Trapped in a Dungeon with the Boss Monster Chapter 16

Evie would have refused such a request if she hadn’t witnessed all sorts of bizarre things while trapped in the dungeon.

“Anyway, listen to me.

Life is such a pain, you know?

Originally, I planned to retire after today. Age doesn’t lie, and my body isn’t what it used to be. Since I’ve earned enough money to meet my needs, I thought about opening a small shop.”

“…So that’s how it was supposed to be…”

Are you a talkative person? Evie held back the question that rose to her throat, stumbling over her words.

It seemed unnecessary to say to a living person she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Huh? Why did you stop talking?

Can’t you keep going? I’m curious. Wait, where did I leave off? Ah, right. The shop. Before starting the shop, I wanted to go to the dungeon one last time. You’re a hunter too, so you know, right? Dungeons can be oddly addictive. They’re full of thrills. Anyway, there are so many interesting things. So…”

Marie kept blabbering incessantly as if she would die if she stopped for even 5 minutes. Evie considered suggesting it would be better for Marie to stay quiet, given her grave condition, but she stopped.

Without a word, Evie tilted the glass bottle and poured its contents onto Mari’s wound.

“What… is this? An elixir?!”

The wound healed instantly. 

Cuts, deep enough to expose the bone, healed, and the twisted limbs regained their original state. Marie, who had been babbling nonstop, fell silent.

As Evie brought the glass bottle to Marie’s lips and tilted it, she willingly drank from it.

Upon seeing her lost left arm regenerate, Marie clenched and unclenched her fists. She scanned her body and covered her face with both hands.

“…I was noisy, right? I’m sorry.”

A muffled voice came from behind the hands concealing her face.

“I’m not usually a talkative person, but…I could sense you dying, so I couldn’t stand still.”

Evie closed the lid of the half-full glass bottle and fiddled with it. Marie lowered the hands covering her face, smiling at Evie.

Although the wounds had healed, blood still stained Marie’s face.

“Thank you for saving me, Evie.”

Evie nodded, looking down at the floor.

Marie stood up from her spot.

“Now, let’s find the gate. I have navigational skills. Finding the gate is a piece of cake but it might take time. You know, this building keeps changing. I think the boss monster can control it. That’s why I had a tough time. I lost an arm, and my ankle almost got cut off.”

Marie continued to chatter to herself while stretching her hands to Evie. Even with her excuse earlier, Marie seemed to enjoy talking. Evie took her hand, and they walked together.

“Is it okay to hold hands? We’ll have to run away from the boss monster. I have a teleportation skill, but we must be in physical contact to teleport together.”

“It’s fine.”

The red string around her wrist was strikingly vivid. When Evie touched it, it felt incredibly soft, like stroking a fluffy yarn. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, causing her to pause and look around. Where could Gilen be right now? Overwhelmed by a sudden uneasiness, Evie tightly grasped Marie’s forearm.

Marie, who was checking the window system, glanced at Evie.

“Why so tense? Scared? It’s still fine. The boss monster is underground. It will take some time for it to come up. I hate to admit it, but those assholes won’t die easily.”

Crit! The sound of teeth-grinding could be heard. Evie didn’t bother asking Marie, but she spilled the beans about what had happened.

“Can you believe it? The last party I joined before retiring was a complete trash pit. I got my ass kicked by those bastards, except for my arms and legs.

It’s my fault for not checking properly, being so sentimental that it’s the last one. I was like, ‘Damn, I’m fucked for real this time.’ But then the Second Gate opened. I had to face a chimera in a courtyard that appeared out of nowhere, and right before teleporting, I lost an arm and a leg to the boss monster.”

Marie was truly a chatterbox.

Even without a response, Marie’s voice remained unwavering, and oddly enough, Evie found herself enjoying it.

It was reassuring to hear someone else’s voice after so long.

Marie, looking at the quiet Evie, suddenly spoke cautiously.

