“Finally! Food!”

After about five more minutes of walking, I reached the end of the tunnel and found myself in a cavern covered with a variety of different foods you’d only find underground.

Mushrooms that thankfully weren’t connected to monsters, some orange thing that was shaped like a beet as well as a few other things.

I wasn’t sure how all this managed to grow down here, but I wasn’t complaining.

Using water magic to clean off the beet-like item as well as many of the other foods, I happily ate them without any hesitation. I ended up eating so fast some of them got caught in my throat and I had to wash them down with some water ball that I created in order to drink.

Down here, water magic truly was an indispensable necessity.

But moving past that, once my stomach had filled up a little bit, I found it easier to move around and took a look at the cavern I’d found myself in.

Besides the glowing liquid dripping from the ceiling, there was also several different rock formations as well as several strange purple crystals that were all over the place.

I wasn’t sure what those crystals were, but for some reason, when I tried picking one up, an electric shock shot through my arm and caused me to jump back. If my hair wasn’t already spikey before, that shock made sure it was now.

Once I patted down my hair a bit, I backed away from the crystals and continued looking around.

With how massive of a place this was, it had to lead somewhere.

But no matter where I looked, all I could see was those strange purple crystals.

Maybe the crystals have a clue.

Letting my expanded thinking take over for a moment, I went back to the crystal I’d tried touching before.

“Urk!”

Like before, a shock was sent through my body when I tried to touch it. Just what the heck were these things? I’d never seen anything like them before.

I don’t even remember seeing them while I was playing the game before getting sent to this world. But then again, I don’t remember much about the game before I was brought here anymore so I might’ve just forgotten about them.

So while they might’ve been in the game, I couldn’t really remember.

“So what should I do here?” I asked myself. Trying to think it over.

I had thought about pulling the crystal out while ignoring the shock, but that wasn’t exactly the greatest idea.

However, if it would give me a chance to figure out what to do next, I’d say it was worth the risk.

“...Screw it.”

Figuring it was better than waiting for those crocodile things to find a way in here, I finally made my decision.

Reaching down, I grabbed hold of the crystals. Clenching them tightly while electric shocks shot through my body.

“Erg! Haaah!”

Trying my best to ignore the pain, I continued yanking harder and harder. As I did so, I felt my stomach beginning to hurt. For some reason, it felt like I was being torn up from the inside.

Like my body was changing simply to try and yank this thing out of the ground.

But then, after almost two minutes of pulling…

Clunk!

As if I had just pulled the power on something, the moment the crystal came out of the stone, the electricity stopped shooting through my body and I collapsed to the ground.

My body reeked of smoke.

“Why did that have to hurt so much?” I groaned as I got up onto my feet.

Upon doing so, however, I felt a strange sensation in my body.

Looking at my arms, they didn’t seem any different from usual.

“What the heck is this feeling? It’s like my magic’s getting stronger.”

As crazy as that sounded, that was the best way I could describe it.

While thinking about this, I noticed my reflection in the collection of crystals.

“What the-!?”

I moved in closer to get a better look.

“What the hell happened to my hair!? It’s almost completely white!”

Well, it was more of a grey-ish white, but still white nonetheless.

Also, was it just me or did it appear a bit longer?

Not sure what to do, I took in a few deep breaths.

This wasn’t making any sense at all, but I needed to calm down before doing anything else. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get anywhere.

“So you survived that trial did you?”

“Huh!?”

Hearing a voice in my head, I couldn’t help but jump in surprise looking around to find the owner of that strange feminine voice.

“You can stop looking around. You won’t be able to find me at this time.”

Where was that voice coming from!?

“Who said that!?”

Unsure what else to do, I continued looking around me.

“You sure don’t like listening to people do ya? As I said, don’t bother trying to find me. After all, the voice you’re hearing right now is speaking directly into your mind.

Huh?

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Since I don’t have a physical body I can’t exactly speak to you any other way.”

