Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 55 (Part 2): Let You Down (3)

Ishia swallowed hard. Real-time chats sped up, and tweets popped up in an instant.

─Kim Yoon-jun: “You put your team in danger by dozing off while driving.”

─Yoon Hwa-rim: “I’m sorry…”

Yoon Hwa-rim lowered her head with a heavy expression.

─Kim Yoon-jun: “This isn’t something an apology can fix.”

─DK: “If it weren’t for the team, it could’ve been a life-or-death situation.”

Ishia glanced at her laptop.

– Facts
– Straight up.
– This message has been hidden due to reports
– It’s infuriating in a labyrinth, but it’d be just as bad at a company lol
– Isn’t she getting eliminated?
– Ugh… but was it really drowsy driving? Couldn’t she just have been exhausted?

On the screen, Yoo Ji-in grabbed the mic.

─Yoo Ji-in: “What does the escort team think?”

Perhaps thinking of Yoon Hwa-rim, she changed the topic.

─Lim Hae-jun: “…It was tough, but I think it was a trial we could overcome!”

Lim Hae-jun’s answers were always energetic. Pretty cute.

─Yu-yul: “What about Mage Seol Ha-woon?”

Suddenly, Yu-yul asked Seol Ha-woon. Ishia perked up her ears.

─Seol Ha-woon: “I have no special thoughts.”

No particular thoughts. A neutral response. His expression didn’t change much either.

─DK: “…None? You should at least lie properly. She was the one who completely derailed the operation. Soldiers are sensitive to that kind of thing, right?”

Mentor DK furrowed his brow.

– LOL you expect him to call her trash to her face?
– That’d be too harsh…
– Harsh? SHE was the harsh one.
– I mean, they succeeded, so why nitpick like this?
– Bullsh*t
– DK, can you drop the act?

DK’s got an ego. Unfortunately, he’s skilled enough to back it up. A high-ranking warrior acknowledged even in the martial world.

He’s the typical harsh critic found in any audition show, and most contestants shrink in front of him.

But.

─Seol Ha-woon: “No, sir. It’s the opposite.”

Not Seol Ha-woon.

─Seol Ha-woon: “If a variable arises, you adapt to it.”

He showed no sign of fear or intimidation in front of DK. He met DK’s sunglasses with his own eyes. He didn’t avoid or retreat. He responded purely by principle.

─DK: “Huh. Aren’t you trying too hard to look cool?”

DK glared at Seol Ha-woon. The gaze was fierce even through the screen, but Seol Ha-woon was unfazed. He didn’t flinch.

─Kim Yoon-jun: “…Didn’t you feel any resentment?”

─Kim Ji-an: “Exactly. The strategy was about to succeed.”

DK and the other mentors seemed to be trying to draw something out of Seol Ha-woon.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Why would I resent a teammate?”

Seol Ha-woon answered with a genuinely puzzled expression. It was as if the very justification for resentment didn’t exist.

At that moment, an interview clip cut in.

──“…Yoon Hwa-rim is an elite mage. You can tell by the spells she uses.”

A scene of Seol Ha-woon sharing his thoughts on Yoon Hwa-rim.

──“People unfamiliar with magic may not grasp it, but I do. I know how precise and skilled Yoon Hwa-rim’s spells are. Her abilities as a mage far surpass mine.”

Seol Ha-woon’s voice was low and calm.

──“Driving a cargo cart requires immense mana. It’s easy to assume it’s simple when you’re just watching.”

He wasn’t blindly defending her or thoughtlessly shielding her.

He was *acknowledging* his teammate.

──“If Yoon Hwa-rim was the driver, the other team members were in the passenger seat.”

How difficult Yoon Hwa-rim’s task was, and how the team should have supported her.

Seol Ha-woon continued calmly.

──”Yet none of them could fulfill the role of a co-pilot. They couldn’t lighten her burden. I’m just stating the obvious.”

Ishia found herself smiling without realizing it.

In her mind, the image of Seol Ha-woon solidified.

──”No operation succeeds—or fails—because of one person.”

Seol Ha-woon doesn’t blame others. He doesn’t badmouth them. He simply carries out the mission. He fulfills his responsibility.

The mindset of an ideal soldier.

Cool.

Ishia touched her cheeks, which had grown warm without her noticing. The chat reactions were similar.

– Wow;
– This guy’s the real deal.
– Oh man, that’s cool
– How is he ranked 96? The mentors need their eyes checked.
– Ugh, if I keep watching, I’ll stan him. I’m out.
– Fr, so relatable. People blindly hating on Yoon Hwa-rim are just brainless. Driving the cart is insanely hard lol, but what would they know?
– Voting starts today.
– Damn… I think I’m becoming a fan. Ugh.

The scene shifted back from the interview to the mentor evaluation.

Seol Ha-woon looked at each mentor and continued.

─Seol Ha-woon: “It’s not fair to blame just one person when there were three others on the cart.”

The mentors’ gazes varied as they faced Seol Ha-woon.

Warrior Kim Yoon-jun smiled, Warrior DK let out a faint sigh, and Yoo Ji-in seemed somehow indifferent.

─Seol Ha-woon: “If even one out of the four—no, including me watching from above, one out of five—had been alert, we could’ve fixed it. So it’s everyone’s fault.”

And then…

[ To be continued shortly. ]

[ What’s for chicken tonight? BtoBtoQ Chicken! ]

“Ugh, seriously!”

Another ad. Ishia furrowed her brow, but the crispy, sizzling chicken looked delicious. Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

“…….”

She quietly picked up her smartphone.

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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