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

“…Who the hell is that guy?”

After the noisy self-promotion ended, Kim A-rang fiddled with her pendant and muttered.

“Right? He’s kinda amazing.”

The assistant director next to her, Lim Hyung-wook, marveled. Kim A-rang was honestly intrigued too.

How did he activate the barrier just by looking?

“Amazing, my a*s…”

“It’s as impactful as his limp leg. Wow… imbuing his gaze with magic… Is the barrier okay?”

“…It turned off.”

As Contestant 1,356 said, the barrier naturally deactivated, but the artifact’s glow had dimmed compared to before.

These protective artifacts are usually consumable, and their effectiveness diminishes sharply with each use.

“What a damn nuisance… and with that mop of hair like a stray dog.”

As Kim A-rang gnashed her teeth, the junior writer spoke up.

“PD Kim. That person earlier, his story is really unique.”

“What about it? He’s just a guy with a limp.”

Contestant number 1,356’s name is Seol Ha-woon.

His specialty, presumably, is magic manipulation and analysis.

His role, of course, is ‘Mage.’

“Did he go to a magic school or something?”

A magic school—literally a school that trained mages to wield magic.

Since talent for magic was often identified relatively late, the average enrollment age was 15 to 17, so it wasn’t rare to see people in their 20s there.

“No. He didn’t go to a magic school, but… he’s an orphan?”

“An orphan?”

“Yes. He was raised by his grandmother until he was six. Then, as soon as he became an adult, he enlisted and served in the UDT until he was 26.”

***TL: UDT= Underwater Demolition Team (Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare)***

“UDT? The UDT I know?”

“Yup. But during an operation, he was caught in an explosion and was in a coma for several months. He was diagnosed with full-body paralysis, but he recovered everything except his left leg.”

“…Hmm.”

Kim A-rang quietly crossed her arms.

If his background is as solid as it sounds, there’s a clear reason he passed the document screening. It’s an incredibly compelling story.

“His looks aren’t bad either.”

Seol Ha-woon. His hair is a bit too messy, but his face is better than average.

In the *Labyrinth Exploration* series, looks matter quite a bit. After all, appearance is part of one’s uniqueness.

Just look at Lee Taek from the previous season—he’s not exactly handsome, right? In fact, he’s quite rugged.

His skills are top 3, but he only debuted in 8th place because of his looks.

“We could send him straight to the third round.”

Her first impression of him was quite unfavorable, but Kim A-rang is strict about separating work from personal feelings. She can always torment him later.

“Yeah, I think he’s good too. A UDT-turned-mage with potential! There’s so much hype to spin out of that!”

“Mage? Don’t mention that side casually. The higher-ups don’t like it.”

“Ah, right, sorry.”

In this world, mana appeared 124 years ago, precisely in 1900.

Even during the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, or earlier ancient times, there were vague imaginations of mages, but when something resembling magic—mana—became a reality, the bar for being a “real” mage skyrocketed.

Currently, the number of mages recognized by the Magic Association worldwide doesn’t even reach 1,000.

Thus, each one is extraordinary. Their value is so high that they wouldn’t bother risking themselves in labyrinth explorations.

“Seol Ha-woon, mark him for the third round.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Thud. The junior writer stamped Seol Ha-woon’s application.

“…Ah, but I should’ve bought a more expensive one. I bought a cheap one and got burned.”

Kim A-rang fiddled with her pendant and pouted. The assistant director next to her, Lim Hyung-wook, chuckled.

“Even if it’s cheap, it shouldn’t be broken just from being looked at. That mage earlier just had talent… How much was it?”

“6 million won.”

“Ha. That’s cheap. Hey, if you’re going to buy one, get one in the tens of millions. Like me.”

Lim Hyung-wook proudly showed off his wrist. A shiny watch was strapped to it.

“This has an artifact movement embedded—”

“I’m saving money to buy a house.”

“Hey, hey. What if you die? Fandoms are hardcore these days. They might kill you over bad editing.”

The title of “one of the directors of *Labyrinth Exploration 101* is incredibly honorable, but it’s not without its downsides. You get called out for “devilish editing” even if you’re nowhere near that extreme.

In fact, Kim A-rang bought this artifact after receiving a death threat.

Kim A-rang idly nudged the junior writer.

“…Call the next one in.”

