Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 71

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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 071

Die With a Smile(1)

Percival’s end was exactly as I told Kang Hyeon.

I killed his daughter in the parallel world, and in his rage, he murdered his own subordinates before being buried in the labyrinth.

At the time, only one elder of Hailford knew the truth. He asked me to keep silent to protect Hailford’s honor, and I gladly accepted.

As a result, I was the only survivor.

Back then too, I was the only one who survived.

“…”

Back to the hotel. Kate’s unconscious mind had awakened. Kate was sitting on the bed in the guest room. She looked no different than usual.

She wouldn’t be able to fully remember what happened in her unconscious state. Dreams scatter and fade dimly, leaving only small fragments buried in the drawers of her memory.

However, someday she would surely try to uncover the truth about Percival’s end.

Even if not because of this labyrinth, Percival was someone precious to her.

“Ms. Kate.”

I called out to her.

“…?”

She turned to look at me. Her thick eyelashes blinked drowsily.

Her complexion seemed somehow weak, or perhaps languid.

I looked deeply into her eyes and said.

“Pull yourself together. We’re inside a labyrinth.”

Kate’s eyes wavered faintly.

“…Labyrinth.”

“Yes. We need to get out now.”

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, but soon regained her usual composure.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Kate’s dry reaction was bewildering to me. Meanwhile, Kate stood up first.

“Let’s get out quickly.”

“…Yes. Let’s go.”

Kate walked out the hotel door.

We escaped from the labyrinth.

[ Emergency Quest Complete ]■ Stat Point Selection

[ Labyrinth Reward Acquired ]■ Skill 【Dream Bubble】

* * *

I came out of the rift with Kate. All the explorers had escaped from the consciousness labyrinth. Even Kim Du-gyeom, whom I hadn’t saved.

The moment Kate awakened, the entire consciousness labyrinth had vanished.

…Yes, the entire labyrinth.

I was certain of it today based on my status window.

[ Labyrinth Reward Acquired ]■ Skill 【Dream Bubble】

Labyrinth reward. A skill that can only be obtained from labyrinths. In other words, this place wasn’t a fake labyrinth controlled by the broadcasting station.

It was a ‘real’ labyrinth created for unknown reasons, or invented by someone.

“Oh, hyung!”

Im Hae-jun quickly ran over. He glanced at me briefly, then spoke only to Kate.

“Ms. Kate, are you alright?!”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“What about hyung?”

“…You’re already too late.”

“Huh?”

I looked at Seer on the screen. Seer alternated his gaze between Kate and me, then let out a sigh.

─Oh my. It’s my defeat.

His voice accepting defeat so casually made me suspicious. Kang Hyeon seemed to feel the same way, lowering his sword while glaring at Seer.

─I acknowledge it. My struggles were meaningless.

Regardless, Seer continued speaking calmly.

─I’ll release you. I won’t interfere with you either.

“I won’t be fooled!”

Im Hae-jun angrily pulled back his bowstring. When he gets back, he’ll need to get an implant first. His front teeth are properly broken.

─Please carry out your purpose. If you find something valuable in our world, take it to your world. If you do that, we’ll be able to leave at least some trace on the other side.

The explorers made subtle expressions at Seer’s gentle voice. Im Hae-jun also flinched and trembled. He’s probably feeling conflicted emotions.

Seer is a Labyrinth Person who knows this world is a labyrinth.

When we leave, this labyrinth, the entire world will vanish.

─I’ll be satisfied with that. I’ll gladly offer it to you.

Suddenly, Seer wore a faint smile. A powerless laugh, as if exhausted, as if resigned.

─But please remember just one thing.

Seer’s tone settled calmly.

─This place where we live was also… a world as precious as yours.

Crackle. The frequency wavered and the video cut out.

The explorers were silent for a moment. It was just quiet.

[ Quest Complete ]

■WP + 10,000

“…Hyung.”

Im Hae-jun stood next to me.

“It’s kind of sad.”

A minute ago he was hissing like a wildcat, but now he seems to have been immediately persuaded by Seer.

I ran my fingers through my hair.

“…People, you know. When things aren’t going well, they sell emotions.”

Seer is a rational person. That’s what makes it even more puzzling. Far from giving up, he’s the type to meticulously calculate probabilities even until just before defeat.

“What. Hyung, aren’t you too much of an extreme T?”

I ignored Im Hae-jun and looked at Kate. Kate had her usual expression.

“Hyung. How much WP did you collect? I gathered all 10,000. There are about 3 days left until the deadline, right?”

“Oh. I saw. You got caught trying to draw a ticket.”

“…What!”

Im Hae-jun suddenly turned bright and cheerful.

“You saw all that and didn’t help me?!!”

“Ugh, so noisy. Did you swallow a military band?”

“That’s really too much!!”

