The dungeon was once again shrouded in silence.
Hope was sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor, staring at the egg in front of him. It was an egg the size of a melon; its surface was covered in black scales, with faint veins running across it. The future Flame Tyrant… his latest project. He had spent the last three days setting traps and adjusting the mana flow, and now he was waiting for the next stupid group of adventurers to come and die.
He lightly tapped the egg with his finger.
"Hey buddy," he muttered. "Work's done for today. The traps are ready, the poison ventilation is calibrated, the illusion walls are flawless. You know, I've gotten pretty good at this."
The egg didn't respond. It never did.
Hope sighed and leaned back against the wall. His long white hair spilled over his shoulders, sticking to the sweat on the back of his neck. The air here was always damp, always the same. No sunlight. No sound other than his own voice.
"I read it in one of the old books the guards threw in here," he said, turning back to the egg. "Being a hero sounds pretty cool. Beautiful girls walk around with them, they have flashy swords and shiny armor. People look at them with admiration. Girls chase after them. And here I am. Talking to you. Setting traps in a silent dungeon. And when you grow up, you'll probably try to eat me."
He lightly knocked on the egg.
"Ahh, I'm talking to a stupid boss egg that doesn't even answer back. This loneliness is slowly driving me crazy."
He stood up and rubbed his hands together. His mana was still full. His daily routine was over, but the uneasiness inside him hadn't faded.
"Whatever. Let's grow you. A new group will arrive soon."
He placed his fingers on the egg. His green eyes glowed faintly.
"Pump It!"
Mana surged into the egg. The shell trembled, the veins began pulsing faster. Within seconds, the egg cracked open and a small, red-scaled hatchling emerged. Its eyes were still closed, weak but alive—a newborn Flame Tyrant.
Hope smiled.
"Welcome, little monster. I'll come watch you in a few minutes. Let's see how long this group lasts."
He placed the hatchling in the center of the boss room and retreated to a hidden corner. This was the dungeon's observation point—behind a one-way illusion wall, he could see everything. Meanwhile, the little monster rapidly grew, devouring the special meals Hope had prepared and transforming into its true form.
The waiting began.
After a while, footsteps echoed from afar. The clanking of metal armor, voices…
"They're here," Hope muttered. "Another group of rookies."
He watched the group through the wall. There were five of them. At the front was a swordsman bursting with confidence—clearly the leader. He wore armor that looked shiny but cheap. His sword swung excessively at his waist; it was obvious he was there just for show. Beside him were two damage dealers who looked like brothers, joking with each other while holding rusty axes. There was also an archer who looked extremely cowardly and frail. And at the very back…
Hope's breath caught.
At the rear of the group walked a slender girl. Her chestnut hair fell to her shoulders, her hazel eyes anxious yet determined. She wore a healer's robe and held a simple wooden staff. Her facial features… perfect. A kind of beauty Hope had never seen before. Soft yet strong. Fragile yet resilient.
"Their healer… is really beautiful," he murmured to himself. His heart sped up. "Get a grip. That's not the problem right now."
He examined the group more closely.
"Their equipment is old. Their armor is patched up. And… what? No tank at all?!"
He couldn't believe his eyes. The leader walked confidently at the front, but there was no one carrying a shield, no one to draw aggro.
"Idiots. My boss is fire-type. How are you planning to kill it without a tank? Are you going to put the entire burden on the healer?"
Panic rose inside him.
"The healer… that girl… all the pressure will be on her."
He continued watching the group. They were approaching the traps. The first poison trap was triggered. The archer was lightly wounded. The leader immediately called the healer girl over.
"Lypin, we have a wounded one. Come here."
The girl immediately cast a healing spell. Her mana had already started to decrease.
"Lypin… SO THAT'S HER NAME!"
Hope began jumping around the room cheerfully.
"What a lovely name… Lypin."
After Lypin's healing spell, the group continued onward. Thorns, small monsters, flame traps… the group was caught by all of them and took damage.
Hope clenched his teeth.
"This group is too weak for my dungeon. They're definitely going to die."
