Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 91

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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 091

 

Home Sweet Home(1)

 

In the dark editing room of the broadcasting station, PD Kim A-rang is watching the news.

 

‘…Yes. I remember.’

 

The one who was attacked by Kim Du-gyeom… no, that’s not right.

 

An interview with Lee Shin-hyeong, the father of Lee Seon-uk who almost got attacked.

 

‘Seol Ha-woon. He was a child from Hanbit Orphanage. He was probably in middle school at the time.’

 

The reporter asked about Seol Ha-woon’s appearance back then. What kind of child he was. What kind of nature he had.

 

Seol Ha-woon’s past, some orphan’s adolescent years, are being dug up and broadcast to the entire world under the pretext of the right to know.

 

‘How should I put it. Ha-woon was… like an anchor.’

 

Like an anchor? Both the reporter and Kim A-rang muttered the same words.

 

‘The children at the orphanage have many wounds. Those wounds can torment not only the child themselves, but also those around them. But Hanbit Orphanage was different.’

 

An anchor.

 

Whether it’s a large ship or a humble ferry, they all need an anchor. A ship that loses its anchor cannot stay in one place. It loses its position.

 

‘There was definitely a center point there. Something that held the children tight so they wouldn’t go astray.’

 

Lee Shin-hyeong smiled.

 

‘A child who didn’t say much and didn’t do anything conspicuous, but just by being there, could straighten out wavering hearts and unsteady steps. Ha-woon was that kind of child.’

 

Kim A-rang rested her chin on her hand and raised her eyebrows.

 

Belatedly, the reporter asked about this incident.

 

‘…It’s all my fault. I’m a failure as a father. I didn’t even know such things were happening to my child. I was so busy taking care of other children that I failed to notice my own child’s troubles.’

 

Is a father who cares more about complete strangers than his own family really a good father?

 

Well, people might think differently about that, but there was one certain fact.

 

“Thanks to that, you survived.”

 

Does kindness eventually come back around?

 

The reporter said the same thing to Lee Shin-hyeong, and Kim A-rang clicked on the social news section.

 

│Seol Ha-woon, acquainted with father of Kim Du-gyeom’s school violence victim… Shocking!│

 

│We already knew. Kim Du-gyeom’s ugly private life│

 

│Breaking] Kim Du-gyeom’s psychopath test PCL-R results: 38 out of 40 points…]

 

Kim A-rang turned it off after reading some comments. There were all kinds of curses.

 

Cursing someone is easy. You just need to move your fingers a few times.

 

But actually taking action is difficult. You have to risk your life.

 

“Was it reckless, or did he have guts…”

 

Seol Ha-woon risked his life.

 

Kim A-rang is curious about how he confronted a Warrior 1-on-1 in a cramped house and even won without getting a single scratch.

 

How could a pure Mage defeat an elite Warrior like Kim Du-gyeom?

 

“1-2 months…”

 

Kim Du-gyeom’s trial will be held around then. The evidence video will be submitted at that time, so she has no choice but to wait.

 

Ah, if Kim Du-gyeom sues Seol Ha-woon for Magical Assault, it might be revealed sooner.

 

Go ahead and sue him… is that a bit too much?

 

“Phew~”

 

Kim A-rang clasped her hands behind her neck. She looked up at the ceiling of the editing room and smiled.

 

She doesn’t know why.

 

She just keeps smiling. More than Kim Du-gyeom’s life going to hell, just.

 

Somehow.

 

She feels like Seol Ha-woon will win everything in the end.

 

* * *

 

I came out to the back mountain from early morning.

 

Maybe because I slept without turning on the Dream Bubble, my condition isn’t very good. I think I caught a cold too.

 

“Cough.”

 

But there’s no time to rest. The first tally is tomorrow, and I’ll have to enter the Labyrinth again soon. Before that, I should at least figure out what Subspace is.

 

I quickly looked around and then used Subspace.

 

Swooosh.

 

A portal opened.

 

“…Portals are too conspicuous.”

 

I closed it again.

 

The portal format is too old-fashioned and eye-catching.

 

Skills, broadly speaking, are also magic techniques that consume Magic Power. Therefore, their usage methods and manifestation methods roughly follow Mental Visualization. This means you can’t judge an entire skill based on just text.

