Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Unique item?

Just hearing about it was enough to know it was extraordinary.

As I anticipated the acquisition of traits and items,

“If I just had that… Damn it, get out of my way!”

I was waiting for the mass of purple light to transform into an item, but suddenly, everything slowed down.

What’s going on?

I looked around and saw Hans reaching for the light, trying to push me out of the way.

‘What the hell is this idiot doing?’

I was a bit late to react, but Hans was already carrying the luggage, and our Agility difference was three levels.

Using Chaos Eye, I quickly assessed the situation and pulled Hans away from the light before it could reach his hand.

“Gah.”

‘Was this bastard trying to steal my unique item?’

[Chaos frowns at such a despicable human.]

Wow. I can’t even look at him favorably. This is what a truly irredeemable person looks like.

My head was filled with anger.

It had only been a short while since my battle with Cicero, and without thinking, I reached for the sword’s handle, ready to kill him.

Whoosh—

Thud!

A familiar shield, Derek’s, flew like a boomerang and struck Hans in the head.

Is that Derek’s shield?

I turned around and saw Derek, supported by Bernard, who had thrown the shield. He was alive!

“Derek! You’re safe!”

Derek wiped his nose and replied nonchalantly,

“Yeah, I’m not the kind of man who dies here.”

Then, he frowned and bowed his head to me.

“I’m sorry, Ahren. I got carried away with the thought of returning… Does it look bad that I, as a tank, got knocked out by one attack and was trembling?”

Derek shook his head.

“I was out of it while all this happened. You’re an incredible guy. Perhaps you’re a future deep-layer conqueror.”

Well, I was certainly surprised when he suddenly accelerated and got struck by lightning, causing him to faint.

But if it weren’t for Chaos Eye, I would have been electrocuted and knocked out instantly. It’s good that it ended well.

“Haha, you’re giving me too much credit. Don’t take what happened too seriously.”

The bigger problem was Hans, who was lying on the ground. He was unconscious, possibly due to the blow to his head.

As I looked at Hans with concern, Derek spoke up.

“We’re about to return to the city, so instead of getting your hands dirty and feeling bad, leave it to me.”

What are you planning to do?

“It’s better to sell him as a slave to the guild with a gag order than to kill a goblin-like bastard like him.”

Derek winked.

“Of course, as a certified manager, the magic won’t be broken, and there won’t be any backlash. The money you get from selling him will be yours, and we’ll do it in front of everyone.”

Apparently, in this world, there’s an established slave system, and it’s managed with strict magic.

Can they sell him as a slave to the guild just based on testimony, without any evidence?

…I guess there must be some kind of reliable procedure, like a memory-reading magic or a lie detector-like spell, for him to make such a bold claim.

‘Yeah, if there’s a sure way to screw him over, then there’s no need to kill him and ruin my mood.’

If I were to be rational about it, killing him would be the right thing to do.

But after experiencing the Great Dungeon and the life of an adventurer, I felt that I would see plenty of bloodshed in the not-too-distant future anyway.

The only person I killed on this dungeon trip was Scarlet.

Whoosh!!

I was lost in thought for a moment. The mass of light, which had been glowing, emitted a final burst of light and transformed into a shape.

Is that… a sword?

A pitch-black sword, about 80cm long, was floating in the air.

The unique thing about it was that it looked crude, as if the pommel and the blade were all made from a single piece of metal.

At first glance, it even looked like it was made of hard rock rather than metal.

“Phew.”

I took a breath and grabbed the sword with anticipation.

[Determining eligibility.]

The system window flashed purple, then subsided after a while.

‘What’s this? Even if Hans had touched it, he would have failed anyway?’

He couldn’t have stolen it, but what was he planning to do next?

He must have known that unique items are bound to the user, so he probably intended to grab it, run to the portal, and then change his identity outside.

He only knew one thing and not the other.

[Eligibility confirmed.]

[The weapon is bound to the user.]

The information about the sword appeared before my eyes.

────

[Lightning Sword Barak] (Unique)

Cicero, a rare three-colored variant among the chieftain-level mutants, is a purple Cicero.

