Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

Though she was pretending otherwise, it was clear that Lumia looked utterly dejected.

“Ah, cat lady. Or should I call you Lumia? Anyway, don’t be too disheartened. It’s time for you to receive a reward that truly suits you.”

“Ugh. I’m not dejected…”

“Pfft. Acting tough, huh? It’s not at all shameful to expect a fair compensation for your efforts.”

“…W-Well, then please give me a reward too.”

“Of course! I feel bad for not mentioning it sooner, especially since you were the first to pass the trial.”

Adelaia, who smiled awkwardly, added that she had deliberated a lot about Lumia’s unusual inner self when considering the reward.

Then, she suddenly paused the conversation and called me, who had been quietly listening next to them.

What’s going on? Is Lumia’s reward somehow related to me?

I answered without revealing my thoughts.
“Yes. Please go ahead.”

“Do you know that a strong aura of darkness is leaking from the backpack on your back? By this point, it must be an artifact sealed with powerful authority.”

Darkness aura. And sealing, huh.

Could it be?

There was one thing I had in mind.
Opscuritas.

The ominous cave where Grielops, who went crazy over darkness and light, appeared.
The black sphere that the golem had risked its life to protect back then must be the item Adelaia was talking about.

Among all the items I had, only that one was marked as sealed in my info window, so I was 100% certain.
“Most beings wouldn’t notice and just pass it by, but I’m different. If I purify what’s inside and fill the surrounding darkness in its place…”

Just as I was about to reach into my backpack to say that.
Adelaia raised her hand to stop me, then urged Lumia to make a choice.

“You will be given two options, and you need to choose one. Once it’s chosen, it can’t be reversed, so think carefully.”

First. Like the companions before her, she takes an artifact imbued with unique power, becoming stronger than now.
Second. Foregoing the first choice, she’ll seek a way to alleviate the curse that has spread deep inside her through something Aren possesses.

With two choices presented, Lumia seemed to ponder deeply as she let out a lingering sound.
I thought she would obviously choose the latter, but her answer didn’t come right away, which was a bit surprising.

What’s there to ponder? The second one is a no-brainer!

Gaining equipment or traits to become stronger would surely come again in the future.
It wasn’t hard to understand that other people gained bizarre-performing artifacts. But.

The desperate desire to finally escape the curse that tormented her until the brink of death.
And the ambition to step closer to vengeance as she grows stronger, wanting to help the party more.
Caught between those two emotions, Lumia looked confused.

I prodded her to remember the days she suffered from the curse.
I told her to think only of herself, who is struggling right now.

I wanted to let her decide for herself if possible.
But the answer was already determined, too obvious for me to hold back my advice.

Nod.
After her eyes twirled around a bit, looking as if she had decided, she took a deep breath and calmly told Adelaia.
“If I choose the second option, will it definitely alleviate my curse?”

After a brief silence, Adelaia closed her eyes and quietly answered.
“Since the two auras are similar, it will surely be alleviated. But how much is entirely up to you. Perhaps the curse may completely vanish.”

“Then… I’ve made my decision. The second one.”

“Great. Now, I’ll hand you something imbued with energy, so please stand as far back from me as possible. Being too close might inflict great damage to your mind, you know?”

As the warning ended, we first sent the companions to the entrance of the sanctuary.
Bam.
I took out Opscuritas and handed it to Adelaia.
“This is what you’re talking about, right?”

“You know well. I will begin the purification ritual and unsealing process, so please step back.”

“Aren! Come quickly!”

Well, if it’s related to mental attacks, thanks to Chaos, it should be fine for me to watch from here.
But just in case, I hurried to move back at Yeriell’s gesture.

“Termana Me-an Darhadas.”
The purification ritual began.
Once a revered, forgotten deity, and the transcendent of radiance.
Splendid light spread from behind Adelaia, filling the inside of the sanctuary.

Swoosh.
The sinister black sphere began to spew dark smoke as if battling against it.
Is this really going well?

By the time the smoke emitted from the sphere filled her surroundings, it quickly formed the figure of a skeleton, wrapped in robes, swelling up.
“Who awakened me?! How dare you lay hands on my sealing while the great calamity is at hand? …No matter who it is, I will burn everything that stands in my way to ashes!”

