19 Chapter 23

"Janus, are you the one who owns this mysterious dungeon?"

"Eh? Now that's an interesting question." Janus said and leaned his body on the wall while crossing his arms.

Technically, he is now the owner of the Rozea Dungeon. He is now Meluna, after all. But he feels weird claiming this dungeon as his knowing that you have no contribution in building it. Janus was just a slacking gamer before he became Meluna.

'Ah. Now it is starting to feel so real.'

Janus feels he just discovered a world revelation. He did not know how many days had already passed since he became Meluna. But now that Goliah's question finally sinks into him, Janus thought that this must be the first time he truly accepted the truth.

Sure, he already accepted that fact earlier since Janus has no other way out but to accept his new reality. But it does not mean his heart had already accepted that fact. All he did was convincing himself that he already died and now living a life previously owned by another person.

But when Goliah asked him if he is the owner of this place, Janus had realized that this his the real world now. This place is not a part of the game and he is now too powerful that even monsters are afraid of him. Surprisingly, Janus quickly accepted it as if it is the most natural thing to do. Maybe because he repeatedly told himself about it since he woke up as Meluna. Or maybe because Janus knows that he will no longer his past life as a slob adult who knows nothing but to eat, sleep, and play video games.

"Yes." Janus finally answered Goliah's question. "I am the owner of this place."

Though Goliah already anticipated it, he still can't help but shiver at the thought that a powerful person like Janus is with him all this time. He already heard the history of this place. Though he did not know the whole story, Goliah knows that a powerful Valkyrie built this dungeon to punish the people who committed sins in the past. And that Valkyrie is now in front of him, having a slacking posture while looking at him with clear eyes.

"...Am I gonna die?" Goliah subconsciously asked out loud.

"If you stay with me, you will not." Janus confidently said.

Another silence spread to their surroundings. Goliah did not know what to say anymore. He thought joining the Valkyria Rozea is the craziest thing he will experience in his whole life. But meeting the owner of this huge dungeon will is something Goliah never expected to happen in his whole life.

"Are you afraid of me now?" Janus asked.

Is he afraid of him? Goliah will be lying if he said no. It is already human nature to be scared of things that are unusual to them. And of course, Goliah is not an exemption to that.

But...

Does he really need to be afraid of him? Ever since he first met Janus, Goliah's instinct to protect the weak instantly kicked in since he looks kind of lost and confused about his surroundings. He did not do things that can guarantee that he will hurt Goliah. In fact, Janus is the one who saved him from any possible danger.

Take those thieves as an example. Without Janus, who knows what will happen to him if those thieves attacked him all at once? He may be big because of his muscles, but that was just all for a show. In truth, Goliah is a weak person. His body became big and full of muscles because of his work as a blacksmith before.

For the past years, he managed to survive inside the dungeon by learning the art of camouflage and eating edible plants. Believable or not, there are also normal animals inside the dungeon like rabbits and deer. If he was lucky, Goliah can catch a rabbit for his dinner. Goliah also learned how to control his thirst and only drink a small bottle of water per day.

Goliah is very sure that he will not win against those thieves. Aside from the possibility that they will leave him half alive, Goliah will also lose the things inside his bag including the photo of his family. The portrait of his wife and daughter is the only thing that keeps his sanity intact for years. That's why although he is a bit scared of Janus, Goliah is also grateful to him.

"Well?"

"To be honest, I am really scared of you." Goliah slowly said.

"Then—"

"But I want to trust you."

"Ah?"

"Goliah took a deep breathe first before he continued.

"My guts are telling me that I can trust you wholeheartedly."

"...What if I am just deceiving you?" Janus carefully asked.

"Then it is my fault because I trusted you although I did not know anything about you."

Before Janus can reply, his eyes widened in surprise when Goliah suddenly bend his upper body to give him a proper bow.

"What are you—"

"Thank you for saving my life, Janus."