Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

It’s been three days since I registered as an adventurer at the Guild, and the chaos hasn’t stopped.

First, I met an old enemy from Earth.

Then, while frantically searching for a way to kill that guy, I stumbled upon a way for Transmuters in the Library.

I ended up meeting Lumia, a witch from the cursed race of Aralar, who I accidentally freed from her curse and brought into my party.

Not to mention, I had to put Isaac in his place with a duel when he started causing trouble without knowing his place.

All of this happened in just three days… so the remaining two days of mandatory training went smoothly without any major incidents.

“Everyone has worked hard until now. Remember everything you’ve learned and keep improving,” Berkel said, finishing his speech.

Right beside me, Bardus asked, “Aren, when the Labyrinth portal opens, you’ll be ready to jump in right away, right?”

“Of course. No point in delaying it. But why do you ask?”

The portal to the Great Labyrinth opens about once a month, and I heard it can last up to five days before closing. Apparently, it all has to do with the dimensional distortions surrounding the Great Labyrinth.

Bardus scratched his head and smiled at my question.

“Ah, my party decided to go in a few days late, you see. If we run into each other later, I thought it’d be good to say, let’s not be hostile towards each other since we’re training together.”

“True. As long as they don’t start anything first, there’s no need for me to hold a grudge against Bardus’s party.”

I smiled as I said this, but once we enter the Labyrinth, I won’t be able to let my guard down, even against fellow trainees.

The top priority inside the Labyrinth is the survival of me and the girls. I need to stay sharp.

I felt sorry for Bardus, but didn’t Berkel emphasize time and again to be more careful of adventurers than monsters?

“Now, when I call your names, step forward to receive your adventurer badges. First up, Aren!”

I was the first to step forward and collect my badge.

It looked quite ordinary, being made of iron.

This is what makes me a real adventurer, huh?

From the training, I remembered that the material of the badge varies from iron for low-tier adventurers to platinum for high-tier ones.

At the time, I asked if it would make more sense to call adventurers by their badge ranks, like iron-ranked or platinum-ranked, instead of using the vague tier system.

What did they say in response? They said the essence of an adventurer from Labyrinth City is exploration and conquering unknown layers, so it’s more appropriate to refer to the layers rather than the materials.

As I pondered this while holding my badge, my eyes met Isaac’s.

“Wow, he’s still not backing down, huh? Tough guy.”

Despite lowering my gaze after our duel a few days ago, the menacing aura he projected was palpable.

Seeing the pent-up revenge in his eyes felt oddly chilling.

“Alright, all procedures are complete. I wish you all good luck on your journeys, and everyone is dismissed!”

“Well, it won’t be long until we settle this for real. Make sure you enjoy your hatred to the fullest before you die.”

Feeling lighthearted, I opened the door and descended to the first floor.

I found a table and sat down, but true to form, the people around me moved away to avoid Lumia, leaving the area quite empty.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, there was a KWOOM!

A guard burst in through the revolving door, drawing everyone’s attention with a loud stomp.

“Portal activation time is 12:30! I am informing all adventurers that the entry portal to the Great Labyrinth has begun to open!”

A murmur spread through the crowd.

“Wow, it opened a day earlier than expected.”

“Mac, did you finish all your preparations at the shop yesterday?”

“Yup. This time, I’m definitely going to break through to the next floor!”

Clap! Clap!

“Everyone, please be quiet. Now, I’ll relay the announcements.”

Perhaps this wasn’t the first time such an event occurred, as the rambunctious adventurers around quickly quieted down.

Those who had been chatting obliviously until then received fierce glares from the crowd.

“As usual, entry into the portal will begin 24 hours after it has fully opened, so containment will begin from now.”

Ohhh. So that’s how it works.

“Please remember that breaking through the guard lines during containment or displaying any disorderly conduct before entry will result in severe penalties.”

After all, without such containment measures, everyone would rush to enter, trying to seize the next layer or monsters, causing all sorts of problems.

The guard continued to relay safety precautions before saluting and leaving.

“Well, since I have no business at the Guild for today, how about we go to the inn and discuss our plans?”

“Sounds good! It’s too noisy here with everyone all hyped up.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Ugh. The noise from all around was unbearable. We hopped onto a carriage and headed to the inn.

When we arrived and opened the door, we were greeted by Rotten.

“You kids are here? I heard from the noise outside that the entry portal opened just a while ago. Is it true?”

“Yes. They said it began opening at 12:30.”

“Interesting. Typically, it opens on a monthly cycle, but sometimes it can open a few days early or late, disrupting adventurers’ plans.”

We decided to meet for dinner later, unpacked our things in our room, and then headed down to the first floor.

