Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 80 (Part 2): Who Do You Think You Are? (1)

I headed back up the mountain. Suddenly, I thought of Kim Jung-wook and waved a hand behind me. Not sure if Ryu Yeon-hwa saw it.

The back mountain. It’s practically my personal training ground now.

I silently gaze at the night sky. Dark clouds drift between swaying branches, and a pale crescent moon glows quietly. Cold air brushes against my skin.

Using this simple scene as a canvas, I summon my mental image.

The ring of wind.

The same one Kim Jung-wook manifested today.

I replay the vivid image etched in my mind.

He condensed mana in the air. Formed a ring of wind with mana.

It wasn’t about moving the wind—it was about transforming the mana.

I close my eyes.

*Whiii…*

The texture of the wind grazes my collar. I let mana flow into it, unraveling it like invisible threads, letting it seep and spread into the atmosphere.

I open my eyes.

In the distant night sky, blue particles shimmer like a Milky Way. Probably mana streams only I can see.

I focus, activating the mana.

Kim Se-jin once said,

The ultimate sorcery, the path of magic, lies in the ‘eyes.’

Sorcerers don’t need to move their bodies. Observation alone can achieve everything—and it must.

──!

The sky flashes, as if awakening.

Responding to my will, the mana binds more strongly. The particles connect, forming a ring.

Compared to Kim Jung-wook’s, it’s still small and clumsy, but the principle is the same. My magic composition might even be more refined.

It’s not over yet.

I’ll add one more idea to the ring.

‘Think about it. What if you combined your mana bullets with that wind?’

The moment I finish imagining, reality takes shape.

*Shwaaaa──!*

The wind surges forward. Amid the swirling gusts, fragments like blue embers are woven in.

*Tudududuk─*

A dazzling trail of scattershot cuts through the sky, soon painting the back mountain like a fireworks display. Wind and bullets intertwine, crashing, surging, and repeating.

There’s no pain.

It’s a fake magic, deliberately designed that way.

“…….”

Right now, infinite possibilities flood my mind. Countless images combine, expanding into new magic.

If I mixed in a sequence. If I endlessly amplified the speed of the wind and bullets…

Suddenly, I feel the world vibrate.

I place a hand on my chest. A great tremor.

I realize, belatedly, with certainty.

If it’s magic I’ve observed with my own eyes, I can replicate it. What someone achieved through countless efforts—or what they could never achieve despite endless tries—I can recreate with just a mental image.

Yes.

This is the privilege of a genius.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kim A-rang returned to the editing room. Lim Hyung-wook, spotting her in the hallway, tilted his head.

“What? You already met Ryu Yeon-hwa?”

“No. Seems like it’ll be resolved.”

“Huh?”

In truth, it was already resolved. She’d seen how it was handled.

Kim A-rang plopped into her seat.

“Then where’d you go?”

“The back mountain.”

“The back mountain… Oh, right. Doesn’t Seol Ha-woon go there a lot? How about setting up some cameras? Looks like he’s training.”

Kim A-rang considered it briefly but shook her head.

“…Let it be. He needs his personal space.”

“What? Personal space? Is this really Kim A-rang? Or some labyrinth dweller?”

Kim A-rang narrowed her eyes.

“What’s the point of filming it?”

“Come on. We’re building his genius image. Gotta film him training.”

“Geniuses don’t need to show effort.”

“…Oh, yeah. That makes sense.”

Kim A-rang had just seen Seol Ha-woon. His training, the footsteps of a true genius.

“Seol Ha-woon. What if he’d chosen this path from the start?”

Suddenly, she recalled something Mentor Yu-yul had said.

“…What’re you talking about?”

Seol Ha-woon had been wasting his talent.

He should’ve been in a school, a university, not the military or a battlefield.

“What do you think?”

Kim A-rang grinned at Lim Hyung-wook.

“I’m saying Seol Ha-woon’s gonna take first place.”

A man whose very existence is dramatic, whose life is cinematic.

How far will he go? Where will he end up?

Kim A-rang held exactly half a conviction.

* * *

[ Ryu Yeon-hwa, Drug Rumors Spread Like Wildfire? ]

One day, an MD druggie, failing to extort money, threw a stone out of spite.

And at that exact moment, as if waiting for it.

[ Ryu Yeon-hwa Releases Blackmail Texts. Sues Club MD for Spreading False Posts… ]

[ Ryu Yeon-hwa Tests Negative in Drug Screening. Naturally White-Haired Since Birth, Never Dyed It Once. ]

[ Ryu Yeon-hwa: “Clubs are just a hobby. I don’t waste money on tables… I’m deeply sorry for causing trouble to the show.” ]

Ryu Yeon-hwa’s counterattack was like an airstrike. With a lawsuit announcement, articles sprouted like bamboo shoots. The broadcasting station and his guild promised active support, so the rumors about Ryu Yeon-hwa were likely over.

Instead, Ryu Yeon-hwa earned a new nickname: Bamboo Shoot.

His latest SNS post read, ‘I prefer quiet bamboo forests over noisy cities.’

From *Club Regular* to *Bamboo Shoot*.

It’s kinda funny. A guy who hates noise *loves* clubs?

[ Ryu Yeon-hwa: Thank you. As expected, Always-Right ]

I got a weird text from Ryu Yeon-hwa. I didn’t reply and turned on the TV.

The main broadcast is about to start. This might be the last one before the first tally.

“Maybe I shouldn’t watch.”

This episode’s subtitle might as well be ‘The Fall of Always-Right.’ Kim Doo-gyeom’s public image is still strong, and his bullying scandal won’t break for a few more weeks.

I might end up taking the heat until then.

“…Hmm.”

I checked the online communities.

– 5 minutes till the gate opens

– Open the gate~

– Anyone else seeing a ton of spoilers lately? Can’t tell what’s real anymore

└ That’s just how Mitamna Library works. They spread fake news like crazy to block spoilers. Even posts with on-site audience verification are 95% likely to be fakes from paid shills lol

– Can’t wait for Always-Right lolol. Heard he caused some major drama

My friend went to the live labyrinth, said Seol Ha-woon and Lee Jun-ho’s team was insane

– Broadcast starting

– Gate’s open, go go

– Let’s gooo

Right on cue, the broadcast began.

┌──Labyrinth Exploration NaN──┐

Episode 7. My face, still unfamiliar to me, appears in the recap of the previous episode.

I watch, tense.

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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