The Transmigrated Author-Chapter 132: Dungeons

[Pinnalce Academy, Lecture Room #1: Class 1-A]

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Mr. Bennett, and as you know, I'll be lecturing on everything dungeon-related. If you spot me around campus, feel free to say hello."

He smiled a warmth that didn't quite reach his eyes.

A buzz of whispers rippled through the lecture room.

"He doesn't seem strict at all..." one student murmured.

"Maybe we can slack off a bit," another chuckled.

In the back, someone sighed, "Finally, a normal teacher."

Bennett let the chatter wash over him, that friendly smile never wavering.

"Alright, settle down, everyone."

He fiddled with his laptop, a picture of harmless normality. Moments later, the projector flickered to life, the words "WHAT ARE DUNGEONS?" glowing on the screen.

"Hmm, an interesting question, a pretty standard question I say, Let's hear some thoughts."

Bennett leaned back, the picture of warm curiosity.

A hand shot up in the front row. "Dimensional rifts!" a girl declared, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Portals to other worlds!"

"Maybe." Bennett chuckled.

"A bit dramatic, but not entirely wrong. Anyone else? Something a bit more…grounded?"

Another hand, this one hesitant.

"Areas of...uh...unstable mana?" the boy mumbled. "Where magic goes crazy?"

"Closer," Bennett encouraged. "Think practical. What purpose do dungeons serve…for us?"

Silence descended, punctuated by the squeak of someone shifting in their chair.

Well with that question in mind, dungeons were not some random phenomenon, it's a clash of fundamental energies.

You have two types of mana: positive and negative. Positive is what fuels creation, growth, and the power we all wield.

Even dark mages use positive mana for their purposes.

Negative mana is the opposite of positive mana – the energy of decay, monsters, and death.

These two forces are incompatible.

When they collide, they fight for dominance.

Usually, positive mana overwhelms the negative. That creates natural energy, the pure untainted form.

But if negative mana wins and consumes the positive?

That's when you get the mess that forms dungeons. It's an unstable energy called 'distortion' that warps reality itself.

That's where the monsters come from, the physical structure of the dungeon.If that's not strange enough, there are cases where the fabric of time weakens.

Overlay that with a dungeon, and you might encounter beings pulled in from entirely different eras.

"Dungeons are mysterious domains that appear through manifestation. Some believe they are gateways to other worlds, while others think they are simply hidden places on Earth."

Valencia who spoke in the silent lecture room had everyone's eyes on her.

BZZZZZT!...BZZZZT!... discover-stories-MVLeMpYr

[Notification from: Alice.Elizabeth <Now> Is she correct?]

Technically, no...and not entirely wrong either. But no one's seen a dungeon form. They pop up when there's no one watching, with no positive mana to disrupt the negative energy as the process goes through.

Dungeons simply form.

Since humans...are a walking dungeon repellent, because of how much positive mana they emit.

[You <9:03 AM> Yeah.]

I texted back, keeping the reply short.

[Alice.Elizabeth <9:04 AM> ????（? ? ?マ.?]

haah...

Alice and her random emotes…who'd have thought I'd be texting my own characters?

It was a crazy feeling, I needed some time to let this feeling settle honestly...

"Correct."

Mr. Bennett's voice was surprisingly warm.

"And as expected from a girl of the Freya family."

He flashed Valencia a smile. Pride blossomed on her face.

"Okay! Let's move on to the next section..."

...

...

...

[An Hour Later...]

An hour passed by. Notes filled half a notebook, the rest remained stubbornly blank.

The professor spoke on barely more interesting than the buzz of the overhead lights.

Finally, after he finished talking, I was blessed with relief – the quiz.

As he handed over the paper to us all it was an essay on the practicality and benefits of dungeons to our world.

It was a simple task, I had it done in fifteen minutes, and my answers were a neat column on the page.

I handed the essay to Mr. Bennett.

"Finished."

He blinked, startled. "Really? so soon? Ah, name?"

"Rel Laurence, sir."

"Rel Laurence?" He undoubtedly looked at me with suspicion.

He flipped through the paper, expression unreadable.

A flicker of something crossed his face – surprise? – quickly extinguished.

"Your thesis is…alright, I guess." ƒreewebɳovel.com

Even though the essay was correct he was trying to downplay my work.

bastard...

"Can I go then?"

He hesitated, scanning the essay again.

"There's a section here…your reasoning…"

I leaned closer. "'Some argue that dungeons encourage recklessness, leading to loss of life.'" I recited. A straightforward argument, easily defended.

"The rewards outweigh the risks," I stated, my voice flat. "Adventurers aren't suicidal."

He seemed to deflate.

"I see…You're dismissed."

Freedom. Out the lecture hall door, the boredom fading with each step.

***

[Japan, District: Kyoto Kurogama Blades]

Kurogama Blades

I made it a setting for all adventurers and heroes to travel to.

But this specific shop, the original one, it's different.

I placed it here for a reason. It was a location used for optimal mana flow for the forging process – the whole setup plays a crucial role in the larger energy patterns of this novel's world.

___________

Authors Notes:-

Rel's Answer: Some argue that the existence of dungeons encourages reckless behaviour among adventurers, leading to unnecessary risks and loss of life. They reason that the pursuit of riches and fame within dungeons can cloud judgment, resulting in adventurers taking on challenges beyond their capabilities.

What dungeons are:

Dungeons in appear as mysterious and ever-changing domains that manifest in the physical world through a process known as 'Dungeon Manifestation.' This occurs when two fundamental forces of magical energy, positive mana and negative mana, collide with each other.

When negative mana overcomes and consumes positive mana, a new, unstable energy called 'distortion' is created. This distortion energy serves as the catalyst for the manifestation of dungeons.

Dungeons can appear due to rare celestial alignments, time anomalies, emotional remains, geomantic energies, or magical convergence zones.

Once a dungeon has been cleared or its boss has been defeated, it begins to fade from the physical world, only to reappear in different locations or forms in the future.