Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 89

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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 089

 

An Ordinary Day(5)

 

Im Hyeong-uk is cursing inwardly. Damn it. Damn it. Ah, why do I always have to deal with this shit, so annoying. Only at times like this do they remember I’m a former warrior, damn it.

 

The culprit is Kim Du-gyeom in front of him.

 

With his head hung low, looking like he might cause trouble at any moment. Fortunately he’s not carrying any weapons, but his atmosphere is completely different from before.

 

“Du-gyeom. Well… you probably already heard from PD Yoon.”

 

Im Hyeong-uk held out the documents.

 

“It’s a choice. You can hold out until the first tally…”

 

There’s no need to ask whether the rumor… no, the issue is true or false. The recording is too critical. Kim Du-gyeom is confirmed for elimination in the first tally.

 

All of that good kid act has been exposed as acting.

 

Kim Du-gyeom glanced at Im Hyeong-uk. Im Hyeong-uk cleared his throat awkwardly.

 

“H-hang in there. Who knows? Maybe someone will recognize your true worth-”

 

“No. It’s fine.”

 

Kim Du-gyeom signed the documents. He had decided to leave the show.

 

This quickly? Im Hyeong-uk thought it was a windfall, but Kim Du-gyeom suddenly stood up. He was startled for a moment.

 

“D-Du-gyeom?”

 

Kim Du-gyeom left the room without a word. Outside, there were quite a few writers and PDs.

 

People who had been helped by Kim Du-gyeom’s bright smiles, who he had worked hard to charm.

 

But today, their gazes toward Kim Du-gyeom were dark. Eyes looking at a ghost, or a criminal.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing… why, what’s wrong Du-gyeom.”

 

“Du-gyeom, f-fighting! There might be opportunities in the future…”

 

Would he pour out a torrent of curses?

 

Kim Du-gyeom was about to just pass by them but hesitated. He turned back around, cracking his neck.

 

Taking a deep breath.

 

“You fucking■■■■■■■■── sick bastards■■■■■■──!”

 

After letting it all out, he stormed off.

 

Looking at his smartphone, they said the whole world was Mitamnan, but now the whole world is Kim Du-gyeom.

 

He’s already fucked.

 

So fucked that he can’t even think of a way to turn things around.

 

So there was only one thought in his head.

 

“I’ll fucking take you with me.”

 

That damn bastard. The piece of trash who took 5,000 won and wrote an exposé post.

 

Was his name Lee Seon-uk?

 

“I keep my promises.”

 

You can look forward to what I’ll do right in front of your eyes.

 

* * *

 

│Kim Du-gyeom School Violence Summary.jpg│

 

│Really has some nerve. Is intelligence the problem? How did that bastard think he could get away with it│

 

│Kim Doo-gyeom transcript profanity ㅎㄷㄷ│

 

│Idiots lol aren’t you putting it in neutral gear now?│

 

Kim Du-gyeom has fallen into ruin.

 

All public opinion, including articles on main portal sites, community comments and SNS, is giving Kim Du-gyeom his due treatment.

 

For Lee Seon-uk, it feels refreshing. The nightmare-like indigestion that had tormented him countless times over the years seems to completely go away. He feels like he’s finally received compensation, albeit late.

 

He’s worried about retaliation, but he doesn’t regret it.

 

That bastard Kim Du-gyeom probably can’t do anything that would land him in prison.

 

All he knows how to do is exploration. If he commits a crime, his explorer qualifications will be permanently revoked.

 

Ding-dong-

 

The doorbell rang. He flinched, his body trembling involuntarily.

 

Could it be Kim Du-gyeom?

 

No way. The official departure announcement hasn’t even come out yet.

 

Ding-dong-

 

The second ring.

 

Lee Seon-uk swallowed and was about to ask “Who is it?”

 

Click.

 

The door opened first.

 

Lee Seon-uk quickly got up. His eyes widened.

 

There was…

 

* * *

 

A man wearing a black hat pulled down low, a black mask-like scarf wrapped around him, and a black jacket.

 

Ding-dong.

