Chapter 29

Chapter 29

A small light formed in and out of existence within the complete darkness of the labyrinth . It was the light that emanated when a dead monster left behind its moonstone . Sungyoon was used to it, so he silently picked up the moonstone .

‘I killed 11 now . ’

This was his second day on the hunt, so he didn’t know if he was doing well . However, Sungyoon was ready to call it a day . He hadn’t received any injuries, but he was stressed from being so tense all day . Moreover, he had come here with the goal of killing 10 monsters .

He looked at his watch . The influence of the magical energy meant that all electronic devices didn’t work in the labyrinths . This was why he had on a mechanical wristwatch . It was four o’clock in the afternoon .

Sungyoon turned back . He felt a bit relieved now that the battle for the day was over . Moreover, a feeling of repulsion was starting to arise as he ended the lives of the monsters .

Still, his desire to fight didn’t diminish . He would willingly go through such tribulation to have a future with his daughter .

While he was he was retracing his route back out of the labyrinth, Sungyoon saw two people .

One of them held a 1 meter long double-edged sword, and he was fighting a Mad Dog . It seemed he didn’t have much experience, so he floundered every time the Mad Dog attacked him . However, the Mad Dog was unable to inflict any significant damage on him .

He held a large angular shield in his left hand, so he was able to protect himself even with his poor movement . Unlike Sungyoon’s wooden shield, this person's shield had been reinforced with steel, and its defensive capability was on a level higher than Sungyoon’s shield .

It wasn’t just that . Sungyoon was wearing a leather vest that barely covered his upper body . This man wore armor that protected his upper and lower body . His arms were protected by the arm guards, and he wore shin guards too .

As this man battled, the other person was overseeing the battle . This observer had his arms crossed . Sungyoon groaned when he saw this person . It was in appreciation of this man’s gear .

This man looked frightening at first glance . He had a broad sword equipped over his shoulder and a helmet that covered his nose and cheeks . The sturdy metallic helmet even had neck protection . The helmet could probably block any attack towards the head . He wore a long chain-mail that came down to his knees which even covered his arms and legs .

It was obvious to Sungyoon that the observer had much better gear than the one fighting the monster .

“What are you doing! Don’t become flustered!”

He angrily yelled out in English . His accent was thick, so Sungyoon had a hard time understanding his words . Still, it confirmed Sungyoon’s suspicion as to what they were doing .

‘They are training . ’

Sungyoon used his exceptional hearing that came with being a Connector . It seemed the person, who was battling, had come into this labyrinth for the first time . He was on the same level as Sungyoon .

However, their circumstances differed completely .

Sungyoon only had three purple Gems, and one Gold Gem that could be used to save his life . Besides, he didn't have the ability to use the Gold Gem properly . Moreover, he had to wander around the labyrinth by himself . The only preparation he had was an accelerated training course he took on earth . In comparison to him, this beginner Connector had much better equipment than him, and he was being trained how to fight by his sunbae .

‘He is probably contracted to a good company . ’

He was probably a 2nd or 3rd Gen Connector .

Sungyoon turned his gaze away from them, and once again, he started walking towards the labyrinth’s entrance .

When he came to a crossroad, a group of people walked out from the turn-off . It was a total of four people . They were quite loud as they spoke to each other .

‘Party . ’

A normal company usually paired Connectors of similar level . It was a method that allowed Connectors to clear labyrinths in a much safer manner .

Of course, neither a sunbae nor other Connectors of his level was contracted to his company . Such a method of raiding a labyrinth had nothing to do with him .

It would be a lie if he said he wasn’t jealous of them . Connectors who were trained to fight, and the Connectors who worked in a party, could clear the labyrinth several times faster than Sungyoon, and they could do it in a safer manner .

However, he shook such thoughts away .

‘I should be thankful for my current situation . ’

If it wasn’t for Jimin’s good will, he would not have been able to start his labyrinth exploration in such a stable manner . He had been in the dark, and the moon had given him a faint moonlight to navigate the road . He should be thankful to the moon instead of being jealous of the sunlight .

He corrected his mindset as he quickly exited the labyrinth .

* * *

After Sungyoon exited the labyrinth, he visited the Korea’s Connector Support Center . He didn’t have the money to maintain earth’s standard of living on Armstrong, so the support center was the only place he could rely on .

The support center was located in the second district . It was where most of the world’s support centers were located . He arrived at a building flying the South Korean flag .

He entered the main lobby where the reception desk and the receptionist were located .

“What brings you here?”

The receptionist asked in fluent Korean . Sungyoon gave the receptionist all the moonstones he collected in two days .

“Please keep this in safekeeping for me . I also would like to receive items given to Connectors raiding the Beginner’s labyrinth . ”

Afterwards, he gave the receptionist his Connector ID . After the receptionist confirmed his ID, he started typing into the computer .

“Mr Woo Sungyoon . You are a 1st Gen Connector?”

Sungyoon nodded .

The receptionist was adept at putting away the Moonstones given to him by Sungyoon . Then, he gave Sungyoon several pills and two bottles of water .

“This is your daily limit . Even if you ask for more, I do not have the authority to give you more . Please keep that in mind . ”

It seemed there were a lot of people that asked for more, so the receptionist sounded a bit annoyed when he spoke these words .

“You will receive the nutritional supplements and water once a day . ”

The receptionist called for a man standing nearby . It seemed this person would be his guide .

He exited with Sungyoon in tow and led Sungyoon to the building next door .

