[The Caterpillar's Path]
After the mid-roll commercial, the defense team’s base begins to develop in a steady, rhythmic fashion. Of course, the sites for the fortress, walls, and village were already established, but everyone’s capabilities were exceptional. Even Ryu Wei, who was the most unstable, managed to pull things together after being pushed around by the S-rankers.
So that’s what it takes to be an explorer. It’s actually pretty fun to watch.
“…It’s interesting.”
Lee Si-ah is already lying down, watching the live broadcast. She’s lounging arrogantly. Who am I? I’m the owner of a Seol Ha-woon Rookie Gold Card. I checked the market price during the break (though I’d never sell it), and the current auction price was 300 million won. The "Buy It Now" price was also 300 million.
However, strange guests begin to appear at the defense team’s shelter. They are civilians. Yun Hwa-rim wipes the dust from her face and answers. Then, the pitiful people carrying bundles on their backs ask cautiously.
A child wheezes beneath a knee. For anyone with a basic modern education, it’s a request that’s impossible to refuse.
“Oh, of course! Come this way!”
Yun Hwa-rim gives them a spot in the deepest, safest part of the base.
The civilians offer their bundles of food. Yun Hwa-rim is a kind person. Of course, it could just be image management for the broadcast.
To Lee Si-ah, it seems she understands why "Labyrinth over-immersion" is a social issue. It’s not just talk; the topic most heavily covered by current affairs channels these days is the whitewashing of Labyrinthin and emotional empathy. If we don’t eradicate them, they harm us. But once you get immersed, you can’t do that.
That’s why the first season of Labyrinth Exploration featured only incredibly evil Labyrinthin, and it was often so gory it was hard to rewatch. But it started getting softer toward the end of the season, achieved a proper balance in the second, and now, in this third season... there are too many charming Labyrinthin. Especially 'Seer' from the World Labyrinth, who has reached the point of having merchandise and photo cards released.
The same situation unfolds for Jo Woon. Behind the mercenary who returned from his mission, civilians are clinging on.
“It’s fine. Stay here. Have you eaten?”
[Base Construction Time Limit]
6 : 00 : 00
6 hours remaining.
The camera moves to the parade ground of a certain village. A resident asks, “Um... may I ask one thing, Sergeant Akiman?”
“I saw him for the first time yesterday.”
“I see. You two seemed so natural, I thought you’d been together for quite a while.”
“...That Inspector did look familiar. It was like looking at my younger self.”
“My younger self, you say?”
“Yes. I was raised as an assassin, and I survived by cutting through death.”
The narrative of an S-rank mercenary, recited in his own words. Unlike his face, he’s surprisingly talkative.
“The Inspector’s hands are stained with the scent of blood. His eyes are the same. The embers are still flickering.”
Akiman mutters softly, feeling the passing wind. “He is a man who still hasn’t forgotten many things.”
The full view of Seol Village is shown. The walls have been completely repaired, and Seol Ha-woon has imbued them with solid spells. The village children run to the spot he left behind. They touch the walls with bright smiles. Akiman’s voice overlaps like a narration.
“Because he hasn’t forgotten yet, that is why he tries to protect.”
Lee Si-ah thinks Seol Ha-woon is a truly mysterious person. The reason his fans like him and the reason his antis hate him are exactly the same.
[Base Construction Time Limit]
1 : 00 : 00
1 hour remaining.
Just as the base construction is nearing completion, a certain explorer walks by, dragging her worn-out sneakers. The camera slowly zooms out to capture her face. Kate. She looks incredibly dangerous. She has already passed the tipping point, and then some.
Min Seok-jae is still holding a drinking party, even with only an hour left. “Oh my. Our Master has arrived.”
“Mr. Min Seok-jae. I have a proposal.”
“A proposal? What kind? If you’re going to say something trivial, go away.”
Kate glares at him, her eyes fierce as he waves his hand like he’s shooing a fly.
“Let’s fight.”
“Fight... what?”
Crack! A long spear of mana formed instantly like an electric current.
