episode_0005

Just passing through the so-called gate.

“Amazing.”

“Isn’t it?”

As if flipping a palm, the world changed.

Just a moment ago, there were bustling buildings around me, but now tall trees and lush weeds greeted me instead of people and buildings.

Turning my head around to look around, I saw Chan-sae smiling at me.

“Welcome to the crazy maze. It’s an F-grade maze, so there shouldn’t be any big problems, but let’s stay alert.”

“I’ll rely on you, guide.”

The first thing Chan-sae did was to scout the surroundings.

“The maze is damn huge. Even if it’s only F-grade, it’s wider than Seoul. And the starting point is different every time, damn it.”

“So when you enter the maze, you should first look around.”

“What should I look for?”

“According to the methods known in academies or on the internet, you should look for a large structure or a landmark.”

Answering the question, Chan-sae took out a rectangular device like a phone from his pocket.

“Rather than that, this guy is the best.”

“Wow. That’s a maze map! They say it’s really expensive.”

“Mine is an old model with not many functions, so you can get it for about 500 million.”

“500 million?! Whose house and dog’s name is that?”

“You can earn it quickly by going around the maze.”

“Next time, you’re buying Eunmi Chicken.”

“I bought it yesterday, didn’t I?”

“Thank you for the meal!”

“You crazy bastard.”

Chan-sae chuckled and pointed at the device again.

“Anyway, with this maze map, you can check the map for mazes that have been cleared.”

“What about mazes that haven’t been cleared?”

“You have to chase after large structures or landmarks as the textbook tells you to.”

While explaining various things about the maze, Chan-sae suddenly turned his head.

“Three rats… Jin-soo. Wanna try it for real?”

“What?”

“There.”

“Holy shit!”

When I looked in the direction he was pointing, there were three giant rats.

“Hunter Rat. A damn big rat for an F-grade.”

“Do I even need to say it? Isn’t that wolf-level?”

“Haven’t you seen maze wolves? Would they win against real bears?”

“You’re crazy.”

“So, wanna go for a real fight while we’re here?”

“Can we only take on one?”

“Of course.”

After lightly jumping a few times like a boxer warming up, Chan-sae suddenly disappeared.

To find the disappeared guy, I turned my head to the left once. To the right once. Just two turns.

Bang! Thud!

A sound that was hard to hear normally… something bursting was heard.

The three Hunter Rats became one, and what used to be a Hunter Rat split into two.

“Now, let’s fight.”

Nonchalantly appearing next to me again after killing the monsters at an unrecognizable speed, Chan-sae was smiling.

“Is that… acceleration?”

Asking with a blank expression, he grinned while wiping the blood off his hands.

“Pretty cool, huh?”

“Deadly.”

“But B-grade and above are even more amazing than this. There are so many monsters that I can’t even compare.”

“Will I die?”

“Countless. Just think of it as there’s a crazy bastard swimming in the universe above that guy~ and you’ll feel better.”

I realized the true ability of [Editing] and was happy.

I thought I could become stronger than anyone else given enough time.

It seemed like this world would move according to my will.

But that was all a delusion.

If Chan-sae, who is currently C-grade, looks like this, what about B-grade? A-grade? The rare S-grade in the world?

“I’ll be humble…”

“Yeah. Plus, your ability is shit, so bend your waist at a 90-degree angle. No, bend it at a 180-degree angle. Suck your own dick!”

“Please refrain from vulgar language.”

“This is reality, you dick!”

Ignoring Chan-sae, who was throwing sacred curses at me, I sighed.

“Yeah. It’s [Editing]. In the end, it’s just a job where I receive subcontracted work.”

“Not the protagonist of the video, but as a worker. Let’s find some small happiness on the side.”

Let’s calm down and relax.

That’s that.

“What should I do about that rat?”

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, all my comrades were dead.

There is someone next to me who is suspected of killing my comrades.

I want to attack the culprit, but they seem strong.

I am angry, but there is no way to resolve this.

So.

– Kiyaak!!

They came running towards me, showing their sharp teeth.

“Why is this crazy bastard bothering me?”

Hunter Let was approaching quickly, but I didn’t lose sight of them.

Moreover, I have survived an attack from a murderer before! I can easily dodge it!!

Thunk!

It was not there.

“Aaah!! Sparrow!! I’m dying!! I’m dying!!”

Hunter Let’s sharp fangs pierced my forearm.

My mind went blank as blood spurted out of the wound like a fountain.

“You idiot, psychic powers won’t kill me. When the rat can’t move, quickly stab its head.”

Even though I was screaming for help, the casual advice from my friend on what to do was so infuriating.

“You heartless bastard!!”

Gritting my teeth through the pain, I swung my dagger towards Hunter Let’s head.

If I were someone who had experience handling daggers professionally, I would have wielded it smoothly and swiftly, but I am an editor.

I spend my days sitting in front of a monitor, clicking away on a mouse like a cornered otaku.

There was no way I could handle a dagger well.

I thought I swung it as quickly as possible, but the damn rat sensed the threat and retracted its teeth that were embedded in my wrist, jumping back.

