Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

We rode the carriage towards the outskirts of the fourth district, where Roten’s Inn was located.

On the quiet ride, I thought about what to say when we arrived.

‘When we arrive, I should ask Jacob to join our party. I already discussed it with the other two a few days ago, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’

A warrior, a thief, a priest, a magician, and a sturdy vanguard.

I thought it would be good to eventually have a standard five-person party, or even six if necessary.

For now, we’ve been managing to explore the dungeon with Lumia’s senses and my clumsy Navigation skills, but…

We can’t always rely on makeshift methods.

‘Even if Jacob doesn’t join our party, we need to recruit a scout-type adventurer or have either Lumia or me learn the skills and knowledge for that role.’

Thud!

“Customers. You’ve arrived at your destination, so please get off now!”

I was deep in thought, resting my chin on my hand, when suddenly, the carriage came to a stop in front of the inn.

“Ugh. I slept well. I must have dozed off. You guys were sleeping soundly too.”

Jacob, sitting next to me, yawned loudly.

“Hey, wake up. Should we go inside first or have a meal first?”

Lumia was sleeping without moving, and Yeriel was leaning on her shoulder, also fast asleep.

I gently grabbed her shoulder, and Lumia opened her eyes wide.

“Let’s go. Whether it’s a meal or sleep, we need to get down first.”

“Ugh. Go ahead. I’ll wake Yeriel and bring her.”

After agreeing, Jacob and I got off the carriage and opened the inn door.

“Hmm? Oh! Ahren, you’re here? The person next to you is new.”

As soon as we quietly entered, Roten, who was sitting at the counter, sensed our presence and turned around like a ghost.

“Roten, we’re back. Has anything happened while we were gone?”

I greeted Roten, and he smiled kindly at me and Jacob.

“Of course not! It looks like you’ve been through a tough battle, but your equipment is in bad shape.”

“Phew. We fought a life-or-death battle, so it wasn’t easy. Haha, it might not have been a big deal for you, though.”

“Haha… I was also a low-level adventurer when I was young. Anyway, you’ve done well. Where are the other two?”

“They’ll be here soon. Can we have a meal now, including alcohol?”

Roten said it was no problem, and since the adventurers who had stayed here while we were gone had already left a few days ago, there was no one else.

Feeling stiff, Roten laughed heartily and said he would show off his skills in the kitchen.

Thud.

“We’re here.”

“Hehe, I dozed off for a moment.”

As soon as the door opened, Yeriel smiled awkwardly at me.

“I’m hungry, so I ordered a meal first. How are you feeling? Is your stomach hurting because of the trait?”

“I only ate a little jerky this morning, so I’m quite hungry. But I can still bear it.”

“That’s good.”

We sat at a nearby table and waited for a while until Roten brought our food.

“Here you go. Let me know if it’s not enough!”

“Thank you.”

After Roten left, we clinked our oak barrel mugs and raised them.

“Despite the crazy goblin and the so-called mercenary group blocking our way, we made it back safely. Cheers to our continued safe return from the dungeon!”

Clink!

After clinking our mugs, we began a noisy meal.

Chomp, chomp.

“You’ll choke if you eat so fast. Slow down.”

“My stomach… is so hungry… Ugh! I’ll definitely remove this trait tomorrow!”

Yeriel pouted, and Lumia said with concern.

‘Of course, Yeriel, who usually eats sparingly, is now forced to eat a lot due to the trait. I can understand how annoyed she must be.’

I shook my head and continued eating.

.

.

.

“Jacob. After careful consideration, I’d like to formally invite you to join our party.”

“Huh? Join the party?”

Jacob looked bewildered.

“Yes. I’ve been observing you during our journey, and you have a good personality that gets along well with everyone. At least, that’s what I’ve felt during the past few weeks.”

“Hmm, it’s embarrassing to be suddenly praised like this.”

“Also, your scouting skills are quite good. We need someone who can do their part and be reliable while we focus on other things.”

“Is that so?”

“What do you think? You can give me an answer now, but if you need more time to think, you can do so after we disband. We’ll be staying at this inn for a while.”

