Surviving the Dungeon with an EX-Rank Trait

I emerged from the Holy District and entered Zone 4.

While heading to the Guild, I asked Yeriell various basic questions.

For instance, places that one should fundamentally know if they live here before gathering information.

Shuffle shuffle.

“Yeriell, so far I’ve only been to the Adventurer Guild after escaping the Labyrinth, and the end of the Holy District in Zone 3. How many zones are there?”

“Have you really only been using your body for the past two weeks…?”

…Well, it turned out that way.

“Hmm. To put it simply, this place may be called Labyrinth City, but it’s more like a fortress surrounded by eight urban-grade zones.”

Right. I remembered that much from before my transference.

“Zone 1: Arcadia. It’s located at the center of the city, and it’s said to be where the powers that merged the city and people around emerged when the Great Labyrinth appeared.”

I had a question about Yeriell’s statement.

“Isn’t it normal for Labyrinth Cities to have the Great Labyrinth in the center and create zones around it?”

“I don’t know much as a commoner either, but maybe it’s because the high-ups wanted to be at the center of the city that would soon be built?”

Anyway, Yeriell continued her explanation.

“Zone 2: Esteban. This is known as the Noble District.”

So nobles are the power holders, right?

“When the people of Zone 1 were establishing themselves at the center, the nobles around them settled on the outer part of the city and called it Zone 2.”

So, Zone 1 consists of high-ranking nobles who significantly influenced the city’s establishment, and Zone 2 consists of ordinary nobles in the vicinity?

“You know Zone 3, right? And Zone 4 is the mixed-use district, Orarium, that we are heading to.”

I remembered Orarium from the Protector’s explanation.

“It’s literally the entrance to the Great Labyrinth, the commercial district, and a gathering place for various guilds like the Adventurer Guild and Swordsmanship Guild.”

Right now, Zone 4 would be the most important place for me.

“Zones 5 to 7 are the flatlands where most people live, called Remnant! There are plenty of shops and an Adventurer branch in each zone, but it’s not as good as Zone 4.”

She shook her head midsentence.

“Zone 8… is a zone that’s been all but abandoned by everyone. It’s called the Slum District, Deshurtum. I’ve heard there are many groups from the underworld there.”

Derik said he lived in Zone 6, right? Hmm, I hope I don’t have to go to the slums.

After walking and chatting for another hour or two, the entrance to Zone 4 appeared.

Finally, we arrived at the Guild.

“Here’s the Guild! Aren, don’t you need to register as a new adventurer first?”

“Right. Last time was too hectic.”

I answered and immediately pushed through the Guild revolving door.

“Hey, Aren, I’ll just look around a bit. You’ll be quick, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll finish up quickly, so just wait for me a bit.”

“Okay!”

Leaving Yeriell behind, I stood in front of the reception desk, where the line was relatively short.

Eventually, it was my turn, and the receptionist spoke.

“Hello. How can I help you?”

“I’d like to register as a new adventurer, is that possible right away?”

“Yes! Of course. The registration fee for a new adventurer is 10 Silver Coins.”

My compensation from 3rd Floor, which I had to grind for, was 25 Silver Coins.

10 Silver Coins for the registration fee? Isn’t that a bit steep for a beginner?

…But I have heard people flock to this land of opportunity from the outside.

‘What’s the point of taking in people who won’t even labor to gather the registration fee? Let’s be real, if we accepted everyone, we’d just end up with more corpses.’

Fortunately, I had plenty of funds right now. I pulled out 10 Silver Coins and handed them to the receptionist.

Clink.

“Okay, confirmed! Just a moment.”

The receptionist took the registration fee and pulled out a sheet of paper from under the counter.

“I’ll give you a form to fill out your personal information. By the way! If you provide false information, you’ll face severe consequences later, so be careful.”

Thorough, aren’t they? Alright, where should I write?

…Right from the start, I was confronted with a hurdle.

I wrote my name and age without issues, but where I’m from? Stuck there.

Can I just say I come from a nameless village in some direction?

But if I get famous later and someone investigates and finds out I lied… Hmm.

It might be better to just tackle this head-on.

“Is there any way to leave out where I’m from?”

“Huh? Well, some people do that for various reasons. Could you share yours?”

“Actually, I… was found in the Labyrinth with amnesia a few weeks ago. I temporarily joined Derik’s party on the 3rd Floor, so can’t we skip this?”

The receptionist had a perplexed look.

“Amnesia, you say? Just a moment, what’s your name again?”

“Aren. Just Aren, no surname.”

The receptionist pulled out a large book, similar to the form.

When she touched the cover, a small magic circle appeared…?

Is it some kind of magical item? Even in this awkward moment, it was somewhat fascinating.

