A dark passage led from the boss room back into the dungeon. Only a few small crystals sequestered in the upper corners lit the passage, leaving it in a dim, gloomy blue light. Stella scooted closer to Aster and gripped his hand tight.

Aster chuckled. “If you’re scared of the dark, can’t you make more crystals?”

Stella shook her head.

“You can’t?” Aster asked.

“I can! But… it needs to be dark,” she said, nodding firmly.

“Why?” Aster said distractedly while he thought ahead. I stunned a nest of giant snakes in the left-hand chamber on my way in. Will they still be stunned? I can’t bank on Stella knowing how to control them, after all. She barely knows the basics of the basics when it comes to dungeon control.

If they’re awake, we’ll have to backtrack and take the right-hand chamber instead. I haven’t explored the right-hand chamber. What if it’s some kind of complex trap, or an even more dangerous monster?

Stella looked up at him and shook her head, disappointed in his lack of understanding. “At-mos-phere. Atmosphere! A boss room’s hallway has to be scary!”

“That’s a big word,” Aster muttered. He cut a look at Stella. Sometimes she seems so young, and sometimes she seems much older. I guess she isn’t a human child, after all.

Stella shrugged. “That’s what Momma said, anyways.”

Ah, of course. Her mother—wait, isn’t her ‘mother’ the boss monster? Aster’s eyes widened. He raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully. How intelligent are boss monsters? Stella is at least as smart as a human child, if not smarter. Are dungeon bosses intelligent, as well?

“Besides, I don’t want anyone to come this way. It’s better if it’s dark and hard to see. Then they won’t come to kill me and Momma,” Stella muttered under her breath.

“Is it atmospheric or defensive?” Aster muttered under his breath.

Stella looked up at him. “Huh?”

“Nothing, nothing.” She’s just a kid, after all. Don’t expect too much.

They walked on. Aster glanced at Stella again. “How old are you?”

“Eh?” Stella asked. She lifted her hands and started counting on her fingers, then nodded to herself. “Seventeen cycles.”

“Seventeen… huh?” Aster asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

“Cycles,” Stella said.

Uh, weeks, months, years? What does that mean? “How long is a cycle?” Aster asked.

“A cycle long,” Stella said, furrowing her brows back at him. She jabbed her finger at him. “How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-eight,” Aster said.

“Not that much older than me, then,” Stella said, nodding to herself.

“Twenty-eight years,” Aster clarified, suddenly feeling as if he’d been vastly underestimated.

Stella frowned at him, taken aback. “Years?”

“How long it takes for the planet to go around the sun… uh, it’s a long time. Over three hundred days,” Aster said.

“Days?”

“That’s… when a night and a day passes, that’s a day,” Aster explained.

Stella tilted her head. “But didn’t you say the light part is a day?”

“No—well, that’s daytime. A day is a dark and a light cycle,” Aster said.

“A whole cycle of dark, and a whole cycle of light? Three hundred of those become a year… wow,” Stella said, her eyes widening. She looked him up and down again, jaw dropped. “That must be why you’re so big. You’re ancient.”

“Er… no, no, I didn’t mean one of your cycles, just generally the concept of a cycle. You know, a loop, a set pattern that always follows around?” Aster explained.

Stella crossed her arms and frowned up at him, completely lost.

Aster sighed. “I’ll take you up to the entrance and show you, how about that.”

“No! There’s people there,” Stella insisted, shaking her head.

“We’ll work up to it,” Aster said, waving his hand.

Ahead, the path opened up. Brighter blue light spilled into the hallway from the chamber. Aster put his hand out and pressed both of them against the wall, carefully proceeding toward the door. “Stella, can you tell if the snakes are still unconscious?”

“They aren’t dead,” Stella said helpfully.

That’s a no, then. “Stay here. I need to check something,” Aster said, glancing back at her. I can check if she’s considered a non-combatant or ignored by the monsters later, when we’re up against a less-dangerous monster. For now, let’s assume the worst and keep the dungeon core safe, no matter what!

Stella nodded. Her small body melted into shadow, only the faintest glitters of light in her eyes visible as she backed up to the cavern’s wall and curled into a nook that seemed custom-made for her.

