Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 31

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

Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 031

Snow Flower(6)

The level test for “Labyrinth Exploration NaN” on TV had ended. All 96 explorers returned from the Straight Line Maze, and then the mentors appeared.

Warrior DK, Fighter Kim Yoon-jun, Mage Yoo Yul, Archer Kim Ji-an. Except for Yoo Yul, they were all high-rankers familiar to the public.

──We will now announce the rankings.

Ranking announcement through the level test, and feedback from the mentors.

[ DK : Lee Jun-ho, don’t you think you’re getting hit too much? It’s like you have the mindset that dozens of goblins are no problem… ]

Following their comments, the live chat also floated around.

-DK is acting too pretentious though;; Must be jealous of Jun-ho.

-What do you mean pretentious. He’s a high-ranker. Stop with the brainless comments.

-Kang Hyeon seems kind of bland though. He’s handsome but just looks like sparkling CG.

-Your face looks like a piss stain from the neighbor’s dog Pomi, and you’re talking about sparkling CG lol

Lee Si-ah was strangely gloomy. Perhaps because no matter how long she waited, the name she was waiting for didn’t come up.

When the level test ranking announcement was almost over.

──96th place. Seol Ha-woon.

As feared, his name was at the very bottom.

“…96th place. Seol Ha-woon?”

It was an unbelievable ranking. Even though there was a 50-minute difference from 95th place, his performance results were perfect.

─Yoo Yul : Seol Ha-woon.

Then mentor Yoo Yul spoke to Seol Ha-woon.

─Yoo Yul : How did you catch the last trap?

Lee Si-ah focused again.

─Seol Ha-woon : I could see it.

Simply saying he could see it. There was no change in his expression either.

Not bragging, not showing off, just as if it were natural.

A brief silence settled. In between, other participants’ reactions and the mentors’ snickering expressions were interspersed. It seemed like they were mocking him.

─Yoo Yul : Ah. I see. Got it.

That was the end of Seol Ha-woon’s feedback.

Lee Si-ah checked the live chat.

-But why is Seol Ha-woon 96th? He avoided all the traps. Kim Se-jin was full of praise too

-There’s almost an hour difference from 95th place.. can’t help it.. if he’s not a slow genius but a fucking way too slow genius..

-Kim Se-jin isn’t an official mentor so he doesn’t have much influence.

-But why is Kim Se-jin the preliminary mentor and that Yoo Yul whatever the main broadcast mentor? Shouldn’t they switch places?

-Looking at how Seol Ha-woon talks, 96th place seems right. Such a shitty attitude saying “I could see it” wtf so did the other kids get hit because they couldn’t see? lol

-They got hit because they couldn’t see it;;

─Yoo Ji-in : Now then. Please take your seats according to your rankings.

Based on the level test results, the seating in the set stage was newly arranged.

From wannabe rankings to comparative evaluation rankings.

─Yoo Ji-in : Before the full-scale start of Labyrinth Exploration NaN, your rankings have been determined. But don’t be too disappointed or too happy. These rankings are definitely fake. The true rankings will ultimately be decided by the votes of the people.

After Yoo Ji-in’s comment ended, cameras descended from above.

1st place Lee Jun-ho, 2nd place Ryu Yeon-hwa, 3rd place Seo Ji-woo, 4th place Kang Hyeon, 5th place Jo Woon, 6th place Kate…

96th place Seol Ha-woon. At the very bottom of the bottom.

“…Sigh.”

Lee Si-ah let out an unconscious sigh.

This sometimes happens when you pick the wrong bias. Should she abandon him now before getting more invested?

Just then.

─Thud thud thud thud!

All the lights in the main broadcast set stage went out. All the other explorers had gotten up and moved, but only one man sat alone in the darkness.

It was Seol Ha-woon.

His eyes flashed blue as he slightly raised his head.

What? Is there something else?

Just as Lee Si-ah gulped.

Scene transition.

[ 1st place Lee Jun-ho ]

[ 2nd place Ryu Yeon-hwa ] [ 3rd place Seo Ji-woo ]

[ 4th place Kang Hyeon ] [ 5th place Jo Woon ] [ 6th place Kate ]…

A panel showing the current rankings appeared.

The first episode was already over.

“…Ah.”

The broadcast that started at 7 o’clock had somehow become 10 o’clock. Three hours felt like 30 minutes.

Lee Si-ah trembled as she became certain.

This season is going to be huge.

She quickly accessed the internet. As expected, not only communities but all SNS were already exploding.

