Chapter 172

Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Sungyoon didn’t say anything for a long time . He just gulped .
“A . . . are you sure we can enter this place?”
Those were the only words Sungyoon could push out . Hyunwoo let out a big laugh as he nodded .
Ssah-bahk!
Sungyoon heard the sound of his feet trample the fragrant grass .
He was wearing sturdy steel boots, so, of course, he couldn’t feel the grass . However, he could easily imagine what it would feel like .
The surroundings were so peaceful that it felt like paradise . For a brief moment, Sungyoon forgot that he was in the Great Labyrinth .
“Aigo . The guests have arrived . They are here to greet you . ”
Sungyoon broke out of his reverie when he heard Hyunwoo’s words . He looked straight forwards, and he saw several monsters slowly approaching them .
“That's… . ”
“You’ve never seen a Mad Dog before?”
Mad Dog . It was the very first monster Sungyoon had killed .
It was the type of monster that populated the highest floor of the labyrinths . Basically, it was one of the lowest rank monsters .
“… Mad Dog?”
However, Sungyoon was having a hard time believing that the monsters in front of him were Mad Dogs .
They were 1 . 5 m tall, and 3 m long . Their fur looked like steel bristles, and their canines reminded one of sharp blades .
Aside from the red eyes that were unique to monsters, the Mad Dog looked entirely different from what Sungyoon had seen of them .
“Yes . Mad Dog . To be precise, they are the Great Labyrinth’s Mad Dog . ”
Hyunwoo pointed with his chin .
“It's the same here as the other labyrinths . The Mad Dogs are the weakest monsters within the Great Labyrinth . Try killing them by yourself . ”
The Mad Dogs had already registered Sungyoon and Hyunwoo as enemies . They growled as they revealed their teeth .
At Hyunwoo’s insistence, Sungyoon stepped forward . He gulped once and then summoned his sword and a new small and round shield .
The British government had given him this new shield as recompense for his destroyed shield and spear . It was a Gold-rank shield .
After arming himself, Sungyoon slowly walked forward .
Five Mad Dogs rushed at Sungyoon, revealing their teeth . They lowered themselves as if they became ready to pounce .
It happened at that moment .
Pah-aht!
Sungyoon’s cape unfurled as it turned into wings .
In a flash, his body accelerated .
The pack of Mad Dogs had their guard down to a certain degree because there was some distance between them and their prey . But Sungyoon reached the pack in a flash .
Ssuh-guhk!
His sword instantly cut through the head of a Mad Dog .
‘Tough!’
Sungyoon could feel an unpleasant and heavy feeling through his hands .
However, he didn’t have the time to think .
Koo-ahhhhhhhhhh!
The Mad Dogs reacted much faster than any monsters he had met up until now . Sungyoon was almost taken aback by their instantaneous reaction speed as teeth and claws flew toward him from all directions .
“Koo-oohk!”
He raised his shield .
Too-hwahk!
Four thin plates extended out from the edge of the shield and extended far enough to block all the attacks by the Mad Dogs .
“Ha-ahhhhht!”
Sungyoon then immediately swung his sword again .
As the Mad Dogs rushed him from all sides, he felt like a lion surrounded by a pack of hyenas .
Hyunwoo stood in the distance with his arms crossed . Sungyoon failed to deflect several attacks, but thankfully, his armor blocked all the attacks .
Kwah-jeek!
Sungyoon could barely let out a sigh of relief when he planted his sword in the forehead of the last Mad Dog .
“This was your first battle within the Great Labyrinth . How does it feel?”
Hyunwoo was so calm that it almost made Sungyoon feel annoyed . Sungyoon furrowed his brows as he watched Hyunwoo approach him .
“It was hard . ”
“Still, it is doable, right?”
“Yes, it really was . ”
Sungyoon relaxed as he spoke . He had four Jewel rank Gems, and three of them were battle-related . He had enough power to be effective within the Great Labyrinth .
“Let me give you a warning… . ”
Hyunwoo raised his sword up high .
“You shouldn’t underestimate the Great Labyrinth . ”
Kwahhhhhhhhhng!
Hyunwoo’s sword was a great sword surrounded by an enormous flame . As Hyunwoo swung it, the ground split apart . The green grass burned black, and a huge furrow appeared on the ground . Sungyoon shuddered at the display of overwhelming power .
