Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Meiden's Grand Labyrinth (3)
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"......What the?"
The door to the artifact room slowly began to open.
At the sudden development, everyone stopped fighting and looked in that direction.
Sshhhhh-
Mana, thick with water vapor, was spewing out from the gap in the door.
If I remember correctly, the guardian of this artifact room was imbued with the 'water' attribute by engraving a special activation formula onto a particular item.
Since the other two artifact rooms are 'wind' and 'fire', that's probably correct.
In that case, this water vapor must be the guardian's mana.
"The guardian is coming out on its own......?"
This was baffling.
Did it hear the fierce battle and decide to come out to greet us?
Is that even possible?
Don't just stand there gawking, run! You bastards!
The woman's voice from a moment ago grew even more urgent.
Her voice made it clear that this was a very urgent situation.
"Why should we run?"
"Th-there must be a reason, right? Shouldn't we run?"
I said.
"No. It's too late."
Too late? What do you mean, too
It seemed the woman had realized it too.
We're too late. Shit!
This is an emergency. In other words, if our lives are in danger, we can't run.
The twelve of us are already quite exhausted from the intense battle.
Even if we tried to flee from the guardian, at least six of us would surely be left behind.
Therefore, retreat is not an option.
And in the next moment.
Bang-!
The slowly opening door flew wide open.
"A blue... statue?"
"Is that the guardian?"
A face like a sea dragon.
An overall blue appearance.
A trident in its hand.
"Poseidon."
Poseidon, the god of the sea.
That was definitely the name it was given.
Tsk. Get ready! It's charging!
At that cry, the guardian, Poseidon, began to move.
It thrust its trident toward me.
"You dare!"
It was a swift movement, but Ha Siyeon, using her Ice Empress, was slightly faster.
Having already blocked Poseidon's path, Ha Siyeon formed a massive wall of ice to obstruct its advance.
That Poseidon is an elite monster representing Meiden's Labyrinth, but the one here is for training purposes.
A degraded version with a power limiter.
The current Ha Siyeon should have been able to block it without any problem.
......She should have.
Shatter!
"Kyah!"
But Ha Siyeon's ice magic was shattered all too easily.
"......What?"
Fortunately, the impact with the ice magic had deflected the trident's trajectory.
The trident shot toward an unintended target.
Craaash-
None other than the cave wall.
"In-insane."
"That destructive power is..."
The wall was blown to smithereens.
Its destructive power was twice as strong as I had imagined.
That's the degraded version?
Hold on for one minute, no, two minutes! The superhumans will be there soon!
I've been thinking about it for a while now, this strangely sharp yet hysterical voice.
"......Are you Ms. Meiden Keuritineseu?"
Who else would it be! Anyway, just hold out for two minutes!
For Meiden to intervene like this, it must be a truly serious situation.
My expression grew even more grave.
"Everyone, you heard her! This is an emergency! A temporary truce! For now, let's focus only on stopping that guardian!"
I shouted.
"Siyeon and Choi Jihoon! And the two shield bearers! Focus only on dodging its attacks!"
"Got it!"
"......Understood."
I still don't fully grasp the situation, but if we have to hold on, then we have to hold on. What else can we do?
We should be able to last for two minutes.
"Jia, you take command of the ranged dealers!"
"......Okay."
"Remember! Don't even think about attacking! Ranged attackers, focus on backing up the front line! Front line, prioritize evasion above all else!"
Everyone except me took their positions. And with Ha Siyeon in the lead, they began to draw Poseidon's attention.
I stood a little apart from them and asked a question to grasp the situation.
"What exactly is the situation right now?"
No time to explain! Just hold on!
I could hear the sound of frantic tapping over the speaker.
She's probably performing her specialty, formula adjustment.
"Hmm."
A stronger-than-expected Poseidon.
Meiden's panicked voice.
This situation occurred the moment my dagger, imbued with [Spirit Flame], struck the wall.
And [Spirit Flame] is a spiritual fire that can even burn away mana.
Putting it all together.
