Moon's Labyrinths

Until now, Lee had been happy and inquisitive, a behavior that belied his age . However, it all disappeared in an instant, and a fright took over his face .

He let out a sigh before speaking .

“I know it’s an honor to meet the Knight, but I really thought hard on whether I should meet you or not . Since I would have to talk about the heartbeat, I had an urge to decline the meeting . ”

“You’re feeling fear right now . ”

“Yes . I feel it . I feel a great amount of it . ”

Lee didn’t hesitate to agree with Sungyoon’s statement . He hugged himself and spoke .

“May I ask why you’re curious about that, Knight?”

“I hear the heartbeat too . ”

“Lord, have mercy!”

Lee covered his face with his hands .

“I remember it now . They said you’re a 1st Gen Connector like us . When I think about what you do for a living, I had a hard time believing it to be true . ”

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a 1st Gen . ”

“I’m not saying you’re lying . I believe you . ”

Lee took a deep sigh . He kept opening and closing his mouth and moving his eyes while trying to organize his tangled emotions .

“As you probably know, when we hear the heartbeat, we feel an incredible amount of fear wash over us . That’s why it’s hard to talk about it . ”

“Regarding that, it seems I’m a special case . Although I hear the heartbeat, I don’t feel the fear . ”

Lee’s eyes turned round in surprise .

“Is that so? That’s surprising . As expected of the Knight! So what are you curious about then?”

“Do you know what causes this phenomenon?”

“I have no idea . ”

Even though it was a disappointing answer, it was well within Sungyoon’s expectations .

“I see . Then let me ask you these questions . Where and when did you feel the heartbeat? Can you describe what it feels like? I want to compare it to my experiences . ”

“Understood . I also want to know why Mr . Woo is different from the other 1st Gens . I know a couple of 1st Gens who suffered similar symptoms as me, and our experiences were more or less the same . ”

Lee gathered his thoughts for a brief moment before speaking again .

“When I felt the heartbeat for the first time, I had just acquired my third Jewel rank Gem and earned the right to enter the Great Labyrinth . ”

Lee’s voice sounded far away as he thought about the past .

“As a 1st Gen, I had reached the pinnacle . While I was inspired by it, it also troubled me . The thought of whether I should enter the Great Labyrinth or not sent my mind into conflict . Everyone around me said that I would be foolish to attempt raiding the Great Labyrinth, and the government of my country tried to stop me too by offering all kinds of benefits . They wanted me to relax and live my life . In a roundabout way, they were telling me to live my life on Earth as a stud . ”

It was an unpleasant memory, but Lee’s tone of voice remained the same .

“Still, we’re talking about Connectors, monsters, moonstones, and labyrinths . The consensus is that the Great Labyrinth might hold the truths behind these topics, and so, I couldn’t let go of my interest . As someone young, I had ambitions and wanted to be famous . When I had started my career, due to my power of the 1st Gen, the thought of being able to enter the Great Labyrinth never crossed my mind . However, although it had taken me thirty years, I had done it . ”

Emily and Grace discreetly glanced at Sungyoon .

Lee, a Connector considered to be one of the top 1st Gens in this world, took almost thirty years to fulfill the requirements needed to attempt the Great Labyrinth . But, Sungyoon had finished clearing the initial stages of the Great Labyrinth in only two years . It really put everything into perspective for the two women, and they once again realized how amazing Sungyoon was .

“Once . Just once . That’s all I wanted . I just wanted to see it for myself . I didn’t plan on making a career out of it . Even if I had Jewel rank Gems, all three of them were Silver rank . When even the 2nd & 3rd Gen Connectors more powerful than me couldn’t clear the Great Labyrinth, I knew I had no chance . I just wanted to make a memory I could tell my grandkids in front of the fire . ‘Grandfather went into the Great Labyrinth!’”

Lee licked his lips and continued his story .

“After I decided to attempt the Great Labyrinth, I had to find another party . My original party was dead against raiding the Great Labyrinth . Also, I was a 1st Gen with no experience in the Great Labyrinth, so I had a hard time finding one . Somehow, I joined a party that regularly raided the Great Labyrinth . Thus, I finally entered that place . At first, I was amazed . As you already know, the Great Labyrinth is unlike any other labyrinths out there . ”

Lee had seen the green plains and the blue skies of the Great Labyrinth for the first time, and he was dumbfounded . However, it had lasted only for a brief moment . Then, intense emotions had filled his heart, and he became tense .

“At first, it was ok . It was tough but I killed a couple of monsters, so I started thinking I could go down a couple more floors . Then several days passed, and our party had roamed around the green plain without a destination in mind . But when we were fighting a group of monsters, something happened .

“I heard the heartbeat and fainted . ”

Lee unconsciously moved his hand toward his heart .

“When I regained consciousness, I found myself yelling and crying and my comrades shaking me . Snot came out of my nose, and I drooled . It had looked as if I were having a seizure . I still feel grateful to my ex-teammates . I had lost my mind, but they hadn’t given up on me . They protected me until I calmed down . ”

“You had good party members . ”

“Yes . They were one of the greatest blessings of my life . At that time, I had no idea why I acted that way since I had lost consciousness . But I soon found out that fear was the reason . My body was shaking, and I was covered cold sweat . It was the type of fright that makes you want to void your bowels . ”

After a long sigh, Lee continued .

