Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

“Hmm.”

I should be starting the day feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep at the inn, but something felt off.

[Chaos asks what’s wrong.]

“No, I’ve almost finished everything I needed to do, but something’s bothering me. Did I forget something?”

Training? I’ve been doing it diligently for several weeks.

Sena’s lectures? I already told her I’d be absent for a couple of days.

I successfully recruited a new party member and received an armor that’s beyond my expectations, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

‘Armor? ⋯Ah!’

Repair! Damn it.

“Ugh. I forgot about one thing. I can’t believe I made such a stupid mistake.”

[Chaos asks what’s wrong.]

I took out Rehagen from my backpack.

It looks the same on the outside…

When I blocked Shurika’s flames in the Colosseum, the system window popped up, saying that the magic stone was damaged.

“I was so excited about the new armor that I forgot to ask if it could be repaired.”

According to Rehagen’s information window, it was made by a Dwarf Master Smith, so it seemed too difficult to entrust it to an ordinary blacksmith.

It’s also difficult to go to other blacksmiths or armories, and I couldn’t meet Hutton until the deadline, so I had forgotten about it until now.

‘Since I have to go to the general store to replenish supplies anyway, I’ll stop by and ask on the way.’

Damn. I thought I had successfully completed all my tasks… I feel a bit embarrassed now, thinking about how I was secretly feeling happy yesterday.

Rehagen is not a unique item so it should be possible to repair without problems. I should go and ask about it now that I’ve remembered.

“El. Do you want to sleep more?”

I stroked El, who was sleeping soundly on the pillow.

“Pee…”

She opened her eyes for a moment but soon fell asleep again, fluttering into my arms.

“Okay. If you’re sleepy, you should sleep.”

I put El back on the bed, went to the bathroom to freshen up, and got ready to leave.

Click.

First, let’s have breakfast and then head to the 4th district.

.

.

.

After finishing breakfast, I took a carriage to the blacksmith’s shop.

‘It’s already noon. I always think that the time spent traveling between districts is a waste. It’s like I got used to the convenience of the warp gate.’

As I opened the door and entered, Hutton greeted me with a better complexion than yesterday.

“Hmm.”

I felt a bit awkward because I had to come back and give him another job right after he finished the previous one.

I coughed awkwardly and explained my purpose, but he told me not to worry.

However, there was a problem, aside from his mood.

“This⋯ will cost a lot of money to fix, right? The good thing is that this type of core damage can be fixed on the same day.”

Hutton added that even he, as a skilled blacksmith, would have taken at least a week to fix it.

So the answer is money, huh? How much will it cost this time?

“If you say it can be fixed, I was planning to leave it here even if I couldn’t take it with me today. It’s great that it won’t take more than a day. How much will the repair cost?”

“Even with my skills, I’ll need at least two gold coins to reduce the consumption of the magic stones needed for the repair. I know you’re a beginner, but I can’t give you a better deal than that.”

Two gold coins?

“Of course. I’m already very grateful for the discounts you’ve given me so far.”

“I appreciate your understanding. Of course, I did get a big order this time, but as you know, it’s not a matter of making a living, but of business and trust, right?”

Haa. That’s right. It would be shameless to try to haggle further.

I sighed inwardly and calculated the money I had left.

I had divided the gold coins I received from selling the corpse a few weeks ago into three equal parts, so my current assets were three gold coins, some silver coins, and a few copper coins.

If I spend two gold coins now…

…Hah! They say that money comes in slowly but goes out quickly. It’s all gone in the blink of an eye.

‘What can I do? It was a gift from the Guild Master, who said he had high hopes for my future. I have to repair it and use it.’

If I look around, there are countless adventurers who don’t even have D-rank weapons, let alone C-rank ones.

“Ugh. Here you go.”

“Huh! You spent four gold coins on the armor and still have enough to spare? Did you hit the jackpot on your last exploration? I’m worried that you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

Hutton took the gold coins and was about to scratch his head, saying that he was thinking of letting me pay later, but I shook my head.

I was tempted for a moment, but I brushed it off. It’s not good to go into debt when I have the money to pay.

