Chapter 214
Chapter 214
“Is work going well?”
“Yes . We didn"t experience any signs indicating that the Golems would re-emerge . The specialized equipment is also working well . ”
The excavation equipment had been created by using Mana-Knight and the Golems" remains .
Until recently, the walls of the labyrinths could only be destroyed by high rank Connectors using high rank Gems . But now, this equipment could also easily crush the labyrinth walls and Mana-Knight . It had become an essential piece of equipment .
“How’s the output rate?”
“We"re slowly ramping up the production . For now, we"re just gaining experience in mining in the labyrinth . "
“We have a lot of buyers lined up . Most countries and companies are trying to get their hands on this material . I don’t want you to overwork yourselves, but I would like you to excavate as much Mana-Knight as possible . ”
Sungyoon reminded the muscled man .
“As expected, this has to do with the secondary property of Mana-Knight, right?”
“That’s right . ”
Mana-Knight was an energy source that could generate more energy than most moonstones, and on top of that, normal people could excavate them . Just these facts alone made the ore a premium commodity .
However, a new use of Mana-Knight was discovered recently .
“After all the magical energy is extracted, Mana-Knight can be processed to make bullets that work against monsters . ”
All human weapons were powerless against the monsters . However, the bullets made out of Mana-Knight could pierce through the defense of the monsters . The world was being threatened by the increasing appearances of monsters . Then there was the demonic monster that even Sungyoon couldn’t defeat . It was still loose on Earth .
In these desperate times, a new weapon that could allow humans to fight against the monsters had appeared . It was a blessing to humanity . All the countries were waiting for their s.h.i.+pment of Mana-Knight, so they could defend their lands .
“Thank you for your hard work . I"ll add a big fat bonus at the end, and it’ll grow fatter depending on how much you can excavate . ”
“Ha ha ha! That sounds like music to my ears . ”
The muscled man was a lifelong miner, and that was the only thing he knew how to do .
As a normal human, he had come into a labyrinth crawling with monsters . He would die from magical poisoning without the magical energy eliminator . So he’d rather receive more money than a compliment from his employer .
After having a cursory look around the site, Sungyoon turned away .
“Are those two doing better?”
Chelsea asked as she approached Sungyoon . She was concerned about Emily and Grace .
“They are fine . I’m the one who suggested the break in the first place . If I hadn"t made that call, they would"ve probably gone straight into the Great Labyrinth . For now, Ms . Grace and Ms . Emily haven’t bothered to return to their own countries . They are going on trips around Korea with Jimin and Jiyoon week in, week out . I just don’t know when those four got so close . ”
Sungyoon shook his head from side to side, but Chelsea knew exactly why the four women were so close . If it weren’t for her research, she would"ve joined the group on the trips too .
“Well, it"s good to hear that those two are doing well . Please say h.e.l.lo to them on my behalf and tell them to have fun . ”
At that moment, Chelsea"s expression contained envy .
***
Dongin’s head had started to hurt a lot in recent days . In order to bury the information about the death of Jungb.u.m, he had continued to interfere with Jimin’s business and even been successful to a certain extent in the past . Then, everything went to h.e.l.l when Sungyoon showed up .
‘I want to kill him somehow, but I just can’t find the right opportunity . ’
For some odd reason, Dongin felt suspicious of Hyunwoo now . So he intended to order his new subordinate to kill Sungyoon, but he could never find the right opportunity .
‘There’s too much attention on him . I can act more freely when the interest in him cools down, but he always seems to be at the center of big events . ’
Considering the amount of interest Jimin had shown toward Woo Sungyoon, Dongin was sure she would give up on her obsession with the Great Labyrinth if Sungyoon died . However, Dongin was having a very hard time finding the final straw that would break the camel’s back .
‘The current lay of the land in politics is too dangerous for me to directly act . I might have to go about this in a roundabout way like I did with Kim Soobin . ’
Dongin scratched his chin .
‘Didn’t that b.a.s.t.a.r.d have a friend that he had a falling out with?’
The news outlets had made it known that one of Sungyoon"s past friends had a complicated history with Sungyoon, and this friend was pretty much public enemy number one in Korea right now .
‘If I use him . . . ’
Dongin’s eyes twinkled .