From his entire body, blue fire roared up, looking like it would immediately incinerate Adelaia right in front of him.
Wooooooom.
But heedless of that, a large magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and the quivering light silently enveloped the monster.

“CREEEEAAK! Why?! Why now!!!”
With eyes wide open, she clasped her hands and finished the incantation.
“Chuve Re Solas IonTah!”

Vwoosh—!
Light. Darkness. Expel.
It became impossible to fully comprehend the incantation since it wouldn’t entirely translate to a single language.
“Impossible! I am destined to set fire to the empire with this power granted by the deity—”

Shpoof.
As the smoke dissipated and the shimmering light of the sphere rose to her chest, I knew right away that the purification had succeeded.
Holding it lightly as it turned gray, she called out to us.
“It’s all done, so come and take it.”

What on earth is happening?
So, inside my backpack, there was a bomb that would explode with time?
Phew. Let me check how it turned out.
────
[Opscuritas] [Unique]
A powerful being who was bestowed power by the God of Darkness, when facing death, forged a medium of resurrection imbued with its power, soul, and darkness, and sealed it.
However, after a long time, the weathered guardian met its end at the hands of the adventurer Aren.
The seal, along with the lofty spirit inside, was completely purified by the transcendent of radiance.
The seal containing the fearsome demon that once made the world tremble would now transform into a talisman for a certain tribe, changing its purpose entirely.
─When carried, absorbs darkness from the ‘Dark Punishment’ that spreads.
─Once a day, while in a state of absorbed darkness, feels random pain and permanently weakens the curse of ‘Dark Punishment’.
The degree of purification increases day by day, and if the user’s curse is entirely purified, the trait of ‘Dark Punishment’ changes into a positive trait.
────
This is insane.
This is truly… a unique item that will revolutionize Lumia’s life once again.
Upon hearing the description of the purified item, her eyes widened in surprise.
“If, if this means…”
Finally, holding the sphere tightly in her arms, Lumia broke down in tears.
“Whaaa! Waaaa!!!”
The fact that she can erase the curse that had once dragged her down into despair, which had tormented her for a decade.
I had only known her for less than half a year, yet I felt so overwhelmed. How much more for Lumia?
“L-Lumia! Don’t cry… Agh, now I’m getting teary too…”
“This won’t do. Both of you come here and hug me.”
No, she should say that while giving the hug herself.
Veronica grabbed my arms, spreading them wide as Lumia and Yeriell dove into me.
“Waaaaaa!”
“Uuugh. Huuuh.”
Oh dear. This must hurt because of the armor.
Even though they crashed into my chest without caring about my armor, watching the two pour tears on me, I could only pat and comfort them in silence.
Veronica nodded in satisfaction, as if she had accomplished something.
“It’s heartwarming. This is why I like humans.”
Adelaia smiled gently while keeping her distance.
[Chaos says during times like this, just laugh together.]
Oh dear. I don’t know anymore.
Since it’s all over, let’s not overthink it.
Until the tears of joy, relief, and empathy stopped flowing, the three of us held onto each other for quite a while.
*
“It won’t take long, so I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll take good care of them, so don’t worry and go.”
After telling my comrades to wait for a moment, I followed Adelaia outside the sanctuary, just the two of us.
She mentioned she had something to discuss separately, but what reason could it be to call only me out?
The answer to that was completely unexpected.
“You, please—Ah! It might feel closer to mix your name with ‘you’ instead of ‘that’. Would that be okay?”
“Yes. I don’t mind how you address me. Please speak comfortably.”
“Good. Then to continue, Aren, may I enter your sword?”
???
“What did you say?”
I questioned, wondering if I had misheard something.
But Adelaia only smiled brightly as if I had heard it correctly.
“I would like to enter… your sword.”
She said again clearly.
“Uh, that’s so absurd that I find it hard to respond. Could you elaborate on that a bit more?”
Could it be that she, as a supposed god, somehow lacks common sense?
It felt like she had a tendency to behave as if, “Just answer my question,” could be the theme of her speech.
“Ah, oh my. I’m sorry.”
She waved her hands in apology, realizing my confusion wasn’t taken for granted, nor was she forcing an answer.