Hutton, who received the greatsword, said he’d be back in an hour or two and patted my back with his large hand before leaving the blacksmith’s shop.

Clang.

“Why do you have to watch the counter all of a sudden, Master? Why don’t you just hire a staff member for the blacksmith’s shop!”

As soon as Hutton left, the employee who was on shift came in.

I looked at him with a cold gaze as he complained and left the blacksmith’s shop.

‘I’ll go to the general store while I wait for an hour or two.’

“Pee. Peep.”

“Hey, you. I said to sleep when you’re tired, but now you’re chirping in my arms. Are you uncomfortable on my shoulder? Or do you want to be on my head?”

El, who had come out of my arms, chirped and hopped onto my shoulder.

I carefully stroked El, who was rubbing her head against my cheek, and started walking.

Squeak.

After about 30 minutes, I arrived at the largest general store in the area.

The items I needed for this entrance… I have plenty of rope and flint, but I need some torches.

I’ll buy a few more sleeping bags and blankets in case they get dirty, and I should replace my old wristwatch with a new one.

‘I don’t need to consider bedding for Veronica this time, right?’

She’s more experienced than us, so even if I miss something, she’ll probably take care of it.

“Here, torches and low-grade potions. You can choose the sleeping bags and blankets over there, and for the watch, how about this one?”

“Is it more durable than the one I’m wearing now? The strap on this one breaks easily.”

“Of course! This is the latest model from a famous workshop. It can withstand a lot of rough handling, as long as it’s not directly hit by a weapon.”

Cheap wristwatches are all the same. But since it’s a new model, I’ll buy this one.

‘The general store also sells mid-grade and high-grade potions, but my financial situation⋯ isn’t good.’

Now that we’re a party of four, and expenses are increasing, it’s becoming difficult for me to bear all the costs.

I’ll buy the supplies with my money this time, but I need to tell everyone that we should set aside party funds separately from now on.

“Okay, so the total is 45 silver coins. It should be 47, but I’ll give you a discount because you’re a handsome guy!”

“Haha⋯ Thank you. Take care!”

“You too. Be careful!”

Now I have about 70 silver coins left.

It’s a bit disappointing that all the gold coins are gone. I hope I can make a lot of money on this entrance.

I put all the purchased items into my backpack and turned around.

‘It takes about 30 minutes to get there. If we leave now, we should be right on time.’

I left the general store and tried to think if there was anything else I needed to prepare, but nothing came to mind.

I didn’t have to worry about food since Roten would take care of it, and I didn’t need to buy any magic tools.

I didn’t have enough funds to buy magic tools or scrolls in the first place.

I hurried back to the blacksmith’s shop, and as I approached, I saw Rehagen leaning on the counter, and Hutton with his arms crossed.

“Oh! You came right on time. I’ve restored the magic stone to its original state, so take a look!”

I didn’t need to check, but I trusted his boast and took the greatsword, opening the information window to check its status.

…Perfect!

As expected, it was perfectly repaired, just like when I first received it from the Guild Master.

“Thank you. Now I can finally enter the labyrinth without forgetting anything. I’ll see you next time.”

After expressing my gratitude, I left the blacksmith’s shop, waving goodbye to Hutton, who was saying it was nothing.

“The fare is 5 copper coins, sir!”

I was looking forward to the surprised faces of the people who would see my new appearance.

Inwardly, I was talking with Chaos, and outwardly, I was playing with El as we headed back to the inn.

.

.

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“The portal is open!!!”

The streets were buzzing with the news that the entrance portal had opened.

Is it because it opened a day later than expected?

I was also a bit anxious, wondering why it didn’t open yesterday and when it would open.

“There’s always a group of adventurers like this, causing a ruckus. Are you all ready?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of everything.”

“That’s good. I feel relieved that you’re the party leader.”

It was a relief that Roten took care of the preserved food, so I didn’t have to worry about that.

By the way, when is Veronica coming? She said she’d come when the portal opens…

Bang!

As the saying goes, when you speak of the tiger, he comes. She approached without expression and said,

“I’m a bit late. As you know, I haven’t entered the labyrinth in a few months, so I was late because of the inspection. Please understand.”

