The slime in its natural habitat. It aimlessly hopped around in the dirt cave. The only noise was the plop that echoed from their squishy landings. I carefully noted their behaviors in my journal. I opened up my mind and attempted to hear what the slimes had to say, to understand their thoughts.

Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill- Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill- Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill-Kill.

So did the cacophony of slime thoughts go. Was I surprised? No, not really. But, I should have expected as much from the metal slime. It sounded like a great idea to test the metal slime and see if it could do a proper job. The fact that the number of murderous slimes had gone from one to over ten made me regret my decision.

“Metal slime, where are you?” I called out. It came into view a moment later. “Thanks for, uh, training the other slimes, I guess, but what did you teach them?”

How to slime.

Of course, I stroked my chin; I shouldn’t have expected anything else. “Just make sure they don’t get too rowdy, okay?” The thought of a dozen hungry slimes tackling me for food was a scary one. I couldn’t let it get to that.

With a bunch more slimes jumping around, there was another problem; it seemed improper to have the slimes hop around in a messy, dirt cave. It was chaotic. This was a good opportunity to continue the dungeon remodeling. The fourth layer was the largest, so I expected it to take a bit more time and effort.

Ignoring the slimes hopping around, I went to work reconstructing the floor. What was the purpose of the dungeon? For most situations, I would think it was to kill invaders or protect the core. However, I wasn’t interested in hurting people or causing trouble. A nice place to live was all I wanted. Aesthetic appeal was my goal, not to make it into some difficult and deadly arena. If trouble did arise, I would alter it to be more defense if needed.

I formed a large, circular room in the center of the fourth layer with a deep crater in the middle. The slimes needed a place to live or be kept in, so I thought this would do. The hole would be filled with water since there was none around. It would be neat to illuminate at some point, like a showpiece. Hollow pillars formed up from the ground as support for the ceiling and walls. On top of that, I purposefully created small tunnels through the walls that connected the pillars to the outskirts of the room. The slimes could rest and relax in these spaces without fear of being caught in the open.

My mana was nearly depleted with just this; With all the work I’ve been doing, my mana pool has not had a chance to recover fully. There was still one touch I felt was missing: dirt walls were a sore spot. Having smooth stone like my layer was a bit much on the consumption, so I instead tried to turn it into typical rock one might find in a proper cave. I didn’t have enough mana to turn the sprawling layer into rock in one go, so I set up the mana to rock conversion as an automated process. By measuring my mana intake and the expenditure by turning the dungeon into rock, I was able to make the dungeon slowly convert itself without depleting my mana or having to manually do it.

The consequence, however, was a constant generation of the dark miasma. Whenever I activated my skills, my chest would glow and throb, the dungeon core inside me activating. I never got around to learning what the miasma did, so I wasn’t sure how it would impact things. Testing it out could prove to be very dangerous as well, so producing as little as possible is crucial. Upsetting any sort of balance could catch unneeded attention.

And unneeded attention came casually strolling above just to spite me. Through my dungeon sense, I could see a group of adventures in the area. A small, party of four. Their composition seemed standard: An armored knight, an archer, someone with daggers, and a magic user.

“Metal slime, take the others and hide in the walls,” I commanded, already grateful I made the walls hollow for them. “Adventures are coming. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Okay. It said. The metal slime hopped around and gathered up its brethren while I marched up to the entrance.

I made myself look busy by the entrance, picking up wood for kindling. The party found me.

The knight came up, standing tall like a leader, and exclaimed, “How do you do? We are a party mapping out this area – I hope you don’t mind our intrusion.”

“Not at all,” I nonchalantly said. “There is a lot of good land around here, I suspected someone would want to survey it for development eventually.”

He laughed, “Right you are! Say, do you live around here?”

“No, I’m just a traveler, but I have been camping out here nearby. Was just picking up some wood to make myself a new resting spot.”

“I see,” the knight said, crossing his arms. “How is the area? Any monsters or anything?”

