Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Let’s make a careful decision.

To leave the central zone of Rabita and move to the next floor, we have to choose one of the four zones.

First, the [Rocky Canyon].

This canyon-themed zone is inhabited by worm and rock-related monsters at the bottom and fierce birds of prey at the top.

Since the monsters are difficult to deal with, and the terrain itself makes it hard to move quickly, adventurers usually avoid this zone unless they have a specific purpose or mission.

Next, the [Howling Forest] in the east.

This forest-themed zone is mainly inhabited by various types of beast-type monsters, and very rarely, giant monster-type creatures.

Since the 3rd and 4th floors are also forest zones, adventurers might mistakenly think it’s an easy zone, but there’s more to worry about than just the monsters. It’s not a zone to underestimate.

The hidden gimmicks are relatively easy to deal with, and the byproducts are quite valuable, making it a popular zone among adventurers.

In other words, there’s a high probability of encountering other parties during exploration, so we need to be cautious.

Then, the [Crystal Hall] in the west.

This zone, surrounded by sparkling crystals, is popular among adventurers as they can obtain valuable collectibles even without hunting monsters.

It’s a zone with various hidden gimmicks, such as rifts and intentionally summonable monsters.

However, due to various reasons, it’s not suitable for a quick breakthrough to the 8th floor, so I decided to pass on the Crystal Hall this time.

Lastly, the [Ruined Resting Place] in the south.

This is a graveyard zone themed around death and rest, inhabited mainly by undead monsters.

There are issues with byproducts, and the surrounding environment is particularly gloomy and dark, making it mentally challenging for adventurers. Additionally, a priest or other light-related class is essential.

According to rumors, starting from the 6th floor, the bodies of adventurers who died in the Resting Place come back to life as undead.

So, the conclusion is that the Ruined Resting Place is the second most avoided zone after the Rocky Canyon.

‘However… The monsters in the Resting Place are mostly of the darkness attribute, so it’s a strength of mine to activate the additional damage option of Solace.’

What should we do?

After explaining the characteristics of these zones in detail to my companions, I asked for their opinions.

“I want to choose between the Howling Forest and the Ruined Resting Place. What do you think?”

“I’ll go wherever you want to go, Ahren.”

“Really?”

Lumia, you should think about it a little more…

“In my opinion, since I’m a priest and Ahren can benefit from the monsters in the Resting Place, it seems like the best choice! It’s an avoided zone, so there’s a high chance we won’t encounter other parties.”

Yeriel confidently stated her opinion, and Veronica agreed.

“If we can make the exploration easier, even if we earn less money, it’s the right choice. I also think the south is better.”

“Really? We decided faster than I expected. Then, since we all agree, let’s depart for the south after a good night’s rest.”

“Okay. Let’s go to sleep soon.”

“Wait! I want to hear about what happened while we were separated!”

Yeriel raised her hand cutely, Lumia looked at me, and Veronica, who was pretending to be indifferent but stayed by my side, listened intently as I began to tell the story.

I told them about how I ran like crazy to explore one direction each day, how I was stopped by the Oxynos Clan from going west, how I accepted Martin’s party’s proposal and fought against them, and the thrilling story of defeating the Golden Goblin and annihilating the clan with just the five of us.

“You must have had a hard time, Ahren. Running without rest must have been exhausting.”

“Wow! Was the Golden Goblin really shining gold? It’s even more fascinating than the purple goblin!”

“Demern is truly a despicable man. To suddenly surrender and grovel at the moment of death.”

As I continued the story, building up the tension and excitement, everyone’s reactions became more intense.

After that, I told them about how the three of them saved food by fighting against goblin groups, encountering other parties, and finally reaching the village.

[Chaos says that the harmonious relationship between the companions is heartwarming.]

After everyone went to sleep in their designated places, we woke up the next morning, got ready, and left the building we had stayed in for the night.

“Does anyone have any missing items or need some time?”

After confirming that everyone was ready, we headed towards the southern end of Rabita.

After walking for an hour or two, we finally reached the portal in the south.

Unlike the yellow escape portal and the blue layer portal, this portal, which led to another zone within the same floor, had a unique red color.

