Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 48

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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 48
“There’s no way you can avoid drawing attention after sparring, however briefly, with a Third Class. Plenty of vultures will come circling.”
At Jerik’s words, it was Kirk—not I—who lowered his head.
“I’m sorry, Master. This is all my fault. I couldn’t avoid the confrontation…….”
“Well, it’s not entirely bad. Not if you’re thinking of joining a guild, a family, or some kingdom—somewhere, really.”
When Jerik’s gaze turned back to me, I shook my head at once.
“That would be inconvenient.”
“If it’s about that resource-extraction ability of yours, you’d actually be treated quite favorably. You’ve proven your combat skills too, so they wouldn’t just use you as a butcher, either.”
“Resource extraction? Butcher?”
The moment Kirk asked for clarification, I caught Jerik flinch slightly, and I let out a bitter smile.
If I didn’t trust Kirk, I wouldn’t have saved him from Cha Hye-ryeon in the first place.
The whole talk about “resources” was a lie to cover up the Goblin’s Pouch, after all.
“It’s something like that. Kirk. I’ll explain later.”
“……?”
“Your point isn’t wrong either, Master. However…….”
As long as they could keep mistaking it for my ability, there was no problem.
But the moment the Goblin’s Pouch was exposed?
‘They’d steal it and kill me.’
I wasn’t yet strong enough to protect this treasure in this savage world.
I sometimes wonder if it would’ve been better to be honest from the start.
But now there’s nothing to be done.
“……With my current abilities, I think I could even Solo Play through the tenth floor range and above. I simply don’t wish to join a group.”
A fragment of truth. I could only express my honest greed.
“So you’ll take everything your power brings in for yourself? Even so, there’d be plenty of benefits to be had by joining a guild or a family.”
“If a group becomes necessary, I can simply create a guild myself.”
“……Wow.”
Kirk let out an inadvertent exclamation, and Jerik sighed as he looked at me.
“Ambition is admirable, but the world doesn’t work as smoothly as we’d like. If you refuse recruitment, there will be those who hold a grudge and try to harm you.”
“I want to say there aren’t such crazy bastards……, but I can’t deny it.”
I’ve seen all manner of madness in this savage world.
Even Koreans—the Summoned who could be called civilized—seem to lose their minds in this place.
“……But you’re not going to break that resolve, are you?”
“No. Well, would it be that different if I joined a group?”
“……?”
“By that measure, I’d stick out considerably. In a large organization, I could face obstruction from every direction.”
“Hoh. You’re quite confident, aren’t you? A year ago you looked like you’d be digging earth in the Underground.”
“Well, about that…….”
I chuckled.
“Fine. It’s good to grow more positive. Your point isn’t wrong either. Besides, the great powers have long since become tools for a handful of monsters.”
There was a weight to Jerik’s next words that differed somewhat from what I’d imagined.
“Monsters?”
“Yes. Monsters starving for the ambition to become Transcendent Beings beyond the Labyrinth’s hundredth floor, but lacking the power to achieve it.”
“…….”
“What sort of beings are they?”
In all my time rolling through this savage world for over a year, I’d never heard such talk.
“……There’s no need for you to know the details yet. Those monsters wouldn’t bother with a mere First Class.”
Jerik held back.
“Just remember this: compared to those monsters, even the Top 10 Villains are cute. They see everything as a tool for their own use.”
The expression on Jerik’s face as he spoke……looked pained.
‘Is this connected to your past, Master?’
I wanted to ask, but something told me I shouldn’t.
“Ahem. Well. If you say it that way, I’ll just go my own path.”
“It’ll be bothersome, though. Have you thought it through?”
“That is…….”
There’s no way I’d thought it through.
If the situation hadn’t called for me to save Kirk, I wouldn’t have gotten tangled up in it at all.
Seeing my troubled expression, Jerik sighed and continued.
“Then first, let’s start with downplaying your own abilities.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I thought you were an impressive Rookie, but turns out you’re not much. Isn’t that the best position to take?”
“That’s not going to happen. You’ve already shown me what you’re capable of.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“……I’m sorry.”
Kirk blundered in uninvited and caught a sharp look from Jerik that sent him straight into silence.
“It’s not Kirk’s fault. That crazy bitch Cha Hye-ryeon is to blame.”
“……Right. Anyway, what about downplaying the whole thing? If it hurts your pride, we’ll find another way.”
“Nah. I don’t have any pride about that sort of thing.”
When your life—or your future—hangs in the balance, what good is wounded pride?
“Besides, we’ve got a case for it anyway.”
“A case?”
“Well…….”
When I mentioned the soldiers’ reactions at the Labyrinth monument, Jerik nodded along.
“You’re right—it’s actually fortunate you don’t have the Mana Tattoo.”
“But instead, I can use Transformation without it.”
“…….”
“Sorry. I’ll stop interrupting.”
Kirk opened his mouth again and immediately caught another look.
The guy really has no sense of the room.
“In any case, that’s fortunate on that front. The fact that you stayed on the tenth floor that long will only support the downplaying narrative. Did you pick up any items while you were there?”
Only two things came to mind.
One Orange Mana Stone that Taru tossed to me on the last day like an act of charity, and one World Tree Token that Silvanya gave me.
‘I went through all that hell for just this…….’
A sigh escaped me, but Jerik’s reaction was different from what I expected.
“Actually, that works out well. With nothing worth selling, the Merchant Guild’s attention on you will drop.”
“Ah…….”
“Things are going to get a little easier. So let’s go with this story.”
