Conquering the Labyrinth with a Trash-Tier Trait - Chapter 60

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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 60
“Did you see that?”
“…Yeah, I saw it.”
The toxic toad that had erupted above the Jungle Forest and Chul-woo’s decisive blow that finished it were both clearly visible to the two knights pursuing them from a distance.
“Can a First Class really do something like that?”
“Hmm, it’s possible. If he used a special skill.”
Wariness would naturally have followed.
“Well, we could all do that, couldn’t we?”
“If it were me, I’d have crushed its head before it even jumped.”
“I would’ve snapped its neck before it even noticed me.”
The pride of the two men effortlessly trampled that wariness.
And besides.
“Or it could be because of an item.”
“Ah! That must be it.”
Greed was added to the mix.
“What did Candrick say to bring back?”
“No. He just said to strip everything.”
“Then… reasonably…?”
“Yeah. Reasonably.”
Smirk.
“Let’s finish up quick.”
“Good.”
The two Second Class knights, exchanging grins as they faced each other, picked up their pace.
* * *
“Wow. Big brother. What’s this?”
“What else? An Ability Stone. Pretty worthless though.”
“Spore Dispersal? Ugh? Just looking at the name…”
“Yeah. Probably it just goes ‘pop’ from the skin.”
“…Ugh.”
It definitely would, but I glossed over it for Max’s sake.
“Anyway, let’s sell it and split the proceeds. We’ll sell everything from the corpse byproducts except the meat.”
The number of monsters needed for a Perfect Clear had dropped dramatically, so there wasn’t really room for synthesis anymore.
Better to properly butcher and sell than to fail to raise the grade and settle for quality improvement instead.
As I was running through those calculations, I caught sight of Max’s awkward expression.
“Why do you look like that?”
“Huh? Oh. Um, I didn’t really do anything… and you’re just taking it all yourself…?”
The kid’s face showed not satisfaction but rather apology and discomfort.
Which made me like him all the more.
“What do you mean you didn’t do anything? You blocked the attacks well at first.”
“But… I figured you would’ve handled it fine without my help anyway…”
Well, that was actually true.
“Doesn’t matter. You did well. So just take it when I give it. If you ever feel like it’s not enough, then just do better next time.”
“Got it! Brother! I’ll do even better from now on!”
“Hmm. Anyway, that smells good. Is that the meat you added?”
“Yes.”
A rich, savory aroma wafted from the meat stew he was preparing.
The stew—or rather, the broth—looked well-made despite the short preparation time.
‘Potatoes and meat, red broth?’
I was aware he had some skill for keeping ingredients and seasonings fresh, but this exceeded expectations.
“This tastes like Gochujang Stew, doesn’t it?”
“That’s right. I brought gochujang too.”
“Oh?”
“The meat was the issue, but since you vouched for it… Okay, I think it’s ready now. Let me just taste it first…”
Slurp.
After tasting a spoonful of the broth, his eyes suddenly went wide.
“Is it good?”
“…Ah. Yeah. It’s delicious! But the taste… it’s not just that…”
“What?”
“Just try it first!”
The kid suddenly lit up and held out the bowl.
‘Hmm.’
Slurp.
The moment I scooped a generous spoonful of broth into my mouth, a deep, rich umami flooded my palate.
Unlike the sharp bite of kimchi stew, the distinctive sweetness and punch of gochujang warmed my throat with a clean, spreading heat.
“Ahhhh…….”
Simultaneously.
[Agility increased by 6.]
[Effect lasts 30 minutes.]
“……What is this?”
“Isn’t it amazing!? The meat made the difference. The buff duration stretched out by twenty minutes……!”
[Gochujang Stew (Superior)]
-A gochujang stew made with rear leg meat from a monstrous toad. Randomly increases physical stats (4~6).
-Thanks to the Mana-infused meat, the buff’s effective duration has been considerably extended.
Yes. It’s certainly impressive.
If the duration has stretched to thirty minutes, Max’s cooking skill might actually prove useful in combat.
But more than those minor buffs, what mattered to me was the taste itself.
‘In such a short time, cooking like this?’
