I ain't no owner of no Danamchi, only my own character's gosh darn it!

I was about 20 metres back from the person stationed at the rear of the convoy. A beast person was constantly glancing backwards, watching the rear of the group made up of 15 adventures. I ensured I was far enough away that my stealth skill would work.

I'm kind of glad I found myself in this situation. I haven't fought a single monster in over an hour. My body had been allowed time to heal, though it had not rested since I was still on the move. My left leg forced me into a strong limp and my torso was still in slight agony from all the broken ribs. Goddess Penia only knows what kind of pain I'd be in if it wasn't for my pain resistance skill.

"KREEEEEEEEEEEE!"

An ear-raping squeak pierced from the left of the corridor. I want to cover my ears as they ring in pain but I can't waste my hands. Another reminder that the situation I was in wasn't good, it wasn't even close. That single noise was just submerged by the quagmire of roars and squeals directed at the group ahead. Surrounding us had to be close to a hundred monsters by now. The further we ventured through the 16th floor, the more monsters we picked up.

They stayed out of the way for now, only because of the stink deterrent held by the dwarf leading the way, with a man with rabbit ears sticking out the top of his head being the map holder. I had to balance staying far enough away that I'd remain undetected but close enough that I'd be in the range of the smell.

I still hadn't gotten used to the smell. The pungent odour circumvented my senses, distorting my vision and attacking my nose and tongue, making me want to throw up several times. It was exhausting just being near it, I couldn't imagine what it was like to hold it.

The bad news though was that this was the second stink bomb. The first had run out only 5 minutes after we began, not lasting as long as predicted. When it was almost gone, some of the monsters managed to stomach the decreased level of stench and by the time they had got the second one out, two adventurers had been snatched from the edges of the group and dragged to their deaths. Their screams would haunt me for a while after this was over but the group was forced to move forward.

I remained vigilant. I was confident in my stealth skill but after what I witnessed; I wasn't taking any chances. It was terrifying. I hated it. I just wanted to go home.

'I promise I'll go visit Maria again if I survive, I promise.' I repeated in my mind, hoping that a benevolent deity in heaven heard me and would show a tiny amount of pity. I didn't like being looked down on but if it meant I'd live, I'd take it.

I could feel my whole body quiver with each step but I just kept my eyes forward, no matter what noises I heard or how close they got. I swear I could hear the monster's laughing at our situation, knowing that the inevitable would happen and they would get their meal. They could smell our fear.

I had thought a few times to just divert off into a branching path and scurry away. But when I eventually tried it, swarms of red eyes appeared out of the darkness, homing in on me with bloodthirsty glee. It was like a blockade surrounding the entire group. I was completely trapped, caged while being slowly withered away until I succumbed to malnourishment and became dungeon fodder.

My heart is racing in my chest as I continue to hold out hope that we will reach the main route and be on the way back up. As soon as I see those set of stairs, I'm legging it. I'm not even bothering about being spotted. If I can get ahead of the monsters, I can outrun them, even on my wounded leg.

'NO! No, no, no.' I tell myself as I continue moving. I feel myself getting agitated, I need to remain calm. Getting anxious and twitchy will make me lose control. I have to push back the paranoia and put some trust in my seniors that they will get us out of this mess.

'But weren't most of them the reason you find yourself in this mess?' I hear my voice say. I have to silence that part of my mind, the part that always sees the bad side. Doing that now will only make this go from bad to worse. Besides, I know whose fault it really is. It's mine. For exploring floor 13 for the first time on my own when I had the option to have support. My own selfishness to want to be a solo diver led me here.

I'm here now, I have to remain focused on the present. No point moaning about what I did, there will be more than enough time for that if... when I get back. I beat that Minotaur on death's door, I can beat this.

'Damn, the middle floors have really been one bad thing after another.' I can't help but smile at that thought. I am still alive after all.

'How big is floor 16?' I think as I follow the group. I've been following them now for almost 2 hours and we still haven't hit the main route, like seriously how big is this place? I could traverse the entire of floors 1-9 in about 3 hours, do the middle floors really get that much bigger?

