‘Jackpot.’
A Spatial Pouch with a full ten square meters of capacity that also doubled as waist armor.
And on top of that, it was part of a hidden item set.
Even after paying Merchant Rupes his 100-gold commission, I still had 50 gold in cash left over.
‘I wish things would keep going like this.’
I indulged in that ridiculous hope with a satisfied smile,
only to pause when I remembered how many times I had nearly died to earn rewards like these.
But.
‘Well, who cares? Bring it on.’
An adventurer was a profession that risked life itself to seize strength and resources.
Taken to the extreme,
people even said there were only two possible endings for an adventurer.
‘Succeed or die.’
As far as I knew,
cases like Jerik’s, where someone retired alive and physically intact, were extremely rare.
And I had absolutely no intention of retiring like Jerik.
“I’ll make it through and go back. No matter what. Fuck.”
My little sister Ha-eun had only been in her first year of high school when I fell into this place.
We had no parents,
and now even the only older brother who earned money had disappeared.
How was that poor kid supposed to survive in such a harsh world?
‘Wait for me, Ha-eun.’
No matter how long it takes,
your brother will come back.
And I’ll make up for everything I couldn’t do for you while I was gone.
With that vow,
I picked up my spear again and left my room.
Clearing floors quickly was good,
but only when you had the ability to do so.
I had cleared both Floors 1 and 2 with other people’s help.
For now,
I needed to focus on clearing safely.
In other words.
Training.
“Are you not going straight to Floor 3?”
“I want to train a little.”
“Hmm. Training is good. I like the cautious attitude. Kirk’s problem is that he rushes too much. Tsk, tsk.”
“Well, I think my footwork is close to reaching the next stage.”
“......What?”
“I had a rough time on Floor 2, so its Level went up quite a bit.”
“Did you not say you evolved your spear art too?”
“......Yes. I got lucky.”
Jerik gave a hollow laugh at my answer.
“With your specs, what could possibly have given you trouble on Floor 2 of the Labyrinth?”
“......I was playing it a little cautiously.”
“Cautiously? You? Were you not the type to charge in the moment you decided something looked right? And if you were playing cautiously, should you not have had less trouble?”
Jerik’s words stabbed mercilessly at my conscience.
Still,
I could hardly tell him that on Floor 3, I wanted to achieve a Perfect Clear without anyone else’s help.
And I needed preparation too.
“Could I learn some butchering?”
“Butchering?”
“Yes. I looked into Floor 3, and it seems knowing how to butcher things can be pretty profitable.”
“......That is true, but would it not be better to spend that time clearing the floor quickly and coming back? You made quite a bit of money on Floors 1 and 2.”
“I can do both. Besides, isn’t money always in short supply?”
“Hmm. If you are only thinking about Floor 3, butchering small animals should be enough, should it not?”
“I think it’d be better to properly learn butchering. For the future too.”
“Are you planning to work at a slaughterhouse?”
“If that’s what it takes to learn, then I should.”
“......”
Jerik looked at me as though I had just said something utterly bizarre.
“You said you wanted to clear the Labyrinth. Did you actually want to switch careers and become a butcher?”
“No, that’s not it. I just want to make proper use of as many resources from the Labyrinth as I can.”
“If you eventually join a good guild or noble house, they will assign specialists to you.”
A guild or noble house.
Could I really live as part of an organization while keeping all my secrets hidden?
“......For now, I want to try doing it myself.”
“Why not learn herb gathering while you are at it?”
“That...... I’ll think about separately.”
I said that,
but honestly, I had no intention of learning herb gathering.
Even mushrooms classified as junk apparently still counted as living things, since the Goblin Basket could not synthesize them.
There was no way expensive medicinal herbs would work.
‘It’s common knowledge that the more effective an herb is, the stronger its vitality.’
Living creatures, on the other hand,
became clearly dead the moment they died.
And the stronger a Labyrinth monster was,
the more valuable its byproducts tended to be.
‘Like those werewolves.’
That was why I wanted to learn butchering.
Leaving the future aside,
even Floor 3 alone was known as an environment overflowing with countless high-quality pieces of ‘junk.’
‘If I go for the Perfect Clear, it might take a long time. I’ll collect everything I get along the way and synthesize it.’
Considering the Goblin Basket sitting inside my Spatial Pouch,
this was probably the right decision.
I needed to train my footwork, spear art, and other Skills anyway.