“Gasp! Are you, Aren, the participant under the guarantee of the adventurer Ivelyn, the leader of the Silver Cross Knights?”

“Yes, that’s correct. She is my master.”

I confirmed it, seeing the receptionist’s surprise.

“If it’s someone of that caliber providing a guarantee, if your name and age are clear along with the other details, we can overlook your place of origin.”

All hail the great Ivelyn!

“…Alright, your personal information is all set.”

I was anxious about where I could be blocked next, but thankfully it went smoothly.

“New adventurers typically have to undergo basic knowledge training, which costs an additional 3 Silver Coins. If you’re short on cash, you can put it on credit, how would you like to proceed?”

Without hesitation, I paid the 3 Silver Coins.

“Alright, that’s confirmed. Since the start time is approaching, please head up to the 2nd Floor, and go to the large room on the left end.”

“Just a moment. I have a companion who can come with me. She’s probably already received the basic education.”

“What’s your companion’s name?”

“Yeriell.”

“…Gasp, of course, she can come along.”

Did she just confirm Yeriell is Ivelyn’s sister? Well, good things are good.

“Thank you, then.”

I bowed and approached Yeriell, who was at a distance.

“Yeriell! They said new adventurers must receive basic training. Want to go together? Or should we set a time to meet after it ends?”

Yeriell smiled brightly as if to ask what was wrong.

“Hehe, let’s just go together! It’ll be good to review the important knowledge one more time.”

We smiled at each other and headed to the 2nd Floor.

As I opened the door, I saw two people.

One was a human who looked like an instructor, a man with a striking scar running across his left eye.

The other was a dwarf dude.

“Nice to meet you. You’re here to receive training, right? My name is Bardus. I’ll be counting on you during the training period.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Aren, and this is Yeriell.”

“Nice to meet you, Bardus!”

Bardus laughed heartily and said, “Just feel free to call me Bardus. By the way, there was supposed to be one more person joining you two, but it’s strange.”

The scarred man, who had been listening, spoke up.

“If that one’s not coming, let’s just start. My name is Berkel. If you have any questions during class, raise your hand and ask.”

Isn’t the last one coming?

Thus, the class began.

*

The class was useful.

Even though it was the first day and started lightly, topics like ecosystems of the layers, party compositions, and fundamentals were explained excellently, drawing from their own experiences.

As the class was about to end, the door burst open.

“Ah, I’m so sorry! Haha! I was a bit late due to unavoidable circumstances. I’ll make sure to be on time from tomorrow!”

I turned around to see who was speaking with such a cheeky tone.

My body stiffened. For a moment, nothing else registered in my mind except that face.

“Whoa… Excuse me, do you have a party of ladies? If not, would you join mine? I may look like this, but I have way more capabilities and traits than most new adventurers!”

“No. I’m in a party with Aren here. I have no intention of partying with anyone else, so please leave me alone and take care of your own business.”

“No, please reconsider. Should I tell you all my information? Trust me, it’s nothing compared to that guy!”

SMACK!

The dude subtly reached out to grab Yeriell.

“Gah! Are you not letting go?!”

This is the face. This bastard.

“Aren, I’m fine…”

No. It’s not just because of you.

…

I was caught up in the transference and fell into this world.

I was thrown into a Labyrinth with nothing at hand.

I fought desperately to survive.

I met a party on the 3rd Floor and, for the first time, killed someone to escape near death.

Furthermore, for two weeks, I lived on the edge, so…

I had been through too much to keep replaying the face of one person.

So I forgot.

…Or so I thought I did.

Crack.

If you hadn’t bumped into me in the first place…

‘If it wasn’t for you. My 2 billion, my house and car, my life as a rich unemployed!’

“Aren, I don’t know what it’s about, but please hold on! For my face… Huh?”

Yeriell must have sensed that my mood was a bit too tense, whispering hurriedly.

“We can’t fight here! Too many eyes are watching. It won’t do you any good to hit him first!”

Fuck.

What she said was correct. There was no justification, and too many eyes around.

Right now, I had no connection with this scumbag. Yet, I couldn’t just kill him on the pretext of Yeriell being harassed.

“Haha. Aren, you seem to have a deep love for your partner? And you there, coming late and trying to hit on another party member? Are you in your right mind?”

Bardus, sensing the tension, quickly stepped in to mediate the situation.

Yeriell seemed to think it was better to avoid misunderstandings, as she didn’t correct him and remained silent.

“Ah, this hurts. Haha! I didn’t know you were a couple. You’re really my type. I apologize for that!”

The scumbag laughed nonchalantly, pretending to act cool.

“But your eyes look ferocious. You might hit me if I don’t calm down?”

