Chapter 124: I Was Bored, and You’re the Perfect Target
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: I Was Bored, and You’re the Perfect Target
Mei, a Gold-grade explorer from Roanmarie.
Though she held a Gold Grade, she didn't actually enter the labyrinth all that often.
By a stroke of luck, she had acquired a specialized skill that could neutralize the spore poisoning from the mushroom monsters frequently found on the 1st Stratum of the Roanmarie Labyrinth.
Whenever lower-grade explorers stumbled back to the surface choking on spores, she would detoxify them and make an easy living.
Furthermore, because Roanmarie saw many visitors from other labyrinth cities, the guild was technically required to conduct grade suitability tests for any explorer Gold Grade or higher. However, the guild staff alone couldn't keep up with the sheer volume of visitors.
Since she practically lived on the first floor of the guild building anyway, she often worked as an instructor for these examinations.
Mei herself was a high-tier Gold Grade, and she knew all too well that the Gold Grade was exactly when low-level explorers started acting high and mighty, thinking they were hot stuff.
"There’s nothing more fun than beating the crap out of guys who are full of themselves."
It earned her a bonus and satisfied her own thirst for entertainment. She took her job as an examiner quite seriously.
"Miss Mei. Do you have a moment?"
Mei was currently hogging an entire bench on the second floor of the Roanmarie East Guild building, sprawled out and checking her manicured nails, when someone approached.
"What is it? Did someone get poisoned again?"
"No, it's a suitability test. A Gold-grade explorer from Calax."
Mei remembered hearing the name Calax. It couldn't compare to Roanmarie or Hechituk, but it was still a large and famous labyrinth city, currently counted among the Three Great Labyrinths that were deemed impossible to fully conquer.
"Is it a woman?"
"A man."
"How's his face?"
"...He is handsome. However, you are not permitted to adjust your level of force based on appearance. Please keep your bonus in mind."
"Ugh, I know, I know, you boring seaweed-head."
The senior guide, with his long, dark green hair, always came to her with requests. He had a pretty face, but his stiff, no-nonsense way of speaking grated on her nerves.
In terms of combat power, he was nearly Platinum Grade. Unfortunately, after acquiring a few skills that made earning money easy and comfortable, he’d lost interest in diving and remained at Gold.
Mei, on the other hand, had her own reasons for maintaining her look: bronzed skin that complemented her voluptuous figure, a pretty face, a white tank top that left little to the imagination, and short hot pants.
Her plan was simple: snag a promising, handsome male explorer and marry him. If she caught one while his grade was still relatively low and did a little gaslighting, her future would be set.
"Where is he?"
"Training Ground 4 on the first floor."
"If he's ugly, I'm beating him to a pulp. You too. Got it?"
"Understood."
Of course, she didn't actually have the authority to beat up a senior guild guide, but it was her usual playful banter. He always gave such dull reactions that nothing ever came of it anyway.
She walked into Training Ground 4 without much expectation, but—lo and behold—there stood a truly striking man.
He’s got a great build, and his face is top-tier.
"Pfft. Isn't Calax just some backwater country town?"
"It is. I didn't realize it until I came to Roanmarie, though."
"Well, you're not bad-looking. You said you were Gold Grade in Calax?"
"Yes. By the way, do you get paid for doing this?"
"Not really. I do it because I like it. Every now and then, I find someone who isn't up to snuff, and I get to beat the living daylights out of them."
She wasn't the type to play coy and cater to a man. If a man couldn't accept her for who she was, she wasn't interested. Unless the guy was worth the effort, there was no need for an act.
A sword and a shield, huh?
It was the same boring equipment she saw everywhere. It was as if they’d all held a meeting and decided to carry swords and shields.
Mei’s primary weapon was a heavy metal bat weighing 8 kilograms. Combined with her strength-enhancement skills, she was a force to be reckoned with. Shield users usually had a habit of thinking they’d taken control of the fight the moment they blocked an attack.
Mei made a habit of shattering that delusion—and their shield techniques—with overwhelming, logic-defying impact. The moment she declared, "This guy isn't Gold Grade," the explorer would face a grade reassessment.
She was, after all, the examiner.
Of course, that didn't mean their Gold Grade plate immediately became a worthless piece of scrap metal. But once a reassessment started, things got tedious. Above all, Gold-grade explorers found the mere doubt of their skills to be incredibly humiliating.
Well, he is handsome, so maybe I’ll go a little easy on him?
"You're Gold Grade, right? If not, speak up now."
"I am."
"You said it yourself. I'm going to fight you like I'm fighting a real Gold Grade, okay?"
"Sure."
Hmph, looks like he’s confident.
The corners of Mei’s mouth curled into a smirk. She could already see his precious shield technique crumbling miserably before her eyes. It was always fun.
Even more so when she got to bully the handsome ones. That look on their faces when their skills were denied and they were forced into humiliation...
"Then, let's begin."
The senior guide, acting as a human stopwatch, began a perfectly timed countdown.
3.
2.
1.
"Start!"