"......Did the power-limiter activation formula break?"
I arrived at this conclusion.
You, how did you know that...... Phew. That's not important right now. Yes. That's right.
"Then can I assume the safety settings have been disabled as well?"
......Yeah.
Just as I thought.
I was right.
It seems my Spirit Flame sent the power-limiter activation formula to kingdom come.
"I understand. Hold out until the standby superhumans arrive, while minimizing impact on the terrain. That's the plan."
If there's a problem with the activation formula, we can't allow any more damage to the cave structure where it's embedded.
......What in the world are you?
"Am I wrong?"
Huh? No! You're right! You are, but......
"Understood."
Two minutes.
It roughly coincides with the remaining duration of Ha Siyeon's Ice Empress.
"We'll hold on."
As I said that, I checked the door the guardian had come from.
The room where the artifact is sealed.
......Might be a good idea to grab the artifact as insurance.
The guardian is rampaging out here, so that's not a problem.
All that's left is the seal.
Hmm.
Were there three seals?
***
About a minute passed.
"I repeat! Problem in outer area A2-B3372! A guardian is running rampant due to a destroyed activation formula!"
The control room.
Meiden, with a frantic expression, was relaying the current situation.
"I repeat! All cadets undergoing the exam are to immediately halt their progress and move according to instructions! All standby superhumans on-site, converge on area A2-B3372!"
Countless formulas floated around her.
Her hands were ceaselessly tapping at them.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
She was remotely correcting the activation formulas that had malfunctioned a moment ago.
"Those monsters! How can you even call them cadets!"
Meiden grumbled, recalling the battle between Shin Jia's team and Ha Siyeon's team.
Ha Siyeon, repeatedly charging while unleashing a mad torrent of ice magic.
Shin Jia, somehow managing to evade those insane charges.
"......If they're cadets, then more than half of my juniors might as well just drop dead!"
It was a jaw-droppingly fierce fight.
So much so that it felt like I was watching a battle between active superhumans.
Until that point, my only worry had been that I was running out of the popcorn and soda in my hands.
"......Rank 107."
But the situation changed the moment Kang Seoyul began to seriously wield his energy.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
As she continued to fix the formulas, she bit her lip hard.
"What in the world could you do to completely sever the power-limiter activation formula......!"
Ha Siyeon's ice magic was certainly affecting various areas, causing a time lag in the power-limiter device.
But it was by no means enough to cause a collapse.
But the moment Kang Seoyul's dagger struck the cave wall, all the activation formulas were destroyed.
"What the hell is that bastard!"
A brilliant mind, able to grasp the situation in an instant and deduce 'destruction of the power-limiter activation formula'.
Leadership and decisiveness, reading the urgent situation in a flash and giving near-perfect commands.
And finally, that unidentified ability that destroyed the power-limiter activation formula.
He is no ordinary cadet.
'......I'll have to ask Yuhwa later and arrange a meeting!'
Meiden!
Yuhwa's voice came through the radio.
"What is it! I'm busy right"
All the paths starting from A2-B3361 have collapsed!
"What?"
Meiden frantically scanned the monitor.
"Shit!"
Just as Yuhwa said, the passages were completely collapsed.
The aftershock of the battle, I suppose.
I was so focused on correcting the formulas that I missed the most important development.
What should we do? Should we force our way through?
"No! If you try to force it, the entire labyrinth might collapse."
......Understood. We'll try to break through from this side as carefully as possible.
"Okay. I'm counting on you."
Meiden looked at the main monitor.
She scanned the scene of Kang Seoyul and Shin Jia fighting the guardian.
They all had injuries, big and small.
It was a close call, but they were somehow holding on.
"......Dammit."
But it seemed they were slowly reaching their limit.
The movements of Cadet Ha Siyeon, the key to their defense, had slowed noticeably. She was probably running out of mana.
'It's amazing she's fought for five minutes while continuously unleashing such high-output magic.'
In any case, Ha Siyeon was about to reach her limit.
And for Ha Siyeon to stop moving meant one thing: annihilation.
