Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

They arrived at the entrance of the Magic Tower.

“…Wow.”

Lumia’s lips parted, letting out a small gasp.

When seen up close, it really is quite amazing.

I remember when I first saw the Magic Tower; I was so astonished I couldn’t close my mouth.

“Let’s get in line at the back.”

I took Lumia and stood at the very end of the line.

The line quickly dwindled thanks to a swift and accurate security check.

Before long, it was our turn, and we each pulled out our entry passes.

“Hm?”

The gatekeeper looked at Lumia’s pass with a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on?”

Vincent, who had been standing behind, asked the gatekeeper, who was still standing still, even after checking the pass.

“This is definitely a formal entry pass issued from within, but the pattern engraved on it is something I’ve never seen before.”

The gatekeeper explained that the design didn’t match any of the patterns included in the inspection guidelines, so they would need to verify the issuer.

Sigh. If I were to answer aloud to the question of who issued this, it would be overheard by everyone around us waiting in line.

That would lead to all sorts of speculation about the connection between Conrad and us.

‘The guarantee of the Tower Lord… It seems no one has ever received one until now. This is definitely not good. Shouldn’t we have handled this kind of issue in advance?’

I had clearly mentioned that we would visit together today, so it was quite unexpected.

Lumia, who was blocked right at the first gate, held my hand tightly in a flustered manner.

The emotional scroll, which I had tucked away in my backpack unused due to the chaos, came to mind.

Should I pull it out and show the result of the inspection of the entry pass?

Just then…

“This is a magic tool for recognizing the issuer. Please place your pass on it.”

Clunk.

“Hendrick, step aside. Now.”

“Yes, yes!”

Vincent hastily made the gatekeeper step back, checked the pass himself, and then bowed to Lumia.

“My apologies. I truly apologize for the inconvenience caused due to our insufficient response.”

“…It’s okay.”

Lumia calmly assured him, and Vincent continued.

“It seems that guy didn’t check the new official document. There’s no issue. Please enter.”

Vincent assured us that this wouldn’t happen again and moved aside.

“Hendrick, when your shift ends, make sure to submit a written apology.”

“…Yes. I’m terribly sorry.”

It seemed that even though Conrad had arranged things beforehand, the gatekeeper had not fully familiarized himself with the official documents, leading to this misunderstanding.

‘For someone as strong as Vincent to act so politely…’

Was it because of his personal loyalty and responsibility toward the Magic Tower?

Or perhaps it was the power of the Tower Lord position and Conrad himself? It could be both.

I comforted Lumia, who must have been shocked despite appearing calm.

“It was their mistake, so don’t worry. Shall we go in?”

“Mm.”

We passed the first gate.

The second gate was the barrier of the great wizard Belmosius, which filters out those with the taint of evil energy.

Whoooosh—

I passed through effortlessly, but, as expected, Lumia ran into trouble.

As soon as she stepped through the entrance, she stood frozen as if time had stopped for her alone.

[Chaos advises it’s better not to interfere and just observe quietly.]

It seemed the barrier had temporarily blocked her. As Chaos suggested, it would be a disaster if I intervened and things got tangled, so I waited in silence.

About 10 seconds later…

“Huff. Hah.”

Gasping heavily, Lumia began to move again.

She couldn’t steady herself and nearly collapsed, but I quickly caught her in my arms.

“Are you okay?”

Was it because the barrier had briefly blocked her that she couldn’t breathe?

The answer was quite shocking.

“I saw a vision… of a wizard introducing himself as Belmosius…”

What?

To summarize Lumia’s story briefly:

The will left by the great wizard Belmosius, who had sacrificed his life to set up the barrier, tested whether Lumia should be allowed entry. The barrier briefly blocked her because there was still some unpurified dark energy within her, but it was not intentional energy she had cultivated. Instead, she was a victim whose life had been ruined by the machinations of the evil gods.

By answering the questions sincerely, Lumia proved she was not originally tied to the evil gods, and the permission to pass freely was granted.

“I knew you’d make it through. Are you sure you’re okay?”