Still not able to process this properly, I let out a sigh and tried to cross my arms. But without a hand, that proved difficult. So I simply furrowed my brow instead.

“I see. Well, who are you? And what do you mean by trial?”

Whoever this voice belonged to, they mentioned a trial of sort that I supposedly passed. What was up with that?

“You didn’t even know that and you still touched the magica crystal? You’re either incredibly brave or an absolute idiot.”

“Wha-!”

What the heck weird voice!? Are you trying to piss me off!?

“Anyway, guess I’ll just have to explain all this to you. Otherwise, you’ll be completely lost going forward.”

Well, at least I was getting an explanation. Even if for some reason I felt like I was being looked down on.

Actually, come to think of it, this voice…the tone it was speaking it sounded awfully familiar. Almost like…

“Now then, here’s how things work.”

Before I could finish my thought, the voice began explaining things.

“The things you touched earlier are called “Magica Crystals” and they act as part of my test for people who find themselves wandering down here.”

While she spoke, I glanced at the other crystals nearby.

“What these crystals do is get a read on a person's magical capabilities. If they think you’re too weak, they send an electrical shock throughout your entire body.”

Yeah. I had to experience that firsthand.

“However, it seems like there’s something unique about that body of yours. Because not only did they shock you, they also attempted to rearrange your body's magical conduit so you can use more of your magic abilities.”

Was that true?

Actually, now that the voice mentioned it, my body did feel a bit weird. Did that mean my magic’s grown stronger or something?

“Also, while this transformation was happening, had you let go for even a second, you’re body would’ve immediately released all the electricity and you would’ve died on the spot.”

“Really!?”

That meant I could’ve died!? What kinda crazy trial is that!?

“So what you’re saying is that I passed that trial?”

“Yep! However, because your genetic makeup is a bit different from other people, it seems a few things got twisted in the transformation and that’s how you wound up with that new hairstyle of yours.”

“My genetic makeup was different from other people's?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Yeah! It’s actually kinda intriguing. It’s nothing like I’ve seen before. You’re truly a fascinating individual.”

As it said that, I noticed the voice in my head grew weirdly excited.

I wasn’t an expert on the body or anything, but if I had to guess what this voice was referring to, I think the reason my genetic makeup was different was because I wasn’t from this world. I’d been brought here by that god room thing and didn’t go through any of that reincarnation stuff. This will and always has been my one and only body. Taking that into consideration, I really was different from every other person in this world.

“So my hair’s stuck like this forever?”

“Yessir! Really sorry about that.”

Judging from her tone, she didn’t sound that sorry.

“Well anyway, so what now? Is there something else I need to do now that I passed this trial?”

“I’m glad you asked!”

As the voice said that, I felt a rumbling beneath my feet and I turned to find a tunnel opening out of nowhere.

“Since you finished my first trial it’s time for the next one! Go on inside to find out what challenge awaits you next!”

If that voice was in the room with me right now, I would’ve been glaring at it.

“And just why do I have to do this?”

The voice anticipated this question and already had an answer ready.

“Simple! If you manage to complete all my trials, you’ll get to meet me in person.”

Why would I want that?

“And-”

“Hm?”

“-Maybe if you want me to, I might be able to help you get out of the predicament you’ve found yourself in.”

“You mean you can get me out of here?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Who’s to say?”

This voice was really starting to get on my nerves. Still, I guess this was better than just running back to the crocodiles. So I might as well roll with it.

“Fine.”

“Yaaay! I look forward to your success!”

Ignoring the voice's enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“How did things come to this?” I muttered.

Well, whatever. Guess I might as well just get this over with.

So with that, I entered into the tunnel. As I did so, it seemed the next trial was about to begin.

Dianne had her hands cupped together as she looked down at the homework the school had assigned to her.

She’d already completed it, but instead of feeling relieved it was all done, she found herself concerned for the commoner who had gone missing.

