Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

The Sacred Temple

[Entering Adelais’ Sanctuary]

As soon as we entered the portal, what appeared before our eyes was a pure white temple, exuding an aura of sanctity and divinity.

Normally, one would be in awe of such a grand and majestic temple, but the situation we were in was far from normal.

When I came to my senses, we were standing on top of a magic circle.

‘I don’t understand what’s going on.’

The magic circle was complex, with ancient letters and symbols filling the circular border, making it quite unique in appearance.

I cautiously asked Lumia, the witch, thinking she might know something about it.

“Lumia, do you recognize any of these letters?”

“I’ve seen various letters while studying black magic in Magi-Um, but… I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m sorry.”

She waved her hands frantically, and I felt bad for putting her on the spot.

“Don’t be! There’s no need to apologize. I was just wondering, that’s all.”

Veronica, who had been closely examining the magic circle, spoke up.

“This kind of complex writing is probably only known to archaeologists or those who study ancient documents.”

Ancient documents?

If Dyson, the old man with the relevant trait, had entered this portal, things might have been different.

In any case, it seemed pointless to look further, as even with my one language trait, I couldn’t decipher it.

I bent down to take a closer look at the magic circle, then shook my head and stood up. Just then, Yeriel spoke up.

“By the way, the divine power here is truly remarkable. I wonder what’s inside that requires such a concentration of divine power?”

There was no way to find out at the moment.

Thud.

“As expected, it’s blocked just like it looks.”

Just as Veronica said, a massive dome-shaped barrier surrounded the magic circle, preventing us from taking a single step forward.

‘Damn it. What good is a temple if we can’t even get close to it? It’s like a carrot dangling in front of us.’

There was definitely something special inside, but… it was like a mirage that we couldn’t reach.

Should we just stand here and wait? For someone or something to come out—

[The trial begins.]

I don’t know if it was because my thoughts had come true, or if it was simply time for the trial to begin.

Whoosh!

As the system message appeared before our eyes, announcing the start of the trial, the magic circle began to glow.

“W-what is this?”

“I feel… strange.”

“Everyone, calm down. It’s best to hold onto your companions to prevent us from scattering again.”

“Yes, everyone, hold onto me!”

Thud.

They grabbed my arms and torso in a panic.

[A random trial out of seven is assigned to all challengers.]

[The trial assigned to you is ‘The Trial of Pride’.]

The Trial of Pride?

Yes, I remember. There was a sentence in the third line of the parchment that said, ‘Do not be proud.’

Just as I had felt when I first read the parchment, it seemed like the seven trials were indeed related to the seven deadly sins.

Being somewhat familiar with subculture, I could easily recall the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

I couldn’t remember the exact order, but it was something like that.

As I reflected on my memories, preparing for the unknown trial that was about to come, my companions began to fall one by one.

Thud.

As they fell unconscious, their hands released my body, but I had no time to worry about it.

[Chaos invalidates pride.]

[Error. Insufficient conditions for trial.]

[Chaos invalidates pride…]

[Error. Trial…]

Piiiiiiii!

“…”

Instead of falling unconscious like my companions, I experienced a ringing in my ears, and the same system message repeatedly appeared before my eyes.

[Chaos is flustered and sweating from the confusion.]

Yeriel, Lumia, and Veronica each muttered something different, struggling and groaning.

‘It seems that Chaos interpreted this as a mental attack. Damn it. What should I do?’

As I was caught off guard by the unexpected situation, the ringing in my ears and the repetition of the system message became even more intense.

[The owner of the sanctuary detects the anomaly.]

[Adelais expresses doubt at the challenger’s repeated rejection.]

What?

[Adelais declares that if the trial is not accepted, the challenger’s eligibility will be revoked, and they will be considered disqualified and sent out shortly.]

“Damn it!”

I closed my eyes and calmly repeated to myself the only solution that came to mind.

