Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

The interrogation, as grand as it sounded, was nothing special.

If our goal was to escape the 8th floor, I could have offered them a carrot and a stick, promising to sell them as slaves to the guild if they cooperated.

However, they were experienced adventurers, and they knew that no matter how they acted, their fate was sealed.

Most adventurers stop at the 7th floor or go straight to the 10th floor, and only a small number of low-level adventurer parties attempt to escape the 8th floor, where most monsters are not profitable and are affected by gimmicks.

So, unless they were willing to take the risk of dragging the looters with them, the only option was to kill them all.

‘They wouldn’t fall for the bluff of sparing their lives and asking for information. They would see through it immediately.’

To extract information easily, I needed to use not just a regular interrogation but also a brutal and gruesome torture. However, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. When I first picked up my sword, I was ready to do anything, including pulling out their fingernails or cutting off their skin.

But I wasn’t a seasoned adventurer who had spent years in this world, nor was I a professional torturer. So, when it came to actually doing it, I could only think of cutting off their tendons.

‘Let’s try a different approach.’

In the end, my mind and body compromised, and I chose to threaten them with their future after death, not their current life.

I spoke to Hippolyne, who was tied up with ropes and had her tendons cut.

“Choose. First, you can spill the information and die as an adventurer with as little pain as possible.”

“…”

“Second, you can suffer until your mind collapses and die in agony.”

“Hahaha! It doesn’t matter which option I choose, I’m going to die anyway, so why would I cooperate with you?”

Hippolyne burst out laughing, her mind seemingly gone.

“Your head is too full of flowers. No matter how you die, you won’t tell us anything. Just kill me quickly.”

“You have big ambitions for a looter. Okay, Lumia! Prepare to use Necromancy!”

“…”

At the word ‘Necromancy,’ her pupils trembled.

Black magic that is not as bad as it seems, with practical curses and strong destructive power.

However, Necromancy is a type of magic that twists the laws of nature, and it is used to control the dead, including monsters and deceased companions, as one’s own pawns.

This type of magic is highly frowned upon and almost taboo, and in recent times, it has become almost non-existent.

An example of a Necromancer I know is Christopher, a follower of the Evil God.

Lumia, who was quick to notice, stood next to me with a blank expression, raising her darkness.

Rumble…

An amorphous beast emerged from the rippling shadow, staring at Hippolyne as if it was about to devour her.

The swordswoman, whose pupils had lost their focus, was terrified by the sight.

I spoke to her, pointing out the obvious.

“Have you ever heard of Arrar? From the moment you decide to keep your mouth shut, she will begin to infuse you with a curse that surpasses ordinary black magic, starting from your fingertips to your toes.”

“…”

“You will feel the pain of rotting flesh and slowly die, and you will cry out for God until your last breath. Or perhaps you will call for your parents, who are already buried in the ground, instead of God.”

“Huh, huh. Stop it.”

“Mom! Dad! Can you die for me one more time? I’m such a filial daughter, aren’t I?”

“Fucking shut up before I rip your mouth apart!”

I ignored her and continued to instill fear.

“The peak is after death. If you think that’s the end, you’re greatly mistaken. When you become a corpse, I will use Necromancy to extract your soul and imprison it. Every time I enter the dungeon, I will put your soul into a monster’s body and use it as my pawn.”

“Wh, what?”

“You won’t be able to speak or express yourself in any way, and you will only be able to perceive your own death as an undead in a hell where you can’t even speak.”

Her face turned pale, and her eyes were like waves.

Her body trembled as if she was having a seizure, and her pupils were dilated.

The idea that death was not the end of life was terrifying for the living.

“Ugh. Ugh.”

“I’m curious to see how far you can break. Are you ready?”

Finally, Hippolyne screamed.

“Noooo!!! I’ll tell you everything you want to know, just please stop! Please, stop!”

As I spoke, I was worried that my companions would see me as a crazy psychopath.

However, I managed to get her to spill the information without getting my hands dirty, so I could bear the guilt and embarrassment.

From that point on, it was a breeze.

“I usually live as an adventurer, but when the party leader Bardin or the human hunter Embryo brought in some information, I would help them a little.”

“So, you were just a looter who helped out occasionally.”

I signaled to Lumia with a cold expression, and Hippolyne screamed.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant! I just meant that I don’t have much special information!”

“Continue.”

I instructed her to tell me everything she knew about the human hunters or other adventurers.

“Embryo knows a few human hunters who meet at a specific location.”

She had heard about the 8th district bar where human hunters gather.

“I’ve heard that there are human hunter clans that manipulate administrative documents and kill witnesses in the dungeon, making them appear normal on the surface.”

“Are you talking about the Red Wolf Clan?”

“Yes, I know about them. There are a few others, like the Smiling Face Clan, the Vandersnatch Clan, and the Moon Garden Clan.”

I also learned about the clans that manipulate their identities and commit massacres in the dungeon, erasing any traces of their existence.

But that wasn’t all.