‘So, to get some provisions, should we go to the same shop as yesterday? Or maybe a grocery store?’

I sat at a table, deep in thought, and Rotten, standing with his hands behind his back, asked.

“By the way, are you ready to head to the Labyrinth tomorrow?”

Preparations. I had already bought most of the necessary supplies at the store, but food was still an issue.

I heard we had about three days left until our duel, so I planned to buy food today.

If I had known this would happen, I would have bought some and stocked up yesterday.

“I’ve prepared items like torches, bandages, ropes, sleeping bags, clock, and low-tier maps… but it’s just food that’s a problem. Hm, the fourth zone is quite large, so with a little effort, it should be solvable.”

“So, aside from food, you have everything else?”

“Yes, at least that’s what I believe.”

Rotten stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Hm. Then before entering the Labyrinth tomorrow, I’ll take care of the food for you. I’ll pack it up nicely. But in return, can you promise me one thing?”

A sudden promise?

“Sure, let’s hear it.”

“I know you’ll do well without me having to say it, but this old man just wants to hear your assurance.”

What assurance, exactly?

“Please, do not cast away Lumia, that poor girl, under any circumstances. Her punishment is too harsh for me to bear, and I simply cannot stand watching it. Even though I’ve only watched her from this inn for a few months… I just want her to stop getting hurt.”

Cast away.

…Abandon her?
─Dojina… here, hold onto this robot toy you’ve been wanting. ─Can you sit here and play with it for a moment? Mommy will be back soon. Don’t cry, okay?

Click!

“Are you alright?”

[Chaos doesn’t know why, but it’s feeling very gloomy and is urging you to calm down.]

“…Yeah. I’m fine. Haha, just some silly memory popped up out of nowhere.”

Shaking off my emotions and speaking from my heart, I said,

“Don’t worry about Lumia. At the very least, I’m not the type to cast someone aside or abandon them.”

Rotten scrutinized me carefully, then relaxed and broke into a smile.

“Hahaha, I see. I’ll take care of the food issue. No need for money. Just follow me for a moment.”

Alright. I had been planning to visit the local shops alone, so saving both time and money works out well.

I followed him to the back of the inn where the storage was located.

Rotten approached a pile of clutter in the corner of the storage and pulled something out, handing it to me.

What’s this, a backpack?

It looked a bit worn out, a type of backpack that you wear on your back. What’s the deal with this?

As I received the backpack, a status screen popped up.
────
[~Mendel’s Spatial Bag~] (B)

SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Zk1Bamt2bEVERjVVWnhONjdsUHkyeWlnUzAvZjNPaW9CVW9NRE5iTi92Lw

A bag made by the wizard Mendel, who specializes in spatial magic, for promising rookie Rotten. Contains a small spatial magic for storage.

Having been left unused for a long time, its grade has dropped by one tier.

─The internal space has been adjusted due to embedded small spatial magic.
─Due to spatial distortion, strong lightweight properties are always applied to the bag.
─When damaged, it reduces the rate of damage significantly using the user’s mana. However, damage to the user’s body remains unaffected.
─When completely destroyed, all effects are nullified.
────

“This may look shabby and old, but it’s a bag with embedded spatial magic.”

“B-but, are you really giving this to me? Even though I promised not to part ways with Lumia, what’s the real reason behind this?”

“Haha! I guess you’re quite surprised. Didn’t I say that I’ll take care of you? After all, this is just an old item I used long ago.”

As I calmed my astonishment and accepted the bag, he continued,

“In my younger days, I was quite a renowned high-tier adventurer. Although I was thwarted at the threshold of deep layers, no one could argue against my skills.”

‘Wait, you were a high-tier adventurer?’

“In my old age, running the inn has merely been a hobby. Occasionally serving guests who visit this shabby place was a joy in my twilight years. Until Lumia arrived, that is.”

Rotten gently patted his wrinkled eyes.

“Ever since that girl stayed at the inn, rumors spread, and the visits from other people halted completely. Even the few remaining guests left in a hurry.”

“Ah…”

“But I couldn’t pay attention to anything else after seeing that girl’s pitiful state and empty eyes, as if she were a nonexistent granddaughter. Over the weeks, the sight of her dying was unbearable.”

A moment of fierce determination crossed Rotten’s face.

“At some point, I wanted to destroy everything that made that girl suffer. But when I thought it through, the one who spread the curse was Lumia herself, so in the end, I felt it was futile and gave up.”

He said he put down his weapons since aiming for a god who won’t be touched is merely hoping to vent frustrations on the innocent.

“When I thought she might die, exited on a whim to go to the Guild, I was worried sick, but then she brought you along, and suddenly she looked much better.”