***
The half-year rest for Sungyoon"s party was finally over . This was the first long break Sungyoon had ever taken since becoming a Connector . So he used the opportunity to play a lot with s.h.i.+nhae .
In the break, his party members had enacted the dastardly plan of bringing s.h.i.+nhae to their side . And thus, they were able to make Sungyoon travel all over Korea with them . They even went to foreign countries several times .
After he was betrayed by his friend and wife, this was the first time Sungyoon felt so comfortable and overjoyed . He still had no idea about the demonic monster"s whereabouts, so there was always a bit of worry in the back of his head .
Yet, it was overall a peaceful vacation for them . However, Sungyoon and his comrades had started feeling the desire to go back to the Moon in the midst of their break . It had only worsened with time .
This was the inevitable fate of a Connector, and it made them move back into action once again .
“It really has been a while!”
After exiting the Aldrin s.p.a.ceport, Grace immediately stretched her arms into the air at the sight of the familiar city .
Armstrong city could only function within the inorganic gray dome, and at times, it was a very dreary place to be . However, the party hadn’t seen this place for the past half-year, so the gray walls looked welcoming to them .
It also helped that their yearning for the Moon subsided when they stepped onto the Moon . The party headed toward Sungyoon’s luxury mansion .
“Oh my! You"re back?”
Chelsea was in her usual stained lab coat, and she was lying on the living room’s sofa .
Sungyoon greeted her back and asked .
“How have you been?”
“Really great! I had this large mansion to myself . Of course, I was comfortable . ”
“It seems you used very little water and electricity . The bill I received wasn’t that high . ”
“You let me use this amazing building for free . I didn’t want to impose any further . ”
Unlike on Earth, electricity and water cost a lot up here . Since Chelsea was living in this building, she had to use the utility, but she did her best to minimize how much resources she used . Also, she occasionally had to live at the lab for her research for long periods .
“How was your half-year vacation?”
Chelsea looked over Sungyoon and the others .
“It was amazing . It had been a while since I was able to rest like that . ”
“I agree . ”
Emily and Grace looked at each other and laughed . It seemed the two women had gotten really close during the break .
“I’m really jealous . So, are you planning on entering the Great Labyrinth tomorrow?”
“Of course . That’s our job . ”
Sungyoon sat in front of Chelsea .
“Did anything unusual happen on the Moon while we were gone?”
“It"s always the same here . The only different thing that I can think of right now is the fact that the mining in the Beginner’s Labyrinth is fully operational now . Also, the central hub of Gagarin·Yang city was finished . ”
“Already?”
Gagarin·Yang city .
It was a weird name, but that was what the Lunar city created by Russia and China had been named . The name came from the first astronauts sent into s.p.a.ce by the two countries .
A political battle had happened between Russia and China on the name of their city . That was the reason the city had been nameless for a long time . However, the two countries had compromised in the end . It was also apparent that the Russian name came first, so it seemed Russia had scored a minor victory in the process .
“It seems since the previous Russian base had been quite large, they had an easier time building the Gagarin·Yang city . Anyway, the two countries will have a big announcement tomorrow . ”
Chelsea had received this news beforehand due to some personal connections .
“The wrinkles on the mayor of Armstrong will deepen with this . ”
“It"s to be expected . The Connectors in Gagarin·Yang city have already cleared all the Golems from the labyrinths near their Great Labyrinth . The city management is close to starting their mining of Mana-Knight . ”
As of right now, the only place in Armstrong where Mana-Knight was being extensively excavated was the Beginner’s Labyrinth, which was owned by Sungyoon .
“According to the rumors, Gagarin·Yang city management wants to see if there are more things to excavate . So they"re indiscriminately excavating the walls of the labyrinth . ”
“Is that a good idea?”
Tim, who had been quietly listening, spoke up .
“I have no idea . However, one thing is for sure . They will pull out all stops to overtake Armstrong city . ”
“I just hope they don’t take it too far . ”
Tim shook his head from side to side and went into his room .
“There is no way something bad would happen, right?”
Emily looked very worried .
However, Sungyoon was unable to give her a clear answer .
“I’m not sure . We can only hope . ”
***
Sungyoon’s party entered the Great Labyrinth .
Each floor of the Great Labyrinth was like a different world, and the party arrived where they had left off last time . It was the end of the initial stage of the Great Labyrinth .
