Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 48 (Part 2): Cliché Melody (2)

The public always seeks someone to stone. It’s inevitable. That’s just how this industry works. The more popular you are, the bigger the scandal, the harsher the stones thrown.

– Yoon Hwa-rim is done for…
– “MyWordIsAbsolute”—what fight were YOU even in?*
– Real combat? Ex-soldiers are a hundred times better. What’s all this elite nonsense? Has Lemierre Mages ever been to war?
– This is too much, why’s she like this ;;;

The cargo’s speed slows drastically, making the escort team’s job even harder.

They fend off orcs approaching the cargo as best they can, but stamina isn’t infinite.

──Lim Hae-jun: “Ugh! There are so many orcs!”

──Seol Ha-woon: “Bravo 1. Stop complaining and work harder.”

Back to Seol Ha-woon’s POV.

Perched in the tree, he’s eating something while talking to Lim Hae-jun over the radio. A canned combat ration.

──Lim Hae-jun: “What’s that? Who’s eating something?”

Catching the sound, Lim Hae-jun snaps.

──Seol Ha-woon: “I’m not eating because I want to.”

──Lim Hae-jun: “Was that you? Seriously, unbelievable!”

– Hae-jun, stop whining.
– Trust the process.
– But why’s he eating?
– Using mana makes you hungry.
– He’s got his reasons.

In truth, there was a bigger reason than hunger.

Soon, the entire escort team hits overload, and the transport team is nearly overtaken.

*ROOOOAR──!*

As their stamina runs dry and the orcs’ roars close in.

──”Kang Hyun. From now on, focus only on my voice.”

Seol Ha-woon sends a radio message to Kang Hyun.

*Thud thud thud.* The countless footsteps of orcs echo through the forest. The half-resigned transport team collapses to the ground.

Encouraging them, metal cans rain down from the sky.

*Chiiiiik!!*

Cylindrical cans. The empty combat ration cans Seol Ha-woon consumed. They spin on the ground, dispersing a smokescreen. The forest is instantly shrouded in thick gray.

No one can see, and nothing is visible. Not even to the viewers.

──”Orcs rely on sight. You can make it.”

But Seol Ha-woon seems unaffected, guiding Kang Hyun from atop the tree.

“—Go straight.”

“—35 degrees to the right.”

“—25 degrees to the left.”

“—30 degrees to the right.”

“—45 degrees to the right.”

Ishia is engrossed. A situation more cinematic than a movie. Sweat beads on her palms, her eyes locked on the screen.

──”From now on, go straight. 100 meters left.”

100 meters.

In the gradually clearing fog, the explorers pushing the cargo like mad are caught on camera. Their faces look half-dead.

──Lee Jong-su: “There… it is!”

Finally, Lee Jong-su’s shout.

The portal. The glowing escape hatch shimmers at the forest’s edge.

They’ve reached the destination.

“…Haa.”

Ishia breathes again, belatedly.

The transport team on the TV sprawls out, exhausted, and the cargo team soon joins them.

The person most pivotal to this mission arrives as well.

*Tap. Tap.*

He appears with the sound of his staff.

– “MyWordIsAbsolute” MVPㅋㅋㅋ Hero mode.
– Called it.
– Dude’s carrying the team LOL, so cool.
– Am I the only one who finds Seol Ha-woon kinda sus?
– No but what is Yoon Hwa-rim even doing?
– Without Seol Ha-woon, it’d be a wipeout.
– Kang Hyun soaked in sweat… wow…

──Seol Ha-woon: “Well done, everyone.”

Seol Ha-woon approaches Kang Hyun, extending his hand first. Kang Hyun stares at it for a moment before grasping it.

──Kang Hyun: “Thanks to the escort team.”

The scene from the stills, the two shaking hands. Ishia’s chest swells with emotion.

「A4-B12 Alliance Team, Labyrinth Conquest Successful」

Their labyrinth conquest is complete. The screen cuts to commercials, but Ishia’s eyes don’t register them. Probably the same for other viewers.

“Haaa…”

Today, Ishia is certain again.

Seol Ha-woon, he’s her one-pick.

And if he’s her one-pick, she’ll make sure he becomes everyone else’s too.

“…….”

With a deadly serious expression, she dives into the online world.

│Oh! Hot TOPICs, MyWordIsAbsolute’s Plot Twist…│

Seol Ha-woon, once called the ‘MyWordIsAbsolute’ villain, turned things around in Episode 3. He landed a counterpunch on all the experts and public who mocked his combat experience…

───────

│’MyWordIsAbsolute’, Why Seol Ha-woon Was Right│

Seol Ha-woon’s real-world experience shone in the labyrinth. Discharged as a UDT sergeant, he’s too young to be called a veteran, but his actions prove the path he’s walked…

The online world is amusing.

Self-proclaimed experts pour out thoughts and words in text, completely different from last week.

│’MyWordIsAbsolute’ Special│

He was right.

Always has been.

Never been wrong

───────

│Spoiler) Today’s Labyrinth Exploration ‘MyWordIsAbsolute’ Highlights│

Orc sniping

Smoke bombs

Human GPS

───────

“…Human GPS?”

The community and SNS are all about me again.

│Laughable now… Last Week’s Situation│

Countless posts and comments mocking ‘MyWordIsAbsolute’ from last week are being screencapped and resurfacing.

It’s not really their fault. The real culprit is the devil’s editing.

│Analysis) Why MyWordIsAbsolute Demanded Full Control│

> MyWordIsAbsolute (Seol Ha-woon) is hot right now, but there’s a detail about why he demanded full control that many haven’t caught, so I’m here to explain.

> When Seol Ha-woon was analyzing Scout data, he muttered something to himself.

> What was it?

> ‘The mana amount is too high for the number of orcs.’

> That’s the key. It means the total mana in the labyrinth is far greater than what the scout’s orc count suggests.

> The maximum number of monsters in a labyrinth is determined by its total mana. With this much mana, it wouldn’t be strange to have more orcs, but there were only three hundred.

> So, Seol Ha-woon was certain there was another danger and demanded full control. That’s when the legendary ‘MyWordIsAbsolute’ quote was born.

> I posted something similar before, but it got buried under hate, so I’m reuploading…

─────

“…They caught that well.”

It’s actually close to my thinking.

If the total mana measured by the scout had been proportional to the orc count, I might have followed Yoon Hwa-rim’s plan. But the gap between the two was too wide, so I chose a strategy to handle variables…

[ Recognition Level Up! ]
[ Recognition Rank: 10 ]
[ An additional 60 days are granted for the trial period. ]
[ Karma: Special Rank-Up Gift Received! ]
[ Mana Coefficient Acquired ]

“Oh?!”

An extra 60 days. Did the bonus double at every ten ranks? Made sense.

“Ah~ Nice.”

I flop onto the bed. Blinking at the status windows floating in the air.

[ Mana Coefficient Acquired ]

“…Mana Coefficient?”

A ‘special’ rank-up gift. Not just any rank-up gift, a ‘special’ one.

So it’s got to be something extraordinary.

【Mana Coefficient】

◆ Mana Coefficient

◆ Mana + 0.5

“What’s this?”

No detailed explanation beyond Mana +0.5. Guess it’s a ‘figure it out’ kind of deal.

“…Fair enough.”

The outside world matters more right now anyway.

Guess I’ll be glued to my smartphone a bit longer today.

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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