Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 31

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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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Episode 31
“A commission discount is… difficult, I’m afraid.”
“What if I give you a commission discount instead of reserved seating?”
“……The commission is policy, so it’s not something I can bend for you. I apologize, Jeoreuk.”
Hairon, the middle-aged merchant with an affable demeanor, grew serious in that moment.
Jeoreuk clicked his tongue and waved a dismissive hand.
“Tch. Fine, then. I’ll settle for the reserved seating. I can look at the catalog over there, yes?”
“……Yes, of course.”
Jeoreuk’s shameless presumption—treating others’ kindness as his due—caught me off guard.
‘So he really does dislike merchants.’
It was unlike him, but the situation made sense enough.
“Ah, Char. Or should I call you by your previous name?”
“Call me whatever feels natural. Char suits me now.”
“Haha. You certainly have a straightforward way about you. I do hope you enjoy the auction and leave satisfied. After all, the Merchant Guild—myself included—have great expectations for your future.”
Hairon made it clear: this consideration was because of me.
‘How much does he actually know?’
Curious, I decided to test it with a small trick.
Hum.
“That’s more kindness than I expected. Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. The Merchant Guild hopes to cultivate a friendly relationship with you. Should you acquire a Class and wish to join, the Golden God Guild—which we operate—would offer you the finest terms……”
“Char, get over here and look at this!”
“Oh, yes! *Ahem*. Then I’ll excuse myself.”
“……Understood.”
As Hairon released my hand with reluctant eyes.
Hum.
[Designated Caller Registered]
A voice emerged from the earring.
It spoke in the exact tonal quality of Hairon’s voice during our entire conversation.
‘Perfect.’
I’d succeeded in recording a voice for the first time.
“Char!”
“Coming, coming!”
“Look, that merchant already knows you’re pulling loot at an absurd level. Ruda would’ve told him everything.”
“……Not necessarily.”
“Even if not, he could figure it out from inference. That’s why he’s being like this. Because you look profitable.”
“I understand.”
“……Right. Be especially careful. Remember—merchants would sell their own souls for profit.”
As Jeoreuk turned away saying that, his expression was utterly hardened, unlike before, leaving me no choice but to nod awkwardly.
‘What exactly happened to him in the past?’
But prying felt wrong. For now, there was the Crystal Orb in front of us.
“This is what lets me see the auction listings?”
“That’s right.”
Only then did Jeoreuk drop his displeasure and channel Mana into the crystal.
Hum.
Shimmer.
“Oh!?”
From that fist-sized crystal, an image bloomed, and items displayed for auction streamed forth.
“Let’s see, spears… we’re looking at Super Rare rank and up, right?”
“Yes.”
We became utterly absorbed in the images that materialized before us.
“Three total.”
“……Yes.”
It didn’t feel like a small number.
Even setting aside how ornate or formidable each appeared, the options listed below each were nothing short of remarkable.
[Talisman’s Thunder Spear (Super Rare)]
-Attack Power +40
-Electric Discharge on Spearhead Impact (Rare)
-Mana Sphere (Rare)
-Chain Lightning activation 3 times per day (Rare)
* Labyrinth Artifact.
[Maestro Flame Spear (Super Rare)]
-Attack Power +40
-Fire Resistance +20
-Mana Sphere (Rare)
-Flame Strike activation once per day (Rare)
* Crafted by Maestro Workshop
[German’s Gale Spear (Super Rare)]
-Attack Power +39
-Speed Adjustment +20
-Mana Sphere (Rare)
-Sonic Wave activation once per day (Rare)
* Labyrinth Artifact.
“Wow…….”
“They’re all pretty usable, but still.”
Jeoreuk said they were passable, but that was by his standards—to me, all three seemed extraordinary.
They were plainly superior to the spear I’d originally planned to buy at the Mage Tower.
Still, if I had to choose among those three.
“The Thunder Spear looks best.”
“Yes. Definitely.”
Above all, Electric Discharge combined with three uses of Chain Lightning.
Standing face-to-face against an opponent with weapons, I knew exactly how valuable that option was.
But there was a problem.
