Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

[The Chaos Eye is observing the third arrangement.]

The dragon species spread its massive wings and took flight.

Rrrrroooaaarrr!!!

The other me, transformed into a dragon with dark gray scales, roared loudly in his shabby attire.

Dragon Fear.

The ground shook as his roar shook the very foundation, causing the flying-type monsters to freeze in their tracks and fall one by one.

Phewah!!!

As I watched the dragon, his sharp teeth and strong jaws sent the heads of the monsters flying.

Peck!

With a light half-spin, his long tail sent a monster flying with a loud pop, and the scene of monster carnage was beyond recognition.

“Kyaaa!”

Some monsters, barely unfrozen, tried to flap their wings again, while others, still on the ground, raised their heads and breathed fire.

Of course, in front of the dragon, who had shed his human form and transformed into a powerful dragon species, all the monsters were equally small and weak.

A few of them struggled, but it didn’t seem to make much difference.

Countless monsters, like a swarm of bees, kept respawning and rushing towards him.

As he continued the melee, having already defeated over twenty enemies, he roared.

Rrrrroooaaarrr!!!

The golden dragon eyes, changed in color by the Chaos Eye, flashed intensely.

As he opened his mouth wide, his chest rumbled, and an unprecedented power, not inferior to the Apocalypse, began to gather.

Zzzzzz!

The power gathered at his mouth, burning like a flame, crackling like lightning, and shimmering like plasma, ready to destroy everything.

Kwaaaaaa!!!

[Breath]

That was… a symbol of the supreme being, the dragon species, and a ray of annihilation that destroyed everything.

As he opened his mouth wide, aiming at the largest group of monsters, he breathed out a gray breath, like his scales.

Annihilation.

Yes, everything in the path of the breath was annihilated.

The fog-like clouds, the high and rugged mountains, and the land where the monsters stood were all annihilated, as if they had never existed.

“Haa… Wow…”

The power was so overwhelming that I couldn’t form proper words.

Zzzzzz!

“He’s going to shoot again?”

As soon as he finished shooting in a straight line, the gray power gathered at his mouth again.

This time, he turned his head, and everything in a horizontal line, not just a straight line, began to turn to dust.

Damn!

As he turned, the breath was about to reach me.

Even though I was in a spiritual state, I couldn’t be sure if I could withstand such a powerful attack.

If the rules were ignored, I might even be annihilated, soul and all.

“Let’s go back!”

As I shouted in a hurry, wanting to leave, I found myself back at the last statue, where I had touched it.

“Phew… That was a close one.”

Chaos, seeing me wiping my sweat, asked with a pleased voice.

“So, how did you feel about the greatness of the dragon species?”

“It was truly amazing. Seeing it in person was far beyond my imagination, compared to what I imagined as a human.”

I was even a little excited at the thought that this might be my future.

“Hehehe. It’s understandable. Now, think carefully and make your decision!”

Let’s review what I’ve seen so far.

The first path. [Avatar ofChaos]

As can be seen from my growth direction so far, this path is stable and has a high ceiling.

Of course, it includes all kinds of monsters.

Assuming I absorb the traits of the various enemies I’ll face in the future, such as ordinary looters or human hunters, the number of traits will be enormous.

There will be countless unique and rare traits among them.

If we consider low-level adventurers, each of them has at most six traits.

Even if I consistently absorb traits, which others would be grateful to obtain just one of, my growth is guaranteed.

On top of that, the traits I obtain will be better than the originals.

Needless to say, the Apocalypse combo move is also a great advantage.

However, the Chaos path, which seems to be full of advantages, also has its drawbacks.

‘The expression… The unemotional, mechanical expression and attitude bother me.’

This is just my assumption, but…

As various energies are combined and different traits are used, my mind may become overloaded.

It’s not an unreasonable guess.

When I fought Christopher’s monster army or Cresdowzer, I went crazy with magic power and got sick.

In Chaos’s explanation, there was no mention of mental resistance or mitigation when combining energies or traits.

