Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 4

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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 4
Three months later.
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who owes you so much.”
I exchanged the customary parting words with Johnson.
The old man emerged from inside, carrying a small pouch.
“Since you’ve worked so hard, I should repay you somehow.”
Surely not.
‘Severance pay?’
From a tightwad like him?
My eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“A lot of Magic Stones came in yesterday, so I’ll sell them cheap. How about it?”
I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
‘Of course. What was I thinking?’
Stones infused with the magical power that emerges from the Labyrinth—Magic Stones.
They are essential materials for every tool, product, and place that requires magical power.
Even if they’re red-grade, the lowest tier, standard-class Magic Stones.
But there was no way the Magic Stones this man was talking about were normal ones.
“You mean the Magic Stones that were classified as defective because they have almost no magical power?”
“……But you do collect those, don’t you? There must be a use for them?”
He was right.
I could collect defective Magic Stones and raise their grade.
‘That’s all money.’
Which is exactly why I hadn’t quit my job at the General Store over these past three months.
But still.
“Surely you didn’t go out of your way to collect these to sell to me?”
“I told you. To repay you. So what? Do you hate it?”
The sheer audacity of collecting defective Magic Stones specifically to sell to a departing employee was almost laughable.
That said, it wasn’t a bad deal for me right now.
“How many do you have?”
“About this much.”
Clatter.
Johnson showed me a handful of small red stones from his pouch.
Cloudy red crystal-like Magic Stones, each one identical.
[Red Magic Stone (Standard Grade)]
– A low-grade item containing very little magical power.
Low-tier even among standard grades.
Defective stock.
“……I’ll give you 1 Gold for all of them.”
“Bah! That price won’t fly!”
“If you don’t like it, forget it. Take care, Johnson.”
“Wait. Hold on!”
The moment I turned to leave, Johnson grabbed my arm.
“These cost more than 1 Gold to acquire. Tell me one thing, and I’ll let them go for 50 Silver.”
“Yes? What is it?”
At my question, the old man drew closer with a sly expression and spoke softly.
“What are these defective Magic Stones used for? They make money, don’t they? Admit it.”
His words sent a chill down my spine.
Money duplication using the Goblin Basket.
Of course that was the purpose.
‘And this old man figured it out right away……’
I found myself worrying about how far I could safely push things.
“……An acquaintance who crafts items told me that defective Magic Stones are useful for that work too. They said they’d make me a usable standard-grade item for the Labyrinth in exchange.”
“Ah……. Is that so?”
“So if you want to sell, sell. If not, don’t bother.”
“Ah, come on! We’ve got history between us. Fine! I’ll sell them to you!”
Johnson received 50 Silver and handed me the Magic Stones.
But my mind grew turbid with worry.
Even as we parted, that suspicious gleam never left the old man’s eyes.
‘I can’t keep duplicating money like this forever.’
The moment it became known that I possessed a Goblin Basket or some similar ability, the only future I could envision was a terrible one.
In the midst of such tangled thoughts.
Creak.
“Welcome—”
As I began to mouth the habitual greeting, a face I despised came into view.
“Hey there, Defective. Your brother’s here. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
A punk who raised his hand playfully and grinned with that sneer. It was Lee Jeong-ho.
‘Lee Jeong-ho?’
I scanned the space behind him.
Empty.
Neither Kim Hyun-sik nor Cha Hye-ryeon.
He’d come alone.
“What are you staring at?”
“Nothing.”
I looked him over slowly.
He’d changed considerably in three months.
Leather Armor with a dull, lifeless sheen.
A Greatsword with chips missing here and there from poor maintenance.
Hair matted and unkempt.
And most of all.
The confidence that had clung to him three months ago was nowhere to be seen.
What had taken its place instead was.
‘Anxiety?’
“This time too, I brought plenty of good stuff.”
Thud!
Lee Jeong-ho hefted the sack from his back and dropped it onto the counter.
And then.
Crash!
He dumped its contents out.
Stone.
Broken bone.
Rusted metal scraps.
And more stone.
‘……This bastard.’
It was identical to three months ago.
No.
It was worse than before.
“Well?”
Lee Jeong-ho jerked his chin at me.
“Ring it up.”
……
“What are you doing?”
He tapped the counter with his fingers.
“Move it.”
Three months ago, I would have calculated it.
Placed even the rocks on the scale.
Given him a ridiculous price.
Waved him off with a smile.
Because I didn’t want trouble.
I picked up an item from the counter.
A stone.
I turned it over.
It was just a stone.
Flick.
I tossed it to the floor.
“Not buying.”
“……What?”
“This.”
I picked up another stone.
Flick.
“I’m not buying.”
One more stone.
Tap.
“Not this one either.”
Lee Jeong-ho’s face hardened.
I held out the last stone, dangling it before him.
“Maybe I’ll make an exception for this one?”
…….