“I was once a part of it, but the ‘Bottomless Pit’ in Dezertom is a group of twisted losers.”

If they see a well-equipped adventurer, they’ll try to kill them and take their equipment?

“Most of them are low-level adventurers, but there are a few mid-level adventurers among them, at least when I was there.”

Hippolyne looked at me with dead eyes, her spirit broken.

She smiled and dropped the formality, no longer pretending to be submissive.

“You know what they’re after? Hehe. They’re after adventurers like you, with high-level equipment and impressive traits, even though they’re low-level.”

Her eyes were filled with hatred, wishing for my death.

[Chaos wants to pluck out those arrogant eyes.]

To be honest, I was almost swayed by her willingness to spill the information.

It’s true. People can’t be fixed, and I felt it again.

I asked her a question, trying to focus my mind.

“So, is that all the information you have?”

“No… Remember the Hyeolhwa-Hoi, which operates illegally and legally in the 8th district and other districts.”

‘Hyeolhwa-Hoi? Wait a minute.’

I felt like I had heard that name before.

Ah! The Oxynos Clan!

In the explanation of the Blood Pill potion that Demern Kalhof consumed, which was made by Seo Hwarin, a member of the Hyeolhwa-Hoi, there was a word ‘Hyeolhwa-Hoi’.

──The potion made by Seo Hwarin, a member of the Hyeolhwa-Hoi in the 8th district.

Seo Hwarin.

When I first encountered the Bloodshed Group, I was too focused on the battle to pay much attention to the name, but now I realized that it wasn’t a common name in this world.

Is it a Korean name?

If it were a Korean name, I would have used a Western name as a cover-up, as I was desperate to survive in the early stages.

So, it’s natural that the item description should have the name, right?

Damon of the Strong Heart. Stella of the Starlight. Sophia of Knowledge. Sena, the Guildmaster of the Swordsman Guild.

And Isaac, whom I killed with my own hands, and Christopher, whom I met in person.

Damn it. I don’t know. I don’t know.

If it’s not a Korean name, it could be a pharmacist from the distant East, where most of them are swordsmen.

There’s still a lot I don’t know, so I can’t make any inferences from the three-letter name.

As I furrowed my brows and tried to figure it out, Hippolyne laughed.

“Please, I hope one of the bastards I mentioned will kill you. Miserably.”

With her last words, she let go of all her strength and went limp.

“Ahren, should I do it?”

Veronica, who had been watching from behind, asked, but I wasn’t the type to hide behind my companions and avoid getting my hands dirty.

I picked up my sword.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Huh. Fuck off.”

Slash!

The female swordswoman with the scar on her cheek rolled on the ground, her neck severed and blood splattered everywhere.

After recalling my sword, I looked at my companions.

“I’m sorry. Did I seem like a crazy person?”

“No, you did well! We should kill all the human hunters and their associates! If I weren’t a priest, I would have done it myself!”

“I like you even when you’re like this.”

“I just did what needed to be done. Don’t worry about it.”

Fortunately, my companions didn’t seem to mind.

“Lumia, I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that. Thank you for keeping up.”

“I wasn’t surprised at all. I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking into your eyes. It’s natural for me.”

Lumia was so confident.

I was surprised by her words and blinked.

“She’s not embarrassed at all.”

Yeriel clicked her tongue.

“Let’s quickly collect the spoils of war and move on. I think our sleep will be disturbed if we stay here any longer.”

“Yes, let’s move.”

I agreed with Veronica’s calm suggestion.

Even though we had crossed to the other side of the crossroad, it was still uncomfortable to sleep or take turns on watch near the bloodstains and corpses.

We quickly collected the spoils of war, including their equipment, items in their bags, and money pouches hidden in their pockets.

.

.

.

The center of the 8th floor.

After walking for a whole day, we finally reached the central area where the portal was located.

‘There’s really nothing here.’

Yeriel, looking around, let out a sigh of relief.

“I was worried that something strange would happen and prevent us from reaching the 9th floor, especially after the sudden appearance of monsters at the end.”

Oh, I know.

Usually, the Faceless Ironclads appear one or two at a time and multiply, but this time, five of them appeared together, which was quite startling.

Each one multiplied by two, so there were at least fifteen of them.

Looking back, that number was no joke.

“Hmm. Is it over now?”

“Veronica said that there’s nothing dangerous here, not even if the sky splits in two.”

That’s right. Veronica had told us that there were no dangerous elements in the center, so we could rest assured and continue.

“I’ve been here several times, but it’s still hard to get used to the fact that there’s nothing here except for the portal.”

The central area was a large, empty space with regularly placed large stones, giving the impression of artificial construction.

The only things visible were the stones, the dirt, the blue layer portal, and the yellow escape portal.

If I had to point out one feature of this bland space, it would be that you could see all four directions of the crossroad at once.

I shook my head at Veronica, who was shaking her head, and spoke up.

“Let’s rest here as much as possible. We need to be fully prepared before moving on to the 9th floor.”

I, who had only reached the 4th floor before, was now standing at the threshold of the 9th floor.