Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 9

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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 009

I AM(1)

[ You have acquired Lower Grade Mana Memory! ]

The park near my studio apartment. After returning from the Magic Bookstore, I sat on a bench and acquired [Mana Memory].

[ Lower Grade Mana Memory ]■ Magic Power itself remembers the linking process of mana.■ You can learn the flow of Magic Power more easily.

[MoMo] This is the core tech tree for mages.

To express the theories I’ve learned so far from the Magic Specialist Book ‘Basics of Mana’,

A mage goes through four processes: Preheating, Mental Visualization, Development, and Manifestation.

Preheat Magic Power, visualize one’s own concept, combine Magic Power and visualization to develop, and finally manifest it in the world.

Here, [Mana Memory] helps Preheating and Mental Visualization proceed quickly. It means the Formula’s process becomes naturally optimized.

Additionally, my Magic Power itself gains learning and memory abilities, so each time I repeatedly use a Formula, I can achieve the same effect with much less Magic Power and concentration than before.

“Then…”

I set up the Magic Fiber Target that David Magic Bookstore Owner had given me as a gift in the middle of the park.

Today’s point of caution is sound. Whether for real combat or to avoid causing trouble to others, let’s start by reducing the noise.

I raised my fingertip. I fired a Mana Bullet at the target.

Bang─!

Not a bad explosive sound. Much quieter than an ordinary pistol.

One more time.

Bang!

Good, but still not enough. I want to make it as quiet as the silencers in movies.

By the way, there’s a huge difference between real silencers and movie silencers. Movie silencers make soft popping sounds, but in reality, even with a silencer, they make quite loud noises.

Anyway.

Reducing the sound as much as possible, one shot, two shots, three shots, four shots.

After about five shots, I stopped.

Before I knew it, my whole body was drenched in sweat.

“Am I getting better?”

They say if you keep using Formulas, my Magic Power will naturally remember this process.

Since it’s only the first day, I can’t really feel it yet.

Well, it would be stranger if it changed in just one day.

I trudged back home. I put down the cosmetics set on my studio apartment table.

【Mysterious Skincare Set】■ A mysterious skincare set for 200 uses.■ After waking up and before sleeping. When used twice a day with face washing, Appearance stat increases by 0.004.■ Blemishes disappear, skin gains elasticity, and pores become smaller.

This is a gift I received as a level-up bonus.

“…Tsk.”

Appearance. It is an important stat. The level-up difficulty in [MoMo] becomes extremely harsh toward the later stages, so eventually some degree of Appearance becomes essential.

It’s good, but I can’t help feeling greedy.

The 1 point I received before was too overpowered.

For now… let me apply it and sleep.

I limped into the bathroom.

* * *

During the week I waited for the final acceptance text, I repeated my training. I established a solid routine like during my military days.

First, wake up at 5 AM. Right after that, I sit on the mattress and implant the concept of Mana Circuits into my body.

Having completed my right arm, now it was my left arm’s turn.

After opening circuits for about an hour, I eat, shower, do skincare in order, then take a nap.

The nap is essential. Even though this looks easy, it’s work that requires tremendous mental power.

After sleeping for about 90 minutes and waking up, I go out to the park and this time practice Magic Formulas.

I say practice, but I’m just firing Mana Bullets.

This is when I clearly feel the effects of [Mana Memory]. Without needing any special training methods, I can feel it becoming natural the more I shoot.

In just one week, my ammunition count increased to twenty rounds, and various other techniques became possible. Like wires and booby traps. All of them were from the military.

Living quite diligently like that, finally today.

[ Labyrinth Exploration NaN, congratulations on Seol Ha-woon’s final preliminary acceptance. ]

“I made it~”

The final acceptance text came. I was confident when my recognition increased, but.

“Phew…”

I lay my body on the bed. I raised both arms.

When I preheat Magic Power in this state, the blood vessels in my arms glow blue. My right arm sparkles like the Milky Way in the night sky, while my left arm is still lacking.

The circuits have definitely been opened.

“…Hah.”

Rather than a sense of achievement, I suddenly let out a sigh.

Maybe because I just finished Magic Power training. In this strange feeling of exhaustion, I just have wind-like thoughts.

What do I want to do?

