Rush (Part 3)
I climbed to the very top of the forest.
"Great view."
I stood at the peak of an exceptionally tall tree, even by the standards of the labyrinth's forest. The sweeping, unobstructed view felt liberating, and the crisp, clean air suddenly brought back memories of the past.
Back when my body was still whole, when I would laugh as I free-fell from heights far greater than this.
Now, my arms were trembling. And that was despite climbing up using only my gauntlets, without having to strain my actual muscles at all.
My grandmother had once told me that if nothing else, I was born with a sturdy frame.
I suppose she was right. It was probably because of that sturdy frame that I had survived "that day."
"...Well."
I didn't have time to get sentimental.
I projected my mana outward, weaving threads of energy between the branches like a net.
It was a technique of pure mana manipulation: [Lower-Grade Mana Manipulation].
I rested my body on the woven hammock of mana. It was reasonably cozy. From there, I looked down at the ground below.
According to the MoMo system, my perception stats were high. My sight and hearing were exceptional. I even had a free trait called [Sharp Eyes, Keen Ears].
This meant that even from this distance, I could see the entire Orc settlement clearly.
"Bravo 1, 2, and 3. I'm setting your coordinates. Move to your positions."
I spoke into the radio.
"Familiarize yourselves with the terrain first. I want you to map everything in your heads—not just the slopes, but the protruding rocks and roots, the direction of the water flow, and the density of the trees."
Only then could we weaponize the environment.
—Yes, sir!
—Roger that!
—Understood!
Hearing their crisp, disciplined responses, I let out a soft breath.
Whoosh...
A forest breeze swept in from somewhere, brushing against my cheek. The quiet, breathless anticipation of the wait.
The familiar sensations of the battlefield from my not-so-distant past began to resurface.
Kang Hyun's class was Warrior. Of course, even within the single class of Warrior, there were quite a few sub-specializations.
There were "pure damage dealers" who focused on offense as much as archers,
"bruisers" who balanced offense and defense,
and "swordsmen" who excelled in single combat.
In that regard, Kang Hyun was an all-rounder. His destructive power rivaled that of most pure damage dealers, his durability was on par with a standard tank, and he had never lost a duel in his entire life.
Slash!
At the entrance of the cavern where the cargo was located, Kang Hyun's blade, swift as the wind, sliced through an Orc. Simultaneously, *snap!* another Orc's neck was broken, and *thwip!* a hole was pierced through the throat of an Orc atop the watchtower.
A sudden, instantaneous ambush.
Yet, the entire process was whisper-quiet. This was thanks to Yun Hwa-rim's [Wind-like Footsteps]. It was a standardized spell specialized for stealth, and highly popular among mages.
Having neutralized the guards at the entrance, Team A slipped inside the cavern.
Though there were quite a few patrolling Orcs, they cut through them with ease and reached the depths of the cave.
"There... it is."
The labyrinth's cargo. A mountain of loot was piled high on top of a cart.
Kang Hyun radioed in his report first.
"Transport team. Cargo secured."
—Ah, yes—
—Confirmed.
Lim Hae-jun's voice was cut off mid-sentence, while Seol Ha-woon's reply came back with razor-sharp promptness.
"Let's move it."
Transporting cargo in the labyrinth was simple, almost as if it were a standardized system. The labyrinth was surprisingly accommodating in some aspects; the cargo cart actually featured a designated driver's seat.
"Hwa-rim."
"Yes. I'll get ready."
Yun Hwa-rim climbed into the driver's seat.
Driving the cargo cart was one of the primary duties of a Spellcaster. Since destroying the cargo meant failing the raid, the Warrior usually stayed glued to the cart, while the other classes adjusted their positions depending on the situation.
"Everyone, get on!"
The three of them climbed onto the back of the cart—the cargo bay.
Their first destination was the dense forest Seol Ha-woon had specified.
Tsk.
Yun Hwa-rim wanted nothing more than to spin the wheel right now and take her own route, but she held back. The viewers would punish him anyway. That Seol Ha-woon guy was just an attention seeker trying to hog the spotlight for himself.
"Hah!"
She channeled her mana into the cart. The surge of energy flowed rapidly through the vehicle's internal circuits, and before long, the wheels began to spin.
Hummmmm—
The speed of the cart depended entirely on the driver's magical capacity. As an elite graduate of a magic academy, Yun Hwa-rim's recorded speed was between 40 to 45 km/h.
It was easily in the upper tier.
"We're moving!"
"Okay."
The Warrior, Lee Jong-su, raised his shield atop the cargo. The Archer, Esher, also notched an arrow of mana to her bowstring, bracing for combat.
