The more Lucian and his team walked, the darker the dungeon became, until it became completely pitch dark, and Morwen held onto Lucian's arm in fear as he used his lightning magic to lighten up their paths.
Morwen and Luna gasp in amazement at the sudden appearance of light. Little star-like lights that were somehow bluish in color were attached to the stones of the dungeon.
"Is this a hidden cave?" Luna asked. She had never seen any part of the dungeon like this before.
"Water!" Morwen yelled and excitedly went closer to the rock that was bringing out streams of water and then cupped the water with his hands before drinking from the small ponds.
"Let Luna purify the water." Lucian mumbles, amazed to see that much flow of water in the dungeon; it is the first time for them to come across something like this.
'Is this where the dungeon villain stays?' Lucian thought, looking around, but there was no beast around. And shockingly, Morwen didn't drop dead after what he just drank, which means that the water is good.
A sudden swift shadow movement caught Lucian's attention and made him turn his neck around again, but he saw nothing.
"Visitors!" A childlike voice said out from no particular direction, "Play with me or let me tell you a story; choose one."
A little boy of age 7 appeared suddenly on a little rock close to the water pond. He had dark hair and was dressed in black clothing with a long silver robe. His appearance frightened Morwen and made him fall into the little pond.
The boy raises his small hand and begins to count. "1, 2, 3. My last guest was more in number, although he wasn't very friendly." He spoke with a smile on his face. "Play with me or let me tell you a story." The boy repeated again.
"You are just a kid." Morwen stood up, embarrassed that he was startled for nothing. His system didn't give him any warning about a beast present, which means that the kid must be human. "What is a brat like you doing here?" He got out of the pond and glared at the kid.
"Play with me or let me tell you a story." The kid repeated again and then paused to look at the three. "Since you are all going to be like my last guest, that means I can choose for you, right?" He asked in an excited tone.
'Is this kid deaf?' Morwen thought. 'He must have lost his mind from being in a place like this for too long.'
"How about I play with—"
"Tell us a story." Lucian cut in.
The kid frowned and then nodded. "But once I'm done with the story, you are going to have to give me a reward, an offering. I want a delicious snack, Mr. Villain." The kid directly said to Lucian.
"How does he…?" Luna asked in surprise; she didn't want to believe that the kid was also a player.
'Something about this kid isn't right.' Lucian thought as the kid began to tell a bedtime story for children.
Luna stopped Lucian as he was about to approach the kid. "I think that boy is dangerous."
Lucian had the same feeling even though the kid looks human. "There is something I need to check." He said, and then Luna let go of him.
Lucian raises his sword; the kid only looks at him and continues his story without budging. He slices gently at the skin of the kid's cheek; the little boy only smiles and pauses on his bedtime story to wipe away the blood on his cheek.
'His blood is red.' Lucian thought in surprise, "Monsters' blood isn't red." But Lucian still couldn't shake off the feeling that the kid is the dungeon villain he was looking for.
"Did you change your mind and want to play with me?" The kid licks the blood on his hand. The wound on his face healed up immediately.
"That kid can't be human." Morwen was startled to see that the kid's wound healed up immediately.
"What are you?" Lucian asks unafraid.
The kid smiled and eyed Lucian. "A broken system, huh?" He looked at Lucian as though he could see something that Lucian couldn't see. "That's the first. How interesting; it seems your system is hiding the truth about my identity from you, almost as though you are nothing but an error that your system is trying to get rid of." He chuckles.
Lucian checked his glitching system and then realized that the kid was right. He was currently in the cave that belongs to the dungeon villain.
[The dungeon king's resting nest]
[The dungeon king welcomes you into his nest vill… Villain Lucian] the system glitch.
[The dungeon king led you and your sacrifice to his nest. He found you because he sensed that you were ready.]
Lucian's eyes widen in surprise; he no longer felt calm and wanted to move away from the kid, but the kid holds his hand.
"I'm almost done with my story; listen carefully, I want my reward."
Lucian's heart skipped in fear as he noticed the evil glint in the boy's eyes.
[Dungeon king identity: dungeon villain; a forsaken demon once in the demon king army]
At that very moment the boy finishes his story.
"You are a demon?" Lucian asks, unable to believe the information given to him by his system.
The little boy points at Morwen. "It's time for my reward. I want him first; he drank my water without asking me for permission. Rude adults like him are delicious snacks."
Morwen was confused and felt like slapping the kid. His mind couldn't tell that he was in danger until Lucian spoke out.
"He tried to kill me once; you can have him."
The kid let go of Lucian's hand and walked over to meet Morwen with a wide grin. Suddenly his mouth split wider in an unnatural manner, he jumped up, and in one bite swallowed Morwen's body. Blood drips down the kid's lip, and he licks it as though it were honey. "The innocent weak ones are more delicious to eat, but the foolish ones aren't that bad." The kid turned to Lucian, who had a horrified look on his face. Lucian had planned on feeding Morwen to the dungeon villain, but he didn't expect the villain to look like a kid; it made it seem like a human ate another human, and that made Lucian feel sick.
"The sweet taste of the betrayed he felt knowing that he was about to die because of you still lingers on my tongue. It was smart of you to have gained his trust by pretending as though you believe him after he tried to kill you." The kid turned to Luna. "And now for the next offering you have brought me. She is not as weak as I would want, but she trusts you enough."
"What?" Luna questioned with a fearful voice, feeling betrayed until Lucian speedily appeared in front of her and used his sword to block the kid, stopping him from opening his mouth again.
"She is off limits." Lucian stated strongly.
The kid's hand forms a fist. He lowers his head a little and glares at Lucian. "You are going against the rules. It's only right for you to reward me after hearing my story." He stamps his leg on the ground and throws a tantrum, crying out. "I deserved my reward!"