Moon's Labyrinths

Sungyoon’s party had been in the small confines of the fighter jets all day when they had found Kevil. They had to execute the spectacular and extraordinary action of immediately jumping out of these planes to fight.

Of course, they had no reason to get in the fighter jets again after the fight was over.

In fact, they were given a generous reward after defeating the threat called Kevil.

They received a private plane as one of the rewards.

“Are you impressed?”

When Sungyoon kept swiveling his head to look at his surroundings, Tim started to cackle.

“I’ve never flown in a private plane. Though, I’ve flown a couple of times in a private helicopter.”

“When you factor in short-distance travel and the ease of taking off and landing, it's better to use a helicopter. In terms of long-distance travel, it's much easier and convenient to take a private plane. Why don’t you take this opportunity to buy a private plane for yourself?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel the need to purchase one.”

Sungyoon stroked his chin. He sounded very skeptical and averse to the suggestion. In the past, he had made a lot of money through his business, but he had only been the president of a small company. Even though he had been wealthy, he hadn't been wealthy enough to purchase a private plane.

As a high rank Connector, Sungyoon made unbelievable sums of money, but this didn’t mean he was comfortable using that amount of money.

However, Tim knew the magical words that would sway Sungyoon’s decision.

“Shinhae will like it.”

A conflicted look immediately appeared on Sungyoon's face.

“It's good for a child to experience traveling overseas. For overseas travel, a private plane provides much convenience. Even if one travels first class, one would feel uncomfortable traveling to a country halfway around the world.”

Sungyoon’s expression changed a little bit more. The idea was starting to catch his fancy.

“She can comfortably sleep during the trip. The best example is those two women sleeping over there.”

The private plane they were in had a sleeping area, where Grace and Emily were in dreamland right now. They were Connectors, not magicians. They couldn’t overcome the mental exhaustion from the battle. Or maybe Tim and Sungyoon were the unusual ones who were resilient against such exhaustion.

“Do you have a private plane, Mr. Tim?”

“I don’t right now. However, we frequently traveled on my mother’s private plane when we were young. We sold it when my mother passed away. However, I’m starting to think about purchasing one. I have the money now, and I’m thinking about starting a family.”

‘Now that I think about it, he has a girlfriend.’

In fact, Sungyoon remembered that Tim had multiple girlfriends.

Sungyoon drank his beer as he once again looked around the plane. The sight was a contrast with that in a normal plane, which was packed like sardines with people.

A thick carpet lay on the floor, and the seating area had several tables and chairs.

The plane also had a large TV and other amenities.

‘I guess this is better than flying in a plane packed with people.’

Of course, these purchases had to happen after Earth was safe.

“I’ll think about it after we resolve everything.”

“That’s probably for the best. I don’t plan on purchasing one right now. We aren’t in a situation where we can galavant around the world on a personal plane for pleasure.”

Naturally, the next topic they discussed was the battle they had just fought.

“Is something bothering you? You seem distracted since the fight with Kevil?”

“You can tell?”

“It's minute, but I can tell for sure.”

“You have a sharp sense of figuring out people.”

“Not really. As you know, Emily scolds me for not being quick on the uptake. However, it isn’t as if we're just acquaintances. We’ve known each other for long, and we’ve experienced too much with each other. Wouldn’t you say we braved it all through thick and thin?”

“You aren’t wrong.”

Sungyoon and Tim broke out in laughter at the same time.

“I’m worried about Kevil’s last words.”

“That?”

Tim had heard it thanks to the advance hearing that came with being a Connector.

“Wasn’t Kevil just throwing out nonsense as a last-ditch effort?”

“I would love it if that’s true...”

“You worry too much, Mr. Sungyoon.”

Tim stopped Sungyoon, who was about to start another session of worrying.

“Even if Kevil did tell the truth, we have no way of finding out what it was referring to.”

“That is true, but…”

“Mr. Sungyoon, you have to learn how to lean on others a bit more. You already warned Sir Russell and Mr. Bruce. Moreover, the Mayor has probably received a report about it by now. I don’t want to offend you by saying this, but a truckload of people smarter than you are working on this problem. I’m not saying you should forget about it, but there is no need for you to take this on by yourself.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. Mr. Sungyoon, you did the heavy lifting. You have accomplished a lot for our cause.”

Sungyoon looked at his Gems for a moment.

“You've received a short vacation. You should think about how to spend that time with Shinhae and President. I think that’ll be a more productive venture.”

“You're right. Thank you, Mr. Tim.”

“It was nothing.”

He was able to help Sungyoon, the person he admired. It made Tim puff up in pride.

“However, I do rely on people. I rely a lot on you, Mr. Tim, and Ms. Emily and Ms. Grace.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Tim lifted his beer as he thought about the past that seemed so distant but was only a couple of years ago.

He had sat in front of Sungyoon like this, and they had shared alcohol. It was the meeting that had launched their partnership.

“When I think about it, we were very fortunate in asking you to join our party.”

“Are you talking about our first meeting?”

Sungyoon also thought about that day and smirked.

“If I’m being honest, I resented the both of you.”

“We did bring the Bigfoot to you.”

It might be an exaggeration to say this, but now, the Bigfoot was a monster that each of them could defeat with a finger. However, back then, they had to put their lives on the line to fight it.