I'm starting to get agitated again, I can't help it. But this time, I'm not alone. I can see that up front there is a lot of nervousness spreading through the large party and we all have a good reason why.

The stink bomb has dwindled. It's only slightly, barely even registerable but I can tell, as can those I assume that are level 2. It's them who are getting nervous and that has spread to the others like a virus. I swear even the stoic dwarf up front is putting up a façade now.

This is a sinking ship. That's what Odysseus said when he saw his crew grow restless after being out to sea for so long. It wasn't long until they had to abandon the ship and became stranded on Calypso's island. I know I admonished myself for being selfish but I have to find a way off this boat and fast.

I've been forced to get closer to the group as well, within almost 10 metres now. I'm surprised I haven't been spotted but those looking back are more interested in the monsters standing only a couple of metres behind me.

I can feel their hot breaths on my back, their teeth ready to tear into my flesh. I'm not sure if they actually notice me but I'm not willing to take that chance.

I'm almost at my breaking point though. Beads of sweat coat my forehead as my fingers twitch on the brace in between them, ready to close my Galva-Knuckles. If I detect that stink deterrent losing any more of its potency, I'm jumping down the first tunnel I see. It might be wrong for me to abandon these people but I'm already in a crap spot, I won't be much help to them anyway.

However, I don't need to wait until then. Someone has broken before me.

"I can't take this!"

It's the dog man who was already in a bad state of mind from when I first saw him. I see him unsheathe his single-sided sword and rush past the head of the group, knocking into the dwarf. With the momentum of a clear level 2, the dwarf gets knocked to the ground, losing his grip on the stink bomb.

A few eyes watch the Dog man jump into the darkness screaming in terror, the rest of us watch in horror as the leather bag bounces along the floor and almost as if the God's of fate were laughing down at us, it breaks on its final impact, letting out a single puff of air before deflating completely.

The corridor goes dead. Monsters and adventurers alike, not a single sound is made. I hear my heart beating, blood pounding in my ear as I gulp a ball of saliva.

"Oh fuck," I hear someone mutter. And with that, carnage erupts. The dog man is immediately shredded to pieces by a pack of hobgoblins. Monsters pour out of every turn, the walls of the dungeon cracking open to release even more.

I feel the heat of a fireball conjured behind me as I turn to face a horde of monsters rushing towards me. Roars of ecstasy are coupled with screams of terror as the monsters swarm the group.

I was frozen in terror as I saw a pack of hounds rush forward, tailed closely by a Minotaur. My throat stutters, not even able to mumble a sound as I know my stealth skill is no longer working.

A second before a hound rips my throat out, I throw up my arms in self-defence. My armour catches the jaws as I hear my armguards crack even more under the pressure. It seems there is no comradery between monsters. The minotaur throws one of its giant fists towards me, smashing into the dog monster clinging to me, sending both me and the hound flying down the corridor, straight into the mosh pit of battle.

I get up, feeling the ash of the dog fall onto me. I'm dazed by the impact, grateful that the monster took most of the attack. I quickly dodge under a giant axe, the blade narrowly missing me and digging into a hobgoblin to my right.

I spin my head to see the dwarf, already blood flowing from his head. He doesn't even bother to look at me as he takes on more monsters. I go to move backwards but stumble over something. As I raise my head, I see a pair of dog ears near my feet, alongside dead eyes. I scramble upwards, ducking under sword swings and magic being cast.

Monsters claw at me but I manage to punch them away. A swarm of bats fly down, forcing me to swat them away with my gauntlets. All the while, more blood gets spilled. The adventurers are taking out more monsters than monsters taking out adventurers but it's not enough.

One adventurer might take out 5 monsters but 10 more just take their place and the adventurer is over-run. Screams of agony fill the corridor as some monsters are devouring an adventurer while he is still alive but unable to run away as his legs have been torn to shreds. His pleas for help turn to begging to be killed. It was a massacre.

I force myself to turn away. I try and fight some monsters but I realise my body is still nowhere near fighting capability, not at this capacity. I had managed to get by earlier but that was against a handful of monsters at most, this is completely different. This is hell and I'm trapped.

