Chapter 43

Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Unlike his normal self, this time, his voice was filled with a lot of empathy . He was sympathetic to her plight . Moreover, his words weren’t empty platitudes . It was a heartfelt remark that arose from his own experience .
“Thank you . It makes me feel a bit better hearing those words . ”
Even if one tried to understand the other’s pain, it was almost impossible to understand it unless one had gone through the same experience . It was ridiculous, but Sungyoon’s sympathy gave her strength more so than any words that could be said by others . Maybe it was because Sungyoon had gone through something similar to her .
However, she couldn’t continue to hold up work for this .
“Let’s stop dwelling on my misfortunes . Let us go back to our main order of business . ”
“Will you be ok?”
“I’m fine . All she can do is come here and squawk with her annoying voice . I just have to reapply for the restraining order . Although, I don’t think a restraining order will make that woman back off . ”
Ahjung had broken the restraining order several times when Jimin was young . She had dogged determination when it came to money .
“That’ll be annoying . ”
“Still, it isn’t as if I can kill her . ”
Her mother being trash was a problem from before .
“Let’s drop this subject . Let’s talk about work . ”
Until now, a bit of emotion had been infused into her face . But iit was as if it had been a dream as her face had once again turned to ice . Sungyoon’s face also returned to its emotionless state . If a third party had witnessed this scene, they would have found it really odd .
“I want to give this to you before we do anything . ”
Jimin took out a white envelope from her desk drawer . The envelope looked fat . Sungyoon assumed it was a document, so he immediately opened the envelope . Then his eyes widened .
“This is… . ”
Sungyoon put his hand into the envelope and grabbed something . He didn’t hesitate as he took out the content .
It was money .
He fanned the crisp 50 dollar bills .
“I thought it would be best if you can physically touch and see your first income . ”
Sungyoon extended a finger, and he riffled through the money . He would always be mesmerized by the sight of money .
“There are 400 bills . ”
‘It is a lot . ’
He had only worked for two weeks . Moreover, he had been very slow in his work as he wanted to get his bearing within the labyrinth as a beginner . He couldn’t believe it had resulted in him making a big pile of money . It was impossible to make this type of money doing manual labor . It was impossible without knowing some type of specialized skill . He had made an enormous amount of money in just two weeks .
However, Jimin’s perspective differed from his .
“The amount is a bit small, but it can’t be helped . You are still a beginner, and the time you were given to collect the moonstones was short . ”
“Isn’t this a lot?”
“It is beyond small . It is almost meager . Of course, I’m comparing it to the revenue brought in by established Connectors . ”
Sungyoon shut his mouth . He had no words . He knew Connectors made a lot of money, but when he held the large sum of money, that point was driven home .
“You should buy something delicious for Shinhae . You should also use it occasionally during your stay on the moon . ”
When he heard Jimin’s words, he started thinking about where he would use this money . He thought about what type of delicious food he would buy Shinhae . He also thought about where he could take Shinhae, so she could have some fun . All his thoughts were related to Shinhae .
However, it didn’t take him too long to remember his debt . It influenced his thoughts .
“I’ll put half of my income towards my debt . ”
Sungyoon started to count out half the money . However, Jimin was firm as she shook her head from side to side .
“Didn’t I tell you this before? Your main goal is to be able to go into the Great Labyrinth . You have to find traces left behind by my father . You don’t have to repay your debt right now . You should use this, so you can live a bit more comfortably on the moon . It’ll increase your effectiveness within the labyrinth . ”
Sungyoon was conflicted . He wanted to put every cent towards his debt, as he was sick of having debt . He wanted to shed these damned shackles . But in the end, he stopped counting the money and put the money back into the envelope . He decided to follow the advice of his benefactor . Moreover, Jimin had a point .
“I’ll start paying my debt at a later date . ”
“Yes . Please do that . ”
Sungyoon carefully put away the money envelope into his pocket . His heart lifted at the thought of buying Shinhae a nice dinner .
“Yes, let’s move on to the next topic . You’ve acquired an additional Device and Gem . ”
“Yes, I did . ”
“That is very good . ”
She never expected him to acquire a Device and Gem in just two week .
“Do you mind if I ask how you came by them?”
“I acquired the Device when I killed a monster . The Gem was in the dead man’s possession . I brought his possession back, and I was given the Gem as a reward . ”
“…… . ”
For a moment, Jimin stared at Sungyoon without saying anything .
“Did you see the corpse?”
“Yes . ”
Sungyoon gave a short one word answer . What kind of emotion was infused within that word? Sungyoon’s expression was too calm to guess at his emotion .
“Are you ok?”
“I’m fine . ”
Jimin didn’t ask any more questions in regards to that topic . He said he was fine, so what was the point of asking further? After all, she was driving Sungyoon towards death for her own desires .
“…I see . Did you check its ability?”
“Yes . ”
“What is its ability?”
“It is a Gem that amplifies my strength two fold . ”
“It is a simple ability, but sometimes that is preferable . It isn’t a bad Gem . ”
Physical ability could be called the foundation that allowed a Connector to fight monsters with their life on the line . A Gem that could enhance one’s foundation was a good Gem .
“Did you try activating it with your other Gems?”
“Yes, I was able to activate all of them at once . ”
This was another good news . This proved that Sungyoon could activate four Gems at the same time . If activating three Purple Gems were the limit of his magical energy, it would have been a tragedy . He had dodged the worst possibility .
