Chapter 60
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Meiden's Great Labyrinth (1)
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The world's 32nd-ranked superhuman.
Dungeon Creator Meiden.
Hehe. I wonder when they'll start.
She was watching the monitors in the control room with a wicked smile.
Youre the same as ever.
Yuhwa said, looking at her.
Me? I never change.
Today, Yuhwa was assigned to security duty for this educational great labyrinth.
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, active superhumans had been stationed all around.
So, that business with Kim Shinwoo, that bastarddid it all get sorted out?
Yes. Thanks to your help, it was resolved smoothly.
Good enough, then.
Yuhwa had received help from many people to cover up Kim Shinwoo's death.
Meiden was one of them.
But what made you decide to help with such a troublesome task?
The Meiden Yuhwa knew was not the type to take on such a hassle.
*Tsk*.
Meiden clicked her tongue.
Why do you think? Some punk who has dirt on me blackmailed me into it.
Ah. You mean Jinho?
Don't even say his name. That good-for-nothing bum. How dare he shamelessly bring up what happened when we were twenty?
Haha.
Meiden's appearance wasn't much different from Yuhwa's, but she was forty-one, the same age as Pi Jinho.
She'd heard they were classmates at the academy, so they had quite a history.
Just you wait. I'll make him regret it as he watches his students cry their eyes out.
Meiden flashed the most wicked smile imaginable.
By the way, Meiden. These cadets might not be so easy.
What?
Meiden spun her chair around to face Yuhwa.
Her expression was full of displeasure.
They're called the Golden Generation, you know. This year's first-years.
I know that. I heard there are over ten of them who could go pro right now without any issue.
That's right.
So what?
Meiden scoffed.
Even active superhumans struggle in my labyrinth. You think a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears fledglings who've just become adults can clear my dungeon unscathed?
Her expression and words were brimming with confidence.
Yes. I think at least one team will pass through without any trouble.
Meiden furrowed her brow.
Who? Shin Jia's team?
Nah, not her. She has the skill, but not the experience.
Yuhwa criticized Shin Jia sharply.
Then Ha Siyeon's group?
Hmm. It is that team, but not because of Cadet Ha Siyeon.
Then who?
Yuhwa smiled softly as she looked at the monitor.
Rank 107.
Rank 107?
On the monitor screen, the image of Rank 107, Kang Seoyul, was displayed prominently.
Ah, it's starting. Well, Meiden, I'll be heading back to my post.
What? Hey! Finish what you were saying before you go! Rank 107 will what in my dungeon!
Meiden's sharp cry echoed loudly.
* * *
The trial to conquer Meiden's Great Labyrinth is conducted in teams of six.
There are 498 first-years in total, making for 83 teams.
Of course, this great labyrinth is a masterpiece among masterpieces, created by the combination of the brilliant Dungeon Creator Meiden and the financial backing of the Korean government and the academy.
It boasts a vastness so immense that 83 teams can attempt to clear it simultaneously without major issues.
One might call it a spectacular waste of money, but it isn't just about throwing money around.
It's more like an investment.
After all, once an educational labyrinth like this is built, it becomes a source of income.
The revenue earned from other countries for using the great labyrinth is quite substantial.
Well, that's only possible if it's well-made, but since the creator is *the* Meiden, there shouldn't be a problem.
All that's left is to run a few tests to ensure its stability.
In short, we've been chosen as the test subjects for that stability test.
Wow. I've been to a few artificial labyrinths, but this place is on a whole other level.
Ha Siyeon marveled, looking all around.
The person who's supposed to be our team leader is sightseeing instead of staying alert.
Team Leader Ha. Are you going to take this seriously?
Ah, yes. My apologies.
At my words, Ha Siyeon's face tensed up, and she quickly surveyed her surroundings.
Everyone, stay sharp. This is a labyrinth. And it's Meiden's Great Labyrinth. Let your guard down, and you're done for.
Okay.
Yeah.
Our team consists of Ha Siyeon and me, along with ranks 2, 107, 180, 291, 381, and 473.
You could say it's a very decent balance.