"-with the gift of Gaia, the power of the earth is mine!"

I hear a shout behind me as I jump out of the way of something incredible. The floor made of stone has been uprooted, smashing any monster into the ceiling with such force that it kills them on impact.

"Run!"

The dwarf who had cast the magic ordered those alive to make a run. I didn't need to be told twice. I was the second one out, following the dwarf. Behind us, 3 others scrambled away.

"WAIT!"

"COME BA- AEEAAAEEAAA!"

I closed my eyes as the remaining adventurers who were at the back were too far behind to utilise the quick distraction to escape. Their escape was cut off before they had a chance to follow. Their cries for help were quickly replaced by screams of pain as the monsters descended upon them. However, we weren't in the clear yet.

Monsters barrelled down the corridor, the roars of annoyance at being avoided turned into roars of anger and determination to not let anyone escape. The squeaks of bats and the chattering of the rabbits rattled my ears as my feet felt the thunderous footsteps of the hobgoblins and Minotaurs.

My left leg was throbbing painfully again, begging me to stop running. I ignore it, forcing myself faster. I was struggling to keep up with the dwarf. I push harder. I can't afford to lose any more ground, the roar of a tidal wave of death behind me forces me onwards. That is until I slip.

I don't know what it was, or how it happened. One second my feet are pounding against stone, and then my boot loses grip and I'm falling face first. Time crawls to a halt.

I can't stop it, my arms not ready to stop my fall. I could try and roll but I know I'd instinctively push off my left leg, as it's my stronger foot. That would only cause more pain and then death. The ground continues to rush towards me, showing no mercy. I'd almost wish for another hole for me to fall down. That weightless feeling would be almost relieving.

Then all of a sudden, my body becomes weightless. Had my prayer been answered? But instead of falling down, I was going up. That was until I was roughly lumped onto a bronze-skinned shoulder.

I look around and see hair, similar colour to mine, and my head a lot closer to the ceiling. I turn back around and see the rabbit man who had been reading the map earlier and one of the human adventurers as well running as fast as they can. I understand what's happened.

The amazon who was part of the dwarf's original party must've been one of the few to escape. But that also means the other two, the human and the bunny girl, didn't make it. I get annoyed by that.

"Hold still," the large woman orders through ragged breathing as she thunders forward. I hear pain and anger in her voice and I decide to do what she says.

"Terra *huff* stay close *huff*" The dwarf managed to say as he sliced a hobgoblin in half that had spawned in front of us.

I worriedly watch back as I see the conclave of monsters continue to hunt us down. The raw determination to kill every last one of us was the stuff of nightmares.

A quick left, followed by a right. My body was thrown in each direction. The monsters slam into each other with every turn, using the ones in front to gain distance. They stampede over the slower ones, crushing them to death. It was another sickening lesson on what the dungeon really was.

Some relief came when I realised that we were starting to put some distance between the horde, whether that be because we were faster or they were slowing each other down, none of us cared. The smaller group size was a benefit in this regard, though the thought of why the numbers were so small wasn't pleasant.

'Maybe some of them escaped a different way,' I naively hoped, wanting there to be as few casualties as possible.

It seemed the dwarf knew where he was going as we kept taking calculated turns. It was obvious to even me that they weren't random as we passed other turns. Because of this, we managed to shake the monsters, though just to be safe, the dwarf ordered the rest to continue running. All the while, I bobbed on the Amazon's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Oi, boy. Anything?" The amazon asked. She knew I was looking back and with the others not daring to waste time turning around, I was the designated lookout by default.

I mumble a quick no and after taking another right turn, the dwarf eventually stops. Heavy breathing encompasses the tight corridor as the four adventurers catch their breath. The amazon drops me and I go on alert, clenching my fists to activate my Knuckles.

I put most of my weight on my right leg, my left boot barely scraping the ground. My eyes dart around in any direction we could be attacked from but I don't hear or sense any monsters.