“By the way, I’ve been curious about something. Can I ask?”

“Yes? Oh, yes.”

Marie’s voice grew quieter. Caught up in the changed atmosphere, Evie instinctively stopped and looked at Marie.

After a brief hesitation, Marie spoke up.

“How did you get that healing potion earlier? If I recall correctly, you didn’t retrieve it from your inventory… you went to get it. You seemed to know where it was, like someone familiar with this place.”

When did the carefree attitude go? Marie’s expression turned serious.

Evie nervously bit her lip, unable to respond immediately.

“Your attire is too casual for a hunter, and… excuse my impoliteness, but… I don’t think your rank is higher than mine. Yet, I don’t see a single scratch on your body.”

Evie tried to withdraw her hand. Being out of touch with people for so long, she hadn’t had time to consider it, but to anyone, Evie’s current appearance was undeniably alien.

A person dressed in a shirt in this A-rank Second Gate. It was a sight that even Evie couldn’t help but find suspicious.

How should she answer? How should she say it so she could continue being with Marie? Just a few hours ago, Evie had completely given up on escaping from this dungeon.

It was only natural. The gate she had entered had already vanished, and she couldn’t escape Gilen’s sight either.

However, things were different after meeting Marie. A skilled hunter with the navigational skill to locate the gate. Despite being on the verge of death, she was cunning enough to momentarily escape from Gilen. Perhaps this was a chance to get out. That’s why Evie had to earn Marie’s favor. To escape together.

Let’s be honest. Determined, Evie swallowed saliva and was about to speak, but Marie was quicker.

“I’m curious, but I’ll hear your answer after we pass through the gate.”

Grasping Evie’s slipping hand, Marie resumed walking. Evie followed suit. 

Smiling at Evie, who appeared panicked, Marie spoke.

“Don’t be afraid. While we’re bound, we can’t harm each other. Moreover, I have no intention of causing you any harm. You saved me, after all.”

Marie’s attitude lightened again. Evie let out a small sigh. She didn’t want to mention being trapped here after using the skill [Enchantment] to bewitch the boss monster and survive.

For some reason, Evie felt Marie had already figured out why she was staying here.

While walking and listening to Marie’s rambling voice, Evie looked down at the floor and noticed the red string tied around her wrist. She asked Marie to divert the topic.

“I’ve been curious about something too, can I ask?”

“Oh? Sure, go ahead. What is it?”

Marie, who had been discussing the types of alcohol and how many bottles she would drink once they were outside, looked down at Evie.

Evie shook her wrist with the tied red string.

“What is this string for?”

“Oh, that.”

Marie nodded once and explained.

“It’s an item called the Red String. It’s like a distress call when your life is in danger. If there’s someone nearby who can save you and they accept the request, the string gets tied and you must obey that person in return. It’s a trashy item, so I had it stored in my inventory, but now ended up using it.”

Marie giggled playfully. Evie laughed awkwardly along with her.

“There’s also something called a penalty, right?”

“Oh, yeah. If you pull the string with your hand, it unties. Then I’ll probably fly about 100 meters away. Physically, that’s how it works, but mentally, I won’t be able to forget you. The bond we shared will be concentrated within me, so to speak.”

Evie’s brow furrowed.

“…What?”

“I mean, we have to go outside and ask a healer hunter with a dispel skill to undo it. It’s almost like a cursed item, so don’t try to break it for nothing.”

While walking behind Marie, Evie’s frown remained. What could the phrase “unable to forget” imply? Suddenly, Marie stopped in her tracks, turning to face the furrowed Evie.

Evie’s mouth dropped open as Marie abruptly pulled her closer and pressed her against the wall. Evie glanced up.

Meeting her gaze, Marie placed her index finger on Evie’s lips. Confirming Evie’s nod, Marie focused on the hallway ahead, shielding Evie’s body with her arm as if to protect her.

