Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

I engraved Lehial’s warning not to be surprised in my mind.

“I’ve only heard about it, never seen it myself. Shall I knock then?”

Knock, knock.

─Come in.

A very soft and gentle voice came from inside.

“Huh?”

Lehial tilted his head, puzzled by the voice that was completely different from what he had expected.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Creak.

As we opened the door and stepped inside, an unexpected sight greeted us.

It was hard to believe that this was supposed to be an office.

A vast expanse of grassland stretched before us, with a gentle breeze sweeping through the thick grass.

Above, the clear sky was filled with rolling clouds, and in the far distance, mountain peaks layered one after another.

Thud.

Thud.

A thudding sound echoed from somewhere, ringing in my ears.

[Chaos tells you to look to the right.]

“Where is that sound coming fro—Ah.”

What the hell.

‘That’s the master of the Shamanic School?!’

A monstrous being, easily over 10 meters tall.

No, a massive bear was striding toward us on two legs.

Thud! Thud! Boom!

With each step, the ground trembled, and a deafening rumble followed.

We had been warned in advance, but… wasn’t this a bit too much?

“Aaah─! Mmhp.”

I quickly clamped my hand over Lehial’s mouth before he could scream.

‘You told us to be careful, and yet you’re the first one to freak out?’

Thanks to his premature scream, I managed to compose myself and avoid making a scene.

After releasing Lehial, I firmly grasped Lumia’s trembling hand, her pupils still shaking with shock.

“Are you okay? Just breathe.”

“…Yeah. It’s just so big… But I’m okay now.”

Once everyone had regained their composure thanks to my quick response, the bear opened its mouth.

The voice we had heard before entering the room now resonated not in our ears but directly in our minds.

─Welcome. I am Fatima Kanakavati, a shaman from the Great Desert and the master of the Shamanic School.

This size difference was so extreme that speaking normally wouldn’t even reach her.

“I’m Ahren!! This is our guide, Lehial, and our visitor, Lumia!!!”

─Oh my, could you lower your voice a little? You don’t need to shout so loudly; I can hear you just fine.

“Oh, uh, okay.”

Would’ve been nice if she’d told me that sooner. Now I feel embarrassed.

Boom!

Fatima sat down heavily, kicking up dust and sending vibrations through the ground.

Now that I was calmer, I realized her face actually looked rather gentle despite her massive bear form.

For a creature as big as a three-story apartment building, she seemed oddly mild-mannered.

─As expected, it’s difficult to have a conversation in this form. Could you all close your eyes for a moment?

A bright, verdant light, reminiscent of lush greenery, radiated from her entire body just as I shut my eyes.

“It’s done. You may open them now.”

“Whoa… wow.”

Lehial couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

The bear, once over 10 meters tall, had transformed into a statuesque beauty, standing around 175 cm.

She had an alluring bronze complexion.

Her outfit was exotic and revealing.

Her face bore intricate, colorful markings drawn with dyes, making it clear she was from the desert regions.

Her brown eyes gleamed as she looked at us.

‘Today is just full of surprises, huh?’

I thought the surprises would end with her introducing herself as Fatima and transforming.

But I was wrong.

“Hmm. Give me a moment.”

Fatima’s gaze swept over us before her eyes suddenly turned pure white.

She then locked eyes with Lumia and spoke.

“You… You are under a dreadful curse. A persistent and ruthless one… A curse filled with malice, intent on utterly destroying your life.”

“…Ah.”

How did she know? Was it because of those color-changing eyes?

“Lumia. I thought your name sounded familiar… Now I remember.”

Fatima’s next words hit us like a hammer.

Not only had she detected the curse, but she also realized that Lumia was an Arrar.

Flinch.

Lumia’s frail shoulders trembled.

It was no wonder—despite wearing an illusionary robe to avoid suspicion, the deceased Grand Mage’s will had still tested her.

And even though she had hidden her ears this time, Fatima had seen right through her Arrar identity in an instant… How shocking must that be?

