Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Every moment in the Grand Labyrinth was a series of choices.

Which path should we take? Which area should we choose to pass through next?

Should we take the risk and continue when we encounter a group of monsters or something unusual not marked on the map, or should we take the longer route and go around?

But it wasn’t just about making the right choices. Even if we made the right choices, there were still many dangers that could come our way.

We encountered parties with malicious intentions, their blades sharpened by ugly emotions, and individuals who pursued power at the expense of others.

Whether it was monsters or people, we had to fight back.

Our party, in particular, had faced crises that ordinary adventurers couldn’t even imagine.

We had gained strength and material wealth, and with our growing reputation, our desire for recognition was also satisfied.

The Grand Labyrinth was a place where opportunities and dangers coexisted, where one had to risk their life to gain everything.

Now, I had to make another choice.

‘If we return to the city now, it will be convenient and refreshing.’

I had just overcome the formidable obstacle of Cresdowzer and achieved a new record for the highest floor reached. I could relax and feel proud of obtaining two unique items.

Then, after resting our weary bodies and minds at an inn, we would be busy traveling around for the next month, as we had been doing for the past few months.

But was it the right choice to simply return after a big battle, when we had enough food and our injuries had healed?

I had felt it all along, even before reaching the central area of the 7th floor.

I knew that I, and my fellow adventurers, were not the type to stop at just the 7th floor.

Some might say, ‘It takes years for some to become mid-tier adventurers, and they are content with farming safely on the lower floors every month to make a living.

For someone who has been an adventurer for less than half a year, attempting to reach the mid-tier floors with a party that hasn’t even entered the labyrinth together is too hasty and crazy.’

‘Damn. Should I just return now, or go to the 8th floor?’

If we were going to advance to the next floor, we shouldn’t stop at the 8th floor, but at least reach the 9th floor.

The 9th floor was the most important floor for lower-tier adventurers.

Wait a minute. Why am I thinking about this alone?

It might be meaningless to suggest going to the next floor if all three of them wanted to return.

First, I should ask Veronica, a mid-tier adventurer, about various things and listen to her opinion on what she wanted to do.

.

.

.

Yeriel was preoccupied with using her newly acquired trait, Holy Forge, to create a hammer as big as her body using her divine power.

“Wow! The hammer!”

Yeriel, who had created a hammer the size of her body using her divine power, stumbled and eventually dismissed it without even being able to swing it once.

“It consumes a lot of magic power… and it’s so heavy.”

Unlike the Paladin Yeriel, who had adjusted her abilities to all B-grade and was running wild, Yeriel seemed to have difficulty using her trait due to her lack of both magic power and strength.

If she wanted to create something without straining herself, it would be a dagger at most.

Even then, there was no advantage for Yeriel, a priest, to use it for self-defense compared to wielding a staff or a polearm.

It seemed like a trait that would only be useful once she grew stronger.

Lumia warned that she might accidentally harm her fellow adventurers.

She moved away to a distance and practiced with her shadow, trying to communicate with it.

“Good. Now, let’s practice moving according to its inner thoughts.”

“You’re not giving me food and overworking me, right? Alright, I’ll just take enough to fill my stomach.”

Lumia communicated with her shadow and began to feed it by dripping darkness from her fingertips.

Her expression didn’t change, indicating that it wasn’t a painful process like the effect of Obscuritas.

Regardless, I hoped that her darkness would be safely purified.

As the two of them continued to test their newly acquired abilities without rest, I approached Veronica as I had planned.

“Sorry for interrupting your rest. I came to ask you something.”

Veronica, who was sitting alone near a tombstone, silently stroking her shoe with her index finger, said, “There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s nice to have company during a break. Feel free to ask.”

“Okay. The story might be a bit long.”

I cautiously asked, as the story might bring up unpleasant memories.

“Can you tell me about your experience on the 9th floor? I have a general idea, but I’d like to hear more details from someone who has experienced promotion. You don’t have to answer if it’s an unpleasant memory.”

If we were going to move forward, I needed to be sure that we could pass through the 9th floor at our current level.

With my mentor, Evelyn, it was always about training and sparring for growth and learning for real battles.

With Sena, in our one-hour special lecture, I was busy trying to absorb the knowledge she had as a former adventurer and as a transmigrator.

‘I haven’t even used those hidden pieces yet.’

Things like hidden gates on certain floors, or surviving in layers that had become wonderlands after multiple adventurers fulfilled conditions.

Most of them were things that I could use when I became a mid or high-tier adventurer, not now when I was struggling with random elements on the lower floors.

Anyway, I needed Veronica’s vivid experience stories as a mid-tier adventurer.

Actually, now that I think about it, I had plenty of opportunities to hear about it from people like Haynes of the Magic Tower or even the retired Roten.

But in the past month, I had been shocked by the appearance of a new Transmigrator and the resurrected Scarlet.

My highest record was only the 4th floor, so promotion wasn’t even in my mind.

‘I hope there’s no dark twist waiting for us, like losing a party member in the tower or something like that.’

I heard that when she obtained her Halo during the trial, some of her fixed party members either died or quit being adventurers.

