"Huff... Huff..."

The walls of the grotto echoed with my ragged breaths as I pushed myself beyond what I thought were my limits.

I was reduced to a state reminiscent of the undead.

Dragging myself across the cold, damp stone, each movement a struggle for my deteriorating state.

As I crawled forward, puddles of water reflected back a harrowing image of myself—broken and desperate.

My eyes felt sunken, surrounded by dark circles from pain and blood loss.

My skin had turned a ghastly pale far more pronounced then previously.

Each movement was agony, dragging my battered body inch by painful inch toward what I hoped was a way to escape from this nightmare.

The idea of dying here, lost in the dark, forgotten corners of a virtual hell made real, spurred me on, driving me to crawl forward despite the pain.

As I struggled forward, desperate though swirled through my mind on how to lessen the pain.

One wild thought was to use my own slimes as a makeshift bandage, wrapping their gelatinous bodies around my wounds.

However, I quickly dismissed this idea. Despite their utility, these slimes were essentially beings of ooze—repulsive and potentially hazardous.

Using them as bandages felt similar to picking up a filthy rag from the street and pressing it into an open wound.

The risk of introducing unknown bacteria's was too great.

Their viscous bodies could harbor all sorts of contaminants, and exposing my raw wound to such an uncertain element might only lead to severe infection.

The thought alone was chilling, akin to inviting more trouble on an already dire situation.

Instead i had both of my slimes position themselves similarly to before, one behind and one ahead.

While i pushed myself to crawl forward without their assistance.

Status Ailment [Bleeding] still in progress.

Time dissolve into a murky blur as I crawled through the grotto.

My perception of how long I'd been moving was lost to the constant, grueling effort.

Eventually, the sensation in my legs faded entirely, leaving me to rely solely on the strength of my arms, pushing forward one agonizing inch at a time.

Despair had settled in deep; I was well aware of the grim reality of my situation.

There were no medicinal herbs within reach, nothing in the immediate environment that could provide relief or a cure.

if I stumbled upon another monster in this state, survival was unlikely.

Status Ailment [Bleeding] still in progress.

Yet, despite the overwhelming odds, I couldn't bring myself to surrender to fate.

The only sliver of hope left was the remote possibility of encountering another person.

It was a long shot, a near-impossible chance given the vast and treacherous expanses of the dungeon. But what else was left to me?

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My consciousness, wouldn't allow me to simply lie down and wait for the end.

So, I continued, dragging myself toward the uncertain promise of human contact.

To find someone or something that could offer a reprieve or aid. It was a thin hope, but it was all I had left.

I had never been one to rely on prayer; I always believed in concrete action and tangible solutions.

Yet, I began to understand why some clung to faith in moments of desperation.

There, in the depths of my despair, I found myself silently calling out for a miracle, for any sign of divine intervention.

The idea that a higher power might look down and see fit to offer aid was a wishful thinking.

It wasn't so much a devout prayer but a plea—an acknowledgment of my vulnerability and a request for mercy, however unlikely.

WARNING: Your health is critically low! Immediate medical attention is required!

I whispered into the darkness, half to myself, half to any force that might be listening, "If there's anyone.... or anything out there,... now would be a great time to show up."

As I murmured my desperate plea into the shadows, a chilling voice cut through the silence, sharp and mocking. "Look at you, crawling like a vermin."

Startled, I looked up. '?' My heart skipped as the figure before me came into focus—a man with pale skin, stark black hair, and deep, sunken black eyes that seemed to absorb the light around him.

"W-Why—" I stammered, trying to comprehend the sudden apparition.

"Why?" he repeated with a sneer.

"Are you asking why a version of you is standing here before you? Or why would any god if they even exist, bother to extend a hand to someone like you? Isn't this desperate struggle what you've always craved?"

I was staring at an eerie reflection of myself, but twisted, as if conjured from my darkest fears and doubts.

"Fuck," I muttered, a mix of fear and disbelief knotting in my stomach. "I must be losing my mind."

"Had you not yearned for this? See? You wanted to escape your monotonous existence, and now that you've received exactly what you longed for, you wish to flee?" The figure’s voice was taunting, laced with mocking malice.

"You bastard." I spat back, anger flaring at his accusations. "You sure talk a lot for a shadow that's supposed to mirror me. When did I ever consent to be thrown into this nightmare? Yes, I wanted out of my dull routine, but this? This isn't what I meant. Don't twist my words, you twisted echo!"

"HAHAHA! Well, does it really matter in the end? You're more likely to stumble into a monster than find another human down here."

"..."

The silence that followed his taunting words weighed heavily in the air. I struggled to deny his words.

I felt weak, my thoughts blurred by the blood loss, and it dawned on me why this sinister version of myself had appeared.

It's the blood loss. It's playing tricks on my mind, conjuring up my deepest fears to confront me.

I gritted my teeth and retorted, "Say what you will, I need to survive no matter what!"

"Survive? Just look at yourself. Can you even see what's ahead? How do you plan to continue like this?"

"..."

His words cut deep. In my weakened state, a part of me wavered, longing for an end to the relentless pain and fear.

It was then his voice sliced through my thoughts again, more insidious this time.

"Look at me!" he commanded.

I met his gaze, seeing the darkness there, feeling it try to envelop me.

"Just give up. Let go of the struggle, the pain... Wouldn't you rather be at peace? Just let it all go, and everything will be so much easier."

The suggestion hung in the air, tempting and terrifying. My breath hitched as I contemplated his words. "... Should I?" The question slipped out, a whisper of doubt in the face of the seductive pull of surrender.

As I was on the verge of giving up, something changed.

A sudden vigorous wobbling from my slimes jolted me.

They bumped against my head urgently, as if trying to snap me out of my despairing trance rather than simply alerting me to their presence.

Their insistence suggested urgency, something more than just the echoing of my own dark thoughts.

Forcing my heavy head up, I squinted into the darkness ahead. There—it was faint but unmistakable—a light!

Not the ethereal glow of some otherworldly exit but the warm, flickering light of a torch. Humans!

My shadowy doppelgänger, sensing a shift in my focus, quickly tried to pull me back into despair. "Give up!" it hissed venomously. "It’s all an illusion. There’s nothing and no one there."

But the sight of the approaching light rekindled a spark of defiance within me.

"No," I spat back with renewed vigor, "you are the illusion. Now fuck off!" I dismissed the specter of my own fears as it vanished back to where it belonged.

turning all my attention toward the approaching light and the potential rescue it represented.

I ordered my slimes to hide. Realizing the potential risk of revealing my necromancer abilities which was feared due to its dark association.

"Slime One, Slime Two, hide now!" I whispered urgently.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, they quickly wobbled off to the darker recesses of the grotto, blending seamlessly into the shadows to avoid detection.

As the light drew closer and the voices became clearer, I called out for help.

"H-Help!"

Hoping for the inherent goodwill of human nature to pull me from this dire situation.

Only to realize to late, that i was inside of [Dungeon End].

A place where human kindness was often overshadowed by survival and self-interest.