Still, I was close enough to successfully inflict a long gash on its side.

– Squeak!!

[How dare you wound me!!]

If I could understand its words, would it not have said something like that?

“You provoked me first!”

This situation of not being able to properly deal with just a rat made me angry and frustrated, but when I saw the blood flowing from the gaping hole in my arm, my mind cleared.

I quickly took out a minor potion I had copied from my hip bag and sprinkled it on the wound.

“Are you crazy? You wasted that precious thing on just a scratch?”

“You try getting bitten!! It hurts like hell!!”

“I’ve been bitten a lot. I just licked it and it healed.”

“What is this, the Joseon Dynasty?!”

Indeed, a world-famous potion company.

Even though it was a gaping wound big enough for a finger to fit in, just sprinkling the potion on it healed it cleanly.

In a fit of anger, I threw the empty potion bottle at Hunter Let, but the damn rat easily jumped to avoid it.

“Your accuracy sucks. Don’t act like a psychic.”

“Why do you keep picking a fight?!”

“Yeah yeah~ By the way, how long are you going to let a single rat beat you? Use your abilities.”

“My abilities…”

Even if I couldn’t use [Editing], I should at least try using [Separation] that I had publicly revealed.

I removed Hunter Let’s headgear, which was guarding against me from a distance.

“Separation!!”

I didn’t need to say it, but I shouted it for show, [Cutting].

His body and head were separated.

Not stopping there, I turned the severed face 180 degrees.

– Creak?!

In an instant, as his perspective flipped, he began to twist his body in confusion.

“Oh? Surprisingly, it’s not bad?”

“Maybe?”

Although I didn’t demonstrate my true abilities, I felt good thinking that my abilities were recognized.

“Don’t get too excited, go and kill him quickly. The duration is short.”

“Ah.”

Nodding at Chan-sae’s words, I approached Hunter Let.

I got close, but the problem was what came next.

They were glowing too brightly and jumping around, making it difficult to find the right timing to stab them.

I could easily end up with another wound from their blind claws.

I had a good idea after a moment of contemplation.

“If I bring that bastard’s head towards me?”

Even though the body was dancing wildly, the head was floating in the air due to the [cutting off].

What if I stab that head?

The head, of course, was flailing and spitting saliva while opening and closing its mouth, but compared to the body, it was like a fairy.

I waited for the right moment and swiftly stabbed the dagger into the forehead.

– Gik…!!

The guy who got a knife to the brain screamed loudly and soon stopped moving.

The body that was raising dust also came to a halt.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I retrieved my strength and the head and body stuck together through the hole.

As I looked at the bleeding hunter Let through the hole, clapping sounds were heard from behind.

“First kill~ Yadojeongnim has subdued hunter Let~ It’s intense~ It’s intense~”

“Damn, seriously.”

With the help of Chansae, we managed to catch about five more hunter Lets.

Since gaining experience points and leveling up through hunting wasn’t the structure, the first maze exploration ended at the level of just honing our senses.

“How was it?”

“I need to make a lot of money as a psychic.”

“Really? Since it’s a 3D job, right? Dirty~ Difficult~ Dangerous~ But people curse psychics for making a lot of money.”

“I recommend making it mandatory for every ordinary person to subdue one hunter Let.”

“And if an ordinary person dies, will you take responsibility?”

“I retract my statement.”

Casually chatting on the way back to the gate.

Chansae, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped walking.

“Chansae, what’s wrong?”

“Shh.”

When I asked, Chansae put a finger to his lips.

At the same time, he bent his knees and lowered his body.

I also knelt down following Chansae and stuck close to him.

“What’s going on?”

Chansae whispered softly and pointed in a direction with his finger.

Frowning, I scanned the surroundings, but I couldn’t see anything.

On the other hand, Chansae was smiling excitedly for some reason.

“I earned a day’s wage.”

“What do you mean?”

“Over there. Under the tree to the left of the gate.”

“Under the tree to the left?”

Even after getting the exact location, all I could see was dense weeds.

“Ugh. Just stay still here.”

Chansae exhaled and seemed to use [acceleration].

– Kiiiiik!!

Suddenly, a chalkboard scratching sound made me cover my ears in shock.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Chansae pulling out a large plant by its roots with one hand.

Chansae quickly took off his socks and stuffed them into the screaming plant’s mouth.

“Phew. I thought my eardrums were going to burst.”

“You crazy bastard! Give me an explanation! You scared the hell out of me!”

“Sorry, sorry. I was busy catching this guy.”

Chansae showed me the captured plant with a completely unapologetic expression.

The plant was still twisting and turning with the sock in its mouth.

“What is that?”

“Hehehe. It’s a vitality sprout that appears at a low probability in all mazes!”

“Vitality sprout?”

“If you eat it, your physical abilities will be enhanced. But there’s a more important effect.”

“More important than getting stronger? What is it?”

“Strength. Enhancement.”

“Please bestow your grace upon me, esteemed Chansae. Or at least a small root.”

“Nope, not giving it to a loser like you.”

“You little brat!!”