Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 25

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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 25
“Kraowwrgh!”
At the Vanguard Unit commander Grash’s roar, the Greenskin soldiers trembled and scanned their surroundings frantically.
“Krakk-thwap!”
It was an implicit threat: fail to capture the enemy, and some of them would disappear into Grash’s dinner.
His fury wasn’t mere rage.
The enemy numbered few. Yet they wielded the power of Spirits.
—The primary objective of this war: Valgar Fortress. That ruler’s ability.
—Therefore. They must be taken alive.
Find the enemy. Capture them alive.
Few of the lower-ranking soldiers could truly empathize with the grand ambitions of the Greenskin Army’s leadership.
But obedience to their commander’s authority and terror—that was the special strength of the Greenskin Army.
The Orc Riders and Goblin Riders began scouting the perimeter, maintaining a certain distance from one another.
“Chwarr.”
“Keruk.”
—They’re nearby.
Born hunters as they were, they knew it by instinct alone.
Humans tracked and reasoned their way forward based on observable traces, but most Greenskins analyzed signs in the realm of pure instinct, judging by feel rather than thought.
Ask them why, and they couldn’t answer. They simply knew.
And so, in the very moment when they were maintaining their highest vigilance—
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
Suddenly, from a thicket ahead, figures burst forth and darted deeper into the forest.
“Krakk-too!!”
The instant Grash’s howl tore through the air, the Vanguard Unit surged forward in pursuit.
It was only moments later that they realized something was wrong about the figures fleeing before them.
‘Perfect.’
I was genuinely stunned when I watched Bartus combine four elemental Spirits to craft a convincing illusion of humans.
“You just need to use the light and water Spirits well.”
The casualness with which he said it was almost absurd.
Add texture with earth Spirits, move quickly—shouldn’t that be indistinguishable unless viewed from close range?
That was Bartus’s idea.
I only added the suggestion of using wind Spirits to mask our scent.
Fortunately, the effect was flawless.
“Can’t hold it long. Move!”
“Right.”
My gaze turned toward the rear of the monsters.
At the very back of the rushing green horde, moving unhurriedly while surveying his surroundings, was Grash.
Mounted on a Giant Wolf that stood out even among its kind, the creature’s rider towered roughly twice the size of an ordinary Orc warrior.
The massive battle axe he carried gleamed with a blue radiance even at rest—clearly a high-tier artifact just to look at it.
‘Vicious.’
And I had to take down that monster.
Gulp-gulp.
I drained the last of the Mana Condensed Dew (Rare), pulled the Concealment Cloak over myself, and crept toward him.
‘Careful. Stay careful.’
Even dampening my presence and footsteps as much as possible with wind Spirits, my whole body was trembling.
But there was no time to hesitate.
Whirr.
‘Converge. All of you.’
I gathered all the remaining Paralysis Darts with the wind Spirits and sent them streaming forward.
‘Has to work on the first try. No second chances.’
Before he could sense anything amiss, I unleashed them from behind.
‘Go!’
Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat.
The instant dozens of Paralysis Darts converged from behind—
“Krowwk!”
Grash spun like the wind and swept his massive battle axe in a wide arc.
Craaaaaash.
In one stroke, every Paralysis Dart scattered harmlessly into the air.
I charged toward his back.
Tap.
Suppressing my presence to the utmost, moving at maximum speed.
But.
“Khrgh.”
The moment he snorted and spun like the wind, a massive wolf and his body suddenly compressed the space itself before my eyes, materializing with a rush.
Boom.
By the time I charged forward, I’d already found myself within the range of his Battle Axe’s swing.
Flash.
The instant his Battle Axe began to descend—no, even before that—I was already backstopping.
‘Snap!’
I’d anticipated this would happen.
And yet.
Riiip.
Even though I’d clearly moved beyond the blade’s range, my remaining armor split vertically clean in two.
‘I didn’t even touch the weapon?!’
Jelik had shown me this before.
Materialized Sword Aura—in other words, a blade forged from concentrated Mana.
Something spoken of alongside second-tier Classes, or techniques of the highest caliber.
What was fortunate was that by the feel of it, I didn’t seem to have taken any actual damage.
And.
“Kraaa!!”
His furious gaze fixed on me, leaving him oblivious to what lay behind him.
