The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 41: Underground

Episode 41: Underground

“…As expected, the flow of magic is unstable even at this point.”

Lucrane narrowed his eyes as if reading the air around us. In his hands was a measuring device. The needle indicating magical power was swaying gently.

I turned my gaze to the ground at my feet. The uneven terrain was covered in scattered stones. It was unstable. And with every step, I could feel the gravel slipping under the soles of my shoes.

(…The ground is oddly loose.)

The surface looked dry. But in some places, it felt soft. It was like it sank slightly. Feeling that strangeness, I carefully stepped forward and looked around the area.

“Lucrane-san, is there a cavity underground?”

“Yes… It’s possible there used to be a Magic Ore mining site around here. In fact, there are remnants of an ‘abandoned mine’ in some parts.”

Lucrane said that and lightly touched the ground beneath his feet.

“However, since the records are quite old, they’re also incomplete. There’s a possibility of a collapse already having occurred. Be cautious—”

At that moment, an ear-piercing creaking sound echoed.

Simultaneously, a barely perceptible vibration traveled up through the ground to my feet.

(…This is bad.)

Suddenly, a small noise came from below my feet. And my vision tilted.

“Lucrane-san, move back!”

As I shouted, the ground caved in. Stones and dirt crumbled. My vision was covered in dust. I tried to jump instinctively. But the footing collapsed, and I was pulled down by gravity.

“—…!”

Lucrane’s voice grew distant. Preparing for the impact of the fall, I curled up into a landing position.

But—

(…It’s light?)

The moment I hit, I felt a shock through my body. But it was not enough to be considered damage.

There was some pain… but at most, it felt like dropping down from the first floor.

As proof, my HP didn’t change.

(Fall damage is also reduced by “Physical Resistance”?)

I had clearly fallen from a high place. And based on that, it was abnormal for me to be unharmed.

I kept my hands on the ground and strained my eyes to check my surroundings. It was a vast underground cavity. It was clearly not naturally formed.

I slowly sat up. Looking above, far in the sky, I could see a narrow gap of the collapsed ground letting in a faint light.

(…Depth is about ten-some meters.)

Grasping my position, I scanned the area. At my feet were fragments of rock and scattered soil. But what caught my attention more was how part of the rock wall had been unnaturally carved. It formed a passageway leading deeper in.

For a natural cave, the straight lines were far too precise.

(A passage. Maybe artificially dug.)

It must be the former Magic Ore mine Lucrane mentioned.

It seemed reasonable to think it was connected to the cause of the magical instability that was the original purpose of our request.

I murmured softly, drew my sword, and cautiously took a stance. When I stepped a bit further in, I felt the brightness around me drop drastically.

Light from above reached only about ten meters from the point of impact. Beyond that was a space so dark it could only be described as “pitch-black.”

—Total darkness.

Even squinting my eyes didn’t help. It wasn’t just dark—it felt like my vision had been taken away. The silence added even more tension.

(…I can’t see.)

Each time I tried to step further, I felt as if the darkness was pushing me back. My instincts were screaming. Don’t proceed without caution.

Without vision, the risk multiplies. How do I overcome this situation—just as I was thinking that:

《Skill Night Vision Acquired》

《Skill: Night Vision Lv.1》

It felt like a faint breeze blew through me. My field of vision gently expanded.

I blinked—The world that had been sealed in darkness began to take on faint outlines. The rough rock walls, the crumbling ground, the uneven ceiling far away… everything emerged in shades of pale gray.

(This is…)

A monochrome, yet clear vision. It was a strange sensation. It was as if I had become a beast with night vision. A new form of sight that picked up on something like faint light or delicate magic.

(This is… really helpful.)

It was a skill that manifested without me intending it. The skill is acquired by “being in a dark place for a certain amount of time.” But to be honest, it was considered a skill with limited use.

It let you see slightly better in the dark without a light source—but since light-providing items are cheap and can last semi-permanently, it wasn’t a particularly useful skill.

Precisely because of that, getting it now could be considered fortunate.

—However.

(…Was the timing too convenient?)

Setting aside the joy of regaining vision, a strange unease passed through my mind. In game terms, the required time in darkness for acquisition was a total of 24 hours. But I had acquired it in just a few minutes.

Since it was a cumulative total, if I had spent time in other dark places, that might explain it—but the condition was “a place dark enough that nothing is visible.” And I was doubtful I had met that.

Even a night with barely visible surroundings wouldn’t count. It made it an especially strict requirement.

(I’ve got another thing I need to investigate now…)

Still, that’s what makes this interesting.

I adjusted my grip on the sword and stepped forward, one step at a time. The air here was colder and more humid than the surface.

—Suddenly, a tingling sensation like something brushing my skin crept over me.

(Something’s here.)

I sensed a presence. A magical power that swayed like breathing. It carried “pressure” laced with hostility. But it wasn’t that ice monster from before. I could tell this was a pure monster’s presence.

I looked around. Rock walls, ground, ceiling. At a glance, it was just a “normal cave.” But my senses told me otherwise. Something was “off” in this space.

As I walked forward, I heard a faint rustling underfoot. It wasn’t gravel. Looking closer, I saw something thin and black—like a “thread.”

“This is…”

I instinctively kneeled and narrowed my eyes. It was a black magical line crawling along the rock surface like a bl00d vessel. It looked thin, like bundled hair. But its presence felt abnormal.

(It’s channeling magic?)

The moment I touched it, a faint tingling ran through my fingertips. At the same time, I felt something being drained from me.

“Ghh…ii…”

Suddenly, the surrounding space made a “creaking” sound. Not actual sound—an abnormal fluctuation in the flow of magic. That’s what it felt like.

Then, that “thread” slightly trembled. As if it had a will, it subtly, but clearly, moved toward me.

(…It’s alive?)

No, it’s not even a “living being.” It was “moving” in a way different from life.

This entire space was like a spider’s web made of magical structure. But every part of it was “leading somewhere”—there was a sort of central point.

I slowly stood and drew the weapon from my back.

(This is interesting… This isn’t just any monster. It’s an opponent worth testing tactics against.)

I smiled. Even in the face of this abnormality, the corners of my mouth lifted. Fear and danger were being converted into “tactical thrill” within me.

—That moment.

Suddenly, a ripping sound echoed from deep inside the cave. The black magic threads all shuddered at once and glowed.

And beyond them—something was there.

A section of the black rock wall pulsed like a “beating heart.” From it emerged a semi-transparent crystalline form. It was made of bundled black crystals. From it, thread-like magic lines extended in all directions.

And earlier, when I touched the thread, I felt something being sucked out. If that was magic—

(This thing is the cause of the magical instability?)

The unstable magic flow in the Magic Ore layer. If this thing was sending out threads everywhere and sucking up magic… it all added up.

The moment I thought that—“cold air” suddenly filled the area. So fast my breath turned white.

Fortunately, thanks to “Frost Resistance: Lv.1,” I wasn’t frozen in place.

And then, a shadow hidden in the darkness slowly revealed its form. A silver-white beast covered in ice.

(This one is…)

—The same ice-type monster from before.

But stronger, sharper, with a more honed sense of “will.”

Its eyes met mine. But I sensed neither hostility nor friendliness.

The next instant, the ice shimmered. Sharp ice blades floated in midair. They didn’t target me—but instead slashed straight through the “threads” spread throughout the area.

Original Author’s Comment:

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