Chapter 1. Labyrinth Explorer
A text message arrived.
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Min Hyeong-seok has requested help!
Labyrinth Explorer Min Hyeong-seok is currently in need of a companion! Please respond to Min Hyeong-seok’s earnest request for help!
《 Support now ▶Click◀ 》
Hurry up! If you don’t provide support within 10 minutes, Min Hyeong-seok’s request for help will be canceled!
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‘What is this…?’
It wasn’t a spam message.
When I checked the number, it was from someone I knew.
‘Is it a game invitation message?’
Suddenly, I furrowed my brow.
I couldn’t help but feel displeased.
‘I didn’t think we were close enough to send such messages.’
Min Hyeong-seok.
He and I hadn’t exchanged a single word since we graduated from high school.
Although we had each other’s numbers, we weren’t close enough to call each other friends.
An acquaintance… No, a high school classmate.
We were just that, no more, no less.
We weren’t even on speaking terms, yet out of the blue, he sent me a game invitation message. He was as lacking in basic manners as ever, both then and now.
‘…Or could it be that he got hacked?’
That thought crossed my mind for a moment.
Maybe he had been hacked.
When I thought back to our school days, I remembered that Min Hyeong-seok wasn’t the type to be interested in games.
Even though I couldn’t recall much else about him, I clearly remembered how he would recoil whenever his friends asked him to play games together.
‘But isn’t assuming it’s a hack a bit much?’
I reconsidered.
If I thought about it, there was no reason for a hacker to send a game invitation message, unless they were as idle as I was.
Well, maybe he just got into gaming late.
Tastes change over time, after all.
Anyway.
It was convenient since I was bored.
Normally, I would’ve ignored it without a second thought.
But today was different.
I was bored out of my mind.
So bored that I was hiding in a wardrobe, playing hide-and-seek by myself.
‘I’ve been searching for a game to play… Maybe I’ll give this one a shot.’
If someone like him, who had no interest in games, got hooked on it, it had to be pretty fun. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.
I slowly moved my finger over the phone screen.
‘I hope I don’t get hacked just by clicking the link.’
As I was about to click, a small worry crept in.
What if it was a hacking link disguised as a game invitation message?
Or a promotion for an illegal website?
‘…Whatever. I don’t have much to lose anyway.’
I quickly brushed off the worry.
If I got hacked, so be it.
I’d deal with it when it happened.
With that thought, I boldly clicked the link.
***
Min Hyeong-seok was what you’d call a school bully.
A thug who was part of the worst kind—the kind that enjoyed tormenting others.
Of course, while he looked down on me, he never really bothered or bullied me. I was bigger than most people, after all. Thanks to my size, I managed to maintain a trouble-free relationship with the bullies.
Still, I disliked Min Hyeong-seok.
He had confessed to and dated the girl I had a crush on.
It left me feeling defeated.
I suppose you could call it the unavoidable instinctive jealousy of a guy.
But the past is the past.
I obviously had no feelings about it now.
Looking back, it was a childish and pathetic emotion.
And yet…
Seeing Min Hyeong-seok’s face again brought back that old jealousy.
“You’re here!”
He was still annoyingly handsome.
No wonder girls threw themselves at him.
After marveling at his face, I slowly turned my head to take in the surroundings.
I was no longer crouched inside the wardrobe.
The place that unfolded before my eyes was a gigantic cave.
The cave wasn’t dark.
Countless stalactites hanging from the high ceiling were em87itting a soft glow.
‘…’
I was a bit taken aback, but not to the point of panicking.
Where was this place? Why had I suddenly been transported here? And why was Min Hyeong-seok here as well?
These would be the normal reactions of an average person…
But I was an exception.
‘Could this be another world transfer?’
I calmly accepted the current situation.
The environment was unfamiliar, but the situation wasn’t, because I had already experienced something like this once before.
‘How long has it been since I returned…?’
I scratched my head and sighed.
Then, I shifted my gaze towards the direction where Min Hyeong-seok was standing.
Around Min Hyeong-seok were numerous creatures.
They were grotesque monsters—beasts of abnormal shape.
‘Judging by the presence of monsters, this definitely isn’t Earth.’
The monsters appeared to be guarding Min Hyeong-seok.
At first glance, it was clear that he was controlling these monsters.
It seemed like he was some sort of Monster Tamer.
‘…And it looks like he’s currently in the middle of a battle.’
Min Hyeong-seok and his monsters were confronting a massive creature, so tall its head nearly touched the stalactites.
I looked up at the towering monster.
An undead creature, its entire body composed of bones.
