I lowered my arms, the dark blood from the strange creatures now flooding the entire room, a small room inside a grand cavern.
Where am I?
How long did I lose it for this time?
There was no voice from Eternia or Lupera to tell me when or how long I had been in my berserk state for no… I was focused the entire time. It’s like I became super focused rather than berserk.
Time faded, pain vanished…
It was like the enemies were a mere game, and I just had to kill them all to reach the last boss as I became stronger the more I fought and killed.
But where was I right now?
The blood on the floor formed into puddles before sliding away, revealing the pure white stone beneath, the same stone that covered the walls of the room.
Looking around, the entire room looked like a prison cell—the creatures were nothing I had seen before. They were like a mixture of goblins and a strange creature made of darkness; that being said, I didn’t know many monsters and lacked knowledge.
My armour was covered with cuts and dents, showing clear evidence I had been in combat recently, but strangely, I didn’t feel any pain.
Was it because of my focused state?
“Ahh!” A scream came from behind me, causing me to jump up, reaching for my sword only to realise they weren’t there.
Turning around, I saw a woman dressed in a black dress, her hands covering her face while she cowered against the wall. Her long silver hair covered her face, hiding it from view.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to keep calm as I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was.
She didn’t respond, not lowering her hands to look at me, but instead, she shook even harder.
I could see she wasn’t an enemy due to the fact she didn’t attack me and also because she seemed genuinely scared of me.
Taking a step towards her, she screamed once again, causing me to freeze.
It was then… I saw more corpses, those not of monsters but seeming to be like me, adventurers cut with the same blade… the same method as the others.
What have I done…?
“Why…” The woman finally spoke, lowering her shaking hands, her skin so pale that I thought she would collapse at any moment. “Why do you hurt us…?”
Searching through my memories, I knew that it wasn’t out of cold blood… these people tried to rob me, they threatened to attack me if I didn’t hand over the crystals I got from these monsters…
Then they attacked, so I killed them all.
They deserved their fate…
Yet, why do I feel so guilty?
“Stay back, demon! You will pay for killing our comrades!” Another person appeared at the door, wearing the same leather armour as the others, pointing his short sword towards me.
I recognised him… he was the leader of their group.
“Oh? The filthy coward of a bandit returns after leading his men to die?” I spat on the ground, feeling disgusted by the actions of this party.
The man flinched upon seeing me talk back, but he quickly recovered.
“Shut your mouth, demon, or I’ll-” He began walking forward, holding his sword with both hands, ready to strike me down.
“You’ll what? Kill me?” I interrupted, taking a step towards him, watching his expression become one of fear. “Like your pathetic comrades couldn’t.”
He took a step backwards, his sword shaking in his hands, beads of sweat pouring down his face.
“Y-you… you monster!” He yelled, throwing his sword at me before turning around and running.
I watched as the sword flew through the air, slicing into my shoulder. But it didn’t cause any pain, nor did it draw any blood.
The only thing I noticed was the woman wasn’t crying anymore, and she was no longer a human… but became a strange creature.
Her complexion, reminiscent of the moonlit sea, was adorned with scales that shimmer in hues ranging from iridescent blues and greens to deep purples.
I was entranced by her delicate collarbones peeking out from beneath long strands of bright pink hair cascading down her entire body—she looked at me with iridescent eyes, windows to capture the essence of both mystery and seduction.
Yet I realised she was not part of their party… Or maybe she had charmed them because she looked like the creatures in the pit behind me.
Her facial features are finely chiselled, exuding an ethereal beauty that is both captivating and surreal. Glistening, web-like patterns may trace the sides of her face, adding a touch of aquatic elegance—I was mostly interested in her lower body…
The lower half of her was formed of a thick serpentine tail, covered in the same mesmerising scales as her upper body.
The tail undulated with hypnotic grace and seemed to be able to navigate land and water gracefully…
“P-Please… don’t kill me…” Her melodic voice sounded as I watched in confusion—she was just like Ayr, who appeared beside me and looked at the strange woman.
