Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Lumia was clearly downcast, despite her attempts to hide it.

“Ah, Miss Cat. Or should I call you Lumia? Don’t be too discouraged. It’s now your turn to receive a reward that suits you perfectly.”

“Ugh. I’m not discouraged…”

“Haha. Don’t try to deny it. It’s not shameful to want a fair reward for your hardships.”

“⋯Then give me a reward too.”

“Of course. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you in advance and left it until later, even though you were the first to pass the trial.”

Adelai laughed awkwardly and added that she had thought a lot about Lumia’s reward because her inner self was particularly unique.

Then, in the middle of the conversation, she called out to me, who was listening quietly beside her.

What’s this about? Does Lumia’s reward have something to do with me?

I responded without showing any signs of my thoughts.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Do you know that a powerful aura of darkness is leaking from the backpack you’re carrying on your back? It’s most likely a powerful artifact sealed with a powerful ability.”

Dark aura. And a seal.

Could it be?

There was only one thing that came to mind.

Obscuritas.

The eerie cave where the crazy Grillops appeared, ranting about darkness and light.

The black orb that the Golem tried to protect by throwing itself was probably the object Adelai was talking about.

Among the items I possessed, only that one had ‘sealed’ written on its information window, so I was 100% sure.

“Most beings wouldn’t have noticed and would have just passed by, but I’m different. If I purify what’s inside and replace the darkness surrounding her with it…”

Just as I was about to reach into my backpack to show her what I was talking about, Adelai raised her hand to stop me and urged Lumia to make a choice.

“You will be given two options to choose from, and once you make your choice, it cannot be reversed, so choose carefully.”

First. Like the previous companions, receive a weapon imbued with a unique power and become stronger.

Second. Instead of the first option, find a way to weaken the curse that has spread deep within yourself by using something that Ahren possesses.

Lumia seemed to be struggling with the two choices, letting out a low groan.

I thought she would definitely choose the second option, but it was a bit surprising that she didn’t answer right away.

‘What are you struggling with? The second one is the obvious choice!’

Even if you don’t get stronger through equipment or traits this time, there will definitely be another opportunity.

I understand that the performance of the items obtained by others is crazy. But.

The desperate desire to be free from the curse that had tormented her to the brink of death.

The desire to become stronger, take a big step towards revenge, and be more helpful to the party.

I drove the point home for Lumia, who was wavering between the two choices and feeling confused.

Think back to the days you suffered because of the curse.

Think only of yourself, who is struggling right now.

I wanted to let her make the choice herself, but I couldn’t help but give advice because the answer was already obvious.

Nod.

She nodded, her eyes spinning around before she seemed to make a decision, and calmly took a deep breath before speaking to Adelai.

“If I choose the second option, will my curse definitely be weakened?”

Adelai paused for a moment, closed her eyes, and answered softly.

“Since the two energies are similar, it’s certain that it will be weakened, but how much it will be weakened depends entirely on yourself. Perhaps the curse may even disappear completely.”

“Then… I choose the second option.”

“Good. Then I’ll give you something imbued with the energy, and you should move as far away from me as possible. If you’re too close, you might suffer a massive blow to your mind.”

As soon as the warning was over, I sent the companions ahead to the door of the sanctuary.

I took out the Obscuritas and handed it to Adelai.

“Is this what you’re talking about?”

“You know very well. I’m going to start the unsealing and purification ritual, so you should also step back quietly.”

“Ahren! Come here quickly!”

Well, if it’s related to mental attacks, it’s fine to watch from here because of Chaos’ Eye… but just in case.

I quickly moved to the back at Yeriel’s gesture from a distance.

Tiomáinfidh mé an dorchadas─( I will drive away the darkness-)

The purification ritual began.

A forgotten god once revered, the Transcendent of Radiance.

The brilliant light that spread from behind Adelai filled the interior of the sanctuary.

Saa.

The ominous black orb seemed to resist by emitting black smoke.

‘Is this going well?’

When the smoke emitted from the orb had filled the area around her, it suddenly took the form of a skull wearing a robe and puffed up.

