When I open my eyes again, all I see around me are enemies. These enemies have made it deep into the dungeon, far beyond the floors that the adventurers normally challenge. It is dangerously close to master's core and I can feel his desperation flowing through me. In my chest there is a panicky feeling. It's because he's already dealing with a troublesome adventurer party and he can't afford to fight another group right now.

It seems these guys took the secret route and went down to the 13th floor in one go since we're right in front of the staircase and I'm lying on the ground while the enemies are all sitting around me doing nothing and talking amongst themselves. It seems they are quite careless.

Yes. All the way to the 13th floor, close to master's core. If this group somehow met up with that other adventurer group... It makes my chest thunder with panic.

Eyes wild, I make a lunge for the first enemy I see. It is a girl with animal ears, a beastkin. Master hates beastkin a lot because they are usually strong adventurers, but this one doesn't seem to have any gear on her, only a weird dress. She seems weak, a good first prey to feed master.

She seems surprised. That's good. I'm not strong, so I need the element of surprise.

Quickly, I claw my way up her body, ripping her dress in the process and causing some blood to spill from superficial wounds. It wont kill her, but every little bit helps. I let out a growl and attack her face, pushing her down. She falls on her back with a yelp, her eyes wide with shock. Fufufu, I am a master of the element of surprise, you know? Even though I'm weak, I'm dangerous! Don't underestimate me.

But, for some reason, I don't feel like scratching her face with my claws. Why? I don't get it, but I don't want to claw her eyes out even though master ordered me to do it.

I will kill her another way.

The beastkin girl is on the ground and I am straddling her body. Quickly before the others can get me, I slither over to her face and wrap my legs around her neck. Since I'm small, it's easy to twist my body and get her head between my legs. Fufufu, excellent.

I squeeze, applying pressure to the beastkins neck. Her eyes are still wide with fear and I grin down at her as I growl like the animal that I am. Yes! Cry before you die, suffer for the master, stupid beastkin! Fall to my thighs, wahaha. I don't even have to use my claws to kill someone so weak, my legs are enough hahaha, I'm great aren't I? Master will surely praise me for this kill. When I become stronger I can kill someone with my lower body while my upper body takes care of another. A double kill technique could be in the works, it's excellent!

Ah, that's right. I have to hurry up and kill this girl. Master commanded me to hurry up and claw her eyes, but I really don't want to do that, so I will just continue my neck attack.

“Die, die die!” I scream, squeezing tighter with my legs. The beastkins face is red and it looks like her eyes are about to pop out of her head. I laugh out loud at the silly sight and focus with a hnnngg, squeezing my legs together as strongly as I can. The beastkin girls eyes widen and then they roll back showing the whites. She's fainted. Good! Now a little more and the kill will be mine! Kill for the master, yes yes.

Something slams into me and I am flung to the side, my vision darkening as I crash into the wall near the staircase route, master's secret route. They dared take it, I must punish them for master but I can't get up. I'm so weak.

I look over at the fallen beastkin girl with her ripped dress. I was so close to killing her for master.... what a shame. The man standing over me looks strong, too strong for me to handle.

Still, I grit my teeth and prepare to lunge at him and claw his eyes out. But there it is again, that strange feeling. I don't know why, but I don't want to hurt this man either. Something must be wrong with me, surely... I will go to master later to ask about it. Well, if I can get away. It looks like this will be the end, the big man has a sword but he hasn't drawn it yet.

His brow is furrowed and he is frowning down at me. I crouch down defensively and make myself look vicious, growling and hissing up at him, trying in vain to claw at his stomach but there's golden armor there.

Ah, that's right! Neck. Hnnng, I exude my amazing powerful elegance and roll forward like I'm playing dark souls. Growling, I lunge for the big man and wrap myself around him, my arms locking around his neck.

“I've got you now, invader. Ufufu, die die die!” I say, squeezing my arms around his neck.

…

Nothing happens. And he doesn't remove me either. That's strange. If my attack is ineffective, then what's stopping him from shaking me off and stabbing me with his glowing blue sword? Master, help me understand!

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So then... him not removing me means my attack is effective? It's just taking a long time to work? Yes, that's right. Let's go with that.

I continue squeezing my arms around the mans neck as tightly as I can manage, but he gets up and turns, walking over to the fainted beastkin girl and totally ignoring my attack. The fool! He will fall in time, just like the beastkin girl. Hopefully I can finish this one, since I wasn't able to finish the beastkin girl.

…

I've been squeezing the mans neck for some time now but he's not going down... The beastkin is starting to wake up, letting out a moan and shifting her body. Then her eyes flicker open and she sits up with a gasp, looking around in confusion. Ah shit, I really missed my chance to kill her there... master will surely scold me.

“Die, die!” I growl, trying to squeeze the mans neck harder. I musn't disappoint master.

Maybe he's not dying because my legs are fantastic and my arms are only so-so, but I can't risk changing position, otherwise he will most assuredly throw me off.

“Tie'sha, are ye alright?” the man asks. The beastkin nods, her eyes still glazed over and the confusion evident on her face. Then she pats down her body, feeling her wounds. “Alyce... she... she...”

