Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 33 (Part 1): Snowflower (8)

Seo Ji-hyuk.

Lee Jun-ho knew him. Knew him all too well. He was Seo Ji-woo’s older brother, after all. The man who used to visit their school often to cheer her on.

‘So you’re Jun-ho? You look like some kind of celebrity.’

He was the kind of person who looked good in a military uniform. A cool, dependable adult.

Back then, Jun-ho had been a short middle schooler, and Ji-hyuk had seemed impossibly tall—an unshakable figure with a sturdy build and a soldier’s bearing. More of an adult than any other adult he knew. More of an adult than even his own parents.

‘You’re close with Ji-woo, right? She’s a bit of a clumsy, so bear with her even when she frustrates you.’

A large hand ruffled his hair.

To Jun-ho, Seo Ji-hyuk was the strongest person in the world.

And then, one day, that person suddenly died.

Killed in action during a mission.

That was the official cause.

The funeral hall was filled with people in military uniforms, stars gleaming on their shoulders. A few politicians sent wreaths. Reporters came to take pictures. After the procession, Ji-hyuk’s coffin was buried in the National Cemetery.

A heroic death.

Everyone called it a glorious end, chattering about compensation worth hundreds of millions, but Seo Ji-woo didn’t seem to care about any of it. Her small frame was filled to the brim with nothing but grief and hatred.

Because Seo Ji-woo and Seo Ji-hyuk had been each other’s only family.

—

“…Hey, what are you doing?!”

Ji-woo’s voice snapped Jun-ho out of his thoughts. She had already fashioned ice and was back. Hastily, he stuffed the dog tag into his pocket before she could see it.

Seo Ji-woo must not see this. Lee Jun-ho still remembered Seo Ji-woo wailing like a wounded animal that day.

“Move over.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Ji-woo pressed the ice against Seol Ha-woon’s upper body. The overloaded circuit was in his left chest, where mana had tangled into a glowing blue knot.

Dangerously close to his heart.

“Lee Jun-ho. Stab here.”

She pointed to the exact spot. Jun-ho raised his sword and made an incision, carving into Ha-woon’s chest like he was sculpting. A shallow stab wouldn’t do—it had to be deep enough to nearly graze the heart. *Thrust!*

Blood gushed out, an eerie bluish hue, like something alien.

The right kind of first aid.

“…Done.”

Ha-woon gradually stabilized. His circuits had good regenerative abilities—clearly, he was exceptional in terms of mana. Jun-ho had noticed it back when Ha-woon endured the Refinement process, too.

“Phew.”

Ji-woo wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Jun-ho stood up.

“…I’m really leaving now.”

“Ugh, this bastard’s so damn stubborn…”

Ji-woo grumbled under her breath, but her words didn’t register. His mind was numb. The dog tag in his pocket weighed heavily.

Jun-ho opened the door. A blizzard rushed in, dampening his hair.

“Hey!”

Seo Ji-woo grabbed his wrist just as he stepped out.

“Take this.”

A chunk of meat hung from a string.

“I didn’t hunt it myself, but I bet *he* would’ve given it to you too. .”

A sizable piece of venison—a deer’s thigh.

“…Thanks.”

Jun-ho took the meat and walked away.

He had his own hideout. Compared to this cabin, it was pitifully crude, but it would be enough to keep him warm.

***

*Whooooooosh—*

When I woke to the sound of the blizzard, Seo Ji-woo was asleep in the corner, using her wolf familiar as a pillow.

I sat up. My chest stung—there was a wound. Someone must’ve treated me while I was out.

“……?”

Suddenly, something felt off. I frowned, running my hands over my chest, collarbone, lower body—my entire frame.

It was gone.

The dog tag.

Did I drop it during the fight? My mind went blank.

“Damn it—”

-tch.

“Mmm…”

Seo Ji-woo, of all people, woke up and rolled over. She looked at me with half-open eyes and smirked.

“You’re awake?”

My composure wavered, but I didn’t let it show. Frantically, I retraced my memories.

There was no way I’d lost it in battle.

Dog tags were sturdier than they looked. They wouldn’t tear off before my clothes did. And right now, my clothes were intact.

Which meant someone took it while I was asleep.

Not Ji-woo. If it were her, the the atmosphere wouldn’t be this peaceful.

Lee Jun-ho.

*Crreeaak.* Ji-woo stretched and asked,

“You feeling okay?”

“…Yeah.”

“Good.”

I sat on the edge of the bed.

“…Oh, right. Uh, that deer you buried? I dug it up. With this guy’s help.”

She proudly patted the wolf’s back.

“And—open the fridge!”

She pointed. I obliged.

An entire deer, sizable and whole, was stuffed inside.

“This one and I caught another one~ I didn’t know how to butcher it, so I left it as-is.”

I glanced at her.

“You had time to hunt? Was I out that long?”

“Yeah. About ten hours.”

Ten hours.

Okay, let’s think calmly.

If I’d dropped the dog tag by accident, no amount of searching would help. It would’ve been buried under ten hours of blizzard.

For now, all I could do was hope Lee Jun-ho had it.

***

[ Seol Ha-woon has defeated a hostile Labyrinth Dweller for the first time! ]
[ Acquired a B-grade Random Box! ]

Amid the howling blizzard, I checked「MoMo」’s system. The bonus for killing the Labyrinth Dweller had arrived.

In other words, according to 「MoMo」, this survival labyrinth was also classified as a ‘real labyrinth.’

“So good. How are you this good at cooking?”

Ji-woo marveled as she chewed on venison. *Crunch, crunch.* Beside her, the wolf gnawed on bones.

“I brought MSG.”

MSG was cost-effective for survival missions—compact yet flavor-boosting.

“Haaah…”

After finishing her meal, Ji-woo rubbed her belly.

“So, what do we do now?”

I stayed silent.

*Whooooooosh—*

The blizzard’s roar was majestic. The echoes bouncing off the cave walls sounded almost like a bear’s growl.

“There’s not much we can do from now on.”

[ 98 : 33 : 28 ]

98 hours remained. We were entering the endurance phase.

I pulled out the animal hides I’d saved.

“Stick these on the walls.”

“The walls?”

“Yeah. Seal the gaps.”

“But the wind’s not getting in now.”

“Better safe than sorry.”

I gripped the hand axe. I needed to chop more firewood. The weather was brutal, but we couldn’t afford to wait for clear skies.

From now on, we’d need far more firewood.

Like I said before—the final boss of this survival labyrinth was nature itself.

Dangun

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