Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

The next day dawned.

“Hehe. This is a real problem. If my sister, who’s always so determined to do things, is fired up to this extent… Hooey…”

After gently patting the half-crying Yeriell post-meal, I sent her to the Knights.

Following that, I had a conversation with Rotten.

“Yeah. You didn’t forget. I was actually going to bring it up myself. Haha, too little too late.”

I decided to start learning techniques today.

“Well then, let’s head to the backyard.”

“Yup.”

“Oh, Lumia, I’m sorry. You can’t come to the backyard today. Please hold on a little longer.”

“I can study the magic book in my room, so it’s fine. …And you don’t have to talk to me like I’m a baby.”

Though she appreciated the thought, Lumia turned her head, insisting she wasn’t a child.

Yet, her ears perked up happily, moving up and down in a way that contradicted her expression and actions.

Rotten looked at such Lumia and smiled with satisfaction.

“Alright, understood. It’ll take a while, so if you get hungry, feel free to check the kitchen. Now, off we go!”

We opened the back door and stood in the center of the spacious backyard.

I had caught a glimpse of it while passing the storage room when receiving the spatial bag last time. It certainly is wide.

It’s amazing how a guesthouse can still make a living even in such a place in District 4 with no customers.

It seems like the Labyrinth adventures are taking a breather too; is that the life of a high-tier adventurer?

As I glanced around, Rotten began to speak gravely.

“In my prime, adventurers called me the Apex.”

Apex? The pinnacle? Reached the peak of a point?

In this context, the only thing that comes to mind is stabbing.

“Ahem. ‘Apex Rotten,’ that’s the name I proved to this city and the Great Labyrinth as an adventurer.”

Saying that, Rotten chuckled.

“Of course… now I’m just a forgotten old man in a back room who can’t reach the depths anymore.”

Is that really the case? I can’t tell.

“In my heyday, I’d grab any weapon I could poke with.”

He displayed the staff he had brought along as a makeshift weapon, grinning.

From that vivid smile, a trace of his youthful vigor from his spirited days could be seen.

“It might sound a bit creepy, but back then, I felt a tiny thrill in taking the life of something in one swift strike.”

‘Ah… Rotten isn’t exactly normal. I guess high-tier adventurers must be a bit off in the head to reach that level?’

Rotten stared at me with an intense gaze that didn’t match his age.

“Focus. I’ll pass down one of the roots that made me who I am today.”

“Focus…? Is that really it?”

Just hearing the name makes it sound like some kind of offensive technique.

“Yes. It’s a technique that condenses a full-powered magical attack into one point, striking with absolute precision. Wham!”

Bam─!

He slowly lifted his staff and jabbed it into the air.

The sound was no joke; the destructive power must be immense too, right?

“I can’t use it right away, but if used properly and it connects with the enemy, I pride myself on its penetrating power and inner strike strengths.”

“Ooh!”

“However, while you learn, you need to follow my instructions closely. Don’t think of this opportunity as a free ride.”

Of course. If I miss such a chance to learn a technique for free, it’s no different than being certified as a total loser.

“I’ll keep that in mind and stay focused.”

“Good. Then let’s get started!”

I gripped the barak that he had placed out beforehand tightly.

What should I do first?

“First, you need to sense and control the flow, so close your eyes and feel your body’s magical energy.”

… I can feel it.

Energy, pumped without a gap from a vigorously beating heart.

Magical energy intermingled with the blood rushing through my veins.

I nodded slightly.

“It feels fast. Now, think of gathering that magical energy into your sword as you use it.”

Gathering it into the sword.

Isn’t that the first step of a powerful sword technique, injecting magical energy to enhance the weapon?

‘Let’s try. Slowly. Calmly.’

Magical energy began to spread, creeping down my right arm.

I slowly guided it, following the grip of the sword.

Drrrrr.

“Good. You’re doing well.”

But how much should I gather?

I have no concept of a limit to magical energy.

I didn’t hear him say to stop, so I kept pouring in magical energy when suddenly, my mind became hazy.

‘…Why is this happening all of a sudden?’

Ugh.

[Chaos urgently tells you to snap out of it.]

“That should be enough. Now stop. …Aren? Oh dear. The flow is starting to accelerate.”

Drrrrrr─

“Hm, if you poke at it carelessly, it might backfire internally. If you touch the sword, the gathered magical energy will explode. So…”

…

“—Snap out of it!”

“Gah!”

Rotten’s powerful shout rang through my ears.

‘What? I was definitely focusing on gathering magical energy as Rotten instructed!’

Clatter, clatter. Whoooosh─

The tightly gripped barak trembled uncontrollably, resonating.

This isn’t looking good. Should I send it to another dimension?

“If you keep this up, the weapon won’t hold, and you might lose an arm or two. Look at me!”

I glanced at Rotten, who struck a jabbing pose like before.

“Think of releasing all the gathered magical power through the sword tip in one go and aim it at me. Right now!”

Grabbing my dizzy head with my left hand, I stared at the sword.

‘Alright, let’s solve this first. Damn it. I’m really going to explode at this rate!’

Imagining all the magical energy building up in my head, I unleashed it into the air.

“Ughhh, HAAAAAP!”

Boom!

Crash!!!

…I just made a mess.

What I just did was nothing resembling ‘Focus.’ I just blindly released the collected magical energy all at once.

As a recoil echoed, the barak’s sword shattered with a crunch, scattering into pieces.

Due to the magical energy shot toward Rotten, smoke enveloped the front.

