"I didn’t touch the clock in the room!"
The free esper declared confidently, though his gaze held a hint of hesitation as he glanced at the dark esper—the one who had just strangled him. With these dark espers, they could no doubt kill him. Fortunately, Captain Drake was here now.
The free esper thought to himself, his eyes filled with hope as he looked toward Drake, even though the fear Drake instilled in him wasn’t much less than that of the dark esper.
Drake spoke slowly: "You don’t have the ability to do that."
It felt like an insult, but he should feel lucky to be the weakest one here.
The free esper clenched his fists in silence, lowering his head and saying nothing.
"The current issue is: what changed the time on the clock?"
Drake continued slowly.
Susan couldn’t help but frown slightly as she looked around Drake’s room. Compared to theirs, his room wasn’t much different. It was clear the layout of all the rooms was identical. The only difference lay in the fact that the mansion’s owner was so absurdly wealthy that each room was decorated with different expensive items.
"The room shrank and crushed Rowan, leaving him nowhere to escape. Even though we haven’t figured out how the room was able to shrink, this is a dungeon—anything can happen here. My guess is that this mansion might possess a life of its own."
Susan slowly voiced her speculation, and the others wore thoughtful expressions as though they were seriously considering the possibility.
"So what you’re saying is the boss might be sitting somewhere just watching all our actions? That terrifying?" Jessica gasped, feigning panic.
Susan didn’t even glance at Jessica, as if courtesy didn’t exist between them. To Susan, Jessica wasn’t even worth as much as an NPC.
Jessica scoffed coldly, saying nothing.
Bella spoke up, a bit worried: "If what Susan said is true, then both now and in the future, all of our plans and actions could be seen by the monster in this dungeon. That would drastically reduce our chances of survival!"
Everyone couldn’t help but grow more serious, feeling as if countless eyes were watching them—openly spying—while they could do nothing about it. They couldn’t fight back, couldn’t strike.
Just then, Drake suddenly spoke: "Has anyone considered what the main boss of this mansion is?"
He hadn’t accepted anyone’s theory just yet.
Hearing Drake’s question, the group began another round of speculation.
Alice lowered her gaze and said softly, "So far, we’ve encountered a total of four monsters: the butler Alexander, the maids Sana and Nana, and the chef Ethan. I think the mansion’s owner—the monster that hasn’t yet appeared—has the highest chance of being the main boss. And if this mansion truly has life, then it’s likely the owner is the one controlling it."
"Alice’s guess makes a lot of sense, but how can we be sure the mansion’s owner even exists when he hasn’t shown up yet?" Zara raised her hand as she spoke, like a model student.
Alice said nothing. If only the captain were here, she thought sadly. With his third eye, he can see through this easily.
All their speculations had been laid out. Now, what they needed was someone to step up and make a decision.
Drake lowered his eyes, his expression contemplative as if lost in thought.
A cheerful voice suddenly rang out at that moment: "I’ve figured it out!"
The voice came so abruptly and loudly that a few people were startled.
Turning, they saw the bespectacled young man still holding the clock in both hands. But the moment everyone looked at him, his expression turned serious.
Luis adjusted his thick glasses and spoke slowly: "The mansion doesn’t have a life of its own. As for whether the boss is monitoring us... I’m still not sure."
As he said the last part, his voice grew quieter.
Hearing this, Bella nodded thoughtfully. "So that means the changing clock, the shrinking mansion—a hand behind it all, manipulating everything. That must be the main boss!"
She merely voiced what everyone already suspected.
Drake looked at Luis, then at the group, and said, "That means the main boss behind all of this has the power to distort reality—or perhaps even our perception. We all need to be cautious. Don’t trust anything too easily."
After a brief pause, he glanced at Zara and continued, "And as for whether the mansion’s master exists, we just need to go and verify it ourselves, don’t we?"
Upon hearing that, Zara’s eyes lit up. "Exactly—we just need to verify it!"
Of course, verifying it would come with its dangers.
The mansion’s master lived on the fourth floor, while the fifth floor had never been used.
The mansion’s curfew was 11 PM. Before that hour, the two maids—Sana and Nana—always stood watch at both sides of the staircase and would never allow anyone to pass.
So, if they wanted to find out whether the mansion’s master truly existed, they would have to venture out after 11 PM, which went against the mansion’s rules. Monsters would surely hunt them.
"It doesn’t matter. Even if we stay quietly in our rooms, there’s no guarantee the monsters will leave us alone. So let’s go! The sooner we finish this dungeon, the better—I miss home!" Zara declared boldly.
The others nodded in agreement, though they felt the last part about "missing home" was a little dramatic.
The dark esper standing to the side couldn’t help but show a conflicted expression, unable to put everything into words. How could these strong ones ever understand the struggles of the weak like us?
The free esper looked hesitant and uncertain.
Zara was right—no one could be sure that staying in their rooms would guarantee safety. Thinking of returning to the room that once held Rowan’s mangled corpse, the free esper couldn’t help but shudder in fear.
He swallowed hard. Despite his fear, he made up his mind: "I... I want to go to the fourth floor, too!"
In the end, the teams heading to the fourth floor were decided. They included part of Drake’s group and Zara’s group. Susan’s group, along with the remaining members of Drake’s group—Drake, Fiona, and Luis—would head down to the first floor to investigate the kitchen where their meals had come from. The others would explore the fifth floor.
Ultimately, not a single person would remain in their room—because everyone had to contribute. No one wanted to be left behind in this place.
Drake said: "That’s the plan—assuming nothing unusual happens after 11 PM. If something does, follow the mansion’s rules for the time being until the danger passes."