 

Kim Du-gyeom pressed the bell with a weapon hidden inside.

 

Ding-dong.

 

He pressed it once more. There was no response.

 

Well, of course.

 

He grabbed the door handle. Crack. Magic power caused an error in the doorbell.

 

Creak.

 

He enters through the opening entrance.

 

Step. Step. Trampling through the house with his shoes, Kim Du-gyeom pondered his method.

 

He has no intention of killing him comfortably. First he’ll tie the guy up and slice his flesh while waiting for his family to come. When his family comes, he’ll kill them one by one in turn, as painfully as possible.

 

When that thought ended.

 

“…Haha.”

 

Kim Du-gyeom, standing in the living room, smiled.

 

“There you are?”

 

That bastard was there. The vermin who dared expose me. Lee Seon-uk glared at Kim Du-gyeom and gritted his teeth.

 

“You…”

 

“Thanks. I’m fucked because of you.”

 

“This is trespassing. Leave before I call the police.”

 

“What if I don’t want to?”

 

Kim Du-gyeom drew a sword from his waist. It’s a short sword about 70cm long. It’s a weapon he sharpens daily, so even a light touch would slice skin.

 

Lee Seon-uk stepped backward.

 

“Wh-what are you planning to do?”

 

“I told you before. If you expose me, your dad, mom, sibling, and… where is that bastard?”

 

Kim Du-gyeom peered behind him.

 

He doesn’t see that small dog that was barking fiercely, whether it was a Maltese or Maltipoo.

 

“Anyway, none of you will die peacefully. Think of it as you killing your whole family too.”

 

“Ah… I see.”

 

Lee Seon-uk spoke in a trembling voice. Even while breathing roughly, he smiled.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“…Thank you? Is this bastard retarded?”

 

Kim Du-gyeom’s brow furrowed. Lee Seon-uk pointed somewhere.

 

“For confessing about you.”

 

Behind the flower pot in the living room. Kim Du-gyeom looked there too. There was a smartphone. It was positioned as if filming the two of them with its camera.

 

Kim Du-gyeom let out a hollow laugh.

 

“…Hey you fucking bastard. What’s the point when I’m going to kill you. You son of a bitch-!”

 

Just as Kim Du-gyeom’s shout rang out.

 

Shiiiiik.

 

Another sound of movement arose. It was the sound of water going down the sink. Kim Du-gyeom hesitated and looked back at the bathroom.

 

Soon, the door opened.

 

“I’m late.”

 

A familiar voice and familiar face. Seol Ha-woon, whom he wanted to tear apart right now.

 

He calmly wiped the moisture with a towel and walked out, supporting himself with his walking stick.

 

“You’re always late. Is it because your brain is underdeveloped?”

 

Kim Du-gyeom silently looked back and forth between Lee Seon-uk and Seol Ha-woon. Seol Ha-woon slowly put on his gloves. The leather made a stiff creaking sound.

 

“Thanks for clearly confessing your intent to murder. You know? Explorers go to prison even for attempted murder.”

 

“This fucking bastard has finally lost it? No, that’s good.”

 

Kim Du-gyeom’s pupils dilated wide. Magic power swirled through the room.

 

“A mage brat alone with a warrior in a confined space? You just want to die.”

 

Seol Ha-woon raised an eyebrow. He had an inexplicable composure about him.

 

“You know what? They say empathy is intelligence.”

 

“That’s pseudoscience, you idiot. I looked up papers too.”

 

The corner of Seol Ha-woon’s mouth twisted with a sneer. It was a soul-crushing mockery.

 

“…Right. I got crushed by logic. Sorry for being wrong, loser.”

 

At that moment, Kim Du-gyeom’s thread of reason snapped.

 

Crack. He gripped his sword and charged at Seol Ha-woon. A beast-like rush, the blade emanating killing intent.

 

Seol Ha-woon simply closed his eyes and opened them.

 

In that blinking moment, the sword was right in front of him.

 

The blade trembling right before his forehead.

 

Kim Du-gyeom tried to bring the sword down on him. His muscles swelled as if about to burst.

