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Episode 112. The Labyrinth of the 13th Month
‘I just have to pretend to put in effort.’
First, let me summarize the current situation.
Yesterday, the A-class hunters from B fought with the tombstone all day and failed.
This morning, Jeong Ha-seong came and tried briefly, but it failed.
Finally, Esther declared her surrender right before my eyes.
‘Which angle will be good for the reporters to take a picture of…?’
So, even if I fail one after another, people won’t think it’s strange.
“Let’s see.”
Bam.
I put my hand on the front of the spire.
But what the heck. As soon as I touched the black stone, I suddenly felt a strange sensation.
‘Ouch, it stings!’
Ouch.
It was such a small amount that it would be difficult for Earthlings to detect, but it was a unique feeling when having one’s mana stolen.
‘what?’
It’s strange.
It’s like following mana like this.
The act of collecting clues that identify an individual, such as fingerprints or blood.
“Mr. Kiryeo, why are you like that?”
With this, the identity of the black stone monument has been confirmed.
‘Oh, damn it. It looks exactly like the one from my hometown, so of course I thought this would have the same role… … .’
As it turned out, this rock was a tool used to select ‘challengers’ who would enter the dungeon that would be created later.
‘It’s completely different!’
I’m confused.
I’ve always thought this object was a sign indicating the entrance to a new gate.
But now it has been revealed that this stone monument was a device to select participants by collecting information about those who touched it.
‘Mom… … .’
A situation where you are suddenly dragged into a new dungeon.
But I came up with a plan in the nick of time.
Even now, if you stop a passerby and make them touch the tombstone, your individual chances of winning will decrease.
“Excuse me! Seonwooyeon! Would you like to come here and try this? The stone is so strong, it feels different… … .”
The epitome of meanness!
I didn’t hesitate to involve the association staff member who was standing guard nearby in the drawing of lots.
“It’s okay. I tried it before.”
However, Seon Woo-yeon had already touched the tombstone.
Even the other employees started discussing how to quickly seal this place off with a barrier since even the S-class had failed.
“Wait a minute. Have you tried calling in any Hunters with teleportation skills? Oh, or maybe you could gather some Awakened people who can control gravity and try to make this thing float into the sky… .”
I was desperately struggling to increase my travel companions.
But all these attempts ultimately ended in failure.
-Ouch.
The speculation that the letters written on the stone refer to the Earth’s rotation cycle is meaningless, as it changed in just 21 hours.
“uh?”
Crackle, crackle.
“Wait a minute, that’s different… … .”
Flash!
A flash of light passes through the shattered tombstone.
What begins next is the designation of challengers.
“Whoa!”
Pot.
The first one chosen was Esther, who was standing near the tombstone.
No matter what, she was one of the people who was touched by the tombstone’s magic.
“uh?”
The next person chosen was none other than the staff beyond the police cordon.
Seon Woo-yeon freezes for a moment when he sees a red pattern floating above his head… … .
“Arai.”
Pot.
I closed my eyes tightly as I confirmed that the same pattern had appeared to me as well.
What follows is a familiar sense of spatial movement.
‘It’s exactly the same as when I pushed Seung-yi away and got kidnapped instead.’
When I opened my eyes again, there was a foreign space in front of me that I could not believe was Korea.
Dark lighting.
Old bricks.
Looking around, it looks like a medieval castle.
I checked the number of people gathered in the center of the room and realized that the selection of challengers was not random.
That’s understandable, because the list of people gathered just happens to be these four.
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“Phew.”
me.
Esther.
Seon Woo-yeon.
and…….
“… … ?”
Jeong Ha-seong.
If you think about it, the hunter who was called to handle the tombstone started out as a B-rank on the first day and went up to the S-rank today.
And most of those gathered here are S-class… … .
In other words, the stone monument was a mechanism to select four people in the order they were touched.
‘Oh my. Is that how it’s going to turn out ‘this time?’
I was calmly analyzing the magic involved in selecting the challenger, when a low voice rang out from the other end.
Jeong Ha-seong spoke in a bewildered tone.
“What the heck is going on? I was just attacking another gate… … .”
“Gate?”
“Oh my, somehow there’s blood on Ha-seong.”
The black-haired S-class immediately raised his watch.
[Unidentified Gate]
[Description: No gate information.]
[Rating: EX]
Then blue letters appear in the air.
I’m sure I’ve seen this picture before.
“EX-class?”
“I’m sure that rock is the problem! It suddenly shattered and glowed before we were caught!”
“Could it be because I touched the stone…?”
“I have never touched the tombstone directly. I only used the skill from a distance.”
The hunters chatted for a moment to find out why they had been brought there.
But then.
Seonwooyeon blankly looked at the group and then blurted out.
“Okay, just a moment, everyone.”
Shaking pupils.
“Could it be that right now… … they’re all S-class?”
After hearing that, I finally understand the situation.
“Everyone but me?”
A truly unprecedented situation.
Based on Korea’s standards, isn’t this a major accident where 3 out of 4 S-class people disappeared at the same time?
“And the one left outside is that worthless Kang Chang-ho!”
Esther realized this and cried out loud, but her violent reaction did not last long.
First of all, the Awakened person standing next to me was in this state.
“Oh my goodness! Look at this employee’s pale face. He must be getting motion sickness because of us!”
Soon after, Seon Woo-yeon closed his mouth with a pale face.
Buzz.
Even one S-rank is burdensome, but when two of the highest-level awakened ones suddenly gather together, are they completely crushed by their magical power?
‘How did that innocent B-class person end up here… … .’
But the most pitiful of all is this body.
I am a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
In other words, it is an F-class that is in charge of the lowest level of hunter society.
‘It’s all my karma.’
okay.
This is the ‘non-voluntary gate entry’ that was made an exception in the contract with Kang Chang-ho.