Vrooooom!
The cargo cart surged forward. Yun Hwa-rim burned her mana as if stepping on an accelerator.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud.*
Just as they exited the cavern at a steady speed, a massive roar echoed from the Orc settlement.
Graaaaaah—!
The chieftain's rage vibrated through the very ground.
"They're coming."
The moment Kang Hyun spoke, Orcs charged down the slope. Esher fired the first mana arrow. Kang Hyun sliced through the Orc warriors trying to cling to the vehicle. Lee Jong-su raised his shield to block the arrows of the Orc archers.
"Jong-su. Keep them off us."
"Leave it to me!"
Leaving the cargo cart in Lee Jong-su's hands, Kang Hyun leaped down to the ground. He swung his broadsword with fluid grace, carving through the Orc horde. A single vertical slash severed limbs; a double horizontal sweep cleaved torsos from hips. Esher's arrows covered his back.
The operation was proceeding smoothly. The Orcs, running on foot, would find it difficult to keep up with the accelerating cargo cart.
"Hehe."
Yun Hwa-rim smiled from the driver's seat.
"This is easy."
Should I just steer toward my route? Going into the forest is only going to slow the cart down. Seriously, all because of that weird soldier guy—
*Clunk!*
Suddenly, the cart snagged on something. Its speed plummeted. It felt as if the ground beneath them was churning.
"W-what is this?"
"What's going on?!"
Lee Jong-su shouted from atop the cart.
Yun Hwa-rim poked her head out of the driver's seat to check the wheels. She scanned the ground. The flow of mana was bizarre.
It felt as if the earth itself was repeatedly swelling up...
Belatedly, Yun Hwa-rim realized what was happening.
"...An Orc Shaman!"
But by then, it was already too late. Fireballs coalesced in midair. Over a dozen soccer-ball-sized spheres of flame rained down toward the cart.
"Look out!"
"Whoa, shit!"
Lee Jong-su hastily raised his shield, while Kang Hyun leaped into the air like an acrobat, swinging his sword. Three of the fireballs were blocked by the shield, and six were extinguished by the blade, but one managed to strike the cart.
Yun Hwa-rim conjured droplets of water to douse the flames.
"How's the cart?!"
Lee Jong-su asked urgently.
"...The cart won't move! The wheels have been cursed!"
The creaking cart had already ground to a halt. The enemy's shamanic magic was binding the wheels.
*Grrr-gaaaah!*
*Graaaah!*
Seizing the opportunity, the Orcs swarmed them. They targeted not just the transport team, but the cart itself.
The cart had a durability stat. If its durability hit zero, it would break.
"Ah, get the hell off!"
Lee Jong-su swung his shield and mace with both hands to beat them back, and Esher drew her bow so hard her arms threatened to tear, but it was useless as long as the cart remained stationary.
If they didn't move the cargo, the Orcs would respawn infinitely.
"I'll find the shaman."
Yun Hwa-rim panicked at Kang Hyun's words.
"T-then what about us?"
"I'll hold the line somehow!"
Lee Jong-su yelled, channeling mana into his shield. Veins bulged on his forehead and temples.
"Go! Leave this to me!"
"I don't think that's a good idea..."
As Yun Hwa-rim stared doubtfully at Lee Jong-su's display of determination—
—There is no need for that.
A voice crackled through the radio. They all looked down at their waists.
—This is Team B. We have acquired Team A's coordinates.
It was the voice of Seol Ha-woon, leader of Team B.
—We are aware of the situation and will now initiate active escort protocols.
Immediately after the radio transmission announced the start of the escort—
———
The sound was faint. But from somewhere, a blue—a brilliant, piercing blue—line of light surged forward. In a mere fraction of a second, it connected the distant sky to the ground, and the curse binding the cart's wheels partially dissolved.
Yun Hwa-rim gasped in shock.
There was only one reason why the curse would suddenly break.
Someone had eliminated the shaman.
Thirty minutes prior.
—Transport team here. Cargo secured.
"Confirmed."
The moment I received Kang Hyun's transmission, I got my team ready.
"Alpha Team has commenced their mission. Get into position."
—What's Alpha Team? Over.
Lim Hae-jun's reply came back.
"The transport team."
—Ah, got it. Over. Why Alpha Team, though? They're Team A. Over.
"It's the phonetic alphabet."
—Oh, I see. Over.
"You don't have to say 'over' every time."
—Yes, Master.
Orcs were quite unusual monsters, even by labyrinth standards. For one, they were the most common pests that crawled out to Earth to establish settlements whenever a labyrinth overflowed. Furthermore, the difficulty of an Orc horde varied wildly.