The four of them stood in front of a cave . After pa.s.sing through this cave, they would see another version of the Great Labyrinth, something they had never experienced before .
“Are you ready?”
Sungyoon asked, and his party members nodded .
“Let’s go . ”
The party entered the cave . The tunnel wasn’t that long, and soon, they arrived a small clearing .
The clearing was shaped like a dome, and inside it were numerous tunnels leading to all directions . It really looked like a labyrinth now .
In normal labyrinths, the party could enter the tunnels at random . However, it worked differently here in the Great Labyrinth .
“Which region were we a.s.signed to?”
Tim looked around the cave as he asked .
“This one . ”
After taking out a paper, Sungyoon pointed toward a tunnel . The party headed toward it .
“The fact that everyone has to share the Great Labyrinth is aggravating enough . I can’t believe each region is divided amongst the various companies . ”
Tim grumbled .
After the initial stages, the Great Labyrinth was structured in a manner befitting its name .
A lot of information regarding the initial stages were public amongst the Connectors . However, this was no longer true for the floors beyond that . All the companies whose Connectors entered the Great Labyrinth hid the information about the lower floors of the Great Labyrinth .
The public knew very little about what was on those floors . Moreover, Armstrong allowed companies to monopolize a tunnel . Of course, one couldn’t monopolize the tunnels as soon as one got past the initial stages . One had to move fairly deep into that region of the labyrinth first .
For Connectors and companies alike, the Great Labyrinth was the most important labyrinth . It was a place of prestige and also a place where they made the most money . So, to further their interests, everyone actively stopped the spread of information . This was also one of the reasons so few Connectors attempted the Great Labyrinth .
“I’m confirming this for the last time . Are you sure you"re all ok with this?”
Sungyoon asked his party members .
They had been a.s.signed a region within the Great Labyrinth . It was the region where Jimin’s father had gone missing, and also the region that Fabion had given up on before moving to a different region .
Due to that, this region had been empty until now, and Jungb.u.m was fortunate enough to be a.s.signed to this region . However, this business was only between Sungyoon and Jimin, and his party members had no obligations to enter this region for Jimin"s sake .
“We are also affiliated with Jungb.u.m . ”
“Yes . Please don’t overthink this . ”
Tim and Emily spoke one after another, and Grace also smiled .
“We have to clear the Great Labyrinth . Who cares which region we pa.s.s through?”
“Understood . ”
Sungyoon understood the will of his comrades, so he stopped asking further questions . The party entered the tunnel they were a.s.signed to .
“What do the middle stages of the Great Labyrinth feel like?”
Emily asked .
“I’m not sure . I didn’t want to put Sir Russell in an awkward position, so I refrained from asking him about it . ”
If Grace had asked for it, Russell would"ve told her everything . It was his personality . However, his company would be unhappy about it since that information was proprietary information . And Grace knew better .
“Well, it can’t be that bad . We just have to defeat all the monsters like before . ”
Tim"s voice contained his usual confidence .
Whenever Sungyoon went on missions to defeat the Golems, he would evolve his party members" Gems . So, Tim was overflowing with confidence thanks to his fancier Gems . However, he had clearly jumped the gun with the statement .
“Ooh-wahhhhhhhhk!”
When the party reached the end of the tunnel, Tim took a step forward . But a scream escaped his mouth as he was sent flying upward .
The party looked up in surprise .
Boom!
“Owwww!”
They heard the sound of an item hitting the ground . Tim had hit the ceiling, but he quickly got up, so it seemed he wasn’t hurt too badly . However, the situation was odd . Tim, who was stuck to the ceiling, looked down at Sungyoon and the rest of his comrades .
“Huh? How did you get up there?”
“What do you mean! You"re the one that"s up on the ceiling! See, that"s why I asked you to be more careful!”
Thankfully, Tim hadn"t shown any adverse effects, so Emily berated him in a rapid fas.h.i.+on . She continued berating him on behalf of the rest of them .
As the siblings bickered, Sungyoon had an idea . He took out a bread from his storage Gem and tossed it in front of him .
Toohk!
The bread flew in an arc until it reached a certain point, then it suddenly surged upward .
No, it wasn’t surging upward . It was more apt to say that the bread was falling upward .
‘Reverse Gravity . ’
It seemed the Great Labyrinth was more bizarre and dangerous than what they had a.s.sumed .