Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

I stepped out of the resting place and headed towards the portal at the southern end.

“By the way, everyone really struggled. They say most people can pass through the 1st floor pretty quickly, but it seems we often run into the weirdest of creatures.”

What? Should I enter again after a few days next time?

…No, actually, after the first day, there might be those waiting to smack us in the back of the head and plunder from the 1st floor.

Not every time will we run into guys like Kariks.

“Right… But remember what you said, no matter how many we catch, those types just keep popping up.”

Yeriell shook her head.

“Last time with the human hunters was my fault, but even without that, it’s unavoidable to run into trash like that in the Labyrinth.”

Saying that, she scratched her cheek and smiled.

“…But we got through the bad stuff safely, so maybe good things will start happening now? Hehe.”

That was true.

When I had talked with Ivelyn a couple of days after our return, I realized I had rushed through the rest to reveal that I was a transmigrator.

A few days later, as Yeriell’s training came to an end, I hinted at something to Ivelyn.

The fundamental reason we had come across those human hunters was… because of a paper related to Yeriell that their leader pulled from his backpack.

The instructor was also involved, I said.

At first, Ivelyn was furious and radiated deadly intent, but she calmed down and said,

─It can’t be helped. Yeriell just has to grow stronger.

Unless I abundantly pack her with A-rank S-rank items and ruin her, she has to either grow stronger on her own or lie low in Area 3, where I’ll eventually look again.

─Human hunters, losers, professional marauders, crime organizations? If I set my mind to it, I could kill all those I see as long as I have the strength.

But with my current position and strength, the checks come in heavy.

Actually, not too long ago, I had worked hard to annihilate one of the bases of human hunters among their organized troops, which caused quite the stir. I even had to go through Area 1 several times.

─As of now… I’ve got a lot to protect. Of course, Yeriell is still my top priority. So Aren, please grow alongside her and keep her safe.

I’ll ask this as both her instructor and an older sister.

Saying that, of course I wouldn’t merely be a bystander; I would make sure no one could touch her as much as possible in the city.

I wasn’t sure if there would be others coming at Yeriell or Ivelyn for an advantage in the Labyrinth.

Even so, with so many adventurers stepping on each other’s toes, there’s definitely going to be some who will come looking for trouble or start quarrels.

It seems the only answer is to get stronger as soon as possible…

After that, we walked while keeping an eye on our surroundings and having various conversations.

For instance, Yeriell wanted to help as a priestess and asked about the circumstances of the woman who wanted to bring her some comfort in her follow-up.

I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose.

Well, that woman had been struggling after coming to Labyrinth City, eventually finding just a job in the outskirts of Area 7 because she was broke.

Then one day, she had stepped briefly into Area 8 and ended up kidnapped and sold as an illegal slave to join this party without a whisper of warning.

They say Area 8 is deserted or whatever, but it seems it’s not just an outlaw zone; it’s a nightmare out there.

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Anyway, after walking for several hours…

“We’ve arrived.”

I saw two portals in front of me.

One yellow and one blue.

Until now, I had only entered through the yellow portal leading to the city.

Finally, I’ll be going up a floor for the first time in the Great Labyrinth.

[Chaos is just beginning, so I encourage you to stay strong.]

The blue portal leading to the next floor seemed especially dazzling.

This wasn’t the time for that.

Looking at her, I opened my mouth slowly.

“Now you can take that portal back to the city. Ah, but first, come over here for a second.”

She nodded.

Nodding her head and cautiously stepping forward, she stood in front of me, and I began pulling out a few items from my backpack.

A pouch with 10 silver coins, some light weapons and armor pieces that were relatively low-priced from the looted items but fit her size.

If someone saw me now, they might click their tongue saying I’m foolish or call me a softie.

But since I had saved her, I wanted to help her a little before she got out of my sight so she could live like a human.

What was she thinking in such a hellish situation that allowed her to tell me to run when she saw me?

If I was caught, it wouldn’t just end with a beat down from those guys.

Well. I’ll never know that.

With goodness comes goodness. With evil comes evil.

Looking back at the adventurers I’ve crossed paths with so far, while there’s a larger proportion of bad people, there are definitely good ones too.

Like Derik, Ivelyn, Berkel, Huuton, and the Guild Leader.

This isn’t some baseless act of kindness.

It’s just… my personal satisfaction.

Yeah, in the future when I remember my early days as an adventurer, I’ll think, “I saved someone like that.” That’s the satisfaction I want.

“Well then, safe travels.”

“Please don’t die and live long!”

“Good luck.”

I exchanged words of farewell as I watched her walk into the portal.

Bow.

“Th, thanks…!”

She bowed deeply while tears streamed down her face to express her gratitude. I just nodded silently.

Yeah, this is it.

I think I understand why people do kind acts when they have the leisure to.

Whoosh—

The yellow portal shimmered once, and her figure disappeared without a trace.

She’s gone. Somehow, it feels liberating. The city and the Labyrinth are annoyingly vast, so we probably won’t meet again.

