“Is work going well?”


  “Yes . We didn’t experience any signs indicating that the Golems would re-emerge . The specialized equipment is also working well . ”


  The excavation equipment had been created by using Mana-Knight and the Golems’ remains .

  Until recently, the walls of the labyrinths could only be destroyed by high rank Connectors using high rank Gems . But now, this equipment could also easily crush the labyrinth walls and Mana-Knight . It had become an essential piece of equipment .

  “How’s the output rate?”


  “We’re slowly ramping up the production . For now, we’re just gaining experience in mining in the labyrinth . "

  “We have a lot of buyers lined up . Most countries and companies are trying to get their hands on this material . I don’t want you to overwork yourselves, but I would like you to excavate as much Mana-Knight as possible . ”


  Sungyoon reminded the muscled man .

  “As expected, this has to do with the secondary property of Mana-Knight, right?”


  “That’s right . ”


  Mana-Knight was an energy source that could generate more energy than most moonstones, and on top of that, normal people could excavate them . Just these facts alone made the ore a premium commodity .

  However, a new use of Mana-Knight was discovered recently .

  “After all the magical energy is extracted, Mana-Knight can be processed to make bullets that work against monsters . ”


  All human weapons were powerless against the monsters . However, the bullets made out of Mana-Knight could pierce through the defense of the monsters . The world was being threatened by the increasing appearances of monsters . Then there was the demonic monster that even Sungyoon couldn’t defeat . It was still loose on Earth .

  In these desperate times, a new weapon that could allow humans to fight against the monsters had appeared . It was a blessing to humanity . All the countries were waiting for their shipment of Mana-Knight, so they could defend their lands .

  “Thank you for your hard work . I’ll add a big fat bonus at the end, and it’ll grow fatter depending on how much you can excavate . ”


  “Ha ha ha! That sounds like music to my ears . ”


  The muscled man was a lifelong miner, and that was the only thing he knew how to do .

  As a normal human, he had come into a labyrinth crawling with monsters . He would die from magical poisoning without the magical energy eliminator . So he’d rather receive more money than a compliment from his employer .

  After having a cursory look around the site, Sungyoon turned away .

  “Are those two doing better?”


  Chelsea asked as she approached Sungyoon . She was concerned about Emily and Grace .

  “They are fine . I’m the one who suggested the break in the first place . If I hadn’t made that call, they would’ve probably gone straight into the Great Labyrinth . For now, Ms . Grace and Ms . Emily haven’t bothered to return to their own countries . They are going on trips around Korea with Jimin and Jiyoon week in, week out . I just don’t know when those four got so close . ”


  Sungyoon shook his head from side to side, but Chelsea knew exactly why the four women were so close . If it weren’t for her research, she would’ve joined the group on the trips too .

  “Well, it’s good to hear that those two are doing well . Please say hello to them on my behalf and tell them to have fun . ”


  At that moment, Chelsea’s expression contained envy .

  ***

  Dongin’s head had started to hurt a lot in recent days . In order to bury the information about the death of Jungbum, he had continued to interfere with Jimin’s business and even been successful to a certain extent in the past . Then, everything went to hell when Sungyoon showed up .

  ‘I want to kill him somehow, but I just can’t find the right opportunity . ’


  For some odd reason, Dongin felt suspicious of Hyunwoo now . So he intended to order his new subordinate to kill Sungyoon, but he could never find the right opportunity .

  ‘There’s too much attention on him . I can act more freely when the interest in him cools down, but he always seems to be at the center of big events . ’


  Considering the amount of interest Jimin had shown toward Woo Sungyoon, Dongin was sure she would give up on her obsession with the Great Labyrinth if Sungyoon died . However, Dongin was having a very hard time finding the final straw that would break the camel’s back .

  ‘The current lay of the land in politics is too dangerous for me to directly act . I might have to go about this in a roundabout way like I did with Kim Soobin . ’


  Dongin scratched his chin .

  ‘Didn’t that bastard have a friend that he had a falling out with?’


  The news outlets had made it known that one of Sungyoon’s past friends had a complicated history with Sungyoon, and this friend was pretty much public enemy number one in Korea right now .

  ‘If I use him . . . ’


  Dongin’s eyes twinkled .

  ***

  The half-year rest for Sungyoon’s party was finally over . This was the first long break Sungyoon had ever taken since becoming a Connector . So he used the opportunity to play a lot with Shinhae .

