Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

[Condition fulfilled]

[The terrain on the first floor changes.]

[The darkness temporarily disappears.]

Ggrggr─

[The first Tier Lord, ‘Ephusio of the Beginning’, appears.]

“What the hell, a Tier Lord? What’s going on here?”

Berkel had said that Tier Lords only appear from the fifth floor and above.

I clearly heard in class that five have been discovered so far, one on each of the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, twentieth, and twenty-fifth floors…?

“Ugh!”

The ground beneath my feet and the surrounding walls were rumbling, showing signs of change.

Kugugung.

I tried to keep my balance as the ground shook, but only for a moment.

Hwaak─

This time, the darkness that had been blocking my vision disappeared completely.

“Wow, we don’t even need torches.”

Let’s think calmly. Why are these changes suddenly happening?

“Damn. No matter how much I think about it, the only cause I can think of is Isaac’s death. The timing is just too coincidental.”

When the system window appeared earlier, it clearly said that the condition was fulfilled.

Isaac was already on the brink of death when he encountered me.

Why would he stab himself in the heart unless he had some grand intention? He was so full of himself.

“Let’s all go to hell together… Was that what you meant by that?”

The rule that Tier Lords can be summoned every five floors.

He knew how to summon the first Tier Lord, which hadn’t been discovered for decades, breaking that rule…

And it was Isaac, of all people, who knew how to do it.

‘Is this a reasonable probability?’

It wasn’t like the Unlucky Dragon Heart had activated again, so why was this happening?

[Chaos warns that Tier Lords are not to be taken lightly.]

“Chaos!”

[Chaos says that it couldn’t interrupt when Isaac was talking.]

Isaac’s lowly behavior was enough to make Chaos speak up, but why was it quiet? It was being considerate of me.

-‘Ahren, can you hear me?’

As I was feeling perplexed by the sudden change, Yeriel sent a message through telepathy.

‘Yeah, how’s it going over there? Are you both okay?’

-‘Yeah! I was surprised when the walls and ground started moving, but fortunately, I’m not hurt. Is the problem solved?’

‘The Isaac issue… is now completely resolved. It’s a relief not to have to deal with that bastard anymore. But…’

-‘But?’

‘…You know that I can see things others can’t, like people’s stats, traits, and item information, right?’

-‘I know. But what about it? Can you see the cause of this situation?’

‘I can see it, but… Listen, don’t be shocked. It seems like a Tier Lord has appeared on the first floor.’

-‘Huh?’

Yeriel paused for a moment, as if she had heard something completely unexpected.

‘Yeriel?’

-‘Yeah, are you sure it’s a Tier Lord? I’m not doubting you, but… It’s too absurd, isn’t it?’

That’s understandable.

‘I doubted my eyes at first, too. But it’s definitely a Tier Lord. My eyes, which have been granted a trait by the gods, don’t lie. Can you come to where I am?’

-‘Yeah! I’m already on my way, so just wait a bit. I’ll be there soon!’

‘Okay, I’ll join you soon. By the way, I thought the Tier Lord would appear somewhere randomly on the first floor when it was summoned…’

-‘…That’s right! Isaac─’

Chilling─

“You. You’re the closest to the one who woke me up.”

‘Fuck, what the hell? Could it be…?’

[Chaos shouts to step back.]

Paaang!

Hwaak─!

In the blink of an eye.

As I stepped back, a bright white light condensed and took on a human form.

.

.

.

[Ephusio of the Beginning]

The consciousness that had been asleep for a long time in the Great Labyrinth. The price for waking him will be paid dearly by everyone on the first floor.

Having fallen to the first floor and gained a semi-corporeal form, he gathers, absorbs, summons, and obliterates.

[Held Traits] (Locked)

Prison of Gathering
Seraph of the Beginning
Summoning of Hesmana
Oblivion

“Haa… I don’t know how long it’s been since I last opened my eyes. It’s a pity that I’ve become so weak.”

“…”

It was clear that this was beyond my ability to handle alone. What should I do?

[Chaos tells you to run.]

“First, let’s summon some sacrifices.”

[Ephusio of the Beginning casts ‘Prison of Gathering’.]

[The people on the first floor are randomly selected and teleported to the central area.]

Wooooong.

Before I could do anything, the buzzing sound filled the air, and adventurers began to appear one by one around me.

“What’s going on? Isn’t this the central area?”

“What’s that? A monster? There shouldn’t be something like that on the first floor!”

“Fuck! I was right in front of the second-floor portal!”

Damn it. The adventurers, startled as if they were in the middle of a market, raised their voices.

Pajijik!

“Kyaaaak!”

The gazes of all the adventurers who had been teleported to the central area turned towards the source of the sound.

