Home Sweet Home (6)
I gathered all the mana stones from the village. They filled three baskets.
It was enough.
While the quality of the stones wasn't exactly top-tier, that didn't matter. Unless you were dealing with the highest grade, the skill of the mage mattered far more than the stones themselves.
That was the teaching of the mage Tae Hyeok.
“…Hmm.”
I looked at the foundation site. The city walls, which had looked like they’d been gnawed on by rats, had finally taken a solid form.
Smeshion had built them up alongside the laborers.
“Isn’t it rewarding?”
"They are walls destined to collapse anyway."
“…….”
I embedded the mana stones into the wall. Small, flickering blue dots. I used them as a medium to weave the spell.
Shhh-!
Geometric patterns, or perhaps something resembling a spiderweb, spread across the wall as the formula of mana took hold.
“An excellent spell.”
Akiman suddenly remarked with admiration. I felt embarrassed for no reason.
“It’s nothing special.”
It was just Flame of Cognition.
For now, it was merely Flame of Cognition. To grow further, I needed more than just that; I needed a Concept.
However, a mage’s Concept is not a theory like mathematics or a simple spell formula. It is a system firmly established within the mage’s inner self—a logic that realizes the order established in one’s own mind.
That is the Concept of a mage.
“…Uwaaaaaah!”
A loud scream rang out, followed by the sound of frantic running. It was Hyeon Dan, the herb gatherer. She was practically rolling down the foothills, with three or four monsters trailing behind her like a tail.
The resolute archer on the wall—Kesu-abi—pulled back its bowstring.
Thwip! Thwip!
Three arrows precisely pierced the monsters' foreheads, and Hyeon Dan reached the wall safely.
“Phew!”
“How was the harvest today?”
“Ah, it was a jackpot!”
Hyeon Dan grinned and showed me her herb basket. It was filled with all sorts of greens.
[Grass-like Herb], [Fever-Grass], [Regeneration Herb], [Antipyretic Herb], [Regeneration Herb]….
They were all medicinal herbs.
“And, this one…”
Hyeon Dan smiled slyly and revealed a large egg she had hidden under a cloth in her basket.
“What is that?”
“Shh.”
She put a finger to her lips and whispered.
“This is a very famous bird egg called a Ger-mong… it’s delicious. You should take it, Inspector—”
I covered the cloth back up.
“Take it and eat it with your sister.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Inspector, you don’t even sleep at night. I’m worried because the skin under your eyes is so dark.”
My stamina is like this, so the dark circles are chronic. They disappear quickly if I sleep for about 8 hours with a Dream Bubble, but they come right back when I use mana.
“The Inspector does not accept bribes. Eat it secretly before it gets confiscated as public rations. It’s a privilege for a hardworking herb gatherer.”
Rules must have room to breathe. You shouldn't be too rigid, nor too lenient.
“…Hmm. I suppose I do work quite well.”
Hyeon Dan smiled proudly and hid the egg.
“Submit all the herbs to the infirmary. The village chief will distribute meal tickets.”
“Yes, sir!”
The village chief had become the medical officer. He said his dream when he was young was to be a doctor, and now, in his twilight years, he finally had the chance to fulfill it.
“Oh, can I manage the herb garden from now on, too?”
“Yes. It is the duty of Sergeant Hyeon Dan.”
Hyeon Dan was a Sergeant. Considering the responsibilities and subordinates placed under her, I felt she deserved at least that much recognition.
“Yes, sir!”
Hyeon Dan dashed off to the infirmary.
“Mr. Akiman. How is it on your side?”
I turned to look at Akiman.
“It’s not bad.”
The elite detachment he had selected consisted of 8 people in total. They were divided into groups of four and tasked with hunting mountain beasts outside the village. We decided to distribute a portion of the food to the special operations team that succeeded in their hunts.
You must provide appropriate rewards to units taking risks, but you must also be vigilant to ensure they don't develop a sense of entitlement.
