Trapped in a Dungeon with the Boss Monster

Why does Evie always feel down?

Gillen signed, clenching his fist tightly.

Crack.

The sound of bones breaking reverberated. The hand that had held onto his arm dropped weakly, and the eyes lost their focus. Gillen roughly tossed the lifeless human body into a large sack and sighed once more.

“Why does she always lack energy?

Even though I take good care of her meals.”

Gillen muttered to himself as he dragged the sack, his voice resonating through the hallway of the fourth floor.

When three humans reached the stairs leading down to the third floor, Gillen subtly altered the building’s structure.

The stairs remained unchanged while the fourth and third floors were swapped.

The humans who rushed down the stairs screamed upon encountering Gillen waiting below.

“Ah, aaah!”

The head of the human at the front flew through the air.

Gillen wiped his blood-stained hand and put the head and the body that fell to the floor into the sack.

“Kugh, ugh…”

“Sa, save me, save me—”

Gillen turned his head with a bored look.

Crunch, squelch

. A huddled mass of flesh was devouring the two humans who tried to escape.

Perhaps due to countless gene transplants from various species, the crushed chunks of flesh melted grotesquely, but it quickly regenerated with equal speed.

“You can’t eat it all. 

I have plans for that.”

Its gluttony only intensified.

Gillen irritably kicked the gelatinous mass of flesh.

It rolled down the stairs and did not spit out what it had in its mouth.

Blood and pus oozed from the points where the flesh collided.

Canceling his plan to walk slowly, Gillen changed the building’s structure and quickly descended into the basement.

The flesh wriggled hastily toward the cage. Gillen placed his hand on the machine in front of him and pressed a button, trapping the flesh in a transparent membrane within the cage. Soon, the flesh contorted with a bizarre noise as flames surrounded it all around.

“Don’t scream. I’ve told you in advance what I would do.”

The flesh pounded on the transparent membrane with its putrid bone-exposing hands. As the pounding sound grew louder, the flames raged even more.

Only after the flesh was completely charred did Gillen quell the flames.

“The reason I sent you out today was for you to eat the trash scattered in the hallways.

Haven’t you outgrown your old habit?

Why did you touch my research materials?

You know how useful human organs are.”

Gillen stomped on the charred flesh while retrieving a notebook from his pocket to record the condition. 

Though it might appear as a simple outburst, this, too, was part of the research.

Gillen wanted to assess how the new xenogene would fare against burns, as they had shown remarkable resilience last time.

Of course, there was some frustration venting.

“It will take quite a while for this to heal.”

Finishing his note, Gillen fell into deep thought. He tapped his chin with his finger and muttered to himself.

“She always feels weak.

She rarely smiles. And she seems to be sleeping a lot lately.”

Gillen wandered around the narrow cage while muttering lamentably.

“What makes it hard for her even though I’m always by her side?

I don’t understand.

I’m bored. I guess I… Oh! Is that it?”

Gillen, who had been lowering his head, lifted his face with a brightened look.

He stepped on the flesh on the floor and exited the cage.

Creak, creak, creak.

“Seems like it.

She’s bored!”

Locking the cage door, Gillen hurried outside, heading to the third floor. 

He didn’t forget to clean himself before going to Evie’s room. After grooming himself, Gillen cautiously entered her room.

A body wrapped in a blanket, curled up on the bed. Gillen sat close to Evie, patiently waiting for her to wake up. After some time had passed, Evie raised her eyelids.

“Did you sleep well?”

Evie blinked her eyes. When she saw the corners of his mouth, which were split long, turn upwards, Evie tried to close her eyes again. Sleep was her only escape.

It was the sole way to break free from the horrifying reality. However, Gillen wouldn’t leave her alone.

He gently stroked her cheek and whispered.

“Wake up, Evie. There are many things I want to show you.”

Evie had no choice but to open her eyes. Still groggy, Gillen held her in his arms and took steps. Evie leaned her head against Gillen’s chest and nodded off.

