Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

We arrived at the crossroad without any issues after about two hours of travel, and it was noticeably wide and pleasant.

The road was paved with stones and gravel, covering the dirt so densely that it felt like it had been constructed with a large-scale workforce.

‘Every time we climb a floor, there’s something new and fascinating, whether it’s the terrain or the monsters.’

The crossroad on the 8th floor was so wide that we didn’t need to walk in a narrow formation, and the open path ahead and behind us, with clouds floating in the clear sky, naturally energized our steps.

[Chaos says it looks like you are in a good mood.]

‘I’m realizing anew how much the surrounding environment affects us.’

Although there were bushes and trees on the sides, at least based on the information I gathered from the Grand Library, I knew that as soon as we entered the crossroad, we would be free from the threat of beast-type monsters that appeared in the forest.

I had been looking at the atmosphere of the Ruined Resting Place, which naturally made one feel gloomy, from the 5th to the 7th floor.

Even as the party leader, I felt excited and relieved just by walking on the crossroad. Yeriel and Lumia, who were experiencing it for the first time, must have felt the same.

Out of concern that their emotional threshold might cause them to make mistakes in battle or become less vigilant while walking on the crossroad, I called everyone and reminded them.

“I don’t know how many days we’ll have to walk on the crossroad, but don’t let your guard down just because there are no other adventurers or monsters in sight. You know what I mean, right?”

Lumia, who was looking up at the clear sky, and Yeriel, who had unknowingly relaxed after watching the forest for over two hours, regained their focus and strength.

Veronica, an experienced adventurer who had long since passed the lower-tier levels, was excluded, but now that everyone was focused, we could just walk straight ahead.

“Since we don’t need to look for the path, Lumia, you can step back and stand in the middle row with Yeriel, Veronica in the front row, and me in the back row. Let’s go slowly. Start!”

Even though the road is wide, there’s a big difference between being vigilant and not.

We walked in formation on the crossroad.

One hour. Two hours. Three hours.

It was understandable that there were no other adventurers, but it was a bit strange that not even a single monster appeared. Just as I was thinking this to myself.

Clank. Clank.

Finally, something approached from the front, clearly visible in our line of sight.

Chaos’ Eye… didn’t work.

In other words, it wasn’t an armored adventurer.

It seemed to be the human-type monster that appeared on the crossroad, the Faceless Ironclad.

Lumia, with her exceptional senses, immediately sensed that it wasn’t human and spoke to me.

“Arlen, there’s a monster approaching from the front. I sense one.”

“Everyone, battle formation!”

As usual, in the blink of an eye, we formed a battle formation with two in the front row and two in the back row. The Faceless Ironclad, having noticed us, stopped and clanged its fists together.

Clang! Clang!

The Faceless Ironclad had two distinct features.

First, despite being heavily armored in plate armor or full plate, it moved lightly, indicating a naturally high spec.

Second, it wandered around as a single entity until it detected an enemy, at which point it randomly summoned two to five more Faceless Ironclads.

Clank. Clank.

“Exterminate. The. Challenger.”

“Glory. To. The. Legion.”

“Only. Annihilation. Is. The. Answer.”

I don’t know where the words came from, considering it didn’t have a face, but…

Anyway, two without weapons and one with a longsword.

Fortunately, it only summoned two others, so we only had to deal with three in total.

“Yeriel, since it’s our first time, let’s fight without buffs. Lumia, as always, assist Veronica.”

⋯Here it comes!

Among the clanking sounds of steel, three Faceless Ironclads charged at Veronica and me at high speed.

Thud!

[Veronica casts ‘Resonance of Cycles’.]

[Once, the ‘Resonance of Provocation’ echoes.]

“Gwaaaaaaah!”

“Kill!”

The two without weapons, enraged by the swift provocation, charged at Veronica.

As soon as they were within reach, they fiercely swung their steel fists.

Whoosh!

The tightly clenched gauntlets aimed at her face and abdomen, slicing through the air with deadly intent.

But.

“Hmm. It’s a good opportunity to test the new effect.”

Thud! Clang!

Without the slightest hesitation, she blocked the attack with her shield and chuckled.

With her unique equipment, ‘Stepping Dominance,’ and a three-stage increase in strength, the provocation effect and ‘Mirrored Mind’ granted by Veronica seemed too much for the two weaponless monsters to handle.

“Yes. I’m. Your. Opponent!”

As I glanced at the one with the longsword, who seemed to think I was distracted by looking to the side, it swung its sword at me.

Swoosh!

The longsword, swung with force, created a clean red trajectory in the slowed-down world, capturing my attention.

‘Should I dodge it?’

