Chapter 88
Chapter 88
Sungyoon was leisurely driving across the surface of the Moon in his vehicle .
He didn’t see anything in the front . Normally, on Earth, one saw roads, signs, and other cars . There was none of that here . The only thing he could see was the dark s.p.a.ce and the desolate surface of the Moon .
He took a quick glance backward . On the dust-covered surface of the Moon, his rugged Moon Surface Vehicle was creating a large dust trail . The gravity was low, and there was no air . This was why it looked like a sandstorm was rus.h.i.+ng as the dust dispersed into the atmosphere . Of course, the dust didn’t find complete freedom . It would settle back down to the ground, thanks to the gravity of the Moon . However, the amount of time it remained in the atmosphere would be much longer than Earth .
Sungyoon pressed down on the accelerator a little bit more .
The path couldn’t even be called an unpaved road . There was no rush hour traffic . In fact, he couldn’t see the presence of another car . However, the ride became beyond rough when he increased the speed, and Sungyoon clicked his tongue as he lowered his speed once again . The shaking subsided .
Since there was no air, he couldn’t hear music . He had to travel for several days in boredom .
He drove for a long time when it happened .
The instrument panel started blinking, and it meant that he was close to his destination . On Earth, the navigation system would let out a sound alert . But since there were many situations where the sound waves couldn’t travel through the atmosphere, the Moon Surface vehicle had a specialized navigation system that gave signals through its display .
Sungyoon glanced at the navigation system from time to time as he drove towards his destination .
In short order, Sungyoon arrived at his destination .
He opened the door and got off the vehicle . As his feet slowly touched the ground, he looked forward . In the distant past, a meteorite had crashed on the surface here, and it had created an enormous crater . As if it were trying to hide the big wound created by the meteorite, the ground created an annular shape with a rim around it . Sungyoon"s destination was present at the brim of this enormous crater .
It looked as if it was a door inviting him into h.e.l.l . It looked like the mouth of a monster that didn’t deign to hide its greed and desire . The darkness within the maw stared out into the dark s.p.a.ce across the horizon .
* * *
Sungyoon got up and got off his bed . As he moved his body, he didn’t feel any kink . However, he had just woken up, so he did feel a bit stiff . But the stiffness disappeared as he started moving his body . Still, he didn’t feel the c.r.a.ppy feeling that he daily experienced when he woke up in the Chicken Coop . It seemed the bed and blankets within the Moon Surface Vehicle had done their job .
He opened a drawer . It contained several containers with vitamins that would subst.i.tute as meals for Sungyoon . He popped a couple of them into his mouth . Then, he took out a cup and poured water into it through the sink . He had a sink, but he didn’t plan on was.h.i.+ng his face . This place was like the desert, and every drop of water was precious here . The water within the supply tank was strictly for drinking .
After he had been a.s.signed a Personal Labyrinth, he could no longer ask for help from the Support Center . It was why he had to spend an incredible amount of money to purchase water and vitamin packs . Jimin said she would reimburse all his purchases . Yet, it still felt like a waste of money .
He got off the vehicle . His surroundings hadn’t changed at all, remaining unchanged as if they wouldn’t erode or weather over time . He looked at the bare landscape as he walked .
He once again took in the sight of the entrance to the labyrinth . The sight of the entrance remained the same as the day before .
He had driven the vehicle without sleeping, so he didn’t want to overdo it . That"s why he had decided to go to sleep early . He had intended to start raiding the labyrinth in earnest the next day .
Sungyoon checked his equipment once again .
His equipment had increased . When Sungyoon’s party had been about to clear the Beginner’s Labyrinth, they had acquired another Gem . It was a Green rank Gem . However, Sungyoon had decided to defer the Gem to the Ross siblings . To be precise, he had yielded it to Emily .
It was because the Gem had the ability to heal .
Of course, he had also received something in return . Sungyoon’s mace had been borrowed from Emily, but when she received the Green Gem, she gave full owners.h.i.+p of the Blue rank mace to Sungyoon . In addition, Emily gave him one more Gem . It was a Purple rank Gem that allowed one to use a healing spell . It wasn’t her main healing Gem that she had been using up until that point . It was a Gem she kept as for auxiliary use . It could heal a critical wound, but it was still the lowest rank Gem . This was why it could only heal twice and could target only one person at a time . The cooldown time was over 15 hours .
