Chapter 3
“Wait! I’m not sleeping in the maid’s room.”
I hurried after him with my best smile.
“You have a room here, right? How about we share?”
He said nothing. He just floated faster.
I kept up. “Aren’t you supposed to grant my wish? You know—shortness of breath, trembling legs, glazed eyes—”
“I never agreed to that.”
“What the hell? This dungeon’s called ‘Wish.’ You said you’d grant everyone’s wishes. Why am I the exception? That’s discrimination. I’m complaining to headquarters.”
He stared at me.
At last, he said, “…Fine. Come with me.”
Several turns later, he led me into a luxurious bedroom. I took one look at the king-size bed and flopped onto it.
“Oh, that’s better.” I stretched out, then crossed my legs. “My legs hurt. Massage them for me.”
He looked at me without a word.
Fine. Another approach.
“What’s your name? I can’t call you Boss forever.”
“It has nothing to do with you. You’re a player. Focus on clearing the dungeon.”
“Then what should I call you? Baby? Honey? Hubby? Master? Daddy?”
“Adrian Vale,” he said. “My name is Adrian Vale.”
His voice was level, but it sounded as though he was speaking through his teeth.
“Well, Adrian—”
“Enough. Go to sleep.”
He flicked his wrist. Black mist swept over me, and everything went dark.
A scream woke me the next morning.
Adrian was gone. I washed up and hurried downstairs, then stopped at the sight of the body on the living room floor.
The dead man looked seventy, maybe eighty. White hair, a white beard, deep wrinkles. And somehow, familiar.
Everyone was there except Martin.
A woman with dyed red hair looked around the room. She seemed to be in her thirties.
“I checked,” she said. “That’s Martin.”
“No way. Martin’s in his forties. Look at him!”
“Remember yesterday’s wish? No sickness, no pain, a peaceful death of old age.” She looked down at the corpse. “He got it. We thought we’d found a loophole in an SSS-level dungeon.”
The chat started scrolling again.
[My favorite part. They always think they’ve beaten it.]
[Wait. Didn’t everyone wish to die of old age? What did the girl in the corner ask for? My feed went black yesterday.]
[Mine too!]
[Same here.]
[I thought it was my connection. Why did we all get a black screen?]
[Maybe she found the correct wish and they censored it. Is someone finally going to clear this dungeon?]
[You’re reaching. I checked her out. Total newbie. I could knock that fragile little thing flat with one slap, and you think she can clear an SSS dungeon?]
