Notes from the Demon king, page 324:

Sentience is a strange thing. And the line between it and truly inanimate is blurred by Mana.

Dungeons are a good example of this, they start out as unthinking natural constructs, with built-in programming to expand their territory and kill anything within it. But as they get older they get smarter, at first becoming animalistic, but within their first half-century of existence, they developed distinct personalities. Becoming people in every sense of the word, albeit a sociopathic murderous person, and have been shown to develop souls. This is also the point where they bond with their partners and begin the process of actually trying to build a decent dungeon and be found by adventurers, which they attempt to kill and consume.

But dungeons are still beholden to rules, their programming doesn't allow them to do certain things no matter how intelligent they get. Strangely enough, all of these unbreakable rules seem to be in the name of fairness.

For example; A dungeon can't make major changes while people are inside, this keeps them from just collapsing the ceiling or something.

In the same vein, a dungeon must make all traps and rooms beatable, this keeps them from pulling a 'GlaDos' and just filling the entire room with neurotoxin.

On the flip side of that, a dungeon can also not actively favor adventurers while they're inside. Not in any significant way at least. not that they would want to.

It's through those rules that the line blurs, a completely sapient entity so beholden to prewritten rules would be considered something like a robot on Earth, and is obviously a man-made none of these rules and benefits of dungeons at all.

So who? Is that person also the maker of the dungeons or are the race of dungeons all slave to some unknown spell meant to limit them.

Either way, it must have been the work of gods.

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Chapter thirteen

Ali-

The party continued through the dungeon for the next few hours. Fighting through room after room and collecting loot and experia from monsters as they went.

The group quickly got into a cycle even as the monsters got harder

. Enter a room, fight, get healed, maybe face a trap once in a while.

The loop was only ever broken by the occasional rare drop or chest they stumbled upon.

There was one time when Ali Killed a dog-like thing made of ice that dropped a scepter made of blue crystal that resonated with her ice mana, she was using that now.

Another time Sandra found a hidden door with a chest inside containing gems and gold and silver coins, that one triggered a crusher trap, but they managed to grab about a third of the contents before the walls closed in on them. Even still Hailey looked like she was about to cry.

Not to say it was monotonous, far from it. The ever-present threat of death, or if you believed the Demon King, everything up to but excluding death, made being bored hard but Ali had to admit the profit was probably worth it. They had made over 95 gold just in this one run with likely half that in silver! If it weren't for Hailey’s bag of holding she had no idea how they’d carry it all.

Thinking of the elf Ali looked over at her, Hailey had been seeming progressively more anxious as they moved deeper into the dungeon.

“You good?” Ali asked lightly poking the elf in the side, or the hip due to their height differences.

“Oh, uh… Yeah.” Hailey glanced at her and then back away “I just kinda feel… bad.”

“Bad?”

“Bad isn't the right word. I-I feel useless Al. Like a damsel in distress,” the elf sighed burying her face in her hands

“What? But you were the one who took out those golems in the second room”

“That was sheer luck, Ali. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time If I hadn’t happened to find the heart then…”

“The Demon King would’ve saved you” Ali wasn't sure if she believed that herself but if it made Hailey feel better it couldn't hurt to say.

“Like a Damsel in distress.”

“Oh. Yeah, Sorry.”

Hailey's face was a mask of frustration, her eyes half-closed in a frown. “The problem is I can't do anything Al! Healing is great and all, but I’m starting to realize that just that isn't enough! Just for once, I’d like to save one of you instead of the other way around”

“But yo-”

“I mean in battle! I need a weapon or something…”

“Okay, you can have whatever we find in here if you want it” Ali replied putting on a sudden air of nonchalance, “Now, what's really bothering you”

“What?”

“I’ve known you for my whole life, Hailey. You’re way too okay with talking about this. Now what’s really bothering you”

The elf slumped, looking defeated “Okay you got me…”

“So what is it?”

“I don't know…” Hailey hedged and after seeing that her avoidance was getting them nowhere said “...I really don't… it’s just something about this place I guess. It's weird… like I was enjoying it at first, but after Kenn got hurt I’ts felt different…” She stopped walking, straightening to her full height suddenly, eyes wide “I can feel something's gaze on us”

“You feel like you’re being watched?”

“No, or yes? Ever since I unlocked my mana I’ve… I think I can literally feel when someone is watching me.”

“Sight affinity, right?”

“Yes, I think, but it feels wrong now... there’s… t-this is going to sound crazy but... There one too many 'pairs of eyes’.”

“Like who?”

“I don't know. There's you, the Demon King whose gaze is like everywhere, Kenn trying to stealthily look at my boobs, Sandy who is unabashedly looking at my butt… god, I’m friends with pervs. I mean do you guys even like me or am I just eye candy?”

“It can be both,” Ali said with a smirk “If it makes you feel any better Giel’s kinda the same way,”

“I feel so used,” the beast-kin faux-cried from where he walked behind them.

Ali rolled her eyes “but back on topic? Who else?”

“That's the thing! I don't know! It’s just… there...” she shivered “Can you get them they’re staring so hard it’s like ants all crawling all over me. It tickles.”

“I got it” Ali inhaled deeply “Sandra!!! Kenn!!! I know what you’re doing!”

There were two peeps of alarm, and Hailey visibility relaxed a bit before she groaned in frustration, “Damn it, Damsel in distress again!”

“Oh come on that doesn't count!” Ali scoffed “that would be uncomfortable to anyone!”

“Yes, it does. I either have you guys do the social stuff for me or I’m too embarrassed to even do that and ask you guys not to! That’s not good. It’s still being saved! I don't want to have to be protected anymore…” Hailey ran her fingers through her hair nervously “I need a minute tho think…”

Ali nodded “Okay let me know if you feel anything new… or need to talk.”

The healer smiled her usual shy smile “I will.”

With that Ali walked off.