I hadn’t expected there to be such a strange test after the barrier, but I wasn’t worried because I knew for sure that Lumia wouldn’t be filtered out because of that curse.

“…Mm. But don’t let me fall right away. Let’s just stay like this for a while.”

‘By the way, someone almost collapsed at the entrance, and no one even cares. Is this the cold reality of society in the Magic Tower?’

I absentmindedly patted Lumia’s head, which felt strangely empty without her ears, then, after she regained her composure, I headed toward the desk.

As soon as I mentioned my name, a staff member with wide eyes stopped me before I could even state my purpose for visiting.

“Please wait for a moment. I’ve already notified the upstairs, and soon someone will come down to guide you both.”

“…?”

I didn’t recall any mention of this during our conversation yesterday.

Though I wasn’t sure what was going on, I figured it wouldn’t hurt, so I acknowledged and stepped away from the desk to wait.

The wait wasn’t long.

Whoosh!

A warp gate, which wasn’t a normal magic elevator that visitors could use, but one reserved for special use in the lobby, activated.

A figure stepped out with a faint light and walked directly toward us.

Before I could even think to check my status window, the person quickly approached us and greeted us with a bright smile.

“Haha, hello! I’ll be your guide for today. I’m the middle-ranking mage of the Colorless School, Lehial Schnel!”

With striking pink hair and a flashy outfit, this small but cheerful man made a memorable impression… Was he really a man?

Anyway, Lehial Schnel pointed to himself with his thumb and added,

“Please feel free to call me Lehiel!”

“Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Ahren, and this is Lumia.”

It wouldn’t be polite to ignore his request to speak comfortably.

I asked Lehil about the guidance he was going to provide.

“Lehil, could you please explain exactly what it means that you are in charge of our guidance?”

“Alright. I completely understand that this sudden appearance might have startled you! But let me first explain the basics step by step.”

Lehil, nodding nonchalantly, took a seat at a table in the corner of the lobby and began speaking.

“How much do you know about the profession of a magician? And the role of a magician in dungeon exploration?”

Hmm. It’s a rare profession, respected alongside priests, right? Someone with a hidden powerful attack spell as a late-game trump card?

Lehil, not getting a satisfactory answer from us, shook his head and continued.

“Typically, the path of magic in this city can be divided into four main types.”

“Four types?”

First, those who enter the Magic Tower by proving they possess magic-related traits either from birth or gained through dungeon exploration, and then use a magic appraiser tool to identify their aptitude and join a faction that suits them. This is the classic path.

Second, those who enter the Magic Tower by paying a large sum or through connections, learning specific magic as a form of exchange.

Third, those who learned magic from some source, then came to the city, where they share knowledge with other magicians at the Magic Tower and possibly join a faction through further learning. This is the path of unity.

Fourth, those who self-study magic using special items and equipment, then explore the dungeon without any faction affiliation or formal education. This is the wandering path.

“So, Miss Lumia, you’re a self-taught necromancer, right? Ah, my bad! You learned necromancy outside the city, didn’t you?”

Lehil had already been briefed on Lumia’s background, race, and history after being selected for this position. He winked, signaling he would only mention magic-related information, not touching on personal details.

Okay. Fine. But why is he winking at me like that?

Anyway, Lumia answered his question.

“Yes. My specialty is self-taught necromancy, and I can use a few curse spells.”

“Hmm… Do you have any specific magic you’d like to learn here at the Magic Tower? For example, learning more common necromancy to broaden your research?”

Lehil pulled out a stack of documents and a pen, shrugging.

“Or maybe you want to learn useful public magic for adventuring… Or perhaps try out magic from other factions?”

Lumia thought for a moment before speaking.

“I would like to learn some useful public magic, like party bonding spells or a compass magic for relationships.”

“Bonding and compass magic, huh? I guess you’ve had experiences where your party got scattered unexpectedly? Sometimes teleportation traps or special events can cause disasters, where you lose your companions.”

“Yes. I only need to experience such a terrible thing once. I never want to be separated from Ahren again.”

“…Ah, I see.”

