Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Power Leveling (2)
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The 3rd floor of the Labyrinth was a vast, rocky mountain.
It felt a bit like the Flame Mountain Range on the 12th floor, but now that I think about it, I’ve never actually been to the 3rd floor.
Not just the 3rd floor, but I’ve never visited any of the floors from the 2nd to the 7th.
That’s because after Bio dragged me straight to the 50th floor, we started our climb from the 8th.
“Uncle, how are we supposed to find this ‘Chairman’ person?”
“We can just ask someone we meet.”
The lower floors of the Labyrinth are usually occupied by members of the Guild Alliance, who are there to monopolize the floor bosses.
“Bio, can you take us to where the floor boss is?”
“Hold on... Found it.”
He found it so easily, probably because it’s a lower floor.
Bio snapped his fingers, and my vision shifted.
Judging by the clouds around us, we seemed to be at a summit, but the ground was quite flat.
The floor boss is... that thing.
A brown, golem-type monster, about four meters tall and emitting a blue light, was locked in a fierce battle with a party of about ten people.
If I'd defeated the 3rd-floor boss, I could have gotten an achievement.
It's a little disappointing, but that's not why I'm here.
Judging by the emblem on their clothes, they seem to be from the Eden Guild.
Fortunately, it’s a guild I’m familiar with.
Ah, of course, I don’t know the people here, but I’ve had dinner with their guild master a couple of times, thanks to Tae-soo’s introduction.
He was a generous and good person.
I considered helping them out, but I decided to wait, worried they might misunderstand and think I was trying to steal their kill.
“Choi Ah-ra, are you done yet?”
“Don’t talk to me! I’m almost done!”
A massive fireball shot toward the golem.
It struck the red jewel on its head perfectly.
KABOOM—
With the explosion, the stone golem collapsed.
“It dropped!”
“Really?”
Everyone's faces brightened, as if a coveted item had appeared.
“Wait a minute, who are you?”
“I had something to ask... so I was waiting.”
They all seemed a bit wary, but as soon as I revealed my name, their attitude did a complete 180.
“Are you really Oh Hyeon-ung?”
“Wow, this is my first time seeing Oh Hyeon-ung in person!”
I thought they might react with a 'Who's that?', but thankfully, they all seemed to know who I was.
“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could I get an autograph...”
“Oh, me too...”
“Me too.”
I never dreamed I’d be asked for an autograph here, something that never even happened in my original world.
Haha, am I pretty popular?
“Well, an autograph isn’t hard... but did you hear about me from your guild master?”
“Huh? You know our guild master?”
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“You’re acquainted with our guild master?”
“I had dinner with him a couple of times, introduced by Tae-soo.”
“I had no idea. Why didn’t he mention it?”
…?
I naturally assumed they knew about me because their guild master told them. What’s going on?
“If not from the guild master, then how...”
“The post from the Golden Lion Guild’s leader. It went viral, you know.”
A post by Tae-soo?
No, wait a minute...
“Oh Hyeon-ung, my love!”
“Oh Hyeon-ung, my light!”
“Oh Hyeon-ung, my joy!”
...It was embarrassing enough reading the post, but hearing it in person like this makes me want to find a hole to crawl into.
“With the Golden Lion Guild’s leader, are you perhaps…
“It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”
Tae-soo is even a married man...
I cleared up the misunderstanding by briefly explaining our relationship outside the Labyrinth and then asked about the new Golden Lion Guild party.
Most of them tilted their heads in confusion, but fortunately, the party leader was acquainted with Mi-jeong and said they had met recently.
“They went up on the evening of the first day.”
“The first day?”
“Ah, I remember that too. She was bragging about how quickly the new guild members were adapting.”
Hmm, then I should check the 4th floor, or maybe the 5th.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“It’s nothing. But about that autograph...”
“I’ll sign it for you.”
After signing autographs for those who wanted them, I had Bio transport us to the 5th floor of the Labyrinth.
On the 5th floor, I was fortunate again to find people from the Four Stars Guild, whom I also knew, hunting the floor boss, so I was able to quickly ask about their whereabouts.
“They went up?”
“Yes. They said they were heading up around lunchtime yesterday. We were hunting the floor boss together at the time.”
“Ah, I see.”
“They were all pretty skilled, but the archer was especially good.”
“Is that so? Thank you for telling me. Well, keep up the good work.”
Clearing the 5th floor in two days, and before lunch at that...
I remembered how strictly Mi-jeong had treated them before they entered the Labyrinth.
I'd heard that not just Ha-young but all of them had good traits, but I’m worried she might be pushing them too hard, Spartan-style.
Tae-soo must have told her not to overdo it...
“Hey, Bio...”
