Moon's Labyrinths

In thecave near London, the light only continued to expand. It had grown to the size of a house.

The light was akin to a living being as it sucked in the nearby magical energy. But nothing leaked outside because of the shape of the cave.

Koo-roo-roo-rooo!

In a flash, an ominous cry rang out within the cave. It was a sound that should have never been heard on Earth. This sound was something only Connectors had heard up until this point.

It was the cry of a monster.

Sssssk!

Something crawled out of the light. The size of the monster corresponded to the large light.It was larger than an elephant. The monsterbarely had a neck, and its head protruded above its shoulders like a tumor. One could clearly see its eyes, nose, and mouth.

Instead of fingers, it possessed claws that resembled knives, and It had eight feet.

Anyone that ran into it would turn blue from fright.

Ooooooooooh!

As if it was satisfied, the monster let out a long cry. It wanted to let its presence be known in this foreign land. It wanted all living beings to cower in fear. It was that kind of a cry.

Hoohk!

The light that had spat out the monster disappeared. Darkness surrounded the cave once again.

The only light that remained was the red glowing eyes of the monster.

Soon, those eyes started to move in various directions.

Koo-roohk!

The monster sounded disgruntled as it let out another cry.

The magical energy in this place was too thin. At this rate, its power and body would deteriorate.

Itbecame very displeased as it tried to find a region ample with magical energy. But the path behind it was a dead end. So it slowly walked down the only path available to it.

Boom! Boom!

It felt as if the cave would collapse just from the vibration created by its steps. However, the monster was nonplussed. It continued to climb up.

***

“What is that?”

A policeman mumbled to himself. He and his fellow policemenhad been tasked to quarantine the region near the newly-found cave.

“Is it an earthquake?”

The ground under their feet kept shaking. However, the tremor was too rhythmic for it to be an earthquake. Moreover, this rhythmic vibration was still occurring.

He glanced at his partner who worked the same shift as him. But his partner looked puzzled too.

‘I’m too tired for this. What the hell is going on?’

They had been suddenly given orders to quarantine this region, and they had been working this place for the past couple of days. So, of course, they became annoyed when something strange occurred.

The vibration was getting stronger.

‘I’ve seen this scenario somewhere before...’

He was anxious, so he tried to search his memories as a coping mechanism. It was on the tip of his tongue.

‘Ah. It is that dinosaur movie.’

This was similar to the scene where an enormous carnivorous dinosaur had slowly approached the main character and his party. A chill suddenly ran up his spine. He had been trying to distract himself, yet he had thought up something more ominous.

‘There’s no way...’

His neck didn’t want to move, but he forced himself to look at the mountain which had been quarantined. He saw the warm sunlight wash over the mountain, and this beautiful scene allowed him to relax.

‘Of course, its nothing. This isn’t some Hollywood movie.’

However, at that moment, it happened.

Koo-oohhhhhhhhhhh!

He heard a roar, and his heart felt as if it was being torn into pieces. In a flash, strength left his legs, and his feet became unsteady.

“W... what the hell!”

His partner became surprised, but he couldn’t even hear his shocked voice. He dumbfoundedly looked toward where the roar had originated.

Boom!

Something crawled out of the open entrance of the cave. It was something unbelievably large. After it exited the darkness, it stood underneath the bright sunlight.

He and his partner were unable to speak for a brief moment. He had thought about the dinosaur movie, yet the thing confronting him in reality was a bit more dangerous than a dinosaur.

Ssssk!

The monster kept twisting its body. It looked like a predator looking for its prey.

At that moment, his eyes met the monster’s eyes.

He subconsciously took a step backward. Just the sight of its red eyes made his body and soul freeze.

Boom! Boom!

It slowly approached them.

The two policemen dragged their shaking legs as they slowly retreated.

Koo-uhhhhhhhhh!

There was nothing nice about its roar.

The two of them jumped in surprise.

“S... shit!”

His partner quickly brought up his gun when he finally remembered he had a firearm on his belt. He quickly unfastened it and he aimed at the monster.

However, it was unknown as to whether guns would work on this creature. Guns were powerful weapons, but this monster was too large.

“Ooh-ahhhhhhhhh!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His partner pulled on the trigger. Explosive sounds rang out as bullets flew toward the monster. He quickly pulled on his trigger too.

However, it was useless.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The target was so large that they hit every shot, but the bullets were ineffective. They just bounced off its skin.

“Ooh ooh-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

When their only weapons didn’t work against it, the two policemen panicked.

They turned around and started running full tilt.

However, the monster had no plans to let them get away.

Ooh-ohhhhhhhhhh

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The monster quickly picked up its pace, and it caught up to the two humans in a flash. Its large feet squashed them.

Kwah-jeek! Kwah-jeek!

Two terrifying sounds of destruction rang out. The policemen didn’t even have the chance to scream.

Flesh and blood were splattered into the surrounding. The only thing left behind was their bloody police uniforms containing their flattened corpses.

The monster looked satisfied at what it had done. It once again moved its gaze.

It had stomped two beings that didn’t know its place by attacking it. But despite doing this, its mood didn't improve.

