The Second Floor Outpost Base

"What the— what is this?!"

"It's called an Outpost Base Crystal, Master!"

I already knew that much.

An outpost base?

Did it mean the same thing as the outpost bases I knew?

A long crystal glowing ruby-red.

I turned it over in my hands for a long while.

"Mongmo… so if I use this, I can build an outpost base on the second floor?"

"That appears to be the case, Master. This thing…"

I met Mongmo's eyes.

"This is huge, right?"

"It is huge, Master."

An outpost base. In simple terms, it meant I could set up a forward base on the second floor of the Labyrinth.

"Well, since it's only an outpost, it probably won't have the full functions of a territory."

"But even if it just works properly as a safe zone, it'll be an innovation, a revolution, a total upheaval—words can't even describe it!"

"You're right about that…"

I hadn't checked the exact functions yet, but if it could serve as a proper "base" on the second floor of the Labyrinth, that alone would be enormous.

What if other Awakeners on the second floor could enter it?

Even if it only let people sleep on the bare ground, the Hyeolma Guard would take a massive leap forward.

"We'll only know once we actually make it."

"Right. The problem is I have to go there myself."

Mongmo's body trembled violently at my words.

"M-Master has to go to the second floor?!"

"Yeah. It says I have to use it directly. I guess I need to plant this thing on the second floor myself?"

"Kyaaaaak!!"

?

Mongmo, who had suddenly started hyperventilating, transformed into his human child form, dropped to the floor, and sprinted off somewhere.

"Gobeeee!!! Bolteeeee!! Gather all the subordinates right now!!!!"

"…?"

"Emergencreee!!!! This is an ultra-emergencyyyyy!!!!"

Mongmo?

***

"E-Everyone, come backkk!! Stop what you're doing and return, kerk!"

"All of you, get back here!! When does the kobold training end?!"

"T-Two days?! No, we'll finish everything today! Kerkk!"

"…"

Goblins came rushing back to the territory in a panic, ringing a bell they had pulled from who-knows-where.

Guys. I'm not even planning to go up right now.

The reset is the day after tomorrow…

"Mongmo? Gob?"

"Gob!! Arm them!! Full armament for the entire force!!"

"Put the backpacks in the warehouse, kerk! Grab your armor and weapons!!"

"Woo! Woo! Wooouuu!"

"Hmm…"

Leaving my familiars running around in a panic, I walked around the changed territory to inspect it.

The Logistics Warehouse, which had been Level 1, had jumped straight to Level 3.

The warehouse, now packed with dimensional storage boxes, wouldn't burst even if the Golden Goblins went wild.

There was even a conveyor belt system set up like a delivery center's unloading line.

"The warehouse keeper's been working hard… I'll be counting on you again in the future…"

"Kyaaak! I-I need to arm up too! Weapons! Where are my weapons?! Kerk!"

"You don't have to."

I left the flustered warehouse keeper and goblins behind and headed to the next location.

"Whoa… this is pretty good?"

The Residential Quarters had changed the most. What used to be large barracks crammed together now looked like an apartment complex, except the doors were spaced even more tightly.

Wondering if there was actually any space inside, I opened one of the doors.

"…Wow, the goblins really pulled it off."

Every single one of those tightly packed doors led to a dimensional room.

Inside was a modern residential facility.

I wasn't sure if goblins could actually use it, but that was their problem. I closed the door.

Next was the Dining Hall.

It was filled with massive cooking equipment straight out of a military base.

"U-Us too? Should we arm up, kerk?!"

"No! Our battlefield is right here, kerk! Grab your spatulas!!"

"Stir-fry!! Full bellies mean higher combat power, kerk!!!"

The goblin chefs were frantically stir-frying rice without a moment's rest.

"G-Good work."

Did these guys even get breaks? Gob told me not to worry about it, so I hadn't checked.

"They'll handle it themselves…"

The Training Ground and Dismantling Facility had also expanded in size and improved in function.

The biggest changes were to the School and Workshop.

Both had risen two levels and unlocked new functions.

I couldn't test the School's new function right away, so I moved on. The Workshop's changes were immediately obvious.

"Wait, it can make Rare items too?"

Rare-grade items started at prices in the thousands. They were extremely rare on the second floor and only appeared occasionally from the third floor onward. Thanks to the Golden Goblins, their market prices had been dropping steadily, but weapons still cost tens of millions of won.

