Moon's Labyrinths

Woosung chewed at his lips . He had never seen Jimin this mad before . He no longer felt like an adult . He was back to his childhood days, as he shrank back in front of Jimin .

“N . . . noona—”

“Get . The . Hell . Out!”

She didn’t yell out loud, and her words were soft . However, she clipped each word . The effect was more powerful compared to when she had screamed at him .

Woosung had no choice . In the end, he turned back .

He looked like a duckling that had been abandoned by his mother . His shoulders slumped, as he shuffled out of the room . One could tell his grief by looking at his retreating back .

“Hoo-ooh!”

When her brother left, Jimin fell into her chair . She placed her forearms over her forehead, leaning back into her chair . She stayed in that position for a long time without saying anything .

Sungyoon didn’t say anything either . He silently stood there as he waited for her to recover .

The silence continued like that .

“I’m sorry . You saw something unsightly . It seems that I only show you the weird side of my life . ”

It looked as if she had recovered somewhat . She pulled her body up from its reclined position . She sat straight up, yet signs of exhaustion could still be seen in her expression and voice .

“It’s fine . Shall I come back later? You probably want to rest right now . ”

“No . This was a personal affair . I have to separate personal and professional affairs . Also, I’m not that tired . ”

She looked like death warmed up . He could tell she was pushing herself too much, but he didn’t comment on it .

‘Work is one way to avoid problems . ’

Sungyoon correctly identified Jimin’s state of mind .

“You were about to talk about the Gold Gem earlier?”

“Yes . ”

“I’d like to hear about it . ”

Jimin placed her hands on top of her table as she prepared herself to be all ears .

“In short, I had to activate the Gold Gem, because I was put in a very dangerous situation . ”

“... I see . ”

Jimin let out a deep sigh . Sungyoon was a beginner Connector . He had forcefully activated the Gold Gem using a mismatched Device . There was only one result that could come from this action .

‘It broke . ’

Jimin had already been in a bad mood . She felt her mood fall further . She placed a hand over her heart to calm her beating heart .

‘It’s fine, Jimin . You expected this . ’

As a Connector, Sungyoon would always be in danger of losing his life . She had given him a Gold Gem, so he would be able to escape in a time of crisis . He had just followed her advice . She was taken aback, because he had used it much sooner than she had expected . However, she had expected this day to come, and she had hardened her heart against the eventual loss .

‘Still, it is a punch to the gut . ’

Jimin was in a daze as she thought about it . This was her last hurrah . The shadow of her father had haunted her, and in order to dispel that shadow, she had given Sungyoon the Gold Gem . If Sungyoon had destroyed the Gold Gem by using it, the last vestige of her father would be gone . The Gold Gem had always been a crutch for her . Since the Gold Gem had been destroyed, she wondered if the shadow within her heart would start to recede away a little bit .

‘I’ll get used to it . ’

Her heart hurt so much that she wanted to cry right now, but she calmed her emotions . She knew Sungyoon had been punching above his weight, but she tried to push down the small amount of resentment that was starting to creep up into her heart . She thought about the time when Sungyoon had handed over his Devices and Gems for storage .

‘Yes . Was the Gold Gem missing . . . ?’

Jimin’s eyes turned round . According to her memory, the Gold Gem was present when Sungyoon handed over his Gems . She had given the Gold Gem to Sungyoon, but it was an item she treasured . So of course, her eyes had automatically searched out the Gold Gem .

‘No way!’

Another possibility presented itself in Jimin’s mind .

“What happened after you activated it?”

Jimin quickly asked the question . She was always calm, cold, and collected . That was why her reaction was unexpected . However, it was understandable if the possibility in her mind had come to pass .

Unlike her urgent attitude, the way Sungyoon spoke was calm .

“The Device’s slot was destroyed, but the Gold Gem remained intact . ”

That meant only one thing .

Jimin felt strength leaving her body, and she once again leaned back into her chair . Despair had turned into hope . Sadness had turned into happiness . Her emotions had gone on a repeated rollercoaster ride, and she was tired now .

Still, she couldn’t let her exhaustion take over . According to Sungyoon, he just needed a Device that could support the Gold Gem . The probability of him entering into the Great Labyrinth had significantly gone up . He had proof of that fact now .

“It seems I’ll have to hear the story again from the start . Please don’t leave out any details . ”

Jimin stood up, and she brought in a chair for Sungyoon . They would be able to talk face to face in comfort . Then she made coffee in the corner of the office .

She placed the two cups of coffee on top of the desk . Jimin started to listen to Sungyoon’s story in earnest .

How much time had passed? Two-thirds of the steaming hot coffee was gone when Sungyoon’s story came to an end .

“Hoo-ooh~!”

Jimin let out a deep sigh . She couldn’t believe what she had just heard . She gazed at Sungyoon .

‘How did he manage that in just 3 months...’

It was strong . It was like drinking several dozen shots of espresso . His experience in the past three months was extremely concentrated and strong .

When he had gone to the moon three months ago, Jimin didn’t think too much about it . Even if he moved quickly, she expected a year to pass before he could be assigned a Personal Labyrinth . But in just three months, Sungyoon had surpassed her expectations by a mile .

However, this wasn’t a bad thing for her . For her company and her cause, Sungyoon’s rapid growth would only be helpful .

“So what do you want to do, Mr . Sungyoon? You’ll probably gain the qualifications needed to be assigned a Personal Labyrinth in the near future . If you want, I’ll try to acquire an Indigo Gem for you . If you have that, you’ll be assigned a Personal Labyrinth immediately . ”

He didn’t have a Device capable of activating a Yellow Gem, and one of the Blue Gem wasn’t his . However, he possessed a Green Gem armor and a Blue Gem shield . He was close enough to be qualified for a Personal Labyrinth . He satisfied two of the three requirements . If he just had an Indigo Gem or a higher rank Gem, he would satisfy all three requirements for the Personal Labyrinth .