‘I’ll pass on Avatar of Chaos. The Cursed Sword is out of the question.’

The second path, the Cursed Sword, has more drawbacks than the Chaos path.

If the Chaos path has a chance of mental issues when using various energies and trying new things, this path is a definite no-go from the start.

In exchange for magic resistance and destructive power, one becomes insane.

What’s the point of becoming stronger if it means losing your mind?

Unless I plan to solo through the deep layers, this path is a no-brainer.

‘So, that leaves the third path.’

Although it’s uncertain what positive effects will be added to the traits, the power of the dragon transformation and its breath that I saw at the end was captivating.

Whether it was reducing the number of enemies through melee combat or breathing fire at the largest group of enemies, this path didn’t seem to have any mental drawbacks like the other two.

I racked my brain, the ringing in my head almost audible.

…

…

I made my decision.

‘No matter how I look at it, choosing the Awakened Dragon is better than the Avatar of Chaos.’

There was already a difference in the rarity of the abilities granted.

If I choose the first path, I’ll absorb the traits of my defeated opponents with a slightly higher probability and enhancement, but…

Even if it’s true, there’s no guarantee like ‘I’ll definitely acquire it every time I catch a monster.’

In essence, if my luck is bad, it’s no different from choosing the first path.

I shouldn’t rely on luck, especially when it comes to matters of luck.

On Earth, I’ve been unlucky my whole life. If the probability increases slightly, it won’t dramatically change anything.

On the other hand, if I choose the third path, even though the effects added to the body and core are random, they’re guaranteed.

Also, compared to gathering various energies and using them as a powerful attack, the dragon transformation and breath are far superior.

The first path requires some effort to combine techniques, but it can be done, as seen with Cresdowzer.

However, if I don’t choose the third path now, I might never be able to transform into a dragon again.

What if I choose the first path and encounter a corrupted dragon, a true dragon, or something similar in the future? Will they drop the transformation trait when they die?

It’s not like the world will flow so easily. At best, I’ll get some scale or magic-related traits.

Although Apocalypse and transformation were still far in the future, I made my decision after considering everything.

I shook my head and said to Chaos, “I’ve decided. The third one, Awakened Dragon.”

“I’m fine with it, but can you be sure you won’t regret it?”

“Yes. In the end, it’s a choice between enhancing my abilities and exploring a new path.”

If I couldn’t have all three, I judged that it was best to choose something special that I didn’t have.

If I regret not choosing the first one… I’ll make up for it with effort.

Chaos nodded at my determined expression.

“Alright, I won’t say more. Just hold my hand tightly!”

I interlocked my hand with hers.

“Ah, ah! You’re making my heart flutter by suddenly coming in like this!”

“Should I let go and hold it properly?”

“No, no! It’ll hurt like crazy, so bear with it! It’ll be over soon!”

Huh?

Before I could ask what she meant, our interlocked hands started to boil with blood.

“——”

I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes, enduring the increasing heat.

Is this how it feels when molten steel flows into a boiling furnace instead of blood?

The blood circulating through my body from my heart was hotter and more painful than ever.

Even though I knew that growth comes with pain and choices have consequences, it wasn’t easy to endure.

“It’s almost over. Good job. Just a little more effort. You’re doing great. Keep it up.”

Finally, Chaos let go of my hand, and as I collapsed in exhaustion, her encouragement lulled me to sleep.

.

.

.

“——”

I was back.

[The trait ‘Strong Body – Dragonian’ has entered the path of the Awakened Dragon, chosen by the user.]

[The trait ‘Dragon Core’ has awakened.]

“Ahren, what’s wrong? Does your head hurt again?”

“Did something go wrong with the treatment?”

From my perspective, I had spent a long time in a separate space.

To my companions, it looked like I had a seizure while sitting and receiving treatment.

“It’s okay. If I explain in detail, it’s complicated, but it’s not because of the pain.”

“Really?”

“Yes! In fact, thanks to the treatment, my head feels refreshed.”

“That’s good. You do look clearer.”