“……The starting bid is 2,000 Gold.”
“Hmm. More expensive than I thought.”
My entire budget was just 2,100 Gold, and there it was in plain writing: “Starting bid 2,000 Gold, increment 100 Gold.”
Unless I got lucky on the first call or prayed it sold after one bid increment, there was no way.
“……That won’t work, will it?”
“Hmm. The Gale Spear starts at 1,900 Gold, and it’ll probably be just as competitive.”
A Speed Adjustment of +20 was essentially the same as +20 to Agility—an extremely useful option.
Of course, I wouldn’t be the only one thinking that. This one looked difficult too.
“……At least the Flame Spear is 1,500 Gold, so realistically, that’s probably what we should aim for. What do you think?”
“Mm. Yes. Well. I suppose so.”
The reply came out reluctantly.
The Maestro Flame Spear. If I’d seen only this one, I would’ve bid without hesitation, but having seen the other two alongside it, I couldn’t help but feel it came up short by comparison.
There was one small consolation.
‘If it’s Fire Resistance, wouldn’t Affinity work the same way?’
Fire Resistance +20 meant you’d gain Magic Resistance +20 specifically against fire magic, but it also meant you’d gain an equivalent advantage with that element itself.
‘It might even boost the effectiveness of fire spirits.’
If I thought of Resistance and Affinity as half your Mana value, then working with fire spirits should be like gaining a +10 Mana boost in raw power.
‘But they’re the lowest-tier spirits anyway, so the efficiency…… Ah. Why am I thinking about this now? I’m not even certain I can win this bid.’
I’d come with expectations, but the items on offer were better than I’d hoped.
So now my available funds felt inadequate.
“……Let me help a little. Let’s bid on the Thunder Spear. Or the Gale Spear.”
“No.”
I refused Jeoreuk’s offer outright.
“Master, that’s really not possible.”
“Why? You can pay me back later. You earn well enough.”
“No. No matter what…….”
How could I explain this?
I’d already incurred such a large debt to him, and I was still incurring more—to borrow money on top of that?
‘I can’t do that.’
If that had been my plan, I wouldn’t have taken work at the sundry shop in the first place.
-Under no circumstances will I borrow money.
It was the last shred of pride I’d carried from South Korea, where I’d lived with nothing.
“……I can’t do it. Absolutely not.”
If Jeoreuk knew what was in my heart, he might scoff—calling me mad, the same person who’d begged for over half a year.
But to me, begging out of necessity to survive and borrowing money were entirely different concepts.
Especially when it wasn’t truly necessary—borrowing money just to buy something slightly better?
Just imagining it made me feel repulsed by myself.
“Absolutely! Never! Even if I die. I can’t stand that.”
“……Good grief. That bastard scrapes together every coin he can, so why does he just help people out of the blue…….”
More than anything, I found it unsettling every time I heard such things.
I wasn’t accustomed to adults offering me help.
No—I didn’t want to become accustomed to it.
Especially not when money was involved.
“I’d rather die. Honestly.”
The tragedy my careless words had once wrought came rushing back.
“Hah. What kind of extreme talk is that, boy…….”
“That’s how much I dislike it.”
“……All right, fine. Ahem. Then realistically, let’s aim for the Maestro Flame Spear.”
“Yes.”
I gave my answer, but we both knew the odds of pulling it were overwhelmingly against us.
Even spears inferior to the Maestro Flame Spear were selling for two thousand Gold at the Bartos Mage Tower.
So then.
“Let’s look at Rare grade items too. Just to try.”
“Ah, yes. Right. Rare grade should be fine for you now. Actually, overkill. You’re still a Novice. Hah. I was getting ahead of myself.”
Jeoreuk finally broke into a broad grin and searched for Rare grade spears.
‘If the Auction House inventory is at this level…….’
There were definitely items superior to the few Rare grade spears the Mage Tower had in stock.
Fortunately, my hunch proved spot on this time.
“Oh. This one’s solid.”
“This one too. Looks like decent value for the cost.”
“How about this?”
“Oh……!”
There were plenty of items that caught my eye.
But in the end, we settled on just one.