“Ah, yes. Next contestant~”

—

* * *

“Haaaaaah~”

Back in my studio apartment, I sprawled on the mattress and yawned.

I was sleepy.

So sleepy.

Considering the time I have left, I should probably exercise in my spare time, but I’m just too sleepy.

Maybe it’s a side effect of using magic.

“…Haaaaah.”

I yawned and turned on the TV.

—

─The first preliminary round of *Labyrinth Exploration Season 3 NaN* has begun…

—

There’s a lot of *Labyrinth Exploration* content. It was definitely a hot topic.

No surprise there— in this day and age, a cable show pulling over 20% viewership was rare, and the program itself was a pretty “mysterious” invention.

Listening to the TV with one ear, I scrolled through online articles on my smartphone.

—

─Celion’s rising star Lee Jun-ho also appeared at the first preliminary round.

—

Lee Jun-ho. The swordsman I saw at the first preliminary round today, with a dagger on his back.

The current top contender, future second place.

—

*─Ryu Yeon-hwa and Seo Ji-woo from Jayros.*

—

I also saw Ryu Yeon-hwa at the first preliminary round, and Seo Ji-woo…

I knew her. A friend’s little sister.

Pass.

—

*—Also, Ji Woon-yul, Yoon Hwa-rim, and Han Yu-ah from Termion. Kang Hyun, unaffiliated.*

—

“First place, huh.”

I let out a dry laugh the moment I saw Kang Hyun’s name.

An unaffiliated contestant who took first place.

Kang Hyun was an unaffiliated cheat character who took first place.

In every way, Kang Hyun was perfect.

If you quantified Kang Hyun’s talents into stats, almost everything hovered between 8 and 9, with looks and agility hitting 12 or 13.

Plus, Kang Hyun had that goofy charm—what was it called, clumsy-cute? That slight flaw in that perfect exterior raked in massive votes.

The epitome of life’s impermanence.

Someone destined to live well forever, only to die in their early 20s.

“To get camera time…”

Should I stick close to these high achievers? Or should I build my own unique narrative?

By the way, narrative is also a crucial character element in 「MoMo」.

Even with the exact same stats, the amount of recognition gained can vary greatly depending on the narrative.

Because of that [narrative], I’m sure I’ll pass the first round. PD Kim A-rang, despite her harsh personality, is known for her solid skills.

—

[ Recognition Level Up! ]

[ Recognition Level: 2 ]

[An additional 31-day time limit has been granted.]

—

“Huh? Oh! Sweet!”

I suddenly leveled up. It was quite delayed compared to the interview, probably because some rumors spread among the PDs.

[Recognition] doesn’t just skyrocket from any action. It only rose once your reputation spread through word of mouth or some medium, like this.

—

[ Karma: A level-up gift has been granted! ]

—

“Ah, right.”

I receive a special gift every time my recognition level reaches an even number, thanks to some past karma or something.

“What are you going to give me this time…?”

—

[ 1 Ability Point ]

—

“Wha—?!”

My eyes widened instantly. I almost fell over. I almost bowed in gratitude.

“Thank you!”

An ability point with no restrictions. If I put this up for auction, I could get tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions if I sold it to a rich Chinese or American guy.

Where should I use it?

I was briefly conflicted.

Should I increase my physical stats to at least have some stamina…

“…No.”

At this point, increasing other stats would just make me a trash-tier character.

I’ll make up for my lack of mobility or durability with artifacts, like PD Kim A-rang.

“All in.”

—

[ Magic has been selected. ]

—

Finally, I raised my magic to 11.

—

　　Strength　│　2(-5)　│　F　

　Stamina　│　2(-5)　│　F　

　Agility　│　2(-5)　│　F　

　Durability　│　2(-5)　│　F　

　Magic　│ 　11　　│　D+

　Perception　│ 　9　　│　B　

　Mental Strength │ 　9　　│　B　

　Appearance │ 　7　　│　C+

　Luck　│ 　6　　│　C+

—

These are my stats. If I had to categorize myself as a weak or strong character, I’d say I’m neither.

I’m a concept-play-only character. My total stat points are too low to be considered top-tier, and in actual 「MoMo」, a character like this would die in three seconds in a labyrinth—but still, magic at 11 is still precious.

Anyway.

I leveled up.

In 「MoMo」, every time you level up, you gain [Tech Points].

What are these points, you ask…?

To be continued in the next chapter.

Dangun

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