Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 50

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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 50
“A Summoned Person belongs to the Royal Palace, so… well, you’d know that already. And I’m not part of that.”
The Royal Palace mobilizes enormous resources to pull people from other worlds in the first place.
“I never signed any contract. Strictly speaking, I never even had the chance to.”
The Magical Contract that Summoned Persons are supposed to sign, using Royal Palace support as bait.
‘I’ve got no desire to sign something like a slave contract anyway.’
I never even caught the scent of that contract in the first place.
“But if you didn’t sign a contract, then the Royal Palace doesn’t have priority!”
“That’s correct. We at the Golden God—or rather, the Merchant Guild—have been keeping an eye on your potential for quite some time now.”
Gary and Doni chimed in eagerly at my words.
“‘Haven’t’ signed it yet, that’s how the Royal Palace sees it. Are Artemis and the Merchant Guild attempting to encroach on the Royal Palace’s authority?”
But in the face of Lee Jin-sung’s follow-up, the two of them could only wear awkward expressions and open their mouths uselessly.
Lee Jin-sung observed their reaction with a cold gaze, then turned back to me with a smile.
“The Royal Court has expressed regret at not recognizing Cheol-woo’s talent.”
Regret?
“Regret, huh. You summoned someone who was living a perfectly decent, hardworking life to another world on a whim, then abandoned him there, and the guy nearly died on the streets. So regret is the word, then.”
At my sarcastic remark, Lee Jin-sung’s expression wavered.
‘What?’
Could it be he didn’t know?
“Ah… well… Hmm. I regret what happened in the past. However, taking that into account, the Royal Palace wishes to present terms accordingly. Would you not at least hear them out?”
He quickly steadied his faltering composure and slid a piece of paper across the table toward me.
“Hm?”
Jeol-lik glanced at the conditions written there and let out an exclamation.
“Five Artifacts per Class tier, guaranteed support. Monthly living expenses of 100 Gold, plus 30% of Labyrinth loot… These terms are quite excellent.”
At those words, Lee Jin-sung smiled slightly.
“The living expenses are 100 Gold based on the first-tier Class. As your rank increases, it will rise accordingly. To be frank, I contracted under terms worse than this.”
“You’re not mentioning the malicious clauses? That if you can’t repay three times the investment cost, you can’t break the contract, and if you stall on floor progress for over a year, you must prioritize royal-designated missions. And beyond maintaining the contract itself—if you breach the 100th floor, you must unconditionally fulfill one ‘condition’ set by the Royal Court? Has anyone actually escaped these terms?”
As I pointed out the conditions that could effectively tie me to the Royal Palace, Lee Jin-sung chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“Haha. The 100th-floor business is purely ceremonial. The rest are malicious clauses only for people without ability. For people with abundant potential like us, those conditions don’t apply.”
“You really believe that?”
“Yes. I’ve met a senior who successfully completed their contract and became independent.”
“You have?”
“Well, if you think of it as terms to help someone from Earth with nothing grow in this place, wouldn’t they actually be quite generous?”
At those words, I looked around me.
“Nothing…?”
Jeol-lik, who stands beside me now—my benefactor—and behind me, the Jeol-lik Martial Arts School that I can call home.
And on top of that, everything I’ve achieved so far.
While it might be insignificant to some, I possessed far too much to be called nothing at all.
“Ah… right, that wasn’t persuasive coming from me now, was it. Let me rephrase. Terms favorable for further growth.”
Terms favorable for further growth?
“I don’t know.”
“Think carefully. If you’d entered as a Summoned Person of the Royal Palace and formed a team, you wouldn’t have had the misfortune of being stuck on the 10th floor for 122 days.”
At that, a laugh escaped me.
Because that hasty assumption only undermined his persuasiveness further.
“None of this is particularly appealing to me right now. I’m not interested.”
“Hmph. There’s no organization that could present better terms than this. Still?”
Just as he said, Gary and Doni were both frowning at the conditions we’d laid out.
Never mind Gary from Artemis—even Doni, who works for the Merchant Guild.
Well, it wasn’t really my problem anyway.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m planning to keep soloing through the second-tier Class at least, so I want to think about it for a while.”
I gave him the same excuse I’d used with the others, and Lee Jin-sung’s expression finally hardened.
“Hmm. I don’t understand. Is it perhaps because the Royal Palace abandoned you that you can’t accept this—just out of pride?”
Just.
My face nearly twisted at that word.
If I stripped that bastard of all his abilities and equipment and threw him into the back alleys of Bartus District 9, could he really survive the way I did?
