Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 17 (Part 2): Rush (1)

Cargo labyrinths were among the more common types. In these labyrinths, the spoils themselves were the cargo.

If you don’t get the cargo out, the labyrinth won’t close, and enemies inside keep respawning. That means you’ll face relentless attacks from the labyrinth’s monsters while transporting it.

Think of it like stealing honey from a beehive. The bees aren’t just going to sit back and let you take it.

The difference is, if you don’t get the hive out, the bees will respawn infinitely, and eventually, they’ll swarm out of the hive and sting everyone to death.

“This mission is a collaborative one between Team A and Team B.”

A collaborative mission.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

“Team A will handle transportation, while Team B will be in charge of escorting.”

Cargo labyrinths naturally had distinct roles for transport and escort.

Thus, Team A would handle the relatively more challenging task of transport, while Team B would protect them from close or long range.

“This time, unlike the previous draft, Team A12 will choose first.”

“Yes, I’ll… Huh?”

Lee Jun-ho, who had confidently raised his hand, suddenly froze. Yoo Ji-in gestured to him and explained.

“Team A12 has the first pick. Lee Jun-ho’s Team A1 will choose last.”

Lee Jun-ho’s face fell. His usual cheerful expression vanished.

He clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied. Then he glanced at me—was it because of me?

I was on Team B12, so I’d likely be paired with Team A1.

“Team A12 leader, Ji Woon-yul?”

“Yes. I’ll choose Team B1.”

Team A12 naturally picked Team B1, followed by Team A11 choosing Team B2, and so on, with no major surprises…

“Team A4 leader, Kang Hyun.”

It was Kang Hyun’s turn.

He looked at Yoo Ji-in and spoke.

“Team A4 will choose Team B12.”

Team B12. That was us.

The stage buzzed slightly. I was pretty surprised too.

Teams B9, B10, and B11 were still available, so why us?

“Whoa!”

Lim Hae-jun was thrilled, his eyes sparkling as he clenched his fists. Lee Jun-ho’s expression brightened.

Guess it really was because of me.

“Next, Team A3.”

“…Yes.”

Seo Ji-woo stepped forward with a sour expression.

“Team B9.”

Team A2 picked Team B10, and Team A1 picked Team B11.

All teams were paired normally, except for one.

“Finally, we’ll draw the Scout cards and the labyrinth to be conquered.”

Scouts.

Before conquering a labyrinth, a scouting process was essential. Since actual scouts couldn’t be hired, they simplified it with cards.

Yoo Ji-in conjured twelve cards in the air.

“Among these twelve cards, there are S-rank scouts and F-rank scouts. The information you get about the labyrinth will vary depending on the scout’s rank.”

Scouts were important. They were, without exaggeration, the most crucial element. Having been through many battles, I was certain of this. A single piece of detailed information could save—or doom—an entire team.

“Team leaders, please discuss and decide which card to pick.”

“Ah! Yes!”

Lim Hae-jun, smiling brightly, stepped down from the platform. He hurried over to Kang Hyun, seemingly to discuss the choice.

I listened closely.

“Kang Hyun, you pick!”

It wasn’t a discussion—it was a handover.

Kang Hyun, pushed by Lim Hae-jun, picked a card. The card’s contents appeared on the large monitor.

—

[ C-rank Scout: Tired Jae-seung ]

[ Labyrinth: Deep Forest ]

—

The scout card was C-rank.

Right in the middle.

“Wow, nice! C-rank is good enough!”

Lim Hae-jun clapped enthusiastically for Kang Hyun.

It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the worst.

“Whoa──!”

“Wow! Golden hands!”

At that moment, Seo Ji-woo’s Team A3 and Team B9 erupted in cheers.

—

[ S-rank Scout: Perfect Freelancer Ji Hyun-joo ]

[ Labyrinth: The Undying Land ]

—

Seo Ji-woo had drawn an S-rank scout.

“…Well, isn’t that fun?”

Yoo Ji-in smiled. Beneath that smile was a hysterical “shut up” directed at the noisy contestants. Others might not have noticed, but I could see it.

“Teams that have drawn their scout cards, please move to the meeting room. You have three hours for discussion…”

* * *

Our team moved to the meeting room. Cameras were set up everywhere, and four or five staff members were seated nearby.

“What should we do?!”

Lim Hae-jun asked Kang Hyun like an excited puppy.

“First, let’s check the labyrinth’s internal structure. Our scout is only C-rank, so we can’t rely too much on the information.”

As Kang Hyun said, the details would likely be lacking.

I didn’t know much about this cargo labyrinth either. It was from a while ago, and the broadcast had heavy edits.

The actual conquest would take at least 12 hours, but this process was condensed to 20-40 minutes per team.

“First, I’ll insert the card.”