Since entering the Tower of Magic, we had seen several people flinch upon hearing Lumia’s name, only to dismiss it as a coincidence and move on.

Why?

Because even among beastkin, at the very least, ears were an absolute necessity—tails could be absent, but ears were a must. That was common sense across the continent.

She had managed to get by unnoticed until now, so why was she being exposed all of a sudden…?

Sensing our tension, Fatima quickly waved her hands.

“Don’t worry! I have no intention of harming you, not even the slightest bit.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course! If you were someone whose curse posed a threat to the Tower, you wouldn’t have been able to pass through the entrance barrier in the first place.”

She emphasized, “And on top of that—”

“I’m not a beastkin myself, and though it’s embarrassing to say this about myself, I am a master of shamanism, you know?”

“…”

“A petty curse like that doesn’t affect me. So relax and let your guard down.”

“…Whew.”

Lumia let out a deep sigh, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Then, Fatima did something unexpected again.

Plop.

She caught a massive jar that appeared out of thin air, then suddenly teared up.

“Oh, my tears… I can only imagine the pain you’ve endured all this time… Sniff.”

‘Seriously? What now? I was wondering why she summoned that jar out of nowhere, and it turns out it’s… a honey jar?!’

.

.

.

Chop. Chop chop.

Fatima scooped up honey from the jar with a spoon and devoured it greedily.

She wasn’t even in bear form—doing that while human made her seem, frankly, a bit mentally unwell.

She kept scooping for over ten spoonfuls before finally stopping.

“Ah, sorry. Whenever I get too emotional, my magic triggers randomly, so I have to calm myself with honey first.”

So, she usually lived in bear form, and if she didn’t soothe herself with honey, her magic would burst out uncontrollably.

I was incredibly curious about her trait, but asking about someone’s trait was practically taboo, so I held back.

‘Does the honey jar get bigger when she transforms? No, maybe it’s only necessary when she’s human.’

She probably didn’t keep it because she lacked the money to remove it, but because it was a powerful trait worth enduring its side effects.

“This is troublesome.”

Fatima, who had already silenced Lehil and left me lost in thought, turned to Lumia.

“I heard a rare talent in magic had appeared, so I wanted to personally invite you to join. But I’ve changed my mind.”

“…What?”

“Lumia, was it? Leave here for now, join another school, and maximize your benefits.”

“What are you—”

Thud.

Without moving her head, she extended her arm to block me and locked eyes with Lumia.

“Then, from time to time, visit me here, and I’ll teach you magic. Consider it a personal favor, regardless of affiliation.”

“…Why? Are you showing me kindness out of pity? We didn’t even know each other an hour ago.”

“It’s not just that. For now, just chalk it up to a hypocrite’s whim… and later, when you’ve grown familiar with magic, I’ll tell you.”

A silence too complex to describe settled in the air.

Lumia was the first to look away, hesitantly moving her lips.

“I wasn’t trying to argue. I just… I’m grateful.”

“Oh my, how cute!”

Fatima ruffled Lumia’s hair and made a declaration.

“This won’t do. Let’s settle this right here. Which schools did your talent show up in?”

“The Exploration School and the Combat School…”

“Good, no troublesome people to deal with. Hold on.”

What was she planning to do? I listened carefully, only to hear something shocking.

The reason?

“This is Fatima. Sorry for the sudden call.”

With her back to all of us, Fatima held a communication artifact, immediately contacting the heads of other schools to settle things.

—“I also have loose ends to tie up, so a quick decision works for me. But this is surprising.”

“What do you mean?”

—“For someone like you to propose a meeting. You must really like this candidate.”

—“Seriously, the ‘bear girl’ reaching out first? That’s a first! I’m on my way!”

“W-Who’s a bear girl?! Since when have I been treated like this?”

Fatima trembled in frustration.

“Honey. I need honey.”

The sound of relentless chomping resumed, and we simply averted our eyes, pretending not to notice.

.

.

.