[Ethylene’s Lightning Spear (Rare)]
-Attack Power +30
-Electric Discharge on Spearhead Impact (Superior Grade)
-Electric Stimulation (Reaction Speed +20)
-Chain Lightning Activation Once per Day (Superior Grade)
* Labyrinth Artifact.
It was like a downgraded version of Talisman’s Thunder Spear.
The stats overall were exceptional.
“Attack power at max for the grade, and reaction speed twenty is…… just. Remarkable, isn’t it? Let’s go with this.”
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
Rare though it was, it boasted more practical utility than many Super Rare spears from the Mage Tower.
But best of all was the price.
“Opening bid five hundred Gold. Increment fifty Gold. That should be enough, right?”
“Of course. This is viable all the way up to the forties. Good find.”
“There’ll be some competition, I imagine?”
“Even accounting for that, it should hold.”
And so our target was decided.
And then.
[……Watch carefully.]
Hairon’s voice reached my ear.
* * *
“……Assign an attendant, assign a guide, and if he says he’s offering service, send people along. And keep close watch. Also arrange discrete surveillance separately.”
“Pardon? To that extent?”
At Hairon’s words, the subordinate tilted his head in confusion.
“Yes. To that extent.”
“Is the purpose to learn about that anomaly?”
“……Yes. Guide him toward the direct-purchase items. Let’s see if he really knows how to spot something profitable. Check what he actually buys.”
“That section, sir?”
“Yes. I’ve had some items there adjusted. Just find out what he purchases. He must have some eye for value or some ability.”
“Understood, sir.”
“If Ruda had just cooperated properly, I wouldn’t need to waste effort like this.”
“Sir?”
“Never mind. Well? Why haven’t you left yet?”
* * *
[…Not going out?]
Mm-hmm.
After that, the Earring fell silent.
‘I suppose Hairon’s closed his mouth, then.’
Since I could only hear Hairon’s voice, the conversation was fragmented, but it wasn’t difficult to infer the content.
‘Well. This actually works?’
Normally, Kleins’s Earring required two people to wear matching Earrings and synchronize them before voice registration was even possible.
But my upgraded Earring—now a Rare-tier piece—carried no such limitations.
I merely had to activate it, record the voice pattern of my designated target for a set duration, and that was that.
‘So we still have to force a conversation to make it work.’
Even so, that’s hardly a weakness.
‘It should’ve seemed suspicious from the start.’
Moreover, the eavesdropping range was stretched to ten kilometers—a hundred times the original hundred meters—so I decided to run a quick test.
‘And there are bound to be walls and sealed spaces between us?’
Yet the device pierced through those barriers—however many there might be—and delivered Hairon’s voice to me without issue.
I’d tried it on a whim, and it was operating far beyond my expectations.
‘I can even roughly pinpoint where his voice is coming from.’
About five hundred meters inward from the entrance of the middle-tier Auction House where we were browsing the catalog.
Ignoring the surrounding terrain, I could only guess at a rough straight-line distance, but still—this was remarkable.
‘I could even track people with this.’
At this point, I had to wonder if this really was the magic in a Rare-tier item.
‘This is going to be hard to abandon later. Ugh.’
The synthesis to Rare-tier had cost two hundred Gold, so a Super Rare synthesis would run twenty times that—four thousand Gold—which made the cost-benefit ratio impossible. That’s why I’d abandoned any thought of further synthesis.
But if this kind of application was possible, it might be worth synthesizing with another Earring to preserve this capability.
‘Though if this eavesdropping function somehow got erased… that would be terrible.’
“What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. I was just worried about how high the Spear’s price will climb.”
“It’ll probably top out around a thousand Gold.”
“A thousand Gold?! But it’s Rare?”
“The options are excellent. It’s worth more in actual combat than most Super Rare pieces, wouldn’t you say?”
“That may be so, but…”
“It’s worth the investment. So bear that in mind.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
As we were exchanging observations about the auction items we’d seen,
“Pardon me. Are you Jeoreuk and Char?”
A young man who appeared to work for the Merchant Guild approached us from the Auction House.

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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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