Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

The morning after safely joining the group.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I washed my face with cold water to wake up and began preparing.

Knock, knock.

“It’s me. Can I come in?”

“Lumia? Just a moment!”

I finished organizing my backpack at the sound of the knock and opened the door.

“Ahren, I… have something to do for you.”

Lumia hesitated, looking up at me.

‘What does she want to do for me?’

Ah, she was really worried about the request last night. Maybe she wants to send me off properly.

Feeling touched, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Thanks. I’ll be careful and head—”

Slurp.

“…?”

Lumia’s rough, crimson tongue slowly and stickily licked my cheek from bottom to top.

“A, a spell to make you feel good… yeah.”

Click.

Before I could even react in my confusion, Lumia rushed back into her room and locked the door.

[Chaos finds it absurd, muttering that she just learned something new and is applying it randomly.]

A spell to make me feel good… well, it’s certainly effective.

As I conversed internally with Chaos, who was sulking, I rubbed my left cheek. Just then, the locked door creaked open slightly.

“…Take care.”

Clack.

Lumia, her face flushed red, peeked out just enough to finish her send-off.

Thanks to that, my mood was at its peak from the morning.

“Thanks. I’ll be back.”

With that heartwarming farewell, I left the inn.

When I arrived at the guild by carriage and looked around, I soon spotted a group engaged in conversation near the bulletin board.

‘Looks like I’m the last one.’

Including Theodora and our temporary teammates, all the members had gathered without exception, forming three separate parties.

Feeling a little awkward, I approached and spoke up.

“Wow, you guys are really diligent. Did the meeting time get moved up without me knowing?”

I had arrived 30 minutes early, yet I felt like I was late.

“Hehe, of course not. Here… sit next to me.”

“It’s rare for everyone to gather before the set time.”

“Ahren! Did you bring your mask? I brought a few extra, so let me know if you forgot!”

Everyone except Carlson, who was just glancing at me, welcomed me warmly.

After chatting idly for a bit, the 30 minutes quickly passed, and as soon as the meeting time arrived, several staff members who introduced themselves as our guides led us toward the sewer entrance.

“Ahren! Did you know? There’s more than one entrance to the sewers within the city.”

Seeing that I was new to sewer-related requests, Jackson struck up a conversation in his usual friendly manner.

“I haven’t been there much myself, but they call it a sewer when in reality, it’s more like a massive underground waterway, with entrances spread across various districts—”

As we walked, I listened attentively to his explanations.

The underground sewer district was full of filth and stench.

Its interior was incredibly complex, practically a giant labyrinth…

Maps didn’t mark secret passages, the hideouts of vagrants in District 8, pits where bodies and monsters were abandoned, and other detailed areas.

Thus, adventurers had to strictly follow the designated patrol routes established by managers and previous explorers.

If you broke the rules, no one would take responsibility for the consequences.

“Well, even if you stick to the route, you’re bound to run into monsters or junkies if you’re unlucky. I’ve heard that some gang outcasts, high on drugs, crawl into the sewers when they’re abandoned.”

Jackson laughed it off as if it were nothing.

“But hey, it’s still way easier than risking your life in a labyrinth. That’s why low-rank adventurers keep flocking to sewer requests.”

In short, as long as nothing unexpected happened, we just had to follow the map’s designated path and finish the patrol.

I memorized the useful information as we walked, and before I knew it, we arrived at the sewer entrance.

The first thing we saw was a building where the managers were stationed.

Past that, we followed the staff further until we finally saw the entrance we were about to enter.

‘This isn’t just a simple underground passage; it looks like a full-on gateway.’

The entrance to the underground sewer district, surrounded by a massive circular structure, bore heavy marks of age, reflecting the city’s long history.

Although traces of dark green moss were scattered across the surface…

The area was well-maintained, and sewer-related requests were frequent on the guild bulletin board, so at least from the outside, it didn’t look particularly dirty or unkempt.

The entrance was blocked by a thick, massive iron gate, through which a dark staircase descending underground was faintly visible.

Clank. Clank.

Nearby, a group of paladins in silver armor patrolled the area.

The contrast between the dreary entrance and their gleaming armor made the scene feel more surreal than expected.

The staff guiding us, along with about a dozen adventurers, called over one of the waiting paladins.

“You’ve arrived. Nice to meet you all. I am Paladin Schweitz, in charge of today’s management.”

After a brief introduction, he quickly moved on to the procedures.

“Now, the party leaders should have received maps.”