I'm standing a bit away from the other four, who had split into pairs. The Amazon and the dwarf stood next to each other, while the human crouched next to the rabbit-man who was sat down. Nervous glances were shared around as the two pairs realised they were all they had left of their respective parties.

They all wore sad expressions after realising they were all that was left. The amazon smashed her fist into a wall as she mumbled out a name, presumably the bunny girl's name. I just look at the floor, not sure whether I could've done more to help out. I can't help but feel guilty.

"Lad?"

I look up at the dwarf who addressed me. His bronze eyes looked haggard and sad; they made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Y-yeah?" I respond meekly. No point darting into the shadows now.

"I didn't see ya before, you with them?" He motioned towards the other pair. They were also looking this way. Before I can answer, the human speaks up.

"Wait, he ain't with you?" He says, confused. All eyes were now on me, I was really uncomfortable now.

"Thought so," the dwarf mumbled. "Mind explaining where you came from?"

I struggled to hold the gazes, hopping from one to another. I begin to explain what had happened, skipping to just before I heard the clink of the armour. How I was lost and came running after smelling the deterrent. How I stayed behind and followed them. Even when I was saying it, knowing it was the truth, it sounded suspicious.

"After the second one ran out, I was pushed into the fight and when you shouted run... I did."

I finished, my voice barely a whisper. I was staring at the floor, wanting to be invisible. But I wasn't and that meant they were all still looking at me.

"You... you used us," The rabbit man said, spluttering through coughs. I just scrunch my hands tighter, the sound of metal from my Galva-knuckles scraping harder.

"Oi, don't go blaming him for your fuck up!" The amazon quipped back, silencing the adventurer. "Remember, it was you lot who brought an entire fucking horde of monsters to us and because of that... because of that... Marcus and..."

The amazon couldn't finish her sentence. It was clear whenever I had looked at the group earlier, she was the least cooperative and least pleased about the situation. Now it had foamed over and she said what she thought.

"We didn't choose to either, our leader did," The human retorted back, defending himself and his friend.

"Oh yeah, well where is he?" The amazon asked, gesturing around as if waiting for the person to appear. The silence spoke for itself.

"Look what good that did him. But don't worry, at least he dragged innocent people down with him!"

"Terra, that's enough," The dwarf mumbled but the amazon clearly didn't hear it.

"Look at the boy," She said, pointing at me. "He was also dragged into your mess and you dare to try and blame him for wanting to survive."

"I..." the human tried to speak.

"Terra that's enough!" The dwarf said a bit louder.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Kreg? You drag us down here on a fetch quest, saying it will be simple. Then we get fucking pass paraded by these bastards and instead of leaving them, you want to work with them. Marcus and Serene are dead. Dead! Because these...these bastards..."

The amazon's voice trailed off, as small sobs whimpered out. The dwarf stood up and grabbed the woman's bronze hand and slowly pulled her into a hug. He patted her on the back as he tried to stifle her crying, to little effect.

"Listen to me, all of ya," The dwarf said, grabbing our attention, his voice was low and gruff. "It don't matter how we got here now. Shits happened and it's our responsibility to survive because if we don't then our comrades died for nothing. No fighting, no blaming, no pointing the finger, we can do that on the surface. I'll admit that I'm at my breaking point now so any shit that gets tossed around will be met with my axe and left as meat to slow down any monster trying to attack us. I know where we are and where we need to go. Have I made myself clear?"

I quickly nod as I stare at the dwarf. The other two follow suit as we the dwarf glares at all of us. His eyes show a burning that he is doing his best to quieten but it was clear he wasn't lying. One more line crossed and he is going berserk. I'm making sure I ain't the one to set him off.

"Good. Now, take 5. Some rest will do us all a world of good."

Silence envelopes us again. The dwarf lowers the amazon to the ground while the other two kneel next to each other, exchanging nervous glances. I simply sit down on my own, straightening my left leg out, wanting to make sure it is comfortable. Unfortunately, this makes it visible to those that look.

"That why you fell?"

I look over at the human. I give a quick nod.

"That also why you were hiding?"

