Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 83 (Part 2): New Friends (3)

[ Objective: Resolve the situation ]

First attempt.

The seven members, excluding Seol Ha-woon, move systematically through pre-assigned sectors.

─Kim Doo-gyeom: “Huh? Is that…?”

Kim Doo-gyeom spots something.

A towering abandoned building. Sensing something suspicious, he rushes in, takes out enemies, and climbs to the rooftop.

─Seol Ha-woon: “You’re late.”

Seol Ha-woon is already there. Kim Doo-gyeom, preempted, looks flustered.

─Kim Doo-gyeom: ”How did you…?”
─Seol Ha-woon: ”Habit. I always seek the high ground. I’ve taken care of the sniper, so you head down.”

-Wait, what? He’s not even planning to interfere;;
– LOL Seol Ha-woon was just talking big to Kate, huh?
– Look at Kim Doo-gyeom being useless.
– A kind but incompetent subordinate is the worst.

Then, the first battle erupts. Amid the crowd, a thorned monster shoots into the sky, slicing a politician’s throat.

[ First attempt failed ]

– LOL what’s that thorned monster? Looks crazy strong.
– Lee Jun-ho’s got this, right?
– LOL this’s gonna be fun.

SilTalk is full of laughter. Do they think it’ll be solved in three or four attempts?

Second attempt.

Right at the start, Lee Jun-ho and Kim Doo-gyeom team up to take down the thorned monster.

─Kim Doo-gyeom: “Labyrinth creature neutralized!”

*Kuwoooong─!*

Their efforts are in vain as the politician on the platform gets caught in an explosion and flies into the sky.

– Spinning like a pinwheel LOL
– Why’s it so funny how they died LOL
– LOLOLOL

[ Second attempt failed ]

Third attempt.

This time, nothing major happens. The team moves textbook-style.

Seol Ha-woon neutralizes the rooftop sniper, Lee Jun-ho takes out the thorned monster, and the bomb is defused.

But.

[ Third attempt failed ]

No way it’d work.

Ishia watches SilTalk with a satisfied grin.

– ??
– ?
– What?
– Yo, what’s that?
– Why’d it fail?
– Isn’t it over?
– What’s left?

Suddenly, the screen shifts.

The camera moves.

With a jazzy soundtrack, a man’s back is shown. He leans on a cane. He turns around. The lens captures his profile.

A chiseled jawline. Predatory eyes. Deep dark circles.

Seol Ha-woon.

– Holy crap, no way?
– Is that guy actually sabotaging? LOL
– He’s really sabotaging LOL
– Always-Right’s going wild;;

All viewers fixate on Seol Ha-woon. The deliberate one-shot, long-take of him demands it.

He walks with his cane, shoots a wire to land on the abandoned building’s rooftop. Just before his feet touch the ground, he reverses his mana to cushion the impact—a delicate use of magic.

*Shwick!*

He fires a silenced round to take out the sniper already on the rooftop, then lies down in their place, shouldering a sniper rifle.

The entire sequence is unedited, a single take.

─Seol Ha-woon: “…Fifty-fifty chance.”

Seol Ha-woon mutters softly, aiming somewhere. Meanwhile, the other team members complete their tasks, as if in sync with him.

*Click.*

He pulls the trigger. The camera follows the bullet’s path. At the end of the shot is the head of the security team.

*Crack!*

The security team leader is shot dead in the temple.

And…

[ Fourth attempt failed ]

SilTalk erupts with the subtitle.

– Damn, he was actually sabotaging.
– Wow… what a guy, for real.
– He keeps his word, I’ll give him that.
– It’s his fault, right?
– He’s making sure his word is right lol
– He’s just pissed they didn’t listen to him LOL
– Total villain vibes LMAO
– Chat later~

“*Heh.*”

Ishia, already knowing the spoilers, finds it amusing. ‘Chat lightly, or you’ll regret it later.’

─Kate: “Ha-woon-ssi. Don’t move.”

Fifth attempt.

Kate, having caught on to Seol Ha-woon’s erratic behavior, warns him. Clutching a mana spear, she glares at the abandoned building where he’s lurking.

─Kate: “Final warning.”
─Seol Ha-woon: ”You’ll regret it.”
─Kate: “Who’re you planning to shoot next?”
─Seol Ha-woon: ”Deciding now. Which of the two to pick.”

Their conversation continues from a distance. The camera alternates between them, heightening the tension.

─Kate: “Move even a little, and I’ll destroy it.”
─Seol Ha-woon: ”Trust me. It’s necessary.”
─Kate: “I’ll decide that.”
─Seol Ha-woon: I’m Always-Right, remember that.”

Ishia feels it less, but viewers unaware of the outcome must have tingling fingers.

─Kate: “…You’re hopeless. Think you can beat me?’
─Seol Ha-woon: ”Curious, actually. What’s faster—your spear or my bullet?”

Close-up on Seol Ha-woon. The camera angle slowly lowers to his finger gripping the rifle.

