Moon's Labyrinths

Sungyoon was relaxing on the sofa. Laughing sounds erupted from the comedy show he was watching on the TV.

However, this brand of comedy wasn’t to his taste, so his expression didn’t change at all.

In the end, he raised the remote control and flipped through multiple channels. But, none of the programs caught his interest.

This time he pressed a different button, a shortcut to completely skip all the Korean programming. The TV brought up English speaking channels, and he saw the lineup of foreign programs.

The first channel to show up was a news channel. A man wearing a suit was talking about an incident that had occurred earlier today.

The event being talked about had occurred in Canada. This channel was probably being broadcasted by the same country.

At that moment, someone came into the living room.

Tim had just finished showering and had a towel over his wet hair.

“Are you watching something interesting?”

“I haven’t found anything that caught my eyes.”

Sungyoon continued to watch the news with bored eyes.

“Anyway, Emily is taking quite a long time.”

Emily had gone in earlier than Sungyoon to take a shower, yet she still hadn't come out.

Tim shrugged.

“She is a woman.”

Sungyoon agreed. Tim had learned this through his sister, and Sungyoon had learned about it thanks to his ex-wife. Both of them were half-resigned when it came to how long it took for a woman to take a shower.

Tim sat down next to Sungyoon, and the two of them conversed as they watched the TV.

They were on the Moon. Jimin was starting to seriously expand her company, and she had decided her company needed a base on the moon. Therefore, she had purchased this small residential building.

Its size was small, but it was only small when compared to the headquarters of other companies. This place was a two-floor building with five bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was a large residential building.

Other small companies wouldn’t even dream about purchasing such a facility. Even if Jimin didn’t care about the profits for her company, this place was being paid for by the income generated by the three Connectors. It was indirect proof that Sungyoon and the Ross siblings were exceptional Connectors.

“Did I take too much time?”

A good amount of time had passed since Sungyoon and Tim had started a conversation. Emily finally entered the living room with wet hair. Her hair gave off a fragrance, thanks to the shampoo she used.

Her hair was still wet, so it fell down like a waterfall. It added to her natural beauty.

If one could take a photo at this moment, one could use the photo as a magazine cover. The scene was that flawless.

However, neither Sungyoon nor Tim showed any interest in her.

“You took way too much time.”

The only thing that came back was Tim's disgruntled answer.

Emily pouted as she walked towards the sofa. She sat next to her brother, and occasionally injected herself into the conversation between Sungyoon and Tim.

The TV had basically become background noise in their conversation. However, one story soon caught the attention of all three.

“Is the princess already close to reaching the Great Labyrinth?”

Tim sounded interested as he mumbled to himself.

The news was showing a woman with fair blonde hair. Sungyoon knew this person well.

‘Princess Grace.’

Grace Elizabeth Victoria Taylor.

She was the princess loved by the entire population of England. In the past, she had saved Sungyoon when Nicholas was threatening him.

Tim and Emily stopped talking, and they looked at the TV with interest.

‘Now that I think about it, Canada was part of the British Commonwealth.’

He had no idea how the Canadians viewed the Royal family of England, but at the very least, the two siblings were clearly interested in Princess Grace.

Sungyoon turned his gaze back toward the TV.

The segment was about Princess Grace being close to acquiring the rights to enter the Great Labyrinth.

“She’s amazing.”

Emily mumbled to herself.

“How long has it been since the princess started operating as a Connector in earnest?”

“I’m not sure. Hasn’t it been around two years?”

Tim put his head back against the headrest and made an approximation.

“As expected, she is really quick.”

Emily's voice showed admiration.

Grace was a member of the royal family, and that had a large role in her quick ascent.

Her position allowed her better opportunities to acquire Jewel rank Gems, the Gems one couldn’t buy even if one had money.

Even a lot of rich Connectors couldn’t acquire a Jewel rank Gem.

However, the princess received support from the royal family and the government of the UK, so she had a much easier time acquiring these Gems.

But this didn’t diminish her accomplishments. Despite being a member of the royal family, she wanted to enter the Great Labyrinth. She had set her goal and was moving forward toward accomplishing it.

Even if she acquired the Gems easily when compared to others, it didn’t mean that she hadn't put in the work. And, she was capable of using these Gems. If she weren't, it would have been like giving a pearl necklace to a pig.

That was why Sungyoon didn’t gainsay Tim and Emily’s opinion.

The siblings had risen in power around the same time as the princess. They had also received assistance as they had found the keepsakes of their mother. They had been fortunate in their own situation like Princess Grace.

While the two of them shared their opinions, Sungyoon quietly looked at the figure on the TV screen.

‘If I have the chance, I’ll repay my debt to her.’

When Nicholas tried to pick a fight with him, she had interceded on his behalf. If she hadn’t done that, he didn’t know what mess would have occurred.

If a time ever came when Princess Grace needed his help, he would do his best to help her. Sungyoon quietly made that promise.

***

Tim deflected the ax aimed at him. It had been a powerful attack, but it was no threat to Tim.

The monster attacking Tim let out a roar. It was pissed off that its opponent was unharmed after receiving such an attack.

Moo-uhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

This monster had two curved horns, and its face bore a striking resemblance to a cow. It still possessed the unique eyes of a monster, which were filled with murderous intent.

It was called the Minotaur.

In some ways, it was the most well-suited monster for the labyrinth.

“Fuck this cow-headed bastard!”

The Minotaur swung its ax once again. Tim deflected the attack and swung his own ax in response.