Aster snorted at the thought. It very well might be.

He drew his sword and stepped forward, over the threshold into the snake chamber. A second later, he considered and swapped out for his sledgehammer instead. I shouldn’t kill her monsters when she’s already this low on mana.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Although brighter than the dark passage he’d emerged from, the snake chamber remained poorly lit. In the dim blue light, shallow shadows grew deeper, and dark nooks seemed to swallow the floor. A craggy landscape spread before him, full of nooks and crannies. Tall pillars supported the ceiling, and shelves reached from the walls. Dark holes of unknowable depth peppered the walls, each one wide enough for a man to crawl into. Limp snakes hung out of some of the holes, as thick as Aster and dozens of feet long. Some of them piled like rope on the floor, and one or two laid flaccidly on the shelves.

One, two, three… Aster counted, slowly advancing through the chamber.

The gentle rush of scales on stone caught his ear. Aster froze, head swiveling. The sound echoed all around him, resonating from every corner of the room. He held his breath and waited, tightening his grip on the hammer. Left? Right?

Scales flashed in the corner of his vision. Aster turned, raising his hammer. A giant snake struck at him, venom dripping from its bared fangs. He ducked and darted sideways, lashing out behind him. A glancing shot knocked the snake’s head to the side. It reared back up, not hurt but annoyed, a ferocious hiss escaping its slightly-parted jaws.

“Aster? What’s happening?” Stella called. The sound of little footsteps pattered toward the chamber.

Aster’s stomach dropped. Not now!

The snake turned. Vicious light glittered in its eyes.

“Stay where you are!” Aster shouted. He ran at the snake.

The snake slithered to the side, knocking Aster back with a fat loop of its body. It surged toward Stella, baring its jaws again.

Gritting his teeth, Aster tucked his hammer in his belt and grabbed onto the snake’s body with both hands. Slippery scales slid by his hands. He tightened his grip, wrapping his arms around its body. At last, he caught onto the snake. It yanked him forward, and he staggered two, three steps, then planted his feet and heaved with all his might, suplexing the snake over his shoulders.

With a surprised hiss, the snake whiplashed backward. Its head smacked on the floor, and it bounded up, lunging for Aster from behind. Simultaneously, it worked a coil around Aster.

As the coil closed in, Aster crouched down, then leaped up. Slamming his hands on the snake’s coil, he vaulted over its loop. Another loop wound at him, and he threw himself over it, landing heavily on the other side.

The snake turned around and charged down at him, fangs bared. Aster stepped in, drawing his hammer back, and smashed upward as it struck. The snake’s jaw snapped shut, and its eyes rolled up. Heavily, it thumped to the ground. A purplish forked tongue lolled from its mouth.

“And stay down!” Aster snapped. He kicked the snake for good measure, but it didn’t twitch.

He ran for Stella, sheathing his hammer. She stood at the first turn in the chamber, her mouth open in surprise. Aster scowled. “What were you thinking? I told you to stay put!”

Stella shrunk back. “I wanted to help…”

“Help how? Can you control them?” Aster snapped.

Stella shook her head.

“Fight them?”

She shook her head again.

“Then what were you going to do?” he asked harshly, sheathing his hammer with a bit more force than necessary.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head yet again, her lip trembling.

Damn kids! I’m trying to keep her safe, and what does she do? Run out! Into the middle! Of a fight!

Aster pushed his hair back, then took a deep breath. Calm down. She’s just a kid. She didn’t mean to do something dangerous. He knelt down to her level and reached out. She shied back, afraid.

“I’m sorry. I was angry because I was scared you’d gotten hurt, okay? But from now on, you have to listen to me. It seems like the monsters don’t respect you or obey you, so we’ll have to treat you like an ordinary kid,” Aster explained.

Stella sniffed. “It’s because I’m too weak. Momma said so. Monsters only respect the strong, but I’m weak. That’s why Momma was in control of the dungeon.”

A sinking sensation struck Aster. He looked at Stella. “Can any monster control the dungeon if they have the dungeon core?”

Stella hesitated, then nodded.

No wonder the snake went running when it heard her voice! No wonder her ‘mother’ didn’t let her out of the final boss room! From the monsters’ point of view, is there any point to keeping this pitiful Dungeon Spirit around, as long as they can get the dungeon core?