And now we could mass-produce them?

"We're going to rake in money again…?"

The problem was that if we started churning out Rare items, it wouldn't just affect the crafters—Awakeners' incomes would take a hit too.

I'd have to discuss this with Mongmo first.

Finally, there was one newly constructed building.

"…A pharmacy?"

It wasn't like potions didn't exist in the Labyrinth. But they were all single-use items meant only for the Labyrinth.

They occasionally dropped alongside regular items, but once taken outside, they turned into plain water and couldn't be sold.

So most Awakeners just carried them around and dumped them before leaving the Labyrinth.

Their trade value was zero.

"Having one can't hurt, right? Mongmo, want to try out the pharmacy?"

"Kyaaak! Master! I'm busy right now! Stay right there and don't move!!"

"…Got it."

If I said I was going to the third floor, he'd probably flip the entire territory upside down.

***

Ding.

The café door opened and Choi Kang-hyuk walked in. After looking around, he went straight to one person and sat down.

"Long time no see."

"Yes, long time no see, Mr. Choi Kang-hyuk."

"I thought you got arrested, old man?"

"It was a non-custodial indictment. The trial is coming up soon."

"The Association got disbanded?"

"Yes."

"Sigh… You should've gone easy. You were making decent money too."

Kim Dan let out a small sigh as Choi Kang-hyuk sipped his coffee.

"What's the point of talking about the past? We should look to the future instead."

"Do you even have a future, old man?"

"I just have to pay the fines and penalties. The amount is quite large, but as you said, Mr. Choi Kang-hyuk, my income wasn't bad."

"Oh, really? No prison time?"

"It's my first offense. I hired a pretty good lawyer too. I'm showing remorse—on the surface, at least."

"Money really solves everything. This country's great, huh?"

Kim Dan's eyes changed at Choi Kang-hyuk's words.

"I hate this country, Mr. Choi Kang-hyuk. Don't you feel the same?"

Choi Kang-hyuk narrowed his eyes.

"I hate this damn country. But if you hate the temple, shouldn't the monk leave?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I've received an interesting proposal."

Kim Dan leaned forward toward Choi Kang-hyuk.

He pulled a piece of paper with writing on it from his pocket and placed it on the table.

It read:

***

A few noisy days passed.

Normally, we would've been preparing to open the Hyeolma Guard for business, but this week we posted a notice and pushed the opening back by about three days.

Right now, I was standing in the center of the first floor of the Labyrinth, in front of the gate leading to the second floor.

Of course, I wasn't alone.

"Kerkk."

"Kung kung!"

"Krrrkk!!"

"…Yeah, guys. If you sense anything, come find me, okay?"

I was accompanied by a total of 19,000 familiars—everyone except the thousand left behind to guard the territory.

"Master, are you really sure about this? I'll go with you!"

"You'll just get sent somewhere else the moment we enter anyway. Stay in the territory. You're useless in a fight."

"But…"

"I'll be fine. I'll hide well until the kids arrive."

"Understood. Contact me as soon as you build the outpost base!"

"Got it."

I calmed Mongmo down and looked around.

"Captain! We'll be right there, so wait for us, kerk!"

"Yeah. Gob, don't engage with any humans you meet. Their levels won't even be a match for the second floor anyway."

"Understood, kerk!"

"Aaa… paaa…!"

"I'm not your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dad. Just ignore everything and come straight to me, got it?"

"Aaa… paaa…!!!"

"Anyway, you guys shouldn't fight either. Just come find me first."

"Kerkk! Kerk!"

"Kung kung kung kung!"

"Woo! Wooou!!"

Man… this is gonna be a headache if we run into people in the Black Forest.

I put on the red mask Mongmo had prepared in advance.

"Let's go."

The moment I spoke, 19,000 familiars leaped into the gate.

The ground shook violently like an earthquake, then fell silent once they were all through.

"Be careful, Master! You must be extremely careful!!"

"Yeah, don't worry."

Just like the kids were fully armed, I was also decked out head to toe in Rare-grade equipment.

The items I was wearing alone were worth hundreds of millions of won.

A Level 10 kobold or two wouldn't even be a handful.

"I'm heading in then. I'll contact you once it's built."

I set Mongmo down on the ground and stepped through the green gate.

The gray asphalt disappeared, replaced by a black world.

The grass on the ground and the leaves on the branches were all pitch black.