“Hmm… Well…”

It was a matter that required careful consideration, as we already had a strong bond and human relationships among the three of us.

So, I thought a lot about inviting Jacob to join our party ever since we caught Grillops and came here.

Although our first meeting was terrible, my thoughts had changed a lot since we overcame a big crisis together.

At the time, I had watched Jacob bleed to death, but…

When he desperately shouted about the treasure chest, I finally tried to save him.

Despite this, he didn’t hold a grudge against me and he silently guided us to the treasure chest and then stayed back to watch the situation.

‘Especially in that last moment, if it weren’t for Jacob’s quick wit, we might have fought even more desperately and desperately.’

Jacob throwing the bead to wake up the golem and fight Grilops was, in my opinion, the best move he could have made in that situation.

‘In the worst-case scenario, Grillops could have done something crazy and injured one of us. He was already going crazy with his so-called ‘enlightenment’ from Chaos.’

What surprised me the most was…

He could have escaped unnoticed, but he chose to wake up the golem by catching the bead.

When I saw him emptying his backpack, I noticed that he didn’t have any supplies in it.

In the chaos of battle, he could have easily escaped the cave alone, even if it took some time…

Perhaps he didn’t want to face the goblin horde or other adventurer parties, or maybe he wanted to repay his debt and help catch Grillops. Only he knows the real reason.

“Sir. I joked about being a temporary party member until we returned, but… I need some time to think.”

Jacob rubbed his eyes and thought for a moment, then scratched his cheek and answered in a slightly flustered voice.

“Of course. Take your time and think about it.”

…

It was almost the end of the meal when Jacob spoke up.

“Sir… Can I talk to you alone for a moment?”

“Sure. Let’s go outside and get some fresh air while we talk.”

I got up, feeling a little tipsy, and Jacob followed.

“Yeriel, Lumia. I’ll be back soon. Just rest and don’t wander off.”

“Yes. Come back soon. Don’t take a different route!”

“I’ll be back. Don’t worry, there’s no one else in the inn.”

I nodded and went outside, facing the cool breeze.

It was already night. It was pitch black.

I stood quietly, waiting for Jacob to speak, and he began in a serious tone, unlike his usual self.

“After hearing what you said, I thought about it carefully, and my mind became complicated.”

Jacob sighed faintly.

“To be blunt, I have to decline your invitation to join the party.”

…Decline.

I wasn’t too surprised because I had already sensed this coming.

“Can I ask why? Of course, I’m not asking to argue or get angry about your decision.”

Jacob nodded and began to speak slowly.

“To be honest, I think joining your party is beyond my means.”

“Why do you think that?”

“First of all, I’m weak. I may have the basic skills of a thief, but that doesn’t make me worthy of staying here.”

Jacob looked up at the sky with a locked gaze.

He began to recall his past.

“I grew up under a poor tenant farmer who was poor, bad-tempered, and violent. My mother ran away from home in tears, and my younger brother was beaten to death by that bastard because he kept asking for food.”

“…”

“So, I endured until I could become independent, and eventually, I ran away to the nearby port city with the little money I had saved and a few belongings.”

Everyone has a story, but this guy had a tough life.

“Haha. But I couldn’t bring myself to do anything to my parents.”

Jacob lowered his head and laughed bitterly.

“Anyway, I managed to join a thief guild in the port city and, fortunately, I had some talent. I went from being a lowly errand boy to becoming a thief.”

“And that’s how you ended up in the dungeon city?”

“Yes. I heard that even someone like me could live comfortably if I could get out of the lower floors of the great dungeon. It was also easy to switch to being an adventurer if I didn’t have a criminal record.”

Indeed, the great dungeon and dungeon city are known as the land of opportunity. It’s not unusual for him to have come here directly after becoming independent.

“After that, I… lived here. I solved the housing problem by renting a room in the 6th district, and I entered the dungeon through various party matching boards.”

Jacob chuckled and crossed his arms.

“Well, I almost died because of one wrong party.”

…Hmm.

“I will live as an adventurer for a long time without dying, and somewhere between middle age and old age, I will return to the village and face the traces of that bastard.”

