episode_0049

Minesweeper!

Minesweeper can be said to be a truly contradictory game. Although it has disappeared these days, many people still know it as it was a basic Windows game.

However, there are not many gamers who have played Minesweeper seriously. Is there any reason to play Minesweeper when there are many more stimulating and attractive games available as long as you have the Internet installed?

I, too, had only tried it a few times during computer lab classes. Of course, my minesweeper skills have improved since I found out about Hyeoncheonja’s secret.

At least, Hyeoncheonja’s level of movement is at a level that can be easily overcome.

“So, if this space is now number 3, the mine number 2 in the next space will automatically be at this location.”

“Oh..”

I am an expert because I am an expert, and there was a need for Heukmyo to understand this game. If I don’t know anything and just solve it, it will be difficult for the black cat to be interested.

Although it is a problem of medium difficulty level, it is better to solve it with two people.

This is my first minesweeper in 8 years. It is unknown to what extent the head has rusted.

“If you don’t know, just skip it. Place this red stone to mark only the things you are truly certain about.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

Minesweeper is a game that surprisingly requires luck. It’s not uncommon for mines to explode when you step on them for the first time, and it’s also not uncommon for mines to explode when you’re poking around to find a new group of mines.

So the first step is important.

“Start.”

“Me too.”

The black cat and I opened the wooden door at the same time. There were no numbers on the board I opened. In the original Minesweeper game, empty land was automatically marked, but there was no such thing here. As I opened each plate one by one, a certain outline was revealed.

“Whew, this won’t be easy.”

The time limit is 5 minutes. It’s a very generous time limit for a 10×10 board, but considering the time it takes to open a wooden board, it doesn’t seem like such a generous time limit.

The black cat also did as instructed, starting with the board without the numbers written on it and opening it step by step to reveal the outline.

“Black cat, deal with the 1 in the corner first. If it’s a 1 in the corner, it’s immediately confirmed, so narrow it down one by one from there.”

“Ah…ah. That’s right!”

I also started with 1 in the corner. Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I solved a puzzle, but I feel like my brain isn’t working at all. Anyway, Minesweeper is a fight where you don’t make mistakes, so you just have to calmly calculate.

We found 1 in the corner, confirmed the mines, and started opening them one by one, starting from around 1.

What is the most difficult number in Minesweeper?

Personally, I would like to choose number 3. There isn’t much to do with 4 or 5 and the surroundings are revealed quickly, but 3 is quite tricky when linked with 2 or 1.

“Tsu-eup.”

As I worked through it step by step, I ran into a problem.

When numbers are lined up in one column. Since it is not possible to identify a land mine just by looking at the numbers lined up in a row, it is necessary to fill in the information on the other side.

When this happens in a game of Minesweeper, you have no choice but to pray and open any space.

Fortunately, I have a compartment opened by a black cat.

First, let’s check the board that Black Cat opened. Not many black cats have confirmed landmines yet. So far, 3. I didn’t want to disturb the black cat that was squatting and contemplating, so I headed in the other direction.

Fortunately, the lower part was quickly connected to mine, so I was able to quickly identify the mine.

“Hmm… Let’s say it’s over here… No, there’s already a 1 here, so there’s no way there’s a bomb here too… Ah! Then this is it!”

There are roughly three mines left. All we have to do is solve the area that the black cat is solving. I looked at the time and saw that there was still about half of the time left.

“Uhm…so this is 4…and this is 2…”

The sight of the black cat grunting and letting go is very cute.

“Why don’t we look the other way?”

In fact, this version of Minesweeper has a small number of sections, so it is quite difficult for beginners. The mine rate of 20% means that Minesweeper difficulty is between intermediate and advanced.

In fact, since the advanced part is largely left to luck, should we say that 20% is a category that can be narrowly solved with skill?

“Here, how about starting from this part?”

“Ah! Yes, I guess I can solve that!”

As I was happily watching the Minesweeper newbies… I suddenly thought of the KakaoTalk room. [Reincarnation Truck] That bastard.

For a moment, an ominous feeling passed through my mind.

