Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 74 (Part 1): Die With a Smile (4)

─ Seol Ha-woon: “Those guys. They’re labyrinth dwellers.”

Jin Ho-seung’s suspicion of being a labyrinth dweller, as deduced by Seol Ha-woon. The evidence is flimsy—just the fact that he’s left-handed. But if Jin Ho-seung’s entire party is left-handed, and they’re inside the labyrinth, there’s no harm in being cautious.

Ishia immediately checked Jin Ho-seung’s PR video.

[ Hello, I’m Jin Ho-seung. A Warrior. Of course, as you can see, I’m not exactly the burly type, but I’ve got practical, compressed muscles… ]

It was only a few dozen seconds long, but it was clear: he was right-handed!

Goosebumps prickled up Ishia’s arms. She hurriedly spread the news across ‘SilTalk’ and various online communities.

[ Hi! My name’s Kelvin… ]

Meanwhile, the broadcast cut to a commercial.

“Ugh, are these guys insane?!”

Ishia clutched her hair in frustration. The viewers were just as furious.

– Open the damn door already, please!
– How many ads are they gonna shove in?!
– Cut the mid-roll ads before I lose it!
– Goddamn Kelvin, showing up every time—wanna die?

Ishia nervously bit her nails while checking the reactions to her posts.

│ Jin Ho-seung Right-Handed Video │

– Holy crap, this is legit!
– So Seol Ha-woon just *felt* something off in that moment?
– His instincts are insane…
– It’s the way they move. It’s *actually* different.
┗ LOL, Seol Ha-woon’s the only one with a different gait ‘cause of his limp.
– Was gonna check it out, but the server crashed lol. Is the broadcast station even working?

Hundreds of comments were already pouring in, with the news spreading to other communities and SNS platforms.

│ Jin Ho-seung’s PR Video—He’s Right-Handed! │
│ Right-Handed Jin Ho-seung │
│ Why Seol Ha-woon Only Looked at Their Left Hands │

Just then, the commercial ended.

Time to dive back into the main broadcast.

—

─ Lee Jun-ho: “…So. How do you plan to confirm it?”

Seol Ha-woon and Lee Jun-ho faced each other, deep in conversation.

─ Seol Ha-woon: “We’ll say we’re getting supplies. Leave one person behind as bait. They’ll reveal their true colors.”
─ Lee Jun-ho: “Using Ji-woo as bait… I don’t like it, but.”

The two agreed on the plan and entered the shelter, saying they would bring supplies. Time passed.

The sun set. Darkness descended.

—

─ Seo Ji-woo: “When are those guys getting back? Did something happen?”

Inside the shelter, Jin Ho-seung and his party members were acting strangely. They circled in place, repeating the same actions over and over.

“He’s right. It’s true. Labyrinth dwellers!”

Ishia’s hands grew sweaty with anticipation. Seo Ji-woo seemed to sense something off and moved to step outside.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “Jin Ho-seung-ssi. Uh, I’m just going to step outside for a moment. Just in case something might have happened.”

Suddenly, they lunged at her. Their eyes were devoid of light, their skin pale and ghostly.

─Seo Ji-woo: “Wha—?!”

*Crack!*

The labyrinth dweller posing as Jin Ho-seung opened its maw wide.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “Holy SHIT—!”

Seo Ji-woo was in mortal danger, about to be devoured by the labyrinth dwellers. Ishia held her breath, watching in suspense.

*Bang!*

A sudden impact rang out from somewhere. It was Seol Ha-woon’s mana bullet, slowing the labyrinth dweller’s movements.

*Swish!*

Lee Jun-ho burst in next, slicing through the door and swinging his longsword at the creature. But it was like cutting through water—the blade passed through ineffectively.

─ Lee Jun-ho: “They won’t cut?!”
─ Seo Ji-woo: “Hey, hey! What’s going on?!”
─ Lee Jun-ho: “Can’t you tell?! They’re all labyrinth dwellers! Get out now!”

Lee Jun-ho grabbed Seo Ji-woo and bolted outside. The battle erupted in the open.

The labyrinth dwellers charged first, and the three party members summoned their mana to counter. A chaotic melee ensued, with swirling snow amplifying the intense atmosphere.

Suddenly, the screen cut away.

─ Lim Hae-jun: “Zzz… Zzz…”

Lim Hae-jun, sleeping, appeared for about five seconds before the broadcast returned to the fight.

Among the three, Seol Ha-woon struggled the most. His leg injury made close combat difficult.

“…Ah, no way.”

Ishia’s heart raced. After all this, would he get eliminated? After figuring everything out himself?

Seol Ha-woon tried to shake off the labyrinth dweller, but it clung to him like slime, engulfing half his body.

“No, no! Damn it!”

Ishia’s face flushed red with over-immersion.

─ Seol Ha-woon: “Eat this and die.”

*BOOM!!*

A deafening blast echoed through the speakers. A shotgun. The scattered mana bullets obliterated the labyrinth dweller entirely.

─ Lee Jun-ho: “Hey! Got one down!
─ Seo Ji-woo: “I tied one up!”

Lee Jun-ho took down another labyrinth dweller, while Seo Ji-woo restrained the fake Jin Ho-seung.

─ Seol Ha-woon: “…Hold it there.”

Limping forward, Seol Ha-woon approached the labyrinth dweller. Stopping right in front of it, he raised his index, middle, and thumb fingers together… *Bang!*

He executed each one with the shotgun, one by one.

─ Seo Ji-woo: “Whoa! Nice! New technique… huh?!”

Exhausted, Seol Ha-woon collapsed toward Seo Ji-woo, their bodies briefly overlapping.

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!

•