Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 89 (Part 1): An Ordinary Day (5)

Lim Hyung-wook was inwardly cursing. ‘Damn it. Damn it. Why do I always get stuck with this kind of grunt work? It’s so freaking annoying. Only at times like this do they remember I’m a warrior.’

The culprit was right in front of him—Kim Doo-gyeom.

With his head hung low, the guy looked like he was ready to cause trouble at any moment. Thankfully, he wasn’t armed, but the vibe around him was completely different from before. Too different.

“Doo-gyeom,” Lim Hyung-wook started cautiously. “You’ve probably already heard from PD Yoon, but…”

He extended a stack of papers toward Kim Doo-gyeom.

“It’s your choice. You can hold out until the first tally…”

There was no need to ask if the rumors—or rather, the *issue*—were true or false. The leaked audio was too damning. Kim Doo-gyeom’s elimination in the first tally was all but confirmed.

The façade of the kind, innocent kid he’d projected had been exposed as nothing but an act.

Kim Doo-gyeom glanced up at Lim Hyung-wook, who let out a nervous cough.

“J-just hold on, you know? Maybe someone out there will recognize your true worth—”

“No. I’m done.”

Kim Doo-gyeom signed the papers, opting to withdraw.

‘That fast?’ Lim Hyung-wook thought he’d hit the jackpot, but then Kim Doo-gyeom shot to his feet, startling him.

“D-Doo-gyeom?”

Without a word, Kim Doo-gyeom strode out of the room. Outside, a crowd of writers and production staff waited—people he’d always greeted with a bright smile, helping out and charming his way into their good graces.

But today, their gazes were dark. Like they were looking at a ghost—or a criminal.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Kim Doo-gyeom snapped.

“N-nothing, it’s nothing… What’s wrong, Doo-gyeom?”

“Doo-gyeom, f-fighting! There might still be chances for you…”

‘Should I just let loose a torrent of curses?’

Kim Doo-gyeom started to walk past them but stopped short. Cracking his neck with a sharp *pop*, he turned back around.

Taking a deep breath, he bellowed, “You f***ing b****rds—piece of s***!”

After that outburst, he stormed off.

His smartphone told the story: the whole world was talking about Mitamna Library, but now it was all about Kim Doo-gyeom.

He was done for.

Completely, irreparably screwed.

Only one thought consumed him now.

“I’ll f***ing take you down with me.”

That filthy rat who took five grand to write that exposé. That piece of trash.

Was his name Lee Seon-wook?

“I keep my promises.”

‘Just wait and see what I do right in front of your eyes.’

* * *

│Kim Doo-gyeom School Bullying Summary.jpg│
│This guy’s got some serious guts. Is he just stupid? How did a punk like that think he could show his face?│
│Kim Doo-gyeom’s Leaked Audio: Double the Profanity LOL│
│Idiots LOL. Not staying neutral anymore, huh?│

Kim Doo-gyeom had fallen into the abyss.

Every major portal site, article, comment section, community forum, and SNS platform was giving him exactly what he deserved.

For Lee Seon-wook, it was a relief. The nightmares that had haunted him for years, the suffocating weight of those memories, seemed to melt away. It felt like belated compensation.

Sure, there was some worry about retaliation, but he had no regrets.

Kim Doo-gyeom wouldn’t dare do anything that’d land him in prison.

All that guy knew was exploring. Commit a crime, and his explorer license would be revoked for life.

*Ding-dong—*

The doorbell rang. Lee Seon-wook flinched, his body trembling involuntarily.

Could it be Kim Doo-gyeom?

No way. His withdrawal hadn’t even been officially announced yet.

*Ding-dong—*

The second ring.

Swallowing hard, Lee Seon-wook was about to ask, “Who is it?” when—

*Bang!*

The door flew open.

Lee Seon-wook shot to his feet, his eyes widening.

Standing there was…

* * *

A man in a black cap pulled low, a black scarf masking his face, and a black jacket.

*Ding-dong.*

Kim Doo-gyeom pressed the doorbell, a weapon concealed inside his jacket.

*Ding-dong.*

He pressed it again. No response.

As expected.

He gripped the doorknob. *Bzzzt.* A pulse of mana caused the doorbell to glitch.

