CLWU 07

Chapter 7

“Hyah!”

Kirk roared.

When the goblin warriors came charging at us, he had used Steel Body, which had a 24-hour cooldown, and blocked them head-on. His contribution had been enormous.

But right now, there was something even more important.

“Ability Stone! Magic Stones!”

I used the spirits to quickly collect the Ability Stone spat out by the Hobgoblin and the three Magic Stones dropped by the goblin warriors.

The fist-sized Ability Stone and fingernail-sized Magic Stones were all glowing red.

The moment I checked their basic information, my eyes widened.

“Kirk! This is incredible!”

First, there were the three Magic Stones.

The quality of Magic Stones dropped by monsters was usually fairly consistent.

Each one was easily worth at least 10 gold.

But more importantly, the Ability Stone was amazing.

[Majesty of the Ruler]

[Strength +3, Agility +4, Vitality +5, Mana +3, Magic Resistance +6]

It was known as the best Ability Stone that could be obtained from an elite monster like a Hobgoblin.

“No way! Is that the Majesty of the Ruler!?”

“Yeah!”

“Wow!”

Interestingly, nobody really cared about the specific stats attached to this Ability Stone.

That was because this was an Ability Stone desired not by adventurers, but by nobles—people who had Ability Slots but didn’t want to, or rather didn’t need to, undertake dangerous work like adventurers.

[An Ability Stone containing the authority of a Hobgoblin. Grants the power to dominate its own kind.

However, the higher the target’s intelligence, the less effective it is.]

As expected.

The statement that it didn’t work as well on those with higher intelligence didn’t mean intelligent people in the ordinary sense.

Even someone with average human-level intelligence could resist the Hobgoblin’s absolute domination, making its power virtually useless against them.

Even so, there was only one reason why this Ability Stone sold for such a high price.

“Does it really make sense for nobles to spend hundreds of gold on something like this just to look dignified? Nobles are something else.”

“Well, I guess there are people who place value on things like that.”

It was, quite literally, a fashion Ability Stone.

But the fact that it sold for a high price was what mattered.

“That’s good for us, isn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

“We should sell it and replace our equipment with something better. Then we won’t get hurt as badly—uh?”

Only then did I notice my tattered leather armor and all the wounds covering my body, and my head began to spin.

“Ugh.”

“Hyung!?”

Kirk caught me as I staggered.

“Yeah… Hey, I need some medicine.”

“Wait a moment!”

Kirk pulled out some ointment from the bundle he had brought and began smearing it all over my body.

Whew. At least that’s a relief.

If I hadn’t increased my Vitality through training or Ability Stones, I probably would have already died from blood loss.

I had that many wounds.

I’m definitely selling the Majesty and buying better armor first. Especially shoes. Fuck…

No wonder the soles of my feet had been hurting so much.

My leather shoes had already been torn open at the soles, and the bottoms of my feet—which I had thought had developed enough calluses to withstand anything—were practically covered in blood.

The wounds on the soles of my feet looked even worse than those from the goblins’ swords.

“Still, I learned something about spear techniques thanks to this. It was a good battle.”

“You got even stronger from that?”

This guy’s level had essentially been stuck at 10 because he hadn’t obtained a class.

“I still have a long way to go. More importantly, since you’re a Summoner, didn’t your level go up a lot, hyung?”

Hearing that, I belatedly checked my status window.

[Name: Go Cheol-woo]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 8]

[Stats]

Strength: 14 (+0.6)

Vitality: 15 (+0.6)

Agility: 9 (+0.6)

Mana: 12

Physical Resistance: 3

Magic Resistance: 4

[Mana Skills]

Thrust (Common—Lv. 10)

Vartus Body Tempering Technique (Common—Lv. 5)

Advance and Retreat Steps (Common—Lv. 10)

[Level-Up Points: 7]

[Ability Slots: Full]

Multiple Spirit Taming.

[Trait]

-Check additional information.

My level had gone up by a whopping seven levels, reaching 8.

But even more surprising was that two of my skills had reached Level 10.

They had reached their maximum level.

“Wow!”

On top of that, Vartus Body Tempering Technique (Common) had risen to Level 5, granting a bonus equivalent to 5% of my Mana to Strength, Vitality, and Agility.

