Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 282

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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 282

Youtiful(8)

Whiiiiiiiiiiik───-!

Rain and wind sweep across the entire island as if to devour it. Crack! A large tree is uprooted and flies through the air. Its spinning motion looks like something out of a cartoon.

“Wow. A tree is flying.”

“Fish are flying around too.”

The cast and staff sitting on the wooden platform watch in a daze. Fortunately, thanks to the barrier I’ve deployed, the typhoon isn’t hitting us directly, but….

“I’ll fix the formula in place.”

I drove my walking stick deep into the ground. Using it as an axis, I fixed the formula in place. The spherical blue mana barrier became more distinct.

It was a barrier magic formula that encompassed the entire house and yard.

“…It’s done.”

────-!

Outside the barrier, the storm still rages as if the world is collapsing, but inside the barrier it’s relatively quiet.

Clap clap clap clap clap.

The staff applauded.

“Thank you. First, let me do a headcount. Starting with the PD.”

I looked at Kim A-rang.

“Just me alone.”

“Next, the writers.”

“Just the two of us.”

Two people raised their hands.

I nodded.

“Camera team, audio team?”

“Four people, two people. That’s right.”

After checking the staff count, we gathered around the bench.

“Let’s turn on the cameras first, guys.”

Kim A-rang had excellent professionalism, and the staff fixed cameras in every corner of the barrier.

“Ha-woon. What do you think about this?”

Jin Yu-ha asked.

“It’s a magic disaster, so it could be quite troublesome. Is your schedule okay by any chance?”

Lee Je-hoon and Jin Yu-ha. Both are high-ranking top stars. Their daily schedules must be packed.

“I’m fine until this week… It’ll be over by then, right?”

“I don’t have any schedule until this week either.”

This week.

Will it really end by this week?

I scratched my slightly wet hair from the raindrops. It seemed like some calculations would be needed.

Kwaaaaaa──!

The storm became even more intense. Its scale and strength increased in an instant. The blue barrier I had set up rippled like waves. Kim A-rang trembled anxiously.

“But Ha-woon. This isn’t going to break, is it?”

“No. When magic power surges, it actually accepts it and makes the formula structure even stronger.”

A magic disaster is literally a fusion of magic power and disaster. Therefore, it contains enormous magic power, and my barrier is structured to absorb such magic power and use it as a power source.

“Of course, if the mage designed it wrong, or this reference point. The axis.”

I pointed to the walking stick I had driven into the ground.

“If this gets destroyed, it would break, but right now it’s fine. I’m confident.”

Structure and calculations are also involved in magic formulas. I replace most of those complex processes with observation and intuition, but it would be much more precise than most theories.

“Ooh. Je Mal-ol.”

Clap clap clap clap. The staff on the bench applauded.

Everyone seems quite at ease. It means I’m trusted that much, but the situation is actually much more serious than they think.

“Seol’s show is going to be dramatic too~ Everyone, let’s go inside and rest.”

Kim A-rang sent the staff inside. I sat down on the bench, and Lee Je-hoon also seemed to read the mood and sat next to me. Kim A-rang also quietly stood beside us. We were about to start an executive meeting.

Kim A-rang spoke first.

“What exactly is happening?”

“…The problem is, I don’t know exactly.”

Magic disaster. I had read related books about it. It was academic interest in unpredictable phenomena.

“Magic disasters can be seen as local-scale labyrinths. I’ll try to gauge it, but I don’t know exactly when it will end yet.”

“…Is the uninhabited island casting the problem?”

“No. That’s not it. The probability of such a magic disaster occurring without any warning signs is almost zero.”

Usually, natural phenomena like powerful typhoons become the trigger.

“There was no typhoon warning though….”

“Exactly. Anyway, the duration of magic disasters is minimum 4 weeks and maximum 2 years.”

“2 years… that’s enough time for people to die.”

Lee Je-hoon’s voice trembled slightly.

“Yes. That’s right.”

I looked at the camera in the corner of the bench. Lee Je-hoon followed my gaze.

He asked Kim A-rang.

“You’ll keep filming, right?”

“Of course.”

“As expected. Kim PD, you’re still the same.”

Lee Je-hoon and Kim A-rang looked at each other and laughed, while I watched the flow of magic power forming beyond the barrier.

Shaaaaa──-

Raindrops form outside the spherical barrier. Lee Je-hoon stares up at it blankly.

“What are you doing?”

Jin Yu-ha approached.

“Oh… Ah. Yu-ha. Take some photos of me.”

Lee Je-hoon quickly stood up and positioned himself in the center of the sphere. Right next to Seol Ha-woon’s walking stick. Just in case, he absolutely didn’t touch it.

