Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 2

by Yuu Tanaka

  “Didn’t know that.”

  “You get a handsome reward for informing them that a dungeon has appeared. In any case, the dungeon I speak of does not fall under the jurisdiction of this country, or any other country for that matter. Therefore, I am under even less obligation to make a report.”

  “Not in any country?”

  What do you mean?

  A place which isn’t under the dominion of any kingdom? Was it located in some kind of DMZ? Either way, it sounded like trouble.

  “Haha! I see you are rattling your puny brains about this.”

  I’d like to hear where this dungeon is located, if you don’t mind.

  “Now, now. Where would the fun be if I just told you?”

  I was all right with a straight answer, actually.

  “Let me tell you the story of how I came across the dungeon! Stay a while and listen!”

  “Hm.”

  It’d help if you kept it short and simple.

  “You ask for the impossible!”

  And so Jean began his animated tale.

  “Ten years ago… I heard tell of an undead outbreak in this area. Their numbers were growing so rapidly they outnumbered the local monsters.”

  Really? This place isn’t even a Haunt.

  “Indeed! It was an odd phenomenon, to be sure. Reports of undead raiding nearby villages came flooding to the guild. The Guild had sent out countless investigation parties in response to this threat.”

  “I see.”

  “I was a young Necromancer, then. I came to this land to deepen my knowledge of the undead magicks. I’ve carried on my research for ten years, and though my heart broke and was sorrowed countless times, I rebuked it that I might increase in knowledge!”

  “Wow.”

  Jean carried on his story like an actor in a stage play. Fran, you really don’t have to clap for the Magi.

  “And then I made my discovery. A massive accumulation of mana! In multiple spots!”

  Accumulation of mana?

  “Indeed. The phenomenon was caused by naturally occurring mana gathering in one location. This stagnation of mana causes monsters to spawn.”

  I see.

  “Now, the mana accumulation I had discovered had a distinctly Undead element to it. The element of these masses of mana were influenced by the surrounding environment. For example, in places like a volcano where fire is plentiful, these mana hoards would spawn fire monsters, and the oceans would spawn water monsters.”

  So you get wind monsters in a place with strong winds?

  “Yes. The only element I can’t quite figure is the Fiend element. One hypothesis states that Fiend-type monsters appear where in areas which contain the seals of the God of Evil. There seems to be truth in this hypothesis, seeing as there are no Fiends around these parts. There must be a reason behind their concentrated spawning.”

  Wait, seriously? There were a lot of Fiends in Alessa, and the Direwolf Garden had been teeming with orcs and goblins, as well. Was the God of Evil sealed off in those places? That was a scary thought.

  If this hypothesis were true, wouldn’t we have found the seals by now? All you needed to do was look to the center of Fiend populated areas.

  “Some of them actually look for the seals that way. You’ve heard of the Evil and the Dark Uniques?”

  Yeah. I ran into an Evil Goblin once.

  “The Evil Uniques seem to have the blessing of the God of Evil himself. When they’re around, you can be sure that there is a seal of the God of Evil nearby. One of the adventurers actually found one of the sealing grounds that way.”

  What happened then?

  “Not much, thankfully. The adventurer informed the guild, and they locked down the area.”

  Even if someone had found one of the sealing grounds, not much could be done about it. Legend has it that the gods, upon defeating the God of Evil, divided him into parts before sealing him away. It was impossible for man to undo the seals of the gods. At least, that was what I learned.

  But when I pondered this aloud to Jean, he shook his head. The process wasn’t as straightforward as I thought.

  “No. There have been times where the seals were broken. Although the forces maintaining the seals are strong enough to keep the Evil God in bondage, they are prone to outside interference.”

  What? But the gods created those seals, didn’t they? Wouldn’t they have some protection on them so the seals couldn’t be tampered with?

  “There are barriers to prevent Fiends from tampering with them but there doesn’t seem to be any special protection against humans.”

  Why not?

  “Think about it. The gods have promised not to interfere with the works of Man. Wouldn’t that be reason enough?”

  Did that mean the gods were unable to violate a single iota of their laws? Wouldn’t that leave the seals vulnerable to abuse? The people of this world had more faith in their gods than I initially thought, so perhaps the gods here were more involved than I was used to. At least they were involved enough that Jean believed they wouldn’t break their promises.

  Still, man is a creature who is easily led astray, whose heart is easily tempted by evil. No wonder some of them managed to break the seals.

  “It goes to shows you how much the gods value mankind.”

  They were gods, after all. They weren’t concerned with every little detail like we were, and who knew the thoughts within those infinite minds?

  But wouldn’t that mean that the forces of the Evil God are leaking into this world if Fiends exist?

  “Perhaps, but I don’t know for sure. It is outside my area of expertise. I cannot know for no Fiends spawn around these parts.”

  Not even one?

  “Nay. I’ve never seen one myself. This place is mostly home to the undead.”

  That’s what we were talking about earlier.

  So you were saying about finding massive accumulations of Ghost mana?

  “That is the conclusion I have come to after residing in this place for many years. I’ve been wanting to resolve this anomaly for a long time.”

