Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

As I walked back to the battlefield, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘I killed a human, and yet I’m not as shaken as I thought I’d be. I guess I’ve already become an otherworlder.’

I prayed for Scarlet’s soul as I walked.

Poor girl… I hope she finds love and happiness in her next life, with a good man and a loving family.

When I arrived, I saw the devastation and the party members resting.

“Ahren!”

Yeriel, who had been looking around, jumped up and ran towards me.

“Unnng.”

Her legs must have been tired, as she tripped and fell while running towards me. I quickly caught her.

“You must be exhausted, but why are you running like that? I saw you struggling and gasping for breath earlier.”

Yeriel smiled sheepishly.

“Hehe, did you see that? But I couldn’t just stand by when I knew Ahren was the most exhausted. Good job, Ahren.”

Derek, who had arrived at some point, spoke up.

“Yes, good job, Ahren. …The fact that you came alone means…”

Derek hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

I nodded heavily at Derek, who was struggling to speak.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Everything you heard earlier was true. I shouldn’t have tried to date or lead a party when I’m like this.”

Seeing Derek suddenly in self-blame mode, I felt awkward and said, “Yes, Derek. It’s definitely your fault. But just because this happened…”

It’s not all Derek’s fault.

“Even if it’s a matter of romance, the party you created by inviting each person based on your experience still has meaning.”

I looked him in the eye and continued calmly.

“It’s not just Derek’s fault, or mine, or hers. Even if we blame each other, Scarlet won’t come back and apologize. Let’s just forget about it now.”

Derek bowed his head and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his head and shouted, “Yes! I’ll have to keep my mind straight until we get out of the dungeon. I’m sorry for showing such a pathetic display! Let’s rest and go hunt those goblins!”

Good. It seems like his mental care is working. This is more like the Derek I saw on the first day.

Bernard and Hans were still sleeping, and I realized that while the three men had slept, I hadn’t slept at all last night.

I found a decent sleeping bag and lay down.

“Ahren, I’ll take the night watch, so you can sleep well. I’ll wake up those two over there and take turns, so don’t worry.”

As I closed my eyes, Yeriel came over and wiggled her fingers.

“Th-that… Ahren. The tent is broken, so can I sleep next to you? I don’t have any other intentions, I just feel safer sleeping next to you.”

Ah, with four men and one woman, it must be a bit uncomfortable. I should sleep next to her because of that bastard Hans.

“Of course. Lie down next to me. Sleep well, and let’s have a good start tomorrow.”

“Yes! Good night, Ahren.”

Yeriel lay down next to me and closed her eyes.

‘I should sleep too. Chaos must have been worried, watching over me today.’

Thinking back on today’s events, I realized that I was still very inexperienced.

What if I had felt the pain of the magic but didn’t awaken my magic?

What if I hadn’t been able to cut through Scarlet’s last magic by chance?

I would have burned to death. The thought is terrifying.

‘I’m sorry for making you worry with my careless and reckless behavior.’

[Chaos says he(Ahren) feels like a son who did something wrong and is apologizing to his mother, and that it’s cute.]

Hehe, Chaos can be a bit eccentric sometimes.

Mother… If I had a kind mother, I might have grown up differently.

Stop thinking about it and go to sleep.

[Chaos says she wants to be called something other than ‘mother,’ but doesn’t finish her sentence.]

.

.

.

Knock knock knock.

“Ahren. Ahren. It’s time to wake up. We need to get ready and leave.”

Knock knock.

“Come on! I know you’re tired, but you’re taking too long to wake up.”

Hmm.

I stretched my upper body, enjoying the feeling of a well-rested sleep, and when I opened my eyes, Yeriel’s face was right in front of me.

“Ett, ugh, ugh.”

Cute.

“Cute.”

“—!”

Hmm? Oh.

“It’s not that, it’s just that I was thinking to myself…”

Why is her face so red?

“Haha. Yeriel, you’ll burst if you keep blushing like that.”

[Chaos laughs at the conversation.]

I must have been so tired from yesterday’s events that I’m not thinking straight. I should reflect on that.

“Let’s get ready and go to Derek!”

“Hehe, I’m ready. Let’s go!”

I didn’t have much to prepare, as my sword was broken.

I quickly put on my equipment and walked with Yeriel, whose face was still red.

The three men had already finished their preparations and were sitting together.

When they saw us, Derek spoke up.

“You’re here. The atmosphere seems a bit strange. Is everything okay?”

“Of course. Of course it is. By the way, my sword broke yesterday, so do you have another spare weapon?”

“I already asked Hans to find one for you. Hans, give the sword to Ahren!”

