Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

All seven portals look the same.

But there must be some difference, as they wouldn’t have written about being cautious in your choices without any meaning.

At someone’s muttering, six parties began to search frantically for differences between the portals.

Amidst them, our party stood out as the only one with a sense of calm.

Why? Because I could see everything.

I could see even the differences in the color, size, and clarity of the auras surrounding each portal.

But seeing them didn’t solve everything.

Out of the seven portals, only four were surrounded by unusual auras.

The remaining three had very slight differences, but their auras were so faint or small that choosing one seemed pointless.

‘I have to choose one out of four. It’s not easy.’

The second portal, surrounded by a sinister crimson aura, had the shape of a devil with two horns.

The fourth portal had the figure of a grim reaper with a scythe, and its eyes were piercing.

The fifth portal was surrounded by large white wings, making the existing white color even more prominent.

The seventh portal had an ethereal feel, with a mix of various colors resembling an aurora.

Without any information, it was impossible to guess whether the auras represented rewards, difficulty levels, or the types of monsters that would appear.

At first glance, it was clear that the devil and grim reaper portals should be avoided.

Especially the fourth portal, which had an air of death. Just looking at it made me feel like I was walking into a dangerous situation.

‘But what’s the point of choosing the good ones and rejecting the bad ones if entering them is a separate matter?’

What should I do? If I just stood here, they might decide to choose by flipping a coin or rolling a dice…

Or someone might suggest choosing based on the fastest layer record, which would be a terrible idea.

I was so deep in thought that my forehead was burning when Dyson approached me alone.

“Why isn’t your party moving? Have you discovered something?”

I had to keep what I saw a secret from them.

‘In this situation, it’s better to pretend to be a little clueless rather than blatantly lying.’

“No, I was just looking at the portals, hoping that one would stand out to me.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“Being cautious in your choices means that each person’s criteria will be different, right?”

I deliberately kept my eyes fixed on the portals as I spoke.

“Anyway, it’s pointless to get caught up in the crowd and end up with nothing.”

‘Yeriel, remember when I found the hidden space in the cave? There’s something visible this time too, so everyone stay put. Ignore anyone who talks to you.’

-Yes! It’s a relief that you can see something. I’ll secretly deliver the message to everyone. Leave it to me!

I sent a message to Yeriel and turned to Dyson with a sly smile.

“So, you’re talking to me instead of your party members because you’ve figured something out?”

Dyson stroked his beard and spoke in a displeased tone.

“That may be true, but aren’t you just waiting for new information to come to you instead of actively searching for it?”

He added that it didn’t look good for one party to stand still while everyone else was busy.

“Hey, if you don’t like it, it’s not like we’re going to fight over it, right?”

“Are you referring to the phrase ‘Do not harm those who stand at the starting point’ from the scroll?”

Click!

I clicked my fingers and spoke casually.

“Exactly! Since we don’t know what will happen if we break the rules of the scroll, no one here would dare to start a fight.”

“You’re more cunning than you look.”

“Haha! I just want to choose the portal that my intuition tells me to. You don’t have to waste your energy.”

“Well, I’ll be on my way. I hope your intuition leads you to at least one of the portals.”

Finally, Dyson, who was fed up, warned that if I didn’t choose, I’d have to enter the portal that was left after everyone else had chosen.

It seemed like I was no longer seen as a clueless person, but as a fourth-dimensional idiot.

[Chaos asks if you’re okay.]

‘Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not a big deal if I lose some favor with people I won’t see again.

I’m willing to strategically take the blame if it brings a significant benefit to the party.

There’s almost no chance of a joint content appearing when there are as many portals as there are parties.

If there is, we can deal with it later.

After Dyson left, Veronica asked me,

“Ahren, we’re following your instructions to wait, but is it okay to just stand here?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll start moving soon.”

While having a pointless conversation, a rough plan formed in my mind. It was time to put it into action.

It was just a guess, but the fifth portal seemed to be related to divinity or light attributes, and the seventh portal seemed to be related to spirits or magic.

‘We’re going to the fifth portal.’

Now that I’ve decided, let’s begin.

“Let’s go. Just follow me quietly.”

I whispered quietly and headed towards the front, where many adventurers were busy investigating.

After passing by the adventurers, I continued straight towards the fourth portal.

“Haha! My intuition is telling me to enter the fourth portal!”

“Hey! Stop talking nonsense and step back!”

A dwarf from one of the parties tried to stop me, but I ignored him and continued.

“Hmm. My intuition is telling me to enter this portal! Since we’re wasting time, our party will enter this portal! Everyone else should also start making their choices!”

The target I’m aiming for is the human warrior who just cursed and shook his head at the thought of someone trying to take advantage of the situation.