Its eyes burned like the flames of hell, and twisted horns like those of a dead tree struck by lightning adorned its skull.
It had a terrifying face that resembled a demon.
Just standing in front of it made me feel an overwhelming pressure and caused my legs to tremble.
‘Have I grown soft because of peace, and my mental strength weakened…?’
I slowly lowered my gaze.
Sharp spikes jutted out from its back.
Its body was solid and sturdy, like it was clad in armor.
Human skulls were embedded in its shoulders like trophies.
Overall, its appearance was a mix between a humanoid and a beast.
‘There’s no chance of winning against that.’
As I was staring blankly at the monster…
“Hey! Stop standing around and get over here!”
Min Hyeong-seok’s booming voice echoed off the cave walls.
He was looking directly at me, so it seemed he was talking to me.
Why was he giving me orders? How annoying.
“Why would I go over there? I’m not some kind of suicide bomber.”
“What?”
“And if you dragged someone here, shouldn’t you at least explain what’s going on? I came here to help, and you’re barking orders at me?”
“Stop babbling nonsense! I summoned you, so just follow my orders! So hurry up and get over here and let my monster eat you! That way, my monster can evolve!”
I wondered if he was insane.
He wasn’t just asking for help—he was asking me to let his monster eat me?
He casually made a request that I wouldn’t have granted even if he had begged for it.
I raised my middle finger at Min Hyeong-seok.
“What an idiot.”
He seemed to have not anticipated such a response.
Min Hyeong-seok’s expression quickly turned to one of bewilderment.
What the hell is this guy?
“What-what the hell! Why aren’t you following my—”
Thud-!
The giant skeleton swung its arm and smashed it into the ground.
Min Hyeong-seok barely managed to dodge the attack by moving quickly.
But.
“Gaaah!!!”
His evasion wasn’t perfect.
His right leg, which he couldn’t fully pull away in time, was crushed.
“It hurts! It hurts!!!”
As Min Hyeong-seok screamed in agony, something strange happened.
［Growl…］
［Screech, scree!］
［Squeak.］
［Grrr…］
The monsters under his control suddenly had a different look in their eyes.
Their previously dull and empty eyes now sparkled with life.
It was as if they had suddenly snapped out of a drugged state.
All of the monsters, even those that had been attacking the giant skeleton, were now staring at Min Hyeong-seok with furious expressions.
They began to approach the fallen Min Hyeong-seok, step by step.
Then they surrounded him.
Crunch!
“Gaaah!!!”
Without mercy, they started tearing into Min Hyeong-seok’s body.
‘…What’s going on? Why did the monsters suddenly betray him? Did his mental strength weaken, breaking his control?’
The reason didn’t matter much to me.
Thanks to this, all the monsters’ attention was focused on Min Hyeong-seok.
None of the monsters were paying attention to me.
Even the giant skeleton monster had momentarily halted its movements.
It seemed to be observing this unusual situation.
‘I don’t know what’s happening, but I should take this chance to escape.’
If I stayed here, my life would be in danger as well.
I kept an eye on my surroundings and slowly began to back away.
“Help… me…”
Min Hyeong-seok reached out his hand desperately.
I didn’t feel any pity for him.
And I certainly had no intention of helping him.
This was all his own doing.
If he hadn’t told me to be his monster’s food, I might have tried to save him somehow.
Of course.
Even if I had tried, it would have been impossible to save him.
After all, I was just a powerless ordinary person right now.
“Please…”
I can’t die like this.
I’m a chosen protagonist.
As Min Hyeong-seok muttered words that made him sound like a delusional patient, his head was torn off, and he finally died.
I gave him a brief moment of silent mourning.
After all, we were still classmates, even if he was rotten.
While Min Hyeong-seok bought me some time…
I discovered a crack in the cave wall and slipped into it, hiding my body.
‘This place seems to connect to another path… Since the monsters might chase me, I should keep moving forward.’
As I moved forward, pressing my hand against the wall, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed from somewhere.
「The Labyrinth Explorer has died.」
The voice echoed throughout the entire cave.
「Searching for a new Labyrinth Explorer.」
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I froze.
「Priority is given to humans located within the labyrinth. If no humans are present in the labyrinth, the search range will expand to all dimensions.」
「One human drifting within the labyrinth has been found. One drifting human.」
「Selection complete.」
Click—
The voice abruptly cut off.
At that moment, translucent text floated before my eyes and flickered.
『Congratulations! Labyrinth Drifter ‘Kang Geon’ has been selected as the new Labyrinth Explorer!』
‘Kang Geon’ was my name.