Sungyoon would probably attempt his Personal Labyrinth by himself, so he was very thankful for the gift . Moreover, not too long after finding the Green Gem, they had been able to find another Gem . It allowed Sungyoon to lay claim to the Indigo Gem, which increased his strength three-fold .
Currently, his equipment consisted of a Green rank scale mail, a Blue rank mace, a Blue rank s.h.i.+eld, and a Purple rank s.h.i.+n guard . He also possessed the Purple rank spear and the Purple rank leather armor for auxiliary use .
In terms of enhancing physical ability, he had a Purple rank Gem that increased his strength two-fold, and an Indigo rank Gem that increased his strength three-fold . His strength increased by five-fold in total, and he also had a Purple rank Gem that enhanced his senses .
Finally, he had a magic Gem . It was the Purple rank Gem that would allow him to use healing magic .
If he were to rank the Rainbow rank Gems from high to low, it went from Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Purple . He mainly possessed the middle to lower rank group Gems, so he was still very far from being able to raid the Great Labyrinth .
Moreover, although the highest rank Gem he possessed was the Gold rank Gem, he didn’t have a Device capable of activating it . This was why he had to slot it into a Purple slot . He also had a Yellow rank Gem, but he didn’t even have an extra purple slot to equip it . This was why he couldn’t even equip the special ability Gem he possessed .
He had a Device on each wrist, and a necklace . Aside from the Device on his right wrist, the other two could only slot purple rank Gems .
Gems were important, but at some point, he had to acquire Devices too .
Sungyoon brushed his hand over his Devices and Gems . Then he entered into the Personal Labyrinth he had been a.s.signed .
The interior of the Personal Labyrinth looked like the Beginner’s Labyrinth . The darkness was absolute, so it made it impossible to see with one’s eyes . However, this labyrinth was also filled with magical energy, so external information was transmitted to his senses through the magical energy .
His body felt heavier . Until a moment ago, his body had been light, thanks to the reduced gravity on the Moon . But now, his weight clearly increased . He was sure of it . The gravity inside this labyrinth was similar to the gravity on Earth .
Boom!
A sound rang out . Sungyoon stomped on the ground several more times . He put more force behind it .
Boom! Boom!
The floor was made out of a hard rock, and it sounded angry as Sungyoon beat the floor with his feet . He was able to hear sound despite the labyrinth being connected to the surface of the Moon . It meant there was air within the labyrinth .
He took a deep breath . It wasn’t the fresh air one could find on Earth, but he would be able to breathe here .
However, it wasn’t a reason for him to be surprised . He had heard from Jimin about the various phenomena that occurred within the labyrinths . If one considered the mystery surrounding the labyrinths, the presence of breathable air wasn’t surprising .
He quickly activated his Gems and slowly started to roam around the labyrinth .
‘I wonder what level this labyrinth is . ’
It would be a problem if the level was too low or too high . However, he was aiming for the Great Labyrinth . He’d rather have a more dangerous and higher ranked labyrinth . It would increase his probability of finding good Devices and Gems .
It happened when he had taken only a few steps into the entrance .
It was as if the labyrinth had already made preparations to greet him .
A red light blinked in and out within the darkness . Sungyoon raised his mace and s.h.i.+eld as he clearly heard a growl filled with killing intent .
A Slash Cat was slowly walking towards Sungyoon . It possessed a sleek body, and long sharp claws .
‘Already . . . ’
It was a monster that he had seen first on the 3rd floor of the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
‘As expected, this labyrinth is of a higher rank than the Beginner’s Labyrinth?’
However, he soon rejected that idea . He had only seen the true Beginner’s Labyrinth when he had mistakenly gone into the sealed section . Aside from that instance, he only experienced a labyrinth tailored to the Beginner Connectors .
First, Sungyoon got into his fighting stance . He was able to easily kill a Slash Cat in the Beginner’s Labyrinth, but he had only experienced fighting this monster there . There was no guarantee the monster in this labyrinth would be comparable to the monsters in the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
Sungyoon once again raised his s.h.i.+eld as he slowly approached the monster .