Squish, squish, squelch—

The sound of something slimy sloshing around, leaving sticky residues as it approached this direction. Even with a brief whiff, the nauseating stench persisted. Evie covered her nose and mouth with her hand, suppressing the urge to retch. Looking up anxiously at Marie, she received a reassuring smile.

‘Stay here.’

Evie nodded, understanding the words formed by Marie’s moving lips.

Marie’s green eyes turned a shade of blue.

Placing one foot against the wall, Marie swiftly lifted her other foot off the ground. There was no sound of falling. Climbing up to the ceiling, Marie then stood on her feet to lower herself and approached the fleshy mass.

The mass of flesh continued to move, but its speed was incredibly slow, barely covering a few steps by now.

From Evie’s position, the darkness of the hallway made it difficult to see the fleshy mass. Marie, also heading in that direction, gradually faded into the darkness. Evie held her breath, pressing herself firmly against the wall.

Then, near the ceiling, a faint blue light flickered, followed by a hard Thud—the sound of something striking the moist mass. The fleshy mass let out a scream.

Kki e e e—

Its spine-chilling scream didn’t last long. Though Evie wanted to move forward to check, she remained motionless. After a brief wait, Marie walked out of the darkness.

Marie was twirling the dagger in her hand.

“Tsk. I intended to deal with it before it made any noise. I guess it’s truly time for me to quit.”

Frowning, she approached Evie and tugged at one corner of her mouth, placing her hand on Evie’s head.

Ssuk suk.

Her rough hand, covered in scars and calluses, gently stroked Evie’s hair.

“You’re brave. It must have been frightening, yet you didn’t utter a sound.”

“… I’m also a hunter myself. I’ve experienced quite a few dungeons.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

Marie sharpened her dagger, giggling mischievously.

“But to me, you look like a kid, too small. Are you a combat hamster? What’s your rank? I’m a B-rank, by the way.”

“…E-rank.”

“Alright. Let’s go, hamster.”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“But hey, how tall are you?”

“…160 cm…just a bit under.”

Marie laughed again and placed her hand on the small head that barely reached her shoulders. After roughly tousling Evie’s hair, Marie walked ahead.

Evie shook her head, running her hands through her messy hair, and hurried after Marie. Without hesitation, Evie grabbed the hand that was playfully extended toward her.

“Here, Marie.”

Evie handed over the glass bottle she had been holding the entire time. Marie pushed it back with her hand.

“No. I don’t deserve something so precious. Keep it in your cheek pouch like a hamster.”

“What’s a cheek pouch… Marie, you keep it. I don’t have anywhere to put it anyway.”

“What about your inventory?”

“I can’t open it right now for personal reasons. So, Marie, you keep it.”

Marie hesitated, puckering her lips. When Evie took Marie’s hand and handed her the glass bottle, Marie sighed and smiled faintly.

“I’ll take it then, thanks. What am I going to do with all this help?”

“If you’re grateful, then open a shop and hire me as an employee. I’m sick of dungeons.”

“Ain’t I the only one benefiting? Fine. Once we’re outside, let’s write a contract.”

Marie chuckled, putting the recovery potion into her inventory.

The melted flesh decomposed rapidly. Evie had to hold her breath as she passed by it.

Even after a while, when Evie finally breathed, the air still carried a foul odor. Suddenly, Marie shivered.

“Ugh. I swear, if I died here, I wouldn’t even be able to close my eyes. To think this would be the last sight before death.”

Evie couldn’t agree more. It may have been a familiar sight to her, but it was far from pleasant. Walking through this unsettling hallway on her own feet was the first time since the day she entered the Second Gate, as Gillen always carried her in his arms wherever they went.

Despite not having walked for long, Evie felt tired as if her leg muscles had weakened.

“Since there’s still no news about the boss monster, those bastards must be enduring quite well.”

Marie raised her wrist and checked her watch.

“Ah, it’s been less than 10 minutes since we met. But since those damn assholes are all A-rank, they’ll probably hold out until we leave.”