Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

In front of the bulletin boards divided into individual and group commissions, a crowd had gathered, murmuring among themselves for some reason.

‘What’s going on?’

Wondering if some major request had come in over the past few days, one worth everyone’s attention, I moved closer.

“Damn, I nearly got stabbed last time I went into the sewers. You think those vagrant bastards are pushovers? You’re in for a rude awakening.”

“With that kind of pay, who cares about the stench? I’d be willing to go in for a few days!”

There was no need to push my way through the crowd.

The request was posted right in the center of the board like a manifesto, and thanks to my keen eyesight, I could make out every single word clearly.

Let’s see.

Just as I furrowed my brows and was about to scan it from the top—

A conversation nearby caught my ear.

“Why would they issue such a large-scale official notice about the sewer district? Is something actually going on?”

“Right? Sewer patrol commissions are usually the kind of work low-tier adventurers take on just to earn some contribution points and living expenses, aren’t they?”

“Normally, yeah. As long as you can put up with the disgusting smell, there’s hardly any danger. It’s a repeatable commission meant for building up records.”

The speakers were a man clad in iron armor and a female rogue whose bandana stood out.

“Hah… brings back memories. I used to take on those jobs too, back when I was scraping for a few silver coins.”

The warrior shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

“Not just sewer patrol—I’ve done everything from blacksmith assistant work to odd jobs at inns, even butchering at dismantling workshops.”

“Ugh! Even you, Romain? Now you burn through five gold coins just to get a single piece of equipment.”

“Did I never mention it? I may look like this now, but I’ve had my fair share of struggles. Well… now that I’m a proper mid-tier adventurer, I don’t have to worry about making ends meet anymore.”

With that, he gave the rogue a hearty slap on the back and turned away.

“Let’s go. This request screams trouble.”

“I wasn’t planning on taking it anyway. But why do you say it’s trouble?”

“It’s simple. This used to be an implicit job for parties around the third floor level. But now, the minimum requirement has been clearly marked as the fifth floor or higher.”

“Oh! You’re right.”

“That’s not all. Contribution points aside, ten silver coins per day? The same patrol job, but the pay is nearly five times higher.”

Which meant the original daily pay was two silver coins.

“If you take a five-person party and work for just two days, that’s a whole gold coin. Doesn’t that seem off?”

“You’re right! Spending that much on a low-tier commission doesn’t make any sense.”

“If the rumors about the Holy Knights are true… it’s best to stay out of this. One wrong move, and you’ll end up in a coffin.”

Damn, that’s ominous.

As they walked away, I finished scanning the board.

The request was summarized as follows:

Sewer patrol.

For group applications, a party must have at least four members.

For individual applications, you need to check with the reception desk. You’ll either be matched with other adventurers at a similar level or be temporarily assigned to a party with available spots.

However, each applicant must have explored at least up to the fifth floor.

‘Basically, solo applicants will be matched into a party, or they’ll join an existing four- or five-person group with an open slot.’

The reward was ten silver coins per person per day, with a guaranteed contribution point bonus.

Plus, additional rewards based on performance.

After overhearing that unsettling conversation, I wasn’t sure if I should take the job or not.

Should I just ignore it, focus on training, and after the banquet, take on something safer, like gathering materials in the labyrinth?

Or should I take the risk, join up with new people, and go for this commission with decent conditions and pay?

Yeriel, the priest, was already grinding in the third sector while assisting at the Grand Cathedral to build up contribution points.

Lumia, the mage, had met the floor requirement and was getting contribution point commissions through her academy.

Both of them had rare and valuable classes that allowed them such privileges.

‘And then there’s Veronica, already a mid-tier adventurer—no need to even mention her. That just leaves me.’

Honestly, if I asked my mentor, Evelyn, for a favor, I could probably find a loophole through some Holy Knights-issued commission to gain contribution points.

That’s the power of connections—deep, one-on-one bonds.

But skipping past a crucial promotion event like that without any real effort? I couldn’t allow myself to do that.

More than anything… it just felt wrong.

‘It’s already been a month and a half, and I haven’t even shown my face once.’

In fact, I could have used the excuse of going to see Yerial, who was surely working hard.

I could have also stopped by briefly to proudly tell my master that all my training and struggles had finally led to the achievement of a rank-up.

But I didn’t go.

Saying I was busy was just an excuse… There was no way I was so busy that I couldn’t spare even a single day, so no matter what I said, I had no defense.

And as it was—

—Are you really that Blood Witch’s disciple?

—The personal disciple of a Deep-Level Adventurer, huh? Seems reliable.

I had benefited more than once from hearing things like this.

I guess I just felt guilty, as if I were exploiting my master’s reputation to enjoy an easy life.

‘Alright. Let’s do it. I just need to work hard myself.’

More than anything, there was that prophecy about the depths of darkness, or whatever it was.

A thought suddenly crossed my mind—what if that was referring to the underground sewer?

Intuition. My gut was telling me that was the case.

.

.

.

The various receptionists managing the countless request counters.

I looked at every one of them, regardless of gender, checking their status screens.

