Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 334



Only Noblemtl

News about the Twilight Path, which was opened using the Twilight Crystal, a hardened sap of the World Tree, as a key, spread quickly.

The city government, Breaker, and Eselmatop, disguised as a municipal university, established methods of extraction and use, and released the information that had been tied up.

The exploration world was ablaze just like when the space gate connecting the ground and the 27th floor was announced. No, it was even worse. Unlike the space gate, the Twilight Path was also opened in various labyrinths.

But as always, the benefits are not shared equally by everyone.

First of all, it was hard to get the crystals. Since they are consumables, they had to be collected continuously, but the process was very difficult and took a long time.

And to find the door to the Twilight Path, you need a great spatial wizard. You have to find, open, and fix the spatial misalignment with crystals.

In addition, although it is said that the layers are identified by the concentration of crystals, there is a margin of error, so one must be well-versed in spatial magic to distinguish them accurately.

“You can open it easily even though you’re not a space wizard. Can you teach me some of your know-how?”

“You’re as shameless as always.”

Alan brushed off Nicola’s question. Eselmatop had expressed their intention to bring Nicola on board since they had brought Zion on Breaker, and they did.

The intention was good. Breaker and Eshelmatap wanted to work together to protect Allen.

If you were in your right mind, you would run away just by hearing their affiliations. The problem is that labyrinth explorers are usually not crazy.

“What does it mean to have a good rival?”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to say friend rather than rival?”

“Are you saying that you and I are friends? Then for the sake of friends···.”

Alan shook his head immediately. He had thought that [Molecular Assembly] and [Space Manipulation] would be something he would keep to himself. In modern society, knowledge meant power, authority, and money.

“You don’t like it? Hmm···.”

“I can tell you if you bring a corresponding price. It has to be knowledge, not material.”

“You’re really going to make a deal? You’re not lying, are you?”

“You ask the obvious. It’s an opportunity to acquire knowledge that you don’t know. However, it won’t be easy to meet the condition of ‘correspondence’.”

“You are sincere… You are a pure explorer.”

The existing team members knew of Alan’s endless curiosity, but Nicola only now realized it.

“How about the Great Magic?”

“I’m not a wizard. I’m not at a level where I can use my knowledge. But does Nicola have the right to negotiate?”

“no.”

Great magic existed before the discovery of the Labyrinth, but it was enhanced by the knowledge gained from the Labyrinth. The knowledge contained within it must have been more valuable than special runes.

“Oh, you know? I heard that Maze City University was planning to send personnel, but they stopped.”

“I heard it in passing.”

“I originally planned to send you as a graduate student, but I heard that you desperately refused after hearing about your schedule. Exploration is fun, but I don’t know why.”

“Right?”

The existing team members’ expressions hardened as they overheard Alan and Nicola’s conversation. Nicola opened her mouth without even knowing it.

“Since we’re going to be together anyway, can you tell me your schedule?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Originally, the offer went to Lorenzo, but it was given to me. There was no schedule for the memory modification that the death penalty gave me.”

“I’ll tell you”

Taylor took Nicola and whispered in her ear. As the story progressed, Nicola’s face turned pale.

“Are you really going to rest for a week after finishing the expedition and then go back down? Ten days at most?”

“No. This time I had a break of over two months.”

“No, it’s nothing. I just had to stay because of the revision. Usually, there’s not enough time to rest.”

Alan’s argument was cut short by Taylor’s rebuttal. Nicola’s mouth fell open.

“The break is usually a month, but it’s usually two months. Why is it a week? Why did the death penalty smile while handing me the proposal···.”

Nicola looked at Alan with the same expression as a deceived meerkat. The bad guy was Lorenzo, who had deceived him.

I passed through the space gate and reached the 27th floor. I went to a place where explorers rarely visit and opened the twilight path.

The branches of the World Tree, spread out in a straight line and with no end in sight, appeared before my eyes. It was 20 meters wide and there were no monsters, so it was very peaceful.

