Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

“Squeak…”

Puff!

With the weak final gasp of the last one, I was able to kill all the giant bats that had flown in from the ceiling.

“Not only mutant goblins, but also giant centipedes and giant bats. This place is just full of horrible things.”

Twenty Cave Goblins, a variant of the common goblin.

After successfully finishing the first battle in the cave without any casualties, we hurriedly walked towards the heart of the cave without resting.

After walking for about two hours to cool down from the battle, I encountered a giant centipede that silently crawled on the wall and pounced on me. Its heart was pounding.

A giant body that looked like it could easily exceed 3 meters, not a common arthropod but a monster.

Numerous legs sticking out from the underside of the body, wriggling disgustingly.

Even the jaws with a sticky green poison dripping from them were terrifying.

‘It was quite a struggle. Ugh, it was so horrible that I was worried it would appear in my dreams.’

[Chaos says it’s difficult for her to understand why he is so alarmed.]

Of course, for a dragon, that would be nothing but a trivial creature.

[Chaos covers her mouth and chuckles, saying that that he still has a long way to go.]

‘It’s not that I’m afraid, I just find it disgusting and repulsive. If I see you in my dreams again, I’ll give you five knuckles.’

[Chaos sticks out her tongue and says she won’t take it from a loser.]

Anyway, we fought a monster temporarily named Giant Centipede.

Perhaps because only one appeared, I was able to focus on it.

Using Lumia’s Black Hand to bind it and using cold to eat away at the gaps in its shell, I was able to catch it relatively easily.

When I cut off its neck, I remember the thick blue blood that gushed out.

Compared to that, the giant bat swarm that appeared earlier was just a little disgusting.

I’m so curious about what kind of monster will appear next that it’s beyond terrifying.

“Ugh, it would be better if mermen or goblins appeared. I hate bugs and bats because they’re so openly disgusting…”

“Just hold on a little longer. We’re better off than Ahren, who has to see them up close.”

“Yeah, let’s hold on! Let’s finish the cave and get back to the city. I think it’ll be easy once we get out of here.”

I patted Yeriel’s back, who didn’t look well.

“It’s not a good idea to rest here, so let’s walk a little further and rest when we find a decent spot.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry for complaining.”

“No, I understand. Are you okay, Lumia?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

I smiled as I watched Lumia nod silently.

Every time I see Lumia calmly doing her job, I feel so much strength.

“Good job. Let’s start again. Don’t overlook anything and report it right away, especially Lumia, if you find something or sense something.”

“Okay. I understand.”

As I held up the torch, the darkness rippled in the bright light.

I felt the eerie and chilly atmosphere getting stronger.

I took another step, enduring the feeling of my hair standing on end.

.

.

.

Finally, we found a place to rest.

“This should be good. We’ve been walking for a long time, and we’re tired from the battles, so let’s sleep here.”

After encountering the giant bat swarm and walking for about an hour and a half, we found a small clearing leading to a narrow passageway.

Of course, it wasn’t a shelter that monsters wouldn’t approach at all.

Still, the space itself seemed suitable for a night’s rest.

Plop.

Everyone unpacked their bags and rested.

“The path is getting more and more complicated. I don’t know how many forks I’ve encountered on the way here.”

I thought as I took out preserved food from my backpack and shared it.

The passageway was just a straight line from the entrance.

But soon after, I came across two, three, and sometimes even four forks in the road.

“Fortunately, Yeriel had chosen the right path, like during the Altar of the Transcendents before.”

Although she was a bit reluctant at first, we were able to safely reach this point thanks to her choosing the path.

Of course, monsters appeared a few times, but that would have been the same no matter which path we took, right?

“Darkness is my servant. Serve me.”

[Black Puppet]

Creak. Keehee.

As usual, Lumia summoned her familiar as an alarm spell.

The entrance was narrow, and thanks to those black, squat creatures, we could wake up immediately if we fell asleep.

Although the cave was pitch black with no light, my cheap watch from the general store showed that it was already 10 o’clock.

“Let’s sleep and move on tomorrow. Can you feel it? The strange energy piercing our bodies.”

“Yes! I can feel it clearly, even though it’s weak.”

“What will come out… Undead? Large monsters? Strange beasts?”

Well, it’s likely that monsters similar to the ones I mentioned will appear.

Oh well, let’s just sleep.

I shook my head and lay down in my sleeping bag.

I must have been more tired than I thought, because as soon as I closed my eyes, sleep overcame me.

.

.

.

I was too careless.

Dudu-dudu-dudu-dudu-

“Ahhhh! Save me!!!”

“No, don’t come here, you crazy bastard!”

“Kyaaaak!”

“Hey, where are you going.”

After a refreshing sleep, I got ready and set out on the path.

