Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 16



Only Noblemtl

Labyrinth (1)

[This station is Labyrinth, Labyrinth Station. The door to get off is on the right.]

When the announcement came through on the rattling subway train, everyone turned to the right.

The chattering humans, the sleeping orcs, the dwarves fixing their equipment, and the goblins licking their daggers until they bled were all no exception.

The sight of everyone moving in unison was both amazing and creepy. It meant that everyone on the subway was a labyrinth explorer.

Alan clicked his tongue at the sight of the enormous flow of people.

‘With this many people, will it take a long time just to get in?’

Alan, feeling a sense of crisis, also pushed himself through the open door like everyone else.

It was a real crowd. Fortunately, the waves of people moved in a certain direction, so there was no confusion.

I just followed the person in front of me and arrived at the stairs that said ‘Labyrinth↗’ and quickly went up.

As I climbed up to the ground, my nose, which had been numbed by the musty, stale smell of life, cleared up. The city air may not be good for your lungs, but the smell was much better than underground.

Because development is prohibited in the underground area surrounding the labyrinth, we still had to walk for a long time even though the station we got off at was called Labyrinth.

Still, I wasn’t bored because I could see all kinds of firearms and blades, and observe various forms of shrimp such as accessories and armor.

The act of experiencing something one has always dreamed of was thrilling. After a few days, Alan would get used to it and shudder with boredom.

[Please enter slowly and in an orderly manner!]

City defense troops with loudspeakers urged the labyrinth explorers to take their turns.

[Yellow-haired elf over there! The girl who’s been wandering around, I’m talking to you! Don’t sneak out and follow the instructions!]

Beyond the elf, who was lowering his head in fear of attracting people’s attention, the fortress surrounding the entrance to the labyrinth was visible.

You might wonder, “What’s a fortress in the middle of a city?”, but other than that, there was no other word that really suited it.

On top of the high walls, there were rows of Gatling guns with spatial magic applied to target only the enemy’s weak points, and there were also missiles that used magic stones instead of gunpowder to cast magic.

Even beneath the walls, a waiting force of Titans could be seen, their pilots perched on their open chests, looking down at the explorers.

For now, this is all that Allen can see. There must be many secret weapons in the universe that cannot be found.

‘They said that since the labyrinth was discovered, no monster has escaped.’

However, the defense was tight, and the city defense force’s discipline was fierce. Since they were sincere, the explorers naturally kept order.

Alan showed his ID and entered the fortress. He couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation of admiration as he looked at the labyrinth door that had stolen his gaze.

“oh···.”

A black door 50 meters high and 100 meters wide was right in front of me. It was darker than any black I had ever seen before. If I looked at it quietly, I felt as if my mind was being sucked into it.

Originally there was a mountain, but after discovering a door inside a cave, they carved it all away and made it into a flat land. It was a product that made one feel both the greatness and tenacity of humans.

“Ha… When will we be able to sit comfortably?”

“Then we have to go down. Should we go down today?”

“No, that’s okay. My child will be entering college soon, so I can’t take that risk.”

Alan turned his gaze forward, listening to the conversation of the wrinkled orc.

The line was divided into four: 1st to 20th floors, 21st to 40th floors, 41st to 60th floors, and 61st floor and above.

Of course, Alan stood in the first row, and it was bustling with people. Starting from the second row, the number of people decreased, and starting from the third row, there were no people at all.

This is how you enter from the south and exit from the north. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, there is always a constant stream of people.

But the door was so wide that as the line slowly began to move forward, I heard a commotion behind me.

“Is today the expedition day?”

“You’re lucky. Those kinds of people stay in the area for months once they get in, so it’s hard to see them.”

The group that appeared behind me headed towards the third line. The six-pointed star drawn on the equipment or flag meant that it was an expeditionary force of Hextech.

It’s the name of a company we talked about while driving yesterday, but it was originally famous as a global conglomerate.

Less noise!

The heavy sound of wheels rolling caught Alan’s attention.

The cow, whose muscles were so thick that you might have suspected that it had been fed protein supplements instead of grain, was pulling a heavy cart.

‘Did you mix in some Minotaur or cannibalistic archer genes? Judging by the way its fur shines like metal, I’d say it also added some starfish.’

A horse that appeared to have undergone similar treatment also followed the ox, pulling a cart.

There was a reason why it did that even though there was space magic.

Space pouches, or more accurately, space expansion pouches, could not be used inside the labyrinth. If you entered the labyrinth entrance with the pouch in your hand, it would burst with a pop.

The wizards made several hypotheses.

The shape of the space is similar but different.

This is the law established by the designer of the labyrinth.

That’s because the dimensions are different.

Of course, no one has come up with a clear answer.

You can escape such restrictions by finding Ooparts similar to space pockets in the labyrinth, but if they were common, there would be no need for Hextech, a global conglomerate, to lug around a cart.

Alan entered almost simultaneously with the expedition. In an instant, darkness covered his eyes.

In the lower levels of the labyrinth, the maze, a light source was absolutely necessary. It was a mystery of the labyrinth that strengthening the eyes with magic was useless.

Alan, with his headlamp on, watched the expedition heading toward one of the many entrances to the maze.

“···.”

“Eek! You go first.”

Explorers who did not dare to block their path would step aside just because the expedition team members were staring at them.

Of course, Alan was confident he could give way. For now, that is.

Alan headed toward another entrance, taking in the scenery. The maze on the first floor had its floor and ceiling blocked entirely with stone.