Jin Yu-ha took out her smartphone and let out a hollow laugh.

“What? You seem to be getting younger as time goes on?”

“I should live young. Doing everything I want to do. Life is short.”

“Heh. I can at least ask Je Mal-ol all the questions on my list before we leave. There are some really sensitive questions too… Taking the shot.”

Lee Je-hoon made a V sign.

Click. Click. Click.

“Je-hoon. Take some of me too.

“Okay.”

After they had taken about ten photos of each other.

“Let’s eat.”

Seol Ha-woon prepared breakfast. Fortunately, the chicken coop was inside the barrier so it was safe.

He cooked rice in a large pot, made fried eggs with freshly laid eggs, and made spicy fish stew with fish caught from yesterday’s fish trap.

“….”

“….”

“….”

The rice bowls were emptied in an instant. The side dishes also disappeared completely. It was because the staff ate together too. Everyone seemed to want more, but they just licked their spoons while reading the mood.

Meanwhile, Seol Ha-woon didn’t eat. He first checked the remaining resources.

He opened the lids of the jar terrace to check the fermented sauces and rice. The garden was in shambles. He salvaged vegetables from the field that had been swept away by the heavy rain and turned into a muddy mess.

Soon he reached a conclusion.

“We need to secure food supplies. I think we’ll have to bring all the food from the unmanned store.”

“Can you go outside?”

Lee Je-hoon asked.

“Yes. It’s possible if I open the door briefly.”

Lee Je-hoon nodded and got up. Kim A-rang watched Lee Je-hoon intently and casually asked.

“If you go out, we won’t be able to film, right?”

“….”

Seol Ha-woon let out a hollow laugh and brought out Truck.

It was a familiar he always carried with him.

“I’ll film with this. We need to load food supplies anyway.”

Aro’s camera mounted on Truck turned toward Lee Je-hoon.

“Ah~ So this is that thing! From the Space Maze!”

Jin Yu-ha’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Truck. Lee Je-hoon also curiously stroked Truck’s front bumper.

“…The senses are linked. You shouldn’t touch it carelessly.”

“Oh really? Don’t tell me if I touch it-“

“Not now. Later.”

For more delicate control and visual synchronization, he would need to firmly connect the sequence to Truck, and at that time, tactile sensation would inevitably be partially connected too.

“Alright. Then, let’s go together, little brother.”

“….”

Seol Ha-woon’s expression stiffened momentarily, but soon he gestured toward the barrier. A small door just big enough for one person to pass through appeared on one side.

“I’ll depart first.”

“Okay.”

Rattle rattle rattle rattle. Truck, controlled by Seol Ha-woon, moved forward with its headlights shining brightly, and Lee Je-hoon slowly followed behind.

Whoooooooo──!

Outside the barrier was hell. House-sized waves devoured the coastline, and bone-chilling wind and rain mercilessly pounded Truck’s steel frame.

“Little brother. Are you okay?”

─…Just call me by my name. Let’s drop the formalities altogether.

“Okay. Ha-woon.”

Lee Je-hoon chuckled. That’s when it happened.

Thud! Thud thud thud thud!

Suddenly fish started pouring down onto the ground.

“Huh?”

Lee Je-hoon looked up. Fish were falling from the sky like rain. The typhoon mixed with magic power had completely torn up the sea and lifted it.

─Collect them.

“…Huh?”

─I said collect them.

Lee Je-hoon was momentarily flustered. Why is he speaking informally?

─We agreed to drop formalities.

“Well, that’s true but….”

I’m older though.

─Collect them quickly.

“….”

This is weird, but let’s talk about it later.

Lee Je-hoon swept up the flopping fish and loaded them into Truck. At the same time, he thought of things to say.

Ha-woon. The mentor you know, I’m ranked higher than ‘DK’ who the Mitamnan explorers fear most. I’m also older than you, even if it’s just by 2 years….

─This way.

Truck reached the front of the unmanned store. Most of it was damaged and about to be blown away entirely.

Lee Je-hoon didn’t hesitate. He drew his sword and sliced off the entire front of the vending machine, loading all the food items into the cargo hold before they could blow away.

─Let’s go back now.

“…Yeah, okay.”

Rattle rattle rattle rattle rattle. The man and Truck retraced their path.

Rattle rattle rattle….

At some point, the sound of Truck’s wheels stopped.

“Ha-woon?”

Lee Je-hoon called out to Seol Ha-woon.

─….

His attention was focused elsewhere. Truck’s two eyes were concentrated on some tree.

─Try cutting down this tree.

“The tree?”

─Yeah.

Whirrrr. Truck expanded its cargo hold and said.

─Building a boat might be a good solution.

