Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 70 (Part 2): Living Like That (4)

Anger burns with hatred as its kindling, and hatred needs a target.

Kate, who seemed so unyielding, had her own wounds. A gaping hole carved into her heart was clear as day.

“Someone under Colonel Percival’s command during that labyrinth conquest.”

Her subconscious, unable to fill that void, had sought the happiness of death.

But a wound can be sealed by cauterizing it with fire.

“UDT, Black Team.”

*Rustle.* Dust fell from the ceiling. A sign that she was waking from her subconscious.

“Seol Ha-woon.”

Kate’s eyes widened. At that moment, the entire Hailford mansion shook. Cracks split through the space. Debris crashed down with a *rumble*.

The backdrop of her subconscious collapsed.

* * *

‘…Hey, Old Sport!’

A thick, masculine voice echoes vividly in my memories of the past. If a wild stallion could speak, it might sound like this.

“Yes, Captain.”

Percival. He was a remarkable man. Incompetent as a commander, but one of the strongest in the military. A good man and a villain at once. Raised in privilege, yet he cared for those beneath him with warmth, while ruthlessly dealing with those who opposed him.

He wasn’t someone you could judge by a single facet.

“Skipping the team dinner again tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Man, that’s dull… But you know, seeing you always reminds me of my younger days.”

He was genuine about his faction. He cared for those within his circle almost excessively, calling his subordinates family and treating them with warmth. Some even saw him as a true father figure.

He wanted me to be one of them.

“Captain, you’re still plenty young.”

“Haha! Flattery, huh?”

Percival was a polished, handsome man in his late twenties—at least on the surface. No one would’ve guessed he was in his mid-forties. He probably enjoyed that. If he’d wanted to look older, he’d have grown a beard or something.

“The desert stars are bright as ever. Ha-woon! Come over here.”

He patted the spot beside him. I stood still, glaring at him.

I didn’t like being treated like a kid, but he had a disarming tactic he used whenever I hesitated.

“…If my kid were still alive, they’d be about your age by now.”

Reluctantly, I sat down. He quickly threw an arm around me. This kind of physical affection was reserved for me more than anyone else, even in front of others. It was his way of showing favor while signaling he’d share his authority with me.

“Ha-woon.”

“Yes.”

“The other idiots in this game don’t know you. They call you a hound, say you’re scary, and don’t even try to get close. They say you give them chills, that they can’t read you at all. Just clueless chatter.”

I looked up at the starry night sky, silent. In moments like this, it was best to just listen.

“But I’ve seen your depths. Your transparency. That’s why I specifically requested you for the military. Did we meet during the Wisconsin labyrinth?”

“Yes. Our first meeting was at the lake.”

“Right, you remember. From that moment, I wanted to be your commander.”

He collected people like trading cards. I was treated like a high-rarity Pokémon. I’d served under many superiors, but I’d never sworn loyalty to any.

“Let’s do well this time too.”

“…Yes.”

Normally, the military doesn’t participate in labyrinths. Especially not the national army, whose purpose is homeland defense.

But the UDT Black Team occasionally operated like mercenaries for certain families. The Hailfords, in particular, had an under-the-table contract with the military.

The Black Team’s operational and mission costs were astronomical. I once spent tens of billions on a single target, an amount deemed “impossible to expense.”

It was an amount no nation could sustain alone, which, paradoxically, meant the military had developed its own profit-generating model.

“So, Old Sport, if this labyrinth goes well, I’d like to bring you under my command.”

“…My skills are lacking.”

“Modest again? There’s no soldier like you. Or is it that you’re unhappy with the Hailfords?”

I shook my head.

“It’s because I still have unfinished business here.”

Percival’s expression darkened.

“You mean your comrade.”

I didn’t respond. Percival, who knew the pain of loss, didn’t press further.

“When that’s done, you can come back to me.”

But he never fully gave up.

“So, Old Sport, did you get the briefing on this labyrinth?”

“Yes, I received it.”

“Fill me in. I drank a bit too much last night. Hahaha.”

To his hearty laugh, I replied.

“This labyrinth is said to replicate Earth.”

“…Replicate Earth?”

“Yes.”

Percival raised an eyebrow, asking for more details.

I answered as usual.

“A parallel world.”

Another Earth.

The labyrinth that would be our last.

—

…Everyone’s life is crumpled to some degree. There’s no such thing as a perfectly folded paper life. No matter how well you live, you don’t accidentally craft a paper crane. It just ends up crumpled like roadside newspaper.

So, you leave it crumpled. Even if you smooth out the paper, the creases remain.

If you try to erase even those creases, the entire sheet—your life—might tear apart.

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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