Of course, she would have to really overextend her finances to be able to acquire an Indigo Gem . However, if one considered his achievements, Sungyoon was worth the investment . She even thought about asking her mothers for support, if the need came . Last time, they had offered their support .

However, Sungyoon shook his head from side to side .

“For the near future, I would like to continue entering the Beginner’s Labyrinth . ”

Personal Labyrinths were much more dangerous than the Beginner’s Labyrinth . Sungyoon had personally experienced the dangers in the sealed section of the Beginner’s Labyrinth . He had to activate his Gold Gem . While he had been peerless when the Gold Gem was active, without it, he would have been slaughtered . This was the reason why even though they were qualified to receive a Personal Labyrinth, Tim and Emily were acquiring experience within the Beginner’s Labyrinth . He understood their actions .

He needed a little more seasoning .

“Please do as you like . ”

Jimin didn’t make a fuss about it and gave him permission . She wanted Sungyoon to enter into the Great Labyrinth as soon as possible, but she wasn’t going to force him into doing it . Of course, Sungyoon’s quick growth had a part in her decision too .

“Are you going to continue going around the labyrinth with the same party members?”

“Yes . ”

Jimin mulled over it . It wasn’t rare to see Connectors team up to form a party . In fact, Connectors raided the Great Labyrinth as a party . However, most of them were affiliated with the same company . If one partied with Connectors from other companies, the distribution of moonstones, Devices, and Gems became complicated . There was a high probability that the other companies would complain . Sungyoon and his party members seemed satisfied with the arrangement, but their company might not like it .

‘Still, it might be best for them to stick together based on their results . ’

At the very least, while they were inside the Beginner’s Labyrinth, it would be best to maintain this party .

“Do you perhaps know their company name?”

“Mmm . I have no idea . ”

“Is there any way you can find out that info?”

“We exchanged contact info . I can ask them . ”

“That’s good . Please ask them for their company name when you have time . ”

“Understood . ”

It seemed that she would have to make contact with the higher-ups from the other company .

“Let’s move on to the next item . ”

Jimin’s voice turned cold . Her voice turned low, and she didn’t bother hiding her anger .

“I’ll learn more about that man named Nicholas . I have to know why he did this . Of course, we have to receive some kind of recompense . Please don’t worry about it . I’ll make sure to take his lunch money . ”

He wasn’t going to lie . At that moment, Jimin reminded him of a hyena eating meat to the bone . Sungyoon wordlessly nodded . That was all he could do .

“Ah . I deposited money into your bank account . It would be best if you double-check the amount . ”

She was hinting to him that he would like the number he would see . It seemed he had received a significant amount of money .

‘I made 40 thousand last time, right?’

After checking the amount, he would take Shinhae shopping . That’s what he wanted to do .

“When should I go back to the moon?”

“It’ll be around a week before you go up again . The Mana Stream would be coming to an end, and the clean up should be done by then . ”

He made a prayer as he spoke . He hoped the clean up would be completely finished this time around .

That was the end of their business .

Sungyoon said goodbye to Jimin and left the company .

He immediately went to the bank . He put in his ATM card, and he checked his checking account . As soon as he entered his secret PIN, the screen displayed the amount in the account .

‘... I have no choice but to be surprised . ’

He had a rough idea as to how much he had made . A single bag full of moonstones had netted him 40 thousand dollars last time . He had brought three bags full of moonstones . At the very least, he would receive six figures . He might even receive seven figures . It was a possibility .

When the ATM displayed the figure, Sungyoon realized he had been spot-on .

One hundred thousand dollars had entered into his account .

* * *

After sending Sungyoon on his way, Jimin was in a very good mood . Until a few moments ago, she had a headache from dealing with her brother’s tantrum . The headache was completely gone now .

The reason was obvious .

Until now, the entry into the Great Labyrinth had been an illusion . This illusion was starting to take shape into reality .

There were very few instances in her life when she had been this happy .

‘Maybe, Sungyoon is my blessing . ’

If he was here, she wouldn’t hesitate to give that handsome face a kiss .

‘He has only been a Connector for half a year, yet he’s close to receiving a Personal Labyrinth . He is fast even when compared to the 2nd and 3rd Gen Connectors . It is almost miraculous considering he didn’t receive much support . ’

However, her smile slowly faded as she thought about Sungyoon .

‘... it’ll be dangerous . ’

He was growing much faster than others, but it also meant he was in more danger than others . He had been going to the Beginner’s Labyrinth for the past three months, yet he had almost died twice .

If it was anyone else, they might have faltered from fear . Some Connectors would probably want to be assigned to a Personal Labyrinth, so they could earn enough to live a good life .

However, Sungyoon remained firm . He was aiming for the Great Labyrinth . He was doing so knowing it’ll become more dangerous for him .

There was only one reason why he was doing this .

It was because Jimin desired it . She wanted to find traces of her father . He was doing this for this very selfish reason .

In the end, the smile completely disappeared from Jimin’s lips .

He was working for her, because she had bought his debt . He was doing this, because she was taking care of his daughter . However, this didn’t change the fact that she was pushing him towards a place full of danger .

If Sungyoon showed displeasure, she might have felt better about it . If he had acted like her former employees, who moved according to their greed, she might feel less guilty about it .

Sungyoon was almost like an idiot as he followed Jimin’s design .

She looked down at her hands .

Her hands looked like the hands of a witch that was slowly choking a person’s neck . She wordlessly shook her head from side to side as guilt ate away at her heart .