 

“Th-this is….”

 

However, it wouldn’t budge at all. It remained frozen, unable to move. It wasn’t even a barrier, just held by magic power.

 

“Fuck, fuck what the…!”

 

“Listen carefully.”

 

Seol Ha-woon said while glaring at him.

 

A piercing, heart-stabbing cold energy.

 

Kim Du-gyeom was bewildered.

 

No, beyond that, a strange emotion raised its head from within.

 

Something he had never encountered once in his life… fear.

 

The trembling of the weak facing the strong.

 

It wasn’t this intense before.

 

“The things you’ve done.”

 

Seol Ha-woon’s retinas were covered with magic power.

 

A light bluer than the sea and deeper than the abyss.

 

“They’re going to kill you.”

 

Seol Ha-woon was facing an evildoer. The evildoer was revealing his evil.

 

Therefore, magic power resonated.

 

His attribute bloomed.

 

Time for punishment.

 

The difference in class arising from it was something Kim Du-gyeom could never overcome.

 

Crackkkkkk──-

 

The trembling blade glowed red hot.

 

It was heat. Ultra-high temperature magic power concentrated at one point melted the sword.

 

Kim Du-gyeom tried to let go of the sword, but even that wasn’t allowed. His sword and hand had stuck together.

 

“N-no-”

 

His distorted face was dyed with despair. Like a revolving lantern, all sorts of thoughts flashed by.

 

What the hell is this bastard. What’s going on. He’s not just some limping mage level. Fuck, then why has he been-

 

Kwaaaaak!

 

The sword exploded. The blade had been a muzzle. The blast that fired like a cannonball swallowed Kim Du-gyeom.

 

Kuuung!

 

He was blown away by the shockwave and slammed into the wall. All sorts of household items in the house crumbled and scattered. Seol Ha-woon looked down at him, buried among the debris like trash.

 

His entire body half-cooked, he had only fainted but miraculously wasn’t dead. He didn’t want him to die either.

 

“…Are you alright.”

 

Seol Ha-woon asked the person behind him.

 

“Y-yes… I’m fine.”

 

Lee Seon-uk nodded reflexively, but suddenly became curious.

 

“Um… but did you know from the beginning?”

 

Seol Ha-woon had come before Kim Du-gyeom. He had warned about Kim Du-gyeom’s retaliation and asked for cooperation.

 

“From the beginning….”

 

Seol Ha-woon limped into the living room. He retrieved the smartphone from behind the flower pot and ended the recording.

 

“Let’s say I knew from the beginning. It’ll be easier for both of us to explain to the police.”

 

“Ah… yes. Let’s do that.”

 

“Shall we rest for a moment. The police will come soon.”

 

Using magic power in residential areas is illegal. Areas where magic power can be used are strictly divided. Of course, there are exceptions depending on qualifications and circumstances.

 

“Yes. Yes.”

 

Seol Ha-woon sat on the sofa and took out a tea bag.

 

“By any chance, do you have any teacups left? Sorry, but the kitchen got completely destroyed.”

 

“Ah, just a moment.”

 

Lee Seon-uk took out teacups from the kitchen ceiling. Just then, a puppy that had been hidden in the master bedroom appeared. It had escaped when the door opened from the recent impact.

 

The small puppy walked over with little steps and stood at Seol Ha-woon’s feet. Its eyes seemed to ask who he was.

 

“Here it… is. I’ll also bring the coffee pot-”

 

“That’s not necessary.”

 

He put bottled water in the teacup and heated the water. He put in the tea bag and stirred it with telekinesis. He prepared two cups like that, giving one cup to him.

 

“Oh… yes. Thank you.”

 

The two sat on the sofa with some distance between them. Seol Ha-woon looked at the family photo on the living room wall.

 

A harmonious family, the father’s face was familiar. Because he was someone he originally knew.

 

Not an acquaintance, but someone he had seen a few times in childhood.

 

“Lee Shin-hyeong. That’s right, isn’t it.”

 

“…Yes?”

 

Lee Seon-uk looked at the family photo.

