Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12
A bone-chilling roar tore through the darkness.
The moment an enormous paw raked across Cain’s body and sent him spinning backward, the world seemed to slow into sluggish motion.
It was that sudden. That horrifying.
It was a wonder his head hadn’t simply exploded on impact.
‘Damn it!’
By reflex I swept the spear up, driving its point toward the werewolf’s exposed neck.
I’d sensed the arrival of this new threat through my Spirit sense just before Cain was struck, and the timing of my reflexive thrust—even I had to admit—was flawless.
But.
A wet, heavy sound.
The spear point buried itself not in flesh, but in the raised foreleg that had blocked the strike.
“Jason!!”
I drove all my strength into the shaft, forcing the creature back, and bellowed his name.
Only then did Jason burst from the side.
Far too late.
‘Ugh!’
Only after I was hurled against the Cave wall—the spear still lodged between my feet and the ground—did my body slam home.
The impact shook the stone.
“Hack—!?”
As I collided with the rough surface and gasped, I caught sight of the werewolf’s blood-slicked foreleg sweeping toward Jason’s head.
A sickening crack split the air.
Jason’s skull caved inward like a watermelon.
I watched the creature’s yellow eyes swivel toward the fallen Cain, and my teeth clenched so hard they might have shattered.
“Over here, you son of a bitch!”
A stone flew from my hand.
I hurled the rock at its skull and charged forward, spear raised.
There was no strategy behind it.
Only a formless dread that if I let Cain die here, everything would fall apart.
Mercifully—if you could call it that—the creature’s gaze snapped to me.
A deafening shriek shattered the air.
I shielded my ears with Mana, watching that cavernous maw yawn wide.
Blocking its roar and the crushing wave of fear that came with it, I drove forward without hesitation, thrusting the spear.
The Volante Footwork I used to close the distance collapsed space at a speed that amazed even me, yet the strike that followed that light, graceful movement was correspondingly weak.
The creature snarled.
A thunderous crack.
One swipe of its foreleg tore the spear clean from my grip.
‘Tch!’
The moment I pivoted to follow the weapon’s trajectory, a massive paw whistled past the space where I’d stood like a blade of wind.
The stone floor cracked and buckled.
The werewolf’s hind leg, which I’d thought only served for locomotion, suddenly erupted from the shadows with acrobatic precision.
A strike born from utterly inhuman geometry.
‘Breath steady.’
I’d dodged the creature’s combination by the skin of my teeth, but my entire spine erupted in goosebumps.
‘One hit lands, and I’m dead.’
If those claws caught my Plate Armor—the armor I’d spent a fortune acquiring—it would crumple like paper.
I managed to retrieve the fallen spear, but I hadn’t the courage to plant my feet firmly and deliver a heavy thrust against something so overwhelming.
‘Focus on evasion.’
Volante Footwork, not spearplay.
The moment that decision crystallized, the onslaught began in earnest.
A guttural howl.
Claws shrieked against stone.
Another crushing impact.
‘Breath… steady…’
My skin trembled.
Even though the creature’s talons were only grazing the air nearby, never actually touching me, the sound of the atmosphere tearing beneath those claws made my skin crawl and sting as if the wounds were my own.
‘Damn it all.’
But divorced from that fear, my Spirit sense eliminated every blind spot, and as I poured all my concentration into footwork alone—
‘Forward, veer left.’
‘It’s blocking my vision with its fist. The hind leg’s coming next!’
‘Its other arm! Timing for the next sequence—’
Crash!
Predicting his attacks and dodging them felt less difficult by the moment.
[Volante Footwork Stage 1 has leveled up.]
Crash.
‘Yes, thank you.’
I’d nearly been hit by that system notification, but I could feel with my entire body how extraordinarily effective the Volante Footwork truly was.
The real problem was that I still couldn’t see a way forward.
It wasn’t simply a matter of morality—whether to leave Cain lying there or not.
‘Even fleeing is impossible.’
Right now I was predicting his movements through the Spirit’s senses and dodging by moving diagonally.
The moment I broke into a backward run, it became a straight sprint.
And in that case, I had no confidence I could shake off this four-legged monster.
‘I have to finish this here, no matter what.’
With that resolve, I concentrated madly until, at some point, his movements began to feel familiar.