Mei lunged forward, her feet digging into the training ground floor. Her 120cm metal bat, combined with her long limbs as a 172cm tall woman, gave her a reach longer than most one-handed swords.
The opponent would be forced to block the first strike with their shield. Nine times out of ten, her heavy swing would either shatter the shield or send such a shock through the arm that their stance would instantly collapse.
"Haaah—!!!"
Just as I thought...!
True to her expectations, Yoo Eon raised his shield to block the attack.
However, there was one thing she hadn't anticipated.
—BOOM!!
"Eek?!"
The fact that her opponent was Yoo Eon, who held a 15kg solid metal rectangular shield crafted by a certain eccentric dwarf.
A massive shockwave traveled from the tip of the bat, up the handle, and into her fingertips. It felt like she’d swung her bat against a solid building. As she momentarily faltered—
—SWIIISH!!!!
"Ngh...!?"
"Stop!"
Beyond her tightly shut eyes, a violent gust of wind blew past her, sending a chill down her spine. When she slowly opened her eyelids, she couldn't believe what she saw.
A massive tail, looking like it belonged to some giant monster, had sprouted from nowhere and was aimed precisely at the back of her head. If the seaweed-headed guide hadn't called for a stop, that thick mass of muscle might have crushed her skull.
"Are—are you crazy?! Were you trying to kill me?!"
"No, I was planning to stop before hitting you."
Looking closer, that thick, pitch-black tail was coming from the Gold-grade explorer himself. With a sickening crack, it retracted into his lower back and vanished as if it had never been there.
Was the sword and shield just a bluff? No, that couldn't be it. Who would carry around a heavy slab of solid metal just to deceive someone?
"You...! You knew how I fought, didn't you?!"
She couldn't help but be suspicious. He must have brought that heavy shield specifically to counter her bat.
"Hey! Seaweed-head! This isn't right, is it?!"
"Hmm."
The senior guide stroked his chin as if in thought, but in the end, a win was a win.
"Explorer Aven, you may leave. You have passed the test."
"Understood. I'll be going then."
"Hah...? Are you serious?!"
Mei shook her aching hands to soothe her anger, screaming at Aven’s retreating back.
"Hey! You! Your name is Aven, right? I’ve remembered it!"
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Still fuming, Mei stomped over to the senior guide.
"Seriously! That guy is weird! Who carries a shield like that?! He definitely heard about me and came prepared with a counter!"
"Did it really look that way to you?"
The senior guide shook his head, disagreeing with her.
"You must have missed the way he swung that shield."
"Swung it? He was just holding it!"
"He was not."
The truth was different. The moment Yoo Eon saw Mei lunge and swing her bat, he had instantly raised that heavy shield and parried her with pinpoint precision. Even while holding that weight in his left hand, his posture hadn't wavered an inch.
"He is at least Gold Grade. Besides, that wasn't all he had, was it?"
"Ugh, fine... I get it."
She didn't like it, but that mysterious, monstrous tail aimed at her head had truly terrified her. She knew instinctively that if it had connected, she would be dead.
"Dammit... I don't like him."
After storing her bat with magic, she scratched her head and was about to leave when a thought struck her.
"Wait, did you say he was going into the labyrinth?"
"Yes. He was active in Calax and is staying in Roanmarie for a while. Why do you ask?"
"Perfect."
The 1st floor of Roanmarie was a forest filled with plant monsters, and from the 3rd floor onward, it was crawling with Poison Mushrooms that used toxic spore attacks. And who was she? A detoxification skill user.
From the looks of it, he’d come alone without any party members. She would tail him into the labyrinth, wait for him to get dazed by the toxic spores, and then use her detox skill to get the upper hand and make him do all sorts of embarrassing things.
"I'm going! Put this down as a bonus task! I’ve got his face memorized!"
"Understood."
She hurried down to the first-floor lobby, where a rookie guide—only in their second week—was recording Yoo Eon’s entry into the labyrinth. As soon as he finished and left the lobby, she used her charms to cut the line and check his destination.
"Hey, rookie. What floor did that guy say he was going to?"
"Ah, that... that's personal information..."
"Don't you know who I am? I work here!"
Mei practically lived in the lobby and was often seen chatting with the senior guide. Using her silver tongue, she squeezed the information out of the clueless rookie.
"The 10th floor? What an idiot. It's his first time in this labyrinth, and he’s aiming that high? Record me for the 10th floor too!"
"Huh...? Ah, yes!"
After finishing the paperwork, she looked toward the portal and saw Yoo Eon entering.
Mei was confident in her ability to navigate the labyrinth. If she entered the same portal pulse, she would be summoned to the same location. She planned to head to the 1st Floor Base first, wait for him, and then follow him when he moved to the 2nd floor.
"I was bored, and you’re the perfect target...!"
Except for his sexy odd-colored eyes, his sharp nose, his well-defined jawline, his deep yet youthful voice, his striking height, his broad shoulders, his long legs, and his thick, masculine forearms... there wasn't a single thing she liked about him.
"I'm going to go and tease him senseless...!"
Before entering the portal, Mei touched up her makeup in the restroom mirror and smirked, licking her lips.