Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

Why? Why isn’t the trajectory showing up?

Thunk!

“Gah.”

Even though Ivelyn was clearly attacking, I panicked at the completely invisible trajectory.

In the end, I lowered my sword and awkwardly let her land a clean hit.

“Huh?”

Seeing Ivelyn’s puzzled expression as she stopped made me realize my mistake.

‘Damn. I’ve been too reliant on Chaos up until now.’

Even if I didn’t know the path, with an E-rank attack, I shouldn’t have made such a silly mistake by just fumbling around.

Thinking it over, there were plenty of better responses, like dodging by twisting my body or thrusting my sword to block.

“I’m sorry. I’ll get my head in the game and focus, so can we try again?”

It would be great if I could see the trajectory, but being a fool just because it isn’t there isn’t right.

If my eyes aren’t showing the way, then I’ll have to figure it out myself.

I gritted my teeth in embarrassment and steeled my resolve as Ivelyn chuckled at me.

“Alright. I hope to not see that brainless look again. Let’s go again!”

Smack!

I calmly parried the sword that swung at my head like a whip.

Fortunately, her attacks still slowed down when they approached.

With the attack blocked, Ivelyn spun around and swung at my right leg.

The moment I saw it, I kicked off the ground and dodged back. But she chased me down to strike again as if she predicted my move.

Do I need to dodge this too? No, if I just dodge, I won’t have an answer. I need to take the lead with my own attack.

‘For now, I hold the advantage in strength. If I play my cards right, I might make her drop her sword.’

I struck down fiercely at the rising sword.

“Perfect!”

Bam─!

The moment we clashed, we briefly danced in a test of strength.

Ivelyn shifted her sword back and released her power.

‘No way!’

That caused my weight to shift as I tried to keep pushing forward, and I staggered.

Without missing the chance, she lunged her sword at me.

What do I do? I thought calmly. I need to see where the tip of her sword is aiming.

It looks like she’s going for my solar plexus to incapacitate me and finish the duel. In that case!

Since I’m already leaning forward and staggering, I’ll twist my body as much as I can to dodge, and then roll away.

Chills─

‘Huh? What is that?’

The sword extended straight towards my solar plexus.

I rolled over clumsily, falling grotesquely, but luckily managed to avoid it.

…But avoiding it wasn’t the real problem.

Until now, I had been too focused on blocking, dodging, and attacking to realize that in the slowed moment, I happened to look at her face…

From the moment she lunged with her sword until I rolled, Ivelyn’s eyes were glued to mine without a single moment of distraction.

Even now, as she thrust, she should be facing forward, but her gaze was locked on me as I rolled to the side.

When did that start? When did my sword not matter and all she watched was my eyes? From the very beginning?

Retrieving her thrusting sword and about to charge at me, Ivelyn suddenly stopped as if she sensed my unhidden fluster.

“Hm, I think I understand now.”

She said something as if she figured something out.

“Aren, let’s try one more thing. From now on, I’ll attack in a slightly different way, so watch closely and block. Don’t dodge.”

I nodded and gripped my sword.

“Alright. Let’s begin.”

Judging I was ready, she took her stance and began to swing her sword.

Huh? What’s this?

I see a new red trajectory appearing along with Ivelyn’s diagonal strike! This is definitely going to be easier than before.

The first hit is standard, so blocking it shouldn’t be hard.

As I brought my sword to the end of the trajectory… Chomp!

“Gah!”

What the heck was that? Why did it suddenly veer off right as it was about to slow down?

Smack.

Whack─!

“Ugh!”

As expected, I was defenseless against an attack that suddenly changed trajectory.

[Chaos whispers for me to focus and watch closely.]

Clutching my gut and pondering deeply.

‘The trajectory shows the path of the attack. But it’s not as if it started off twisted since the beginning, is it? It’s not warped until later?’

So, this means… it’s possible to change paths mid-attack.

Like switching from a vertical slash to a horizontal swipe midway… Is that why I couldn’t block it? Doing such a thing would leave my joints shattered.

Hmmm. Got it! Maybe it’s being concealed with magic.

Before I had time to think, she swung her sword again.

Whoosh─

Focus. This time it’s an upward slash. It’s definitely going to twist at some point. I need to respond accordingly.

As she swung diagonally upward, just as expected, she suddenly turned it horizontally around her waist.

…Now!

In that brief moment when the trajectory changed in real-time, I brought my sword down to that new spot.

Clang!

Blocked!

“Stop! That’s enough.”

“Huh?”

Wait, did she just say stop after I barely managed to block once in the middle of getting beaten up?

“Alright! The test is over, so let’s relax and chat. For now, the result is a pass. I think I can trust you with Yeriell.”

Phew. Thank goodness. That’s great!

It’s not like I had to stick around with Yeriell just because she’s a priest or has strong backing.

I just wanted to be around a reliable partner who would stake their life for the right cause and be down-to-earth enough to do what needed to be done, all while being cute and innocent.

Just looking at her gave me a sense of healing.

Plus, getting recognized by Ivelyn, a deep-level adventurer, was a wonderful reason too.