No, maybe I should call it lucky. I never expected to be on the same team as Ha Siyeon.
This makes things easier.
It'll be easier for me to speak up.
I see something up ahead.
Ha Siyeon, who was leading the way, said to me as if she'd spotted something.
Team Leader Ha. If you've found something, you're the one who should make the call.
Ha Siyeon stopped and stared at me intently.
Then, she tilted her head.
I've been wondering for a while now. Why am I the team leader?
In this group, if Rank 2 isn't the leader, then who is?
What a ridiculous question.
But it seemed it wasn't so obvious to the other cadets.
Seoyul, you should do it.
Kang Seoyul should do it.
The top scorer in the written exam should do it.
They were all pointing at me.
You want me to do it?
Yeah. Honestly, in a labyrinth, what does rank matter? Brains are what's important.
That's right. Everyone knows Seoyul is smart. Just look at the virtual ruin mission.
Following Ha Siyeon, the other team members chimed in to support her.
I was dumbfounded.
I'm getting command this easily?
Has my reputation improved that much?
Or are my teammates just all really nice?
Maybe both?
Alright, I'll take command then? Everyone agrees?
Yep.
Anyway, what a score.
I took command within five minutes of the trial starting.
Alright, Siyeon. Brief me on what you saw up ahead.
Ah, yeah. I see three monsters up ahead. They look kind of like rats. I've never seen monsters like them before.
Monsters that look like rats...
Are they mostly brown, with glowing green eyes?
Huh? How did you know? That's right.
Plague Rats.
My guess was correct.
That means the interior of this great labyrinth isn't much different from the original work.
Then it seems I can proceed with the plan.
What should we do? Take them out?
No. Let's go around.
Meiden's Great Labyrinth Conquest: Essential Rule #1.
Always avoid monsters with 'Plague' in their name.
Plague Rats are easy to kill, but the aftermath is the problem. They release a poison when they die.
Ah.
Of course, since this is an educational dungeon, it's just a paralysis poison, but poison is poison. Inhaling it becomes a real pain.
So should we take the side path and go straight?
No.
That's a poor strategy.
We've only just started. If we needlessly push toward the center now, we'll just end up in a brutal fight with other teams.
Ah. Right.
The other team members nodded.
Then what's the plan? We get more points the faster we reach the center, right?
The male student ranked 180th asked a sharp question. But he seemed a bit like a know-it-all who was missing the point.
Don't worry too much about the ranking. If you look closely, the point difference between 1st and 10th place is only 20 points.
Huh? Oh. You're right.
The instructor intentionally focused the explanation on the rankings. The important thing in this labyrinth isn't the rank.
We're going to collect the treasures on the outskirts.
Outskirt treasures?
Yeah.
I showed them item number 27 on the last page of the rulebook.
[27. 'Treasures' exist throughout the great labyrinth. Each of these treasures is assigned a random number of points.]
There was a rule like this?
We just got these rulebooks, so most people probably haven't noticed yet.
We were handed the rulebooks right after entering.
Most teams would only be thinking about reaching the center quickly to get points.
Even the teams that did notice will likely aim for treasures in the center rather than on the outskirts.
In the original work, very few teams actually aimed for the treasures on the outskirts.
To be honest, aiming for the center while simultaneously acquiring treasures is the more efficient method.
The problem is that its efficiency attracts a lot of competition.
What do you think? I believe it's a strategy with a high chance of success.
I waited for all my teammates to react.
You're right. Even if we fall out of the top ten, getting 20 points from these treasures would put us ahead.
And the probability of engaging with other teams will be lower.
Yeah. Sounds good. Let's do as Seoyul says.
With Ha Siyeon's agreement, everyone else voiced their consent.
Okay. Since everyone agrees, let's switch to conquering the outer regions.
We turned our backs to the center and started heading back.
This is going much more smoothly than I thought.
* * *
A good amount of time passed after that.
The reptile-type monsters just look dangerous; they're nothing special. Think of them as walking point bundles.
There's a trap here. If it looks hard to disarm, let's bypass it.
