Reborn As Lazy Lord Destined to Doom

"Their hunting style is a lot more strategic than the ones I encountered during my exploration," Sylvia said, her gaze still fixed on the place where the Venomweaver had fallen moments ago.

Clara gave a slow nod. "They can't rely on their physical strength, so they can't afford direct confrontation. Their lives depend on outsmarting the monsters."

Sylvia tilted her head thoughtfully. "But still… the way the ice shattered inside the spider instead of melting… how did he produce ice that explodes like that without just turning to water?"

I adjusted my gloves and brought out fake glasses, deciding to clear up the mystery before her overactive curiosity made her test it on a real spider.

She tilted her head in confusion at my detective act.

"It wasn't conjured ice, Lady Sylvia," I explained. "The fire magician made his flames from mana, in other words, out of thin air. But those two men didn't summon anything. They brought their own water, likely stored in jute bags."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "Stored water?"

"Yes," I nodded. "They froze it mid-combat and shaped it into those long spear-like structures. The trick lies in the kind of water they used. It wasn't pure. It was rich in hard minerals."

"Hard minerals…" Sylvia muttered, nodding slowly.

"When ice made from mineral-rich water is struck by intense heat, like that fire spell, the sudden temperature change doesn't melt it cleanly. The various components inside have different melting points. That causes internal stress."

"And the stress shattered the ice?"

"Exactly. From where we stood, it looked like it exploded. But it didn't. It cracked violently, like breaking glass under heat. The shards tore into the spider's vitals on impact."

Sylvia's eyes glimmered with understanding. "They must have prepared a lot in advance to hunt that monster."

I smiled faintly. "That's likely. Each move seemed rehearsed."

Clara, who had been surveying our surroundings, turned toward us with a strange look in her eyes, somewhere between practical concern and silent frustration.

"Umm… this seems to be the region where most adventurers perform their daily jobs," she said. "They earn enough here and leave. We might not find many monsters left to practice on…"

Sylvia's eyes lit up with the subtle sparkle of a rogue about to ignore all responsible advice.

"So are you suggesting we go deeper?" she asked, practically bouncing.

Clara hesitated. She bit her lip ever so slightly, which was rare. "But Lord Orion said not to. He recommended we stay among the regular adventurer batches. It's safer this way."

Sylvia gave a tiny pout, which, on her dignified face, looked oddly tactical.

"Clara, you can see the situation, can't you? If we stay here, we'll only get to hunt maybe three or four monsters at most… the entire day."

She's not wrong.

I glanced around.

Sure, one monster from this layer was enough to let four adventurers eat meat for a week and call it "a job well done." But that wasn't why we were here. We weren't looking for coin. we were here to practice combat.

And for that, we needed more targets.

The issue was, Clara had only ever explored dungeons in controlled environments, led by instructors. Her muscle memory was tuned for obedience to structure and supervision.

Sylvia, on the other hand, had explored the safer upper floors under educated guidance. She was eager to test herself, too eager perhaps.

Now, Clara was hesitating. Sylvia was excited.

And me?

Well... I was beginning to regret not pretending to sprain an ankle.

Sylvia, in the end, won the discussion like a noble-born negotiator who'd just found a loophole in her father's orders.

"We shouldn't waste our time up here," she said firmly, her expression both practical and slightly smug. "If Father were here to witness the situation himself, he would've agreed."

Clara looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn't. And me?

Well… I tagged along like the responsible leader I pretend to be.

So, down we went.

The floor below had fewer people than the previous one, but not enough to satisfy Lady let's-keep-going Sylvia. The moment we stepped in, her eyes scanned the surroundings and narrowed slightly.

Still too crowded.

This layer had spiders, too, but they were no longer the main threat. The apex predator here was a wolf-like mana beast called Fangtail Lycaris.

It wasn't as strong in raw attack power as the spider we'd seen earlier, but damn, it was fast. Too fast.

The same ice spears and flame tricks we'd seen on the upper floor is Practically useless here.

Veteran adventurers had to adapt, isolating a Lycaris from its pack using fire rings or trapping it with those earthy vine formations. Even then, I noticed a concerning pattern: more injuries, more bandages, and way more people sitting on the sidelines than fighting.

Clara's steps grew quieter. Her eyes darted more often. I could tell she didn't like the direction this was heading.

Honestly, with my current combat ability, even I could take down a Lycaris one-on-one. Probably. So for Sylvia, this floor shouldn't be anything too threatening.

So, we didn't stop.

We kept descending.

And finally, we reached the next floor.

This one was quiet.

Almost uncomfortably so.

The adventurers here were few. The ones we did see weren't standing around, they were either on missions or moving with clear purpose. No crowd. No chit-chat. No potion-sipping beginners.