Themagical energy in its surroundings was just too little. The monster kept swiveling its head, and it caught sight of inner London. It felt the life force of many humans residing there.

Itthen pierced the two corpses and brought them to its mouth.

Crunch! Crunch!

The monster slowly chewed and swallowed them. It could feel some of its power returning.

However, it wasn’t enough. The amount of power returned was too small. It was minuscule compared to absorbing the ambient magical energy. The monster needed something that could replenish its power instead of magical energy.

Boom! Boom!

So itstarted to move once again.

Its destination was London which had many prey that would fill its hunger for magical energy.

***

Sungyoon checked his Devices and Gems once again. He made sure everything was there. Since the government of Britain had commissioned him, he was able to receive a special exception. He was able to bring in his Devices and Gems into this country.

After he finished his inspection, he thought about which souvenirs he should buy for Shinhae. He turned on the TV.

The news came on. The anchor spoke clearly as he talked about today’s news.

Sungyoon looked indifferent as he raised the remote. He was about to change the channel.

Suddenly, someone rushed in from out of the screen. It seemed he was the producer, and he passed a paper to the anchor.

‘Is it breaking news?’

Sungyoon paused.

The anchor looked taken aback when he read the paper. He pushed his mic aside, and he conversed with someone offscreen.

Soon after that, herepositioned his mic soon and started speaking. However, the shocked expression on his face remained.

[This is breaking news. A monster has appeared at the outer edge of North West London. I repeat. A monster has appeared at the outer edge of North West London. It is causing indiscriminate damage to property. It is killing people. If you live in North West London, please evacuate. This is real.]

The anchor kept repeating those words.

‘Monster?’

Sungyoon had been watching the TV with bored eyes, but he suddenly stood up.

‘Outer edge of North West London is where the cave is at.’

He had a bad feeling. He looked for his handphone, so he could contact Grace.

The anchor had been repeating the warning like a parrot up until that point. However, the screen changed to a reporter who was on scene.

The camera was filming from a helicopter above London. London looked like a miniature model. Its architecture displayed the unique characteristics that were peculiar to Europe.

But currently, London closely resembled hell.

One could hear screams from all directions. Even from the air, people could be seen desperately running away.

Fire and smoke were everywhere, increasing the panic felt by everyone.

Boom!

Sungyoon watched as a building fell.

Something walked out from the wreckage of the building. The enormous body could be seen clearly from the air.

Sungyoon’s face stiffened.

He had never seen it before, but he knew this monster.

“… Behemoth.”

Unlike the various monsters that appeared in all labyrinths, this monster only appeared in the Great Labyrinth.

It was cruel and vicious. Above all else, it was powerful. Even the veterans of the Great Labyrinth had a hard time killing it, yet it was rampaging through London.

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

Boom boom boom!

The doorbell rang, and someone pounded on the door. Sungyoon opened the door to his hotel room.

“Mr. Sungyoon!”

Jimin stood there, her face as pale as a sheet.

“A... a monster appeared in…!”

“I was watching it too.”

Sungyoon pointed toward the TV. It was still showing the scene reminiscent of a battlefield. Jimin entered the room, and both of them just stared at the TV.

“How can this be?”

Jimin was asking the question, but it wasn’t as if Sugyoon had the answer.

At that moment, Sungyoon’s handphone rang. Grace’s name was clearly displayed on the screen.

- Mr. Sungyoon!

Her voice was desperate.

- We have a serious problem!

“If you are referring to the monster, I’m watching it on TV.”

As soon as he said those words, another building fell. Jimin’s body started to shake from fear.

- Please go to the site right now! I’ll be down there as soon as I gather my equipment!

“… You want me to stop the Behemoth right now?”

- … Yes.

The hesitation in Grace’s voice was clearly discernable.

She was Sungyoon’s comrade, but she knew she was asking for something entirely beyond the scope of their relationship.

Sungyoon had come here to investigate the newly-found cave containing the magical energy. He wasn’t here to fight a supersized monster like the Behemoth.

- I beg this of you! Since it is a monster, none of the conventional weapons work on it! Moreover, the only ones with Gems in this entire country are Mr. Sungyoon and me!

Her voice sounded as if she were almost wailing.

Sungyoon silently watched the TV screen and felt fear.

When he had been betrayed, he had despaired at the world. If he were the same person from back then, he wouldn’t have hesitated. He would have turned his back on Grace.

He wouldn’t have cared if hundreds or thousands of strangers died. At the time, he couldn’t even take care of himself.

However, he had changed. At the very least, he now had people, who trusted, supported, and understood him. At the very least, he was capable of sharing affection with these people.

Sungyoon looked at Jimin, who quietly looked back at him. It seemed she had already guessed what the phone call was about.

Their eyes met.

The anguish on her face was evident.

It seemed she had no idea how they should proceed with this situation.

In the end, she came to a decision.

Jimin mouthed her words.

‘Do as you wish.’

Sungyoon came to a decision, and it was reflected in his face. On the TV, a girl around Shinhae’s age was crying as she ran away with her mother. This sight hardened his resolve.

“Where shall we meet?”

Sungyoon asked Grace.