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#65. Taunt

It was to be expected. There was not one, but two labyrinths that should have been in the Underworld, so there was no way these ordinary workers could withstand their effects. The Underworld’s energy was fatal to ordinary beings. It wasn’t uncommon for their health and personality to deteriorate after long periods of exposure.

Only when they could withstand it would they become explorers. However, the construction site wasn’t like the Underworld, infested with monsters around every corner. Naturally, as none of the workers were anywhere near qualified to be an explorer, they were left easily tired and exhausted.

Despite the fact that the labyrinths were emitting only weak amounts of energy, as they were still in the middle of the upgrade process, that alone was enough to be fatal to most ordinary folk.

Every time the chilly wind tainted with faint Underworld energy blew across the site, the workers coughed violently as they trembled from an unexplainable chill that bit to the bone. They became more aggressive as time passed, and fights became more frequent. Fatigue piled up, resulting in a series of even more absurd accidents. The ugly rumors continued.

However, the rewards seemed more tantalizing than the fear of the unknown at the site, as the workers continued to work diligently. It appeared that with things already as they were, the workers decided to push through no matter the cost. Soil and sand were piling up higher than planned, and even the fences were being erected at a distance.

No matter how inefficient the growth of the surface labyrinth was, it wasn’t going to take too long for the Labyrinth Core to be upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2. If the work wasn’t finished soon, the upgrade would be completed and the emanating energy would be even stronger, which could potentially lead to even more devastating effects on the workers.

Thus, Kim Jin-Woo once again urged the supervisor, who was overseeing the entire project, “Please speed up the work.”

“Looks like it’ll be done soon,” Angela remarked. Unlike her past self, she was now enjoying the attention, as she wandered around the construction site in her usual revealing outfit. If she weren’t around, Kim Jin-Woo was sure that the site work would progress a bit faster.

Even now, the workers were green with envy as they stared at Angela, who was hugging Kim Jin-Woo’s arm. Unlike Dominique, who was offended by the gazes of those other than her master, Angela seemed to enjoy the attention of the workers.

But even then, Kim Jin-Woo knew that the only attention that truly mattered to her came from him and him alone. Thus, he allowed her a moderate amount of freedom to roam around instead of forcing her back into the house.

After that happened, Yoon-Hee made her appearance on the surface the next time around. Seeing Angela and Dominique freely roam the surface, she seemed to desire to join them as well. And Kim Jin-Woo didn’t stop her, either.

The ladies that now roamed freely on the surface were now enjoying their time, leisurely sunbathing in a good spot they had picked out for themselves and lazing their days away, except for Dominique.

Once the ladies got used to the surface and made the acquaintance of the supervisor, Kim Jin-Woo left the construction site and headed off somewhere. He was heading to his parents’ home, a place he hadn’t visited in the past year.

***

It didn’t take long for the Grand Labyrinth to start its encroachment again. In the intervening period, there had been several noticeable changes.

Kim Jin-Woo had offered up a hundred labyrinth masters as food for it, and it had consumed thousands of lives in addition to that. He was normally rather level-headed with his decisions, but even for him, it was a slightly excessive decision.

But nevertheless, he felt no sense of guilt. He wondered if that was because he had gotten more acclimatized to the law of the Underworld—the survival of the fittest—or if it was due to some kind of influence by the Grand Labyrinth.

Thus, Kim Jin-Woo felt the need to confirm his doubts. He had to know to what extent the Grand Labyrinth had influenced him.

As he stood in front of the familiar yet unfamiliar door of the apartment, those thoughts slowly disappeared from his mind, and an unknown feeling took its place.

Kim Jin-Woo cautiously rang the doorbell. He was worried that something drastic might have happened in the past year, such as a relocation of the house, but thankfully, a familiar voice came from the other side of the door.

“Who is it?”

Contrary to what Kim Jin-Woo had expected, it was his younger sister, Hyun-Ji, who opened the door. She froze as she stood there, lost for words, looking at her brother whom she hadn’t seen for a year.

As Kim Jin-Woo exchanged awkward glances, unable to speak a word to break the uncomfortable silence between them, he was surprised by what he saw.

Hyun-Ji’s stomach, which had been flat just a year earlier, was now protruding outward. It seemed his sister had had good news of her own while he was away.

However, the only person who could actually answer that question only uttered a single sentence with a cold expression. “Come in, Mom’s inside.”

Hyun-Ji’s back seemed thicker than before as she spoke coldly and turned around. It was apparent that the past year hadn’t been kind to her. She didn’t even wait for his response as she returned to the sofa. Then, she stared blankly into the air with a deadpan face, as if she were wearing an expressionless mask.

Her attitude was so foreign to Kim Jin-Woo that he found himself unable to set foot into the house, instead continuing to stand by the shoe rack. Despite Hyun-Ji clearly knowing who he was, she didn’t even turn to look back at him once more.

After much hesitation, Kim Jin-Woo finally took one step into the living room. He had only taken off his shoes, yet he could feel a deep, unexplainable chill blowing into his body.

