Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

It’s a spirit.

From the mark on my forehead, I instinctively felt that the light in front of me was a spirit.

Well, even if it’s not a special characteristic, ever since I went to the Spirit Realm, I could tell the difference between monsters and spirits easily.

‘Something feels off…’

I didn’t sense any fear or hostility from this spirit at all.

Of course, even low-level ones…

I still vividly remembered how mid-level spirits were cautious or scared of me because of the energy of Chaos.

I observed it just in case, but nothing stood out.

‘It’s probably not a high-level or above, but it’s weird that it can talk.’

I tried to stay calm in the face of this unexpected phenomenon.

Just as I was about to lower my voice to respond, the spirit jumped in first.

─Hehe. I can hear your eyes rolling from here.

It was more cocky than I expected… Good way to say it would be a light and free-spirited tone, which made me frown.

The spirit continued without caring.

─You were probably thinking, ‘What kind of monster is this? A non-human talking suspiciously.’ right?

Nope. Not at all.

It misunderstood, but I didn’t bother correcting it for fear the conversation would drag on unnecessarily.

─Don’t worry. It looks a bit strange, but this is a spirit that has a contract with me.

“…”

─It’s just conveying my words. The one you’re talking to isn’t a monster or anything, just an ordinary adventurer, so relax.

To put that long explanation simply…

The one speaking now is not the spirit, but its hidden master, a low or mid-level adventurer.

And it probably wants to cooperate because it has some reason to clear the path or drive away that self-proclaimed Oxygnos Clan occupying ahead?

‘Under normal circumstances, I’d be questioning what made them think I’d accept such a suspicious proposal. But right now, we’re in a pinch.’

Ignoring the offer and backing off like that slick Demern suggested…

Who knows how many more members of the clan are lurking beyond what’s immediately visible?

Then again, I wouldn’t know how far their territory extends either.

So if I thought about escaping entirely, assuming I’d head west through the center… it’d take at least a day or two— sigh.

‘Let’s say I get out, but what if my companions are in danger without me and waste time because of an obstruction?’

Crackle.

I whispered to the spirit waiting for my decision.

“It seems like there’s no trap if you keep waiting. Let’s combine our strengths. What should I do?”

─Alright. Now that you’ve decided, I should show myself, so follow me slowly.

Twinkle.

The spirit that sparkled as if indicating for me to follow dispersed its blue light and moved towards somewhere.

Just to be safe, I kept my guard up and followed closely.

Crunch.

I stepped onto the side path of the forest.

Soon, a wide clearing appeared, cleared of trees and underbrush.

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[Martin Leitz]

[Strength: C-] [Agility: C-] [Durability: D]

[Stamina: D+] [Magic: C+] [Luck: D+]

[Acquired Traits] (Fold)

Water Arrow

Eye that Reads the Path

One Language

Light Body

Low-level Spirit Magic

High-Blown Wind

Furrowing

Sun and Moon Seven Star

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[Water Arrow] [P]

The hunting god Elias summoned the user Martin.

Due to immense causality, he inherited a special archery skill and water magic among her many talents.

The user, who inherited these overwhelming skills, will display tremendous talent in archery and magic operation in the future.

─Strongly enhances attack power and magic operation capability when equipped with bow-related weapons.

─Greatly increases archery growth speed.

─Magic increases by three levels.

─Cannot wear metal armor.

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[Sun and Moon Seven Star] [A]

The user learned one of the hunting god Elias’s seasonal techniques and incorporated it into their own archery.

Since the user’s level is significantly lower than that of the technique, a penalty accompanies casting.

─After casting, can shoot seven magical arrows made only of magic without arrows.

─Life force greatly decreases with each shot, but conversely, power rapidly increases.

─Once seven magical arrows are all consumed, there’s a high chance of severe exhaustion and a low probability of fainting for 24 hours.

─If not all magical arrows are consumed and the technique is canceled, a week’s cooldown will be imposed.

────

“…!”

It’s a transference. No, not just an ordinary, but a foreign-transference?

With brown pig tails and blue eyes, and a longbow slung over the back.

The one who sent a spirit to suggest we team up was none other than a foreign transference.

‘Wow, I didn’t think I’d see a transference on the 4th floor. How many times is this? I’ve heard it’s not just Koreans, but now I really feel it.’

The transference, whose origin is unknown, patted the spirit and waved.

“Hey! Welcome! And thanks for your effort, Pixie.”

In a daze for a moment, I heard the thin man in a mask behind him mutter.

“Ugh… What difference does one extra member make? Why not just wait a bit longer and swoop in?”

“Mik, don’t talk like that in front of him. You should apologize quickly.”

Just as I was about to say something snarky due to the bad mood, a priest reprimanded him, and I let it slide.

“Look, it’s just that I got too excited and let my expectations run wild. If you’re going to come, at least come as a party. How many parties have come and gone already?”

The masked guy’s excuse only ended after Martin mediates.

“The Sister is right. We made the offer to cooperate first, and if we upset him on sight, it wouldn’t work. Mik, apologize.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry. I took my irritation from the past two days out on you. Please forget what I just said and let’s do well together.”

[Chaos says he wants to give you a smack.]

A man clad in full armor and a closed helmet spoke in a booming voice.

“Let’s wrap up the small talk. Martin, we should finalize our discussion, right? It’d be troublesome if other words come out later.”

Martin nodded in agreement and looked at me.

“So, what’s your name? Oh, is it okay if I speak informally? You don’t look much older than me, so feel free.”

Nope. I’m not that naive to relax and speak informally with someone who’s a stranger and a transference.