But he could see something in the furrow dug by Hyunwoo . It was a monster split in two .
“That is… . ”
“Brutal Worm . It shoots out of the ground to eat its prey . ”
On the whole, it looked like a large worm . It looked like it had a head and the mouth of a lamprey eel . Its funnel-like mouth had sharp teeth . The monster was creepy looking .
“The environment within the Great Labyrinth is like Earth . It's why there are monsters that use their surroundings to their advantage . Of course, these types of monsters are more annoying to deal with than the strong monsters that fight in a straightforward manner . If you put your guard down, you will die . ”
“… I will take your word to heart . ”
Sungyoon didn’t move his gaze away from the Brutal Worm as he nodded .
“Well, let’s take this slowly . I’m here to give you a taste of the Great Labyrinth . We’ll stick to going around the plain . Is that ok?”
“Yes . ”
The walls to the plain were in the distance, but they looked hazy . It was obvious that this plain boasted enormous size .
‘Didn’t they say that the magical energy distorts the space within this place?’
This meant it might take them a very long time to just tour this place .
Sungyoon didn’t want to miss any detail . His eyes were wide open as he followed Hyunwoo .
***
Sungyoon sat in the grassland as he looked up toward the sky . He knew there was a ceiling, but he could only see the blue sky . It was a mysterious phenomenon .
It had already been twenty days since he had entered the Great Labyrinth . This place had been extremely tough for him . He had to fight brand new monsters that took advantage of the unique environment, and it was causing him a lot of trouble .
“Still, you're getting used to it, right?”
“That's why I followed you in here . It was for that purpose . ”
Thankfully, Sungyoon was able to experience the Great Labyrinth under the protection of Hyunwoo . He could afford to take it very slow even if it meant he would only get to view the plain .
‘If Mr . Hyunwoo didn’t let me experience this, I would have been in real trouble . ’
However, this field trip was coming to an end today . Sungyoon’s party would be coming up to the Moon soon .
Hyunwoo escorted Sungyoon to the entrance of the Great Labyrinth .
“Well, it's time for the good boy to go back home . Don’t get sidetracked and go straight to home . Don’t eat too many sweets . Eat your meals, brush your teeth, and sleep early . ”
“I’ll keep those words in mind . ”
“Yes, yes . You're a good boy that listens to the words of an adult . ”
Hyunwoo cackled .
“Thank you very much for taking me on a field trip to the Great Labyrinth . ”
Sungyoon lowered his head .
“It’s fine . My party members didn’t receive their rotation schedule yet either . I’m just burning time with you . ”
“Still, I would like to thank you . ”
“Well, you're free to do whatever you want . I want you to use this experience so that you can do great in your future raids to the Great Labyrinth . Also . . . ”
Hyunwoo turned his back to Sungyoon .
“I hope you find traces of Jungbum . ”
Sungyoon couldn’t see the expression Hyunwoo was making .
***
Sungyoon entered the company building . It seemed no one was here yet as he could hear no sound .
He took a quick shower and then took out a beer . He sat on the sofa and watched the TV . Sungyoon was making enough money that such small luxuries didn’t bother him anymore .
Ding dong!
He had been watching the TV for a while when he heard the doorbell ring . Sungyoon opened the door .
“You're here . ”
“Hello, Mr . Sungyoon . ”
It was Grace .
Although she was in the same party as Sungyoon and the Ross siblings, they were affiliated with different companies . Therefore, Grace resided at a different lodging .
Grace often visited Sungyoon’s company lodging to meet her party members .
Sungyoon guided her inside .
He made Grace a cup of black tea, and then, they headed toward the living room .
“Mr . Tim and Ms . Emily aren’t here yet?”
“Their rotation schedule still hasn’t been determined . ”
“It's understandable . It's an important problem . ”
The fact that Sungyoon and Grace were able to resolve their schedule so quickly was abnormal .
Sungyoon placed the cup of black tea in front of Grace and then sat across from her .
“Is everything ok with England?”
“There is no way we're doing ok . ”
Grace smelled the fragrance of the black tea as she shook her head from side to side . The Behemoth’s ambush had created a wound deep enough that it couldn’t be perfectly healed in a short amount of time .
“In this kind of situation, we need more and more money . ”
Grace had donated an incredible sum of money in order to help with the restoration of London .
Moreover, just before that, she had to spend an incredible amount of money to replace her broken Gems not too long ago . So she wasn’t doing well financially .