After walking for about an hour, I entered one of the forks and saw a house-sized rock rolling down the passageway.

No, I could tell from the pattern on the surface and the shining eyes.

“It’s not just a rock!”

It was a giant monster that had transformed into a spherical shape and was rolling towards us.

“If we collide with it while it’s charging like this, we’ll definitely be crushed to pieces.”

I could probably escape without being caught up, but what about the two girls with agility rating E?

“Kyaa!”

“Run, I’ll carry you both!”

I immediately grabbed Yeriel and Lumia by the waist and ran.

Thud!

“Huaaaah!!”

“Come with me!!!”

I burst out with magical power and just kept running and running.

I ran so desperately that I covered the distance I had walked for an hour in no time.

I can see the fork in the road we passed earlier!

Boom!!

I endured the strain on my legs and turned at a right angle, entering the fork next to me.

Kwaang──

Good!

The monster, having gained a lot of acceleration and unable to control its speed, eventually failed to turn and crashed into the wall.

“Huh, huh, huh.”

This damn thing managed to survive and catch up.

This is not the time. I need to run ahead and create some distance before the monster catches up.

“Hiiii⋯ Heung.”

“Ugh.”

“Oh no.”

Because I had carried the two of them like baggage and ran too aggressively for a short time.

Yeriel was making strange noises and her eyes were spinning, while Lumia was closing her eyes and trying to calm herself.

“Kuuaaaak!!!”

What, did the impact of hitting the wall not affect it?

Let’s just call it an Earth Golem.

The Earth Golem was running towards us on two legs, its red eyes glowing.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

I couldn’t carry them forever, so I put them down and stood in front of them.

I had to fight it. Come on!

The golem’s momentum was significantly less than when it was rolling earlier.

I took a defensive stance, using my greatsword as a shield to block the attack.

As I prepared for the impact, I looked at the golem approaching me.

“⋯Wait. Something’s wrong.”

The golem’s gaze was unnaturally fixed on one spot, and its head was turned to the side.

To the side?

“Waaaak!!!”

Kwaang!

“Sa, sa, save me!”

Thwack!

Kudangtang.

⋯The Earth Golem’s target was none other than the noisy adventurer we had inadvertently fled with.

The golem struck the adventurer and sent him flying, then chased after him.

“Yeah. This is the time. I don’t have to fight if I just run away when the aggro is pulled.”

Without taking my eyes off the golem and the adventurer, I grabbed the two of them, who were still unable to regain their senses.

Huh?

But the situation was strange.

I didn’t see the adventurer getting hit by the golem and dying, as I had expected.

The golem ignored the man lying on the ground as if he was of no concern, and started shaking him to get the contents of his backpack.

Pat pat.

Various trinkets spilled out of the adventurer’s backpack.

Plop.

The golem roared as it picked up a black bead the size of a palm from the floor.

“Kuuaaaak!”

Thud. Kuung.

As soon as the golem picked up the bead, it left the adventurer behind as if he was of no importance and walked away with heavy footsteps.

⋯What was that?

“Haa. I really dodged a bullet.”

A sigh escaped my lips.

[Chaos is relieved that the situation didn’t result in a battle, which could have caused significant damage.]

“Damn. I was too careless.”

It was pure luck that we were able to enter the room with the altar in the swamp zone.

The zone itself was large, and the swamp zone’s low popularity made it very difficult to find other adventurers.

The choice at the fork in the road also contributed to our good fortune.

But if it’s a large cave that we discovered⋯

People think alike, so of course, another adventurer party would have entered as soon as they discovered it.

‘Why did I think our party was the first to discover the cave? No matter how large each floor is, is it possible that there wasn’t a single party that passed by before us?’

You stupid bastard!

What was I thinking when I said, “If other adventurers discover this place and somehow make it to the end of the cave and get something, I’ll be jealous.”

In reality, I was blinded by the thought of discovering an event-based dungeon and was shortsighted.

We were just the latecomers in a race that had already started.

The black bead that the golem recovered from the adventurer earlier was probably a hidden piece that his party had discovered inside.

Perhaps the golem was a kind of guardian.

‘What is this cave? Even though it’s an event-based map not found on the map, we’re not even that deep inside yet⋯ Is this the extent of it?’

While gathering information in the city, I also looked into the village with the 4th-floor portal.

Although it’s larger than the 3rd floor, it’s still said to be inhabited by goblins and hobgoblins.

So, the level of this cave is beyond my comprehension, and I can’t even guess what floor it might be equivalent to.

Should I just be satisfied with farming by-products from these strange monsters? I thought to myself.

“⋯.”

“?”

“⋯Sa, save me, please.”

The adventurer, whom I thought was dead, was asking for help.