I give another nod, slower this time. It seems the human was expecting a conversation but I don't do well with talking to people. It took me a month to be able to hold a normal conversation with Brant or Penia.

"So, how long were you separated from your party?"

I give a confused look before quickly realising what he was asking. He must've thought I came here with other people and got separated. I mean, it is hard to think a child was down here on his own, not that I ever expected to be down this far.

"About an hour, maybe," I lie. Truthfully, I don't know how long I've been in the dungeon; it could be more than a day by now but they don't need to know that.

"Weird seeing a Prum with gauntlets," the rabbit man states. I can't help but smile at that. I quickly clench and unclench my fist, almost as if I was showing off my Galva-Knuckles. Silence once again descends on the group as we use as much of the rest as we can.

It seems like only a few seconds had passed before the dwarf announced it was time to start moving. Everyone was now on the same wavelength. We don't know each other and probably don't like each other. But we were all each other had and we were the only chance we had to survive. That meant everything right now.

The dwarf once again led the way, followed by the rabbit man and human. I limped behind them with Terra, the amazon, bringing up the rear. We were a rag-tag group of people but it would be enough if we worked together.

It didn't take long before our first monster encounter as a group. Kreg readied his axe as the other two men unsheathed their swords. The amazon readied her weird, curved sword and I grimaced as I got into a stance, activating my Knuckles. A large group of those big rabbits began to encompass us, most of them wielding a stone axe.

"Almiraj," I hear someone mutter. So that's what these are called.

"You two, watch my flank and work together," Kreg ordered with the two men nodding in confirmation. "Littlun," I glance at the dwarf, presuming he meant me due to my height. "You stay back and support Terra, don't want you messin' that leg of yours up to where I might consider leaving you behind."

I nod, knowing it was a fair statement. Carrying deadweight in this situation was a death sentence. I take a few steps back to where I'm just behind the large Amazon woman. In a flash, the fight starts.

I watch as Terra slices through the Almiraj like a knife through bread. In every swing, she took out at least three but it always exposed her, but that's where I come in.

As two dart behind her and rush at her exposed back, I leap in, blocking their axes with my armour before delivering a swift punch. I kill the first one before swivelling mid-air to deal with the second one.

"You level 2?" The amazon asks as she takes care of another couple of the white-furred monsters. I give a hum before landing on my right foot and dash off to start taking out more. I can feel my blood start pumping again. My left leg has dulled enough to where my pain resistance has almost ceased any pain, maybe it was the adrenaline. I wasn't bothered, I was starting to get back in the zone.

I bash another Almiraj in the head before swinging at another two, sending them spiralling into a more behind. I can't stop a smile forming on my face, this is what dungeon diving should feel like. However, I'm quick to forget that I'm not solo at the moment.

"Oi don't get ahead of yourself. Get back here and cover my flank!" Terra shouts at me as I see about 14 Almiraj rush her from the gap I'd opened up. She manages to take out two but one manages to get under her and bury his axe into her arm.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

I fly back over, taking two out with me before I vault over a swing that cuts four monsters in half. I land, stamping on two Almiraj, crushing their skulls. I then deliver a roundhouse kick, hitting one while sending the remaining three backwards just with the wind I made from my kick.

I glance over at Terra who gives me a punishing glare. I mumble a quick apology before we start taking more rabbits out. I make sure to stay back and only deal with those that the amazon miss.

It only took a few minutes before the room was cleared. It seemed the three ahead had made it work. Two of them already knew how to work together while Kreg was clearly a seasoned veteran and knew how to interject into a fight. I on the other hand...

"Next time, listen to what the commander says!"

I'm currently being lambasted for my earlier mistake by the person whose life I risked in doing so.

"There is a reason he's giving the orders and not you. You got cocky and got me injured!" Terra yelled at me.

"Amazon, keep ya voice down. You'll attract unwanted attention," The human said. The amazon, clearly not liking being ordered by someone other than Kreg, tensed at the words. However, she realised he was right and stopped talking, not without shoving a quick glare my way.