She may not have had any real connection with him, but she didn’t want to believe he was dead. She couldn’t explain why, but something inside her told her that he was alive. Because of that, she made a promise to herself.

“Dear lord of our land, please spare the life of the commoner down in the dungeons and bring him back safely. If you do, I promise from now till the end of my days, I will put in all the effort I can to become a true friend to him.”

That was what she promised. If Axel survived, she would do all she could to become good friends with him and make up for the stunt those other nobles pulled.

Finishing her prayer, the princess got up from her desk and went over to her bed.

Unlike the other nobles, Dianne’s room was far more extravagant. Containing not just a king-sized bed, but also a chandelier that shined the colors of the rainbow.

Not only that, her blanket, pillows, and mattress were all the best of the best. Creating what one could consider to be the same as living at a swanky hotel.

Dianne considered it a bit much but since she was a princess, anything less would be considered insulting.

But leaving that be, Dianne crawled into her bed and closed her eyes. Falling asleep in a matter of minutes. All while dreaming about the world she sought to create.

As the next day came, the princess sleepily slipped out of her sleepwear and changed into something more appropriate.

School would be starting back up the day after tomorrow. As much as she hoped a miracle would happen and the commoner somehow survived, she didn’t want those thoughts to distract her from her regular everyday life.

And so, she went about her day as normal. Ignorant to the state that the commoner she worried for was currently in.

“Gaah! Waterball! Waterball!”

In order to avoid the fire from burning my hair off, I sprayed some water magic through it and let the cold water drip down the sides of my face.

“What the hell is up with this trial!?” I screamed.

I couldn’t help but question it.

Upon entering the tunnel, I was immediately met with several strange monsters.

From a slime that nearly drowned me, to a lizard that breathed fire as hot as lava. It was like a dragon without wings.

A few other things came up, but they weren’t as much of a struggle as those two.

Having just finished off the lizard, I was trying my best to put out my hair which had been burning like crazy moments ago.

“Whatever that voice is, they were gonna pay for putting me through all this,” I grumbled while taking a break to let my hair dry.

While waiting, I pulled out some food I’d grabbed from the cavern before and started eating it. Chewing through as quickly as I could in order to keep moving forward.

As tired as my body was getting, I knew the sooner I got through this, the sooner I could get to the surface. So I didn’t have time to take long breaks.

Finally filling up my stomach, I got up and continued walking.

“Very impressive. I can tell you’ve been in places like this before.”

The voice entered my ear and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

“When you’ve been on as many adventures as I have, you get used to danger.”

It wasn’t like it was fun, but I’d grown accustomed to situations like this. There were a few exceptions where I ran away, but that wasn’t exactly an option in this situation.

“You mean you’ve been an adventurer for that long!? But you don’t look older than sixteen!”

“I started adventuring when I was twelve. Since then, I’ve been in the business for about three years.”

“I see. Does that mean you came here on a dungeon expedition?”

“Hell no.”

“Really? Why are you here then?”

Not wanting to explain, I stopped talking.

“Huuuuh? Why aren’t you talking? Why won’t you talk adventurer guuuuy?”

Could this voice just shut up!?

“I don’t need to explain myself. All that matters is that I’m here now. Simple as that.”

“...Hmph!”

“Uh…Are you pouting right now or something right now?”

“Whoa! How’d you know!?”

For some reason she was really excited I could guess that.

Trying to move on, I couldn’t help rubbing my eyes.

This whole thing trial thing just wasn’t my cup of tea. Not to mention, there was still something oddly familiar with the way this voice talked. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

After that small conversation, the voice went silent again and I began making my way through the tunnel once more.

A few more monsters came my way but they weren’t too hard to deal with.

About two hours later, I managed to reach the end of the tunnel.

Upon doing so, I found myself in a giant empty room. However, I wouldn’t exactly call it normal. The walls were lined with those purple crystals from before and above there was a strange blue coating covering the ceiling.