There were also occasional crystal collectors, all of whom used magical tools made at the Eselma Tower.

Taylor looked at the sight and hit his palm with his fist.

“Ah, I should have bought the stock.”

“I bought it.”

“Do I have my share too?”

“I recently sold them and used them all to make magic tools.”

“I see.”

Because expectations were so low, disappointment was minimal, because Taylor knew how Alan would act.

Alan walked along the branches of the World Tree for a while and then looked up at the sky.

“The lantern and the curtain. Remember?”

“Oh, that phrase? Of course I know it.”

“If the lamp is the sun and the curtain is the night, then twilight would feel like neutrality. It could be dawn instead of twilight.”

“It depends on the person’s perspective. Well, did you get any clues?”

“No. It just occurred to me.”

The twilight path was peaceful, unlike the labyrinths that were fraught with various dangers. It was very boring for the explorers who were accustomed to walking the tightrope between life and death.

The amazing scenery is only temporary, and if you keep looking at it for hours, it becomes boring. Taylor glanced at the power suit. Inside, Alan must be studying.

Life is study, and learning is life. It was the reason for the absurd growth rate. Of course, innate ability also played a part.

Taylor, who was getting bored, asked slyly.

“It’s probably terrorism, right?”

“The Collector may want to bring the creatures of the labyrinth back to the surface.”

As expected, Alan immediately understood what I meant and answered.

“why?”

“The first thing that comes to mind is research, and um… I don’t know about anything else. There’s no clues at all. The warlocks we captured last time don’t know anything.”

“Collector, that kid is really funny.”

“why?”

“Because of the Wish Fragment and the Twilight Path, the labyrinth exploration has become more active. What good does it do for the labyrinth if there are more people?”

“That in itself could be a gamble. What if it’s a long-term plan that doesn’t produce immediate results?”

“oh···.”

After several days of conversation, marching, and camping, the party made their way to the top of the snowy mountain. The twilight path only connects the same era, so they had to pass through one floor directly.

There was no need to hunt as the door on the 40th floor was always open at the top. I passed through the door and entered the twilight path again.

Nicola let out an excited voice.

“Already on the 41st floor? The travel time is reduced by almost 20%. If only the door position could be fixed, it would be nice to make a resting place.”

“The interesting thing about the Twilight Gate is that even if you open the door in the same location, if you close it and open it again, a different place will appear.”

“Then you? When we were tracking the warlock, you immediately chased after him.”

“It’s an outstanding [space manipulation].”

There was no way Katan would have left such a simple message in secret. Taylor appeared, blocking Nicola’s greedy gaze.

“Can I write it too?”

“You said it was annoying.”

“Will it be the same as before? Let’s give it a try.”

“Unlike [Molecular Assembly], [Space Manipulation] is difficult to apply to magic tools. For humans…, it would probably be dangerous.”

Since the magical power consumption was so great, the one who casted the spell was always Alan. But Taylor was persistent.

“There are no monsters here, and it’s just you and Shiva. What’s the problem? Let’s do it while we’re at it. If you’re afraid of failure, you’re not an explorer.”

“hmm···.”

“Come on, come on.”

Alan followed Taylor’s urging. He entered the runic characters of the soulstone and inserted it into the port at the back of his neck.

As soon as you put it on.

“Eww!”

Taylor froze as if he had been shocked, then fell to the ground. Shiva jumped in surprise and ran over.

“Brother!”

“The safety device has blocked the connection, so it should be fine. The damage is only 1%, so it should recover quickly.”

“Is your brain okay?”

“There is no problem because it is a priority protection target.”

As Alan said, he moved quickly. The soulstone came out on its own, and Taylor woke up like a rebooted computer. Smoke came out of his mouth.

“···Let’s give up.”

“Failure is the mother of challenge.”

“That’s not it. There was a reason you handled [space manipulation] yourself all this time. You really did see stars for a moment.”

Why is there a phrase called dangerous knowledge, and why is there a book of magic that makes you go crazy just by looking at it? Knowledge discriminates between people, and if the source is a labyrinth, it wriggles like a living thing.