Flash.
Crack-crack-crack.
As his Battle Axe swung once more, splitting a thick tree behind me clean in two.
Thunk.
The single Paralysis Dart I’d left there embedded itself in his skin.
‘Got him!’
That instant, my eyes blazed as I charged forward again.
My plan was to drive the Resonance Spear straight through.
Smash.
Something black approached in a flash, and the world spun dizzily.
‘Ugh!?’
My Spirit sense only caught a moment later that the black something was the flat of his Battle Axe.
My body was already tumbling through the air.
Crash.
Boom-boom-boom.
“Gggh.”
Grimacing through the spinning pain, I scrambled to my feet—only to notice no follow-up attack came.
Then.
“Human, are you descended from Valgar?”
He suddenly spoke in human language.
“Val… gar?”
“Spirit. Valgar’s power. But black hair. No.”
His words, spoken while pointing at me with the end of his Battle Axe, were nearly incomprehensible.
I wondered if the System’s translation had malfunctioned.
But that wasn’t important.
What mattered was that he stood before me with arrogant eyes, completely off his guard.
And the arm holding his Battle Axe—it had begun to tremble slightly at the tips.
The moment I saw that, I chose action over words.
‘Die trying.’
Tap.
Whoosh.
If I was slower than him, I’d die.
That thought drove me forward.
Volante Movement and the wind Spirit both—I mobilized every last shred of Mana.
Only to move faster than him.
With that single obsession, I focused entirely on channeling my Mana with maximum efficiency.
The result: I struck at an angle beneath his right arm holding the Battle Axe, moving with a speed that astounded even me.
[Your Volante Movement Level has…]
[Your Volante Movement has…]
‘Silence!’
The system’s voice that followed only got in the way.
Fortunately, I saw Grash’s Battle Axe twitch, but it moved agonizingly slow.
The tremor I’d glimpsed in him just moments ago was no illusion—proof of that.
‘Now!’
I drove my spear straight into the exposed flank that lay bare before me.
Not a Sword Aura, but I poured shimmering mana into the vibrating spear instead.
Yet there was one thing I’d overlooked.
The Rare Paralysis Dart had struck Grash, not the wolf he was riding.
Clang!
Boom.
The wolf’s foreleg, wheeling about like the wind, knocked aside my best strike.
As my body was driven backward in that absurd moment, despair threatened to overwhelm me.
“Gah, roooarrr!”
I could see Grash’s expression above me twisting in agony.
His whole body trembling.
‘It landed clean!’
That sight alone gave me courage to push forward once more.
Boom.
A Fire Spirit burst across the wolf’s face.
Splash.
A Water Spirit engulfed its eyes.
Whistle.
A Wind Spirit choked off its nostrils.
Thud.
An Earth Spirit seized its front legs.
I poured out every scrap of mana, forcing the lowest-rank spirits to surge with power beyond their nature in that single instant.
I gathered what remained of my strength and hurled myself toward Grash.
‘No turning back!’
With every ounce of speed I possessed, with the finest blow I could muster.
‘I stake my life on this!’
Perhaps because of that resolve.
Crack.
The Volante Movement and the Resonance Spear flowed together with such perfect seamlessness.
I became a single gust of wind.
[Resonance Spear has leveled up.]
My mana converged into the tip of my spear, gathering into one brilliant azure point.
[The supreme skill Piercing Strike is being created.]
I had no time to comprehend what that meant.
Crack-crunch.
Whoooosh.
My spear pierced through Grash’s armor and drove straight into his heart.
Together we were hurled skyward.
Whistle.
Crash-bang-bang.
Together we plummeted.
Me charging forward, skewering Grash’s body, then soaring another three or four meters before both of us crashed down to the earth.
Even I, watching through the spirits’ eyes, could not make sense of it.
How could Grash, the victim, possibly understand?
“Such power… and yet you fight… like a coward……”
Cough.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
‘Because if I don’t, I die!’
I felt the fury burning in his fading eyes, but I had no mind left to answer him properly.
‘My body… there’s no strength….’
I didn’t know how I’d poured out all that mana, but there wasn’t strength enough to move a single finger.
“…Valgar… legacy. Cowardice… dishonor……”
Thud.