“Lumia, can you check the curse I put on last night?”

In preparation for the possibility of being separated from the party again, I had used the tracking arrow curse in advance, which I had used to kill Isaac a long time ago.

Since I used my blood and hair to cast the curse, if it worked correctly, the compass should point towards me.

A black compass made of dark magic appeared in Lumia’s palm.

“It worked. Here, it’s still pointing in the right direction, so even if we get separated like before, we can find each other.”

“Then, we’ve finished everything we need to do before moving to the zone. Everyone, just in case, hold on to the person next to you… Let’s go!”

We all held hands and stepped into the portal.

.

.

.

Whoosh.

This was the southern zone of the 5th floor, the Ruined Resting Place.

‘The zone is dark 24 hours a day, right?’

Unlike the gray sky of Rabita, the pitch-black night sky, devoid of even a single small star, stood out, creating a sense of unease.

The ground was covered in black, and the pale mist that enveloped us hindered our vision while also adding to the eerie atmosphere.

‘This portal doesn’t give me any special feeling. Oh, by the way, where are my companions?’

I quickly turned my head, worried that one of them might have been separated again.

Yeriel and Lumia, who were also looking around anxiously, made eye contact with me.

“Phew. I was worried that someone might get separated again while entering the portal, but this time, no one is missing. It must have been that place that was the problem!”

“Ahren, don’t get separated again and stay close to us!”

I was worried that I might be separated and have to go through hardships alone again, but fortunately, it didn’t happen.

It was just a temporary anomaly. The random event location, the crossroads, or whatever it was called, must have been the issue.

Veronica, seeing me sigh in relief, said,

“Don’t worry. No matter how cruel and dangerous the dungeon may be, it’s unlikely that we’ll encounter consecutive party-breaking situations without any reason.”

“I hope so.”

I know that, but I’ve been in forced, unreasonable situations more than once, so I can’t help but worry.

The dungeon is full of tricks, so even the slightest deviation makes me anxious.

‘Especially since the bad luck has been quiet lately, I’m even more worried about when it will strike again.’

“Before we came, I set up a tracking curse, so even if we get separated again, we’ll come to find you this time.”

I smiled lightly at Veronica, not revealing my inner thoughts.

“Thank you. I feel so reassured having you here. As a senior adventurer and a reliable companion.”

“Is that so?”

Veronica coughed awkwardly, and I lit a torch.

Whoosh!

“Now I can see something. Is that a tombstone?”

As the theme was death and rest, tombstones were visible everywhere from the start.

While Veronica and I were having a brief conversation, Lumia, who was searching for any signs of movement, reported, “There are no monsters or other parties nearby. It’s strangely quiet.”

“The absence of wandering monsters is a good sign. Let’s move now that we have visibility and have confirmed that there are no issues.”

I nodded and instructed my companions, “The formation will be Lumia and Veronica in the front, Yeriel in the center, and I’ll take the rear. Everyone, take your positions.”

From the 1st to the 4th floor, Yeriel, as a priest, could handle herself to some extent, so I had her in the rear.

However, in the Ruined Resting Place, I heard that monsters might emerge from the ground where someone had stepped, so I switched positions with her to quickly respond to any situation.

I handed the map and compass to Lumia.

There were no fixed gimmicks to worry about in the 5th floor, which was the entrance to the Resting Place.

In other words, the answer was to break through quickly.

“Our goal is the layer portal. Let’s go.”

“Yes. Don’t lose sight of it and follow closely?”

Uwaah!

We moved forward with the eerie howling sound coming from somewhere in the distance as background music.

Lumia carefully searched for the path and led the party.

‘Oh, even though it’s her first time on the 5th floor, she’s navigating smoothly. She’s growing as an explorer too.’

Following her, we moved quickly, and soon, two hours had passed.

“Stop. Monsters ahead. They seem to be undead.”

Just as Lumia said, ten skeletons were slowly approaching us.

The undead didn’t all have the darkness attribute, as Solace hadn’t reacted yet.

“Prepare for battle. Lumia, fall back, Veronica, provoke, and Yeriel, respond to attacks from the rear with a shield.”

