Chapter 55: 52nd floor

The emergence of a new Labyrinth turned the country upside down.

It was a major crisis that almost resulted in the loss of more territory if it had been left alone for even a moment longer.

Park Ki-beom’s words to Go Nam-tae were not an exaggeration at all.

Although they failed(?) to conquer the 52nd floor, he received national support for the achievements he displayed immediately upon exiting the Labyrinth.

Go Nam-tae’s name was omitted from that process.

This greatly disrupted someone’s plan and earned his wrath.

CRASH

"You spineless bats! To think you’d go right back to wagging your tails behind that guy again!"

Park Seong-beom exploded in fury.

He was referring to the board members who acted as if they were coming over to his side, only to start eyeing Park Ki-beom’s camp again.

No, the cause of all this was Park Seong-yeon suddenly appearing with a perfectly healthy face.

And he had appeared while setting off a massive bomb within the guild.

'How could that guy be a mid-level healer!'

One day, Park Ha-na discovered, by pure chance, that Park Seong-yeon was a healer.

His ability wasn’t anything special, but a healer carried high symbolic value.

Because of this, they decided to nip it in the bud.

Taking advantage of Ji Yul-geon—or rather, the Seonghwa Knights' expedition—they set up a curse on the 49th floor, and it hit its mark perfectly.

He thought he only had to wait a little longer!

'I should have stopped Ji Yul-geon somehow!'

Park Seong-yeon, who appeared fully recovered, not only revealed his abilities as a healer but also jumped into the official succession race.

It was like being sucker-punched out of nowhere.

Park Ki-beom, having secured a powerful successor in a healer, was building a new stronghold.

Park Ha-na coaxed her father.

"Dad, popularity like that is only temporary. So what if that guy Park Seong-yeon is a healer? Won't it all be over once Barkan arrives? Unless a true Erosion Zone actually appears, what people really want isn’t some new Labyrinth, but the conquest of the next floor!"

The deep worry lines on Park Seong-beom’s forehead smoothed out.

"Where is Barkan right now?"

"He’s staying on Daemado Island. There’s an old port in Namhae-gun called Eumdalpo, but it’s practically abandoned due to falling rocks and rough waves. He’s coming in there tomorrow."

"You’ve prepared his identity well, right?"

"Of course! I’ve laundered his past through a small Bosnian guild."

Park Seong-beom smiled with satisfaction at his daughter’s meticulousness.

In a country where the political situation was already unstable, many records were lost when the Labyrinth emerged.

Such pasts were destined to be buried forever.

However, the movement of S-rank Hunters was not free due to international regulations.

The scenario was for Park Seong-beom to scout Barkan, who was entering the country as a stowaway under the guise of seeking asylum.

"Even if he acts like he’s something special just because he’s an S-rank Hunter, he wouldn't dare challenge Barkan..."

"Yes, Dad. Since he almost made it last time, Barkan will be able to conquer the 52nd floor immediately. But I don't know about Barkan, I can't enter the Labyrinth right away."

Park Ha-na was a fast-growing Hunter, but she was particularly weak to Labyrinth fatigue.

Since Park Ha-na had to be a lead figure in conquering the new floor, she had to join the advance team this time no matter what.

Park Seong-beom’s voice turned gentle.

"I will procure some more top-tier purification potions. Park Ki-beom stayed longer than you did, but since he’s distracted by the new Labyrinth, he won't be able to enter immediately."

"Yes, Dad! I will prepare as best as I can!"

Thanks to his dutiful daughter, Park Seong-beom’s mood improved, but Park Ha-na felt the opposite.

She could not tolerate the fact that someone as lowly as Park Seong-yeon was in the same succession race as her.

This time, Park Seong-beom comforted his daughter, who was biting her lip.

"Do not worry. Barkan’s team is not ordinary. So, he won't even have a chance to look for an opening."

"I’ll only trust you, Dad."

"That’s right, if you only trust Dad, everything will work out. This guild will be mine, and you will inherit it!"

"Yes, Dad!"

Sparks flew from the eyes of the father and daughter as they met.

