"I Was Reincarnated Into Another World So I Want to Teach Them a Lesson in the Dungeon." ~I May Have Been Expelled as a C-Rank Sorcerer, but Since It Seems Everyone Wants My Cheat Skill, I Think I'll Teach Them a Lesson~ - Chapter 8

I have died.

No, I haven’t yet faced the physical death she mentioned, but it seems to be just a matter of time.

Lokiel and the others met their physical death without much fuss, lying so disfigured that it was difficult to mourn them properly or even to determine who was who.

Unlike me, Lokiel seemed to have been untouched by the spiritual death. This was evident from his behavior and attitude around the campfire.

He had no intention of fleeing from the goal of conquering the dungeon. Miria, too, had once faced spiritual death but wished to live, and we had sworn together to overcome the fear.

Ryner and Caroline, as despicable as they were, seemed to understand the cruelty that kept them far from death. That’s probably why they’ve survived until now.

If things had continued as they were, we would all have been cooked in an orc’s version of a three-minute cooking show, with us as the main course in a hamburger menu by now.

Miria had shared her analysis. It was shrewd, albeit cowardly, but it was a practical way to navigate the world.

Why had I faced spiritual death? The turning point was me.

Because I relied on my unique skill [Trap Detection], when the trap was sprung unexpectedly, it was an unforeseen event that hit us hard.

We were disorganized from the start, so we didn’t have the luxury of responding immediately to an emergency.

As fear took hold, we had given up on living. We were probably already spiritually dead, just trying to flee from the terror of death.

I had desperately opposed Ryner, but it was my fault that everyone died. They died spiritually and then physically.

But I don’t want to die.

Even if my body dies, I don’t want to experience spiritual death.

I can’t let Miria’s spirit die.

“I want to help… I want to save Miria. If I pull myself together, Lokiel and everyone might—

If I don’t run away, maybe I wouldn’t have to die.”

“Exactly.”

“If I run now, Miria will die… And then I’d never be able to stand again. That’s definitely like dying spiritually. So now I’ll stand up and save Miria. For that reason, I can’t die! I must resist! And once again, I want to feel the softness of her thighs—

No, I promised to go back with Miria—!”

“Cough. Whether it’s your true feelings or not, you’ve chosen to live. So I’ll support you. Show me your party ring, will you?”

As I put my party ring on the middle finger of my left hand, she attached hers to it.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Soma.”

“Strega Investigation Team Party welcomes Soma. Well, I used to be a solo player. Maybe Soma will be my first.”

Just moments ago, the pain that had been squirming in my guts and gnawing at me vanished as though it were a lie.

After vomiting blood, it didn’t overflow anymore.

“The effect of my unique skill this time is to provide a continuous healing effect to party members. Well, it’s a one-time disposable thing—

Can you stand now?”

“I can stand…! This time… I’m ready to fight!”

“Good. You’re full of spirit.”

The orc was still lying on the ground, writhing. It was only a matter of time before it stood up and attacked again.

If we attacked now, we might be able to defeat it. But then again, the magic of the girl named Strega had only inflicted superficial damage, so it wasn’t going to be an easy opponent.

“I’ve never seen such a stubborn orc.”

“And about that, I think this orc probably wasn’t a trap originating from the dungeon. My unique skill [Trap Detection] didn’t trigger, so I think that’s why it’s strong.”

“Could it be the work of the area boss?”

“Exactly. It wasn’t a pure trap, but rather a trap that circumvented Soma’s unique skill in a way.”

Strega, holding her large staff quietly, said,

“Now then, it’s your turn to defeat it.”

“No, I can’t defeat it on my own…”

“I’ve already used up all my magical power, and even then I was conserving it. Magic is a cost necessary for conversion into magic spells. I’ve already paid the price needed for magic, and I’m running on low. That’s why a low-level spell like Fireball is my limit for today.”

Even Ryner couldn’t stand a chance against it. Caroline and Strega, even sorcerer of higher rank than me, couldn’t penetrate its skin, fat, and magically fortified shield.

A low-level spell wouldn’t be enough. It would take a much stronger spell to defeat it.

“Soma’s staff isn’t just for show, is it?”

Strega pointed to my staff and asked.

I needed magical power strong enough to destroy the magical barrier bestowed upon it.

I knew that. Well, I used to know that.

Because I had obtained it through a unique skill, I had avoided using it until now.

[Magic Staff: Exagone]

But now, it was just an ordinary stick because the unique skill was gone.

Regardless, Strega handed me a red gemstone, which I attached to the tip of the Exagone.

Gripping the staff with both hands, I chanted.

“Blue flame that burns all demons to ashes—Einäscherung.”

The blue magic stone attached to the tip of the staff vibrated and a magic circle unfolded. Although it was supposed to be an azure flame, it conjured an ordinary fireball that grew to an immense size, dwarfing the orc’s massive frame.

Releasing the fireball in one go, the orc’s ample fat became fuel for the fire, and it turned to ash in an instant due to the heat that even broke down bones.

“That’s Soma’s true power.”

“Couldn’t be… But this is…”

“It seems my eyes weren’t mistaken. That staff isn’t just for show.”

“That’s strange… This was something I could handle under the influence of my unique skill…”

“Right. And that was Einäscherung? No, it was just a regular Fireball.”

“What… What does that mean…?”

Things got even more complicated.

[Magic Staff: Exagone] was something I had obtained through a unique skill. There was no mistake about that.

It wasn’t the pre-imbued spell [Einäscherung], but rather a low-level spell, Fireball, the same as the one Strega had cast.

For some reason, it came with the power to incinerate the orc, reducing it to charred remains.

The only thing that came to mind was the effect of [Magic Staff: Exagone], which was to double the power of magic.

Ignoring my confusion, Strega, looking decidedly nonchalant, pulled out a pocket watch.

She counted three ticks counter-clockwise from twelve on the watch and snapped it shut.

“Oops…”

This watch, synchronized with the dungeon’s weekly reset design, uses a magic crystal to suppress vibration-induced errors and quickly corrects any discrepancies with the large magic crystal held by the Magic Association.

Even a one-second discrepancy can be a significant hindrance to those exploring dungeons.

It becomes crucial when deciding whether to retreat or continue the exploration.

“It seems we should give up on defeating the area boss this time. I can’t put Miria under any more strain.”

“I wonder if Ryner and Caroline managed to defeat the area boss.”

“Come on, help me out. We’ll wait here for the reset.”