Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

As I said yesterday, I returned the key to the innkeeper after packing my simple belongings from the room.

Then, after having our last meal at the inn, Yeriel and I headed to the guild.

On the way, I thought about Lumia.

‘Lumia’s curse also appears as a trait in the status window, but can it be removed at the cathedral?’

[Chaos shakes her head, saying that traits related to gods cannot be deleted through normal methods.]

If normal methods don’t work, will there be a way to remove it when I become a high-level adventurer, like a mid-level or deep-level adventurer?

As I pondered this, we arrived at the guild.

When I opened the door and entered, I noticed a group of adventurers staring intently at a table.

As expected… Lumia was sitting alone at a corner table, looking down with a blank expression.

“Lumia! Did you wait long?”

As soon as she heard my voice, her eyes lit up as if they had been turned on.

“No, I just missed you so much.”

We haven’t even been apart for a day.

“Me too.”

“Really?”

“Of course. By the way, I decided to move to the inn where you’re staying today, along with Yeriel.”

I shrugged and continued, “Well, it’s to prevent any future inconveniences, and now that we’re in the same party…”

Lumia stared at me.

“I feel warm and happy again…”

“Come on! We’ll be late for the training if we don’t go to the reception desk and get started!”

Yeriel interrupted, spreading her arms to indicate Lumia and pointing to one side.

Yes, if we want to make it to today’s training on time, we need to finish the party registration before it gets too crowded.

I hoped the procedure wouldn’t take too long.

We stood in the shortest line, and as soon as some people saw Lumia, they moved to the other line, so our turn came quickly.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

“Yes, we want to create a fixed party.”

“Is forming a fixed party your purpose? Just a moment, please.”

The receptionist asked for our names, and I replied.

“Yes! You’ve been confirmed. Are the two people behind you your party members?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Ahren, you’ve been confirmed. Please come forward, and the two of you, please state your names and go through the consent process, then we’ll continue.”

The receptionist gestured for Yeriel and Lumia to come forward.

After a short wait, they finished their part.

“Um, Ahren…”

But as soon as I approached again, the receptionist whispered to me.

“That Lumia… She has a record of two party wipes and other bad rumors. Are you sure you want to proceed with forming a fixed party with her?”

Ugh! I was annoyed by their nosiness.

However, I quickly calmed down and decided to just brush it off. After all, they were just trying to help.

“Yes, I’m sure. Please proceed with the procedure. Thank you for your concern.”

“Hmm. Okay, the cost of forming a fixed party is 10 silver coins. …Yes, confirmed. The procedure is complete, so you can go now.”

“Thank you.”

After successfully completing our task, we headed to the second floor just as today’s training was about to begin.

Yeriel was fine, but should Lumia also be allowed in?

Just in case, I opened the door and greeted Bardus and Berkel, asking for their permission.

Both of them looked a bit hesitant, but fortunately, they said it was okay, so Lumia could enter as well.

Bardus muttered under his breath when he saw Lumia, then apologized with a guilty expression.

“Hmm… She’s a real Arar. Oops, sorry. I’ve heard the rumors, but this is the first time I’m seeing it with my own eyes.”

Bardus let out a nervous laugh, feeling very sorry.

“Haha, if you’re a colleague of Ahren, whom I’ve seen for a few days, you can’t be a bad person.”

“Yes, I’ve only been in the party for a short time, but I can assure you that Lumia is not a bad person.”

Instead of explaining about my trait and Lumia’s curse, it would be less troublesome to just make up an excuse.

“Don’t worry about the rumors of bad luck. I was with her all day, and it was fine. A few hours of training together won’t be a problem.”

Bardus laughed heartily.

“Miss Lumia, you’re very fortunate to have met Ahren. Don’t let him go.”

‘But why is Isaac just standing there? He’s not the kind of person to let Lumia go unnoticed.’

Lumia opened her mouth to speak, but Berkel spoke first.

“I’m a mid-level adventurer, and I’ve been working as an instructor instead of adventuring. I’ve never seen an Arar in this city before. The strange people I’ve seen here are…”

He paused, deep in thought.

“Easterners from far away, northern barbarians, wandering priests who believed in forgotten gods, noble high elves… And now, an Arar has been added to the list.”

Berkel had a nostalgic expression as he reminisced about the past, but he quickly snapped out of it and spoke seriously.

“It’s already the third day. I mentioned that the training will last for five days, right? The dungeon will open in a few days, so let’s not waste any time and start right away.”

The training began.

We learned about the shelters inside the dungeon, the hidden conditions on each floor that must be met for the Floor Masters to appear, and so on.

Everyone was listening attentively when Isaac, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, asked why the Floor Masters only appeared every five floors.

“Why not on lower floors? Why specifically every five floors?”

Isaac looked confused and excited as he asked.

“The 30th floor is still an undiscovered Floor, and Floor Masters have been found on the 5th, 10th, 15th, and so on, up to the 25th floor.”

I made a mental note of the five-floor intervals.

“The conditions for their appearance have been discovered by adventurers, but they’ve kept them to themselves, so only a few people know how to summon the Floor Masters.”