I covered my ears and looked toward Kang Hyeon. Kang Hyeon seemed to have withdrawn his interest in Kate and was just fiddling with his broadsword.

“It’s really too much, wow, I’m dying of disappointment!!!”

I left the laboratory. As Seer had said, there was no encirclement or troops. I leaned against the wall of that empty place.

“…Somehow feels disappointing.”

In terms of cinematic structure, we already had the introduction, development, climax, and conclusion.

The writers and PDs who are monitoring are probably reasonably pleased.

That’s what I thought.

* * *

[ Would you like to purchase a ticket? ]

[ 10,000 WP ]

I purchased a ticket at the exchange. Now there were less than 3 hours left in the Labyrinth, and I had gathered everything I needed to take.

I bought over 100kg of tea leaves alone. I probably donated almost 10 years’ worth of budget to the orphanage.

“…Ticket. I’ll use it.”

I spoke to the android-like employee at the exchange. He smiled brightly and guided me.

There was a slot for inserting tickets in something like an elevator.

I inserted the ticket.

Whirr.

The elevator door opened. As soon as I entered, the elevator started operating.

Thud!

A rumbling sound as if the ground underground was vibrating. I closed my eyes briefly and waited.

Ding─

The door opened again.

“Huh?”

I was startled. Outside was that arcade set from before, and there were already quite a few explorers. Kate was among them too.

I had returned to the original world.

“…How tiring.”

Muttering, I sat down on any chair.

Before long, letters sparkled at the very top of the set stage.

[ Deadline Ended ]

It meant the Labyrinth had ended.

Then Yoo Ji-in appeared.

“Nice to see you all. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

She looked around at us with her usual bright appearance. However, the explorers’ reactions were somewhat lukewarm.

We’re extremely tired, you know.

“Congratulations. Did you all get the loot you wanted?”

Some had satisfied faces, while others looked regretful.

“Sadly, 26 people were eliminated in this Labyrinth.”

Tap.

Then someone poked me. Looking to the side, it was Seo Ji-woo.

“Hey. Where were you? I heard there was a huge incident in your area.”

I was in Rainos in the west, and Seo Ji-woo was somewhere in the east. I suddenly became curious too.

“Did nothing happen on your side?”

“Ah~ Nothing happened? I had a jackpot. I caught a dragon, a dragon. Look at this?”

Seo Ji-woo held out something as if she’d been waiting. It was a dragon scale.

So that’s why she suddenly wanted to talk to me – she wanted to brag.

I chuckled.

“I got good stuff too.”

If it’s about bragging, she picked the wrong opponent. My loot is amazing snake wine. A unique item that increases luck.

“Really? Let’s show each other. Look at this.”

Seo Ji-woo tossed the dragon scale to me.

Its appearance didn’t look much different from just a slightly large snake scale.

I lightly appraised it.

【Dragon Scale】■Grade: Epic■Overview: A mysterious scale that fell from a dragon.■Can store a considerable amount of magic power, and increases Magic Power stat by 0.5 when possessed.

This is insane.

Without realizing it, I put my hand to my forehead. I bit my lips tightly.

For the first time today, no, for the first time in a long while, I felt such a clear wall.

Why has her luck been so good since last time? Her luck with getting items is ridiculous.

I swallowed the taste of blood and said.

“…You could use it as a mana socket substitute.”

‘Considerable amount’ of magic power. According to [MoMo]’s word scale, that’s a very high level. It means it can store more magic power than most top-grade mana sockets, and it even raises the Magic Power stat, making it almost the ultimate item among socket types.

“Ah~ It did seem like that. But my mana socket is pretty good too.”

“…Is that so?”

I suddenly felt greedy.

Since the dragon scale is cool, should I suggest trading it for any of my stuff? Seo Ji-woo would probably love the pony projector for some reason. It has short legs and is cute.

I quietly gripped the pony projector in my pocket, but squeezed my eyes shut.

…I can’t do it.

I shouldn’t let greed ruin me. No matter what, I can’t scam that guy’s little sister.

I held the dragon scale back out.

“It’s much, much better than your socket. Don’t sell it to anyone.”

“Huh? Better than mine? Mine was really expensive too. I got it as a gift.”

“It’s much better than that. Much. Muuuch better.”

“Oh… really? Then great!”

Seo Ji-woo grinned broadly.

“So, what’s yours?”

“…I have something.”

“What is it? You said you’d show me!”

“…Mine can’t be shown.”

“Huh?”

It’s too shabby to show.

Someone’s happy with snake wine while she has a dragon.

“Everyone please disperse~ Resting well is also an ability~”

Just then Yoo Ji-in shouted.

Since I’ve returned after almost 3 weeks, I should rest for quite a long time.

I left the set stage.

* * *

The dark office in the city of Rainos.

