Moon’s Labyrinths (Web Novel)

‘I guess I am destined to endlessly work in this lifetime.’

Just as Sungyoon had arrived at the standby location, a monster had appeared.

Sungyoon placed the brooch type Device on his shirt and ran out of the room. He climbed up to the roof.

The helicopter’s rotor was already rapidly spinning and generating wind. As Sungyoon reached the helicopter, a stranger ran up beside him. He was the other Connector on standby.

Sungyoon glanced at him as he got on the helicopter.

“Where are we going?”

Sungyoon double-checked that he had all his Devices and Gems and asked the pilot.

The other Connector also checked his gears.

The pilot raised his voice so that Sungyoon could hear it among the noise of the helicopter.

“Chungcheong-do Province!”

“Chungcheong-do? Isn’t that beyond our jurisdiction?”

Sungyoon was in charge of guarding Seoul, and he would travel to the Gyeonggi-do Province at most. Chungcheong-do Province was too far.

“It's an emergency! All the nearby Connectors are being sent to that province!”

The helicopter lifted into the air. The landscape became smaller and smaller as they moved closer to the blue skies. Usually, Sungyoon would look down at the scenery on a journey to the scene of the battle. It had become a small hobby of his. However, when Sungyoon heard the pilot’s words, he forgot that hobby.

“The demonic monster appeared in Chungcheong-do Province. It's trying to kidnap a 1st Gen Connector, and it's a mess there right now!”

***

Sungyoon quietly centered his heart.

Sungyoon was probably Earth's preeminent expert on this demonic monster, which was going after 1st Gen Connectors.

‘Its power is beyond comprehension.’

The demonic monster had complained about its reduced power even when it could alter the terrain around itself. Morevoer, it possessed intelligence.

‘There is no way I can stop it by myself.’

Even if Sungyoon used his full power, he would be lucky to last even a minute. He would also have to face the fear unique to 1st Gen Connectors.

‘Thankfully, other Connectors will be there too.’

Since even Sungyoon, who was stationed near Seoul, had been called to this site, it meant the call to arms was very widespread.

‘A lot of Connectors will gather.’

With numbers, Sungyoon thought he might have a chance.

‘That bastard has a time limit on its power.’

He had no reason to be afraid beforehand. The fight was inevitable, and he just had to put himself in the best position for victory.

“We are almost there.”

Hearing the pilot, Sungyoon looked down from the window. He saw the prototypical farming village, and only rice paddies filled his sight. The water had been drained after harvest, so the ground had split to reveal the muddy earth. Stacks of hay lay all over the rice paddies.

However, the helicopter wasn’t heading toward the fields, but to a cluster of houses amongst the large fields.

A while ago, these farming houses had bumpy roof tiles upon them, and the houses gave off a rustic feel. In these houses, this country village's farmers lived a peaceful life. However, these very houses were burning right now.

Sungyoon opened the door to the helicopter and stuck out his head to get a better look.

Around ten Connectors surrounded the burning houses. It seemed they had fought a very fierce battle as they weren’t in a good state.

Their opponent was the being inside the burning building.

“Is that the demonic monster?”

The other Connector in the helicopter stuck his head out behind Sungyoon. He gulped. Even though they were a good distance away from the ground, they still felt pressured.

Several other helicopters that had transported the Connectors were on the ground nearby.

“You’ll have to get off here.”

The pilot spoke. Sungyoon gave a retort.

“Isn’t there a bit more to go?”

“It's too dangerous. I was told to drop you off here and wait a distance away.”

The pilot then pointed downward.

The eyes of Sungyoon and the other Connector followed the finger, and they furrowed their brows.

In the open field, they saw a crashed helicopter surrounded by flames. In fact, it seemed there were more helicopters on the ground. They lay in pieces in the fields, so it was hard to tell how many had crashed. If one went by the number of rotors on the ground, there were at least three.

“After letting off the Connectors, four helicopters flew nearby to capture the footage of the battle. However, a fire whip suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took the helicopters down.”

“Did the pilots make it out alive?”

Sungyoon spoke with a bit of hope in his voice. However, only an uncomfortable silence came as the reply. Sungyoon didn’t ask any further questions and just infused magical energy into his Gems. His armor appeared on his chest.

Caught off guard by Sungyoon’s Gem activation speed, the Connector beside him jumped in surprise. He then also injected his magical energy into his Gems.

“I’ll get off now.”

“Please wait a moment. Let me lower the altitude for you.”

The helicopter was extremely high up. Sungyoon looked at the other Connector, who had already put on his armor. When Sungyoon saw the other Connector nod, he replied.

“It’s fine.”

Sungyoon prepared to jump when—

Kwahhhhhng!

A loud explosive sound rang out at the battle location.

Sungyoon turned to look at the source of the sound. As if a volcano were erupting, a fierce flame erupted from the demonic monster’s hands. However, the demonic monster wasn’t attacking the group of Connectors whom Sungyoon was going to assist.

The fire whip's target was a group of six, who approached the demonic monster.

Sungyoon’s eyes widened when he saw the group. The one running in front of the group looked like a black doll, and Sungyoon found it familiar.