This man.
‘He’s a genuinely skilled chef! And Korean cuisine, no less!’
It felt like finding whispers of modern civilization in this barbarous world, bit by bit.
It was impossibly, overwhelmingly good.
“Don’t you have rice?”
“Right here. But where did you get that meat?”
“That’s…….”
Gulp.
Smack.
While eating enthusiastically, I explained the Butchering skill, then complimented Max once more as he fell into thought.
“It’s delicious. Really.”
“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”
“Genuinely. It was wonderful.”
“Hehe.”
This man wasn’t just good at kimchi stew.
“Do you know a lot of Korean dishes?”
“Pardon? Ah. Well. Yes. It runs in the family.”
“Your family business is kimchi stew, though.”
“Apparently, they sold other dishes at first. So I learned them all eventually.”
Just as I thought.
“Have you ever heard of anyone else selling Korean food anywhere?”
“Huh? No, no. I haven’t.”
“Know why?”
“They don’t allow it in Bartus, and in the higher floors there aren’t enough Summoners to make a living, or so I’ve heard…….”
“Ah…….”
Certainty washed over me once more.
There might be better cooks in this world than him, but a better Korean cook? Never.
‘The taste of home. The taste of home. How am I supposed to endure this!’
And besides.
‘He seems decent in combat too.’
I’m not sure why he carries two shields, but he clearly has potential as a vanguard.
His frame is a bit small, but frontline fighters in a world where you face colossal monsters don’t rely on size anyway.
They rely on skill.
“Listen, you…….”
How do I convince him to keep traveling with us?
Just as I was choosing my words.
“That’s quite an enticing aroma.”
“Would we be permitted to join you for a meal?”
Clunk-clunk.
Two armored figures in knight’s regalia emerged from the direction we’d come.
‘Hmm. Faster than I expected.’
[Aslan]
[Intermediate Knight Lv.22]
[Innate Ability 2/2]
-Swordsmanship. Agility (Sealed)
[Tar]
[Intermediate Knight Lv.21]
[Innate Ability 2/2]
-Mace Technique. Strength (Sealed).
Smirk.
“Ah. Well, a refusal is a refusal, then.”
“Besides, I’ll eat you after I finish you off.”
Whoosh.
They lunged forward like lightning, their smirks never wavering.
The longsword came at me; the mace at Max.
‘Not today.’
The moment before, I’d already summoned Poong Chul-woo and begun my Transformation.
Crack.
Crash.
I surged forward at explosive speed.
In that instant of acceleration, I tore through the air that felt like a solid barrier using the ‘Heavy Step’ of the Volante Step Technique, then shredded it further with the Shatter Spear.
The moment the blood-hungry smile froze on the swordsman’s face as he swung toward me—
Thud.
I’d bored a hole the size of a human head through his solar plexus.
Without pause, I wheeled toward the mace-wielder.
Crash.
“Ugh!”
Max, blocking the mace with both shields, was launched backward from the impact.
And then—
“……You!?”
The mace knight finally turned to look at me, hesitated, then hurled his weapon away.
Whoosh.
Tap.
The moment I dodged the mace without effort, I saw the knight fleeing toward the rear.
‘What?’
It was absurd, but catching him would be no trouble.
“Gah!?”
Bang.
I knocked aside the fleeing knight’s dagger with my vibrating spear shaft, then drove it forward.
Squelch.
The moment his flank was torn clean away, his eyes wide with shock—
The second thrust finished him.
Crack.
A gaping wound.
The Shatter Spear, which pulverized everything it touched through vibration and rotation, had ground through his shoddy armor and body alike in a single motion—no Artifact needed.
“Hah…….”
The moment I released my Transformation and surveyed the area, I felt no more hostile presence.
The system’s voice confirmed it.
[Combat Concluded.]
[Two Intermediate Knights have been eliminated.]
[Vast Experience Points obtained.]
[Level increased.]
[Level-up Points obtained.]
“Hmm.”
More than the level gain, what pleased me was how easily I’d dispatched two Secondary Class fighters in mere moments.
A combat so effortless it made drawing on full power seem wasteful.
