Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 93

—————
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 093

 

Home Sweet Home(3)

 

Subspace. The robot Astroal held out three small wood chips to the explorers. They were engraved with ‘7’, the stay time they had purchased.

 

〔These are the keys. If you lose them, you’ll need to repurchase, so please be especially careful.〕

 

“Pfft. Is this what you were just making?”

 

〔Keys are basic equipment of the shop. They were prepared from the beginning.〕

 

“I saw you picking up wood chips and hammering away earlier.”

 

〔…〕

 

The robot silently picked up six potato chips.

 

〔First-time customer benefit. A special complimentary gift.〕

 

“…Just 6 pieces? Don’t you usually give a whole bag or something?”

 

〔This product is differentiated from regular potato chips. It’s a high-efficiency, high-calorie food with over 30 calories per piece.〕

 

The explorers showed interest at this.

 

Most explorers are slaves to calories. Especially when on duty. As the price for superhuman movement, they consume superhuman amounts of energy.

 

Moreover, they had lost their food supplies while fleeing from orcs.

 

“…But this doesn’t even have packaging. It’s kind of hard to trust.”

 

Beep beep.

 

Penguin also had an agreeing expression. It seemed to be expressing dissatisfaction toward someone not present here.

 

“Anyway, it’s free, right? Give it here. I’m starving to death….”

 

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

 

The three of them each chewed a piece. Their eyes widened.

 

“What, what flavor is this? It’s delicious?”

 

“Wait a minute. This tastes like pig’s trotters?”

 

Korean suddenly burst from the Swordsman’s mouth.

 

That’s right. All conversation until now had been in English!

 

The Archer frowned.

 

“What are you saying? Speak in English.”

 

“Pig’s trotters. Amazing. It’s from my country, boiled pig legs.”

 

Crunch. After eating another piece, he asked.

 

“This is delicious. How much for just this item?”

 

〔The price for 20 pieces is one C- grade loot item. Currently holding 60 pieces in stock.〕

 

C-. Cheaper than C grade, but the average market price is 1-2 thousand dollars.

 

“…Really fucking expensive. More importantly, can you appraise loot? You’re not just taking anything, are you?”

 

〔Equipped with product appraisal function. Evaluation is possible.〕

 

“As if that’s possible.”

 

The scoffing Archer handed over a crude teacup from the loot sack.

 

“Try appraising this.”

 

〔Complete. It’s C- grade.〕

 

“…Oh? How about this?”

 

A strange-looking but well-tempered orc-style double-edged axe.

 

〔It’s B- grade.〕

 

Explorers, especially ‘adventurers’ who roam the Outer Lawless Zone, can roughly estimate grades just by looking at loot.

 

The robot’s appraisal ability was fairly accurate.

 

“Hmm… How about this?”

 

The Archer pulled out an item that even he found difficult to appraise. It was a trick.

 

This robot’s appraisal function seemed genuine, and appraiser fees are quite expensive. It’s good to save on anything you can.

 

〔From now on, there will be an appraisal fee.〕

 

“Ah, you’re quick to catch on. Hey. Do you know how much C- grade goes for outside? They charge at least 2 thousand dollars.”

 

〔I determine value, not price. Value is determined not only by supply and demand, but also by the uniqueness of the space and the consumer’s current desires as decisive factors.〕

 

“…Right. Got it. Give me some. I’m hungry. Just 20 pieces.”

 

The explorers bought 20 pieces of potato chips and shared them. 2 thousand dollars worth of potato chips. It wouldn’t even be a full bag’s worth, but they felt somewhat full.

 

“…This won’t do. Give me 20 more pieces.”

 

Thanks to that, their appetite was awakened. They had tasted overly stimulating snacks on an empty stomach.

 

“Ah. Shit. Hey robot. Just give me all the rest.”

 

20 pieces, 20 pieces, 20 pieces.

 

In an instant, they devoured all 60 pieces.

 

“Any more?”

 

〔Sold out.〕

 

“That’s a shame.”

 

Burp. The Archer rubbed his belly and belched.

 

They said it was high-calorie food, and despite being just snacks, the feeling of fullness was remarkable.

 

“…Hey robot, you won’t attack us while we sleep or anything, right?”

 

He suddenly became worried.

 

〔Trust is the foundation of commerce. If I were to kill or plunder customers, I could gain short-term profit, but in the long term, my reputation would be damaged and revenue would decrease. This would be an irrational choice that goes against the business model. This is also why I set the price of rest usage permits reasonably.〕

 

Even if he demanded all their loot as the price for rest usage permits, they might have no choice if they wanted to live. However, excessive profit also damages the shop’s credibility.

