Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

The next day dawned.

“Hing. This is bad, really bad. If my sister is so passionate about something, it must be serious… Hiiii…”

After breakfast, I patted Yeriel, who was half-pouting, and sent her to the Order.

Then I spoke with Roten.

“Yes, I didn’t forget. I was actually going to bring it up myself. Haha, I was a bit late.”

We decided that I would start learning the technique today.

“Then let’s go to the backyard.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Lumia, I’m sorry. You can’t come into the backyard today. Please bear with me for a little while.”

“I can study magic books in the room, so it’s fine. …And you don’t have to talk to me like I’m a baby.”

Lumia turned her head, saying that she appreciated the thought, but she wasn’t a baby.

However, the ears on top of her head, contrary to her expression and actions, were perked up, as if pleased.

Roten smiled warmly at Lumia.

“I see, I understand. It will take a while, so if you get hungry, go to the kitchen. Come, let’s go.”

We opened the back door and stood in the center of the spacious backyard.

I had briefly seen it when I passed by the warehouse to receive the spatial bag, and it was indeed spacious.

To be able to maintain a living as an innkeeper in this district with such a large property and no guests…

It seemed like he wasn’t going on dungeon trips anymore, so was he a high-floor adventurer?

As I glanced around, Roten began to speak seriously.

“In my adventuring days, they called me the Pinnacle.”

Pinnacle? The pinnacle of a point? The extreme of a point?

In this situation, the only thing that comes to mind when I hear the word ‘point’ is a stabbing motion.

“Hmm. ‘Pinnacle Roten’ was the name I earned in this city and the Great Dungeon.”

Roten laughed as he spoke.

“Of course… Now I’m just an old man who can’t reach the deeper floors and has been forgotten.”

Was he really forgotten? I wasn’t sure.

“In my prime, I wielded any weapon that could be used to stab.”

He held up the staff he had brought as a weapon substitute and smiled.

In his old age, his smile was still vivid, and I could see glimpses of his vigorous youth.

“It might sound a bit creepy, but back then, I felt a small thrill in taking away someone’s life with a single strike.”

‘Hmm… Roten isn’t normal either. Do you have to be a bit loose in the head to become a high-level adventurer?’

Roten looked at me with eyes that were sharp beyond his years.

“Focus on one point. I will pass on to you one of the roots that made me who I am today.”

“One point, focus, you say?”

The name itself seemed like an attack technique.

“Yes. It’s a technique where you condense all your mana into a single point and strike with it, wasting none of its power. Hup!”

Bang!

He slowly raised the staff and pointed it at the air, then thrust it forward.

The sound was incredible. I assumed the destructive power would be just as great.

“It might be difficult to use right away, but I’m confident that if it connects with an enemy, it will have incredible penetration and internal impact.”

“Wow!”

“However, you must follow my instructions while learning it. Don’t think that you can take advantage of this opportunity for free.”

Of course not. Missing out on an opportunity to learn a technique for free would be a waste.

“I’ll keep that in mind and focus.”

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

I tightly gripped the Barrak.

What should I do first?

“First, you need to recognize and control the flow, so close your eyes and feel the mana in your body.”

…I can feel it.

The mana that spreads without any gaps from my vigorously beating heart.

The mana that permeates the blood flowing through my veins.

I nodded slightly.

“It’s fast, which is good. Now, try to gather that mana into your sword.”

Gather it into the sword?

Like the first step of the Burst Sword Technique, where you infuse a weapon with mana to enhance it?

‘Let’s try it. Slowly. Calmly.’

The mana slowly flowed into my right arm.

I moved it slowly along the hilt I was gripping.

Woong.

“Good. You’re doing well.”

But how much mana should I gather? I don’t have a limit to my mana.

I kept pushing mana into it, as I didn’t hear him say to stop, but suddenly I felt dizzy.

‘…Why is this happening?’

Whoa.

[Chaos urgently tells you to snap out of it.]

“That should be enough. Stop now… Ahren? Oh no. The flow is getting stronger.”

Woong—

“Hmm, if I touch it carelessly, it will backfire internally. If I touch the sword, the gathered mana will explode. In that case…”

…

“Snap out of it!”

“Huff!”

Roten’s powerful shout struck my ears.

‘What’s going on? I was just focusing on gathering mana as he instructed.’

Clack, clack. Woong—

The Barrak I was holding tightly began to vibrate on its own, emitting a resonant sound.

This doesn’t look good. Can I send it to the pocket dimension?

“If this continues, the weapon won’t be able to withstand it, and you might lose an arm. Look at me!”

I looked at Roten, and he extended his arm and made a stabbing motion, just like before.

“Now, imagine that all the mana you’ve gathered is being shot out from the tip of your sword, and thrust it towards me. Right now!”

I held my head with my left hand and looked at the sword, thinking.

‘Yes, let’s solve this first. Damn. This thing is going to explode for real!’

I closed my eyes and imagined the image of releasing all the gathered mana from the tip of the sword, and thrust it into the air.

“Ugh, huff!”

Bang!

Kwaang!!!

…I did it.

What just happened was not a point concentration. I just stupidly gathered a large amount of mana and released it all at once.

The backlash caused the blade of Barak to crack and shatter into pieces.

The mana I shot at Roten created a thick cloud of smoke in front of me.

