Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Dirty sewage.

Following the main road where the murky, foul-colored sewage flowed, we advanced without stopping, guided by Carlson.

From the moment we entered, Carlson, who had been grumbling and complaining, even got into an argument with the holy knight on duty for the day. I had my doubts about him from the start, but at least now, he was doing his job as the guide of the party well.

With a relaxed posture, Jackson, who had his hands behind his back, spoke up.

“Wow, for a holy knight named Schwitz or something, this is going way too smoothly, considering he was warning us about some weird omen or whatever?”

Oh, no, he really shouldn’t have said that.

“Jackson, didn’t I tell you? You shouldn’t say things like that out loud. Things might go smoothly now, but they could go sideways in an instant.”

“It’s all superstitions! I don’t get why people are so obsessed with weird stuff like that. I’m an adventurer too, you know?”

With that, he confidently raised his finger.

“For people like us who have no connections or backing, all that talk about omens is a waste of time! Instead, it’s all about swinging your fist a little harder and sweating a little more to make sure you live! Don’t you agree?”

“… Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Jackson, who had gotten a little too complacent after easily winning the first battle, didn’t seem too worried about it. I tried to make a subtle jab at him to avoid cliché statements, but it was pointless.

‘But seriously, this is subtly making me feel like I’m in the same class as him?’

I hope he doesn’t get surprised when he eventually finds out about my background.

“Stop. More monsters are approaching. There are five of them!”

Another issue, however, was the increasing frequency of monster encounters as time passed and we made progress with our patrol.

“Take a break! Five is nothing! I can handle this alone!”

Before I could even say anything, Alina, who was gripping two axes, leaped toward the monster group.

“Haah!”

Crack!

“Keek!!!”

The scarlet axe blade swiftly cleaved the skull of the leading monster.

“Here I go—!”

With a powerful shout, Alina spun around like a windmill, covering the space.

Crack, crack, crack!!

Before the remaining four monsters could react, they were shredded into pieces, leaving behind only a small amount of byproduct, vanishing as a handful of blood.

‘Now, this is what a real whirlwind looks like when you think of a berserker. It’s a sight to behold!’

Was it about half a year ago? The whirlwind technique used by Gospel’s subordinate on the first floor, compared to this, felt like child’s play.

Jackson waved his hand to signal and shouted.

“Hey, Alina! Don’t wear yourself out! Take it easy!”

“I’m fine! It’s not hard at all, so don’t worry!”

Once the battle starts, Alina, who doesn’t easily get tired and gets stat boosts, automatically activates various buffs.

Her axe has a chance to cause bleeding when it damages enemies, and she recovers a small amount of health when she kills an enemy, thanks to the “Bloodstained Axe.”

“Hahaha! This is nothing! Moving around in this muck feels refreshing!”

True to her words, thanks to her abilities and traits that specialized in killing mobs, she didn’t seem exhausted at all.

From the ratmen kobolds to goblins with dog-like noses, and even a soft slime monster with a bipedal form instead of its usual amorphous body…

“Let’s see… rat tail… goblin ears…”

Alina picked up the relatively intact parts from the items scattered on the ground and came over to hand them to me.

We each had our own supplies, but we had previously agreed to store everything in my space bag, which had once been rated as A-class, as it was the best for holding large amounts of items.

Additional contributions and rewards would be shared at the party level, so it didn’t matter who took what.

“Here! If we keep going like this, the rewards will be more than enough!”

“Haha, right. If this keeps up, Jackson and I could even rank up right away! Good work.”

Though Alina didn’t seem physically tired, she still had sweat dripping down from the heat, so I helped her tidy up her hair, which had stuck to her cheek from the sweat.

“You’re so sweet… Ugh! This is embarrassing! No need to do that!”

“No, it’s because I feel bad that you’ve been doing all the fighting while I’ve just been hanging around.”

“Eh? No, that’s not it! I wasn’t forced into this! I wanted to go up front on my own!”

Even so, despite joining in the front position, she had been standing a distance away and only barely participated in the battles, which didn’t sit well with me.

“Look at Jackson just standing there casually!”

“Wha—? I was the one who made the first move! Why are you picking on me all of a sudden?”

I looked at Jackson, who was blinking in confusion, then patted Alina on the shoulder.

“Anyway, if more monsters appear, I’ll go next. You can rest for now.”

“Got it! Then I’ll watch you show off your skills!”

Alina, laughing broadly, seemed excited to see how things would go, and we were having a pleasant conversation when…

Theodora, who had been keeping mostly silent except for essential orders, spoke up.

“I’ll help too.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll assist.”