The surprise made the Minotaur take a step back, and consequently, Tim's attack didn't land. However, Tim hadn’t swung his weapon with the intent to land the attack.

Hoo-ahhhhhp!

In no time, Sungyoon appeared behind the Minotaur. He then swung his ax using both hands.

Kwah-jeek!

His weapon dug into the Minotaur’s thigh, which was twice as large as the waist of a slim woman.

Ggoo-ahhhhhhhhh!

Until now, the monster was letting out sounds similar to a cow's, but this roar sounded entirely different.

One could tell it was a scream arising from immense pain.

The Minotaur desperately swung its ax toward Sungyoon, but the man had already retreated. And in his place, Tim charged toward the Minotaur.

Kwah-jeek!

His ax was aimed at the Minotaur’s leg. The Minotaur once again let out of scream full of pain.

Sungyoon and Tim perfectly worked together as they harassed the Minotaur. The Minotaur was stronger than the Bigfoot, but it was on a similar level as the Ogre.

Although Sungyoon and Tim could solo it on their own, they were working together to cover for each other’s deficiencies. It meant the Minotaur had no chance of winning against them.

In the end, the monster fell.

Its corpse disappeared as light surrounded it. Sungyoon retrieved the moonstone left behind.

“Mr. Sungyoon’s labyrinth has the ideal difficulty.”

Tim looked around Sungyoon’s labyrinth once again, and he spoke out in admiration. Tim’s labyrinth was too easy. Emily’s labyrinth was the exact opposite, too hard. And unlike both of their labyrinths, this one was just right for them.

Of course, the labyrinth seemed easy right now, but they hadn’t reached the last floor of the labyrinth yet. They all hoped to find a floor with the ideal difficulty.

Still, it was time for them to head out.

They had stayed here too long. The party still had enough supplies, but they didn’t want to become mentally fatigued. Therefore, they made it a habit to occasionally go back to their Moon Surface Vehicle to rest.

They exited using the map Emily drew. She was more talented at drawing than Sungyoon, and they could exit faster thanks to the map. The ascent was faster than their descent.

Their Moon Surface Vehicle was parked in front of the labyrinth. However, it wasn’t the previous normal Moon Surface Vehicle.

It was a newly purchased one. In terms of size, it was twice as big as the old one, and the interior held better equipment.

The three of them got inside and moved toward the rear of the vehicle. A bed was placed on each of the walls, one for Sungyoon and the other for Tim.

Emily’s bed was placed further in the back, and it was separated by a partition.

They nodded to each other and went to their respective beds. Since they were in space with no air, they couldn’t talk. So they would either sleep early or do their own thing to pass the time.

Tim immediately fell asleep, and Emily picked up a book she had brought from earth.

Sungyoon took out Shinhae’s picture from his wallet and stared at it for a long time as he lay in his bed.

It happened at that moment.

Woooooooong!

Their beds vibrated. The three of them got up.

The vibration meant a call had arrived. It was impossible to use sound as an alert, so this was a workaround.

As the leader, Sungyoon got out of his bed. He turned on the power supply to the communication device and put on a space helmet. It would supply him with oxygen so that he could converse with the caller.

As soon as he made all the requisite preparations, the screen turned on, and a person appeared on the display.

- Thankfully, you were in your vehicle.

Jimin let out a small sigh of relief. Even if the vehicle was equipped with a communication device, it would be impossible to contact him if he was inside the labyrinth.

“Is something wrong?”

Sungyoon asked.

- A labyrinth near you is asking for help.

“Our help?”

- Yes. It seems something serious has occurred. I don’t know the exact details, but they must be desperate. They are rewarding Jewel Rank Gems, and the reward doesn't include just one Gem. They are willing to give one to each person that comes to help. We are talking Jewel rank Gems. It is quite an appetizing commission. If the rescue is successful, each member of the party would get a Jewel rank Gem. It makes me wonder as to why the reward is so high.

“What is the request? Why would they put such a high reward on it?”

- The request came from labyrinth H-005. It is Princess Grace’s labyrinth.

Sungyoon shut his mouth. He had no idea Princess Grace’s labyrinth was nearby.

- The mission is to rescue Princess Grace. The UK government directly sent out the SOS. They are trying to contact every Connector near that labyrinth. What do you want to do?

Jimin was careful with the question. She would go with whatever decision Sungyoon and the Ross siblings would make.

Sungyoon didn’t speak for a brief moment.

“I cannot make this decision on my own. I’ll contact you after I discuss this with the others.”

- Understood.

Even as she said this, Jimin hesitated. She spoke once again.

- I don’t want you to feel like you have no choice but to do this. All three of you are doing well, and I don’t mind if your entrance into the Great Labyrinth becomes a bit delayed as a result. You don’t have to take on more danger.

Usually, she pushed Sungyoon to enter the Great Labyrinth even as she hated herself for it. So considering her past actions, this was a very surprising development. It was proof that a change was occurring within her.

“Understood.”

He ended the call after saying that.

Sungyoon gestured the siblings to put on their helmets so that they could talk. The Ross siblings clumsily put on their helmets.

“What’s wrong?”

“A nearby labyrinth is asking for help.”

Sungyoon calmly answered Tim’s question.

“The labyrinth asking for help is Princess Grace’s labyrinth.”

The two of them looked shocked.

“It seems the UK government is directly asking the nearby Connectors to rescue her. If we manage to rescue her, they’ll give each of us a Jewel rank Gem.”

Sungyoon leaned forward a little bit as he looked into their eyes.

“What should we do?” Previous Chapter Next Chapter