“What the heck is this place?”

Suddenly, that voice rang in my ear.

“Congratulations on beating up all those monsters! If you hadn’t guessed, that was your second trial and you passed it with flying colors!”

Geez. For a voice speaking directly into my mind, it sure was loud. Was there a way to turn it down?

“Now then, how about we start the third and final trial? That sound good?”

Final trial?

“So this means after I beat this I’ll meet with you and you can send me back to the surface?”

“Yessiree!”

That was good to hear.

Trying to fold my arms again, I let out the slightest of grins.

“I see. Then bring it on!”

I didn’t know what kind of trial this last one would be, but considering everything else up to this point had the pretty common theme of trying to kill me, I wouldn’t be surprised if the final trial was some big monster like a mammoth with powers or something like that.

Just then, the ground beneath me began to crack and I had to take a few steps back.

A moment later, a giant beast burst out of the ground and let out a loud roar as it drew its attention towards me.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

It really was a giant mammoth. Talk about a lucky guess. Er…scratch that. There’s nothing lucky about this.

Keeping my eyes on the beast, I began preparing my attacks.

Turning toward me, the mammoth let out a loud roar before charging forward.

Trying to keep my feet steady, I stared the monster down. I just needed to beat this thing and I’m free. That’s all I need to d-

“Huh!?”

Without me even noticing, the beast appeared in front of me and slammed its right trunk into my body. Sending me flying.

The sound of a crash echoed in my ear. After that, everything went dark.

“Y-You gotta be kidding me!”

Returning to her dorm, Lily was reading a paper she received from the school.

It informed her that following the first week of school, she’d be expelled from the school under suspicion of endangering and murdering another student. How the school came up with this accusation was beyond her.

“Please use the week given to clean out your stuff and prepare to leave the school. Anything found after departure will be instantly disposed of.”

As Lily finished reading it, she clenched the paper tightly.

“What the hell is this!?” she wondered. Up to this point, she’d never been punished in any way. It was all thanks to the connections her father had. And as far as she knew, there was only one place that didn’t have any connections to him. That place being the High School of Magic and Swordsmanship.

“T…They can’t do this to me! I didn’t do anything wrong! If anything, they should thank me for getting rid of a pest! This is an outrage!”

Lily felt her anger at its boiling point as she tore the paper to shreds.

She’d thought it was strange when her parents said they needed to talk to her later today. Was this the news they’d received as well!?

Feeling stressed, Lily began fumbling with her hands.

She didn’t get what was going on.

“What did they mean by endangering another student!? The only thing I did in all my time there was to rid the school of a filthy commoner! When did I endanger another student!?”

It was clear at this point she’d just contradicted herself.

Grinding her teeth, Lily stomped on the shredded papers and continued to do so for quite a while.

When her parents came to the school, they punished her for getting expelled from the school a mere two months after it’d begun by lowering her status to that of a maid for half a year.

That of course meant she’d have to spend some time training to be a maid as well.

And with how poorly she always treated the house maids, they were more than happy to teach her a lesson or two.

Thus, it would be some time before she would find herself enjoying life again.

In another part of the world, Sirin, Axel’s robot assistant, as well as his island's caretaker, counted the days it had been since her master was supposed to return.

“Master said he’d return in two days. However, it’s been a week and three days since then. Does that mean something has happened to him?”

Sirin didn’t have a way to make sure whether he was alive or dead. And as she was a computer, she was unable to feel any concern for his absence. However, it was strange that he still hadn’t returned.

Not sure what to do next, Sirin just continued waiting. As per her master's last command.

A little ways away flying high above the school, a man looked out into the blue sky as his hands started to glow a bright yellow.

He stayed in this position for some time until the yellow glow finally faded.

“I see. So he’s alive after all. That’s good to hear.”

With those words, the man let out a sigh of relief and went on with his day.

As all this other stuff happened, the battle against the mammoth raged on.