Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 28

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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 28
Kirk is undeniably strong.
He’d trained in Jerik’s secret techniques since childhood—and Jerik was an adventurer in the 50s tier, likely Level 50 or so with a fifth-class Job.
When I was using Piercing Strike to take down goblins, he was already handling the vanguard with a fairly perfected spear technique, holding back the goblin waves.
A spear technique from someone who’d obtained a Special Class would naturally be advanced or higher. Possibly even the highest tier.
But even so.
“Give it your best shot, brother. You’ll be subdued before you know it.”
The way he twirled that spear with such cocky confidence—it was impossible not to feel the competitive fire rise.
And above all, I had absolute confidence that I could land a proper hit.
‘Piercing Strike. That’ll do it.’
Setting aside the skill’s grade, it was an extreme form of technique—pouring everything into a single blow.
Even if Kirk possessed a Rare-grade spear technique, I was confident I could pierce through his defense.
The problem was that I absolutely could not actually put a hole in Kirk’s body.
And so.
“Master…”
“…?”
I gave Jerik a general overview of Piercing Strike—its characteristics, its grade, everything.
When I mentioned the grade, Jerik tilted his head slightly, but then he nodded.
“Right, I’ll keep that in mind. Make sure you break him of that habit properly.”
With Jerik saying as much, I could rest assured.
“Then, be careful.”
“Understood. Come in, please.”
In that moment, Kirk’s expression turned serious as well.
The basic posture for sparring had become habit for him.
Though judging by that easy smile, his true feelings were probably somewhat different.
‘I’ll knock some sense into you.’
Tap.
Without further words, I launched straight into a charge.
Snap.
The Volante Movement Technique pursued extreme lightness, generating tremendous speed, and just as the spear was about to make contact, I converted magical power to its extreme to maximize weight.
That weight transferred cleanly through the shaft, and the vibration dramatically amplified the destructive force of the Resonance Spear.
If I tried to consciously chain these processes together and deploy them, a microscopic gap would open at the crucial moment of impact.
A momentary halt in motion and loss of speed due to magical conversion.
I’d thought it unavoidable, but when I landed a hit on Grash, there was no such gap at all.
From the charge all the way to when the spear connected, every movement and flow of magical power was without waste, and I even felt acceleration happening in the moment when the weight shifted.
That process carved itself into my subconscious as a pattern, and it manifested as the skill ‘Piercing Strike’.
With all those flows inscribed in the skill linking together smoothly, the moment I reached Kirk’s defense—
Boom!
My body accelerated once more, and all my strength flowed into the tip of the spear.
When an uncanny light glinted at the end of the wooden training spear, my very consciousness was sucked into that light.
Simultaneously.
Crash!
A deafening roar that seemed impossible for wooden spears to produce, and my consciousness snapped back.
I was already flying backward through the air, launching into the void.
‘What…?’
As consciousness returned, the memory of the collision came back hazily.
Kirk’s spear completely shattering at my tip, and his face twisted in shock.
And Jerik’s palm blocking my spear point.
‘His palm?’
The moment I registered that, it was so absurd I let out a laugh despite myself.
Even as I was being sent tumbling backward from the force of impact.
‘Damn.’
I couldn’t move a single finger, so I had no strength left for the Falling Technique.
I was thinking that if my luck was bad, I’d be seriously injured during this sparring—
Thud.
I felt a firm hand catch me.
“Master…?”
“Well then. Impressive, Char.”
Hearing Jerik’s words—he’d blocked my attack and caught my flying body in one fluid motion—I couldn’t help but laugh dryly.
I’d half-expected Jerik would catch me, but it was too anticlimactic to have it end this way.
‘A self-destruct technique after all. And this?’
That bitterness was still settling over me when
“Take pride in it. This isn’t easy.”
Jerik showed me the small indentation on his right palm.
A tiny wound from pouring everything into that attack—literally.
It told me the gap between him and me was wider than I’d thought, though Jerik seemed to see it differently.
“This is genuinely impossible to believe.”
His tone of wonder offered some comfort, but
my consciousness sank regardless.
How much time had passed?
“You awake?”
“…Master?”
Opening my eyes in the familiar room, I saw Jerik standing over me.
“Well done.”
“Sir?”
“Kirk took quite a shock from it. He went storming off wielding that spear like a madman for a good while.”
Right. At least I’d broken him of that annoying younger-brother habit.
The thought gave me a small measure of strength.
“Mm. Master, what did you think of the technique?”
“Spectacular. Though it’s quite dangerous.”
That observation soured my mood.
“…Yes. Well. I did maintain consciousness during quests. If I keep my focus tight enough…”
“No, no—the fact that the only penalty is losing consciousness is what’s absurd. You’re not losing years of your life or anything? No sensation of your body wasting away?”
What was he going on about now?
“…No, sir. Nothing like that.”
“Don’t give me vague answers. Think carefully. Check your body’s condition.”
At his grave expression, I circulated my Magical Power through myself, examining every part, but found nothing amiss.
“…There’s nothing wrong. Just felt like I’d poured out all the strength I had at the time.”
“If that’s truly the case… then you’ve got a charging skill with genuinely remarkable efficiency. At your Rank, no auxiliary equipment, just human propulsion alone. Extraordinary…”
“?”
“…Simply put, your Magical Efficiency surpasses even the highest Rank grade. This feels like an Advanced Combination Skill. Is it?”
“What’s that?”
“…Normally you know that Magical Efficiency is generally fixed according to skill Rank, right? That’s precisely why Ranks exist.”
“Yes. More or less.”
“That Piercing Strike you showed me completely exceeded the highest Rank’s efficiency. It seems it’s only been classified at this Rank level because it’s a Combination Skill linked with other techniques.”
