Chapter 2: The Redemption of the Villainous Noble

"WTF, what on earth is going on right now!?"

Greg couldn't understand why the second female lead would suddenly fall into a life-or-death moment, but he knew one thing for certain: he absolutely could not let Sylvia die here.

Otherwise, he might not even survive long enough to leave this godforsaken place before the worldline collapsed first.

So he dove straight into the surging dark river beside him. The icy water instantly enveloped his entire body, but with the boost of [Underwater Adaptation LV3], the darkness and turbulence became familiar territory.

He cut through the current like a fish, chasing after that gradually sinking pink figure.

About five meters down, he saw the situation clearly.

An octopus-type monster had wrapped its tentacles around Sylvia's ankle, and she had obviously reached her limit—her consciousness fading, her long pink hair fanning out in the water.

"So it's a Blackwater Octopus, huh. No wonder it tops the list of things that kill dungeon newbies."

Now that he understood the situation, Greg quickly closed in. The instant he touched her shoulder, Sylvia's eyes opened slightly on instinct, but her pupils were already unfocused.

"No choice. Let me give her a breath first."

Greg cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers.

So soft.

That was the first thought that flashed through his mind.

But the next second, he passed a breath of air to her.

Sylvia's body trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes blankly, as if unable to comprehend what was happening.

Greg didn't give her time to react. He turned his head toward the octopus monster and raised his right hand.

[Water Gun].

A compressed jet of water shot out from his palm, striking the monster squarely in the head and killing it.

[Experience gained: 70] [Bonus experience gained: 7] [Level up to: LV16] [Skill acquired: Tentacle Entanglement LV1]

Tentacle Entanglement—what the hell kind of skill is that!?

And besides, I don't even have any tentacles!

He glanced at the prompt that popped up on the panel, then his attention quickly returned to reality.

After its tentacles released Sylvia, Greg immediately took her and... dove deeper toward the riverbed.

The reason was that he had seen the shadow octopus from before actually drop a basic magic gemstone—the first item to drop in all the days he'd survived in the dungeon!

Only after picking up this gem did Greg surface with Sylvia, who had already slipped into unconsciousness somewhere along the way.

"Phew!"

Breaking the surface, Greg gulped down lungfuls of fresh air. The moment his vision cleared, a deeply striking scene crashed into view.

Just a few steps away on the bank, a gray-haired girl was shedding her last outer robe.

Pure white undergarments clung to the supple curves of her body, glowing with a soft, pearl-like luster in the faint dim light.

Moisture and heat rose into a hazy mist, tracing the breathtaking cinch of her waist and the outline of her straight, slender legs.

And she was none other than the protagonist of the original work, and the being who had killed him the most times in this world—Victoria.

Water droplets dripped from Greg's chin, falling onto the river surface with a faint "plip." The two of them stared at each other.

Greg: "niCe bOdy....?"

Victoria: "......."

The atmosphere was extremely awkward for a moment.

But Greg soon realized that she might not necessarily recognize him right now, because once his dazzling golden long hair was soaked, it completely covered his face.

To keep this protagonist—who had killed him more times than anyone—from inventing a 1,381st brand-new way for him to die, Greg altered his voice and spoke:

"I'm just a river god passing by. Please pay me no mind."

With that, he set the unconscious Sylvia down on the bank and prepared to immediately dive back into the water and leave.

However, the voice that came from behind him made his whole body stiffen.

It was a cold, crisp tone:

"Hey, Greg."

Victoria stood with her arms crossed, her gray eyes reflecting not a trace of warmth in the water.

"How long do you plan to keep up the act?"

Victoria didn't understand why a person who so despised her—and whom she so despised in return—would go out of his way to save her companion.

But judging by his past behavior, this person definitely had some scheme in mind!

"Tsk, seen through after all, huh."

Seeing this, Greg simply dropped the pretense.

He braced one hand on the slick rock at the bank's edge and nimbly flipped himself up onto land. With his other hand, he swept his soaked golden hair back, revealing a face whose handsomeness couldn't be hidden even when stained with water.

"Come on, sis, I didn't provoke you, and I even saved your companion's life."

He shook the droplets from his hair, his tone tinged with helplessness. "There's really no need for you to be so hostile, is there?"

If they'd been on the surface, Greg of course wouldn't dare speak this directly, but this was the dungeon—his home turf.

With a whole pile of buffs backing him, if the two of them really came to blows, he might not necessarily be a match unworthy of Victoria right now. (Actually, with all those buffs, he might not lose to Victoria even in a real fight.)

Most importantly, here he wouldn't run into a bunch of inexplicable, malice-filled plot-armored deaths.

"You didn't provoke me?"

Victoria sneered:

"During the entrance exam, who tampered with the magic device, trying to get me expelled for losing control?"

"On the first day of school, who publicly declared that 'a mere commoner isn't worthy of setting foot in the glorious Kael Magic Academy'?"

She took a step forward, her voice dropping low yet every word crystal clear:

"Don't think that just because you've been cast out by your family and holed up in the dungeon, everything you've done can be wiped clean."

Damn, looks like when I transmigrated over, all the events of the prologue had indeed already happened.

No wonder she's so hostile toward me.

Though Greg wasn't afraid of trouble, he didn't want to court it either.

Having finally transmigrated into a fantasy world, he really didn't want to end up in a genuinely hostile relationship with the protagonist because of the stupid things the original owner had done.

He figured that since he'd just saved her companion, easing his relationship with her shouldn't be impossible after all.

Greg thought it over and decided to make use of Victoria's hero identity—known to only a very few people—and his own family, who, though human, were sympathetic to the demon race.

"Have you ever considered."

Greg lifted his eyes, gazing straight at Victoria, his voice pressed soft yet carrying a certain deliberately crafted weight of meaning:

"That I actually did it on purpose, Hero Victoria?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a panel appeared before Greg's eyes:

[The Villain Noble's Redemption (Unlocked): Please clear the first floor of the dungeon before the end of the story's first act.] [Success: Reward—comprehensive upgrade of all three talents.] [Failure: Reward—the 1,381st brand-new death CG.]

Greg: ...Wait, didn't I already say "the dungeon lord's kindness is simply impossible to ever repay"?

So... can't I just not repay it?