I sought out someone with a good personality and sociability—

Most importantly, a receptionist whose counter wasn’t too busy, so I could talk to them for a while without issue.

I found the right one and approached.

“Oh my! Welcome! How can I help you?”

“May I ask a few questions about a request? It would be even better if I could register right away.”

“That’s not exactly my department, but… Sure! I’ve got nothing to do right now, so ask away.”

Fortunately, I got lucky on my first try.

“The sewer patrol request is usually accepted repeatedly by temporarily formed parties, lasting anywhere from a single day to a maximum of three days. You know that, right?”

“Of course. I’ve seen it on the board a few times.”

“That’s great! Then, do you also know that this time, the commander of the 2nd Paladin Order is personally overseeing it?”

Of course, I knew.

I remembered eavesdropping on a party discussing it at a neighboring table at the Minotaur Inn.

They had said that there must be some of them hiding in the city, taking advantage of the chaos caused by Irmela’s rampage.

That the paladins likely planned to root out everything related to the Evil God while they had the chance.

“Yes. About a week ago? I remember hearing rumors in passing.”

But something seemed off.

If this was an issue that had already been rumored for a week, why was the request only now being posted on the board?

I gently probed to see what I could learn.

The receptionist casually explained:

At first, they had planned to recruit adventurers and deploy them immediately.

However, due to concerns raised by some, the Paladin Order decided to patrol on their own first.

After confirming the need to expand the search, they finally issued the request.

“The sewer patrol request was originally recommended for adventurers below the 3rd floor level, but due to this situation, the minimum requirement has temporarily been raised to at least the 5th floor.”

“Why? Did they find something unusual during their patrol?”

The receptionist glanced around before gesturing for me to lean in closer.

Following the motion of her hand pointing at her ear, I brought my face nearer.

She cautiously whispered,

“This information hasn’t spread yet, so please keep it to yourself, Ahren.”

“Of course. I won’t tell anyone.”

“…Apparently, during the paladins’ search, they found a synthetic monster somewhere in the sewers.”

A synthetic monster—did she mean something like a chimera?

A creature with a lion’s head, a serpent’s tail, goat horns, demon wings, and so on.

I remembered reading in a bestiary that such creatures were extremely strong and troublesome.

The situation seemed much more serious than expected, but the receptionist reassured me that it wasn’t that extreme.

“For example… There was a Ratman that inherited a slime’s traits, giving it a squishy outer layer that reduced physical damage.”

“A Slime Ratman, you mean?”

“Yes. Not only that, but there was also a swarm of green slimes that had inherited the intelligence of goblins, allowing them to cunningly ambush in groups.”

“That’s… a bit ambiguous.”

How should I put this?

It seemed like these were monsters that adventurers exploring the 1st to 3rd floors of the dungeon might struggle with.

“Exactly. They’re all creatures that existed before, so the danger level is very low… But the fact remains that these are unprecedented mutations.”

That was true.

Even outside dungeons, weak monsters like goblins, ordinary slimes, Ratmen, and Kobolds could be commonly found—

Not just in the sewer districts of cities, but across the entire continent.

I had heard that dangerous high-level monsters lurked in places like the Death Lands in the south, but I didn’t know much about that.

“Ahren? What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Oh, I was just relieved. When I heard ‘synthetic monster,’ I immediately thought of a chimera.”

“Oh dear… Just imagining a creature like that roaming the underground is horrifying.”

The receptionist shook her head, saying that such a thing was impossible.

“Anyway, something has definitely changed in the sewers. I just hope it doesn’t escalate into a major problem…”

“…”

“Even if they aren’t on the level of chimeras, when you look at their corpses, you can’t help but feel that they were artificially created by someone. I saw one briefly a few days ago, and it seriously gave me chills.”

She suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Oh no! Just forget I said that!”

Apparently, even though they hadn’t found anything beyond these low-tier monsters, the people sent down were already feeling uneasy.

It was time to get to the main point.

“Can I register alone? Or are all the spots full? Should I go to another counter—”

“Oh, come on, we started here, so let’s finish it here. Don’t go anywhere! I’ll handle everything for you. Just a moment!”

The cheerful receptionist operated a magical device.

“If you’re solo… Ah, Ahren, you’re currently challenging for a rank-up, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then I’ll list you as a frontline role with a dungeon depth of 9th floor for party matching. There are fewer applicants than expected, so you might get grouped before the day ends!”

I subtly asked why there weren’t many applicants, despite the reward being 10 silver coins per person per day.

The answer came immediately.

“As a guild receptionist, I probably shouldn’t say this, but adventurers tend to be very sensitive to superstitions, intuition, and risk.”

“True. Even earlier, I heard people saying it was an ominous request and best to avoid.”

“Right? Many people think, ‘If I’m going to risk my life, I’d rather do it in the dungeon!’”

Hearing her response, we shared a knowing chuckle.

“I really hope everything returns to normal soon. Alright! You’re registered! Now, just take a seat at one of the nearby tables.”

After wrapping up our pleasant conversation, I sat at a table and observed the other adventurers.

It wasn’t long before signs of a temporary party forming became apparent.