The numbers were still small, but even that had helped during moments when my life had been hanging by a thread.

So that’s why I felt like my stamina was recovering a little in the middle of the battle.

My Mana seemed to have increased as well.

• If it’s you, you should be able to master Common skills without spending any points. So save your points.

Jerick’s words came back to me.

Still, even he couldn’t have expected me to max out two skills in a single trip into the labyrinth.

Am I actually the type who performs well in real combat?

“Hyung, it went up a lot, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Even as I marveled at myself, I suddenly felt tempted.

I wanted to use my Level-Up Points immediately.

Since upgrading or evolving skills resulted in a much greater increase in combat ability, using Level-Up Points to raise stats was practically foolish.

So what I was considering was my skills.

I think I can evolve the skills that have reached their maximum level.

With one Level-Up Point, I could increase a skill’s level.

With two points, I could evolve a skill that had reached its limit.

I thought about it for a moment.

But then I remembered Jerick’s words again.

• The more you can save your Level-Up Points, the better. Especially at lower ranks.

I forcibly resisted the temptation.

“Here. I’ll give you two of the Magic Stones.”

“No. Let’s divide everything exactly in half.”

“Then should we sell the Ability Stone together with them and split the proceeds?”

“Yes. I think that’s better.”

After deciding how to divide the spoils, we also decided what to do next.

“And while we’re looking for more exits, let’s go around and check the places where we fought. Maybe some Magic Stones were left behind. The chances of ordinary goblins dropping them are almost nonexistent, but there were so many of them.”

“Yes. That’s fine, but… why are we looking for exits again? We already found six.”

I hesitated slightly.

But just like with the goblin baskets, the fact that I could use my Trait to determine the conditions for a Perfect Clear was information that seemed far too dangerous.

In this savage world.

If knowing about the goblin baskets increased the chance of me being found dead in an alley someday…

Then knowing this would increase the chance of me ending up chained as a slave to some massive guild or the royal palace.

I can just insist that I heard somewhere that slaughtering goblins was necessary.

It was similar enough to the vaguely known requirement of performing “heroic deeds” to obtain a Special Class.

But the exits were far too random, even to me.

So I changed the subject.

“Do you remember where those exits were?”

“…Ah.”

Now that I’d said that, I had to somehow find four more exits.

From then on, we retraced the trails of the battles we’d fought, repeatedly searching to see if we’d dropped any Magic Stones.

Of course—

“Hyung. I don’t think it’s that way.”

“No. We could have run over from this direction.”

“Really?”

I deliberately headed in directions I had never visited before, trying to find another exit.

There was almost no chance of ordinary goblins dropping Magic Stones anyway.

We found three more exits.

“Let’s go over there this time!”

“Hyung, that’s really not the right way…”

“No. It is.”

“Hyung. Are you bad with directions? Didn’t you say something about how to escape mazes?”

“Let’s just go!”

“No, I think we’ve searched enough by now…”

“Let’s gooo!”

“Being bad with directions isn’t enough. You’re stubborn as hell, too. Wow…”

I had suddenly become the guy who was terrible with directions and forcibly led Kirk in another direction.

Just one more. Just one!

And then—

“Kaak!”

“Damn it. Goblins again!”

“I told you! This wasn’t the way!”

Only after several more battles did we finally find the last exit.

“Whew. Should we head out soon?”

“You’re only thinking about leaving now? We’ve been lost for ages!”

“Come on. At least we gained a lot of experience. After slaughtering this many goblins, it probably counted toward the class conditions, right? Probably?”

“Probably? So that was just a guess!?”

It wasn’t a guess.

But I had to let him think it was.

And then—

[You have fulfilled the conditions for a Perfect Clear of the 1st Floor of the Labyrinth.]

[On your first attempt, you killed 1,130/1,000 monsters and discovered 10/10 exits.]

[You have received 1 Level-Up Point!]

[An Achievement has been created. Additional bonuses will be applied when you acquire a class.]

What!?

I was shocked by the system notification, especially the part about receiving a Level-Up Point from the Perfect Clear.

Kirk tilted his head.

“Why? Did something go wrong?”

Apparently, Kirk couldn’t hear this notification.

“Ah, no.”

Getting a Level-Up Point without leveling up was surprising enough.

