Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 90 (Part 1): An Ordinary Day (6)

Kim Doo-gyeom was escorted away.

If one were to predict his future, he’d likely end up confined in a labyrinth.

There exists a special kind of labyrinth in this world, known as a ‘prison.’ A rift devoid of mana.

As such, these labyrinths pose no harm even if left uncleared for long periods, nor do they yield any loot.

Due to these traits, explorers barely spare them a glance, but human society found value in them.

In an environment without mana, humans cannot wield magic. Thus, imprisoning superhuman criminals there upholds humanity’s universal values while maintaining the state’s punitive authority.

Criminals with explorer backgrounds are typically incarcerated in these prisons and face trial. Kim Doo-gyeom will likely receive a sentence of 10 to 15 years. Graduates and students of explorer academies are under special state oversight, after all.

Whether long or short, 10 years is enough.

Over a decade, his body will gradually grow insensitive to mana, and eventually, he’ll forget how to wield it altogether.

It’s not just Kim Doo-gyeom’s mind—his very body will become incapable of accepting mana.

And so, he’ll fall to the level of the ‘ordinary people’ he so despised.

Perhaps, for Kim Doo-gyeom, this punishment is worse than death.

│Breaking News] Kim Doo-gyeom Attempts Assault on Whistleblower… Fails and Escorted Away│

│Just Hate Kim Doo-gyeom, and He’s Justifiably Hateful│

Even serious news outlets are using my catchphrase. It seems ‘Just Hate’ is poised to become the next big thing after *Always-Right*.

“…You said you were going on vacation. Were you actually tailing Kim Doo-gyeom?”

At the police station’s bench, Kim A-rang offered me a canned coffee as she asked.

I explained the situation to her, and she rushed over right away.

“Yes. I had a bad feeling about it.”

“Did you know from the start what kind of person Kim Doo-gyeom was?”

I nodded silently.

I did know, after all.

“…That’s wild.”

Same here.

[ Recognition Level Up! ]
[ Recognition Rank: 13 ]
[ An additional 60 days have been granted to the trial period. ]
[ Recognition Level Up! ]
[ Recognition Rank: 14 ]
[ An additional 60 days have been granted to the trial period. ]
[ Karma: A rank-up gift has been granted! ]
[ Skill Draw Ticket Acquired ]
[ Many people have taken notice of you! The trait 【Camera Love】 achieves great success. ‘Appearance’ increases by 0.4! ]

A double level-up, something I’ve never seen before. Thanks to the trait’s great success, my Appearance stat has risen to 「9.2」.

If I have someone to thank, it’s Kim Doo-gyeom.

“But those exposé posts—what were you planning to do about them? I guess there’s no need to respond now, but still.”

Kim A-rang seemed curious about what didn’t happen. Is this what makes a capable PD?

“I was thinking of recording a video.”

“A video?”

“Yes. Since I knew who the whistleblower was, I thought I’d start a personal channel to post an explanation video—”

“Oh?!”

Kim A-rang’s eyes widened as she snapped her fingers.

“That’s a great idea!”

“…Sorry?”

“Let’s shoot it now!”

“…Now?”

“Yes. Were you just going to let this slide without saying anything? You took down Kim Doo-gyeom, Seol Ha-woon. You’ve got to explain yourself somehow…”

* * *

For Ishia, it had been a week of swinging between hell and heaven.

A relay of downfall between Seol Ha-woon and Kim Doo-gyeom, you could say.

In the end, Seol Ha-woon made his triumphant return to this world, while Kim Doo-gyeom nearly crossed over to the next, but Ishia’s heart was utterly worn out.

│Breaking News] Kim Doo-gyeom Attempts Assault on Whistleblower… Fails and Escorted Away│

│Attempted Murderer Kim Doo-gyeom… Stopped by Seol Ha-woon│

There was even news about Seol Ha-woon and Kim Doo-gyeom fighting to the death in a residential home.

While Labyrinth Exploration NaN was shaking up the Korean peninsula in so many ways,

│Hello, this is Seol Ha-woon.│

A video was uploaded to YouTube.

A channel with no profile picture, unadorned by subtitles or flashy editing. But the protagonist on screen was extraordinary.

A black screen and a black shirt. His signature long hair tied back like a ponytail, unlike usual, making his appearance stand out instantly, apology or not.

Was Seol Ha-woon always *this* good-looking?

— “First, I’d like to address the school violence allegations that have been raised.”

He was about to share his thoughts on the issues from the past week.

— “The identity of the person who wrote the exposé has been confirmed. Someone who used to hang out with them at the time passed the information to the broadcasting station.”

Wow. They must all really be delinquents. To think they’d sell out a former friend so quickly.

— “It’s true that they were the ones who bullied the younger kids at the orphanage back then. I warned them multiple times, but they blatantly continued to harass the kids, so I thought I had no choice. I’m sorry.”

Seol Ha-woon bowed his head.

— “I’m not trying to justify my violence. In my childish mind, I mistakenly thought violence was the only solution. That was my fault…”

Explorers—or more broadly, ‘humans who can wield magic’—must not use violence against ordinary people. Even a minor assault can be considered a serious crime.