 

Astroal had set costs that could generate word-of-mouth without taking excessive profits.

 

“…Right. Got it. Anyway, you follow robot principles or whatever, right?”

 

They sat around the nearly extinguished campfire. The Mage revived the almost dead embers.

 

Whoosh!

 

“Uh….”

 

The Swordsman muttered while staring into the fire.

 

“So we spent about 20K for our lives….”

 

“If we die anyway, it becomes 0.”

 

The Archer and Mage lay down on the ground, while the Swordsman sat in the chair.

 

“…Ah. At least I can watch the next episode of that thing.”

 

“What. That Mitamnan thing?”

 

“Yeah. That’s all our country talks about right now.”

 

“I know. It’s number 1 or 2 on our OTT too. I don’t know what’s so interesting about it.”

 

“It’s because you’re from a different culture… no wait. Just watching Seo Ji-woo and Kate should be good enough, right?”

 

Whoosh.

 

The wind blows gently. The conversation also pauses momentarily.

 

Just as the three explorers were about to fall asleep, blinking in the warmth of the campfire.

 

〔I’m selling an alarm service.〕

 

The robot suddenly spoke. They opened their eyes drowsily.

 

“…Alarm service? What’s that?”

 

〔Your maximum stay time is 7 hours. However, if you sleep now, you may be forced to leave while still in a sleep state according to the system.〕

 

“….”

 

The three looked at each other. Could they wake up within 7 hours if they fell asleep like this?

 

No matter how they thought about it, it was impossible. Unless they assigned someone to keep watch.

 

Naturally, none of the three wanted to keep watch.

 

“How much?”

 

〔One C grade loot item.〕

 

The explorers put their hands to their foreheads. Thud. Thud. Thud. Like a regular drum.

 

“…You really do business like a fucking bastard.”

 

Beep beep.

 

Penguin’s two eyes moved.

 

It was an expression of gratitude for the praise.

 

* * *

 

“Now, we’ll reveal the rankings!”

 

Yoo Ji-in’s voice filled the set stage.

 

Wing─wing─wing─

 

It’s loud enough to make my eardrums ring. Ever since installing the implant, my nervous system has become excessively sensitive, which is problematic. I should consider ways to ‘reduce’ the output later.

 

“1st place.”

 

First, the number [ １ ] appeared large.

 

It’ll be either Kang Hyeon or Lee Jun-ho. Before regression, it was Lee Jun-ho.

 

“Lee Jun-ho!”

 

Same as before.

 

Fireworks and fanfare erupted. Lee Jun-ho took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair.

 

The explorers beside him congratulated him, and Lee Jun-ho himself smiled.

 

He climbed the stairs while receiving everyone’s applause.

 

“Thank you. I’ll work even harder. I’ll acknowledge myself and strive to become a better warrior…”

 

I’ll pass on the acceptance speech.

 

Lee Jun-ho has a solid fanbase. The ‘timing of debut’ is crucial. Having worked as a child actor in several famous dramas, Lee Jun-ho has a much thicker middle-aged fanbase compared to Kang Hyeon.

 

“2nd place, Kang Hyeon!”

 

1st and 2nd place are as expected. It’s as natural as needing to eat to survive.

 

Kang Hyeon climbed the stairs like a model and sat in the chair below Lee Jun-ho.

 

“3rd place.”

 

It’ll be either Kate or Seo Ji-woo.

 

“Kate.”

 

If Kang Hyeon is a model, Kate is 100% pure nobility. It seems like elegance flows from her very walk. What movie is this?

 

She gracefully climbed up and sat in the seat next to Kang Hyeon.

 

“4th place. Seo Ji-woo.”

 

“Hmph!”

 

Seo Ji-woo flipped her hair and strode up the stairs, then suddenly turned to look at me. Our eyes met. The camera caught this moment too. Seo Ji-woo gave me something like a smile, then continued up the stairs.

 

I swallowed a sigh.

 

Next was 5th place Ryu Yeon-hwa, 6th place Jo Woon, 7th place Kim Dong-ha…

 

“Wooooah!”

 

Suddenly there was a strange cry. Kim Dong-ha must not have expected to be 7th place as he jumped around like an orangutan.

 

“Wa, wa, wa! Oho, oho!”

 

If you mixed him and Kate half and half, you’d get a perfect ordinary person.

 

Continuing with 8th place Kim Woo-hyeon, 9th place Yoon Hwa-rim, 10th place Lee Jong-soo, 12th place Im Hae-jun…

 

“Yes!”

 

Im Hae-jun clenched his fist. Im Hae-jun’s rise was much steeper than before regression. In the first tally before regression, he was around the early 20s.

 

If he makes it to the debut team like this…

 

I’m suddenly curious.

