Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 60 (Part 1): Let You Down (8)

I left the city with Sier. Our destination was a remote suburban area. Crumbling buildings, a gas station, and traces of communication facilities and server computers emitted faint, faded electricity—a ghost town abandoned by all its inhabitants.

In the heart of it stood an elevator leading underground.

“Please, step inside.”

I boarded the elevator. Sier stood beside me, but he still maintained a one-step distance.

I asked him.

“I think it’s about time you told me what’s going on.”

“Yes.”

Sier nodded.

“We are conducting a mining operation.”

“…Mining?”

“An act that triggers a rift.”

Rift. The word felt oddly familiar.

“…A rift, you mean?”

“The labyrinth.”

The labyrinth. Even in the NaN World, the concept of a labyrinth exists.

Suddenly, a sense of unease brushed through my mind.

A labyrinth dweller, born of the labyrinth, seeks to unearth a labyrinth within the labyrinth.

“I don’t quite follow. By mining, do you mean producing a labyrinth?”

“Production isn’t quite the right term. It’s about uncovering a labyrinth buried beneath the earth.”

Hence, mining.

“As you know, Ha-woon, the labyrinth is an asset. This particular labyrinth holds unprecedented value. If we can monopolize and control it, it could generate billions in profit.”

*Ding.*

The elevator reached the underground level.

“However, it seems that information has leaked somewhere. Likely my sister’s doing.”

“A succession dispute, then.”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

The elevator doors opened. I stepped forward, leaning on my cane. A acrid smoke rushed in, and I quickly donned my gas mask.

“Follow me.”

Sier walked nonchalantly. I followed, scanning the surroundings. The mining site was bustling with workers digging into the earth.

*Boom!*

The ground suddenly trembled. I instinctively steadied myself with my cane.

“…If they trigger a rift like this, won’t it put them in danger?”

“It’s fine. The location has been precisely calculated.”

“…….”

Silently, I observed the site closely.

“You’re planning to relocate the labyrinth.”

Sier’s lips twitched slightly.

“Yes. We’ll extract the landmass containing the labyrinth and transport it to a more suitable location. Underground like this isn’t ideal for marketing.”

*Clang. Clang. Clang.*

The sound of pickaxes striking the earth echoed mournfully.

“Don’t you use machines or robots here?”

“We have to be wary of hackers. No matter how advanced technology becomes, in the end, the only thing a person can trust is another person. This is the place.”

An office set up in a corner of the mining site. Sier opened the door.

“Come in.”

I first used my sequence radar to scan the interior.

Sweeping a compartment is a habit. An unverified enclosed space is, in other words, a death trap.

“…What the.”

Two others were seated on a sofa. They looked at me as well. My tension immediately dissipated.

Kate and Kim Doo-gyeom.

Sier introduced them.

“These are the team members you’ll be working with.”

“…I thought I’d be alone.”

Then again, with a WP like this, it’s unlikely I’d be on my own.

“It would be too much for one person. Since the other side has hired people as well, we need to form a team to counter them.”

Kate is fine. In fact, her combat prowess as a team member is exceptional.

The problem is Kim Doo-gyeom.

I glared at Kim Doo-gyeom. His face soured for a moment, but he stood up abruptly and approached me.

“Ha-woon. Nice to see you.”

“Not nice to see you.”

“…You two know each other?”

“No. He’s a stranger.”

I don’t know an idiot like him.

“So, just the three of us?”

Kate asked in her clear voice.

“Yes. This is the profile of the opposing side, recently acquired.”

Sier placed documents on the table. Kim Doo-gyeom flinched as he read them, and Kate’s face hardened. Meanwhile, an inexplicable smile crept onto my lips.

“Hmm….”

I picked up the profile.

The photo, face, and description in the document were so distinctive that no one could mistake them.

“…Kang Hyun?”

The name of the man who would become my enemy.

* * *

“In terms of numbers, we have the advantage.”

Meanwhile, at a base camp far from Sier’s mining site, Kang Hyun was being briefed on the raid strategy.

“We need to take them down before the labyrinth is fully mined, but they’ve hired special forces too.”

The person who hired Kang Hyun was Sindra. The rough-looking woman was plotting to attack her younger brother’s mining site to monopolize the labyrinth.

“We’ve obtained their profiles, but we don’t know the full extent of their strength. They’re people who popped up out of nowhere.”

Sindra glanced at Kang Hyun.

“Can you handle it?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Kang Hyun’s response was vague.

“…Tch. Do your best, huh.”

*Thump.* Another team member placed a hand on Kang Hyun’s shoulder. He grinned confidently and gave a thumbs-up.

“We’ll get it done, no question. Trust us.”

Kim Dong-ha. An A-tier Warrior, he was hired by Sindra alongside Kang Hyun.

Sindra’s lips twisted.

“…Fine. I’ll trust you. First, take a look. These are the profiles of the special forces they’ve hired.”

She projected the information via hologram.

“This guy’s a sword-wielder like you guys.”

First up was Kim Doo-gyeom.

Kim Dong-ha nodded seriously.

‘Doo-gyeom. A good guy and a strong one, but against Kang Hyun and me? He’s an easy mark.’

‘Sorry, buddy.’

“Next.”

The second was Kate. This time, a much trickier opponent. Without realizing it, Kim Dong-ha rubbed his nose.

Sindra smirked.

“Looks like this one worries you a bit.”

“Ah~ Well….”

Kim Dong-ha glanced at Kang Hyun. Kang Hyun responded calmly.

“It’s fine. I have the upper hand against her.”

Destroyer. Kang Hyun knew Kate’s aptitude. But she wouldn’t be able to hit him. Just as a pebble can’t shoot down a hummingbird, it was simply the natural order of things.

“Good. Now, the last one. The most recently hired.”

Dangun

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