Greg knows he can’t take on the abomination waiting for him at the end of this dungeon head-on. And given any real choice in the matter, he would have run away but—

“Let’s go around.”

“Yes Boss.”

Greg looks at the skeleton warrior who spoke for the second time, eyes glowing with mixed emotions. He has worked menial jobs all his life and never dreamed of being called “Boss” by anyone. Yet, here he is in this life and death situation with someone that looks up to him. Or is that just what he would like to think? The problem is the skeletons aren’t expected to be smart, going by Matt’s reaction to him. So, while he’s grateful for an extra body, he can’t get his hopes up. Or can he?

“Can you speak?”

The skeleton nods. “Yes Boss.”

“More than two words?”

“Yes Boss.”

“....”

Greg rubs the ridge of his skull before resolving to start walking back the way they came. He isn’t sure why that will help, but it has to be better than charging down the steps at something that can move faster than he can blink.

As he walks, he notices the skeleton warrior following him without him saying anything, and they continue going up the hallway. Their feet make loud clanking sounds against the stones, which Greg didn’t notice the first time, but he is now hyper-aware that he knows he isn’t alone down here. Hopefully, he can hear that thing coming up behind him, but he doubts it as he and the skeleton warrior trek forward past still empty unfinished rooms and unwavering torch light.

It feels like eons before they reach the dirt that marks the end of the dungeons’ influence. Greg’s plan begins to take shape as they get closer, but doubt creeps in as it does. Greg remembers three entrances, on the right, center, and left. Of the three, one collapsed due to a trap the first skeleton triggered, and the second has a dungeon boss. The third is either more traps, a different monster, or a combination of both. Greg thinks back to the difficulty E rating and remembers how unconcerned Matt was traveling through these halls. Greg also thinks about the order of events so far.

“Matt hires a team of adventurers to help clear what he assumes is a low-tier dungeon. The orcs set up shop here first and attack the adventurers.” Greg thinks some more, “The orcs were here first… and they probably explored the dungeon… but either didn’t encounter that thing down the steps or that thing down the steps purposely avoided the orcs.”

Greg was faced with a few possibilities. Either Matt assumed there were no monsters left in the dungeon after the orcs went through it, or there wasn’t anything too difficult left to fight. Greg shakes his skull and realizes that regardless he doesn’t have much time before he ceases to exist. Or gets trapped here. The invisible timer is another concern—

“Hey, how much longer do I have left?”

The System takes a moment to answer before replying, “I can not say.”

Shocked, Greg stammers a little in disbelief, “But, but aren’t you all-knowing??”

“I am an impartial element that provides an approximation of common events. I am not a substitute for knowledge gained from experience.”

“So… you can’t tell me how long I have to live?”

“No.”

Well, you’re suddenly not helpful!” Greg thinks to himself, but he has a feeling the System heard him and is suddenly not very sure that was a smart thing to say to an (almost) all-knowing entity. Even if it wasn’t out loud. So now Greg is given an option, double back to certain death or try to find another way and probably die rather unceremoniously for several other reasons…

Greg looks at the skeleton warrior following at his heels and asks, “What do you think I should do?”

The warrior looks at Greg with a smile and says, “Yes Boss,” with his chest out.

Greg can only groan.