I couldn't argue back. This wasn't the Astrea Familia. This was a group of strangers struggling to work together. The only thing we shared was the base respect we needed to work together, nothing more.

I just stared at the ground as the dwarf made some more orders. I just needed to stay quiet and do as they say. I didn't like being told what to do either nor do I like being tied to someone in a fight. I want to go all out and having someone else to look after stops me from doing that. This is why I want to stay solo.

"Son, come here."

I shuffle over to the group of four as the dwarf calls for me.

"You ain't used to dealin' with responsibility, are ya?" He says, no empathy in his tone. I look up to him with annoyance. What the hell does he know. Responsibility? I'm here because I know I'm responsible for my Family's health. They need money and help, that is plenty of responsibility. I'm this close to shouting at him, my eyes brimming with fire but I keep my mouth shut, instead turning my head away in annoyance.

"Thought so. Well ya best learn it if ya want to get out of this place, understand. I told ya to watch Terra's back and not a second into the fight and you dash off thinking you're billy big bollocks, only to have to retreat and deal with a problem you caused. Look here."

I don't turn back around, folding my arms in frustration at being yelled at. I know I opened that gap but I also dealt with it straight away. It seemed my act of defiance frustrated someone else too.

"I said look here!" The dwarf's voice boomed as he grabbed my face and yanked my head around. Before I could protest, I saw blood. The rabbit-man had just dislodged the axe from the Amazon's arm, blood spurting out of the wound before they could apply some make-shift bandages.

"You caused that! She's injured because of you. We were in a shit spot already; we didn't need our strongest fighter injured!"

I could only stare at the blood dripping down Terra's bronze skin, dropping onto the floor with a small splash.

'I... hurt her.'

A wave of guilt washes over me. I stop fighting the dwarf's grip, who releases me after seeing his point was made. I awkwardly look away, too ashamed to stare any longer.

"Glad you get it. Now, you will listen to me and do what I tell you. This is the type of shit I mentioned that gets you left behind. Don't fuck up again."

The dwarf's calm demeanour from before had gone. His soft-spoken voice to keep the peace had vanished and now was a pissed of adventurer who was done dealing with enough shit for today. After that, I followed along silently. Whenever a fight occurred, I did as I was told. I stayed back, gave support when need be and didn't utter a word.

I could tell my mood was affecting the others but I didn't care. If they wanted me to help, I'd do it. Nothing was said about needing to be happy about it.

The dwarf and amazon just huffed at me, probably thinking I was a nuisance. The other two just stayed quiet, not bothering to talk to me or the others, sticking with each other. That was the thing, everyone here had someone to comfort them. I was still on my own.

'They also had people they lost,' I reminded myself. Just as Terra said before, I was simply a bystander dragged into this. Honestly, I wasn't surprised I haven't been ditched yet.

'you a level 2?'

That's why. They know I'm valuable. I thought all of us were level 2 but that human and rabbit-man weren't, they were level 1. I could tell by the way they fought. That's why the dwarf kept them close to him, knowing he needed to protect them. But why threaten to ditch me when those two were basically dead weight as level 1 down here?

I didn't voice my issues, knowing it would only cause more uncomfortable shouting my way. I just kept following. That was until we came across something.

"Wonder where that leads to?" the human said as he looked straight up. Above us was a giant, gaping abyss that stretched on forever. None of us could spot the top but I wasn't looking up, instead I was staring at the floor.

There, next to my foot, were two crumples of ash. Bits of black fur were scattered around the area below the hole and just to secure my thoughts, two magic stones lay in the ash. Stones I knew belonged to hellhounds. I look back up again, my eyes wide.

'It couldn't be... could it?'

I remember to when I first entered floor 13. My first encounter, three dog monsters alongside the edge of a giant hole. When I came across it, I wondered how far it went down. Was this it? Was this how far it went down? I mean, I had fallen down a small hole that went all the way to floor 16 as well, it wasn't like it was impossible.

I thought there was no way but the more I lingered on it, the more my gut told me it was the same hole.