The distance between us had narrowed to the point where our breaths could touch.

Theodora, having removed her hood, leaned in close to my face.

“I don’t want to finish the day just being a mage protected from behind. Ahren’t you curious about my magic?”

Every time she spoke to me, her eyes sparkled unusually and her lips curled into a pleasant smile, which felt strangely uncomfortable.

“… Fine, but could you back off a little?”

Tap.

At that, I subtly averted my gaze while flicking my sharp nose.

“Huh?”

She stepped back with a stunned look and briefly adjusted her face.

Then she let out a small, amused laugh.

“Heh, you’re different.”

‘What exactly is funny about this?’

Her usual cold demeanor, along with her unpredictable sense of humor, made her feel like a very mysterious woman.

.

.

.

An hour passed as we continued walking, keeping our vigilance.

‘This is ridiculous. Is this really happening?’

As soon as I confidently declared that it was my turn next, the encounters with monsters abruptly stopped.

Jackson, grinning, gestured at Theodora.

“Haha! Since you and Theodora said you were going to take the lead, nothing’s been showing up, huh?”

“Yeah, right?”

This was getting eerily weird.

“Don’t be too disappointed. Isn’t it better that everything’s going smoothly with no incidents?”

He called out as he shrugged his shoulders without a word.

“By the way, it feels like we’ve been walking for a while. How much longer do we have left, Carlson?”

“Hey, I can hear you even if you speak quietly, so stop shouting.”

Carlson, furrowing his brows, adjusted his ears as he replied.

“Earlier, we crossed a ditch while circling around. We just passed the turning point of the route, so it should take about three or four more hours to get out.”

“Oh, already? So much for it being only an 8-hour patrol… Maybe the route’s longer than usual?”

An experienced sewer patrolman commented that the path was significantly longer than usual.

“Guess I shouldn’t have been too happy about those 10 silver coins. There’s no such thing as easy money.”

Leaving Jackson, who was shaking his head, behind, I continued walking without stopping.

About an hour and a half later, something strange happened. We hadn’t encountered any monsters, and the tension was starting to ease.

Splash. Splash.

“Wait, why’s the ground so wet? Something’s off! Everyone, stop!”

An unusual occurrence.

Boom!!!

The central sewage that split the road erupted like a bomb, sending a huge purple slime into the air.

“Holy crap! Aaahhh!”

The slime, the size of a small house, sprang out along with a torrent of water. Its shapeless body spread wide, crashing over Carlson, who had been in the lead.

Schwoooop!!!

“Shit, help! Help me!”

Carlson’s scream mixed with the sticky, wet sounds as he was almost engulfed by the slime’s goo.

Before anyone could react, as Carlson was about to be consumed by the slime’s mucus, Theodora spoke in a calm voice.

“Freeze.”

Whoooosh─!

A wave of turquoise magical energy spread outward from Theodora’s soft command.

The slime’s body, which had spread out like a large net, froze in midair, rigid and still.

“Tch, does it have anti-magic? It’s just a slime!”

The slime, frozen like a taxidermied creature, began to crack at its edges, slowly revealing its form and starting to writhe again.

“Grrrrrrr!!!”

The monster let out a deafening screech, struggling with all its might to break free from the ice.

Meanwhile, the entire party, not wasting the time Theodora had bought, acted without hesitation.

‘Dimensional Leap.’

Pop!

In an instant, I shattered into tiny particles and reappeared in a blink, grabbing Carlson by the nape of his neck.

“Ahren! Thank you for saving me!”

“You should be thanking Theodora,” I said, tossing him backward without a second thought.

“What… Aaaaahhh!”

“Rise. Slow down.”

Just as Carlson was about to crash into the ground, Theodora cast her spell again, slowing his fall.

Her magic wrapped around the struggling guide’s limbs, cushioning his descent.

“Ugh, huh?”

“Good! Eat this!”

[Jackson is casting ‘Blade Wind.’]

Swoosh!

Jackson, with his feet planted firmly, swung his legs sharply, and a crescent-shaped blade of magical energy shot toward the slime.

The blade, striking the area of the slime that hadn’t yet shattered from the ice, exploded with a brilliant blue energy.

Splat… Boom!!

At least a third of the slime’s massive form was torn apart.

“Hahaha! Tough enemies are always welcome!”

With a huge bang, Alina, holding her twin axes, leaped forward like a cannonball from the splintering purple shards.

And as she did, I glanced toward the rear, calling Solas to my hand.

Fwoosh─

A brilliant light erupted from the pure white blade, shining with radiant brilliance.