002. Trait Selection
I paused for a moment, holding my breath and turning my head to scan behind me. No pursuers in sight. Not even the faintest patter of tiny footsteps. A soothing silence washed over me, easing my mind.
No monsters chasing me, it seems.
I let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the translucent text hovering in the air.
Congratulations! Labyrinth Drifter Kang Geon has been selected as a Labyrinth Explorer!
I'd heard about this before, back when I was transferred to another world. Those chosen by transcendent beings see translucent text like this appear before them. The text grants special aid to the chosen—quantifying abilities into stats, serving as a life compass, spying on others' info, and so on.
The Devoted Hero said she saw text like this too.
There were countless heroes in that isekai world. Among them, the Devoted Hero I'd crossed paths with—she, who lived her life sacrificing for others—once shared this with me.
"I was born with a special mission. Ever since I was little, text has appeared before my eyes, giving me quests even now."
She called it her life's compass. A divine grace.
"Are the quests mandatory? No, it's not forced. It says I can choose whether to accept."
"Huh? Then why bother? If there's no reward... but completing them grants new magic, so I couldn't resist. Don't tell anyone, okay? Only sharing because it's you—keep it secret."
It was like game quests. And this text before me seemed similar to what she'd seen.
Last transfer, I got nothing but my body dumped here... At least this time, there's a gift.
Of course, I wasn't truly chosen. Just lucky. Min Hyung-seok, the original chosen one, died, leaving me as the only human in this labyrinth—so I inherited it by default.
Wonder what help this text will give me.
Whatever it was, I welcomed it. Stat quantification to level up and boost power? Great. Info scouting on others? Useful for monsters too. Hell, I'd snatch up any trash weapon it tossed my way. Better than my last transfer with zero aid.
As I pondered, the floating text rippled and changed.
Please select a Trait.
■ Loner Trait
■ Helper Trait
■ Domination Trait
My text grants special abilities? Not bad.
Pick one, huh?
Could I get more details? On a whim, I tapped the text with my finger.
Loner Trait
Predation ability activated.
┗Consume labyrinth monsters to absorb their powers.
The more you consume, the more your body and mind will deviate from humanity, growing closer to a monster.
It actually worked. I read the details slowly.
Loner Trait. In one sentence: An outsider trait for overcoming all hardships through personal strength alone. Suited my lone-wolf style.
But...
...Not a fan of Loner Trait.
One line stuck out: Body and mind deviating from humanity toward monster. Meaning, power at the cost of my humanity.
Body changes are one thing, but a monstrous mind? Pass.
No need to overthink. Loner Trait skipped. Next:
Helper Trait
Taming ability activated.
┗Place your hand on a specific part of a labyrinth monster for a set duration to tame it through bonding.
Tamed monsters become your closest friends, always protecting you.
Your monster friends will never betray you, no matter what.
Jo-ryeokja Summoning ability activated.
┗Receive support from Jo-ryeokja. (Not forced on them.)
Like a monster tamer. Relies entirely on others' help—opposite of Loner. Doesn't boost personal power but adds extras.
Not bad.
Solid, no rough edges. On hold. Next:
Domination Trait
Subjugation ability activated.
┗Reduce labyrinth monsters to near-death to force obedience.
Subjugated monsters will absolutely obey your commands.
However, if your charisma as dominator drops significantly, monsters may rebel.
Maintain dignity to avoid being underestimated.
Companion Summoning ability activated.
┗Subjugate summoned companions. (Fails if their soul rank exceeds yours.)
Similar to Helper, but forces submission.
Min Hyung-seok's trait, huh.
Definitely. Recalling earlier, he reeked of coercive control over his monsters. And their betrayal? Makes sense now.
His pathetic display shattered his dignity, breaking the domination.
Plus, his casual commands to me. Companion Summoning—likely what dragged me here. As a summon, obedience would've been standard. I resisted because my soul rank outstripped his. Whatever that means. He'd never seen it before, judging by his panic.
Anyway, sketchy pick. Loyal minions sound convenient, but betrayal risk lingers.
Betrayal fatigue from isekai hell. Passed on enough already.
Back to second trait.
Allies who never betray... Looking again, nothing beats it. No near-death needed like subjugation.
Choice narrowed to one.
Trait selection complete!
Helper Trait. The instant I chose it:
Actively utilize your trait to become the dominator of the Ancient Labyrinth!
A vague goal: Become the dominator.
No clue how. But no complaints. At least it gave direction—unlike last time's void.
Back then, I was just a foreigner. Nothing more. So I set my own: return home. Hunted dimensional mages through every hardship.
Final goal here? Same—home. Nowhere better to live.
But it said I'm the only human in this labyrinth.
World outside might exist with humans... or maybe this labyrinth is the world.
Then finding a dimensional mage like last time? Impossible. Even if outside exists, might be mage-less, human-less.
I shook off grim thoughts. Enough negativity. Focus on survival first. Explore, endure—clues to return will come. Think positive. Mages aren't the only way. Dominate the labyrinth? Might unlock return methods. Or dimension-hopping monsters.
The narrow crevice opened into a vast Central Chamber. That gap was a passage linking spaces.
What is this place?
Its walls held eight passages of varying sizes at intervals—including mine.
Maybe the hub connecting all cave areas.
So vast, yet no monsters.
Perfect first hideout. Safety first—no monsters meant ideal shelter.
Let's test this ability here.
I sat on the ground. As Devoted Hero described: Imagined a point in air, focused my eyes, stared hard. A rectangular window floated up.
Kang Geon - Helper Trait
◎ Tamed Monster List
◎ Jo-ryeokja Summoning (Low-grade)
◎ Jo-ryeokja Block [on/off]
No stats. No quests. Expected—aid varies.
Jo-ryeokja Block is off. Meaning not blocked?
Unclear functions. Jo-ryeokja Block? Difference from Companion Summoning? Figure out in use.
I tapped Jo-ryeokja Summoning.
Held Invitation Tickets: 0
What? No tickets?
How to get them? As I wondered:
"You have used Jo-ryeokja Summoning for the first time."
A mechanical voice—not echoing through the cave, but in my head alone.
"Syncing Kang Geon's SNS..."
"No SNS found. Sync canceled."
"Syncing contacts from your used mobile device."
"Successfully synced 155 contacts!"
"Granted 155 invitation tickets for free!"
"Generating random invitation messages."
Did Min Hyung-seok invite like this? Jo-ryeokja Summoning mirrors Companion Summoning.
24 hours, not 10 minutes. But...
The message made me grimace. Cringey, messy. Worse than Min's—pure spam.
Who'd click this without suspicion? Only lunatics would bite.
...
Anyway. Could I edit to avoid spam vibes? Before checking:
"Sending invitation messages to 155 contacts."
No time to react—it sent.