Rotten placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t know if it’s because of the features you possess or another reason, but just seeing that poor girl start to look free from her curse is reason enough for me to give you this bag.”

‘It’s easy to see that their relationship isn’t just that of an innkeeper and a guest, but I didn’t realize he was so worried about her, treating her almost like a granddaughter.’

[Chaos feels a warmth in their heart after hearing such a touching story for the first time in a while.]

“Understood. I’ll accept it gratefully without any more words.”

“Thank you. If the three of you make it back safely from the Labyrinth, I’ll teach you some useful skills.”

Oh… that’s exciting.

“They say the older you get, the more you talk… guess I’ve kept you too long.”

“No, it was a nice time. I feel closer to both Lumia and Mr. Rotten.”

“Well, flattery is much appreciated.”

After finishing our warm conversation, I went to my room, checking to see if I had forgotten anything, and spent some time preparing.

Then I called Yeriell and Lumia to have dinner together and discussed various plans for tomorrow, going to bed early to be in top condition for our departure.

*

“Alright, I’ve packed the space bag with provisions, and I haven’t forgotten anything else, right?”

“Yes! Thanks to Mr. Rotten, the burden of supplies has eased. Thank you once again.”

“Not at all. Good luck. Be careful out there.”

Rotten smiled as he saw us off.

“Mr. Rotten! We’ll be back!”

“Take care, my dear girl. I hope you return safe and sound.”

“Me too. We’ll be back!”

Rotten patted Lumia’s head.

“Don’t get hurt and always stay close to Aren.”

Nod.

Setting off, I began to think.

‘Yeriell has Ivelyn, and Lumia has Rotten. They’re all lucky to have someone caring for them.’

[Chaos urges Aren not to lose heart, proudly puffing its chest out.]

Pffft.

“Hmm?”

“What’s going on? Something on your mind?”

“No, no. Just had a funny thought. Let’s keep going!”

Chaos is something else. If you look closely, it truly has an odd but cute side to it.

We hopped onto the carriage at the station, heading to the entrance of the Labyrinth where the portal had opened.

*

“Hey, customer, it’s time to get off. We can’t go any further because of the crowds.”

As soon as we stepped off the carriage, the crowd before us was simply staggering.

At least thousands of people were there.

Today being the first day, I figured there would only be more people rushing to enter the Labyrinth.

“Whoa…”

“Aren, I guess this is your first time witnessing this? I was totally blown away the last time I saw it.”

“Right? It’s incredible to see so many adventurers gathered.”

There were adventurers decked out in flashy and ornate gear, likely high-tier or deep-tier.

Confident adventurers who looked like veterans, and mid-tier parties calmly standing in line chatting away.

And then there were low-tier adventurers like me, who looked excited and inexperienced.

There were beastmen with traits like Lumia, just ears and tails, and others who appeared strong, covered in fur.

There were long-eared beautiful elves, short but sturdy dwarves, and even burly barbarians flaunting their muscles with markings.

‘So those Eastern folks Berkel talked about are here too. That’s one tough-looking swordsman, huh?’

Wow… will I really be able to see such a diverse group of people every time I enter the Labyrinth?

No, not just look. Since I’ll be living in Labyrinth City from now on… I’ll have to interact with them, build connections, and sometimes clash too.

‘Calm down. Once we enter the Labyrinth, I need to maintain my composure.’

I tried to calm the pounding of my heart as I took in the scenery before me.

Vwooom.
SWISH—!

Before us, a massive black portal began to whirl slowly, gradually coming to a halt while emitting bright light.

“It’s open!”

“Alright, don’t push the people in front of you! We’ll check your adventurer badges and enter in order!”

Shhh!

“I’ll say it again! Please maintain order! Anyone who breaks this will be expelled from the line and taken away by the guards, so keep that in mind!”

Thanks to the strict control, everyone began to move forward in an orderly manner.

I expected it would take an hour or two, but since party members who are already acquainted can enter together, along with the fact that random drops are likely when entering the first floor…

The guards verified our badges and let the parties in one by one, so our party managed to reach the portal front in just an hour or two.

“Stop! Show your badges.”

⋯
“Party leader Aren and two others. Verification completed. You may now enter. I wish you good luck.”

I bowed slightly to the guard, then grabbed Yeriell’s and Lumia’s hands and walked towards the portal.

“Let’s go.”

The three of us locked eyes and stepped in together.

Vwoom—
──
─
“Ugh.”

As I opened my eyes, I felt a faint nausea wash over me.

The warmth from the hands I held onto.

The darkness hanging before me like a curtain.

The cool air brushing against my skin.

This is… the first floor of the Labyrinth.

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