Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

After a long time, the weak authority of Chaos was activated, and an opportunity to absorb traits appeared.

A new trait… It’s been a while since I’ve had one of those.

Aside from the mysterious seal I acquired by accident, the last time the Divine Ability was activated was when I defeated Gornot on the fourth floor and absorbed the Golden Crown.

The monster had four traits in total: Hungry, Endless Accumulation, Flesh Armor, and Strike.

‘I wonder what I’ll get this time. I just hope it’s not Flesh Armor. That one sounds like a trap just from the name.’

If the trait included the words ‘flesh’ and ‘armor’, it could mean that in exchange for damage reduction or resistance, I might end up like Grundal, who died with a body full of fat and muscle.

I was seriously considering visiting the Cathedral as soon as I returned to have the trait removed.

As I was thinking these silly thoughts, I stared intently at the gray light.

“Absorbing!”

[The Divine Ability is activated.]

“What, it’s starting again.”

“Ahren, is something wrong?”

Lumia, who had rushed out of the isolation space faster than anyone else, responded to my muttered words.

I shook my head and laughed it off, saying it was nothing to worry about.

“You know, I have a lot of traits to worry about.”

“Yeah. Ahren is special. I understand.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

There was a brief commotion, but the reason I was surprised was not that.

[Absorbing the trait ‘Endless Accumulation’…]

[Error. There is no linked trait.]

Instead of the trait being absorbed immediately, an error message appeared, similar to when I acquired a different version of a trait of Gospel.

I thought about the reason for this, and I suspected that Endless Accumulation was linked to the Hungry trait, which caused this problem.

“Since the statue hasn’t appeared on the stairs yet, why don’t you guys take a break first? I have something I need to check.”

“Hurry up!”

“If you’re late, the stairs will close, right?”

As I finished my brief conversation with my companions, a crucial message appeared, catching my eye.

[Confirmed. The trait is converted to match the user.]

[Acquired trait ‘Cohesion’.]

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[Cohesion (C)] [A]

The power of accumulation possessed by the hungry giant, Grundal.

With the disappearance of the connecting point, the absorption ability, the half-baked accumulation ability is redefined as a new skill suitable for the user.

Every time a different power is added, a corresponding burden is imposed, and at the same time, very delicate operational ability is required, so caution is required in use.

Consistent use and practical experience can lead to growth.

• Gather various powers and energies to enhance their strength or recreate them as new powers.
•
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“Huh?”

Wait a minute, isn’t this similar to the power that the fictional me, who used Apocalypse and other powers, showed?

As soon as I scanned the abilities of the newly acquired trait, an anxious thought took over my mind: Am I just a pawn running on a predetermined path?

It hadn’t been long since I gave up the path of chaos and the demon sword, and in the tower, which every adventurer must pass through at least once.

Just like the first statue, I acquired a trait that led to a fictional future.

‘Am I being played on a board that someone else set up without my knowledge?’

In fact, perhaps a transcendent being or a god-like entity is secretly influencing my actions and underlying psychology.

For example, Ceres, who is in charge of the concept of chaos… maybe that’s too far-fetched.

Anyway, the timing and reward were too coincidental to just brush it off.

[Chaos dismisses this as an overactive imagination.]

“Isn’t it?”

[Chaos reassures you that you are walking your own path, separate from complex concepts like fate, and that you should not worry.]

Chaos’ kind words calmed my troubled mind.

“Ahren! Look over there!”

As I slapped my chest a few times to calm my fluttering heart, I turned my gaze towards the statue that appeared on the left staircase, as Yeriel called out while covering her mouth with her hands.

A winged cross.

The stairs leading to the floor that would fully restore all personnel upon entry had appeared.

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6th floor. The floor of the cross was filled with only one object, perfectly fitting the theme of recovery.

Of course, this didn’t mean that the object was so huge that it filled the entire floor.

The sense of presence came from the sacred and cozy aura emanating from the cross that stood upright in the center.

“Wow, the entire floor is filled with divine power! How did the Tower create such a sacred object? It’s amazing!”

“I don’t like the feeling…”

As expected, the reactions of Yeriel, a priestess familiar with divine power, and Lumia, a witch who was a branch of dark magic, were completely opposite.

“It’s nice. Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to say I’m tired when we’ve been resting for several floors in a row.”

Veronica also smiled slightly as she began a simple stretching routine.

“I thought I was fine, but I guess I was tired too.”

I also felt refreshed and clear-headed as the fatigue from having my mana drained for several hours melted away.

Whoosh!

Just like the stories I heard in the sanctuary, the stairs to the next floor began to open shortly after we arrived.

Monsters. People. Duel.

“This time, we need to go to the center.”

After climbing more than half of the tower and experiencing all the stairs except for the question mark, everyone already knew which route to take. They knew which choices were good and which were bad.

I was about to suggest going up before the stairs closed when Yeriel, who had been staring at the cross since we arrived on the 6th floor, hesitantly asked:

“Can I take a closer look at the cross before we go up? It won’t take long.”

“You’ve been staring at it for a while. Is there something bothering you?”

“Yeah. It’s strangely attractive. It’s weird. I want to go closer and see.”