“Who dares to wake me! How dare you touch the seal when the grand scheme is so close! ⋯It doesn’t matter who you are. I will burn everything that stands in my way!”

Blue ghost flames rose from his entire body, as if he was about to mercilessly burn Adelai in front of him.

Woo-oong.

However, a large magic circle appeared under her feet, unaffected by his threats, and soon the rippling light silently enveloped the monster.

“Kyaaaak! Why! Why now!!!”

Adelai opened her eyes wide and finished the chant with her hands clasped together.

tiubh le solas iontach! (let the sun shine brightly!)

Light. Darkness. Drive away.

Since the chant couldn’t be fully translated into one language, it was impossible to understand it all.

“This cannot be! I have a mission to burn the empire with the power bestowed upon me by the Lord…”

Pshh.

As the smoke disappeared and the light of the orb that had risen to her chest faded, losing its color, we could immediately see that the purification was successful.

She lightly held the orb, which had turned gray, and called us to come and receive it.

What was all this about?

So, there was a time bomb in my backpack?

‘Hmm. Let’s see how it has changed.’

───

[Obscuritas] [Unique]

A powerful being who had received power from the God of Darkness, when faced with death, created and sealed a medium containing his power, soul, and darkness.

However, after a long time, the weathered guardian lost his life at the hands of the adventurer Ahren.

Not only the seal, but also the high-ranking spirit within was completely purified by the Transcendent of Radiance.

The sealed sphere that once held the demon of darkness, which made the world tremble in fear, will now be transformed into a talisman for a grave, changing its purpose.

-While carrying it, it absorbs the spreading darkness caused by the ‘Punishment of Darkness’.

-While absorbing darkness, once a day, it causes random pain and permanently weakens the ‘Punishment of Darkness’ curse.

-The degree of purification increases day by day, and when the user’s curse is completely purified, the ‘Punishment of Darkness’ trait changes into a positive trait.

───

This is crazy.

This is truly… a unique item that will change Lumia’s life once again, a grand transformation.

As soon as she heard the description of the purified item, her eyes lit up.

“This, this is it.”

Soon after, Lumia held the received orb in her arms and began to cry profusely.

“Ugh. Waaaah!!!”

The curse that had brought her to the brink of death, which had tormented her for over a decade… It could be completely removed.

I’ve only known her for less than half a year, and even I feel overwhelmed, so I can only imagine how Lumia must feel.

“Lumia! Don’t cry⋯ Eek. I’m crying too⋯.”

“It’s no use. Come here, both of you, and let me hold you.”

‘No, you should be the one to say that while hugging them yourself.’

Veronica opened her arms wide and throwed Lumia and Yeriel toward me.

“Waaaah!”

“Heehee.”

Ouch. It must hurt because of the armor.

Ignoring the impact of the armor, they threw themselves into my arms, crying on my chest.

Swish, swish.

I could only silently stroke and pat them.

Veronica nodded as if she had accomplished something.

“Heartwarming. This is why humans are great.”

Adelai smiled gently from a distance.

[Chaos says to just laugh along at times like this.]

‘Hmm. I don’t know anymore.’

Let’s not overthink it.

Until the tears of joy and empathy stop.

The three of us hugged each other for quite a long time.

.

.

.

“It won’t take long, so I’ll be right back.”

“We’ll be fine, so go ahead and come back safely.”

After asking the companions to wait for a moment, I followed Adelai out of the sanctuary.

She had said she had something to say, so I agreed, but why did she specifically call me out?

The answer to that question was something I never expected.

“You. I have a request─ Ah! From now on, it would be more intimate to call you by your name and mix it with the word ‘you’ instead of ‘that person.’ Is that okay?”

“Yes. Well, it doesn’t matter how you address me. Please speak as you like.”

“Good. Then, continuing from earlier, Ahren. Can I enter your sword?”

???

“What did you say?”

I asked, thinking I might have misheard.

However, Adelai just smiled brightly, as if she had heard correctly.

“I. Can I enter your sword?”

She repeated her words, speaking slowly and clearly.

“Th, that’s so absurd that I find it difficult to answer. Can you please explain it more specifically?”

