I found myself in an entirely new place.

Unlike a cave with mostly rocks and uneven terrain, this place was lit by numerous torches and had even flooring. The overall area appeared to be larger and not narrow. The floors were engraved with strange markings, and so were the walls. Speaking of walls, they had a few cracks, some large and some small, but still retaining an overall fine appearance. This should be pretty old, given that. I’m very surprised that this place hasn’t collapsed yet.

Two sides, pillars lined up perfectly to the pathway leading to an entrance up ahead.

To be precise, I was in a dungeon.

Surprise? Not really. At this point, I’m already used to the weird shit that has been happening to me now and then.

As my gaze shifted upward, I noticed multiple red eyes in the dark, seemingly fixated on me. If I move to the left, the eyes would follow my movement. Creepy

[Life form Found!]

[Zreerrinched]

[- A Species of spiders well-adapted to hunting in the dark. Once a creature enters their darkness, they discern it as prey or food and attack as a group.]

A shiver ran down my non-existent spine. I instinctively moved back, just slightly distancing myself from those things.

‘Okay, no going to dark places for me.’ I made a mental note to myself. I would get mauled by those spiders, really fast.

My attention then turned to the skeletons on the sides, scattered mostly throughout the area. They were practically everywhere—on the right, from behind, and upfront. I would have thought there was a fierce battle here that happened years ago. Maybe, that could be it.

Observing one closely, I saw it gripping a sword tightly in its hand. Beside it lay more remains, each accompanied by a different weapon. A staff, a bow, a shield, and an ax.

They were, in all likelihood, adventurers who went to explore this place and died trying. I felt sad for them; it must not have been easy.

My tour of the place was disrupted when a voice echoed.

“This way”

It was the Lich.

I followed the path, moving forward cautiously while still keeping an eye on the spiders who apparently were still staring at me. I felt like a celebrity but infamous. There was no way I survived that earlier battle just to meet my end minutes later in this place.

Nope, not gonna happen.

As I kept moving forward, there was a feeling, no, more like a pressure of sorts. It made my body heavier like there were tons of weight added to me. Though it wasn’t enough for me to stop moving forward, it was a hassle and kept me nervous.

I pursued on despite the hesitancy.

Only when I neared my supposed destination did I finally understand where the pressure was coming from.

I saw the Lich again, seated on a throne in a rather badass manner.

This place was not so different at first glance, but it seemed more ominous. A more fitting description would be that it resembled a haunted mansion I recalled visiting back on Earth. It somehow looked exactly like this one.

As I suspected, there were no guards by his side, just him. Though that doesn't mean it was empty, no. On his sides were a complete set of skulls, not just humans but some other creatures as well. I slightly recognized one of them; it seemed to be from an orc judging from how it looked. Just above him, a dragon skull hung with its mouth open.

I steered my attention away from it and onto the Lich.

‘This might be the perfect time to—”

Just as I lost myself in thought, he began to speak.

“I could see you were surprised by how fragile your enemy was. Don't be overconfident; I merely arranged it so that you had at least a fighting chance. It wasn't a test of brute force but rather quick thinking and the display of intelligence. You did very well, better than I anticipated.”

I remained silent. My suspicions were true indeed. He deliberately made it easy. I wondered how it would have turned out if he didn't lower the difficulty. Would I even have stood a chance? Would the system have helped me?

“With that, it's natural to reward you. So tell me, what is it you seek?”

Seek. Did he mean rewards?

Carefully choosing my words, I responded, “I don’t seek anything,” I said, holding the word “sir” at the last moment. It would be rude to address a Lich as "Sir."

What happened next almost made me regret my words.

“You’re lying,” His voice reverberated throughout the room. The pressure doubled, and I froze in place. It didn’t hurt but was extremely uncomfortable.

He rose from his throne and approached me slowly. “I could sense the desperation in you, slime. Lying to me will lead to nowhere.”

Suddenly, he appeared before me in a split second. I jumped a bit in surprise, shocked at his speed.

Oh crap, he can teleport.

“Tell me, what do you seek?” He repeated the question, this time more in a threatening manner. “Money? Perhaps, power?”

