Moon's Labyrinths

“I’m sorry for not being able to visit you at the hospital . ”

Grace sounded really apologetic .

“It’s fine . You had to guard the cave, for anything could happen . ”

The top Connectors of the UK were still on the moon . Grace was the highest-ranked Connector present in the country, so of course, she had to be on guard against the unknown .

This was also the reason the Ross siblings hadn’t visited Sungyoon at the hospital . As soon as the two had arrived in UK, the British government implored them to monitor the cave alongside Grace .

While they were conversing, Sungyoon could see several people around them . It seemed the British government had been desperate . They had brought in Connectors from other countries, who happened to be on Earth .

Since these Connectors were low in rank, they would be of no help against a monster like the Behemoth . Still, something was better than nothing . Moreover, these particular Connectors were capable of activating their Gems on Earth .

The other Connectors kept stealing glances at Sungyoon . Sungyoon was the hero who had solved this incident in a stylish manner . However, it seemed they had received instructions in advance not to bother him . So they didn’t approach Sungyoon .

“Is this the cave in question?”

Sungyoon observed the cave where the Behemoth had exited . It was much smaller compared to the labyrinths on the Moon .

However, a Behemoth had crawled out of it, so this single fact turned the cave dangerous .

“The magical energy isn’t that strong . ”

“That’s right . We did go in near the entrance, but the magical energy was too thin . It was a wonder that a Behemoth appeared in this place . ”

Tim gave an explanation as he stood next to Sungyoon .

“Let’s head in . ”

Sungyoon activated his Gems . Several days had passed since his fight, so his Gems had recovered from their post-overclocked state . Their original colors had returned . Moreover, the hole in the side of his armor, which had formed in the fight against the Behemoth, was nowhere to be seen .

“I’ll go in first . ”

Tim pounded on his shield as he stepped forward . The others followed him and entered the cave .

“As expected, it’s hard to see . ”

For Connectors, it was not light but magical energy that presented them with information . However, the magical energy here was too thin, so the information delivered was very limited . It was better than the time when they found the broken Golem and Mrs . Ross’ corpse . Still, the lack of information was frustrating .

“However, this time we have this . ”

Tim confidently said as he turned on the headlamp placed around his helmet . The dark cave brightened .

“Electronic equipment really does work here . ”

Sungyoon also turned on his headlamp . Although he had heard electronics worked in here, to see it with his own eyes was something else .

“It would be great if electronic equipment worked in the Moon’s labyrinths . ”

“Absolutely . ”

Sungyoon and Tim exchanged whispers as they pointed their headlamps in various directions .

They could see much better with the help of the headlamps . Due to the lights, shadows formed, and the party felt like they were going down a very dark road with a single flashlight in hand .

Emily was in the rear, and she took up the camcorder . Since electronics worked, they would be able to record footage . It would allow them to turn in a thorough report .

“I’m prepared to film now . ”

“Then let’s go . ”

The party moved deeper into the cave . They didn’t see anything suspicious, but they still treated this as if they were within a labyrinth on the Moon .

They became tense, but they had no reason to be tensed . Unlike the labyrinths, this place was just a large cave .

Moreover, the cave wasn’t too deep either . They could clear it in two days . They had been moving slowly because they were being cautious . If they threw all caution to the wind, they could clear the cave in a single day .

“There’s nothing here . ”

Tim became dejected when they arrived at the last dead end . Even if the Behemoth had been in a weakened state, this cave had spat out a monster of that caliber . So he had been tense, and he thought he would encounter something dangerous . But now, he felt stupid for being so nervous .

In terms of magical energy, the deepest part of the cave had a similar amount of magical energy compared to the entrance to the cave . The magical energy was thin at all locations .

“... Let’s head up for now . ”

Sungyoon turned around when he reached the dead end .

“Ah . This is such a drag . ”

Tim grumbled, but his voice was unexpectedly bright .

“Still, this means there will be no threat from this place, right?”

Tim didn’t want London to be attacked again . Despite his statement, the other three party members didn’t lighten up .

“I’m not so sure that is true . ”

Sungyoon sounded negative when he spoke .

