Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 23 (Part 1): The Fall (3)

Yu-yul’s [Mana Circuit Refinement] class was quite crowded. Out of the 24 mages, about 20 had chosen to attend. Surprisingly, Lee Jun-ho, the warrior, was also there.

I glanced in their direction before sitting down in any available seat.

“Well, hello there?”

A somewhat casual tone greeted me. It was Seo Ji-woo.

“I heard you were amazing in the last labyrinth… Is that all you got as loot?”

She pointed at my staff. 【Chieftain’s Feather】 dangled from the top like a keychain.

“Cute, though.”

Seo Ji-woo chuckled. I felt my pride sting a little.

“It’s a good item. This thing.”

“It does look decent. Oh, by the way, check this out.”

She showed me her ear. A small skull-shaped earring hung there. I quickly appraised it.

—

【Skull Earring】

■ Overview: A skull-shaped earring crafted by a high-ranking dark mage.
■ Grade: Rare
■ Effect: Increases mana recovery speed when worn.
■ Corpse Summoning: Raises one corpse within range as a servant.

—

An active accessory. Not just rare, but high-tier rare. And it’s a summoning-type accessory, no less.

How is this even possible? Did she clear some undead labyrinth or something? It can’t be harder than that shaman orc village I faced…

Come to think of it, Seo Ji-woo’s Luck stat was absurdly high. According to [MoMo]’s character card, that’s the case. Two years from now, she’ll show up as a Unique character. For someone who doesn’t seem *that* lucky, it’s ridiculous.

“…Wanna trade?”

I fiddled with the 【Chieftain’s Feather】 as I spoke. Seo Ji-woo tilted her head.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“…Riiight~”

She shrugged and sat down next to me.

“…….”

I stayed silent, but Seo Ji-woo kept glancing at me. Her gaze was unnerving.

“Hey. You know…”

She broke the silence first.

“I heard you were UDT.”

Here it comes.

“Do you… know Seo Ji-hyuk?”

I closed my mouth.

Seo Ji-hyuk. Whatever I say about that guy, it won’t end well. Silence is the best option.

“Hello? Are you listening?”

As Seo Ji-woo muttered something, the classroom door opened, and Yu-yul entered. I naturally shifted my attention away from her.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yu-yul, high-rank mage. Not ‘Yu-yuri,’ Yu-yul. Some of you idiots keep getting it wrong.”

She introduced herself with a cool, no-nonsense air.

“Let’s get straight to the point. Mana Circuit Refinement.”

Without wasting any time, she began the lesson.

Some mages looked flustered as they grabbed their notebooks and pens.

“First, you don’t need a lot of mana circuits. Because…”

Yu-yul’s explanation was about the basics of mana circuits—essentially, the difference between highways and local roads.

It was the same stuff she’d told me before.

“…Kinda outdated, huh.”

Seo Ji-woo crossed her arms, dissatisfied.

Interesting.

“Outdated?” I asked, intrigued.

“Yep.”

She nodded.

“There’s research showing that even with many circuits, if you can control them all, it’s just as efficient as refining a main circuit.”

I’d read that too.

If you can perfectly control 100 branch circuits, it’s just as effective as refining.

But to me, that’s nonsense. Controlling one main circuit is hard enough—how can anyone control 100 branch circuits simultaneously?

“This class is lame.”

Seo Ji-woo judged the teacher on her own. I stifled a laugh.

“Not just making excuses ‘cause you’re scared of the pain?”

“…Huh? Are you picking a fight?”

Seo Ji-woo genuinely seemed confused. I leaned back in my chair without a word.

“Just like how you use ‘Mana Stones’ to open your circuits, there’s a tool to assist with refinement.”

Yu-yul pulled out a string of gemstones from her hand.

“This gemstone string.”

“What’s the principle behind it?”

Seo Ji-woo raised her hand quickly. She said the content was boring, but she couldn’t resist asking.

Yu-yul explained.

“It acts as a guide for the mana flow in your circuits. Using this string ensures you won’t die or suffer permanent damage during refinement.”

That sounded terrifying.

“Anyone want to go first?”

Silence. No one raised their hand. Yu-yul’s words must have scared them.

But not me.

“I’ll do it.”

I raised my hand willingly. Yu-yul approached.

“Extend your right arm.”

I did as told. She placed the gemstone string in a straight line from my wrist to my shoulder.

“What do I do now?”

“First, close your eyes.”

I closed my eyes.

“Refining a circuit means applying extreme stress to it.”

The gemstone string felt cold. It was also magnetic. My mana naturally clung to it.

“So refine it however you imagine. Any method is fine. Find your own way.”

My own way.

My own visualization.

…Honestly, when Yu-yul mentioned “tearing,” one concept immediately came to mind.

**Mana Crystallization.**

This is embarrassing to admit, but I once had a kidney stone.

Literally, the kind of pain that feels like your urethra is being ripped apart. The shape of that stone, a pure embodiment of agony, is still vivid in my mind.

“…Ha.”

So I recalled it—that sharp, crystalline form.

I condensed my mana into the most vicious, unruly crystallization possible.

And on top of that…

[Mana Amplification].

Instantly, the mana surged, and my visualization became concrete. The evidence was the pain I felt.

“!”

It felt like my arm was being torn off. I held my breath, lowering my head and gritting my teeth.

In my veins, something 4-5 times larger than the blood vessels themselves—something physically impossible to flow—was swirling around like a vortex.

I hunched over, gasping for air.

Dangun

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