“Are you still sleepy?

I wish you could open your eyes.

You won’t be bored today.”

Gillen’s low and calm voice felt like a lullaby.

The pat on her butt and the stroke on her back lulled her back to sleep. Without realizing it, Evie was growing accustomed to Gillen.

“Evie.”

The soothing swaying motion came to a halt. Gillen lightly sucked on Evie’s lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

When his long, thick tongue delved deep into her throat, Evie jolted in surprise and opened her eyes. As Gillen pulled his lips away, Evie hastily covered her mouth, feeling nauseated. The sensation of his tongue brushing against her uvula made her feel nauseated to the point tears welled up.

After managing to calm herself, Evie glanced at Gillen.

“That’s strange.”

Gillen stared down at her. Evie trembled, clasping her hands together, and fumbled through her excuse.

“Oh, no, it’s not that… I-I don’t dislike it… It’s just that, I was surprised…”

“Was it hard for you?

You seemed to be enjoying it last time.”

As Evie’s body trembled like a vibrating doll under his persistent gaze, Gillen hugged her tightly and resumed moving his feet.

Evie exhaled in a small sign of relief.

“It’s okay.

You’ll get used to it quickly if we do it every day.”

His lips pressed against her forehead.

Evie curled up in his arms. Gillen was always like this.

At first glance, he seemed to be doing things for her sake, but in the end, he always did what he wanted.

 Evie hated it.

While walking, Gillen kept talking to Evie.

Evie either nodded or shook her head and occasionally replied aloud. Gillen was content with just that.

“We’re here.”

It was a space surrounded by transparent glass walls. The plants filling the surroundings swayed despite no breeze.

Unknowingly, Evie gripped Gillen’s forearm. The memory of being pulled by a mass of tentacles while she was asleep resurfaced. Gillen was about to put Evie down on the floor but stopped when she clung tightly to him.

“Last time, you didn’t get a proper look. Today, I’ll show you well.”

Evie kept her mouth shut and turned her head away from the plants. 

Gillen gently stroked Evie’s head, chuckling.

“It’s alright. I got rid of all those tentacles. You don’t have to be scared anymore.”

Still, Evie didn’t lift her head. Gillen pondered for a moment.

What should I show to make Evie happy?

While strolling through the greenhouse, his eyes scanned the plants. 

This one is acidic, so it’s dangerous for Evie. That one has toxins in its leaves. This one can cause trouble if its spores enter her body. Ah, this one should be fine.

Gillen whispered into Evie’s ear, still buried in his chest.

“Evie, take a look at this.”

Evie remained still, but when Gillen kept talking and touching her, she couldn’t help but turn her head. 

Gillen lowered himself and sat down on the spot. She saw a tree, very small compared to the other plants, with bright yellow fruits hanging from its branches. Gillen plucked one of them and offered it to Evie.

“Would you like to try it once? It tastes quite good.”

The bright yellow fruit had a smooth surface, emitting a sweet aroma. When pressed lightly, it didn’t soften and seemed crunchy.

She didn’t want to eat it, but under Gillen’s watchful gaze, Evie took a small bite. 

The flesh was crisp and juicy.

Gillen was right; it tasted good.

“This is one of the ingredients that goes into the potion you take every day.”

While Evie nibbled on the fruit, Gillen walked around the greenhouse and explained the plants he was growing.

Except for the small tree with bright yellow fruits, the rest were horrifying. Not only their appearance but also their cultivation methods. Some absorbed the blood of living beings instead of water, while others were parasitic vines.

Moreover, they would extend their stems and leaves toward Evie as if recognizing her as prey. Only after Gillen uprooted some of them did the plants quiet down.

The thought of them having ‘brain’ like animals gave Evie goosebumps. She clung to Gillen as much as she could.

“…Is it not interesting here?”

Gillen spoke out in a sad tone as Evie shook with fear at each of his explanations.

