Chapter 40: There’s More to This

When he opened his eyes, a dizzying firework show was unfolding overhead.

"Are you awake? Are your eyes open? Boss, are you okay?"

'I don't think I'm okay because of you...'

His ears were ringing.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

A sound like thousands of bees flying around was tearing through the sky.

The Sasin-su and Haeul's Family weren't exactly quiet either, but Danhong alone was noisier than all of them combined. Considering the synergy that would unfold in the future, it seemed likely to get three or four times louder.

Go Nam-tae swallowed the words that had risen to his throat for the sake of the girl's delicate sensibilities and simply waved his hand.

'I can never get used to this dizziness, no matter how many times I experience it.'

As he stood up while rubbing his head, Toto carefully offered advice.

[If you wish, you can exert your authority as Boss over the Kin.]

"Ah, stop! Don't say things like that."

Go Nam-tae was horrified. Authority? Wasn't that basically saying he should muzzle the child just because she was noisy?

Fortunately, Danhong didn't seem to hear Toto's words and asked innocently.

"Boss... can I have more rice cakes?"

Chatter, chatter. Her transparent desires seemed to flow out. It felt like he would have to make rice cakes more often and in larger quantities from now on.

Before he could even answer, Danhong shouted.

"I—I'll earn my keep! I will be useful!"

"Huh...?"

'Useful.' Go Nam-tae tried his best not to frown. It seemed Danhong felt she still needed to prove her value.

Should he tell her the story of Yam-dol-i? The fellow who was so busy hiding with his tail between his legs whenever a stranger came that he couldn't even dream of guarding the house. Yet, he was still a precious family member to Go Nam-tae.

He felt he needed to teach her that family members weren't judged by their utility. And that 'paying for the rice cakes' was merely an excuse he had used to give her a place to stay.

"Just take it slow..."

Once again, Danhong was faster than Go Nam-tae.

"I, over there, went inside! I know why the pretty bowls are being ruined!"

It was true that they were a mess. However, having that fact poked at with such a bright face made his heart ache even more. Danhong chattered again as she zoomed around the kiln like a jet.

"Let's do it again! I can make sure they don't break!"

"..."

Perhaps... she really would earn her keep.

Click, click!

Flash, flash, flash!

The sounds of bursting flashes, camera lights, and shutters clicking were loud. Microphones were being thrust aggressively, almost as if they were trying to skewer their chins.

"That's unfortunate. I heard you failed to conquer the 52nd floor again. When do you plan for the next raid?"

Was that a question to ask someone who had just come out of the Labyrinth after about one month? It was beyond rude — it was a malicious provocation. Above all... how did they know about the failure before anyone else?

'From whom did you hear such information!'

If he argued like that, it would be a poor move. It would be like openly advertising, 'There is someone leaking information within the guild!' Park Ki-beom met the eyes of the reporter who asked the question with a cold gaze.

The startled reporter staggered as his legs gave way. Nevertheless, the power of the money he had greedily swallowed kept his grip on the microphone.

Park Ki-beom spoke impassively.

"We will announce it as soon as things are organized. Please understand that all guild members need time to recover."

However, if they backed down that easily, they wouldn't be called press trash. The reporter fired off another question even more combatively.

"Just give us a brief explanation for the cause of this failure!"

"Who said it was a failure?"

The moment the reporter showed a triumphant smile for successfully stopping Park Ki-beom's steps, Vice Guild Master Jeong Sang-myeong stepped forward.

"The reporter just now, please give us your affiliation and name."

"...It's, it's Kim Seong-gyeon from the Taean Daily."

"Fine. We will hold a press conference tomorrow at 11:00 AM in the Saeron Guild's main conference room. Oh, reporters from the Taean Daily, especially Mr. Kim Seong-gyeon, are excluded. The guild members desperately need rest. That is all."

No one could object to Jeong Sang-myeong's words, even though he spoke with a smile. It was because of the feeling of an invisible blade being held to their throats.

It was clearly the ability of Jeong Sang-myeong, the 'Hand of the Void', but who could prove it? The reporter just moved his mouth silently while rubbing his bare neck.

Thud, thud.

The guild members moved away with heavy steps.

Click.

Jeong Sang-myeong sat down after closing the door and sealing the surroundings with mana once more.

The moment the two men with stiff faces made eye contact, Jeong Sang-myeong suddenly burst into wild laughter.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha! You did well! You really did well, Brother!"

Only then did Park Ki-beom, who had been wearing a heavy expression until a moment ago, show a faint smile.

"I'm curious to see what kind of faces those bastards will make when they find out the 'real' result of this raid!"

"Well, it's a fact that we failed."

"Come on, why are you being like this between us? Haha, hahahaha!"

Park Ki-beom had just finished shaking off the elders who were trying to corner him like a rat. Their rebukes were filled only with greed and ambition; there was no concern for security anywhere.

Those who had fallen for Park Seong-yeon's bait were doubting his ability and trying to break him, but no way. They were almost there now.

As Jeong Sang-myeong said, they could have conquered the 52nd floor this time. However, they retreated on purpose. It was because Park Seong-yeon had not yet recovered. Conquering a new floor had to wait until Park Seong-yeon's safety was secured.

Just then, the table rattled gently. When Park Ki-beom placed his hand on it, a hidden door in the wall opened and a shadow entered.

"Have you returned, Guild Master?"

Park Ki-beom asked before he could even receive a welcome greeting.

"What about Seong-yeon?"

"See for yourself."

