The grotto got darker with each passing second as I held the child in my arms.

I could feel the weight of his fragile body against my chest. His breathing was shallow and labored, each breath a struggle.

His survival weighed heavily on me.

I looked at his pale, frightened face resting against my shoulder, and his eyes fluttered open.

For a moment, our eyes met—his filled with fear and a silent plea for help.

It was a look that cut deep into my soul, exposing my own helplessness.

"I... I want to help... but... I don’t know how." I admitted, my voice barely a whisper.

The thought of bearing the responsibility for another life had never truly struck me until this very moment.

I had thought I was prepared, but in this critical moment, the reality was different.

Gently, I laid the boy down on the cold, stone ground, doing my best to ease his discomfort. "Hold on, okay? I’ll find a way," I murmured, mainly to keep my own hope from fading.

My hands trembled as I pulled away slightly to look at him. His faint, fearful whisper of "Help..." broke through my resolve, tearing down any barriers I had tried to maintain.

"I won’t leave you." I promised, though i felt the hollowness of my words. How could i assure him of anything in a place like this?

Settling beside him, I racked my brain for any possible solution, any overlooked details. There had to be something, anything I could do to change the course we were on.

I knew my slimes could scout and scavenge; they had proved their worth by navigating the treacherous paths of the grotto. An idea sparked in my mind.

"Why not use the slimes to find the exit?"

If I could just find the way out, there might be a chance to save the boy.

But then, another thought struck me, sharp and cold.

Even if I found the exit, leaving the dungeon without enough credits would plunge me into peril once outside. And what then?

Healing the boy would mean incurring costs I couldn't cover, sinking me deeper into debt.

I had to either ensure my own survival at the cost of the boy's only chance to live or risk my safety to save a stranger.

Yet, the image of the boy's pain-filled eyes and silent plea haunted me. How could I consider my debts when a child's life hung in the balance of my own choice?

"For now, let's find the exit. Knowing its location will be beneficial in any case."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Turning to my four slimes, I issued a command, "All of you, go find the exit. Every second counts now."

Despite the risk of encountering Viscous fiends, the need for speed was of greater importance. "Be quick, be stealthy, but most importantly, come back safely."

Sending them all might increase our chances of quickly locating the exit, but it also left me without my usual means of defense.

Sitting there, every rustle and distant drip of water tensed my nerves, yet I clung to the hope that their return would bring the promise of escape.

I placed a gentle hand on the boy's head, stroking his hair in an attempt to offer some comfort.

"Hey, I know you can't talk right now, but I'm here with you, okay?" I started, my voice low and soft in the quiet of the cave.

I paused, gathering my thoughts, my hand still soothing the boy's forehead.

"You might not believe me, but I grew up in a place very different from here. No monsters, no dungeons. Just streets, and a lot of people. But, just like here, life wasn't easy."

"My parents left when I was just a baby, and for a long time, it was just me. I struggled, you know? After leaving the orphanage, money was always tight. Sometimes, I’d go to bed hungry for days because I couldn’t afford enough to eat." My voice cracked a little as vivid and poignant memories surfaced.

"One day, I got into real trouble. I was working at a construction site, a job I loathed but needed for the money. The ground gave way beneath me, and I fell, much like the pit you fell into." I gestured around us briefly. "I was stuck, hurt, and I thought I was going to be there forever. But eventually, rescue came. Even though it was dangerous, they saved me."

I sighed, feeling the weight of the past. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know what it’s like to be scared and hurt. And just like those who rescued me then, I'm here for you. I'm going to find a way to get you out of here, alright? Just hang in there."

I squeezed the boy's hand gently, hoping he could feel my presence, my determination to be his rescue.

The boy's breathing, though still labored, had steadied slightly—a small sign that perhaps my words offered him some comfort.

Each minute stretched felt like an hour, the tension building as I awaited the return of my scouts.

I found myself pacing in small, tight circles, unable to remain still.

Just as my patience began to wear thin, a familiar wobble echoed through the corridors of the grotto.

It was Slime One, returning to us. Relief washed over me in an immense wave—I wasn't too late.

I ordered all the slime to quickly make their way back to me.

Not wasting a moment I lifted the boy onto my back and began to follow the slime.

My thoughts were consumed not by the weight of the child or the pain he must be in but by the singular goal of reaching the exit in time to save him.

The path was miraculously safe, with even terrain and no monsters in sight. Slime One guided me with surprising agility.

The winding corridors and narrow passages of the grotto seemed endless, each twist and turn blurring into a frantic rush.

The boy’s shallow breaths were a constant reminder of how little time we had left.

My legs burned with the effort, but I pushed on, driven by the desperate hope of reaching safety.

Finally, in a secluded, tight area that would be nearly impossible to find without a guide, I saw it—the vortex-like portal, shimmering with the same ethereal light as the one I had used to enter the dungeon.

"We made it!"

I turned to look at him, a smile of relief spreading across my face, ready to share the good news.

But what I saw froze the smile on my lips.

The boy’s body lay limp on my back, his eyes staring vacantly.

His labored breathing had ceased, replaced by a haunting silence.

His face, once contorted in pain, was now eerily peaceful, devoid of any life.

In my arms, unbeknownst to me during those final desperate moments of our escape, the boy had slipped away.

There, in the light of our supposed salvation, the weight of a life lost too soon bore down upon me.

The silent hum of the portal offered no comfort, only the cruel indifference of our plight.

"I'm sorry..."