Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 3 (Part 1): One Day, Magic Grew in My Head (2)

Kim A-rang, the assistant director, wore a necklace around her neck.

A pendant dangled from it. However, the bezel of the pendant was hollow, revealing its contents clearly.

Inside it was magic. A clump of magic.

The circular form of the magic was beautiful.

So beautiful that I wanted to see it.

Closer, bigger.

“Contestant 1,356?”

Strangely, that desire surged within me, and the next moment, my retinas turned blue. Then, my vision zoomed in and focused on a single point.

The target was the clump of magic inside the pendant.

I “closely” observed it.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

Kim A-rang was saying something, but I couldn’t hear her well.

My consciousness was solely focused there. Not just on the way the magic was condensed, but deeper, piercing through its outer layer.

The pattern the magic inside the pendant was drawing.

A bizarre distortion of lines like some living organism—*a magic formula*—caught my attention.

“…A double helix forming a circle.”

“What did you say?”

I observed the structure of the magic formula. At the same time, its operating principle naturally became clear to me.

I don’t know why.

If there had to be a reason, perhaps it was due to my magic stat of 11.5 and the harmony of 【Good Ears, Good Eyes】.

For me, at this moment, it was simply intuitive to understand what that formula was for and what result it would produce.

“When a threat is detected, magic is released to protect the wearer.”

I gestured toward the assistant director’s necklace.

“It’s a barrier. A protective artifact, I suppose.”

“A barrier…? Huh?”

Only then did Kim A-rang seem to understand my words, startled as she looked at her necklace.

“How did you…? You’re just guessing, right?”

“No. I analyzed it.”

“Analyzed, my foot.”

She twisted her lips.

“Usually, artifacts like this are mostly for protection.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“What?”

Kim A-rang looked incredulous.

“Alright. Then, can you prove it? Prove that you analyzed it right here, right now.”

“…Just a moment.”

Right now, I could see what mages call a *Magic Formula*, the flow of magic governing the [Barrier]. The overall structure was a double-helix magic circuit forming a circle, but inside, there were additional mechanisms.

I scrutinized those details. As I looked, I strangely understood the purpose of each part.

It was as if I just “knew” intuitively.

“…Found it.”

“Found what?”

The trigger within the [Barrier]’s magic formula that detects danger. If I just touch it slightly, the [Barrier] will likely activate.

How to touch it? By releasing magic?

No.

It didn’t seem necessary.

For me, who had never done it before or learned how, it somehow felt like a simple principle. It was accepted as an obvious truth.

Observation infused with magic.

In other words, direct sight was enough.

Humans are originally like that. They absorb light through their eyes to recognize images, and through the interaction of that light, they “see” the world.

But mages go one step further—they can imbue their gaze with magic.

It’s enough to disrupt the flow of the formula. If I strike the precise part of the magic formula inside the pendant, the part where the [Barrier] detects threats, with my gaze…

────Whirr!

The barrier from Kim A-rang’s necklace activated.

“Huh! What the—!”

She hurriedly stood up from her seat.

I explained.

“…I proved it. I touched the part of the barrier’s magic formula that detects threats—”

“What—turn it off! Turn it off!”

Kim A-rang flailed her body in a panic.

Now that the [Barrier] had been activated from her necklace, every time she moved, the objects on the desk clattered and fell as they touched the barrier.

“How—how did you do this?”

“I forcibly activated the trigger in the pendant’s formula.”

The assistant directors and writers alternated their gazes between me and Kim A-rang, wearing expressions of great surprise.

Kim A-rang spoke.

“Then turn it off already!”

“…It’ll disappear in a minute anyway. Just wait.”

Truthfully, I didn’t know how to turn it off.

“What?! Do you know how much this cost?! Did you break it?!”

“I think you can get it repaired.”

I felt slightly satisfied, but suddenly, the future seemed daunting.

My goal is to pass the first round, then the second, and finally make it onto *Labyrinth Exploration NaN*, and—regrettably—get eliminated just short of the debut team. But if I got off on the wrong foot like this before even starting…

“Sigh… I really… Anyway, I just have to wait, right? Ugh!”

Kim A-rang tried to sit back down but hit her chin on the barrier. I stifled a laugh.

She gritted her teeth and pressed her fingers to her temples.

“…Aaah.”

Good thing she wasn’t the main PD.

Though, being the main PD’s right-hand woman was still a bit of a problem.

“For now, everyone, please leave. Good work today.”

Lim Hyung-wook, the assistant director next to Kim A-rang, stepped forward to manage the situation.

“Yes, sir.”

I calmly left the interview room.

[ Seol Ha-woon experiences a small achievement. ]

[ Magic rank has increased. ]

■ D → D+

Dangun

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