“I know.” The man says and pulls out a bottle of drinking water. “Here, clean yer wounds with this.” The man says, throwing the bottle of water to the beastkin.

Who is this Alyce? Another enemy? One of the kids hiding over there in the corner maybe? Ah, who cares. I must kill this man, even if it is taking some time, squeezing the neck should be an effective approach, so let's continue the attack. Hnnng!

“By the way, what is that thing clinging to you? Arms? Where's Alyce?” the beastkin asks as she pours the water on her wounds, washing away the blood. Fufufu, my master plan. I made this man waste his precious drinking water here. Don't you foolish adventurers know that the drinking water in the 13th floor and beyond is poisoned?! Food is sparse, you know? Monster meat is poisonous to normal people as well, so you'll starve! Fufufu.

The man turns around, revealing me to the beastkin girl. I growl and squeeze and hnnngg to no effect, but I am discovered despite my amazing stealth skills.

The beastkin girls eyes are wide. “Lady Alyce?” She asks. Who, me? There's no way I am this Alyce they're speaking of. I am master's minion, so I can't be Alyce too.

“Something's gotten hold o' her, she ain't herself.” The man says.

“I... I can see that.” The beastkin says. “When she attacked me, it felt like a dream and then everything went black...”

“She did to ye what she's trying ta do ta me.” The man says and the beastkin girl nods. “So that's how... I've never seen that before.” The girl says.

Of course you haven't seen it before! It's my super secret amazing stealth attack, you know? Fufufu, master will surely praise me later. But why does the beastkin girls face look so flushed? There's no way she's excited from my attack, right? Ah, she must be terrified then. Yep, surely she isn't weirdly excited but instead realizing just how close she came to death. Flirting with death is dangerous, you know? Even though you got away this time, next time surely, I'll kill.

“See her nails?” the man says. The beastkin nods. “Uhuh, wait, those look like claws?!”

“Aye, they be claws. But why hasn't she used them on us yet? And she could bite me neck any time with those sharp incisors she got, but all she's doing is squeezing my neck” The man says.

The girl looks puzzled for a moment, then her mouth opens in an o. “I see, she doesn't really want to hurt us but she can't resist whatever this is... that's it?” The girl asks and the man nods.

Foolish adventurers. How can they claim to know the mind of an esteemed dungeon monster such as I? “Die, die!” I growl, trying with all my might to squeeze the mans neck.

He completely ignores me.

“Wh-what do we do?” The girl says, she sounds distressed and sad. How delicious. Master loves causing adventurers to dispair and break down. Maybe they're looking for this Alyce, so I should get to her and try to kill her right when they arrive! The master plan! Then they will get sad and charge in, and I will have traps laying in wait for them. Maybe the lava room on the 14th floor will be good for that?

But to go prepare the traps, I have to let go of the mans neck and that would end my super supreme amazing stealth attack. So I don't let go. I will keep squeezing.

“I have no idea.” The man says. “But we shouldnae dilly-dally. This dungeon is evil, I can feel it in me beard. It be a corrupted dungeon, corrupt right to the core.” The man continues.

“So we have to clear the dungeon?” The girl says.

“Aye. So we do.”

“Then Alyce will return to normal?”

The man looks unsure. “I can't' say fer sure, but yeah...”

I was right about this Alyce. They really are trying to get her. She is their objective! But wait, they talked about clearing the dungeon. Panic rises in my chest as my master is threatened, but my master is strong so there's no way he's in real danger. Besides, no matter how much I want to help defend master, all I can do right now is continue my super necking attack on this man.

“What about that?” The girl says, gesturing to the man. “Leave it, she's like a big necklace, nothing more.”

How rude! I am definitely not a mere necklace, okay? But maybe it's a good cover. He thinks I am as harmless as a necklace, so let's become a deadly necklace. Good good.

Growling occasionally, I squeeze away at his neck with all my might as they make their way deeper into master's dungeon. Surely, my damage over time neck attack is effective. Steady does it.

The monsters on the 13th floor are supposed to be strong because master's core is on the 15th floor, but the big man is hacking through them like they are butter and their attacks seem useless against his armor. To be honest, he is kind of cool. And the way he is swearing is so nice. If I wasn't trying to kill him, I might want to help him clear the dungeon. But ah, such thoughts are no good. Even though I like his swearing so much, I am necking him for the kill.

Surely the hellhounds on the 14th floor will get him, or the lava wyrms. For some reason, my stomach starts doing flip-flops at the thought that these guys will fall. No one is allowed to kill them but me! They are my prey, mine alone! Grrr.

But still, these people are cute. They're underestimating master too much. Just because they're defeating many weak monsters they think master is easy, but that is not the case. All of masters strong monsters are busy defending him right now. Besides, the 13th floor is very large and this group is so far from the entrance to the 14th floor that it's almost laughable. I think I have at least a few days to kill this man with my neck attack before he is killed by the lava wyrms on the 14th floor.

By that time, Master should've mopped up that pesky adventurers party aswell. How troublesome to bring an ice mage to a fire and corruption dungeon. Master is definitely displeased.

Welp, nothing I can do for now but continue my damage over time neck attack and hope it's effective.