Living Like That, Part 2
One, two, three, four... Starting with Im Hae-jun, the explorers were waking up one after another.
It meant Seol Ha-woon had succeeded, but Kang Hyun had no room to spare to look after them.
The enemy was right before his eyes.
Swoosh!
He swung his sword. A flash of mana lightning erupted from the tip of his blade, severing limbs. Im Hae-jun's arrows flew in to back him up.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a sharp, tearing sound echoed from behind. It was a shockwave that literally struck the air, blasting the enemies away.
Kang Hyun and Im Hae-jun spun around.
The spellcaster, Ryu Yeon-hwa. Having just awakened from her slumber, she snapped her fan shut with a sharp click.
"Oh! Yeon-hwa-hyung! Help us!"
"...I know."
Ryu Yeon-hwa seemed to grasp the situation instantly. Flick. She unfurled her fan once more, adopting the poised stance of a noble scholar as she prepared her spell.
Having someone of Ryu Yeon-hwa's caliber on their side was like gaining an entire army.
Kang Hyun flicked the blood and grease off his broadsword and glared at Seer.
"I don't think we need to negotiate anymore. Especially since you were kind enough to gather all the explorers for us."
Yet, Seer's face on the screen remained perfectly composed.
—Kang Hyun-ssi. You are probably already aware of this, but occasionally, there are individuals who are exceptionally susceptible to the labyrinth. We refer to them as having high sensitivity.
Kang Hyun silently glared at him.
"Hyung! Don't listen to that bastard!"
"Stay back."
He gently pushed the frantic Im Hae-jun behind him.
—This Ritual Labyrinth has captured her. No, rather, she has captured the labyrinth. She was someone with an immense yearning for happiness. Perhaps she has never been happy even once in her life.
Someone who had never been happy even once.
—Perhaps you are also such a person, Kang Hyun-ssi.
Kang Hyun raised his sword. A faint spark of anger flickered in his clear eyes.
Seer was acting as if he knew everything about him. He couldn't let this slide. He had to sever the man's neck, to tear his body apart.
—Fortunately for me, that person happened to be her.
Seer murmured a cryptic riddle.
—She is a truly noble person.
A certain figure flashed through Kang Hyun's mind.
In an era where the hollow values of equality and empty natural rights ravaged society, she was someone openly regarded as a precious breed. A person whose very existence refuted the hypocritical claim that no human is above another.
Catherine Violet Haleford.
—She is likely more valuable than all of you combined—more than our entire NaN World.
Kang Hyun's eyes darted around, searching for her.
She wasn't there.
None of the capsules contained Kate.
—Yes. Her physical body is inside.
Crack!
The fissures in the labyrinth widened even further. Kang Hyun watched with cold, chilling eyes.
It was a transformation.
—She is already merging with the labyrinth. No, she has embraced the labyrinth.
Kate had embraced the labyrinth.
Kang Hyun voiced the reason aloud.
"Because she found happiness?"
—Indeed.
Seer nodded with a thin smile.
—So, I believe I can demand negotiations once again. To those who are watching us from afar...
The entire world was obsessed with Labyrinth Exploration NaN. In a monitoring room somewhere in South Korea, where that catchphrase was spreading like wildfire:
"This is insane. Absolutely insane."
Kim A-rang rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. The development was just that crazy.
The episode featuring Kang Hyun and Seol Ha-woon, which encompassed the entire western region of the World Labyrinth.
Never in her life had she felt such a strong premonition. It was like the feeling of being absolutely certain she had won the lottery before even buying the ticket. Even if they had meticulously scripted it, it couldn't have turned out this perfect.
"...It really is insane," another writer chimed in from behind.
"Hey. Didn't I tell you to monitor your assigned explorer? The east is just as important as the west."
"He's already done for. A total failure. There's no way he can gather enough WP. He was ranked 90th to begin with..."
It wasn't just her. Too many writers and PDs were gathered around, watching the current situation unfold.
"PD Kim, be honest. Did you script this?"
"This is seriously mind-blowing."
