I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 121: Different World, Same Hell

"Arthur!" Liam shouts in shock.

"Julian!" Maeve cries out, terrified.

With the last of his strength, Arthur shoves Julian out of the way, throwing him clear and leaving himself directly in the line of danger.

Julian is knocked aside, stumbles, then twists around just in time to see Arthur about to be trampled.

At the very last second, an incredibly fast bolt of lightning slams into the ground, striking precisely between Arthur and the Dungeon King.

A heartbeat later, thunder follows.

The King freezes.

That lightning didn’t miss. It looked like a miss, but the King knows better. It was a deliberate display of power and precision, a warning carved into the earth.

Liam and Maeve don’t understand what just happened.

Julian saw it, but his brain refuses to process it.

Even Arthur, standing right there, can’t make sense of it.

"What... what just happened?" Julian asks, his voice unsteady, still in shock.

They all saw it clearly.

The Dungeon King charged.

It reared up, front hooves raised, ready to crush Arthur.

Julian was pushed aside.

Arthur was left alone.

And just as the hooves were about to come down...

The King staggered sideways.

Like it had been startled.

What?!

And there was also a flash of something, followed by rumbling.

What happened?!

For the first time ever, Julian moves faster than Arthur. He grabs his older brother and drags him out of danger, pulling him back as they scramble toward Liam and Maeve.

All four of them watch as the Dungeon King slows to a crawl, its massive head turning left and right, scanning the darkness.

"What is it doing?" Julian asks, breathless.

Liam shakes his head. "I don’t know. It’s like... it’s looking for something."

"Yeah. I thought so too," Maeve replies weakly. Her body is still shaking from fear and shock.

Arthur doesn’t speak. His gaze drops to the ground near where he had been standing moments ago.

There’s a small hole in the earth.

The dirt around it is scorched black.

"It’s similar to the cave floor," he murmurs.

"What did you say, Art?" Julian looks at him.

Arthur points. "Look. Doesn’t it look like the cave floor... when I went berserk?"

"It does," Liam admits after inspects it the best he can from the distance.

Before they can say more, the King suddenly turns, facing them directly.

But it doesn’t advance.

Instead, it makes clicking sounds. The same sharp, rhythmic clicks its minions use.

"Useless."

The word echoes.

They all stiffen.

A voice carries through the darkness, impossible to place.

"I thought you were different. Since you can think, command, and speak, I thought you’d be stronger. Much stronger."

Aldriana.

Her voice is steady. Not mocking. Not taunting.

But disappointed.

And somehow, that makes it worse.

Everyone listening knows this much. Whoever she’s speaking to is being looked down on.

"What use are you as a King," her voice continues calmly, "if you can’t even sense my presence? You’re supposed to be the King of this dungeon."

The voice comes from above.

And then—

She reveals herself.

Aldriana slowly floats down.

There’s no wind. No breeze. No leaves stirring, no dirt lifting from the ground. Just her, descending in silence, as if she’s riding an invisible elevator.

She doesn’t land.

She stops midair, keeping her eyes level with the Dungeon King’s.

She hasn’t changed her clothes. Her hair is still tied in a high ponytail. The baseball cap is still there, pulled low like always. And yet, something is different.

It’s as if power gently radiates from her.

Not destructive.

Not violent.

Not wild or overwhelming.

Soft. Controlled. Calm.

And yet—

Extremely intimidating.

The four watching from below realize it at the same time, without needing to say it out loud.

This person is dangerous.

"It’s not her," Liam suddenly blurts out.

"Huh?" Julian looks at him, confused.

"This is not Aldriana," Arthur says quietly, his eyes never leaving her.

Julian looks left at Liam, then right at Arthur. "What are you talking about? That is Aldriana."

Both men answer at the same time.

"No, it’s not."

And they’re right.

What’s floating there, staring down at the Dungeon King, isn’t Aldriana.

The body might be female.

But the aura radiating outward—

It’s unmistakably male.

This is Theo.

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Theo was overwhelmed.

When he entered the dungeon disguised as Aldriana, he hadn’t expected to stay this long.

He was glad to finally be in an environment saturated with mana, but the longer he remained, the more it felt like his soul was being slowly eroded.

He was losing himself.

Theo was disappearing.

In the outside world, he was called Thea, Ms. Montrose, or Theodora. There were days when he wanted to scream, That’s not me. Call me Theo. I am Theo.

As a grown man, he had never imagined he would experience what it felt like to slowly lose his own identity.

Now, inside the dungeon, for the past eighteen hours, he had lived as yet another person.

Aldriana.

What exhausted him even more was the fact that Aldriana was the result of his own mistake. He couldn’t correct it without going through another long, tedious process. And even then, it would be pointless.

Because at the end of it all, his body was still Theodora Leira Montrose.

He had to constantly control his posture, his voice, his words, even the knowledge he allowed himself to use.

All while making sure four young people survived a deadly dungeon.

It was too much.

Even for the Archmage of Caelthorn.

Too damn much.

Exploring and clearing dungeons was originally supposed to be his refuge.

A place where he could be himself.

A break from being Thea.

A chance to breathe.

But he hadn’t expected it to be replaced by yet another identity.

Different world. Same hell.

When he heard Maeve lie to the others about "Aldriana" going back to the cave to rest, an epiphany hit him.

That lie had been his, by the way. He was the one who told Maeve what to say.

And suddenly, the absurdity of it all came crashing down on him.

What the hell am I doing being Aldriana?

I put on a disguise to become another person? I’m adding another layer on top of Thea?

Am I crazy?

His original reason for entering dungeons had been simple.

To be himself.

Not Thea.

So what the hell was he doing becoming Aldriana?

That was when Theo made his decision.

No.

This has to end.

Aldriana must disappear. Completely.

He doesn’t care how. She cannot exist anymore.

Thea is already more than enough.

Now, Theo needs to appear.

It is time.