Do I want to live a little longer, or do I want to live a little more comfortably, or maybe.

Revenge against those who made my body like this?

I wonder.

Even such emotions aren’t as clear as before.

Right after my body exploded, I almost went crazy with anger and hatred, but as time passed, it gradually diluted.

I just focused on rehabilitation.

Probably because there was absolutely no way to get revenge, and because rehabilitation except for my left leg was completed, albeit with difficulty.

I received a little bit of gratitude for life then.

So if someone asked me when I was happiest, it would be when I overcame total paralysis.

What a damn thing.

On the day I overcame the greatest misfortune that had already come, I felt the greatest happiness of my life.

“…Ugh.”

I raised my exhausted body. I limped and stood in front of the bathroom.

After using the cosmetics set for a week, my skin definitely improved.

By the time of the live recording, even dewy baby skin wouldn’t be impossible.

Instead, my hair was definitely messy.

I should cut it.

* * *

I arrived at a hair salon in the middle of Gangnam District.

This is my first time at such a flashy hair salon. I even searched through reviews and booked the most highly rated hairstylist.

“How would you like it cut?”

I always used to say ‘Just cut it short.’

This time is different.

“Is there a hairstyle that would stand out as much as possible?”

“As much as possible… stand out?”

“Yes. Even completely curly hair is fine, it won’t look unkempt. It shouldn’t look too off-putting, but it should be a style that can catch people’s attention?”

“Hmm….”

It’s attention-grabbing for recognition. To get even one more shot on camera. Actually, there are hairstyle buffs in [MoMo] too.

“Just a moment….”

The hairstylist fiddled with my hair. She also lifted my hair slightly to examine various parts of my bare face.

“I think it would be good to maintain this length for now.”

“The length?”

“Yes. You’ve grown it out so much that it looks messy right now? But if we just style it properly here… I think you’ll look a bit more special.”

She means to go with long hair.

It would definitely stand out much more than ordinary hair.

“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Okay~ But may I ask what this is for?”

“…I’m appearing on a broadcast.”

“Ah~ I see.”

I closed my eyes. The hairstylist didn’t ask any more questions and picked up her scissors.

Snip snip. Snip snip.

For a while, only the sound of hair being cut echoed.

“Please stand up for a moment~”

I thought it would just be a simple cut, but the process was quite complicated with all sorts of steps.

“Please let me know if it gets too hot~”

They put rollers in my hair, applied treatments, gave me a perm, and did this and that.

For 2 hours, they washed my hair a total of 3 times. It was close to torture.

“There. All done~”

The hairstylist gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

I slowly opened my eyes. I saw my hair completely finished with blow-drying and all.

“How is it?”

“….”

Suddenly my temples throbbed. I almost cursed without realizing it.

Apparently, I still haven’t fully shed my military mindset.

The long hair, even with a slight glossy bounce, was nauseating enough to make me sick, but let me stay calm.

The current me is not me.

I am a character in [MoMo]. I am the character card called Seol Ha-woon.

I need to endure with that single-minded determination. If I can’t endure it, I’ll be disposed of.

[ Premium Hair Styling : Recognition acquisition increases by 5% for one week. ]

“If you want to stand out more, you can get it dyed here? You can come back in 2 weeks.”

“I don’t have time for 2 weeks. How much is it?”

I got up from my seat. The hairstylist smiled brightly and said.

“400,000 won~”

“….”

I almost stabbed my own eyeballs for a moment.

* * *

The explorer audition program returning after 3 years─「Labyrinth Exploration NaN」. Quite a few reporters attended the production announcement held today.

“Doesn’t the huge success of the previous season put pressure on you?”

20% viewership rating. Export to the world’s largest OTT, number 1 worldwide for 3 weeks.

The top program from 3 years ago, 「Labyrinth Exploration AAA」, had set the Korean Peninsula and the Global Village on fire.

“No. We have suitable participants. There’s no pressure at all.”

However, Yoon Sa-hyuk feels no pressure. The reason is simple. It’s because the quality of the participants is high.

That was the reason for returning after much deliberation in the first place.

To select suitable cast members, he had even secured written appearance agreements with several agencies in advance.

“The contract period has increased compared to the previous season. Isn’t 2 years too long?”

A reporter asked.

