Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 66
Only Noblemtl
Monk (1)
Dwarf Broker Rolf’s bar. A place where fierce music and gentle classical music coexist. Here and there, there are troubleshooters who are drunk on the strong alcohol characteristic of dwarves.
Since problem solvers, like labyrinth explorers, are in a job where they risk their lives to earn money, after making a killing, they tend to either indulge in entertainment to relieve the accumulated stress or stay locked up somewhere to rest.
The door opened, and a refreshing flow of air suffocated by the smell of alcohol and cigarettes. The newly arrived young man moved to the corner, and the old man headed towards the bar counter where Rolf was.
“Sir, why don’t you close the door and go around? If you keep doing that, how are ordinary people like me going to pay for heating?”
“Then turn on the ventilation. Even a pigsty smells better than this. This isn’t a cave either…”
“Hmm, hmm. It looks like there won’t be any side effects like a rejection reaction since it has a motor in its mouth.”
“Someone treated me. Of course.”
“I’m not very lucky, but my brother is good at it. Well, I get paid a lot for brokering, so it doesn’t matter to me.”
“I meant Alan.”
“Then let’s say both are fine.”
As Alan took his place in the corner, the troubleshooters approached him one by one. When he was on the ground, he would visit here periodically to repair their equipment. Since his skills had been verified before, he could leave simple equipment to them without any worries.
While I was scraping the runes carved into the prosthetic leg of a certain troubleshooter, a news broadcast came on from a wall-mounted television. It was a channel that broadcast only labyrinth-related broadcasts.
An interview with Liberio, the high priest and director of Sarang Hospital, was in progress.
[Hello, Your Highness.]
[Just call me Liberio.]
[Understood. Lord Liberio, is there a special reason why the priests settled in Maze City this time?]
[We simply follow the doctrine. Salvation of the suffering. Among these is the liberation of the poor souls wandering in the labyrinth.]
The Mother Church believed that the monsters that appeared in the labyrinth were souls captured in hell, and that killing them would lead to liberation.
There were also rare comments from problem solvers who watched the broadcast.
“That kid, he’s running out of money so he can force his kids into a maze, right?”
“Hey, hey. Take it easy. They’re volunteers who work hard. Do you really need to get angry?”
“When I was young, I met a kind priest who healed my broken arm. It’s a religion with many things to learn from.”
“Is that guy a problem solver who goes around collecting heads?”
“You bastard! That’s why I choose my commissions. There are religions that say that the secular world itself is suffering, so wouldn’t it be a noble asceticism for me to blow the heads of criminals? So I could also be called a monk.”
“What the heck···.”
Even in the confined space of a bar, opinions were divided, and reactions were sharply divided throughout society.
They like it because there is more volunteer work and doctors are kinder. They dislike it because their rights are being violated and they cannot read their minds.
Regardless of the reactions from various circles, the exploration world was heated up. Of course, mainly only large groups such as explorer associations and companies.
Everyone wanted a priest, a specialist in healing magic, which meant that not everyone could get one. The demand was overwhelmingly greater than the supply.
Also, priests were people too. They wanted to save the souls suffering in the labyrinth, so it was natural that they would be drawn to the contacts of corporations.
With so many places to go and so good treatment, there was no way a small explorer like Alan would get a chance to meet them. The same was true for most explorer parties.
“These are all defective products? What the hell. I’ve searched through them all.”
Today’s repair business ended with a dwarf customer who got a good beating on the back of the head at the night repair shop.
Alan sat down next to Taylor, who was sitting at the bar counter with her eyes closed. The memory crystal on the back of her neck was proof that he was seeing something.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“I was thinking of looking for something to do.”
“You can rest comfortably on the ground. Is there any need to work all the way here?”
Taylor frowned at Alan’s words. It seemed as if he had a lot to say.
“It’s because of you. You, you, you.”
“···?”
“Oh my, those innocent eyes. I can’t tie up their hands and feet and force them to rest.”
“He says he has no shame because his grandson is working.”
Rolf, who had been sneaking into the conversation, smiled and distanced himself from Taylor. Only then did Alan, who understood, open his mouth.
“You don’t have to do that. Repairing is a hobby I enjoy.”
“How can work be a hobby? No matter how much you like it, if it becomes your livelihood, it becomes a headache for people.”
“Really? I always find something new and fun.”
Taylor started to speak, but stopped when he saw Alan’s earnest gaze. This was real.
When your hobby and your job are aligned, there is nothing better than that. You don’t even get stressed? That is a job that is a gift from heaven. Or you can accept the pain as joy when one screw loosens in your head.
In Taylor’s view, Alan was both. He enjoyed magic engineering, and even the pain of squeezing his brain turned into joy. In short.
“That pervert.”
“yes?”
While Alan was bewildered by the words that suddenly popped out without any logical reasoning, Taylor pulled out the memory correction and handed it to Rolf.
“Did you find any useful work?”
“I need to think about it, because it’s taking longer than I thought. I thought the labyrinth was the hardest, but things on the ground aren’t easy either.”
“Everyone is the same in life. Then, go home safely. Don’t tease your grandson too much because he’s bored.”
Rolf smiled and saw his grandson off. At first, Taylor had objected when he was told that he was his grandson, but now he accepted it as a given.
As they walked along the street, Alan glanced at the increasingly darkening sky and asked Taylor.
“What was the request you saw earlier?”