Thinking back to when I was running around the entire 4th floor, almost losing my mind, it does seem overwhelming. That method was impossible for anyone but me.

Lehil, raising his eyebrows at Lumia’s firm answer, joked that he would remember that they were especially close, giving a playful grin.

“Anyway, as you go deeper into the dungeon, spells like those become more and more necessary. They’re fairly easy to learn and very popular.”

Lehil began noting Lumia’s answer on the documents.

Scribble.

Lehil told us to continue sharing what we hope for from the Magic Tower as part of the verification process.

“Also, as I mentioned earlier, I’d like to learn more about typical necromancy as well.”

“Sounds good. And?”

“Besides the spells I mentioned, I want to see if there are any other types of magic that suit me.”

“Even if your talents haven’t fully manifested yet, hidden abilities can sometimes appear. That’s also a good idea.”

Snap!

Lehil snapped his fingers and asked Lumia another question.

“Next, could you tell me your current role in the party and how you want to grow in the future?”

“…So far, I’ve taken the lead as a scout using my senses and supported combat from the rear with area magic, also using summoning magic as a substitute for alarm spells.”

Lumia paused for a beat before continuing.

“Honestly, I don’t want to give up either of those roles. I want to continue being someone who’s indispensable by Ahren’s side, in both party-related and external matters.”

…Lumia.

Lumia tightly grasped my hand under the table, intertwining our fingers.

“So, I want to find a way to merge these two roles… if that’s possible.”

“Heh, you’re quite greedy. Sitting across from both of you today, my side feels cold.”

Lehil shook his head playfully.

“Not all magicians are those who shoot powerful attack spells from the back, so it’s not an entirely impossible wish.”

Lehil raised his index finger and pointed upwards with a smile.

“Well, it’s only possible if there’s other talent backing you up in some way!”

Though it might be the same for all types, magic especially requires fundamental talent as a foundation.

Lehil remarked that the deeper you go into the world of magic, the colder and harsher it becomes.

“It’s laughable when I see wanderers using magic carelessly, calling themselves magicians. But apart from that, magic factions tend to have strong bonds, which has its perks.”

As he finished his sentence and stuffed the papers into his bag, I couldn’t help but ask something I had been wondering about.

“Hehe, did my mood show too much?”

“It’s not that it showed… but if you were forced into this guidance role, I thought you wouldn’t be so friendly and thorough.”

Lehil chuckled and made a circle with his thumb and index finger.

“Actually, I’ve been working on developing a new type of spell lately, so I’ve been tight on funding.”

“Ah.”

“About yesterday evening… A public notice went out to the various factions, and since my schedule was free and I could negotiate compensation, I jumped at the chance.”

He explained that low-tier magicians were unsuitable for the task, and having a high-tier magician would be a waste of resources, so the public notice for selecting a guide was sent to mid-tier magicians from each faction.

Since it was an official notice from the faction masters and the guest was from the Magic Tower’s lord, there weren’t any difficult or lengthy conditions, so he immediately applied.

I reflected deeply on my earlier complaints about Conrad.

“By the way, if such a notice was sent… does this mean that the mid-level hierarchy of the Magic Tower knows that Lumia and I are connected to the lord? Thankfully, it seems Lehil, as the guide, was the only one who received the details about Lumia’s background.”

It felt strange how easily such information had spread, but I decided to think positively, assuming Conrad had planned ahead and took steps to keep things in check.

Thanks to this move, if anyone envied us, it would be fine… At least, no one among the mid-tier magicians would dare cause trouble for Lumia now.

“By the way, that’s really impressive. You’re entering the tower as a guest of the lord.”

Yeah, like that.

If this level of convenience was provided from the start, I’d have to completely revise my plans to bring Lumia in as just an ordinary magician, excluding her access pass.

“Lumia, from now on, you’ll be walking on a completely golden path, not just a flower road. I’m really jealous.”

Despite my playful words, Lumia just quietly nodded.

Ignoring that, Lehil suddenly stood up and energetically led us somewhere.

“Alright, let’s go. Let’s check your potential talents and aptitudes.”