Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 28

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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 028

Snow Flower(3)

Whiiiip-!

On the screen, the flying snare caught around the beast’s neck. This time it was definitely successful.

Seo Ji-woo immediately pulled the snare taut. The beast came flying through the air as if dragged.

‘…Phew.’

She had barely managed to secure food. She let out a sigh of relief, but her face quickly hardened.

‘It’s… young.’

Now that she looked at it, the deer’s body was too small. Its eyes were too clear.

It was a baby.

Seo Ji-woo pondered whether she should kill it or not.

It didn’t take long.

If it had been even a little more mature, she would have eaten it, but this one was too young. It wouldn’t fill her stomach anyway.

‘…Tsk.’

Seo Ji-woo released the snare.

‘Go. Go and bring your parents back…’

She watched the baby deer scamper away, then sat down on a tree stump. She took out her burner and pot, scooping up snow. She added the hot melted water to her combat ration.

Whoooooo.

The snowstorm began to rage again.

‘Ah, damn.’

Seo Ji-woo moved to a spot between the trees. She connected magic lines between the tree trunks to create a makeshift tent. She amplified the mini burner’s flame with a formula to generate warmth.

She muttered while eating her dwindling combat rations.

‘Will this even work…’

“That’s what I’m saying~”

The PD in charge of Seo Ji-woo stretched.

Seo Ji-woo was definitely a good person. Kind enough to feel compassion even for beasts.

For Seo Ji-woo’s image, this could be good or bad. There’s no law saying explorers have to be completely cold-hearted. Everyone needs a warm heart to some degree.

Ooooooh!

“…?”

But cheering sounds came from somewhere. It was from Kim A-rang’s station.

“What’s that.”

He became curious for no reason. Did a fight break out or something?

The PD glanced at Seo Ji-woo on the screen.

She was still eating, so nothing major would happen.

He quietly got up from his seat.

* * *

The pure white land where snowstorms rage. Lee Jun-ho is advancing across the snowy wasteland, carrying a wolf he hunted all day on his back.

‘…’

Suddenly Lee Jun-ho’s steps stopped. He spotted a silhouette in the distance. A labyrinth dweller? He was briefly on guard, but soon confirmed the other person’s face and smiled.

It was Kang Hyeon.

‘…Did you hunt too?’

Kang Hyeon had two deer on his shoulders. Kang Hyeon nodded and tried to pass by, but Lee Jun-ho asked.

‘Want to move together?’

Kang Hyeon stopped abruptly.

‘Honestly, two is better than one, right?’

Lee Jun-ho smiled.

Cooperation. He was suggesting they team up, but the atmosphere between them was strangely cold.

Frigid.

The way they looked at each other.

Were they being cautious, or keeping each other in check?

“Nobody knows.”

PD Im Hyeong-uk was seriously watching the scene of the two top candidates.

Ooooooh.

Some loud cheering was heard.

“…What’s that?”

Im Hyeong-uk stretched his neck like a giraffe. Quite a few PDs and writers had gathered around Kim A-rang’s station.

“What’s that about.”

It had to be Kim A-rang again, making him feel unnecessarily jealous. He was curious inside, but there was no need for him to move.

Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho were here after all.

Ahem. Im Hyeong-uk cleared his throat and deliberately exclaimed loudly.

“Wow~ Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho met here~”

Please listen to me. This is more interesting.

* * *

Slice, slice. The saw blade smoothly cuts through the wood. Snip snip, like slicing radish. It’s work that even feels oddly satisfying.

Then grinding the surface a few times with the grinder, the log transforms into long, straight lumber. The handiwork is skillful and the angles are perfect.

Seol Ha-woon assembled the cabin walls with the lumber. Not a single joint was misaligned. The lumber pieces stuck together perfectly as if glued.

Without an inch of error, it was comfortable to watch. It seemed to calm the mind.

…Ooooooh.

Kim A-rang’s shoulders jumped at the sudden exclamations. She turned around.

“What, what are you all doing here?”

Writers and PDs were standing there before she knew it. Not just one or two. It seemed like more than ten people.

“Just watching. My assigned person is sleeping right now. But wasn’t Seol Ha-woon a carpenter, not a soldier?”

“Right. Why is this so comforting to watch? Wow. Look how perfectly that fits.”

“…No. You guys should go back quickly in case something happens to your assigned people-“

Kim A-rang was trying to shoo them away when, thunk!

At that sound, she looked at Seol Ha-woon’s screen again.

“Ooooooh.”

This time Seol Ha-woon had chopped down a tree. It wasn’t even a very big hand axe, but he cut down a tree as thick as a bodybuilder’s torso with just three axe strikes.

“What, isn’t he a warrior? How does he do that?”

At the assistant director and writers’ words, Kim A-rang pursed her lips for no reason. Strangely, a proud feeling bloomed within her.

“Wow~ Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho met here~”

Im Hyeong-uk’s decibel level rose from somewhere.

“Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho meeting. That’s crazy, crazy. How did those two meet?”

Kim A-rang listened with one ear while pointing at Seol Ha-woon’s axe.

“Look, look. Everyone, can you see that axe blade?”

On the blade of the axe Seol Ha-woon was wielding, there were worm-like formulas.

“Yes. We can see it.”

“It’s really clear, right? This clarity represents the quality of the formula.”

Mage formulas also have grades. Even the most basic formulas, like those that grant Sharpness Enhancement or Hardness Enhancement, differ in class.

In that regard, Seol Ha-woon was a mage of excellent quality. Though he was a bit, no, very slow due to his leg.

“Well, there’s always a reason for what Producer Kim sees. Where do you think it’ll reach in the first tally? 10th place?”

