Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Chapter 1 - 1st Floor
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[Chapter 1 - 1st Floor]
Chapter 1
It was a peaceful and quiet afternoon.
Two days after the college entrance exam.
Park Cheon-ho, who had just poured hot water into a cup of instant ramen and sat down, blinked.
"Hmm."
The dining table was exactly the same.
The cup ramen on the table, the sealed container of kimchi, the chair, and even the smartphone he planned to check while eating—all unchanged.
But everything else had changed.
For starters, this wasn't his home.
The ceiling, walls, and floor were all different.
It was a space like the medieval European sewers from movies or documentaries.
A high ceiling and wide corridor.
Cold stone floor.
The background wasn't the only thing that had changed. Standing right in front of him was a woman he'd never seen before.
Pink hair.
That stood out more than anything, catching his eye first.
A pale-faced angel with bright pink hair.
White wings on her back and a halo of light above her head—she had to be an angel.
Dressed in flowing white garments, she had her hands clasped tightly together, praying something.
"Please, 5-star! Please, 5-star! Even 4-star would do...!"
Hearing something familiar yet bizarre, Cheon-ho glanced back at the ramen. It still needed a bit more time to cook.
"Hmm."
Cheon-ho thought again.
Unfamiliar space.
A stranger—a woman who, at first glance, didn't seem human at all, nine out of ten chances an angel.
'As expected, huh?'
Four years since his father revealed his secret birth(?).
An event he'd imagined whenever he had a moment, during gaps in his routine.
"Please, please, O Goddesses! Please!"
The angel kept praying desperately.
Cheon-ho first opened the ramen lid. It was done, so he planned to eat it before it got cold.
Slurp slurp.
Swallowing noodles, he turned on his smartphone.
As expected, no internet.
Not even LTE, let alone Wi-Fi.
'Hmm, just as I thought.'
Slurp slurp again.
He took a sip of cola too.
'The day has finally come.'
His heart raced a little.
Still, Cheon-ho didn't stop eating the ramen. It might be his last bowl ever. He intended to finish it before it cooled.
But right then—
"Huh?"
Following the dazed sound, he turned to see the angel, hands still clasped, blinking.
She'd finally noticed him.
"Hmm. Hello."
Cheon-ho greeted her first.
She'd muttered in prayer in a language that wasn't Korean, but strangely, he understood her perfectly.
So probably the reverse worked too.
The angel blinked again at his greeting.
Flustered, she hurried over to him.
"Uh, um. H-Hero?"
"Hmm."
Cheon-ho feigned calm.
No wonder—he felt a shiver hard to describe at the words "Hero."
If his father saw this, he'd say blood will tell.
"First, I'd like to hear the situation."
He'd simulated this scenario—being summoned to another world—dozens, no, hundreds of times.
He already knew how to respond to a friendly, pretty summoner.
"Uh... Y-Yes. I'll e-explain."
His calm response flustered the angel instead.
She pressed her chest with a panicked face, took a deep breath, and meanwhile, Cheon-ho finished the ramen.
Slurp slurp.
A dozen seconds or so passed like that.
The angel stared blankly at him eating, shook her head vigorously, then spoke with a somewhat composed face.
"M-My name is Lucille. An angel serving the five goddesses... and the summoner who called you, H-Hero."
"Hmm, I see. Go on."
"Uh... Yes. So, um..."
While the angel—Lucille—mumbled something like "Th-This isn't right..." and gathered her words, Cheon-ho drank the remaining cola.
The unique fizzy coolness sliding down his throat brought satisfaction and regret at once.
Another dozen seconds.
Finally calming, Lucille clasped her hands again and explained.
"Th-This is the Labyrinth World. A world turned into a Great Labyrinth by the Demon God's invasion. To conquer the Great Labyrinth, free the world... and save the five goddesses, we summon heroes."
"Hmm, I see."
Classic setup.
The "Labyrinth World" part was a wrinkle, but so far, within expectations.
"Our headquarters, where I was, was attacked by the Demon God's minions. Thanks to the Angel Leader's sacrifice, I barely escaped... and used the last summoning stone left at the branch to call you..."
Lucille trailed off, starting to sob.
Cheon-ho sipped cola, thinking.