The enormous hand that had reached for my collar or head trembled once, twice, then fell limp.
But the danger was far from over.
Kyaaaaahhh!
At that moment, even as I saw the massive wolf—freed from my Spirit’s binding—open its maw toward me, I couldn’t move.
‘Damn it!’
The Piercing Strike had drained not just Mana but my physical strength as well—every last drop of it.
My Spirits had all been unsummoned, leaving me helpless.
Then.
Clang!
The wolf’s eyes widened suddenly, then trembled.
Thud.
All at once, it collapsed to one side.
“Bartus!”
“Sir!”
Bartus and his brothers came rushing over.
“Paralysis Darts. Perfect!”
Among them, Bartus’s shout seemed strangely welcome to me.
Squelch.
Bartus drove his blade into the fallen wolf’s neck—a composure that, no matter how I thought about it, was not that of a child.
‘Is this what they mean by the makings of a hero?’
I let out a hollow laugh inside.
“Bartus, come to! Shake it off and accept the Mana!”
A soft Mana seeped into my body like a gentle rain on parched earth, and I heard the system’s voice.
[You have defeated Orc Warlord Grash and Giant Wolf King.]
[Contribution Rate: 90%]
[You have gained a large amount of Experience Points.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have gained 1 Level Up Point.]
How many times had I leveled up already, here on the 5th Floor?
With a mixture of satisfaction and relief, strength began returning to my body bit by bit.
“Bartus, are you with me!?”
“Yes… but…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Behind… ungh.”
At his weakly spoken words, Bartus glanced back.
Crash!
The Vanguard Unit of Greenskins came charging toward us again, and his expression turned urgent.
“L-let’s go!”
As Bartus and his brothers lifted me to my feet with the aid of their Spirits’ power.
“Hold on. Wait a moment.”
I reached out toward Grash even as they helped me up.
More precisely, toward his Battle Axe.
‘Can I take it?’
A faint hope in mind.
When I couldn’t lift the axe myself and brought the shaft to the Spatial Pouch at my waist, the axe vanished into storage in a smooth motion.
“Bartus!? What are you—!?”
“Go! Now!”
And so we began fleeing, dodging the Vanguard Unit as they rushed toward us.
The fortunate thing was.
“Grash!!”
“Screee!?”
“Craaash!?”
The Vanguard Unit, upon seeing Grash’s corpse, fell into apparent panic and did not pursue us.
‘Lucky.’
I felt certain we’d crossed the worst hurdle.
But it wasn’t over yet.
“While they’re confused, we need to take them down one by one.”
“In this condition!?”
“For Valgar Fortress.”
For the Quest.
At those words, Bartus’s eyes lit up with a sharp gleam.
“Fine. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Me too!”
“Me too. Me too!”
And so I—we—remained in evasion, conserving our strength.
Soon after, I caught the Vanguard Unit from behind as they tried to flee the mountain, and launched my assault.
Thanks to the remarkable growth I’d shown in that brief exchange with Grash, dismantling the Vanguard Unit’s squads one by one—already scattered and disorganized—proved far from difficult.
Half a day later, as the sun began to set.
I had achieved my objective.
[Perfect Clear conditions for Labyrinth 5th Floor have been satisfied.]
[Orc Warlord Grash 1/1]
[Orc Warrior 27/30]
[Goblin Warrior 182/213]
[Vanguard Unit 70% or greater casualties sustained.]
[Bartus and his brothers survive.]
[You have been granted 1 Level Up Point.]
[An Achievement has been created. Additional modifiers will be applied upon Class acquisition.]
A low hum echoed through the air.
The moment a massive portal materialized before me.
“Kraaagh!”
“Krkara!”
Watching the remnants of the Vanguard Unit scatter in terror through the darkness, I finally allowed myself to breathe.
“Phew…….”
Then, turning around.
“That was incredible, truly!”
Bartus’s blue eyes seemed to fill with a brilliant white radiance as he called out to me.
A flash of light.
The luminescence pouring from his eyes washed across the world, and I heard the system’s voice.
[The Lingering Spirit of Ascendant Bartus appears.]
‘What?’
Within that radiant white space.
An old warrior of formidable bearing drew near to me.
A face I felt I’d seen before, wearing a faint smile.

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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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