See for himself? Was he telling him to make a video call? No, was he even in a condition to make a call?

It was then. There was the presence of another person in the passage where the shadow had entered.

"Did you have a good trip, Uncle?"

Park Seong-yeon walked out with long strides and greeted them.

"H-How... how did this happen, Seong-yeon!"

Park Ki-beom almost flew over to grab Park Seong-yeon's hand. His body was still very thin and his face had not yet completely lost its sickly hue, but his eyes were clear and bright. Above all, he was walking on his own two feet.

Park Seong-yeon replied with a smile.

"Jae-won and Seong-hye saved me again this time."

"What! Then did that really work...?"

Park Ki-beom whipped around to look at Jeong Sang-myeong.

"Yes, I had hoped, but... Wow, it really seems to have worked!"

Even as he answered, Jeong Sang-myeong still had a dazed look on his face.

'I want to try feeding Seong-yeon some corn!'

Kim Jae-won had come to him the day before they entered the Labyrinth and said those words. For Park Seong-yeon, who couldn't even stand the smell of food, this was a gamble. However, since they didn't know when Park Seong-yeon might die, they had to lean on even a 0.1% possibility.

The adventure was a success. Jeong Sang-myeong had entered the Labyrinth with the happy news that Park Seong-yeon had finally eaten food. And that adventure had been completed as a miracle.

"Thank you, Seong-yeon! Thank you so much!"

Jeong Sang-myeong also joined in the celebration.

"I just ate well..."

'Just ate well.' It was simple, but how important those words were.

"Then, are you all better? Can you eat anything well?"

"I haven't been able to try other foods. I'm still only eating crops from that shop."

At first, he had eaten to survive, but now that meaning had disappeared. It was just... too delicious. It reached the point where he would feel sad if he thought he couldn't eat Go Nam-tae's white rice anymore. Park Ki-beom swallowed tears of joy at the sight of his nephew inadvertently showing his appetite and swallowing his saliva.

But this was news that those who had targeted Park Seong-yeon would never welcome. They would try the same thing again—no, something even more vicious. Next time, they would likely use a lethal method instead of a secret curse.

The worry lasted only a moment. Park Seong-yeon dropped even more surprising news.

"Uncle, you see... No, it would be faster to show you directly. Sir, could you lend me your arm for a moment?"

"Uh, okay?"

Jeong Sang-myeong reflexively held out his arm. There was a long scratch on his arm. It was a scar left by the whip of the 50th-floor semi-boss, 'Palicparactus'. Due to the toxicity of the whip, the scar was quite hideous. It was a wound that didn't heal well even with potions.

Park Seong-yeon grabbed his arm and used his ability. In that moment...

Ssssh.

The open wound gradually closed, and its size shrank significantly. It didn't disappear completely, but the scar that had looked like a cracked rice field now left only a red mark.

Park Seong-yeon wiped away cold sweat and gave a regretful smile.

"I can only do this much for now. Still, it seems quite a bit better than before, right? Once my body is fully recovered, I think I'll be able to make it disappear completely."

Both men could only gape, unable to respond. Calling this 'quite a bit better' was nonsense. This was a complete metamorphosis—no, it was at the level of a brand-new awakening.

Park Ki-beom was the first to regain his senses and asked.

"How did this happen?"

"This is also all thanks to the food Nam-tae gave me. Especially among them, there's a tomato..."

"Tomato? It's not just corn?"

"...Nam-tae?"

Both men fell silent for a moment at the way Park Seong-yeon addressed him. Yang Man-chun, who had been quietly following behind, slipped in between them.

"First, let's move to another place and continue the conversation."

They had surrounded the area with a mana shield, but if they stayed too long, it would only pique curiosity. They exited the building through a secret passage.

A short while later, they gathered at Park Seong-yeon's house. Yang Man-chun sat them down and brought out a small tray. It was a natural meal consisting of several other things added to white rice besides corn. It went without saying that all of these were crops brought from Kim Gu-bok's shop.

Yang Man-chun even handed them spoons and urged them.

"First, have a taste."

Since they already knew the efficacy of the corn, they could guess that the other dishes would also be excellent. But wasn't this the food Park Seong-yeon was supposed to eat? To the hesitating Park Ki-beom, Park Seong-yeon handed a red juice first.

"Taste this first. It's really good!"

The moment the fragrant smell of tomato reached his nose, his self-control vanished. After taking a sip, Park Ki-beom's eyes widened. Jeong Sang-myeong also hurriedly gulped down the juice.

Park Seong-yeon chuckled as he saw the two men's eyes go round.

A moment later, the bowls were emptied completely, without a single drop of broth left. The expression on Park Ki-beom's face as he looked at the empty plates was changing by the second. Yang Man-chun gave a wide smile and asked.

"It's just as I guessed, isn't it? Your Labyrinth Fatigue has disappeared, right?"

Park Ki-beom couldn't answer immediately, his eyes still wide.

Labyrinth Fatigue was an aftereffect that those who came out of the Labyrinth inevitably experienced. It was called fatigue, but if it wasn't washed away, it would even damage one's combat power. Naturally, the deeper one went and the longer one stayed, the more severely they would suffer. Park Ki-beom, who had been prepared for at least a few weeks of it, felt it vanish as if it had been washed away by a single meal.

Park Ki-beom asked back.

"What do you mean 'as I guessed', Advisor Yang...?"

"You should call me Butler Yang. The young master will explain everything."

Yang Man-chun joked playfully, but neither he nor Park Seong-yeon could hide a slight hint of tension.

'There's more to this!'