"Oi, quit slowing us down or I will just leave ya!" Kreg shouted back as the group had already walked past the hole. I hurried back up to them. While I was with the dwarf, whether I liked it or not, he was the best and safest option. But I'd make sure to start paying attention. I might need to run back and test if my theory is correct.

I walked onwards, not wanting to be left behind. I thought of telling the party of my theory but thought better of it. Either they already knew where that hole led and it wasn't useful, or they didn't and they'd just ignore me or call me stupid. Maybe I was stupid but I was willing to take that risk.

I stayed back a bit from the other four. Ever since the dwarf had gotten snappy and angry, a far cry from the reliable adventurer I'd seen earlier, I decided to keep a bit of distance from him. The others as well, they all seemed to have an air of distrust about me. I can't blame them; I did appear out of nowhere but it was the rabbit-man's group who got us into this situation in the first place.

After another minute of walking, we end up in a large room. It had stone spikes jutting out from the floor and the ceiling. Most of them were taller than me, some even reached Terra's head. They were daunting to say the least but they weren't my main concern.

It was obvious to me, to anyone who had spent more than a week in the dungeon. This room was a spawn area. There were stairs on the far side that led upwards. They weren't the stairs to floor 15 but it was clearly the main route. The dungeon had a linear line on its main route upwards and downwards. We'd finally made it to the main route.

Kreg readied his axe, Terra her curved sword and the two others stuck close, the level 1s only having a basic sword. I tensed my fingers, ready to activate my Galvas at a moment's notice. The noise of stone cracking was not surprising. Instead, I listened to see if any monsters were flanking us as my eyes were glued to the other exit, to check for any monsters entering from that side as well.

"Oi brat, get 'ere now. Stick as a party," Kreg ordered. I was certain the only reason they kept me around was because I was a level 2. I was an asset to them right now, one they couldn't afford to throw away, yet. So I made sure to keep proving my usefulness.

I slowly made my way over to the group as stone crumbled to the floor. I caught glimpses of the red flesh that hid behind the stone walls of the dungeon. The areas that birthed the creatures. I wonder what monsters we would face. I'd prefer just one type than a variety, it'd be easier to handle.

"URRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The chorus of roars bounced around the room. I instinctively covered my ears, the noise deafening me. It was so loud; I felt my whole body vibrate. It lasted for over 10 seconds and by the time it stopped, my head was dizzy.

I looked up and saw the human shout something at me but I couldn't hear it. I was so disoriented I almost lost consciousness. My ears were ringing as I felt my heartbeat quicken. Then I saw it. A large brown figure, muscular and monstrous. Then another, then another and another.

It seemed I got what I wished for. As I scanned the room more and more, I saw the same monster. No variety, no change, just horror. I felt their footsteps reverberate through the ground like it was a stampede. It must've been twenty, thirty maybe even forty of them.

I look back to the party. My head was still fuzzy but I thought I had walked towards them, why were they so far away? Wait, were they running, why?

'Oh yeah, the Minotaur's.'

Before I have a chance to follow my party, I feel the air in my lungs rush out of my mouth. I gasp for air as I rocket through the room. I slam through one of the giant stone spikes rooting out of the ground before crashing into the adjacent wall.

As I slide down it, the pain in my body rushing back as if I'd never even recovered from the fall, I glance one last time to my party. A couple of Minotaur's were chasing them up the stairs. The Amazan and the dwarf make it through, as they are level 2, but the other two were barely ahead of the bull-headed monsters chasing them.

I lock eyes with the dwarf and for a brief moment, I thought I may have seen some guilt before I see his mouth begin to move.

"WAIT YOU BASTARD!" I hear the human shout as the dwarf throws up a wall of stone, kind of like he did before, and blocks the escape route.

I turn away, looking back at my situation. I try to block out the screams of terror and pain from the two adventurers locked in here with me, their fists slamming on the stone barrier blocking them from survival. As a level 1, they stood no chance as I heard their flesh being pulverised and ripped apart. I didn't have time to focus on them, I had bigger problems to deal with.

I slowly stood up, using the wall as my crutch. The sounds of agony had stopped, replaced by meat being ground in the minotaur's mouth, meaning now I was trapped in a single room with forty of the strongest monsters of the middle floors.