“Combination… ah, yes. It’s that sort of technique.”
The Volante Movement Technique and the Resonance Spear.
When I outlined the flow roughly, Jerik let out another bitter laugh.
“You reversed the Movement Technique’s Magical Power to increase weight…? You were trying to get yourself killed!? There’s a limit to not knowing better!”
That focus was different from what I’d anticipated.
“Is that dangerous?”
“Of course. The fact that your Magical Circuits and blood vessels didn’t rupture right there is a miracle. Huh. But… that’s probably why this impossible technique emerged. What the…”
Was it really that remarkable?
I thought Jerik was being overly dramatic.
“This technique—it doesn’t have a Skill Level, does it?”
“Ah, yes. It just shows Max. I was actually going to ask you about that too.”
“That’s exactly it. To put it simply, as your Movement Technique and spear art evolve, this Piercing Strike’s Rank will evolve along with it. That’s why there’s no separate Level, and that’s what an Advanced Combination Skill means. Do you understand?”
“Oh!?”
“When your Movement Technique and spear art reach the highest Rank, this technique will become Rare Grade. If it evolves further, it’ll reach another tier above that. You could structure your entire Ability Slot and skill tree around this technique as your main weapon.”
“I… see.”
“It’s good to practice to get used to it, but since this is already the ultimate fusion of your spear art and Movement Technique, there won’t be much further development. You’d be better off using that time to train your spear art and Movement Technique instead. Of course, the essence has to remain consistent the whole way through. The moment either your spear art or Movement Technique evolves out of sync, that skill vanishes.”
It was far more extraordinary than I’d anticipated.
“That’s… good, right?”
“Absolutely! At this Rank with this much efficiency already, any Guild would develop you as a damage dealer. Even accounting for your Ability Slot weakness, that single strike would be worth its weight. You could say you’ve fundamentally changed your future prospects…”
As Jerik said this with a reassured expression, I felt oddly uncomfortable instead.
‘A Guild?’
Seeing my expression, Jerik tilted his head.
“Why? Aren’t you pleased?”
“…Well, I was thinking I’d try to handle things on my own for now.”
“…Even after you leave the Novice Tier?”
“Yes. If possible.”
Only when I could protect myself even if the secret of the goblin basket and my trait were exposed.
‘When that time comes, I don’t know.’
Still, joining a group before then felt too risky.
“……Hmm. It’s good that you’re confident in your rapid growth, given that you have more talent than expected. But the Labyrinth is far too dangerous and grueling to traverse solo for an extended period.”
“I understand. But I’d like to try for as long as I can manage alone. I’m not particularly keen on the Royal Palace or the Guild.”
This, too, was my honest sentiment.
“Ah…….”
Jerik nodded with a bitter smile.
“……Then use that technique sparingly—only in the direst circumstances. As you’ve felt yourself, it leaves no room for retreat.”
“……Yes. Of course.”
I’d sensed its cost even in that brief sparring match. How could I unleash it recklessly?
I decided to think of it simply as having one last trump card in reserve.
“By the way, if you ever acquire a higher-grade mount……. No, never mind. Forget it.”
“Yes?”
“It’s too early to discuss. Don’t worry about it. So when are you heading to the sixth floor?”
“……Given what you’ve said, I’d like to train my spear technique and movement skill a bit more before deciding. And I’m also waiting for something.”
“Waiting for something?”
“I’ve ordered an item from the Magic Tower.”
“You? Already?”
“Ah, it’s mass-produced goods. Kirk received them from the Guild.”
“Those? Why would you need those? And if they’re mass-produced, why wait?”
“……They said they were out of stock.”
I’d ordered four hundred pairs, but I swallowed those words—though Jerik clicked his tongue and nodded knowingly anyway.
“Right. Train hard. That might actually be better than rushing.”
“Yes.”
“And don’t think too lightly of skill evolution. Just train as if you’re embedding the technique into your body.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Since you’re a Summoner, even if you force-evolve a skill with Points later on, the more your body becomes accustomed to the technique, the greater the effect will be…….”
“Yes, yes. I understand!”
Ugh.
To escape Jerik’s sudden nagging, I rose to my feet and left.
* * *
Unfortunately—or perhaps inevitably—no miracle of skill evolution occurred during the week.
I merely contented myself with embedding the techniques I’d honed through combat into my body, just as Jerik had advised.
“Maybe it’s fine to just use my Level-Up Points to force the evolution…….”
“I’ll try to conserve them as much as possible.”
“……Right. But if you ever feel in genuine danger, use them. Nothing is more precious than your life.”
“Of course.”
It was when I came to collect the four hundred pairs of Voice Filter Earrings I’d ordered from the Magic Tower that I finally wrapped up my training.
In the meantime, I’d also gotten my ears pierced.
‘With the money I have left, I should pick up at least one Recovery Potion. Expensive as it is.’
I’d seen its effectiveness firsthand on the fifth floor, so I intended to keep one in reserve.
“But why do you want those earrings, anyway? If you’re going solo……”
“Well. They’re pretty, aren’t they?”
“……What?”
Even Jerik, who’d been helping me get my ears pierced as an adventurer’s natural preparation for artifact earring equipment, looked visibly appalled at my answer.
“Anyway! I’ll be going now.”
To avoid further lectures, I headed straight for the Magic Tower.
And at the Magic Tower, I received the four hundred pairs of earrings I’d promised to collect, paying a hefty sum of two hundred Gold.
I also bought a potion.
“It will reduce a fatal wound down to a serious one.”
I found it absurd that a potion making such claims cost a hundred Gold.
‘Then what was the one Bartus had……?’
That experience on the fifth floor was seared into my body, so I had no choice but to invest the hefty sum for a potion.
And once I returned to my room, I began synthesizing the earrings.

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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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