“It’s nothing special. Since you keep wondering, I’ll show you something special.”
The light from Taylor’s artificial eye created a hologram in the air. When Alan signaled that he had seen it, the content changed like turning the pages of a book.
“Capture, escort, transport, arrest. There are so many.”
As the screen changed faster and faster, Alan’s eyes also moved busily.
“Just a moment.”
“Why is that?”
A bust of a man who looked to be about the same age as Alan slowly rotated. He kept his mouth shut in response to Taylor’s question and searched his memory.
‘Slightly curly orange hair… I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere.’
Alan’s brain pulled out fragments of memories hidden in every corner. The faces of people he had met flashed through his mind. Then, one image suddenly popped into his mind.
“That old man from back then.”
“What are you talking about?”
Alan reported that he had entered Maze City in a ride from an old man. The man with the word ‘missing’ written under his bust looked exactly like the photo he had seen back then.
Taylor nodded slowly, his expression a mixture of regret and surprise.
“You said you were wandering around the labyrinth?”
“Yes. I asked them to chase it away even if they had to hit it if they saw it nearby.”
“Citizens tend to focus only on the economic growth and technological advancements that have been achieved through labyrinths. City governments and companies also tend to only promote these aspects.”
“There must be a pros and cons. It’s the same with any phenomenon.”
“Yes, you are right. When there is light and shadow, people usually turn their eyes to the light. Even if you try to look closely at the darkness, it is hidden, so it is not easy to observe. Look at this.”
The screen Taylor’s eyes created was a statistics of annual labyrinth deaths. The data was different for each agency surveyed. Some statistics were even quoted directly from gossip magazines and newspapers.
“This is reality. The light is so bright that no one can see the shadows directly. Even the big hands that control the labyrinth do not want to show their dirty parts.”
“It was the same in Lanka.”
Alan understood this fact better than anyone else. The thing that surprised him the most when he came here was that no one knew about Lanka. It was a poor country in a corner, so it was natural, but it was hard to find proper news in the whole world.
Development always consumes something, whether it be resources or human lives. Naturally, the one being consumed is quickly forgotten.
It is the role of the media to inform people of this, but they cannot write articles as they wish because the companies are holding on to their lifeline. In fact, they have long become their propaganda towers.
Taylor clicked his tongue.
“It’s a shame that the young man has become like this. He probably didn’t go missing, but died in the labyrinth. His parents, who still can’t give up, must have turned him over.”
“Is there any chance of survival?”
“In Maze City, being missing is the same as being dead. It’s probably no different anywhere else. Or maybe you’re being held captive somewhere and working like a slave.”
“Do you have any idea where this place is?”
“I don’t know about the surface, but there must be a labyrinth. It wouldn’t be that deep, right? The magic stone mine on the 19th floor of the cave?”
It was a place that Allen had heard of before. It was a special space like an underground fortress, and a treasure vault where magic stones were continuously generated.
Miners dug for magic stones, and explorers protected them from underground people who might appear from anywhere.
*
Alan, who entered the labyrinth, repeated this goal.
“We reached the 18th floor last time, so let’s go up to the 20th floor this time. If we have time, should we check out the 21st floor too?”
“If there are no guards.”
The guards had a similar role to the one-eyed gatekeepers. They were particularly strong among the heavy armored soldiers, and the reason they were called guards was because they guarded the empty throne.
“You said he was a little stronger than the warlock we faced last time.”
“That’s just a rough comparison of individual strengths for reference. Their fighting styles are different, so don’t make hasty predictions. You have to be extra careful because they bring a lot of subordinates with them. The goalkeeper is just a mob there.”
“Compared to the maze, the difficulty level has increased significantly.”
“Do you know what another name for a guard is? A newbie cutter. Explorers who come here with dreams of greatness feel the wall there. It’s about time to come out to the campsite…”
As Taylor said, there were a lot of people. I walked a little further and turned the corner, and I saw the 9th floor campsite. As usual, it was crowded with explorers.
Alan, who was sitting down and preparing food, turned his head at the sound of footsteps getting louder.
“We’re closed today···.”
His left eye quickly scanned the gray-haired woman, who was dressed in all-black attire and carrying a thick sword bag.
“hi.”
“hello.”
Zion, who had finished greeting, stared at Taylor, who still had her back turned. After more than ten minutes, Taylor also turned around slightly.
“Hello to you too, instructor.”
“What did the genius prosecutor do to this old man?”
“Do you really have to do this?”
“No, that’s not it···.”
In the midst of the awkward air, a small, sturdy figure suddenly appeared. It was a dwarf wearing thin clothes that didn’t even have proper iron plates.
“If you meet someone in the labyrinth, please introduce me to them.”
“This is Shiva. This is Taylor, Alan.”
“It’s simple and good. I’m a monk of the Mother Church. This time, I’m exploring the labyrinth with the help of Breaker. We met here under the guidance of Mother, so how about exploring together? It’ll be more fun with four people than two.”
Zion didn’t seem to think much of it, and Taylor accepted, hoping that he might be able to seduce her.
Shiva gulped down the water bottle, saying it was a happy day. He smiled as he wiped his beard, his eyes drawn to the faint smell of alcohol.
“The grain is too fermented. I will take care of it all, as you cannot throw away the trash.”
“Isn’t drinking prohibited in the Mother Church?”
“That’s a good question. I asked my mother in my dream and she laughed. I guess that’s proof that it’s okay.”
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────