Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 92
—————
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 092
Home Sweet Home(2)
“Phew… that’s done.”
Though hastily put together, I managed to create a fairly decent shop. I made the counter from clear hinoki-style lumber, and installed wooden shelves behind it that served as both display and storage. I put up a tent ceiling on top, and even erected a sign with [Astroal Merchandise] carved into it.
Why English? Because this penguin asked me to use the-most-pop-u-lar-lan-guage-please.
“…What the hell am I even doing.”
Reality suddenly hit me. I staggered from dizziness and let out a sigh.
No one’s going to come anyway, and no one’s going to buy anything.
Still, it wasn’t difficult work. This is my subspace, so I can manipulate the space according to my will.
Bending wood to make shelves and carving rocks to erect pillars flows as naturally as a stream of consciousness.
Instead, it takes tremendous magic power, and I have to do the detailed design work myself—like polishing the lumber to bring out that hinoki aesthetic.
“Hey. Is this enough?”
Astroal surveyed the store with satisfied eyes. Beep beep♪. A pleased sound flowed out.
〔It is sufficient. If more products are secured for sale, revenue will increase.〕
“What else is there, you bastard. My legs are killing me… Ow, my legs.”
I sat down on the chair I had made.
“Ah…”
My left leg is acting up again. Though I experience this almost daily, I never get used to it and it’s an annoying pain every single day. It feels like two men are pounding my left pelvis and knee with hammers.
“Ugh…”
I grabbed my left leg. Breaking out in cold sweat, I clenched my teeth tight.
“…Phew. It’s getting a bit chilly.”
When the pain subsided, I gathered wood scraps and lit a campfire. Watching me intently, Astroal asked.
〔Master. I would like to receive usage permission for this subspace.〕
“Permission? I don’t know how to do that.”
〔I would like to receive permission.〕
Even if I wanted to give permission, there’s no way I know how to…
“Hmm. Wait a minute.”
Suddenly I have this thought.
Could I apply my ‘magic coefficient’ to Astroal too?
No matter how human-like it talks, if we strictly categorize it, it would be an ‘item.’
I got up from the chair and placed my hand on Astroal’s shoulder.
“Hold still.”
I infused magic power into the cold alloy.
Whoooosh… Blue light resonates from my hand and the robot’s body. Along with the sensation of penetrating through circuits, magic power infiltrates. I feel the unique resistance of metal. It’s somewhat dull and stiff, like trying to stick a straw into ice.
〔Uh-uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh-uh.〕
The penguin utters monosyllables while shaking.
“Hey. Bear with it.”
〔Uh-uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh-uh.〕
Shake shake shake shake.
“I said bear with it.”
Shake shake shake shake.
Astroal trembled like a massage chair. Is it going to explode at this rate?
[ Magic coefficient has been activated. ]
“Phew.”
Fortunately, the circuit opened up.
However, it’s not complete. In human terms, only the head and spinal cord—the central nervous system—are open. It means the periphery hasn’t been thoroughly connected yet.
I’ll get there if I keep at it consistently.
“How is it? Did you get permission?”
The panel presumed to be Astroal’s face flickered. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. After blinking several times making strange expressions, it returned to penguin eyes and answered.
〔Yes. Permission has been granted.〕
“Good then.”
I connected this guy and myself through the magic coefficient. So naturally I must have granted usage permission.
“But there might be no customers at all. Don’t be disappointed.”
〔It is fine. I am operating long-range observation and mana collection systems. Therefore, customer influx is inevitable. There will be no problems with continuing business operations.〕
“…Even robots dream now. Good luck. I’ll bring some more interesting stuff next time I come.”
I’m thinking of downloading various dramas and movies from OTT to give to it.
Though I do feel some doubt about whether I need to put this much effort into this thing, let’s think of this as part of affection too.
“I’m leaving.”
Whether I like it or not, it’s my first pet after all.
* * *
“Everyone please wait at your positions! Filming will start soon!”
Labyrinth Exploration NaN Set Stage. PD Kim A-rang shouted from the stage where 70 explorers were lined up.
“And don’t even mention Kim Du-gyeom in small talk! He’s not here anymore, Ji-woo! That’s not your spot!”
“Oh, yes, yes. Where am I supposed to be?”
Seo Ji-woo was chatting with Yoon Hwa-rim when Kim A-rang dragged her away.
But that ‘spot’ she mentioned is in front of me.
Seo Ji-woo’s back of the head is in front of me.
“…Ahem.”
Seo Ji-woo also seemed conscious of me and cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Let’s start!”
Clap. With the sound of the youngest writer’s slate, the camera lights up.
Today’s set stage is exceptionally huge. The composition itself reminds me of Episode 1’s pyramid, but it’s much larger and more glittering.
“Wow… today really comes.”
First tally day.
In other words, the day when interim rankings and eliminated contestants are decided.
At Im Hae-jun’s words mixed with anxiety and excitement from my left, Kang Hyeon on my right responded.
“Yeah.”
“…Hyung, you’re guaranteed top tier anyway. We’re not. Right, master?”
I nodded silently.
The chatter quickly died down.
Whoooooosh—
A gratuitously majestic rumble. Yoo Ji-in appeared in the spotlight.
Today she was dressed in a suit. It looked somewhat like funeral attire too.
Quite fitting for the day of sending off 20 people.
“Hello everyone.”
No one responds. Just tension and silence.
As if understanding, Yoo Ji-in smiled bitterly and continued.
“Today is finally… the first tally.”
The day encompassing all weekly votes and profile votes up to the 7th round. Anyone below 50th place gets eliminated entirely. The World Maze is naturally included too.