Also trapped in an EX-class gate.
The fact that the members of the strategy team are a monster world.
‘Don’t try to trick me by pretending to be strong.’
It wasn’t all my will.
***
Same time.
The outside world was in complete chaos.
At around 4 o’clock in Greenwich Mean Time, a large number of Hunters suddenly disappeared, and even the stone statues that had no contact with them were dragged in haphazardly by civilians.
“A civilian at the gate?”
“A report came in from England. There, a D-class 1 who was in charge of emotions… … .”
“South Korea is in a state of chaos due to the mass disappearance of high-ranking Awakened beings…!”
International cooperation organizations took this situation very seriously and immediately began tracking and naming the EX-class gate that had been created.
The gate that has been confirmed as the so-called ’13th Month Labyrinth’.
[Unidentified Gate]
[Description: No gate information.]
However, the players trapped in the dungeon are not receiving updates and are simply faced with the unknown.
‘The 1st and 2nd ranked hunters are on the same team. If only they weren’t hostile to each other, there’s nothing better than this.’
Still, Kiryun looked around without being too flustered.
A huge hall.
A number of iron gates placed at short intervals.
And the tombstone placed in the center.
“Isn’t this the same thing as the one in front of the market?”
While Seon Woo-yeon was catching her breath in the corner.
Jeong Ha-seong and Esther checked the black stone monument.
[Drink! No more than 2 people per room. Collect the keys. Time limit 86164.]
hmm.
Somehow the grammar written on the tombstone seems a bit awkward… … .
“I wonder if there is a key like the one mentioned here inside those iron doors?”
“well.”
“And the room can only accommodate two people?”
“If you think about it normally, that’s true.”
After a brief review, the S-class decided to proceed with the gate.
Time is a limitation, but for them, who are living creatures, hunger is also a problem.
“I can’t afford to waste time on this~”
“you’re right.”
“How about sending just two people as a reconnaissance party first? The other two will wait in the hall.”
Around the time Esther and Ha-seong were talking.
Kiryeo, who had been observing the situation, took a step forward and spoke to the person in the corner.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Then Seon Woo-yeon nods quietly.
“Yes. But thanks to your consideration, I’m getting better quickly… … .”
The association staff are also slowly adapting to the surrounding magic.
Kim Ki-ryeo then spoke in a calm voice.
This gate has some restrictions. What kind of plans did they have? Something like that.
“Ah… … . Thank you.”
Is this the difference between a top-tier hunter and a normal awakened one?
Seon Woo-yeon felt respect for him as she saw his attitude of not panicking even though he was suddenly dragged in.
Moreover, even though Kim Ki-ryeo was an S-class, he didn’t feel a single bit of magical power even when he got close enough.
‘The only thing that gives me breathing room… … .’
Even in this situation, that hunter is reliable. Seon Woo-yeon thought so for a moment.
“How do you form a team if you have to split into groups of two?”
But a little later.
When the four Awakened gathered in the center and discussed.
Kim Ki-ryeo clearly declares among them.
Myself and Esther.
Jeong Ha-seong and Seon Woo-yeon.
It was argued that the group should be divided like this.
There have been many incidents between the #1 ranked person and the 4th S-rank, so it is understandable to avoid Jeong Ha-seong for now… … .
The problem is the treatment of a B-class.
Seon Woo-yeon secretly wanted to be with the hunter she felt comfortable with, but she couldn’t give in to his wishes.
‘Isn’t SS and BF a bit much?’
In fact, the pairing of Seon Woo-yeon and himself is the worst combination.
“How about putting this employee next to the number 1 in the rankings?”
“yes?”
“The person with the most experience in gate raiding here is Jeong Ha-seong. He will be equally adept at dealing with unexpected situations.”
“… .”
“In a situation like now, I think it would be better to trust a hunter with a high performance.”
He continued to persuade desperately.
Then, soon everyone agrees.
Anyway, the team composition at this point can change at any time depending on the strategy.
“all right.”
“Please take care of me.”
“yes!”
So the four challengers were divided into teams of two each, again according to the gate rules.
I have finally started to conquer the ’13th Month Labyrinth’.
‘Phew! That almost happened.’
As soon as her companion was decided, Class F breathed a sigh of relief.
National hero? We don’t need any of that.
Whether it’s first or second place, in the end, whoever is going to protect you is the winner.
‘If I go into a room alone with Esther, I’ll have to make up all sorts of excuses to get out of the fight.’
Hahaha.
Kim Ki-ryeo made a plan to be single-minded.
It was a stupid thing to do.
-Click!
No matter how excited you are about getting an S-rank, you should never forget that this is a dangerous otherworld.
“uh.”
“hmm?”
Click?
The hunters quickly turned their heads at the noise coming from the ground.
But by then it was too late.
This was the sound of the leader Jeong Ha-seong stepping on a trap, and it was also a magical device that the Earthlings could do nothing about.
“No, what kind of dungeon is this that’s been messing around from the start… …!”
This concludes with Gi-ryeo’s unjust cries.
The two hunters caught in the magic circle disappeared in an instant.
***
Empty.
When I opened my eyes, a gruesome scene came into view.
A room about 10 square meters in size, with the front blocked by a narrow iron window.
If the place we were in before was an old medieval castle, then this place might be a prison that would be located underground there.
“Cough.”
Kim Ki-ryeo stood up from his seat, bitterly regretting his momentary carelessness.
But the regrets aren’t over yet.
This is a trap that confines ‘two people’ in separate spaces.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Soon, Kiria’s eyes met with the young man standing next to her.
“Oh, hello.”
He completely forgot about his plan to take the initiative and greeted Ha-seong properly.
Well done, medium, rare.
Why does this brain associate such words at moments like this?