In front of me stood blood-red eyes, sharp horns and bone-white teeth. They slowly approached me, their hulking figures dominated my vision, making me feel the size of an ant. Their nostrils flared in excitement from the joy of killing me.

However, I don't know whether it was because my head was still reeling from the noise they made or I had just gone mad but I felt no fear. I just sighed and smiled at the situation I was in. I stood up straight, ignoring the pain racking my body and thought...

'I've already defeated one Minotaur today, what's forty more?'

It seemed our boy Perseus just can't catch a break. It must run in the family I suppose.

Once again, the dungeon shows its ruthlessness and its disregard for mercy towards the invaders. It really is an unforgiving place.

How did you think I handled the interaction with the adventurers with this chapters. Did you think Kreg would be like Reg and stay positive, you try and go through what he is. Still kind of a dick move to leave Perseus and nameless character 1 and 2 behindif you ask me. As for why so many Minotaurs, because forty sounds cooler than thirty, which sounds cooler than twenty, which sounds cooler than ten and fifty sounds just a bit too much ;)

Also, big hole ooooooooooh, wonder if it really is the same one he saw before.

Anyway, time for the reviews and holly hell, there were a lot (thanks to someone):

Jose Blas - Thanks and as for Percy's orphan siblings, there is no plan for them to join. Both Maria and Perseus woulf forbid it even if I wanted to, Maria would get very angry at me.

FrigidPandaz - Glad you're enjoying this good shit, appreciated.

Oh boy he we go. All the reviews now were from your boyJxgod:

- Black hair, green eyes, called Perseus. Defo heard that somewhere else.

- Thank you, glad you found it.

- It's a solid goal but don't judge Bell's goal. Remember, RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAANNNNNNCCCCCEEE!

- No, no Liaris freese, your boy has got to put in some work for his strength, not that Bell didn't tho.

- By the time Bell gets to Oraio, Percy will have a massive headstart, one where canon Bell right now isn't even caught up to.

- Don't worry, Penia get's bettia, and as for Freya, well you already know by now.

- It wasn't like Bell did nothing, he beat a Minotaur at level 1 but yeah, compared to Percy...

- Yep, he better learn to deal with his bad hearing, maybe he can learn it from a certain someone in the future.

- Bell was the Argonaut, I wonder who Perseus could have been, hmmmmmmm?

- I know, poor Freya but I don't think even she would seduce a 5-year-old... hopefully.

- Thank you, and yh, most chidlren view themselvemost s as more mature in their own mind. I wanted to get that across so glad you picked up on it.

- You know what, you're right. What Perseus and Penia are doing IS illegal and tax fraud, they ain't paying no tax to enter the dungeon. I sure hope this doesn't come back to bite them and that the author hadn't thought of this before as another way to make Percy's life harder... oh wait.

- Perseus is still fairly new to, you know, life so he don't know much about the God's and the real world just yet but give it time, his views on the divine might just change.

- Maybe the Astrea Familia should realise what they are doing but at the moment the oldest is Alise at the age of 13, they aren't exactly mature adults just yet and they see themselves as helping a child in desperate need of help. As for Astrea, I don't think the Goddess of Justice could stand by and watch a child walk into the the dungeon on his lonesome but whether they are helping or not, that is for them to figure out.

- As mentioned, Percy's headstart will be big but yeah, Bell will be the strongest adventurer, theres no stopping that. But there is more to being an adventurer than just plain old strength.

- If you gave Bell the same amount of time Percy had with his OP skill, then yh, the OEBD won't even by breakfast, barely a mild snack at best. That's why Oomiri made it only a year in time, apparently, and I ain't giving Perseus a skill like that for his 10 years of adventuring until Canon.

Jesus, that took a while. Jxgod, you took my reviews from just over a 100 to 120, surpassing my other story with reviews. Thank you so much for having such an interest in my story, it really means a lot and makes me want to keep writing.

Anyway, it was great seeing you guys again and as always, I'll see ya later, Peace!