‘Must be the ambush factor.’
After all, they’d set a trap only to fall into one themselves.
And both their Ability Stones were sealed anyway.
‘Best not grow careless.’
Even as I steadied myself with that thought, laughter bubbled up.
Until I heard Max’s voice from behind.
“H-hey, brother…….”
“Huh? Are you all right?”
“……Ugh. Yes. I was startled, but I’m fine. They just—who are these people?”
“Bandits, probably.”
“……But they’re wearing knight’s armor?”
“Bandits in knight’s armor, then.”
“But you changed just now too—your hair turned white and there was white wind swirling around you…….”
“Yeah. Skill.”
“……So you knew they were going to attack?”
I’d hoped to brush past this easily, but Max turned out to be sharper than I expected.
“And these people—I remember seeing their faces. At the town hall, I think…….”
“Shh.”
“……Why? There’s only the two of us here.”
“Doesn’t matter. Keep your voice down. They do look like Golden Acre knights, just as you said.”
“……I had a bad feeling about this, but—is it really true!?”
I’d told him to be quiet, but his voice shot up immediately.
“Most likely. They seem to be the ones that bald Candrick sent after me when I started trouble with him. I saw them following, so I was ready for it.”
“……But these people would all be Advanced Class, wouldn’t they? How did you even……?”
Ah. So that’s what surprised him?
“They let their guard down. I fought with everything I had. And they’d have Innate Ability penalties too.”
“Even so, your skill is in a completely different league…….”
“You blocked one of their attacks for me. That helped a lot.”
“……I see. You’re not planning to explain much, are you?”
Watching him droop, I couldn’t help but laugh.
With a mountain of a fellow like Kirk, even teasing wouldn’t have the same bite.
“It’s simple. I’m just very strong. Strong enough to handle someone a Class level above me without much trouble. Easy enough?”
“Is that even possible?”
“Well, you’re watching it happen right now.”
“I…….”
“And my equipment transcends normal grades too. Take this armor, for instance—it has Pressure Aura built into it.”
“What? You don’t mean the Aura Oppression?”
An Advanced knight’s Aura Oppression is a very famous skill.
“Yeah. That one. So when these bastards got close to me, they hesitated. That made a real difference.”
I would’ve won regardless, but it might have taken a few more moves.
“Meanwhile, these idiots don’t have a single Artifact between them. Hell, they barely have any money either—absolute paupers.”
I’d looted the corpses with a wind spirit.
All I got was nine gold pieces total.
“The recently appointed Golden Acre knights are notorious for their poor quality anyway. That bald one especially.”
“Yeah, you can tell just by looking. They attacked first anyway, so wipe that gloomy face off, Max.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Never mind these guys—you said that bald castellan is definitely Advanced Class. Once he finds out his men are dead, he won’t just sit still…….”
Truth be told, even a regular Advanced Class might be beatable. But that wasn’t the argument to convince him with.
So I went for something more practical.
“How would he know?”
“……What?”
“Only you and I know these men are dead right now. If we keep quiet, how would he ever find out?”
“Well……even so, if that bald man sent them, wouldn’t he suspect us when they don’t come back?”
“That’s fine. We won’t come back either.”
“What?”
“We finish the quest and head back to the upper levels or Bartus, and how would he ever know? Besides, would even that arrogant Candrick believe that these men actually lost to us?”
“……It’s not us, though. It’s you.”
“Hey, why nitpick over details like that? We’re in this together.”
I nudged him playfully while teasing, but his expression only grew darker.
His face sagged further.
“What do you mean ‘in this together’? Are we just screwed together?”
“Listen. Cheer up. Even if he suspects us, he can’t come after us here. The city lord’s term is only three years, right?”
“I suppose…….”
“And if you’re worried about your father, don’t be. I’ll handle that separately. Just follow my lead and don’t worry.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah.”
Right up until I convinced Max, I never doubted my own perfect logic.
Even though I knew better than anyone that the world doesn’t always bend to our will.
He had grown overconfident in the glow of recent success.
That careless optimism would shatter the moment he encountered an obstacle he had never anticipated.

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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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