Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Finally, the 28th. I’ve been waiting for so long.

“Then I’ll be off. I’ll be staying out tonight since I have to stop by the magic tower.”

“Okay. Be careful!”

“Be careful out there. The city’s been chaotic lately.”

“Pee! Peep!”

“Ah, El! Come here!”

El jumped out of Yeriel’s arms and onto my shoulder.

‘I guess she wanted to come along since I mentioned going to the magic tower. She’s not just cute, she’s smart too.’

I looked at her intently, and she bowed her head, so I stroked her with my index finger.

“Pee.”

“Okay, let’s go together.”

“Pee!”

So I took El with me and headed to the platform to go to the blacksmith’s shop.

.

.

.

Squeak.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s you, Ahren. Come in.”

‘What’s going on? The atmosphere feels strange.’

I sensed something was wrong from the silence in the blacksmith’s shop and Hutton’s gloomy demeanor.

“You look a bit haggard. Is there a problem with the blacksmith’s shop or the armory?”

“A problem⋯ you say? Yes, there is. A very big problem.”

What? What’s the problem?

As far as I remember he was working on an armour for Rashion Elsinore.

In other words –

The high-ranking elf who saw the mark of Sirene on my forehead, laughed slyly, and gave me a token after witnessing a rare sight.

He placed a platinum coin-based production request, which caused my armor production to be postponed. Since Hutton didn’t take any other requests besides the previous two, I assumed that either the elf’s or my request had a problem, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

‘Don’t keep me in suspense! Just tell me!’

“Haaam. That is⋯”

That is?

“I’m so tired!”

“What?”

Damn it.

“Haha! Look at this guy’s shocked face. I was just pulling your leg to wake you up and get rid of my fatigue. Apologies if I scared you!”

Damn. I was worried for nothing. I thought he was just a jovial uncle, but he’s already pulling pranks after seeing me a few times.

I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it and said,

“Phew. I was so worried that there might be a problem with the production. If I get pranked twice, my heart might drop!”

“Hmm. I’ll be more careful from now on. So, today is already the 28th? I’ve been living in front of the furnace for a few weeks, and I didn’t realize how time flew by.”

“Yes. I was so excited last night that I couldn’t sleep. So, is the armor properly finished?”

Hutton uncrossed his arms and confidently pointed to himself with his thumb.

“Of course! Who do you think I am? I finished it splendidly the day before yesterday. But⋯”

Again, he’s stalling. But what?

“No, I think it would be better if you saw it with your own eyes and heard the explanation. I’ll quickly go to the armory and come back, so please wait a moment.”

“Yes. He’s gone.”

I stood still, trying to suppress my anxiety.

[Chaos says to calm down because the result won’t run away.]

Bang!

Hutton entered, pulling a cart covered with a white cloth, as I leaned against the counter, tapping it with my index finger to calm down.

The cloth was draped over a human-like shape, and it seemed like the armor was hung on a mannequin or a wooden doll.

“Here! First, take a good look with your own eyes, and then we’ll talk more!”

Flap!

As the cloth was roughly pulled away by Hutton’s rough hands, the long-awaited armor finally revealed itself.

“⋯Wow!”

I couldn’t help but exclaim like a child at the sight of the armor’s exquisite appearance, which filled my eyes.

The silver-colored iron armor glowed faintly.

The mysterious patterns engraved on the iron plates made the armor even more sophisticated.

The black leather armor underneath had impeccable finishing.

‘What kind of leather is this?’

Slick.

When I touched it with my finger, I felt a soft yet sturdy texture that wouldn’t be easily cut.

It must have gone through a hardening process, but how is it so soft? It’s paradoxical.

…But, despite all this, I had doubts because the design I saw was definitely different from the one I had chosen.

Well, I’m sure Hutton made the right decisions during the production process.

‘I wonder if I can see the information with this level of quality.’

The information wasn’t visible on the equipment I had worn so far, such as the spare equipment from Derek’s party or the hard leather armor I had been wearing.

But this time, I felt that it would be different, so I stared intently at the armor.