“Why? There is nothing within this cave . ”

“You idiot . What do you mean there is nothing? The magical energy is present . ”

Emily was blunt as she shot back at Tim .

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Tim sounded aggrieved . However, Sungyoon was the one to answer this time around .

“It might have been better for us if we did find something . If an item had created the magical energy and summoned the Behemoth, we would have been able to solve everything by destroying it . We would have wrapped it up nicely . However, we found nothing within . It is as Emily said . There is only magical energy here, so then, where did the Behemoth come from?”

“Of course, it’s like the labyrinth where . . . ”

Tim finally realized the implication, so he shut his mouth .

“As you’ve realized right now, there is a high probability that the light, which spits out monsters, might have appeared in this cave . If we assume the cave behaves like the labyrinth, multiple monsters might continue to spawn as long as the magical energy is present here . ”

“Also, we couldn’t find the source of magical energy, which means we have no way of getting rid of the magical energy . Basically, there is no clear solution anymore . ”

The additional explanations given by Emily and Grace helped Tim get a clear understanding of the current situation . His face turned serious .

“What should we do now?”

“There’s nothing we can do . When Connectors are on Earth, the nearest Connectors will have to rush toward the place where the monster appears . That is all we can do at this point . Let us hope the researchers will be able to find a solution . ”

Sungyoon could only give that answer to Emily’s worried question .

***

The party spent several days monitoring and roaming the cave . However, nothing happened .

There were times when researchers accompanied them . The magical energy was causing no harm to electronic equipment and small animals, after all . Several brave researchers decided to take on the risk, and they asked to accompany Sungyoon’s party .

Thankfully, they didn’t suffer from magic toxicity .

Still, there was a chance that the magical energy could turn poisonous to normal humans once again in the future, so the government stopped most normal humans from being near the cave .

In the end, Sungyoon’s party couldn’t stay near the cave indefinitely . Sungyoon and the Ross siblings booked a flight to Korea . The researchers would keep studying the cave even after that . However, Sungyoon’s party had one more thing to do before they could leave for their home .

“How does it feel?”

Jimin spoke . Sungyoon didn’t answer her . He just stared at the item in his hands .

It was the GBE medal, the greatest honor that could be awarded in the United Kingdom . He was a foreigner, but it didn’t diminish the fact that it was a great honor .

The whole world watched as the Queen gave him the medal and other rewards . Sungyoon brushed the medal as if he cherished it .

“I never knew Mr . Sungyoon was interested in being knighted . ”

She thought he would act disinterested like usual, but Sungyoon showed more interest than she had expected . And this had surprised Jimin .

However, Sungyoon was Sungyoon .

“Shinhae really liked it . ”

It seemed he had already shown it to Shinhae through video call . If Shinhae liked it, it didn’t matter whether the item was worthless or priceless . The item would be worth more than any item in the world . Jimin reaffirmed this fact once again .

“Anyway, you are dressed differently today . ”

Sungyoon’s gaze left the medal, and he looked at Jimin .

In contrast to his clean suit, Jimin’s attire was very surprising .

Since London was a mess right now, it wasn’t as if she could acquire a fancy outfit . However, she was always dressed in a plain black suit that looked like something one wore to a funeral . But her current suit was a bit more stylish .

“Well, it’s an important day . ”

Jimin spoke a bit as if she was making an excuse . However, if one considered her usual personality, she would have worn her normal suit even if she was going to an important function . Sungyoon wondered what brought about this change .

“What do you think? Does it look good on me?”

“Yes . It looks good . ”

Jimin’s face turned a bit red as she smiled .

It happened at that moment . Someone knocked on the door, and they could hear a voice calling for both of them .

“Let’s go . ”

Jimin opened the door .

The guide, who had come to pick them up, led them down the corridor . They had been staying at Buckingham Palace at the insistence of Grace and the Queen .

They received great hospitality here, but it was time for them to leave soon . This was why the Queen had invited them once again to a dinner party .

“Ah, it’s you!”

As soon as they arrived in the dining room, they met someone unexpected .