‘This is a total mess. The sword will be restored soon, and he’s a former high-floor adventurer, so he probably wasn’t seriously injured, right?’

Whoosh!

The strong wind cleared the smoke, and Roten walked out from within it.

As expected, there was not a scratch or any trace of injury on his body.

“Oh my. Are you some kind of hybrid, or did you make a name for yourself outside the city? How can a newcomer to the dungeon have such a massive amount of mana?”

“That…”

Roten put his hands behind his back and clicked his tongue. Was he angry?

It had only been a short time since he started teaching, and of course, he wasn’t in a good mood after what just happened.

‘Damn it. I was definitely focusing, but why did things turn out this way?’

“It’s fine. In this world, few people live without a story, and most adventurers, as well as most people, have one or two secrets that they keep hidden.”

Roten laughed, saying that he was an old man with many secrets.

Anyway, it was a relief that he wasn’t offended.

“This requires a change in the direction of my teaching.”

He continued with an explanation.

“What just happened to you is a rare phenomenon experienced by those with an exceptionally large amount of mana.”

Oh.

“It’s called Arcane Ebrius. Simply put, it’s like getting drunk on mana.”

“Drunk on mana?”

Could one get drunk on the power flowing within oneself, rather than on the atmosphere, alcohol, or drugs?

I thought of a trance-like state, but of course, something so grand was beyond my current level. It was a stupid thought.

“Yes. It’s a rare phenomenon that occurs when a massive amount of mana, beyond what one can normally handle, is used all at once.”

He shrugged.

“Most adventurers never experience this in their entire lives, so in a way, it’s a blessing.”

I have an infinite amount of mana, not just a large quantity, as it is constantly generated in my core.

Roten put his hands behind his back and slowly stroked his chin.

After some thought, he spoke with determination.

“Good. Before teaching you the technique, you need to repeatedly push your mana to its limit and gradually increase your capacity.”

‘Ah… Ha. I have to do it. Seo Do-jin, stop sighing and snap out of it. Who knows what will happen in the next dungeon trip?’

I fainted from the maximum lightning I summoned, and I temporarily lost consciousness from gathering mana in my sword.

Later, when I’ll use even greater traits and techniques, I’ll probably keep fainting and collapsing.

What’s the point of having an infinite resource of mana if I can’t use it effectively?

I need to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way.

Roten looked at Barrak, which had been restored to its original state.

“Now, grip the sword again!”

Woong—

“After some thought, I’ve decided that it’s better for you to learn this technique as a secret move rather than something you use as often as eating.”

“Ugh.”

Kwang!

“The only time you can rest is when the sword is restored or when you run out of mana and can’t continue!”

Kwang!!

Damn. He told me not to rest.

“Keep squeezing out mana until you can’t hold onto the sword anymore. To the maximum, beyond your limits!”

Kwaang!!!

“Ugh…”

The attack caused the blade to shatter, creating a strong backlash.

My right hand felt numb, and the sensation in my fingers gradually disappeared.

However, I did not let go of the sword.

‘I will definitely create a finishing move. Whether it’s against humans or monsters, it will be my lifeline that will protect me one day!’

[Chaos cheers with open arms.]

Don’t rely on luck. Luck is not on my side.

Believe only in the blood and sweat you’ve shed.

I gritted my teeth as I watched Barrak continue to shatter.

.

.

.

I don’t know how the day passed.

I just kept using mana, swinging the sword in the air, and taking a short break when it shattered.

When I got tired, I would eat a quick meal and repeat the process.

I still had a long way to go. I hoped I could master it before the next dungeon entrance opened.

Lumia, who had come out of the room, looked at me with concern.

Yeriel, who arrived in the evening, looked as exhausted as I did.

When we arrived at the inn, she glared at me slightly, but even that was cute. I smiled at her, and eventually, she smiled back, and her anger dissipated.

“Now, all that’s left is…”

I paused, thinking about what to do next.

“To dispose of the Bloody Edge I obtained from killing Gospel and to contract with the wind spirit using the trait I absorbed from Isaac.”

Hmm. It’s a dagger, so it’s a bit awkward for me to use it right away.

If I want to sell it, I should look into it carefully, so I’ll keep it for now. It’s not like it will disappear.

So, all that’s left is the spirit contract.

“What do I need to do to contract with a spirit? Since the trait says it’s possible to contract, I don’t need anything else, right?”

[Chaos advises you to strongly desire it while looking at the trait window.]

Okay, got it.

________________________________________

[Whisper of Wind] [P]

User: Isaac. A trait absorbed from the adventurer Isaac.

Since the person who earned it with Karma is not the user, the wind of the wind god Nefer is weaker than before.

-Agility increases by two levels.

-All actions are slightly faster due to the wind.

-Can contract with a lower-level wind spirit. If the contract is successful, the spirit will grow depending on the user’s level.

________________________________________

‘I want to contract with a lower-level wind spirit!’

I stared intently at the last line of the trait.

Do I need to think more intensely?

Then, it happened.

Zing.

Huh? A portal the size of my palm appeared in the air.

‘This isn’t related to the dungeon, is it? Is the spirit I’m going to contract with coming out of there?’

The portal appeared at eye level, so I waited for the spirit to come out, but I absentmindedly looked inside.

[Chaos responds.]

[You see a glimpse of the spirit world that humans cannot see.]

[You enter the spirit world in a spiritual state.]

What?

-Thud.