You had an odd sense... you had killed someone... hadn't you? Shouldn't you have felt something? Instead all you felt was a sense of thrill of having accomplished your duty, and having helped the black female, and relief being reminded the other two blues were just going to be respawned from the Monster Jar. But still... "That knight... is dead?"
"Oh he's dead," said the black female. "I'd say he'd respawned at the Shrine of Resurrection by now. I imagine he's upset he's lost all his loot except everything his combat experience, he's likely telling his buddies how he got ambushed by a fire-wyrm or something, or complain he got snipped by a female blue growlyap to his buddies. Apparently only the greedy ones dungeon dive solo so they don't have to share the loot."
"So... we kill them, they keep coming back to life, they kill us, and we keep coming back to life?" You asked.
"Exactly. Long as the Shrine of Resurrection of his Town and the Monster Jar of this Dungeon are intact... Don't worry, they don't normally send newbies like you out on Town Raids, though getting lucky on that guy they might..."
"So... that's all there is? The adventurers keep coming back to life, and we keep coming back to life?"
"Oh, the Master talks a big game about wanting to destroy the Shrine of Resurrection, and the Princess sometimes talks about destroying the Monster Jar... But personally that ... " You had a feeling that a superior monster was never about to admit fear. "Isn't something I'd personally want. Our whole way of life is built like this. Win or lose, we lose our purpose."
Purpose. Yes. Purpose. The one thing you'd been missing for so much of your life... purpose. You'd made a deal with a pig man who apparently ruled a ever changing dungeon in some fantasy world, and were now one of his immortal grunts for eternity and... you didn't mind. You'd killed a man. And you didn't mind. You knew this was the contract's doing to be sure... but you didn't mind.
"So... why does the Master... recruit like he does?"
The black growlyap snorted. "Because there's one thing the Master can't do... is create souls. So that's where we come in..."
"Who were you before?"
"Doesn't matter! Who YOU were before doesn't matter! I'm Female Black Growlyap! YOU are Female Blue Growlyap! That's the only identity you've got! So you better get used to it."
"I was told." You sighed.
"It's not so bad, when all else is stripped from you, only the true self remains."
You feel a slight rumbling.
"What's that?"
"That's the Dungeon rearranging itself. Keeps the adventures from memorizing the place. Though that means we can't memorize the place either. Even which of us are in which room changes. Those two who died together are likely picking out new rooms to hang out in waiting for the next hero."
"Oh... I'd like to get to know them better."
"Interesting."
--
"Ha ha! Look whose back!" Snigger a adventurer in a big hat with a wooden staff with a crystal ball.
The knight emerged from the shrine of resurrection.
"Told ya they wouldn't last long, but they said,'oh no, you jerks are gonna see otherwise!' Well, guess we know the only thing you're good for!" Said his companion, a thief covered in knifes with black fizzy hair.
The knight took off their helmet, revealing a woman in long blond hair and piercing blue eyes... she smacked the thief in the face with her helmet and stomped off the nearest Inn.
Leaning against the wall was a tanned skinned woman with blond hair with tattoos and green eyes, she was wearing strangely skimpy armor that didn't look that impressive... but the sword she was carrying without effort was bigger than she was.
"I told you cousin, going solo was only going to give those jerks more ammunition."
The knight sighed. "... I know... I know... but I really wanted to stomp their heckling!"
"Hey, it's not about solo glory no matter what you think... Ya know, Marrigold, the unicorn? We're both virgins, so they're allowed to accompany us, how about the three of us try again? As a party this time? We can even invite Mike along, I know he's just a kid, but I swear his Agility is through the roof!"
The knight sighed at the amazon. "Alight. Together this time."
"And know when to turn around this time!"
"Understood."