I laughed back at him, “No way! If there was, I wouldn’t be around here.” I brandished the sword at my hip, “There are the stray animals you have to be wary about, but nothing serious.”

“That’s good to hear. Our work will go by much faster without any trouble.” He looked past me at the cave. “Know anything about that over there?” The knight pointed past me.

“Oh, that?” I remarked, feigning surprise. “Nothing really, but a group of knights came by here a day or two ago. They asked me some questions and checked out the cave. They left pretty fast, so I don’t think they found anything in there.” I was not keen on having adventures peruse through my dungeon. Hopefully some deception could get them away from here.

The knight hummed to himself and stroked his chin hair. “Well, if that’s the case, I don’t think we need to bother with it then. We can just mark it clear on the map. What do you guys think?” He turned to his companion.

“Whatever is fine,” said the female archer. She was braiding and playing with her hair, not showing an ounce of concern for the conversation. “I would rather not go into some dark and dirty cave though.”

“I don’t care,” the rogue said plainly, crossing his arms.

The mage pushed up his glasses and remarked, “We should check it out anyways. It’s our job to survey the land, and we can’t be caught cutting corners.”

I tightened my grip, almost snapping the wood in my hands. This man, I didn’t like the look of him. I glared at him.

“Gen brings up a good point,” The knight said. “Let’s just go in to take a look, just in case.”

“Alright,” I said with a shrug, “Don’t expect to find anything.” I withheld the urge to act even snarkier. Beneath the surface, I was in a panic. The group was going to go through and check everything – the mage would make sure of that.

I let them go inside before I went to work. With my last bit of mana, I blocked the pathway from the fourth down to the fifth floor. If they found a stone room with a door and a bed, it would be the end of me.

From the outside, I watched their progress through my dungeon senses. They casually walked through, making jokes without a care in the world. The archer was complaining how this was a waste of time – there was nothing to be found. However, Gen, who I assumed was the mage, kept them on track. A voice of reason that annoyed me deeply.

They went through the levels. Down from the first to the second to the third. The adventures reached the fourth floor and panic struck me. I had forgot to tell the slimes they were coming, those murderous little slimes.

I yelled at the first slime I could reach, the metal slime. The dungeon core let me communicate with it in an instant. “Adventurers are coming! Don’t attack them, don’t kill them, don’t do anything dangerous!” I never thought I would be this worked up over slimes, but I did not want any harm to befall them.

To my dismay, the slimes did not listen. I kept shouting to stop, to back off, to hide, but they oozed out of their hiding holes. Once the adventures stepped into the circular center, they leapt from their spots and began tackling them from every which direction.

Panic and confusion went through the adventures. The girl, who still wasn’t paying attention, got slammed on the side. She lost her balance and tumbled down into the pit. The fall didn’t kill her, but she was stuck. With her own dagger, she killed the offending slime.

Quickly, the adventures realized they were just slimes. No matter how relentless and sudden their assault was, they were just small, weak slimes. They took up their ground, raised their weapons and slaughtered them. One by one, I watched them tear through them.

I couldn’t stand and watch. My legs moved on their own and I ran down into the dungeon. I sped through the halls and reached the fourth level. The adventures stood around calmly, trying to find a way to retrieve their stuck companion.

“W-what happened?” I stammered. “I heard fighting, s-so I was worried…”

“No need to fear,” The knight left, “It seemed those knights you mentioned earlier were not thorough. Bloody slimes hid in the walls, but we managed to clear them out.”

“I see…” I uncomfortably shifted in place. The mage was staring at me.

“How did you know we were fighting?”

“What do you mean?” I was taken aback. Did I mess up?

“We are on the fourth level,” he explained, “If you were at the surface, how would you have known?”

“Hey, slow down, Gen,” the knight said with his brows furrowed. “No need to be aggressive with the man, maybe he was just following us?”

“There wasn’t anyone coming down with us,” the rogue said.

The knight crossed his arms, “Are you sure?” The rogue nodded. “I guess it can’t be avoided then,” he looked over at Gen. The mage, with his eyes slanted and his muscles tense, was not going to let anyone drop the subject. “So, friend, how did you know we were fighting,” he signed, “just give us a proper explanation and we get out of here.”