In our party’s case, Alina refused to be the leader because she wanted to focus on combat.

Since Jackson, Carlson, and I were still low-rank adventurers, Theodora was designated as our party leader and received the map and some small support items.

Schweitz continued.

“Each of you will patrol along the designated routes marked on your maps.”

He specifically emphasized “basically,” meaning that aside from patrols, additional achievements—such as hunting variant monsters or subduing vagrants for transfer—would also be counted.

“The duration is set to about three to four days. During this period, you will patrol while the paladins conduct deeper investigations. If no anomalies occur within this timeframe, the request will be considered complete.”

A member of another party raised a hand to ask a question.

“Is there a reason the duration is set vaguely?”

‘What’s vague about it? If it ends in three days, that’s great.’

“If the paladins are thoroughly sweeping the underground, something big must be involved, right? Doesn’t three days seem too short?”

Another adventurer voiced a complaint.

“We took this request assuming it would last a week! At ten silver coins a day, I was counting on this job until the labyrinth reopened!”

‘Do these idiots not think? Do they take the paladins for fools?’

Obviously, since it was a high-intensity request with a short duration, they raised the eligibility requirements and boosted the pay several times over.

Just because the duration wasn’t explicitly stated on the bulletin board, they assumed they could freeload off the request for a whole week?

They should just finish the job quickly and go do manual labor or train instead. Bunch of morons.

As complaints continued, Schweitz’s expression hardened.

“Hmm… There is an important event scheduled within the city at the end of this month. It would be problematic if any issues related to the sewers caused disruptions leading up to it.”

An important event at the end of the month…

After thinking for a moment, I could only think of one thing that fit.

“They must be referring to the grand banquet.”

The reason the Holy Knights were particularly sensitive about this incident involving the evil deity didn’t seem to be purely due to their faith or hostility toward the evil deity.

It felt like there were complex and secretive power dynamics at play beneath the surface.

“Anyway, since internal matters are involved, this will be the extent of my response.”

Murmuring spread through the crowd.

Despite Schweitz’s firm statement, questions continued to pour in.

Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, he spoke again.

“Most of you here won’t even be able to attend anyway, so there’s no point in being curious.”

“…Not even able to attend? No point? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You there, the one who just spoke. Yes, you. What’s your name?”

A frustrated adventurer, unable to hold back his irritation, had caught Schweitz’s attention.

“Uh… Ha… Dennis.”

Schweitz smirked.

“Are you from a high-ranking noble family? Or do you have some powerful backer that everyone knows about?”

“…”

“If neither applies, then don’t waste your energy on unnecessary things. Now, I will go over the precautions regarding the request, so pay attention.”

For a brief moment, his lips curled into a smirk before returning to normal.

“Please don’t waste precious time and instead fulfill your duties diligently in proportion to the payment you receive.”

Damn, he’s really going all out. He’s blatantly looking down on us.

Saying the same thing over and over again…

I get that he’s annoyed by people forcing the questioning, but still, isn’t this reaction a bit much?

In situations like this, the only solution is to rank up as soon as possible.

While I brushed it off as just another run-in with an arrogant bastard, some others found it particularly unpleasant.

One of them, who spoke up as a representative, was none other than Carlson—

A seventh-floor archer and the same guy who showed his villainous streak yesterday.

“Hey, Holy Knight, don’t you think you’re being a bit too much?”

“In what way? I don’t recall saying anything incorrect.”

“Forget about right or wrong—your tone and expression are full of contempt! You’re looking down on us just because we’re low-rank adventurers, huh?”

Schweitz tilted his head slowly, feigning amusement.

“My apologies, but perhaps you have some kind of inferiority complex about your profession and background? If my words sounded offensive, I will apologize.”

“Inferiority complex?! Unbelievable!”

Unlike Schweitz, a member of the prestigious Holy Knights whom everyone recognized, Carlson had been stuck as a low-rank adventurer for years. It clearly hit a nerve.

‘Honestly, they’re both the same in my eyes.’

One was full of resentment due to his own lack of ability, and the other was subtly taunting people because of his underlying sense of superiority. It all boiled down to the same thing.

And then—

Clank.

A man clad in noticeably more luxurious armor approached from the sewer entrance.

“Schweitz, you bastard. Are you lashing out again because you can’t control your temper?”

“Vice Captain! What do you mean lashing out! I was simply encouraging them to focus on the request—”

“Enough. Didn’t I already warn you a few days ago to conduct yourself properly as a Holy Knight?”

