I Have been Reincarnated As a Lazy, Arrogant Noble, but When I Destroyed The Scenario Through Effort, I Became The Most Powerful With Extraordinary Magical Power - 74

074 – Water Dungeon

There are various ways to enter a dungeon.

Simple ones have stairs leading to a basement-like area, from where you enter.

There are also those with teleportation magic applied to the ground, which can send you flying the moment you step in.

Forests, volcanoes, mountains – countless dungeons exist in this world.

And we were about to step into one of them – the Water Temple, Water Dungeon.

“Are we really in the right place?”

“Seems like it. Weiss, can’t you swim or something?”

“Idiot, of course not.”

In front of us was a small lake.

It stood alone in the middle of the forest.

The designated map said it was inside here.

We rushed here at full speed. We must be the first ones.

“How do we get in? Do we just dive?”

…A distant memory resurfaces.

Come to think of it, it felt something like this.

I don’t remember every detail of the side story, but I didn’t expect to see it firsthand.

“Alan, stand right there in front.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just do it.”

“Hey, don’t push me!?”

“Yeah, I won’t push…”

Alan honestly stands where he’s told.

Is he pretending? No, he’s just dumb.

“Well then.”

“Huh, whaaat!?”

Alan is then pushed into the lake. Well, by me.

And then…

“He’s not coming up.”

“Could he have drowned?”

“That’s fine, but it probably means we’re in the right place. Let’s go, Karta.”

“Huh? Y-Yeah, okay.”

“…What are you doing? Aren’t you going?”

“Huh, whaaat!? Weiss-kun, after you!?”

“I believe in being a gentleman.”

I said it, but that’s pretty lame.

Summoning my courage – no, casually – I jumped in.

Of course, I held my nose.

“…I see, so this is the dungeon.”

As if the scenery switches, I find myself in a place like an underground room.

It’s quite spacious, with pillars standing around. And each of them… water?

“Hey, weren’t you not going to push me!?”

Oh right, I forgot about the protagonist.

“I just bumped my elbow.”

“…Well, if that’s all.”

Duke’s like this too, but why are these guys so honest?

It’s tough restraining myself from retorting to that.

And Karta comes along immediately.

Of course, pinching her nose.

“Drowning, ughhh.”

“Nobody said you would.”

“…Huh? Oh, thank goodness…”

“But, Weiss, you were pinching your nose too—”

“Shut up, second place in the preliminaries.”

“Yes…”

This phrase seems to work. Learned something good.

But that’s not the point now.

“Stop with the useless chatter. Get your heads in the game. Karta, it seems your flying magic won’t work well in here. Support from the rear.”

“Got it!”

“Alan, you’re in the vanguard like me. Let me make this clear. Inside the dungeon, it’s a battle for resources. There’s a chance you’ll end up in conflict with others for supplies. Do you know what to do then?”

This isn’t a game. Even though it’s called a test, it’s not like the tests in school.

One mistake and you could die. And it might not be monsters that kill you, but the potential of being killed by others.

Does Alan understand that…

“Of course, I’ll fight. I know that I can’t survive on just ideals.”

I thought so, but his usual grin is absent.

“I see, then no need to say more.”

And so, our dungeon conquest began.