The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 261: Dungeon World

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It had been about 40 minutes since we entered the dungeon.

After swiftly dispatching three goblins that appeared before us on the ninth floor, we collected the fallen magic stones.

“Lewis. What’s been bothering you all this time?”

Just as I turned my gaze deeper into the dungeon, Shuvina called out to me, and Iris, curious as well, was staring at me intently.

“Hmm? I was just wondering if it’s coming soon.”

“So what is it?”

“……… It’s here.”

When I hesitated with my words, Shuvina rolled her eyes, and a wave of white magical energy surged toward us, ready to envelop us.

“W-what is that?”

“It’s something I’ve been waiting for. Just stay put and don’t worry about it. Rick and the others should stay nearby too. It’ll be a hassle if we separate.”

Though Shuvina and the others showed signs of panic at this unfamiliar phenomenon, when I calmly issued my instructions, they quickly regained their composure and stayed put as instructed.

And just like that, we were swallowed by the approaching wave of magical energy, engulfed in a sensation much like when we passed through the dungeon’s door.

When I next opened my eyes, we found ourselves in a forest, under a painfully bright sky. The sunlight filtering through the leaves was so fierce it felt like it might scorch our skin completely.

“Where… are we…?”

“I don’t know, but my head feels all fuzzy.”

“I might feel a bit nauseous…”

“Rick. Are you okay? I’ll cast a recovery spell now.”

It seemed Shuvina and Rick were feeling unwell; Rick, in particular, looked about to vomit as he tried to get Mail to cast a recovery spell on him.

“Mail. Don’t cast a recovery spell on Rick right now. He’s seriously gonna puke.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“That’s magic sickness. Rick doesn’t have much resistance to magic, and Shuvina, being sensitive to natural magic from her contract with Dōna, is feeling unwell after being exposed to that magic. If you cast another magic spell on them now, they’ll really throw up.”

Magic sickness is a condition that affects those unaccustomed to magic or particularly sensitive to it, causing them to feel intoxicated when suddenly exposed to a large amount of natural magic.

In Rick’s case, being a swordsman means he isn’t well-acquainted with natural magic, and after absorbing an overwhelming amount all at once, he was hit with intense nausea.

On the other hand, Shuvina, being an elf and having a contract with the spirit Dōna, is sensitive to natural magic, leading to her head spinning from the overload.

“Magic sickness… So that white wave we saw earlier was magic?”

“That’s right. For now, the sunlight is just too strong here. Let’s move a bit. Shuvina, can you stand?”

“Y-yeah. I can manage…”

“And Rick?”

“I might have a bit of trouble…”

“Got it. Then I’ll carry Rick with wind magic, and Shuvina, you’ll have Iris and Mail help you.”

“Understood.”

“Okay!”

I used wind magic to lift Rick comfortably, and as we made our way through the forest, we found a large tree where I laid Rick down in the shade.

“This should be a bit better.”

“Sorry, Eir. I’m causing trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it. Iris, can you stabilize Rick’s magic?”

“Just restoring the chaotic magic will suffice?”

“Yeah. That should help ease him a bit. And Mail, please take care of Shuvina. I’ll use detection magic to check our surroundings, so let me know if anything happens.”

“Understood.”

I entrusted Shuvina and Rick’s care to the others and began extending the range of my detection magic to investigate this area.

(This seems to be the case: it looks like every team has been transported to this space. However, they are all far apart, making it impossible to regroup quickly. Plus, this space is still ridiculously vast and there’s no end in sight. Well, for now, I should aim for the center as always. Just to be safe, I’ll contact Fiera as well.)

After gathering my understanding of the situation, I used the communication earring to tell Fiera to meet us at the center of this space, then returned my focus to the present.

“How are you both feeling?”

“I’m okay.”

“I feel much better than before. Thanks, Iris.”

“Glad to hear it.”

As I confirmed their condition, I handed out water I retrieved from storage magic, and Iris and the others seemed tired enough to gulp it down in one go.

“So, Lewis. You know where this place is, right?”

“Yeah. First off, we’re still inside the dungeon. And that white thing that swallowed us earlier was natural magic released by the dungeon.”

“This is a dungeon? But it looks completely different from before in terms of scenery, terrain, and environment.”

“Simply put, we were forcibly transported to a different space. This place is part of the same dungeon we were just in, but not the same dungeon we knew. Think of it as being inside a big water sphere, with us inside a small water sphere.”