Reporter Lee Gin-se from Morita Seoul. An annoying fellow.

“Given how much the participants will gain from Labyrinth Exploration, I think a 2-year contract period is reasonable.”

“Reasonable… Are the contracts industry standard?”

“Yes.”

There were many more questions after that.

Some reporters deliberately tried to get on his nerves, while others followed the guidelines.

“Well then. That concludes our questions.”

The Q&A session of the production announcement ended.

Yoon Sa-hyuk came down from the podium first. Kim A-rang followed behind him and let out a sigh.

“The reporters have so much to say. They’ll cling to us desperately this season too, right? It’ll be hell.”

“Because it’ll make money. During production, you’d better live at the company.”

“Ah shit. What kind of talk is that. Work-life balance can go to hell.”

“But you’ll be able to buy a house when the broadcast ends.”

“…Hmph. But you know, senior. This batch is more amazing than we expected.”

Yoon Sa-hyuk’s steps stopped. Those inconsiderate fast steps. Those selfish long strides finally came to a halt.

He asked.

“There’s a participant that caught your eye?”

“Many~ Seo Ji-woo, Ryu Yeon-hwa, Lee Jun-ho, Kang Hyeon, Kate, Jo Woon, Ryu Wei, Ichiko….”

Kim A-rang folded her fingers one by one. Yoon Sa-hyuk shook his head.

“Not those kinds. A dark horse.”

“Ah~ That type?”

Dark horse. There was always exactly one such participant in the 「Labyrinth Exploration 101」 series. A variable who started from the bottom but secured a top position with their unique charm and growth.

“Well. There is one person who’s a bit… annoying?”

“That person’s in big trouble.”

Kim A-rang narrowed her eyes at Yoon Sa-hyuk’s expressionless face.

“What big trouble. It’s actually good. They’ve made an impression on me.”

“So, who is it?”

“…Hmm.”

Kim A-rang stroked her chin and muttered.

“Seol Ha-woon… That soldier. You know him, right?”

* * *

[ Final successful applicants should arrive by 10 AM at Baeksan-dong, Taebaek City, Gangwon Province… ]

Early morning. I’m on my way to Gangwon Province, the filming location. There was a direct express bus.

I dressed up somewhat properly too. Black shirt, dark gray slacks, and the 【Mystical Staff】.

The 【Mystical Staff】 is my signature item.

【Mystical Staff】. The brackets are a bit more special compared to other items, right?

…While thinking about this, I arrived at my destination.

“Is this the place.”

Small buildings were clustered together in the mountain area of Gangwon Province.

People who appeared to be staff were running around here and there, and ingredients and filming equipment were piled up on the ground-

“You changed your style?”

Someone called out to me from ahead. It was PD Kim A-rang.

“Ah. Yes. I changed it.”

“It’s better than before. Go in over there.”

Where Kim A-rang pointed, there was a portal. About 1m wide and 3m tall, I’d guess.

Just as I was about to enter, Kim A-rang PD’s necklace suddenly caught my eye.

“You changed yours too, PD.”

The Artifact was different from the first preliminary round.

Kim A-rang furrowed her brow.

“…Hey. I barely held back from asking you to pay for it, you know? Using that thing once reduced the output by 90%.”

“Mm. I’ll go in now.”

“What, no-“

I deliberately limped heavily as I entered the portal.

Whirr.

A feeling like my body was floating slightly. The interior that followed was just an ordinary broadcast station corridor.

Waiting Room 1, Waiting Room 2, Waiting Room 3, rooms like that filled the space.

“You’re Seol Ha-woon, right?”

A staff member at the entrance approached me.

“Yes.”

“This. Please stick it anywhere. Somewhere most visible.”

A huge name sticker that read [Seol Ha-woon]. I stuck it on my chest.

“Please wait in Waiting Room 3.”

“Yes.”

I entered Waiting Room 3 that the staff member pointed to.

Inside, there were already about 8 successful candidates.

Of course, no one paid any attention to me. They were all just taking deep breaths with tense faces, contacting someone, or watching SNS short-form videos.

─We’ll start recording in one hour. Those whose names are called, please come up to the main set following the staff’s guidance….

Kim A-rang PD’s voice echoed from the ceiling speakers.

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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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