Runaway (3)

He was an unreadable, unpredictable man.

Kang Hyun turned the thought over in his mind as he watched the sleeping Seol Ha-woon.

They had met as enemies, only for Ha-woon to turn into an ally in the blink of an eye. He seemed to guard his past with fierce secrecy, yet would suddenly bare his innermost thoughts without warning.

He had seemed to doubt Kang Hyun, yet now he slept utterly defenseless, as if placing absolute trust in him.

He was calculated yet spontaneous, meticulous yet entirely unstructured.

If one had to find a concept to define this man, Seol Ha-woon, it would be—chaos.

An abstract concept of a human being, where nothing could be certain and no prediction should ever be made.

At least, that was who Seol Ha-woon was to Kang Hyun.

"..."

Resting his broadsword against his shoulder, Kang Hyun let his gaze drift downward.

I'm curious.

If I were to cut him open, what would I find inside? What kind of entity is coiled deep within him...?

After a moment of quiet contemplation, he closed his eyes.

Slowly, Kang Hyun drifted off to sleep.

I woke up from my sleep.

"Ha...!"

A ragged breath escaped my lungs. My heart hammered against my ribs like a man who had briefly died and crossed back over.

It was probably because of my leg.

This godforsaken dull ache never truly faded. Lately, perhaps due to the strain on my nervous system, a throbbing pain had begun to nest in my temples and the back of my head as well.

At this rate, I'd drop dead before I even got a chance to burn through the rest of my lifespan.

"..."

I checked on my companion. Kang Hyun sat with his back against the wall, his broadsword propped against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his shoulder.

He looked as though he could be awake, asleep, or even dead.

He was utterly motionless, his breathing so quiet it was practically imperceptible.

I quietly observed him.

What side of himself was he hiding from me? What underlying principles governed his existence? What lay on the other side of him that I had yet to perceive?

"..."

Suddenly, Kang Hyun opened his eyes. His face was slightly puffy, heavy with residual sleep.

I spoke to him.

"Wake up. It's time to move."

I pushed myself up, leaning on my cane. By now, this Cherished Item felt like an extension of my own body.

Kang Hyun asked,

"Are we heading to the labyrinth?"

"Yeah."

Snap. I immediately snapped my fingers.

It was the second detonation signal.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted from somewhere deep within the rubble.

This bomb was of a completely different breed than the last. It was a massive smoke bomb designed to prioritize thick, billowing smoke over raw destructive power.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A succession of blasts followed, and I pulled on a gas mask. Kang Hyun cast a slightly envious glance at it.

"You've got a sturdy body, so you'll be fine. Let's go. Clear the way for us."

I threw on my coat and pointed toward one side of the collapsed space.

"Understood."

Kang Hyun swung his sword, cleanly cleaving through the debris. A path opened up instantly. I channeled my mana to reinforce the ceiling, keeping the structural integrity from giving way.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Feeling the continuous tremors and muffled explosions, we pressed forward through the newly carved passage.

Wail! Wail!

The further we walked, the louder the cacophony of sirens grew.

The synthesized, mechanical warnings of the robot police drifted through the air.

Sshhh.

Kang Hyun sliced through the final layer of rubble. Outside, everything was pitch black. The smoke screen summoned by my spell had completely blanketed not just the hotel, but the entire surrounding district.

Its performance far exceeded my expectations.

Man, I really am talented.

"Kang Hyun. Grab onto my coat."

"Got it."

Kang Hyun grabbed the hem of my coat from behind. I forged ahead, cutting through the dense fog. All around us, a chaotic symphony of screams, weeping, curses, and violent coughing echoed through the streets.

It was the absolute perfect environment for an escape.

Before long, I spotted a vehicle. It was a heavily modified, menacing-looking SUV. There was already someone sitting inside, though.

"What the fuck?!"

Thankfully, he stepped out of the vehicle on his own. He was a man wearing a pair of VR-like goggles.

"Fuck, I can't see a damn thing! What the hell is going on?! I'm busy as shit! Hey! Someone tell me what the hell is happening here?!"

The man stormed off to find someone to complain to, allowing me to claim the driver's seat without shedding a single drop of blood. Kang Hyun, who had slipped into the passenger seat beside me in the blink of an eye, asked,

"Hyung, are you a good driver?"

"Of course I am."

I slammed my foot onto the accelerator. Vroom! We tore away, weaving through the congested traffic by mounting the sidewalk and crossing the center line.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

Can I apply Mana Coefficient to this car? In the grand scheme of things, a vehicle is still technically an item.

Only one way to find out.

I channeled my mana into the hand gripping the steering wheel. I felt the leather beneath my palm as my energy began to flow downward. It didn't stop at the wheel; the mana seeped deep into the chassis, the tires, the windows...

It worked.

I could feel my own circuit, the very pulse of my mana, running through the SUV.

