โI guess for now, Iโve been savedโฆ butโฆโ
Looking at the towering wall in the distance, I felt at a loss.
It was good that I had blocked the entity chasing from behind, but in doing so, I had effectively sealed off my own exit.
The cave seemed deeper than I had thought, and I could continue further if I chose to.
โโฆWell, there seems to be something there.โ
If I were to try and break through the wall to escape, I honestly didnโt want to do that either.
I was stuck in a bind, unable to move in any direction.
โBy the way, what was that earlier?โ
The image I had seen at the edge of my vision, like some kind of floating projection, had now disappeared.
But, I was half-convinced.
That must have been the skill the goddess had mentioned.
โIf I just concentrate, could it appearโฆ Oh, it actually shows up.โ
The floating string of characters appeared effortlessly in the air.
It was clear that the skill responsible for creating this sturdy wall was โWall Creation: Mana Consumption 1.โ
โWhen I was running away, it didnโt show up at allโฆ but now that Iโm in this cave, itโs suddenly usable.โ
That meant I wasnโt using it wrong.
It must have been the conditions that triggered its activation.
โโฆIn other words, since this is a dungeon, thatโs why it suddenly became usable, right?โ
If you think about it simply, thatโs probably the case.
Outside of a dungeon, the Dungeon Master skill would have no effect.
So if it became usable the moment I entered this place, then this must be a dungeon.
โUghโฆ the more I think about it, the less I want to stay here.โ
That lizard from earlierโit seemed like a monster from a game now that I think about it.
I encountered something like that outside of a dungeon. In a dungeon, it wouldnโt be strange to encounter something even worse, more frequently.
โButโฆโ
In that case, I should turn back quickly. By now, thereโs a higher chance that the lizard is gone.
But I canโt turn back. This dungeon, which might be even more dangerous than the outside, is the only place where I can use my skill, the one lifeline I have.
โFirst, I should check what I can do with this skill.โ
Looking at the list of strings quickly, it seemed like this was a list of things I could do.
When I looked calmly, it reminded me of a gameโs menu screen.
โThereโs not many glowing menu options.โ
There were a lot of menu items.
However, the number that was glowing was very few.
I could somewhat tell that the unlit items probably couldnโt be selected.
โCreate a fork in the pathโฆ Yeah, I thought so.โ
โFork Creation: Mana Consumption 5โ
I tried selecting it, but as expected, nothing happenedโit was a dud.
โWell then, for now, letโs seal off the other side.โ
โWall Creation: Mana Consumption 1โ
I created a new wall, hiding the deeper part of the cave, opposite the wall that blocked the entrance.
With this, the area would be safe from monsters, whether from the outside or inside.
โโฆI mean, I guess Iโve kind of trapped myself, but it should be fine.โ
โReset: Mana Consumption 0โ
Since there was a menu option like this, I figured it would be easy to erase the things I had created with my skill.
โWall Creation and Resetโฆโ
I tried it out just to be sure. When I created a new wall and selected Reset while focusing on that wall, just as I intended, only the wall disappeared.
Alright, this makes me feel a bit safer in using my skill.
โโฆManโฆ Iโm getting more and more tired.โ
I was suddenly reincarnated into an unfamiliar land, and then it was a chase with what seemed like monsters. Itโs no surprise that Iโm exhausted.
But at the very least, I should test this skill a bit moreโฆ
โNext, letโs try creating a floorโฆโ
โFloor Creation: Mana Consumption 1โ
When I touched it with my finger, the ground changed from rough earth and stones to smooth, paved stone tiles.
โฆMaybe I should just sleep here. Iโm surrounded by walls and itโs safe, and this neatly paved floor now looks like a fine place to rest, considering how tired I am.
โI canโtโฆ I should sleep. Oh, thatโs itโฆ this meansโฆโ
I had been curious about the term โMana Consumption.โ
That means, every time I create a wall or floor, I was using mana.
It could be the dungeonโs mana, but considering the fatigue that builds up every time I do something, itโs probably my own manaโฆ
Thatโs as far as my thoughts went.
โ
โโฆI feel a bit better than earlier.โ
Despite being on the cold, hard stone pavement, it seems I ended up sleeping quite a bit.
I was that exhausted earlier.
This doesnโt seem like just simple fatigue.
โI guess it was because I consumed too much mana.โ
And with sleep, my mana must have recovered as well.
If thatโs the case, then the next thing I should worry about is my mana.
โMana consumption: 1 x 4 times.โ
The front and rear walls, the reset wall, and the floor.
Maybe the mana consumed from resetting the wall might come back, but for now, letโs assume Iโve consumed 4 mana.
