Moon's Labyrinths

In the cave near London, the light only continued to expand . It had grown to the size of a house .

The light was akin to a living being as it sucked in the nearby magical energy . But nothing leaked outside because of the shape of the cave .

Koo-roo-roo-rooo!

In a flash, an ominous cry rang out within the cave . It was a sound that should have never been heard on Earth . This sound was something only Connectors had heard up until this point .

It was the cry of a monster .

Sssssk!

Something crawled out of the light . The size of the monster corresponded to the large light . It was larger than an elephant . The monster barely had a neck, and its head protruded above its shoulders like a tumor . One could clearly see its eyes, nose, and mouth .

Instead of fingers, it possessed claws that resembled knives, and It had eight feet .

Anyone that ran into it would turn blue from fright .

Ooooooooooh!

As if it was satisfied, the monster let out a long cry . It wanted to let its presence be known in this foreign land . It wanted all living beings to cower in fear . It was that kind of a cry .

Hoohk!

The light that had spat out the monster disappeared . Darkness surrounded the cave once again .

The only light that remained was the red glowing eyes of the monster .

Soon, those eyes started to move in various directions .

Koo-roohk!

The monster sounded disgruntled as it let out another cry .

The magical energy in this place was too thin . At this rate, its power and body would deteriorate .

It became very displeased as it tried to find a region ample with magical energy . But the path behind it was a dead end . So it slowly walked down the only path available to it .

Boom! Boom!

It felt as if the cave would collapse just from the vibration created by its steps . However, the monster was nonplussed . It continued to climb up .

***

“What is that?”

A policeman mumbled to himself . He and his fellow policemen had been tasked to quarantine the region near the newly-found cave .

“Is it an earthquake?”

The ground under their feet kept shaking . However, the tremor was too rhythmic for it to be an earthquake . Moreover, this rhythmic vibration was still occurring .

He glanced at his partner who worked the same shift as him . But his partner looked puzzled too .

‘I’m too tired for this . What the hell is going on?’

They had been suddenly given orders to quarantine this region, and they had been working this place for the past couple of days . So, of course, they became annoyed when something strange occurred .

The vibration was getting stronger .

‘I’ve seen this scenario somewhere before . . . ’

He was anxious, so he tried to search his memories as a coping mechanism . It was on the tip of his tongue .

‘Ah . It is that dinosaur movie . ’

This was similar to the scene where an enormous carnivorous dinosaur had slowly approached the main character and his party . A chill suddenly ran up his spine . He had been trying to distract himself, yet he had thought up something more ominous .

‘There’s no way . . . ’

His neck didn’t want to move, but he forced himself to look at the mountain which had been quarantined . He saw the warm sunlight wash over the mountain, and this beautiful scene allowed him to relax .

‘Of course, its nothing . This isn’t some Hollywood movie . ’

However, at that moment, it happened .

Koo-oohhhhhhhhhhh!

He heard a roar, and his heart felt as if it was being torn into pieces . In a flash, strength left his legs, and his feet became unsteady .

“W . . . what the hell!”

His partner became surprised, but he couldn’t even hear his shocked voice . He dumbfoundedly looked toward where the roar had originated .

Boom!

Something crawled out of the open entrance of the cave . It was something unbelievably large . After it exited the darkness, it stood underneath the bright sunlight .

He and his partner were unable to speak for a brief moment . He had thought about the dinosaur movie, yet the thing confronting him in reality was a bit more dangerous than a dinosaur .

Ssssk!

The monster kept twisting its body . It looked like a predator looking for its prey .

At that moment, his eyes met the monster’s eyes .

He subconsciously took a step backward . Just the sight of its red eyes made his body and soul freeze .

Boom! Boom!

It slowly approached them .

The two policemen dragged their shaking legs as they slowly retreated .

Koo-uhhhhhhhhh!

There was nothing nice about its roar .

The two of them jumped in surprise .

“S . . . shit!”

His partner quickly brought up his gun when he finally remembered he had a firearm on his belt . He quickly unfastened it and he aimed at the monster .

However, it was unknown as to whether guns would work on this creature . Guns were powerful weapons, but this monster was too large .

“Ooh-ahhhhhhhhh!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His partner pulled on the trigger . Explosive sounds rang out as bullets flew toward the monster . He quickly pulled on his trigger too .

However, it was useless .

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The target was so large that they hit every shot, but the bullets were ineffective . They just bounced off its skin .

“Ooh ooh-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

When their only weapons didn’t work against it, the two policemen panicked .

They turned around and started running full tilt .

However, the monster had no plans to let them get away .

Ooh-ohhhhhhhhhh

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The monster quickly picked up its pace, and it caught up to the two humans in a flash . Its large feet squashed them .

Kwah-jeek! Kwah-jeek!

Two terrifying sounds of destruction rang out . The policemen didn’t even have the chance to scream .

Flesh and blood were splattered into the surrounding . The only thing left behind was their bloody police uniforms containing their flattened corpses .

The monster looked satisfied at what it had done . It once again moved its gaze .

It had stomped two beings that didn’t know its place by attacking it . But despite doing this, its mood didn’t improve .

