Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 44 (Part 1): Believer (4)

On the live stage, Ishia watched Seol Ha-woon’s POV unfold.

Ha-woon, now fully immersed in the situation, moved swiftly. Having lost mobility, the method he chose was a wire.

He stretched the wire to a rooftop somewhere, scaled it in an instant, and swiftly eliminated the sniper. Then, he took a seat in the sniper’s chair and pulled out a teacup.

For the first two minutes, it felt like a spy thriller—until he suddenly began leisurely brewing coffee. Just as he stirred the cup with a spoon and took a sip…

Kim Doo-gyeom arrived.

—”…You’re late.”

Ha-woon smiled at Doo-gyeom. The atmosphere was oddly tense. Unnoticed, a sizable crowd had gathered around Ishia—audience members who’d come to watch Ha-woon.

—”How did you…?”

Doo-gyeom seemed genuinely surprised.

—”Habit. I always seek high ground.”

Ha-woon answered while savoring the coffee’s aroma.

—”I’ve taken care of the sniper, so you head down.”

—”…What are you planning to do up here?”

A sharp edge crept into Doo-gyeom’s voice.

In contrast, Ha-woon radiated calm.

—”We’ve got five more chances anyway. I need to cram as much info into my head as possible.”

Doo-gyeom frowned.

—”Did you figure anything out?”

—”Well.”

Ha-woon deflected the question and took another sip.

—”I said, what you figured out? You gotta share.”

Kim Doo-gyeom was pretty venomous. To Ishia, it was unexpected. In episodes 1 and 2 of Labyrinth Exploration NaN, he didn’t give off this vibe. Didn’t he get a lot of screen time for his nice-guy image?

—”…….”

Ha-woon stayed silent, merely smiling and tapping his wristwatch.

—”Six minutes left.”

—”Tch…”

Gritting his teeth, Doo-gyeom finally trudged down the building.

-“What’s with those two?”
-“Did they fight?”
-“Doo-gyeom’s acting weird. It’s an individual round—why’s he pestering for info?”
-“Time’s running out. Move already.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

This was the downside of a “good guy” image. If the audience sensed even a hint of selfishness in Doo-gyeom’s actions, they’d dismiss him as a fraud wrapped in virtue.

Meanwhile, Ha-woon’s current reputation? To put it crudely, no matter what crazy stunt he pulls, people just shrug—‘That’s just who he is.’

The more Kim Doo-gyeom gets tangled with him, the worse it is for him.

* * *

Plaza.

Kate weaved through the crowd, hunting for threats. Her sharp eyes scanned for danger while her heightened senses detected even the faintest mana fluctuations.

“…….”

A suspicious figure. Dressed in a jacket, but their body was unnaturally bulky.

Tailing him, she spotted explosives strapped to his waist.

A suicide bomber. The response protocol was simple.

She crouched, picking up a suitably sized pebble. Wedging it between her fingers, she flicked it—*Tak!*

“Guh!”

The stone pierced his throat. The terrorist crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. Instant death.

“Kate here. I’ve neutralized a terrorist in the eastern sector.”

First hazard: Suicide bomber.

* * *

—”Kate here. I’ve neutralized a terrorist in the eastern sector.”

Lee Jun-ho heard her report amidst the plaza’s chaos.

—”Everyone, memorize the hazards. We’ll repeat them in Round 2.”

“Confirmed.”

Gripping his sword, he walked in full combat stance—ready to react to any ambush. Yet his sector showed no signs of trouble, just enthusiastic protesters waving signs and cheering a speech.

‘He said there were many suspicious people around here. What the hell was Kim Doo-gyeom talking about?’

“Three minutes left…”

—”South sector! South! Over here! Backup needed! Emergency!!!”

Kim Woo-hyun’s frantic voice blared through the earpiece.

Combat alert!

Jun-ho cheerfully adjusted his route—but he was too late.

“…What the hell?”

He froze, staring skyward.

A monster soared into the sky. A labyrinth dweller clad in armor bristling with spikes. Leaping like a pole vaulter and descending like lightning, it sliced clean through the politician’s neck.

[ Failure ]

The second hazard: a spiked-armor labyrinth dweller.

* * *

Second attempt.

The early phase unfolded differently. Seol Ha-woon climbed a derelict building to secure high ground, while Lee Jun-ho immediately shouted to Kim Woo-hyun.

“Woo-hyun! Give me that bastard’s location!”

—”South, 190 degrees!”

“Jun-ho-ssi! I’m coming with you!”

Before he knew it, Kim Doo-gyeom tagged along. He’d caught the scent of screen time.

The two men rushed toward the armored monster.

—”‘Kate here. Stay calm. We still have plenty of chances.”

Lee Jun-ho and Kim Doo-gyeom reached the location. At a glance, the ‘thing’ looked dangerous. Its pupils were entirely black, no whites, and purple spikes writhed on its back.

“Hup!”

Lee Jun-ho charged, swinging his sword. The labyrinth dweller’s body sprouted sharp defenses—*Chang!*

His longsword caught in the spikes, but Kim Doo-gyeom surged from behind, stabbing the creature’s flank. *Kwak.* The blade sank in, but the labyrinth dweller’s reaction was emotionless. It swung its right arm, backhanding Kim Doo-gyeom’s temple.

“Guh!”

Kim Doo-gyeom went flying, and Lee Jun-ho stepped back a few paces to adjust his stance.

This thing was stronger than expected. He’d need to carefully calibrate the timing and tempo of his attacks.

*Hwik── Hwiiiik──*

Lee Jun-ho’s longsword sliced through the air. Whip-like strikes shot forward. He kept his distance rigorously, and the labyrinth dweller couldn’t close in, enduring with its body alone. Its spikes were tough enough to repel the longsword, but Lee Jun-ho’s blade began to glow red.

Heat.

From the moment their clash began, the sword’s temperature rose, now hot enough to burn its foe.

*Tsut─! Tszzzt──!*

Each clash of sword and spike produced a searing sound. The once-steel-like spikes were now blackened with soot.

“Hiyaa!”

Kim Doo-gyeom, late to recover, made a noisy comeback. For a fleeting moment, he drew the labyrinth dweller’s attention.

Lee Jun-ho didn’t miss the opening. He thrust his sword long toward the creature’s neck. It twisted its head to dodge the tip, but it was too late.

*Shiiik!*

He pulled the extended blade back in a diagonal slash. The labyrinth dweller’s head was torn clean off.

*Degururu.* The severed head rolled across the ground.

“…Labyrinth dweller neutralized!”

Kim Doo-gyeom quickly reported over the comms, as if he’d done it himself.

—”Kate here. I’ve taken out four more terrorists.”

—”Ryu Wei here. I’ve also neutralized three armed terrorists.”

Lee Jun-ho sighed and responded.

“Yeah. Good work. So now….”

*BOOOOOM—*

A deafening blast shook the plaza. Jun-ho and Doo-gyeom instinctively ducked.

This time, it was above the platform where the politician was speaking.

“…….”

“…….”

As the two men stared blankly, the politician’s body floated skyward. Spinning like a top, gliding like a paper plane, twirling round and round… until—*Kwazik.*

It crashed onto the pavement, reduced to mush.

“Ah… goddammit.”

Lee Jun-ho slapped his forehead.

[ Failure ]

The third hazard: darkness under the lamp—a bomb planted at the speech platform.

* * *

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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