[Logan Muhabes]

[Strength: C+] [Agility: C-] [Endurance: C] [Stamina: C+] [Magic Power: D+] [Luck: C-]

[Possessed Traits] (Collapse)

Intermediate Greatsword Mastery
Hot-blooded
Boiling Blood
Troll’s Regeneration
Vampiric Strike
Pain Transfer

───

Just by looking at his traits, I can already picture him flying into a rage at the slightest provocation.

A 50-50 gamble.

Will he lose control and block my path?

Or will he let me pass?

Since I’ve already spoken, I can’t take it back.

Now, what will you do?

‘I wonder if you can hold back after hearing my question and initially cursing at me for trying to take advantage of the situation…’

In reality, it was certain that he would block my path.

Thud. Thud.

“Fucking hell! Do you think I’m just going to stand here and watch you waste time while everyone else is running around like their asses are on fire? Huh?”

As expected, Logan was striding towards me from afar after hearing my shout.

“Logan, stop! It’ll be troublesome if we fight here! Hey, you too, stop it and help with the investigation!”

“Let me go!”

He pushed past his companion who was trying to hold him back.

“When everyone else is running around like their asses are on fire, what makes you so special that you can just stand there and decide which portal to take? What the hell is your problem?”

“Then do you have a better alternative?”

He pointed to the watch on his wrist and said,

“It’s already been 30 minutes since we transferred here. If nothing comes out after an hour, or even half a day, what will you do then? Are you going to set up a tent and sleep here?”

“Are you trying to make a joke out of this?”

“Being cautious? Not a bad idea. But have you not seen the phrase ‘beware of laziness’? If we keep wasting time, who knows what might happen.”

In truth, the contents of the parchment might have been instructions on what to be cautious about after entering the portal.

In the end, it’s all about interpreting the situation in your favor.

“Fine, you bastard. Then let’s not bother with the complicated stuff and let your party enter the portal that you chose with your so-called great instincts.”

‘Got him.’

“Choose! Either let us take the portal you initially chose and enter it right now, or wait patiently until the investigation is over and take the portal assigned to you. It’s one of these two!”

I wiped the sweat off my brow and sighed deeply, trying to hide my joy as much as possible.

“Hah… You’re just trying to ruin a done deal.”

[Chaos wonders how such an impulsive human could be the leader of a party.]

“Okay. You go first. But you must not interfere with the portal I choose to enter second.”

Kwang!

I gritted my teeth and grunted, infusing my words with magic power.

“Otherwise, I might end up breaking the rule about not harming others, as written on the parchment. Do you understand?”

If we compare equipment levels or the status windows of his party members and mine, we are not at a disadvantage at all.

If other people take Logan’s side and try to stop us by force, there’s nothing we can do. But I doubt that will happen.

I thought that he wouldn’t take the risk and go down the aggressive path.

‘He probably doesn’t want to take the risk from the start and fail together. Thanks for taking the bait.’

At that moment, the lion beastkin stepped forward, judging that it wouldn’t be good for the atmosphere to become more heated.

“That’s enough. Let’s just do as he said. The grumpy guy will take the portal he initially pointed out, and then the scatterbrained parasite will take the second portal he points out.”

The lion beastkin calmly and seriously organized the situation.

As expected of the person who subdued Logan in an instant earlier.

[Chaos frowns at the term ‘scatterbrained parasite’.]

“I agree. Then let’s send the two parties first and continue the discussion.”

“I agree too! Wow, that guy. He’s so badass, it’s attractive. Men who are too gentle aren’t charming at all!”

The old magician Dyson and the halfling archer who was acting up for no reason also agreed.

“I don’t care what happens. I just want to get out of here as soon as possible. What a waste of time.”

“…”

The man with the large scar on his face and the mysterious silent person in full plate armor also agreed.

Everyone agreed with the lion beastkin’s suggestion.

“Get out of my way.”

Logan pushed me aside with his shoulder and led his party into the fourth portal.

“Let’s not meet again! Let’s go!”

Paht!

As Logan’s party entered, the portal lost its light and turned black.

“Tsk tsk. What’s with this atmosphere? You should go too.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

With a reluctant look, I stood in front of the fifth portal right next to us with my party members.

The maintenance was already done before the transfer, so there didn’t seem to be anything else to worry about.

‘Ah, I should give a gift before I go.’

Just before entering, I turned around and looked at the short halfling archer who had been supporting me from the start.

‘Number 7.’

If he couldn’t read my lips, then there was nothing I could do.

I entered the fifth portal.

.

.

.

[Chaos invalidates pride.]

[Error. Insufficient conditions for trial.]

[Chaos invalidates pride…]

[Error. Trial…]

“…”

Piiii—

A ringing sound filled my ears, and the same system message repeatedly appeared in front of my eyes.

[Chaos is flustered and sweating from the confusion.]

• Invalidates mental attacks below the user’s magic power grade.
•
My magic power grade is EX.

Shit.