Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Damn it.

I just wanted to get to the next floor without any trouble, but did I unknowingly wish on a monkey’s paw or something?

I ended up right in front of the portal to the fourth floor.

“I don’t know if I should be happy or sad about this.”

[Chaos says to look on the bright side.]

I was secretly hoping to see how much stronger I had become since my first arrival on the third floor.

But as soon as I arrived, I saw that the goblin village had already been brutally raided, and the portal was glowing nearby, with no monsters in sight.

It seemed like I was going to skip the third floor entirely.

Sling.

“Get ready for battle! Who are you, and how did you get here without any warning?”

The adventurer in front of me, a swordsman who seemed to be the vanguard of his party, was clearly suspicious and hostile towards me.

Not wanting to waste energy on unnecessary tension, I quickly waved my hands and spoke up.

“Don’t misunderstand. I took the portal in the swamp area of the second floor, and it brought me straight here. I have no ill intentions, so please put your sword away.”

“Wha-!”

As soon as I finished speaking, I caught Yeriel as she fell to the side.

Tap.

“Success again… Huh?”

As I safely landed and looked around, I saw Lumia’s eyes widen as she realized what had happened.

“Did you see that? That’s how I got here.”

Click.

“Seeing it with my own eyes, I have no choice but to believe it. It’s true that this kind of thing rarely happens, but I’ve heard of it before.” The swordsman sheathed his sword and bowed his head.

Of course, if I had appeared in front of another adventurer right after a battle, I would have been ready for combat too.

‘It’s actually strange that he’s this polite.’

“It’s okay. I’m not the type to nitpick over something so obvious.”

I shrugged and pointed with my thumb.

“We’ll stay back, so you can continue your farming.”

“Thanks. …Come on, everyone, relax! This is resolved, let’s finish farming and move on!”

The swordsman seemed relieved that a fight hadn’t broken out.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

As Yerie and Lumia looked at me with question marks in their eyes, I led them away from the group.

It seemed like all the monsters in the village had been defeated.

Even if there were any monsters left, they wouldn’t dare attack with such an experienced-looking adventurer party nearby.

“Ahren, what’s going on here?”

“No matter how many times I rub my eyes, those are the escape portal and the inter-floor portal. Is it possible that we can skip the third floor entirely?”

As soon as we were out of earshot, they whispered urgently.

“Yes, you’re right. It seems like we landed right in front of one of the portals.”

I don’t think it’s a good idea to take the escape portal in this situation…

Sigh. The fourth floor is supposed to be similar to the third floor, so maybe it’s best to just move on to the next floor.

While the other adventurer party was farming from the corpses, I wiped my forehead and started discussing with the girls.

“What should we do? We have to decide right now whether to go to the fourth floor or return to the city.”

As time passed, monsters would respawn in the village, including the Hobgoblin chieftain.

If we were unlucky, there was a small chance that a mutant with unique abilities, like the purple Cicero, could appear.

‘If that happens, we’ll have to fight another tough battle, just like with the Full Serpent. It’s best to avoid that if possible.’

So, with the village already cleared by the other party, we needed to make a decision quickly.

To move forward or to return.

Yeriel, twiddling her thumb, spoke first.

“Well, I think we should keep going. As you know, our highest record is only the third floor, right?”

Technically, that’s correct, but in reality, only Yeriel has reached the third floor.

I was thrown into the third floor due to the misfortune of the Dragon’s Heart, skipping the first and second floors.

And Lumia had never been able to leave the first floor because of her curse.

“It’s said that for adventurers, skill is the most important thing, but records and achievements are also crucial.”

Yeriel said, with a cautious smile.

“If you two are okay with it, I think we should try to improve our record. We’re still far from being mid-level adventurers, but we can take it one floor at a time!”

‘I’ve noticed that Yeriel has changed a lot since we first met… for the better, of course.’

Hearing Yeriel’s determination, I was also leaning towards moving forward.

But I wondered, when we enter the Great Dungeon and move to the next floor through a portal, should we say we’re going up or down?

Unconsciously, I had been saying “up” because the floor numbers were increasing, but when people enter a dungeon or a labyrinth, they often say they’re going down as they delve deeper.

‘It doesn’t matter right now. I’ll just think of it as going up, and when I talk to others, I’ll adjust accordingly.’

I suddenly had a pointless thought and paused to stroke my chin.

Lumia, thinking I was deep in thought, looked at me and spoke.

“I’ll do whatever you say, Ahren. As the leader, you’re the one who keeps the party together and always works the hardest.”

“Yes! It’s nice that you asked for our opinions, but if you want to go back and rest, we should all return to the city and try again next time.”