They had been running towards the north, intending to leave the central area, but they stopped when they saw a halfling, charred black, who had touched the light barrier surrounding the area.

“Oh no, no. This won’t do. I’ve gathered you here, and now you’re trying to escape?”

-‘Ahren! I’ve arrived, but I can’t get in because of some strange light blocking the entrance!’

‘No, it’s too dangerous to try to force your way in. Don’t come here! Get away from there immediately!’

I added urgently.

‘The Tier Lord appeared in front of us and randomly summoned the adventurers on the first floor to the central area. It seems to be one of its traits.’

‘Trying to leave will get you burned, so trying to enter will likely be just as dangerous. I’ll figure out a solution and get out, so don’t worry about me and stay away.’

“Ugh… Ah, what the hell is going on here? Why do we get burned when we try to leave? And why were we all suddenly brought here in the first place?”

That’s Crib, from Luke’s party, right?

I see Crib and Luke. They must have been separated from the other two.

“Ah, well, you see…”

“What’s that growling sound? It’s obviously a monster. Could it be a special species?”

‘Growling?’

Ah. Because of one of my language traits, it seems like I’m the only one here who can understand what it’s saying.

Is there no other transferrer here?

“Hmm. From your conversation, I gather that you can’t understand what I’m saying? This is quite a predicament.”

“It’s not a special species. Special species are just that, special individuals, but they don’t have the power to perform such miracles.”

A bespectacled, intelligent-looking man spoke up.

“Then what is it? If it’s not a special species, is it a mutant? And who are you to say that with such certainty?”

“I am a mage from the Earth School, named Haynes. Now that I’ve introduced myself, a mutant on the first floor is also out of the question. A creature of this magnitude is impossible.”

Damn. Even with so many people, we should be preparing for battle against the Tier Lord.

I don’t know what kind of bullshit conversation this is.

Fortunately, Ephusio is just watching, not doing anything. I can’t stand this anymore.

“It’s a Tier Lord. The monster in front of us is the Tier Lord of the first floor.”

I judged that the danger posed by the creature in front of us outweighed the risk of them questioning my traits.

Haynes narrowed his eyes at me.

“Do you even have basic common sense?”

“I know this through my traits. I can’t explain it in detail, but it seems that the first-floor Tier Lord is an exception to the five-floor rule because it has the title ‘beginning’.”

“Indeed, even as a mage, I’ve never seen a form like this, and the ability to summon this many adventurers to a single area and trap them is impressive.”

He pushed his glasses up and his eyes lit up.

“If it’s a Tier Lord, that makes sense. Can you swear that what you’re saying is true?”

“I swear on my parents. Is that enough?”

I’m an orphan, but I’ve sworn something this big, so they should believe me now.

After saying this, Haynes nodded and was about to say something when…

“Hmm… It’s pointless to speak if you can’t understand me. You’re just chattering away, and it’s getting annoying. There’s no need to watch any longer.”

[Ephusio of the Beginning casts ‘Seraph of the Beginning’.]

Ephusio stretched out his right arm.

As he opened his hand, white particles began to gather.

Ziiing─

Crazy. It’s a laser!

The target is… Crib!

The adventurers in the path of the laser either dodged with their traits or threw themselves out of the way.

Only Crib, who was already panicking, took the attack.

“Uwaaah─ Huh?”

Crib, who had been screaming, suddenly stopped and looked bewildered.

“What’s going on? It doesn’t hurt at all?”

No way. He took a named attack and suffered no damage?

It can’t be, not even from a Tier Lord.

“As I thought, Tier Lords are just… I’ve never heard of or seen one appearing on the first floor. It’s probably just a mutant or a peculiar species.”

Crib, who had been showing off by touching the laser, laughed casually.

“You stupid human. Is that really the case?”

“You bastard!”

Luke, who had been hesitating, finally shouted and pushed Crib away with all his might.

The two of them fell to the ground, and Ephusio’s attack subsided as the target disappeared.

I wonder if it was a mental attack or a delayed explosion. Why were they enduring it?

They had been acting strangely since they started talking, so I suspect they have low intelligence. Or is the normal level of the first floor so easy that even someone like this can pass through?

‘They probably just managed to get by on their own, and the party leader, Luke, is also…’

[Ephusio of the Beginning absorbs Crib’s traits.]

Paching.

A cracking sound came from Crib.

“Uh, eh. Kyaaaak─!”

“Crib?”

──────

[Crib]

[Strength: F+] [Agility: E] [Endurance: F+]
[Vitality: E-] [Magic: F+] [Luck: E+]

[Held Traits] (Collapse)

□□ □□□
Basic Dagger Technique
□□□ □□

──────

…Crazy.

Two of Crib’s three traits, Basic Dagger Technique and Sensitive Smell, had disappeared.