No. I’ll parry and strike back.

Ching!

With a powerful downward slash, I parried the attack and sent the sword flying, and our swords crossed and tangled.

“What. The. Hell!”

The monster, swinging its sword with the intent to kill, was off-balance due to the parry.

Without missing the opportunity, I struck with my sword, imbued with mana.

Crack!

Even though it was an 8th-floor monster, my attack didn’t pierce through its iron armor, but it was enough to shatter its center and send it flying.

‘Thunder!’

Bang! Boom! Crack! Boom! Bang!!!

Common sense dictates that wearing iron armor makes one vulnerable to lightning, regardless of durability.

Whether the inside was made of fabric or the creature had a special body due to its faceless nature, it was common knowledge that iron armor was weak to lightning.

I believed in the pain resistance granted by the incomprehensible seal, and the powerful, rapid lightning strikes struck the ironclad directly.

Of course, the ironclad, struck by the lightning, could only scream in agony as it fell.

Zing—

‘Kheugh. It’s a bit dizzy, but I can bear it!’

As I relaxed my furrowed brows, I finished off the ironclad, which was lying on the ground, with smoke rising from its body.

Crack! Thud!

Ignoring the flailing arms, I ran towards Veronica, who was still in combat.

Just in time, I saw Lumia, who was preparing a finishing blow from the rear to assist Veronica, who was blocking and countering the attacks of two monsters.

Clang!

“Black Hand Grasping the Night.”

[Rugen’s Grasp]

Just as the attacks of one of the ironclads were cleanly blocked again, the black magic suddenly bound the monster.

Seeing that the binding had taken effect, Lumia pointed forward with her outstretched index finger.

“Devour it all!”

Rumble!

A beast-like amorphous creature emerged from Lumia’s boiling shadow and pounced on the struggling ironclad, which was caught in the black hand.

Crunch. Crunch.

“I’m sorry, Legion Leader.”

The ironclad, turned into a delicious meal, was devoured by the hungry shadow.

As I watched this gruesome scene, I leaped towards the last remaining monster with vigor.

From the hilt of my sword, held above my head, to its tip, purple lightning flashed, showcasing its power.

“Veronica! Move back!”

‘Thunder Slash!’

The lightning-infused diagonal slash.

Roar!

The last ironclad’s body split in half, powerless.

A beat later, a loud thunderclap echoed.

“Without any buffs, this should be enough to reach the portal.”

Satisfied with the battle, I nodded in satisfaction, but Yeriel’s surprised voice caught my attention.

“Huh?! All the corpses except one are disappearing?”

I already knew that.

“Haha. Don’t be surprised. The summoned monsters of the original disappear without a trace after the battle.”

Swish!

Veronica, who had been fighting two monsters, beheaded one of them, which was the real original ironclad, and said, “The remaining monster’s armor and weapons also turned to dust, as if telling us not to take them. So, in the end, there’s only a small crystal in the head portion that we can take.”

“Ugh… It’s a complete loss.”

Just as I had told Yeriel earlier, the remaining ironclad’s head, when removed from its body, had a small crystal in its brain, which emitted light.

Although it sounded valuable, it was treated as a common byproduct, which was nonsensical since it was a common sight when entering the crossroad.

‘That’s why there’s a saying that it’s better to stay on the 7th floor or go to the 10th floor instead of hunting on the 8th floor.’

The ironclad had thick armor and equally fast movements, making it a formidable low-level monster.

However, the reward for capturing it was meager, and it was as difficult to hunt as the worst low-level monster.

But what could I do?

To quickly reach the 9th floor, taking the crossroad was the standard route, and to do that, we had to defeat every monster we encountered.

Thud!

I dug into the egg-like head of the ironclad and pulled out a silver crystal that looked just like its armor.

I rolled the crystal, the size of a thumb joint, in my hand and put it in my backpack. Then, Lumia, who had been quietly observing, spoke cautiously.

“Um… So, it doesn’t matter how we dispose of the remaining corpses, right?”

“Well, we can’t sell them or use them for anything. But what do you want to do with them?”

“I don’t want to use them for anything, but my shadow wants to eat them. So, should I just feed them to it?”

Since the remaining corpses were of no use, I nodded, and Lumia ordered her hungry shadow.

“Eat it all without leaving a trace. Remember, you need my permission before you get hungry again.”

Roar!

‘I guess you could call it a familiar, or a pet. In reality, it’s a monster inhabiting a shadow, but it’s not that different.’

Whoosh!

The creature emerged from the shadow with a large mouth and devoured the headless ironclad’s corpse.

The 8th floor. The first battle on the crossroad was smoothly concluded.