Chapter 45
Chapter 45
A clear blue sky was overlooking the space center . The spacecraft, which would be shot into space, had finished its preparation . It was on standby and was ready ti fly into the dark space at any given moment .
The spacecraft could be seen through the glass window of the waiting room . The head of the spacecraft was pointing towards the sky . On any other day, Shinhae would be looking at the spacecraft with curious eyes, but that day, her head was down like a wilted flower .
“Shinhae . You have to say goodbye to your father . ”
Jimin patted Shinhae’s back . Shinhae took faltering steps forward .
“Dad . ”
Shinhae called out to Sungyoon, her voice scarcely audible . Sungyoon smiled as he hugged her .
“Listen to unni, Shinhae . Dad will be back soon . ”
For the past three weeks, Sungyoon and Shinhae had been inseparable . However, that would be coming to an end that day . Sungyoon had to leave for the moon, which was hanging up in the sky .
“… can you not go?”
Shinhae’s voice was filled with tears . Sungyoon again patted Shinhae’s back .
“I will buy you a lot of tasty treats the next time I come back . ”
Shinhae didn’t say anything and just nodded with her head in Sungyoon’s embrace . Then, Sungyoon sent Shinhae back to Jimin’s side .
“Please look out for her . ”
“Don’t worry . ”
Jimin took a firm grasp of the little girl's hand . Sungyoon’s heart was set at ease when he saw this . On his past trip, Jimin had resided in his house to take care of his daughter . Also, Shinhae had become attached to her . At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about Shinhae like before . A boulder had been lifted from his heavy heart .
“Please take this . ”
Jimin pushed something towards Sungyoon .
“This is . . . ”
Sungyoon became surprised when he saw a sparkling purple item on her palm .
It was a Gem . And judging by the shape of it, one could deduce that it was a star-shaped Gem that could increase one’s physical abilities .
“It is a Gem that’ll enhance your senses . ”
Sungyoon took the Gem . It would be used with the Gem that would increase his strength . It would level up his battle capabilities .
He didn’t ask where she had gotten the Gem . She probably had worked desperately to find and purchase it when she learned he had acquired the new Device .
He suddenly thought about the day when she had given him his Device and Gems . She had told him she couldn’t give him more, because she was running short on funds . Had she been lying? He didn’t know the answer . However, he had spent a good amount of time with her, and he had realized that she wasn’t someone that would lie . She had probably squeezed all her funds to be able to purchase this Gem . That was the more likely explanation .
‘But I can’t be sure . ’
His Achilles tendon had already been cut by the two people he had trusted the most . He still didn’t fully trust Jimin . However, Sungyoon soon erased such thoughts . There was no proof that she had deceived him . That meant she was still his president, who had done him great favors .
“I’ll use it with thanks . ”
Sungyoon inserted the Gem into the Device, which was already hanging around his neck .
“Most of the stronger monsters would have been exterminated from the Beginner’s labyrinth by now . However, you have to remember that some of the high ranked monsters still exist, and there are rare instances where they cause harm . Please remember that . ”
“Understood . ”
He took Jimin’s warnings to heart, and then he turned around .
It was time to leave .
“Mr . Sungyoon . ”
When Jimin called out his name, he turned his head back .
“Please be careful . ”
Sungyoon silently nodded and then fixed his gaze forward . He walked towards the spaceship .
It was time to go to the moon once again .
* * *
Kwah-jeek!
The spear handle left an impact on the Slash Cat’s back . However, since Sungyoon’s strength had increased by several folds, the Slash Cat received damage from the blow . It couldn’t even let out a scream before it was flung to the floor . Its back was clearly broken as its spine was in odd angles . It struggled on the ground .
Kwah-jeek!
The spear blade planted itself in its head . The Slash Cat stopped moving, but Sungyoon couldn’t rest .
Puh-uhk!
He backhanded the charging Mad Dog with his shield . It let out a scream as its body hit the wall of the labyrinth .
Puhhhhk!
This time he had kicked it . After taking two strong blows to the body, the Mad Dog was barely conscious .
Poo-ook!
As always, the last blow was a spear strike . He ended its life . Sungyoon didn’t lower his guard as he made sure all his enemies were dead . He stabbed the Mad Dog’s body several more times, but it didn’t move at all . Only when he was certain that it was dead, did Sungyoon lowered his spear .
‘It really is amazing . ’
Sungyoon touched the necklace around his neck . The newly slotted Gems were shining brilliantly, and he overflowed with confidence . The two Gems made him feel that way, because they were clearly helping in his fights .
It was a strength enhancement Gem and a sense enhancement Gem .
Sungyoon had participated in close-ranged fights with his spear, and the Gems were clearly beneficial to his fights . He was able to kill each monster in far lesser time than before .
However, the overall level of difficulty he felt within the labyrinth felt similar to before .
‘Another one?’
Sungyoon’s ears caught the sound of a growl . Soon, he caught sight of a Mad Dog stalking towards him .
‘As expected, there are more monsters compared to before . ’
Was this the effect of the Mana Stream?
The high ranked Connectors had been perfect in their sweep, so fortunately, there weren’t any powerful monsters left . However, there clearly was an increase in the number of monsters . In the past, he was able to explore the 3rd floor without much trouble . After returning to the moon, Sungyoon could only explore the second floor for the past couple days . He was almost in constant battle . Moreover, he already fought multiple battles where the monsters teamed up with each other . These weren’t easy fights .
However, Sungyoon wasn’t flustered . He had gained new Gems, and he had some prior experience in this labyrinth . He was somehow able to get through the fights .