Nicola tried to pick up the soul stone that had fallen on the floor.

widely!

The box was blocked. Nicola grabbed the back of her hand and growled at the box that was retrieving the soul stone.

“It’s no use taking it. The inside will have burned and turned into a bad sector.”

“···.”

When Alan opened the soulstone input window, all he could see was black fog. Nicola pretended not to know or care, but glanced at him from time to time.

“Am I right? I’ll close it after you’ve seen it.”

“Ahem.”

After a few more days, the Alan party reached the end of the twilight path. The branches were cut off, and only a sea of ​​clouds was left underfoot.

As Alan opened the door, the capital city walls appeared. The city was quiet, as if the invasion event was over. Instead of the traces of the army’s camp, only green grasslands and lush forests were visible.

“Let’s get started.”

At the master’s command, the box opened its drawer. It was barely wide enough to fit a basketball, but the object inside was as thick as a building pillar.

All the parts of the buffalo were placed on the grass. Alan raised the core containing the soul stone and breathed magic into it.

Woof!

Even after releasing the hand, the core remained in the air. The core emitted a thread of magical power, and the parts it touched were pulled towards the core.

As the buffalo stepped onto the ground, a thud and a slight vibration echoed. The automaton, which resembled a bison and was larger than a chariot, stepped onto the labyrinth ground for the first time.

Nicola asked worriedly.

“Wouldn’t it be noticeable?”

“Just recognize the buffalo and take out any enemies that come near.”

Reptilians on the 50th floor will chase explorers like crazy, but they tend to stay within their territory.

“If the number were small, I wouldn’t be saying this.”

“You will understand when you see it for yourself.”

As soon as Alan finished speaking, the buffalo let out a “boo-oo!” It sounded like a beast scratching its neck. Like a firecracker, the loud noise is sure to attract the attention of those around it.

“What are you doing? … It’s late.”

Reptilian soldiers’ heads suddenly popped out from above the walls. Their calm eyes turned sharp as soon as they noticed this side.

The big guy screamed and jumped down the wall. The soldiers following him followed. Ten meters high was ridiculous for a monster living on the 50th floor.

Even though the equipment was flimsy, the momentum they were emitting was fierce. The leader took the lead and formed a wedge formation. Every time they flicked their legs, the distance between them narrowed by a dozen meters.

Nicola prepared her magic. Her intense concentration found something. Something huge and cloudy was rushing towards the reptilian. If it weren’t for the crushed grass, she wouldn’t have even noticed it.

Before he could even think, ‘What is that?’, something that had become part of the scenery covered Jinhyeong’s spine.

Its identity was a leopard. It was much larger than the size Nicola originally knew. The leopard-titan bit the head of one of the reptilian soldiers and fled.

Nicola frowned, because the leopard’s teeth were sharp drills, and it had a reptilian head in its snout.

The leopard had already finished off three of the thirty or so, and had torn apart their tight formation.

This time, a whirlwind swept around the buffalo. Nicola watched it without realizing it.

The scale-covered armor opened and an automaton resembling a fly emerged, flashing a dangerous color at first glance.

As expected, they flew towards the reptilians and exploded. They were even intelligent. They would only stick to the face or vital points, and if the shield was strong, they would only drain the mana and target other entities.

All Nicola did was swing his [Lightning Whip] at the defeated captain and his soldiers. The cutting power was so great that he was able to cut them up and down in one go.

“Did you see?”

“Wait a minute, something seems off to you. Even if you used all the proceeds from the sale of crystals, would you still have this much power? If that were the case, you would have pushed the labyrinth with money. Huh?”

Only then did Nicola realize something. The magic flowing around Alan felt incredibly heavy.

“Is this true? As expected, he is my rival.”

“Let’s stop talking about that. This time, the goal is Wangseong.”

Behind Alan, who was standing still, a buffalo was scurrying about. The buffalo was peacefully grazing on grass… no, not the remains of an exploded automaton.

End