Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 12 (Part 1): I AM (4)

I spent a considerable amount of time moving stealthily, taking down fifteen goblins through pure manual labor. It wasn’t particularly difficult. After all, I had been through similar situations multiple times during my military service.

“…This must be it.”

Passing by the goblin corpses, I reached a large door. The flow of mana led me to the treasure room.

However, I couldn’t just open it right away.

One of the labyrinth’s common rules: *“Treasure rooms only contain treasures.”*

However, that rule is sometimes broken.

Meaning, there might be another monster lurking inside.

How did I know?

Because I’ve seen it before.

I set up a spell at the very bottom of the treasure room door, around ankle height. It was a trap similar to a landmine.

One of the principles of spellcraft established by Tae-hyuk, Korea’s first mage: *“Static spell formulas have greater power per unit of mana compared to dynamic ones.”*

To put it simply, a landmine that the enemy has to “step on” packs far more punch than a magic bullet I “fire” myself.

“Ready.”

After setting up the spell, I lightly tapped the door.

It immediately swung open with a loud *bang*.

*Grrrr──.*

Inside was a goblin that looked like it had been pumped full of steroids.

It was over 2 meters tall and weighed around 300 kg. Bulkier than even old man David, it looked more like a bear.

A treasure room guard. A mutant far stronger than the average monster in the labyrinth.

*Kyaaaa──!*

The creature let out a roar and charged at me.

“Whoa.”

I took a couple of steps back.

*Graaaah—!*

*Thud, thud, thud.* What could it possibly be so angry about?

The deafening noise echoed throughout the labyrinth, but at some point, a faint resistance caught the creature’s ankle.

*Tzzzt.*

A thin wire. A tripwire spell made of my mana. It triggered the trap as the creature stepped on it.

I quickly hid behind the wall.

───!

An explosion erupted. First, the creature’s legs were blown off, and blood and flesh fragments scattered everywhere.

I peeked out cautiously.

*Kyaaaak──!*

The goblin guard was flailing around, only its upper body remaining.

*Phew.*

I finally stepped forward.

“Don’t feel too wronged about it. This kind of thing happens all the time on the battlefield.”

You always have to watch your step. The same goes for the sky above. Death lingers everywhere on the battlefield. If you lose your head and charge around like that, getting split in half is a cheap price to pay.

*Kyaaaak─!*

The goblin guard stretched out its thick arms. With only its upper body left, it looked grotesque.

I fired a magic bullet into its twisted forehead.

*Bang.*

Finally, silence fell. I checked my system.

[ 3:13:21 ]

3 hours and 13 minutes.

It feels like it took too long. Is this going to get edited out?

“Tsk…”

I entered the treasure room. On the altar sat was a jewel-encrusted cup.

The treasure.

I was about to grab it and leave when suddenly…

“…?”

The door.

The door I’d just come through suddenly felt suspicious.

“…What’s this?”

Something’s off.

Why am I getting this feeling? There’s a strange sense of unease creeping in.

“Hmm.”

If something feels wrong, I should dig into my memories from before the regression.

In the original timeline, almost all participants entered the same treasure room and exited through the same door.

The next scene was…

*“Aaaaaah!”*

*“Kyaaaaah!”*

They screamed as they slid down, like some kind of waterslide.

“…Hmm.”

My suspicion isn’t just based on that memory.

When I entered, I hadn’t noticed any mana fluctuations near the door, but now, faint traces of mana were shimmering there. Barely visible, but definitely present.

I scanned the treasure room.

If this is a trap, what’s the trigger? What caused the trap to activate?

I examined the ceiling, floor, and walls thoroughly, but nothing caught my eye.

“What the hell.”

Grumbling, I glanced at the treasure. A small cup that could fit in one hand. Its smooth surface suddenly sparked a thought.

“Wait.”

The only thing I did after entering the treasure room was “kill the guard and pick up the treasure.”

The only difference before and after is this treasure.

“….”

I placed the treasure back on its original spot—the altar. The faint mana lingering around the door vanished.

I smirked.

“Confirmed.”

The trap activates when the treasure is taken.

I used my military dagger to dig up a stone from the ground. I carved it until it was roughly the same weight as the treasure cup and placed it on the altar.

“…Nope.”

The trap on the door remained. So, it’s not about mass.

That leaves only one answer.

The mana within this cup.

I’ve never measured the mana of an object before, but for some reason, I could instinctively tell just by looking at it. Probably due to my magic stat of 11.5 and the synergy with 【Good Ears, Good Eyes】.

I extracted the exact amount of mana from the treasure and infused it into the stone. Then, I placed it on the altar.

*Tap.*

I turned to the exit.

The treasure was in my hand, but the mana around the door—the trap—was gone.

“Correct.”

Satisfied, I nodded and walked out with confidence. As I crossed the threshold, I raised an eyebrow.

Of course, nothing happened.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novel: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

•