Chapter 19: Second Floor – 1

We carefully sorted through our loot.

The spoils from slaying the Hobgoblin Champion.

Its greatsword and a massive mana stone.

The mana stone was huge.

Roughly the size of my palm.

Considering that a fingernail-sized mana stone was worth one silver coin, this was a solid haul.

Then there was the greatsword.

The moment I picked it up, its size shrank.

Originally three meters long, it had adjusted to roughly my height.

This might be the best find yet.

‘Is it like Whisper of the Wind?’

If so.

‘Does it adjust its size based on the user?’

I used Appraisal.

[Item]

Champion’s Sword (B-)

A greatsword that changes based on the user’s capabilities.

◇ Adapts to the most optimal form for the wielder.
◇ Consumes the user’s mana to generate Blood Aura.

‘…Huh?’

It drains mana?

I wasn’t sure what that would feel like.

‘But wait…’

So that thing had been fighting at that speed while its mana was being drained?

‘No wonder…’

It really was a monster.

If it had been moving purely on muscle, then yeah—it was a complete beast.

‘Might as well try it out.’

I gripped the Champion’s Sword.

So it drains mana—but how much?

I gripped the Champion’s Sword firmly.

…!

For a moment, my body staggered.

A splitting headache tore through my skull.

‘…I can’t use this.’

Even in that brief moment, it felt like something was forcefully draining out of me.

‘So this is mana…’

Drip.

A warm liquid trickled down my nose.

Probably a nosebleed.

I reached into Hidden Space, grabbed a random cloth, and wiped it away.

‘If this thing drains this much mana…’

What if.

Instead of using this sword, the Hobgoblin Champion had discarded it and just attacked us barehanded?

Or if it had dragged the fight into a war of attrition to exhaust us?

‘…No, that wasn’t it.’

What made that thing so troublesome wasn’t just its speed or power.

It was its defensive ability.

The reason it could withstand Whisper of the Wind and even deflect the Blood-Soaked Dagger.

Without that defense, things might have been different.

Anyway.

This was our reward for defeating it.

“Alright, shall we open it now?”

Erme grinned, her excitement obvious.

The boss of the Hidden Room had given us two rewards.

A mana stone and the Champion’s Sword.

But there was one more reward—

The Hidden Room’s true prize.

‘What could it be?’

According to Erme, it was something worth looking forward to.

Even Theresa and Glasses looked eager.

Of course.

As we moved toward the Hidden Room’s reward, Rishiel crossed her arms and spoke.

Hidden Room rewards are special.

Experience and mana stones—those are things you can get from a regular Labyrinth.

But here, the boss itself is a reward, and on top of that, it grants a unique power.

‘A special power?’

Yes.

For example, you might obtain one of the boss’s abilities, or you could receive a potion that permanently increases your stats.

‘There are potions that increase stats?’

That’s not all.

Though extremely rare, some people have even gained Gifts.

‘I see.’

But… not everyone would get something.

Most likely, the reward would be split.

‘That’s going to be a headache to distribute.’

I lowered my expectations.

Last time, I got Whisper of the Wind, and because of that, I had basically become Erme’s kept man.

My food expenses, training fees, inn stay costs.

All of it came from Erme’s money.

‘Thinking about it like this… it’s kind of sad.’

She seemed to enjoy it.

But I wasn’t exactly into that kind of thing.

No.

To be completely honest…

‘I really am into it.’

But there wasn’t much to do in this world.

No dopamine rushes, nothing fun.

That’s probably why I kept myself busy with training.

If I ever got back to the modern world, I’d want to live that kind of life.

For now, I didn’t expect much.

I slowly approached the treasure chest.

If something valuable came out, I could sell it and reduce my debt a little.

‘Besides, we already got the Champion’s Sword.’

Maybe this time, I’d actually get my fair share.

Its grade was on par with Whisper of the Wind.

Take that back immediately…!

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, Rishiel’s expression twisted in outrage.

She looked at me like I had just committed blasphemy.

Take that back immediately…!

A mere goblin’s sword being on the same level as an elven heirloom?!

Unforgivable!

…She’s losing her mind over this?

I shot Rishiel an annoyed glance.

‘Yeah, no. Not taking it back.’

Somehow, I felt like I had just been scammed into an argument I didn’t even start.

Ignoring her, we continued forward.

Erme, Theresa, and Glasses were already gathered in front of the treasure chest, their expressions filled with anticipation.