‘What a disaster. The sword will be restored soon and I’m a high-tier adventurer, so I shouldn’t have been injured by that, right?’

Whoosh!

In an instant, a strong wind blew away the smoke, and Rotten stepped out from within.

As expected, there wasn’t even a scratch on him.

“Goodness. Are you some kind of mixed-blood genius? Or did you just get back from raising your name outside the city? How can a newbie who just stepped out of the Labyrinth have this level of magical energy?”

“Um…”

Rotten clasped his hands behind his back, his tongue clicking. Was he angry?

It hasn’t been long since we started training, so naturally, he wouldn’t feel happy about this.

‘Damn it. I was definitely focused, so why did it go so wrong?’

“Forget it. It’s rare to find someone without a story in this world. Most, including adventurers, have secrets they hide away.”

Rotten chuckled, as if he too is a secretive old man.

Anyway, I’m glad he’s not angry.

“Looks like I need to modify the direction of my teaching.”

With that, he continued explaining.

“What just happened to you is an extremely rare phenomenon experienced by those with massive magical power.”

Oh.

“It’s called Arcane Euphoria. Simply put, people say you become intoxicated by magical energy.”

“Intoxicated by magical energy?”

It’s not like a mood, alcohol, or drug; can one get drunk just from the energy swirling inside their body?

I thought of something akin to ecstasy. I mean, at my level, such profound thoughts are ridiculous.

“Right. It’s a rare phenomenon that occurs when using a massive amount of magical energy all at once, exceeding your capacity.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Most adventurers never experience such a thing in their lifetime, so in a way, it could be considered a blessing.”

It’s not that I have a large total amount of magical energy, but it’s continually generated from my core. So it doesn’t quite run dry.

Rotten, with his hands clasped behind him, stroked his chin slowly.

After some contemplation, he decided to speak.

“Alright. Before teaching techniques, you need to continue squeezing out magical energy to get used to your limit and gradually increase it.”

‘Ah… ha. Yes, I’ll do that. Come on, Seodojin, stop sighing and pull yourself together. Who knows what might happen on the next Labyrinth expedition?’

To almost faint due to the worst headache from dropping the maximum on the shock or briefly losing consciousness from concentrating magical energy onto my sword.

What if situations like these keep occurring when I eventually use greater features and techniques later on?

What good is it if my magical energy doesn’t dry up? It means I’m still far from being strong.

I have to do everything I can when the opportunity arises.

Rotten looked at the perfectly restored barak.

“Well, grab the sword again!”

Whooosh─

“I thought about it seriously. Instead of learning it as a technique I use often like I do, I judge that it’s better for you to learn it as a trump card.”

“Ugh.”

Crash!

“The only time you can take a break is when the sword is restored and when your magical energy runs out!”

Crash!!

Damn it. He’s telling me not to rest.

“Keep squeezing out magical energy until you barely can hold onto the sword. To the max, beyond your limits!”

Crash!!!

“Urrrgh…”

Attacks that create enough backlash to shatter the sword.

My right hand started to feel numb. The sensation in my fingers was gradually fading.

But still, I refused to let go of the sword.

‘No matter what, I’ll create at least one lethal technique. It will eventually save my life against both humans and monsters!’

[Chaos spreads its arms, cheering you on.]

Don’t hope for luck. Fortune is not on my side.

Only trust in the blood and sweat I shed.

I gritted my teeth while watching the barak as it continued to explode.

*

I don’t even know how a day has passed.

I just spent the day operating magical energy, thrusting the sword into the air, taking brief rests while looking at the broken sword.

Then, when I was tired, I simply ate something light and repeated.

There’s still a long way to go. I hope I can grasp it before the next Labyrinth entrance opens.

Lumia came out of her room, looking at me with concern.

By the time Yeriell arrived, almost at dinner time, she was as exhausted as I was.

As she arrived at the inn, she glared at me slightly, which only made her look cute.

Seeing that, I laughed, and eventually, Yeriell laughed along, her sulk dissipating.

“What remains now is… disposing of the blood-red dagger I got from killing Gospel and the spirit contract for the characteristic I absorbed from Isaac.”

Hmm. It’s a bit awkward to register the dagger right away and use it myself.

If I want to sell it, I need to examine it thoroughly first, so let’s hold off for now. It’s not like it’ll disappear or anything.

So what’s left is the spirit contract.

“How do I contract with a spirit? It says I can contract due to the characteristic, so there shouldn’t be anything else needed, right?”

[Chaos advises you to strongly wish as you look at the characteristic screen.]

Alright. I’ll apply.

────

[Whispers of the Wind] [P]

User Kang Isaac. Characteristic absorbed from the adventurer Isaac.

As you are not the one bearing the effect of causality, the wind of the Wind God Nephyr is faintly imbued.

─ Agility increases by two levels.
─ Every action is imbued with the wind, providing slight speed correction.
─ Can contract with a low-level Wind Spirit. If the contract succeeds, the spirit will grow according to the user’s level.

────

‘I wish to contract with a low-level Wind Spirit!’

I continued to gaze intently at the last line of the characteristic.

Do I need to wish more intensely?

It was then.

Whirr.

Huh? A portal the size of my palm opened in the air.

‘It’s probably not anything related to the Labyrinth, but could it be that a spirit to contract with me is coming out from there?’

As the portal appeared at my eye level.

Waiting for the spirit to emerge, I absentmindedly peeked inside.

[Chaos reacts.]

[You behold fragments of the Spirit Realm, invisible to humans.]

[You enter the Spirit Realm in a spectral state.]

What?

─ Thud.

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