Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

“Then, Lumia, see you at the guild tomorrow.”

“Okay, bye.”

After breakfast, since we had extended our stay for one more day, we decided to return to the inn where we had originally stayed.

Although it was a bit shabby, the owner was kind, and most importantly, it was the inn that accepted Lumia, so it would be better to move our belongings here tomorrow.

“Yeriel, how about moving to this inn tomorrow?”

I slowly listed the reasons why it would be a good idea.

“To go to the guild or the library, we’ll have to take a carriage. It’s also cheaper, and it’s a bit inconvenient to keep saying goodbye and arranging where to meet tomorrow.”

Yeriel nodded without much hesitation.

“Yes, since Lumia can’t move, we should go. If we’re staying at the same inn, it’ll be easier to talk and plan things. Let’s move tomorrow!”

Yes, if we weren’t a hastily formed party of 5-6 people and had separate inns, it would be different.

Now that we’re a fixed party of three, it wouldn’t feel right to have one person staying far away.

We took the carriage back to the carriage station.

After informing the innkeeper that we would be checking out tomorrow, we said our goodbyes and went to our respective rooms.

Phew, today was another tiring day.

After quickly taking a shower, I fell asleep before I could think of anything else.

.

.

.

They’re gone.

“Ugh.”

Once again, I was alone.

The darkness of the curse that I hated and yet was so familiar with enveloped me once more.

“I’m sick of this…”

When I stood next to Ahren, the darkness disappeared.

It felt like I had returned to my childhood days, when I played carefree with my friends, without any worries.

Back then, my ears and hair weren’t black.

“I miss you.”

It was harder to deal with the loss of something I had briefly experienced than never having it at all.

…

…

I wasn’t born with the curse, which gave me the appearance of an Arar.

One day, out of the blue, my hair turned black, and my eye color changed. I was a rare, late-onset Arar, so rare that most people didn’t even know of their existence.

It was just another day of playing with my friends when it happened.

Suddenly, my head started to hurt so badly that I had to hold it and sit down.

When the pain subsided, I looked around. It was strange that no one came to me when I was in pain.

“My hair turned black.”

My friends’ faces looked like they were seeing a monster.

“I know what this is! It’s an Arar! Lumia turned into an Arar!”

“Run away, everyone!”

My hair turned black?

With trembling hands, I pulled out a few strands of my hair. It wasn’t the light brown it used to be; it was black.

“Waaah!”

Terrified, I ran home, crying.

“Hmm… My daughter has become a cursed Arar… How could this happen? What did she do wrong?”

“Damn it. You know it’s not her fault. What should we do? The news must have spread throughout the village by now. What if the village chief finds out?”

“No, that’s impossible! If the village chief, who lost his family to an Arar, finds out that another Arar has appeared in the village, he’ll try to take my daughter’s life right away.”

“Then there’s only one option. We have to pack up and leave the village right now. We have to take her to the village of witches and entrust her to them.”

The faces of my friends, who were afraid of my changed appearance.

The warmth of yesterday was gone, and my parents’ serious voices trembled with fear.

Everything had changed in an instant, and I couldn’t stop crying.

We hastily packed our bags and left the village. For several days, we traveled as quickly as possible without resting much, and when we felt safe, we all relaxed.

But that night, everything changed.

“You bastard, village chief! If we leave the village on our own, you should have just let us go. What did my daughter do to deserve this?”

“Hmph. Turning into an Arar is a sin in itself. I couldn’t let a cursed Arar live, now that I know about it. Attack!”

The village chief and the assassins, who had been tracking us for several days, rushed towards us.

“No, Roselyn!”

My mother was the first to fall, bleeding.

My father fought fiercely, but he couldn’t match their numbers and was killed by their blades.

Now, the only one left was me, sitting on the ground, dazed, watching the blood splatter.

That’s when it happened.

A black portal opened in front of me, and someone stepped out of it.

A witch wearing a black and purple robe and a pointed hat. She was an Arar, just like me.

“My goodness. I felt a sudden surge of energy, so I came as quickly as I could. You’re not a newborn, are you? Did your hair color change today?”

I nodded in surprise at her question.

“So you’re a true late-onset Arar… Good. Now you have two choices. First, you can just die here and follow your parents to the afterlife.”

What’s the second choice?

“Second, you can take my hand and go to Magi-Um. In this case, at least your basic needs will be met. Since we’re all in the same situation, you won’t be rejected or feel left out.”

“…”

“What will you choose? Your future is in your hands. If you want to close your eyes and find peace right now, I won’t stop you.”

…I

“I want to live.”

“Good choice. Let’s go. Hold my hand tightly.”

The village chief shouted, “Do you think you can escape? I’ll kill you both!”

Thud!