She tapped her fingers together and tapped her toes on the floor, looking cute and nervous. After seeing this, I made eye contact with the other two.

Anyone who could reject such an adorable request must be cold-hearted.

Nod.

Lumia and Veronica also nodded slightly, so I decided it was fine.

If there’s any sign that the stairs are closing, we’ll just run.

“Let’s take a quick look and then go, okay? Don’t take too long.”

“Okay!”

“Hmm… I think I know what’s going on.”

Yeriel, with her eyes closed, stroked the wings of the cross, and the light that illuminated the dark gray chamber seemed to brighten even more.

‘What’s going on?’

I didn’t want to disturb her, so I just watched as she examined the cross with great interest.

Slick.

“I think I know what’s going on.”

As soon as Yeriel’s finger touched the wings of the cross, the light that illuminated the dark gray chamber seemed to brighten even more.

It wasn’t just a hallucination. The light had actually become brighter.

What was going on? Was there a hidden gimmick?

Veronica’s experience, the library’s books, and rumors had never mentioned such a phenomenon.

I wasn’t sure if the situation was safe, so I tried to grab Yriel’s shoulder and pull her away from the cross.

But then, another change occurred, and it was a positive one.

[Yeriel’s ‘Divine Blessing’ is activated.]

[Auspicious energy permeates the body, increasing mana and luck by one level.]

‘The hidden gimmick in the cross layer was a level-up event!’

Divine Blessing is a rare trait that only a few devout priests who worship the God of Light can obtain.

It’s no wonder that no one knew that the trait and the tower’s mechanism interacted with each other.

After all, it’s unlikely that any low-level adventurer who challenges the tower would have an A-grade light-related trait.

Yeriel’s pupils glowed with white light, and then the light disappeared.

“Hehe, sorry! I scared you all, didn’t I?”

“Oh, I was so scared I almost had a heart attack.”

Next time, please turn on the blinker before entering.

Fortunately, the result was good, but my heart was pounding with anxiety.

I sighed with relief, seeing that Yeriel was happy with her new growth.

Then, I called everyone together.

“What was that light just now?”

“It looks like she got a trait from touching the cross.”

“It’s not a trait, but her mana and luck have increased by one level. It only applies to Yeriel, so it won’t have much effect if we touch it.”

“Mana has increased by one level? Then we should try it even if it seems hopeless.”

Veronica, who was excited about the increase in mana, approached the cross and stroked its surface.

Of course, there was no response.

Lumia turned her body and shrugged, saying, “I’m not going. I feel like touching it will give me a headache.”

Haha, wise choice.

It was obvious what would happen if someone who possessed black magic and darkness touched a cross that reacted to light.

Clap!

I clapped my hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Let’s go! There doesn’t seem to be anything else to touch, so let’s go up!”

With the newly acquired trait and a well-rested state, we were confident that we could climb the tower without any problems.

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7th floor. The human layer.

I was prepared for another fanatic old man to appear, but instead, a young beggar was waiting for us.

Despite his unkempt appearance, he smelled bad and scratched his crotch.

His condition was surprisingly simple.

He wanted money, and a lot of it.

He emphasized the word ‘a lot,’ so I assumed that coins or silver wouldn’t be enough.

Ting!

So, without hesitation, I tossed a gold coin.

“This is real gold, you know! Wow, look at the quality! I’m going crazy!”

“How about that? Is that enough?”

“Hey, brother. You look like you can handle a gold coin, so give me four more! Fill your hand with them!”

Damn it.

Five gold coins… Damn it.

I didn’t want to haggle and risk the price going up, so I reluctantly tossed more gold coins.

“Haha, thank you! In return, I’ll give you some good energy!”

[□□□ casts ‘Like a Swaying Leaf’.]

[All speeds increase until you leave the tower.]

All speed buffs?

Hmm. If this was a buff I received in the wilderness, it might not have been a bad deal.

“Then I’ll be on my way! Good luck!”

Haha!

The beggar, with gold coins between his fingers, disappeared with a satisfied smile and a gust of wind.

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The monster layer and the question mark layer were chosen in succession.

The first time is always the hardest.

When I chose the monster layer again, I remembered the defense of the 2nd floor.

On the 9th floor, as soon as we climbed the stairs, arrows were shot at us from small holes in the walls.

The chamber seemed to have been stretched out, and the arrows were fired in a straight line.

Every few steps, small holes opened in the walls and shot arrows at us, but thanks to Chaos, I could see the trajectory of the projectiles.

Ping! Tang!

Even if I was hit, the armor or the golden crown blocked the arrows, so as long as I was in front, there was no problem.

‘I can’t believe it. No bad luck?’

During this dungeon exploration, there were many dangerous situations, but no direct bad luck.

I had been worried that bad luck would strike at any moment, but it never did.

I imagined that a message would appear saying that bad luck had struck the user, and all the stairs would change to duels or question marks.

Or I imagined that a Named monster would suddenly appear on the monster layer.

But it was just a figment of my imagination, a result of repeated bad luck.

The first few floors were much more difficult than the latter half of the tower.

‘This is really the last one.’

We had successfully climbed the tower, and we were now at the top.