  In the break, his party members had enacted the dastardly plan of bringing Shinhae to their side . And thus, they were able to make Sungyoon travel all over Korea with them . They even went to foreign countries several times .

  After he was betrayed by his friend and wife, this was the first time Sungyoon felt so comfortable and overjoyed . He still had no idea about the demonic monster’s whereabouts, so there was always a bit of worry in the back of his head .

  Yet, it was overall a peaceful vacation for them . However, Sungyoon and his comrades had started feeling the desire to go back to the Moon in the midst of their break . It had only worsened with time .

  This was the inevitable fate of a Connector, and it made them move back into action once again .

  “It really has been a while!”


  After exiting the Aldrin spaceport, Grace immediately stretched her arms into the air at the sight of the familiar city .

  Armstrong city could only function within the inorganic gray dome, and at times, it was a very dreary place to be . However, the party hadn’t seen this place for the past half-year, so the gray walls looked welcoming to them .

  It also helped that their yearning for the Moon subsided when they stepped onto the Moon . The party headed toward Sungyoon’s luxury mansion .

  “Oh my! You’re back?”


  Chelsea was in her usual stained lab coat, and she was lying on the living room’s sofa .

  Sungyoon greeted her back and asked .

  “How have you been?”


  “Really great! I had this large mansion to myself . Of course, I was comfortable . ”


  “It seems you used very little water and electricity . The bill I received wasn’t that high . ”


  “You let me use this amazing building for free . I didn’t want to impose any further . ”


  Unlike on Earth, electricity and water cost a lot up here . Since Chelsea was living in this building, she had to use the utility, but she did her best to minimize how much resources she used . Also, she occasionally had to live at the lab for her research for long periods .

  “How was your half-year vacation?”


  Chelsea looked over Sungyoon and the others .

  “It was amazing . It had been a while since I was able to rest like that . ”


  “I agree . ”


  Emily and Grace looked at each other and laughed . It seemed the two women had gotten really close during the break .

  “I’m really jealous . So, are you planning on entering the Great Labyrinth tomorrow?”


  “Of course . That’s our job . ”


  Sungyoon sat in front of Chelsea .

  “Did anything unusual happen on the Moon while we were gone?”


  “It’s always the same here . The only different thing that I can think of right now is the fact that the mining in the Beginner’s Labyrinth is fully operational now . Also, the central hub of Gagarin·Yang city was finished . ”


  “Already?”


  Gagarin·Yang city .

  It was a weird name, but that was what the Lunar city created by Russia and China had been named . The name came from the first astronauts sent into space by the two countries .

  A political battle had happened between Russia and China on the name of their city . That was the reason the city had been nameless for a long time . However, the two countries had compromised in the end . It was also apparent that the Russian name came first, so it seemed Russia had scored a minor victory in the process .

  “It seems since the previous Russian base had been quite large, they had an easier time building the Gagarin·Yang city . Anyway, the two countries will have a big announcement tomorrow . ”


  Chelsea had received this news beforehand due to some personal connections .

  “The wrinkles on the mayor of Armstrong will deepen with this . ”


  “It’s to be expected . The Connectors in Gagarin·Yang city have already cleared all the Golems from the labyrinths near their Great Labyrinth . The city management is close to starting their mining of Mana-Knight . ”


  As of right now, the only place in Armstrong where Mana-Knight was being extensively excavated was the Beginner’s Labyrinth, which was owned by Sungyoon .

  “According to the rumors, Gagarin·Yang city management wants to see if there are more things to excavate . So they’re indiscriminately excavating the walls of the labyrinth . ”


  “Is that a good idea?”


  Tim, who had been quietly listening, spoke up .

  “I have no idea . However, one thing is for sure . They will pull out all stops to overtake Armstrong city . ”


  “I just hope they don’t take it too far . ”


  Tim shook his head from side to side and went into his room .

  “There is no way something bad would happen, right?”


  Emily looked very worried .

  However, Sungyoon was unable to give her a clear answer .

  “I’m not sure . We can only hope . ”


  ***

  Sungyoon’s party entered the Great Labyrinth .

  Each floor of the Great Labyrinth was like a different world, and the party arrived where they had left off last time . It was the end of the initial stage of the Great Labyrinth .

