Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 73 (Part 1): Die With a Smile (3)

On the day *Labyrinth Exploration 101* Episode 6 aired, I took a shower and plopped down on the sofa.

The C-tier room came with several new pieces of furniture, and this sofa was one of them. It’s even better than most beds—absolutely love it.

I should jot down the brand name and get one when I make some money later.

┌──Labyrinth Exploration NaN──┐

Right on cue, the commercials end, and the opening sequence begins.

*Ring-ring.* My smartphone buzzes. Every time the live broadcast starts, messages come flooding in like a tidal wave.

[Lim Hae-jun: Hyung, Episode 6 is starting!! Watching it live!]
[Lim Hae-jun: I bet I’m gonna shine this time lol, so excited hahaha!!]
[Lee Jun-ho: Feels like we’re the stars this episode, right?]
[Seo Ji-woo: Hey, listen.]
[Seo Ji-woo: That Dragon Scale thing is legit, right? I bragged about it at the Magic Association, and someone offered to buy it. I trusted you and didn’t sell, okay??]
[Seo Ji-woo: But the price was insane;; I’m only telling you, but they offered 500 million?? No way, right?? 500 million’s worth selling, isn’t it?????????]

Looks like Seo Ji-woo went to the Magic Association on her day off. Being an elite from Cayden Magic School, her connections are on a whole different level compared to mine.

I ignored the messages and lay back, focusing on the TV.

─ *Thud.*

The opening shows Seo Ji-woo collapsing into a snowfield. Behind her, a wolf rises and strides off somewhere.

─ Wolf: *Grrrrr.*

“…Do we really need subtitles for that?”

Anyway, the wolf trudges through the snow alone before stopping in front of a man.

His face is still hidden under a hood.

─ Wolf: *Grrrr. Grr. Grrrrr.*

The wolf places a paw on the man’s shin, almost playfully urging him to follow. The man stares at the wolf for a moment, nods, and trails behind.

*Crunch, crunch. Crunch, crunch.*

The camera angle cleverly conceals my leg and cane.

– So hyped!
– Gotta be Lee Jun-ho, right?
– Kang Hyun, maybe?
– Who is it, seriously?
– Show his face already, damn it!
– Where’d that wolf even come from?!

Soon, the man and the wolf reach Seo Ji-woo, buried in a snowdrift like a grave. The man’s legs sink into the snow first, and the decisive clue—his cane—presses into the snow with a *thunk*.

Finally, the camera pans up to reveal ‘the man’s’ face. Beneath the parka hood, two eyes gleam coldly.

─ Seol Ha-woon: “……”

– Holy crap, it’s Seol Ha-woon!
– LOL, no way hahaha!
– Wow.
– Wow.
– ffs
– Seol Ha-woon again??

The live chat explodes, messages scrolling by at breakneck speed. Pretty enthusiastic reaction.

Seol Ha-woon loads Seo Ji-woo onto a wooden sled meant for carrying supplies and heads back to a cabin with the wolf.

– Of all people, Seol Ha-woon? lol
– It’s cold out there hahaha
– Came to get her cuz it’s cold outside lol

At the cabin, Seol Ha-woon lays Seo Ji-woo on a bed and glances at the wolf.

─ Seol Ha-woon: “…What’s your deal?”
─ Wolf: *Grrrr.*

– lol they kinda go well together
– Nah, they don’t match at all; Ji-woo’s way too good for him.
– You mean she matches with the wolf?
– Is Ji-woo’s life about to get ruined or what?

The scene shifts.

─ Lim Hae-jun: *Zzz… Zzz…*

It’s Lim Hae-jun. All he does is sleep in a burrow. Smart, in a way. Sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective.

But when’s he gonna actually *do* something?

Lim Hae-jun’s screen time ends in seven seconds.

The show cuts to other explorers in a montage, then returns to Seol Ha-woon’s cabin.

Seo Ji-woo is scarfing down soup like there’s no tomorrow.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “Thanks, but… Can I ask why you saved me?”
─ Seol Ha-woon: “Your necklace. That thing turned the dead wolf into a familiar. You’re wearing it without even knowing what it does?”

Their conversation is neatly edited, but the live chat buzzes with a weird vibe.

– Ooooh~
– Just the two of them in the cabin lol
– Seol Ha-woon’s so obvious. Only nice to Seo Ji-woo, huh?
– Said he didn’t wanna leave her out in the cold~

“…What are they on about?”

I was dumbfounded, but I guess it makes sense from a viewer’s perspective.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “Well then~ how should I express my gratitude?”
─ Seol Ha-woon: “I don’t need your gratitude, just leave.”

Seo Ji-woo and Seol Ha-woon. I stare at the screen quietly.

Watching from a third-person perspective, the flow of their conversation feels oddly familiar.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “…Hey! I’ll be your bodyguard! Ditch me if I’m dead weight. I’ll take the fall!”
─ Seol Ha-woon: “Before you go on about being a bodyguard, fix your speech. How old are you compared to me?”

It reminds me of when I first met Seo Ji-hyuk.

Back when I was a sullen teen, pushing the whole world away with some mix of angst and idiocy, he was the one who stubbornly, persistently broke through to me.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “It’s only a six-year gap.”
─ Seol Ha-woon: “‘Only’? What, did we meet at a construction site?”

– lol
– hahahahaha
– What’s with the old-man moment
– How’s that old-man vibes? Six years is a big deal; Ji-woo’s the one with no manners.
– lolol
– Just watch and enjoy it lol, it’s hilarious

The banter-like exchange gets a flood of ‘lol’s in the chat, though some seem uncomfortable. What’s got them so riled up?

Anyway, Seol Ha-woon lets Seo Ji-woo stay in the cabin.

Scenes of their daily life together flicker by, alongside other explorers surviving—or failing to survive—in rapid succession…

─ Jin Ho-seung: “…Oh! Hey, over here!”

A-tier Warrior Jin Ho-seung appears.

No, a labyrinth dweller wearing Jin Ho-seung’s skin.

─ Jin Ho-seung: “Can you help us, please?!

From Jin Ho-seung’s POV, he’s seen running toward Seol Ha-woon and Seo Ji-woo, waving.

The reverse POV feels kinda fresh.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “Huh? Jin Ho-seung-ssi?”
─ Jin Ho-seung: “Ah, Ji-woo-ssi! Thank goodness. We need a mage. One of our teammates is badly injured.”
─ Seo Ji-woo: “We’ve gotta go!”

I sit up straight. This is where the important part starts.

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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