'Not good.'
The situation was worse than expected.
He needed to recall the worst-case simulations.
"Hero! Please, I beg you! I'm sorry to summon you like this out of nowhere—no, summoning you suddenly like this is truly sorry! But please save our world!"
Lucille pleaded earnestly, tears like chicken droppings streaming down.
Cheon-ho finished the cola.
And thought.
'Hmm, we're screwed.'
Summoned to the Labyrinth World.
But the summoners weren't an empire, kingdom, or powerful faction—they were a crumbling group.
The angel before him looked pretty but weak. Maybe a low-rank one.
And she said she'd used the last summoning stone on him.
No allies.
No supporting forces.
Just one questionable low-rank angel.
'Really screwed, even on second thought.'
But he didn't show it.
Crying about it wouldn't help.
'Even if I ask to go back, no dice right now.'
No magic circle on the floor or anything. Even if there was a way, returning immediately was impossible.
"Hmm."
Cheon-ho calmed himself with effort.
Lucille looked at him with eyes full of trust.
"Hero, may I have your name?"
Lucille wiggled her fingers in the air. A light panel appeared like a search window.
Cheon-ho said in a low voice.
"Park Cheon-ho. Surname Park, given name Cheon-ho."
"Yes, Hero Cheon-ho."
Smiling brightly, Lucille fiddled with the light panel again.
A few seconds later.
She blinked.
Her smile faded, then her eyes widened in shock.
"It's... 1-star!"
The search didn't find the name.
It happened only to the nameless 1-star heroes.
"Hmm."
"Not 'hmm'! 1—1-star! One star! How are you so calm?!"
"No point getting excited."
"W-Well, true, but..."
Lucille blinked repeatedly, took deep breaths, finally steadied herself, then blurted out.
"S-So, we summon heroes with summoning stones? Usually, it's people who've passed on. Heroes who've achieved great feats in their world. B-By your world's standards... Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Yeah, like Lu Bu or Guan Yu?"
"Hmm, but out comes Eom Baek-ho, huh?"
"You're Eom Baek-ho yourself! No, not even! Your name didn't register!"
Lucille's face flushed red. She took another deep breath, then said.
"Stars are based on mortal achievements. A 1-star hero is basically a normal person. Argh, we're doomed. It was the last pull, the last one the Angel Leader left..."
She collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
And Cheon-ho understood.
'I see.'
Excluding being a hero's son, he was just an ordinary high schooler.
Of course, 1-star.
Cheon-ho pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Lucille.
A high-end one prepared for this day.
Perfumed, per his father's advice.
Lucille stared blankly, then carefully took it. Wiped her tears, bit her lip hard, then looked up at him.
"S-Sorry. You're the one who must be most confused and suffering right now."
"Well, can't be helped."
What could he do? Already summoned.
Plus, having imagined this hundreds of times, despite thinking "screwed," it felt like fate.
"I'll be honest."
Lucille met his eyes straight. Her blue ones burned with resolve.
"There's no way back except conquering the Great Labyrinth and freeing the world. Yes, impossible for most. Near impossible for a 1-star hero."
Lucille gripped his hand tightly. Responsibility shone in her eyes now.
"I summoned you, Cheon-ho. So... I'll do my utmost. Protect you with everything I've got!"
"Hmm."
Lucille meant it.
Fitting for an angel, she seemed truly kind-hearted.
So Cheon-ho tried to stay calm.
Instead of blushing, he nodded once, helped her up.
"Got it. Since it's come to this, let's do our best together."
"Hero..."
Lucille's face lit with deep emotion, eyes tearing up again.
Cheon-ho looked her straight in the eye and asked.
"But really, nothing else? Don't heroes get special powers or something...?"
"Th-There is!"
Lucille nodded eagerly, and Cheon-ho sighed inwardly in relief.
"Since you're in the Labyrinth World, you can use the system. Try calling your status window. Silently wish for it, say 'status window,' and a light panel will appear."
System and status window.
Cheon-ho smiled unwittingly, looked up at the air, and Lucille immediately covered her eyes with both hands, as if scared to see.
Smiling again at that, he spoke to the air.
"Status window."
A light panel appeared.
&
[Chapter 1 - 1st Floor] End