As expected, Mana ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Coefficient didn't just stop at enhancing an item's durability or attack power. By directly injecting my mana, I could amplify its core performance.

**ROAR!**

I floored the gas. The vehicle surged forward with terrifying speed. Beside me, Kang Hyun quietly reached over and buckled his seatbelt.

"Hey."

I called out to him. Kang Hyun fidgeted with the strap, looking slightly self-conscious.

"You're supposed to wear a seatbelt by law. It's not that I don't trust your driving, Hyung, it's just—"

"I know. Buckle mine too."

Honestly, the car was moving so fast now that even I was starting to feel a bit nervous.

We broke out of the city limits. Gradually, the towering skyscrapers gave way to low-rise buildings, and the swarms of drones and air taxis darting through the skies vanished from sight.

Sensing no immediate pursuit, we allowed ourselves a brief moment of leisure. We even swung by a drive-thru to grab some burgers.

"These burgers are actually really good."

"Eat up. We've got a fight ahead of us soon."

I was eating my burger while driving too, though with a slight twist. The burger floated in midair, guiding itself directly into my mouth. Having picked up telekinesis recently, I was now capable of this level of minor convenience.

"...Hyung, did you always pull off operations like this alone?"

"Sometimes alone, sometimes with others."

"Did you prefer working alone?"

Kang Hyun asked, munching on a French fry. I tossed a question back instead of an answer.

"What about you?"

"...I'm fifty-fifty on it. It really depends on who I'm working with."

"Exactly. Same goes for me."

In the midst of our conversation, we arrived near the Research Institute.

Calling it "near" was a massive understatement. It was so far away that even with my enhanced vision, I could barely make out its silhouette.

"We've arrived."

Tilting his head in confusion, Kang Hyun craned his neck forward.

"You won't be able to see it yet. It's still a ways off."

"Then how are we going to get in? Stealth?"

"...Stealth is out of the question."

Kang Hyun glanced down at my leg.

"You did a pretty good job of of it back when we fought those goblins."

"Only because they were goblins."

"I'll leave the plan to you, Hyung."

I pondered for a moment, but in truth, there was no reason to overthink this.

We had a vehicle. A reinforced machine with Mana Coefficient active. The more mana I poured into it, the tougher and faster it would become. I could practically turn this SUV into a tank.

Therefore, the plan was simple.

"We're going straight through the front door."

"...We're just crashing in?"

"Yeah."

Shhh. I deployed a barrier to cushion us from the impact. Shards of crystalline light materialized, weaving a thin protective film over the front seats.

Next, I flooded the entire vehicle with mana. Drawing from my auxiliary reserves and even tapping into the mana stored in the bracelet Seo Ji-woo had gifted me, I reinforced the SUV to its absolute limits.

Crackle!

A violent blue current crackled across the vehicle's outer chassis. The front bumper, in particular, condensed into the shape of a massive battering ram.

I slammed my foot down on the pedal.

**ROOOOOOAR!**

It was a monstrous shriek of tearing metal and displaced air. The sheer wind pressure kicked up behind us, grinding the asphalt to dust. The speedometer quickly surpassed several hundred kilometers per hour before flashing a system error.

The landscape outside the windows blurred into a pixelated mosaic, and the crushing G-force pinning us to our seats was overwhelming.

The facility's defenses finally registered our approach, unleashing a hail of gunfire and searing lasers. Yet, the chassis—now heavily reinforced by my mana—didn't take so much as a single scratch.

In fact, they couldn't even land a hit on a target moving this fast.

My target was simple: the outer wall of the Research Institute.

In a fraction of a second, the massive concrete structure of the Research Institute loomed directly ahead.

**CRASH!**

The vehicle punched straight through the building's exterior, shattering its titanium-reinforced framework in a single, concentrated point of impact. The SUV's engine sputtered and died, but thanks to the barrier, the shock of the crash was entirely manageable.

"...You alright?"

I asked Kang Hyun.

"Yeah. That was an incredibly well-made barrier."

Kang Hyun let out a soft chuckle. It was a remarkably calm reaction given the circumstances.

"Let's get out."

I stepped out of the wrecked vehicle.

Limp, limp.

"Hyung, do you want me to carry you?"

Kang Hyun offered.

"Did you really think I wouldn't have a plan for this?"

I had a secret weapon prepared for exactly this kind of situation. It was an item I had impulsively bought online while browsing at a tavern: the Pony Projector!

Whirrrr—

A beam of light projected into the empty air. The mana-infused hologram coalesced into the shape of a beast... and the creature planted its hooves firmly on the ground.

"..."

I stared at the creature in stunned silence. Kang Hyun spoke, clearly struggling to hold back his laughter.

"It's... cute, Hyung. What's its name?"

"Wait... isn't this just a dachshund?"