โThat meansโฆ my mana is probably around 4.โ
Iโm not sure if thatโs low or average.
No, itโs probably low. A Dungeon Master who gets exhausted after making 4 walls. Iโm sure Iโm the only one like that.
โI wish it would at least show me the numbersโฆโ
I fiddled with the floating menu screen, wondering if there was something like that.
Then, I realized that sliding my finger horizontally made the screen change.
โI seeโฆ that previous screen was for remodeling the dungeon, and this one seems to be something like my status.โ
Izumi Reiko
Mana: 5
Strength: 3
Skill: 4
Stamina: 5
Agility: 4
โฆThose numbers are hard to react to.
If the highest was 5, and at least 10 or so, itโd be an acceptable number.
But, the maximum is probably 100 or somethingโฆ If thatโs the case, my strength would be fragile enough to blow away with a gust of wind.
โMana is 5. If I consumed 4, then I still had 1 left, and yet I was so exhaustedโฆ If it reached 0, Iโd probably faint. Thatโs scary.โ
At least I recognized the danger in that.
And the reason I couldnโt create a fork in the road was probably because my mana wasnโt enough to reach 5 at the time.
In other words, the unlit but readable items are things I couldnโt use at that moment, but would be usable once my mana recovers.
Unreadable items are probably ones that require more than 5 mana to use.
โStill, itโs inconvenient not knowing my current mana just by the maximum value.โ
I guess complaining doesnโt helpโฆ
At least I can get some idea of things based on whether the text is glowing.
โHuhโฆ wait, could this also be a map?โ
Looking closely, the status screen shows something like a white glowing circle icon, displayed like a speech bubble.
That icon must be me. The important part is that the icon is positioned over something that looks like a path.
โSo, if this is the entranceโฆ wow, this dungeon is huge.โ
There are also two other things that catch my attention.
The number โ0โ written in the top right of the map. What could that beโฆ?
Also, if this white icon is me, then is the grey icon nearby another living creature?
I tried to select it to check its status, but then, unexpectedly, another grey icon appeared.
โWhat is this wall?!โ
โLooks like theyโre trying to divide us! Demons are all such cunning creatures!โ
โIโll destroy it. I never intended to fight alongside humans.โ
โI wouldnโt mind taking them down with the demons, honestly.โ
Voices came from behind me.
At least, they werenโt the same monsters from earlier, and they seemed like they could be reasoned withโฆ
But again, there were words of hatred toward demons. Just like the men I encountered before.
Those men and these voices both mentioned killing demonsโฆ
The goddess, who reincarnated me saying I was a failure, must have meant something like this.
Iโve been reincarnated as a demon, and it seems like in this world, demons are something to be killed.
A loud noise came from behind the wall.
The sound of something being struck was clearly meant to break through the wall.
โAlright! Stop with the annoying tricks!โ
โOh, thereโs a demon. Itโs probably this guy who was blocking the wall.โ
โWe might as well take him down here to avoid more trouble later.โ
โฆAlright, I need to run. Thereโs no way I can negotiate with them!
Unlike the men I encountered earlier, theyโre not human, but their attitude toward meโor rather, demonsโseems the same.
I turned and ran straight deeper into the cave. Of course, I erased the blocking wall with a reset.
โThe wallโs gone. That means this is definitely his doing.โ
This is bad. Bad. Bad!
Theyโre definitely more dangerous than that lizard or those men earlier!
Although they looked human, they had distinctive ears, and their arms and legs were hairy.
They had ears like rabbits or cats growing from their heads. They must be beastmen.
Such creatures usually have high physical abilities.
โWhat the heck is this? Theyโre slow. Well, if theyโre this slow, itโll be easy to outrun and kill them.โ
The voice behind me was closing in fast.
โฆThereโs no way I can escape!
So what do I do? Should I beg for my life and hope they spare me?
No, itโs clear they only want to kill me.
Thereโs no way we can talk.
โGoodbye, weakling.โ
This voice probably belonged to a beastman with a sword.
He was probably trying to slash me. I was too terrified to even look back.
Is there anyโฆ way to survive?
โArgh!! Ah!? Not again!!โ
It was a snap decision.
I quickly accessed the menu and created a wall againโthis time right behind me.
It seems that worked, as I managed to divide myself from the beastmen.
From the manโs frustrated voice, itโs clear he probably crashed into the suddenly appeared wall.
From the sound of him attacking the wall with brute force, his anger was intense.
That asideโฆ
โIโm definitely escaping!!โ
I focused solely on running deeper into the cave during this opportunity.