In the past, he only possessed Gems for his spear, shield and armor . He also had a Gold Gem that he couldn’t use . Basically, he had come in here with basic equipment .
This time he had entered with his two newly acquired Gems . It clearly had the effect of making him a legit Connector that could explore this labyrinth .
Hweek!
He heard something flying towards him . He felt a chill down his spine .
Ddah-ahk!
He took a big swing with his spear . The spear shaft broke the Needle Hedgehog’s needle .
‘Amazing!’
He was impressed . When he had been attacked by multiple monsters in the past, he had no choice but to block the Needle Hedgehog’s needle with his body . He was in a completely different situation now .
Of course, his fights were not perfect . These were abilities given to him from mere Purple Gems . He could listen and react to attacks from one or two monsters . That was his limit . Still, there was a big difference from the past when he had to stop two needles using his arm .
-Koo-roong!
The initial attack alerted him to the Mad Dog . Its red eyes headed towards Sungyoon .
He couldn’t afford to hesitate .
Tahk!
He kicked off the surface of the floor as he spun around . The Mad Dog was some distance away . It would take time for the Mad Dog to get close .
‘I have to kill the Needle Hedgehog first . ’
Shoohk!
The needles were pouring towards him . In the past, he would have been cautious . He would have blocked each needle with his shield as he approached the Needle Hedgehog . However, he wasn’t fighting a one on one battle . If he used too much caution in approaching the Needle Hedgehog, the Mad Dog might join in at the most inopportune time . It would create a bigger headache .
Moreover . . .
Hweek!
Sungyoon easily dodged the needle flying towards him .
‘Slow . ’
His vision was sharp as his eyes picked up the needle . It was like a rubber ball thrown by a kid with a noodle arm . His sharp senses could pick up all the Needle Hedgehog’s attacks .
Tuh-uhk!
He dodged all the needles shot towards him, and he arrived in front of the monster . Its quills were standing upright .
Too-hwahk!
The spear exploded forth . The needles shook as if it was trying to shoot out another needle . He planted his spear in the body of the Needle Hedgehog from above .
-Kee-eeeek!
It screamed in pain .
It was like a piece of meat skewered on a stick . Sungyoon raised his spear with the Needle Hedgehog stuck to his spear .
His eyes headed backwards . The Mad Dog’s tongue was lolling as it ran towards him . He swung his spear .
-Kang!
-Kyahk!
The two monsters screamed one after another . The Needle Hedgehog, which was stuck on the shaft of the spear, had collided with the Mad Dog .
The Needle Hedgehog was already in pain from being pierced by the spear . The collision was like adding insult to injury . The Needle Hedgehog’s quills pierced through the entire body of the Mad Dog .
Poo-oohk!
He struck the final blow on the Mad Dog, which had fallen to the floor . The Needle Hedgehog, which was stuck on the shaft, was already dead .
Sungyoon silently watched the light engulf the two corpses . He collected the moonstones, and he looked at his surroundings . He no longer saw any monster .
Even if the monsters teamed up, he could kill them without much difficulty . It would be a different story if he was mobbed, but he was skilled enough to kill a party of three or four monsters .
Clink!
As if it wanted credit for his success, the necklace shook as it let out a clear sound . Sungyoon gripped the necklace, and he brought it up to his eye level . The two Gems swayed in front of his eyes .
‘I have five Purple Gems now . ’
Fortunately, he was talented enough to be able to activate more than four Purple Gems at the same time . He wasn’t that low of a trash Connector . However, there would come a time when he would hit the limit of a 1st Gen Connector . He was always worried about that eventuality .
‘Please let my limit come much later . ’
He prayed as he let go of the necklace . The necklace hit his chest, and it chimed once again .
‘Shall I go on for a little longer?’
Sungyoon once again stalked through the labyrinth .
* * *
For the past couple days, Sungyoon hunted monsters mainly on the 2nd and 3rd floor . He was quite familiar with the layout of the labyrinth on those floors . Of course, this didn’t mean he had completely memorized all the layout . The Beginner's labyrinth was very large .
Sungyoon was piling up moonstones without much trouble, but he wasn’t satisfied . If he wanted Shinhae to eat tasty food and dress in good clothes, he just had to acquire more moonstones . The best way to acquire money was through moonstones, but his goal was to raid the Great Labyrinth .
For the past couple days, he hadn’t found any Device or Gems .
‘As expected, I have to go to the lower floors . ’
The probability of a Device or a Gem dropping from powerful monsters were higher .
‘The 2nd and 3rd floor is starting to feel easy . It should be fine if I start heading down to the 4th floor . ’
He wondered if his spear and shield would hold up on the 4th floor . Currently, his shield could take a powerful blow from a Slash Cat . The probability of it breaking after a single blow was low .
He had already found the entrance to the 4th floor . He decided to start exploring and hunting monsters on a new floor tomorrow .
On the next day . . .
‘It takes forever to get to the 4th floor . ’
Sungyoon glanced at his watch . He thought he had come out early, but the needles of his watch had moved far by the time he reached the 4th floor .
‘It would take a full day to make a round trip to the 4th floor . ’
If he pushed it, he could go to the 5th floor . However, it wasn’t as if the 5th floor dropped an astronomical amount of moonstones . His effectiveness would suffer a lot if he went to the 5th floor . In the case of the Beginner’s Labyrinth, the 5th floor dropped slightly better quality moonstones compared to the 4th floor .
‘I have to come up with a plan . ’
He could cross that bridge when he was ready to head to the 5th floor . First, he had to get used to the 4th floor . He didn’t need to think about it right now .
Sungyoon’s concentration became razor sharp as he started exploring the new floor .