"Are we going to hit a fifty percent viewership rating with this?"
Their observation was entirely legal, given that all of their assigned explorers were currently trapped inside the Ritual Labyrinth.
"...But I do feel a bit bad for that Seer guy."
"Feel bad? For what?" Kim A-rang let out a dry chuckle. "It's just a fake labyrinth anyway. If you're going to feel pity, save it for the real ones. They're just programmed to act like that. You don't feel sorry for ChatGPT when you work it to the bone, do you?"
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"Nothing bad will happen because of this, right?" one of the writers asked, looking slightly worried. Kim A-rang clicked her tongue.
"The problems have already started."
They had to remake the teaser from scratch, and above all else...
This NaN World was turning into an absolute epic.
"The footage is going to overflow. Massively."
"Don't worry about that."
The answer came from elsewhere. Kim A-rang and the staff turned their heads.
"If we ask for more episodes, they'll give them to us. If you want to pack in more footage, pack in as much as you want. Shoot whatever you need to shoot. Our problem isn't the contract."
It was the main PD, Yoon Sa-hyeok, holding a cup of instant mix coffee.
The writers and PDs bowed their heads to him as he walked in for a quick break and a round of inspection.
"The whole world is talking about NaN. Starting this week, just think of yourselves as the broadcasting station itself. Nothing and no one will get in your way. I'll make sure of it. Terrestrial, OTT, whatever—right now, we are number one."
Kim A-rang grinned. As expected, Yoon Sa-hyeok also seemed to be in high spirits.
"Then, once this is all over, we can each buy a house, right? Outright?"
Yoon Sa-hyeok raised an eyebrow.
"Your dreams are too small."
With that single sentence, everyone's faces lit up.
"Now, everyone get back to work."
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
As all the writers and PDs returned to their seats, Yoon Sa-hyeok sat down next to Kim A-rang.
"PD Yoon, what you just said was exactly what I wanted to say."
Yoon Sa-hyeok offered a faint smile.
"PD Kim, you must have a very clear picture in mind."
"Yes. This one was honestly unexpected, but I think I need to revise my evaluation of him."
"Evaluation?"
Kim A-rang nodded.
"He can become a Mage. Seol Ha-woon, that is."
"Do you really think so? He's in his late twenties."
Yoon Sa-hyeok asked back, turning his paper cup in his hands. His deep, cavernous voice seemed to tickle her ears.
"It's not just a gut feeling. We've already received inquiries from several academic sects. They said they're even willing to appear on the show. And one of them is Jepheral."
For a spellcaster, their academic sect was of paramount importance. It was the most decisive framework that would shape their future career.
"I don't think Seol Ha-woon will go. No, he shouldn't."
At Yoon Sa-hyeok's words, Kim A-rang tilted her head in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
"He said Mentor Yu Yul is his master. Even if other sects make offers, didn't he state in his interview that he would stay by Yu Yul's side?"
"Oh, come on. That was probably just something he said for the cameras. We're talking about Jepheral here."
Jepheral was a third-generation active Mage, and his sect was considered absolute top-tier.
"Still, that would mean he said something he didn't mean. If he doesn't keep his word, I'll be disappointed."
Kim A-rang narrowed her eyes.
"You're just trying to keep me on my toes, aren't you? Who in their right mind would trade a winning lottery ticket for a scratch-off?"
Yoon Sa-hyeok laughed.
"I like honest people. Or at least, I want them to pretend to be honest."
He shifted his gaze elsewhere.
"I absolutely despise people who pretend to be loyal on the outside while harboring other intentions..."
Kim A-rang followed his gaze. Nearby stood Mentor Kim Yoon-jun.
"I despise them."
"Well, I know your style, PD Yoon. We've worked together for years."
"Does he come by often?" Yoon Sa-hyeok gestured toward Kim Yoon-jun with his chin.
"Yes. He comes quite often. He's a warm person, so he likes to check on how the kids he taught are doing."
"Yes. He's a good man."