Great power comes with great responsibility—an absolute truth.

But back then, Seol Ha-woon was just a student. So was his opponent.

Of course, in most situations, violence is never the right answer. It’s almost always an unacceptable means in everyday life.

But Ishia wanted to say something.

So what?

Sometimes, there are people who *really* deserve a beating.

There are situations where explorers must kill to survive.

It’s not about breaking the law or condoning violence—it’s just how it is.

There are forms of violence that, socially or culturally, can be overlooked.

— “Next… I’ll refrain from commenting on matters from my active-duty days. That person has deleted their post and expressed through the broadcasting station their wish to apologize personally.”

“…Why even post the exposé then?”

What strange people. Maybe they were overcome with jealousy in the heat of the moment. Still, they needed to be shown that life has real consequences.

— “Lastly, regarding Kim Doo-gyeom…”

The most critical topic. Ishia pricked up her ears.

— “I knew.”

Ishia’s eyes widened like bonfires.

He *knew*? Knew what?

— “I knew what kind of person he was. What he had done. I knew from our first meeting.”

“What?!”

Ishia was stunned. Scenes of Seol Ha-woon’s actions flashed through her mind like a montage.

Tripping Kim Doo-gyeom. Saying he ‘just disliked’ him and refusing to pick him as a *Scout* for the team. Those puzzling moments suddenly clicked into place.

— “However, I thought that exposing his actions as a third party could cause further harm to the victim, so I only kept watch.”

Ishia stared at Seol Ha-woon on the screen.

— “To be honest, I didn’t just watch. Seeing him act all righteous made my stomach churn. It was hard to hold back.”

He spoke candidly, brushing back his hair.

— “The day the victim posted the exposé and Kim Doo-gyeom decided to withdraw, I felt an especially bad premonition. So I tailed him and managed to prevent a tragedy.”

For a moment, it didn’t feel real. It was like something out of a comic book.

His face was handsome. His voice was handsome.

— “I’m sorry for causing a stir. As I continue my work as an explorer, conflicts with others will likely happen often. There will surely be times when we must fight to the death…”

Explorers operate in the extraterritorial labyrinths or lawless zones where no nation exists, walking a gray line.

In labyrinths, they follow the logic of that world, but upon returning to society, they must respect its laws.

— “…However, I will never lose sight of my duty as an explorer.
Seol Ha-woon concluded his statement.
Ishia checked the comments.”

– Always-Right, nothing more to say…
– FR he saved a life. I heard Kim Doo-gyeom’s recording—total psychopath.
– But how did Always-Right beat Kim Doo-gyeom? A sorcerer beating a warrior one-on-one?
– He said he recorded the fight with Kim Doo-gyeom. Show us the footage…

*Click.* She switched to the community forums.

│Seol Ha-woon Incident Summary.txt│

1. The school violence issue was about teaching a lesson to bullies who bullied his orphanage brothers.

2. The military issue can’t be discussed due to operational reasons, but he took appropriate action as a superior. The whistleblower contacted him and apologized.

3. He knew what kind of person Kim Doo-gyeom was from the start. He’s acquainted with the whistleblower’s father but stayed quiet to avoid secondary harm.

│Always-Right.jpg│
(A photo of an archangel)

│Re-evaluating now… Compilation of scenes where Seol Ha-woon messed with Kim Doo-gyeom│

│I heard from an insider that Kim Doo-gyeom kept getting beaten by Seol Ha-woon lol. Can’t they stop editing him out?│

“…That’s hilarious.”

What is this, a seesaw? The public’s opinion has flipped back and forth how many times this week?

Seol Ha-woon’s ranking, which had plummeted to 40th, was climbing again. It even broke through the elusive top 10.

His current rank: 13th.

Making the debut group isn’t impossible anymore.

No, at this rate, the debut group is guaranteed—the question is what rank he’ll finish at.

“…Phew.”

Ishia logged into *SilTalk*. There were tons of Seol Ha-woon-related feeds.

Well, her secondary account only followed Seol Ha-woon fans, so that made sense.

Among them, one post with an unusually high number of likes caught her eye.

@snowiscoming1

Snow is two-sided. Sometimes it’s so cold it freezes us, but other times it wraps our hearts warmly, comforting us.

Snow is a symbol of nature that changes based on our mindset.

So whenever it snows, I always think this: The snow that fell yesterday—whether it’s breathtakingly beautiful or chillingly cruel—when tomorrow comes, it will take on a different form.

Today’s warmth, today’s coldness… they’re just fleeting moments. What matters is our heart.

SnowIsComing. A famous Seol Ha-woon superfan and heavy uploader.

“…Yeah. A strong mindset is what counts.”

Every other Seol Ha-woon fan probably feels the same.

Stanning explorers means doing it while you can. Once they enter a labyrinth, they’re gone for months with no word, and even though it’s safer these days, many explorers still perish.

Kids look at them with admiration, adults with envy, jealousy, or longing, but the mortality rate of explorers is so high it’s excluded from statistics. It’s overwhelmingly higher than any other profession.

“Phew~ Yeah. It’s all just yesterday’s snow.”

Steeling her resolve, Ishia started editing clips from episode 7 again.

* * *

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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