It was so dark I could barely see a few feet ahead, as if the sunlight itself was being absorbed.

Yet the air carried a surprisingly pleasant grassy scent.

This was the Black Forest—the second most infamous field on the second floor of the Labyrinth.

"Alright then…"

I raised my longsword and glanced around.

My 19,000 familiars had scattered throughout the second floor.

But I didn't have to wait long.

"…Were they always this fast?"

The familiars I could sense through Blood Scent were approaching rapidly.

Thud thud thud thud.

-Kyaaaaak!

-Kyaaaaak!!!!

-What the hell is this?!

The ground trembled, and distant screams echoed from somewhere.

"G-Guys, slow down…"

Yeah… I think I'm gonna be fine.

***

Min Hyun-soo was wandering through the Black Forest, swinging his sword to snap off twigs.

He was the owner of the Hyeolma Guard.

Yet here he was, grumbling and exploring the Labyrinth alone.

"Damn it. If I didn't need the money so badly…"

A few days before entering the Labyrinth, a message had gone out to all Hyeolma Guard members.

The Hyeolma Guard would start operating a few days later.

An inspection out of nowhere? What was that supposed to mean?

Complaining wouldn't change anything, so he had originally planned to enter the Labyrinth a few days later.

In three days, he could enjoy a comfortable exploration with a well-behaved goblin companion.

But the reason he came early ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway was—

"Damn… If I didn't need the investment money so badly…"

His friend kept pestering him about a good investment opportunity, so he had no choice but to enter the Labyrinth early to raise funds.

The second floor was already familiar territory, and he could farm for three days before linking up with the Hyeolma Guard when they arrived.

"Tsk… It really is a good investment. 300% return with guaranteed principal… Huh?"

At that moment—

Thud thud thud thud.

The ground suddenly began to shake.

"What…? W-What is that?"

It was a phenomenon he'd never seen in the Black Forest before.

Tensely gripping his weapon, Min Hyun-soo focused all his senses on his surroundings.

Thud thud thud thud.

Kyaaaaak!

Kraaaah! Krrrrk!

Kerururuk! Keruuuk!

The ground shook as strange cries echoed from every direction, reverberating through the forest.

"D-Don't tell me it's a random event? A monster frenzy?!"

Occasionally, unusual phenomena occurred in the Labyrinth—monster riots, explosions in numbers, or the appearance of bizarre creatures.

There were many types, but they all shared one thing in common.

They were extremely dangerous.

Thud thud thud thud!!!

The tremors grew stronger.

Min Hyun-soo instinctively climbed a tree.

Whatever it was, running was too late, so he decided to observe from above.

At that moment—

Thud thud thud thud!

"Kyaaaaak!"

"Over there! It's over there!!!"

"Kung kung! Wooouuk!"

"…??"

Goblins and kobolds fully armed with armor and weapons appeared and ran off in one direction.

Min Hyun-soo watched without even breathing.

Crash! Crack! Boom! Crack!

One monster was charging at incredible speed, smashing through trees in its path as it overtook the goblins and kobolds.

"Uwaaaah paaaah!!!"

A massive body, dark red fur, strength and speed that made ordinary High Kobolds look like children.

Min Hyun-soo, who only ever operated on the second floor, had never seen such a monster in his life.

Gulp.

Watching from the tree in stunned silence, Min Hyun-soo made up his mind.

"…Yeah, investment isn't for someone like me."

First, I need to get out of here.

***

—Master!! Are you alright?! Are you really alright?!!!

"…Yeah, I'm fine."

—Don't let your guard down!!! Build the outpost base quickly and get out!!!

"Y-Yeah, got it."

I ended the call with Mongmo and looked around.

"Keruruk! Kerk."

"Woo!! Krrrrng!"

"Kyaaaaak."

"…It's way too safe."

Thousands of goblins and kobolds had gathered shortly after we entered.

This was already overkill for the second floor.

Even a swarm of High Kobolds wouldn't be able to touch a single hair on my head.

Just then, from far away—

"Krrrrk! Captainnnn!!"

"Uwaaaah paaaah!!!"

"Let's get moving, guys…"

Seeing Gob and Bolt charging at full speed, I started walking.

With those two here, humans wouldn't be a problem either.

"By the way, this is really amazing."

Just by crossing one gate, an entirely new world had unfolded.