I continued our advance, giving orders at the right time and place.
As safely as possible, using my knowledge of the original story and what I'd learned beforehand to the fullest.
This treasure is a trap. See the subtle groove carved underneath?
Okay. This one's real. But looking at the altar's design, it's a pressure plate trap that activates when the weight is reduced. We can just replace it with this rock.
Everyone followed my instructions well, so there were no real difficulties.
I'd say I'm a really lucky team leader to have met teammates like these.
Okay. Let's take a short break.
At my words, everyone plopped down where they stood.
Siyeon, you rest too. I've confirmed the area is safe.
Ah, okay.
Ha Siyeon was the last to sit down, and then I sat as well.
That makes three treasures.
Heh. We're already at 38 points.
If you include the points from that elite monster we took down, we've probably passed 50.
Perhaps because the mission was going so smoothly, the mood was also great.
This is all thanks to our team leader, Kang Seoyul.
Seriously. I thought you were some kind of prophet.
You identified every single trap, so there was nothing for me to do.
They all looked at me with gazes full of admiration. It's a bit much.
It's because you all followed my directions so well.
Wow. The virtue of humility, too.
A true strategic genius of our time
Their stares grew even more intense.
I probably shouldn't have said that.
Anyway, at this rate, we should be able to get the fourth treasure and sleep in a safe zone tonight.
Man~ This is seriously perfect.
I'd already found a safe zone on our way here. We still had some stamina left, so we passed it by for now.
After a break of about ten minutes.
Alright, shall we get moving?
Yeah.
We set off once more.
Monster up ahead.
You know the drill, right?
Oki!
We continued on for about another thirty minutes.
Oh? Why is this treasure room so big?
We had arrived at the fourth treasure room.
Holy shit.
I trembled as I stared at the door.
We found this on the first day?
Why?
Ha Siyeon asked, looking up at me.
Rulebook, item 36.
I roughly opened the rulebook and showed it to my teammates.
[36. There are special rooms within the great labyrinth where a total of three artifacts lie dormant.]
Artifacts?
Yeah.
Artifacts of which only three exist in the entire labyrinth.
Doesn't the name itself give you a feeling? I see these artifacts as the key items for conquering the labyrinth.
Now that you mention it, yeah.
The fact that there are only three, too. Yep. I get a good feeling about this.
Everyone nodded at my suggestion. In reality, the artifacts were the key items for clearing the great labyrinth.
I chose the strategy of exploring the outskirts precisely because I knew one of the three artifacts was in a treasure room on the outer edge.
But I never imagined we'd find it this quickly.
There are a total of twenty treasure rooms on the outskirts alone.
Honestly, if we hadn't found it by the second day, I was planning to give up and head to the center, but to think we'd find it in a single day.
We're lucky.
Seoyul!
It was then.
*Crack*
Along with Ha Siyeon's shout,
the sound of the surroundings freezing over could be heard.
*Clang! Clang!*
Then came the sound of ice shattering against something.
Ha Siyeon must have deflected something with her ice magic.
An arrow?
Sure enough, an arrow was rolling on the floor.
A familiar arrow, with a familiar magical energy.
I quickly turned my gaze to where the arrow had come from.
Jia.
Yeah. It's Jia's team.
Beyond the dark corridor.
Jia was drawing her bowstring.
You've got to be kidding me.
Why is Jia exploring the outskirts?
According to the original story, the team exploring the outskirts should have been Kim Cheoljin's team, the one Choi Jihoon was on.
Jia should be in the center right now, fighting for her life. Why is she here?
Seoyul!
No. This isn't the time to be thinking about that.
Battle formation!
We immediately formed up.
And in the next moment.
*Swoosh!*
With the sound of Jia's arrow piercing the air,
three cadets charged forward, led by a swordsman clad in blue magical armor.
Blue magical armor.
The moment I recognized its form, my eyes widened.
Choi Jihoon!
It was Choi Jihoon, wearing his magic armor.
*Kaaang!*
I drew my dagger and deflected Choi Jihoon's sword.
Why the hell is this guy on the same team as Jia!?