I sat down and made eye contact with Bernard, and Hans brought me the sword.

It was a spare, so the quality wasn’t great.

Anyway, Derek gathered everyone’s attention and began his briefing.

“Okay, now that everyone’s here, let’s start the briefing. If we go down the hill and walk a little further, we’ll reach the goblin village. The escape portal is located in the center of the village.”

The key is how we break through to the center.

“Most of the goblins in the village are just goblins, but there’s a high chance of encountering unique individuals like goblin archers or shamans.”

But don’t worry, Derek patted his chest.

“As long as we’re careful of the archers’ first attack, I can protect us from the shamans’ primitive magic or weak curses.”

Archers can be dangerous, as I’ve experienced their first shot a few times.

‘Primitive magic? Is it called that because it’s magic used by shamans, or is it actually ancient magic?’

I asked Chaos, and as expected, she explained it in a way that was easy to understand.

[Chaos says that primitive magic is magic that directly manipulates elements like fire and wind, so it has higher destructive power compared to orthodox magic, but it’s lacking in other aspects.]

It’s like the magic used by monsters.

As Chaos finished explaining, Derek cleared his throat and continued.

“However, you should be careful because the closer we get to the center, the higher the chance of encountering a chieftain-level hobgoblin.”

Hobgoblins… In subculture, the strength of hobgoblins varies greatly.

“These hobgoblins are adult male-sized, and not only do they have superior physical abilities, but they also possess random traits due to their chieftain status.”

Derek raised his index finger as a warning.

“Since we don’t know what traits they’ll use to attack, we can’t let our guard down.”

Derek shrugged as he spoke.

“Sometimes, we encounter individuals with multiple traits… but the probability is very low, so just keep it in mind.”

‘When someone says that, it usually happens in cliches, right? I feel anxious.’

As I listened, I had a question. If I kept asking myself, I might miss Derek’s explanation, so I asked directly.

“I’ve been wondering about this. If the escape portal is in the goblin village, and we occasionally see other adventurer parties on the 3rd floor…”

Derek snapped his fingers, saying it was a good question.

“Ahren, you’ve lost your memory, so you might be underestimating the adventurers in the dungeon just by looking at them.”

Hmm.

“Unless it’s necessary for cooperation or alliance in the middle and upper layers, you should strictly distinguish between your party and other adventurer parties.”

Derek made a gesture and expression as if he was scaring us.

“Adventurers are usually extremely greedy for profit. After all, they enter the dungeon, risking their lives, to gain traits, wealth, experience, and knowledge. Why would they cooperate to escape quickly unless it’s absolutely necessary?”

Ah, that makes sense.

“In the dungeon, you should be most cautious of seemingly kind adventurers. This place is like a lawless land where strength is everything.”

Derek shook his head.

“If you let your guard down, you’ll most likely get backstabbed and lose everything, if not worse. You might even die without a trace.”

Derek made a gesture of slitting his throat and pulling out his tongue.

“Noble? Non-human? Unless you take special measures, if you die here, your body will be swallowed by the dungeon and used to create monsters.”

‘The expression ‘swallowed by the dungeon’ is creepy.’

“Most adventurers’ goals are growth and wealth, not escape. Keep that in mind.”

Wow, I realized that I had been thinking foolishly.

While my primary goal is to escape the 3rd floor, it’s not the same for other adventurers.

They entered the dungeon to earn money and become stronger, so the idea of joining forces and escaping together doesn’t make sense.

So, they have to share the pie…

I realized that meeting this party, whose primary goal was to escape, was a great stroke of luck.

“Okay, to summarize, most of them will be goblins, but always be cautious of the archers’ ambushes. I can defend against the shamans, and if we encounter a chieftain-level goblin, we’ll deal with it according to its abilities.

Derek pointed to each party member.

“In search mode, Derek and Bernard will be in the front, Ahren and Yeriel in the middle, and Hans will be in the back carrying the luggage.”

Nod.

“In combat mode, Ahren will be the front-line damage dealer, Yeriel will move to the back, and Bernard and Hans will protect them. Let’s go!”

As we finished the briefing, Derek spoke to me.

“It seems like we need a magic user’s firepower, and you’ll have to fill that role. Bernard told me that you’ve awakened your magic and are stronger than before. Can you do it?”

“Of course. I couldn’t even sense magic before, but now I can see it with my eyes and fight goblins. I’ll definitely do it. Don’t worry.”

“Yes. I’m sorry to put such a heavy burden on you, but we’re short on damage dealers. Thank you, and please do your best.”

‘Yes. I created the vacancy for a magic user, so I’ll fill it with my strength.’

With all preparations complete, we began our journey towards the goblin village.