Kang Hyun placed the scout card on the meeting desk. A hologram buzzed to life, displaying the labyrinth’s internal information as scouted.

“…There are a lot of gaps here. Lim Hae-jun, what do you think?”

Kang Hyun stroked his chin and asked Lim Hae-jun.

“Ah, me!”

Lim Hae-jun suddenly raised his hand. Kang Hyun and the team members looked at him. What important insight would he share?

“You can drop the formalities!”

“…Ah. Okay.”

“Just speak casually!”

“…Sure.”

Lim Hae-jun grinned. Kang Hyun and the others looked dumbfounded.

I clicked my tongue.

This wasn’t good.

I’d expected it, but Lim Hae-jun lacked the qualities of a leader.

In a collaborative mission, no matter how strong your partner is—even if it’s a Navy SEAL grandpa—a leader should never lower their head.

Regardless of skill differences, each person has their own role and purpose. If one side acts too submissive, it throws off the team’s balance.

“Then, Hae-jun.”

“You don’t have to call me that too!”

Lim Hae-jun even resorted to acting cute. At that, 26th-ranked Warrior Lee Jong-su frowned and interjected.

“Let’s focus on the strategy, not bonding.”

See? The whole team gets disrespected because of the leader.

Kang Hyun briefed the team on the scout’s data.

“The cargo is underground, and the enemies are an orc tribe. It’s a small tribe, but hundreds will swarm us. Mages, please analyze the traps.”

“Sure~”

Yoon Hwa-rim stepped forward. I was about to step up too, but someone stopped me.

Warrior Lee Jong-su.

I gritted my teeth slightly.

“I’m a mage too.”

“…I know. Let her go first. We don’t want conflicting opinions. Hwa-rim graduated from a magic school.”

This was ridiculous.

I stepped back and glared at Lim Hae-jun.

He was clueless, grinning like an idiot. How could someone be so oblivious?

“Luckily, there don’t seem to be many traps.”

Yoon Hwa-rim had already analyzed the labyrinth.

“I’ll draft an entry route.”

She sat at another table. Only then did I approach the desk to study the labyrinth’s info.

—

[Mid-to-Small Orc Tribe]

Boss: Orc Chieftain

Troops: Orc Warriors, Orc Archers

Terrain: Basin, Coniferous Forest

Cargo Location: Underground Tunnel beneath the Orc Tribe

Labyrinth’s Mana Information: ….

—

In addition to this, the scout’s information included the labyrinth’s mana flow.

In other words, it provided data on how mana circulated within the labyrinth and its total mana capacity. Mages could use this data to determine the presence of traps, as traps themselves were artificial mana constructs.

From that perspective, Yoon Hwa-rim was right—there didn’t seem to be many traps… but.

Considering the source was a C-rank scout, I decided to look closer.

“…The mana level is too high for the number of orcs.”

The maximum number of monsters in a labyrinth was determined by its mana capacity. With this much mana, there should be over 500 orcs, but the scout reported only 300.

There were two possibilities.

Either another group’s lurking somewhere, or there’s a completely separate variable.

“I see three possible routes. The spoils are in the underground tunnel, and once we retrieve them, there are three paths to exit. I recommend the third path.”

Yoon Hwa-rim had already drafted a plan.

Her third route involved entering the orc tribe’s underground, stealing the cargo, and transporting it through the fields.

“What’s the reasoning?”

Kang Hyun asked.

“Simple. Easy to get in, easy to get out with the cargo.”

Yoon Hwa-rim answered confidently. Simple is best.

Kang Hyun looked at us.

“What does the escort team think?”

His gaze lingered oddly on me. Lim Hae-jun jumped in to block it.

“I’m the team leader!”

“I know.”

“Ah…”

Lim Hae-jun shrunk under Kang Hyun’s words. Kang Hyun looked at me again.

“I heard you were a soldier.”

“A soldier? Ah, so that’s why your leg…”

Warrior Lee Jong-su glanced at my leg.

I quietly met Kang Hyun’s gaze. He didn’t look away either. My eyebrow twitched as our eyes locked.

There was something off about Kang Hyun’s pupils. They seemed empty, hollow, devoid of emotion.

Does this guy have depression?

“He probably doesn’t have one. Let’s just stick to my plan—”

Yoon Hwa-rim raised her hand.

“No.”

I cut her off.

“Over 70% of escorting is about movement. If the route is wrong, even the escort becomes meaningless. In that regard.”

I marked Yoon Hwa-rim’s recommended route on the hologram.

“Yoon Hwa-rim’s route doesn’t look good at all.”

I refuted her directly. Yoon Hwa-rim’s expression twisted, and the staff stirred.

But it couldn’t be helped. For the sake of my screen time and the labyrinth’s success.

In this labyrinth, I was absolutely right.

Dangun

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