Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Labyrinth Reunion
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‘What might come out?'
The types of items that could emerge from a dungeon treasure chest fell into five main categories.
Gold coins, equipment, artifacts, stats, and traits.
Of course, traits appeared at such abysmal odds that unless you cleared dungeon runs hundreds of times, acquiring one was practically impossible.
Excluding traits, the realistic rewards boiled down to four.
Gold coins, equipment, artifacts, stats.
In the current situation, anything that came out would be welcome.
As that thought crossed my mind, the golden light began to fade.
And then.
"No.1... No.1 sir!"
The reward revealed itself, and Thompson jolted back in surprise.
I flinched at the sudden change too before quickly grasping what had happened.
The sense of fullness that hit right as the golden light dissipated.
This inexplicable surge of vitality felt just like leveling up.
There was only one reward that could cause such a change.
'Stats.'
More precisely, Strength stats.
Nothing else would deliver this overwhelming sense of increased power.
'Lucky break.'
Stats were rare rewards, though not quite as elusive as traits.
A highly satisfactory outcome.
Stack enough of these, and they'd rival the effects of a level-up down the line.
"What was that just now...?"
Thompson, still clueless, rubbed his forearm as he asked.
The problem was I had no real explanation to give.
No, even I was stunned by the situation.
'...Did his stats go up too?'
Normally, intangible rewards only affected the player.
In other words, even if you pulled traits or stats from a treasure chest, they had no impact on NPCs, summons, or anything else.
Yet Thompson's reaction was unmistakably that of someone whose stats had risen... leaving me no choice but to be shocked.
'Is this another change from the past century?'
The question arose, but I had no clear answer.
Not that it was a major concern anyway.
The fact that these rewards applied to my companions was nothing but positive.
'Once we're strong enough, we should farm dungeons together.'
Whoever needs a trait can take it, and stats make the whole party stronger.
'...Isn't this broken?'
On second thought, the value of dungeons seemed ridiculously high.
We might even assemble an unbelievably powerful party through dungeon runs.
Anyway.
"Don't freak out. Uncle just got a bit stronger, that's all."
"What? Stronger?"
"Yeah, I'm not entirely sure myself, but they say stuff like this happens in dungeons all the time."
"Hoo? Is that right? Hanging with No.1 sir sure brings on the wonders. Heh heh heh heh."
After giving Thompson a rough explanation, we resumed pushing through the dungeon.
Now that I knew dungeon rewards applied to party members, one priority stood out.
"We should scan for traces as we go, as thoroughly as possible."
Namely, linking up with Barundel at the earliest opportunity.
That way, we could maximize the rewards from any future treasure chests.
Not that I wasn't worried about Barundel's safety too.
'A dungeon at this level shouldn't be an issue for him...'
Still, you never know.
He might have blundered into a mimic like Thompson did, oblivious.
"Just trust me. My eyes are peeled already!"
How much farther did we go?
While dodging what looked like a lethal toxic substance, we spotted our first trace.
A single strand of brown hair—impossible to tell if it was from his head or beard.
"No.1 sir, this... it's his, right?"
"Looks like it."
Barundel's trace.
Thompson scratched his head.
"Not footprints, but hair... Is this good news or bad?"
I nodded instead of answering.
No great help, but nothing negative either.
No bloodstains or bloodied clothes nearby.
Meaning he hadn't been injured, at least.
And above all, a trace meant Barundel had passed through here.
He might even be close by.
"Let's hurry."
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
We picked up the pace, combing the maze meticulously.
And finally.
A familiar back came into view.
Black armor covering his entire body, braided hair reaching his waist.
A squat, stocky build in stark contrast.
No doubt about it—Barundel.
"Dwarf sir!"
Spotting him, Thompson bolted forward.
Shhhrrrk—!
Whoosh!
A chain trap hidden midway activated and flew at him, but he leaped effortlessly over it.
After dozens of repeats, his senses were sharp enough to dodge even basic traps blindfolded.
"Dwarf sir, you okay?"
Reaching Barundel, Thompson grabbed his shoulders.
Barundel, lost in thought, finally turned.
"Ah, we meet again. No injuries, I hope?"
"As you can see. Me and Yoo Han are both fine. But what are you up to?"
Thompson peered behind Barundel as he asked.
Barundel's attention had been fixed there for a while.
"Ah, well..."