'Think. Think! This tragedy was caused by my own incompetence. I have to fix this. Somehow...... I have to fix this!'
Just as she was biting her nails.
Has something happened?
Kang Seoyul's voice came over the speaker.
"......Yes. The passage to your location is blocked."
I thought I didn't sense anyone approaching. So that's why.
Kang Seoyul's voice was calm.
How long do you think it will take?
Meiden checked on Yuhwa and the other superhumans.
"Three minutes. No, two!"
They're all pros who've conducted many rescue operations.
They're clearing the passage quite quickly.
If it's two minutes, then somehow......
Two minutes... It'll be hard to hold out that long.
"......Ah."
Meiden despaired.
Even to Meiden, it seemed impossible for them to last another two minutes.
May I ask for a favor?
"......Go ahead."
Meiden bit her lip and lowered her gaze.
He probably wanted to leave some last words.
'It's all my fault.'
I should have done a proper safety check until the very end.
I should have prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Regret washed over her like an ebbing tide.
Let's have a meal together with Ms. Yuhwa later.
"......What?"
But Kang Seoyul's words were completely different from what Meiden had expected.
There's something I'd like to discuss. It will probably be beneficial for both of us.
What the hell is this bastard talking about in a situation like this?
Ah. And also, please adjust the formulas immediately to amplify damage from the lightning attribute, Poseidon's weakness.
Meiden's eyes trembled in bewilderment.
She could understand him knowing about Poseidon's weakness.
The name and attribute were more than enough to guess from.
But how did he know about the weakness amplification function?
You can do that much from your position, right? It's a basic modification formula you often use in your labyrinth, after all.
Her bewilderment turned to shock.
"......You. What are you, really?"
She felt as if she'd been stripped bare. As if all her secrets were being exposed.
"Just how much do you know......"
Please do it within ten seconds.
Kang Seoyul took off the strange necklace he was wearing and put it in his pocket.
There's no time.
Then, he took a blue ring from the accessory transport carrier on his waist and put it on.
Meiden clenched her teeth.
"......Fine. I'll do it in five!"
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-!
Meiden's hands moved at the speed of light.
And exactly five seconds later.
"Amplification settings complete! You arrogant punk!"
Confirmed.
"But what are you going to do with this! There's no one in your party who possesses a rare attribute mana like lightning......"
It was then that Meiden's eyes widened in shock.
"You...! When did you sneak that artifact out!"
Kang Seoyul was holding a blue orb in his right hand.
I saw an opening earlier and swiped it.
"When on earth......"
She hadn't seen it.
She'd been busy adjusting the formulas, and she had been paying more attention to Poseidon's fighting than to Kang Seoyul.
"No, more importantly, you broke the seal in that short amount of time?"
Yes.
"......"
Meiden's mouth fell slightly open.
'......What is that bastard's true identity?'
That seal isn't something that can be broken so easily.
"Ha."
No, that's not what's important right now.
"That artifact's effect is simple magic amplification! It doesn't have any additional functions like granting the lightning attribute......"
I know.
White sparks crackled around Kang Seoyul's body.
"!"
At the same time, Meiden's pupils dilated.
"...Lightning energy?"
Kang Seoyul had made a name for himself with his fire-attribute energy.
But what he was wielding now was clearly lightning energy.
This could only mean one thing.
"D-Dual attribute!"
That Kang Seoyul possessed a unique constitution with two attributes: fire and lightning.
Everyone, get back now!
Kang Seoyul shouted.
A big one's coming!
And in the next instant.
KRA-KOOOOOOOOM-!
"Kyaaah!"
With a deafening thunderclap, the monitor turned white.
Nothing could be seen.
Her ears were filled with nothing but a ringing sound.
Zeeeeeeeng...
As the ringing in her ears slowly faded, Meiden opened her eyes.
"N-No way."
Beyond the monitor.
Poseidon, one of Meiden's prized three elemental guardians, lay shattered to pieces.
"That bastard... what in the world is he...?"
Meiden's eyes shook violently with astonishment.