At the writer’s question, Kim A-rang raised her eyebrows.

“That’s for the viewers to decide.”

As a PD, she shouldn’t engage in presumptuous acts or thoughts. A director is someone who fulfills the viewers’ needs, not someone who forcibly drags viewers along.

“Lee Jun-ho made a team proposal to Kang Hyeon, but Kang Hyeon rejected it~ Wow~”

Im Hyeong-uk’s commentary continued steadily.

“Everyone go back to work now.”

Kim A-rang waved her hand at the PD and writers, but no one left their seats.

It was because the cabin’s completion was imminent.

* * *

[ Time Remaining : 320：05：37 ]

“Done.”

I completed the cabin. In 40 hours, precisely 39 hours 54 minutes 23 seconds. Of course, the actual work time was less than half of that.

My stamina was so terrible that the rest periods were much longer.

I stepped back a few paces and surveyed the cabin’s full view. A forest surrounded by trees, with a log house sitting alone in the middle.

“…Not bad.”

That’s how it looks to me. From appearance to finishing, it’s almost perfect. From the moment I amplified the tools’ Sharpness Enhancement and Hardness Enhancement with formulas, it wasn’t even a contest.

There’s a reason mages are essential for Labyrinth exploration.

I went inside the cabin.

The interior was completely empty, but I had placed a desk I’d taken from the ruins. I put the burner on top of it and boiled tea.

“A fireplace would fit perfectly here.”

I looked at the fireplace spot. I had definitely designed a location for the fireplace. This Labyrinth would get colder as time passed.

That’s also why I chose a spot in the middle of the coniferous forest in the first place. A forest dense with trees is much more advantageous against cold than open plains.

“I’ll need some furniture too…”

There’s quite a lot of lumber left over from building the cabin.

I can make a bed frame, chairs, and such for now, but for bedding like blankets, I need materials. That means I have to hunt.

“Well then.”

Time to start moving. I placed the suitcase containing food in a corner of the cabin, and set up a trap at the cabin entrance in case thieves might break in.

“Let’s go.”

After drinking the warm tea in one gulp, I opened the door.

Hunting… honestly, I’m confident about it.

I used to do it like going for a walk.

* * *

He can see distant places with his eyes, and detect even the smallest sounds with his ears. He can move silently and has the means to cut off breathing from a distance in an instant.

He moves slowly but meticulously. Even when blizzards rage and limit visibility, he doesn’t hesitate or fear. He simply advances, leaning on his walking stick.

‘…’

Suddenly he stopped. He extended his finger, aiming somewhere.

─-

A noiseless shot. He fired magic power toward an invisible target, and there was a sign of the hit form collapsing.

He limped over and picked up the fox.

His results from 4 hours: two foxes, four rabbits, one deer. In 4 hours, he had hunted enough food to last what would take most participants two days.

“…Interesting.”

Seol Ha-woon. All his actions are more special when watched. You could say he’s naturally entertaining to watch.

All his movements are secretive and meticulous like a spy, but terribly slow. There was a strange charm in how he limped yet achieved his goals most accurately and surely.

“Producer Kim was right that his character is unique.”

Just then Yoon Sa-hyuk appeared. It had become Yoon Sa-hyuk’s break time. Exactly 10 minutes out of an hour.

Kim A-rang shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s not just unique, you know?”

“Though his mobility is hopeless.”

“What’s more amazing is that he shows this kind of potential even considering that. Seol Ha-woon thinks and judges quickly. He always chooses only the best path.”

Seol Ha-woon’s body is slow, but his judgment speed is superior compared to all other explorers. No, for him it might not even be in the realm of judgment anymore. The experiences accumulated from wandering past battlefields might be moving his body arbitrarily like some kind of intuition.

Yoon Sa-hyuk smiled while watching Seol Ha-woon on screen.

“Then keep portraying him. I’m getting more and more interested too.”

Getting more interested.

To Kim A-rang’s ears, that was the highest praise.

* * *

I processed the hunted beasts. First I separated the meat and organs, and gathered the hides.

It’s annoying since this isn’t an arcade-type Labyrinth.

For reference, in arcade Labyrinths, when you catch mobs like these, they automatically decompose into loot items. Like an inventory system.

Anyway.

Returning to the cabin, I made a refrigerator.

I just made a refrigerator-sized box with the 1st floor for refrigeration and 2nd floor for freezing, applying specific formulas to each.

For reference, formulas that utilize cold in this kind of severe cold can be considered nearly permanent.

Sizzle─

I grilled deer meat and had a meal. I ate much more than usual. The blizzard here must be accelerating calorie consumption.

After eating, I focused on making the most important fireplace.

My fireplace frame is wood. Making a fireplace out of wood is scientifically insane, but it’s possible because I’m a mage.

I can apply Heat Resistance Mental Visualization to the wood. So now the fireplace has magic power carved into it. Formulas bound as firmly as possible.

“…This should work, right?”

Well, I’m worried since I’m only 3 months into being a mage. If I mess up, the entire cabin could burn down.

I put the firewood I had prepared in advance into the fireplace.

Strike!

I lit a match and put it inside, then amplified the fire with magic power.

Whoosh──-

Heat blazing inside the fireplace. The interior quickly became cozy. The fireplace didn’t catch fire either.

Thank goodness.

“Hmm~”

I looked around with satisfaction.

I spent two days to create a space that would last 13 days.

“Nice.”

I lay down on the bed. A makeshift mattress made from beast fur. It’s not soft, but compared to outside, it’s a hotel.

Let’s sleep now. I’ve done enough to deserve some rest.

I quietly closed my eyes.

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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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