‘Let’s gauge their level and conserve magic power by fighting without buffs.’

The skeleton archer in the back, who had noticed us, drew his bow.

Pew! Tap.

“Where do you think you’re aiming?”

The arrow he shot was easily deflected by me, and the battle began.

“They’re just a bunch of bones.”

Veronica banged her shield to draw their attention.

[Veronica casts ‘Echoing Resonance’.]

Twaang!

[The ‘Provoking Resonance’ echoes with each strike.]

Four of the six skeleton warriors, armed with swords and shields, charged towards Veronica.

The remaining two warriors and four archers were left.

Ssss!

A warrior with a rusty sword aimed at me, trying to bypass Veronica.

‘They’re definitely faster than the Hobgoblins on the 5th floor, but they’re still just ordinary monsters.’

I considered blocking the attack with my head but quickly changed my mind and dodged it.

I remembered reading in the monster book that when touched by the rusty sword, there was a low chance of random disease stacks accumulating, regardless of damage.

If I got infected, I would need purification, which would consume Yeriel’s magic power. It was best to avoid unnecessary waste.

“One.”

Kwang!

The upper body of the skeleton burst into pieces, unable to withstand the attack.

Instead of cutting or breaking it, I swung my sword with the intention of shattering it.

“Oh darkness. Yearn and devour.”

[Yearning Darkness]

Clank!

The skeletons being provoked by Veronica were shattered one by one by dark magic.

“Good. They’re fine too. Let’s finish this quickly.”

Whoosh!

A warrior with a wooden shield tried to push me back, but I struck with my sword, imbued with magic power.

Crack!

Kwang!

The attack shattered the wooden shield and the skeleton’s bony body.

Now, only four archers remained.

Ping. Ping. Piiing.

The archers fired their arrows at me, attracted by the sound of the battle.

There was no need to deflect each arrow individually.

I dodged the arrows aimed at me and jumped towards the archers, zigzagging through their trajectories.

As I leaped towards them, I summoned all the magic power in my body.

Fizz. Fizzz.

The lightning bolt, starting from the grip and running along the sword, burst forth from the tip.

‘Thunderbolt!’

As I landed in front of the archers, a massive bolt of lightning erupted from my sword, sweeping them away.

Rumble!

The only thing left in the spot where the thunder roared was scattered bone fragments. The short battle ended with this single strike.

“Huff.”

My entire body felt like it had been tortured, and I trembled with pain, but I calmly caught my breath and endured it, and the trembling gradually subsided.

‘The backlash is severe, but this is good enough as a finishing move. No, it’s not just good; it’s excellent.’

I already knew how powerful this skill was from using it to clear the village on the 4th floor.

It was a good deal to sweep away enemies with an area-of-effect attack and endure the pain for just a few seconds.

However, unless I could mitigate or get used to this pain through another trait, I couldn’t prevent becoming defenseless for a short time…

It was a shame that I couldn’t use it as anything other than a finishing move.

Yeriel approached me as I rubbed my sore shoulders.

“You did well! Do you need healing?”

“No, it’s nothing. I need to get used to it if I want to use it effectively in the future. What about you? Were you hurt?”

“No! Thanks to Veronica’s defense, we didn’t even need the shield. Hmm, I feel a bit embarrassed for just hanging back there.”

I patted Yeriel on the back and approached my companions.

“I was a bit nervous since it was our first battle on the 5th floor, but if we keep fighting like this, we’ll reach the next floor in no time. Thank you all for doing your part. Let’s quickly gather the byproducts and move on.”

“What are the byproducts of skeletons?”

“The equipment is meaningless, and since a small amount of magic power is embedded in their bones, we only need to collect small pieces. Ordinary skeleton-type monsters are known for being worthless.”

As Veronica said, skeletons are not valuable monsters.

It’s one of the reasons why adventurers avoid the Ruined Resting Place.

The individual specs of the monsters are average, and the rare materials that drop from undead monsters at a low probability are the only consolation.

Of course, the word ‘rare’ implies that they won’t drop easily…

“Huh? What’s this?”

“Hmm?”

A black crystal sparkled in Yeriel’s hand.

Is it really that easy to obtain?