“I wonder what it’ll be? Hopefully, something our party can actually use.”

“As long as it’s not useless.”

At Glasses’ words, Theresa tilted her head.

Erme chuckled and replied.

“Well, Theresa, you prioritize money, so that makes sense. But don’t worry—we’ll split everything as fairly as possible.”

“Mm.”

“And we all know the rule, right?”

“Oh, the loot distribution rule?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But just to be safe, I’ll go over it again.”

Erme cleared her throat before continuing.

“If an item can be used by a party member, that person has the right to claim it first.”

Hearing that, something felt off.

This Labyrinth had Scavengers—people who stole and betrayed others for loot.

A place filled with valuable treasures like this…

Could people really be trusted not to stab each other in the back?

There had to be tons of loot thieves.

‘…Ah. So that’s why the Adventurer’s Guild exists.’

The Guild’s real purpose wasn’t just about adventuring.

It was about evaluating people—filtering out those who were serious long-term explorers from those who were just out for quick riches.

That was the real reason behind its structure.

“Hopefully, we get something useful.”

“Agreed.”

I nodded at Glasses’ words.

At the very least, it’d be great if the loot was useful for Theresa, Erme, or Glasses.

‘Theresa mentioned she needs money, so she might just sell whatever she gets.’

The worst possible outcome?

Me getting an item.

Because unlike the others, I could gain Gifts through quests and other means.

“Well then, Yuseong, please open it.”

“…Shouldn’t you be the one opening it?”

“I have terrible luck. I always get garbage.”

“Same here.”

“Me too.”

Glasses and Theresa both raised their hands in agreement.

…Wasn’t this just them dumping responsibility on me?

‘Whatever, not like it matters.’

I was actually pretty lucky.

Maybe even luckier than anyone here.

Time to channel the power of the Pangyo Stock King.

I stepped up to the treasure chest.

For some reason, I started feeling a bit nervous.

‘Hopefully, it’s something good.’

Taking a deep breath, I opened the chest.

Inside.

A glass vial filled with a crimson liquid.

A second vial, containing a shimmering blue fluid.

And.

A single card.

“Oh! A Gift Card?”

Erme beamed as she stepped closer.

“And this crimson elixir is a Strength Elixir, while the blue one is a Mana Elixir. And this card… Hmm, it’s not a Gift Card—it’s a Skill Card.”

“A Skill?”

“What does it do?”

“Marcel might be interested in the Mana Elixir…”

“It’s a shield-creation skill. Pretty standard for a mage, but what do you guys think?”

“Mages rely on mana, so the blue elixir makes sense.”

“But the Strength Elixir… seems like all three of you are interested.”

“I’m fine.”

Since I already got Whisper of the Wind, it made sense to sit this one out.

‘Though… I am a little curious.’

I used Appraisal.

First, the Skill Card Erme was holding.

[Skill]

Shield Creation (C)

◇ Summons a floating shield in midair.

‘Doesn’t seem that useful.’

Something like this wouldn’t even block an attack from the Hobgoblin Champion.

Next, the elixirs.

[Item]

Strength Elixir

◇ Permanently increases Strength by +3.

Mana Elixir

◇ Permanently increases Mana by +3.

‘…Is raising stats that hard?’

Everyone was way too eager about it.

I didn’t see how it was worth getting that excited over.

And another thing.

What did these rewards have to do with the Hobgoblin Champion?

“Yuseong, what will you choose?”

“What?”

“Well, you contributed the most, so you have the first pick.”

First pick, huh?

I glanced over the options again.

But the Strength Elixir didn’t appeal to me.

Good instinct.

Rishiel suddenly spoke in my mind.

To wield a sword properly.

To use Darkmoon Blade effectively.

Agility was far more important than Strength.

You instinctively understood that.

‘That’s how it works?’

I wasn’t so sure.

I didn’t need instinct to figure something like that out.

But one thing was certain.

‘I can trust this.’

My S-rank Gift, Thief’s Pinnacle, analyzed subtle information and gave me precise conclusions.

So.

“I’ll take gold coins instead.”

It’d be a good chance to upgrade my gear—maybe get better armor or weapons.

“Understood.”

Erme nodded and returned to Glasses and Theresa.

After a brief discussion, she came back with the final distribution.

“I’ll take the Strength Elixir. Marcel gets Shield Creation and the Mana Elixir.”

“I took money.”

Theresa lazily raised her fingers in a V-sign, her expression blank.

“So, what’s next?”