I forced down the rising malice and simply laughed.
“Perhaps. But wanting to work solo for a while is also genuine.”
Because I don’t yet have the power to openly oppose the Royal Palace.
“…Hmm. You seem sincere. This is quite problematic.”
“Problematic?”
“To be honest, this isn’t really my job—I’m here because a friend asked me to come persuade you, Cheol-woo.”
“A friend?”
At those words, Cha Hye-ryeon came to mind, the woman who’d been with him.
‘Could it be her?’
Ever since I’d registered with the earring yesterday, I hadn’t heard a sound from her.
While my thoughts grew tangled, Lee Jin-sung pressed on.
“Well, it seems your mind is quite set, so I suppose there’s no point trying to persuade you further. Still, it’s unfortunate that I won’t get to stand beside someone with your ability. We could’ve been quite the team.”
He’d never even seen what I was capable of.
“If you change your mind after your second Class advancement, I’d be happy to work together then.”
He spoke pleasantly, and even as the deal crumbled, he smiled to the very end.
Add a handsome face to that mix, and the appeal was nearly irresistible.
Whatever he’d done on Earth, few people would’ve disliked him.
I’d almost thought him a good man myself—if I hadn’t heard otherwise.
If I hadn’t caught wind of that talk about “using” people.
But separate from his character, something nagged at me.
“May I ask you something?”
“Hmm? Oh, me? Of course. Ask away.”
“It looks like you’re quite satisfied with your life now.”
“Ah. Yes. Well, I suppose so?”
“Don’t you resent being dragged into this world knowing nothing about it?”
“Ah… ha ha. Well. Yes. Of course I did at first. But now I can say with certainty that I don’t.”
“You don’t? Truly?”
“Hmm. I’d imagine you feel the same way, don’t you?”
“Me?”
What was he talking about?
“Could you give up the power you have now, Cheol-woo?”
“I… what?”
“There are plenty of inconveniences, sure. But one overwhelming advantage outweighs them all.”
“Mm.”
“This power we have right now. Could you really give it up and return to being an ordinary human again?”
Those words struck deep into my chest.
‘Power, huh…’
When I’d first acquired the Arc-Ripper Class.
It had been less than two days since I felt that rush—not just from the stat increases and privileges, but as if my very soul had been reborn.
‘It really is intoxicating.’
Even now, without doing anything, I watched the wound on my palm stop bleeding and seal itself, and the feeling only grew stronger.
But.
“Don’t you miss what you left behind in Korea?”
“Ah… Of course I do. As I said, there are no shortage of inconveniences. But even accounting for that, I prefer things as they are now. Most Summoned Persons with ability feel the same way. Except for the ones who’ve fallen behind, of course.”
Watching that handsome face smile smugly, I was certain.
‘This bastard isn’t one of them.’
Intoxicated by power?
Maybe.
But in his answer to my question, he’d mentioned nothing about family, a lover, friends—nothing about the people waiting for him.
There was no one in that beautiful smile of his.
“Is that why you want to go back?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Really? That’s surprising. You must’ve been quite wealthy back in Korea.”
I nearly laughed at that.
But then Ha-eun’s face flashed through my mind, and my mood darkened.
‘Is she doing alright? She must have no money left.’
Wait.
When was the last time I’d thought about how my sister was surviving after I disappeared?
When I’d saved Silvanya, I’d thought of my parents too—and that, it felt, had been a very long time ago.
Was I, like Lee Jin-sung, intoxicated by power too?
‘Damn it. Don’t forget. I can’t forget. My duty.’
Crack.
The moment I slapped my cheek hard, I felt eyes on me.
“Ah. Well, I was just thinking about home.”
“I see. I understand that feeling. I do hope we meet again soon. Until then.”
I’d bet my entire fortune that there isn’t a shred of sincerity in that statement.
More than anything, though.
‘I wish you’d told me yourself…’
That remark bothered me in an odd way.
‘…Why didn’t you just tell me?’
A low hum.
[Designated User Registered]
[Voice Pattern Recorded.]
The Voice Filter Earring whispered in Lee Jin-sung’s voice.
“I, I should also then…….”
“I, too, will return with better terms soon.”
Gary and Doni, who had become mere spectators by circumstance, followed Lee Jin-sung out.
And only then could I proceed with my original morning plan.
* * *
“Welcome—char, is that you!?”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
“I heard you’d returned. I was worried. Thank goodness.”
Already?
News travels fast?
“Ah, it just took longer than expected to clear the tenth-floor quest.”