Rescue operations don’t happen during magic disasters. Radio waves can’t get out to begin with, and deploying rescue teams is prohibited under international law.

Because from ‘outside’ the disaster, it’s completely unpredictable when the disaster will end or what variables might emerge.

However, I inside this place have a vague idea.

This typhoon isn’t an ordinary natural phenomenon. Enormous magic power has forcibly grasped and held onto the storm.

I observed the hidden form of such a disaster.

Tsssssss…!

I can see it. The strands of magic power tangled like spider webs between the clouds causing the storm.

All of them are elements forming natural formulas. The entire sky has been preserved as one single grand formula.

I held my breath at such geometric, natural majesty.

It was only for a moment.

“…Damn.”

A sense of dismay welled up.

The size of the formula, the diameter of the magic power, the scale covering this entire island.

Dozens of variables mesh together in my head, and my brain’s intuition sparks like lightning. Considering everything including magic power consumption rate, natural recovery speed, and more, the minimum development needed for this magic disaster to collapse….

I derive the time by synthesizing everything.

It’s at least a year-long disaster.

“Trapped again.”

“Oh, you’re back!”

Then the door opened and Truck returned first. The staff let out sighs of relief seeing the fish, rice, and meat filling the cargo hold.

“Phew, thank goodness.”

“Whew.

“Ah. I thought we were in big trouble.”

Actually, we’re already in big trouble.

It feels like I’m being a downer, but it can’t be helped.

Then Lee Je-hoon arrived. Three large logs were loaded on his shoulders.

“What a surprise.”

“Je-hoon, what are those logs for?”

To everyone’s questions, Lee Je-hoon pointed at me.

I nodded and said.

“I’ve done the calculations. The time it will take for this magic disaster to naturally dissipate.”

He held up his finger to minimize their shock as much as possible.

“1… surely not a month?”

“No. It’s a year.”

Everyone froze.

“Magic disasters aren’t touched even by decent mages, so waiting for rescue would be difficult. So.”

Thud. Lee Je-hoon set the logs down on the ground.

“We’re going to build a boat and go.”

External intervention would be difficult. Breaking through from the inside would be twenty times easier.

“…Gulp.”

Kim A-rang swallowed and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Ah, this is going to be a huge hit in ratings, isn’t it?”

“…No, are you seriously obsessed with ratings?!”

“PD, please tone it down a bit!”

The staff who couldn’t stand it anymore burst out shouting.

Endless glaciers stretched out. This was Iceland in the midst of the midnight sun.

A quiet, surreal landscape unfolded as if touching the edge of the world. Ice walls tinged with blue light and outdoor hot springs with steam rising between them.

“Hae-jun who came to Iceland, first night! Successfully created a hot spring──-!”

It was a small paradise that Im Hae-jun had created himself. It was a plan that accurately understood his popular factor of ‘playing well alone like a squirrel’.

“I’ll get in… Oooooh.”

He looked up at the sky while soaking his body in the warm water. Aurora danced beneath the stars that seemed ready to pour down.

“It’s nothing short of paradise. It’s too good for me to see alone. You’re watching well, right?”

Three ENG cameras were already set up beside him at different angles.

“Yeah. We’re filming. Hae-jun, they say the live broadcast is starting soon.”

“Oh really?”

Im Hae-jun brightened up.

“Then I can watch the live broadcast from here… But PD. My plan is okay, right?”

“Of course.”

PD Lee Yu-jin gave a thumbs up.

“Good idea. Travel variety shows like this are popular these days.”

“Hehe…”

Im Hae-jun set up his smartphone on the ice of the hot spring. He accessed the real-time streaming OTT. The staff also set up base camp near the hot spring.

“Then let’s watch together. Ah, everyone can come in here too. The magic formula orb lasts 36 hours.”

At his words, the staff also entered the hot spring one by one. The waterside was soon filled with laughter.

“Ah, but in this episode somehow… I think my cold-hearted side will show.”

“Cold-hearted? Ah~ that thing with Ji-woo-“

“No spoilers!”

Im Hae-jun held up his finger. The staff chuckled.

“…It’s finally coming out.”

The merciless and cruel thief Im Hae-jun, emptying Seo Ji-woo’s wallet with tears in his eyes.

“I was honestly prepared to get criticized for this episode.”

Because an explorer should be able to handle that level of criticism. Because one should be able to endure and persevere.

┌─Labyrinth Exploration NaN─┐

“It’s starting.”

Im Hae-jun focused on the screen. For a moment, a suffocating feeling and tension arose as if his chest was being squeezed.

“Phew.”

He shook it off with a sigh.

Steel your heart, Hae-jun.

Yes, let’s take this opportunity to become colder and harder.

Let’s try to have Seol Ha-woon’s heart…

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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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