*Creak.*

The door swung open, and he stepped inside.

*Thud. Thud.* His shoes trampled the floor of the house as he considered his options.

He had no intention of making this quick. First, he’d tie the guy up, slice him slowly, and wait for his family to come home. When they did, he’d kill them one by one, as painfully as possible.

As that thought solidified—

“…Heh.”

Standing in the living room, Kim Doo-gyeom smirked.

“There you are.”

The bastard who dared expose him was right there. Lee Seon-wook glared at him, teeth gritted.

“You…”

“Thanks to you, I’m completely screwed.”

“This is trespassing. Get out before I call the police.”

“And if I don’t?”

Kim Doo-gyeom drew a short sword from his waist, about 70 cm long. He sharpened it daily; even a graze would tear skin clean off.

Lee Seon-wook stumbled back.

“W-what are you planning to do?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? If you exposed me, your dad, your mom, your little sibling… Where’s that mutt of yours, by the way?”

Kim Doo-gyeom peered behind him.

That yappy little dog—Maltese or Malti-poo or whatever—was nowhere in sight.

“Anyway, none of you are dying easy. Your whole family? Consider them dead because of you.”

“…I see.”

Lee Seon-wook’s voice trembled, but he managed a faint smile as he exhaled shakily.

“Thanks.”

“Thanks? What, are you insane?”

Kim Doo-gyeom’s brow furrowed. Lee Seon-wook pointed somewhere.

“For confessing.”

Behind a potted plant in the living room. Kim Doo-gyeom followed his gaze. A smartphone was propped up, its camera angled to record them both.

Kim Doo-gyeom let out a hollow laugh.

“You little s***. You think that’ll help when I’m about to kill you, you f***ing—”

His shout was cut off by a new sound.

*Shhh.*

The sound of a toilet flushing. Kim Doo-gyeom froze and glanced toward the bathroom.

The door opened.

“You’re late.”

A familiar voice. A familiar face. One he wanted to tear apart right then and there—Seol Ha-woon.

He casually wiped his hands on a towel, leaning on his cane as he limped out.

“You’re always late. Is your brain underdeveloped or something?”

Kim Doo-gyeom’s eyes darted between Lee Seon-wook and Seol Ha-woon. Seol Ha-woon calmly slipped on a pair of gloves, the stiff leather creaking.

“Thanks for confessing your intent to kill. You know, right? Even an attempted crime sends an explorer to prison.”

“You crazy bastard, finally lost it, huh? No, this is perfect.”

Kim Doo-gyeom’s pupils dilated. Mana swirled violently through the room.

“A puny sorcerer stuck in a confined space with a warrior? You’re just begging to die.”

Seol Ha-woon raised an eyebrow, exuding an inexplicable calm.

“You know what they say? Empathy is intelligence.”

“That’s pseudoscience, you idiot. I’ve read the papers.”

Seol Ha-woon’s lips twisted into a smirk, a soul-crushing sneer.

“…Fair point. I am crushed by your logic. My bad, you pathetic loser.”

That was the moment Kim Doo-gyeom’s rationality snapped.

*Crack.* Gripping his sword tightly, he charged at Seol Ha-woon like a beast, his blade radiating killing intent.

Seol Ha-woon merely closed his eyes and opened them again.

In that split second, the sword was inches from his face.

The blade trembled violently, poised to strike his forehead.

Kim Doo-gyeom tried to bring it down, his muscles bulging with effort.

“What… what the hell?”

But it wouldn’t budge. Not an inch. It wasn’t a barrier—just mana holding it in place.

“F***, f***, what the…!”

“Listen closely.”

Seol Ha-woon’s piercing gaze locked onto him, chilling and sharp, like a blade to the heart.

Kim Doo-gyeom was bewildered.

No, beyond that, a strange emotion stirred within him.

Something he’d never felt in his life… fear.

The trembling of a weakling facing a superior force.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“All the things you’ve done…”

Seol Ha-woon’s eyes glowed with mana, a deep blue, deeper than the ocean.

“Are what will kill you.”

He faced a villain—a villain baring his evil.

And so, the mana resonated.

His attribute awakened.

The time of [Karmic Reckoning].

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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