“They might not meet our standards yet, but with a little more training, they will be sufficient as a fighting force. They hunt quite well, too.”
In addition to the elites, we organized 30 villagers into archers and infantry.
“Yes. That’s a relief.”
With the walls completed, I walked into the center of the village. Five new buildings had been erected.
The village hall, which would serve as the headquarters to store the crystal, had been expanded to be much sturdier, and a food warehouse and cafeteria were built next to it. A long medical building and living quarters for the soldiers were also constructed.
Also, the parade ground was filled with soldiers shooting bows and swinging swords. They only had two weeks to learn, but thanks to them, the village was coming back to life.
“Hey! Over there!”
“Catch me if you can, bleh!”
“I’m gonna fart on you!”
The children were gathering and playing together. Neighbors smiled and greeted each other warmly. The despair that had flowed through the village just two days ago, the resignation in the face of death—it was all gone.
“Inspector!”
I reached the front of the most important building: the food warehouse. The cook saluted and said,
“Food organization is complete!”
“Yes. Let’s see.”
I examined the food in the warehouse. First, snacks were sorted into cloth bags and lined up neatly, and the meat hunted by the team was butchered and stored in the refrigerator. Six cartons of eggs had also been collected.
“Oh. You’re here.”
Yoon, the owner of the chicken farm, had taken on the title of Quartermaster and Head Cook.
“I was just thinking about the menu. I think it would be more efficient to soften the rice into a porridge and eat it with the snacks. But occasionally, maybe once or twice a week? If we serve meat as a special meal, I think it would help the village atmosphere….”
“Let’s do that.”
“Yes! Loyalty!”
Yoon saluted just as I had taught him.
After checking the food warehouse, I went to the armory. The skilled elders had already made hundreds of wooden arrows.
“Inspector. How are they?”
“They’re good. You’ve all done well.”
I lit a fire in a large cauldron. I put molten metal and a mana stone inside and flicked my finger.
Whoosh! The roaring flame melted the mana stone into the molten metal.
“Dip the arrowheads in here for about 3 seconds and take them out.”
If you dip wood into ordinary molten metal, it would naturally melt or burn, but this was a mana solution for enchanting. It would be properly coated and stick to the arrowheads.
“They will become arrows lethal even to monsters.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Did you all hear that?”
I left the armory.
Two hours left. Over the course of 34 hours, the village had taken on the shape of a proper stronghold. Now, it was time to install the crystal in the most intimate place: the headquarters.
I entered the village hall. I stored the crystal in a safe I had prepared in advance.
Crystal installation complete.
'Purification' will begin in 338 hours, 13 minutes, and 10 seconds (Labyrinth time).
Purification. That seemed to be the crystal's role. If the attack team defeated the enemy and the crystal was preserved until then, it meant the land being eroded by demonic energy would be restored.
“…The last thing.”
The real last thing remained. A defense mechanism in case of an unexpected air raid. I left the village hall. Akiman and Smeshion were waiting.
“Mr. Akiman. Mr. Smeshion. I will be away from the base for about two weeks. I leave things in your hands.”
The two nodded.
“Yes. See you in a while.”
I leaned on my cane and walked around the outskirts of the village. With every step I took, I carved an invisible spell.
One day, articles related to Labyrinth Exploration NaN appeared.
It meant they would simultaneously broadcast the main episode in movie theaters. No, not just simultaneous broadcasting—they were going to keep it in theaters for the entire week.
“…Huh?”
Lee Si-ah, a hardcore fan, tilted her head. She checked the community reactions.
Leaked rumors? Lee Si-ah, curious, searched quickly.
1. The next labyrinth is an Open World. Half cyberpunk, half Eastern world.
2. Seol Ha-woon, Kang Hyun, Kate, and Lee Jun-ho will have a lot of screen time.
3. Seol Ha-woon and Kang Hyun fight until they are nearly dead. Their relationship might be quite bad after this labyrinth.