Under his intimidating gaze, I couldn’t help but shrink. I wanted to answer, but I didn’t know what to say. My words from before were biting me in the ass right now. I just have to be careful on this one. One mistake could lead to him discovering my true motive.

If I told him power? Was that truly what I sought? Technically, from a certain perspective, it might be, given my desire to acquire more EXP, essentially the same as getting stronger. But it wasn't truly what I wanted, I think.

Let’s say I wanted to kill him. That would be closer to the truth, as it was my recent goal. But, at the same time, it would be very bad to say it right in front of him.

I’m trapped.

He continued staring at me with his glowing and dead eyes.

“I—”

“My lord!”

I turned to see, emerging from the darkness, a skeleton wearing fancy armor frantically running towards us. I felt happy at his intervention, but I had to suppress that motion as much as possible. Thankfully, The Lich didn't pay heed to it.

“What is it, Demiur? Don't you see I’m quite busy here,” The Lich's attention snapped to the skeleton, slightly irritated at the interruption.

With his back facing me once more, I was very tempted to—

“M-My lord. I have bad news to tell you.”

I halted my train of thought and focused on the skeleton soldier, Demiur. ‘Bad news? This could be interesting.’ I might as well hear this out.

The Lich's eyes fixated on him for almost 10 seconds before, much to the skeleton soldier's relief, his hands gestured for him to continue.

Demiur nodded and proceeded to explain everything while I listened closely from the back.

Demiur spoke of the sudden intrusion into the dungeon. Two humans had managed to enter through the front gate, completely destroying it, leaving a rare surprised look on the Lich's face. They effortlessly breached the first line of security forces and had already reached the main hallway, facing heavy resistance. As he spoke about how well they managed to fend off the main forces, the atmosphere subtly changed.

Instinctively, I backed away a bit. At the same time, I couldn't help but suspect that the two

 humans could be the ones I encountered. Jen and Ken, were their names if I remember correctly.

As the skeleton finished his explanation. A surprised yelp escaped from his mouth as he was levitated off the ground, his words caught in his throat. He didn’t resist, however.

“How worthless you are. None of you can even handle mere adventurers,” The Lich’s grip tightened, and I could see cracks in the skeleton's armor.

“How could they have passed through the counter-measures we planted unless you’re speaking out of fear? Speaking out of fear will lead to desperation, and desperation will lead to untruthfulness.” There was no doubt that the Lich was angry.

“M-My Lord...I assure you... I am speaking the truth,” Demiur began with difficulty. “B-Both of them aren’t normal adventurers. The curses do not affect them, I saw it.”

The Lich's intimidating pressure lessened, though his grip on Demiur was firm as if he was waiting for one wrong move to whether decide to crush him or not.

“Explain.”

“They have traces... of... divinity, My lord.” That’s when he was released from the Lich’s grip.

“Divinity? You say.”

Demiur remained kneeling as he spoke. “Yes, My lord. I could sense the divinity in both of them. While they haven't used it to its potential, it seems that the divinity they have protected them without their knowledge. Which explains why the dungeon countermeasures haven’t affected them like the adventurers that intruded here before them.”

The lich didn’t respond back; rather, he just stared at him.

“My Lord, Once again, I would never lie to you,” Demiur declared sternly, raising his head. “I have seen it with my own eyes and could feel it within them. A god is on their side, my lord. While the adventurers could be handled, that couldn't be said to the god. This could bring complications to our plans.”

Demiur proceeded to bow his head. “ My lord, I beg of you to handle this matter personally.”

“...” The Lich fell silent.

It was a tense minute before he spoke again. “Very Well. I’ll personally see to this.”

“T-Thank you, My Lord! Thank you!”

The Lich turned to look at me. “In the meantime, guard this slime. Don't let it out of your sight.”

“Understood.” Demiur stood up and saluted before the Lich disappeared into a mist.

Demiur approached and stood close to my side. He only took a look at me before deciding to just stare at the wall.

He remained silent.

I remained silent.

We stayed like that for a few minutes.

‘Awkward.’ I thought.

Not wanting to endure the silence for much longer, I made the first move.

“So, nice weather we’re having.”