Prologue.

What is a monster?

Let's start with the image, a lot seems to come to mind, well at least for me it does.

Monsters can be often defined by their physical characteristic. They're described as grotesque and quite frankly ugly creatures with inhuman features, an extra arm or two, more than one mouth, and some have abilities on top of this.

Parents are often the first to introduce this concept, that if their misbehaving children act up the "boogeyman" will get them in their sleep when they're alone in the dark.

No, how they look isn't the main point, no one would fear the boogeyman if it was just scary looking. However, for some it may be enough. No rather, what ultimately brings this creature its worth is how it acts, what it does.

The physical characteristic is supplemented by its trait, ultimately this is what makes a monster, a monster. A monster with just the trait and without the physical characteristic exists within human beings, such examples are found throughout history.

A certain individual comes to mind in this regard, he was born with a screw loose of sorts. Nothing in his life could have led to what he had ended up becoming.

He was brought up in a loving and caring house. Born as a single child and given all the attention he desired, however, in spite of this he still ended up becoming the most prolific serial killer of his time.

A monster in human skin.

Such a man was a true monster. He loved to toy with his victims in the most painful manner while they still drew breath, their corpses mangled beyond recognition after his deeds were done. His acts were so vile that the veterans who'd chase his trails and inspect his "art" had to take a step back and reflect why they were in this field upon seeing his atrocities.

Each one becoming worse than the last.

This man was undoubtedly a monster trapped within human flesh, only then could his motives be explained. The man in the example was eventually caught and brought to justice of course.

He'd been caught after slipping up, it seemed that even monsters could grow complacent. Though, the incompetent police force played a part in allowing this menace roam the streets for as long as he did, to give them credit his victims never had a pattern. He never had a human motivation for targeting children, the elderly, woman, and men.

He never apologized during the interrogations , nor in the trials, and even in death's door as he was brought before the chair. It was all done with a smile, with zero remorse, his only regret caught on record was that he was caught.

My conclusion from this is simple, that while some monsters are created by man's imagination, or perhaps by circumstances, they're also born.

Sometimes it frightens me, actually it does more than that.

It scares me, if I could be placed in the same category as this man, what'd I'd learn about myself during my time in this place and if I truly was created or born in this manner.

As a monster.

However, his story and mine differ.

That much at least brings me some solace. I wasn't born to pleasant circumstances, the adversities I'd face early on in my life had hardened me to an extent but it had never changed me. Through it all I held on to who I was, and this was something I held pridefully.

Though it's not as if to say I had amazing qualities, I've been described as indecisive and introverted, some would go as far to say I was a pushover.

However in spite of it all, I was still me. I hadn't changed for anyone nor did I plan to, who I was was enough. To go against this is quite painful, to defy your nature.

But was this truly my nature? Who I "was" had faded. Who I am now remains.

It seems that the adversities I claimed to have gone through before were minor roadblocks at the end of the day. What I would go on to face was true adversity, only such a place could draw out another "me".

I'd discover this about myself when I'd been welcomed into the [Endless dungeon]

This place, I learned after the fact, is one that opens every so often. It liked to pick its next victim seemingly at random, and it was very much aware of what it was doing, I just happened to be that person.

Against my will I was welcomed to such a place.

Though I roughly know of its historical records, for what purpose did it serve, why I was brought here and the like were never answered.

I just know one thing, had it not been for my fortune given to me in the beginning I would have perished like my predecessors before me.

I wasn't the first, and along the way I'd learned this place was structured much like an impossible game. As if it was never designed to let anyone live to tell its tale, as I walked calmly to the last door by the spiral staircase I'd soon learn if I would be its last.

Only now that I'm so close to freedom do I want to reminisce how I've gotten here.

What is there to reminisce though, my path was mindless slaughter and then some, but now that I'm so close to the end do I start to feel my heart waver a little in realizing how much I have changed from before.

What had I lost to come this far? I wasn't the person I'd been before coming here, could I face my peers as I am now? My family? Would anyone even recognize me?

I couldn't even recognize myself.

Was I strong or weak?

I must undoubtedly be strong to have survived through it all, and yet I was too weak to protect that precious part of me.

Ultimately, now that i'm at the last stretch of my journey I can say I was reborn in my time spent here. The man I was before is dead, at the beginning his gaze lingered and casted judgement in who I was becoming.

I felt his presence growing weaker with every floor I'd cleared until I no longer felt his presence. I almost missed having that consciousness judge me.

No, I did miss it, but to adapt here I suppose it's only natural.

As I looked upon this final door that will determine If I escape or die, I know now that whether or not I was created or had been born this way ultimately didn't matter.

I always liked to overthink, to survive here I became a monster it's that simple. It just means that after I leave I must live as a human.

So I must survive, hearing a chime as I walked into the blinding final floor my heart pounded in excitement wondering what creature I must slay next.