The magical energy in its surroundings was just too little . The monster kept swiveling its head, and it caught sight of inner London . It felt the life force of many humans residing there .

It then pierced the two corpses and brought them to its mouth .

Crunch! Crunch!

The monster slowly chewed and swallowed them . It could feel some of its power returning .

However, it wasn’t enough . The amount of power returned was too small . It was minuscule compared to absorbing the ambient magical energy . The monster needed something that could replenish its power instead of magical energy .

Boom! Boom!

So it started to move once again .

Its destination was London which had many prey that would fill its hunger for magical energy .

***

Sungyoon checked his Devices and Gems once again . He made sure everything was there . Since the government of Britain had commissioned him, he was able to receive a special exception . He was able to bring in his Devices and Gems into this country .

After he finished his inspection, he thought about which souvenirs he should buy for Shinhae . He turned on the TV .

The news came on . The anchor spoke clearly as he talked about today’s news .

Sungyoon looked indifferent as he raised the remote . He was about to change the channel .

Suddenly, someone rushed in from out of the screen . It seemed he was the producer, and he passed a paper to the anchor .

‘Is it breaking news?’

Sungyoon paused .

The anchor looked taken aback when he read the paper . He pushed his mic aside, and he conversed with someone offscreen .

Soon after that, he repositioned his mic soon and started speaking . However, the shocked expression on his face remained .

[This is breaking news . A monster has appeared at the outer edge of North West London . I repeat . A monster has appeared at the outer edge of North West London . It is causing indiscriminate damage to property . It is killing people . If you live in North West London, please evacuate . This is real . ]

The anchor kept repeating those words .

‘Monster?’

Sungyoon had been watching the TV with bored eyes, but he suddenly stood up .

‘Outer edge of North West London is where the cave is at . ’

He had a bad feeling . He looked for his handphone, so he could contact Grace .

The anchor had been repeating the warning like a parrot up until that point . However, the screen changed to a reporter who was on scene .

The camera was filming from a helicopter above London . London looked like a miniature model . Its architecture displayed the unique characteristics that were peculiar to Europe .

But currently, London closely resembled hell .

One could hear screams from all directions . Even from the air, people could be seen desperately running away .

Fire and smoke were everywhere, increasing the panic felt by everyone .

Boom!

Sungyoon watched as a building fell .

Something walked out from the wreckage of the building . The enormous body could be seen clearly from the air .

Sungyoon’s face stiffened .

He had never seen it before, but he knew this monster .

“... Behemoth . ”

Unlike the various monsters that appeared in all labyrinths, this monster only appeared in the Great Labyrinth .

It was cruel and vicious . Above all else, it was powerful . Even the veterans of the Great Labyrinth had a hard time killing it, yet it was rampaging through London .

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

Boom boom boom!

The doorbell rang, and someone pounded on the door . Sungyoon opened the door to his hotel room .

“Mr . Sungyoon!”

Jimin stood there, her face as pale as a sheet .

“A . . . a monster appeared in...!”

“I was watching it too . ”

Sungyoon pointed toward the TV . It was still showing the scene reminiscent of a battlefield . Jimin entered the room, and both of them just stared at the TV .

“How can this be?”

Jimin was asking the question, but it wasn’t as if Sugyoon had the answer .

At that moment, Sungyoon’s handphone rang . Grace’s name was clearly displayed on the screen .

- Mr . Sungyoon!

Her voice was desperate .

- We have a serious problem!

“If you are referring to the monster, I’m watching it on TV . ”

As soon as he said those words, another building fell . Jimin’s body started to shake from fear .

- Please go to the site right now! I’ll be down there as soon as I gather my equipment!

“... You want me to stop the Behemoth right now?”

- ... Yes .

The hesitation in Grace’s voice was clearly discernable .

She was Sungyoon’s comrade, but she knew she was asking for something entirely beyond the scope of their relationship .

Sungyoon had come here to investigate the newly-found cave containing the magical energy . He wasn’t here to fight a supersized monster like the Behemoth .

- I beg this of you! Since it is a monster, none of the conventional weapons work on it! Moreover, the only ones with Gems in this entire country are Mr . Sungyoon and me!

Her voice sounded as if she were almost wailing .

Sungyoon silently watched the TV screen and felt fear .

When he had been betrayed, he had despaired at the world . If he were the same person from back then, he wouldn’t have hesitated . He would have turned his back on Grace .

He wouldn’t have cared if hundreds or thousands of strangers died . At the time, he couldn’t even take care of himself .

However, he had changed . At the very least, he now had people, who trusted, supported, and understood him . At the very least, he was capable of sharing affection with these people .

Sungyoon looked at Jimin, who quietly looked back at him . It seemed she had already guessed what the phone call was about .

Their eyes met .

The anguish on her face was evident .

It seemed she had no idea how they should proceed with this situation .

In the end, she came to a decision .

Jimin mouthed her words .

‘Do as you wish . ’

Sungyoon came to a decision, and it was reflected in his face . On the TV, a girl around Shinhae’s age was crying as she ran away with her mother . This sight hardened his resolve .

“Where shall we meet?”

Sungyoon asked Grace .