───

[Silver Radiance] (B)

Armor crafted by Hutton, the master blacksmith in Olarrium’s commercial district.

Made through adventurer Ahren’s request.

Made from Ceratus leather, a special alloy with high magic conductivity, and a small amount of Aetherium, it has high durability and is very light.

A high-quality product that skillfully hides the shortcomings of the materials and emphasizes the advantages that meet the purpose.

Due to the properties of the rare metal Aetherium, it can be restored with magic.

• Increases strength and endurance by one level.
•
• The user can restore damaged parts by infusing magic power at will. However, be careful as the consumption increases rapidly depending on the extent of the damage.
•
• Can use ‘Shining Radiance’ once every 30 days.
•
───

“⋯!”

For a moment, I thought I was seeing things, so I closed and opened my eyes.

But even after scanning the information window again, nothing had changed.

Only the description of the equipment, which was far too advanced for my current level, filled my vision.

“Hahaha! Your expression is a masterpiece!”

Hutton’s laughter brought me back to my senses.

I moved my lips with difficulty and spoke.

“This, this is⋯ I’m almost scared.”

“Scared? What do you mean?”

“Although I’m still a novice when it comes to equipment, I can tell that this is not something that should be made for just four gold coins in commission fees.”

When choosing the design for the request, he said that the blueprint alone should cost at least ten gold coins.

It’s ridiculous to say ‘just’ four gold coins at my level, but is this armour worth just four or even ten gold coins? I don’t think so.

“I understand what you mean. When I first estimated the cost, I didn’t expect such a grand item to come out. I only expected it to be a C-rank item at most after itemization.”

Hutton scratched his head.

“But you know what? That rude elf from the other day came to pick up the result a few days ago, and there was some leftover material.”

“Could it be that leftover material?”

“Yes. I was going to return it, you know? Even though it was provided separately from the commission fee, if I use it without permission, I’d be disqualified as a master blacksmith. But that guy laughed and said⋯”

What did he say that made him use the leftover material to make my armor?

“He asked if another human had come to place a production request after him, and if so, he told me to just use the remaining ingot for that person.”

‘Wait, not only did he give me the emblem, but he also showed such kindness?’

Hutton raised his eyebrows and continued,

“Or else he told me to return it, so I just did as he said.”

[Chaos is surprised that this frivolous elf could be so helpful.]

“I’m happy to work with the rare metal again, and you, Ahren, get a result that you wouldn’t normally be able to afford for a low price. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, so that’s what happened!”

Rashion Elsinore… I want to express my gratitude when I meet him, whenever that may be.

Anyway, since there were only a few days left, the result was more like a plate armor than a light armor.

Hutton, who considered the intense movements of the close-range class as much as possible when making the armor, and said that it would be even better than the blueprint I chose because it was so light.

I bowed to him in gratitude.

“Let’s end the small talk here and try it on quickly! I’ll close up early today since you’re leaving.”

I entered a small room in the blacksmith’s shop and put on the Silver Radiance.

Clack.

As I opened the door and came out, I heard Hutton’s exclamation in my ear.

“Wow. A man’s appearance and equipment are important! I was also quite a looker in my younger days.”

[Chaos says that’s ridiculous.]

“I thought it might look weird without the gauntlets, but it actually looks good.”

The gauntlets… I can’t wear them because of the concentration of the armor, but it’s good that it looks fine without them.

[Chaos gives a thumbs up, saying it looks good.]

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I get to experience such luxury!”

“Hmm. For detailed information, you should get it appraised or use a scroll. How does it feel? Other than the change in appearance, is there any other problem?”

If there’s anything uncomfortable, I should mention it now, but I shook my head, feeling that there was no problem at all, as the armor was so comfortable and sturdy.

“Then, I’ll leave now after expressing my sincere gratitude for making such a wonderful piece of equipment. See you next time.”

“No problem. You don’t know how good it feels to hear the satisfied voice of a customer after they receive the product. Take care.”

I bowed and left the blacksmith’s shop.

.

.

.

With an unexpected valuable harvest, I boarded the carriage to the magic tower, feeling elated.

