I had no intention of fighting the zombies. They were far too terrifying. Our only choice was to run. While a few zombies chased after us, these seemed to quickly lose interest. Thankfully, this floor wasn’t like the previous floor, which was swamped with zombies. Having stopped to catch our breath, my eyes fell on the girl in front of me.

“Don’t tell me that your master and party were killed.”

Naturally, I was able to see the comparison here. Her previous master looked like a bastard. She was all alone. I happened to have the hero title. She was a slave animal-girl. It was almost as if the events that made this dungeon were reenacting themselves. Was that what it meant by completing the lore? Did it need to end with us defeating the necromancer and her confessing her love to me? Was that the way to 100% complete this dungeon?

It was almost like the dungeon was seeking this resolution. Perhaps lore desired to be completed? It made sense that it would resist being destroyed, but welcome being completed. Every story sought a conclusion, right? Well, this was all my mind just jabbering. There was no way I was going to be able to complete this lore.

After all, I didn’t know this girl, and the likelihood of her falling in love with an overweight White Mage who could only drag her around as he ran like a coward wasn’t exactly a scene of romance. There would be no way I’d be completing this lore. Instead, destroying it seemed like the best idea, but that was for someone much stronger and more willing than me.

“No…” she shook her head, which she kept lowered a demure. “Master is alive. I can feel it.”

“Is that so…” Instantly, the situation was different, which made me feel slightly better.

“Mm!” She nodded, “One of his men fell in the battle, and so he ordered me to run outward and distract the zombies while he got away.”

“Is that so?” My voice was much flatter this time.

This noble who wanted to be called a hero really was a scum. Even I wouldn’t have sacrificed someone for my own life.

The girl was a catkin with a collar around her neck. Her ears and tail were black and orange with stripes. She had a small form, but average size breasts, that looked a bit big because of her skinny and short size. She wasn’t to the extent of a loli, but it was clear she had grown up malnourished and was a bit of a runt. However, her face was pretty, and her eyes were gold-colored with just the slightest hint of a cat slit. I really wanted to touch her ears, which twitched every time there was a noise in the distance.

“How did you survive then?”

The girl blushed. “I run fast. The zombies and skeletons don’t seem to have much interest in me.”

“Ah… well… do you have any fighting ability?” I asked.

The girl shook her head, her tail lashing shamefully, “I’m sorry… I have no skills. Master keeps telling me I’m useless for anything but fodder.”

“That’s… unfortunate. I, too, don’t have the ability to fight.” I admitted.

“Ahn?” She looked up, her cat ears twitching, “I thought you were the hero?”

“Haha…” I laughed tightly. “Well, I can heal alright. Look. I think we’ll need to work together if we’re going to get out of this dungeon. Will you work with me?”

I held out my hand, offering it. She looked at it suspiciously. Was even this more of a kindness than she was used to? Very slowly, she brought out her hands like a paw, and then put it in mine. I awkwardly shook it. A very slight smile formed on her face for a fraction of a second, and I couldn’t help but stare at how much more beautiful she looked when she smiled. I really wanted to make her smile again.

Before I could think of something to say, text started shooting across my vision.

{Lydia has joined your party. Experience will be shared.}

{Name: Lydia

Class: Speed Combat

 Job: Commoner (Slave) level 8

Unlocked Jobs: Cook (level1), Swordsman(level1), Thief(level1), Scout(level1)

Race: Tigerkin}