Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Was it just a feeling? The air on the 8th floor felt a bit different . However, that was it . The rest was the same . It looked like the same labyrinth they had seen up until now .

Still, it was their first time coming to this floor . The three of them were tense as they slowly walked through the floor .

It was a bleak atmosphere, as if a monster would appear at any moment .

However, this mood was broken when they saw their path blocked by a sentry and a "Do not Enter" sign .

The party didn’t even complain anymore . They just silently turned back . Of course, they felt aggrieved and angry inside, but they had already spent most of their anger early on, when they had encountered the first sealed section . They were tired of reacting each time they came across such a situation .

“It’s a monster!”

Tim yelled out loud . There was extreme delight in his voice .

The monster was a b.l.o.o.d.y Rhino . They were familiar with it since they had killed a lot of them on the 7th floor . But as the party had come down a floor, they knew that this monster would be stronger . They had been tense when they came down here . Their hearts were hardened, yet the only thing they saw on the 8th floor was a d.a.m.ned sealed section . It was understandable as to why they were happy to see a monster .

However, they were experienced as a party now . At the very least, they didn’t immediately charge towards the newly discovered monster in excitement . They got into their normal formation . Since this was their first battle on the 8th floor, both men received buffs from Emily . Tim and Sungyoon started their close combat fight with the monster .

As expected, this b.l.o.o.d.y Rhino was a bit stronger than the one on the 7th floor . However, it wasn’t to a point where they couldn’t handle it . In fact, they had a relatively easy time killing the b.l.o.o.d.y Rhino .

Finally, they had killed a monster on the 8th floor . The party’s mood lifted . It felt good because their powers were effective against a monster on this floor .

However, it didn’t take too long for them to run into another sealed section . The frequency of them encountering sealed sections were increasing, and their morale started dropping once again .

“It seems that they are just starting to clean up on the 8th floor . ”

They had been silent as they continued to move . But when he saw another sealed section, Sungyoon couldn"t help but speak . Tim had no words at that moment . If he opened his mouth right now, the only thing that would come out were numerous swear words . And if he did that, it might anger the sentry .

This time, Emily spoke up instead of her oppa .

“I guess so . ”

It didn’t matter where they went . They always encountered a sealed section, and it felt as if they had been surrounded by sealed sections .

“What should we do? We won’t be able to hunt properly on the 8th floor . ”

When he heard Emily’s words, Sungyoon looked towards the sealed section . It was like an enormous wall that was getting in their way . It was taunting them .

“… let’s head back up . ”

There was no point in exploring the 8th floor any further . Sungyoon and his party decided to come here at a later date . They headed towards their main hunting ground on the 7th floor .

* * *

“What the h.e.l.l! Why the h.e.l.l aren’t they handling this problem!”

Tim shouted, slamming the beer can on the table . The content of the can splashed to the side a little bit, and Emily, who had been sitting next to him, became horrified . She put some distance away from her oppa, but he didn’t care .

“I was so excited since we were going to a new floor! But all I saw were the sealed sections!”

He once again picked up his beer and chugged it .

They were drinking at the store they frequented .

After they decided to abort the hunt on the 8th floor, they had, once again, visited the 7th floor . It was their usual hunting ground, so they didn’t encounter many difficulties . No, that wasn’t true . This time, Sungyoon, who had the worst defensive gear amongst the three of them, had acquired a new item . It was why they had an easier time since their sense of security went up .

However, it was only the 7th floor . They had firmed their resolve to descend into the 8th floor, and they didn’t find themselves lacking on that floor . But despite knowing this, they had to retreat . It was peculiar, but this increased their desire of wanting to go further in the labyrinth .

After barely meeting the self-imposed quota, the party exited the labyrinth, their shoulders a bit hunched . They left their baggage at their lodgings, and then, gathered at the store for a round of beer . They were drinking in the middle of the day, but they didn’t care .

“We have to be patient . All the labyrinths are showing anomalous activities . What can we do about it?”

Emily tried to console Tim . However, judging by the look on her face, it seemed that she wasn’t very happy either .

Sungyoon drank his beer as he listened to the siblings complain . Of course, he also had complaints . He needed money, Devices, and Gems . He now had the ability to increase his pace of clearing the labyrinth . However, his progress had been blocked by other factors . Moreover, they didn’t know when this problem would be resolved .

However, he had more experience in life and society than the Ross siblings . He used all the a.r.s.enal in his toolbox to calm himself . He listened to the siblings, who didn’t hesitate to express their emotions . He experienced their youthfulness in life .

‘I’ve gotten old . ’

Even if his body had returned to its younger version, he still felt the pa.s.sage of time heavily on his shoulders . He had the outer appearance of a young person, but he couldn’t truly live like a young man .

Tim had been pouring out all his complaints . Emily, who acted as if she was trying to stop Tim’s rant, was also discreetly adding her complaints . Finally, Emily looked towards Sungyoon . She finally realized what they had been doing, so she looked a bit embarra.s.sed .

“Now that I think about it . How did you acquire your armor?”

Emily asked . She was clearly trying to change the subject . Although, she was interested in the answer too .

Her eyes moved to look at his Device . Tim’s eyes were also drawn to the same place as his sister .

They had worked with Sungyoon for the past 3 months, so they had known everything about his Devices and Gems . But after they reunited with him, they realized he had acquired a new armor . Moreover, that wasn’t the only change that they noticed .

