Fall (1)

...In the labyrinth's forest.

Right when Yoon Hwa-rim was dozing off at the wheel.

Kang Hyun's eyes gleamed, shifting like sea fog. He moved stealthily. Seizing the moment when everyone was half-asleep, he pretended to doze off against the cargo while jamming his sword blade into the wheel.

In that instant, the cart's durability bottomed out.

It wasn't because of Yoon Hwa-rim's drowsy driving, but because of Kang Hyun's blade.

Losing its direction, the cart crashed straight into a tree, and Kang Hyun calmly destroyed the evidence.

'We can just remove the cart frame and pull it ourselves.'

He had quickly sliced away the cart's body, erasing his own sword marks in the process.

I had witnessed the entire sequence of events with my own eyes, but I couldn't understand the motive behind his actions.

Why on earth did Kang Hyun do that?

Was it simply because he was annoyed by Yoon Hwa-rim letting her guard down? Or was he trying to orchestrate a more dramatic situation?

"...It was necessary,"

was all Kang Hyun said in response. I stared at him quietly. His eyes were of unfathomable depth.

They were the eyes of someone who was difficult to read, impossible to predict, and who would never reveal his true self.

I had always been told I was a good judge of character. I had a stellar track record when it came to weeding out spies, conducting interrogations, and extracting confessions.

"Necessary?"

Yet, I couldn't read Kang Hyun. Everything about him was chilling.

His eyes were undeniably clear, but that clarity made them bottomless. If you misjudged the depth and dipped even an ankle in, you might get dragged under and drown.

Was this just my own misunderstanding?

Or was it my naturally rebellious, suspicious nature?

Or, if not that...

The past, the facts from before my regression, kept swirling in my head. The single missing person whose name was attached to the word "massacre."

A question arose belatedly.

Who on earth was that missing person, and why were they the only one never found?

"...Seol Ha-woon,"

Kang Hyun called my name. He looked straight into my eyes. I didn't avoid his gaze.

"Please let go."

I had been holding his hand for quite a while.

"...Right."

His hand was cold. He had been pulling the cargo like an ox until his muscles practically melted, yet his skin was freezing.

Kang Hyun pointed at the cargo.

"Let's push it in quickly."

The portal, our destination, was right in front of us.

"Okay!"

The teammates pushed the cargo into the portal.

"Nice~"

The system window floated in the air. The other teammates high-fived each other.

"Ha-woon hyung!"

Just then, Im Hae-jun threw out paper. I threw scissors.

"Ah, what are you—"

We were transferred to the waiting room. Everyone was exhausted, but it was finally time for the most pleasant part of the run.

Loot distribution.

"Open it, open it~"

"Ehehehe."

Lee Jong-su did a little shoulder dance, and Im Hae-jun grinned like an idiot. Kang Hyun sliced the cargo open with his sword.

Once freed from the labyrinth's influence, the cargo container broke apart easily.

"Whoa! There's so much gear!"

I appraised the loot using the MoMo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠system.

Mana Crystals, the Chief's Feather, a Murakak Wooden Club, an Orcish Axe, Wolf Bone Armor, an Eagle Feather Coat, and 8 Emergency Trauma Potions.

Mana Crystals were, of course, the literal gold of the labyrinth, and all the equipment pieces were quite decent.

In terms of real-world market value, the haul was probably close to ten million won, but I was personally drawn to the accessory, the Chief's Feather.

It was the only rare-grade item, after all.

I want it.

"If we split these liquid potions into four bundles, we get eight. Let's distribute them fairly, one bundle per person,"

Kang Hyun said. Most of the team nodded in agreement.

"Yes! Then what about the order?"

The problem was the order of selection. Anyone could see that the Emergency Trauma Potions were the worst of the lot.

Yoon Hwa-rim quickly raised her hand.

"I'll... I'll go last."

She let out a heavy sigh, looking like a criminal awaiting sentencing.

"To be honest, I feel too ashamed to even take any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loot..."

"Come on. You still have to take your share. Hwa-rim, that only happened at the very end. You did great otherwise. You really showed why you're an A-tier spellcaster."

Lee Jong-su, who had been swearing up a storm at her just thirty minutes ago, was now looking out for her. The other teammates chimed in as well.

"It's fine~ It happens~"

"Oh, absolutely, absolutely."

Yoon Hwa-rim gave a bitter smile and bowed her head.

"Then, Seol Ha-woon,"

Kang Hyun addressed me.

"How about you choose first?"

Is this a bribe?

The thought crossed my mind, but the other teammates seemed to agree.

"Sounds good. You go first, Ha-woon hyung-nim. We cleared this thanks to you, after all..."

Lee Jong-su had seamlessly switched to calling me "hyung-nim."

I gladly accepted without declining and chose the Chief's Feather.

"Oh! Hyung! Are you really okay with that?"

Im Hae-jun asked. The way his nose twitched made it obvious he wanted me to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take the feather quickly so he could get a shot at the other gear. The others also looked visibly relieved.

"This looks like the best option for me."

"Ah, I see..."

In reality, the Chief's Feather was indeed the only rare-grade item. The rest of the equipment was all common-grade.

Next, Kang Hyun stepped forward.

"Then I'll choose this."

He picked up four of the potions.

"Is that alright? I assume no one else wants them anyway."

"Uh, hey. Are you sure?"

Lee Jong-su blinked in surprise. Kang Hyun gave a small smile.