It was a gray seven-story building . It looked like a big box, and there was nothing imaginative about it .

It was a dormitory . It was a resting place provided to Connectors that were going through the Beginner’s labyrinth . This was in contrast to the 2nd and 3rd Gen Connectors, who received massive amounts of support from their companies . Unlike most 1st Gen Connectors, they were provided a place to stay by their companies, as these Connectors had a high probability of returning profit to the companies . Everyone who lived in the dormitory was contracted to small companies . Basically, they had no backing, and they weren’t talented enough . At the very least, this was true on the moon .

“I hate to tell you this, but Connectors call this place the Chicken Coop . ”

The guide smiled so broadly that all his teeth became visible .

The inside of the building was clean . However, that was the only positive . The amount of space assigned to each Connector was very small . On earth, this type of establishment was called capsule hotels . Basically, a person was given enough space to lie down . That was it .

“These are the exclusive capsules for the Connectors . You can stay here until your contract ends or until you return to earth . When you are assigned a Private labyrinth, you can use this place for two weeks before you have to move out . ”

The man opened a door to a capsule . Fortunately, the security to the capsule was quite good, and only the person registered to it could open its door .

The man let Sungyoon scan his fingerprint into the lock, and then he said his goodbye . Sungyoon was left standing by himself next to the open door of the capsule .

First, Sungyoon tossed in the nutritional supplements and water he received earlier . Then he threw his meager possessions into the capsule . When he stuffed his body into the capsule, he closed the door . The lock let out a whirr as it automatically locked the door .

Sungyoon looked over the interior of the capsule . There was an LED light letting out a bright light . Nothing else had been provided, not even a blanket .

He was barely able to turn his body in this space . It was basically a place where one only went to sleep . The ceiling was so low that he couldn’t even sit comfortably in this space . Sungyoon felt as if he had been placed inside a coffin .

‘Are they purposefully giving us little support?’

As a country, one needed Connectors assigned to Personal labyrinths . There wasn’t much profit to be made in the Beginner’s labyrinth . This was why Connectors who continued to go to the Beginner’s labyrinth weren’t considered to be valuable . If they gave too much support to them, some might refuse to move on even if they were talented enough to enter the Private labyrinths . This miserable condition was meant to nip that problem in the bud . Of course, it would also save them money .

He was about to lie down, but the blood on his clothes and skin bothered him . Sungyoon poured a small amount of water onto a towel, and he did an adequate job of wiping his body . After changing into his extra clothes, he went back to lying down on the floor . The floor was hard, and it was cold .

Sungyoon took out his wallet, and he took out Shinhae’s picture .

His eyes softened as all the stress he received today melted away . His eyelids started to get heavy, and he couldn’t overcome his sleepiness .

He looked at the picture for a while before he fell asleep .

* * *

Several more days passed like this .

When morning arrived, Sungyoon pushed his aching body to wake up . He popped the vitamins into his mouth, and he washed it down with water .

That was his breakfast .

Sungyoon changed into his bloody clothes as he headed towards the labyrinth . Sungyoon already looked shabby like the time when he was contracted to work hard labor . It was to be expected . He was wearing clothes crusted with dried blood, and there was a foul stench coming off him .

However, it didn’t bother Sungyoon . His actions weren’t dictated by how other people judged him . He didn’t care about their gazes . Moreover, there were many Connectors in similar state as him within the Beginner’s Labyrinth .

He looked a bit accustomed to doing this now . He summoned his equipment then he entered the labyrinth . He kept taking different routes when he came to a crossroad in order to find monsters .

Soon, he was able to encounter a couple monsters . He mainly encountered the Big Rats and Mad Dogs . He also ran into a Six-Legged Lizard . Sungyoon was methodical as he defeated them . As he gained more experience, his hunting speed increased .

When he learned the basic strategy of taking down the three monsters, he became bolder with his actions . In the past, he would repeatedly knock down the Mad Dog before he used his spear . Currently, he used his spear to stab the Mad Dog to death from the beginning .

Most of the Connectors killed the Mad Dogs in such a fashion . If one took in Sungyoon’s vision, reflexes and power, the Mad Dogs were easy prey for him to take down .

He had wandered the labyrinth for an indeterminate amount of time .

“Huh?”

Sungyoon stopped walking .

There was a large black hole in front of him . He carefully looked down the hole .

The surface was uneven as it continued to slope downwards . It looked crude compared to the structures created by humans, but this clearly was a staircase .

Sungyoon looked conflicted as he looked below .

The monsters became stronger as one went lower into the labyrinth . On the other hand, the size of the moonstones also increased . The probability of getting a Device or a Gem increased too .

‘Let’s be calm . ’

This was the first time he had seen the entrance to the second floor, so he talked to himself .

‘Shall I go in?’

The monsters became stronger on the 2nd floor, but they were still monsters found in the Beginner’s labyrinth . Still, even if the monsters were weak, the ones on the second floor would be stronger compared to the first floor .

He glanced at his watch . He still had plenty of time .

‘I wonder how my skills will stack up against them?’

He had wandered around the 1st floor for several days, and he never encountered any difficulty . In fact, his battles became easier as time passed .

When he had that thought, a firm resolve appeared in Sungyoon’s eyes .

‘If I want to raid the Great Labyrinth someday, I have to go down . ’

Sungyoon gripped his spear harder . Then his left foot left the ground, and he slowly lowered his foot into the black maw . In short order, Sungyoon completely disappeared into the hole .