“You want me to move us again?”
“...Hehe, just one more time, please. It’ll take forever if we walk.”
I coaxed Bio into taking us to the 7th floor, but there too, we were told they had already moved on.
I’d wasted nearly half a day.
“Hey... Bio, to the 9th floor...”
“What do you think I am, a teleporter? I’m out of energy.”
He had done it several times already, after all.
I was thinking I’d have to walk, but then I remembered Red Hare, whom I’d forgotten about.
The Thousand-Mile Horse skill only lets me travel to places I’ve been before, and it has a cooldown. Since things had come to this, I figured it would be better to start from the top and work my way down, so I moved to the 9th floor.
The 9th floor of the Labyrinth.
Damn it, this place was a maze.
Fortunately, after walking a bit, I ran into members of the guild currently managing the 9th floor.
Luckily, the guild assigned to the 9th floor this time was the Golden Lion Guild.
“They came up this morning. They should be hunting somewhere in the middle section.”
Oh, I’m glad I came straight to the 9th floor.
“That’s a relief. By any chance, could I get a copy of the map you’ve charted...”
“A map? What for? We’ll guide you ourselves.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far.”
“Our duty is to patrol and find where the floor boss spawns anyway. This way, please.”
Honestly, I only recognized their faces and didn’t even know their names, but they were all being incredibly kind to me.
“This piece of equipment is one you gave us, Hyeon-ung. I’m putting it to great use.”
“My cloak, too.”
“My boots are also from you. Thank you so much.”
It seems to be the equipment I gave Tae-soo a while back. I feel a bit embarrassed.
It was equipment I didn’t really need, after all.
Of course, seeing them so happy and thankful does make me feel proud.
It’s rewarding.
I need to get some proper equipment for myself soon, too.
“Hyeon-ung, all your companions are so beautiful.”
“Ah, they are.”
“That person standing next to you is so handsome. What’s his name?”
“Ah, yes. That’s Bio. Hey Bio, she says you’re handsome.”
“Hmph. I’ve heard that so many times it’s become tiresome.”
If there were a competition for saying the most obnoxious things, Bio would definitely take first place.
I was tempted to repeat his words verbatim and shatter his image, but I decided to let it slide since he’d helped me teleport so many times today.
We walked and chatted amiably. The 9th floor is definitely popular because of the mimics.
Almost every alleyway was occupied by one or two parties.
When I first came to the 9th floor, people were extremely wary of anyone passing by, and trouble often broke out.
Of course, since I was with members of the Golden Lion Guild, who were managing the floor, there was no trouble at all.
“Do we have much further to go?”
“We’re almost there. As per Mi-jeong’s request, we assigned them three spots.”
Three spots for one party?
Well, they should make the most of it while they’re the ones in charge.
“They’re just around this corner. Ah! There they are. Team Leader Mi-jeong!”
“Cheon-su? Huh? Who’s this? Hyeon-ung?”
“Hyeon-ung oppa? Oppa!”
Ha-young, who had been sitting down, rushed over in a single bound.
She threw herself at me as if for a hug, but I sidestepped to avoid her.
Considering the help I received, a mere hug would be nothing, but there were too many eyes on us.
Of course, I did grab her hand to keep her from falling.
“That’s quite a greeting.”
“It’s because I’m happy to see you. You could have just accepted it.”
“Hyeon-ung, what are you doing here? Aren’t you on a much higher floor?”
Right, the last time I saw Mi-jeong was on the 43rd floor.
“Ah, I came because I have something to thank Ha-young for.”
“Thank her for? Ah, is it because of that party invitation?”
“Yes. Mi-jeong, may I talk with Ha-young for a moment?”
“Go ahead.”
Mi-jeong readily agreed, so Ha-young and I moved a short distance away.
“Rina! Hanna! Alpen! It’s so good to see you all here. Have you been well?”
Ha-young approached my companions to greet them, but they just blinked at her.
“Hey, Ha-young, my companions can’t communicate with summoners inside the Labyrinth.”
“Oh, right. I learned that, but you can still pass on the message for me... Oh, but you said their memories get erased when they go back... Did you show them the video recording orb?”
I nodded.
“Rina, Hanna, Alpen, Ha-young says she’s happy to see you again. Bio, Elaine, Timi, Milli, this is your first time meeting her, right? Please say hello. This is Ha-young, the one who saved my life.”
I had already explained that I was able to defeat the Martial Alliance Lord thanks to Ha-young, so everyone greeted her warmly.
“She’s even cuter in person.”
“This child seems stronger than when you first met her, Hyeon-ung.”
“She has a good presence.”
Not just my companions, but even Bio was full of praise.
“This kid was really close to me? And she’s not that great in person.”