Evie cautiously gauged his reaction and spoke in a small voice.

“Can’t we just go back to our room…?”

Every time she looked at a plant, she felt her life was being threatened. She didn’t want to stay in this creepy place any longer.

Gillen looked down at Evie and blurted out.

“Are you going to sleep again?”

“No, I won’t sleep, I won’t…”

She shook her head frantically, but Gillen just stared at her. Unable to say anything more, Evie slouched and nervously fidgeted with her fingers. She flinched when hearing Gillen’s sigh from above her head.

“You keep sleeping because you’re bored. I’m sorry. I’ve kept you confined for too long.”

As he spoke, Gillen turned and took steps.

“If this place is boring, shall we go somewhere else? Hmm, how about going up to the rooftop? We might see something interesting.”

Gillen stepped outside the greenhouse.

The second-floor hallway disappeared, and they were greeted by the hallway on the top floor.

Evie, who had been burying her face in Gillen’s chest the whole time, didn’t notice this. The door leading to the rooftop, unused for a long time, made an unpleasant noise.

The wind made Evie’s hair to flutter. Curiously, she raise her head.

Her eyes rolled, taking in the scenery that unfolded before her. The world was bathed in a purple hue.

It was hard to describe but it was definitely not a hallucination. A deep purple color filled the sky was more eerie and ominous than fantastical.

The clouds were pitch-black. The air was murky, humid, and stifling like someone pressing her down.

Gillen set Evie down from his arms to the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Evie jerked back.

“Come here, Evie.

There’s something interesting.”

Gillen looked back at Evie and extended his hand. She didn’t hesitate to grab his hand and hugged him with her entire body as if his arms were a lifeline.

Evie clung to Gillen, fearing that a monster would emerge from somewhere and attack her.

She wanted to say, “Let’s just go inside,” but her lips wouldn’t part.

Gillen put his arm around her and moved forward. He walked in sync with her, slowly progressing.

Evie froze at the sound of grass rustling in the wind and the roar of beasts.

By the time they reached the railing, Evie was already gripped with terror, on the brink of tears. She barely held back her trembling sobs.

When Evie was a user of the system, she wasn’t particularly timid, but as an ordinary person, she was different.

Now, she couldn’t access the system anymore, no longer a hunter. She was the old Evie James, who would get scared while watching a cheesy horror B-movie.

“Shall I hug you?”

Gillen asked, looking at Evie, who wrapped her arms around him with her whole body.

He stroked her tiny head, finding her cute, and giggled softly.

As Gillen extended his other arm, Evie immediately moved into his embrace.

It was all she could do to escape the suffocating air that tightened her breath. The sounds of beasts fighting unabated from all directions. She would rather be alone with Gillen.

Gillen comforted Evie affectionately, patting her back and kissing her cheek. Although it didn’t calm her down, Evie didn’t resist and stayed still.

Even if Gillen had intended this situation, at least for now, he was her lifeline.

It was then.

“Help—!

Is there anyone? Please—”

Evie abruptly raised her head.

She lowered her gaze and listened intently to the voice.

If it wasn’t an illusion, it was undoubtedly a human voice. Gillen, in his kindness, pointed out the direction from which the sound was coming.

“It’s over there.

Do you see that charred tree?”

Evie turned her eyes to where Gillen pointed. There stood a tree that seemed to have been struck by lightning, blackened, and split.

Even from the rooftop, its immense size made it easy to spot.

A figure staggered out from behind the black tree. He took one precarious step after another and fell to the ground. At a glance, one could tell the man was seriously wounded.

He crawled forward and lifted his head. Despite his injured body, he managed to gaze directly at Evie from that distance.

With one arm outstretched, he pleaded in a breaking voice.

“Help me, please help me…

Ugh, it hurts so much…”

His voice was barely audible.

It was definitely difficult for someone severely injured to raise their voice.

Another storm is awaiting...