Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Why? Why aren’t the trajectories appearing?

Pffft!

“Ugh.”

Even though Evelyn was clearly attacking, I was startled by the lack of visible trajectory.

I ended up hesitating and awkwardly taking a hit.

“Hmm?”

Seeing Evelyn’s puzzled expression as she stopped, I realized my mistake.

“Damn. I’ve been relying too much on Chaos lately.”

Even without knowing the trajectory, I shouldn’t have made such a stupid mistake for an E-rank attack.

In hindsight, there were plenty of better options, like dodging by twisting my body or blocking with my sword.

“Sorry. I’ll focus and concentrate, can we try again?”

It would be nice if the trajectory was visible, but it’s not right to be useless without it.

If my eyes don’t show me the way, I’ll find my own solution.

Embarrassed, I gritted my teeth and focused my fighting spirit, causing Evelyn to laugh.

“Alright. I hope to see no more of that pathetic display. Here we go again!”

Clack!

I calmly blocked her sword as she whipped it like a whip towards my head.

Thankfully, the attack still slows down when it comes.

As soon as the attack was blocked, Evelyn spun half a turn and struck my right leg.

I immediately jumped back, but she immediately chased after me and slashed.

Should I dodge this too? No, dodging alone won’t solve the problem. I need to take the initiative with an attack.

‘For now, I have the advantage in strength. If I do it right, I might even make her drop her sword.’

I struck her sword as it came up fiercely.

“Hup!”

Thwack!

For a moment, we struggled against each other, but then Evelyn twisted her sword and released the tension.

“Damn!”

Because of that, I stumbled as I tried to keep pushing, losing my balance.

She didn’t miss the opportunity and stabbed her sword at me.

What should I do? I thought calmly. I need to see where the tip of her sword is heading.

She’s trying to stab my solar plexus to neutralize me and end the sparring. So!

I was already stumbling forward, so I twisted my body as much as I could to dodge and rolled.

Shudder!

“Huh. What’s that?”

The sword aimed straight at my solar plexus.

I managed to dodge by rolling awkwardly, but thankfully I avoided it.

But now, it wasn’t just about dodging the attack.

Until now, I was so busy blocking and dodging that I didn’t notice, but when the attack slowed down, I happened to look at her face…

From the moment she stabbed her sword until I rolled, Evelyn’s eyes never left mine.

It’s still the same. While stabbing, she should be looking straight ahead, but she was looking at me as I rolled to the side.

When did it start? When did you start looking at my eyes instead of my sword? From the beginning?

Evelyn, who had just pulled out her stabbed sword and was about to charge at me, stopped when she felt my hidden confusion.

“Hmm, I think I understand now.”

Then she called out to me, saying she had figured something out.

“Ahren, let’s try one more thing. From now on, I’ll attack in a weird way, so watch carefully and block. Don’t dodge.”

I agreed and gripped my sword.

“Okay. Let’s begin.”

She started swinging her sword, judging that I was ready.

Huh? What’s this?

I can see the red trajectory again as Evelyn slashes diagonally! This should be easier than before.

The first strike is classic, so it should be easy to block… I bring my sword to the end of the trajectory… Chew!

“Ugh!”

Why did the trajectory suddenly bend when the slowing down was released?

Thud.

Paaak!

“Ugh.”

I was helpless against the attack with the altered trajectory.

[Chaos focuses and whispers to me to concentrate.]

Holding my stomach, I thought hard.

“The trajectory shows the path of the attack. But if it’s not a bent trajectory from the beginning and it twists later, then…”

In other words, it’s possible to change the trajectory to a different path during the attack.

Like changing a vertical slash to a horizontal slash… Is that why I couldn’t block it? If you do that, your joints won’t last.

Hmm. Yes! I think it’s probably covered by magic.

She swung her sword again, as if saying I should focus on blocking instead of thinking.

Whoosh!

Concentrate. This is an upward slash. It will bend once in the middle anyway. I need to respond to that.

She slashed diagonally upwards and then twisted it horizontally at her waist.

…Now!

I caught the short moment when the trajectory changed in real-time and brought my sword to the altered spot.

Clack!

Blocked!

“Stop! That’s enough.”

“Huh?”

You’re telling me to stop after just one block after getting beaten up?

“Alright! Now that the test is over, let’s relax and have a chat. First of all, you passed. I can trust you to take care of Yeriel.”

Anyway, that’s a relief. Great!

It’s not just because Yeriel is a priestess or has a strong background that I want to stick with her.

I wanted to be with her because she’s loyal enough to risk her life for the right cause, and she’s a cute and pure yet capable companion.

It’s also healing to look at her because she’s so cute.

Additionally, I was happy to be recognized by Evelyn, a deep-level adventurer.