“Alright, those who’ve departed can forget about it now. Shall we get going?”

I’d been standing there in front of the portals, and if I ran into other adventurers, who knows what trouble might arise!

“Yeah!”

“2nd floor… this is my first time. They said the zones split from the 2nd floor, right?”

“Exactly! I’ve only been there once, and it’s a memory I prefer not to recall. I ended up in a zone filled with disgusting monsters, regardless of the difficulty.”

When entering the portal to the next floor, I had been informed that, due to having body contact upon entering the Great Labyrinth, a kind of binding status had been applied.

This means we don’t have to hold hands or stick together while navigating within the Labyrinth.

“Let’s go. To the 2nd floor.”

There might be some chaos right when we drop in, after all.

First, I moved towards the portal.

*

Whoosh—

“Ugh.”

I almost made a fool of myself by landing right on my bottom as soon as I got here.

Traveling through portals never feels great, but the feeling of transitioning through the floor gate was particularly off.

The entrance portal stretched my body, and when I came to my senses, I found myself dropped somewhere in the 1st floor.

The exit portal sent me briefly floating in the void as if I was being swept away somewhere.

The floor gate felt like a giant something had grabbed the back of my neck and tossed me down straight into the next level.

Being ignorant of space and time, I could only find it fascinating at this moment.

I’m going to hurl long before this ends. Anyway, finally the 2nd floor.

“Phew. Let’s light our torches first.”

After exhaling deeply to calm my stomach for a moment, I suddenly heard a sound right beside me in the air.

“Whoa!”

Yeriell was flailing her arms and falling from not a very high place.

Even for those experienced with the floor gate, it’s the same when surprised, huh?

I rushed underneath her and caught her just before she hit the ground.

“Ehehe. It’s weird, it feels different this time.”

She gave an awkward smile as our eyes met.

I carefully set her down and waited for Lumia to come after.

“Oh!”

Seeing Lumia land without a hitch, I couldn’t help but admire her.

“Hey? Why are you both looking at me like that?”

“Nah, just thinking it’s impressive that even after taking the portal, you land without a hitch.”

“Eek. …It’s no big deal, but hearing it feels a bit embarrassing.”

Leaving the flustered Lumia behind, I surveyed the surroundings.

Tap. Tap.

Raindrop?

I hadn’t noticed it when I first hit the 2nd floor, but as I looked closely and listened, drops of water were falling one by one from the ceiling.

Then, focusing on my other senses, I noticed it was really humid around here.

The humid air, which felt like it could weigh down my body if I stood still, brushed against my skin, making me feel uncomfortable.

“Ugh, it’s damp.”

It really felt heavy and damp, just as Yeriell said.

The geography resembled the 1st floor, but with the moisture and the water seeping from the walls.

Putting these visible characteristics together…

This place is a wetland zone?

It might be called a wetland, but it’s still a fairly standard Labyrinth with walls, except…

Unlike the low-level monsters like Ratmen, Kobolds, and Woodmen, this zone has Slimes, Cave Mermen, Cave Snakes, and the higher-tier creatures like Pool Serpents.

Oh great, I was hoping for a beast zone, but I guess I’m relieved it’s not just a Bug Zone?

If the 1st floor was split into northern, southern, and central areas, then the 2nd floor isn’t divided merely by direction, as the types of monsters appearing are actually divided across different zones.

Just like the earlier-mentioned wetland zone.

There’s the beast zone where Goblins and Hounds appear, and occasionally Grey Wolves, Black Boars, and so on.

And there’s the bug zone where giant beetles, poisonous centipedes, and the like appear.

So, there are a total of three zones.

Like the portal we came through being at the southern end, this time we’ll need to head to the portal located at the far end of each zone as well.

Well, even if the zones are divided and higher-tier species show up, it’s still just the 2nd floor, and unless in a specific area, it’ll probably just be a bit more difficult than the 1st floor.

As long as adventurers stay cautious, we should be able to move to the next floor without any problems. Gotta stay sharp.

Just as I was organizing my thoughts and about to pull out the map and compass…

Lumia quickly tugged at my sleeve and exclaimed,

“Aren, it’s monsters. They’re approaching fast.”

“There’s no helping it. Everyone, prepare for battle!”

With a tap, tap, the sounds of these creatures approached.

Those are Cave Mermen!

Even though they might look okay, their vision had significantly declined, but their hearing and sense of smell were distinctly heightened.

The characteristics of a Cave Merman include shrunken skin, and a grotesque face with bulging eyes and mouth.

Traits like webbed hands characteristic of aquatic animals, and gills and scales resembling fish are complemented by appendages like tails and dorsal fins.

When facing them, one must be careful of their superior mobility and the paralysis poison on their claws.

And, their aggressive attacks!

“Grrraah!”

One of the Mermen charged towards me, letting out a horrifying shriek.

Crack!

I gripped the handle of my Great Sword tightly.

Alright. Let’s see what this new beast is like. Let’s fight!

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