Let You Down (7)

On the rooftop of the broadcasting station, Yu Yul gazed up at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Her mind was on Seol Ha-woon's lifespan.

His remaining days were numbered.

Even if it didn't happen immediately, it would soon. He probably wouldn't last another five years.

It was a conclusion akin to fate, dictated by the knowledge and common sense of a mage.

That was the nature of the Sequence.

If the Sequence were a flawless system, every spellcaster in the world would have clung to it long ago.

Yet, in this day and age, the Sequence was closer to a discarded theory.

The reason lay in the advancements of mana theory, medicine, and life sciences.

The Sequence overloaded the human nervous system, placing an immense burden on the brain and spinal cord. While it exponentially boosted information processing capabilities and spellcasting speed, it ultimately scorched the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠neural pathways. The fragile neural networks of a human simply could not withstand the searing heat of mana.

To make matters worse, Seol Ha-woon's Refinement had been far too rushed. Undergoing both his first and second Refinements in a mere three months was a self-destructive flagellation.

"...He told me himself that he's already a dead man, Seol Ha-woon."

A voice like a passing breeze drifted over.

Yu Yul turned her head. Kim Se-jin was sitting on a nearby bench.

"There might still be some hope. He is, after all, a man who overcame total paralysis."

"The probability is extremely low," Yu Yul declared flatly.

"His body will break first."

"Hmm... Did I teach him for nothing, then?"

Kim Se-jin pouted. Yu Yul shook her head.

"He wanted it himself. He must have been desperate enough, having lost a leg."

Although Kim Se-jin was the one who had taught Seol Ha-woon the Sequence, it had been done with Yu Yul's permission.

Kim Se-jin smiled faintly.

"...You really are cold-hearted."

Yu Yul did not worry about or pity others. That held true not just for Seol Ha-woon, but for all of humanity.

If Yu Yul had felt any sort of emotional attachment to Seol Ha-woon, she would never have given him the Jewel File. She would have dissuaded him from using the Sequence as well.

But Seol Ha-woon had stubbornly insisted on a path that directly linked to his death, and Yu Yul had seen no reason to persuade him otherwise.

She was simply that kind of person.

...Perhaps, she had already drifted slightly outside the boundaries of what could be considered 'human.'

"It's almost time for the live broadcast."

Kim Se-jin checked his wristwatch.

"I'll head down to watch it live."

Yu Yul nodded, and Kim Se-jin vanished in an instant.

Ting.

Just then, Yu Yul's smartphone buzzed with a notification. It was a text message from PD Kim A-rang.

"......."

In typical broadcasting station fashion, the message didn't explain what kind of filming it would be, but she had no reason to refuse.

She replied with a single sentence.

My schedule is fine.

Episode 5 of Labyrinth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Exploration NaN had begun. Lee Si-ah sat in front of her TV as usual, her eyes wide with anticipation.

The episode opened with a vast, pristine snowscape. A timer ticked down at the top of the screen.

Immediately following the timer, a caption appeared on screen.

Seeing the words Survival Labyrinth, Lee Si-ah felt goosebumps break out on her skin.

The Survival Labyrinth was just as famous as the Cargo Labyrinth. It was incredibly straightforward, and there was even a blockbuster movie about it that had drawn ten million viewers.

In any case.

The early part of the episode focused on Kang Hyun. Carrying a thick backpack, he trudged through the deep snow, his heavy breaths puffing white in the freezing air.

Crunch. Crunch.

For about thirty seconds, the camera captured various scenic, wide-angle shots of him walking across the pristine, beautiful snowy mountain.

─Kang Hyun: ...Huh?

Kang Hyun stopped in his tracks. Before him lay a cave entrance.

─Kang Hyun: Hmm...

After a moment of hesitation, he stepped inside. The interior was pitch black, but he conjured a sphere of blue mana in one hand to light his way.

─Kang Hyun: It's warm. I can stay here.

Just as Kang Hyun set his backpack down, a strange draft blew from the depths of the cave. He tilted his head and peered into the darkness.

Growl.

A chilling growl echoed through the cavern. Kang Hyun froze. Slowly, he raised his head.

─Kang Hyun: A bear...

At the far end of the cave stood a massive bear, its eyes gleaming with a predatory light. Kang Hyun leaped back and drew his sword.

Lee Si-ah unconsciously swallowed hard.

Bears were incredibly dangerous beasts. Depending on their habitat and genetics, their strength varied wildly; some were so monstrous that it took five or six high-rankers working together just to subdue them.

Of course, this bear probably wasn't on that level, but still...

ROAR!

Watching the bear slowly rouse from its slumber, Kang Hyun took a deep breath.

Blue mana flared across his body, and just as he was about to plunge into battle—

The camera cut away.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

This time, the screen showed someone digging a tunnel. It was Im Hae-jun. He was digging through the dirt like a mole with a shovel.

─Im Hae-jun: Seriously... listening to that hyung always pays off.

The "hyung" he was referring to was undoubtedly Seol Ha-woon.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Im Hae-jun dug diligently, widening the space before hanging a lantern on the wall of his makeshift tunnel.

─Im Hae-jun: *Yawn.*

Having finished his work, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and lay down on the dirt floor.

─Im Hae-jun: *Snore...*

He fell asleep almost instantly, his mouth half-open.

The next segment featured Im Hae-jun's "hyung."

The camera first showed a full shot of a figure bundled up in a thick, penguin-like parka, then zoomed in on his hands as he walked with a noticeable limp.

He was gripping a single hand axe. The camera slowly panned up to capture his face.

It was an extreme close-up. Snowflakes clung to his pale, clean skin, and the dark circles under his eyes gave him a strikingly brooding, decadent look.

Seol Ha-woon stopped in front of a fallen log.

Crack.

He lightly cracked his neck, stretched his shoulders, and swung the axe.

Thwack!

With a single swing, a deep gash opened in the wood.

Thwack!

With the second swing, half the trunk was gouged out.

Thwack!

A third swing.

Creeeeak!

In just three swings, a log the size of a pillar was cleanly severed. Lee Si-ah's eyes widened in surprise.

What followed was even more fascinating.

He used a hand grinder to shave down the surface of the log, shaping it into neat timber, and then chopped it into uniform blocks with rhythmic precision.

With a seemingly effortless tap of his hand axe, the wood split perfectly along the grain. It was like watching a master sculptor carving marble. Even his casual swings left perfectly clean angles.

In no time at all, Seol Ha-woon had erected the basic framework of a cabin. After finishing the rough labor, he sat down on a tree stump as if it were a chair.

Then, he began pulling out a portable burner, a frying pan, and a thick slab of whole pork belly.

It was dinner time.

Sizzle! The pork belly browned to an impossibly mouth-watering color.

Once the meat was perfectly cooked, Seol Ha-woon picked it up with a pair of tongs and took a massive bite.

Chomp.

Lee Si-ah typed out her own "Whoa" while wiping the drool from her mouth. She felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to order delivery pork belly.

"Wait, no."

She had almost forgotten her duty today. Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Si-ah quickly set her hands to work. She began creating GIFs in real-time and uploading them to the forums.

This was the most basic form of promotion.

Lately, even Si-ah could feel that Seol Ha-woon was gaining serious traction. An active fanbase had formed before she knew it, and now there were plenty of other people posting GIFs and writing about him even if she didn't.

Since he occupied a significant portion of the broadcast, the community's response was overwhelmingly positive. However, Lee Si-ah suddenly frowned slightly at a particular post.