“Master! You can’t have her!” Lydia cried out.

“Are you kidding me! How can I even?”

“You absolutely can’t take a giant woman home with you!” Celeste called out.

“You too!”

“Alysia’s definitely the maximum size! Master must stick to women his own size!” Terra added.

“I resent that!” Celeste cried.

“Ah! I didn’t mean Celeste! But Celeste is extra stretchy, right? I don’t think Master can grow big enough.”

“What kind of man do you girls think your Master is!”

The girls all looked away innocently. Seething a bit, I turned back to the giant, who was watching us. She suddenly let out a loud, barking sound, and I realized she was laughing.

“Little human, you are funny. You remind me of the last party who came through. Two in such a short time, this dungeon must be popular.”

“You have sentience… does that mean you’re a first-generation boss?”

I had a running theory that the bosses first version were sentient and named, or maybe it was better to say that the longer a boss remained, the smarter they became. Once a new boss was summoned, they would be at a base type and personality. They would be like my siren girl who couldn’t use words and spoke more like a puppy. At some point, someone must have defeated her, but then she remained for a while because of the nature of her challenge.

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In new dungeons, like the Mina’s Dungeon, the monsters were too young to gain sentience, but if the dungeon survived, it would continue to support them, and they would become more fleshed out. After a few decades, they might even be indistinguishable from the person they were supposed to represent. That was when the curse didn’t entrap the souls of the people themselves and turn them into abominations.

“First? Hmm… I’ve been here since the dungeon’s creation, so perhaps.”

“What about the King? Was he in the party? What happened to them? You didn’t destroy them, right?”

“Hehe… are you so confident I didn’t kill them all? Many have met their grave before me. Although, I see you aren’t afraid of me. Perhaps that means you’ll be entertaining.”

“Please, I need to know about the King. Where is he?”

“Alright, I’ll tell you what. I’m very powerful, and you will not be able to defeat me. I already see this as the truth. However, I tire easily, and battle bores me. If you can show me your strength and impress me, I will let you pass and tell you what I know. How does it sound?”

“Very well, but you better keep to it.”

“I keep my word.” She grinned. “So, know also that if you fail to impress, I will kill the lot of you, and allow her to consume your souls.”

“I’m confused…” Celeste frowned. “What are you two talking about? Let us move on?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” I responded, making a bitter face. “This isn’t the final boss room. This dungeon is larger than we were originally led to believe. It must have grown since the last assessment. This isn’t the final challenge!”