Even back then, I was dragged in for making a fuss about being a newbie, but I wonder if something is still happening now?

“Black…”

“solved!”

The black cat opened the last space.

“Phew.”

Fortunately, there were numbers written inside, not bombs.

Shake!

But wouldn’t all the compartments open at that moment and the bomb reveal itself? On the outside, it looked like a small wooden barrel, but the red paint on the lid made it clear to anyone that it was a bomb.

Chijijijijiji…

And the sound of a burning wick being heard from somewhere.

“Crazy?”

When I turned my gaze toward the nearest bomb, I could see a lit fuse connected to the bomb somewhere.

“No, you got it right!”

“Senior! Avoid it first!!”

Dammit, where did I go wrong? That may be so. After all, wrong answers come from blind spots in perception. No matter how much I guess, there is a high probability that I will get the wrong answer wrong again. No matter how unfair I feel, the wick is on fire!

Before I knew it, the black cat hugged me and ran away. The scent seemed to hit me once, but then I was caught and thrown outside the minesweeper board.

“Rule Let’s hide behind the tombstone!”

“Okay!”

Right after Black Cat and I hid ourselves in the tombstone plate.

Piyuyuyung–!

Fuuu!!

Fireworks rose high up on the ceiling of Bidong and decorated the sky.

“…Wow.”

“This guy…I was surprised.”

If you hit a minesweeper, did fireworks explode? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. In the game [Murim World], there were usually screen effects when you solved these mini games. Confetti exploding or flower petals exploding. No matter how old I am, I can’t remember every single one of these things.

Bombs, or rather firecrackers, were ignited one by one, filling the air. It was so dark that it was difficult to see clearly without a torch, so the explosion of fireworks was quite charming.

It’s a firecracker.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, I think I saw it once or twice a year. When firecrackers, I don’t know where or for what event, started to decorate the sky, it was only then that I stuck my head out and admired them.

Although it was a small firework that was different from other large-scale fireworks, the way it bloomed into a neat flower of fire and then disappeared with sparks was enough to bring out the charm of fireworks.

It’s beautiful enough to steal your attention even as you calm your startled heart.

I also admired the firecrackers, following the black cat who was looking at them with exclamations of exclamation.

“Ah…”

As the flame of the last firework died down, the black cat let out an exclamation of regret.

“It’s a pity…she was pretty.”

“Hmm…I see.”

I was completely absorbed in the fireworks display that I had seen for the first time in a long time. But regardless of the lingering feelings, we had no choice but to quickly move to Building 3.

The ceiling of Bidong was quite high, but it still didn’t change the fact that it was a closed space. The acrid smell of gunpowder washed over us.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the 3rd building will be like. Ah, I thought it would be fun to take that test again.”

While the black cat’s eyes were sparkling, I was slowly relaxing.

*** ***

The black cat walked along the path to Building 3 with anticipation. Was it because I was surprised when the bomb exploded earlier? Hocheonan looked a little droopy.

‘It’s also fun.’

Heukmyo also didn’t expect that Hocheonan would be hiding things other than enlightenment, but that made it all the more enjoyable. What a fun Bi-dong!

The Ashura statue, the search for the bomb, and the feast of fireworks shown in commemoration of finding the bomb. They were all very interesting and beautiful.

What other tests await in Building 3?

To Black Cat, the exam at Hall 3 felt more like a gift than a test.

When they reached the third pavilion, a cavity larger than ever greeted Black Cat and Hocheonan.

‘structure?’

The black cat raised the torch high. Simple structures were spread out widely in the space below Building 3.

“There is a tombstone here. Let’s read it.”

“Okay.”

The black cat read Bi-dong’s words with a pounding heart.

[Congratulations to the speaker on passing Part 2.]

[If the first gate tests the Yeonja’s martial arts skills and the second gate tests the Yeonjae’s brains, the third gate will test the Yeonjae’s luck.]

[Yeonja, can you see the numerous buildings spread out in front of the stone monument?]

[It looks fine on the outside, but it is just a building made up of wooden boards and trees.]