Barundel stepped aside slightly, pointing to what lay behind him.
"I was wondering what to do with this. Looks like a treasure chest—probably something amazing inside..."
Treasure chest.
Hearing that, we froze stiff and bellowed, veins bulging in our necks.
"Do not open it!"
"Absolutely do not open it!"
"..."
Our forceful shouts halted Barundel mid-motion, and we sighed in deep relief.
We'd nearly triggered another nightmare chase.
"Step aside for a sec."
I nudged Barundel out of the way and summoned my sword of light.
Then stabbed the chest without hesitation.
Stab—!
The blade sank in like piercing flesh.
Even knowing it wouldn't attack, chills ran down my spine.
"...Good thing we're not too late."
"What in the world? Is there a monster living in there or something?"
Monster? You bet.
One that could chew up even the strongest dwarf physique in a single bite.
With that in mind, I explained mimics to Barundel in exhaustive detail.
Enough to ensure he'd never touch a chest rashly again.
"I saw it myself—terrifying bastard. It chewed right through these walls."
"Hmm... So that's what happened. Got it. Won't even glance at chests from now on."
"No need to go that far. Just follow my lead, and we'll be fine."
Barundel nodded, fully grasping it.
Thompson clapped him on the back.
"Alright, let's move. This scenery's getting old."
Time to seriously hunt for the dungeon exit.
How much time passed?
"Huff... huff..."
"Ugh..."
Harsh breaths echoed through the maze.
Hours of dodging traps had drained our stamina.
"...Yoo Han, that right-hand rule thing... it really exists, right?"
"...Of course. I've cleared dungeons with it tons of times... Anyway, it's legit."
"But if it does, we should've found the exit by now..."
"That's true, but..."
No arguing with Barundel's point.
He was right, even by my judgment.
'...Something's off.'
Over three hours of nothing but maze.
No matter how intricate, an exit should've appeared by now.
'Did the system change?'
The most plausible hypothesis so far.
Periodic shifts in exit positions or maze paths reshuffling.
Given the countless changes from the past century I'd encountered, it was entirely possible.
The problem was.
'...This is bad.'
If true, we were in serious trouble.
Dungeon closure was just one hour away.
"No.1 sir, we're not really gonna end up lost in space forever, are we...?"
Dungeon closure dread was starting to grip me and my companions.
"...Calm down. I won't let that happen."
I soothed Thompson to stave off panic, then pondered solutions.
A surefire way to find the exit in the remaining thirty minutes.
But nothing came to mind.
What else could you do in a maze dungeon besides honestly search the paths?
Scattering to hunt separately wasn't viable either.
Then it hit me.
-I saw it myself—terrifying bastard. It chewed right through these walls.
Thompson's earlier words resurfaced.
Lightning struck my mind.
"Huh..."
I hadn't realized.
I'd find a hint in something I'd brushed off.
A life-or-death gamble, sure, but...
"...I've got a good idea."
No other way.
Time to roll the dice.
***
Meanwhile, in a derelict building in District 7.
Kayla, guarding the survivors, suddenly rummaged through her bosom at a faint vibration.
Rrrrrumble—!
The disc-shaped artifact that emerged in her hand.
A commission reward she'd kept just in case.
'Why's it acting up now...?'
Kayla tilted her head.
This artifact only reacted to demonic energy like this.
'Demons nearby?'
She shook her head at the thought.
The building had already been thoroughly searched.
No demonic aura or traces detected.
Barricades were up, detection magic set.
Even if they snuck in, she'd sense them first.
'Then why?'
Puzzled briefly, Kayla soon found her answer.
No choice—she had to.
Soon, sinister demonic energy reached even her senses.
An all-too-familiar aura.
One impossible to forget.
She'd tangled with its owner before.
"Auntie, stick to my back."
"Huh? What's that out of nowhere?"
"Now!"
Kayla whirled around at her instincts' command, shouting at full volume.
There stood a familiar-faced man, who-knew-when he'd arrived.
"...So that's your true face."
"Fuh huh huh huh..."
The mysterious passerby they'd met upon entering District 7.
Kayla, intuiting his identity, adopted a confident battle stance.
"Come at me."
Roooar—!
Scorching flames flickered around her.
Her second clash with a demon kin.
This battle's outcome would differ vastly from the last.
She was a full-fledged fire mage now.