Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 63 (Part 1): Let You Down (11)

“Phew!”

Kim Doo-gyeom let out a heavy sigh. The battle was over. The enemy had retreated, and the mining site was secured. As much as he hated to admit it, Seol Ha-woon’s contribution had been significant.

Seol Ha-woon’s firepower, weaving all sorts of strategic weapons into his sorcery, was nothing short of a glass cannon.

A glass cannon—a real class in their world. [T/N: 유리대포 (Yuri-daepo), a common gaming term for a high-damage, low-defense character, translated as ‘glass cannon’. The text notes it’s an actual class/role in this world.] Fragile in durability but overwhelming in offensive power, it was a position perfectly suited for a guy with one leg missing.

“Um, Kate-ssi…”

Kim Doo-gyeom approached Kate shyly.

“You worked hard today.”

Kate glanced at him briefly before nodding.

“You too, Doo-gyeom-ssi.”

Then she turned her gaze somewhere else—toward the rocky hill.

Kim Doo-gyeom gave a faint smile and said, “Shall we go together? To find Ha-woon-ssi.”

No matter how often Seol Ha-woon picked fights or acted like a complete jerk, Kim Doo-gyeom just had to show the opposite demeanor. If he did, public opinion would naturally swing the hammer of justice down on Seol Ha-woon.

“Sure. Let’s go.”

The two climbed the rocky hill together.

When they reached the summit, Seol Ha-woon, who had been coiled up there like a snake, was nowhere to be seen.

“…Seol Ha-woon-ssi? Where are you~?”

Kim Doo-gyeom called out to him while thinking to himself:

*I hope that son of a bitch is dead. He’s probably getting his ass kicked by Kang Hyun right about now, right? If only there weren’t any cameras, I’d even confirm the kill myself.*

Hiding his vicious thoughts, Kim Doo-gyeom searched the rocky hill. That’s when he noticed something.

“…Huh?”

Blood. Scattered across the mountain path in splotches. Following the trail, he found a spot where it had pooled into a small puddle.

No way Kang Hyun would lose to Seol Ha-woon, so this had to be Ha-woon’s blood.

“Kate-ssi!”

He urgently called for Kate. She rushed over, her eyebrows twitching as she saw the pool of blood.

Her eyes quickly assessed the blood loss. It wasn’t enough to cause instant death, but it was enough to render someone combat-ineffective. If left untreated for long, it could lead to blackout—or even threaten their life.

“Kate-ssi, it looks like…”

Kim Doo-gyeom trailed off, feigning sadness.

“Yes. He’s probably been forcibly sent back.”

In other words, a one-time elimination. An injury this severe might prevent recovery for the entire labyrinth period.

If so, Seol Ha-woon would naturally be out of the competition.

“…What should we do?”

Kim Doo-gyeom asked. Kate answered curtly, as if wondering why he’d even ask.

“We head back.”

* * *

Kate and Kim Doo-gyeom returned to Sier’s office. Sier looked between the two of them, tilting his head slightly, clearly searching for the missing Seol Ha-woon.

Kate spoke up.

“Just the two of us.”

“…It seems we’ve had an unavoidable loss of personnel. That’s unfortunate.”

Sier, quickly grasping the situation, picked up a bottle of whiskey.

“You both worked hard.”

*Glug, glug.* He poured the liquid into a glass, the sharp scent of alcohol spreading through the air.

“Before we continue, would you like a drink?”

Kim Doo-gyeom’s face showed a flicker of interest, but Kate shook her head.

“I’m fine.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sier swirled his glass. *Clink, clink.* He stared at the ice cubes clinking transparently against each other, murmuring softly.

“The mining of the labyrinth will soon be complete. Aren’t you curious about what lies beyond?”

Kate wasn’t particularly curious. After all, they were just fakes within the labyrinth.

“Congratulations.”

Kate simply offered her congratulations. Kim Doo-gyeom clapped lightly.

Sier gave a faint smile and took a sip of his whiskey.

“But before I let you go, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

Kate glanced at her wristwatch. She didn’t want to waste time on idle talk. For some reason, the quest completion notification still hadn’t appeared.

“Where are you all from?”

*Thud.* His voice was cold, as if ice had fallen to the ground and shattered.

There was something ominous in his tone that sent a chill down Kate’s spine.

“…Sorry? Where?”

Kim Doo-gyeom tilted his head in confusion.

“I’m asking about your origins.”

At Sier’s words, Kim Doo-gyeom grinned.

“Oh~ We’re from… somewhere pretty far away.”

“Perhaps… beyond the outer seas?”

“The outer seas…?”

Kim Doo-gyeom looked clueless about what “outer seas” meant, and Kate was no different. Sier stared at them intently, his gaze lingering for a long while before he gave a slight nod.

“I keep track of all the affairs on this continent. It’s been a habit since I was young… Since I was young. Now that I think about it, even those memories feel dubious.”

Sier let out a hollow laugh as he continued.

“But lately, strange things have been happening. Not just in Raynos, but in other cities as well—people with unfamiliar names, strangers we’ve never seen before, have been popping up like mushrooms after rain.”

*Clink. Clink.*

The ice in his glass rattled.

The air around them grew colder.

“At first, I thought it was just a coincidence… But then, for just a brief moment—a fleeting thought before falling asleep, like a small dream—I considered it deeply.”

Sier’s eyes stared into the void, as if counting something invisible, as if recalling a question he’d once resolved.

“When I thought it over… it felt familiar. Too familiar, to the point of unease.”

Kate sensed danger from him.

Sier turned to look out the window.

“So I voiced the hypothesis I’d been mulling over, the one I absolutely didn’t want to acknowledge.”

A shadow settled over Sier’s face. In a deeply sorrowful tone, he murmured words he didn’t want to admit.

“Ah… when we were conquering the labyrinth.”

Beyond the glass windows of the high-rise building, neon lights mingled with moonlight, casting an eerie shadow over the two explorers’ faces.

“More specifically… when we entered a World Labyrinth.”

Sier clenched his teeth.

“That’s when *we* act like *this*.”

A chill emanated from him. A shiver ran down Kate’s spine. Her heightened senses picked up the noise from outside.

There were quite a few people out there.

“It was strange. Why were these things happening in *our* world now? Why did you…”

Sier glared at Kate and Kim Doo-gyeom in turn.

“Why did you come to us?”

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, thick like smog.

*Crunch.* He ground his teeth.

“I’ve thought about it hundreds of times.”

He fixed his gaze on Kate. Behind his rimless glasses, his eyes glinted calmly.

“In truth, it wasn’t thinking—it was an effort to deny.”

Mana surged in Sier’s grip.

“But in the end, there was only one hypothesis that could be called the answer. After eliminating all impossibilities, the one truth remained.”

With a face full of anguish, he spat out his conclusion.

“You are… people from a higher dimension.”

Kate tapped Kim Doo-gyeom’s shoulder lightly. He swallowed hard.

“Let me ask you.”

Sier gripped his glass tightly. *Crack!* His bare hand shattered the glass.

“Am I… a labyrinth dweller?”

* * *

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!

•