Seer waits for the approaching end, spending what might be his last day.

“I always… thought this was a wrong world.”

Some children starve without even protein porridge made from cockroaches, while some nobles raise and slaughter a single cow with food that could feed dozens of people.

Some wealthy people get millions of dollars worth of advanced prosthetics implanted simply because prosthetic bodies are convenient, while some workers have rusty chunks of metal shoved into their severed limbs that cause infections.

A world where it’s impossible to know where it went wrong, from what point to what extent.

No matter how hard one tries, it cannot be changed—I thought it was simply hell for the living.

But perhaps even that is our foundation.

“You’ve caused quite an interesting incident.”

Suddenly an unfamiliar voice echoed. A shiver ran down Seer’s spine. He froze completely, unable to even breathe.

“There’s no need to be tense.”

Don’t be afraid. Seer took a deep breath. Feeling awe for the first time in his life, he turned to look.

There was a woman. She had appeared at some point and sat calmly on the sofa. Her bright yellow pupils gleamed brilliantly like a dragon from legend.

“…”

Seer said nothing. His choices weren’t many. Worship, adoration, admiration, condemnation, prayer. Seer instinctively knew she was someone who suited all those emotions simultaneously.

“Are ‘you’ that person?”

The person who created this world. An absolute being infinitely high to him, but perhaps just an individual from that side…

“I cannot be your ‘that person.’ You are independent. Don’t limit yourself. Fatalism doesn’t suit you, at least.”

Her dry, emotionless tone seemed to weigh down on Seer.

“…Why have you come here?”

“You called me. Did you plant a labyrinth in that child?”

Deep within Kate’s body, that labyrinth still exists. A labyrinth within a labyrinth has coiled itself in her unconscious.

“The opposite. She devoured the labyrinth.”

Sometimes there are people whose sensitivity is so exceptional that they ‘digest’ labyrinths. Kate is that type of human.

“You must have anticipated that far. You opened the path for her.”

“…”

Seer looked at the woman silently.

Now lies have no meaning. At least not to this person.

“Are the people there happy?”

“Happy indeed.”

Seer smiled.

“That’s fortunate.”

He knew from the beginning that he couldn’t oppose them. He knew that any effort would be meaningless when treating them as enemies.

“If we provide the entertainment they desire, perhaps in return they might give us other choices.”

The best way to survive, no, the only way is.

To acknowledge that we are pets and beg for their mercy.

“That was my hope.”

Then the woman touched the air with her finger. A golden current arose and formed specific shapes in front of Seer’s desk.

“One is an hourglass, the other is a button.”

Seer gazed at them quietly.

“If you press the button, this world will stop. It will lose all composition and vanish in an instant. Everyone here except you will disappear without even knowing they’re being annihilated.”

The most ideal end that Seer envisions.

She intends to bestow a final blessing upon this world.

“However, if you choose the hourglass, the connection between your world and ours will be completely severed. Your inner core will fade, and irreparable, irreversible decline will slowly come.”

A labyrinth cannot be an independent world. A rift ultimately means a crack carved into the main body. Without the main body, rifts cannot exist either.

“You’ll suffer from cold and thirst in the fading light, slowly withering away. Perhaps after you die and four more generations pass, the sky will lose its power and the earth will lose its heat. The greatness you’ve achieved will crumble slowly but surely.”

Contemplating such lonely words, Seer asked quietly.

“…Is it truly something we achieved?”

Her eyes curved into faint crescents.

“Even I don’t yet know the principles of magic. So I don’t know your principles either. What constitutes an individual is ultimately belief. Belief becomes truth. Your world was achieved by you. If you can’t even believe that, then give up existence altogether.”

“…”

Seer looked at the hourglass placed before him.

If I choose this, our generation will be fine. But this world will slowly disappear.

The final children will die too painfully.

Therefore, cutting off this moment is the right choice.

Nothingness.

If everyone disappears without knowing their own death, all of this becomes as if it never existed. Without needing to feel the pain of existence or the fear of death, we disappear.

That annihilation might perhaps be paradise.

“…Life is suffering, and death shall be salvation.”

Seer muttered. A sorrowful smile appeared on his lips.

He slowly reached out his hand…

“It seems I must choose the long suffering.”

He grasped the hourglass.

The woman raised her eyebrows.

“Is this the first time you’ve made a choice against reason?”

“The first time? I too had childlike innocence. When I was young, I thought I could see the end of the world if I rode on my father’s shoulders.”

Seer smiled transparently.

She also showed a faint smile.

“So did I.”

“That’s fortunate. That you too are the same kind of person as us.”

Seer carefully picked up the golden hourglass. After gazing at such a beautiful, magical object, he raised his head.

She had disappeared.

Like a mirage that had never existed in this world from the beginning…

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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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