  So the undead were spawned out of that accumulated Ghost mana?

  But how were you supposed to resolve the mana accumulation if the Undead element didn’t occur naturally? Was this place an old battlefield, once upon a time? Perhaps it was an execution ground?

  “Correct. But this is where the tale becomes strange.”

  How do you mean?

  “These fields have never been anything out of the ordinary. I looked through the records and found nothing that would indicate any instances of mass slaughter above ground. There are no records of massive tombs below ground, either.”

  Jean had obviously done his homework.

  “I’ve studied the mineral structure of the earth and every plant life I could find, none of which amplify or add to the strength of the undead element. Why then, is there an accumulation of undead mana?”

  “Hmm?”

  Huh?

  I didn’t know how Jean expected us to answer something even he didn’t know.

  “Any guesses?”

  He stood up, and started pacing around the room. His gestures grew grander than before as he became more excited.

  “Someone’s adding it on purpose,” Fran said.

  “Yes! That is what I initially thought, as well. I suspected the northern kingdom of Raydoss of being up to one of their diabolical schemes.”

  Judging by your tone of voice, your speculation turned out false.

  “It is impossible to manufacture a mana accumulation or inject mana into a locale. Many researchers have dedicated their lives to it; all have failed.”

  “I see.”

  “And so I looked at the similarities between mana accumulations. That is when I made my discovery!”

  Jean swung around, and pointed his finger at us in a grandiose gesture. He was like a detective who had finally solved the mystery of the day.

  “Your discovery?”

&n
bsp; “Yes. Do you know of the floating island above this field? Ah, but of course you do. That’s how you ended up in my lab in the first place.”

  We saw the island firsthand – part of it, anyway.

  “Objects would fall from the floating island from time to time. Sometimes it would be plants, other times, boulders.”

  So you’re saying these falling objects are the cause of the undead outbreak?

  “I can’t believe you just… ugh…” Jean cringed. “Yes. The accumulations of mana are located in the same place as the fallen objects.” He slumped his shoulders and sulked back into his chair. He really must have wanted to make the announcement by himself. He was grumbling under his breath now, and I couldn’t decide which of his two moods was more annoying. “I investigated the suspicious suspended island and found a dungeon on top of it,” he finished, spirits completely dashed. At least it made him quiet, though, even if it didn’t completely shut him up.

  So why are the fallen objects imbued with undead mana?

  “Because the dungeon is an undead dungeon. That is the reason why everything on that floating island is imbued with the undead element. They retain their element even when they’ve fallen to the earth.”

  Which means the Skeleton Knight that attacked us was…

  “Likely to be one of the dungeon’s monsters, yes.”

  I didn’t expect to run into a dungeon this early in our trip.

  “Do all floating islands have dungeons on them?” Fran asked. I was interested as well. If all floating islands housed dungeons in this world, wouldn’t that make them dangerous? We could have stampedes since no one would be able to conquer them.

  “No. I posit that the dungeon on our floating island was created out of a Dungeon Core that spawned in the air next to it, or one that spawned on the island itself. That is the only floating island I know of to have a dungeon on it.”

  I had thought that Dungeon Cores could only appear on land, but they could show up anywhere, it seemed. There was a lot about the Cores that I didn’t understand. “Would a Core break upon hitting the ground if it spawned that high up in the air? I know it would have a magical barrier protecting it, but would it be able to absorb the impact from a drop from such a high altitude?” I asked Jean.

  “No. A mysterious force operates the Dungeon Cores, and therefore they would only spawn in places that were viable for a dungeon. They can’t be moved from their original spawn location, barring special circumstances. If one were to appear in the sky, it would remain afloat. If one appeared in the ocean, it would not drift along with the tide.”

  “Special circumstances?”

  “One such circumstance is our floating dungeon. Also, the records say that long ago there was once a giant golem whose insides housed a dungeon. This golem could move around, of course. Why these extraordinary cases exist, one can only guess.”

  The Chaos God worked in mysterious ways. This world housed many mysteries.

  “How do we get to the floating island?” Fran wanted to know.

  “With my level of magic, we have several options.”

  Is the floating island under no one’s jurisdiction?

  That’s what Jean had mentioned earlier. I thought we were still on Granzell soil.

  “The island’s route circles around the edges of Raydoss and just about straddles Bellios. The kingdoms are still fighting over who gets to own it. That is why no one has sent troops to claim the island and the dungeon remains hidden.”

  If one of the kingdoms had tried to claim the floater, that might be interpreted as an act of invasion which could lead to all-out war.

  “It is quite troublesome, however. As dangerous as the dungeon is, it also lays golden eggs. The dungeon itself doesn’t pose much of a threat to the continent. If the kingdoms figured this out, they would do everything in their power to get their hands on it. They might even send in the army.”

  And it’s okay for us to go there?

  “As long as no one finds out.”

  Don’t get caught, huh? Jean’s plan was beginning to sound fishy.

  “Now, I shall restate my request. We shall go to the island together to investigate the dungeon.”

