Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 51 (Part 1): Spring Rain (1)

All 96 contestants of *Labyrinth Exploration* gathered in a single set. The backdrop felt oddly familiar.

It was the very pyramid set where everyone had first assembled.

“Welcome, everyone. Glad you could all make it.”

Yoo Ji-in, always dressed in flamboyant attire, spoke today in an unusually serious tone.

“Today, we’re reassigning tiers.”

Tier reassignment.

I’d tackled three labyrinths as an F-tier. It was about time I moved up.

“The results of this tier reassignment will hold until the first vote tally.”

The first tally would be based on vote rankings—likely after the broadcast of the Situational Labyrinth.

For me, that moment feels like a potential crisis. By then, Kim Doo-gyeom’s public image would still be favorable, while I’d be stuck playing the role of his aggressor.

“This tier evaluation combines 40% from the live audience’s assessment during the situational labyrinth and 60% from the mentors’ scores. Also, note that discrepancies between future rankings and tiers may arise, so keep that in mind.”

This means someone could be [3rd place, A-tier] if their vote ranking is high but mentor scores are low, or conversely, [S-tier, 13th place].

“We’ll now announce the S-tier. Six contestants in total.”

The number of S-tier contestants has decreased.

[ S-tier: Kang Hyun, Ryu Yeon-hwa, Seo Ji-woo, Lee Jun-ho, Zhao Yun, Kate ]

Listed in alphabetical order, these are exactly the kind of heavyweights you’d expect in S-tier. [T/N: The list is arranged in Korean alphabetical order (가나다순), based on the Hangul syllabary, as per the original text.]

“A-tier. We’ll announce now. Ten contestants in total.”

[ A-tier: Kim Doo-gyeom, Kim Dong-ha, Ryu Wei, Yoon Hwa-rim, Lim Hae-jun, Jin Ho-jong… ]

After that, B-tier (14 contestants), C-tier (21 contestants), and the remaining D, E, and F-tier lists were announced. I became C-tier Seol Ha-woon.

It was lower than I’d expected. I thought I’d at least scrape the edge of B-tier.

Probably because I didn’t openly showcase my combat prowess.

Due to my mobility limitations, I was always slightly removed from the ‘battlefront’ in the labyrinths.

Still, I’m the only one who jumped three tiers from F. C-tier is a safe zone, free from mid-season elimination worries.

The infuriating part? Kim Doo-gyeom climbed to A-tier. Looks like his talent’s being recognized.

“Hyung! I’m A-tier!”

Lim Hae-jun, who’d appeared beside me out of nowhere, was also A-tier.

“Now, your lodgings will be reassigned based on tiers. But before that—we can’t just skip the fun, right? There’s a prize match!”

Yoo Ji-in flashed a bright smile and snapped her fingers.

“It’s a staring contest!”

A staring contest. Not throwing snowballs, but locking eyes. This counts as a slice-of-life segment.

“You’ll face off in predetermined matchups for the staring contest. The top six winners will get a chance to draw from a ‘Mystery Box’ specially prepared by the Labyrinth Exploration team, plus an extra minute of personal PR time. Your individual videos will be uploaded to the website.”

An extra minute of PR isn’t a small reward. We need every vote we can get.

“We’ll start with the draw! Completely fair, of course~”

The production crew brought out a container filled with 96 small balls, resembling a lottery machine.

“I’ll draw.”

Yoo Ji-in activated the machine, but her gesture was oddly suspicious. A faint trace of mana lingered.

This draw isn’t fair.

“Those called, please step forward and sit facing each other! Round 1: Seol Ha-woon vs. Seo Ji-woo! Lim Hae-jun vs. Kim Doo-gyeom! Kang Hyun vs. Ryu Wei! Ji Woon-yul…”

* * *

Round 1.

Seo Ji-woo sits across from me. She stares at me, and I meet her gaze.

Like her brother Seo Ji-hyuk, Seo Ji-woo has blue hair. Her pupils shimmer with a bluish tint. Blue irises are one thing, but blue hair is a color biologically impossible for mammals.

Because it’s not a biological trait.

When a child with high mana affinity is exposed to intense mana from a young age, the mana dyes them. No need for hair dye—their hair naturally turns a vivid blue.

It’s borderline child abuse.

“…”

Seo Ji-woo’s lips twitch. She’s struggling not to blink, and it reminds me of Seo Ji-hyuk from long ago.

Ironically, we had a staring contest back then too. They called it ‘blink-suppression training,’ forcing us to monitor each other.

A shitty but nostalgic memory.

I smile without meaning to. Seo Ji-woo flinches.

“Why… why are you laughing? What’s so funny?!”

“…What, kid.”

[ Seo Ji-woo eliminated ]

The camera catches Seo Ji-woo. I stand up.

“Ugh, I didn’t even want to win. I wasn’t trying to win…”

Seo Ji-woo mutters to herself as she leaves.

* * *

Round 2.

This time, it’s Lee Jun-ho.

“C-could you just blink already?”

Lee Jun-ho’s lips tremble as he urges me to give up. His eyes are already bloodshot.

It’s been 20 minutes already.

“I could do this all day.”

“Ha~ What’s with this bravado~?”

“Says the guy with tears streaming down his face.”

“…I just had a sad thought, okay?”

For the record, my eyes are top-notch. The free trait 【Good Ears, Good Eyes】 proves it. ‘Good eyes’ has multiple meanings here.

Lee Jun-ho leans in close.

“I’m a mana-trained warrior. Think you can beat me?”

“…Buy a mana-trained radish? Do radishes get mana training these days?” [T/N: Wordplay based on ‘musa’ (무사 – warrior) sounding similar to ‘mu sa’ (무 사 – buy radish).]

Lee Jun-ho chews over my words, then furrows his brow.

“Radish mana… What are you talking about?”

The camera catches Lee Jun-ho. He just blinked faintly.

[ Lee Jun-ho eliminated ]

“No way!”

Lee Jun-ho stands up, indignant.

“That’s cheating! He suddenly said something weird and nonsensical!”

* * *

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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