That only leaves one possibility, the Most unlikely impossible possibility, Dungeon malfunction or a new unknown feature or perhaps a new error entirely.
Something that has not happened in the entire ancient long history for as long as humanity has known about the existence of Dungeons.
That possibility is even more unlikely than my teachers betraying me and plotting to get me killed in an 'Unfortunate Incident'.
I would rather bet on their betrayal and supply of false information rather than believing in a Dungeon system error. But, all the cold hard evidences are here.
I knew my life runs on Murphy's Law. And as the law says,
'if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong'
But this is on another level. It's too much. Something that hasn't even been recorded in history ?! Are you kidding me? I should invent a New Law- 'Nick's Law':
'Things will absolutely go wrong and That too, in the worst way possible!'
I know that i would sometimes joke that a life without even a flicker of chaos would be too boring to live but... This level of chaos is not what i wanted! I didn't sign up for this shit!
Is the dungeon Fucking with me ?! Oh, No. Wrong target for blaming.
It's my Life that is Fucking me from all sides!
Well, guess what! Fuck you too!
This must be the universe's way of balancing things out. The price to pay for a contract with a spirit queen or perhaps getting the best teachers or perhaps the Allowance gold...
-Grrr...
While I was busy swearing on my own life and the world, an animalistic Growl reached my ears. The growl didn't come from the portal. It came from the darkness behind me.
I quickly spun on my heel, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I had been so focused on the locked door that I had forgotten what was waiting in the center of the 300-meter dome.
And Sure enough, There he was.
About Forty meters away from me, a silhouette began to detach itself from the shadows.
The Boss of this dungeon.
More than half of the room was dark. That's why I didn't notice him earlier either and also I was also too busy in cursing the world, at that time.
He was Approaching me with slow but heavy steps.
Because of the abyssal gloom, I couldn't see the exact texture of his skin or the features of his face, but his silhouette was etched against the dim light in horrifying detail.
The light from the blue torches didn't reach that far, but the mana pressure did. It was thick, pungent, and smell like that of rotting meat and wet fur.
He is like a 15 feet tall beast, a mountain of distorted, bear-like muscle that made him look less like a living creature and more like a biological weapon. His frame was broader than any bodybuilder's, a grotesque expansion of meat and bone that seemed to absorb the light around it. He had a body that looked like a bear had been crossbred with an Olympic bodybuilder.
In his right hand was a club, a gnarled, obsidian-dark trunk of ironwood so thick it looked like it could pulverize a boulder into dust with a single, effortless swing.
An Ogre.
Yes, that's the identity of the boss of this dungeon. A C-rank monster that, in this light, looked like a Bioweapon of slaughter for the current tiny me who was barely four foot tall. In the silence of the dome, I could hear the wet, guttural rasp of its breathing, each exhale puffing out like a cloud of frost in the damp air.
He moved with slow, deliberate steps. He wasn't rushing. He didn't need to. It's as if He knew the exits were gone. Maybe, he really did know. Maybe he knew I was trapped.
The steps were agonizingly slow, but they carried a terrifying, rhythmic heaviness that vibrated through the stone floor and settled deep in my marrow. He wasn't rushing; he was like a predator who knew the cage was locked from the outside.
Maybe it's my imagination but I could see two grey-white eyes Glowing in the dark. He looked at me, an eight-year-old child with a thin strip of steel and I could practically feel the mockery in his dull, grey eyes.
...And being mocked, definitely did not feel good.
****
"Haha..." A dry self-mocking laugh escaped my lips.
With each of it's step the ground didn't just shake—it groaned under the sheer, impossible mass of him.
As the distance closed to thirty meters, the shadows retreated, and I finally got a good look at his face. And I have make a confession.
It was Ugly. Really Ugly. Super Ugly.
Yes, most important things must be said thrice. some truths are so offensive they require a triple-confirmation.
-Rawr!
As if sensing my thoughts, The Ugly Ogre let out a roar that smelled like a thousand years of unwashed decay and rancid meat.
He was like a Dark green skinned giant human, who has not bathed or brushed for months or maybe even years. a mountain of dark-green flesh, slick with a grime that had likely never known the touch of water.
The Only difference were the fact that his face was far uglier than even the ugliest human I had seen on earth.
-Rawr!
His face was a structural disaster—eyes like milky, pupil-less marbles and ears that tapered into jagged points and ..Oh! He was bald, too, though not the clean, shiny kind. It was a dull, leathery scalp that looked like cured hide.
-Rawr!
Ahem! Regardless, he wasn't an opponent that the current me can handle easily. I can tell that much easily by sensing his presence alone.
My winning rate is less than 50 percent. So, about 40 percent, which is not good. And even that calculation was still me being optimistic.
"This is going to be a bit harder, even for you." a voice whispered near my ear, as blue shimmering mana came out of my hand and manifested into the tiny, ethereal form of a pixie woman.
[Not 'a bit' but 'A Lot. Any idea on what's going on ? With the Dungeon, I mean. Is there any external factor involved by any chance?] Still keeping my eyes on the green mountain I asked her, my all-knowing Aqua-pidia.
"Not a solid idea. But, all I can say is that it's an interference from the Dungeon itself." The pixie answered, her eyes fixated on the Ogre.
Knew it! I fucking knew it! The dungeon really is fucking with me! Damn you too!
[Can I use your powers ?] I asked despite already knowing the answer.
"No" And she gave the expected answer in a flat voice.
Huu.. thought so, 40 percent win rate it is then.
[huu.. Your contractor's life is hanging on a thread which is already sixty percent cut, you know. You could at least give some encouragement. I sure would appreciate that.]
"I sure could," she said, hovering by my shoulder "But, you're not the type to appreciate empty talks or believe in things like 'The Power of Friendship' or 'Power of Love', are you?"
While I was busy in my chit chat, The Ugly big guy was already in my 10 meter proximity.
I didn't draw my sword yet. Instead, I raised a hand in a casual, palm-out greeting, as if actually greeting him, which i actually was.
"Uh.. Hello, Mr. Handsome Ogre. I am your new roommate! Please take care of me!" I said. I tried to make my tone as much enthusiastic and friendly as possible.
-Thud! Thud!
I could hear Boran punching the barrier with even harder force than earlier, from behind me. I could tell even without looking back, what he was saying.
'What the heck are you doing?! You stupid suicidal brat! That's not your buddy!'
....or something along those lines.
Honestly, even i know, how stupid it sounds but...
Hey, you never know, right? Maybe, he has intelligence? Maybe he's just a misunderstood introvert? Maybe he has been lonely and wants a friend? Maybe he is tired of adventurers charging at him with weapons the very moment They step into the room? Maybe...
Ugh.. whatever. I don't know anymore.