Occasionally, holes similar to manholes are discovered, from which automatons emerge that are hostile to explorers.

After walking for a while, Alan discovers a manhole in the ceiling and approaches it, only to see someone crouching in the darkness get up.

“It’s a seat.”

“···All right.”

I saw my colleagues sitting next to the elf who had taken the seat. I had read in Samramansang that the first floor was like this because there were so many people.

I was scared to go down, but I wanted to make money, so I spent the whole day hanging out in front of the manhole. There were even times when I would switch with new people or sell my spot for a price.

They were called scrap metal collectors rather than explorers because they just dug up scrap metal every day without any desire to improve.

‘This is something we do to make a living, so it’s useless if we die.’

Alan understood too. Death was the greatest fear, and it was safe to say that no one could resist primal fear.

At first, Alan agreed and left the place.

however.

“It’s a seat.”

“There is a seat.”

“It’s our seat, get out!”

“Oh my, I got there first.”

The mind seemed at peace, but the eyebrows narrowed on their own, reflecting the owner’s subconscious. They said it was a labyrinth, but there were no automatons to be seen, only explorers.

“Phew······.”

Alan sighed and looked back on the path he had taken. The labyrinth, which required a light source, was so crowded that Alan could have easily turned off the lamp.

Looking ahead, at the corner, I saw light streaming from there as well. Alan heard the people talking, clicked his tongue, and tried to quickly pass by.

Push!

At that moment, the sound of the wind escaping and the loud voices of people rang out.

“Come out! Battle stance!”

“I’m finally going to earn some money to eat!”

Alan, who was about to quicken his pace, peeked his head out from around the corner and took advantage of the chaos of the battle to watch secretly.

An automaton, resembling a scorpion and as big as a scooter, was facing off against three humans.

The battle was more one-sided than expected. The explorers had been on the first floor for a long time, so they were able to deal with the scorpions skillfully.

The shield bearer blocked the scorpion’s tail, the spearman pierced the gap in the iron plate to stop its movement, and the finishing blow was done by someone wearing a bracelet-shaped shrimp.

The scorpion’s body caved in as if the giant had hit it with a hammer, and it stopped moving. It was a more dull fight than expected.

Those who finished fighting stood around the scorpion.

“Did the magic stone appear?”

“It’s a magic stone······. I told you not to get excited!”

While dismantling the scorpion, I smiled with joy at the harvest, even though I was screaming.

Push!

This time two of them jumped out of a manhole in the wall.

“What? You said there would only be one? And it appeared too quickly!”

“The shrimp cooldown hasn’t ended yet! Buy some time!”

As his friend was tapping the bracelet-shaped shrimp, Changsoo shouted.

“Hey kid! That’s why I told you to make Manaheart!”

“Is that easy!”

“Instead of just playing and drinking all day, save up some money and put some artificial mana hearts in it!”

They fought quite well, blaming each other. However, since they couldn’t use the magic built into Evi, they ended up getting scratched and injured in the process.

“100 million!”

The person using the shield fell hard.

The two, who were dealing with other scorpions, were in a situation where they could not help their friend.

The scorpion’s sharp tail aimed for the shield bearer’s neck. Although it was not poisonous, the stinger, curved like a fishhook, had the power to conjure up images of a terrible future.

Just before the shield bearer fell, Alan, sensing the danger, stimulated his eyes with his magical power.

My left field of vision changed completely, and I stared at the scorpion as if I was looking through a magical tool. I could clearly see the inside, as if its magic resistance was weak or non-existent.

Alan aimed forward at the hollow metal bar he used as a cane. It could be called a long rifle, as it had the same magical bullet generator as the Mana Revolver.

A blue beam of light ran along the metal surface, and at the end it turned into a sharp bullet and began to fly.

puck!

There was a dull thud as the scorpion collapsed on top of the shield bearer. The power source had been hit properly, and if it had been a human, it would have been like having a heart burst.

“Eww!!! ······?”

The shield bearer, who had been screaming as if he had sensed the end, only then noticed something strange and pushed the scorpion that had fallen on top of him to the side while struggling.

The two friends who had defeated the scorpion with their recharged Ebi approached and checked the condition of the shield soldier.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Where are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Why did I suddenly collapse? Oh, and by the way, suddenly there was a blue light coming from over there…”

The three men’s gaze followed the shield bearer’s fingers, and there was Allen, emerging from the corner.

Alan met their gaze and spoke politely.

“Can I take that scorpion?”

Just in case there was any misunderstanding, he breathed magic into the stick, and the blue light that the shield bearer had seen sparkled slightly along its surface.

“Ah···. Yes. Please do that.”

As soon as they agreed, Alan quickly disassembled the scorpions and stacked them on a folding cart.

‘This is enough for today’s harvest.’

Alan slowly backed away from the explorers’ sight. As he turned the corner and started back the way he had come, he heard a voice whispering.

“You’re just giving it to me when I’m alone? It was dangerous, but you could have caught me.”

“What are you talking about? If you get seriously hurt or do something wrong, you die. And you have to be careful of guys who usually travel alone. They’re either confident in their skills or crazy. And they even use formal language.”

“Oh, now that I hear you, that’s true. There wasn’t even a nursery rhyme. Are you the young master of some family?”

Suddenly, Alan, who had become the child of a strange person and a noble family, quickly forgot what they had said and became absorbed in other thoughts.

The first floor was easier than I thought. I figured out how it worked, so I prepared thoroughly and felt like I could go down even further tomorrow.

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