“If possible, I’d like to work at the slaughterhouse only in the mornings to learn the technique, then train in the afternoons.”
“......Fine. Hah. I feel this all over again, but you truly are a strange bastard.”
“Call it living diligently. Haha.”
“Not being obsessed with money?”
“......Maybe that too.”
I covered it with an awkward laugh.
But starting the very next day,
I had no choice but to experience firsthand just how naive my thinking had been.
“New guy? Normally, a new guy would start with chores. But since Master Jerik asked me personally, I will teach you the basics from the beginning. Consider yourself lucky!”
“......Thank you.”
The slaughterhouse owner, Mr. Julio, was a fierce-looking old man.
But it was not the old man’s face that made my own expression stiffen.
‘Ugh, the stench of blood.’
I had come out at dawn while still half asleep,
only to get hit by a smell so foul I had never even imagined it.
It woke me right up.
In the worst possible way.
And on top of that.
“I am teaching you the trade, and you only have to work until noon. You know I am giving you extraordinary treatment, yes?”
“......Yes.”
“Then work hard.”
Slaughterhouse work was genuinely brutal on the body.
If Ability Stones and Skills had not given me Strength and Vitality beyond an ordinary person,
I doubt I could have endured it.
And the routine continued.
I ate, finished work,
then trained through the afternoon.
For over a month.
FWOOM—!
‘I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!’
THUD.
I reversed Volante Footwork’s pursuit of absolute lightness,
adding weight instead.
HUMMM.
FWOOOOOM—!
My spear vibrated as though it would burst free from my grip,
carrying all that weight as it shattered the air.
Attack Power +9.
Even a light swing of the Edelin Long Spear carried force equivalent to 9 points of Strength.
The air pierced by the spear erupted outward in every direction as though twisting into a vortex.
‘Right. If I step like this, then even more......’
The instant I became certain that I could now perfectly reproduce the finishing strike I had used against the Demonized Human,
the System spoke alongside my realization.
[Resonance Spear’s Level has increased.]
[Volante Footwork Stage 1 (Common) has evolved into Volante Footwork Stage 2 (High-grade).]
“Yes!”
When I had reached the Common maximum Level and still made no progress for two full weeks,
I had even considered visiting House of Viscount Volante again.
But continuing to train while learning the Butchering Skill had helped tremendously.
“Ahahahaha!”
Without even wiping away my sweat,
I immediately checked my Status.
[Name: Go Cheol-woo]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 10]
[Stats]
Strength: 14(+0.8)
Vitality: 16(+1.6)
Agility: 10(+2.5)
Mana: 14
Physical Resistance: 3
Magic Resistance: 4
[Mana Skills]
Resonance Spear (High-grade-Lv.4), Cheol-woo Mana Cultivation Method (High-grade-Lv.2), Volante Footwork Stage 2 (High-grade-Lv.1), Butchering (Common-Lv.7).
[Level-Up Points: 9]
[Ability Slot (Full)]
Multiple Spirit Command.
[Trait]
-Additional Information Check.
My Mana had naturally increased by another 1 while I trained Cheol-woo Mana Cultivation Method.
The cultivation method itself had gained another Level in the process.
‘My spear art gained another Level too.’
I could clearly feel that my overall combat power had increased.
“You look happier than I have seen you in a while. I take it you achieved your goal.”
“Master!”
“Did you?”
“Yes! I evolved the footwork. Without using Level-Up Points!”
“......I see. Well done. I suppose I cannot recommend that job offer to you now.”
Jerik laughed heartily and suddenly said something strange.
“What?”
“Mr. Julio said he has never seen such a natural-born butcher in his life. He said that if you ever quit being an adventurer, you should work with him. Even if you only work mornings, he will pay you twice the normal daily wage.”
“Ah......”
A bitter smile escaped me.
In just one month,
I had not only registered Butchering as a Skill,
but raised it all the way to Level 7.
Of course,
there was a reason.
My Trait.
‘I ended up discovering another completely unexpected use for it.’
For example,
something like this.
[Cut along the grain at this point and the fascia will separate perfectly.]
The moment I used Additional Information Check while thinking about butchering,
a window like that appeared.
It had turned me into a butchering genius.
But now I had definitely grasped the basic technique.
“Please tell him I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I think I’ve learned the fundamentals now.”
