25. Message and Gift

'How cruel!' Those two words circulated around Lily's mind. She wanted to puke at the sight of her kind mercilessly and brutally slaughtered. She fell on her butt and has been shocked ever since. Blankly staring at the skewered, rotten dwarves, words of anger and furies didn't come out of Lily's mouth. What she saw shut her mouth close.

"So, the two brave kids have managed to save at least one dwarf." He paid a glance at the shocked dwarf. "I'm impressed."

The reason why the strange-looking person who's wearing a cloak was imprisoned was unknown for Fritz and Newt. Only the person himself knows why. The two kids only know that they will be fighting the strange person to leave the dungeon.

The two kids brought out their weapons. Newt changed from Blemish Dagger and Karambit to a single double-edged sword. Whilst Fritz decided to use Severance Blade as his main weapon.

"Wait, wait, wait! Kids these days, really! They start bringing their weapons when they saw a stranger." The person waved his bone hands at the two kids. "I was kidding when I said that I was the last boss of this dungeon. Do you see all these dead dwarves? I didn't do all of it. Actually, I'm innocent. I'm a good guy after all."

Believing the strange person's word was impossible at first. Not until he showed evidence that he wasn't there because he wanted.

"I am merely a messenger of what awaits the Outsiders."

"Outsiders?" Fritz asked.

It was Newt who answered the questions for him. "You really are a kid dungeon! Outsiders, they first came here around three months ago. Humans from outside of this world suddenly appeared here. No one knows who caused the transfer of such numbers of humans here and for what purpose."

'Around the time when I got reincarnated. Don't seem like a coincidence, again.'

Newt continued, "Outsiders began spreading all over the country and, they eventually decided to build their own Outsiders' Kingdom. The fifth Kingdom was established a few weeks ago. The last thing I heard from them is that they are going to clear this strange dungeon that had appeared a week ago."

'Hmm, a lot of things had happened in those three months. I didn't know that I wasn't the only Outsider.'

The strange person nodded at Newt's explanation. "Correct. That dungeon the successor of the Hero was talking about was the Hell Dungeon. Soon, the dungeon will open and, all of the Outsiders will participate. Whether you like it or not, you'll be forced to take part in clearing it."

Newt noticed something and asked a question. "You've come here to warn who? Don't tell me it's Fritz?" The messenger nodded. "Oh, I didn't know. I thought we're friends? Why didn't you tell me?"

Newt grabbed both of Fritz's hands and looked as if he's on the verge of crying. "Ah! Stop holding my hands! Gross, gross. I was gonna tell you, okay? I just didn't find the right time to do so."

"Oh really?" Suddenly, Newt hugged Fritz. "It must have been hard, right? You are just a kid and, you are already forced to face the cruel reality of the outside world."

"You are a kid too!"

Both kids heard the messenger laughed. "Oh, sorry. The two of you just remind me of my childhood." He formed a bittersweet smile on his face. "Fritz, soon the brand will appear and, when that happens, you and the other Outsiders will be damned to hell."

"When will that happen?" Fritz asked. The seriousness in the messenger's face gave Fritz the idea that he wasn't lying about anything. "What's inside the Hell Dungeon?"

"Soon, very soon. Prepare yourself. What's inside the Hell Dungeon can be concluded in two words. It's Betrayal and Cruelty."

After that, the messenger vanished into thin air, leaving behind a small parting gift for both of them.

"Too many questions left unanswered. Well, he did leave us with a gift before we leave this dungeon."

Standing in front of a monster left by the messenger, Fritz and Newt thought that fighting a boss-tier monster before they leave was the best gift.

[Single Rainbow Horned Minotaur]

"That horn could fetch quite some amount."

A seven-foot-tall minotaur that uses nothing but sheer strength and would ravage you with its horn growled at the sight of the two kids.

'Ahhh fuck! I think his spit went in my mouth! Ah, gotta get rid of it. Gross, gross, gross!'

The minotaur began bumping his fists together and charged towards the kids. They prepared for the incoming attack of the furious monster. They jumped separately from each other, evading the minotaur. Fritz landed on the worms that he inadvertently crushed to death.

"Ahh! Gross!" He even heard some bones of the dead breaking. "Can't we do this outside?!"

"I can feel my insides turning upside-down, so let's do that."

The three kids ran towards the door and led the minotaur out of the stock room. Outside, Fritz and Newt have a lot of space to run around and fight. Unlike orcs, who can talk and think of a strategy on how to win their fight, minotaurs only know how to charge at their enemies and butt their enemies with their horns unless they're taught.

"There it goes again!"

The monster charges towards Fritz. The latter knows that he can't stop the minotaur with his strength. Therefore, he slid down between its legs and cut its tendons to disable the monster. However, the unexpected from the minotaur happened. It jumped, avoiding Fritz's attack.

"What?!"

"That's amazing!"

"Oi, don't praise our enemy!"

The minotaur then continued rushing with its horn upfront. Its persistence goes on and on. It kept on targeting the two kids with its unseemly stamina.

"What the hell is this minotaur?!"

Its rock-solid body made it hard to deal with. Also, the fact that it was different from any monster Newt had encountered so far gave the kids a headache. When Newt decided to dodge the minotaur's charge, the monster swung its right arm towards the kid. He suffered damage and bruises when he rolled away.

'It kept on charging at us. Nevertheless, it shows unexpected movements and attacks that can catch us off-guard.'

~