  The four of them stood in front of a cave . After passing through this cave, they would see another version of the Great Labyrinth, something they had never experienced before .

  “Are you ready?”


  Sungyoon asked, and his party members nodded .

  “Let’s go . ”


  The party entered the cave . The tunnel wasn’t that long, and soon, they arrived a small clearing .

  The clearing was shaped like a dome, and inside it were numerous tunnels leading to all directions . It really looked like a labyrinth now .

  In normal labyrinths, the party could enter the tunnels at random . However, it worked differently here in the Great Labyrinth .

  “Which region were we assigned to?”


  Tim looked around the cave as he asked .

  “This one . ”


  After taking out a paper, Sungyoon pointed toward a tunnel . The party headed toward it .

  “The fact that everyone has to share the Great Labyrinth is aggravating enough . I can’t believe each region is divided amongst the various companies . ”


  Tim grumbled .

  After the initial stages, the Great Labyrinth was structured in a manner befitting its name .

  A lot of information regarding the initial stages were public amongst the Connectors . However, this was no longer true for the floors beyond that . All the companies whose Connectors entered the Great Labyrinth hid the information about the lower floors of the Great Labyrinth .

  The public knew very little about what was on those floors . Moreover, Armstrong allowed companies to monopolize a tunnel . Of course, one couldn’t monopolize the tunnels as soon as one got past the initial stages . One had to move fairly deep into that region of the labyrinth first .

  For Connectors and companies alike, the Great Labyrinth was the most important labyrinth . It was a place of prestige and also a place where they made the most money . So, to further their interests, everyone actively stopped the spread of information . This was also one of the reasons so few Connectors attempted the Great Labyrinth .

  “I’m confirming this for the last time . Are you sure you’re all ok with this?”


  Sungyoon asked his party members .

  They had been assigned a region within the Great Labyrinth . It was the region where Jimin’s father had gone missing, and also the region that Fabion had given up on before moving to a different region .

  Due to that, this region had been empty until now, and Jungbum was fortunate enough to be assigned to this region . However, this business was only between Sungyoon and Jimin, and his party members had no obligations to enter this region for Jimin’s sake .

  “We are also affiliated with Jungbum . ”


  “Yes . Please don’t overthink this . ”


  Tim and Emily spoke one after another, and Grace also smiled .

  “We have to clear the Great Labyrinth . Who cares which region we pass through?”


  “Understood . ”


  Sungyoon understood the will of his comrades, so he stopped asking further questions . The party entered the tunnel they were assigned to .

  “What do the middle stages of the Great Labyrinth feel like?”


  Emily asked .

  “I’m not sure . I didn’t want to put Sir Russell in an awkward position, so I refrained from asking him about it . ”


  If Grace had asked for it, Russell would’ve told her everything . It was his personality . However, his company would be unhappy about it since that information was proprietary information . And Grace knew better .

  “Well, it can’t be that bad . We just have to defeat all the monsters like before . ”


  Tim’s voice contained his usual confidence .

  Whenever Sungyoon went on missions to defeat the Golems, he would evolve his party members’ Gems . So, Tim was overflowing with confidence thanks to his fancier Gems . However, he had clearly jumped the gun with the statement .

  “Ooh-wahhhhhhhhk!”


  When the party reached the end of the tunnel, Tim took a step forward . But a scream escaped his mouth as he was sent flying upward .

  The party looked up in surprise .

  Boom!

  “Owwww!”


  They heard the sound of an item hitting the ground . Tim had hit the ceiling, but he quickly got up, so it seemed he wasn’t hurt too badly . However, the situation was odd . Tim, who was stuck to the ceiling, looked down at Sungyoon and the rest of his comrades .

  “Huh? How did you get up there?”


  “What do you mean! You’re the one that’s up on the ceiling! See, that’s why I asked you to be more careful!”


  Thankfully, Tim hadn’t shown any adverse effects, so Emily berated him in a rapid fashion . She continued berating him on behalf of the rest of them .

  As the siblings bickered, Sungyoon had an idea . He took out a bread from his storage Gem and tossed it in front of him .

  Toohk!

  The bread flew in an arc until it reached a certain point, then it suddenly surged upward .

  No, it wasn’t surging upward . It was more apt to say that the bread was falling upward .

  ‘Reverse Gravity . ’


  It seemed the Great Labyrinth was more bizarre and dangerous than what they had assumed .