Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 22 (Part 2): The Fall (2)

The question was directed at me. All the team members turned to look at me. I answered briefly.

“I have no special thoughts.”

“…None? You should at least lie properly.”

DK interjected again.

“She was the one who completely derailed the operation. Soldiers are sensitive to that kind of thing, right?”

“No, sir. It’s the opposite. If a variable arises, you adapt to it.”

I calmly rebutted. DK’s brow furrowed.

“Huh. Aren’t you trying too hard to look good?”

“…Didn’t you feel any resentment?”

Kim Yoon-jun asked again.

I answered with a straightforward truth.

“Why would I resent a teammate?”

Then I glanced at Kang Hyun.

“Also, it’s not fair to blame just one person when there were three others on the cart.”

Suddenly, Kang Hyun met my gaze. His eyes are still clear, like stars shining alone under the stage lights.

No matter what I say, the color of those eyes won’t change.

Even if I exposed him right now and said, “It was your doing,” he might just admit it without bothering to explain.

“If even one out of the four—no, including me watching from above, one out of five—had been alert, we could’ve fixed it. So it’s everyone’s fault.”

But I won’t go that far.

Because I don’t know what kind of man he was.

There’s nothing dumber than making an enemy of someone whose depths you can’t fathom.

“That’s all.”

I cut my words short. Yoon Hwa-rim had already buried her face in her hands. Intermittent sobs could be heard.

Yoo Ji-in nodded.

“…Next. Lim Hae-jun?”

“Yes, yes, sir! What Seol Ha-woon just said reflects my opinion as team leader too! I also think—”

“No. Not that. I have another question.”

“Ah, ah… Yes.”

The mentors made a few comments about other scenes and gave us our scores.

Kim Yoon-jun: 95 points, DK: 93 points, Yu-yul: 90 points, Kim Ji-an: 97 points.

A total of 375 points, easily surpassing Lee Jun-ho’s team.

—

As soon as filming ended, I was dragged away by the staff again. This time, I was taken to a pitch-black interview room.

“You said you had no special thoughts about Yoon Hwa-rim dozing off while driving.”

The writer asked about what I had said earlier.

I glanced at the camera and answered.

“Yes. If the mission succeeded, everything else is just a hiccup.”

Yoon Hwa-rim was a scapegoat.

Sure, in my personal opinion, she’s an annoying mage. That’s fair. But that doesn’t mean she deserves to be blamed entirely.

“Still, a mission that could’ve gone smoothly ended up twice as hard. Be honest—don’t you think people might criticize you for being overly sweet, Seol Ha-woon?”

The interview was for my benefit. The writer seemed to be trying to draw something out of me.

But this person doesn’t know the depth of it. They don’t know it wasn’t just someone’s mistake—it was deliberate.

I spoke softly.

“…Yoon Hwa-rim is an elite mage. You can tell by the spells she uses.”

Yoon Hwa-rim is undoubtedly an elite. Among the explorers who didn’t debut, she’s poised to stand out the most.

“People unfamiliar with magic may not grasp it, but I do. I know how precise and skilled Yoon Hwa-rim’s spells are. Her abilities as a mage far surpass mine.”

“…….”

The writer, who had been listening quietly, set down her pen.

“Driving a cargo cart requires immense mana. It’s easy to assume it’s simple when you’re just watching.”

There’s a reason cargo transport is a prominent part of the magic school curriculum. It’s not something you can just do easily.

“If Yoon Hwa-rim was the driver, the other team members were in the passenger seat. Yet none of them could fulfill the role of a co-pilot. They couldn’t lighten her burden.”

A lie close to the truth.

Without realizing it, I’m making up excuses to cover for Kang Hyun’s actions.

My conscience is dead, and Kang Hyun owes me.

I’ll make sure to collect this debt.

“I’m just stating the obvious.”

“…I see.”

The writer nodded. She seemed somewhat satisfied, twisting the corner of her mouth.

“Good work. Go rest. You must be tired.”

—

5:00 PM.

After a short break, the participants are gathered in another set. It’s designed to look like a classroom.

“Everyone, take a seat.”

At Kim A-rang PD’s words, the explorers sit wherever they like.

Soon, the clapperboard sounds, and the cue is given.

“Hi, everyone~”

As always, the main MC is Yoo Ji-in. She’s changed her outfit again, now dressed like a teacher. The men cheer as if seeing her for the first time today.

Yoo Ji-in smiles brightly and turns on the projector. Green text appears on the chalkboard.

“This week, we have [Mentor Classes].”

—

[Warrior Mentor DK: Improvisation Using Mental Imagery]
[Warrior Mentor Kim Yoon-jun: Clear Mind. How to Take Hits Painlessly.]
[Mage Mentor Yu-yul: Mana Circuit Refinement]
[Archer Mentor Kim Ji-an: Dual-Slot Usage]

—

“You can pick whichever mentor’s special lecture you’d like to attend.”

“Isn’t Yoo Ji-in-nim doing a class?!”

A loud voice shouts out—Lee Jong-su, the warrior from Kang Hyun’s team.

“Unfortunately, not yet,” she replies.

‘Not yet’ implies she will later. In fact, around the midway point, there’s a task centered on Yoo Ji-in herself.

How narcissistic.

“Everyone, choose the lectures you want. You don’t have to pick a mentor that matches your role. Warriors might need mage knowledge, and mages might need warrior knowledge.”

She scattered papers in the air. Ninety-six application forms floated down to each participant.

“Feel free to discuss it with each other~”

The explorers bustle about, trying to coordinate classes with their friends.

“Hyung! Hyung!”

I, of course, have no need for that.

I immediately choose Yu-yul’s Mana Circuit Refinement.

“Hyung! Hyung!”

As soon as I check her name, someone tugs at my sleeve. It’s Lim Hae-jun.

So it was him chattering away earlier.

Lim Hae-jun asks, “Hyung, what are you picking?”

“Mana Circuit Refinement.”

“Uh… why?”

“Why else? I’m a mage.”

“But you don’t even know her. Yu-yul, I mean.”

The name Yu-yul carries little weight. Not just a little—most people probably haven’t heard of her before this program.

“What about you?”

“Uh… I was actually thinking of taking Mana Circuit Refinement too…”

Lim Hae-jun pointed at Yu-yul.

“Just take the archer one.”

“Ah… no. My mana capacity is a weakness. Mana Circuit Refinement seems good.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Don’t. You’ll regret it.”

“Why?”

“It’s supposed to be really painful.”

Lim Hae-jun flinched and asked again.

“How painful? Like, how painful?”

“Hmm…”

I answered based on my imagination.

“Imagine bungee jumping from 300 meters up, but you accidentally do it without the rope.”

“…That’s just death.”

Dangun

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