‘This is not an attack. It’s not a mental attack. This is something I must accept. It’s not a threat. There’s no need to block it. Please!’

A desperate self-suggestion.

If I, as the subject, consider it not an attack, Chaos may judge that there’s no need to block it. With this belief, I kept repeating it to myself.

I can’t be kicked out of here. Who knows what might happen while I’m gone!

A few seconds, or maybe almost a minute, passed.

Piiii…

As the ringing in my ears subsided…

[Chaos partially accepts pride.]

‘Is it done?!’

Just as I thought the situation was resolved, an anomaly occurred.

“I don’t tolerate shortcuts.”

[A piece of pride is collected and put on hold.]

I opened my eyes to the humming voice, and saw colorful rays of light stretching from the entrance of the temple, connecting to my fallen companions.

“Normally, those who resist the trial should be expelled immediately, but… I have a proposal for you.”

[Adelais proposes a deal with an interested expression.]

As the ringing in my ears completely disappeared, the sweet voice of the transcendent filled the void.

“You can interfere with the trials of other challengers, but in return, you must prove your worth by facing a trial that combines the trials of the three. What do you say?”

“What will happen if I don’t accept the proposal?”

“Hmm. If you reject the proposal, I don’t want to give you an incomplete trial… so there will be no high difficulty or corresponding reward.”

In other words, I could either watch my companions suffer on the ground or help them, but in return, I would have to face an extremely difficult final trial after their trials were over.

‘There’s no need to think about it. I’ll choose the latter.’

“I accept. What do I need to do?”

“I’ll create a passage leading to the trial that the challengers are currently facing. When you’re ready, open the door and enter. Good luck.”

Paht!

With those words, the voice of the transcendent Adelais disappeared, and an antique-looking door appeared in the air.

“Beep. Beep.”

Before I could even reach for the doorknob, a familiar whining sound came from somewhere.

Damn, I completely forgot.

‘Oh no. El is fine since she’s not a challenger.’

El was poking at Yeriel’s cheeks, which were still dripping with drool.

I picked her up and patted her to calm her down.

“El, I’ll come to help, so don’t worry. Just wait here quietly, okay? Stay still.”

“Beep!

She tried to sound assertive, but it was just cute.

I didn’t have any more time to waste.

Click.

I grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

[Chaos wishes you luck.]

.

.

.

“Ren, Ahren.”

“Huh!”

I opened my eyes.

As I lay sprawled out, barely regaining consciousness, Lumia’s beautiful eyes were staring right into mine, just inches away.

We were so close that our breaths mingled.

In the silence, I wondered what to say first.

Splish.

Ignoring the shallow water, Lumia’s face slowly approached mine.

Lick.

“…”

“Yeah, it’s really Ahren. Are you awake? How did you get in here?”

What the…

I was dumbfounded as Lumia licked my neck with her rough tongue, as if to confirm if it was really me.

‘The atmosphere is different. Is it the influence of the trial?’

I stared at her intently.

────

[Lumia]

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

[Possessed Traits] (Collapse)

Punishment of Darkness
Black Magic Proficiency
Advanced Senses
Burning Fighting Spirit
Fear Infection
Balanced Step
Challenger of Lust

────

New, lust?

“Lumia, you…”

“I’m fine. I don’t know exactly, but I have to hold back my surging lust, right?”

“Yes, but…”

I stood up and looked around.

The ground was covered in shallow water, and the night sky was filled with stars.

Aside from that, there were corpses everywhere, all dark and gruesome.

And they all resembled me.

“Ahren.”

Lumia called out to me.

“As you can see, I did my best.”

“Did you kill all of these?”

Lumia nodded. She crossed her arms and continued.

So, her outfit has changed too.

Since her physical body is unconscious, she’s probably in some kind of spiritual or soul form.

“Yeah. My body suddenly heated up, and I didn’t know what to do. Then, creatures that looked exactly like you came to me and whispered in my ear.”

