OL Ch 15

Chapter 15

Hayun and Mookyeong retraced their steps back to where they had entered. However, they couldn’t immediately open the door. There had been explosions earlier, and residual heat radiated from its surface. Opening it abruptly could trigger another explosion or intensify the flames within.

Sweat trickled down Hayun’s chest and back.

He gestured toward Mookyeong, who looked up. He extended his energy, attempting to grasp the situation outside. If everything seemed clear, he planned to simultaneously create both an escape route and cover upon opening the door.

Mookyeong furrowed his brow as he withdrew his energy, shaking his head. Although he didn’t sense anything specific, something felt off about exiting directly through the door.

Hayun soon realized that Mookyeong had not noticed Mun Hayeong, who had been outside the door, nor had he recognized the owner of the hand that had briefly appeared. He couldn’t tell if she was still outside the corridor or not. Hayun decided to open the [door] to peek through. Just as he was about to open it, he heard the sound of heavy metal being dragged across the floor.

Shhhhk…

He considered the thickness of the block sealing the entrance and concluded this wasn’t merely the noise of dragging metal. Mookyeong seemed to agree, glaring fiercely at the doorway.

Suddenly, Hayun spotted the door being pushed outward from the other side and reached out toward Mookyeong.

“Baek Mookyeong!”

Grabbing him by the back of his neck, he rolled backward just as the ceiling collapsed with a loud crash accompanied by a dull pain.

Whoosh! A gust of wind accompanied by intense heat rushed towards them. Through the flames, a tall man hobbled closer. He stood at least three meters high with his face covered in warts. Clad only in pants, his exposed upper body was sparsely hairy.

“….!”

The man was holding a club as tall as himself. Its composition wasn’t immediately clear, but it effortlessly shattered fifteen-centimeter-thick concrete blocks. The giant turned and emitted strange noises before raising his club once more. It didn’t take much to guess what he intended to do next. Quickly, Hayun opened the door above their heads. As the club swung down towards Mookyeong and him, it collided with the door instead. Startled, the man hastily withdrew his weapon while keeping a wary eye on them.

Meanwhile, Mookyeong sprinted up the wall and approached the man from behind. By the time the man noticed and turned his head, Mookyeong was already airborne. With graceful agility, Mookyeong swiftly spun midair, striking the man’s neck with his heel.

Despite the lightness of his movements, the strike resonated heavily as it shattered the man’s chest. It wasn’t just a physical impact; Mookyeong infused telekinetic energy through his heel. The force pulled outward, breaking the man’s cervical spine and ripping it outwards. As the fractured bones twisted during extraction, they liquefied the man’s insides before exploding him entirely. This all transpired within the blink of an eye.

The man instinctively looked down at his chest before collapsing onto the ground. Despite the man’s fall, Mookyeong remained vigilant. Neither sound nor presence could be detected beyond the wall, as if blocked by it. As soon as Hayun joined him upstairs, Mookyeong relayed his observation. He nodded in agreement.

Like the doors underground, several nameplates throughout the house now displayed illegible script. This was evidence that they were under the influence of the labyrinth. The doors, both seen in dreams and encountered in reality, served as signs of its presence. Unable to deny this fact any longer, Hayun gasped sharply, perspiring profusely due to unease. While staying inside felt unsafe, he lacked the courage to venture outside.

If this mysterious figure could effortlessly handle Mookyeong, they would have been equally capable of dispatching Baek Jinha with ease. However, neither Baek Jinha nor Seo Iju was present. Moreover, Hayun couldn’t detect any sounds or signs from outside. The sirens he had heard earlier were no longer audible.

He couldn’t even begin to gauge what awaited them beyond the door or who their potential adversary might be. The current fire exemplified this uncertainty; it was unclear whether it was caused by a gas explosion, another flame-type esper, or some other factor entirely.

The only thing he could surmise was that the strange entity targeted not just Seo Iju but also himself and Mookyeong. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been any need to tap on the burning floor above.

‘And among us two, the likely target is probably me, as an esper like Teacher.’

A fleeting thought crossed Hayun’s mind – perhaps it would have been better if they had stayed downstairs.

At that moment, Mookyeong tightened his grip on Hayun’s hand.

“Actually, coming here was pointless. We should’ve gone to the air-raid shelter.”

“…?”

“You know, my childhood dream was to kidnap and imprison Kim Hayun. This could’ve been the perfect opportunity.”

“Is this the time for such nonsense?”

“Think I’m joking? It’s true.”

Hayun glared at Mookyeong. Suddenly, a burning ceiling ornament fell towards them. Flames erupted as debris scattered around. Mookyeong swiftly raised some floorboards to shield them from the falling fragments.

“Let’s go.”

With Mookyeong by his side, Hayun didn’t fear getting hurt amidst the blazing house. However, given their uncertainty about how the fire started, staying put wasn’t an option. Leaving was the right choice. He closed his eyes tightly before opening them again.

Meanwhile, Mookyeong used telekinesis to push away flames and create an exit. As they followed him out, Hayun briefly glanced at the burning staircase but quickly turned his head away.

Upon exiting the house, they were inundated with sounds that had been muffled inside. At first glance, it appeared as if the dwelling was enclosed by a translucent dome-shaped barrier. It seemed the magical security system embedded within the house’s defenses had activated. The lack of external noise or sensations earlier could be attributed to this same effect.

“…Haaa.” Hayun wiped the rainwater from his face hastily. Perhaps due to the heavy downpour, he felt each droplet like a sting, causing him to instinctively curl up. Mookyeong’s earlier statement proved accurate: stepping outside was indeed not advisable.