---

"The mana field is getting weaker."

"It will be possible to enter soon."

There weren't many days left of just waiting in front of the new Labyrinth.

The first entry team was scheduled to include the 1st squad led by Park Ki-beom, Ji Yul-geon and Lucian of the Seonghwa Knights, and Park Seong-yeon, who had returned from the dead and confidently revealed himself as the heir to the Saeron Guild.

In the command tent, where only key personnel were gathered, an important agenda was being discussed.

"I think near the Eunha Shopping Arcade would be good. I heard a traditional street has been built there, so there are many people, both young and old, and many foreigners."

"If you put it that way, a commercial street is better. There are quite a few Hunters there, so there’s more to see."

"How about the Goblin Mall? They have a Labyrinth goods market, so there are really a lot of people there."

"Would people selling Labyrinth crops be curious about such things? In my opinion, how about the Rainbow Terminal? It’s the most colorful place, with a market, shopping malls, and electronics stores all gathered together."

In front of them sat a bowl.

The exterior of the bowl, which looked perfect for holding makgeolli, was decorated with a beautiful landscape painting, making it look like something a person of taste would enjoy.

"It has to be a place with many people but one that isn't conspicuous. If this were left out in the open, it wouldn't even make it to a lost-and-found center."

"You said there was a margin of error, so isn't that fine?"

"My brother said he doesn't even know exactly what the margin of error is."

Lucian, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand and spoke.

"If we list the conditions that Mr. Go Nam-tae wants, it shouldn't be blocked by buildings. Also, you said he wanted a place that doesn't have much influence on people. Then wouldn't a high tower be good? One could see the world well, and it wouldn't be conspicuous to people."

"Oh, right, Lucian!"

"Wow, as expected of our son! I was wondering why he was speaking so long, but he hit the nail on the head!"

Lucian’s opinion was immediately adopted.

By meeting those conditions, the suitable locations were narrowed down to two.

Goblin Mall and the commercial arcade. Of those, the Goblin Mall was chosen.

Purely because the Goblin Mall tower was higher.

Now, there seemed to be no one left who worried about Go Nam-tae's intentions.

The 'filter' did not apply only to Sekaru.

Go Nam-tae’s 'filter' was applied to everyone he encountered through the mirror, and it acted differently according to Go Nam-tae’s instincts and feelings.

If Sekaru was at max distortion, for the Kim Gu-bok family, it was almost zero.

Park Seong-yeon’s resembled the texture of Kim Jae-won but with a bit more weight added.

For Park Ki-beom, Yang Man-chun, and Jeong Sang-myeong, it was a middle ground where goodwill and caution were intertwined, and for Ji Yul-geon and Lucian, even deeper curves were formed.

Even though it only contained a little bit of wariness, Park Ki-beom and the others had their knees trembling under the pressure.

As a result, they defined Go Nam-tae as an 'Irregular.'

An Awakened outside the standard.

They couldn't explain it any other way, and that was the truth.

The suspicion that Go Nam-tae might be an invader of the new Labyrinth continued, but that discussion was now over.

The moment he pointed out the exact location of the new Labyrinth, the suspicion ended.

There was another reason as well.

Coordinates only specified a location; cracks could be opened anywhere without coordinates anyway.

Moreover, as long as the location was known, control was possible.

"Then, where would be a good place for the Erosion Zone?"

"How about the Tomb of Sorrow?"

"No, I think the Twilight Field would be better."

"How about the Forest of Silence?"

"Isn't there also the Valley of Tears?"

This time too, candidates popped out immediately.

The first three were Erosion Zones in South Korea, and the last was an Erosion Zone in North Korea, where the entire territory had become almost a land of darkness.

Park Seong-yeon said.

"One is around here anyway, right? Then I think a nearby Erosion Zone would be good. Wouldn't that make it easier to manage?"

Jeong Sang-myeong was flabbergasted at those words.

"Who manages the inside of an Erosion Zone? You just put it there and that’s it."

"……Oh."

Ji Yul-geon shook his head.

