6 Chapter 10

[49%...]

"So what's your story, kid?"

"Hmm?"

"You know? Your reason for pushing yourself inside this hellish place."

"Oh, that."

"Hmm? Is that personal? Sorry for being too nosy."

"No, it's okay. My reason, well..."

"Well?"

"...My family does not want to recognize my ability so I am trying to redeem myself by winning in this famous Valkyeria Rozea."

"Oh, wow. Let me guess? You are a noble, right?"

"...Sort of."

"Heh. I knew it. Based on your looks, the good items you got there and your attitude earlier, I knew right away that you came from a rich family."

"...Sorry for snapping at you earlier."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Goliah said while waving his hand to dismiss his apology. "I apologize too for shouting at you earlier. I just got scared when I saw you standing at the edge of that hole."

'He's...a good person.'

Janus suddenly felt ashamed of himself for disrespecting him earlier. Although Janus is usually snappy and curses most of the time, he still knows who and how to respect those people who deserve it. And Goliah certainly deserves to be respected because of his kindness.

"To think that even nobles are starting to enter the Rozea Dungeon... Everyone is getting more greedy outside this place, huh."

Janus pursed his lips and did not say anything to confirm or deny Goliah's speculations. They are walking side by side in a very quiet and dark corridor. Goliah created a fire by rubbing two stones he found on the ground and made a torch. He was holding the torch in his right hand while his other hand is holding the flask Janus gave to him earlier.

In truth, it was AI001 who provided him those stories. Since Janus's brain is not functioning that much today due to shock and fatigue, Janus asked his system to provide him a normal and realistic story background. It seems like it was a success since Goliah mentioned that he looks like a noble thanks to his appearance.

'Oh... If Goliah only knew the truth.'

Since Goliah accepted Janus as a friend, he decided to bring Janus with him so he can properly guide him. As a person who spends five years of his life inside this dangerous dungeon, Goliah feels like an old superior who needs to guide his junior into safety. He is also doing it because Janus showed him kindness earlier. The flask of water that Janus gave to him earlier made a huge impression on Goliah.

For Goliah, this dungeon is not just a competition where you will become rich and famous once you get out alive from it. Unbeknownst to those people who are still outside this place, the Rozea Dungeons are like a battlefield to them. It is also a place where one's humanity will be tested. The words 'Survival of the fittest.' really suits this place.

The people inside the dungeons are starting to lose their trust in each other. The most important for them is their survival. To survive this place filled with strong creatures and dangerous situations, one should be cunning, sly, tricky, and good at outsmarting their opponents. Those people who had stayed inside the dungeon for so too many years aside from him had long forgotten the true meaning of friendship, loyalty, and trust. As long as they can survive and keep themselves alive, these people can easily abandon anyone.

"How about you, Mr. Goliah? What is your reason for entering this place?" Janus asked.

"You can just call me Goliah. I am just a commoner working as a blacksmith before I decided to participate in Valkyeria Rozea." Goliah started. "Hmm, my reason for entering this place is just simple. I want to win and get the huge sum of money that is waiting for the winner of this game."

"You joined this competition to get the prize money?" Janus asked.

"Heh. Such a shallow reason, right?" Goliah said before letting out an awkward laugh. "To think that I am willing to sacrifice myself just for the sake of getting that money."

"No, it's not! It is actually good to have a goal for us to continue."

"Ah?"

"Each one of us has our own reason and motivation to live. It just happens that your reason is the prizes you will get from this competition. And I guess you also have an important reason behind it." Janus said.

He did not know if his words sound supporting or encouraging to Goliah. He never comforted anyone except for himself when he cannot finish a game or when the old lady living on top of his apartment is talking shit about him again to their new neighbors. Feeling embarrassed for the second time, Janus lowered his head and check the current progress of his system.

[58%...]

"Well, you're right. I have a reason why I want to get that money, kid."

"And that is?"

"I want to get my family back."

"Huh?"

Goliah looked around and saw that no one or anything will come into this corridor in the meantime so he urged Janus to sit on the ground for a while. Goliah gathered some dry twigs and wood scattered and put their torch on it to make a bonfire. After collecting more woods, Goliah put it next to Janus before sitting on the ground. The huge man took a deep breathe first before he continued.

"You see, being a blacksmith is something I enjoyed doing before I entered this place. Although I only earn a little from being a blacksmith, that money is still enough to feed my family. Five years ago, I had a wife and a one-year-old daughter. But my wife became unsatisfied with our situation."

Janus remained silent because he does not know what to say.

"I really cannot blame my wife. When I married her, I promised Leah that I will give her and our family a good life. But I failed her. So Leah had enough and left our house. She also brought our daughter with her. When I tried to find them, I heard that Leah returned to her maiden family. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Leah is a noble like you."

"Wait, what?" Janus asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Unbelievable, right? Leah is the youngest daughter of a baron in the East. Baron Melyr loves Leah so much. That's why he did not hesitate to welcome Leah back in their life although he actually told her not to go back again if she decided to marry me."

"Oh..."

"That was also the time when the annual Valkyeria Rozea was announced to the public. With my desperation to become rich so I can provide a lot of things to my family, I decided to enter this dungeon and try my luck. And you can already guess the result of my decisions right now."

Goliah took a deep breath before he puts more wood on their bonfire.

"Five years had already passed and I am still stuck in the Rozea Dungeon. My daughter is now a six-year-old child and my wife probably assumed that I am now dead so she decided to marry another man."