“What are you— no, wait—”
BOOM! The shock, like thunder, caused by Kate’s mana. Min Seok-jae raised his fist to defend, but he was knocked back like a pebble. The surrounding mercenaries were greatly shocked.
“Oh~ Not bad, ugh!”
Swish. Kate rushed forward steeply, swinging her long spear in succession. The sound of her cutting through the air was immense.
“…Cool.”
So that’s what happens when a noble loses her mind.
Although it was a surprise attack, Kate perfectly cornered the S-rank mercenary, and Min Seok-jae fled far away. Even after being hit, Min Seok-jae showed no signs of anger. Rather, his face was much more favorable compared to before, when he had openly ignored Kate. They say people become friends while fighting.
“...Your eyes are scary, customer.”
Indeed, Kate’s eyes were bloodshot to the whites, making her truly terrifying.
“You’re the same.”
Kate twisted her long spear to the side and aimed at Kellinic.
“Haha. This is quite fun. Good. Customer.”
“Don’t stretch your words, before I beat you up.”
“...I didn’t stretch my words, I was just laughing, well~”
“Speak properly. Don’t drag your words.”
“Oh my~ Our customer has quite the temper. But anyway—”
The moment Min Seok-jae dusted off his hands, the Destroyer’s javelin surged in.
KUUUUUUUUNG———!
A massive explosion occurred.
[Time Limit Ended.]
[After 12 hours of rest, everyone enters the labyrinth.]
[During the 12 hours, 2 weeks of time pass inside the labyrinth.]
The time limit had ended. Afterward, the perspective shifted to the attack team. They sent messages to the defense team members who had returned from the waiting room.
Seol Ha-woon seems quite popular with the offenders, but he himself doesn’t send a single reply. Somehow, it feels unsettling.
The break time ended in an instant, and the attack team, like the defense team, purchased items and mercenaries with coins.
The faces of the attack team were shown in close-ups one by one.
“Done.”
“...They’re keeping me waiting for a long time.”
“Let’s go~”
“Hoo!”
“I’m nervous, I’m nervous.”
“This time, my strategy is correct.”
Whoosh! The attack team descended simultaneously. Upon landing on the ground, they encountered the mercenaries for the first time.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yes! We’ll carry anything for you!”
Kang Hyun only hired porters as mercenaries. “First, we move west.”
His destination is west. Lee Jun-ho, who hadn’t hired a single mercenary and only bought a ton of food, also headed west. Lee Jong-su looked at his compass and headed west as well.
“...Haha. I was just joking. Ice breaking.”
“Ice breaking.”
“Hahaha~ How about that? The awkwardness is all gone, right~?”
Most of them chose west. In the midst of this, Im Hae-jun appeared. He’s surprisingly glad to see them. Among the offenders, he spent an unusually high amount of coins on mercenaries.
“I am the team leader. From now on, please follow my orders.”
He gathered three A-rank mercenaries worth 100,000 coins each and planned to act as the captain. Im Hae-jun, who is in the same youngest line as Kim Woo-hyun, likes to pretend to be tough. But no matter how much he pretends, he never looks tough, and he’s not annoying to look at either.
“Now. This is the map. It’s a precious item.”
A map close-up for the viewers. One defense base near the center. One base leaning toward the east. Everything else is gathered in the west. The east is pitiful. It’s all alone.
At that moment, the owners of the bases were kindly displayed in subtitles. The east is... Seol Ha-woon.
“Ah, what the!”
“First, we will infiltrate the enemy lines, destroy the crystals, and then engage in guerrilla warfare where we rest at the base. Let’s go!”
“Where are we going?”
“First... to the east!”
The mercenaries stopped Im Hae-jun, who was trying to go east. “There are many bases in the west. Wouldn’t it be better to establish a route and strategy from the base first?”
“...No. I am the team leader. We are going east.”
The map was shown on the screen. The current location was blinking like a red light. It was the end of the west. Almost the westernmost point.
“There is a commander I know in the east.”
Even so, Im Hae-jun stubbornly insisted on the east to the mercenaries. “My strategy will be correct.”
The "Strategy-is-Correct," the little "Strategy-is-Correct," appeared.