Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 52 (Part 1): Spring Rain (2)

“This is Seol Ha-woon.”

I looked at the camera, then lowered my gaze.

“Right now, there are four Mystery Boxes in front of me.”

Number 1, Number 2, Number 3, Number 4. The boxes are all identical in size and appearance. Nothing particularly distinctive about them.

“I consider these Mystery Boxes a gift obtained thanks to all of you.”

I pointed slightly downward with my finger. The spot where subtitles would appear.

“As always, I’ll follow your choices. There should be a voting window below my personal profile.”

The eye-contact showdown itself will air later, but this PR video will probably go up on the IoNet homepage as early as tomorrow.

“Please cast your vote for which box I should choose.”

Hahaha.

I smiled.

Cut.

* * *

“Cut the smiling part. Do the rest as Seol Ha-woon said.”

In the editing room, Kim A-rang’s words made the assistant writer tilt their head.

“But PD-nim, why cut the smile? It was a good one.”

It’s common to cut smiles if they’re creepy, awkward, or unflattering, but Seol Ha-woon’s wasn’t bad.

In fact, he looks better smiling than with his usual blank expression. For one, his skin is a big factor. It’s in such good condition, it could rival most celebrities.

Kim A-rang smirked.

“A smile that’s too easy loses its value.”

Seol Ha-woon’s vote count is steadily climbing past the mid-tier ranks. Exact tallies won’t be clear until the first round, but… the biggest wildcard is Kim Doo-gyeom.

From Kim A-rang’s perspective, she couldn’t fathom why Seol Ha-woon was so relentlessly harsh on Kim Doo-gyeom.

“By the way, how are the writers these days? Still the same?”

“…Yeah. Surprisingly, a lot of people dislike Seol Ha-woon. He’s too blatant about bullying Doo-gyeom. It’s like schoolyard harassment…”

Kim Doo-gyeom is friendly. Especially with writers and PDs. He’s the type to approach with a bright smile, strike up conversations, and even help with tasks. And it doesn’t feel like he’s expecting anything in return—just a genuinely kind guy.

Yet Seol Ha-woon keeps relentlessly targeting him.

“Why does Seol Ha-woon act like that? Does he have some kind of hatred for nice people?”

“…Who knows.”

Sometimes, people dislike others for no reason at all.

Kim A-rang pursed her lips. The writer, catching her mood, subtly shifted the topic.

“PD Kim-nim, um… how much will our performance bonus be this time?”

“Hm?”

Lately, IoNet has been under a status effect called “joyful screams.” Not just the Labyrinth Exploration team but the entire broadcasting station is drowning in overtime upon overtime.

That’s how massive the show’s impact is.

“Yoon, you mentioned a housing loan, right?”

“…Yes.”

Kim A-rang grinned and continued.

“Enough to pay it off and buy a mid-sized car, maybe?”

The writer’s face lit up like a flower in bloom.

* * *

The back hills of the C-tier Labyrinth Exploration lodging site. In that crisp, clean air, I swallowed a bitter taste.

“…This is tough.”

The mana circuit was almost fully opened. No—functionally, it might already be complete.

The problem is solely “below my left knee.” The part I couldn’t rehabilitate.

Of course, I’m not giving up, but it’s just not breaking through.

“Tch.”

I scratched the back of my neck, glancing at the cane in my left hand.

“Might be faster to channel it through the cane instead.”

Half-jokingly, I let mana flow into the cane. In an instant, something surged and broke through. Mana coursed through the cane’s interior. That vivid sensation reached my hand as well.

“!”

Startled, I froze. The 「MoMo」 Status Window popped up before my eyes.

[ Mana Coefficient has been activated in your cherished item. ]

Mana Coefficient?

“Out of nowhere?”

I checked the cane’s information.

【Mysterious Cane】

◆ Grade: Rare

◆ Overview: A black cane crafted from mystical wood. Likely beneficial for Mages.

◆ Restriction: Recognition Level 1 or higher

◆ Mana +0.8 when equipped

◆ Recognition Acquisition Rate +17%

◆ Movement Speed +5%

◆ Mana Coefficient: Receives adjustments based on the owner’s mana talent.

◆ Cherished Item: The efficiency of the Mana Coefficient increases over time.

“Receives adjustments based on the owner’s mana talent.”

Is the Mana Coefficient a trait that embeds a separate circuit into an object? I’m not certain yet.

For now, the 【Mysterious Cane】’s equipped mana stat has risen from 0.5 to 0.8, and other miscellaneous stats have noticeably improved as well.

“Cherished Item… makes sense.”

Come to think of it, this was my first piece of equipment. I’ve never swapped it out, and it’s been by my side 24/7. I even attached a keyring to it. The 【Chieftain’s Feather】 dangles softly from the cane’s head. It’s more than enough to qualify as a cherished item in the system.

This is good news.

“Confirm.”

Mana Coefficient. Definitely a special reward. I might be able to apply it to other equipment besides the cane in the future.

“Now, then…”

[ Tech Points: 3 ]

Three Tech Points gained from leveling up. I plan to invest them all in the Perception tree.

I need neural-related techs for both 「Sequence」 and 「Refinement」.

「Sequence」 goes without saying, and the pain from 「Refinement」 places a heavy load on the nervous system. At least, that’s my theory.

The first Refinement felt roughly similar to the pain of rehab. The second was far more transcendent.

[ You have acquired Mid-to-Low Grade Perception Enhancement. ]

[ You have acquired Mid-to-Low Grade Cognitive Expansion. ]

First, I upgraded the Tier 1 techs, Perception Enhancement and Cognitive Expansion, to Mid-to-Low Grade.

[ You have acquired Mid-to-Low Grade Neural Reinforcement. ]

Then, the Tier 2 tech, Neural Reinforcement.

A reasonably sound choice. Mana-related techs can be improved through repeated spellcasting to build proficiency, but Perception techs? They barely budge no matter how hard you try.

“…That’s sorted.”

Of course, there’s still an unopened [Random Box], but I’ll deal with it later. No rush right now.

“Hm…”

Next, I checked my personal profile on IoNet.

“Number 3’s in the lead.”

The voting results for the Mystery Box pointed to Number 3.

* * *

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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