The teacher, Lambard, looked panicked as he counted his students again. Two were missing, and he couldn't find them anywhere inside the boss's domain.
His red eyes scanned the area, using his observation skill to survey everything at once, but still, he found no trace of them.
Ashtarot, noticing the teacher's distress, approached him and asked, "What happened?"
"Ah, Mr. Ashtarot, I think... I lost two children. Their names are Nano and Nari. They are werewolves. Can you please search for them? I just..." Lambard's already pale face became even paler, almost as white as a sheet.
Ashtarot tapped his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mr. Lambard. We will find them."
He opened the system and called the command deck, watching as the system interference changed into an audio waveform.
"Two children are missing. They are werewolves. Search for them."
Moloch, who was busy with the other children, overheard what was happening and approached Ashtarot.
"I will return to my post and search for them." He then looked at the teacher. "Give me their appearance."
Lambard quickly described them. "They are male, identical twins with gray hair and golden reptilian eyes. They have wolf's ears and tail."
The search began immediately. The command deck, directed by Moloch, started scanning the fourteenth floor and the adjacent ones. The children couldn't have gone too far since they were only kids.
Ashtarot glanced at his pocket watch, growing increasingly impatient. His foot tapped the floor rhythmically.
"Administrator, search for the children," he said in a low, urgent voice.
[Searching for 'unusual appearance and activity' on every floor initiated.]
[Progress: 15%]
'Damn, too slow,' he cursed internally.
He kept thinking about where the children might be. They couldn't have gone too far, and knowing how adventurous and cocky children could be, they were likely driven by curiosity or...
'Ah, it must be that.'
***
In the damp, eerie hallway of the abandoned laboratories, Nano and Nari wandered nervously. The shattered windows let in faint light, barely enough to see by.
The sound of electrical short circuits added to the tension. Suddenly, a section of the ceiling collapsed in front of them, causing the children to scream in fear. Their tails puffed up, and their bodies trembled.
"Na-Nano, is it a good idea to be here?" little Nari asked, his tail twitching nervously, ears perked up in caution.
"Don't be a coward! You heard what Mr. Ashtarot said! Humans are pathetic! We are here to prove we can defeat them and become floor bosses!" Nano declared proudly, his tail wagging with excitement.
"But we are children..."
"Size doesn't matter!"
A voice suddenly broke the tension. "What's that?"
"Werewolf children? This is the 14th floor, right? Why are they here?" asked another voice, this one belonging to a human in mage robes.
"The hell with that, let's just kill them," said a man in armor, brandishing his sword.
"Ekkk!!!" the twins shrieked in unison, terrified at the sight of the sword pointing at them.
"What should we do?!" Nari asked, his body trembling.
"Of course, we need to attack them." Nano readied his claws, trying to muster bravery despite his fear.
But the sword was faster. They closed their eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Nothing happened.
Opening their eyes, they saw Ashtarot standing in front of them, holding the sword effortlessly. With a slight squeeze, the sword crumbled into pieces.
"You mongrel! how dare you lay a hand on children!" he shouted, his crimson eyes glowing fiercely.
A dark aura surrounded Ashtarot, which then blasted towards the humans. Paralyzed with fear, their hearts stopped, and they died instantly.
An alarm blared, and walls marked "ERROR" began closing around the area. The lights blinked red, adding to the chaos.
[Important announcement!]
[Breach detected!]
[Error occurred.]
[The dark and robust fluctuation of mana can be detected on the 14th floor!]
[A powerful monster that is not allowed to enter the 'abandoned lab' has appeared and started to kill humans!]
[Victim count: 2 people.]
"Oops. We need to go now," Ashtarot said, turning to see the children crying and hugging him. He quickly teleported them back to the boss's domain.
***
Ashtarot returned with the children, and Lombard almost cried with relief as he hugged the twins tightly. After a brief moment of comfort, he reprimanded the crying children and ordered them to thank Ashtarot.
"Thank you, Mr. Ashtarot, and we are really sorry," the two said in unison, tears and snot still on their faces.
"Good, if you know you are wrong," Ashtarot said, crossing his arms. "Why did you do that?" His voice was firm, and his presence made them even more scared.
Nano and Nari started crying again. "Nano wanted to be a floor boss!" Nari pointed at his brother.
"What! But you wanted to become one too!" Nano protested.
"Hmmm... So you decided to look down on humans?" Ashtarot's voice was stern, his eyes boring into their souls.
The twins' faces turned pale, and they nearly fainted. "We...we...we are sorry," they stuttered.
Ashtarot knelt and grabbed the children's shoulders. "Both of you are brave; you might become great floor bosses one day," he praised them.
Their faces lit up with joy, their color returning, and their eyes shimmering. But within a second, their expressions turned to fear.
Ashtarot's grip tightened. "But if you do it again, I am going to be your opponent next time. Let's see how long both of you can survive." His black aura reappeared, making the children shriek and faint.
Lombard panicked and tried to wake the fainted children. Meanwhile, the other children were shaking in fear, understanding not to mess with Ashtarot.
There was no way he would only praise them for doing stupid but brave things. He also gives them a therapy shock so they won't do it again and also as a reminder of all the children who would think of doing something dumb.
After the situation was under control, Ashtarot clapped his hands and announced, "Now, let's move to the design and development of the monster division. They are located on the 17th floor of this dungeon."
One of the children raised her hand and asked, "Why are we skipping the 15th and 16th floors?"
"The floor boss on the 15th floor is on vacation right now, and the rest of the monsters there are...kind of boring to look at," Ashtarot said nonchalantly.
The children said "Oooohhh" in unison. Then another asked, "What about the 16th floor?"
Ashtarot chuckled. "The floor boss is right in front of you," he smirked. "Or do I need to bring all of you to my floor and show you how powerful I am?"
The children stepped back and shook their heads vigorously, already frightened of him. There was no need to make them more terrified.
"Good," Ashtarot said with a satisfied nod. "Let's move on, then."
He gestured for the group to follow, and they began their journey to the 17th floor.