Outside, countless gates and entrances were open. While both terms referred to the same phenomenon, there was a difference between sporadically generated gates that closed quickly versus those remaining open until the labyrinth reset itself. Additionally, all passages visible to Hayun appeared wide-open without any doors.

‘The sound of breaking must have been from this.’

With no doors present, restrictions on accessing these passageways had vanished. However, despite the absence of doors, ordinary people still couldn’t see these pathways. Without being able to spot them, one misstep could lead to falling into unknown locations—possibly mid-air, a river or sea, or, in the worst-case scenario, directly into a monster’s jaws.

“Sounds serious.”

“Want to try imprisoning me now?”

Mookyeong shrugged at Hayun’s comment. Though his eyes were hidden behind a gas mask, they crinkled with amusement. Still, neither of them dared to look back. They couldn’t afford it.

Monsters were pouring out from the labyrinth gate. People who hadn’t managed to evacuate screamed, and sirens blared incessantly. Local hunters had rushed to the scene, but their efforts proved insufficient.

Despite being right in the middle of this chaos, it all felt unreal.

Behind them, houses burned while monsters rained down from above, some falling through gaps in the ground as if returning via the same passages. Others landed mangled, having been torn in half somewhere along the way. It was utterly horrifying.

The most terrifying sight was the black door floating in midair. It appeared bloated and ready to burst at any moment. Chills ran up Hayun’s spine just thinking about what might emerge from it.

He exhaled deeply to shake off his fear. This situation felt entirely different from the training exercises or field experiences led by Seo Iju and her husband. The thought that he could die here with one wrong move weighed heavily on his mind.

Hayun tightened his grip around Baek Mookyeong’s hand.

“Baek Mookyeong, stay focused and follow me closely.”

“…..” 

Mookyeong quietly nodded.

Seeing this, Hayun took another deep breath. With his chest fully expanded, he quickly scanned their surroundings before breaking into a run. Escaping the labyrinth altogether seemed impossible, but they aimed to get as far away from its influence as possible.

As they sprinted along the familiar yet altered road, Hayun noticed a red dot on a nearby parked car. Upon seeing this, Baek Mookyeong wrapped his arm around Hayun’s waist and spun him around. As both of them hit the ground simultaneously, the window of the marked car shattered. Had they not detected it and continued running, they likely would have been shot.

‘What is with all these guns?’

Hayun and Mookyeong quickly took cover behind another parked vehicle. Considering the direction from which the gunshot came, Hayun opened a nearby door. However, he couldn’t spot anyone holding a gun; only the eyeless monster was sniffing around on the floor.

Instead, they spotted a suspicious-looking door. After waiting briefly, the door creaked open, revealing a barrel of a gun peeking through. It became apparent that their assailant had attacked them using a door connected to a different space, which remained hidden earlier during their search.

Before the door fully opened, Hayun inspected its plaque. He could read it clearly as if unaffected by the labyrinth’s influence.

[King☆Mart Rooftop]

‘Right, since we’re outside the labyrinth’s reach, they can use anti-personnel weapons.’

Hayun blinked rapidly.

‘How do I get to King Mart?’

King Mart… King Mart… As soon as he mentally repeated the name, the shortest route popped into his mind. Through the 4th-floor door of Changho Building, then past Line 1 Myeonghak Station, and finally opening the door located at the third pillar within Myeonghak Station revealed the orange signboard of King Mart.

‘I don’t have time for transfers.’

Hayun decided to traverse through the passages he had previously observed. Once resolved, paths began unfolding before him. With dry lips, he licked them and signaled Mookyeong using hand gestures. Four fingers. Mookyeong nodded.

Hayun started folding his fingers one by one:

One, two, three…

The red laser pointers roamed around as if searching for them. With the labyrinth about to open, why were they wielding anti-personnel weapons instead of anti-monster ones? Instead of pondering further, Hayun folded his last finger.

Simultaneously, Mookyeong used psychic energy to pull forward the car ahead of them. As the collision echoed loudly, Mookyeong retreated four steps back with Hayun. The assailants continued firing at them, but their bullets couldn’t penetrate and fell short onto the rooftop of King Mart instead. Emitting harsh sounds, the intruders evaded gunfire while rushing through the door. Their language wasn’t Korean, causing sweat to trickle down Hayun’s back at this unexpected appearance of foreigners.

Suddenly, he remembered what Mookyeong had said while interpreting Seo Iju and Baek Jinha’s hand signals:

‘…There’s someone watching my back.’

Were these people part of the same group who were backing Kim Deukcheol? What did they want that led them to support him? It was unclear, but their objectives must have aligned or provided mutual benefits for them to assist him. Based on this, it seemed likely that Seo Iju and herself were involved, and considering Mun Hayeong’s presence, Mun Taegang might also have been connected. Furthermore, Seo Iju conducted research on doors with Mun Taegang and another individual.

‘The door.’

Hayun lifted his head, feeling as if the black door was staring directly at him.

Suddenly, he remembered talking about reduced school hours with Baek Mookyeong. At that time, Mookyeong had stated they would return to normal classes only after Kim Deukcheol was caught. The reason was due to concern that the cornered Kim Deukcheol might take extreme actions.

“…Baek Mookyeong, you should prepare for the end.”

Hayun clicked his tongue as he watched Mookyeong rush towards the incoming monsters. After eliminating them, Mookyeong seized their protective suits and weapons. He selected the best ones available and handed them over to Hayun. He accepted gratefully, considering it better than having nothing at all.

Suddenly, there was a clattering sound from above, followed by something falling down. Upon identifying the object, Hayun gasped sharply.

It was Mookyeong’s father, Baek Jinha.