“Still, you never made the choice for me. Both of you put your lives on the line to stall the monster so that I could make the choice. It's a big reason I joined your party. I didn’t know about your skill levels, but I determined I could trust the two of you.”

“Ha ha ha! I made the call! It seems I made a really wise decision!”

“Of course, Ms. Emily promised that she would give me a higher rank Gem if I joined the fight. It also had a big influence on my decision.”

That Gem was a Blue rank Gem. Now, Sungyoon wouldn’t use it even if someone gave it to him for free. It was a bottom rank Gem, but at the time, Sungyoon had to fight with his life to acquire it.

“Didn’t you receive a shield from Emily, Mr. Sungyoon?”

“That's correct. At the time, I was starting to reach the ceiling of my Gems. I had been desperate to acquire a shield to raise my defense.”

“That one broke, right?”

“Yes.”

“How did it break again?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve broken more than one or two shields...”

Sungyoon sighed as he spoke.

“When I think about it in that context, we’ve walked down a treacherous road. We experienced countless battles where we broke our shields.”

“You're well known in our community for being very unlucky.”

Tim cackled and teased Sungyoon.

However, his words also meant that Sungyoon had walked down the road of a hero. He had acquired information, power, and personal connections through many tribulations. He had walked down an arduous road that had allowed him to fight the enemies of humanity. At the very least, Tim viewed it that way.

“We really have changed a lot whether it's you or me.”

“Yes. We really have.”

The two of them were overcome with emotion for a brief moment.

“Do you plan on changing a bit more?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Tim pointed backward with his thumb, toward the bed where Emily and Grace were sleeping.

Sungyoon’s face became stiff.

“I’m not saying you should immediately change how you interact with them. However, you should at least think it over. You do realize having a wife isn’t an excuse for a Connector?”

Sungyoon nodded.

“I don’t care if it takes a long time. However, the two of them won’t easily change their minds when it comes to the matter of their hearts. Also, I would like to point out we're getting close to the big fight.”

“I understand what you're trying to say.”

The wounds Sungyoon had received from Jaeho and Miyun had healed a lot. He now had to force himself to think about his relationships. He had to choose an option: accept them, turn them down, or play ignorant forever.

“Ah! You shouldn’t confess right before the final battle.”

“Don’t people die after confessing right before the final battle? I don’t want to tempt fate like that.”

Tim had spoken his words in a joking manner, so Sungyoon answered in the same way.

After the two men stared at each other, they laughed out loud.

“Mmm. What’s going on? Are you two having a fun conversation?”

Their laughter woke up Grace. She let out a yawn as she approached the two men.

Emily followed suit as she walked while rubbing her sleepy eyes.

The two of them sat in the empty seats, then the drinking party continued. It was no longer a hushed conversation between two men. It had turned into a raucous drinking party.

The normally-quiet Sungyoon did his best to participate in the festivities.

They continued the drinking party until the plane landed in Korea.

***

Koo-koo-koong!

The ground shook in such a loud manner that it felt as if the floor and the ceiling would cave in. However, rocks and dust didn’t fall since this was the incredibly sturdy Great labyrinth.

“Hey! What the hell is this!”

Jinsoo, who had been lying down as he yawned from drowsiness, jumped up in surprise.

On the other hand, Hyunwoo continued to calmly sit nearby. He monitored the situation with his eyes narrowed.

However, someone else reacted in the most intense manner.

Bul-duhk!

It was Udocus. He was still dressed in a dreary robe as he kept mumbling to come up with a plan. Even Jinsoo didn’t like getting near him.

Udocus got up at lightning speed.

“This is...”

The quake had originated from the center of the Great Labyrinth. It had emanated from beyond the large door.

Udocus quickly walked toward the door. If he weren’t a monster, he would've fallen over several times. He quickly moved forward, and one could feel the urgency in his movements.

“N... no way! Master! Is that really true!”

Udocus, who had placed his hands on the door, sounded like he was about to vomit blood. His shout resembled a wail.

Jinsoo discreetly sidled up next to Hyunwoo.

“Did he eat something wrong? Why is he acting like that?”

“How should I know?”

Since the two of them didn’t know why Udocus was acting that way, they looked on with fascination and disgust.

Udocus’s histrionics didn’t end there. He screamed, stomped his feet, yelled profanities, and in the end, resorted to wailing.

Hyunwoo and Jinsoo became dumbfounded by what they saw.

“Do you think we lined up on the wrong side?”

“Mmm.”

In the end, Jinsoo had to wonder.

Kwahng!

Hyunwoo and Jinsoo jumped in surprise when they heard the loud sound.

Udocus had punched the wall. They wondered what nonsense Udocus would pull next as they looked on with half-fear and half-anticipation.

However, Udocus’s insane actions had the effect of calming him down. He no longer acted oddly.

“Tsk! That’s too bad.”

Jinsoo sounded a bit disappointed since he couldn't see what he had expected to occur.

Sssk.

Udocus's body rose as if he were a ghost. When he turned around, his red eyes flashed.

“D... do you mind if I ask what has happened?”

Jinsoo carefully asked. His outward behavior indicated that he was afraid.

Of course, Jinsoo wasn’t truly feeling fear. He was disgusted at seeing a mad dog.

Udocus spoke in a heavy tone.

“Kevil's dead.”