Normally, that was a good thing. The dungeon's danger level would rise, its reputation would increase, and he would gain prestige.
"But… damn it, that healer girl is really beautiful."
His hands began to sweat. A battle was raging inside him.
"Should I help? Or not?"
If he helped… the heroism he dreamed of. Recognition. Maybe the girl would look at him with admiration. Maybe she would even fall in love with him.
But it was forbidden. Against the rules. He didn't know what the consequences would be, but this was the biggest rule of all.
If he didn't help… these idiots would die. And that beautiful girl would die with them.
"I don't want her to die."
The group entered the boss room. The hatchling was already waiting eagerly for its first prey in its true form.
The Flame Tyrant roared, pounding its massive chest. The leader shouted, "Attack!" but his voice cracked. When the boss swung one of its gigantic muscular arms, one of the damage dealers was flung across the room before he could even raise his weapon, slamming into the wall and turning into a lifeless heap.
The leader attacked confidently, but there was no tank. The lava cracks along the Flame Tyrant's back glowed as it spewed pure hellfire from its mouth. The archer tried to hide behind a pillar, but the boss leapt forward and shattered the pillar with a single punch. Flames crashed directly into the group. The healer kept casting heals one after another, her mana draining rapidly. Her face had gone pale.
They began to fall one by one.
"Idiots, there's a huge weak point on its left side," he muttered inwardly. "Because of you, the healer girl is going to die too."
Despite his good aim, the not-so-agile archer went first, crushed to death by the boss. Then one of the damage dealers burned to death. The leader was still shouting, "Hold on! We're killing it!"
But he was lying.
They were heading toward death.
The healer girl raised her staff with trembling hands. "Mercy of Light!" she shouted. A weak white glow tried to wrap around the leader's burns, but the overwhelming heat radiating from the boss evaporated the healing before it could even take shape. Sweat streamed down her forehead, and as her mana ran dry, her staff slipped from her grasp.
In the end, the leader could no longer endure. Half his body was burned, and he no longer had the strength to stand. Sensing its victory, the boss devoured the leader eagerly. The healer girl was left alone. She knelt, her staff trembling in her hands. Her mana was almost gone. The Flame Tyrant reveled in the fear of its final prey.
Hope couldn't endure it any longer.
"To hell with the rules."
He stepped out from his hiding place. His mana flared into a green aura.
He cast a protective shield—a green barrier formed around the girl. The Flame Tyrant's strike slammed into it and dispersed.
The girl looked up in shock. Her hazel eyes locked onto Hope.
Hope extended his hand and summoned a scythe, green letters glowing along its blade.
The Flame Tyrant froze for a moment, halting its attack. With a swift motion, Hope drove the scythe into its neck. The boss collapsed, its body dissolving into a cloud of dust that was absorbed into the scythe.
The girl tried to stand.
"Who… are you?"
Hope smiled. His heart was pounding wildly. For the first time, he was talking to someone—especially someone this beautiful.
"I'm… the owner of this dungeon. But I came to save you."
The girl was shocked but grateful. She extended her hand.
"Thank you… you saved me."
Hope took her hand. He felt warmth. For the first time.
But at that moment, loud noises echoed from the dungeon entrance. Heavy bootsteps. Metal armor.
The guards had arrived.
The System had sounded the alarm.
An officer stepped forward, sword drawn.
"Hope! You violated the rules. Intervention is forbidden!"
Hope didn't let go of the girl's hand.
"Yes… I know."
The soldiers surrounded him.
The girl panicked. "Stop! He saved me!" she shouted, but no one listened.
As Hope was shackled in chains, he looked at the girl one last time. There was worry in her hazel eyes. But also… something else. Gratitude? Admiration?
The soldiers began to drag him away.
Hope laughed inwardly.
"Totally worth it."
As he was led out of the dungeon, he saw sunlight for the first time. He felt his skin burn and his eyes ache as if they would go blind, but he took pleasure in the pain.
He had finally earned a chance to see the real world.
But not as a free man… as a criminal.