly and asked me.
“Hyung, are you okay here?”
“Not bad. How about you?”
“I don’t know. I can just exist without thinking about anything… though aging is a bit of a flaw.”
“You won’t age. Probably.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know the details yet. But I’ll explain when I figure it out.”
I looked at Kang Hyeon. He was immersed in daily life. He seemed somewhat comfortable, temporarily freed from the routine he had probably maintained his entire life.
“…Okay. Please let me know later. Well, I’ll go harvesting. The rice has grown beautifully. Come take a look later, hyung.”
However, I still don’t know Kang Hyeon. What kind of person he is, or what he thinks. He’s one of the few beings I can’t see through even with Sequence.
“…Yeah. I’ll come take a look later.”
That’s why I’m curious about you.
December
Crunch crunch. Winter with falling snow. We all clearly realized we were ‘trapped,’ and I started additional businesses.
“…Seol Fish Bread?”
Seo Ji-woo looked at the sign placed next to the hardware store and let out a hollow laugh.
“Why is your naming sense like this? Seol Hardware Store was tolerable, but this…”
“Everyone except you says it’s good.”
“How funny…”
Seo Ji-woo sniffed, smelling the fish-shaped pastry.
“Give me 3.”
“Don’t speak informally.”
“Don’t you have cream-filled ones?”
“Cream-filled?”
Just then, Lee Jun-ho appeared from the side.
“Fish-shaped pastries are fundamentally about red bean filling. Don’t you have any fundamentals?”
It was Lee Jun-ho. Lee Jong-soo and Kang Hyeon were with him too. Behind them was Kate riding in Yoon Hwa-rim’s cart.
I had called everyone together.
“Come inside.”
The explorers sat around inside the hardware store. Lee Jong-soo, Lee Jun-ho, Kang Hyeon, Kate, Im Hae-jun, Seo Ji-woo, Yoon Hwa-rim, and me.
A total of eight people trapped here.
“…Honestly, this is pretty shitty.”
Lee Jun-ho spoke first. It was a perfectly understandable statement.
“We’ve been stuck here for three months already, unable to get out, and we haven’t even seen a trace of the meteor… I’m starting to think we’ll grow old and die here.”
I shook my head.
“From what I estimate… no, what I’m certain of, the time flowing in this place won’t affect our aging.”
Kate nodded at those words. She too seemed to have sensed some strangeness like me.
“Before, there was a labyrinth where the flow of time was different from the outside.”
A labyrinth where just one month was stretched into hundreds, thousands of years.
The victims had their minds deteriorate while their bodies remained intact.
“The magic power here doesn’t affect us. Simply put, we’re beings separated from this space. That’s probably why there’s no contact from outside. Time isn’t flowing the same way for the outside world as it is for us.
The magic power of this village has different properties in terms of emission, convergence, movement, and currents compared to the original world.
“The purpose and hints are still related to the meteor.”
All the materials say that the meteor will come to this village again. I don’t know when that will be yet…
“Until then, just have as much fun as possible.”
This is all I can tell them.
“Time. Don’t let time destroy you.”
The explorers quietly listened to my words. I scanned their faces one by one.
“…Are you done?”
Kate suddenly asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then. I have things left to do.”
She got up first and left, and Lee Jun-ho asked as if something had occurred to him.
“Hyung, but I heard the theater that opened this time is yours?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
I had directly built a movie theater in this village.
“Whoa, really? The one that appeared on the main street? How?”
Seo Ji-woo asked with a surprised face.
“We can’t bring in outside culture, but the village residents can. I hired residents and had them negotiate.”
I made money from Seol Hardware Store.
Seol Hardware Store was actually a general store. I sold not only hardware but also items imbued with my formulas – bathroom slippers that hardly slip, kitchen knives that don’t dull, firewood that burns for dozens of hours once lit – to outside the village, and used that money to establish the theater.
“Oho… but why bother?”
“I told you. Spend time as enjoyably as possible.”
Expanding infrastructure would help pass the time.
“What movies did you bring in?”