“Pee-pee-pee!”

“Are you that excited to go to the magic tower?”

I played with El, who was moving around with her short body, and took a short nap. A few hours passed in the blink of an eye.

I passed by Vincent, who was guarding the entrance to the magic tower as always, and headed to the 27th floor.

Knock.

“The door is open, come in.”

As I opened the door and entered, Haynes, sitting in a chair, greeted me.

“Hey, Haynes, how have you been?”

“Of course! I’ve been doing great. Thanks to you, our funding has increased, and I’ve been enjoying life lately. By the way, is the armor you’re wearing the one you want to enchant?”

Of course, I had already told him about the precautions when we talked about it last time. I said it was a B-rank, so don’t worry.

“Then there’s nothing else to confirm. Please take off the armor in the next room and place it on the table.”

‘Since it’s a direct enchantment on the item, is it impossible to do it while wearing it?’

I quickly went into the room, took off the armor, and brought it out.

“As you may have guessed, even with the permission to use the secret art, a B-rank enchantment requires the help of another magician, and I can’t show the process of enchantment in front of someone who’s not a member of the magic tower. So I have to do it alone.”

Yeah. When I think about the name ‘secret art’, which sounds like something that should be kept secret, I feel that it’s probably the case.

“I’ll be back soon. While you’re waiting, you can have some snacks or look at the stones on display. It won’t take long.”

Nod.

…

…

It’s been two hours already. What happened to not taking long?

Bang!

“Oh, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. It took longer than expected because it’s a B-rank enchantment, and there were more things to consider. But it was worth the wait, so please take a look.”

Haynes already knew that I had the observation trait, so he didn’t mind and checked the information.

───

[Silver Radiance] (B)

Armor crafted by Hutton, the master blacksmith in Olarrium’s commercial district.

Made through adventurer Ahren’s request.

Made from Ceratus leather, a special alloy with high magic conductivity, and a small amount of Aetherium, it has high durability and is very light.

A high-quality product that skillfully hides the shortcomings of the materials and emphasizes the advantages that meet the purpose.

Due to the properties of the rare metal Aetherium, it can be restored with magic.

*A random additional ability has been permanently granted by the art of the Earth School.

• Increases strength and endurance by one level.
•
• The user can restore damaged parts by infusing magic power at will. However, be careful as the consumption increases rapidly depending on the extent of the damage.
•
• Can use ‘Shining Radiance’ once every 30 days.
•
• Always reduces the effect of slowing down by half.
•
• Very rarely, ‘Roar of the Earth Dragon’ is activated when hit.
•
───

Wow!

As soon as I saw the armor upgraded by enchantment, a smile appeared on my face.

With this, the last puzzle for the next labyrinth trip has been completed.

Without hiding my joy, I put on the armor again in the next room and came out.

“If there’s nothing else, let’s have dinner before we get hungry. How about it?”

“Sure. Is it the private dining room again?”

“Haha. It’s much better than any inn or restaurant around the magic tower. Let’s go.”

After successfully completing all the tasks for the day, Haynes and I had a light dinner before leaving the magic tower.

.

.

.

“I’m a bit tired. I think I’ll head to the inn now.”

[Chaos says that all that’s left is to go to the labyrinth.]

[Chaos praises you for overcoming all the difficult tasks this month and making it this far.]

It’s nice to be praised, but why suddenly?

…Well, when I look back, this month has been full of events.

I said goodbye to Jacob, received an item from Rashion out of the blue, and was surprised to find out that Scarlet was alive, only to obtain a familiar from her soon after.

After enjoying the circus, I got into a fight with the apostle of the evil god. Then I met Sena, became like siblings, and finally found a new party member.

Bang.

I pounded my chest and said,

“This is just the beginning.”

Until I become so strong that I can live proudly without comparison to my current self.

Or no matter where I go or what happens, even if someone tries to crush me with malice.

I will never stop until I become a person who can block and return their attacks.

For now, I need to finish today.

“El, can you guide me to the inn we went to last time?”

“Pee!”

El confidently answered, as if saying, “Leave it to me,” and started flying ahead.