More precisely, I started to see his openings.
Shriek!
Crash.
Bang!
The angrier and more irritable he became, the larger his movements grew, the wilder his attacks became.
And the larger those openings appeared.
The problem was I had no confidence in exploiting them to finish him off.
‘If I don’t land a fatal blow on the first strike, I die.’
Against a monster that could heal most wounds on the spot, I needed to land one killing blow.
To do that.
‘The neck. Or else… the eyes?’
I watched his pallid yellow eyes gradually stain crimson.
Crash.
Screech.
I caught a glimmer of blood on his claws as they raked past.
Only after seeing that did I feel the sharp sting in my cheek.
‘I’m sure I dodged it?’
Right after that.
Crash.
Slash.
After feeling several more attacks pass by agonizingly close, I finally understood.
My legs were growing heavy.
‘Stamina. Mana. Damn it.’
It hadn’t been that long a fight, yet my strength was noticeably ebbing away.
When there was no choice but to take a risk.
‘I have to finish this decisively.’
One certain strike, as fast as possible.
Amidst the desperate crisis, my thoughts narrowed to a single point.
And my concentration, climbing endlessly, found a single path forward.
Or rather, my instincts seized upon a flash of inspiration that passed through my mind, for my body moved before my thoughts could catch up.
There was no time to think further.
Crash.
Dodging his attack lightly, I dove in diagonally.
Thud.
I reverse the Mana mechanics of Volante Footwork—which pursues endless lightness—and add the heaviest possible footfall.
Snarl!
The werewolf thrust his front paw at me as if dismissing my evasion, as if I posed no threat.
But I was faster.
“Hah!”
I wielded the Pendulum Spear Art—its principle of advance and retreat—not with my feet but with my hands and spear, generating vibration.
And that weighted, vibrating thrust, concentrated to its fullest, finally found his neck in that split-second opening.
Flash.
A deep azure shimmer rippled across the spearhead.
Then came the system’s voice.
[Volante Footwork Stage 1 has greatly……]
[Pendulum Spear Art has evolved into Resonance Thrust (Advanced)……]
A deep, shuddering breath.
The intense sensation transmitted through the spear’s tip flooded me with an ecstatic rush.
The spear pierced through the wolf-man’s foreleg that had risen to block the strike, then burrowed toward his throat.
But.
‘Shallow. Too shallow?’
Most of my strength had been spent punching through the foreleg; the spear didn’t embed fully in his neck.
The moment I sensed this, a grim future flashed through my mind.
And yet.
A silver thread sliced through the air with a metallic shriek.
A silver arc suddenly carved through the space behind the wolf-man.
“Good work, newbie.”
Thud.
With that familiar voice, the wolf-man’s head flew skyward.
Crumple.
Tumble-tumble-tumble.
It rolled across the Cave floor.
Thump.
Behind the collapsing bulk of the wolf-man, Cain appeared on his knees.
“Ugh. Cough. Cough.”
Blood spilled from his lips.
And then came the voice I’d been waiting for.
[Combat concluded.]
[Defeated 3 wolves and 2 wolf-men. Contribution Rate: 65%.]
[Earned substantial Experience Points.]
[Level increased.]
“Hah…….”
It was over.
Without thinking, I collapsed right there on the ground.
Crumple.
“……Are you all right, Captain?”
“I can still move. Damn it.”
Cain’s face, grinding his teeth, was a sight to behold.
One side of his face was a mass of purple bruising, and his skull appeared partially caved in. The fact that he was still alive and moving was almost miraculous.
“Are you really sure you’re okay?”
“Won’t die from this. I’ve got regeneration too. Ugh. Cough. So——”
As I watched, the indented portion of his skull creaked and ground audibly as it slowly realigned itself, and I had no choice but to believe him.
“Hah…….”
With a power like that, he could revive suddenly and deliver the finishing blow.
“I owe my life to you. Thank you.”
“Cough. Don’t mention it. I should be thanking you too, newbie.”
Half-dead Cain and I, exhausted beyond measure, faced each other and managed a hollow laugh.
‘Well. That was a solid defense.’
We’d dealt with the Elite Monster from the Perfect Clear Condition ahead of schedule, and in the process I’d evolved my spear technique and greatly improved my footwork.