“Sir Russell . ”

Charlie Russell approached Sungyoon in a familiar manner and with a big smile on his face .

“Wow . I knew you were someone amazing, but I never expected you to save London!”

He pounded Sungyoon’s shoulder .

“I am really thankful . The place where I live could have been completely destroyed, but you saved it . If you need anything in the future, just contact me . If it’s within my means, I will do my best to help you . ”

Charlie Russell was one of the strongest Connectors of this world . His backing was a tremendous boon . Some might consider Russell’s offer a bit excessive, but Sungyoon had done something that deserved it .

“Who is this lady?”

Russell’s gaze headed toward Jimin .

“It’s good to meet you, Sir Russell . My name is Hahn Jimin . I am the president of Jungbum, the company Mr . Woo Sungyoon is contracted to . ”

“Ah! You are Hahn Jungbum’s daughter . ”

“You knew my father?”

“Of course . We were Connectors of the same generation, and I myself considered him to be my rival . ”

“Thank you for speaking so highly of him . ”

She lowered her head .

“Well! Let’s go! I was invited to the dinner party because I know you! We cannot make the Queen wait . I’m not speaking as her vassal . We shouldn’t make her wait as men . ”

Sir Russell started walking with his arm around Sungyoon’s shoulder . Sungyoon was almost being dragged forward, and Jimin followed them .

On the way, they met the Ross siblings . They were asked to stay in the palace too since they were party members of Grace . The group arrived at the dining room and found the Queen and Grace already waiting for them inside .

“Please enter . ”

The Queen laughed as she greeted the group . After a few words of greeting, everyone got in their seats . They started conversing as the food came out .

“Did you like your stay here?”

“Yes . Thank you very much for inviting us here . ”

Sungyoon spoke as the representative of his party .

“I’m glad to hear that . Normally, we would throw a banquet, and we would celebrate your accomplishment . However, the city isn’t in a good state right now . Please be understanding . ”

“Of course . ”

The people of England cheered for the birth of a new hero, yet it was also a time of sorrow and grieving . The capital city had taken a lot of damage, and a lot of people had died .

Even if Sungyoon was the hero who had saved London, they couldn’t throw a party . It would be in very poor taste, and it would be heavily criticized . Moreover, Sungyoon wasn’t interested in a party .

“I would like to thank you again . You saved England . You saved London . You saved my life . ”

The Queen had invited Sungyoon to investigate the cave, and she never expected him to achieve such greatness . Even if she thanked him several more times, it wouldn’t be enough .

“I am very thankful too . ”

After the Queen, Sir Russell gave his thanks too .

“How many Gems did you break? Just wait a little bit . I’ll be sure to compensate you for it . ”

Sungyoon’s ears perked up at those words . In truth, the spear was a backup, so it wasn’t much of a loss . However, the loss of his main shield hurt him to the bone .

This was why he didn’t plan on rejecting any rewards .

“Thank you very much . ”

“Yes . I’ll send it as soon as possible . ”

It was a normal dinner party .

Some conversations happened, and some laughs sprinkled in . Sungyoon and his party spent their last evening in England in a quiet manner .

***

Puhng! Puh-puhng!

Sungyoon was now used to hearing the flashes going off .

Sungyoon, Jimin, and the Ross siblings furrowed their brows . The airport was full of reporters, and it almost gave them a headache .

However, the atmosphere here was clearly different from what they had experienced in London . The most obvious difference was the fact that most of the reporters here were black haired Asians . They outnumbered the foreign press .

After experiencing all kinds of hardships in London, Sungyoon’s party had finally returned to Korea .

***

Sungyoon gave a short interview, but the reporters wanted to ask many more questions . His party almost had to run away from the reporters . They split up after they got away from the press, and headed to their respective houses .

Sungyoon walked toward his house with light steps . Thankfully, the reporters hadn’t found his house yet .

When he opened the door, two people greeted him .

One of them was Jiyoon, who had protected his most precious treasure while he had been in London . He felt gratitude toward her . The other person was . . .

“It’s daaaaaaad!”

She ran toward him with her hands in the air . She was his treasure, and he would never trade her for anything or anyone in this world .