“You may not know this, but like me, forgotten or fallen gods and transcendent beings must endure boredom without knowing when their territory will connect to different levels, unless they are among the very few who have left traces on the continent—”
Unless they are among those?
“Bound by the laws of the Great Labyrinth, one must bear with the ennui, not knowing when or which level their territory will connect.”
“Hmm.”
“So, they often test adventurers by sending trials, or gamble with their strength and authority against mortals.”
Adelaia shrugged her shoulders and continued.
“Sometimes they even send unconditional goodwill or propose trades.”
Scratching my cheek, I asked Adelaia.
“In short, you mean everyone is bound in the Great Labyrinth, wanting to be involved with adventurers in different ways according to their restraints, right?”
Certainly, that transcendent who ruled the Frozen Land we met on the 2nd Floor?
As I recalled their voice, laced with intrigue and joy, Adelaia’s words became clear.
Veronica also mentioned being presented with six trials by a being she called the God of the Skies within the labyrinth, so it all made sense.
Nodding, Adelaia added.
“What I mentioned earlier wasn’t about me going into your sword directly; it merely means I’d like to implant a tiny thought in you to watch your journey closely.”
Don’t misunderstand, please.
Well, I had half hoped that the Solas I received as a reward might serve as an Ego Sword in some way.
I poked her with a question on the areas I felt uneasy about.
“What exactly can you do by planting a thought to watch? Can you physically intervene through the sword?”
Understanding what I was worried about, she answered clearly.
“I’ll just be sharing my vision and watching over you. No need to worry. Apart from that, we might communicate every now and then.”
In simpler terms, I guess it’s like a lower version of Chaos?
[Chaos is throwing a fit, demanding I take that back now.]
[Chaos is puffing up his cheeks.]
[Chaos declares that if the correction isn’t made, there will be no more patting heads in the future.]
I calmed down the messages from Chaos while rolling my eyes.
Geez. It’s like raising a child without even marrying yet.
During that moment, Adelaia continued her conversation.
“Anyway, if you wish for more than that, the labyrinth would instantly deem me breaking the rules and try to obliterate me.”
She claimed that she simply wished to alleviate her boredom using the weapon upon which she had poured her powers and had no other intentions.
“Then, if I were to plant a thought in the sword as you requested, would I receive any benefits in return?”
I didn’t want to agree without sufficient reason, just because a transcendent asked.
The memories of struggling through the trial still vividly haunted me, and now she suddenly wished to make a request?
After all, even transcendent beings wouldn’t harm us without reason.
‘Though I’m grateful that you helped alleviate Lumia’s curse, ultimately, that too is a just reward. This kind of thing isn’t something I can agree to just like that.’
“Alright. Pursuing benefits is something humans often exhibit.”
She smiled softly, continuing our talk as we discussed conditions and additional rewards.
⋯
[Would you like to register ‘Solas, the Radiant Blade’ in the weapon’s crystallization?]
Yes, I would like to register.
[Registration complete. There are 2 spaces left.]
Already three slots are filled.
Seeing Solas vanish into a spatial realm, Adelaia whispered.
“When all the processes of each domain are completed, the challengers, in other words, the pilgrims walking the path of the Seven Stars will be sent back to the starting point.”
“The final regulation, you say?”
“When every path is closed, it’s a hidden advisory that’s not mentioned in the guidance.”
Uh-oh. It seems like the last part won’t be simple either.
*
The Crossroad of the Seven Stars.
I returned to the same place where we had a quarrel in front of the seven portals.
“As I said earlier, somehow every entrance has to be closed for you to escape.”
Crackle.
“Right now, it seems every single connection is unstable, and even simple conversations will be hard. Please endure until the end. Farewell.”
Snip.
Though the connection ringing in my head with Adelaia was cut off, there was no time to think about that right now.
“Uweeek. Ugh.”
“Ben, snap out of it and open your eyes!”
“Is there anyone with high-grade potions or a priest who can recover?! I will definitely reward you! Please, don’t hold back and come out!”
It’s strange if our party is intact without a scratch, while the adventurers that came ahead through the portal look… utterly wrecked.