Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Sungyoon looked at the necklace-type Device .
‘Honestly, this is the one I’m really glad to see . ’
He picked up the Device . There was only one slot present in the middle of the necklace, and the rank of the slot was the lowest of the low, the Purple rank . But, the slot was shaped like a circle .
‘It is a Universal slot . I can equip my Gold Gem with this . ’
If he had been able to activate his Gold Gem in the battle against Soobin, he wouldn’t have been at a disadvantage in the fight . The fact that he had gained a Device that could activate the Gold Gem made him very happy .
He had inspected all of Soobin’s Gems and Devices . However, there was still one Gem left .
When he saw it, a troubled expression appeared on Sungyoon"s face .
‘What was he thinking when he gave me this?’
It was the Gem given to him by Hyunwoo as a token of apology .
Shaped like a hexagon, it was a special-ability Gem . Sungyoon became troubled when he saw the Gem"s color .
‘White Gem . ’
A white light was coming out of the Gem . It was a B&W rank Gem, a rank above the Rainbow rank, and a rank before the Jewel rank . Sungyoon was holding the White Gem which ranked higher than the Black Gem . This was his first time seeing a Gem that was a rank below the Jewel rank .
‘When you are at Sung Hyunwoo’s level, maybe a White rank Gem isn"t considered valuable?’
It was a possibility . Despite this, it was an incredibly valuable Gem to Sungyoon .
He once again gazed at the White Gem .
‘Since it was a token of apology, it should be fine for me to take it . ’
In the end, Sungyoon decided to be happy about the goodwill shown to him by Hyunwoo . However, he couldn’t immediately use the White Gem .
‘I need to find another Device . ’
He needed to find a Device capable of equipping a White-rank special-ability Gem . However, he had no idea how long it would take him to find such a high-level Device .
‘Now that I think about it, I still haven’t received Nicholas’ Device . ’
Sungyoon hoped Nicholas possessed a Device capable of slotting this White Gem .
The newly acquired Devices and Gems would be a big source of power to Sungyoon . Aside from the White Gem, he could use all the others . He had confirmed this already .
However, he couldn’t use these Gems in the labyrinth he was headed to right now .
‘She said I should avoid using the high-rank Gems . ’
He remembered Jimin’s warning . The party he was going to meet and work with would be comprised of regular 1st Gens . They wouldn’t look too kindly at him if he used his high-rank Gems around them .
‘I’ll just have to do my best to only equip Gems and Devices that I normally use . ’
Moreover, he would be prepared for the unexpected . He would wear the necklace-type Device with the Gold Gem equipped in it .
After going over everything, he immediately went into his bed . It didn’t take him too long to fall deep into sleep .
* * *
The display on the Moon Surface Vehicle blinked . The signal meant he was almost at his destination .
Sungyoon increased his speed . Soon, he could see his destination .
It was unlike his labyrinth, where the entrance existed at the highest point on a crater . This labyrinth was located on a flat plain, and the entrance opened up like a sinkhole .
Four Moon Surface Vehicles were parked near the labyrinth’s entrance in no order .
‘They are already here . ’
Sungyoon wasn’t late, yet everyone had already arrived before him .
It seemed the Connectors had caught sight of Sungyoon’s Moon Surface Vehicle . He saw them exit their respective vehicles . Sungyoon found a nice place to park and also came out of his vehicle .
All the Connectors approached him . Their number corresponded with the number of Moon Surface Vehicles . Of the two men and the two women, the first one to approach Sungyoon was a man . He gestured towards the labyrinth . It seemed he wanted Sungyoon to enter the labyrinth where air was present . It would allow them to communicate . Sungyoon nodded .
All five headed towards the labyrinth"s entrance .
The man moved in front of the group and was the first one to jump into the hole . Everyone followed after him . Sungyoon stood at the edge of the hole and looked down . He could see the floor that was about two meters away . The floor extended further downwards on a steep slope .
Sungyoon jumped in .
Tap!
He could hear sounds . When he moved, the small current of air tickled his skin .
There was oxygen . It meant he had entered into the sphere of influence of the labyrinth .
“The slope is quite steep here . If we enter a little further, it flattens out . Let’s talk there . ”
The man, who had entered first, spoke . Everyone just nodded as they followed him deeper into the labyrinth .
They had come here to talk, but they were within a labyrinth, so everyone activated their Gems . Sungyoon also followed suit . Since he didn’t want to be in the spotlight, he only activated his lower-rank Gems . He also delayed his activation time on purpose .
It seemed this was their first meeting, so no one talked to each other . An awkward silence descended amongst the group .
The location mentioned by the man appeared not too long after .
When everyone arrived at their destination, the man turned around to face the group .
“First, I would like to thank all of you for answering my request to form a party . I am this labyrinth’s owner . My name is Jahng Wonho . ”
Wonho gave a deep bow .
Sungyoon looked at the surrounding Connectors . It seemed Wonho’s company had requested Connectors from the same country as him . They were all Korean .
“May I ask everyone to introduce themselves?”
Wonho directed the question to the woman closest to him . She was a woman with a neatly trimmed bobbed hair that reached her shoulders .
“My name is Kim Hweeyae . ”
The bob haired woman nervously kept glancing at the other people as she spoke . It seemed she was a bit of an introvert .
Then everyone’s gaze headed towards the man standing next to her .
“My name is Suh Soochan . ”
His voice was a bit sleazy, and his eyes were slightly upturned . It looked as if the man had a temper .
“My name is Lee Mina . ”
After Soochan, the woman next in line spoke . She had long hair and cat-like eyes . She was a striking woman . But the tone of her voice wasn’t friendly at all, and she gave off a haughty att.i.tude .