“That was the end to my Great Labyrinth adventure . Later, many doctors tested me for all kinds of things, but they were unable to come up with a diagnosis . I tried entering the Great Labyrinth once again, but I suffered similar results . I had to raid only the Personal labyrinths like all the other 1st Gens . Moreover, I started only going to the Moon when it was necessary, and it greatly reduced the chance of me feeling that sensation .

"I never want to feel that fear ever again . ”

As he finished his story, Lee looked desperate . It made one wonder if he was feeling a small piece of that fear once again .

“So you felt that sensation when you fought the monsters of the Great Labyrinth?”

“Yes . From what I know, every 1st Gen that went into the Great Labyrinth suffered a similar fate . ”

“Were there any changes to your abilities? Did your senses sharpen? Did the abilities of your Gems get boosted?”

“I’m not sure . I don’t remember anything . I basically fainted and had a seizure, so I didn’t have the opportunity to check that kind of stuff . ”

‘I gained nothing from this . ’

Sungyoon had merely heard a description of a phenomenon completely different from his own and found nothing that could help him get to the source of his problem . However, since he didn’t have high hopes about Lee’s information in the first place, it didn’t disappoint him too much .

“What happened to you when you heard the heartbeat, Mr . Woo?”

Sungyoon explained the changes that he went through, and Lee was amazed .

“As expected of the Knight, you’re completely different from us . ”

Sungyoon shook his head from side to side . Since his business here was done, he had no reason to stay there . So, he stood up .

“Thank you for talking to me . ”

“It was nothing . It’s an honor to be of help to the Knight . ”

The two men shook hands .

“I hope I’m not being rude, but may I invite you to dinner? I would like to call my grandkids over to meet the Knight . They live nearby, and they’re big fans of you, Mr . Woo . ”

“I don’t want to cause you too much trouble . ”

“Trouble! No way! It’s a chance to have dinner with the Knight! How is that trouble!”

Unlike his age, Lee’s eyes twinkled, which showed he was being honest .

Sungyoon looked at Emily and Grace, and it seemed they weren’t opposed to the idea .

“I would welcome it . However, I have more people in my party, so I’ll have to discuss it with them first . Do you mind if I contact you afterward?”

“Of course . The opinions of your party are important . Still, I need time to prepare for dinner . Can you contact me within the hour at the latest?”

“Sure . ”

Lee happily gave Sungyoon his phone number and walked them out . Sungyoon, Emily, and Grace returned to the beach .

***

The boiling soup emanated a fragrant smell . Large slabs of steak were placed next to the grill, and chunks of vegetables were cut for decoration . It was a western dish commonly served to guests .

“I’ll do it . Please go rest, Father . ”

A woman approached Lee, who was stirring the soup within the pot . She was his daughter-in-law . Since she lived nearby, she came to help when Lee contacted her . Moreover, she also wanted her children to meet Sungyoon .

“Yes . We’ll do the cooking . ”

Another one of his daughters-in-law walked up behind him . Lee had many sons, and these two daughters-in-law were married to one of his sons .

However, Lee had made up his mind to do everything by himself today .

“It’s fine . I was the one who invited the guests, and I hate the idea of letting others do the work . ”

Lee liked to cook, and he frequently cooked for others . His two daughters-in-law looked at each other and shook their heads . They knew Lee could be stubborn .

“We’ll prepare the table . ”

“Please do that . ”

Lee used a spoon to taste the soup, and it tasted perfect . His daughters-in-law placed forks, knives, spoons, and plates on the table . They even brought out a new bottle of wine .

“Mom!”

Their children ran down from the second floor .

“Hey! I told you not to bother us . Go play on the second floor . ”

Their mother was deliberately glaring at them, but the children’s eyes were filled with anticipation, and the threats didn’t work on them .

“Mom! Mom! When is the Knight coming?”

“He’ll be here soon . And I’ll report anyone who doesn’t listen to their mother to the Knight . Go upstairs and play . ”

The children pouted, but the threat worked, and they went back to the second floor .

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lee’s daughter-in-law heard a pounding on the front door .

‘Are they already here?’

The promised time for the dinner was still fifteen minutes away . However, she preferred them to arrive early than being late .

“Yes! I’m coming!”

She went to the front door .

Click!

“Welcome...!”

She put on a pretty smile on her face to greet the awaited guests . However, her smile froze when she opened the door .

- Hello .

A demon-like being with striking red eyes stood outside the door .

“Kyahhhhhhhhhhhk!”

She screamed as she ran into the house . Unlike her, the demon took his time .

Kwah-doo-doo-doo-doohk!

The door was made for humans, so it was too small for Kevil . Kevil forced his body past the doorway and ripped apart the nearby walls .

“What’s going on?”

Lee’s other daughter-in-law and the children came down from the 2nd floor . When their gazes fell down on Kevil, they became paralyzed as if they had seen the Medusa from Greek mythology . Confusion, shock, and fear filled their eyes .

“What’s wrong!”

Lee came running in and saw Kevil .

- I found you .

Grin!

Kevil’s demonic mouth widened .

Ba-dump!

Lee heard the heartbeat, and fear overtook his entire body .