But the Achievement was more important.

Additional bonuses when acquiring a class?

That was information that was equally dangerous to reveal carelessly.

“I guess I’m just tired and seeing things.”

“I thought something was wrong… Anyway, let’s go. I’m really tired right now.”

“Earlier, when we killed the Hobgoblin, didn’t you hear a system notification?”

“You mean the one saying the battle was over?”

“…Yeah.”

As expected, he really hadn’t heard the current notification.

“Why?”

“…Nothing. Now that we’re about to go back, all sorts of thoughts are running through my head.”

“Let’s hurry. Aren’t you tired too, hyung?”

Level-Up Points were apparently something unique to Summoners, so I could understand that.

But apparently even Achievements, which affected classes, were not heard by the natives.

Well…

Thinking about it, that made sense.

If the Achievement notification appeared for natives as well, then even if information about Perfect Clears wasn’t widespread, there should already have been plenty of information about Special Classes.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Only after I had finished sorting out my thoughts did I place my hand on the exit—the blue portal.

[Would you like to return to the surface?]

[Would you like to proceed to the 2nd Floor of the Labyrinth?]

Of the two choices, I selected the return option.

Flash!

And so, my first exploration of the labyrinth came to an end, with far more gains than I had expected.

[You have cleared the 1st Floor of the Labyrinth (Novice Section). Agility +1.]

Random stat increase: +1.

Along with the message about the reward all adventurers received upon clearing a floor, the light flickering before my eyes disappeared.

I found myself standing before that enormous, black-hole-like portal.

Among the countless people milling about between the labyrinth monument and the outer walls, I spotted Jerick.

“You’re back!”

“Yes, Master.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Why did it take you so long when I told you to clear only the first floor? I’ve been waiting for more than half a day. Hm? And why do you both look like beggars?”

Jerick threw his arms around Kirk and fussed over him before immediately pointing out every injury on both him and me, his brows furrowing.

Jerick’s voice was so loud that I became conscious of the people around us sneaking glances our way.

On top of that, I could hear insulting remarks like:

“First floor?”

“Beggar?”

“How weak are they?”

“The thing is…”

“Let’s go back and talk.”

I restrained Jerick and explained everything that had happened after we returned to the martial arts hall.

“What!? A Goblin Wave and a Hobgoblin!?”

“Yes. We were so busy slaughtering them that…”

“Why would you do something so dangerous!? No matter how confident you are in your abilities!”

“Well, Brother Char told me it was a condition for obtaining a Special Class.”

The bastard Kirk betrayed me without hesitation.

“What the hell!?”

“No, I just… I’d heard a rumor like that before…”

“The accepted theory is that performing exceptionally well when fighting elite monsters or boss monsters contributes to obtaining a Special Class. But where did you hear…!”

Uh. That’s not it.

I thought that to myself, but for now, I lowered my head and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

I had already resolved never to tell anyone this information.

Still, I had to brag about our achievements.

“Thanks to that, we got a Majesty of the Ruler Ability Stone.”

“…What?”

“We also got three Magic Stones.”

“…Huh?”

“Kirk said his skills grew as he overcame that ordeal, and I reached Level 8 as well. Originally, you said Summoners had a Level 5 limit on the first floor.”

“…Huh?”

Only then did the anger gradually disappear from Jerick’s expression.

“Don’t tell me… because it was so dangerous, you used all your skill points…?”

“I didn’t use any.”

“…What?”

The truth was, I hadn’t even had the presence of mind to use them.

Jerick questioned me about this and that, but in the end, once all that remained was our achievements, he let out an incredulous laugh and raised both hands in surrender.

“All right. I admit you achieved more than I could have imagined. But don’t ever do something that reckless again. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Especially you, Char. Never do something stupid because you heard some strange rumor!”

“Yes!”

I’ll make sure I only act on reliable information.

Only after giving a completely different answer in my head did I—

“All right. Get some rest now. And, Char, I’m telling you again: don’t even think about evolving your skills with your Skill Points. Not yet.”

“Yes. I was planning to save them anyway…”

“It’s because there’s something I need to tell you.”

“…Yes?”

“For now, get some rest today. You must have been fighting nonstop for an entire day.”

And so, our long day finally came to an end.