Thanks to Fatima’s intervention, we sought the cooperation of Theo and Rusalka, the masters we had met earlier.

The problem? The discussion didn’t go entirely smoothly.

Fatima’s proposal:

No matter which school Lumia joined, she would still be treated as an honorary member of Fatima’s school. So, she just needed to choose between the two.

Furthermore, since they had found a rare talent with three distinct magical abilities…

Wouldn’t it be nice if the master of the school Lumia didn’t choose still extended a favor, apart from general collaboration?

It was an absurd suggestion, making Theo adjust his eyepatch with a troubled expression.

“This is difficult. If you weren’t the one proposing it, Fatima, I would’ve rejected it outright.”

“I’m fine with it! I planned to connect everything from the start. Oh, and let’s add the Wind School to the mix!”

Why was the Black School left out? Was it so worthless it wasn’t even considered?

Theo frowned at Rusalka’s words.

“Who said you get to decide?”

“If the masters can’t work together, I was going to arrange an exchange session later. What, is that a problem?”

“Hah… This is going to be exhausting. Put your fist away.”

Judging by his reaction, it seemed like the Exploration and Combat Schools clashed frequently due to their overlapping disciplines.

“Lumia! Come here for a second!”

At Rusalka’s call, Lumia hurried over to join the discussion.

“You remember the conditions I mentioned earlier, right?”

“If you mean that, then I also—”

The three of them seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation.

Honestly, whichever school she chose, Lumia would grow immensely, so I just hoped she wouldn’t have any regrets.

“Seeing three school masters in one place, when it’s rare to even see them more than a few times a year outside the dining hall… This is crazy.”

Lehial, seemingly drained from the situation, had lost all his earlier energy.

I left him be and approached Fatima, who had quietly slipped out of the conversation.

“Oh, you mean why my office is so spacious?”

“Yes. I haven’t seen any place this large before.”

Schools like the Mystic School, which recreated entire worlds through illusions, were an exception.

“Only my school and the Space-Time School have been permitted expansions. In my case, because of the issues my transformed state causes, and for the Space-Time School, due to the nature of their magic.”

Fatima tapped the honey jar in her arms and added:

“When I inherited my master position, the Space-Time School personally intervened to expand this office.”

I had thought she used some space-distorting magic, but it turned out it was actually expanded through space-time magic.

I bowed slightly in thanks.

At that moment—

Rusalka suddenly let out a triumphant cheer.

“A new recruit at last! Great choice!”

So, Lumia had decided to join the Combat School.

“Forget all that Arrar nonsense. You’re one of us now. At least within this tower, I won’t let anyone belittle or scorn you!”

[Chaos says that elf is quite likable.]

Lumia must have revealed her secret to them.

Good. It’s better to get it over with than hide it forever.

Considering how she had been hated for over a decade just for having the name ‘Arlar,’ she must have needed incredible courage to say it. I was proud of her.

“…Fine. I accept the proposal. But!”

After a deep sigh, Theo reluctantly nodded, setting one condition.

“Before I teach her, I will determine whether she is truly qualified. The final decision will be made after a test.”

A test?

“I don’t care what the others do, but this is non-negotiable.”

“Fine! We would have needed a test anyway to teach her at an appropriate level.”

Lusalka agreed that shoving a student into lessons without evaluating them was foolish.

…

In conclusion, Lumia officially enrolled in the Combat School.

However, thanks to Fatima’s negotiations, she would also receive specialized training in the unique techniques and magic of the other schools she hadn’t chosen.

‘She really lucked out in the end. I didn’t expect things to turn out this well.’

Thanks, bear girl.

And so, Lumia’s school was decided, and a bright path to her future was secured.

Whether it was common spells beneficial to our party or entirely new magic unrelated to black magic, it would take a month, two months—maybe even longer—to learn.

But that was fine. Yeriel and Veronica were skipping next month’s dungeon expedition anyway.

For now, we could fully celebrate Lumia’s achievement.