Perhaps due to her lack of sensitivity as a former god.

It seemed like she had a tendency to just ask questions and expect others to answer, without considering their feelings.

“Oh, oh my. I’m sorry.”

She waved her hands, realizing that I was taken aback and not wanting to force an answer.

“You may not know this, but for forgotten or fallen gods and transcendents like me─”

Forgotten or fallen?

“We are bound by the rules of the Great Labyrinth, enduring boredom as we wait for our realm to be connected to any layer at any time.”

“Hmm.”

“So, we usually give trials to adventurers, gamble with power and authority, or make bets with mortals.”

Adelai shrugged and continued.

“Sometimes, we offer unconditional favors or propose deals.”

I scratched my cheek and asked Adelai.

“To summarize, you’re saying that because you’re all bound by the Great Labyrinth, you want to interact with adventurers in different ways depending on your restrictions, right?”

Indeed, I remembered the transcendent who claimed to have ruled over the land of the great desert on the second floor.

He had a pretentious yet curious and joyful tone, so Adelai’s words made perfect sense.

Veronica also mentioned that she had received a proposal for six trials from a being claiming to be the god of the sky within the labyrinth.

Adelai nodded and said.

“What I said earlier was not that I would enter myself, but that I would plant a small will to watch the path you take from nearby. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Huh. I was expecting that the reward I received, Solas, would be an ego-sword, but it wasn’t.

I asked her about the part that caught my attention.

“To watch by planting a will⋯ What exactly can you do by doing that? Can you physically interfere through the sword?”

She seemed to understand what I was worried about and answered clearly.

“I’ll just watch by sharing my gaze, so don’t worry. Other than that, I’ll occasionally communicate?”

In other words, it’s like a lower-tier version of Chaos.

[Chaos says to cancel that statement right now.]

[Chaos puffs up her cheeks.]

[Chaos declares that there will be no more patting if you don’t take back your words.]

I soothed Chaos, which sent consecutive messages, in my mind.

‘Hmm. It feels like raising a child even before marriage.’

Meanwhile, Adelai continued.

“Anyway, if I do more than that, the labyrinth will judge that I’ve broken the rules and try to eliminate me.”

She said that she just wanted to relieve her boredom by pouring her power into the artifact, and she had no other intentions.

“⋯Then, when you plant the will into the sword as you requested, what benefit will I receive in return?”

I didn’t want to blindly agree just because a transcendent had asked me to.

The memory of suffering through the trial was still vivid enough to make my skin crawl. Why was she suddenly asking me for a favor?

Even if she was a transcendent, she couldn’t do anything to us without a reason.

‘I appreciate that you solved half of Lumia’s curse, but in the end, that was a fair reward. It was part of the compensation, right? I can’t just do it for free.’

“Good. Pursuing benefits and practicality is a common trait among humans.”

She smiled lightly and continued to discuss the conditions and additional rewards with me.

.

.

.

[‘Do you want to register ‘Solas, the Sword of Radiance’ as a bound artifact?]

‘Register.’

[Registration complete. Remaining space: 2]

It was already filled with three artifacts.

As I watched Solas disappear into the other dimension, Adelai whispered.

“The last rule is to send the challengers, or pilgrims walking the path of the seven stars, back to the starting point when all the processes in each realm are complete.”

“The last rule, you say?”

“To survive until all paths are closed. That’s the hidden request not mentioned in the guidelines.”

Damn. It seemed that the end wouldn’t be smooth sailing either.

.

.

.

The crossroads of the seven stars.

We returned to the place where we had argued over the seven portals.

「As I said earlier, all entrances must be closed in some way before you can get out.」

Sizzle.

「For now, the connection is unstable, so even simple conversations are difficult. Please survive until the end. Then.」

Thud.

The connection with Adelai in my head was cut off, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.

“Uwaaak. Ugh.”

“Ben, wake up and open your eyes!”

“Is there anyone with a high-grade potion or a priest capable of healing to that extent?! I’ll definitely repay you! Please don’t hold back and come out!”

Unlike our party, who were unharmed, the state of the adventurers who had conquered the portal before us was… terrible.