“That’s a relief . You’ll have a bit of an easier time exploring the labyrinth . ”
Jimin congratulated him . Sungyoon had taken a step forward towards his goal .
“You should go rest . Your next trip up to the moon will be in about two weeks . ”
“Why is it so late? Isn’t it too delayed?”
He had already rested for one week . If he took two more weeks off, he basically had a whole month off .
“It is the Mana Stream season . Even if you go up right now, you won’t be able to enter the labyrinth with your ability . ”
“Mana Stream . I guess it can’t be helped . ”
Mana Stream . It was a unique phenomenon that only occurred within the labyrinths .
Labyrinths were locations seething with magical energy . This was why normal humans and electronics couldn’t enter them . However, there was also a period of time where normal humans and low level Connectors couldn’t enter the labyrinths .
It was the period of time when the Mana Stream stormed within the labyrinths .
For a fixed period of time, a storm of magical energy rushed to fill every nook and cranny of the labyrinth . Some scholars theorized that the Mana Stream was the phenomenon that had created the labyrinths . The storm was that strong . Low ranked Connectors had an automatic shield that formed around their body . But the Mana Stream could pierce through this barrier, and it would shred the body of the low ranked Connectors . Only monsters and Connectors of a certain caliber could move within the Mana Stream .
“The Mana Stream that sweeps through the Beginner’s labyrinth lasts around one week . ”
The timing and length of the Mana Stream differed for each labyrinth . The Beginner’s labyrinth experienced a Mana Stream every three months, and it lasted a week . During this time period, the Beginner’s labyrinth was sealed for all practical purposes as most of the low ranked Connectors couldn’t withstand the Mana Stream .
Some might think the Mana Stream was a useless phenomenon that interfered with the work of the low ranked Connectors . However, the Mana Stream was a very important phenomenon for the Connectors .
Mana Stream basically refilled the labyrinth with Monsters .
It was unclear as to whether the Mana Stream spontaneously generated the monsters, or it brought them from a different location . The only certain thing was the fact that it increased the number of monsters within the labyrinth .
“The Mana Stream will cause the monsters to significantly increase in number, so it’ll take some time to reign it in . ”
It was called the Beginner’s labyrinth, but its existence wasn’t a coincidence . There was no way a labyrinth that could be used to grow beginner Connectors existed in the wild . The Beginner’s labyrinth was like any other common labyrinth . In terms of labyrinths, it was considered to be a medium to low in difficulty . The Beginner’s labyrinth was made suitable for the beginner Connectors by others . High ranked Connectors were hired to kill all the monsters excluding the ones that could be handled by the beginner Connectors .
‘That meant I went in when there was the least amount of monsters . ’
After the Mana Stream swept through, there was a high chance that Sungyoon would encounter monsters at a higher rate . More opportunity meant there would be more danger to him .
“The high ranked Connectors kill most of the dangerous monsters for the beginner Connectors . This causes the different monsters to fight for their territory . The weaker monsters get pushed out towards the upper floors where the magical energy is less dense . The stronger monsters occupy the lower floors . It takes around a week for everything to settle down . However, you aren’t that experienced in fighting the monsters . That is why you should give it an extra week before you enter it again . It is for your safety . ”
This was why Sungyoon had two weeks on his hand .
“Let’s check your departure date . ”
Jimin looked at the large calendar hanging on the wall of the office .
“How about two weeks later on a Monday? Is that fine?”
“Yes, I’m fine with that . ”
Sungyoon checked the calendar, and he nodded his head .
“Good . I’ll meet you on that day . ”
Sungyoon stood up from his seat . He gave a short goodbye, and he turned his body to exit the room . However, he suddenly remembered something . He turned his head to look at Jimin .
“Now that I think about it, Shinhae said she wanted to go to the amusement park . I have time now, so I’m thinking about taking her this week . It seems Shinhae would like to go with you, president . What do you think?”
Jimin had been about to go back to work, but she suddenly came to a stop . Her eyes shifted . It seemed she was very conflicted . In the end, she let out a deep sigh, and she shook her head from side to side .
“No . I’ll have to decline this time . Please apologize to Shinhae for me . ”
The work generated from Sungyoon’s return hadn’t been wrapped up yet . It was very unfortunate, but she would have to decline the offer .
“I see . Understood . I’ll deliver the message to Shinhae . . ”
Sungyoon nodded his head, and he turned his gaze away . However, it was Jimin’s turn to keep Sungyoon in place . .
“Do you mind if we discuss one more thing, Mr . Sungyoon?”
“Yes . It’s fine . ”
Sungyoon didn’t look bothered as he turned back to face her . However, he flinched when he saw Jimin’s expression . Her face was colder than usual . It felt as if cold winds were slicing into his back .
“When I introduced myself to Shinhae, she called me by ajumma . ”
When the topic had turned towards Shinhae, she naturally remembered a topic she wanted to discuss . When she spoke, Jimin’s eyes turned 100 times colder than usual .
“I’ve already instructed Shinhae to do this . I told her to call me by ‘unni’ . Will you tell her to call me unni just in case?”
Her voice was gentle, but there was great force behind it . She spat out her words .
“I’m not an ajumma . I am an ‘unni‘ . ”
“…I’ll be sure to tell her . ”
Sungyoon felt a bit of fear as he nodded .