Despite this, she was trying to go into the labyrinth so that she could contribute more to the recovery fund of London .
Sungyoon followed Grace’s example, and he had donated a good amount of money to the recovery efforts . However, there was no way it was enough . England had to reconstruct one of the most eminent capitals of the world . But, of course, his actions further improved his image in England .
“Should the two of us go to the labyrinth?”
Since the Ross siblings weren’t on the Moon yet, their options were limited .
“We might have to do that . Even if it is a pittance, I have to make more money . ”
“Let’s do that . ”
“Thank you . Ever since I’ve met you, it seems I’m only receiving help from you . ”
She realized it was true . She had accrued several debts to him .
He had saved her life, her family, and her country . Grace knew money wasn’t enough to repay these debts .
She especially felt this way, because he had come to her aid when he had heard her despair . He had shown up in his silver armor with the red cape fluttering behind him . He hadn't hesitated to face off against the Behemoth .
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm?”
Grace startled in surprise . For a brief moment, she had just been staring at Sungyoon’s face .
Grace had saved London alongside Sungyoon . However, she was a British citizen, and she was the granddaughter of the Queen . She had a duty to fight . However, this wasn’t the case with Sungyoon .
In the process of saving London, Grace had the closest view of the bloody fight between Sungyoon and the Behemoth . The red cape had fluttered in the wind as the silver knight had stood up to the Behemoth . The sight had been enough to make her admire him .
“It's nothing . ”
She fanned her face as if she was hot . She tried to lower the temperature, but her red cheeks were quite noticeable thanks to her white skin .
“Anyway, why did you come up here before all of us? What were you doing?”
It was obvious she was trying to switch topic . However, Sungyoon didn’t question it, nor did he make any issue of it . He let her change the topic .
“I entered the Great Labyrinth . ”
“What?”
Grace became curious . She was also someone aiming to enter the Great Labyrinth .
“H . . . how was it?”
“It was . . . ”
Sungyoon slowly told her his experience . As she patiently listened, Grace was like a student listening to a teacher right before a test .
***
He was at the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth . It was so deep that one had to wonder if he was at the center of the Moon .
There wasn’t a single mote of light, and the place was structured like every other labyrinth .
However, there was a difference . On the wall, there was a ten-meter-tall door .
The door looked sturdy, and it was made out of some unknown metal .
Was it a door protecting a mound of treasure?
However, an ominous energy was leaking out from a crack in the door . It wasn’t protecting some fancy treasure from outsiders . Instead, it felt as if the door was keeping something from coming out .
Numerous monsters roamed the area in front of the door .
Between them, was a monster that looked like a demon wearing flames around its body . Another monster had no real body . It was made out of light . Numerous large monsters and other monsters that looked similar to humans hung out in front of the door . However, in the various monsters, one thing was common . They were all incredibly powerful .
Ddoo-buhk!
The sound of steps rang out . All the red eyes looked toward the source of the sound at the same time . It really was a terrifying sight .
Ddoo-buhk! Ddoo-buhk!
The owner of the footsteps pierced through the darkness to appear in front of them .
It was Hyunwoo .
Did one of the strongest Connectors finally reach the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth?
Surprisingly, none of his Gems were activated . When considering the monsters around him, it could only be considered a suicide attempt .
However, that wasn’t the case at all .
For some reason, the monsters didn't react . They should have been immediately charging toward him, yet, their eyes soon lost interest and they looked away from him .
Hyunwoo slowly walked amongst the monsters .
- You are here .
A hideous-sounding voice came rang out . it sounded as if someone was scratching a steel plate .
Something walked out from within the group of monsters and stood in front of Hyunwoo .
It was similar in size as a human but slightly taller than Hyunwoo . It wore a thick robe around itself . At a glance, someone could mistake it for a human .
However, the four red eyes within the hood made it clear that it wasn’t a human .
“It has been a while . ”
Were they acquaintances?
Hyunwoo gave a brief greeting .
- Let’s end the small talk . How was it?
Its rough voice made Hyunwoo frown . The unpleasant and twisted voice ruthlessly scratched at his eardrums . It automatically made him angry and stressed .
‘This is why I hate talking to this guy . ’
However, he had no choice . The monster in front of him was his ‘comrade’ . That was a fact .
“It was a success . The Behemoth was transported to Earth . ”
It started laughing .