Reincarnated into a World Filled with Dungeons, But My Blessing Turned Out to Be the Most Challenging Dungeon

Before me, Kaiser and Carol gazed up at me with proud expressions.

At their feet lay two colored cores.

Without a doubt, these were the used cores they had taken earlier.

“You two… how did you manage to restore these?”

I had tried everything, but they hadn’t responded to [Repair]. What exactly had these two been doing in the meantime?

“Queck queck queeeck!”

“Kyaru! Kyaru! Kyarruuu!”

The two of them gestured as they chirped, seemingly explaining something.

After listening to their voices and nodding along…

“I see. I have no idea.”

Without Eve’s translation, it was impossible to understand.

“Queeen.”

“Kyaruu.”

At my words, the two slumped their shoulders. If it weren’t for the current situation, I would have hugged them and showered them with affection, but right now, investigating the cause took priority.

I considered asking Eve, but when I glanced at the pedestal, she was staring intently at the core embedded in it, mumbling to herself with a serious expression.

That was unlike Eve. She was so focused that she hadn’t even noticed my return home.

It must have been an incredibly difficult task to analyze this core. I didn’t want to break her concentration.

“No choice. I’ll figure it out myself.”

Inside The World, I had a certain degree of control. I decided to investigate on my own.

As I stared at them, Carol and Kaiser calmly met my gaze. Perhaps due to the effects of feeding them, they had grown incredibly attached.

Lately, I had been sleeping with them every night. Just thinking about the soft touch of their rich feathers and fur made me drowsy.

“Hm? Carol? Aren’t you wet?”

“Kyaruu?”

Carol tilted her head, looking at me with round eyes. I reached out and touched her fur.

She shook her body, trying to shake off the moisture, but she was still damp.

“Carol came from the [Fields]… which means…”

Holding the core, I took the two of them with me and moved.

“Is this it…?”

At the [Ranch], golden sheep were peacefully grazing on the pasture.

I made my way to the house visible from the ranch and circled around to its yard.

“Did you bring the core here?”

In this world, water sources were limited.

The [Ranch] had water for livestock, which could have been an option. However, I had warned Carol, “Don’t eat them,” so she wouldn’t approach carelessly.

Animals act on instinct, and considering Carol’s territory, this place was the most likely spot.

“Kyaru kyaru.”

Looks like I was right. Carol nodded her head repeatedly.

“Well, it’s not an impossible idea… Now that I think about it, this makes the most sense.”

Before me was the [Hot Spring]. It had recently become my go-to healing spot, restoring my stamina and mana daily.

I took one of the used cores I had brought and placed it into the hot spring.

“Not reacting right away, huh…”

But I was sure this was the right place. I decided to wait and observe for a while.

“Here it comes!”

Gradually, the core began to change. A light flickered at its center, growing brighter and larger.

“So… is it reacting to the hot spring’s stamina restoration effect?”

Or was it the mana restoration? Perhaps both. At this point, I couldn’t be certain.

“Still, it’s probably not fully restored yet.”

Comparing the cores I brought, both seemed to be faintly glowing. I submerged the other core as well.

“For now, I’ll leave these here and solve the mystery of the other core…”

I turned my attention to Kaiser.

“What!? The staff’s whereabouts are unknown!?”

Prince Tak’s shout made his subordinate shrink back.

“How could this happen!? That place was in the dungeon’s deepest floor! We went through the trouble of digging into the ground to set up a hidden chamber, then extracted power from the dungeon core to lay out a magic circle! On top of that, I sealed it with a spell that could only be undone by striking it with advanced-level magic from all four elements! A human shouldn’t even be able to analyze that, let alone execute it!”

Tak had personally overseen the sealing process with his men. He had returned, confident that it was an impossible mechanism to crack.

“B-but… there were signs that the seal had been broken. It seems like someone followed the correct procedure…”

“Damn it! Who the hell…? A mage from a human nation? But to pull it off so cleanly… could there be a spy among us?”

Tak’s face twisted with frustration as he turned to his subordinate.

“Go investigate the nearest human city.”

“Investigate, sir?”

“Yes. The dungeon’s Rank VII core was removed, and the treasure was taken as well. They must have stopped somewhere along the way. There should be some trace of them.”

There was no way someone could hide such a vast amount of treasure without drawing attention. As for the core, keeping it was pointless; selling it would be far more profitable. Unless they were complete fools, they would have sold it and distributed the earnings among their team.

If they could track that down, they might still have a chance to find the staff.

“Understood. I’ll gather a team and depart immediately.”

“Good. I’m counting on you… I have to leave soon myself.”

“Prince Tak, where are you going?”

At his subordinate’s question, Tak answered.

“There’s a gathering on Astana Island. As the top student, I have to participate.”

The event brought together the most outstanding students from various schools, including those from the Demon Nation.

Though it was called an exchange event, it was ultimately a competition to see which school produced the most talented individuals. He had to take it seriously.

“Anyway, before my father starts asking questions, I’m getting out of here… Make sure you track them down.”

With that, Prince Tak left the room.