Reject Humanity, Return to Monke

Leaving the town a few minutes after resting on that bench, I made my way directly to the forest where the alraunes were living in. If I'm not mistaken, there are 23 of them currently living inside my Dungeon, with about half of them having legs instead of the usual flower-half.

How it is like that, I have no idea, but hey, who am I to complain.

Walking through the silent, but frequently used path, I spotted a herd of deer frolicking in a field not far away from me. Along with them, I also spotted some rabbits grazing in the field not far away from the herd of deer.

This view got me thinking about how my Dungeon's first floor was close to mimicking a natural forest made by mother nature. Sure, it wasn't even close to a real forest since it was missing a lot, such as insects, more variety of animals, and just the plain old things you would encounter in a forest.

Moving past those groups of animals, I walked slower, taking in the view as I made my way towards the area where the alraunes were currently living.

'How large is the first floor anyway? I know it's about 33 basketball courts combined, 53 now I believe because of the rooms I got from the Dungeon Masters I killed, though I'm still skeptical since the residents are still missing.

That said though, I'm also sure that the first floor wasn't big like this the last time I came here, so maybe it was just the residents that were delayed because of something happening on the Gods' side of things.

Placing those thoughts back in the back of my mind, I whistled at the forest where the alraunes made their home, the trees looking much livelier than the other areas due to alraunes being something along the lines of a druid, even if they function incredibly different from one.

Well, technically speaking, they're plants, so they, of all people, should know how to properly take care of nature like it is their home, which isn't that far from the mark.

"Hello, anybody here?" I called out from outside the first grove of trees since it was the outermost part of their forest area.

It wasn't long until I was greeted by an alraune with legs instead of a flower-half.

"Oh, greetings, Dungeon Master Jionni. What brings you here to our humble abode?" The sexy alraune was bringing along a basketful of fruits and vegetables in her arms. I assume the fruits and vegetables were their food for the day… That said…

"Aren't eating fruits and vegetables considered cannibalism to your species?" I voiced out an honest question due to my growing curiosity about their general livelihood. As the leader of the entire Dungeon, even if I don't act like one, I have the responsibility to make sure that they are all living healthy lives and content with their stay here.

All for the sake of DP and efficient manpower.

The alraune, in response, laughed out loud to my chagrin. Good thing gorillas can't blush, otherwise, I would be red as a tomato right now. She immediately stopped her laughing, however, and quickly went pale, the basket dropping from her hands and onto solid ground as its contents scattered about.

"F-forgive me for laughing, D-Dungeon Master J-Jionni." The alraune, now quivering in fear due to the offensive act she had given me (although to me, it wasn't anywhere near offensive, just my stupidity at play), squeaked out her apology and hoped that I wouldn't punish her harshly, her green skin excreting some sort of sap as opposed to sweat.

Seeing the shaking alraune, I sighed and gave her a wave of my hand.

"No, no, apologies are not needed." I smiled at her, causing her shaking to stop and her light green-colored skin turning a little bit darker. "I admit, that was a stupid question. Even plants are included in the 'Survival of the Fittest' scheme mother nature has placed upon us mortals."

Seeing that she was no longer in any sort of bad situation, the alraune let out a sigh of relief, before regarding me once more as she moved to pick up the basket and its scattered contents.

"No, please. I may have stepped across the line for laughing like that. Please, accept my apology." She quickly gathered the fruits and vegetables, and once she was done with the task, she stood up and bowed before me, her assets jiggling in the air due to gravity.

'This alraune won't take no for an answer… Haaahhh…' I sighed once more and looked at the alraune with a teasing glint in my eyes. 'Well, if she wants to apologize so much, then…'

"Then, apology not accepted." My words caused her to freeze in place, her skin once again becoming a light green color due to her paling features. She looked up at me and gave me a look full of fear as the basket threatened to once again fall from her grasp. "Nah, I'm just kidding. Apology accepted. Seriously, that was my bad for asking a question like that."

The alraune noticed my grin and gave me a full pout, her skin turning a shade darker, and this time, it wasn't because of relief. I'm pretty sure if she was a human, she would be blushing red right now, but not out of embarrassment, but a mixture of both anger and embarrassment.

"… Why would you do that? I thought you were going to kill me?"

"Hey, you're a resident of my Dungeon, and I'll be damned if I let one resident be dissatisfied with my hospitality." I proclaimed, the alraune now turning back to normal as she got her act together. 'Other than those who refused to comply, who I'm guessing is also getting the same treatment as those who complied, I won't let my residents live a life that could, in any way, lead to a revolt.'

"Anyway, please guide me to Rosada, I have some things I want to discuss with her."