“Yeah.”
Tap.
I dropped it at his feet.
“Not buying this one either.”
“You son of a—”
Lee Jeong-ho’s face twisted.
It was an expression I recognized.
I’d seen that face three months ago.
Crash!
He kicked over the display shelf.
“You bought them last time!”
That was true.
He had.
“Stop wasting my time and just charge me by weight for all of it.”
Even those words were identical.
I laughed without meaning to.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
It was genuinely amusing.
Three months ago, every single word he spoke terrified me.
But now.
‘Why does he look so pathetic?’
“Hey.”
“What.”
“You.”
I looked over his equipment one more time.
Then I asked.
“Are you a Dropout?”
His hand went still.
Lee Jeong-ho froze.
That was confirmation.
“…What?”
“I’ve heard rumors. Among the Summoned, there are some who can’t adapt, never get a Class, and fall during the Novice stage.”
“Shut up.”
“What about Kim Hyun-sik and Cha Hye-ryeon?”
“I told you to shut up.”
“Did they abandon you?”
Bang!
Lee Jeong-ho slammed his fist down on the counter.
“Defective scum!”
His hand shot toward my collar.
Three months ago.
I never even saw that hand coming.
By the time I regained consciousness, my body was already flying through the air.
But now.
‘He’s slow.’
I can see his fingers.
I can see his wrist.
The way his shoulder moves first.
The way his weight shifts forward.
I see all of it.
Clack.
I struck his arm away with the back of my hand.
“……?”
Lee Jeong-ho’s eyes widened.
He probably didn’t understand.
A Dropout.
I’d just knocked his own arm aside.
“You.”
I spoke.
“Do you remember what you said to me three months ago?”
“What the he——”
“You said a Dropout like me was annoying people.”
His expression hardened.
He remembered.
“And.”
I stepped forward.
He instinctively tried to back away.
Too late.
“I hit you here.”
Thud!
My fist drove into his solar plexus.
“Hngh!”
Lee Jeong-ho doubled over like a bow.
In that moment.
Something felt strange.
Three months ago.
I’d collapsed like that.
Crawling on the ground unable to breathe, there was nothing I could do.
I had no strength.
But now it was the opposite.
“Uh…….”
Lee Jeong-ho staggered and looked up at me.
An emotion I’d never seen in his eyes before flickered across his face.
Fear.
The moment I saw it.
I truly felt how much I’d changed in these three months.
But.
There was still one more thing.
“And finally.”
I grabbed him by the collar.
“You did this.”
“Wait, hold on——”
Whoosh.
I lifted his body into the air.
Lee Jeong-ho’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“I——”
Without thinking, I laughed.
“I don’t like people annoying me.”
And.
Whack!
“Ahhhhh!”
Crash!
Lee Jeong-ho shattered the General Store’s door and flew out into the street.
“…….”
“Phew~.”
He flew farther than I expected. I must have put too much force into it.
As I stepped out the door.
Behind me, Johnson’s voice trembled.
“……Char.”
“Yes?”
“The door.”
“…….”
I turned to look back, and the door was gone.
“So I’m done working after today, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you can’t deduct it from my severance pay.”
“You never had severance pay to begin with!”
“Of course.”
The old man was consistent to the very end.
I let out a quiet laugh and stepped outside.
And then.
The laughter died.
“Ugh…….”
Lee Jeong-ho was staggering to his feet.
“I…… damn it…….”
His face was flushed a deep red.
Shame seemed to sting more than the pain.
And rightfully so.
A crowd was already gathering around him.
“What is it?”
“A fight?”
“They look like adventurers.”
“Aren’t they both Novices?”
Someone snickered.
“Novice fights are always the funniest!”
……I’d have to find that bastard later and remind him of this.
“You piece of trash…….”
Clang!
Lee Jeong-ho drew his Greatsword.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
“Ooooh!”
But I watched the blade in his grip before I watched him.
His hands were trembling.
His breathing was ragged.
His stance was a mess.
Three months ago, that blade terrified me.
I thought one swing would split me clean in half.
But now.
‘If this were Jeollik’s class…….’
He’d have been beaten senseless for standing like that.
-Watch the feet!
Jeollik’s voice played in my head.
-Look at the feet first! If you’re trying to dodge the blade, you’re already dead!
Lee Jeong-ho’s front foot shifted.
‘Here it comes.’
Whoosh!
He lunged.
“Die, you bastard!”
The Greatsword swept down.
I didn’t dodge to the side.
Just a half-step.
Back.
Crash!
The blade whipped through the ground in front of my face.
Stone chips flew.
And then.
Lee Jeong-ho’s entire body lay open.
‘Pathetic.’
I stepped inside his guard.
‘Sloppy.’
Crack!
A left hook planted itself in his jaw.
“Ugh!”
Crash!—tumbling across the floor.
Lee Jeong-ho lost his grip on the sword as he rolled.
