Madness of the Blue Blood Labyrinth - Chapter 14

Kofu Labyrinth, Thirteenth Floor.

Last time, the government officials mistook me for a missing person, and a search party came looking for me. So, rather than waste their effort, I turned back at this point.

Checking my watch, it’s been about four hours since I started this run.

This dungeon feels pretty compact if you just go straight down. Unlike the *New York Labyrinth* — America’s largest — where descending even a single floor takes a whole day, apparently.

—

“…Ah, geez, we really made it here without me doing anything. Took me over two years to reach the twenty-third floor, and here you are.”

“With you going to college, I’d bet you’ve only spent maybe a fifth of that time actually in dungeons. Plus, when you were a rookie, you had empty skill slots, so the physical difference was more obvious. My first skill was a good match for me right off the bat, too.”

“‘Twin Blood,’ right? That rare random one with multiple effects. You sure hit the jackpot with that.”

—

Skill Papers, occasionally dropped items, are generally classified into two types: *Choice Skills*, where you select one skill from several included, and *Random Skills*, where you don’t know what you’ll get until you use it.

Once learned, a skill can’t be erased or replaced, so people usually prefer the reliability of *Choice Skills*.

But, as the saying goes, high risk often means high reward. Some of the most powerful rare skills are only obtainable through Random Skills.

—

“With bad luck, you might’ve gotten something like *Whistling Virtuoso*.”

“Who’d even want a skill that only makes you better at whistling?”

—

I can’t imagine any scenario where that’s useful. A little variety is fine, but this is going too far.

I’m certainly not wasting one of my two precious slots on something pointless like that.

—

“…Well, the one I used was combat-only, so even if I’d drawn a dud, it would’ve helped me in dungeon crawling.”

“Like *Floppy Swordsmanship*, where you get stronger by swinging a sword with a loose grip?”

—

What kind of name is that? It sounds like someone just gave up.

Put some thought into these names! Strength aside, it’s inconsiderate to the people who’ll learn it in the future.

—

As the conversation continued around skills, I randomly decided to check my terminal. That’s when I found out that around ten percent of known skills are classified as useless garbage — neither helpful in combat, dungeon exploration, nor even daily life. That’s enough to send a chill down my spine.

Glad I got *Twin Blood*. It may have its quirks, but it’s pretty strong, and the name and effects are cool too.