The vice captain scolded Schweitz harshly in front of everyone.

What’s going on? Has something like this happened before?

“You think I was just making a casual remark? Huh? You find a superior’s order amusing?”

“…No, sir.”

“I won’t say this twice. Remember that every single action you take reflects on the Captain, the Second Holy Knight Order, and even the prestige of the Church of Light! Keep that in mind!”

“Yes, sir!”

Would this be what they call someone who follows the rules to the letter?

The vice captain had a rigid, rule-abiding demeanor, while Schweitz, having been thoroughly reprimanded, now looked upset.

Though the situation had settled down thanks to the vice captain’s intervention, an awkward silence lingered, making it difficult for anyone to speak.

Noticing the tense atmosphere, the vice captain bowed his head slightly and spoke.

“It seems we’ve created a mess before we even started. I apologize for making things unpleasant.”

“Well… I also got worked up and spoke harshly. My apologies.”

After Carlson and a few other adventurers offered their apologies, the vice captain turned to Schweitz.

“I understand that spending days in this filthy sewer has made you irritable, but… never mind.”

The once-intimidating superior suddenly softened, patting Schweitz on the shoulder.

“Schweitz, switch places with Georg and take a day off. Let’s see each other with a smile tomorrow.”

“Understood. I apologize for my misconduct.”

…Wait. Georg?

“Oh? Ahren! What are you doing here?”

“Georg, you know someone here? Well, in any case, I’ll be going now.”

Before I knew it, I was facing Georg, following my unexpected reunion with Shurika.

.

.

.

“Ahren! How have you been?”

As soon as all the necessary procedures were swiftly taken care of, Georg approached me in the midst of everyone preparing for entry.

“I’ve been doing fine without any trouble. And you? No injuries?”

“Of course not. Oh, by the way, have you visited the infirmary? Shurika, who’s been hospitalized long-term, was calling your name like crazy.”

“Uh… I didn’t go there with any particular intent, but I happened to run into her and had a conversation.”

“That’s good. She’s another victim of the evil deity, after all. Someone needs to comfort her to prevent her from falling into despair. Ah, we should wrap up our conversation here since we’ll be heading in soon.”

Georg, who suggested meeting again for a proper talk later, left me with one final piece of advice.

“Always stay alert. Not just for the newly discovered creatures, but also for the groups operating covertly in the chaos… The situation is more complicated than it seems.”

“Groups? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know the details, but some of the small and large factions in District 8 seem to be using the sewers to hatch sinister plans. Separate from the followers of the evil deity, whose existence is still uncertain.”

“Then shouldn’t we prevent the low-rank adventurers from entering right now?”

“There are higher-ups involved… Without solid proof, we can’t change the course of action easily. The Captain insisted we proceed as planned, so what can we do?”

Apparently, as long as we followed the designated route, it wouldn’t be dangerous.

Georg gave one final warning.

“If you ever come across someone with a red butterfly emblem on their clothes or body, avoid conflict if possible. And if you must fight, make sure not to leave any evidence.”

“A red butterfly… Can you tell me the group’s name?”

“They’re called the Bloodshadow Society. A ruthless and violent faction backed by a high-ranking adventurer, wreaking havoc in Dezertum.”

Bloodshadow Society.

Strange. I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before. But where?

…Never mind. That’s not important right now.

“And also, from Districts 5 to 7, other adventurer branches of Remnant are likely handling similar requests. If you encounter them, don’t waste your energy. Just mention the Holy Knights. The fear of retaliation will keep them in check.”

“Thanks, Georg. Once this request is over, let’s grab a meal together.”

“Haha! If I couldn’t even share some intel with a comrade who fought alongside me against the evil deity’s followers, I’d have no face left.”

I bowed my head in gratitude—not to Holy Knight Georg, but to my comrade from the Colosseum Massacre.

After he left to check on other parties, not long after, the gatekeeper unlocked the iron gate.

Clang!

With the screeching sound of metal, a dark and eerie atmosphere began seeping out from the sewers.

Despite that, the adventurers steadily made their way down the stairs.

“Let’s get going too. Hand me the map. I’ll take the lead.”

Carlson, holding the map Theodora had handed him, confidently took the lead.

With more complications than expected and hidden agendas intertwined in what should have been a simple three- to four-day request—

‘Sigh… All for the sake of contributions… Let’s go.’

Following my comrades, I stepped into the damp darkness.