Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

“Hello, are you Ms. Veronica? I’m here regarding the party issue.”

“Ah, what’s your name?”

“It’s Ahren. I’m the party leader of Ahren’s Adventurer Party. Hmm. I temporarily wrote my name in the party leader field, and now I feel a bit embarrassed.”

“It matches the announcement from yesterday. Please take a seat. I’ve already ordered food, so let’s eat first.”

As I agreed and was about to sit down, the ignored man raised his voice.

“When I was talking, you didn’t even listen with half an ear, and now you’re both ignoring me?”

“You call yourself an adventurer, really. This is why lower-tier adventurers get a bad reputation.”

“You⋯!”

Thud. Thud.

Thwack!

“Hey. If you don’t want to be dragged out, stop it. You have two choices: get beaten up and kicked out, or calmly eat and walk out on your own.”

“⋯Damn it.”

The man cursed and tried to escape, but he couldn’t break free from the grasp of the innkeeper, who boasted formidable muscles. He could only flail his legs.

“Hah. I knew that guy was an idiot.”

“It’s so embarrassing.”

“Let go! Let me go! Elrand, you were supposed to go and talk to them! Why are you just standing there?!”

Boom!

As the innkeeper released him, the man ran off without looking back.

‘He was talking about being the party leader earlier, but he’s so embarrassed that he just ran away.’

[Chaos says that there are always people like that wherever you go.]

After the man left, his party leader apologized to the innkeeper and quickly left with the remaining two members.

It seems like they were a party of four men who saw a beautiful woman alone and got carried away. If they’re so desperate for women, they should go to a brothel or something. Pathetic guys.

“Since you’re here, why don’t I take your order? Will the recommended set meal for one person be enough? And for drinks?”

“I need to go back soon, so please just a regular drink, not alcohol.”

“Alright. I’ll bring it right out!”

The innkeeper left with a hearty farewell, and I sat down.

“Do these kinds of things happen often?”

Veronica looked at me for a moment before speaking.

“Yes, it’s a common occurrence.”

She’s so calm about it.

“I applied yesterday, and you came sooner than I expected.”

“Well, as you saw in the announcement, we’ve been having trouble finding party members because of our circumstances. When I saw your application, I was so happy that I came right away.”

She stirred her spoon in the almost empty soup bowl.

“The circumstances you mentioned, is it the curse of the beastman black mage, right? I looked into it, and it seems she’s a unique beastman called Arar.”

I confidently answered her question about whether I could guarantee that the curse or any negative traits wouldn’t cause trouble for the party.

“Of course. If it’s a lie, there’s no reason to hide it, as it would be exposed soon after joining the party, right?”

‘Since she applied knowing that Lumia is an Arar, she probably won’t show any aversion or avoidance when she joins the party. And she have this halo too.’

“That’s a firm answer. Now it’s your turn to ask questions.”

Turn? Does she want us to take turns asking questions?

I thought about what to ask and decided to go with the most fundamental question.

“From the quality of your equipment and the way you carry yourself, it doesn’t seem like you have any reason to apply to our party. Is there some special reason?”

“That’s an important question. The answer is a bit long, so please listen carefully.”

I nodded, as I didn’t have any other plans anyway, and Veronica began her story.

Veronica came from a distant land.

As a member of the Armis Royal Guard, she was assigned to protect the fourth princess, who was low in the line of succession.

One day, she was overwhelmed by an assassin sent by the crown prince and could only watch helplessly as the person she was supposed to protect died before her eyes.

‘…Oh.’

Disgusted by the ruthless royal family and her own powerlessness, she wandered aimlessly until she settled in the Labyrinth City.

Through her outstanding talent and the foundation she built during her time in the kingdom, she rose through the ranks in a fixed party and made it to the lower levels of the mid-tier.

However, in a random event she encountered in a space, she managed to pass the six trials bestowed by the God of the Sky… but in exchange, two out of the five party members died.

One of the remaining two, aside from Veronica, suffered a permanent disability that couldn’t be cured even with healing magic or potions, and the other quit being an adventurer and took up a government job.

Veronica herself had mediocre stats, except for her magic power, which barely qualified her for the mid-tier. To make matters worse, the ability she gained as a reward for passing the trials, an A-rank trait, was more of a burden than a blessing.

“Even if someone has an A-rank trait, who would put an adventurer who drains the magic power of their front-line party members in the front line? I couldn’t find any party with such an unusual composition, with only one person in the front line and the rest being long-range classes.”

For the past two months, Veronica had been living off personal requests and not working as an adventurer.

Then, after hearing the rumors, she thought it over and decided to look for recruitment notices.

“What specific rumors?”

“What caught my attention about the rumors about you was that you didn’t back down in a one-on-one fight with a powerful spirit mage, even though you were an adventurer.”

That was because the 6th-tier magic and my trait happened to work well together.

“And most importantly, you used magic like water, showcasing a variety of attacks with lightning and cold.”

“⋯Ahh.”