“Lord of the Rings. Once Upon a Time in High School. Taegukgi…”
This labyrinth isn’t much different from the past of reality. Broadly speaking, it’s a parallel world, but very limited in that we can’t go far.
Anyway.
That’s why I plan to distribute only successful works.
January
I climbed the mountain road leaning on my walking stick. At the place where the meteor had fallen, a proper watchtower had now been erected.
“Ji-woo. At this level, couldn’t we intercept the meteor when it falls?”
“I wonder? I can’t predict the firepower.”
I heard the conversation between Seo Ji-woo and Yoon Hwa-rim first.
Today was the regular meeting day that happened once every two weeks. Seven explorers were gathered below the watchtower I had built.
“Oh! The boss is here.”
Im Hae-jun pointed at me and laughed.
What we do when gathered is simple. Simulation of intercepting the meteor.
I installed eight magic power pads on the watchtower that supply magic power.
If each person places their palm on one pad and channels magic power into it, the watchtower will fuse everything and emit it outward.
An Armageddon to destroy the meteor.
“Let’s go right away. Take your positions.”
At my single word, everyone moved as promised.
February
“…Wow. It really is MacDeria.”
A new restaurant opened in the village. Lee Jun-ho looked at the sign and let out a hollow laugh.
McTTERIA
“It’s hyung again, isn’t it?”
Lee Jun-ho looked back at me.
“No. It’s not me this time.”
“It’s me.”
A familiar voice. It’s Kate.
At some point, she had quit being a miner and transformed into a self-employed business owner.
“According to my research, this is the commercial district with the best foot traffic.”
“Pfft. How thick could the foot traffic be in this tiny speck of a village.”
Kate responded to Lee Jun-ho’s mockery with a snort.
“The population is 3,000, but the floating population is larger than that. If you don’t know, stay quiet.”
“Ah, yes. I hope your business does well. Praying with both hands together. Like an Instagram DM.”
“You’re noisy.”
I gave Lee Jun-ho a look.
“Do something about Lee Jong-soo.”
Lee Jong-soo is having a fling with an elementary school teacher. It’s the most dangerous thing he could do.
“Hmm… I doubt it’ll work. You said it yourself, hyung. To have fun.”
“Still, he needs to keep boundaries… Don’t tell me you too?”
My brow naturally furrowed. Lee Jun-ho waved his hands dismissively.
“Are you crazy? I’m not the type who can’t distinguish between work and personal matters…”
March
Just in case, I built an airplane. It was a light aircraft made from magic stones.
“Wooooooooah!!”
For the test flight, I took Yoon Hwa-rim in the back seat.
The cart and airplane felt somewhat similar, so I just tried taking her for a ride.
“Wooooooooah!!”
What a commotion this is.
My ears are killing me.
“We’re going down now.”
“Wooooooooah!!”
Vrrrrrrrr- Vrrrrrrrr-
The propeller spins like crazy, and whoooosh. The landing is successful.
“Woooah! Oppa! That’s really amazing! Can I take this apart?!”
“Why would you take apart something I worked hard to make.”
“Oh.”
“Just use it to get around.”
I rubbed my knees.
Airplanes really aren’t good for the knees. Because of the pressure difference.
“…Ah! Then how about a light aircraft business? You do a lot of business, oppa!”
“Light aircraft?”
“Yes! There used to be variety shows where they charged money to take people on light aircraft rides. I think that would make a lot of money!”
“…Then you do it. I’ll leave it entirely to you. You manage it too, and the money you earn will be your income.”
Anyway, the airplane needs to be flown regularly to be maintained.
“Oh! So I become the boss?!”
I shook my head.
“No. Store manager.”
April
I expanded the network facilities in this village. I brought in multiple computers and opened a PC cafe, but side effects occurred.
At some point, Im Hae-jun stopped coming to work.
That bastard who suddenly disappeared without saying anything…
“Ah, this is really annoying. He’s using so many cheap tricks. Just keeps running Vultures non-stop.”
He was at the PC cafe.
The monitor was filled with some game where aliens were fighting.
“What’s this bastard’s nickname. BoxeR… What is he, some boxing champion?”