A bittersweet light seeped into Yoon Sa-hyeok's eyes as he looked at the warrior, Kim Yoon-jun.
"But he's only a good man."
Yoon Sa-hyeok crushed the paper cup in his hand and tossed the crumpled remains into the trash can.
I have experienced the Ritual Labyrinth before. Therefore, I know how to wake people up.
Ultimately, it all comes down to sensitivity. If someone's sensitivity is high, they are deeply submerged in the labyrinth, which means waking them up requires a significant amount of effort and plausibility.
Im Hae-jun had terrible sensitivity, so a single smack to the back of his head did the trick. But if I had tried that on Ryu Yeon-hwa, either she or I would have ended up broken.
I woke up quite a few people. I didn't keep an exact count, but it was already well over twenty.
"...Skip this bastard."
Eventually, I reached Kim Du-gyeom's subconscious. I just couldn't stand the sight of him, and I sincerely hoped he would rot. Even his dream was utterly repulsive.
Just die peacefully in here. I hope you wake up a complete vegetable. Okay? Do me a favor.
Slam.
I closed Kim Du-gyeom's door.
Thud!
An explosion echoed from somewhere. I startled and spun around. A distortion was occurring on a specific door.
An anomaly.
I ran over and threw the door open.
The interior was ordinary—a quiet hotel suite. However, the person lying on the bed inside was anything but ordinary.
Her posture was so perfectly straight and rigid that, at first glance, she looked like Dracula resting in a coffin.
Kate.
I approached her and checked the pulse at her wrist. I felt a warm body temperature and a steady heartbeat.
"...It's her physical body."
Like me, Kate's physical body had entered this place, and she was dreaming.
Thud!
Once more, a distortion occurred—this time, right around her. It was a dark, smoke-like mist.
"Whoa!"
It pulled me in with a powerful force.
...Bzzzt. Bzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzt.
I opened my eyes to a burning sensation at the back of my neck.
"Ugh."
The electrode of an implant. Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked ahead. A massive, grand mansion stood before me.
Since I had been pulled in by Kate, this was presumably the Haleford estate.
But... even at a glance.
"Her sensitivity is absolutely immense."
It was a dream, but it didn't feel like a dream at all. It was a subconscious realm, yet it felt fully conscious. I could tell just by the vividness of the scenery and the sensory details brushing against my skin.
This is going to be a headache.
"Hey, you!"
Suddenly, someone called out to me. It was a mansion guard.
"Who are you, loitering around here?"
For the record, he spoke in English. Kate dreamed in English.
"...Ah. Right."
Fortunately, I was quite fluent in English. Being proficient in foreign languages was a basic prerequisite for the BLACK team.
Anyway.
"State your business."
This was Kate's subconscious, the dream she desired. However, I was free to act here. I was the only conscious mind who recognized that this place was a subconscious illusion.
Which meant.
"I'm here for the butler interview."
"...Butler interview?"
"Yes."
I reached into my coat pocket while conjuring a Cognitive Image. There had certainly been nothing there a moment ago, but my hand emerged holding a sheet of paper.
"Here."
The guard took the paper and scratched the back of his neck.
"...Ah. Right. Today was the butler interview."
Dreams always flow along their own current. Just as people never question the most bizarre occurrences while dreaming, I could manipulate the situation to some extent, as long as I didn't completely shatter the plausibility.
"Hold on a moment."
He seemed to be communicating with the interior of the mansion.
It would likely go through without a hitch. Dreams always progressed with a sense of passive acceptance.
"You're cleared. Go on in."
Rumble. The massive gates of the Haleford estate slowly swung open.
"Thank you."
But before stepping inside.
I wiped my hand down my face and looked at my reflection in the polished stone of the gatepost.
It wasn't Seol Ha-woon's face. Far from having long, messy hair, my hair was cut so short it could barely be grabbed. I looked like an ordinary soldier.
Such things were entirely possible within the subconscious.
As for my name... let's go with Seo Un-ha.
I stepped forward, crossing the threshold into Kate's subconscious.