‘Black armor?’

This group was the one who had ambushed him and the researchers on the Moon and who had vanished after running away into the labyrinth.

Sungyoon saw the archer running behind the black-armored man.

Glance!

The archer turned his head, and he met eyes with Sungyoon.

They were very far from each other, but Sungyoon was sure the archer had spotted him. A distance of this magnitude wasn’t an impediment for a Connector’s eyesight.

The archer kept running, but he aimed his bow for the helicopter Sungyoon was in.

“Pull back more!”

Sungyoon yelled at the pilot in desperation, then shot himself out of the helicopter.

The other Connector jumped out after him, and they heard the helicopter changing direction.

Ssssk.

Resembling a mirage, an arrow appeared beside the bow when the archer pulled the bowstring.

The arrow's target was Sungyoon.

Toohng!

The arrow shook a little bit before the bowstring launched it. The calm arrow opened its mouth and revealed its sharp teeth.

Hooong!

With a terrifying destructive sound, it flew through the air. Sungyoon raised his shield.

Kwahng!

“Kooooooohg!”

Sungyoon felt as if he had been hit by a missile.

This arrow was much stronger that the one he had blocked on the Moon. He became worried his shield might break.

Thankfully, the arrow failed to penetrate the shield. However, the force hurled Sungyoon’s body backward, and since he was in the air, he couldn’t decrease his speed.

Boom!

Sungyoon fell far away from his intended destination. He put strength into his legs as he watched the fire burn in the distance.

Too-hwahk!

Dirt flew into the air every time his feet pushed off. Sungyoon ran straight toward the fire an extraordinary speed. He used his long strides to travel the distance, jumped over the ridges between the rice paddies, and stepped over the cut rice plants.

Boom!

One of the helicopters in the air blew up, but it wasn’t caused by the flames of the demonic monster.

Sungyoon had seen a small line split through the air and landed on the helicopter. He was sure the archer had shot an arrow, and his face distorted in a demonic manner.

All the helicopters tried to retreat, but the barrage of arrows toward the helicopters continued.

Boom! Boom!

Two helicopters blew up. The rotor flew through the air, and the flaming wrecks of the two helicopters landed on the rice paddies.

Sungyoon charged up the narrow road between the fields. He could see the archer aiming his bow again. Sungyoon summoned his halberd and reversed his grip.

Boom!

Each step felt heavy. The force that traveled up his feet was used alongside the elasticity of his body to send the halberd flying.

Shoooohk!

The halberd flew in a straight line, and the archer, who had been about to unleash another arrow, flinched.

Boom!

The archer raised his shield to block the halberd.

Despite the massive amount of power behind the throw, the archer easily deflected the halberd. Then, as if to show that Sungyoon’s attack was nothing, he brushed off his shield and pointed the bow toward Sungyoon.

However...

Puhhhhhhng!

An enormous flame erupted behind the archer.

The archer looked backward and shook his head several times as if he was unsatisfied. He turned his back on Sungyoon and dashed toward the direction where the flame had erupted.

Sungyoon unsummoned his halberd as he stared at the back of the archer.

He also ran toward the the place the archer was going to.

***

The intense heat and the black smoke covering the sky created a dreary atmosphere.

Sungyoon ran at full speed and arrived at the location where his fellow Connectors were present. However, they didn’t have the time to exchange any pleasantries.

“What the hell is that?”

Sungyoon unconsciously mumbled.

He had seen it from afar, but it took him aback when he saw it up close. A battle was occurring in front of him.

However, it wasn’t a battle between the dispatched Connectors and the demonic monster. His assumption had been wrong.

‘What an intense fight.’

On the battlefield, the ambushers and the demon type monster were fighting each other as they razed the land around them.

What relationship did the two groups have?

Did the ambushers decide the monsters that had appeared on Earth had to be destroyed?

Or was there some unknown reason that Sungyoon didn’t know about?

‘Their power...’

Sungyoon lowered his shield. He still remembered the numbing sensation when he had blocked the attacks from the ambushers. They weren't this strong on the Moon.

‘No. Their power did not increase. I got weaker.’

Sungyoon realized the reason behind the power disparity. A Connector’s power on Earth was lower than what it was on the Moon.

‘It means the ambushers don't face a power reduction when going from the Moon to Earth.’

This might be the reason the six ambushers could fight on equal ground with the demonic monster.

‘Huh?’

As Sungyoon mulled over this puzzle, he caught sight of something.

Someone lay on the ground behind the demonic monster. It was probably the 1st Gen Connector attacked by the monster.

Sungyoon saw an arrow fly toward him.

The archer had joined up with his party and shot an arrow. However, the arrow's aim wasn't the monster, but the fallen 1st Gen.

Ooh-jeek!

The demonic monster punched the arrow out of the air. Then, it used its flame sword to attack the ambushers.

‘The ambushers aimed for the 1st Gen Connector, and the demonic monster protected him?’

It was as if his thoughts fell into a labyrinth. Sungyoon’s mind became tangled in a complicated manner.