“Hey you bastard. Do you know who you’re calling bastard?”
I smacked Im Hae-jun on the head.
“Ahhh!”
Im Hae-jun screamed and turned around.
“Ah, who the…”
“Why aren’t you coming to work.”
“Huk.”
Then his face turns deathly pale. Looking back and forth between the computer monitor and me, scratching his disheveled hair.
“Uh… Master, there’s something amazing, you know, look at this! We can’t go outside, but through this internet, things outside are progressing so smoothly? It’s like I became a regressor! Did you see this general election? The election-“
“Come out.”
I grabbed Im Hae-jun by the ear.
“No, wait wait, just one more game… Ahhh!”
May
The calendar pages fall one by one. Page by page, time flows and before I know it, it’s become May.
June
Obongri.
That was the village’s name.
Surprisingly, I only learned the village’s name after being here for almost 10 months.
July
Obongri’s population increased. New people kept flowing in from somewhere, and Seol Hardware Store also developed day by day, building a taller commercial building in its place.
The MacDeria building across the street—Kate must have had good business sense too, as she opened a second branch.
“…”
I watched the people coming and going on Main Street and looked at my wristwatch.
Tick. Tock.
The wriggling second hand. Within it, I discovered a somewhat dulled version of myself.
I suddenly had this thought.
Indeed, humanity’s greatest enemy is time.
Kang Hyeon sat in the bookstore looking out the window. Outside, a small sign was placed.
Novel 【The Sky is Clear】 Published
Author: Kang Hyeon
Then he spotted a familiar person.
“Oh!”
Kang Hyeon left the bookstore and waved his hand.
“Jun-ho! Going to work?”
Lee Jun-ho. He had now become a proper instructor at the dojo.
“Oh. Hey, I envy you. Are the books selling well?”
“Well… so-so.”
These days I interact with the villagers more often than with explorers. So it’s nice to meet them occasionally.
“I wonder if this is what getting old feels like.”
Then Lee Jun-ho chuckled.
“Hey, don’t say stuff like that. I’m only believing in what Ha-woon hyung said right now. Really, what if I actually age? Then I’ll sue you the moment I get out. My precious twenties right now-“
“Oh! It’s Master!”
Suddenly children came running toward Lee Jun-ho.
“Ah, geez.”
At that moment Lee Jun-ho frowned with a disgusted expression, but there was definitely a smile floating on his lips.
“Master~”
“Masterrrrrr!!!”
“Ugh, so noisy. Hey, I’m going.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
Lee Jun-ho left for the dojo almost surrounded by the children.
Kang Hyeon watched his retreating figure and quietly muttered.
“It’s all probably fake…”
He looked at the books he had written, piled up in one corner of the bookstore.
The novels he had written earnestly didn’t sell much.
Maybe it was because he lacked talent.
It was disappointing, but still, it was good for meditation and organizing his thoughts. Let’s consider this labyrinth a decent vacation.
Kang Hyeon bought ice cream from the nearby supermarket. Then he noticed a calendar stuck on the wall.
August
“…August.”
It had become August before he knew it.
A whole year had passed.
“20 minutes.”
Yoon Sa-hyuk PD’s office. At Tae-woo’s words, Kim A-rang hurriedly put away her smartphone.
“Time is definitely accelerating.”
“Accelerating… you don’t need to tell me. I wouldn’t understand anyway.”
“You said you’re a former mage.”
“How did you know?”
Tae-woo said nothing and looked at the monitor again.
“…What do you see.”
Kim A-rang brought her face close to the monitor.
It was still pitch black. She couldn’t see anything.
“Hey.”
Tae-woo gestured.
“Move.”
“…Can’t see anything anyway.”
She sat back down.
Honestly, her blood was running cold right now. They were doing well in Zone 6, then suddenly why this mess in the 7th Area.
“Sigh. It will be resolved properly, right?”
Tae-woo still gave no answer, but right now she had no choice but to trust him.
“I’ll trust and wait.”
And well… there’s no one more reliable than a mage in this world anyway.
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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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