4. Seol Ha-woon has many active moments. If he was on the border of major and minor before, he will likely rise to the complete mainstream from this labyrinth.
5. There is actually a strange atmosphere between Seo Ji-woo and Seol Ha-woon in the dorms.
6. Lee Jun-ho assaulted Kim Du-gyeom….
A user presumed to be an insider or an acquaintance of an insider, famous for getting more than half right. The rumors of discord between Seol Ha-woon and Kang Hyun were suddenly appealing.
Meanwhile, Labyrinth Exploration NaN Episode 8 began. Lee Si-ah watched the TV with her right eye while scrolling through the community with her left.
“Yu Ji-in: Today is the tier re-selection!”
It was a tier re-selection from the opening. Seol Ha-woon was C-tier. It was absurd. He was the one who beat up Kim Du-gyeom, so how was he C-tier?
Seol Ha-woon’s "genius theory" was a frequent topic in the community these days. People analyzed everything, even useless things.
“Yu Ji-in: Now, the dorms will be re-assigned according to the tiers. But before that, it would be a shame to just move on, right? There’s a battle for a prize.”
The main broadcast was a flow of daily life and mini-games. It was a staring contest, and the first round was Seo Ji-woo vs. Seol Ha-woon.
“Seol Ha-woon… always smiles only at Seo Ji-woo.”
It was meaningful. In fact, there was a plausible hypothesis created by Seol Ha-woon’s fandom, including Lee Si-ah. Seo Ji-woo’s older brother, Seo Ji-hyuk, was Seol Ha-woon’s UDT comrade, and therefore, the reason Seol Ha-woon was particularly good to Seo Ji-woo was….
Suddenly, the screen switched. The editing was a bit unnatural, probably because of Kim Du-gyeom.
“…It must be the labyrinth.”
It was a set that looked like an arcade. The explorers gathered in one place, looking around with tense faces.
“Im Hae-jun: What is it this time?”
“Kang Hyun: I think it has something to do with games. What do you think, Seol Ha-woon?”
Seol Ha-woon, Im Hae-jun, and Kang Hyun. They still looked close.
There were a lot of crazy people. As the viewership and buzz grew, many malicious people who seemed like real psychopaths were clinging on.
“Yu Ji-in: Today is Labyrinth Day, and it’s the last labyrinth before the first tally.”
What kind of labyrinth could it be to have such leaked rumors, or sources intentionally released by the broadcasting station?
“Yu Ji-in: The theme of the labyrinth is…. Open World!”
Open World.
Lee Si-ah’s eyes widened. Yu Ji-in explained the labyrinth. Lee Si-ah’s heart pounded along with it. A World Labyrinth. It was the labyrinth with the highest buzz among all labyrinths.
“Yu Ji-in: Then, shall we enter now?”
At that moment, the screen went pitch black.
“Yu Ji-in: I wish you all good luck.”
Yu Ji-in’s voice seeped in a bit eerily.
The opening was Kang Hyun. He was placed in a city. It was a skyscraper-filled metropolis with airships flying in the distance and outdoor billboards and holographic screens plastered everywhere.
[West - Raynos]
Kang Hyun, who looked around in momentary confusion, soon took a step forward. After that, the screen cross-edited several explorers, including Kate and Ryu Yeon-hwa, showing each of their situations… for a fleeting moment.
Thump.
A vivid sound in her ears. Now, just hearing this echo made her heart race like Pavlov’s dog.
“…Wow.”
Lee Si-ah exclaimed without realizing it. In the thick, dark air mixed with oil, a man in a long coat stood. He leaned on his cane and stared quietly at the city. He gazed steadily at the street, which had sunk stickily under the countless neon signs, and beyond the filth spreading into the atmosphere.
It was a different place from Kang Hyun’s. It was much poorer and dirtier. And because of that, it was even more picturesque.
“Seol Ha-woon… he’s a scene-stealer who can capture the public’s attention just by appearing. Every scene is charming and makes it impossible to look away.”
He was no longer a minor.