[Do you see the green spheres placed between the buildings? Destroy them using the three bombs placed below three times in total.]

[The red bomb is the most versatile bomb. When the blue bomb explodes, it splits into three smaller bombs. The yellow bomb is light and can fly far.]

[The green marbles can be destroyed just by shaking or falling on the structure, so keep in mind that collapsing the structure can also be a method.]

“It’s luck…”

Ho Cheon-an chuckled. I wonder if there were one or two people who were captivated by this phrase and performed new save and load techniques in these three halls. Ho Cheon-an was like that too. Here, I changed my angle and selected a bomb to try to destroy at least one more green orb…

It was all pointless.

Ho Cheon-an asked the black cat who was looking at the bomb.

“What do you want to throw?”

“Hmm? Doesn’t your senior know something?”

“They say this gateway is luck. Anyway, I’m weak so I can’t throw it far.”

“Still, it looks like fun, but the senior also threw it!”

“No, just throw it all away.”

Ho Cheon-an burst into laughter as he saw the attitude of the black cat with ‘I want to throw everything!’ written on his invisible face. It’s not appropriate to make concessions.

“There’s nothing you can do about it! Then, let’s throw the red bombs one by one, starting with the red ones!”

The black cat, who was thinking about ‘which bomb to throw’, got the chance to throw all three bombs, and neatly picked up the red bomb first.

“Mmm. There is no wick. Shouldn’t we light it on fire?”

“If you throw it down, it will explode on impact.”

“Then let’s go!”

The black cat threw the bomb with force. The bomb, filled with the power of an expert at its peak, went in a parabola and entered the middle of the largest building.

And after a while.

Kwaaaa!!

The building began to collapse along with a large explosion. The pillars are falling down, the floor is collapsing, and the building is literally collapsing!

Grumble. Rumbling!

“…Wow…”

A structure that appears to be about the size of a four-story building collapses with a single bomb!

The black cat opened its mouth in admiration. No matter how much it was designed to collapse, the sight of a large structure collapsing by one’s own hands was enough to give the black cat a thrill.

“Senior! This is amazing! Senpai, are you really not going to throw this?!”

“Draw. I told you to throw everything.”

Ho Cheon-an’s heart also pounded at the sight of the real explosion scene, which was different from the scene he had only seen on screen. For some reason, Ho Cheon-an felt like the bombs were more like grenades than ‘the birds’, so he was reluctant to throw them himself.

The black cat was excited and threw bombs one after another. The blue bomb thrown at another structure exploded and fired three small shells, and those three shells hit different structures and knocked down some of them.

“Senior! senior! Look, I’m going to put this yellow bomb in the middle of that cylindrical structure over there!”

“Uh, yes.”

A giggling black cat and a sad Hocheonan. It was a truly contrasting picture, but it was good for the black cat because it was fun, and it was also good for Hocheonan to be able to obtain Gijin Ibo.

Just as the black cat had said, the yellow bomb went right into the center of the cylindrical structure and soon collapsed with an explosion sound.

“Oh, this is a scene from a movie.”

“Movie? What is that?”

“There is such a thing. By the way…oh there it is.”

Rumbling.

Ho Cheon-an, who had expressed his feelings without realizing it, changed his voice. The black cat also slowly woke up from the afterglow of the explosion and came to its senses.

“Ah, that’s a shame. I wanted to take one as a souvenir.”

The black cat noticed that the compartment where the bomb was placed was closed and quenched its appetite. It is not known whether the creator of this organ was really a Hyeoncheonja, but even if he was a Hyeoncheonja, it seemed like something bad would happen if the organ was damaged, as it showed a technical skill that would be appreciated.

“There’s no way you would let me take something that dangerous.”

“Well, that’s true.”

The black cat obediently agreed. It was a truly dangerous item that had the appearance of exploding a temporary building, so if it were actually taken, various problems would arise, starting with handling.

“Well, the souvenir harvest starts now.”

Ho Cheon-an stared inside the open door.

Now that the non-consent test was over, it was time to reap the fruits.