His powerful lightning, like a small judgment, has taken the form of a sword.

The sword’s appearance is crude and ordinary, but when infused with a certain amount of magic power, its true form is revealed.

• While holding the sword, the user gains strong lightning resistance.
•
• The sword can be restored with magic power if damaged.
•
• When attacking in its true form, it rarely inflicts the Electrified status effect.
•
• The sword’s edge remains sharp even when the user is near death, but the user’s Stamina decreases by one level.
•
────

Wow. This was the first time I had seen an item with a system window, but even at my current level, I knew it was a weapon far beyond my abilities.

‘So, this means I won’t need to replace my weapon for a while, right?’

It seemed that when a unique item was obtained from a monster, the final battle was taken into account.

If it weren’t for me, with my inexhaustible magic power, but an ordinary adventurer, what would have happened?

They would have gained lightning resistance and the sword would be sharper, but their Stamina, a crucial stat, would decrease.

Even Derek, an experienced adventurer, only had an E-level Magic stat.

How could they maintain the sword’s true form or restore it with magic power while also using activated traits and conserving magic power?

[Chaos calculates the probability of encountering a chieftain-level mutant, the probability of it being a rare variant, and the probability of absorbing its traits and obtaining a unique item, before giving up.]

‘Even I think it’s a bit absurd. But if I consider that I fell naked into the third floor and managed to survive and grow so quickly, it’s not entirely unreasonable…’

If I had just teleported out of the portal and directly to the city, it would have been safe, but I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to grow so quickly or meet this party.

If I had fallen naked and penniless, I might have ended up homeless on the streets instead of becoming an adventurer. Ugh, just thinking about it is terrifying.

As I examined the sword’s information and conversed with Chaos in my mind, Derek spoke to me with a serious expression.

“Ahren, I have one last piece of advice before we escape. It’s best to keep the sword in a shabby sheath so that it doesn’t attract attention.”

Derek shook his head.

“Even if you try to hide it, it won’t work if you frequently use its unique abilities and draw attention. Hunters and losers can be a real headache.”

Losers?

“I understand that it looks different from ordinary swords, so I should keep it hidden… Hunters and losers?”

Derek nodded.

“Yes. Sometimes, there are human hunters who make a living through looting and murder, and there are also losers who will do anything to bring down an adventurer with good equipment.”

He shrugged and continued,

“You’re just starting out, so it’s best to keep it hidden and kill anything that comes your way in the Great Dungeon without hesitation.”

Derek is truly… No matter how famous and powerful I become in the city, I don’t think I’ll ever forget him.

The GOAT, Derek.

“Okay, I’ll restrain Hans here, so you two talk until we’re done!”

“Yes, I will.”

“Since the chieftain was brutally killed, the remaining goblins probably won’t come here for a while.”

Derek began dragging the unconscious Hans and pulling various items out of the luggage bag.

Hmm. Derek’s words made sense.

If I were to suddenly use Cicero’s lightning here, it would be a hassle to explain.

I decided to wait until I was in a training area or a secluded place in the city to reveal the sword’s true form and use the purple lightning.

As I was organizing my thoughts, Bernard approached me.

“Ahren, it’s fortunate that the sword’s crudeness and ordinariness will keep you safe. I hope it won’t put you in danger.”

“Thank you for your concern, Bernard. It’s a risk, but if I take this opportunity to grow and become stronger, I might one day become a powerful adventurer who possesses multiple unique items and is fearless.”

Bernard chuckled at my words.

“You already possess the confidence and ambition to match your strengths.”

He made a playful gesture.

“Ouch, my back is burning from the glare of the lady behind me. I’ll see you later when we leave.”

As Bernard left, Yeriel came running towards me, her cheeks puffed up.

“Ahren! I was waiting because you and Derek seemed to be having a serious conversation. Wow, that’s the unique item. It’s, well, kind of plain…”

I smiled at her colorful expressions and said,

“Yeriel, you’ve been waiting a long time? I thought it would be more flashy when it was glowing, but the result is a bit underwhelming…”

Yeriel nodded and blushed, saying,

“Y-yes, but it looks like a great sword when you hold it, Ahren.”