│Kang Hyeon is so cute..│

│Labyrinth Exploration NaN is interesting? Is this really a flop season?│

│Lee Jun-ho today’s gif compilation.jpg│

│The editing is blatant lol You can tell who the top ranks are. Just trying to feature 10 people so they trampled the other 86│

│Improvement from last season: aggro│

│Voting fucking only once a week fucking are they kidding│

All about Labyrinth Exploration content. All kinds of people were talking about one single program as their topic.

Lee Si-ah also uploaded a post.

[ Labyrinth Exploration NaN Episode 1 Rankings ]

Fake rankings determined by level test. Can change anytime.

Comments poured in like rain in no time.

─No way, their visuals are insane, why are they like this. Do they look better on screen or did they originally look like this?

─ Hahahaha there were so many people literally praying for them to fail

─The male and female visuals are insane this season lol

─But did you see 96th place? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The kid who was next to Kang Hyun ㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s in last place but why is he acting all cool in the ending? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└That guy was good though. He’s the only one with 0 trap hits and 0 damage.

└He’s a former soldier according to the still cuts. I think he’ll be active later.

─Lee Jun-ho’s presence was amazing,, Being 22 doesn’t make sense,,

└He’s 21

─I could only see Kang Hyeon though

Judging by the speed of comments, the number, and the pattern of derivative posts being uploaded…

In Lee Si-ah’s view, this already surpassed the firepower of last season’s first episode!

* * *

[ Recognition Level Up! ]

[ Recognition Level: 7 ]

[ 30 additional days are granted. ]

Crackle crackle. The warmth of the blazing fireplace. I opened my eyes to an even more pleasant alarm than that. I smiled brightly while lying on the bed.

I gained an additional 30 days of life.

It’s not an even level up so there’s nothing but tech points, but from now on I’m thinking of saving up tech points too. Who knows what might happen ahead.

I raised my upper body.

“Oh. You’re awake?”

Seo Ji-woo held out coffee as if she’d been waiting.

“…You’re up early?”

“I have to earn my keep. I cleaned everything spotless too.”

I looked around the cabin interior. It was quite squeaky clean. Did she professionally study some kind of cleaning magic?

“Let’s eat.”

“Oh yeah.”

I took deer meat from the cabin’s refrigerator. Quite a lot of it. I sprinkled salt and pepper on it and put it in the fireplace.

Seo Ji-woo tilted her head.

“Isn’t that too much?”

“No. We’ll keep getting hungry.”

In survival labyrinths like this, calorie consumption accelerates just from being inside. Unknowingly, our bodies are ‘enduring’ the labyrinth.

Sizzzzle.

When the meat was perfectly cooked, I cut it and served it to her.

“Thank you~”

Seo Ji-woo grinned and put her hands together. She quickly picked up the meat first, and I paused for a moment.

“…”

I quietly watched Seo Ji-woo eat. I unconsciously stared at her.

Her table manners were identical.

The quite unique way of using chopsticks, the shape of her lips while chewing, even the way she nodded her head when something tasted good.

Is it because family members imitate family? Is it because blood relatives resemble each other?

Seo Ji-woo must have felt my gaze as she glanced at me sideways.

“…What?”

I pretended not to know and ate the meat. It felt awkward for no reason.

We finished breakfast in silence.

“Let’s go. Hunting.”

We need a bit more food. If we catch about 2-3 adult deer, we’ll be in the safe zone.

“Yes. Hey, you stay home and guard the house, okay?”

Seo Ji-woo spoke to the wolf. The wolf was crunching on deer bones.

Somehow we even got a house-guarding dog.

* * *

We hunted with burning eyes for almost half a day, but only caught one deer. As expected, the animal population had drastically decreased.

“…You have pretty eyes, you.”

Seo Ji-woo murmured admiringly while looking at the deer laid on the snow field. I placed a leaf over the deer’s eyes. I cut its throat in that state.

Seo Ji-woo squeezed her eyes shut.

I butchered the deer as is and buried it in the ground.

“Why are you burying that?”

“Just in case. We should take it when we go back.”

Bury it like treasure and come back for it later. This level of memory is sufficient.

“…Hey! Over there!”

Suddenly, a voice echoed from the distance. One man and two women were waving their hands and running toward us.

They didn’t seem hostile, but vigilance is essential.

“Excuse me, excuse me, could you please help us?!”

“Huh? Jin Ho-seung?”

Seo Ji-woo recognized one of them. It was A-tier Jin Ho-seung.

“Ah, Ji-woo! Thank goodness. We needed a mage. Right now one of our team members is seriously injured.”

“We have to go right away!”

Seo Ji-woo immediately ran off.

“Hey!”

I tried to grab her but stopped.

If I separate from her like this, there’s no need to stay together. No need to catch more food, and no need to think of Seo Ji-hyuk for no reason.

“…Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue silently. I let out a deep sigh. My head was complicated.