I thought that at least there wouldn’t be any tragic stories from the 9th floor of the tower.

Veronica stroked her arm and slowly began to speak after hearing my question.

“First of all, how much do you know about the promotion conditions?”

“After passing through the Gate of Proof, you must successfully complete a quest commissioned by the Adventurer’s Guild to earn a certain amount of contribution points…”

If the 10th floor is the point where the lower and middle layers are divided, then the 9th floor can be considered a selection layer to determine whether you are qualified to reach that point.

Also known as the Gate of Proof.

In the 9th floor, there is only a huge gate-like structure.

When you enter the portal swirling in the center of the gate, you are teleported to the front of a black tower consisting of 10 floors.

You must safely pass through each floor and reach the top of the tower to earn the right to go to the next floor.

Once an adventurer has passed through, they can freely pass through the portal to the next floor, and if there is a challenger in their party, they can re-enter the tower with their party… That’s all I knew.

Veronica slowly recalled her memories and looked up at the night sky as she spoke.

“Well, when you enter the portal of the gate, a huge black tower appears. When the party leader places their hand on the entrance of the tower, a strange voice echoes in the minds of everyone in the party.”

“A strange voice?”

“Yes. The voice asks if you want to enter the tower, but everyone hears a different voice. In my case, it was an old man who seemed sinister.”

Is the tower in the gate also related to some kind of transcendent or remnant of the past?

I nodded in agreement, finding it fascinating.

Veronica shrugged her shoulders without any sign of embarrassment at my compliment.

I asked her another question.

“Once you go up a staircase, you can’t go back down to the previous floor, right?”

“Of course. There’s no way a dungeon would allow such a convenient method.”

Even if there’s a set pattern… no one knows.

Veronica pointed to the picture of the horned demon at the left end with her index finger.

“The demon represents a group of monsters, and the crossed swords represent a duel.”

“A duel?”

“Yes. A strong enemy appears in the center of the floor, and one member of the party must fight a life-or-death duel. Usually, a job class that is confident in their one-on-one combat skills steps up, like me, for example.”

A moment of silence passed.

Perhaps it was because we had been caught up in various special events since entering the dungeon, but I could feel that the distance between us had indeed lessened.

Veronica cleared her throat and continued, asking us to pretend we hadn’t heard her previous comment.

“The person represents someone bound to the tower. They may suddenly attack or unexpectedly offer help.”

Bound to the tower…

In game terms, the tower within the gate is an instance dungeon, and the people who appear inside are like special NPCs.

“When I climbed the tower, I met a man with a dagger hidden in his waist and a middle-aged woman who gave us a lower-grade potion without any conditions, enough for our entire party.”

“Oh, so what about the next picture?”

I thought the cross might represent a recovery class, and indeed, my guess was correct.

“When you climb the stairs of the cross and enter the next floor, the next stairs open, and the entire party is fully healed. Remember to always choose this staircase.”

“Alright, I’ll remember.”

“Also, when you climb the treasure chest stairs, there’s a single chest in the center containing money or various items. You just need to open it and move on to the next floor… But.”

But?

Veronica disturbed the question mark picture with her foot as she spoke.

“This is the problem. The question mark. We know what to expect from the other two staircases, but no one knows what’s behind the question mark staircase. It could be good or bad.”

“What did you encounter when you climbed the tower? You must have chosen it at least once while climbing to the 10th floor.”

“I encountered a floor full of traps. I still remember how close we were to dying because a thief almost disarmed us.”

You almost died?

“The question mark staircase is a bit tricky to choose unless the other two staircases lead to a duel with the demon, which is the worst-case scenario.”

As I pondered the information Veronica had shared, I nodded in agreement and asked the final, crucial question.

“Do you think our party can pass through the Gate of Proof without any casualties? Please answer objectively and thoughtfully.”

This answer would determine whether we would return from the 7th floor or continue to the next one.

10 seconds. 30 seconds. 1 minute.

Veronica closed her eyes and stood still, assessing our party’s abilities based on her experience, and replied.

“Of course. Even though we are a party of four, our level is sufficient to pass through.”

The conclusion was that there were no problems.

After hearing Veronica’s confident words, based on her experience, I made up my mind.

We had plenty of food and water, thanks to Roten, a high-ranking adventurer, who provided us with a good supply at a low cost.

Martin’s party had given me all their miscellaneous items and food, leaving only a few days’ worth for themselves, so we had more than enough to last until we reached the 9th floor and climbed the tower.

Additionally the area in front of the portal had essentially become a safe shelter as long as we remained vigilant.

If we rested in front of the portal for a few days without using it, we could restore our bodies to their peak condition.

‘Alright. Instead of being content with the 7th floor, let’s push further this time. We’ve already endured all the hardships on our way here, so there’s nothing to be afraid of.’

Indeed, it would be a shame to return with our remaining strength.

Who knows what might happen if we returned and had to climb back to the 7th floor?

I made my decision.

I would delay our return and pass through the 8th floor, proudly fulfilling one of the middle-layer adventurer promotion conditions by passing through the Gate of Proof.