Even for a pony, its height was ridiculously low. Its legs were incredibly stubby. The words "tiny" and "dinky" fit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it perfectly.

*Neighhh!*

It let out a high-pitched whinny, trying its best to sound like a majestic stallion, but this was a far cry from what the advertisement had promised.

In the promotional video, the hologram had looked reasonably tall and sleek.

"...Let's just go."

I had fallen victim to false advertising, but we didn't have the luxury of time to complain. I quickly threw my leg over the pony. Mounting the back of the creature, which stood barely four feet tall, I called out:

"Giddy up!"

*Neighhh!* The pony snorted and bolted forward. Fortunately, despite its stubby legs, its speed was impressive.

*Clop-clop, clop-clop!*

I rode the tiny holographic pony while Kang Hyun sprinted alongside me. Armed guards materialized at every intersection, but before I could even lift a finger, Kang Hyun cut them down. His blade knew no mercy.

As we descended the stairs, I readied several sticky bombs. They were essential tools for breaching sealed bulkheads.

"...Huh?"

But the heavy blast doors were already wide open, as if the occupants had seen no reason to lock them.

"It's open?"

"Let's head inside."

We stepped through the threshold, keeping our guard raised.

*Whinny...*

Suddenly, the pony let out a weak cry.

"What is it? Why?"

*Snort.*

It shook its body from side to side, as if complaining about my weight.

Its duration had run out. I felt like I'd barely used it for fifteen minutes.

I leaned back on my cane, and the holographic pony dissolved back into the projector.

"..."

I silently scanned the chamber. Dozens of medical pods lined the vast, sterile space. Each capsule was hooked up to thick conduits that snaked across the floor, feeding directly into a massive tear in space—a crack of pure mana. The entrance to the labyrinth.

I peered through the glass of one of the pods. An explorer lay inside, eyes closed in peaceful slumber. They had already been plunged into the depths of their own subconscious.

"Ha."

A dry, hollow laugh escaped my lips.

"And here they said it would take at least three more days."

We had been fed false information.

Had my Sequence been compromised, or had they intentionally leaked false information to prepare for any potential interference?

"Ah, you've arrived."

A voice echoed through the chamber as a massive screen on the wall flickered to life.

Seer's face appeared on the display.

Speaking from some remote location, Seer sat calmly in a high-backed chair.

Flash! A strange, iridescent light pulsed from the spatial rift of the labyrinth.

In that instant, I realized exactly what he was planning.

He was going to destroy the labyrinth. If the rift was shattered from the outside while their minds were still tethered to it, recovering their fragmented consciousnesses would be impossible.

They would be left in a permanent vegetative state.

A Ritual Labyrinth was something a human could never overcome on their own. I knew this from personal experience.

A human being simply cannot defeat their own subconscious. That was what made it the single most dangerous type of labyrinth in existence. Under normal circumstances, explorers required specialized equipment just to cross its threshold.

"And if we refuse?"

I stared at the spatial rift, then at the rows of pods wired directly into it.

"Hyung, what's the play?"

"...There are only two ways to enter a Ritual Labyrinth."

"Either you project only your consciousness like these people, or you dive in with your physical body."

The latter was strictly illegal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠due to the astronomical risks involved.

If you lost your mind, there were ways to pull it back. But if you lost your physical body inside, you were gone forever.

"I'll go in and wake them up. You hold down the fort out here."

Fortunately, I knew how to keep myself anchored. And it wasn't just because of my high Willpower stat.

I pressed my fingers against the back of my neck. Taking a slow, deep breath, I began to construct an 'implant.'

I had only recently learned the technique, so a complex mechanism was out of the question. But I didn't need anything complex right now anyway.

It was simple.

An electrode.

Once I crossed over into the labyrinth, the implant would deliver steady, rhythmic electrical pulses between my spinal cord and my brain, forcing my consciousness to remain awake.

Seer interjected. Yet, beneath his cold, detached tone, I caught a faint tremor of desperation.

"First of all..."

I let out a soft sigh and looked at the screen.

"I do feel a bit of sympathy for you."

Seer's expression remained perfectly flat.

"If I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the exact same thing."

A rational mind desperately trying to resist the destruction of his world. He was daring to demand negotiations from the higher beings watching from the outside.

But they would never agree to his terms.

I knew those people all too well.

"There's a famous saying in the world I come from."

If the broadcasting station deemed this situation 'uncontrollable' and handed it over to the Association or the government, there would be no happy ending for anyone.

"I've heard it so many times I'm sick of it, but..."

They might subject this entire world to a fate where even a peaceful death was a luxury. They might reduce it to a mere plaything to satisfy the sadistic, destructive whims of some depraved viewers.

They were incredibly cruel people.

And that was precisely why.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists."

This was something I had to handle on my own terms.

I threw myself headfirst into the Ritual Labyrinth.