Hmm.
“Even if you refuse clearly, there’ll still be people who try to pick fights or test you. If you show full power every time, things will just get messier.”
“……Yes. I’ll be careful.”
“Good. For now, those Transformations are just Skill traits. Limited skills that you can use under timed conditions. Long cooldowns, and so on.”
“I see.”
“Most people won’t deliberately undersell themselves, so that’ll filter out about half of them. But there’ll still be a few who poke and prod just in case…….”
“I’ll handle declining those on my own, appropriately.”
“……Politely.”
“Of course.”
“Right. Take it easy, rest up, and head to the eleventh floor slowly. You know how different things get from there on, right? How careful you have to be with people.”
“……Yes.”
“Good. You’ve been through a lot—I’ve been grilling you too much. Get some rest.”
“No, really. Thanks to you, I’m finally getting the feeling that I’m home.”
“Home……. Yeah, that’s right. Rest.”
Watching Jerik smile like that, my heart finally settled into peace.
That night, for the first time in a hundred and twenty-two days, I slept soundly and without worry.
Not knowing what awaited me the next day.
* * *
The next morning.
I was planning to find Ruda first and officially announce that I was completely broke.
And there were things I needed to buy with whatever money I had left.
But.
Before I even woke up and had breakfast, the front of the training hall was already in an uproar.
“Are you here?!”
“Is this where Char lives……?!”
“I’m from the Artemis Guild!”
“We’re from the Beyond Family……!”
Loud, but oddly restrained for the Savage City—they hadn’t crossed any lines.
Jerik pointed at the main gate with a wry smile.
“Don’t you think you should go deal with them?”
He’d been training the students all morning, apparently.
Behind Jerik, a dozen or so trainees stared blankly in my direction.
“……What in the world is this, first thing in the morning.”
“That’s how much of a topic you became yesterday.”
An unavoidable situation.
Something that had to be done regardless.
“Sigh…….”
Splash.
I poured water over myself and rinsed off.
Whoosh.
After drying myself with a gust, my shower—clothes and all—was finished in a mere five seconds.
My mind felt sharper too.
True, I had the Purification Ability undergarment, but there was a satisfaction to showering itself that transcended mere hygiene.
“……That’s something I have to admit I envy.”
“Why don’t you use a spirit yourself, then?”
“Well, I’m already stretched thin. Hah.”
I chuckled at Jerik’s words and headed toward the front gate.
“So you’ll help out if a situation arises that I can’t handle?”
“Sure. It’s nothing major.”
That answer was reassuring beyond measure.
I didn’t know what kind of adventurer Jerik had been in the past, but it was now certain he’d been someone of note.
Why he stayed in District 9, why he didn’t venture deeper into the Labyrinth—he hadn’t explained, so I couldn’t say.
“I’m heading out then.”
Creak.
The moment the door opened.
“Is that Char?”
“Look! The black-haired one!”
“That’s him!”
Unfamiliar faces surged toward me all at once.
“We’ve come from the Valter Guild, under the Artemis Guild.”
Some of them even thrust forward gleaming Identity Badges.
“Stay right there.”
Bang.
Jerik swung a wooden staff lightly, scoring a deep line across the dirt in front of the door, and the crowd froze.
“Wow. They’re all here to see you?”
“……Looks that way.”
The morning trainees behind me muttered to one another.
A strange feeling washed over me.
Just four months ago, these people hadn’t cared whether I was dead or alive.
‘Let me get a better look at them.’
Whoosh.
As Wind Spirit Tracking swept past, the status windows showed the people were all roughly similar in capability.
All except one.
[Name: Ella]
[Intermediate Ranger (2nd Tier) Lv.29]
[Fragment of ‘天#’ ####.]
[Curiosity]
‘What the hell is this……?’
She was a woman whose eye corners drooped in such a way that she looked like she was smiling even when she wasn’t.
On the surface, she seemed unremarkable, but her information window said otherwise.
The moment Wind Spirit Tracking passed over her, I even caught her eyes following the spirit’s trail ever so slightly.
‘Is it possible……?’
I stared at her for a moment, and when she tilted her head questioningly, I snapped back to attention.
I opened my mouth, trying to look natural as I glanced around.
“What brings you all here like this……?”
Before I could finish, a dozen voices erupted from all around me.
“I’ve come to offer you a scouting proposal, Char.”
“Me too!”
“So have I!”
“Please just listen to our terms…….”
“If you’ll excuse me!”
Whoosh.
The moment I raised my voice with the aid of the wind, they all fell silent in alarm.
“I have no interest in joining any guild or family. My apologies.”
As I lowered my head and spoke, the commotion outside the door gave way to silence.
Then.
“You’re not even going to hear the conditions?”
“Is it possible you’ve already made an arrangement elsewhere……?”
As several of them opened their mouths again.
“No. I intend to focus on Solo Play until I obtain my second Class.”
Until I obtain my second Class.
I’d coordinated this line with Jerik.
By leaving the door open for joining somewhere after that, I was making it clear that I had no immediate interest.
“Still, wouldn’t you at least hear what we have to say……?”
Of course, I’d expected them not to back down so easily.
‘Hm.’
Now I was wondering if I should drag out the self-deprecation routine we’d discussed yesterday a bit longer.
“Would it be all right if we verified whether the rumors are actually true?”
“Pardon?”
That woman, Ella, had asked an unexpected question.
In the moment of my confusion.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Whoosh.
A small arrow suddenly shot from her arm as she smiled.
An arrow so fast it vanished from my field of vision.

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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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