Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Shurika’s successful opening was followed by impressive performances by the twins and Asan.

As the audience cheered and the atmosphere reached its peak, the next performer stepped forward with a confident stride.

A man bowed deeply to the east, west, south, and north, introducing himself.

‘A bard?’

No, his outfit was similar to that of the bards often seen in inns and on the streets, but his first impression was more like that of a conductor or musician.

“Honorable ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally our turn!”

He clapped his hands loudly, and several people with various instruments entered and took their places on stage.

“I won’t keep you waiting. We’re about to begin a small concert with various musicians and bards coming together! Please enjoy it!”

• Clap, clap.
•
The audience clapped briefly, and the music began in the quiet that followed.

Boom, boom, boom.

Ding, ding, ding.

Whoosh!

The small drum, lute, harp, and flute played in perfect harmony.

“The wind is the breath of adventure, and our song will reach your soul.”

The high notes from the bard’s beautiful voice pierced through the sound of the instruments and captured the audience’s ears.

‘This isn’t just a small concert, it’s a full-blown concert! The song is great.’

I turned to look at Lumia, who was swaying her body to the beat.

Her ears also moved adorably in sync with her body.

The other people in the audience were waving their arms, closing their eyes, and enjoying the performance in their own ways.

‘How many songs are they going to play?’

The performers alternated between lyrical and upbeat songs, captivating the audience’s hearts.

“Beyond the gray days, towards a brilliant tomorrow!”

Diri-ring! Boom!

“Wooooaaahh!!!”

“What a voice…”

“Thank you! Have a good night, everyone!”

The performers received enthusiastic cheers and thanked the audience before leaving the stage.

“Hmm, that was nice.”

‘It was a bit boring for me, but if Lumia enjoyed it, that’s all that matters.’

As the next performer took the stage, the audience was once again treated to a variety of performances.

Swoosh.

“Oh my, how romantic!”

“I didn’t know the human body could move so gracefully and beautifully.”

A male and female dancer performed a beautiful dance themed around love.

The muscular man who had sold us the tickets earlier demonstrated his strength with a real display of telekinesis, not just a cheap trick.

“Wooooaaahh!! Mr. Strongman! Make a rabbit! Make a rabbit shape!”

“Make a bear too!”

A middle-aged magician with the rare Mysticism attribute created animal-shaped light clusters in the sky by scattering stardust.

Unlike the other shows, the magician’s Mysticism magic, which specifically targeted children, was quite charming.

‘Mysticism school… I hope I can meet a magician from that school in the future.’

“Ahren, thank you for the cat earlier.”

Hmm, wasn’t that when the kids were shouting, “Make me a cat!”?

As soon as I heard Lumia whisper a cat sound next to me, I joined in and shouted for a cat to be placed on top of another.

I felt a bit embarrassed being the only adult among the children, but it was worth it to see Lumia smile.

“Haha. I was happy to see you smile at the shining cat. That’s enough for me.”

“Hmm.”

Thus, the unexpected and adorable magic demonstration by the Mysticism magician came to an end, and only one show remained.

.

.

.

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s worth watching, even if you skip a day of training. What do you think? After watching all these performances, your mind has changed, hasn’t it? Haha!”

“Hmm, yes, you’re right, Philip. As a paladin, I need to maintain strict discipline, but I shouldn’t push myself too hard. Thanks to you, I’ve gained a valuable insight.”

“Daddy! This is the best birthday ever… I love you!”

“Oh, my dear daughter! If you like it this much, we can come back a hundred or a thousand times. The performances change every day, so let’s come back tomorrow!”

In the dark night, before the final show, everyone was sharing their thoughts and enjoying the moment with their friends and family.

I was about to say something to Lumia when…

Whoosh-

The stage, which had been empty, suddenly filled with wind, and a human figure emerged.

Boom!

It was none other than the leader of Lightitia, who had showcased his magic at the beginning of the show.

“Well, everyone, did you enjoy it?”

The leader, dressed in a fancy tailcoat and silk hat, and now holding a black staff, spoke to the audience through a megaphone.

“Yes!!!”

“It was like a dream!”

“Is it really over? Didn’t Medea come out yet?!”

Click.

The leader, leaning on his staff, laughed heartily and raised his hand.

“Haha! Of course, it’s not over yet. We haven’t seen the finale of the circus, which will be performed by our last star!”

“Medea!!! Medea!!!”

“Yes, I was disappointed that she didn’t come out today!”

Buzzing.

“Here she is, ladies and gentlemen! The century’s beauty, a noble lady from the Asfel Kingdom, and our one and only ace! The one you’ve all been waiting for!”

…Who is this person that requires such a grand introduction?

Click!

The leader introduced her with a loud voice and open arms.

“And now, let’s meet Medea──!”

Bang! Whoosh!

“Wooooaaahh!!!”

Click. Click.

The sound of her high heels clicking on the stone floor of the Colosseum, mixed with sand, echoed throughout the arena.

“Wow…”

“She’s crazy.”

“Hmm… She’s so beautiful that I don’t even feel jealous. If I could live just one day with that face, I’d have no regrets.”

As the woman with flowing blue hair walked in, the audience quietly admired her.

‘She’s pretty, but… the century’s beauty? I don’t think she’s that beautiful. Maybe my standards are too high now?’

I wasn’t particularly impressed, as everyone around me was also very attractive.

[Chaos says that humans tend to exaggerate too much.]

‘Yes, Chaos. If you showed up and revealed your true form, everyone here would faint.’

[Chaos pouts and says that I shouldn’t embarrass her.]