I couldn’t give one. My mind raced to think of something that didn’t sound absurd, but I couldn’t.

The mage laughed, “He can’t, Talon. This man has not been honest with us.”

“What do you mean?” Talon calmly asked.

“From the start, there was something suspicious about him, I felt. Through my magic perception, I noticed traces of miasma on him. It wouldn’t be strange if he walked by a dungeon, so that is why I pressed us to come in.” He looked around the room, surveying it. “In this room, I can sense even more miasma in here. There was activity. Recently too. This has to be an active dungeon.” Everyone intently listened, even the archer girl stuck at the bottom of the ditch. “Now, he comes along, saying he could hear us when he was no position to. He wasn’t following us or with us, so how could he have known we were even specifically fighting? Not only that, but the miasma is sticking to him.” Gen pointed at me, “I don’t know who or what he is, but this thing is dangerous. He might even be the dungeon core itself.”

“That’s crazy!” I shouted back at Gen. “How could I be a dungeon core? That doesn’t make any sense!”

“It doesn’t,” Talon said, “But do you have any reasonable explanation for what Gen said? I’m sorry, but he is my teammate – I have to believe him on this.”

I stuttered and stammered. There was no explanation I could give.

Talon drew his sword with a solemn expression. I was suspicious so they would kill me.

I drew my own sword, planning not to die without a fight. It was time to kill, I thought Talon inched closer. Something fell from the ceiling behind Talon, crashing into the floor.

He turned around, “What the hell is–” His thought was not completed as a metallic tendril shot through his chest. Another one pieces his body. Blood spurted out and he groaned of pain. Talon was sent flying to the side, smacking into the rock wall.

It was the metal slime! It looked at me and said, Time to kill. I didn’t argue with the thing.

The mage and rogue switched their attention to the slime. With his staff, Gen began forming a spell, but I wasn’t going to let him. He forgot about me and I was able to wipe that stupid, spiteful expression off of his face by lopping his head off.

The rogue attempted to fight the slime, but his metal daggers just clanged with the metal slime surface. Unable to break the metal slime’s defense, he turned to run. The metal slime, who had over triple in sized since I last saw it,” launched through the air and body slammed the rogue into the rock wall. I could hear the crunching and crushing from the other side of the room.

I ran up and hugged the slime, “I’m so glad you’re alive! I thought you died with the rest of the slimes…”

But you said no kill.

“I know! But that didn’t stop the other slimes from jumping in… why would they do that?”

Wanted to kill. Didn’t listen.

“Really now?” I signed. I didn’t want anyone to die, but this turned into a huge mess

Whimpers and grunts came from the ditch. I had forgotten about the archer. Metal slime and I went to take a look. She was stuck at the bottom, quivering in fear. The sides of the pit were too large for her to climb out, but she was gripping her ankle as if it was twisted or broken anyways.

“Please… don’t kill me,” she sobbed from pit. I didn’t respond. “Please!” She begged. “I will do anything – give you anything! What do you want? Money? Items? My body?” She was going hysterical, the fear of death overcoming her.

“So,” I turned to the slime, “What do you think we should do about her?”

The slime vibrated as if it was agitated. Kill, it responded. Before I could say anything, it jumped up and dived straight into the hole. A huge, metal slime ball fell on her. Her screams and the disturbing crunching noise made me recoil and wince. However, we were probably going to have to kill her anyways. Didn’t want word getting out of what happened here.

Help, the slime said.

“What is it?” I looked over and asked, trying to ignore the blood splatters.

Am stuck.

Oh. That’s right. The ditch was pretty steep, looked like not even he could get out. With whatever mana I had, I made some steps so it could hop its way up. Soon, the metal slime happily joined me above.

I scratched my head, confused among the remains of dead slimes and adventures. Where do I go from here? I opened up my journal and took a look. I wasn’t sure. My life as a dungeon had taken a bloody turn. How typical.