"I didn't do much. Jong-su pulled the cargo the longest, and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠escort team worked incredibly hard."

"I mean, still..."

To me, Kang Hyun's choice seemed extremely conscientious, but the other teammates looked somewhat uncomfortable.

Yoon Hwa-rim also picked up the remaining four potions.

"I'll take the other four potions too."

Now, the remaining members of the escort team were the archer Im Hae-jun, the warrior Jin Yun-hwa, and the samurai Ichigo.

The remaining members of the transport team were the warrior Lee Jong-su and the archer Esher.

Kang Hyun gestured to them.

"Please distribute the rest as you like. The equipment pieces seem to be of similar value."

The monitoring room.

Kang Hyun and Seol Ha-woon's team had just cleared it. It was a highly difficult run—likely the most brutal cargo labyrinth of this round.

Kim A-rang tried to calm her racing heart. In truth, she had already lost her composure. At one point, she had almost burst into applause.

"...I thought it might be too difficult."

Even for her, the Orc Shaman had been completely unexpected.

The labyrinths in the Labyrinth Exploration series scaled to match the participants. While the production team could exercise some control, they ultimately couldn't interfere with the fundamental structure.

This was why some irregulars from the Explorer Association criticized the Labyrinth Exploration series itself, calling it one giant, untamable labyrinth.

In any case.

While the main characters like Ryu Yeon-hwa's team, Lee Jun-ho's team, and Seo Ji-woo's team had also cleared their labyrinths beautifully, none of them had a narrative as compelling as Kang Hyun's team.

The sudden appearance of the Orc Shamans. Seol Ha-woon's long-range sniper support. And the dramatic scenario where it wasn't over until the very end.

"Oh. PD Kim, are you still not done? We're about to head out for dinner."

The youngest PD in the monitoring room pointed toward the door.

"No, I just finished."

Kim A-rang smiled and stood up.

"Let's go get something delicious."

She had a feeling dinner would taste exceptionally good tonight.

With about two weeks left until the premiere.

My Public Recognition Level was still 5.

"I guess it won't go up until the first episode airs."

I tapped my wrist. The information window for NaN popped up.

"...The votes are climbing, but..."

This was the pre-broadcast personal profile voting. People voted based solely on profiles and self-introduction videos.

Yesterday, it was somewhere in the five thousands, meaning it had gone up by about a thousand votes in a single day.

Naturally, this was an incredibly small number. Kang Hyun had probably already surpassed a hundred thousand votes.

I checked the clock. It was exactly 6:25 PM.

My body moved on autopilot.

Following my set routine, I left the dormitory and was about to head up the Back Mountain when—

"Hyung!"

Someone called out to me. It was Im Hae-jun, with a soccer ball tucked under his arm.

"Do you want to play soccer with us?!"

"..."

Is this punk mocking me?

Without a word, I pointed at my leg. Im Hae-jun's eyes went wide.

"Ah, I forgot—no, I mean, still, without any prejudice, you could be the goalkeeper—"

"Get lost."

"Yes, sir!"

Im Hae-jun dashed off toward the field. Quite a few people had gathered to play soccer. Seo Ji-woo was among them.

I climbed the Back Mountain.

Sitting on the grassy patch where Yu Yul had taught me, I began practicing Mana Breathing and circuit opening simultaneously. The total amount of mana accumulated through Mana Breathing also aided the mana circuits themselves, and now, my upper body was nearly complete.

Arms, chest, back, waist, abdomen. I had carved out proper pathways throughout my entire upper body.

"Looks like it's going well."

Just then, the spellcaster Yu Yul arrived. Actually, I had sensed her before she even got close, thanks to her distinct scent.

"Yes. Thanks to you."

I greeted Yu Yul warmly. She scanned me from head to toe.

"You're at a level where you can refine your circuits."

"Oh. Are you going to teach me Refinement?"

I stood up, visibly delighted. Yu Yul replied as if it were nothing major.

"Refinement itself is simple. You just tear them."

"...Excuse me? Tear them?"

"It's easier to understand if you think of weight training. Lifting weights is training that tears muscle fibers and lets them recover. Through that repeated process, muscles grow larger and stronger. Mana circuits are the same."

"Then..."

"Use your own mana to finely tear your circuits. In other words, self-harm."

Yu Yul sat down on a boulder.

"The difference between Refinement and weight training is that the pain becomes more excruciating with each refinement."

Once again, she tried to cross her legs and failed.

"And that you can never truly establish a threshold for the pain."

"...Does it hurt that much?"

"Mana is like a spellcaster's soul. Mana circuits are pathways artificially carved into that soul. You're tearing them to shreds—how could it not hurt?"

Yu Yul's words made me quite resolute.

"Whether you're a genius or average, it's not an easy pain to endure. You might get trapped in nightmares, or suffer from hallucinations and auditory illusions. That's why once people reach a certain level, they choose the easy path."

But my body was accustomed to pain. That much was an absolute fact.

"Because of that pain, most people need a supervisor for their first Refinement. If you mess up, you could ruin your circuits."

"Yes."

I clenched my fists.

"I'm ready."

Yu Yul replied flatly.

"Come back next week then."

"...What?"

"There's a mentor class scheduled on the program. I'll teach you then. Along with everyone else."

I blinked, but soon smiled and nodded. I had overstepped without realizing it.

I had mistakenly assumed I was receiving special treatment from her.

I wasn't disappointed. It was my own foolish assumption, after all.

"Understood."

"...