 

Has Im Hae-jun ever thought even once in his life that he might die?

 

“14th place.”

 

Then Yoo Ji-in and my eyes met directly. She gave an uncomfortable smile.

 

I don’t know why, but that woman also seemed to find me disagreeable.

 

“Seol Ha-woon.”

 

Top 10. The class dunce scored in the top 10% on midterms. I’d be suspected of cheating.

 

I climbed up leaning on my walking stick.

 

“Wow~ Jemallot~”

 

12th place Im Hae-jun stuck his head out and grinned brightly.

 

I straightened my back.

 

“We’ll announce from 20th place…”

 

From 20th place onward, they were revealed in groups of five, stopping exactly at 40th place.

 

“Now for the elimination list.”

 

Yoo Ji-in’s voice dropped low. The remaining 30 must feel like their blood is drying up.

 

“The explorers whose names are called, please line up.”

 

Yoo Ji-in announced the elimination list in an even tone.

 

“Kim Ki-yeon, Kim Seo-ho, Kim Yu-ji, Na Ye-ri…”

 

Twenty people in total. They seemed to have expected it to some degree, yet still hung their heads with sad faces.

 

“Everyone. Please give your final greetings to the viewers.”

 

Yoo Ji-in gathered them in front and had them give final farewells.

 

“Ah… I… I tried to work hard but… I think my abilities only went this far… To everyone who supported me until the end and voted for someone lacking like me, I’m truly, so, so grateful and…”

 

The explorers clutched the microphone and each gave their farewell thoughts. Most were on the verge of tears.

 

“…Farewell. Everyone please come down.”

 

Yoo Ji-in also gestured to us on top of the pyramid.

 

What, a touching moment?

 

All the explorers moved. I also went down tapping my walking stick.

 

Stairs are too difficult for me. Going up and going down both.

 

“Mallot hyung.”

 

I’d barely reached the 1st floor when suddenly a man approached. His name is Kim Chung-ho. I knew thanks to his uniform name tag.

 

“I became your fan this time, hyung. You were really so cool. I hope you definitely make the debut team.”

 

He was a good kid.

 

“Oh. Thanks. See you later.”

 

“Yes! It’s an honor!”

 

We shook hands and I turned around, but there was one more person right behind.

 

“Ha-woon oppa!”

 

This time it’s a woman.

 

“…Huh?”

 

Her name is Na Ye-ri. I don’t know her. Who are you?

 

“I’ve wanted to have a word with you this whole time. If I survived this week, I really wanted to team up with you in next week’s labyrinth…”

 

“Right. That’s too bad.”

 

“Yes… *sniff*.”

 

Then she starts sniffling without a word. Soon the crying grows louder, and her frail body shakes.

 

“I should have worked harder… more… without regrets… like oppa…”

 

The camera films both of us.

 

I feel like I should say something because of that.

 

“Don’t regret it. You don’t need to regret anything. You’re just you.”

 

I just blurted out random words. I didn’t really think about it.

 

But maybe because she’s young, she seemed to take it very emotionally.

 

“…You’re right.”

 

Na Ye-ri nodded while wiping away tears. She smiled with determination and resolve.

 

“I am me. Because I’m me… I’ll work harder.”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

“Thank you, really. I’ll keep cheering for you! I’ll be a Jemallot fan too!”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

“Then… see you again someday!”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

Then she runs away by herself with quick steps.

 

Like this, the eliminated explorers and surviving explorers exchange words of encouragement with each other. They call it encouragement, but it’s just a continuous stream of comfort and tears. In the middle of it all, I’m a bit dazed.

 

Why are they crying so much? It’s not like their lives are ending. Rather─

 

“Congratulations. From 96th to 14th place. That’s unbelievable, isn’t it?”

 

I can tell just from the voice. It’s Seo Ji-woo.

 

“…Thanks.”

 

In this instant, three cameras rushed over. No, four if you include the jib camera.

 

“You’re 4th place too. Did you climb up one step?”

 

“Yeah. Thanks to you. Thank you.”

 

Seo Ji-woo moved her fingers where the camera couldn’t see. It was a gesture telling me to deliver my lines.

 

I gladly followed her direction.

 

“If you’re grateful, maybe we can grab a meal later.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

Seo Ji-woo stepped back as if she hadn’t expected that.

 

This time it was slightly bad acting.

 

“Well… I’ll, I’ll think about it.”

 

Just as Seo Ji-woo was deliberately stammering her response.

 

“Now then, everyone. Have you all caught up?”

 

Yoo Ji-in smiled an ominous smile.

 

“The surviving explorers will now proceed to enter the next Labyrinth.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————