To Lumia, who asked worriedly, I asked her to take Yeriel, who was leaning on my shoulder and sleeping, and lay her down properly.

‘Let’s see. Let’s check the Strong Body first.’

I called up the changed information.

———

[Strong Body – Dragonian] [A]

The dragon species blood has seeped into the human body, optimizing it. This is the strong body technique, which utilizes magic power. It’s on a different level than ordinary humans.

Consistent training and practice can unlock the next level.

The user, who has chosen the path of the Awakened Dragon, has made the dragon species blood even denser.

Current: Level 2

——When used, all physical stats increase by two levels.

——When used, additional damage is dealt to Chaos-attributed attacks.

——When used, magic resistance is increased.

——When near death, a small amount of life force is automatically restored, and the user enters the ‘Dragonization’ state.

After Dragonization, the techniques ‘Dragon Roar’ and ‘Sweep’ can be used.

———

This is a jackpot.

Putting aside the exact details of the Dragonization state, I liked the item that restores life force when near death.

If I can resist death and restore my life force when the 5-second countdown begins, it’s like having an extra life.

Of course, the most important thing is to avoid such situations altogether.

The new recovery option has no cooldown or penalty, so it’s like having an extra life.

Additionally, the increase in all physical stats was significant.

Especially stamina.

I felt more energetic as my stamina increased from C+ to B-.

“Sigh. Huff.”

Even the feeling of breathing in and out through my lungs was different.

———

[Dragon Core] [P]

The blood of the Chaos Dragon has seeped into an ordinary human heart. Just the blood flowing through the body is enough to continuously increase magic power.

The blood has awakened and become denser.

——Magic power level is fixed at EX.

——As long as the heart is intact, magic power will not run out.

——However, the use and limit of magic power are proportional to the total average of physical stats.

——Each physical stat increases by one level.

——Very rarely, the side effect of incompatible blood brings bad luck.

——Damage from Dragon-attributed traits and weapons increases, but ‘Boiling Blood’ is always applied.

Boiling blood assists the body, increasing the limit of magic power use and enhancing combat endurance.

———

This is a bit awkward.

The new effect is great, and although it’s randomly assigned, it’s exactly what I need.

“Huff. I’ve suddenly gained a weakness.”

Well, how many beings have specialized traits or weapons that are Dragon-attributed?

Additionally, the luck reduction option has been removed, which is great, but it left a bitter aftertaste.

‘It can’t be helped. It’s not like I can change it now, right?’

No matter how much I grumble to myself, it was the consequence of my choice, so I stopped thinking about it and erased it from my mind.

I stood up and said, “Everyone, gather around the corpses! Wake up Yeriel too!”

“I’m awake! I’ll be there soon!”

“You’ll fall over. Walk straight.”

Lumia supported Yeriel, who was half-asleep, as she shook her head.

The choice of traits was over, and now only the rewards for defeating Cresdowzer remained, waiting for us to claim them.

After exchanging glances with everyone, I, as the party leader, stepped forward.

On top of the shattered remains of Cresdowzer, a black sphere floated motionlessly. Its surface cracked like an eggshell, and amber light seeped out.

‘What grade of item will it be? C? Or B? Paladin Yeriel said that Cresdowzer was as strong as a 5th-floor layer boss, so it can’t be D-grade, right?’

It was unlikely that anything above B-grade would appear at the 7th floor, so I secretly hoped for B-grade.

“Huh?”

The light that emerged from the cracked egg split into four parts and positioned itself in front of each of us, shining amber as if to prove that it was not C or B-grade.

[Chaos claps her hands in excitement.]

Veronica, with wide eyes, muttered to herself.

“No way, right?”

“If it’s not changing and staying like this… It’s probably true.”

“How is this possible? Two unique items in one exploration?”

Having overcome the Halo penalty, she was slightly excited and said, “I know that very few people obtain unique items in the lower layers. One is already rare, let alone two.”

She was right.

It couldn’t be simply classified as C or B-grade.

It was a unique item, which some people couldn’t obtain even with a lot of money, shining amber in front of each of us.