-Kyahhhhhhk!
It took a large leap as it swiped with its front paw .
‘Still, it seems they have the same attack pattern . ’
His eyes were wide open as he tried to not miss even the smallest movement made by the monster .
Tuh-ung!
A substantial force could be felt through the s.h.i.+eld when the attack landed . However, that was it .
‘It is a bit stronger than the Slash Cat in the Beginner’s Labyrinth, but it isn’t overwhelmingly stronger . ’
The Slash Cat used its agility and powerful single attacks to overcome its enemies . These were the signature characteristics of this monster . It meant he had experienced its full power in the last attack . However, Sungyoon was patient . He remained steady in his advance .
Puh-uhk!
The Slash Cat used the rebound of its attack to retreat backward . The connector followed after it, and he bashed it with his s.h.i.+eld .
-Kyaaang!
The monster was still in the air, so it couldn’t evade his attack . His s.h.i.+eld hit the Slash Cat, and its body flew through the air .
‘Its durability is about the same . ’
It looked like a cat . It meant it should elegantly land on its feet without taking much damage when thrown through the air . However, there was no elegance or nimbleness to be seen when it took a blow from Sungyoon . It rolled across the ground in an unseemly fas.h.i.+on .
Sungyoon increased his speed . He swung his mace before it could get up .
Kwah-jee-jeek!
The heavy weapon impacted its side . It couldn’t even let out a scream as it immediately died . When it had taken the blow from the mace, the body of the Slash Cat was ripped into two . It wasn’t clean like being cut by a sword . Flesh and muscle were forcefully pulled apart, and the bones were ground to dust . Blood and its innards had splashed into the surrounding . It was a horrible sight .
However, Sungyoon had seen this many times before . So, instead of focusing on the tragic sight, he focused on a.n.a.lyzing this Slash Cat .
He came to the conclusion that it was a bit stronger, and he didn’t need to be too worried about it .
‘Let’s go around a little bit more . ’
Sungyoon picked up the moonstone, and then, he once again roamed around the labyrinth .
* * *
It was a labyrinth that hadn’t been cleaned up . Sungyoon could feel this reality in his bones .
‘Again . ’
It was a Needle Hedgehog . Since a Slash Cat had shown up on the 1st floor, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to see a Needle Hedgehog .
The problem was the frequency of encountering these monsters .
‘Aren’t there too many of them?’
There were too many monsters here . It couldn’t even be compared to the Beginner’s Labyrinth . If he re-positioned himself while fighting a monster, there was a high chance that he would be attacked by another monster .
The Needle Hedgehog had its needles straight up in the air, and it started shooting towards its opponent . As expected, it was stronger than the one in the Beginner’s Labyrinth, but it wasn’t something he couldn"t handle .
Soon, the Needle Hedgehog became a b.l.o.o.d.y mess by Sungyoon’s mace, and its corpse changed into a moonstone .
After he gathered the moonstone, he started moving again . He hadn’t walked that far, yet his bag was full of moonstones .
Stop!
Sungyoon, who had been rolling over all the monsters like a bulldozer, came to a stop .
‘It is a fork in the tunnel . ’
The tunnel, which he had been walking through, had diverged . Two tunnels now stood in front of him . If he were still in the Beginner’s Labyrinth, he could have picked and chosen a tunnel on a whim . However, that wasn’t possible here . In the Beginner’s Labyrinth, each fork had helpful signs that guided one out of the labyrinth . No such guideposts existed in this place . If he became careless, his greed could get him swallowed up by this place . He would be lost in a maze .
It was good that he had decided to use this time for trial and error . As he had that thought, Sungyoon walked forward .
‘I’ll go left again . ’
He made the same choice, each time he came to a fork in the tunnel . If he chose randomly, there was a good chance he would get lost . He would become needless fertilizer for the Moon . This was why he didn’t go back and forth choosing the right or the left path . He chose only one direction, so he had no worries about getting lost .
He continued to walk down the large cave . After walking for a while, Sungyoon witnessed a surprising scene .