The space around us fell silent for a moment.
And then.
“Whoa-a-a-a!”
A roar erupted from the crowd.
Only then did I understand.
This wasn’t revenge.
The man I was three months ago.
And who I am now.
It was a test to see how much I had changed.
I looked down at the fallen Lee Jeong-ho.
And for the first time.
I felt nothing when I looked at him.
No fear.
No bitterness.
Just.
‘He’s weak.’
That was all.
But those around me didn’t seem to see it that way.
“Whoa-a-a-a!”
“That was brilliant!”
“He looks like a Novice, but he’s got real technique!”
The raucous, exhilarating atmosphere of a world accustomed to violence.
I was caught up in it, smiling, when a few contemptuous glances snapped me back to reality.
‘Am I really acting impressed just for taking down a single Dropout? In this insane place?’
The pride flooding through me suddenly dried up, and my shoulders that had begun to rise fell back down.
‘I need to be careful. Careful.’
Then an unfamiliar voice pierced through the noise.
“That Jin-Toe-Bo technique. Not bad at all.”
I spun around to see a man built like a bear approaching.
Blonde hair, leather armor, and between the gaps, muscles that looked ready to burst.
But what struck me more was the small dragon tattoo writhing like something alive at the corner of his right eye.
‘Wow. A Special Class?’
I didn’t know what rank or level he was, but a Living Magical Tattoo that moved like that was proof of breaching every tenth-floor threshold with exceptional performance.
Which meant he was a force I couldn’t even stand against—a Class at all.
“If you’d been half a beat slower in your retreat, you’d be dead. You know that?”
“Yes. Of course.”
That’s what the technique is supposed to do.
The man let out a pleased chuckle at that answer.
“No hesitation despite that. Good. Clean form too. If you’re doing Jin-Toe-Bo in this district, did you learn from Jeollik?”
From Jeollik?
“Yes. I’m Go Cheol-u, training at Jeollik’s Martial Arts Dojo. And your name is…?”
The man’s expression hardened slightly at that.
“Cheol-u? Unusual name. You’re a Summoned Person?”
“…Yes. Though I’m not Royal Palace affiliated.”
“A Summoned Person but not Royal Palace? You don’t seem to be a Dropout either…?”
I watched his gaze shift to the henchmen behind me, and I smiled wryly.
“They threw me away because I had no talent.”
“Ah, really? Typical of the Royal Palace’s poor judgment.”
At those words, I found myself warming to him immediately.
“You don’t seem like you’d usually be in this district.”
What was someone of his caliber doing in the outermost 9th District—where only ordinary people, Novices, and at best adventurers from the 10+ Floor range came and went?
“Ah, well, I was just visiting Jeollik to look for someone. He mentioned he had a Summoned Person trainee with pretty good talent, so I figured that was…”
“Oh. Ah, yes. That might be…”
—You grasp Magical Power easily enough, but your body’s still clumsy. Get it right!?
Remembering Jeollik’s voice during training, it seemed like an odd compliment coming from him.
But that’s just the kind of person he is.
“It seems the Master viewed me favorably.”
“Good. I appreciate a certain amount of humility too. Once you obtain your Class, come find the Drake Guild in the 4th District.”
Was this a scouting offer?
‘I’ve heard plenty of talk about guilds……’
Unfortunately, I’d rarely heard anything good about them.
But if a guild had set up shop in the 4th District, that meant its master was a 50+ Floor Adventurer.
There was no reason to offend such a person.
“Thank you. I’m grateful.”
At my bow, the bear-like man chuckled and clapped me on the shoulder.
“Right. Don’t engrave just any Skill Engraving you come across—focus your training on a few. Summoned Persons especially tend to make that mistake.”
It was the same advice Jeollik had given me.
—We natives are like that too, but Summoned Persons in particular don’t need to engrave too many Skills. In the end, it’s just going to be wasted effort.
—One attack technique, one way to handle Magical Power, one evasion technique. That’s enough.
“I’ll remember that.”
“Good. Get to work.”
“Wait—your name is……!?”
“Gix. Gix of the Drake Guild.”
The man vanished, but the sight of a high-tier adventurer I’d never seen before left such a strong impression that it lingered in my vision for some time afterward.
When my senses finally cleared,
“Ah!”
I spun around and caught sight of Lee Jeong-ho—completely stripped bare.
“Hell. They really took everything in the time I wasn’t looking?”
I’d been a step too late.
‘The Leather Armor and Greatsword would’ve fetched something.’
But taking even his undergarments seemed excessive, didn’t it?
Seeing Lee Jeong-ho picked clean like that, even my remaining thirst for revenge began to cool.
Of course, I still owed the other two scoundrels a proper repayment.
‘As for those Royal Palace bastards.’
With revenge behind me and another vendetta now kindled, I turned my steps toward the Martial Arts Dojo.

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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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