She’s confident. That must mean she’s confident in herself.

“Hehe. It’s so lively with one more person!”

Recently, because of Evelyn, Yeriel’s voice had been low and weak, but today, she seemed more energetic, creating a relaxed atmosphere for the party.

“Yes. Definitely.”

Lumia also seemed to have gained more confidence, perhaps due to some mental growth.

‘Let’s see, have they made any progress in their training?’

───

[Yeriel]

[Strength: E+] [Agility: D-] [Endurance: D-] [Stamina: D] [Magic Power: D] [Luck: C-]

[Possessed Traits] (Collapse)

Mastery of Sacred Arts
Innate Luck
Piety
Overcoming Weakness
Touch of Light
Silver Cross Holy Battle Technique

───

‘What? How did her stats increase by one level in everything except luck? Did she use the Protection of the Trainee?’

She also seemed to have learned the basics of sacred arts, so it wasn’t just physical training.

“Yeriel, you’ve really been through a lot.”

“Hehe. You noticed? I’ve been wearing heavy equipment and rolling around, and my sister even gave me a special potion. I’m glad my hard work paid off now that you noticed!”

She also said that she hadn’t missed a day of prayer and divine power conversion practice, and had learned a new sacred art.

I couldn’t help but praise her for this.

Next was Lumia.

───

[Lumia]

[Strength: E+] [Agility: D-] [Endurance: E] [Stamina: D-] [Magic Power: C-] [Luck: E-]

[Possessed Traits] (Collapse)

Punishment of Darkness
Mastery of Black Magic
Sensory Perception of the Catfolk
Burning Fighting Spirit
Infectious Fear
Balanced Step

───

Balanced Step? I haven’t seen this trait before.

───

[Balanced Step (D)] [P]

The innate sensory perception of the Catfolk, combined with the training methods of Galea, a veteran explorer.

Her hidden talent was awakened, and she learned to intuitively tune her body to move more sensitively and agilely.

──If Agility is below D-rank, it increases by two levels.

──There is a slight increase in the possibility of instinctively understanding physical traps.

──A slight speed adjustment when jumping over obstacles.

───

Indeed, her Agility had increased by one level. Lumia also seemed to have an extraordinary talent.

“Lumia, you even got a new trait from the explorer training school? You’re really lucky to have such talented party members.”

“Yes. I, I worked hard too. After that incident, I feel lighter both physically and mentally.”

“That’s good. I can rest easy now.”

Lumia exaggerated, saying she felt like a new person.

It was a relief that the unremovable peculiar trait was gone.

As the confirmation was almost over, Veronica spoke softly.

“You all have such a good relationship. I might feel a bit left out.”

“No, I want to get to know you too, Veronica! Can I call you Veronica unnie? Veronica unnie!”

“⋯I think that kind of title is still premature.”

“Hing. Okay.”

She was impressed by Veronica’s appearance since their first meeting, and after a week of practicing together, it seemed like she had taken a liking to her.

───

[Ahren]

[Strength: C-] [Agility: C-] [Endurance: C-] [Stamina: C] [Magic Power: EX] [Luck: D]

[Possessed Traits] (Expand)

───

There were no changes in my traits, but thanks to physical training at the Swordsmanship Guild, my strength had increased to the C-rank.

Due to the increase in endurance and stamina from the Silver Radiance, my endurance also increased to the next rank.

From now on, it would be difficult to increase my stats with my own short-term efforts…

‘But this is enough to achieve meaningful records in this exploration.’

“Pee!”

What more can I say about El? She’s still as cute as ever.

Since the elder of the magic tower specifically asked me to take care of her, I couldn’t leave her at the inn.

‘There’s no change in Veronica. Well, it’s unreasonable to expect any changes in such a short time, considering her level.’

And with that the confirmation was complete.

Tap.

“If we’re late, we’ll have to stand in line for a long time, so let’s get up now. Are you all ready?”

Since we had finished preparing before breakfast, all that was left was to head to the square where the portal was opening.

“Be careful out there. I wish you all good luck!”

With Roten’s farewell in my heart, I left the inn.