Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 53 (Part 2): Let You Down (1)

I arrived at the set. This time, it looked like an arcade.

“…Master. What’s it gonna be this time?”

Lim Hae-jun appeared out of nowhere. I’m used to this guy by now, but a new one’s latched on.

“Probably something arcade-related.”

Kang Hyun, responding to Lim Hae-jun.

He turned to me.

“What do you think, Ha-woon-hyung?”

I shrugged.

“They’ll tell us soon enough.”

By now, plenty of people are probably wondering: just how many labyrinths are there in Labyrinth Exploration?

No two labyrinths in the world are the same, but they can be grouped into broad categories.

Survival, Cargo, Scenario, Horror, Arcade, Linear, Dungeon, and so on… Labyrinth Exploration covers more than half of those categories.

As an explorer audition program, it throws you into just about every kind of labyrinth.

“Hello~!”

Yoo Ji-in appeared. Today, she was dressed in a sci-fi outfit.

“Today is another Labyrinth Day… and it’s the last labyrinth before the first tally.”

The first tally is the Grim Reaper. The bottom ranks will be cut.

“After the first tally, only 50 of you will remain. Of course, those who fail in this labyrinth will leave even sooner.”

This labyrinth is set to be tough. The bottom-tier contestants with barely any screen time will drop like flies.

“The theme of today’s labyrinth is…”

Yoo Ji-in paused for effect. The explorers held their breath, faces tense.

“Open World.”

Open World.

Most faces hardened.

“You’ll be entering the open world ‘NaN World.’”

NaN World. The hint is probably Yoo Ji-in’s outfit. She’s dressed in a futuristic, cyberpunk-style suit.

“You’ll need to achieve a specific objective in that world to return here. You’ll learn the objective gradually inside the labyrinth.”

She continued seriously.

“If you take fatal damage in the world without achieving the objective, you’ll be forcibly teleported back, and it’ll count as three failures. In other words, you’ll be eliminated.”

Brutal.

Beside me, Lim Hae-jun was trembling like a squirrel.

“M-Master, let’s team up.”

“Can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’s probably a random start.”

World-type labyrinths have different starting points for everyone. The labyrinth itself is massive.

Though NaN World is likely scaled down, we’ll only know the details once we’re inside.

“And one more thing.”

Yoo Ji-in raised a finger.

“Any resources you acquire in the world will be treated as loot.”

Loot.

In other words…

“They’re yours to keep.”

The explorers’ expressions changed. Fear gave way to greed in some eyes.

An open world is a different realm. It might hold items or treasures completely alien to Earth.

Get one good haul, and it’s a life-changer.

“Open-world labyrinths are vast, complex, and difficult, but they’re the truest embodiment of ‘exploration.’”

A gesture of goodwill from the production team before the first tally. A chance to grab something before getting cut.

…If you can manage to grab it.

“Now, shall we enter?”

The explorers responded, their faces a mix of excitement and anxiety. Some chattered, others stretched, the air buzzing with tension.

“Master, we’ll meet again, right?”

Lim Hae-jun asked, his face full of worry.

“Every man for himself.”

“Every…?”

He clearly doesn’t know what that means.

“Protractor?” [T/N: He mishears 각자도생 (Every man) as 각도기, which means protractor.]

“Let’s begin.”

Yoo Ji-in flashed a smile. I furrowed my brow slightly. For some reason, her gaze was fixed in my direction.

But she wasn’t looking at me.

She was looking at Kang Hyun, blinking beside me.

“Good luck, everyone.”

A blinding light engulfed the space.

* * *

“….”

I opened my eyes, letting out a wry chuckle at the world sprawled before me.

“Pretty flashy.”

Under a dark night sky, neon signs glowed everywhere. Repair shops, gun stores, alchemy houses… If I had to describe the scene, it’s exactly what we’d call “cyberpunk.”

A world where science and magic have advanced so far they threaten to devour humanity. Perhaps a distant future of our own era.

[ Welcome to NaN World! ]

[ Objective: Collect World Points (WP)! ]

[ WP can be earned by completing quests in the world! ]

No deadline, so it’s a lengthy labyrinth. In my past life, this arc spanned about four episodes.

By this point, the network probably went crazy, with each episode running 4–5 hours. I remember reading an article saying ad revenue per episode hit tens of billions.

「Rainos」

“Rainos…”

Probably the city’s name. I leaned on my cane and walked. The streets were littered with vagrants. Beggars eyed me more than they begged. No one in this underbelly would donate, so they’re likely sizing me up for robbery.

Looks like I landed in a rough part of town.

[ AMOS WAY Exchange ]

“…There’s an exchange.”

Amid the grimy, sticky heat and greedy, suspicious stares stood a pristine exchange building.

I walked inside. Several ATM-like machines lined up.

[ Identity Verification: Seol Ha-woon ]

[ You can purchase a Return Ticket for 10,000 WP. ]

[ Current WP: 0 ]

[ Exchange Service ]

Return Ticket. That’s probably the labyrinth’s objective.

I pressed “Exchange Service.”

[ Exchange votes for NaN Dollars! ]

[ Please select the amount to exchange. ]

[ Available Votes: 303,852 ]

My votes have piled up nicely. I don’t know the exchange rate yet, but I converted 30,000 votes.

*Whirr—*

Thirty bills. 3,000 NaN Dollars.

I pocketed them and stepped outside, scanning the area.

A sign caught my eye.

[ CHROME OASIS ]

A bar. In this kind of setting, places like that are usually job boards.

I entered. The thick smell of alcohol filled the air, and the place was packed. I pushed through the crowd to the counter. The barkeep was a man with a long mustache.

“Barkeep.”

I called out.

“Got any work?”

He glanced at me.

“No jobs for cripples.”

I bristled. What kind of Nazi bastard is this?

“Want me to put a hole in your neck to prove you wrong?”

He wiped a glass and replied.

“Not bad.”

Some eyes in the room turned to me.

The far crowd kept chattering, but those nearby watched closely. Doesn’t matter. Proving your worth is always part of the process.

I levitated a mana bullet above my shoulder. The barkeep’s mustache twitched.

“…New face. Runner wannabe? You can’t even run with that leg.”

“Ever consider I don’t need to run?”

The vibe’s similar to a mercenary hub. In fact, “runner” is slang for “mercenary” in these parts. Always running around, that’s the mercenary life.

“…There’s one job for newbies. Doesn’t require running.”

He pulled out a piece of paper.

「DEAD or ALIVE」

A wanted poster with a vicious-looking face.

“Killed an orphan playing in the park and ran. The orphanage put out the request, so the pay’s not much.”

[ Quest: Apprehend Wanted Criminal ]

[ Reward: 300 WP ]

So that’s how you earn WP.

I took the poster.

“Where’s the orphanage? I need to check the scene.”

The barkeep handed me a document with the orphanage’s location and details.

I turned to leave.

“See you around.”

“If you make it back, one-legged runner.”

“…….”

I won’t let that slide twice.

I fired the bullet over my shoulder.

*—Clang!*

It grazed the barkeep’s neck, shattering a bottle behind him. Glass shards scattered. The bar went quiet for a moment.

I spoke to the barkeep.

“I’ve got legs. So I’m not one-legged.”

“…My mistake.”

The barkeep smirked. I grinned back.

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!

•