The guy smiled, imagining the scene.

“And in front of him, I will scatter gold coins and mock him. I will tell him that I, who was born and raised under such a piece of trash, have succeeded. That I am living a much better life than him.”

What a grand and magnificent ambition.

“But if I join your party and enter the dungeon, a mediocre person like me will die in vain. I was half-convinced of this when I imagined fighting that crazy monster.”

Jacob stretched his arm towards the sky and pretended to grab the stars.

“Sir. No, Ahren. You will become stronger and go far in the future. Yes, like those stars in the sky… I will never be able to reach as far as you.”

“…”

“My goal in life is to survive in a place that suits my means and succeed as an adventurer, no matter how small. That’s why I’m declining your invitation.”

I could only nod at his unwavering gaze.

Jacob seemed to be getting sentimental as the sun had already set, so he made a silly expression.

“Your party needs someone who can be a reliable vanguard or a scout and rear guard, not someone like me.”

“Yes, I realized that we needed more people during this dungeon trip. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Haha! Our conversation has gone on for a while. Should we go inside? I need to pack my things and leave soon.”

After his sincere advice, Jacob said he needed to renew his stay for a month and was about to leave.

I couldn’t just let him go.

“Jacob, don’t leave right away. Pack your things and wait inside for a while. I have something to give you.”

“What? You have something to give me?”

“Yes. It won’t take long, so don’t worry.”

“Hmm… I don’t mind if the carriage is delayed, but I’m curious. Let’s go!”

We opened the door and entered the inn.

The conversation had gone on for a while, and Yeriel was sleeping with her soft cheeks pressed against the table, looking like a pancake.

‘Oh no. Now that we’re back in the city, all the accumulated fatigue is hitting her. I’ll move her to the room after sending Jacob off.’

“Ahren, are you done talking?”

Lumia, who was still awake, looked at me with half-open eyes.

“Haha… Although I failed to recruit him, I don’t want to let him go without giving him something. I’ll give him something before he leaves.”

Lumia glanced at Jacob and nodded.

Thud.

We went upstairs and opened the door to the room.

“Let’s see.”

I reached into the space bag in the corner of the room.

What I needed to take out was… a dagger and an intermediate potion.

I looked down at the blood-red blade in my hand.

The eerie blade that exuded a chilling aura.

It was the weapon used by Gospel, the human hunter who showed incredible strength and was a C-rank capability holder.

‘I didn’t try to dispose of it in a hurry, and now it’s finally finding its rightful owner. Everything eventually finds its place.’

I held the dagger and potion bottle in my hands and went downstairs.

“Jacob, take this. It’s a gift from me. If you feel burdened, you can consider it as a reward for helping to defeat the monster on the fourth floor.”

I handed the items to Jacob and told him about the history and performance of the blood-red blade.

“Huh, sir. This is too much. Compared to what I did, this is…”

“Just take it. I want you to have it so that you don’t die somewhere. I hope that this weapon will be a small help in achieving your grand dream in the future.”

“…”

Jacob was either surprised or slightly touched, as he clenched his fists and rubbed his face as if washing it.

“Thank you. I won’t forget what you did for me on the fourth floor, the words you said, and this weapon you gave me.”

“Yes. We’ll be staying at this inn, so if you ever need a break as an adventurer, come and visit us. Let’s have a drink and catch up.”

“Yes! If I have free time, I’ll visit you often, so don’t forget about me when you become successful!”

He smiled and clenched his fist.

“Take care and be strong.”

Thud.

Jacob clenched his fist and walked a few steps before turning around and saying, “Ah, wait!”

“Lumia. If you let go of such a good person as Sir, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Hold on tight! Haha, I’m really leaving now!”

The guy is so sentimental.

Jacob left with a smile.

[Chaos comforts me and says not to be upset.]

‘Oh well. I’m not upset. It’s a relief that we parted ways on good terms, even though the first recruitment attempt failed.’

[Chaos says it’s a relief.]

Yes. Jacob will live his life, and I’ll eventually find good people to join the party.

Time is the answer.

I shook my head to clear my ambiguous feelings and walked towards the table.