“However, there’s a problem that I need to point out, which might be painful for you. Are you okay with that?”

I replied when Evelyn spoke with a serious tone.

“Whatever the problem is, I should listen and fix it. I’ll take it to heart.”

Evelyn nodded and began to speak.

“Initially, I just wanted to do a simple skill test. It was enough to confirm whether Yeriel’s story was true or not.”

So, the purpose has changed now?

“But after getting hit once, you started to change and became more interesting. Your gaze was fixed on the tip of my sword, and you kept watching to see where it would fall and dodged accordingly.”

She said this with a perplexed expression.

“Ordinary people, unless they are skilled in that field, cannot keep their eyes fixed on a mere punch to judge whether it will reach them or in which direction it will be thrown.”

Ah, I see. Ordinary people would probably close their eyes or just try to dodge when someone punches them in the face.

“Sometimes, they even close their eyes before the punch reaches them out of fear. But you didn’t blink once, as if you were licking the wooden sword with your eyes.”

After hearing that, I asked,

“Then, is there no problem?”

She shook her head.

“What good is it if your eyes are exceptionally good and your stats are above average? Your technique is terrible. Your ‘gi’ is completely pathetic.”

Ah.

As a modern person with no real combat experience, I’ve always relied on my attributes, and it’s true that I’ve never learned any proper fighting techniques… I can’t really argue with that.

“Look at your fighting style. You carefully observe others’ attacks and then dodge and counter.”

That’s true. To be honest, I’ve been relying on Chaos until now.

“Are you going to keep waiting for stronger or equally skilled opponents to attack first? What will you do if even your counters don’t work?”

She’s right, so I have no rebuttal.

“You don’t know any swordsmanship, so you just rely on your strength and speed to push through attacks. Your movements are predictable because you read your opponent’s attacks. It’s too crude.”

“Is that so?”

“Against monsters, your current style might work to some extent. But in human-to-human combat, it’s different. The humans you’ll encounter in the city and the dungeon will all have their own unique attributes and honed techniques.”

Even Derek and Bernard had their own specialties, such as Basic Sword Defense and Basic Archery, which they acquired through effort and learning.

I don’t even have that…

[Chaos advises you to listen carefully, even though it’s annoying.]

“Of course. After hearing all this, I think I’ve been subconsciously feeling the same way.”

Evelyn relaxed her expression and pointed to herself.

“But don’t worry. Who am I? I hold the record for reaching the 27th floor. I’m the captain of the Silver Cross Knights and Yeriel’s older sister, Evelyn.”

“I’ll make you into a real warrior before the next dungeon opens. Your eyes are incredible. Despite having your stats adjusted, you were able to see and block my attacks after just a few hits.”

She’s going to make me into a real warrior? I thought the test was over and that was the end of it.

This is an opportunity.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to learn if you teach me!”

Evelyn laughed at my words.

“To the death… My personal instruction is like a dream come true for low-level adventurers. You’ll have to be prepared for that.”

Yes. Where else would I find someone like this, and for a good cause?

“Hahaha, I won’t have any time to be bored for a while. Get ready.”

Is this a good thing?

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“Sister! I want to stay in the same party with Ahren!”

My one and only angelic and cute little sister finally asked me for something.

Our parents were killed by human hunters, and my sister and I became each other’s support, fighting hard to survive for a long time until we finally reached this position.

Recently, rumors spread that we had torn apart some human hunters, which made things awkward…

Seeing Yeriel, who said she wanted to help as an adult and had grown so much since she was a little girl, I felt proud.

But at the same time, I was also worried that she would face pain and hardship.

In the end, I gave in and let her go… When she returned safely, she told me about all the trials and tribulations she had faced, including almost dying.

‘I can’t lose you too, Yeriel. So, if he’s the one you chose. If everything you experienced in the dungeon is true.’

Squeeze.

‘Then I’ll do whatever it takes to build his foundation and make him a proper adventurer.’

With this determination, I called Ahren early in the morning and started a sparring match under the pretext of a test.

The result was surprisingly good.

He had stats far beyond those of ordinary first-time adventurers, as well as advanced-level strength and eye-related attributes.

Speaking of strength, I noticed that his mana didn’t end even after the sparring.

I wondered if he had high mana regeneration or a large total amount, as if he were a half-elf or a dragon hybrid.

He’s handsome, so maybe he’s an elf?

Anyway, aside from the fact that he had no foundation in technique and relied solely on his attributes and abilities, he excelled in character, appearance, and ability.

‘Ahren, this guy is obviously destined to become a great adventurer. So, I need to butter him up and keep him by Yeriel’s side.’

You’ll do whatever it takes to learn if I teach you?

Hehe, yes, good. Don’t blame me for what you’ve brought upon yourself.

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“I’d rather die…”

Thus began two hellish weeks.