The Yellow Gem was slotted in the Purple Gem slot, and the Gold Gem’s former slot had become a blackened ruin .

Sungyoon didn’t hold back as he satisfied the girl"s curiosity .

“You probably know this part . When you two went down to earth, I started exploring the Beginner’s labyrinth by myself . ”

Tim and Emily already knew this . Before they had separated, Sungyoon had told the two of them that he would keep going to the Beginner’s labyrinth until it closed .

“That was when I entered a sealed section . ”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

The siblings became surprised .

The Beginner’s labyrinth was a normal middle to low rank labyrinth without the clean-up . Aside from the two Blue Gems, he only possessed Purple Gems, so the normal labyrinth was really out of his league .

“How… What was the sentry doing? The sentry has to make sure the monsters don"t escape the sealed section, and they have a duty to stop beginner Connectors from entering such a place!”

Normally, Emily would try to stop Tim when he got into an excitable state, and she would have to hit him to calm him down . However, this time, it was Emily that became enraged . Sungyoon was someone she was interested in, yet, he had almost died . Of course, his words shocked her .

“I got into an argument with a particular Connector, and unfortunately, he was the sentry guarding the sealed section . ”

Emily’s large eyes turned round .

“He pushed you into a sealed section, because he held a grudge from the argument?”

“Yes . ”

It was a ridiculous situation . A Connector had purposefully pushed a beginner Connector into the sealed section . It was basically a death sentence . How could someone push anyone to their death, just because they had an argument?

‘What kind of personality must that guy have to do such a deed?’

“S . . . so what happened?”

Emily quickly asked the question .

Sungyoon was uninjured and was in front of her . It must not have been something serious, but she was still worried .

Unlike the worried Emily, Tim’s face had turned red from anger . Sungyoon answered her in a very even tone .

“I almost died in the beginning, but in the end, this saved me . ”

Sungyoon tapped at his Gold Gem .

Tim and Emily looked towards the Gold Gem, and a shocked expression appeared on their faces .

According to Sungyoon, he had to forcefully activate the Gold Gem . If Sungyoon was a normal beginner Connector, he wouldn’t even have the qualifications needed to activate it properly . The Gold Gem should have shattered, but here it was, undamaged in front of them .

“… it means you are capable of handling a Gold Gem . ”

Of course, Tim’s voice was filled with awe . Sungyoon had activated the Gold Gem without breaking it . At the very least, this man was at a level where he could activate a Gold Gem . Moreover, his chances of getting into the Great Labyrinth had skyrocketed .

‘Didn’t Mr . Sungyoon say he was a 1st Gen?’

He was sure Sungyoon had introduced himself as a 1st Gen, and only a very few 1st Gen Connectors possessed the qualification to enter the Great Labyrinth .

‘Is he really capable of satisfying all the prerequisites needed?’

Tim felt immense respect for Sungyoon . He had been very happy when Sungyoon suggested they team up in the Great Labyrinth, but Tim had known that the chances of that happening was almost nonexistent . He had made that cold calculation .

However, this was unexpected . When all their achievements were revealed, it was Sungyoon, who was the closest to going into the Great Labyrinth .

At that moment, Tim’s thoughts were spinning . Sungyoon was a 1st Gen capable of gaining access to the Great Labyrinth . He was a very valuable ‘talent . ’

“Amazing! We really might be able to enter into the Great Labyrinth together . ”

Emily looked happy . It was as if the good news had happened to her . Tim was disappointed by his sister . It seemed she didn’t get what Sungyoon’s words implied .

‘No . She isn’t a dummy . She is just blinded by love . ’

The person she liked was amazing, and she would be able to raid the Great Labyrinth with him . These two facts had buried another important truth .

‘She’s really into him . ’

Tim inwardly let out a sigh . He never expected his sister"s love life to become so complicated .

While Tim was lost in his thoughts, Sungyoon continued to speak .

“Yes . It was quite fortunate in many ways . Anyway, I was able to safely exit the sealed section because I activated the Gold Gem . These new Gems were loot picked up in the process . However, my Device was damaged in the process, so I cannot use a slot . But when considering the result, it was a cheap price to pay . "

As if they wanted to make their presence known, his newly acquired Gems twinkled . He looked over them once .

“Thankfully, you are fine . Also, congratulations on acquiring the new Gems . ”

Emily laughed as she spoke . There was no deceit behind her words . She was congratulating him for being safe and for acquiring new Gems . Her words were genuine . However, she still had one question she wanted to ask him .

“So, what happened to the sentry who put you in danger?”

The tone of her voice remained the same . She was still careful with her words, and she was speaking in the cutest way possible .

However, Tim knew the truth . Her coy act was layered on the surface like a steel plate, but an uncontrollable rage burned several thousand meters below this steel plate .

‘It is to be expected . That man tried to kill someone she likes . ’

Moreover, Tim felt the same emotion as her . If that Connector was in front of him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to swing his ax .

“He was arrested . He has been locked up in an undisclosed location on earth . My company’s president is gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth in anger, so he’s probably in a world of hurt right now . ”

“I’m glad to hear that . If it is an option, he should get the death penalty . ”

“That’s right . He doesn’t deserve to live . ”

For a rare moment, Tim and Emily felt the same emotion . They were restless as they let out their killing intent . If Nicholas were to appear in front of them right now, they would have flayed his skin and flesh off his bones .