This floor was ruled by a lizard-type mana beast known as the Scalebite Vaernox. Venomous, agile, and deceptively intelligent.

Imagine if the venom from the spider monster married the speed of the wolf and had children with anger issues. That's Vaernox.

Now this… this was a floor where things could go wrong real fast.

Clara finally stepped forward. "Lady Sylvia," she said, her tone more decisive than usual, "Let's practice here. There aren't many adventurers on this floor. Only those with subjugation missions or Grade C or higher come down here."

She looked around cautiously. "It will be a good spot. Safe enough, but challenging."

Sylvia didn't look completely satisfied, but she nodded. "If you think this is a good place, then let's begin here."

Clara visibly relaxed.

Hey, Orion. You seeing this? I'm not the one dragging your daughter into danger.

She's the one asking to go deeper.

I'm innocent, your honor.

Clara spotted one near the rocky ridge of a collapsed wall. Long, lean, and quietly seething, the Scalebite Vaernox.

"Lady Sylvia," Clara said, stopping us with a hand. "Let us begin today's practice with your demonstration."

She then turned to me, her tone gently instructive.

"Lord Hugo, monsters aren't like humans. Their body structures, weak points, and agility differ greatly. Each body part functions with different speeds, and on top of that, they carry unique traits like venom, hardening, regeneration… things humans simply don't."

She gave a faint smile. "Let's observe Lady Sylvia first. Her instructors trained her to fight these creatures during her expeditions. The next monster we encounter shall be your turn to demonstrate."

I gave a firm nod, trying to look like I wasn't already mentally preparing my will.

Right, observe. Take notes. Don't puke. Got it.

I glanced at Sylvia, who was practically glowing with anticipation.

"It's been too long since I last fought a real monster," she said with a warm, casual smile. "Still, I hope I can clearly demonstrate for beginners."

Hold on. Did she just insult me?

She drew her sword from the scabbard in one smooth motion. The blade gleamed faintly under the glow of the mana-light artifacts embedded into the stone walls. Even the dungeon lighting had a sense of stage drama.

Sylvia stepped forward, calm and steady.

The Vaernox hadn't noticed her yet, it was lying in wait, coiled like a spring, clearly set to ambush a group of adventurers passing through a side tunnel.

Sylvia could've ended it right there. A sneak attack. Clean kill.

Instead, she stomped deliberately as she closed the distance. The echo rang out across the floor like a challenge.

she alerted it. Of course.

The Vaernox's body twitched, its lidless eyes swerved toward her, and it uncoiled with a hiss that reeked of arrogance. A quick flick of its neck, and it spat venom straight toward her.

Sylvia dodged it effortlessly. Not a slide, not a tumble, just a clean, well-practiced pivot off the wall. Then, she launched herself forward. I could already tell she knew the venom wouldn't come again that soon.

She's done this before.

The Vaernox reacted with a whip of its tail, but Sylvia rotated midair like a damn dancer with a death wish. Her sword flashed, and with surgical precision, it sliced clean through the beast's tail.

Blood spurted from the stump, but only for a moment.

Right before our eyes, a transparent layer formed over the wound, stopping the bleeding.

Then, unbelievably, the tail began to regrow.

Regeneration.

Before I could voice my disbelief, the Vaernox lunged, this time, tongue-first. The thing extended its tongue like a whip, slashing and scattering rocks and debris like some deranged anteater made of nightmares.

But Sylvia had already moved.

One powerful jump, and she was airborne again. Her feet tapped the wall in a zig-zag pattern, her movements crisp and controlled. She launched off the ceiling in a downward arc, sword poised for the kill.

The Vaernox could've dodged. Could've backed off and prolonged the fight.

Instead, it chose confrontation.

Its tongue lashed out once more, faster this time. A blur. A hammer.

Sylvia spun midair like a fidget spinner possessed by grace itself, and then:

Seep.

Her blade drew a wide, arcing line across the chamber.

A heartbeat later, the Vaernox's head hit the ground with a wet thud. The rest of its body collapsed limply, tail twitching in vain. Blood followed the curve of her sword's final strike, painting the air like a crescent moon.

The chamber fell silent.

Clara nodded solemnly, as if the whole thing was routine.

Sylvia turned to us, gently lowering her blade, and smiled.

"I hope that was clear enough," she said.

I straightened my coat and kept my face composed.

"A fine demonstration, Lady Sylvia. Precise and elegant."

Its been too long since I watched a Beyblade show, so thanks for that.