  How much are we investigating? Do you want to clear the dungeon or is there something else you have in mind?

  “Indeed, clearing the dungeon would be our goal. We can then destroy the dungeon once we clear it. Perhaps that would ease tensions between the kingdoms.”

  Destroying the dungeon would nullify all possibility of war breaking out.

  Was Jean, the Necromancer… actually good…?

  “The difficult part comes with capturing and returning with a certain monster. The beast’s name is Ghost Eater. It is an undead monster which eats other undead. Threat Level B. Even if we can’t finish the raid this time, returning home with the Ghost Eater will make it easier for me to conquer the dungeon another time.”

  B-Rank Monster, huh?

  “I was going to make my attempt with several batches of Necro Potions but working together with you will prove far more effective.”

  It was dangerous for sure, but might be worth the risk. We’d get to go to the floating island, too.

  Fran?

  I wanna hit the dungeon.

  Of course she did. I did, too. No one had ever stepped in this dungeon to boot.

  We can get payback, too.

  Yeah, we have a score to settle with that numbskull.

  Arf, arf!

  I guess you’re in too, Jet.

  We might be able to get revenge on the Skeleton Knight if we went with Jean. After discussing the matter with Fran, we decided to accept Jean’s offer.

  “Wonderful! I’ll be in your care! Mwahahaha! My word, I can hardly wait!”

  Likewise. We really appreciate you taking us there.

  “Leave that to me. Now, let us reintroduce ourselves! I am Jean du Vix! Master of things which lurk in the dark! Lord over the abyss and all that is dead!”

  I guessed that meant he was a scholar in Necromancy. As much as I hated to admit it, I was getting used to Jean’s language.

  “I’m Fran. A Black Cat. My favorite foods are curry and pancakes. This is Jet.”

  “Woof!”

  “It’s my first time seeing a Darkness Wolf. He would make a fine minion if he were undead.”

  “Aroo…”

  Jean looked dead serious. Jet tucked his tail between his legs and cowered in fear.

  “No.”

  “Hahaha!”

  That’s not funny, please stop.

  “Worry not. I won’t waste a single drop of blood.”

  Dude, seriously! Anyway, I’m the Intelligent Weapon, Teacher. Fran named me that.

  “I see. So Teacher is your name?”

  Was it impossible to ask this guy to read the room? If he insulted Fran’s naming sense she would—

  “What an eccentric name! Hah! I like it!”

  I’m glad he’s a weirdo.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “Hm.”

  The Blademage and the Necromancer shook hands.

  Before we set off, we decided to change the terms of our agreement.

  “You don’t have to give us that much in reward money.”

  “Oh?”

  In exchange, we want the crystal.

  “Crystals? So you want that instead of gold?”

  Yeah. Would that be too much to ask?

  “Not at all, but what are you going to use them for?”

  Well, uh…

  Of course he would ask. I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable with telling him all the details, though.

  “Hmm… I see, I see.” Jean closed in on me as I hesitated. He was looking intently at me.

  What? Why are you looking at me like that?

  “A crystal counter…”

  “!”

  “Does absorbing crystals make you get stronger?”

  He nailed it in one guess!

  “How do you kn
ow that?”

  “Heheheh. There is nothing hidden from my Soul Sight! Teacher here has a Crystal counter on his status screen and he wants crystals as payment… It doesn’t take a genius Necromancer to put two and two together!”

  Damn it, he had such amazing deductive reasoning despite being so obnoxious! He saw right through me! I didn’t think Identify could even see that much information. I underestimated his Soul Sight!

  “Heheheh… Looks like I hit the bullseye. I see your status is now: Frustrated.”

  Y-you can see that, too?!

  “Bwahahaha! I jest! But it seems I was right again!”

  Dammit! I completely fell for it!

  “Arf…”

  Jet, stop looking at me as if you felt sorry for me! I know what you’re thinking, you overly-expressive wolf! Take this!

  “Ruff!”

  How do you like getting your fur ruffled in the wrong direction? I bet it feels uncomfortable!

  I stopped with the awful realization that Jean was rubbing off on me. Was Fran going to follow his example, too? Jean might teach her his evil-sounding laughs.

  “But a magic sword which consumes crystals… Interesting. Do you gain the skills of the crystal on top of the mana?”

  !

  How did he keep getting it right? His guess was so sudden I couldn’t gasp in surprise. I wanted to ask him how he knew more than anything else.

  How did you—?

  “Am I right? Mwahaha! I am a genius!”

  I didn’t think you’d see right through me.

  “Shocked? It was all a matter of deduction. First, I looked at your skills and found them to be far too similar to each other. Teacher has a skill called Skill Sharing, which must mean that the skills you have transfer over to Fran, as well.”

  I see.

  “Those skills must therefore belong to Teacher. Still, your skill selection proves too diverse even for the most legendary of blades. Which leads me to believe that you have another way of learning skills.”

  He saw right through everything. We couldn’t let our guard down around him.

  “Also, your skill composition is absolutely baffling. I deduced that you didn’t gain them through leveling up the prerequisite skills.”

  Prerequisite skills?