“But there is one point I must definitely address with you. It might sting a bit, but are you okay with that?”

Ivelyn said with a serious expression, prompting me to reply.

“Whatever it is, if there’s an issue on my end, I should listen and correct it. I’ll heed your advice.”

Ivelyn nodded and began to speak.

“In the beginning, it was just a light skill test. I only needed to confirm if Yeriell’s story was true and check your level.”

In the beginning? So, has that goal shifted now?

“But after starting the duel and landing a hit, things changed, and it became interesting. My eyes ended up glued to the tip of my sword, watching where it would drop until the very end.”

She said this with a puzzled expression.

“An ordinary person, if not a trained veteran in that field, wouldn’t be able to fixate their eyes on a mere punch the whole time, trying to determine whether it will reach me, or which direction it would extend.”

Ah, I see. A common person would probably close their eyes or be too busy dodging when someone throws a punch at their face.

“Sometimes, they even get so scared that they close their eyes before it reaches them. But you, it was incredible seeing how you watched without blinking, almost as if you were studying it.”

I asked as I listened to that part.

“But if that’s the case, isn’t it an issue-free scenario?”

She shook her head vigorously.

“What does it matter if your eyesight is oddly exceptional and your stats higher than average? Your skills are pathetic, though. Right now, your martial arts are completely lousy, really lousy.”

Oh.

Being a modern person and having no proper combat experience, I had handled even a kitchen knife with care, and here, I only relied on my traits… It was undeniable that I was lacking.

“Look at your fighting style. You watch how others attack, then dodge and counter.”

Well, that’s true. I have indeed been too reliant on Chaos until now.

“Are you going to wait for someone stronger or equal to you to attack first? What will you do if your counters don’t hit?”

That’s certainly true—I’m at a loss for words.

“You don’t know a thing about swordsmanship and only push your attacks relying on strength and speed by trusting in your stats. You’re being too clumsy.”

“Is… is that so?”

“Against monsters, maintaining the same approach might work out, but in human combat, you must shift tactics. The humans you will meet in cities and labyrinths will all be individuals who have honed their own skills and traits.”

Even Derek and Bernard had learned basic sword skills and archery through effort and study.

And I have none of that…

[Chaos feels uncomfortable but still advises me to listen.]

‘Of course. After hearing all this, I think I’ve subconsciously felt it too.’

She relaxed her expression and pointed at herself.

“But don’t worry. Who am I? The holder of the highest record on the 27th floor. The leader of the Silver Cross Knights and Yeriell’s sister, Ivelyn.”

“I’ll turn you into a proper person before the next labyrinth opens. From what I see, you have impressive eyes, don’t you? Even if your stats didn’t match up, it’s impressive that you could observe and block after just a few hits.”

You’ll turn me into a proper person? I thought the business was over once the test ended.

This is an opportunity.

“I’ll do anything you teach me! I’ll study with all my might!”

Ivelyn laughed upon hearing my words.

“Studying with all your might, huh… For my individual instruction, that’s a dream come true for the low-tier adventurers. You really should!”

Right. Where else would I meet someone like this? Especially for such a good purpose.

“Hehe, I guess you won’t get bored for a while. Be ready for it.”

It’s definitely a good thing, right?

*

—Sister! I want to stay in the same party with Aren!

My little sister, who is as cute as an angel, said something to me after a long time.

After our parents passed away at the hands of human hunters, my sister and I became each other’s support and survived tooth and nail until we reached this point.

Rumors had spread recently that I tore apart those damned human hunters, putting me in a pickle…

Now, seeing Yeriell, who declared she’s an adult and wants to contribute, I felt proud that the little girl I once knew had grown so strong.

But just as much, I worried that she should live without pain.

In the end, I swallowed my objections and let her go… but after hearing stories upon her return, it turned out to be fraught with twists and turns. She even came close to death.

‘I can’t lose you too, Yeriell. So if the person you’ve chosen is him, if what you’ve experienced in the labyrinth is all true…’

Creak!

‘Then I’ll somehow lay a foundation for that guy and turn him into a decent adventurer.’

With that resolve, I called Aren the very next morning and started a duel under the pretense of a test.

The result? To my surprise, it turned out much better than I expected.

With stats that far outclassed the average novice adventurers, plus a clear indication of high-level body technique and eye-related traits.

As for the body technique, the guy looked as if he was maintaining activation even until the end of his endurance test.

Is his magic regeneration simply high, or does he have a total amount that surpasses others, or is he maybe half-elf or half-dragon? He looked that impressive.

Since he’s handsome, he might be on the elf side?

Anyway, apart from lacking any foundational techniques and relying solely on his beast-like stats and traits to carry him through, he excelled in personality, looks, and abilities.

‘Aren, this guy is definitely going to succeed as an adventurer. So I need to preemptively keep him close to Yeriell.’

He said he’d study with all his might if only I taught him anything?

Hehe, good. You asked for it, so don’t blame me.

*

“Just kill me already…”

And so, two weeks of hell began.

---