“Hmm. Thank you, Yeriel. By the way, what are your plans after we leave here?”

I had a lot to do, including resolving my identity and residence issues and dealing with Hans becoming a slave, so I was curious about Yeriel’s plans.

“Hehe, I’ll probably go to the Silver Cross Knights first after the settlement. I’m a priestess, and my sister is the leader of the Silver Cross Knights!”

Wow, the leader of the Silver Cross Knights. Just hearing the name is impressive. Yeriel isn’t an ordinary adventurer like Scarlet, either…

Yeriel’s eyes lit up as she spoke.

“Ahren, if you have time, you must visit the Silver Cross Knights! Just mention my name, and they’ll let you in.”

“Yes, I will. I promise.”

“Hmm. You promised? And, about the party…”

“Everyone, gather around! Let’s go through the portal and get out of here!”

As Yeriel was speaking, Derek shouted to gather everyone.

“Yeriel, I didn’t catch the last part. Can you say it again?”

“I-I’ll talk about it when we get out. It’s an important matter.”

An important matter. I wonder what it is.

“Okay, let’s go to Derek. Is there anything else we need to do?”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

We all stood in front of the yellow portal.

“Everyone, you’ve all worked hard. Let’s go and get our settlement and rest. I’ll go first!”

Derek, with Hans tied up and the luggage bag, stepped through the portal and disappeared in a flash of light.

The two of them were gone in an instant. This is what it feels like.

“I’ll go too.”

Bernard also left after a brief comment.

“Ahren! Don’t just stand there, let’s go! Hurry up!”

Yeriel grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

Now, we’re really leaving the third floor. I felt like tears were welling up in my eyes.

[Chaos pats you on the back.]

Yes, let’s consider the previous floors as a tutorial with a messed-up difficulty level. Now, we’re at the starting line.

Let’s go!

Whoosh—

Thus, we successfully conquered and escaped the third floor.

.

.

.

“Ugh.”

The portal still felt unfamiliar, even after experiencing it twice.

“Ahren, are you okay? Do you need me to pat your back or something?”

“Thanks. I feel better now.”

I calmed myself and looked up.

…Wow.

The first thing I saw was a typical medieval fantasy landscape.

“Nyaa! After all that hard work, this is all you get!”

“You obtained a trait, a trait! This is what it feels like to obtain a trait by conquering the Great Dungeon! Let’s go to the cathedral!”

“After all that hard work, let’s go eat something delicious!”

“Sara—! No! How can I live in the city without you! Damn it!”

From the unfamiliar buildings to the adventurers’ joys and sorrows, this is the other world…! And there are even sea people.

At that moment, a strong and strange sensation enveloped my entire body.

“Cough!”

[Acquired trait ‘Super Rookie’.]

────

[Super Rookie] [P]

You, who somehow managed to skip the first and second floors and overwhelmingly escape the third floor on your first dungeon trip, are worthy of high expectations for your future journey.

• If the Luck stat is below D-level, it increases by two levels.
•
────

Super Rookie?

“Wow. Ahren! You got a trait, didn’t you? Congratulations!”

“Ugh. Thank you, Yeriel. This feels a bit strange.”

I finally understood how the adventurers felt when they obtained a trait, cheering and celebrating.

I wondered if the dungeon system measured the difficulty of the dungeon and the adventurer’s effort in conquering it. Or was it just luck and probability?

It was confusing, but I decided to focus on the positive outcome.

‘I have a lot to do right now. Should I look for Derek first?’

“Yeriel!”

Suddenly, a loud female voice called out for Yeriel. Who was looking for Yeriel?

“Huh, how did my sister know I was here? Sister! I’m here!”

Yeriel held my hand with one hand and waved her other arm in the air.

“Yeriel! You had me worried! How long have you been waiting for my little one to come out?”

“Sister! I’m an adult now, so stop calling me ‘little one’ in public!”

She was intense from the start, in more ways than one.