“What did they whisper?”

“They said they liked me. They said they loved me. They wanted to hold me and whispered sweet nothings.”

‘Damn this cursed trial.’

“But they’re not the real you, so I tore them all apart. I didn’t want to fall for the false whispers of these fake lookalikes. Thankfully, they were all weak.”

Suddenly, an indescribable emotion surged within me.

It was directed at this cruel trial and at Lumia, who had resisted its temptation.

Lumia came closer and whispered softly.

“I have to keep holding back… I have to… But now that you’re here, it’s so hard to resist.”

Poof.

“Just stay like this for a while. Until my body cools down.”

10 seconds felt like a minute, and a minute felt like ten.

Lumia hugged me tightly, then looked up at me with shimmering eyes.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m dreaming. A dream so wonderful that I don’t want to wake up.”

“A dream?”

“Yes. In this cursed life, the fact that someone who always believes in me and saves me has appeared… It’s hard to believe sometimes. Because my mother, father, and Levia are no longer by my side.”

Her hot body and sparkling eyes held something heavy.

Tears flowed down her white cheeks, like sparkling gems.

“Hmm. I wonder when my body will return to normal. It’s a bit difficult.”

Indeed, was it just the lustful curse of the trial that was hard to resist?

Perhaps it was something deep within her that had been suppressed and was now bursting forth.

I raised my hand and caressed Lumia’s cheek.

“It’s not a dream. Didn’t I tell you? I’ll always be by your side. You’re so emotional, you crybaby.”

“The only person who can see my real face is you.”

Swoosh.

I smoothed her messy hair and patted her head.

“Ear. Please touch my ear gently.”

“As you wish.”

I gently caressed her soft ears as she desired.

“Hmm.”

Even after I stopped, her breathing became more and more ragged. This wasn’t good.

Splash!

Lumia pushed me away with a force I didn’t know she had.

Since I was a spiritual body that had intruded, I was probably weaker than I thought.

“Lumia, you have to hold on! You’ve endured so far. It’ll be over soon!”

Unlike her usual self, Lumia’s eyes flashed with a seductive look as she approached me, who had fallen backward.

“It’s okay. Just a moment. It’ll be fine for just a moment.”

“Ugh!”

Our faces overlapped.

Our soft lips slowly touched.

The first thing I felt was the softness of her lips.

Chup.

As our lips met, she bumped her nose awkwardly, clearly a novice at this. Then, as if realizing something, she tilted her head to the side.

Chup. Chup.

As if wanting to remember this moment forever, she scanned my face with her purple irises between her long eyelashes.

“Huff.”

Lumia breathed through her nose, her upper and lower lips still touching, as she struggled to catch her breath.

Forgetting about the trial, she stuck out her rough tongue, as if wanting to focus on this moment.

I almost responded by opening my lips to her passionate knocking, but…

At that moment, my body flashed and my strength returned. It seemed like I was about to move on to another trial.

Fortunately, I regained my strength and was able to pull away.

“Phew. Ha.”

“Phew… Huff. Huff.”

Lumia was still dazed, and I was breathing heavily.

As our lips separated, the atmosphere became even more awkward, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

“Lumia, you need to snap out of it. This is just a trial. You have to think about your other companions who are enduring. Okay?”

“Hmm. Was it good?”

Ignoring my words, Lumia stuck out her tongue and asked in a slurred voice.

I nodded, saying it was good, or else I felt like she would burst into tears.

“Then, I’ll try to hold on until the end.”

“I’m sorry—”

Paht!

Before I could finish apologizing, my body flashed brightly.

“Ugh!”

I fell from the air before I could even catch my balance.

Thud.

I landed on the ground, unable to steady myself.

“Ugh. Where am I now?”

‘Whose trial is this? Yeriel? Veronica?’

Looking around, I saw white buildings everywhere, but unlike before, there was no sign of any challengers or even strangers.

So, I had no choice but to start searching.