Clara turned to me with a calm but serious gaze. "Lord Hugo, I hope you understood how to hunt a monster. The main points are pattern recognition, staying in an advantageous position, like how Lady Sylvia used her air arts against that reptile-type monster, and never looking away from your target."

I nodded. "Got it."

Sylvia smiled, her hands folded behind, a glint of challenge in her eyes. "I'm looking forward to the results of your training, Lord Hugo."

Sure, I can't spin like a Beyblade like you do, but I think I can take down a lizard before dying.

"I will try my best."

We spent a little while scouting the area until we found a slightly smaller-sized Vaernox.

"Lord Hugo, this one will do. Begin when you are ready," Clara said, straight-faced like she was signing my death warrant.

The lizard blinked at me, then began sidestepping, clearly sizing me up. Inspect activated. Its stats were just a hair lower than the one Sylvia turned into a headless decoration.

A projected trajectory lit up near its mouth—either a tongue whip or a poison gun. Yeah, I named them. Judging by the range, it had to be the latter.

I waited until the very moment the venom was launched before dodging. Moving too early might make it correct its aim.

No flips, no spins. Unlike Sylvia, I didn't try aerial ballet, mainly because I couldn't, and also because the lizard wasn't rushing like hers did. It was calculating. I moved toward it slowly, unsheathing my sword.

Then another trajectory popped up. Not from its mouth this time, but from a nearby spot. It dashed to that exact location.

Nice try.

I stepped aside and swung my blade upward, cutting through the trajectory. Right on cue, its tongue lashed out, and I sliced it clean off mid-whip.

The severed tongue hit the ground with a wet thud, and blood gushed from its open mouth.

This sword... my mother sent it through Seraphina. Word is, she used it during her days as powerhouse, fighting alongside Everard. No wonder Clara retrieved it, even among those arrows and fire.

Didn't feel that back then since I was basically a rag doll, but yeah, it's a masterpiece. That upward cut wasn't even strong, just precisely timed, and it still sliced clean like paper.

Its about time for the poison to be recharged for another poison gun.

Then it happened. Another trajectory, not from its mouth, but from a slightly off-angle. Then the damn thing turned tail and ran.

Ah. You're trying to bait me into chasing you and ambush me with a sudden poison shot, huh? Smart.

I lifted my sword, circulated mana, and boosted my strength stat. Just as it turned to shoot its poison gun, I hurled the sword at the origin point of the projected path.

The blade hit it mid-turn, slicing through its head and pinning it to the wall. The body flailed violently, which made it worse for the lizard.

It came crashing down, the head was cut vertically like a groove from the pinned point, blood pooling like water from a kicked bucket.

My stomach lurched, but I held it back. I was getting used to monster blood. Probably not something to be proud of.

I approached the corpse cautiously, mana still circulating just in case. It was definitely dead, but better safe than splattered.

As I retrieved my sword, I saw it again: a faint, spherical outline hovering in mid-air above the body. This time, the outline was red instead of the usual blue.

What the hell...?

The sphere floated toward me. As it got closer, my mana circulation sped up by itself. A flush of heat surged through me.

Then something strange happened. The red sphere paused, as if repelled by my mana.

I reduced the circulation rate, and it crept closer again.

The closer it got, the more my mana raged, I still kept it under controll, clearly curious to see how close it will get.

Inch by inch, it entered my body.

And... nothing. The heat faded. My circulation returned to normal.

No alerts. No changes. Nothing.

I blinked, checked my Inspect window. Still nothing.

When I turned around, I found Sylvia and Clara staring at me like I just sprouted wings.

Clara spoke first. "That's... not how you kill a monster, my lord."

Wait, what did I do wrong?

Sylvia added, "You didn't apply anything we just taught you."

She squinted. "It's not that hard to dodge a whip attack. But to cut its tongue mid-lash? How did you pull that off?"

Can't exactly tell them Inspect told me exactly where it'd be, can I?

So I shrugged. "It was a fluke."

Sylvia sighed. "You can't rely on flukes, Lord Hugo. It's better to use standard methods when hunting monsters. They're reliable, not hope-based."

"Yes, next time."

Clara chimed in, "Still... that last strike was impressive. You must have a lot of confidence to throw your sword like that. If you missed, you'd be unarmed."

Not confidence. Just really, really trusting Inspect.

I said, "I'll keep that in mind."

Then Sylvia looked at Clara. "This won't do. Lizard-type monsters aren't tough enough to teach Lord Hugo why institutional techniques matter. Let's go deeper."

Clara stiffened. "No, my lady. I was instructed to bring you back if you asked to go deeper."

Did she just use me as an excuse to go deeper?

They started bickering again.

This time I had some experiments in my mind regarding the outlined sphere hovering over the dead monsters before they all headed in the same direction.