Click.

Click.

“So, Medea, I hope you’re feeling well. You don’t look so good. Did something happen before you came here?”

“Of course! I’ve been looking forward to this moment. Wow, there are so many people here. How much did it cost?”

“Oh, if you say so, I don’t have anything else to say. I can’t keep everyone waiting any longer, so I’ll go back to the stage.”

He must have turned off his amplification magic for a moment, because I could hear them talking, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

I was curious.

They had already shown all sorts of amazing things: the elemental fusion, the acrobatics and breaking the huge rock, the sword dance with the sword aura, the concert and dancers, and the magic demonstration by the Mystical School magician.

What else could they show that would be even more amazing? It couldn’t be just their appearance, could it?

I hadn’t looked at the status window much to avoid spoilers, but since this was the last show, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek.

The director must have finished his conversation and left with his magic, because Medea was left alone, straightening her clothes.

I quietly watched her.

Zzzzzt.

[The ‘Purple Barrier’ trait causes Chaos to only read a portion of the information.]

What?

________________________________________

[Irmela]

[Strength: □□] [Agility: C+] [Endurance: □□] [Stamina: B] [Magic: A+] [Luck: □□]

[Possessed Traits] (Collapse)

Magic □ Transformation
The Mark of Evil
One Language
Purple Barrier
The One Who Shed Their Flesh Puppet
□ Shaping
Body Control
The Legs of Tehelrum

________________________________________

???

Chaos was shocked.

I blinked and looked again, thinking I must have seen wrong.

But when I looked again, the information in the status window was still the same.

“…”

“Ahren, what’s wrong? Your expression looks strange. Is something bothering you?”

Lumia asked me, but I was too distracted to respond.

‘No. Dammit. It’s not right to do this now, after we’ve enjoyed everything. What the hell is this?’

My head was spinning.

“Everyone, are you ready for the finale?”

“Yesssss!!”

“Start! Start!”

“Damn. This isn’t the time to be weighing our options.”

The difference in our levels was so great that I couldn’t even be sure if a surprise attack would work.

If I attacked without warning and was blocked, they could squeeze me and put me in a tight spot.

‘Should I just sneak out with Lumia?’

Fuck this! Get a grip.

Yeah, someone might say that if they were in my position, they would just sneak out with their partner and let the others deal with it, as long as they survived.

Even if a couple of people were missing, if most of the people here died, they could send someone from the outside to handle it.

Even if they killed everyone and managed to escape, they probably wouldn’t remember a couple of people who had disappeared early on.

Squeeze.

But… if I survived like that, could I really live the rest of my life as I had before?

No. That couldn’t be right.

‘If I have to live a life of rationalization, saying that it’s better to roll in the mud than to die, then I’d rather die here.’

Before I could dream of getting stronger and living a better life.

I wanted to live a life without regrets, one that I could be proud of.

I stood up.

I decided that the first thing I should do was to quickly tell everyone, so that at least the children could escape.

“That’s not Medea! It’s a minion of the Evil God wearing her skin! There’s no time for explanations, just get the kids out of here now!”

“Hmm.”

Before I could finish my shout, Irmela, or Medea, spread her arms wide.

Her eyes shone with madness, glowing with a mineral-like light.

As if she had been wearing a mask until now, her smiling expression changed completely, becoming utterly repulsive.

She stood up and shouted at me, her lips moving.

“Too late.”

“Well, shall we begin the final show?”

Whoosh!!!

As black smoke billowed out, a large number of threads and tentacles emerged from behind Irmela.

.

.

.

Beep!

“Who is it at this hour? You’re ruining my drinking… Oh, it’s a message from the chief instructor.”

-Guild Master, we have a big problem! I’m on my day off, and I was out with my family, I mean! There’s an issue with the Evil God in the 5th district theater, so please come quickly!

“The Evil God? I thought we had wiped them out completely, including the apostles, followers, and slaves, five years ago. Why are they showing up now?”

Whoosh!

She used her magic to sober up and asked, “I heard that instead of gladiatorial combat, they’ve been doing some kind of circus since yesterday. So, there must be a lot of kids there, not just adventurers, right?”

-Yes! There are tons of them! They’re holding out, but… please, Guild Master, save my family!

“Okay, just hold on for a bit.”

Beep.

“Hey! Chief Instructor!!!”

Thud, thud, thud!

“Yes! You called?”

She put on her coat and said, “I’ll give you 10 minutes to gather as many people as you can under your command. There are some Evil God guys in the 5th district, and one of the instructors is caught up in it with his family.”

“What?! Aren’t the guards supposed to be on duty, getting their monthly pay? Okay, I’ll gather everyone and have them stand by.”

“Tell them to be fully armed, we’ll be using the Warp Gate to get there.”

“Ugh, that’s going to cost a pretty penny in Warp fees. Yes, ma’am!”

“Haa.”

She let out a sigh and got ready.

Slick. Click.

“The city’s going to be in an uproar again. Ah, well, goodbye to the days of teaching kids and living the easy life.”

Clink.

“It’s usually fine, but whenever something big happens, I just want to go back to Earth. Okay, sunglasses are on, perfect.”

Bang!

“I’ve gathered everyone except for the weak and the seriously injured! Let’s go!”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead, just make sure everyone follows.”

Swoosh!

She jumped out the window and sprinted off.

In an instant, she was gone, leaving only the sound of her movement behind.

The sign hanging on the front door of the building swayed in the wind she created, and soon dozens of people began to emerge from inside.

The Swordsmanship Guild.

She was the Guild Master of the Swordsmanship Guild.