Lumia agreed with Yeriel.

…Yes. I had secretly hoped to reach the third floor directly and successfully conquer it, to make up for our awkward first return.

But skipping the third floor entirely felt like cheating.

After struggling through the first and second floors, this sudden skip almost caused cognitive dissonance.

‘It would be the easiest to just take the easy way out and leech off others, but…’

“Let’s go to the fourth floor. This time, we’ll conquer it and return home with a clear mind.”

“Yes!”

Nod.

Before I knew it, the other adventurers had finished farming and were disappearing one by one into the portal.

“They’re all gone. Shall we go too?”

Before the monsters respawned, we quickly approached the portal.

Woong-

.

.

.

“Phew.”

We had arrived on the fourth floor.

According to my research, the fourth floor was similar to the third floor, but with more types of monsters, traps, and a more complex terrain.

Just turning my head a little, I could see dense bushes and lush greenery all around.

‘This is uncharted territory again. Stay calm.’

Tap. Tap.

“Wow, I’m finally getting used to this!”

“Shh. I know you’re excited, but keep your voice down.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be careful. Thanks, Lumia.”

Yeriel finally managed to land after the portal’s nausea, and Lumia quickly calmed her down as she cheered loudly.

I was glad to see their friendship growing.

‘First, I need to check our location and plan our route…’

I unfolded the map and looked around, but it was difficult to identify our location as everything was green and there were no distinguishing features.

“Lumia, do you sense anything nearby?”

“Not at the moment, at least. It’s safe for now.”

“Good, then wait a moment. I’ll climb a tree to get a better idea of our location.”

“Huh? I can do that. I’m good at climbing trees.”

Oh, right. She’s a beastkin.

I handed her the map and compass, which she tucked into her chest and quickly climbed a nearby tree.

“Wow, you’re so fast! You just went up like that!”

“Yeah, you’re good at it.”

Is it because of the beastkin’s enhanced senses? Her climbing skills were more about technique than agility.

Lumia and I had a five-level difference in agility, but I didn’t think I could climb like that.

Tap.

After a while, Lumia climbed down and approached me.

“Here, look at the map.”

She unfolded the map and drew a circle with her black magic.

“There are trees and bushes all around, and from above, I can see a small mountain nearby, a large cave a little further away, and a large village to the south… So, I think we’re around here.”

“Thanks, now I have an idea of which direction to go.”

“Did I do well?”

“Yes, you did great!”

I praised her with a thumbs-up, and Lumia blushed.

‘We landed in the Giant Tree Zone of the forest area. No wonder there were so many trees.’

The portal was, as expected, located in the village, which was significantly larger than the one on the third floor.

But more importantly, the cave? The map didn’t provide any information about the cave in this area.

In other words, it was likely a randomly generated event location, like the Altar of the Transcendents on the second floor.

‘There might be monsters inside the cave, and we could get some kind of reward for defeating them.’

Since we had already located the village, it would be a good idea to explore the cave first.

I shared my thoughts with the girls.

“It seems like a good opportunity to farm, so we should definitely check it out. The old man also said that the key to growth in the Great Dungeon is to differentiate ourselves from other adventurers.”

“Let’s go! I’m excited to see what’s inside, even if I don’t know what it is.”

“Yes, if there are monsters, we’ll defeat them, and if not, we can use the cave as a resting place. Shall we move on?”

Perhaps, every time adventurers enter the Great Dungeon, they discover hidden places and new areas, obtain something, and grow stronger.

This must be one of the reasons why adventurers keep returning to the dungeon.

Of course, money and success are the top priorities.

As I looked at the map and took the lead, we headed towards the cave nearby.

.

.

.

“It’s huge! It’s really big!”

As Yeriel said, the entrance to the cave was impressively large.

As we approached, a cold and eerie aura emanated from within.

Lumia rubbed her arms as if she had a chill and spoke.

“I sense an aura of darkness, different from black magic, coming from inside. It’s not too strong, but we should be careful.”

We were drawn to this mysterious place that wasn’t on the map, but…

‘No, let’s not hesitate. Even if it’s the fourth floor, as long as it’s not an unreasonable challenge from a Transcendental or a God, we can handle whatever comes our way.’

[Chaos encourages you to overcome any crisis.]

It’s understandable if they sense something unsettling and retreat.

But what if other adventurers find this place and succeed in reaching the end of the cave, obtaining something?

I would miss out on a growth opportunity, and of course, I’d be jealous. I can’t let that happen.

“Let’s go in. Now that we know about the cave, we have no choice but to enter.”

Hruk!

After making eye contact with the girls, I slowly took out a torch and lit it, stepping into the cave.