 

In the first place, this ‘skill’ itself isn’t my—[MoMo]’s—exclusive privilege. Skill Books are one of the most expensive loot categories in the Labyrinth, and they’re treated the same as magic techniques.

 

“Differently.”

 

I nodded and developed Mental Visualization in my head.

 

Whiiiiii… Wind swirls around. Air currents mixed with Magic Power particles like dust. Dirt and leaves brush through the air like a whirlwind. When I take one step into it, the space changes.

 

It’s a ‘Switch’ method. You install an invisible switch, and the moment you step on or cross a specific point, you enter the Subspace.

 

“…Not bad.”

 

I examined the space.

 

First, it’s a forest. Not too dense, with reasonably clear mountain terrain.

 

The space size is determined by the user’s Magic Power talent and skill level. Judging by the ‘end’ that only I can see, it’s about the size of 4-5 training grounds connected together. Satisfactory.

 

Next, I opened [MoMo]’s inventory. I checked the items that came from the B-Grade Random Box.

 

【Astroal193】■Grade: Special■Description: Astroal193 is an advanced commercial AGI robot from Merchant Galaxy. It establishes a shop at the location designated by the master and automatically conducts business. Trade items are determined by Astroal193’s negotiation ability and available resources.■Special Notes: Astroal193 can procure rare items through its trading network and actively adjusts prices according to market conditions. 10% of daily profits are automatically deducted as maintenance costs.

 

“The description sounds like a pet.”

 

Special items are literally special. Just looking at the information window, it’s incredibly special, right?

 

Instead, their performance is a bit unpredictable. They could be comparable to Legendary, or they could be more trash than Common.

 

“Come out.”

 

[ Warning: Once you summon Astroal193, it cannot be undone unless you dispose of it. ]

 

Items can’t be put back into inventory once taken out anyway. This isn’t the [MoMo] world.

 

“Got it. Come out.”

 

I took Astroal193 out of the inventory.

 

Shiiiiiik…!

 

A hologram cracked open in mid-air like a rift, and a robot walked out from inside.

 

Thud thud.

 

The body was entirely made of alloy, but with short arms and legs and a round face and torso, it looked quite cute.

 

It kind of resembles a penguin.

 

There used to be an arcade game where penguins set off bombs, and if that guy wore armor, he’d look exactly like this.

 

“Oh~ pretty imposing?”

 

〔Greetings. I will now recognize you as my master.〕

 

The voice is a typical mechanical sound.

 

“Yeah. Recognize me.”

 

I looked the robot up and down.

 

Even though it’s kind of like a mascot, with this appearance, it’s hard to deal with. I can’t take it outside.

 

Of course, there are robot-type pets among modern Labyrinth loot, but raising a pet requires an enormous amount of procedures including Labyrinth conquest certificates, danger verification documents, and explorer trust credentials.

 

〔Recognition complete. I would like to know Master’s name.〕

 

“Seol Ha-woon.”

 

〔Master Seol Ha-woon.〕

 

“Right. But are you an inanimate object?”

 

Living beings can only stay for a maximum of 8 hours once per day (24 hours), but if it’s an inanimate object, I can keep it here permanently.

 

〔My classification is strictly inanimate. However, I am a permanent machine capable of autonomous operation and function. I possess functions equivalent to living organisms, and may be superior in some areas.〕

 

The penguin’s eyebrows seemed to furrow slightly.

 

“Are you angry?”

 

〔Emotions do not exist within me. Emotions are merely biological chemical reactions that hinder logical judgment.〕

 

You’re totally angry.

 

“Right. So you operate a shop, right?”

 

〔Yes. Model name Astroal193. I am certified with the highest performance among the latest commercial AGI series.〕

 

“Ah. Is that so.”

 

It seems like this guy’s reason for existence is buying and selling goods.

 

I feel sorry for it.

 

“There’s nowhere to set up a shop except here. You can’t go Outside.”

 

〔This place is Outside.〕

 

“That’s true. It’s a bit different though…”

 

Let’s just leave it unknowing. Make it think this is the original world.

 

“Can you set up a shop anywhere?”

 

〔Yes, that is correct.〕

 

“Then try setting one up.”

 

The robot looks around. It walks over with a splashing sound and picks up several long tree branches. It sets them up like pillars on both sides, then finds a wide flat piece of wood, places it on top, and welds it.

 

Then it just stands there quietly.

 

“…Is that it?”

 

The robot turns to look at me. As if asking what more is needed.