As he entered the living room, he stood awkwardly around, being neither fully inside nor outside it. He wondered if it was alright for him to enter the room. Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn’t come.

After much thinking, he shook off those thoughts that were tangled in his mind, as he took a second step into the room. It was just one more step, yet he felt his body grow heavy as though he had just run from one end of the Underworld to the other.

However, with his mind already made up, he continued to step forward.

Knock knock.

A sharp knock cut through the silence, but there was no answer.

Knock knock.

The knock was louder than the last, but once again, there was no answer.

“Mother, I, Jin-Woo, am here.” This time, instead of knocking, he called out as his voice cracked, but there was no sound coming from the other side of the door.

“Mother, I’m going in.” Kim Jin-Woo gathered his courage as he grabbed the doorknob. But before he could even turn the doorknob halfway, he heard the sound of footsteps before the door swung open.

“Ah…”

The figure of a middle-aged woman, with dry and flaky skin, messy hair, slanted eyes, and obvious ailments wracking her body appeared. His mother looked several times older and more exhausted than the last time Kim Jin-Woo remembered seeing her.

“Mother.”

He had been born without a name of his own, and had to steal his way to survival. He’d had to constantly relive his miserable memories in his mind as he lived until this day.

The only truth that had emerged from Denarion’s nightmares was the fact that everything in his life was a lie. Thus, he’d thought that seeing his mother and the rest of his family would be no big deal. After all, nothing on the surface was truly real to him. He’d thought it wouldn’t matter if he cut ties with his so-called family that had been forcibly given to him. That was exactly what he did, and that was the outcome he had expected.

However…

“Jin-Woo, have you eaten?”

When Kim Jin-Woo saw his mother smiling at him as if they had only just met the day before, he came to a realization. Although the world was built on lies and deceit, the world around him was real. At that realization, he quietly hugged his mother.

“I’m home, Mother,” Kim Jin-Woo said. A skinny arm rose and gently caressed his back as he continued, “And I’m sorry I’m so late.”

***

It didn’t take too long for the family to fill in the gap left behind by his year-long absence.

“Big brother…”

Only after a long time of consoling and reassuring his mother, who had finally burst into tears, did he finally notice Hyun-Ji calling for him, and he turned to look at her.

“Let’s talk a little while.”

Perhaps it was because she was now a mother, but she now seemed incomparably calmer than she had been before. But Kim Jin-Woo would soon come to realize that that was a hasty conclusion.

“Where the hell have you been and what have you been doing!? Do you know how much we’ve been suffering because of you?” Hyun-Ji shouted loudly at him as soon as the door closed.

Kim Jin-Woo realized that she wasn’t much different from a year before.

As for Hyun-Ji, after shouting at him for a while, she eventually burst into tears. “The news kept reporting how terrible the Underworld had become, how many explorers had ended up dead, and all the terrible things that were happening to the gate. The labyrinth management office said they weren’t able to contact you all this time. It’s been such a terrible time for us…”

After crying and ranting for a long time, Hyun-Ji wiped her tears as she snapped at Kim Jin-Woo. “Just try it again. One more time and I won’t even acknowledge you as my brother anymore.”

Her words were fierce, but Kim Jin-Woo felt the warmth behind those words, as he smiled without even realizing it.

“What are you even smiling for? When you appeared, I really didn’t want to see you again, did you know that? But I’m going easy on you because of Mom, alright?” Hyun-Ji said half-jokingly, as her expression carried a mix of relief and annoyance. “Sigh, anyway, I’m glad you’re back.”

“Yeah, thanks, sis.”

Only when Kim Jin-Woo expressed his gratitude did Hyun-Ji finally calm down as she caressed his face, remarking, “My goodness, what’s with your face? You’re all skinny and dried up.”

***

In the face of family, one year truly was nothing.

All the self-consciousness and delusion that he had steadily built up over the years were broken down in an instant, and a welcoming warmth took its place.

However, that warmth was only momentary. Kim Jin-Woo asked about his father when he didn’t come back home late into the night. But as soon as he asked about his father’s whereabouts, his mother and sister’s faces both froze at the same time.

“Looks like things are getting rather busy these days, huh?”

Even as Kim Jin-Woo tilted his head as he tried to avoid thinking of the worst, his Eyes of Truth suddenly activated, revealing the true feelings of both his mother and sister.

Sadness. Worry. Resentment.

All kinds of negative emotions were revealed. The worst scenario he could imagine had turned into reality.

“Mother?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

But instead of answering, his mother lowered her head. The ominous feeling Kim Jin-Woo had gradually grew stronger, and his heart started to pound, as he started to think of all the bad things that could have happened.

“Hyun-Ji.” Seeing that his mother was refusing to look him in the eyes, he turned his attention to Hyun-Ji. But she too avoided his gaze without responding. He asked, “Hyun-Ji, did something happen?”

Suddenly, Hyun-Ji burst into tears. Those tears seemed so ominous that Kim Jin-Woo’s expression hardened like a stone.