 

“Ah, yes, that’s my father’s name… how did you know?”

 

“He does volunteer work quite often. He used to come to our orphanage frequently.”

 

If someone mainly does volunteer work with children, there’s a decent chance of meeting them. Because there are probably less than 300 orphanages nationwide.

 

This is why I particularly despise Kim Du-gyeom more than other villains.

 

“He’s a good person. When he came to the orphanage, the kids would be happy saying it was pizza day.”

 

“….”

 

The man looked at Seol Ha-woon silently. That gaze had turned into sniffling at some point.

 

Seol Ha-woon thought while drinking his teacup.

 

Did I protect these people?

 

It wasn’t a sense of justice about reviving those who died unjustly or changing the future. I just did what I thought was right by my standards. No one would fail to save a child trying to crawl into a well… It’s just that kind of story.

 

Looking at it broadly, I also received help from this person.

 

“…Will I be able to forget?”

 

Suddenly Lee Seon-uk muttered as if about to cry.

 

“It comes to mind every night, those memories always torment me…”

 

“Why do you try so hard to forget?”

 

“…What?”

 

“Nothing changes just because you forget.”

 

Seol Ha-woon looked at him. He gazed into his tear-moistened eyes.

 

“Forgetting won’t make my past self or those wretched emotions disappear.”

 

A faint smile spread across Seol Ha-woon’s lips.

 

“The things already lost won’t come back either.”

 

He too had bitter wounds, but he had no regrets.

 

“Just… try living with them.”

 

The miracle of regression.

 

He had retraced his steps by exactly 2 years.

 

It was woefully insufficient time to set everything right. However, it was enough to tie up loose ends of unfinished business, enough to move forward.

 

“Don’t try to forget, try to take one step forward. Then it might gradually become easier.”

 

Seol Ha-woon gestured toward Lee Seon-uk’s black tea. Lee Seon-uk quietly lifted his teacup.

 

“I think the past can’t be overcome. Neither you nor I… we just make peace with it when we get the chance.”

 

People can’t defeat their past. Because that past is ultimately themselves. You can’t tear away only the shameful, humiliating, and desperate days and claim they’re not you.

 

“Well, it’s different for everyone, but that’s what I think.”

 

Then the front door burst open with a bang! Heavy footsteps. Police came rushing in. They discovered Kim Du-gyeom sprawled in the living room and us in turn.

 

“We responded to a report… Huh? JeMalOk?!”

 

One of the police officers pointed at Seol Ha-woon with wide eyes. Seol Ha-woon gave a bitter smile.

 

“I’m Seol Ha-woon.”

 

“I’m Lee Seon-uk.”

 

“Why is MalOk here…”

 

“Why are you here, Mr. Seol Ha-woon?”

 

The police officers looked confused. Then a ranker from the police station entered.

 

“What a mess… Huh? JeMalOk?!”

 

He reacted just like the police officer moments before. Seol Ha-woon pointed at Kim Du-gyeom.

 

“First, that person is Kim Du-gyeom.”

 

“Kim Du-gyeom… What?”

 

“The details should be captured in this video.”

 

Seol Ha-woon held out his smartphone to the bewildered officers.

 

Looking puzzled, they first played the recorded video.

 

─If you expose this, your dad, mom, sibling, and… where is that bastard? Anyway, none of you will die peacefully. Think of it as you killing your whole family too.

 

For quite a while, they watched the ‘evidence’ with serious expressions, nodding along.

 

“It’s been a while since we’ve had such clear evidence.”

 

The detective looked back at Seol Ha-woon and Lee Seon-uk.

 

“But do you two know each other?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“Through our father!”

 

Instead of the hesitating Seol Ha-woon, Lee Seon-uk spoke first.

 

“You know our father. Our father often did volunteer work, at that orphanage…”

 

Seol Ha-woon nodded with a bitter smile.

 

“Yes. That’s how it happened.”

 

“Ah… Well then.”

 

The detective who seemed to be the superior took out his smartphone and asked shyly.

 

“MalOk, I mean Ha-woon. Could you take just one photo with me? My daughter is a fan…”

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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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