As the hours dragged on, I maintained a vigilant stillness in my corner.

I moved as little as possible, conserving every bit of energy and minimizing any chance of attracting the attention of lurking creatures or bad intentioned individuals.

It was a waiting game. The quiet shuffle of Slime One at my side was the only sound in the otherwise silent cavern.

The staleness of the bread and the pungent, tangy scent of the dried meat I had with me did little to lift my spirits, but they were sustenance nonetheless.

I ate sparingly, rationing the little amount of food carefully to make it last as long as possible, each bite a deliberate effort to extend my survival.

In the midst of the monotony, the familiar wobble of my first dispatched slime broke the silence, signaling its return.

"Ah, you're back! What have you found for us?" I asked, trying to keep a note of cheer in my voice despite the growing sense of desperation.

I had been hopeful, anticipating a substantial find that might ease my burdens a little.

My heart sank as the slime approached, its body wobbling with the effort of carrying its small haul.

It presented four crystalized hearts—a modest amount.

The disappointment was palpable; I had hoped for much more to bolster my dwindling resources.

As the second and third slimes made their way back to me, the outcomes were similarly underwhelming.

The second slime timidly offered up two crystalized hearts, while the third managed to bring back three.

"These aren't the treasures I hoped for, but they're not nothing." I said, more to reassure myself than anything.

Each crystalized heart, while small in value, represented a tiny step towards some semblance of stability and progress.

Sitting back against the rough cavern wall, I allowed myself a moment to reflect on the day's unexpected gains.

"Nine crystalized hearts." I mused, turning the small stones over in my hand.

"If I had set out to collect these myself, I would've had to face off against nine viscous slimes. And sure, the experience points from them would have been useful, but right now, surviving this initial run takes priority over leveling up."

The slimes, my only companions and allies in this lonely fight for survival, had proven invaluable.

"All that's left is to wait for Slime Four."

"Hopefully, it managed to gather a few more crystalized hearts." The small cache of crystals I'd already secured was a modest start, but every little bit helped.

Wooble~!

Finally, the familiar wobble approached, signaling the return of Slime Four.

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But as it neared, something seemed off. Inside its gelatinous body, I could make out something unusual—tattered and stained with what appeared to be blood.

There was something other then crystalized hearts nestled within its gelatinous form.

Curiosity mixed with caution as I waited for the slime to reach me.

"Welcome back, Slime Four. What have you brought?" I murmured as the slime obediently wobbled closer, its gelatinous body gently expelled its contents onto the cold, rocky floor of the grotto.

There, a piece of cloth, torn and dirty, stained by my slime's green ooze.

Carefully, I reached out and picked up the cloth, turning it over in my hands.

The cloth was roughly cut, almost as if it had been hastily torn from someone's garments in a moment of desperation.

What truly caught my attention, however, was the message scrawled across it in dried blood: 'Help.'

https://i.imgur.com/DNx2HvA.png [https://i.imgur.com/DNx2HvA.png]

This wasn’t a random scavenge; it was a deliberate message. Someone had placed this within the slime, hoping it would find its way to a helper.

Wrapped inside the cloth, hidden from immediate view, was a small wooden box.

Carefully, I unfolded the rest of the fabric and opened the box to find ten crystallized hearts neatly arranged inside.

Holding the box, a realization dawned on me—this was a plea, a call for assistance from some other unfortunate soul.

The message wasn’t just a request; it was a lifeline thrown in the dark.

Glancing at Slime Four, I questioned the situation more directly to clarify my growing suspicion. "Did someone intentionally place this inside of you? If so, wobble for yes."

The slime responded with a definitive wobble.

As I pieced the scenario together, a realization dawned on me.

I had sent my slimes to scavenge, primarily targeting remains for crystallized hearts.

It seemed probable that Slime Four had encountered someone not yet dead but gravely injured—mistaken for dead.

The person must have noticed that this slime wasn't like the native viscous fiends but something controlled, possibly recognizing it as a summoned creature from a skill.

"Someone's out there, possibly still alive and desperately reaching out for help."

Since nothing in this world is given freely, it was evident that this individual was essentially purchasing my assistance.

This felt like a quest, the kind a game character might receive from an NPC.

However, this was no longer a request made behind a screen but a genuine request from a real person.

As I weighed the grim cloth in my hands, my thoughts churned with uncertainty.

The fear of a trap loomed large in my mind, a strategic deceit laid by another dungeon delver.

"Why should I risk it?" I thought internally.

"What if it's a trap? What if moving from here puts me right back into the clutches of death?"

Yet, as I sat there, the memory of my own desperate pleas for help echoed back at me.

I had been in that exact predicament—ignored, left for dead, my cries for help dismissed by those who could have easily spared a potion.

The fear and desperation I had felt were likely what the stranger was experiencing now.

"But what if I left that person to die?" I debated internally. "Wouldn't I be just the same as those who left me to die?"

The idea of leaving someone to suffer the same fate twisted a knot in my stomach.

Was I really prepared to ignore a plea for help, to let fear dictate my actions?

After all, what separated me from those adventurers if I walked away now?

"Humanity." I whispered to the darkness, the word feeling heavy in the air.

I knew all too well that if I abandoned another helpless, pleading soul, I would be forsaking what makes me human. I would be relinquishing the last traces of my decency.

In just a few days of being here, I had unwittingly begun to adopt the ways of [Dungeon's End].

My mind was rapidly filling with caution, worry, deceit, and dark thoughts—any means to survive, even at the expense of others.

But did I really need to adopt such a ruthless approach? Yes, it seemed necessary.

However, I could choose whom to apply these methods to. And those who had not wronged me would not be among them.

With a deep, steadying breath, I made my decision.

"I can't just sit here while someone out there might still be fighting for their life. Slime Four, lead the way back to where you found this."

I pushed myself up, using the cave wall for support, ready to face whatever lay ahead, driven by a call to not abandon those in desperate need.

"Quest, accepted!"