Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 11 (Part 2): I AM (3)

In the monitoring room of *Labyrinth Exploration NaN*, where participants were observed and editing points were identified, Kim A-rang couldn’t help but marvel.

“Lee Jun-ho. He’s really something.”

As expected of a talent nurtured by one of the four major guilds, Celion. His unique style of wielding a longsword was so flashy and satisfying to watch. No wonder the martial world had its eyes on him.

“Goblins lose their heads the moment they lock eyes with him.”

“His ability to combine muscle fibers with mana is exceptional,” PD Yoon Sa-hyeok remarked, his voice mingling with the smell of cup noodles. Kim A-rang glanced at him.

“…What? When did you make those?”

“Just now.”

“You could’ve said something! I’m hungry too.”

“There was only one.”

Yoon Sa-hyeok subtly shifts his oversized cup away, as if guarding it from her inevitable request for a bite. There’s a reason this perfectly decent-looking guy can’t get married.

—

[Lee Jun-ho has completed the escape.]

Perfect timing—Lee Jun-ho finishes.

“17 minutes. He’s in first place.”

“He just bulldozed through. He’s not first—he’s just the first to finish.”

“What’s the difference?”

Yoon Sa-hyeok continued while eating his noodles.

“Lee Jun-ho was hit 7 times. He triggered 3 traps. In a real situation, that could’ve been dangerous.”

“But it’s not real—”

“That doesn’t matter. Are we picking entertainers here? No, we’re selecting explorers who can handle actual labyrinths.”

“…Yeah, yeah.”

Pouting, Kim A-rang turned her attention to the other participants.

—

[Ryu Yeon-hwa has completed the escape.]

The second-place finisher had just emerged.

Ryu Yeon-hwa, the mage. She was incredibly fast too, but she’d been hit 9 times and triggered 2 traps.

“What do you think of Ryu Yeon-hwa?”

“She’s a talented mage. Especially gifted in offense, but she’s careless. She’s likely to become a glass cannon.”

A glass cannon—a slang term for those with immense firepower but disproportionately low durability.

—

[Seo Ji-woo has completed the escape.]

Third place went to Seo Ji-woo. Hit 0 times. Triggered 4 traps.

“Seo Ji-woo triggered a lot of traps but wasn’t hit once.”

“There’s a rumor she has some mental issues.”

“Really?”

“Her brother died about a year ago.”

Kim A-rang’s eyes widened.

“What are you, an encyclopedia? How do you even know that?”

“It’s basic research.”

—

[Kang Hyun has completed the escape.]

Next up is Kim A-rang’s personal favorite—no, wait, she’s an assistant director; she can’t play favorites.

Kang Hyun was the fourth to escape the labyrinth.

Hit 0 times. Triggered 1 trap.

“He’s perfect,” she says.

“Couldn’t agree more.”

Yoon Sa-hyeok agrees with a faint smirk, a smile carried multiple meanings.

Confidence in the season’s success.

In truth, Kang Hyun was Yoon Sa-hyeok’s top pick.

Of course, *Labyrinth Exploration* featured a whopping 96 young participants, but in the end, only about 6 or 7 would drive the show’s popularity.

Moreover, the early stages needed a “main character” to draw viewers in. Whether it was a fake protagonist or the real deal didn’t matter.

Yoon Sa-hyeok was quite the fox in that regard.

If he blatantly highlighted his top pick from the start, it might create backlash. So he’d introduce a fake protagonist first, then create a moment where viewers were suddenly drawn to the “real” one, shifting the focus.

This season, Lee Jun-ho might play the role of the fake protagonist. A dual protagonist setup could work too.

“But Kang Hyun is self-taught, right? I’ve never seen someone like him before.”

“His father was an explorer.”

Maybe he was homeschooled by his dad. A classic case of like father, like son.

“Still, he’s got some humanity. He triggered one trap.”

“It was a trap you’d fall for no matter what.”

“Really?”

A trap you’d fall for no matter what. If Yoon Sa-hyeok said so, it must be true.

“Even seasoned explorers could’ve fallen for it if they weren’t careful.”

“…Ah, I think I know which one you mean.”

*Snap.* Kim A-rang flicked her finger.

“The last one, right?”

“Yeah.”

Yoon Sa-hyeok tossed his empty cup noodle container into the trash. He’d even finished the broth.

“I’ll leave the wrap-up to you.”

He got up from his chair.

“Where are you going?”

“To eat. I’m hungry after those noodles.”

“…Huh?”

“Good luck.”

What a funny guy. But Kim A-rang felt a sense of pride too. Not in Yoon Sa-hyeok, but in herself, standing by his side.

During the first season, he wouldn’t trust her with anything. But by the end of Season 1, he’d started to believe in her, and now, in this season, he trusted her enough to leave her in charge.

“Alright, alright. Go eat or whatever.”

No response came. He was already gone.

He moved unnecessarily fast. No wonder he’d once been an explorer.

“…Hmm~”

Kim A-rang rested her chin on her hand, still observing the participants tackling the labyrinth.

—

* * *

I followed the trail of the spoils’ mana. Occasionally, I encountered groups of goblins, but I killed them all. They probably didn’t even sense my presence.

The safest way to deal with enemies was to kill them from a distance.

“I’m almost there.”

Then, a fork in the path appeared. The spoils’ mana led to the right, so I naturally headed that way but suddenly stopped.

*Kerruk—*

I sensed movement. A lot of it.

I crouched and placed my hand on the ground.

*Sssss.*

I channeled mana into the floor.

Using [Mana Manipulation], I spread the energy across the ground and counted the number of presences it detected.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

Fifteen in total.

That was too many to handle with magic bullets. And there didn’t seem to be another path.

I had no choice.

I condensed a spell in the air.

What I aimed to create was a damp wind—a misty veil to drench the entire space.

“Spread.”

As I murmur the incantation, air surges into the passage.

*Whooosh.*

The wind carried weight, heavy with moisture. The torches exposed to the dampness went out one by one, plunging the passage into darkness.

*Kerek?*
*Kererek.*

The confused goblins chattered noisily. I lowered my stance and drew a knife from my back.

It was the military dagger I’d used during my service.

I was a mage, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t engage in close combat. A mage’s role was ultimately to achieve their goals using spells.

So.

“…Concealed Intent.”

I chanted the incantation I needed. It was a spell I’d never tried before, but it completed as if I’d used it countless times. A thin layer of mana clung to my body and cane.

I tapped the ground with my cane.

No sound. No trace left behind.

Nodding, I moved forward, holding my breath.

The first goblin. As it fumbled along the wall, trying to relight a torch, I stood behind it and stabbed my knife between its shoulder blades—right where the ribs met the spine.

Stabbing there would prevent any sound. The lungs would simply collapse.

The goblin died silently, and my actions left no sound either.

The spell’s concentration was that precise.

I laid the corpse on the ground.

Again, I approached the next goblin and stabbed the same spot.

Silent death.

The goblin horde, unaware of their comrades’ assassinations, slowly fell one by one, not even realizing their own deaths….

Dangun

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