“I’d like to stay here and explore the 1st Floor a bit more.”

Erme’s suggestion.

Probably because she had spent a lot of money during loot distribution.

“I’m fine with that.”

“Same here. Yuseong?”

“Fine with me.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll rest here for today, and then hunt more goblins tomorrow.”

“Then… what about this?”

I pulled out the Champion’s Sword, showing it to the group.

“Should we just sell it? It doesn’t seem that great.”

“Really? It seemed similar to Whisper of the Wind to me.”

“Wait… are you telling me this was the best item we got?!”

“…Seriously?!”

Was Whisper of the Wind really that good?

As I said before, it’s a weapon with strong symbolic meaning.

Well, if a weapon had symbolic value, it changed things.

Even if two weapons had the same rank, their importance could be vastly different.

“So, what should we do with this one?”

“I have a blunt weapon Gift, so I can’t use a greatsword.”

Theresa raised both hands, immediately forfeiting.

“I already got the Mana Elixir and Shield Skillbook, so I’ll pass.”

That left only one person.

Erme.

“Well, since there are two swordsmen in this party, and this greatsword suits me better, I suppose I should take it—”

She cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I don’t care, just pay for it.”

“…It’s a bit tight on my budget, but I’ll manage.”

Her face brightened as she grabbed the Champion’s Sword.

After that, Marcel cast detection spells, alarms, and set up a makeshift tent.

The first night in the Labyrinth passed.

The 1st Floor, where goblins were the dominant enemy.

Was easier than I expected.

I could handle 10 goblins at once, and even beyond that.

‘We’ve gotten a lot stronger.’

With Theresa’s level-up, her strength skyrocketed.

I glanced at her.

A goblin wielding a shield stood in front of her.

Hup!

With a simple grunt, she swung her mace.

BOOOOM!!

The goblin was sent flying, shield and all.

Crushing another goblin behind it in the process.

“Wow, you’ve really gotten stronger.”

Erme commented casually.

She sounded indifferent.

But she wasn’t exactly in a position to talk.

With the Champion’s Sword and the Strength Elixir.

She was tearing through goblins even faster than before.

‘This is basically a massacre.’

As I thought that, I turned my gaze to the goblin glaring at me.

KIEEEEK!!

The goblin lunged.

I sliced it apart with the Blood-Soaked Dagger.

‘I must’ve killed around 100 by now.’

And maybe because of that.

The dagger in my hand seemed to radiate a more sinister energy than before.

It might’ve been my imagination.

But my body felt significantly lighter.

‘Oh?’

I immediately checked its item info.

[Item]

Blood-Soaked Dagger (B)

A dagger that grows stronger with every drop of blood it absorbs.

◇ Unlocks abilities every 100 kills.

◇ Can now use Blood Spirit Aura.

◇ Agility +3.

‘Blood Spirit Aura?’

Information surfaced in my mind.

It was a technique that gathered the blood of fallen enemies, condensing it into aura-like energy.

Similar to Whisper of the Wind’s pale blue wind, but with a darker, blood-infused essence.

‘I really want to test this out.’

As I was lost in thought, I suddenly felt their gazes.

Everyone was staring at me.

“…?”

“What do you think, Yuseong?”

Erme asked.

“We’re thinking of heading to the 2nd Floor soon.”

She had a point.

Right now, our party strength was overkill for the 1st Floor.

‘There’s no reason not to move up.’

The 2nd Floor wasn’t that different.

The only real changes were.

Goblins evolving into Hobgoblins.

The 2nd Floor boss being slightly more… unpleasant.

‘But that’s just about its appearance, not its difficulty.’

After defeating a Hobgoblin Champion, the 2nd Floor shouldn’t be a problem for us.

“I’m fine with it.”

“Yeah, our current strength is overkill for this floor.”

Glasses adjusted his glasses, nodding.

“Besides, Theresa and I came here specifically to reach the 2nd Floor.”

“…Normally, I wouldn’t say something like this.”

Theresa’s eyes flickered toward me and Erme.

“But you two are strong.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

Erme’s bright eyes locked onto mine.

‘The 2nd Floor, huh…’

She was clearly leading the conversation toward moving forward.

Which meant she already considered it safe.

“In fact, with our strength, we wouldn’t even be out of place on the 3rd Floor.”

“Yeah. We’re strong.”

Marcel and Theresa agreed.

I nodded.

And so.

We began heading toward the path leading to the 2nd Floor.