“Use whatever honorifics you’re comfortable with. Just call me Aren.”

“Really? Well, it doesn’t matter to me, whether formal or informal. My name is Martin, as you heard just now.”

He gestured to his companions.

“I think we should at least briefly introduce ourselves. Don’t you all agree?”

The three of them casually nodded, and I listened to the information about the four, including Martin.

“My name is Mik. It’s a common one-letter name, so it’s easy to remember, right?”

The sarcastic bastard with a weird dialect is Mik, a thief with average stats around D+.

His specialties are trap dismantling and throwing skills.

“I’m Marianne, a mid-level priest from the Light Church. This cooperation might be brief, but… I hope we can get along.”

‘Did Yeriell say she’s just an ordinary priest?’

A priest with a warm smile that stands out, which made me understand why Martin calls her Sister.

“Just call me Dietrich.”

A front-line warrior with an impressive average stat of C+.

This silent man seems to dislike private conversations.

Honestly, I could’ve figured all of this out just by keeping an eye on them, but listening to their mouths and cross-referencing with the status menu was quite informative.

‘So, no one is trying to pull a fast one or hide information, huh?’

“I’m average C rank with a specialty—”

As soon as I wrapped up my ability stats and specialties, Martin snapped his fingers.

Snap!

“Alright! Now let’s begin the discussion.”

His lengthy explanation started.

“Mik has been sneaking around and overheard that the Oxygnos Clan is targeting a special species known as the Golden Goblin.”

‘A Golden Goblin, huh.’

The Golden Goblin.

I recall hearing about it in Sena’s attribute lecture.

A special species of goblin monster that appears at certain intervals and low probabilities below the 5th floor.

It’s a goblin with striking golden skin and a large black backpack slung over, easy to spot.

Known for swift movements and surprisingly high defenses, and sometimes pulling out various consumables randomly from its backpack.

Lastly, if it isn’t caught in a certain time frame, it triggers a skill called “Dimensional Leap,” which makes it quite bothersome.

In short, they say you have to withstand all sorts of hindrances and break through its defense to catch it before it jumps to space.

With a shrug, Martin spoke.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but they’re a small clan that would be hard to call a clan at all. Even if they called all their scattered members, they’d probably have about thirty in total.”

I see. The bunch that gathered from the whistle isn’t all there. If I had rushed in, it would have been a headache.

“I know that most of them are low-tier guys at average E rank to D rank, unless they’re in the clan leader’s party. The problem is Demern… that bastard.”

Martin sighed and crossed his arms.

“He’s an extremely cunning and thorough archer. He served as a ranger in some rugged mountain range, and his specialties in both marksmanship and close combat are on par with his relentless attitude toward eliminating foes.”

“From what I hear, it doesn’t seem like a particularly famous clan, but how do you have such detailed information…?”

I was curious because he had no traits related to information gathering like I do, yet he knew so much.

“Well, you know, archers are somewhat ambiguous in parties, right? You can have one or not.”

He chuckled awkwardly.

“Haha! So yeah, all the well-known solo archers are folks I keep track of. Believe it or not, this is my second year in Labyrinth City.”

He had a clan led by an archer, so he learned this old information before things lined up.

Just by coincidence, huh.

“I’m actually glad we finally get to confront them.”

His eyes sparkled as he said this, suggesting that it might be worth taking on with a couple of frontline fighters and one mage.

As I started to piece things together, the sour-looking Mik chimed in.

“If one of us just joins their party, it should be a fight worth having, but those cowards didn’t come back after running off yet. What a bunch of punks!”

Clap!

Martin clapped his hands to regain focus and shook his finger.

“Let’s clear something up. Aren, your goal is to break the blockade and clear the way to the west.”

He pointed back and forth between himself and me with his shaking finger.

“Our aim is to clash with them and snag the Golden Goblin.”

So what they want to discuss is basically this.

Unless we get certified by the guild to occupy and control a specific area in Zone 1, blocking other adventurers with force as a clan is entirely illegal.

This means they’re people who can die at any time.

However… due to the labyrinth’s nature, unless recorded with expensive magical tools or using other means, there’s hardly any solid evidence.

Furthermore, most adventurers capable of stopping them have already escaped past the 4th floor, which is also a problem.

So both you and I need to wipe out this clan, and share the equipment or consumables of their fallen members.

If a special species appears during the battle, grab that too and split it with each other, but…

If it doesn’t show up by the end of the fight, give up the rights and leave immediately— that’s the gist.

Without hesitation, I nodded in agreement.

“I prioritize clearing the path over special species or anything else. Once I wipe them out, I promise to leave without a word.”

With my unwavering answer, Mik gave me a thumbs-up while Dietrich offered his opinion.

“Hey, you’re pretty bold! Average C rank means you’ve addressed the frontline issue! A real gem!”

“Now that it’s settled, let’s start with ambushing and ranged attacks,” Martin nodded and briefed us.

“Right. First, Mik will stealthily infiltrate their outer area and take out the weak ones.”

“And then?”

“Once Mik sends a signal after coming out, I’ll assassinate the enemy with a shot while providing cover. Dietrich will then dive into their ranks. Aren, stay near me and be on guard, using your lightning magic to attack when necessary.”

He retrieved the longbow slung on his back and declared, “Remember, keeping all of us alive is the first priority. Mik, go!”

“Leave it to me!”

With bated breath, Mik ran silently while Martin nocked an arrow.

Some were controlling and profiting.

Others were seizing opportunities by overthrowing the strongest.

Or for the simple purpose of killing everyone in their path.

The battle imbued with each of their intentions had begun.

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