Berkel chuckled and crossed his arms.

“Well, even if you know the conditions, it takes a certain amount of time for a new Floor Master to appear after one is defeated, so it’s not something that beginners should worry about. Just know that they exist.”

Oh, right! Berkel added, pointing at me.

“I checked your personal information on the first day of training, and I was surprised to find that you’re the disciple of the Blood Witch. She once formed a party with a Sage and caught Aldelbaran on the 15th floor.”

Berkel couldn’t help but be impressed as he continued, “Wow, really?”).

“The aura she exuded after defeating the Floor Master and obtaining the unique weapon was truly terrifying, even from a distance. I still remember that chilling crimson sword dance vividly.”

“Fuck… Why is he the protagonist when I’m the one who should be?”

Isaac heard Berkel’s response and seemed jealous, glaring at me as he muttered something under his breath.

Then, he turned his head, looking like he was plotting something.

…

As the training was almost over, Isaac, who had been deep in thought, turned his gaze towards me.

Then, as if he had heard some juicy gossip, he opened his mouth with a disdainful tone.

“By the way, I heard some interesting rumors. Yesterday, a cursed witch threw herself at someone in the middle of the guild, and that person not only accepted her but also hugged and stroked her outside!”

Oh, this bastard. Here we go again.

“Wow, I just found out about Arar yesterday, and you seem so cool. This is what a forbidden love is all about!”

Has he lost his mind?

Berkel glared at him, but Isaac didn’t notice and continued his rant.

“Why would such a being even come to the Dungeon City? I heard that they’re cursed from birth and live in a village with other outcasts. Why would they come here and cause trouble?”

What he said wasn’t entirely wrong…

But saying it to my face was crossing the line.

“Anyway, you’re amazing. You have the guts to be with someone who could cause to die at any moment. That’s the kind of courage it takes to hug a beauty like that!”

“Here we go again. What’s wrong with Isaac? He’s really…”

Even Bardus, who had listened to Isaac’s boasting and nonsense for a few days, finally lost his patience and shook his head.

This guy hasn’t changed at all in a few days.

At that moment, Yeriel spoke softly.

“Ugh. I can’t take it anymore. Ahren, hold my hand.”

…Is that so? I held her hand.

“You’re such a piece of shit that if I throw you into the water, only your mouth will float! I don’t know what kind of pathetic life you’ve lived, but you’ve been spouting nonsense and boasting for days! The only thing you’re good at is belittling and mocking others!”

Oh no.

“You’re such a weakling that you’d probably cower if someone stronger than you said anything. You have no guts, no skills, and your face looks like a piece of trash from the cathedral’s dumpster! My sister mentioned that she’s a deep-level adventurer, so should I ask her to step on you like a bug and show off her cuteness?”

“…”

“You’re a cancer to society. I’d like to see the faces of your parents who gave birth to you and let you loose in this world! Or maybe they’re already dead—Oof! Ouch!”

Ugh, if I let her continue, she might kill everyone related to Isaac.

[Chaos laughs, holding her stomach.]

“Yeriel, thank you for cursing on my behalf. But you’re too good for him to waste your emotions on. Right?”

I patted Yeriel’s shoulder.

“He enjoys being cursed at and getting attention, so he’ll probably be happy inside. Why don’t we take a deep breath and calm down?”

…Yeriel nodded.

I looked around and saw that Berkel had been walking towards Isaac but was now frozen in surprise, and Bardus had his mouth wide open as if his jaw had dropped.

As for Lumia… her lips were slightly curled up.

“Huh. What the hell.”

Isaac was stunned by Yeriel’s sudden outburst.

“Fuck you. Do you think Lumia wanted to be cursed? She must have had a good reason to come to the city and enter the dungeon.”

The more I think about it, the less I understand.

“Why do you insult me to my face? Are you trying to provoke me because you’re the disciple of a famous person?”

Isaac, you bastard…

Does he think he’s chosen by the gods or something?

Just because he has two decent traits and fell into the city, does he think he’s special and amazing?

[Chaos points at Isaac and laughs.]

I’m tired of talking.

Anyway, to get the materials for the curse, I need to fight him, and it seems like the time has come.

“That’s enough. Isaac, if you don’t like me, let’s just have a friendly match. How about a light sparring session? The loser will keep quiet for the rest of the training.”

Isaac looked hesitant.

“Hmm. I’ve been wondering what’s so great about you, and now you’re offering to spar with me? Sure, let’s do it right now.”

Great, he took the bait.

“Berkel, did you hear that? Can you act as a referee for this match?”

Berkel finally snapped out of his surprise and said, “Okay, I’ll be the referee. Let’s move to the training ground. Everyone, follow me.”

Good. I’ll easily get the materials for the curse.

On the way, Bardus approached me with a worried expression.

“You must be very confident in your abilities to challenge him to a match, right? I hope you crush him.”

“Of course. There’s no way I would lose to him. Don’t worry.”

Isaac should prepare himself.

Before risking our lives in the dungeon, let’s have a light sparring match.