I Got Reincarnated as the Game's Villain

"No… way," I muttered in dread.

The sight before me was the absolute definition of what an apocalypse would look like if it were to break out. The whole city was… torn apart completely.

Hah.

"Alright, according to the map, this is… Lynien," I noted. Lynien was the dukedom after the Minfora Kingdom. There should be two more dukedoms from here before reaching the capital.

Turns out, going through Minfora was actually a good idea; if I'd taken the other route, it would've taken far more time to reach the capital.

But…

…I'm running out of time. Literally.

[User's LP: 21]

It had taken two whole days to get to Lynien from Minfora, and I had no idea how much longer it would take to travel from here to the capital. I might actually be stuck here for at least five more days.

"Shit!"

Now that I think about it… what if this map isn't actually correct? What if it's leading me somewhere else entirely?

Hm. That's a scary possibility.

But… I have no way of knowing, and no time to second-guess it.

Alright, let's just look around.

I continued my expedition, walking into the deserted, dilapidated city. All the houses were… nothing to write home about. Every single one of them.

Hm. There could be something in this city, too. Yeah.

The game only mentioned the [Nikyeon Alloy] because it was originally found by the dark church. If they hadn't discovered it, perhaps it would've remained a mystery. So, there might actually be treasures here that I'm unaware of.

"…Nah, I doubt it," I shook my head, dismissing the thought after considering the dilapidated state of all the buildings here. Even if there was something here—some kind of treasure or overpowered relic—there's also a high chance that adventurers might have already taken it.

Yeah. There's no way all these places haven't been explored by adventurers at least a billion times over.

"Sigh, well, it doesn't hurt to try."

Perhaps I should look for the noble's houses, though I'd likely have more luck in the capital. Still, there's always the duke's house.

I took out my map, scrutinizing it closely, and a grin spread across my face before I could stop it.

Damn, I love that girl. She actually accounted for that—there, in the center of the dukedom, there's a huge dot. That's most likely our target: the duke's mansion.

"Alright, let's get this over with." With that, I stuffed my map back into my bag and began running toward the location marked on the map.

The day before yesterday was complete hell for me. I was brutally incapacitated by the pressure from the Chronos Lock. It was like my body was paralyzed, and, to make matters worse, I had no healing potion.

I also discovered something new. It seems the pressure on me intensifies the longer I spend in its influence. After the first twenty minutes, it felt like I was carrying a boulder on my shoulders, but I pushed through. The only thing that saved me was my infinite mana. But after another ten minutes, even that wasn't enough. By then, it felt like I was holding a mountain above my head. I barely lasted fifty minutes before blacking out and being out of commission for an entire day.

Hah. I hate that feeling. I don't even understand why it hurts so much to use its power. Esmeris was never said to experience anything like this, so it must be a new issue. I have a feeling it's due to my abnormal mana. Maybe, once I'm out of this mess, I should check the shop for something to unseal my mana completely. It might risk the infinite properties I've been relying on, but… if I can rectify this issue, I think I'd be okay even if my mana becomes normal or even below average. As long as I can use the Chronos Lock without that enormous drawback, I think I'll manage.

"It's… here?" I mumbled, one brow lifting higher than the other.

Weird. I expected something… luxurious?

It's no different from the other houses—just a bit bigger with more space than the others, which are ridiculously small in comparison.

I walked toward the gate… or at least what was left of it, and was about to touch it when it…

…literally fell off on its own. And just like that, as if in a chain reaction, the entire fence began crumbling, leaving the house bare.

Hm. How long has it been since this was built? I think… a hundred years?

Tsk. I can't remember, but time has definitely taken its toll on this place. It's aged to dust.

Ignoring the wreckage, I walked into the compound and looked around.

Yeah. This place probably has an underground store. Considering how dwarves think, I doubt I'd just stumble upon a secret trove of gold by accident.

Wait!

I rushed behind the mansion… well, it's still technically a mansion, no matter how small it is.

I pulled out my katana, fused it with all the mana I could muster, then—

BOOM!

—I struck the ground.

My sword dug deep into the ground but—

KINK!

—it hit an obstruction.

"HeheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" I couldn't control myself and burst into a wicked laugh.

Yes. Of course. OF FUCKING COURSE.

Why, in the name of anything in this fantasy world, wouldn't dwarves build underground bunkers?

There's literally no reason they wouldn't. In fact, they must have thought it the safest place to hide during attacks like the one they faced. It'd be the perfect spot, hidden where monsters wouldn't detect them.

But then… why did no one survive?

Hm. Well, I don't know, and I don't really care right now. All I want is to figure out how to get into that bunker.

Tsk. There has to be an opening. But… that's probably in the mansion.

Tsk.

Alright, let's just hope this 'mansion' doesn't cave in on me.

I headed inside since the mansion's door was already blown away.

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