“Hmmm… a Siren, master, you should collect her like me—this girl seems to have only just matured and was meant to become their queen…” Ayr whispered into my ear, informing me of this woman’s species.
Siren… a beautiful woman that lures sailors to crash on rocky coasts, killing them… yet I don’t think this woman is evil, especially after seeing her terrified expression.
No… that was likely part of her strange ability to seduce and charm.
“What is your name?” I asked, lowering my guard as I wanted to hear her side of the story.
“…Elena…” She answered, lowering her head.
“Are you the one controlling them to lure adventures into this small cave here?” I questioned, noticing Elena flinch upon hearing my question.
“…Yes…” She responded, confirming my theory.
“I see—you guys need to survive, too, huh…” I began to realise as the many floors I traversed that the stronger they became, the more the dungeon left their intellect intact. There was no reason for me to be angry or judge her.
I simply imagined myself being in this position and needing to fight to avoid my entire existence being wiped out.
If she died, then her soul and mind would be wiped clean, and she would start from an empty vessel only to die over and over again.
“Don’t worry… I won’t hurt you unless you give me a reason to,” I informed Elena, turning around to walk towards the exit of the cave, leaving her alone.
“W-Wait!” Elena called out to me, causing me to stop and turn my head to look at her. “D-Do you need help?”
“Help?” I repeated her words, unsure of what she meant.
“I-I can heal and use magic… sirens are born with mana and are naturally skilled in healing magic,” Elena explained, causing me to consider her offer. Ayr beside me was yapping on as always.
“She would be helpful… in the lower floors, a single swipe of the enemy might tear off your limbs… but then you cannot resist my advances… Ah… such a tough choice.”
Ayr’s words caused me to laugh, thinking about how useful Elena could be—but first, I needed to gain her trust.
“Sure, Elena, let’s work together,” I replied, smiling at her.
? Accept Elena The Siren Princess as your Pet? ?
Pet…?
So she is just like this stupid dog that I now have following me, won’t count as a person when I enter, and basically lives inside me somehow?
Accepting Elena, a rush of information flooded my mind, detailing her abilities, skills, and weaknesses.
It was as Ayr explained… she specialised in healing, support, and enchantments—her physical strength was low, but her magic power was high.
“Umm… thank you, master…” Elena bowed her head, slithering towards me. “I can return to my human form if you… prefer…”
I could only smile with a bitter look back at her, “I like you in that form—it’s much more beautiful.”
Elena blushed upon hearing my words, smiling back at me—however, I felt a strange connection to her, something similar to my bond with Ayr.
Maybe because they are both Dungeon creatures?
Or is it because I accepted her as my pet?
“Master… can I ask a question?” Elena slithered closer to me, looking up at me with her shining eyes.
“Of course, go ahead.” I nodded, curious about what she wanted to ask.
“Why are you doing this…?” Elena inquired, tilting her head cutely.
“Doing what?”
“Going deeper into the dungeon… Accepting monsters as part of your party…” Elena explained, confusing me even more—wasn’t this normal?
“Because I wanted to, I guess,” I answered, causing her to widen her eyes.
“Even though you know you will suffer? Even though you know you might die…?” Elena continued questioning me, making me wonder what she meant.
“Death is inevitable, Elena, so why not enjoy life until then?”
I didn’t really understand her point fully, but her eyes were filled with concern, and the feelings through our connection were the same, so I just smiled at her and continued onwards.
Thanks to her becoming my pet, I knew what floor we were on now.
I was on the Forty Fifth floor.
My promise to Celestia was finished the moment I completed this floor, so I headed straight towards the staircase, Elena following closely behind.
She was much faster than I expected, using her tail to slide across the ground, keeping up with me easily—Ayr complained that she stole her job and that she wouldn’t let me mate with a fish before my kind.
These two were so different—Ayr was wild, vulgar and fierce, while Elena was gentle, elegant and charming.
Both were incredibly beautiful, which I was grateful for as I hated ugly things…
However, I discovered I might have a monster girl fetish after finding her true form more attractive than her humanoid form…
Is that why all the women I sleep with transform?
Some kind of twisted wish of a former god.