The village chief’s attack was easily blocked by the protective shield.

“Do you think you can beat me in your exhausted state? Why waste your energy when all your subordinates are dead?”

“Damn it… Why did it have to be a high-level witch?”

Zing!

“Let’s go. Oh, what’s your name?”

“Lumia. My name is Lumia.”

As I said my name, I glared at the village chief.

I stared at him until I was urged to enter the portal, thinking that I would definitely come back and kill him later.

Whoosh.

After that, I grew up in Magi-Um, a village of witches, where my basic needs were provided for.

However, the witches in this village were more rational and cold-hearted than warm, so it was difficult to feel human emotions.

Additionally, the image of my parents dying in my mind wouldn’t fade away no matter how much time passed, causing me great distress.

Every night, I struggled with the burning desire for revenge in my heart.

As I became an adult, I learned the knowledge a witch should know and completely mastered the basics of black magic under the strict guidance of the witches. It was then that I had a thought.

Is there no faster way to become stronger?

Will I be able to defeat the village chief by continuing to study black magic in this village? What if he dies before I can?

I shared these thoughts with Levia, the one who brought me here.

At first, she told me not to even think about another path and to just study hard in the village.

But when I kept repeating the same thing every day, she reluctantly spoke up.

“In the center of the continent, there’s a city with a dungeon entrance that opens periodically, called the Dungeon City.”

Dungeon, city?

“By entering the Great Dungeon, surviving, hunting monsters, achieving feats, experiencing unusual events, surpassing your limits, and various other reasons, you can acquire a trait.”

“A trait?”

“Yes. If you’re lucky enough to acquire a positive or powerful trait, you can become stronger at a rate incomparable to your current growth.”

Levia added, “But…”

She continued, “If you leave this village, not only will people around you become increasingly unhappy due to your curse, but you’ll also face contempt that will make you want to die. Can you handle it? Now that you’re an adult?”

She sighed as she looked at my face.

“You seem determined no matter what I say. Fine. I’ll talk to the witch in charge of education, and you should pack your bags.”

At first, the other witches objected, but when they realized it wasn’t their problem, they stopped caring.

A few days later, Levia packed my bags, and I opened a large portal with them. It was bigger than the one she had used to bring me here.

“Once you leave Magi-Um, if you ever want to come back, you’ll have to find your own way. Understand?”

I nodded and hesitated before speaking, but eventually, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything and stepped into the portal.

“Then, goodbye. I hope your determination doesn’t waver.”

…

Levia was right. After taking the direct portal to the Dungeon City, my hardships began anew.

It was normal to hear harsh curses and insults from a distance just by standing still.

As I walked, people would shout at me to get out of the city, saying that if I stayed, monsters might come out of the dungeon.

When I lined up or entered a store, people would scatter as if avoiding a bug in a trash can.

Even when I opened the door to an inn, I was immediately turned away, and a beer mug was thrown at me when they saw my hair color and ears.

I tried to cover my ears, but it was useless; they were still noticeable.

Jingle.

Fortunately, the luggage Levia had packed for me contained a considerable amount of money.

Thanks to that, I was able to pay three to four times the usual rate and barely stay for one night before being kicked out.

After almost a week, I was able to cross from the seventh district to the fourth district and find Rotten Grandpa’s inn.

He was a retired high-level adventurer who had reached the lower levels of the dungeon, and he said that even if he didn’t take in guests, he wouldn’t starve. He told me that no curse or misfortune could kill him, so I could stay comfortably.

That was the first time I cried since becoming an adult.

Now that I had a place to stay, I went to the guild to register, received a few days of training, and tried to find a party. However, not even the low-level parties would accept me.

Finally, I was able to join a party of first-floor beginners who had just received their training, convincing them of my proficiency in black magic.

“You shouldn’t have let someone like you into the party. Damn it, I’m going to eat…”

During the monster hunt and our escape to the portal, everyone died except me.

A stray arrow from an ally’s shot hit someone’s neck, causing instant death.

A weapon broke while blocking a monster’s attack, and the attack pierced a vital point, resulting in instant death.

Suddenly, someone sprained their ankle and stepped on a trap, leading to instant death.

Was all of this my fault?

I wanted to die.

After barely escaping the dungeon, I ran away, hearing the cold stares of the receptionist and the whispers of those around me.

For almost a week, I locked myself in the inn.

Then, when I saw my dwindling funds, I realized that if I stayed like this, I might starve to death within half a year. So, I headed back to the guild.

This time, it was even harder to find a party.

I met someone who had an open spot in their party, but when I saw that they were after my body, I immediately left.

After ignoring the curses, insults, and contempt from those around me, I finally joined a party that was willing to reduce the distribution ratio as much as possible and challenge the second floor after clearing the first floor.