1.48 Old Fools

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By the time Arthur's group made it to where Violet was, they were in much worse shape then they had started in. Yet, they were all fairly bewildered that they had yet to find a single [Trap] or to lose their lives. Violet frowned as she looked the group over. One seemed to have an injured hip and had to be supported by another of their group while a third was clutching his back and wincing.

Galileo had injured his hip due to being too out of it to pay attention to the chameleon slimes while Ricard had simply injured his back while trying to attack the slimes. His back was killing him, but he couldn't let his guard down until they left the dungeon... or died.

"Are you alright?"

The sound of a young woman's voice calling out to them surprised the group who had been blindly stumbling down the hallway. Arthur looked up as he called out

"Who are you? You don't look like an adventurer. Do your parents know you're here, young lady?"

Violet giggled at Arthur's question. She certainly looked younger and more picturesque now that she was a Dungeon Master. It wasn't like Violet hadn't seen her own reflection in the many water surfaces throughout her dungeon. However, she wasn't expecting to be mistaken for too young to be in a dungeon.

"I'm the Dungeon Master, Violet. If your group is injured, you should leave the dungeon. You can't enter this room anyway, the dungeon core room is off-limits."

Ricard furrowed his eyebrows as he weakly called out in a hoarse voice

"Are you really the Dungeon Master? The town leader has restricted entry to the dungeon for the locals until it has been confirmed that it is safe enough to enter. If you are lying, you'll be in a lot of trouble. It isn't that we don't want to believe you, but it's rather odd for a Dungeon Master to show concern for those invading their dungeon."

Arthur was surprised to hear Ricard speak, since he so rarely did so. However, he couldn't deny that his friend was right. It was rather odd for the Dungeon Master to show concern for them. They had already left their tributes at the entrance when they first arrived, but most Dungeon Masters would happily let them die so they could absorb extra tribute and ensure they'd never be a threat to the dungeon again. At least, that was what they had heard all their lives. It wasn't like they had ever entered a dungeon before, so it was hard to do more than speculate based on what they heard.

"Why should I have to be like all the other Dungeon Masters? Did you not enjoy my puzzles and find my slimes cute? I enjoy the peaceful environment of my dungeon and wish to coexist with the locals. I do have to protect the dungeon core, but I have no plans to make the first floor itself too dangerous for anyone. I'm trying to make it a suitable environment for even children to learn in and, hopefully, challenging enough that they can learn how to safely navigate a dungeon.

However, I'm not sure that it is suitable for those of your status. It's one thing for those who can easily take a fall and will heal quickly. However, it's still a bit dangerous for you all to be here."

Arthur waved off her concerns as he replied

"It's fine, we know we are frail old men. We just weren't expecting to make it out of here alive. However, we can't leave until we know what all you have in this dungeon and can confirm if it is safe for ourselves. I don't want my grandchildren to die before I do just because they are eager to play adventurer."

Violet sighed before walking towards the old men. They flinched in fear and Arthur nearly dropped Galileo to the floor. Violet frowned as she helped to support the man, explaining

"Fine, if you insist on exploring the rest. Then I shall help to escort you the rest of the way. Once you leave, don't come back. I'd rather your grandchildren not have to mourn your deaths just because you choose to recklessly enter my dungeon."

There wasn't much left in the dungeon to explore. There was an empty square room to the left of the hay meadow and the slime parkour room, but they had already seen the rest. Violet had worried a bit that they'd attempt to cross the slime parkour room, just to be safe, so she had to warn them.

"The platforms are too slick from the rain and it's dark, so it'll be difficult to see the aqua slimes jumping out of the water until it's too late. I'm not going to let you all get yourselves killed, so we will be going the other way around."

While they had the intention to explore the entirety of the dungeon, none of them actually wanted to die. It would be bad enough having to return to their families and explain how they had ended up injured without them also dying a rather stupid death. Their families never would have agreed to them entering the dungeon and they were likely to be irate.

Only the town leader had known about their whereabouts when they left. It would be a pointless experiment if they died without anyone knowing what they were doing. However, they couldn't be sure that they'd hold the same level of conviction if their families tried to convince them otherwise.

Violet had to wait a short ways away from the entrance as she watched the group leave. The safety barrier wouldn't let her go the remaining 5-Units distance because the dungeon couldn't allow her to leave. She was part of the dungeon and she'd always be stuck in here. However, she was still relieved to see the three men leave. Violet really hoped no one else tried to do something so reckless. She couldn't guarantee that the next group would be as lucky as this one had been.

 She couldn't guarantee that the next group would be as lucky as this one had been

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