Three figures in school uniforms were making their way through the twilight forest.
"I'm telling you, wait—wait, I think the river is more to the right!"
"If you want to, go there alone. We'll keep moving the way we were."
The teenager leading the group stopped. The other two immediately fell silent, waiting for instructions.
"Let's go right."
"I told you! I told you!"
"Shut up. It's just a coincidence that your opinion happened to align with His Highness's decision."
After the daytime explosion, the monsters seemed to have gone mad. Every creature they encountered along the way was rushing in the same direction. By evening, the forest had finally emptied.
The trio of youths reached the river at the bottom of the gorge without trouble.
"Tracks."
The squad leader placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. He stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, densely marked with countless traces.
While the dark-haired youth examined the surroundings, the spear-wielding boy approached him.
"You're right, Your Highness. It looks like there were many beasts here."
The third boy, thin and wiry, wandered a little farther away, studying the ground like a detective.
"Isn't this a boot print?"
The green-haired one pointed at the ground near the very edge of the cliff. The others came closer.
All three looked down at the same time, toward the rocky shore below. There, piled together near a fallen tree trunk, lay several carcasses.
"Looks like wolves."
"Whoa, and how did you even see that in this darkness?"
"How dare someone like you address His Highness so casually?!"
The boy with dark-blue hair aimed the tip of his spear at the green-haired mage.
"That's enough. I'll go down."
Ignoring the quarrel, His Highness deftly slid down the slope.
Enhancing his senses, he approached the nearest beast.
— Died from the fall.
The prince moved toward the tree. The shore was soaked in blood. Nearby, beside the fallen trunk, two more wolves lay motionless.
A sound of boots landing came from behind.
"Your Highness, I'll inspect—"
"I'm finished already. Help me. There's a person under them."
"Alive? You mean actually alive?"
The green-haired youth stumbled over, getting himself dirty with mud. Together, the three of them dragged the heavy monster carcasses aside, revealing a bloodied body beneath.
"Victoria?"
When Elena's consciousness returned, she found herself tied to poles.
— Again?
Her head was splitting, her shoulder burned like fire, her back itched unbearably. She couldn't feel her leg at all. The only relief was the cool air, which helped her stay conscious.
Voices sounded nearby. Elena decided not to rush things—it was better to pretend to be asleep until she understood what was going on.
"Prince, I've gathered firewood!"
"How dare someone like you speak to His Highness so familiarly? Vulgar mage!"
"…"
Elena realized this wasn't her group. In her era, countries with monarchies could be counted on one hand. So who were these people?
She wondered whether NPCs could have appeared inside the dungeon.
A loud crash echoed, sending pain through her temples. Heavy footsteps approached.
"Ian, take the stretcher from that side."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Elena felt herself being lifted. It seemed they had tied her down for safety. The structure they called a "stretcher" was far too unstable, and her body tensed in fear of falling into the dirt.
But the ordeal didn't last long. The stretcher touched solid ground. The air grew colder, the sounds more hollow. Elena assumed they had entered a cave.
"Why are you just standing there? His Highness and I were hauling stones to block the entrance, and you—?"
"I'm holding the firewood!"
"Why are you just holding it? Light a fire, idiot!"
"You're the idiot! Magic doesn't work here. It does not work!"
"Quiet."
The voices of those two drilled into Elena's head until they were interrupted by a strict tone.
"I know you're awake."
Elena reluctantly opened her eyes. A boy around eighteen stood over her. Dark hair. Even darker eyes.
"Lady Victoria, why were you pretending?"
"Hm?"
— Ah. Looks like I have a role in this dungeon.
That was unusual. In dungeons, hunters weren't given fabricated identities or roles; the System itself issued quests. Besides monsters and hunters, there were no other life forms inside—aside from a unique ecosystem of plants and such.
Could NPCs have appeared because of the anniversary of the "World Burst"?
"I'm sorry. Still… what's the current situation?"
"How dare you speak to—"
"Ian, stop. My lady, we were fortunate to find you by the river."
"And…?"
"How dare you—"
"Ian! There are many monsters here during the day, so we moved you to a safer place."
— No quests? No go there, bring this, kill that, save them? Maybe it's just too early?
"Ah, yes. Thank you for your help. Truly."
"It was no trouble. May I ask a question as well?"
"You may ask, but I won't promise to answer."
"How did you end up here, my lady? As far as I know, first-year students weren't supposed to be on practical training."
"Oh? So this is training?"
The prince gestured toward the irritated spearman.
"No. The professors aren't insane enough to blow up an airship with a hundred students onboard."
"Blow up an airship?"
Irritation welled up inside Elena. How was she supposed to answer without knowing the context?
"That's how we ended up here. Wasn't it the same for you?"
"Maybe it was similar… I was falling. My magic didn't work, and then I woke up in a tree."
"Why 'maybe'? You're not sure?"
The mage cut in.
"I'm not sure. Were you tied up before the fall? I woke up with my hands bound."
"No."
"…Nope, not tied."
Everyone fell silent. Elena searched for words. What role did she have? What was she allowed to say or do within it?
"…I was just having lunch when I felt dizzy. That's the last thing I remember before opening my eyes midair during the fall."
"So you don't know how you got onboard?"
"No idea."
The prince asked nothing further, and Elena didn't know where to begin either.
"Can I tell it? Please, can I?!"
The prince ignored the excited mage and looked at "Victoria's" injured leg.
"You may have already realized this. Magic doesn't work here."
Elena almost frowned… Why had he suddenly switched to an informal tone?
"And Aura?"
"Same as any other energy. That's why items and subspaces are sealed."
— That's dangerous for everyone, but knights can rely on their bodies, while mages are just weaklings.
"You said the airship exploded. Where are the others? The professors? The students?"
The spearman bristled again at "Victoria's" rudeness, but no one paid him any attention.
The prince was silent for a moment.
"A strange phenomenon occurred. After the explosion, there was an energy surge that blinded and deafened us. Then came the sensation of falling."
"So did you see other people or not?"
"No! No, we didn't see anyone. I actually thought we were transferred to another space."
Everyone looked at the mage, and he explained what he meant.
"It doesn't make sense! No one sensed anyone else while we were falling. And we started falling from very low—airships fly higher than that. Isn't that strange? Very strange!"
After the green-haired youth's speech, Elena drew a preliminary conclusion.
— Seems this mage likes repeating words. And their situation is similar to mine.
Elena decided to risk exposure and asked:
"What about the dungeon?"
"Huh? Oh, you think we were dragged into a dungeon? How did I not think of that myself?!"
The mage's eyes widened.
Elena nodded at her own thoughts. They know about dungeons.
While she was thinking, the prince stepped closer and crouched beside the stretcher.
"I'll examine your wounds."