Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out?

Thanks to Agua’s help, Aquarina’s party was led through the underground river and its many forking paths toward the area Khepri kept pointing at. Although Aquarina wished to go more slowly and see more of the wonderful, magical scenery—which she was sure would make Sylphy very happy to admire—they reached their destination quite swiftly: the entrance to an Underground Water Dungeon that had appeared not long ago.

“So this is the Dungeon’s Entrance…” Silvia said. “This is the first time I’ve ever entered a Dungeon! I’m kind of excited now, actually… Maybe it’s not as boring as I imagined.”

“And isn’t it dangerous though? I mean, I’m also a bit pumped up about the treasure part, but I thought it would be… yeah, kind of tedious,” said Justicio, nodding.

“Of course it’s not! Dungeons are great! There are lots of monsters inside to hunt and eat and Treasure Chests here and there too!” said Aquarina. “Agua, you said it wasn’t a place they’ve visited?”

“I think Mother and the other elders visited the interior, but only the first floor. They said there were more stairs going down. Mother said Dungeons are dangerous, and it’s not worth the hassle of going down there—having to survive, bring supplies, and everything else,” said Agua. “But I suppose it’s different with the Heroine here?”

“Well, most of the time, we just ate the monsters we hunted with Sylphy, so there weren’t problems with supplies,” said Aquarina. “For water and hygiene, we just use magic. And for going to the toilet… Well, we find a place, do what we have to do, and cover it with dirt using magic too.”

“Huh! Magic of many elements is quite convenient…” Agua said. “Unfortunately, in our tribe, we can only use Water Magic and perhaps some Ice Magic. We’ve lost most of our connection with Earth Magic by now, sacrificing this original talent to dedicate ourselves to the Oasis Guardian Spirit.”

“This Spirit… is it real or just something you guys invented?” Justicio wondered, crossing his arms as he pondered.

“I-Invented?! We could never invent such a thing!” Agua felt offended by Justicio’s words, placing her hand over her mouth in shock. “Please don’t say such a disrespectful thing again!”

“A-Ahhh! Sorry, sorry!” Justicio apologized, lowering his head a bit. “I didn’t mean to sound rude…”

“So there’s a Great Spirit living in the Oasis, huh?” Aquarina wondered. “I couldn’t quite sense anything, though. Maybe because the Lake itself was full of Mana and Spirit Energy, so it might be hiding well.”

“T-That’s why,” Agua nodded. “The Lake is also called a Spring of Rejuvenation and Life. It’s full of such spiritual energies, which is why life thrives so much there too! The Oasis Guardian Spirit created this Oasis for the Everstone people long ago as a source of water and food. And it’s been our task for some time to regulate and protect the place, so its resources aren’t overly hunted or taken away.”

“Huh, I get it,” Aquarina nodded. “Well, we’re already going to the Dungeon, so we’ll probably not meet this Spirit at all, unfortunately.”

“Hmmm, I’ve never met the Spirit either,” said Agua. “But I’ve sometimes felt her presence when we do our rituals to thank her for the water and nature she’s brought to these desolate lands.”

“I’m a bit interested myself…” Pyuku said. “This Water Spirit… Could it be related to Khepri or the Doppelgangers? It’s not like we’re that far away from them.”

“Hmm…” Khepri squinted her eyes. “I can’t really tell. I actually wish that, for once, we’d have a normal trip—find my ornament and be done with it! But honestly… anything can happen. Better keep your eyes out for any potential danger, kids.”

“I think we know how to survive better than you,” Aquarina smiled, crossing her arms. “Let’s get going anyway. The place is going to be fun! Trust me.”

“I don’t know…” Justicio sighed. “Fine, but if we find some treasure, it’s mine, okay?”

“What? No, finders’ keepers!” Silvia complained.

“But you two are much richer than me! I need money…” Justicio grumbled.

“Do you?” Aquarina asked. “I’m fairly sure you don’t even use money in the village. You trade for everything.”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s hard to accumulate wealth!” Justicio complained. “It’s so unfair that people who aren’t as strong can’t really earn a good living…”

“Hmm… okay,” sighed Aquarina. “We’ll see if it’s valuable to us first, and then we’ll give you whatever we find.”

“Eeeh? Since when did I agree to this?!” Silvia protested. “And… Well… Uh.”

She stopped after seeing Justicio, who looked a bit awkward. It wasn’t really like him asking for these things to begin with, so he felt embarrassed.

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter, sorry,” he said. “Let’s go.”

“Ah… Okay…” Silvia nodded.

As the group walked toward the dungeon, Agua smiled.

“I feel a bit of tension in the air!” she said out of nowhere, startling them slightly. “Aren’t you good friends of the Heroine? Why are you fighting like this? It’s better when we flow together like water than when we clash angrily like waves against stone.”

“I know you’re trying to help, but seriously, Agua, don’t say anything more,” Aquarina patted the girl’s shoulder.

“Oh! Oh well…” Agua nodded. “Oh my, this place…”

They finally walked through the rocky, cavern-like corridor into the dungeon, finding themselves on the first floor. The entire place changed completely.

It resembled the interior of abandoned ruins carved out of stone; the decorations etched into the blue and gray stones depicted sea waves, fish, and various mollusks moving along with the waves.

“This place is quite interesting…” Silvia said, looking around. “And it’s so bright! What’s illuminating it?”

“Look up,” Aquarina pointed at the ceiling. “There are glowing spirit stones up there; they illuminate the place a lot.”

“Oh wow, it’s full of them!” Silvia was amazed.

“So anyway, there are three paths… Which one do we take?” Justicio wondered, glancing back at his friends while awaiting a response.

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