But then… why did the final boss keep her alive?

“What about you? What happens once a monster has the dungeon core?” Aster asked.

Stella shrugged. “I don’t know. I can turn like this, though.”

She closed her eyes and held her arms out. Her body shook, then lifted slightly off the ground, her chest thrust out, head falling back. She turned translucent. Hovering in the air, she reached out to Aster.

Brows furrowed, he took her hand. His hand passed through it. Aster blinked, retracting his hand, then carefully reached out again.

Stella swooped her hand through his palm. “See? No one can touch me. Momma tried to kill me at first, but once she saw I could turn like this, she gave up. And eventually… she started looking after me!” Stella beamed, happy.

She is a Dungeon Spirit, after all. Spirit is part of the name! Aster nodded. “There are monsters that can harm immaterial beings, but for a low-level dungeon like this, you should be safe.”

“Low-level?” Stella gasped, taken aback.

Aster scratched the back of his head. “Ah, well… it’s true. You’re a hundred-year-old dungeon that’s only just spawned a Dungeon Spirit. In terms of dungeons, you’re basically a toddler.”

Stella waved that all away. Her tears forgotten, she leaned in, excited. “There’s lots of dungeons? Are there other people like me?”

“Mmm… probably?” Aster said, not sure. “I’ve only seen you, but then, Dungeon Spirits are half-mythical. They aren’t something you see every day.”

Stella drooped. She sighed.

“You should stay in that form all the time while we’re exploring the dungeon,” Aster suggested.

Stella shook her head. “Can’t.”

“Why not?” Aster asked.

Stretching, Stella popped back into material form and fell to the earth. “It takes mana, and you said I don’t have a lot right now.”

“That’s true,” Aster allowed, putting a hand to his chin. That is somewhat troublesome. Though not unexpected, I guess. If she could be immaterial all the time, there’s no reason to sequester her away in the boss room.

Stella turned, lifting a hand to her ear. She chuckled.

“What?” Aster asked.

“We should move on so the snakes can stop pretending to be passed out,” Stella said, running to Aster’s side. She reached for his hand.

“Eh?” Aster said, looking around. Subconsciously, he took ahold of her hand. Pretending…?

Stella nodded. “Except for that one that you just knocked out, most of the rest have woken up already. They just don’t want to challenge the scary guy with the hammer again.”

Aster rubbed his chin, embarrassed. “I guess I understand that. I’ve defeated them once, after all…”

Stella stood on her tiptoes. Aster leaned down, lowering his ear to her. “They’re wondering if you’re the new boss.”

The new boss—as in boss monster? Aster coughed, startled. “No, no! I’m just an adventurer. I’m not a boss monster.”

“But you have the core and you’re protecting me, just like Momma did.” Stella tilted her head as a thought came to her. “Does that mean… should I call you Dad?”

Aster stiffened. His eyes went blank. “I… that…” I’m still a young, single man! I’m not ready to have a kid!

Stella nodded to herself. “As I thought, ‘boss’ fits you better…”

A strange force burned over Aster’s skin, growing up his arm from where Stella held his hand. He glanced down and saw a clawed hand, covered in monstrous black armor. Even as he watched, his arm twisted and changed, quickly climbing toward his elbow. The burning sensation grew stronger.

If the Dungeon Spirit decides it, does it become true? Desperately, Aster shouted, “Dad, dad! I’d prefer if you call me ‘Dad!’”

Stella beamed. “Okay!”

The armor vanished. The burning sensation faded. Aster yanked his hand out of Stella’s and patted it down, but only found his usual skin and flesh. Was that an illusion?

“Dad?” Stella asked.

“No, no. It’s… it’s nothing,” Aster said, laughing. He ran a hand over his arm again, still distinctly uncomfortable. Just when I thought Stella was powerless… not at all! She hasn’t learned to harness her power yet, but she has potential far beyond even the most powerful human. I made the correct choice. I’ll stand by her side and make sure she becomes a dungeon worth travelling from all over to visit!

Stella caught his hand. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah, let’s go!” Aster agreed.

Together, they set off into the dungeon.