[Chaos desires to stitch the bastard’s mouth shut.]

“Uh-oh, you’ve got to love it when people just need to apologize without getting sarcastic!”

Following Bardus’s lead, Berkel, who had been quietly observing, chimed in.

“It’s driving me nuts just watching. The name on the list is Isaac? If you don’t stop now, not only will you be expelled from the class, but I’ll beat you up to the brink of death.”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! Not getting expelled, please! That’d cancel my adventurer registration!”

…

…

I had made a decision. I need to kill that bastard.

As my rage boiled over, the reasons to take him out kept surfacing.

One. Although he seems unaware, he’s the only one who knows I’m a being from another world.

Two. Even though we met for the first time, he’s trying to hit on Yeriell like this.

If I let him be, and he grows through some preferential treatment because he knows I am a transcendent, and then sticks to her like a leech…

I wouldn’t bear to face my master who asked me to take good care of her.

Three. Similar to the first reason.

Seeing that he can make me feel furious enough to shed blood from my eyes, while not even remembering my face, I can’t contain my anger any longer.

After all, I figured it would be better to kill him since we might run into each other often.

Once I calmed down and reassured Yeriell, I turned my attention back to Isaac.
────

[Isaac]

[Strength: E-] [Agility: D] [Durability: E-]

[Health: E] [Magic: F+] [Luck: E+]

[Possessed Traits] (Fold)
Whispers of the Wind

Gale Stride

One Language

Basic Swordsmanship

Basic Serving

Basic Cooking

────

Looks like he got a few traits via causality, just like me.

What a piece of shit. Let’s see how good you really are.

────

[Whispers of the Wind] [P]

The Wind God Nepheir summons the user, Kang Isaac. The winds manifest within the user’s body.

─Agility increases by three levels.

─All actions are boosted with wind, providing suitable speed adjustment.

─Can summon a low-level wind spirit. The spirit grows depending on the user’s level.

────

Did he change his name from Kang Isaac to Isaac?

────

[Gale Stride] [A]

I will move forward without hesitation. Borrowing the power of the Wind God, I strike like a storm toward my enemies.

─By focusing with your left foot forward, you can use the skill “Gale” by consuming magic.

─By focusing and slamming your right foot down, you can use the skill “Typhoon” by consuming magic.

────

The rest are just life skills.

Based on the traits he has, it seems like he worked in places like inns to earn money for adventurer registration.

‘Ha, I can accept the stats, but is this really all there is to his traits?’

Seeing the traits of someone who also got transported, I was sure of it.

I really hit the jackpot and received causality to live well in the future.

Even if I squandered 2 billion, I didn’t expect the disparities in traits from me a mere bum.

‘With this, killing the scumbag itself won’t be difficult.’

However…

It was impossible within the city.

Thinking rationally, if I follow him and ambush him in the dead of night, would he just die peacefully?

His agility exceeds mine by a hair. It’s clear that if I can’t kill him in one go, he’ll raise a fuss with his Gale or Typhoon.

A scumbag like that, having received traits from a god, wouldn’t likely fall for simple concealment.

Lightning? To kill him with lightning, I’d have to crank up the intensity, but even if I killed him, I’d probably pass out from a headache and be unable to escape the scene.

Using the explosion swordsmanship is also combat-focused and not assassination-style.

‘If I tried to sneak kill him and raised a ruckus, I’d not only lose Yeriell’s trust but also disappoint Ivelyn.’

Killing him is one thing, but considering I have to stay in Labyrinth City after this…I had to think about the aftermath.

Thus, the conclusion I reached.
I’ll kill him in the Labyrinth. Preferably on the first floor.

I’ll have to explain the situation to Yeriell before we go into the Labyrinth and seek her understanding.

Being a kind Yeriell, it won’t be easy to accept killing someone…

All that’s left is figuring out how to track him in the Labyrinth. Following him in is impossible.

So… Right now, I should look for methods in the Library or the Magic Item shop in Zone 4.

“Yeriell, let’s go. I need to find something right now.”

“Eh? Okay. Wherever Aren goes, I’ll follow!”

“Berkel, Bardus, we’ll be leaving. Let’s meet at the Guild tomorrow.”

Berkel nodded, and Bardus stroked his beard as he encouraged us to have a good trip.

“Yeriell. Is there perhaps a Library or something? A place where we can immediately gather information.”

Yeriell replied confidently, as if she was saying to trust her.

“There’s a huge Library just a little ahead. I’ll guide you, so just follow me!”

“Great. Let’s go immediately.”

Wash your neck and wait, Kang Isaac.

On the day the entrance to the Labyrinth opens in a few days, I’ll find a way to kill you.

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