"You can think of entering an Erosion Zone as similar to entering a Labyrinth. Some places have distorted spaces, and some are encroached upon by various kinds of mana. Because of that, sometimes the place you fall asleep at night is different from the place you wake up."

"Yes? How do you move around in a place like that?"

"You can only get out if there is someone like your uncle, or a guide Awakened."

"Was it like that? I thought it was just dangerous because monsters lived in the Erosion Zones."

"That’s true for areas that haven't been eroded for long. But the closest neighborhood here is…… the Tomb of Sorrow, right? This place is dangerous."

"Oh my god……! Why didn't I know something like this?"

"Because it was a fact that was controlled. But as a successor, you should know things like this too."

"Yes, Uncle!"

Park Seong-yeon asked again.

"Then will you choose the Tomb of Sorrow?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

"If Mr. Go Nam-tae allows it, I think the Forest of Silence would be better."

The Tomb of Sorrow was the oldest Erosion Zone in South Korea.

If you counted the level of the Erosion Zone, it was level 10 out of 10.

It was a place that had already reached the end of topographical change.

Just entering and getting back out would require the same amount of hardship as exploring a Labyrinth.

No, hardship wasn't the issue; there was another reason for choosing the Forest of Silence.

The Forest of Silence wasn't very large in range, but it was sitting right in the middle of a highway, dividing the country.

The off-standard Go Nam-tae.

At his word that he wanted an Erosion Zone, they began to harbor the hope of ‘perhaps.’

After a more secret and heated discussion than ever before, three candidate sites were decided.

For the bustling area, it was the Goblin Mall spire, for the Erosion Zone, the Forest of Silence, and for Go Nam-tae’s hometown.

Go Nam-tae, who had finished delivering the tofu, heard the news and added a return gift.

Inside the well-sealed wooden box was a layer of neatly sliced rice cakes, and in the bottom compartment was hot cheonggukjang.

It wasn't because the pot full of cheonggukjang had been ignored and there was too much left over.

……It’s the truth.

Fortunately, Go Nam-tae’s cheonggukjang was popular on this side.

Popular, you ask?

Ji Yul-geon, looking at the empty bowl, sank into deep thought.

A moment later, Ji Yul-geon said to Park Ki-beom with a serious face.

"Ki-beom, shall we combine our households?"

Pfft!

Park Seong-yeon and Lucian sprayed the water they were drinking at the same time.

---

Deep at night, when the boss was asleep.

It was Heung-bok’s time.

The mana crystals that Go Nam-tae treated as an uncomfortable burden almost all became Heung-bok’s share.

Although he clicked his tongue, saying he was too generous to Danhong every time, Go Nam-tae was the same.

Crunch, crunch!

The colorful mana crystals turned to dust and were absorbed between the roots.

Mana crystals that were rare to find even on Earth were no exception.

Heung-bok, who finished his midnight feast, stretched out his roots.

Thump, thump, thump!

Perhaps thanks to the decent nutritious meal, the roots stretched out longer than expected.

'I was able to come this far?'

Heung-bok, who sprouted stems and looked around, was satisfied.

Giant piles of rocks, grass growing as it pleased, the sound of crashing waves.

It was the place where Go Nam-tae had announced he would do new construction.

He wanted to do this and that in advance, but the boss, who cherished Heung-bok too much, probably wouldn't want that.

Wooo, wooo!

Swish, swish, swish!

The original owners, who were nervous, were showing fierce vigilance.

Good.

'Everyone come here!'

The chicks who had been pecking at the eggs of Creawul trotted out of the nest.

The main characters of the recent three-way battle at the riverbank were suffering from severe body aches every night due to the egg thieves who attacked.

The chicks jumped right into the roots of Heung-bok, which had come up to the ground.

A moment later, the place where the chicks reappeared was on the seaside.

'From today, you guys clean up this area.'

Peep, peep!

The little ones, still with yellow fluff, ran into the forest.

Grrr, grrr!

The forest began to howl.

'I have some strength left?'

There was just the right place to use his strength.

Far below the roots, there was something the boss was waiting for.

'Awaken!'

Crack, crack.

Cracks began to form on the white surface.