I tried to explain in rough terms, but the four of them fell silent, seeming to struggle with understanding.

“Eir. I’ve been in dungeons several times, but I’ve never seen or even heard of this phenomenon.”

“Exactly. This phenomenon is something that only happens in this dungeon and is a pretty rare occurrence, happening only once every few decades or even centuries. So, it’s only natural that there’s almost no record of it.”

“Wait, Lewis. Isn’t your explanation a bit odd? If there are hardly any records left, how do you know about this phenomenon?”

As expected, Shuvina caught onto the oddity of my words and asked with a serious expression.

“Well, you said it yourself. ‘Hardly any,’ meaning there may be some. This dungeon has existed since before the academy was founded, and that academy has a long history. So, even if there are no records anywhere else in the world, there must be some here in this academy. There are records that similar phenomena have occurred in the past.”

“I see. And since those records are only kept in this academy, it’s understandable that such phenomena aren’t generally known.”

“You’re correct, Iris. To add, this phenomenon occurs only in this dungeon known as ‘Morning Star.’ If this phenomenon were occurring in other dungeons, there would at least be some rumors or records about it somewhere, but there’s been nothing.”

The phenomenon we faced this time was something I had never heard of until I experienced it in my first life, and I only came to understand it after thoroughly reading every book in the library in my second life; the information on it was very sparse.

“Then, simply put, tell me, Lewis. What is this phenomenon all about?”

“Well, to put it simply, this phenomenon is a virtual layer created by a dungeon called the ‘Maze World.’”

“Maze World?”

“Yeah. Normally, dungeons consist of multiple overlapping layers. However, this Maze World exists in a different dimension. You can think of it like a demon realm where demons reside. So, in this world, there are no pathways up or down, just this space.”

“Then… how do we get out of here?”

Rick’s question was indeed valid; if there’s no path leading to other levels, then there’s no exit either, giving the appearance that we’re very much trapped.

“Well, that’s not a problem. The fact that we’ve entered this space means, conversely, that there must be an exit. The reason this space exists is tied to that exit.”

“Reason, huh? What exactly is that reason?”

“The selection of a hero.”

“……… Huh? A hero?”

“This space exists to select a hero. And there are three ways to get out of here:

One, when your life is in danger. Naturally, monsters will appear in this space. Not just goblins like we’ve been facing before, but much stronger ones. If it looks like you’re about to be killed by those monsters, the dungeon will forcibly transport you outside to protect you.

Two, when you don’t qualify to be a hero. Even if you manage to survive by defeating monsters, if you sacrificed your teammates, performed inhumane acts, or have mental issues during the process, you’ll be judged as unqualified to be a hero and forcibly sent outside of the dungeon.

Three, when the selection of the hero is complete. If you defeat enough monsters to reach the center, there will be a temple where a holy sword is sealed. If someone is chosen by that holy sword, the hero selection is concluded. Conversely, if no one is chosen by the holy sword, the selection ends, and you’ll be forcibly transported out of the dungeon.

Having explained what I knew from my life experience and the remaining records, the three of them seemed utterly shocked, unable to utter a word in response.

“Well. It’s understandable if you can’t grasp all this suddenly. For now, just think of this space as an examination venue for the holy sword to select a hero. And we’ve been forced to stand in that venue.”

It’s rather self-centered to make someone stand in an examination venue without their consent, but the biggest problem is that this examination seems to be rigged.

It’s said that those worthy of being heroes possess similar magical power even before being chosen by the holy sword, and that the change in color of their magical aura from red to white was a preparatory step to being selected by the holy sword.

However, since I’ve already destroyed that person’s magical organ, they currently cannot use magic.

I’m very much curious about whether they can still be selected by the holy sword in such a state, and how they’ll overcome this examination, making it an interesting prospect.

By the way, despite the rigged nature of this competition, there’s a reason why other students have also been gathered here as challengers, which is to build connections with heroes.

The holy sword possesses several unique abilities, one of which increases physical abilities and attack power with more companions.

In other words, by cooperating with friends to overcome this examination, they’re also setting the groundwork to unlock that ability through a strong bond.

It truly is a story that’s too convenient in every way.

“Anyway, that wraps up the explanation. Feel free to ask more while we move. We can’t just stay here forever, and more importantly, we’re finally able to fight stronger monsters. Let’s enjoy it!”

With that, I ended the discussion and, taking Iris and the others with me, set off toward the temple in the center.