Instead of the crumbling city I saw every day, I was surrounded by a forest with dense black leaves.

The scent of grass and the humid air were no different from a real forest.

"A… paaa…"

Bolt approached and lowered his body in front of me.

"You want me to ride?"

"Woo!"

"…Maybe I should."

I climbed onto Bolt's back and headed toward the boundary between the outer and central areas of the Black Forest.

It was the location Mongmo and I had decided on beforehand.

If I could build the outpost base anywhere, expandability was key.

Monsters grew more numerous the closer you got to the center, so a spot near the boundary that could quickly reach anywhere in the Black Forest was ideal.

Even if it only performed the basic functions I expected, that would be enough.

As long as it could create a safe zone that survived the reset, even if it wasn't as good as a full territory…

"The Black Forest would be completely conquered."

We'd be able to pull off incredible things, limited to the Black Forest.

And it wouldn't just benefit me.

What if a place where Awakeners could rest was created inside the Labyrinth?

What if new Awakeners entering the second floor started gaining experience in the Black Forest and gradually expanded their range?

After riding Bolt straight for half a day, we arrived at a cluster of massive trees marking the boundary between the central and outer areas.

"This should be good. Everyone, stop."

I got off Bolt's back and looked around.

The area was dense with trees, but it would work the same way as when I built the base on the first floor.

I planted the crystal from my pocket into the ground.

Flash!

The crystal shattered and light spread outward.

The surrounding trees melted away, space expanded, and structures appeared.

A wide ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠open area, and a single gate in the center like a territory.

"Jackpot."

I didn't even need to check the additional functions to know.

With this, I could do far more than I had originally planned.

Creak!

"Masteeeer!!!"

The passage burst open and Mongmo shot out like a bullet.

He clung to my chest, running his hands all over me to check for injuries.

"Are you alright?! You didn't get hurt anywhere?!"

"I didn't even run into a single monster, let alone a bug."

"Really?!"

"Look at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all these guys here. Unless the monsters are suicidal, they won't even come near."

"That's a relief. So this place is…?"

"Yeah."

Mongmo and I looked around the vast empty lot.

It was enormous—larger than several sports fields combined.

According to the outpost base's description, I could now build lower-tier versions of territory facilities here.

And I already knew exactly what to summon.

"Summon Residential Quarters and Dining Hall."

Flash!

Two buildings appeared in the lot, made of the same material as the Black Forest's trees.

One was the Residential Quarters, the other the Dining Hall.

And they weren't ordinary buildings.

"They're dimensional spaces."

"With this, we can accommodate a large number of people."

Just like the territory buildings, these were equipped with dimensional space.

Thirty percent of the territory's capacity.

Even at the lowest estimate, it was a massive dimensional space that could house over seven thousand people at once.

"Master, with this…"

"Yeah. It's done. Let's go out and post the notice first."

"Understood!"

"You guys head inside too. Leave a few goblins behind."

At my command, the familiars used the passage to return to the first-floor territory.

After leaving a few goblins to guard the outpost base, I was about to enter when—

"S-Shut-in Hyeolma?"

I turned to see an Awakener staring at me in shock near the outpost base entrance.

"I-Is that really you? That mask and those goblins… It's you, right?"

I was wearing a mask and surrounded by goblins and a defensive barrier, so there wasn't much to worry about.

"Yes, that's me. Hello."

"Whoa! For real? You're actually Shut-in Hyeolma? Wait, what is all this?!"

The Awakener approached while curiously looking around.

Stopping in front of me, he suddenly pulled out a pen and held it out.

"C-Could you sign this for me? It's a weapon I bought from Hyeolma Gentleman!"

"…Won't the ink come off?"

"I'll just keep this one and buy a new one when I leave! Hyeolma Gentleman weapons aren't that expensive anyway."

I had no idea why he was carrying a pen in the Labyrinth, but it wasn't a difficult request. I quickly signed the weapon.

Wow, I never thought the day would come when I'd be doing this.

"By the way… Mr. Shut-in Hyeolma, what exactly is this place?"

"Ah, this? I was going to post a notice, but you're our first customer."

I extended my hand and shook hands with our very first guest.

"Welcome. This is the Hyeolma Inn."

"…Excuse me?"

"Have a pleasant stay."

"…Pleasant? This is the Labyrinth, you know?"

The Hyeolma Group is now entering the lodging industry as well.

— End —