I had been making excuses for staying with Seo Ji-woo all this time. Broadcast footage, escort, recognition, whatever. But it was all bullshit, and in the end it was because of that bastard.

The one still not completely buried in my heart.

Seo Ji-hyuk.

That girl is your sister. She resembles you more than anyone. The one you worried about even while dying…

“Haah.”

I followed Seo Ji-woo. My walking stick sank deep into the snow field.

* * *

Jin Ho-seung’s team hideout was ruins that had undergone repair work. A space made into a dwelling by adding wooden planks to originally existing ruins.

“Please come in.”

Someone was lying on a portable bed there. A patient with a seriously cut shoulder blade, and beside them sat a quite familiar face with eyes closed.

“Huh?”

Seo Ji-woo blinked and called his name.

“What. Lee Jun-ho?”

“…?”

“Are you on this team too?”

Lee Jun-ho opened his eyes. He let out a hollow laugh first.

“Ha, no. I’m not on this team… Ji-woo, why are you here?”

“Why? They said someone was badly injured.”

“…Yeah. He’s injured.”

He nodded with a heavy expression.

“I accidentally cut him. At night. I thought he was an enemy.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“I know. I must have gone crazy for a moment.”

Lee Jun-ho ran his fingers through his hair as if that’s how it happened, and Seo Ji-woo quickly examined the patient’s condition.

Lee Jun-ho looked at me.

“Are you Seol Ha-woon?”

I quietly nodded and looked around at Jin Ho-seung’s team members here.

Three men including the patient, two women. Too many people to survive in such an extreme environment. Five people is actually a disadvantageous number.

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

Lee Jun-ho spoke to Jin Ho-seung again. Jin Ho-seung shook his head.

“It’s okay. Mistakes can happen. There was a blizzard too.”

Jin Ho-seung poured water into a cup. With his ‘left hand’.

His team member took it and handed it to me. With their ‘left hand’.

“I’m not thirsty.”

I declined.

“Ah, okay.”

The team member passed the water to another team member.

That team member drank the water instead. With their ‘left hand’.

“…I’ve done first aid for now.”

Seo Ji-woo said while wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“The wound is quite deep. But I’ve got it firmly held with a formula so the hemostasis is definitely working. This is Lee Yong-seung, right?”

I also glanced at the patient. The treatment itself was perfect. She must have learned well at Magic School.

“Yes. It’s Yong-seung.”

“Since he’s a warrior, if we just do some hemostasis and maintain his body temperature, he should heal on his own…”

Seo Ji-woo glanced at me slyly. Her eyes were asking if we could move him to the cabin.

I silently refused. Seo Ji-woo nodded too. She wasn’t childish enough to throw a tantrum in this situation.

“Um, do you have matches or something?”

“Yes. About three.”

Jin Ho-seung’s fourth team member handed matches to Seo Ji-woo. Again with their ‘left hand’.

What is this, a left-hand crew?

Seo Ji-woo put a fingernail-sized match into a bucket-like can and amplified it with a formula.

Whoosh!

Fire filled it completely. The warmth flowing from inside colored the interior.

The air became cozy in no time, and the patient’s breathing also settled down calmly.

“…Phew. Thank goodness. This is why mages are essential in labyrinths, I guess.”

Jin Ho-seung bowed to Seo Ji-woo.

“Well, it’s not quite that much~”

“Move aside for a moment.”

I pushed Seo Ji-woo away. I crouched down and placed my hand on the patient’s body.

“Oh. Are you going to heal him?”

First, I checked the pulse on his left chest.

Next, I checked his right chest.

“….”

My expression hardened for a moment. With narrowly squinted eyes, I scanned Jin Ho-seung’s team members here one by one.

I see.

Now I understand.

Seo Ji-woo asked.

“How’s his condition?”

“…He’s stabilizing.”

I answered roughly and put my hand in my pocket.

“I’m going to step out for a moment. To smoke.”

I took out cigarettes. They were items I’d farmed from the ruins. I’d quit a long time ago, but I’d kept them just in case.

Lee Jun-ho’s eyes widened as he brightened up.

“Oh, you smoke? Ho-how many do you have?”

“Exactly two.”

Lee Jun-ho is a smoker. I deliberately took out the cigarettes knowing that. So none of the people here would suspect us.

“Please let me borrow one, just one!”

“Follow me.”

“Yes!”

Lee Jun-ho stood up with an earnest expression. Seo Ji-woo was still checking Lee Yong-seung’s pulse and said.

“Then come back quickly. I’ll be nursing him.”

I nodded.

There’s no need for all three of us to go out anyway.

The secret about this warrior party that gives me an inexplicable sense of unease – it’s enough to tell only Lee Jun-ho.

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