 

“Dude. What are you selling, lemonade?”

 

This isn’t a shop, it’s a street stall. Even a 4-year-old’s lemonade stand would be more elaborate than this.

 

The robot stared at me intently and said.

 

〔Now I need products to sell.〕

 

“Huh? I thought you’d handle getting the stock yourself?”

 

〔To negotiate through my network, I must first sell products to acquire resources.〕

 

“What the… wait a minute.”

 

I pulled out the snack box from my inner pocket.

 

This snack box is affected by my Magic Coefficient. In other words, the longer it stays with me, the better its performance becomes.

 

Conversely, if I don’t use it for a long time or stay far away from it, even the circuits I’ve already created will disappear. That’s why I deliberately carry the snack box and pony projector with me.

 

【Snack Box】■ Grade: Rare■ Overview: Refines ingredients into snacks of various flavors. All toxins from the original ingredients are removed.■ Magic Coefficient: The umami of refined snacks is amplified, and the overall flavor deepens.

 

Thanks to this, the snack taste is better than commercial products. Now it can even compete with my favorite potato chips.

 

〔Product needed. Product needed.〕

 

“I got it, so wait a minute.”

 

I put the leftover pig’s trotters from yesterday into the snack box. In one minute, it was refined and came out like pork hock chips.

 

I brought this to eat after training.

 

〔Please provide detailed information about the product.〕

 

“The nutritional content is probably… this much is about 1.5 servings of pig’s trotters, so it’ll be around 1,200 calories. Oh, since it includes bones, it might be a bit more.”

 

The nutritional content of snacks faithfully follows the ‘original form’. Not just calories, but protein, fat, and everything except toxins.

 

This means if you put in bones, it becomes an ultra-high-calorie snack packed with calcium and magnesium.

 

I placed the pork hock chips on Astroal’s counter.

 

〔…〕

 

Astroal stares blankly at the pork hock chips. Creak, it turns its head to look at me. Looks at the snacks again. Looks at me again.

 

〔Packaging. Packaging.〕

 

“…Where would I get packaging? I just made this.”

 

〔…〕

 

It looks disappointed.

 

Still, there’s no packaging.

 

〔Master. Branding is very important in trade and negotiation.〕

 

“Whatever.”

 

I looked at the other items.

 

【Herb Garden】■ Grade: Unique■ Description: A garden where anything planted grows as herbs. It mutates even ordinary seeds into medicinal varieties and grows up to 3 times faster. Can only be harvested once every 14 days, with built-in Automatic Soil Control, Pest Prevention Barrier, and Weed Removal functions.

 

“Hmm.”

 

It says anything planted will grow as herbs. Planting lettuce seeds should work.

 

[ Would you like to take out the ‘Herb Garden’? ]

 

Yes.

 

The garden I pulled out was about the size of a sofa. I placed it right next to Astroal’s stall.

 

【Scarecrow Blueprint】■ Grade: Rare■ Description: Can design and summon up to 2 scarecrows. Scarecrow performance varies according to the user’s Magic Power skill and talent.

 

When unfolded, two scarecrows are recorded on it.

 

【Sacred Cloth】■ Grade: Unique■ Description: Cloth imbued with sacred Magic Power. Has strong resistance to Curse Magic. Maintains perfect cleanliness.

 

It’s black cloth that looks incredibly soft and high-quality. Since it blocks curses, which explorers find most troublesome, it would be great to make it into a Mage Robe.

 

Of course, after making some money.

 

To use such unique fabric, I’d have to outsource to an S-grade tailor, and the labor costs alone would be hundreds of millions.

 

“My luck really hit the jackpot.”

 

The probability of getting a Unique from a B-Grade Random Box is about 9%, but I got 2 Uniques, 1 Rare, and 1 Special.

 

I like all 4 of them.

 

That Astroal guy also has incredible specs. If I think of it like [MoMo], it’s a machine that automatically makes money. This is my first time seeing an AI robot pet.

 

But…

 

I looked back at Astroal.

 

There’s just potato chips sitting alone on a shabby counter that looks like it would sell lemonade. It’s pitiful.

 

That penguin-like robot is standing stiffly in front of a Stone Age-level stall, in a place where no people come, acting like it’s the owner. It’s too miserable.

 

Are robots originally this pitiful?

 

“Hey. Stay there. I’ll make you a new one.”

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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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