An almost flawless result…….
‘……Wait. Hold on.’
A profound unease suddenly washed over me.
In that combat conclusion just now—had the word “Elite Monster” been mentioned?
Or just “wolf-man”?
[Perfect Clear Condition]
[All caravan members safe, excluding Escort Party (12/12). Elite Monster subjugated (0/1).]
Alarmed, I checked the Perfect Clear Condition again, but it remained unchanged.
“……Damn it.”
The wolf-men were not the Elite Monster.
“What is it? Something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The realization drew an involuntary groan, but I couldn’t tell Cain.
“……I see. Even though this was your first meeting with Jason, you still grieve for him.”
Ah.
Right. A comrade was dead.
And here I was, thinking only of the Perfect Clear Condition.
Am I already being swallowed by the Labyrinth?
“I’m sorry. It was presumptuous of me to suggest we track them here…….”
“No, it was sound reasoning. If we’d left them be, they would’ve picked off our whole party one by one. Jason died doing his duty. It’s fine. It’s fine. So. It’s fine, it isn’t.”
The same words repeated over and over. His rigid expression betrayed a heart at odds with what he was saying.
So I changed the subject.
“……In any case, let’s collect the spoils and head back.”
The two werewolves dropped two Mana Crystals the size of fingernails, and one the size of a fist.
The two Mana Crystals were expected enough.
‘An Ability Stone too……. Damn.’
Since Ability Stones were used even by the Labyrinth’s inhabitants, its value would be immense within these depths.
The very reason I’d pushed the merchant lord to hunt werewolves was my assumption that monsters of this caliber on the second floor would drop at least Mana Crystals or Ability Stones.
It was unfortunate, but these items had to be brought to the merchant lord first.
“The werewolf’s hide and muscle also hold considerable value.”
“Can you butcher it here?”
“……No.”
“Then we should discuss it with the merchant lord once we return.”
“……Yes.”
Cain’s expression soured. He staggered to his feet and collected Jason’s Greatsword.
“Aren’t you taking his other belongings?”
“This is enough. His head’s gone anyway——the least I can do is make sure he goes to the next world properly dressed.”
At the bitter expression etched across Cain’s bruised face, I found no words to add.
Supporting him as he stumbled, I led us back the way we’d come, toward the Camp.
Just as I thought we were nearly there——
Screech!
Clang! Clang!
“Kill them!”
A Spirit of Wind delivered word of the commotion erupting from the Camp before we arrived.
“What’s happening? Why that look?”
“Something’s wrong. I’m going ahead.”
“What!?”
Cain didn’t stop me as I bolted forward.
Sprinting like lightning, I saw the Camp being assaulted by a lone giant boar the size of a small house and dozens of wild dogs.
‘Damn!’
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
I wheeled toward the Escort Party’s flank and hurled myself at the massive boar charging toward them like a madman.
The Volante Footwork, far smoother and swifter than before, carried my body like wind to its flank.
Impact.
In that instant, my feet planted themselves with the tremendous weight I’d built up, just as when I’d killed the werewolf.
The spear in my grip thrummed as it thrust forward, channeling that weight through its tip, which blazed with a bluish light.
A long, piercing sound.
A wretched, agonized shriek!
The boar’s neck skewered, it began to glow as its charge faltered——
Crash.
‘Gasp!’
I’d driven the spear so deep that I was half a beat late pulling it free, and I tumbled to the ground.
But it was enough.
A wretched, agonized shriek!
The boar was glowing, but it was just that——glowing.
Like a drunk man, it couldn’t even aim properly, throwing wild dogs instead of the Escort Party in all directions.
“Kill them all!”
A sickening premonition of something twisted wrong erupted from my throat as fury and killing intent.
Fortunately.
“Kill them all!”
“We can do this!”
“You’re incredible, newbie!”
The Escort Party responded in unison.
I threw myself into the fray and set about cleaning up the situation with every ounce of effort I had.
[Combat concluded.]
[Giant Boar and 52 wild dogs neutralized. Contribution Rate: 32%]
[Most of them were significantly weaker.]
[You have obtained a small amount of Experience Points.]
When the battle ended like that.
I learned that five more members of the Escort Party had been killed in an attack that began after Cain and I departed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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