“The dwarves being different from the beastkin is helpful, but leading the kingdom’s soldiers is definitely out of the question.”
I thought I had built a decent relationship with them, so I would have felt reassured if they had accompanied me on this kind of investigation.
But it’s not ideal to march into the Dwarves Kingdom with a group of soldiers from my nation.
So, I had no choice but to venture out alone for the first time in a while. Surprisingly, this might make it easier to act as a reincarnator.
“That said, nothing has progressed yet, so having them craft any powerful equipment for me is currently out of the question.”
This time, it looks like it’ll simply be a dungeon investigation.
Yet another dungeon I’ve never seen before has appeared.
And apparently, this time, it’s one the Demon Lord abandoned and forgot about.
“Just because it wasn’t accessible in the game doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist—it might be dangerous to think that way.”
A game is just a game.
There are plenty of structures in games that are set as objects but remain inaccessible.
If that’s true for buildings, it might also apply to dungeons. Maybe they existed but were simply inaccessible in the game due to its progression design.
At this rate, I’m likely to keep finding dungeons I don’t know about.
Still, if they weren’t part of the game, they might not pose a significant threat.
Surely, if they were left unchecked and could trigger a global crisis, they’d either be addressed or brought up in the game’s story.
With that conclusion in mind, I moved forward and finally arrived at the Dwarves Kingdom.
“Now then… I don’t have soldiers to rely on this time, so I’ll need to proceed with caution.”
Thankfully, it seems like there won’t be any monsters here.
And if the only danger is traps, I can use my appraisal skill to uncover and disable them, making the place not so terrifying.
I intended to start using my appraisal skill immediately upon entering, but…
“Rockfall traps. Bear traps. Rotating saw traps. This many traps just near the entrance? Isn’t that a bit excessive?”
It feels as if something of great value must have been protected here because even just the rooms near the entrance are loaded with traps to an absurd degree.
Perhaps because it used to be a mining site, at least there are no explosive or fire-based traps—small mercies, I suppose.
“There certainly are a lot of magic stones here, though…”
Still, knowing about the traps only makes me more anxious.
How can anyone else progress through so many traps like this?
Sure, most of the traps probably don’t activate if you’re just walking around normally, but knowing they’re there makes each step feel heavier.
“At this rate, I might end up missing traps even with my appraisal. Maybe this dungeon and I just don’t mesh well…”
I can’t tell which traps are active and which aren’t.
Some won’t activate, and some might activate but fail to hit me. That makes it hard to determine which traps I need to focus on avoiding.
Did the Demon Lord set these traps haphazardly with this in mind?
“I’ll have to retreat for now…”
The thought of all the traps I can see activating at once sends shivers down my spine.
As I stumbled back out, other explorers looked at me curiously.
Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss…
◇
“What was with that rising platform? Were they trying to crush the whole room?”
And the traps that shouldn’t have reached the ceiling—were they designed to work by raising the floor to trigger them?
If that’s the case, even the traps I thought wouldn’t hit me might find some way to strike.
Retreating was definitely the right call. I managed to collect a decent number of magic stones, so this dungeon isn’t one to delve too deeply into.
“Maybe I should just head back…”
The results weren’t particularly worthwhile, but at least the dungeon isn’t inherently dangerous as long as you don’t go inside.
Convincing myself of that, I turned to leave, only to spot a strikingly handsome blond man approaching me.
An elf. His long ears and elegant features were unmistakable traits of his kind.
Was he planning to challenge this dungeon as well?
“Are you heading into the dungeon? It’s filled with traps, so you’d better be careful,”
I called out to him on a whim. Then I remembered that elves aren’t particularly friendly with short-lived races like humans.
Maybe I should’ve kept quiet. But it was too late to take it back now.
The elf fixed me with a suspicious glare.
Great, now I’m probably going to get some snide remark…
“Is it really that dangerous?”
Surprisingly, his response was an earnest acknowledgment of my warning.
“Y-Yeah… It’s absolutely packed with traps. I barely escaped with my nerves intact.”
“I see… So it’s not going to be easy. Still, if I bring back even a minimal haul, they’ll be satisfied. No need to get too invested, then…”
The elf’s expression grew more pensive as he muttered to himself.
He didn’t seem annoyed. If anything, he appeared to be carefully considering my advice.
“Ah… It’s just a monster-less dungeon. If there’s no chance to level up, I’ll grab the bare minimum of magic stones and call it a day.”
“Level”… A blatant gaming term.
I’ve interacted with many people in this world, and while they speak of getting stronger through training and battle, they never explicitly use terms like “level” or “experience points.”
I assume that’s because, as natives of this world, they’re unaware of the game-like systems governing it.
So… could this elf also be a reincarnator?
I knew it was intrusive, but I used my appraisal skill on him anyway.
Not that it could confirm whether he was a reincarnator, but it might give me some clues.
Jino Novara
- Magic: 23
- Strength: 12
- Skill: 15
- Endurance: 8
- Agility: 16
I felt slightly reassured.
Judging by stats alone, I was stronger than him. So even in a worst-case scenario, I should be able to handle it.
Still, his magic stat is notably high. Must be because he’s an elf.
“Ah, sorry for ignoring you earlier. Thanks for the warning.”
With that, the elf entered the dungeon.
While he took my advice to heart, it seemed he had his own reasons for going in.
He probably couldn’t return empty-handed.
That said, he didn’t carry the usual haughty attitude of an elf.
Could he really be a reincarnator?
If so, I should talk to him. I decided to wait for him to come back.
◇
The elf returned sooner than I expected.
Judging by his exasperated expression, he must have also found the abundance of traps unbearable.
“Hm? You’re still here… Thanks for the warning earlier. If not for that, I might have ended up seriously injured.”
“I’m glad it helped. …You’re a reincarnator, aren’t you?”
I asked him directly.
Reincarnators may not always be allies, but they’re rarely enemies.
Whether we aim to defeat the Demon Lord or live peacefully in this world, there’s no reason to hide our nature.
If he were a native of this world, he might have tried to probe me further, but a fellow reincarnator wouldn’t need such subtleties.
The elf smirked faintly.
“To ask that so bluntly… you must be a reincarnator too.”
His “too” confirmed my suspicion.
“I’m Yukio Kunimatsu, from the Human Kingdom. Pleased to meet you.”
“Jino Novara, an elf. Though, of course, I used to be human.”
Jino smiled wryly at his own joke, though with his elven appearance, it oddly suited him.
An elf, huh… Honestly, I’m a bit envious of how much better that seems than being human.