I wondered who could have witnessed that intense situation, taken care of themselves, and still managed to spread rumors about my fight with Shurika.

It couldn’t have been Gregory, or was it Berthold? The twin-dagger female thief? Or someone else?

“In conclusion, I assumed that the party leader, you, would have a high-rank trait related to magic power, so I applied.”

“You made the right choice. I can’t tell you the details until you become a party member, but I assure you that there’s no better choice for your current situation than me.”

Veronica pointed to her halo.

“Then I’m glad. Others might have been scared off by the Arar, which is even mentioned in ancient texts, but I’m different. I have this.”

“I see.”

“⋯You don’t ask what this is exactly. It’s as if you already know everything.”

Huh.

Right. It’s not like I’ve confirmed that she’s joining the party yet, and even though she’s a hard-to-find applicant, I should still hear what Yeriel and Lumia have to say.

‘So I have to keep the fact that I can see the status window and information hidden for now.’

I absentmindedly stroked my arm and let out an awkward laugh.

“Ah, haha. It doesn’t seem like a simple matter, so of course. You said it’s because of your A-rank trait, right?”

I added that I assumed it had a protective effect against curses or abnormal conditions, given its subtle glow.

“Yes, that’s right. Thanks to this, I can rest assured. I’ll tell you more about the details of the trait once I’ve joined the party.”

Even though I already know everything.

“By the way, does it bother you to look at it? Does I seem like something other than human?”

Elves, beastmen, dwarves, halflings, etc. From my perspective as a human from Earth, they’re all the same.

Plus, if you include the races that Ahren’t commonly known, there are too many to count on one hand.

As Lumia said, there are adventurers who turned into kobolds after visiting the labyrinth, so why wouldn’t there be someone with a glowing halo on their head?

“Not only me, but the other two would also like it, if not love it. Don’t worry about that.”

She nodded with a faint sense of relief and asked a question, saying that she hadn’t asked the most important question.

“What about the genders of the other two? Are they both women?”

“Yes, that’s right. Is that a problem?”

Veronica heard this and bowed her head, deep in thought. I was a bit anxious about what the problem was.

‘Why? Wouldn’t it be better for her to have more women than men in the party?’

Veronica, who had been silent, eventually looked up and asked.

“Don’t tell me you’re hiding a selfish desire to fill the party with only women?”

As soon as I heard this, I felt a bit annoyed, as if the time we had spent together was being belittled as a result of some lowly desire.

‘Calm down. It doesn’t seem like she’s trying to interrogate or mock me.’

I calmed down and answered her question, which seemed to be just a confirmation of something.

“Of course not. I would have been fine if you were a man, too. Not only do you have great stats, but even though we’ve only talked for a short time, I can tell that you’re a good person.”

I looked her in the eye, her delicate eyes like glass, and continued politely.

“So please refrain from asking such rude questions. All three of them have their own stories and have spent time together in the labyrinth… It feels like all of that has been trampled on by a single word, and I don’t feel good about it.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve seen so many unpleasant things as an adventurer for several years. For example, unscrupulous men who try to take advantage of me.”

She apologized and made a firm declaration.

“Just as you thought I was a good person after talking to me for an hour or two, I also felt that you were a good person. But.”

But?

“Don’t think that I’ll easily fall for your excellent appearance and wonderful character.”

‘What the hell.’

Did I ask her to come? She’s the one who applied first.

This party member is also a bit off. It’s confusing.

“Okay, I understand. Let’s wrap up the conversation for today, and I’ll come back tomorrow morning with the other party members.”

“Okay. Please be careful on your way back.”

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The next day, I went to where she was, as I had told the inn the day before to postpone all my appointments.

When I opened the door and entered, I saw Veronica, who was dressed neatly and drinking a beverage.

Veronica glanced at me and began to speak.

“You’re here. Are those the party members you mentioned yesterday?”

“Yes. You seem even more prepared than yesterday.”

“I have to go on a personal request as soon as my party membership is confirmed.”

Yesterday, she said she had been living off personal requests for two months. She’s very diligent.

While Veronica and I were chatting lightly, I heard Yeriel’s exclamation and Lumia’s quiet words from behind.

“Wow! You look like an angel from a book.”

“I don’t care who joins the party as long as Ahren likes them.”

“So, did you all agree to it last night? No objections?”

Both of them nodded in agreement, and so, Veronica’s joining was decided.

“Okay. It can’t be today, but let’s practice together before entering the labyrinth and work out the rest of the details. Then.”

Veronica, whose trait makes her emotionally distant, turned her back and left without hesitation.

“What, what’s wrong⋯ Did I make her feel bad by being too excited?”

“It’s not like that, so don’t worry. She’s just a bit awkward with her emotions.”

I comforted the sullen Yeriel and left the inn.

Phew. The party member problem is solved.

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A week later.

Day 28.

There were only a few days left until the entrance portal would open again.

And most importantly, the day I had been waiting for had finally arrived: the day I would go to find my new armor.

Please, I pray that it’s completed without any issues.