“I see, that’s a relief. A real relief. Do you happen to have anything to sell……?”
Ruda’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, but I shook my head with a bitter smile.
“No, I didn’t get anything this time. I just came to buy some supplies.”
“Ah…….”
Ruda sighed.
But soon after, as if remembering his duty, he smiled again.
“What are you looking for? As you know, I keep all the essentials for adventurers in stock.”
“Orange Mana Stones. Can you get any?”
“Ah. Right. You must have gained a Class. So the Mana Stone…….”
Only then did Ruda seem to understand, his eyes scanning over me.
I understood what his gaze meant, but I offered no further explanation.
Ruda would have confirmed there was no tattoo on me, yet his expression remained unchanged as he continued smiling.
“Orange grade—those high-grade Mana Stones typically trade around 100 Gold. And you’re aware that listings are quite scarce, yes?”
“Of course.”
Red-grade Mana Stones trade frequently, but orange-grade and above drop sharply in volume, and yellow-grade and higher are genuinely rare commodities.
Not only are there few Elite Monsters that drop Mana Stones, but even defeating an Elite Monster doesn’t guarantee a drop—that’s the real bottleneck, from what I’ve heard.
Beyond that.
-The Royal Palace types control the supply too. Right now, Mana Stones are genuinely strategic resources.
Just as Jeol-lik said, the state has its hand in it.
But.
“If that’s what you seek, I’ll search actively for it. Do you have a specific type in mind? Oh, and by the way, popular Mana Stones like the ‘Brute Force’ or ‘Mana’ types go for over a thousand Gold.”
“What about orange-grade Mana Stones with defects—ones with severe Penalties?”
What I was looking for was a different story entirely.
“……Pardon?”
Unfortunately, with virtually no profit from the tenth floor right now, my budget consisted only of the remaining 45 Gold or so I had, plus the 500 Gold I’d gotten from Ella.
So.
“I was hoping you could find me a cheaper orange Mana Stone. I’m a bit short on funds.”
“Huh…….”
Ruda’s expression grew awkward, as if my answer caught him off guard, but he soon spoke carefully.
“Didn’t you earn 500 Gold or so earlier? That should be enough to get a decently good Mana Stone…….”
When did he hear about that?
‘Right before I came here?’
I looked at Ruda with questioning eyes, and he laughed awkwardly.
“I have a lot of friends here and there, so news reaches me quickly.”
“Huh…….”
There are limits to how quickly news should travel.
Just as my suspicion was about to deepen.
“If you’re short on funds because you need it elsewhere, I could also help arrange a loan. No matter how urgent things are, I’d hate to see you compromise your future by using a Defective Grade Mana Stone.”
Faced with words I hadn’t expected, I looked at him again.
And so I showed him a part of my genuine heart.
“I’m not trying to ruin the future. I have my reasons for this, so please help me find what I need.”
“…You have your reasons, I see. Well… if we’re talking Defective Grade, prices can drop to a tenth of the standard rate. We could probably acquire them for ten Gold, maybe twenty at most. There should be quite a few on the market. Shall we really proceed?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your budget…?”
“…I’d prefer to stay under 500 Gold.”
“As expected. Though with 500 Gold, you could easily afford decent options for Mana Stones….”
“I’d like to see as many varieties of Defective Grade as possible.”
“…Pardon?”
Not because I’m going to embed them in my own body.
‘There must be penalties that don’t apply to Spirits.’
And typically, the larger the penalty on a Mana Stone, the more powerful its effects tend to be.
“If there’s an unusual effect among them, I want to try using it regardless of the penalty—even if I don’t absorb it myself.”
“Are you making an Artifact?”
“Something like that.”
“Ah….”
If Ruda wanted to make his own assumptions, I was fine letting him. No need to explain.
“Understood. I’ll look into it according to your specifications.”
“Thank you.”
But at the end of that transaction, Ruda brought up something strange.
“Ah, Char. You know about that Summoned Person called Cha Hye-ryeon, right?”
Cha Hye-ryeon?
“What? That odd name?”
“Eh? I’m talking about the Summoned Person who clashed with you and your friend yesterday. Everyone’s been calling her that.”
“You mean Cha Hye-ryeon?”
“Ah. So that’s her actual name? Anyway, that woman seems to be up to something strange.”
“Something strange?”
“Yes. And it seems to be related to you somehow.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Ruda didn’t answer immediately.
He glanced around at the empty space for a moment, then lowered his voice slightly.
“Well, I happened to overhear something….”

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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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