After the four gave their introduction, they all turned to look at Sungyoon .
“My name is Woo Sungyoon . ”
Sungyoon was emotionless as he made his introduction .
As they all had made their introductions, Wonho brought down his fist on his palm to get the attention of everyone .
“Since I am the owner of this labyrinth, I’ll take on the role of being the leader of this party . Does anyone object to this?”
No one spoke up . But Soochan cracked his neck as if he didn’t particularly like the arrangement .
“Thank you . I’ll explain the future schedule in detail . We were scheduled to meet the day after tomorrow . However, we’ve already gathered here, so I would like to start the labyrinth exploration tomorrow . If we wait until the day after tomorrow, we’ll just be wasting our time . ”
Wonho paused for a brief moment to a.s.sess the expression on everyone’s face . When no one complained, he continued .
“This party will work for a month, and I plan on going as deep as possible . The goal is to determine the rank of this labyrinth, but I don"t plan on avoiding hunting monsters . Isn"t that the original goal of Connectors?”
Wonho spoke in a playful manner as he winked .
“The most important part is how the moonstones are distributed… . ”
Everyone’s expression changed a little bit . This information would have a direct effect on their earnings, and if the distribution was unfair, no one would hesitate to argue with the terms .
Of course, Wonho knew this well .
“We’ll make it fair . We’ll split the moonstone exactly in one-fifths . ”
When Wonho gave his answer, everyone became less tense .
At that moment, Mina raised her hand . Everyone turned to look at her .
“What about Devices and Gems?”
Everyone’s face stiffened once again . Wonho looked a bit cornered by the question . The rights to Devices and Gems were a sensitive subject amongst Connectors .
“Devices and Gems aren’t like moonstones . We can’t divide it equally . This is why we’ll stick to the basic rule . We can auction it on the market, and then we can fairly divide the profits . If a party member needs the Gem, they’ll have to compensate the other members monetarily at fair market price . ”
“I would like to purchase a healing magic Gem if it does drop . ”
Mina was direct as she revealed her intent . It seemed she had an agenda by asking the question about the Devices and Gems .
The surrounding atmosphere cooled . Wonho didn’t look thrilled by her words, and Soochan openly expressed his displeasure .
“You said your name is Lee Mina? I’m sorry, but I also need a healing magic Gem . ”
Soochan didn’t plan on hiding his soured mood . He spoke towards Mina, who fully turned to look at him . Displeasure was evident in her cold gaze . But Soochan didn’t back down as he glared back at her .
“Please let’s all calm down . ”
It seemed Wonho didn’t like what Mina had said, but he was the leader of this party . He didn’t reveal his true emotions . He tried to de-escalate the p.i.s.sing match between the two Connectors .
‘Healing magic Gem . ’
Sungyoon had two of them, the Purple rank Gem given to him by Emily and the Blue rank Gem that had belonged to Soobin . It seemed at least three people didn’t possess a healing magic Gem in this party .
‘I guess it is understandable . If I didn’t have it, I would desperately want one . ’
Connectors were under constant threat of being injured, so every Connector wanted a healing magic Gem . It had the potential to save their lives .
With Wonho"s intervention, Soochan and Mina ended their p.i.s.sing match .
“As you all probably know, the chances of a Device or a Gem dropping is extremely low . We haven’t even found one, yet we are fighting about it . It’ll only ruin our mood and adversely affect our team chemistry . At the very least, let’s have this argument after we find a Device or a Gem . ”
Wonho threw in those comments .
The situation hadn’t been resolved . The problem had been pushed to a later date . Since the probability of a healing-magic Gem dropping was extremely low, it was a good solution .
The conversation ended there that day . Everyone exited the labyrinth and returned to their respective Moon Surface Vehicles . Sungyoon also went back to his Vehicle and sat on his bed .
‘The mood is different already . ’
When he had partied up with the Ross siblings, they had been considerate of each other . The atmosphere had been completely different from his current party .
‘This is the reality of a party only forming for profit . ’
Of course, the mood of the party could change . With time, they could become closer to each other . They could develop trust while fighting back to back with their lives on the line . However, as of right now, Sungyoon couldn’t trust his back to any of his current party members .
‘Will this turn out ok?’
He was a bit worried as he looked out the window .
* * *
Sungyoon’s party entered the labyrinth early next day .
Sungyoon heeded Jimin’s warning and didn’t equip the good Gems . He had the evolved Indigo-rank spear and the Indigo Gem that increased his strength by three-folds . He also brought the Blue-rank Gem that enhanced his strength by four-fold, and the Blue rank Gem that enhanced his senses . The only exception was his armor . He brought the Green-rank Scale Mail for his safety, and the Purple-rank healing Gem just in case .
‘If I had it my way, I would use all of Kim Soobin’s Gems . ’
However, those Gems were too high in rank .
Of course, he felt inconvenienced . But he was consoled by the fact that he had his Gold Gem . It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the Gold Gem was his lifeline . He had equipped it on his necklace-type Device and tucked it under his s.h.i.+rt to hide it from others .
‘It’s too bad that I don’t have a s.h.i.+eld anymore . ’
He had always possessed a s.h.i.+eld in the past, so his left hand felt empty . However, all his s.h.i.+elds had been destroyed . This was the reason Sungyoon had decided to use the Indigo-rank spear instead of the Blue-rank mace . Since he didn’t have a s.h.i.+eld, he planned on compensating its loss with the long reach of the spear .
When Sungyoon arrived, everyone stared at him . He felt out of place . He hadn’t brought any of his high-rank Gems, yet his equipment stood out .
Most of his party members were wearing leather armor that only covered their upper body . The best of the bunch was Wonho, who had worn a leather armor reinforced with a big plate of steel .