Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

As soon as I got back to the inn in a carriage, I was scolded.

“You two were supposed to be gone for a few days, so I took care of El while you were away, and this is what happens after just one day?! I’m so upset!”

Not only were my internal injuries treated, but my external injuries were also completely healed, but my armor and hair were in terrible condition.

When I opened the door and went inside, Yeriel, who had come down to the first floor, looked worried when she saw my appearance.

“Pee! Peee!”

Knock, knock, knock.

Even though she was small, it was cute to see her pecking at my chest with her beak.

‘By the way, what about El? Did you give her a nickname?’

“Yeriel. Are you talking about El? It seems like you’ve become quite close if you’ve given her a nickname.”

“Yes. It’s easy to call and sounds cute, right? I like it too. But that’s not the important thing right now!”

“I know, I know. But Yeriel, we’re both fine, with no injuries. Why don’t you try to calm down? Take a deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out.”

Huff, huff.

“…”

“I was so worried when I heard that an apostle of the evil god appeared in the 5th District, and you and Lumia were there. Do you know how shocked I was?”

Of course, it must have been a bolt from the blue for Yeriel.

It was only a day since we left, not a few days, and we were already in a serious fight. If the situation had been reversed, I would have rushed there immediately.

“Phew. We were also surprised, but we won’t be going near the Colosseum for a while, so don’t worry. Was there anything else going on here?”

“Yes. Soldiers in armor were running around, but nothing else happened.”

Apparently, while the apostle was holding hundreds of people hostage and drawing attention, they were conducting a diversion operation in another district.

‘It’s good that everything was resolved on our side. But, where’s Lumia?’

“Yeriel, Lumia said she was going back to the inn, but I don’t see her. Is she resting in her room?”

“Well, she fainted as soon as she got back. Old Man Roten was surprised and immediately carried her to her room. He said she didn’t have a fever or any serious illness. She’ll be fine since she was healed.”

I was about to rush upstairs when I heard the rest of the story and stopped.

“She probably fainted because she was mentally shocked. Do you know what happened, Ahren?”

Yes, I know. I know too well.

At the time, I thought I had comforted her after killing the apostle, but as soon as the tension was released, the backlash came.

The appearance of the apostle of the evil god, the destruction of the circus, and the injuries of the people were all blamed on Lumia, an Arar.

“What? How can they blame one person for everything, even in a desperate situation?”

It’s clear that Yeriel has become more expressive and assertive than when we first met.

Well, the ups and downs are a bit extreme, but it’s good that she’s improving.

“Anyway, since the incident is over, I should take a nap too.”

I ended up sleeping during the day, but there was nothing I could do about it. After receiving treatment, my body and mind felt like they could fly, but as soon as I got to the inn, my eyelids kept closing.

“You must have been worried too, so you probably didn’t sleep. Are you sure you don’t want to rest?”

“Don’t worry about me and go to your room. No, wait! Before that, why don’t you go to Lumia’s room and say hello to her first? Would you do that?”

“Okay. I’ll do that. What about El? Should I call her El or something else?”

“Pee!”

Without any hesitation, El jumped onto my shoulder.

Yeriel looked at me with a puzzled expression, but El didn’t seem to care.

“Pee? Peee!”

With that, I said I’d see them later and headed upstairs to Lumia’s room.

Click.

“Hmm? What’s wrong with you? Are you injured?”

“No. I just came back. What about Lumia?”

“She’s sleeping soundly. I’m so glad you’re both safe. You must be tired, so go and unpack and rest.”

I saw Yeriel sleeping soundly and was relieved to see that Roten was less agitated than expected.

“Phew. Is this your armor? Well, take it off. It’s better to wear casual clothes than this ragged armor.”

It was a pity as it was made from the leather of a Savage Boar. Anyway, I finally got rid of the armor I had worn for several months.

This was also a memento, so I put it in my backpack and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Plop.

‘Let’s sleep. From tomorrow, I’ll be busy again.’

I realized that I wasn’t ready to live in the city yet after seeing Irmela, Shurika, and many other ally adventurers.

Oh, and I used my sword energy earlier, but I can’t seem to use it again… I need to find the solution…

“Pee. Peee!”

I fell asleep without even realizing it.

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The bright sunlight pierced through my closed eyes.

“Hmm. What time is it?”

I looked at my watch, and it was 12 noon.

Huh. I felt surprisingly good after sleeping for just over five hours.

[Chaos is making fun of you for sleeping for a whole day.]

“Chaos, did you finish your punishment?”

[Chaos is jumping around, telling you to forget about it.]

“Haha! How can I forget that? By the way, did I really sleep for a whole day? Almost 24 hours?”

I slept for almost 30 hours straight? Damn, I feel like I wasted a lot of time.

I got ready to go out, but I realized I didn’t have any armor to wear.

I quickly got dressed in casual clothes and left my room.

‘Where’s El? Did she go to Yeriel because I was sleeping so much?’

“Haha. You’re finally awake. I was worried that something might have happened to you.”

“I was so tired from the intense fight that I slept this long… Can I have something to eat now?”

“Of course! Just wait a moment. I’ll bring it right out.”