“You must all be nervous, right? Now, before that. Everyone please look at that screen!”
Yoo Ji-in pointed to the giant screen. The monitor flashed flashily, forming numbers.
“This is the total cumulative vote count for Labyrinth Exploration NaN’s weekly voting!”
[ 90,173,105 ]
“Whoa.”
“Huh?”
“What the hell. That’s almost 100 million?”
“Wow, that’s insane….”
The explorers exclaimed in amazement, and I was surprised too. It had increased by almost 20 million compared to before my regression.
Is this the Seol Ha-woon effect?
I was about to shrug my shoulders but held back.
Anyway, each viewer can vote for 7 people every week in the weekly voting. Since this is the 7th round, even considering people who only vote for one person, roughly 4 to 6 million people vote every week.
“Now, I’ll announce the rankings….”
* * *
In the lawless zone throughout Central Asia. In the dark thickets of that place where no nation holds dominion, the sound of breathless running echoes.
Thud-thud-thud-thud──!
Four explorers are sprinting. A Swordsman with a sword, a Warrior with a shield, an Archer with a bow, a barefoot Mage. An entire team with standard positions is being chased. They were caught while looting from a giant Orc Village.
It’s a desperate dash.
Grooooooar──
The roars of orcs surging like waves from the forest. If caught, their flesh would be torn and bones shattered.
Their hearts feel like they might burst, but they can’t stop running. The moment they’re caught, they’ll be devoured.
“Haa, haa!”
Breathing roughly as if their lungs might burn, at some point.
Whoooosh….
A mysterious wind blew. An alien cold energy brushed their minds, but they kept running for now.
“…Huff.”
The Swordsman who had been leading gradually slowed down.
Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff. Soon he stopped, smelling the air.
“Huff, huff. Doesn’t something seem different? Huff, the air too.”
The group also stopped one by one. They looked around nervously.
The orc horde that had been tracking them was nowhere to be seen. The scenery was completely different too. It wasn’t the typical grass color of Central Asia. The vegetation was darker and more vivid.
“It does seem like it….”
“…Huh? What’s that?”
The Archer pointed far ahead. Everyone looked in that direction. A wide sign stood between the bushes.
[Astroal Merchandise]
“What’s that now. Astroal Merchandise?”
The Archer narrowed his eyes and looked closely.
“…There’s something like a robot standing there? Isn’t that an unmanned stall?”
“An unmanned stall… suddenly?”
The explorers walked forward first. Their steps were unsteady from being chased all day.
Astroal Merchandise. Next to that sign at the counter was a robot resembling a penguin.
“Is that really a robot? Isn’t it a statue?”
Barely reaching 170cm, it’s huge for a penguin.
〔Hello.〕
“Whoa, that startled me!”
“Aaaah!”
The explorers were startled by the sudden communication.
The robot continued speaking indifferently.
〔I am Astroal. This shop only handles bartering or the most common currency. Please keep this in mind for transactions.〕
“Shop? Currency?”
The most common currency seems to be dollars, but there’s no way they’d have cash on hand.
The Archer asked the robot.
“…What do you sell?”
〔Available items for trade are hourly Rest Usage Permits and snacks.〕
Potato chips sitting alone on a wooden bowl on the counter. I thought they were just left there to eat freely.
“What’s a Rest Usage Permit?”
〔Rest Usage Permits can be purchased by the hour, and you’re allowed to stay for the purchased duration.〕
The explorers quickly looked around the shop area. There was a campfire with only embers left and one chair.
“That? Rest on that chair?”
〔No. Rest refers to this entire space.〕
“…This entire space?”
〔Yes.〕
“What if we don’t buy?”
〔You will be expelled.〕
“…Pfft.”
One of the explorers snorted. It was a giant Warrior holding a large great sword.
“You’re going to expel us.”
He asked while fiddling with his sword.
“Prove it, robot.”
〔Understood.〕
Whooooosh.
Wind blew. Immediately after, the giant disappeared. Like dust carried away by air, in an instant.
The three explorers quickly looked around.
“What, did he really get expelled?”
〔Yes. That is correct. The customer has been returned to his original location.〕
“Original location means… there?”
〔Original position confirmed. The area where the orc forces have deployed an encirclement.〕
The three explorers exchanged glances.
But well, there’s no choice. Going back in this state would mean a getting-eaten ending.
“Okay. I’ll buy. Can you bring back the guy who just left? It seems like you saved us.”
〔Impossible. I did not rescue you.〕
“What? Didn’t you call us here?”
〔It’s merely part of the Customer Acquisition Device. I observed areas with high danger levels for human life and randomly installed switches, and you happened to find your way here.〕
The best customers aren’t wealthy customers.
They’re customers in situations where they ‘have no choice but to buy.’
“Uh… anyway, he can’t come back?”
〔Yes. That is correct.〕
The three explorers exchanged glances again.
But well, there’s no choice this time either.
“Can’t help it. It’s not like he was in charge of loot anyway.”
The Swordsman shrugged his Expansion Pack on his shoulder.
The explorer’s world is cold. While they maintain trust when moving as the same team, they don’t make desperate efforts to save comrades.
They’re not really comrades anyway, more like business partners.
“With three people… how many hours should we do?”
“If we rest for about 6 hours, our Magic Power should recover and we’ll be fine.”
“There’s no difference between 6 and 7 hours, so let’s just do 7 hours. Hey robot. How much? We don’t have cash. We’ll barter.”
Beep beep beep. The penguin’s eyes moved as if calculating.
〔3 people. 7 hours each stay time. The total price is 3 C-Grade Loot items.〕
3 C-Grade Loot items.
At market price, that’s 15,000 dollars.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
