Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 82 (Part 2): New Friends (2)

─Yoo Ji-in: [ Please turn on the meeting room’s monitor, everyone. ]
─Kim Doo-gyeom: “I’ll do it… Whoa!”

*Thud.* Kim Doo-gyeom trips over Seol Ha-woon’s cane and falls. Seol Ha-woon looks down at him coldly and says:

─Seol Ha-woon: “Ah, my bad. My leg’s a bit numb.”

─Kim Doo-gyeom: “…It’s okay.”

A chilly tension lingers in the air.

– Did he do that on purpose?
– Feels like he tripped him intentionally.
– Seol Ha-woon’s got no manners, lol.
– But two S-tiers on one team? That’s a balance breaker, haha.

─Yoo Ji-in: [ Then, we’ll now begin selecting the Scout. ]

Scout selection.

So there’s a segment like this too.

─Yoo Ji-in: [ Please select one Scout through discussion. The Scout will get to experience the scenario for 5 minutes beforehand and gather intel. Important note: The Scout will not be filmed by the cameras! ]

Five minutes of advance experience. That’s a critical role.

─Kim Woo-hyun: “…How about Doo-gyeom-ssi? He’s fast.”
─Ryu Wei: “I agree.”

Everyone chimes in, recommending Kim Doo-gyeom. The condition about not being filmed makes them wary of trusting each other.

– Kim Doo-gyeom’s the right pick, lol.
– Doo-gyeom’s genuinely nice. Even his fans are super chill, haha.
– Heard he donates regularly too.
– Every rumor about Kim Doo-gyeom is just pure wholesomeness.

Kim Doo-gyeom is the explorer with the best reputation, seen as the most genuinely kind—or at least, the one who comes off that way.

─Kate: “What do you think?”
─Kim Doo-gyeom: “Ah, well… It’s a lot of pressure, but if you choose me, I’ll do my best!”

Just as Kim Doo-gyeom is about to accept—

─Seol Ha-woon: “I oppose.”

Seol Ha-woon steps in. Ishia lets out a dry laugh.

– Lol, I knew he wouldn’t let it slide.
– Here comes Ha-woon, hahaha.
– What’s his deal this time? Isn’t Kim Doo-gyeom fine?

Kate’s eyes twitch slightly.

─Kate: “…Does Seol Ha-woon-ssi have someone else in mind?”

─Seol Ha-woon: “I’ll do it.”

The camera pans to everyone’s expressions one by one. Most look displeased. Kim Woo-hyun rubs the back of his neck in frustration, Kate bites her lip lightly, and Lee Jun-ho glances at Seol Ha-woon’s leg.

Is it a look questioning his eligibility as a Scout?

─Kim Doo-gyeom: “I, uh, I’ll do my best. Seol Ha-woon, Sorcerer. I’m pretty fast on my feet. I’ll work hard. If you’d just trust me—”
─Seol Ha-woon: “No. It’s not about trust.”

Cutting him off coldly, Seol Ha-woon glares at Kim Doo-gyeom and says:

─Seol Ha-woon: “I just don’t want you going in.”

No reason given. Just that he doesn’t like him.

“…Huh?”

Ishia blurts out without thinking.

– ??
– ?
– ??
– What?

The SilTalk chat is flooded with question marks.

“Ugh.”

Ishia puts a hand to the back of her neck.

─Kate: “Alright then. let’s vote.”

Seeing Seol Ha-woon refuse to back down, Kate proposes a democratic solution.

─Seol Ha-woon: “I oppose voting.”

Seol Ha-woon, predictably, refuses.

─Kate: “…Let’s vote on whether to vote.”
─Seol Ha-woon: “I refuse. I’m going in as Scout.”
─Kate: “…”

Kate glares at Seol Ha-woon. He meets her gaze unflinchingly.

Kate’s expression is colder than ice, while Seol Ha-woon’s eyes are sharp like a predator’s.

– Holy shit, look at this standoff, lol.
– Man, Seol Ha-woon’s intense as hell.
– Kate’s getting outdone by Always-Right, hahaha.
– Always-Right, damn, lol. He’s just pure entertainment whenever he shows up.
– Strong vs. Strong, lmao.

Surprisingly, the audience’s reaction isn’t negative.

– Kate needs to get knocked down a peg. Everyone’s too soft on her, no matter if they’re male or female.
– Tomorrow, her butler fans are gonna lose it over her “manners.”
– How’s that Always-Right flavor taste~?

Kate is a well-known aristocrat. She has a global fandom, and her popularity in Korea is no joke either. There’s even a semi-official rumor that the weekly and profile votes are limited to “domestic residents only” because of her.

─Kate: “There are eight of us. If the majority agrees, we follow that decision.”

Kate lays out the principle, her demeanor diligent and her speech—despite not being a native speaker—more polished than a native’s.

She’s famously unyielding. In every episode of *Labyrinth Exploration 101* so far, she’s never compromised her stance.

In the Cargo Labyrinth, she took full control. In the Survival Labyrinth, she built an elite team centered around herself.

The difference between her and Seol Ha-woon? No one has ever dared to challenge Kate.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Did you not hear Mentor Yoo Ji-in? This labyrinth isn’t a team battle. It’s explicitly individual.”

Seol Ha-woon begs to differ.

He willingly clashes with Kate, someone everyone either fears or respects. He challenges her with a “who do you think you are?” attitude, refusing to yield control.

He’d rather break than bend.

─Kate: “…Then we’ll have no choice but to exclude you in the labyrinth. Are you okay with that?”

A chilling BGM plays as Kate makes an aggressive statement.

– Holy shit, lmao.
– Damn, lol.
– He’s screwed, hahaha.
– But I kinda like Seol Ha-woon? Who else would stand up to Kate like that?
– Pure my-way-or-the-highway energy, lol.
– Yo, make that yellow-paint girl disappear already.
– Always-Right doesn’t care about status… damn, respect.
– The most egalitarian guy out there, fr.

Honestly, Ishia felt a bit of catharsis.

Almost every explorer in *Labyrinth Exploration NaN* shrank in Kate’s presence. They accepted her suggestions as gospel and always treated her with polite smiles.

Because Kate is a Hailford.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Sure. Go ahead.”

Seol Ha-woon seems ready to accept his exclusion.

─Kate: “Fine. Then—”
─Seol Ha-woon: “But… I’ll interfere. With everything I’ve got.”

“…Whoa?”

He doesn’t care who his opponent is. This scene proves it.

– This guy’s insane, lmao.
– Holy crap, this is so fun, lol.
– Pure entertainment king, hahaha.
– A real nutcase, for real.

The only person bold enough to flip the middle finger at a Hailford.

Not strong-weak-weak-strong, but strong-strong-weak-strong.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Whether you exclude me or not, I don’t give a damn.”

Seol Ha-woon glares at Kate. Her jaw clenches audibly.

Everyone at the round table falls silent. Their eyes dart back and forth, gauging the tension between the two. Probably even the viewers watching the live broadcast—and maybe even Lee Jun-ho, another S-tier—feel it.

In that tense silence… Seol Ha-woon speaks again.

─Seol Ha-woon: “This time, too, my word is absolutely right.”

The SilTalk chat explodes.

Literally, it crashes from the flood of real-time messages.

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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