Except for Rina, that is.
“Rina.”
“No, I just...”
I’m reminded of the time we all spent together outside.
Just like now, Rina was extremely wary of Ha-young and they bickered constantly, but by the time we parted, they had become the closest of friends...
Seeing this makes me want to restore their memories as soon as possible.
“Oppa? What did Rina say?”
“Ah, Rina’s just being grumpy again.”
“Rina was always the type to not be honest with her feelings. Didn’t you watch the video of her?”
She suddenly grabbed Rina’s hand, and Rina looked a bit flustered.
“Ah... Uncle? What’s with this kid?”
“She’s just happy to see you.”
“L-Let’s just go and talk.”
When Rina let go of her hand and created some distance, Ha-young’s expression fell.
“She must hate me….”
“No, look at her face. It’s red. She’s just embarrassed.”
“Really? Anyway, Rina is really not honest with herself.”
Her face brightened up again in an instant. I like how quickly Ha-young bounces back.
“I agree. Ah, right. And Ha-young, the reason I came looking for you was to properly thank you for the party invitation.”
The full story was too long, so I explained it as concisely as possible.
“I got the skill when I hit level 10 and just used it, but I’m so glad it was helpful to you, oppa!”
“It wasn’t just helpful. If you hadn’t sent that party invitation, I wouldn’t be here. You saved me. Thank you so much.”
I bowed my head as I spoke, and when I looked up, huh?
“What? No, oppa!”
Suddenly, Ha-young was glaring at me fiercely.
“Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You told me that safety was the first, second, and third most important thing!”
I... I did.
“Well, when you’re navigating the Labyrinth, you can end up in danger unintentionally... But I’m safe now, aren’t I?”
It’s not like I knew an angel was targeting me or that I’d be designated a public enemy of the martial world.
“Still, be more careful from now on. Promise.”
She held out her small hand to me.
“Aren’t you going to promise? Hurry up.”
Good grief...
In the end, I linked my pinky with hers and made the promise.
“We have to do the seal, copy, and laminate, too.”
She touched our thumbs together, then pressed our palms together back and forth. It was strange.
“Ha-young? Aren’t you eighteen? How do you know about this?”
“I used to do it with my dad all the time. He’d always promise to come see me and then not show up because he was busy.”
Ah, Tae-soo really should have visited her more often.
“He was too much. Anyway, Ha-young, I’m so grateful that I want to repay you somehow...”
“Repay me? No, it’s fine. You saved my life too, oppa.”
“I didn’t do that expecting a reward.”
“Neither did I. In fact, the whole reason I entered the Labyrinth was to help you in some way, so I’m just happy it worked out. You don’t need to feel burdened at all.”
Wow, how can our Ha-young speak so beautifully?
To exaggerate a little, she’s so precious she wouldn't hurt even if I put her in my eye.
“Also, there’s actually something I haven’t told you.”
“What is it? Wait, does your skill have some kind of penalty?”
Powerful skills often come with a penalty.
Some consume the user’s own blood, or in severe cases, their life force.
Ha-young’s Unbreakable Thread of Fate?
In any case, since this skill makes the impossible possible, it could very well have such a restriction.
“No, it’s not like that... Or wait, is it a restriction?”
“What is it? If it’s something that puts you in danger or harms you in any way, don’t ever do it. I’ll just be more careful...”
“No. Um, oppa, that 65th-floor Martial Beer?”
“Not beer, Lord.”
“Anyway, when you fought and won against that person, you didn’t get any experience points, right?”
Huh? How does Ha-young know that...?
“I’m sorry. I got all the experience points. It says that’s what happens with a remote party... I guess the explanation doesn’t show up for you, oppa.”
“Huh? Wait a minute, then your level is...”
“I’m level 60 now!”
Level 60 in just three days in the Labyrinth?
I don’t think even I leveled up that fast...
“That’s broken... I mean, that’s great.”
“Great? Mi-jeong is worried sick, wondering what to do with me since my level is so high but my skills are lacking. I can’t even get any experience in this hunting ground now...”
Ah, it's true that leveling up too quickly has its downsides.
She hasn’t even been in the Labyrinth for a week.
“I’ll help you.”
It wasn’t because of my level, but I’ve been in a similar situation.
“You will, oppa? Aren’t you busy?”
“It’s fine. I need to work on my fundamentals too. And as it happens, we have an expert right here.”
I pointed to Bio, who was standing behind me with a blank expression.
“An expert?”
“What is it?”
“This kind of thing is your specialty, Bio. Come to think of it, you two haven’t been properly introduced, have you? Ha-young, say hello. This is Instructor Bio, an expert in doling out penalties who lives and breathes training.”