I sat at the table and waited a little while before the food was served.

‘My stomach was so empty. Now I can finally eat.’

A meal of soup with fluffy potatoes, rye bread, a piece of well-cooked meat, a boiled egg, and a drink.

I was able to have a satisfying lunch.

“Mr. Roten, are both of them gone? How’s Lumia doing?”

“Don’t worry. She woke up and came back fine, even if not as energetic as you. By the way, she asked me to tell you something when after you wakes up.”

From what he said, Lumia had decided to strengthen her resolve after this incident.

She wanted to become stronger in various ways, so she went to the explorer’s training school near the martial arts union.

She said she wanted to be more helpful to the party by utilizing her sensory trait, even if she didn’t become a professional explorer.

‘Yeriel must have gone to the Knights’ Guild or the Cathedral as usual. Now I just need to do what I have to do.’

“I feel better now that you’re here. Well, I’ll be going too. The city’s atmosphere is tense, so be careful.”

I nodded in agreement and left the inn.

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As soon as I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild building, I headed straight to the corpse processing counter.

It had been a few days since I handed over the bodies of the Grilops and Golem, so I wondered if the settlement was done.

“Let’s see… Oh, Ahren! You’re one of the adventurers who made a significant contribution to defeating the apostle of the evil god, right?”

“Huh?”

“Well, the whole city has been buzzing since yesterday. Whenever something related to the evil god appears, whether it’s an object, a person, or a phenomenon, the city always suffers significant damage.”

The receptionist was more interested in gossip than the settlement.

This has always been the case, whether the damage was big or small, but this time, the early suppression resulted in minimal damage.

So, the surviving people spread rumors about the adventurers who had helped.

‘Last time, the guild leader had a private meeting with me, and now this time, it’s even more significant?’

What should I do? My fame and reputation have been slowly rising, but it’s not entirely a good thing.

If I had the power to back it up, it would be fine, but in reality, I’m just a low-level adventurer whose highest record is the 4th floor. Too much attention will only be a poison.

It’s a poison that attracts the envy and jealousy of others.

[Chaos suggests using this opportunity to reverse the rumors.]

‘That’s right. If I think about it the other way around, this is an opportunity to recruit party members despite Lumia’s curse.’

We need a tank, a sturdy vanguard who can protect the two in the back and draw the aggro of the enemies.

As Jacob said, three people are too few. We’ve been underestimated because of our small number, so we must find a new member this time.

“The mutated corpse and the Golem’s shattered body have been successfully settled, and the total amount is 3 gold coins and 15 silver coins. Here you go, please check it.”

The settlement amount was a whopping 3 gold coins!

I had hoped that the mutated corpse would fetch a good price, and indeed, I was able to recover most of the cost of my armor.

“Thank you. The amount is correct. Then, goodbye.”

“Yes. Goodbye, adventurer!”

I checked my pocket with a light heart and left the counter.

Now, all that’s left is… party matching.

Unlike the corpse settlement counter, there were long lines, so I waited at the end of a short line for about 30 minutes until it was my turn.

“Hello. How can I help you?”

“I want to recruit party members. Here, I’ll give you my adventurer’s pass.”

“Yes. Please hand it over… Your identity has been confirmed. Please write down your desired job category and detailed recruitment conditions here!”

…

The finalized recruitment notice is as follows:

───────────────

Party Recruitment Notice – Adventurer Ahren’s Party

Target Layer to Reach: To be determined after a meeting with all party members. The preferred hunting area will also be decided in the same way.

Party’s Highest Layer Reached: 4th Floor.

Party’s Average Ability: D- Rank.

Number of Members to Recruit: 1 person specializing in defense-oriented vanguard.

Current Members: 1 human swordsman specializing in close combat (low-level), 1 human priest specializing in buffs, protection, and healing (low-level), 1 beastman magician specializing in black magic (low-level).

Special Notes:

• No restrictions on race or age.
•
• Equal distribution of settlement money.
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• Sensory traits and basic knowledge can replace the explorer class.
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• Can use magic to take turns on night watch.
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• Abundant supplies due to a space-expanding backpack.
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• The beastman magician has a unique negative trait, but it is canceled by the party leader’s trait and poses no problem.
•
───────────────

I wrote down everything without missing any necessary details, including the curse of Lumia.

“Submission complete! Please visit the guild later to check the status. Do you have any other business?”

“No. Thank you for your kind service. I’ll be on my way.”

“Goodbye!”

I left the guild, leaving behind the bright receptionist.

Click. Click.

‘The impact is significant.’

Soldiers were still patrolling diligently in the afternoon due to the evil god-related incident.

Anyway, I hope there’s at least one proper applicant.

I was a bit worried because I had already failed to recruit members once before.

All I can do is wait and see.

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“Haa.”

Two weeks passed without any news.

Since this is a world where gods, magic, curses, spirits, and all kinds of mysteries exist, even though the rumor has spread, and I wrote that Lumia’s curse is canceled by my trait, people are still cautious and superstitious.

“There’s one person who wants to join your party!”

Finally, finally!

“…”

“…”

However, the applicant is quite unusual, or rather, very unusual.