“Fine. Do as you like. So, now that you have achieved your goal, are you going straight into the Labyrinth?”
“Yes. I’m resting today, then leaving early tomorrow morning.”
“You are quick at times like this. You dragged your feet over when to enter in the first place.”
“You have to be cautious.”
“With your current specs, you could already pass the Novice Grade. Level 10, two High-grade Skills—no, now three. You even have two Artifacts. Hardly anyone slots more than two Ability Stones during their Novice days. Even your only weakness...... Ah. Th-This one does not really matter anymore.”
Jerik seemed to be trying to spare my feelings.
I could only answer with another bitter smile.
‘That’s exactly why I have to get the Perfect Clears.’
The 1st Advancement Class was the most important advancement for an adventurer.
People said it could improve later depending on future achievements,
but it was common knowledge that the better your 1st Advancement Class was,
the higher your eventual growth ceiling would be.
It was the only possibility I had for compensating for the weakness of having so few Ability Slots.
“I understand what you are thinking, but even the top Summoners backed by the Royal Palace are only this cautious on Floors 5 and 10. They do not obsess over every single floor the way you do. You know that, correct?”
“Yes, I know.”
According to common knowledge,
your Class changed depending on your performance on Floor 5,
where Elite Monsters—usually encountered for the first time there—or special Quests appeared,
and Floor 10,
where Boss Monsters and Class Advancement Quests appeared.
“That’s exactly why I want to try taking a road even fewer people take.”
I was sorry,
but for now, that excuse was the best I could give him.
“......Very well. It is your decision. Being cautious should at least make things less dangerous.”
I could hardly tell him that I was carefully(?) planning to deliberately throw myself into even greater danger.
“And I can make plenty of money while I’m at it.”
“Yes. If you know how to butcher, Floor 3 can be quite profitable.”
Jerik agreed,
but he did not seem particularly convinced.
I wondered what expression he would make when he saw the things I planned to synthesize and bring back from Floor 3.
‘If this works the way I think......’
I could make a fortune on Floor 3 even without obtaining any special treasure.
“For now, wash up and get a good rest today.”
“Yes.”
And so,
after a full month,
I finished preparing to challenge Floor 3 of the Labyrinth.
The next day.
FLASH.
‘Hmm.’
I entered through the Floor 2 gate at the Labyrinth Stele—
in other words, in front of Edelin’s main gate—
and hesitated for a moment.
‘Would the caravan still be here?’
It was simple curiosity about the people I had formed ties with before.
But once I remembered what I needed to do,
I immediately shook the thought off.
[Return]
[Floor 1]
[Floor 3]
‘I’m going to Floor 3.’
The moment I went straight to Floor 3,
“Mm.”
the sudden rush of humid air and sweltering heat made me frown without realizing it.
‘As expected.’
Looking around,
all I could see were dense trees with broad leaves
and insects buzzing everywhere.
A jungle.
The instant I saw exactly the scenery I had expected,
I summoned the fire spirit.
‘Fire.’
FWOOSH.
Keeping the insects away mattered more than the heat.
‘The fire spirit alone probably can’t get rid of all this humidity, right?’
SSSSSS.
The moment I summoned the water spirit,
the sticky humidity around me suddenly vanished.
And then.
‘Wind.’
WHOOOOOSH!
I had the wind spirit create a gentle breeze,
and the clammy environment immediately became comfortable.
‘If it’s this convenient, am I really going to be able to replace this with another Ability Stone someday?’
While I entertained that contradictory thought in complete comfort,
the System’s voice rang out a beat late.
[You have entered Floor 3 of the Labyrinth.]
[Floor 3 Quest]
[Army Ants defeated: 100 (0/100)
Jungle Slimes defeated: 100 (0/100)
Vampire Bats defeated: 10 (0/10)]
“As expected.”
I clenched my fist without realizing it.
I had gotten the most common Quest on Floor 3.
If so,
the Perfect Clear Conditions were probably......
‘Additional Information Check.’
HUMMM.
[Perfect Clear Conditions]
[Army Ants defeated: 1,000 (0/1,000)
Jungle Slimes defeated: 1,000 (0/1,000)
Vampire Bats defeated: 100 (0/100)
Thorn Vine Snakes defeated: 10 (0/10)]
“......Pretty close to what I expected.”
My prediction had been right.
But I was not particularly happy about it.
Because that meant one thing.
The beginning of a very, very long grind.