*Click.*

Seol Ha-woon pulls the trigger. In retaliation, Kate launches her spear.

The result… The mana spear swallows the bullet and obliterates half the abandoned building.

– Always-Right just got wrecked;;
– LOL no chance. Kate’s a destroyer. He might stand a chance in guerrilla warfare, but not in a firepower duel.
– Always-Right rests here.
– Still, he’s the only one who’s stood up to Kate like this.
– Damn, why’s Always-Right so likable LOL.

Kate, having dealt with Seol Ha-woon, surveys the plaza with satisfaction.

The security team leader is safe, and the speaker boards the car and leaves quietly.

However!

But!

[ Fifth attempt failed ]

“Heh!”

Back to square one.

– Huh?
– What?
– ??
– What? It’s not Seol Ha-woon’s fault?
– ??
– ?
– ??
– ?

SilTalk is flooded with question marks, and Ishia’s excited for the finale.

The camera switches again.

─Lee Jun-ho: “Ah…”

If the last was Seol Ha-woon’s one-shot, long-take…

─Lee Jun-ho: “I’m so. Damn. Pissed.”

Now it’s Lee Jun-ho’s turn.

His face flushed with anger, he fills the screen. Dragging his sword, he staggers through the plaza with dangerous steps.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Lee Jun-ho.”

Seol Ha-woon’s voice comes through the earpiece.

─Lee Jun-ho: “The fu*k you want.”

Lee Jun-ho, spitting curses, is clearly not in a normal state.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Calm down.”
─Lee Jun-ho: “Calm?”

At the word “calm,” he smirks and draws his sword, glaring at someone in the plaza.

─Lee Jun-ho: “You. You’re looking real damn suspicious.”

He swings his sword, slicing their throat. The lifeless body collapses, edited into a cut.

– ??
– What the;
– Crazy.
– Kill-Jun-ho LOL
– What’s that guy doing now?
– What’s with Lee Jun-ho?
– Kill-Jun-ho finally shows his true colors LOL.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Lee Jun-ho.”

Seol Ha-woon calls out to him.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Lee Jun-ho. Calm down.”
─Kate: “Lee Jun-ho-ssi!”
─Kim Woo-hyun: ”Jun-ho hyung, what are you doing?!”

Kate and Kim Woo-hyun try to stop him.

─Lee Jun-ho: “Shut the fu*k up. I’ll handle it myself.”

Undeterred, Lee Jun-ho cuts down people in the plaza indiscriminately. Blood and screams fill the labyrinth.

Kate, unable to stand it, rushes to stop him.

*Bang!*

A mana bullet hits the ground at her feet. Seol Ha-woon’s warning shot.

─Seol Ha-woon: ”Leave him.”

Just when he seemed to be calming Lee Jun-ho, he suddenly tells them not to interfere. SilTalk is *very* confused.

– Why’s he acting like that all of a sudden?
– What does he want, that bastard;;
– What the hell is Seol Ha-woon trying to do?
– That bastard is just a complete lunatic.
– No clue what that jerk wants.

“Hehe.”

Ishia, on the other hand, is relaxed. *Very* relaxed.

─Kate: “…You, until the very end.”
─Seol Ha-woon: ”People should go where they want. Especially someone like him—he needs to go all the way to find release.”

The perspective shifts back to Seol Ha-woon.

He stands on the rooftop, gazing into the distance, and throws a grenade. Carried by a gust of mana, it flies into the plaza.

*Kwagagagang──!*

Simultaneous explosions. Chaos engulfs the plaza. Even in the mayhem, Lee Jun-ho doesn’t stop.

Suddenly, the screen splits.

One side shows Lee Jun-ho on a killing spree. The other shows Seol Ha-woon watching him from the rooftop.

─Seol Ha-woon: “…You’re doing well.”

Seol Ha-woon smirks, raising his sniper rifle.

─Seol Ha-woon: “Keep going All the way.”

He scans the shattered plaza meticulously, as if searching for something hidden in the chaos. As if piercing through to the truth.

In a flash, someone catches in his scope.

Small.

About six years old.

A child holding their father’s hand, trying to leave the plaza.

Seol Ha-woon’s eyes grow cold as he looks at the child. It’s a mix of sadness and anger, but there’s no hesitation.

He pulls the trigger.

The scene of the bullet piercing the child’s forehead is edited out.

– Wht.
– That guy.
– -srsly?
– Huh?
– wtf ;/
– crazy holy shit;
– ?
– ?
– Damn;

SilTalk is barely legible. Typos and consonants flood the chat in the sudden chaos. No need to check communities or SNS—Seol Ha-woon’s probably getting roasted.

─Kim Doo-gyeom: “Stop! Seol Ha-woon-ssi. If you don’t stop, I’ll use force.”

Kim Doo-gyeom appears, trying to restrain Seol Ha-woon.

But.

*Krdrdrdrk──!*

From the child’s body, the final boss emerges.

A monster made entirely of thorns.

In the heart of the plaza, it throws off its vile mask and stands tall.

Dangun

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