An Orc Chieftain, Orc Soldiers, and Orc Archers.
A settlement composed of only these three types wasn't particularly difficult.
However, if you threw in Orc Guards, Orc Shamans, Orc Colossi, or even an Orc "Mage"—a rarity even among humans—the threat level escalated to a full-blown disaster.
Of course, an Orc Mage wouldn't appear in the Labyrinth Exploration series. An Orc Shaman shouldn't have appeared either.
At least, that was the case in the episodes I had watched before my regression.
*Boom, boom, boom, boom—!*
The transport of the cargo had officially begun. I could tell by the sudden frenzy of the Orcs. The chieftain beat his war drum to rally his forces, and I once again focused mana into my retinas. My field of vision expanded dramatically.
"...Found them."
I spotted the cargo cart exiting the cavern and heading down the slope of the Orc settlement.
The cart's speed was decent, and with Kang Hyun's exceptional combat prowess, everything seemed to be going smoothly, but...
"What the..."
Suddenly, the flow of mana warped. Fissures began to split the ground directly in the cart's path.
It was a blatantly unnatural phenomenon.
Raw, unrefined magic wielded by non-human entities.
In other words, a shamanic curse.
"What is this?"
I was taken aback. There hadn't been any shamans here before my regression.
Was it always like this? Or did the transport team accidentally trigger something?
Still, if there was a shaman, it explained why the labyrinth's total mana density was so abnormally high. A single shaman possessed as much mana as thirty ordinary Orc soldiers.
"Ah, damn it."
Regardless, the shaman's presence had completely turned the tide.
To make matters worse, there seemed to be more than one shaman. Multiple spells were being cast sporadically to assault the transport team, while a tidal wave of Orcs surged from behind.
"They're too far."
The distance was too great for the escort team. We were still a long way from the designated rendezvous point.
"...Can I make it?"
I extended my finger. The Orc Shaman was clearly visible to me, hiding among the warriors and flailing its arms as if praying to the heavens. I aimed and fired a mana bullet, but there was no way it would reach. The projectile dissolved into thin air.
"It looks to be at least two kilometers away..."
A pistol-style projection was useless at two kilometers; even two hundred meters would be pushing it.
Was there another way?
As I racked my brain, a certain skill flashed through my mind.
[Mana Amplification].
Well, let's give it a shot. The transport team is in deep shit right now.
First, I gathered the mana to be amplified into my [Mysterious Staff]. Though I had only used it as a walking cane so far, the item's inherent properties were closer to a magic staff. It would serve perfectly as a medium for my mana.
"Phew..."
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Resting the mana-infused [Mysterious Staff] against my shoulder, I visualized the physical form of a sniper rifle.
The standard-issue AEM94 I had used on the battlefield.
I recalled the tactile sensation of the weapon I had handled hundreds, thousands of times, and "amplified" my mana to match the blueprint in my memory.
*Crackle!*
A burning sensation flared through my veins. The mana circuits throughout my body constricted violently. More than half of my total mana was instantly drained.
*Zap! Crackle!*
I opened my eyes to the sound of sharp, crackling sparks.
Brilliant blue mana clung to the staff. Though translucent like a fluid, it had formed a solid, physical shape. The replication was so precise it surprised even me.
"..."
Forgetting the situation for a brief moment, I blankly ran my fingers over it.
The long barrel, the smooth trigger, the ergonomic stock, and the telescopic scope—every detail was historically accurate. But it didn't need to be a perfect replica.
I minimized the noise and recoil as much as possible. The same went for the firepower. There was no need to waste mana manifesting anti-tank-grade power just to deal with some Orcs.
I shouldered the staff that now projected the sniper rifle. I pressed my eye to the scope. The battlefield came into sharp, vivid focus.
My highest priority target was the Orc Shaman.
Even at this distance, I could reach it.
I would make sure of it.
—I'll find the shaman.
Just then, Kang Hyun's voice came through, telling the team to hold their ground.
"There is no need for that."
I spoke calmly into the radio, resting my finger on the trigger.
"This is Team B. We have acquired Team A's coordinates."
*Click.*
The cold sound of metal. The tension of the spring met my index finger.
"We are aware of the situation and will now initiate active escort protocols."
*Squeeze.*
Without a moment's hesitation, I pulled the trigger. Mana erupted from the muzzle.
A convenient trajectory that required absolutely no consideration for air resistance. A brilliant blue line painted itself across the sky. The bullet tore through the horizon, straight toward its singular target—
—and pierced the heart of the spell-weaving shaman.
Your Mana Rank has increased.
C- → C